Chapter 22: College Life

The welcoming environment brought smiles to the group. The campus evoked a sense of tranquility with its fancy gardens and buildings. Even though it wasn't as advanced as the planet Viltrum, it had its qualities. Taz could still appreciate it for what it was.

"This place is pretty cool." Mark commented. Rick, the college stud, smiled in response.

"It's also one of the best med schools in the country.That's why I arranged a little…biology class sit-in for you guys. You're still thinking pre-med right, William?" He asked.

"Yup." Will answered casually. As Rick kept walking, Will slowed down and whispered to the group.

"He remembered!" He squealed.

Eve and Mark smiled while Taz shook his head. Lexi was too occupied squeezing her breasts against the viltrumite's arm. She wrapped around him like a string.

"How am I supposed to walk when you're like this?" The stoic man questioned. The blonde looked up at him with a smile.

"Is it bothering you? Little old me?" She spoke sultrily.

"Lexi…"

"I thought nothing fazed you?"

Taz rubbed his temple and said nothing. It would be pointless to say anything more. Since he sat directly in front of her at school, he knew how extra she could be. The tried and true solution was to not give a reaction.

Lexi smiled seeing him act this way. They weren't at school and would be here for a few days. There was no way that she would stop now just because he didn't give a reaction. The blonde wanted to pester him as much as possible this time. If she was lucky, he'd snap and press her against the wall. Then his hand would grip her throat as he…

"Hehe…" She giggled as erotic scenes plagued her mind.

"Lexi? Hellooo…Hey, you dumb blonde!"

"Huh?" Lexi snapped back to reality and saw Eve beside her.

"I know what you're doing. Don't piss him off. He can be quite scary." The redhead warned. She also mouthed 'He has a girlfriend' silently. The blonde stuck out her tongue.

"You have no idea half of the stuff I do to him in class. I'll be fine." After speaking, she silently mouthed 'So what? Studs like him are always pent up' with a smile. They continued to speak through signs and lip reading.

'Kate is my friend!' Eve signed.

'I thought you said she had a thing with your ex before Taz came along?' Lexi responded.

'Yeah, but that was different! He lied to her.'

'Whatever. Just look the other way. Think of it as revenge.' The blonde pleaded. Eve rolled her eyes.

'...What are you trying to get out of this? You think he'll date you?'

'He doesn't have to date me…I just want…you know! Once or twice. Or thrice. Or-'

'Alright alright I get it! Jesus.' Eve lightly punched her shoulder before walking away. Upon reaching Mark's side, she looked at Lexi once more.

'I saw nothing.' She mouthed. The blonde beamed with joy. Her hold around Taz's arm tightened.

The man in question wanted no parts of their conversation. He was focused on his surroundings, completely ignoring the two signaling bandits. As they walked, he noticed a campus board covered in posters. His eyes narrowed on two posters.

The first poster showed the portrait of a college student. It read 'Missing - Doug Cheston.' The second poster was less ominous. It showed a bunch of children playing in a field with wide smiles. A large white and gold building stood behind them. The picture read 'St. Lucy's Orphanage: Open For Donations.'

Taz frowned. He remembered Nolan's words from earlier. The elite soldier realized that he would have to check the place out later. The group kept going on their way, eventually entering the school of science. Rick led them into a classroom while gesturing to the back row.

Eve sat beside Mark, William sat with Rick, and Lexi sat with Taz. It was an obvious pairing. Somewhere along the way, the blonde had gotten a lollipop. The sound of her smacking on it reverberated throughout the class. Every now and then, a few students would look back with annoyance. That annoyance would quickly turn to indifference upon seeing the cute lady responsible. Pretty privilege is a real thing.

"It may look the same from the outside, but the chance of heart failure doubles with each decade of life." The professor explained.

Taz suppressed a yawn as the lecture continued. His chin rested on his hand. It didn't matter what level the course was. The young viltrumite's mind allowed him to learn things quickly and easily. He could invent things if he wanted to, but he'd rather break things. It was much more fun.

