Chapter Eight: Roki

Roxanne Clarissa Lynette Saffron Mars 4 May 19th

The elevator hums as it pulls me up to the top of the building. 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, and finally, 100. The doors open into the large glass top floor that is Leo’s office, and, judging by the amount of time he spends here, his home too. I reach out with my mind.

Leo, you there? I ask.

Yeah, he answers through my telepathic powers. He walks around the corner, his shirt on.

“Goodness, Leo. Don't you know how keep your shirt on?” I ask in a fake exasperated voice.

“For your information, the other one had blood on it,” he says.

“Oh, like either of us have any problem with blood,,” I reply, rolling my eyes. “Anyway, I got the files you requested. All of the other Powers.” I hold out a stack of papers in a folder. As he moves closer to take the folder, I feel an extra strain of energy around him.

“Got a new one?” I ask. He nods. “What’d you get this time?” I edge ever so slightly closer. He grins.

“Watch this,” he closes his eyes in concentration. Energy crackles around him, then something explodes in another room, causing a bunch of people to run out screaming.

“Electricity,” he grins. I smile.

“Can you absorb it?” I ask, turning on my electric gloves. They can generate large amounts of electricity, allowing me to shock people and power up electrical machines. Thanks to Leo, I don’t feel much pain. One of the Powers that Leo took, in the past, was that the person didn’t really feel pain. Leo gave it to me, because he was always worried that he’d hurt me. He takes my hand.

“I guess I can,” he replies, his Mutation energy increasing. “Oh, that is a lot…” His eyes widen, and half the machines in the room explode. He quickly lets go of my hand before he can absorb any more electricity. “Okay, so maybe we shouldn’t do that.”

“Or it will be a good strategy if we were in battle,” I suggest. “We can work together.”

“I should be protecting you,” Leo frowns. “Anyway… I have something to show you.” His frown disappears, replaced by a child-like grin. “Come on!” He grabs my arm and drags me across the room, toward another door.

“Um… Leo?” I ask. “Is that your bedroom?”

“What? No,” he answers, looking slightly confused. “No, it’s the power-training room. Why would my bedroom be in the power-training room?"

“Uh-huh,” I respond, not entirely convinced that he doesn’t sleep in here. Leo pushes the door open, revealing a huge room, full of Power-training equipment. In the center of the room is a large cylindrical capsule. The glass is melted through, so the sides are separated. I note what looks like a small pile of blankets in the corner, but it might be towels to clean up the messes that he's constantly making or laundry. Leo isn't the best at keeping up with housework.

“Are you sure that you don’t sleep in here?” I ask. He ignores me.

“The guy I got this Mutation from had more of it than he’d let on,” Leo explains, gesturing at the melted cylinder, “and the container couldn’t hold it. It exploded when I tried to absorb it.”

Wow, I think. This is AMAZING.

“I know,” Leo smiles. “Wanna see what else I can do?”

“Sure,” I smile. “I have nothing planned for tonight.”

Author's Note

Roki! Yay!