Free Citadel (Book 1): Training in Necessity by J. Clevenger

ceiling, at the center of the track.  Then the guy just took off at a jog.  Hector was pretty sure he was using the tendrils to support himself, but didn't have a clue how they worked.
    Others had their own tricks.  Drew had lost at least another ten pounds and was running easily, now.  Samantha was moving way too fast to be running normally, and her stride was much too long.  He started picking up around one of his bedrooms.  There was barely room to walk between the mattresses.   Probably, she was just flying at ground level and pretending to run.  Coach Achala didn't call her on it so Hector figured he was expecting that sort of thing.  Good.
    Hector finished his first lap, running all out, and switched off with one of the other five hims waiting by the start point.  Normally, he'd complain about having to pick up after a bunch of slobs.  When he was the slobs in question, that didn't work so well.   No single body would have to run more than four and a half miles, with a nice break in between laps.  In total though, Hector would have run the full length.
    Jenny had a group formed up around her.  They all seemed pretty cheerful.  No tricks with them, though.  Well, not tricks to make the run easier.  Hector watched as, laughing, they did a single, simultaneous cartwheel.  The group didn't even break their stride.  He really had to figure out how her power worked.
    That was when the him that had been at the shooting range got back.  Without a word, he walked up to the group of Hectors waiting by the track and started handing things out.  They each attached a holstered pistol and two magazine pouches to their belts.  The newly arrived Hector left as soon as the one running had switched out and received his own equipment.  He still had to get back to his room and arm the hims there.
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    Cafeteria
    Hector hadn't tried to conceal the handoff or his new equipment, so it was no surprise that the other trainees noticed.  Really, the strange part was that it took until lunch for someone to mention it.  Duncan was the first to approach him about it.
    "Where'd you get the guns?" asked Duncan Nightmare.  Mom was out, the combination of medication and food.  He reached over and dabbed at the drool leaking from the corner of her mouth.   Hector smiled.
    "I just checked them out from the armory.  I took the test while we were in Ethics this morning."
    "Really, they just let you walk around the place with a pistol." he sneered.  Duncan seemed to do that a lot.
    "Have you paid any attention to the others?"  Hector looked around for a moment.  "I can see at least three people in the cafeteria carrying the same type of pistol."  Duncan didn't even bother to look.
    "Yeah, operatives.  You're just a trainee."
    "Duncan, look, I've got no idea what your power is, but just think about some of the people in our class.  We've got a girl who can turn into a thirty foot long lizard, a guy that I know for a fact can put his fist through a person's chest, and someone who can lose better than twenty pounds in twenty four hours."
    "Wait, what?  What does losing weight have to do with...?"  Confusion was a nice look on Duncan.  Hector made a little vow to himself that from then on he'd do whatever it took to encourage that.
    "They're all things that regular folks can't do.  What's a Stark made pistol compared to that?"
    "They let you have a Stark weapon?"
    "Nine, actually."  All four of the other Hector's that were eating lunch with the class got up and began moving closer.
    "What the hell!?  Who the fuck did you blow for that?"
    He walked over to his computer and started up the search engine.  Hector didn't have much on Duncan, but sometimes it didn't take a lot to track down an Empowered. 
    "Duncan.  Shut up and walk away.  Now." Hector was tired of the conversation.
    "Listen to him, Duncan." said the little red haired girl that no one in their right mind would ever want to piss