"What do we do about that? Dieting? Sure. Exercise helps. Drugs?" The professor continued.

Will and Rick listened to the professor with a serious expression. Mark was just like Taz, zoning out and paying zero attention. Eve nudged him under the table. Lexi pulled out a box of chocolate flavored pocky sticks. After pulling one out, she brought it to the stoic hero's lips. Taz shamelessly munched it down.

The blonde knew what she could and couldn't do with the young elite. She had quickly discovered that the man loved pocky sticks during school. This was the only way he would ever allow her to feed him. Lexi counted it as a win.

"Our focus is on extending the quality of life. Even if we can't extend life itself." The professor concluded.

"Oh please." An arrogant voice rang out.

"Ah…Mr. Sinclair. Once again it seems you have an opinion to share?"

The class turned to see a student sitting with his legs on the table. He wore a faded pink suit and tie. His black hair was slicked back which gave more emphasis to his large nose. His expression implied that he was too high for the heavens.

"I have the truth to share." Sinclair retorted.

"Who's the dick?" Eve quietly asked. Rick spoke with annoyance.

"D.A. Sinclair. He's here on a genius grant and makes sure everyone knows it." He said.

"All human failings are simply engineering challenges crying out to be solved! We're machines and the sooner we recognize that, the sooner we'll reach our true potential."The genius declared.

"Someone's got an ego problem." Eve joked softly. The arrogant man turned to her with a frown. He heard her comment.

"What did you say?!" Sinclair growled while strutting over to them. The redhead's eyes widened in surprise.

"Uhhhhh…" She hummed. Eve wasn't the type to cause drama. She didn't expect him to hear.

Sinclair eventually reached the back row. Once he got too close, Mark and Rick stood up to confront him. They weren't going to let the arrogant genius waltz right up to Eve. Lexi continued to feed Taz pocky sticks as they watched from the side.

"Back off." Mark growled.

There was no chance that he'd let Eve take any crap. It was an instinctive trait for males to protect what they considered theirs. Especially for viltrumites. It didn't matter if she had powers or not. Sinclair raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

His gaze stopped on Mark before moving to Taz and Rick. They were the muscular people in the group. They posed the most threat. It irritated him somewhat to see the blonde girl feeding the guy candy. The two treated him as if he didn't exist. Nobody was allowed to ignore the genius.

Sinclair's face turned dark as he mentally wrote them on his hit list. He'd make sure they pay. No one belittled him. No one.

"Step back, peon. You're breathing my air." The genius demanded.

Mark's face turned cold. Eve gently held the back of his shirt with worry. He wasn't acting like himself. Before the annoyed hero could speak, Rick stood up.

"What's your problem, Sinclair?!" He said. The arrogant man scoffed.

"My problem is this school of idiots!" He exclaimed. The class looked at him with a deadpan. This wasn't China. People weren't going to cough blood in anger. D.A. continued his tirade.

"M.I.T. courted me, Yale offered me a lab-"

"You should take it!" Rick interrupted softly. The class burst into laughter. Sinclair took a deep breath. He then focused on the stud in front of him. Rick's figure made him a perfect…test subject.

"You're impressive, Rick. Muscular, assertive, classic alpha male." He said. William stood up.

"Hey! Don't say those…compliments to him."

There were a few moments of awkward silence. The professor eventually cleared his throat.

"Eh-erm. Mr. Sinclair, you can return when you're ready to learn." He announced. Sinclair smirked.

"Then I'll see you at exams." The genius retorted.

As he left the room, he glanced at the group one last time. His eyes narrowed on Rick and Mark. They were already sitting back down. His gaze then landed on the muscular man with brown skin. A surge of rage filled his body upon seeing Taz. The stoic man hadn't looked at him a single time. He was too occupied with his sweets.

"Tch." With the click of his tongue, he disappeared from the class.

