Travis Dermott is a rookie, Jake Gardiner is a veteran. They are hockey players, they are super heroes, they are Toronto Maple Leafs. The pair are stationed in the Toronto Maple Leaf sub-orbital base, keeping an eye on a strange mutant rat-thing that is rampaging through the Northern Toronto highlands.

“So what’s your super power?” Jake asks making conversation with the rookie.

“Oh, it’s nothing special.” Travis doesn’t want to brag. “I can turn my fists into steel. What’s your power?”

“I can turn into a giant snake, or like, a bunch of little snakes.”

“Whoa!” Travis is super impressed.

“Yeah, last time I turned into over like, two thousand snakes.” Jake is understandably proud of himself. He’s worked hard to get where he is.

“That’s amazing! How did you… I mean, how did you learn to do that?” Travis fails to hide his longing for more power.

“It’s the Leafs.” Jake answer, understanding his young teammates desire only too well. “The team wants you to be great and they will do everything to help you get there. Believe me, I was just like you once upon a while ago. Be patient.”

“Yeah. I can be patient.” Travis let’s this thought settle before elaborating. “I just feel like my powers could be so much stronger.”

Jake doesn’t answer immediately. He watches the rat-thing uproot some trees in a secluded ravine.

“Should we stop it?” Travis asks.

“The desire for strength is a natural craving.” Jake ignores the more recent question, preferring to talk more about the nature of power. “We are each of us allotted only so much of it. We may strive to become more than what we are but ultimately our strength is what it is. So how do we become stronger?”

Travis opens his mouth to answer.

“Training” Jake continues. “But not just the body. Training of the mind. If you are smarter than you are strong, your mind will enhance your strength. With me it all began with a question ‘have you tried becoming two snakes Jake?’ I had never considered it before. Now you said you can turn your hands into steel.”

“Yeah.” Travis is pretty sure he knows where Jake is going with this.

“Can you turn anything else into steel?”

“You mean like my dick?” Travis asks. “No, I’ve tried, it never works.”

“Not your dick,” Jake laughs. “Not yet. But what about this?” Jake holds out a pencil.

Travis stares at the pencil for a while before answering.

“I’ve never tried that .” He says.

“Go ahead.” Jake offers the pencil again.

Travis reaches out but hesitates.

“I don’t think I’m allowed to use my powers outside of practice.” Travis is sure about this rule.

“It’s fine.” Jake says. “You’re with me.” He smiles reassuringly.

Travis takes the pencil and concentrates. His hands shimmer and glow, the pencil catches fire. Travis drops the burning rod and stamps out the flames.

“So.” Jake says “You make a bit of heat when you do your trick don’t you.”

Before Travis can answer an alarm blares out over the bases loud speaker.

“Unauthorized rookie power use. Unauthorized rookie power use.” The voice is of Mike Babcock. “Stay where you are to accept responsibility for your transgression.”

“Oops” Jake says before collapsing into a ball of snakes and scattering in every direction.