The Merit Point Trap
Holt's negative point total was a problem. His stipend was frozen. He needed good press, fast.
"We are going to stop a purse-snatcher," he announced. "It's simple, media-friendly, and foolproof."
They staked out a park bench. When a thief made his move, Holt fired a low-power taser disk. The trajectory was perfect.
"I'll save you!" Orion roared, lunging forward. He tripped over Holt's jetpack. The deflected taser disk hit the base of a large, bronze statue of the HRA's founder.
The statue groaned, tilting into a slow topple towards an elderly woman.
Quinn gasped. "Oh, I hope that doesn't fall," she whispered.
The statue froze. It didn't stop; it just stopped moving, tilted at a 45-degree angle, defying gravity.
The headline the next morning was brutal:
"SIDEKICK ATTEMPTS VANDALISM! SAVED BY ORION'S QUICK THINKING AND QUINN'S MYSTERIOUS STASIS POWER!"
The HRA's ruling was swift.
Holt: -500 Points. "Reckless Endangerment."
Orion: +150 Points. "Quick-Thinking Diversion."
Quinn: +300 Points. "Unregistered Stasis Ability."
Holt sat in the corner of their locker room, the schematics for his life's work spread around him. The crystal he needed felt further away than ever.
"Look on the bright side," Orion said, clapping him on the back. "My mentorship is really working!"