Now that there weren't any disturbances, the lecture went smoothly. The class ended a bit early due to the professor running out of planned material. Before long, the group was back outside. William walked beside Rick as they conversed.

"Was it just me or was that D.A. guy checking you out? Hehe. I bet you have that problem a lot." He commented. Rick chuckled.

"Heh. Please. I feel sorry for him. He needs friends more than anything." He responded.

Behind the two, Eve and Mark followed. The ametuer hero watched his surroundings with a smile. The redhead pinched his waist.

"Hmm?" Mark turned to her in confusion. He barely felt anything.

"What're you smiling about huh?" She asked. Grayson smiled.

"I just…I like it here. Maybe I can live a normal life. Something different." He exclaimed.

"Do what your heart says. I knew I couldn't join the Guardians of the Globe because I wanted to save people my way. I've already saved more people in the last two months than I have in years!"

"...Maybe I will." He said. Mark looked behind him to see Taz and Lexi in the distance. They walked at their own pace, not really keeping up with the group. The ameteur wanted to say something but held his tongue. Only a fool would get on the stoic man's bad side.

"Don't worry about them. Let's go!" Eve suggested. Mark nodded. When he looked forward, he saw Rick and Will looking at them.

"How about we split up? Let's meet back here in a few hours." Rick said. Everyone agreed. They all turned to Taz and Lexi who were still far away.

"I got it. Watch this." Will spoke. He waved his hand to get their attention.

________

"You ever had a churro?" Lexi asked. The young viltrumite shook his head.

"What's that?"

"Wow, Taz. You're so uncultured."

"Are you going to tell me what it is?"

"I'll eat your churro." She spoke in a seductive tone. Taz frowned.

"What?"

'What the hell is she talking about?' He thought.

Just then, he saw William waving in his direction. Once they locked eyes, Will pointed to the ground before putting up four fingers. Taz gave him a thumbs up.

"What was that?" The blonde asked. His hand landed on her head and steered her to the left.

"We're meeting them back here at four." He spoke as they changed directions.

"Really? Hehe." She giggled eerily.

"...Lexi?"

"Come on! Let's check out the stands!"

The two would then go on to check out the attractions. From art pieces to charities, all types of vendors were present. They eventually stopped at a popcorn snack vendor.

"Two churros please." She said.

"Coming right up." The worker answered.

When Taz saw what they were, it clicked. He couldn't help but sigh. This woman truly had a dirty little mind. On the bright side, they tasted incredible. One thing the elite soldier came to love about Earth was its good food. There were all types of delicious dishes on the planet.

The two ended up at a frat party. The music was extremely loud and could be heard even outside the building. A door man let people into the frat house. There were jocks in sports jackets chilling next to him.

As they went in, the door man allowed Lexi through. They all watched as she went in. Her short skirt gave her the vibe of a cheerleader. Athletes loved that. The soldier walked toward the door. An arm stopped Taz from entering.

"Do you know anyone at this party?" The man questioned.

"What? No." The stoic man answered.

"Tsk tsk. I can't let you in, man. Skidaddle." He ordered. Taz frowned.

"You just let her in though."

"Women get in free."

Taz used his x-ray vision to see the blonde. Lexi had already walked over to the alcohol table and poured herself a drink. Two other girls were talking to her. She had always been a social butterfly. The opposite of Kate.

"Move." The young viltrumite spoke coldly.

Giving a small push, the door man fell to the floor and smacked his head on the pavement. All he could see was stars. The other guys surrounded Taz.

"Hey fucker, didn't you hear him? He said leave."

Everyone else in the line took out their phones to record. It seemed like a fight was going to break out. The viltrumite used his supervision one more time. Lexi had joined the girls to meet an even larger group of girls. They danced on the dance floor. Taz shook his head.

'She can take care of herself.' He thought.

The stoic elite knew that once she got alcohol in her system, she'd forget that she owned a phone for a while. After giving the college athletes a glance, he turned around and walked off.

"Whatever." He said.

He whipped out his phone and sent her a text. She probably wouldn't see it for a while. He knew her too well at this point.

