There are only so many things Toronto Maple Leaf defender Jake Gardiner can concentrate on at once. When stretching his powers to their limit that number is 2364. That makes observing the six Maple Leaf prospects a relatively simple matter. Jake is comfortable, snacking on some salt and vinegar kale chips. The prospects are the ones being put to the test.

The training mission is designed to test a potential Maple Leafs ability to adapt to any situation and find solutions with outside the box thinking. To that end, no powers are allowed and also no guns. Using only a few inches of steel and their wits the prospects must defeat and capture one of the many armed thugs running wild in the gritty Toronto streets. No other rules were given.

Jake’s job is to make sure none of the guys cheat. They may be able to hide from conventional surveillance but no one can hide from Jake. Using his powers Jake can change his whole body into one massive snake or he can split into as many as 2364 smaller ones. He is only running 5 small snakes at the moment because the Connors: Brown and Carrick decided to work together.

The Connors have already bagged two thugs and secured them against a telephone pole to await the police. Jake uses his comm-link to speak directly to the two Toronto Marlies.

“Good work guys, come on home.” Jake’s attention is pulled to Frederik Gauthier. The big man has gotten into trouble against a small and speedy opponent. Freddy has a bad habit of easing off smaller people. It’s bad on a hockey rink, it’s deadly out in the streets.

Jake watches Freddy take a series of body shots before being staggered by a hard upper-cut. As the Marlie stumbles the thug pulls out a gun. Jake is not supposed to help but sometimes rules don’t matter. The slender serpent slithers quickly up the thugs leg.

Even as the hammer is pulled back Jake digs his fangs into the thugs thigh meat. His bite is not poisonous but it sure does hurt. The thug drops his gun and claps his hands to his leg. Jake slithers away.

Freddy is recovered enough to realize that his chance is now.

“O’sti!” Freddy says, knowing that he has failed the test. Worst of all, his teammates will know he needed help. He slams the thugs head into a nearby wall hard enough that there is no need to secure him any further.

“Bring it in Freddy.” Jake says over the comm-link. “And don’t beat yourself up too much, I could happen to anyone.”

Jake pretends not to hear Freddy’s angry response. The Marlie is frustrated. Instead he shifts his attention to William Nylander.

The Swede seems to be napping. He is stretched out on a rooftop, not even pretending to keep an eye out for trouble. Jake slithers up to the prospects silky blonde hair and hisses in his ear

“You know that we’re timing you, right?”

Wily chuckles but doesn’t make any other move. “I’ve got this.” He says.

In nearby Toronto Maple Leaf tower Jake shrugs and shifts his focus. Zach Hyman has just interrupted a sexual assault. The attacker groans and bleeds on the ground. Zach comforts the victim and assures her that help is on the way.

“Don’t leave.” She pleads when Zach starts to move.

“I have to.” Zach says.

“No you don’t.” Jake hisses from the shadows.

“What was that?” The woman starts and pulls the Marlie closer. “Please stay.”

Zach sighs and places his foot on the groaning attackers head while he waits for emergency services.

Jake is with Kasperi Kapanen. The Marlie is engaged in battle with three unarmed, but very big, thugs. They seek to encircle the young Finn and pummel him into the dirt. Kaspar shifts constantly. He seems supernatural in his ability to slip into the dead space between the clumsy fists of his assailants. Jake knows he isn’t using any powers making the display all the more impressive. But the thugs have numbers on their side, and time.

Then Kaspar ups the ante. He pulls out his knife and in the same motion opens the throat of the nearest thug. Murder is discouraged but occasionally necessary. The kill does not count for the mission though, all captures are to be live. Jake does not remind the Marlie of this.

The thugs respond to the new threat in exactly the wrong way. They split apart and move away from Kaspar. He hurls the knife into the eye of one thug, then charges the other. The stunned street tough tries desperately to deflect the flurry of punches flying at him. (Note that the word try implies failure.)

Kaspar at last stands triumphant over the unconcious body of the big thug, exhausted by his efforts.

“You know you have to carry him away from the corpses right.” Jake hisses from behind some tall grasses. “You can’t turn him in at a murder scene.”

“That’s not fair.” Kaspar says.

He says more but Jake is back with Wily. The Swede has moved. Two crack-heads have come to the rooftop and Wily has ducked into some shadows. The junkies huddle close and pull out a small glass pipe and a tiny little crystal. Wily silently stands and approaches, unnoticed. The Marlie looks straight at Jakes hiding place and smiles.

“I call this: Rock Tossing” Wily says loudly.

The crack-heads jump at the sudden appearance of a young grinning man. Wily snatches the crack rock from the palm of one junkies hand and tosses it over the side of the building. Then Wily punches one in face and stomps on the other ones foot. Immediately he switches targets and victims then takes a quick step back.

The hurt crack-heads stagger in confusion for longer than Jake finds comfortable. Wily struggles to contain his laughter.

“Wha’ Fu’h?” Says one.

“M’ah bicka, sapp’it?” Adds the other.

“Do I need to beat you up or can I just take you to jail?” Wily asks with a grin.

The crack-heads stare at Wily, then they look to each other. They look back at Wily and then back to each other. They look back to Wily and hold out their hands.

“Jail.” They say together.