Eventually they'd done everything and were dressing again. Rick was rushing in the hopes of leaving first but he had to stop at the front desk to discuss gratuities and sign the receipt so Bobby was actually the first one out.

Rick actually left last and when he got outside he was shocked by who he saw waiting for him, "Wow, I didn't to see any of you before tomorrow and then only one or two." He was looking at four members of the Empire City Guard. Dr. Thunder, Lioness, Heavyweight, and Captain Quantum were all standing on the sidewalk in front of their heavily modified stretch Humvee.

Dr. Thunder said, "We finished the other crisis early and decided not to take any chance of something else happening to you before you get to Whateley. Once there you'll be safe and you'd be covered under the 'hands off rule' even when not off campus as long as you are students there. So we're picking you up and driving you there ourselves."

"I think she might also want to avoid any more emergency expenditures before that credit card melts," Heavyweight added with a chuckle.

"I take full responsibility and I'm able to justify the reasoning behind each purchase," Rick said gulping a bit as realized exactly how much they'd spent in the last week or so. "If you disallow any I'll repay you for the amount from whatever campus jobs I can pick up."

Dr. Thunder smiled, "I see you've learned some of the basic lessons of leadership Rick, I'm proud of you. Now get in before another supervillain team attacks you."

Captain Quantum opened the back door and they all filed in one at a time, "Now you can tell us the story of your very eventful summer. We know the high points but now we've time for the full version."

"Yes sir," Rick said, "I'll start at the beginning and the others can take over or add things whenever they feel like it." He started off with discovering he was a mutant and proceeded from there.

Dr. Thunder aassured them that the insidious villain who'd kidnapped them was certain to be caught soon. "He's been staying under the radar but this incident has brought him into the light. Now that we know about him and have your descriptions of him and his chief minion we can circulate both through the paranormal community. He WILL be caught and if he's lucky it will be by a hero."

"What do you mean?" Maria asked.

"Well some of the children he's kidnapped might have been children of supervillains. If they find him first it will go much worse for him." She saw their faces, "I don't blame you if you want that to happen but try to rise above it. You have the making of true heroes and it would be a shame if you let him drag you to a lower level. You want to take the high road always when at all possible."

"Yes," Lioness agreed. "You can do a lot more good as a hero future generations can look up to than as a vigilante. It may seem like Vigilantes can get more done but it's an illusion. Law Enforcement does not trust them and while they may turn a blind eye to their actions, mostly, they also deny them the sort of resources acknowledged heroes can use. Which may make the difference between saving and losing lives."

Captain Quantum nodded, "Also the haters and bigots use vigilantes as "proof" that even the good guys are dangerous. Don't be another weapon in their arsenal, they don't need any more."

All four teens solemnly responded that they would let the authorities deal with Dr. Incubator and his henchman John.

When they finally arrived the staff also assured them of their safety at Whateley Academy and an upperclassman showed them the campus while the adults completed paperwork and discussed things. They were very impressed with the tour and were happy when they met their patrons for lunch in the Crystal Hall.

Dr. Thunder told them, "You'll all be stationed in Melville until the end of August. They close down most of the dorms during the summer and for reasons we won't go into now it wouldn't be appropiate to put you in Hawthorne or Poe." Seeing their smiles she added, "Enjoy it while it lasts. Once Summer Term is over the boys will be moving to Emerson and the girls to Dickinson." She gave each of them a stern glance, "And there will be no discussion on this subject for at least a year." Her expression softened, "I know you've all gotten to rely on each other and are used to being together 24/7 but you need to expand your horizons a bit so the boys are going to an all boys dorm and the girls to an all girls dorm. You'll get first pick of rooms being here already and you can at least get each other as roommates but aside from being cheaper than rooms in Melville it'll be good for you too. Otherwise you might not socialize with the rest of the students much and lose valuable contacts and experience."

"Yes, Dr. Thunder," all four chorused.

"Good, if next fall you still want rooms in Melville we'll consider it. No promises though! You'll see each other quite enough as it is I'm sure."

"You can sign up as a training team together," Heavyweight added. "You seem to work well together and trust each other. That's very important for teammates, and this way you can continue to learn how to make your powers mesh as well as possible."

After lunch the four members of the ECG left and the four teens settled in to their rooms. "Well I guess that's the end of our adventures," Bobby said.

"At least until Winter break," Rick replied. "I don't trust our luck. Or rather I trust it to be bad." He grinned ruefully, "Something will happen I'm sure."