'Couldn't get in.' It read.

Taz shook his head. There were also negatives to this planet. Racism, sexism, etc. It wasn't as bad as Astra, where women were just future slaves waiting to be snatched away. It was still there, however.

Sure he could've beat them up and went inside, but the young man felt no reason to waste his energy and cause a scene. That would be stupid. More jocks were inside the party as well. Taz decided to just get his bags from the car and bring them to Rick's dorm where they'd be staying. His roommates moved out, giving them two extra rooms.

Once he got to the parking lot, he spotted the car. He tried to open the door and realized it was locked. Taz felt a bit of frustration.

'Fuck…this sucks.' He thought. Two L's in a row.

There had to be a way to open it. The viltrumite closed his eyes to think. Only a few seconds went by as he thought at the speed of a supercomputer. Ever since he returned from Thokk's homeworld, he felt as if he was surrounded by a small magnetic field right on top of his skin. He maintained a strong hold on it ever since, not wanting to destroy the planet with his body mass.

"Maybe I can control it." He muttered.

Taz didn't know that it was his bio-electric aura. To him, it was just another ability strong viltrumites probably had. Focusing his senses, he slowly expanded the aura to encompass just the car door. He flicked his finger which caused it to unlock with a click.

'Easy.' He thought.

It wasn't hard for the elite soldier to learn and get used to new abilities. He had been learning new abilities his entire life. He didn't even know he could amplify his voice to harmful levels until he was 15.

After grabbing his and Lexi's bags, he walked back on campus. Twenty minutes passed when he reached the future meeting spot. He continued to walk before hearing fast steps approaching.

Turning around, he saw an angry drunk Lexi sprinting toward him. In her hands was a bottle of alcohol. Her face was flushed.

"Taaazzzzz you bastard!" She screamed before tackling him.

The two only moved a few steps, since Taz didn't feel like falling at the moment. The drunk blonde punched his chest.

"You left meeee! You…cold, evil, sexy stud! I hate you!" She slurred her words a bit. The stoic soldier dropped his bags before patting her head.

"It looked like you were having fun. Why would I interrupt?" He responded. His hand snatched the bottle out of her grasp.

"Heyyy, give that back!" Lexi complained. Her arms reached across his body. Taz's hand kept her head at arms length. She couldn't reach him. He then took a swig from the bottle.

GULP GULP

Lexi watched his adam's apple move up and down with wide eyes. He drank the whole thing before giving back the bottle. He then picked up the bags and walked off. The blonde stared at her empty bottle in disbelief. It quickly turned into a cute pout as she followed after him.

"I can't believe you left! I was only in there for ten seconds!" She lied. Taz shook his head.

"Sure, whatever. Did you check your phone?"

Lexi frowned before reaching into her cleavage and pulling out her phone. She immediately saw his text.

"Eh-there's nothing there." She lied.

"Right."

"Tazzzz."

"..........."

"I'm drunk. Why aren't you carrying me?"

"Don't you see these bags I'm holding?"

"You're strong right? I'll just go piggyback!"

"Just wait-" His words were interrupted as she hopped on his back. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her feet used the bags as foot holds. He could feel her breasts squishing against him.

Time passed as they made it to the dorm room and placed their bags down. Lexi continued to pester him the whole way. She even bit him a few times. An hour and a half later, they were back at the meeting spot. Mark and Eve arrived with a wave. Rick and William were the last to arrive.

"Hey guys, have fun?" Will spoke cheerfully. Before anyone could respond, the ground burst open.

BOOOM

Dust and debris covered the area. Civilians screamed and ran in fear from the loud noise. When the dirt and dust cleared, Taz's eyes narrowed.

A weird man covered in metal prosthetics crawled out of the ground. Its head was covered in metal. Only its mouth was able to be seen. There was a large red circle in the middle of the its forehead.

"Krrrrrrrrrr"

It growled like a zombie before sprinting toward nearby students.