Page 29 of Breathless Recruiter

“Would you like a drink?”

“Water, please.”

“Their bourbon isn’t great, but it’ll suffice.”

I shook my head. “Just water.”

“Are you sure?”

I heard too many stories about Earthlings unable to control their inner monologues after consuming alcohol. I couldn’t riskslipping and blurting out my origins on Halo or my secret identity. Zaster could be insistent, but I had a line in the sand I couldn’t cross.

“I don’t drink alcohol.”

“Curious,” he said. The smirk returned. Unlike Dustin, it didn’t give me happy thoughts. Behind the guise of humor, I sensed… judgment? Earth Mom had always spoken her mind, but I found that wasn’t the case with most humans. They’d say one thing and mean another. Double-speakers, as I liked to call them.

He called over the server and ordered water. Even she gave me a curious glance. When I smiled, she rolled her eyes and walked off. Showing off the whites of their eyes had to be a form of communication. When I got home, I’d text Orion to ask about it.

An awkward silence hung between us. He made no move to fill the dead air. After a minute, my hands fidgeted.

“How goes your work at Synergy?” Other than wearing a l-a-b coat, I knew nothing about his job. “What exactly do you do?”

“I’m in the development division.” No idea what that meant. “My research focuses on the acquisition and transference of genetic gifts.” The server set my glass of water on the table, but I focused on Zaster’s face, willing myself to nod as if I knew what he meant.

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t expect you to understand. In layman's terms, I’m looking at how superpowers can be acquired and transferred from one individual to the next.”

“Oh.” Arthur’s boyfriend created Synergy to help superheroes. I didn’t know how taking their powers benefitted the company. I dared to show my ignorance. “Why?”

Zaster set his glass down, head cocked to the side as if he didn’t understand the question. As he folded his hands, he slowly locked his thin, long fingers together. Leaning forward, hetook his time, drawing out the moment. I ignored the hair on my neck standing on end, but I couldn’t miss the same happening on my forearms.

“Why should powers be limited to idiots who get zapped by solar radiation or bonded with ancient entities?” It wasn’t a smile or a smirk; it had transformed into a sneer. “These bumbling buffoons don’t deserve that kind of power.”

Thankfully, he wasn’t talking about aliens with abilities. Did he mean people like Drew or Orion? Now that I thought about it, I had never asked them how they got their abilities. Did Orion gain the ability to speak with machines by falling into a crate of cell phones? Could Drew change the color of objects after eating too many crayons as a child? I’d have to ask during our next staff meeting.

“So you want to take their powers away?”

He nodded. “And give them to people who deserve them.”

I thought of Discord—Dustin—and how he’d already put his powers to use to help protect Vanguard. Zaster wanted to strip a hero of their abilities and give them to who? Something about this made my skin crawl. It was no different from the researchers who poked and prodded me in their lab. I learned not all humans are alike, but it was hard to say people in white jackets were anything but bad.

“You don’t approve?” Zaster leaned back, his hands balling into fists. How did I answer without giving away my identity? “The others mock my research. I’ll show them.” His fist hit the table with a thump, my glass of water sloshing over the rim.

“I thought Synergy wanted to help heroes?”

“Therightheroes.”

Zaster jumped before reaching under the table. Flipping open his phone, he scooted from the table. “I have to get back to the lab.” I shivered at the word. Whoever called, I wanted to thank them for ending this date.

He stood by the table, impatiently tapping his foot. “Are you going to give me a hug goodbye?”

Did I have a choice? I wanted to say, “I do not consent,” but I bit my tongue. If it ended the date faster, I’d fly him back to the office and toss him in a window. I slid from the booth and reluctantly held out my arms. He stepped in, wrapping his arms around my chest.

“We should do this again.”

Did we have to? I’d have to ask the others about human customs and my requirement to see the man again. I prayed they had a method of firmly but kindly saying no to future interactions. When I let go, he continued holding onto me. I had a sudden urge to take a shower.

“That’s a lot of muscle,” he said. “You must live at the gym.”

“Just genetics,” I said.

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