After walking through the shoplifting detectors, Ryker took a moment to decide where to go. His goal was to speak with the manager so he could try and get some help. He knew they were under no obligation to help but figured it would be worth a try.

Spread out before him was row after row of shelves that stretched to the end of the store. Each row was topped with long red placards displaying the name of the section. A quick scan made Ryker realize that it was set up just like his own store. It was the work of corporate syndication.

To the right was the checkout counter. It had two people working it, but there was a line waiting to check out. The line of customers snaked around the maze of dividers set up for them to pass through a gauntlet of cheap impulse buys. Based on the drab faces of the customers, it seemed to be moving slowly.

The tech support station was past the row of shelves, nestled in the back corner. Ryker couldn't tell if anyone was there, but if it was anything like his store, they always had an employee stationed at the desk. There were a few people walking around the store, but Ryker also didn't see anyone close to the tech support station, so he decided to head back there first.

While he walked to the back, a soft song played on the store's speakers. It had a catchy melody and a calming female vocal. It was strangely familiar to Ryker, but he couldn't quite place it. As he came closer to the desk, he could see the person working there.

It was a woman, but he couldn't make her out because her long hair was falling over her face and onto the desk. She was engrossed in fixing something and didn't notice as he walked up. She absently pushed aside some hair blocking her vision, and Ryker could see her in full.

She was a pretty vision of concentration. Her long, dark hair hung loose around her shoulders, framing her delicate features. Her skin was the color of coffee with cream, and her eyes were a deep, dark brown. The customary red polo shirt accentuated her curves, and Ryker tried not to think of the pair of khaki pants that hugged her legs.

"I swear I don't know what's wrong with you," Ryker thought. "Is this going to happen with every new person?"

Ryker got the feeling he was being incredibly rude. Everyone was beautiful in their own way. Even if they weren't, the word would be homely. Besides, those guys in the pawn shops weren't described like that.

Ryker watched as she carefully removed the Bracer's back panel, and then she began to inspect the components inside. She was clearly very knowledgeable about the internal components, and she worked with the confidence of someone who was very familiar with her job.

As she worked, she hummed a soft tune to herself. She seemed completely absorbed in her task and oblivious to the world around her. Ryker walked up to the counter and waited patiently, not wanting to disturb her.

After a few minutes, the girl finished her inspection. She replaced the back panel of the Bracer, and then she noticed Ryker standing there.

"Jeez!" she yelled, jumping in her seat. "Sorry. Can I help you with anything?" She placed her hand over her heart to calm her breathing. Ryker noticed the name tag read – Maria.

"Sorry to startle you," Ryker chuckled a little bit." You really looked like you were in the zone working on that Bracer."

"Yeah, that happens sometimes," she replied sheepishly. "I really enjoy it."

"I understand. I actually work at another Circuit City." The conversation was going exactly in the direction Ryker wanted.

"Oh, really? Which one?" she asked.

It was at this moment, Ryker knew, He f^(%3& up!

Ryker ignored his superpower's comment and told her the store.

"Ohhhhh…" she said, trailing off. She looked furtively to her sides. "So, uh, how can I help you today?" She sat up straight and smiled, but Ryker thought it was the fakest smile he had ever seen.

"I guess you heard about what happened?"

"I think…the whole country heard about what happened." Maria said, then added quietly, "It's been all over the news."

"Dang." Ryker's shoulder slumped. "I hadn't been checking. I don't have a Bracer. Plus, I'm trying not to think about it. I was up late last night replaying everything that happened."

"Wait. Are you saying that you were there?"

"Yeah."

"And you're here today? How? Why? I'd probably be locked up in my room and crying for a week straight."

"I don't really have a room to do that in," Ryker replied. Maria had the decency to look ashamed. "Anyway, I came here to talk to the manager. I sent the corporate office a message about what I should do but haven't received a reply yet."

"Why don't you just wait for it to reopen?"

"I just assumed it wouldn't open again since everyone was dead."

"Was everyone there?"

Ryker instantly realized how stupid he was. "No, not everyone, obviously," Ryker tried to sound like he already knew that.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Ryker thought. "More importantly, why didn't my all-knowing superpower tell me?"

Apparently, this girl is smarter than both of us. I thought about going back and changing it, but I decided that was too much work. Plus, if you had realized that information, you might not have come here and met this girl. I have plans for this place.

"But," Ryker added aloud. He wanted to question his superpower about the plans comment, but he didn't want to be staring off awkwardly in front of the woman. "I still don't know what to do. So, I thought I'd come here and see if I could get some help."

Maria was skeptical, but she felt bad for the guy. She believed him even though he didn't look like he stayed up all night. But if what he said was true, that meant he was the lone survivor everyone was talking about. There was a lot of speculation that the only way someone would survive would be if he was a super. She had to admit that he looked fit enough to be one. Either way, having him here was too good of an opportunity to pass up, so she would let him talk to her mom.

"Her mom?" Ryker thought.

Maria picked up the phone and dialed a couple numbers. It was only a moment before the person on the other end picked up.

"Hey," Maria said into the receiver. "It's Maria at the tech counter. I have someone down here that wants to speak with the manager." She paused to listen. Afterward, there was a short back-and-forth exchange with Maria only answering with consecutive no's before hanging up.

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"She's on the way down," Maria said with a smile.

"Thanks," Ryker said politely. After their short exchange, he felt a little foolish coming to the store. If he was more patient, he would probably receive word from the Circuit City corporate office on what he could expect. Still, the fact remained that he didn't want to wait. He feared he would either lose his job or, at the very least, not making a living wage for the time he wasn't there. He wanted to have some type of closure.

Ryker and Maria stared silently at each other while they waited. Neither knew what to say to keep the conversation going, yet both looked as if they wanted to say something.

Ryker didn't want to miss the chance to make a good impression, so he decided to speak up.

"How long have you been working here?" Ryker asked after an internal eye roll at his power.

Maria had already started to look away uncomfortably, but when Ryker asked the question, she was quick to switch her attention back to him. She had an easy smile, and Ryker could see that she had a dimple on her left cheek. Her elbows were on the desk, and she placed her head in her hands as she spoke.

"Let me see," she said, looking up. "I started working just after I turned sixteen, so it's been a little over four years."

"Wow, that's a long time." Ryker was impressed that she had worked there that long. She looked skilled at repairing the Bracers, and people with that kind of skill often got picked up for different, more high-paying jobs. "You really looked like you knew what you were doing with that Bracer. Why haven't you gotten a better-paying job?"

Maria blushed slightly at his praise and turned away. It wasn't often that she talked to a guy, let alone one that was interested in the same things as her. If they weren't loosely talking about her favorite subject, she'd be having a tough time with the conversation. "This is a great place for someone who is into technology. Circuit City has been on the forefront of the scene for years." Ryker nodded at her comment since that was the reason he chose to work for them. Although, he was a poor orphan and didn't have much choice. "I'm in college right now. Once I'm done, I'm hoping I can move up in the company and get a job in the R&D department."

"That's impressive," Ryker said. He didn't want to mention it, but to get a job at that level, she would have to be a super with a power based in tech. He thought she probably was if she was expecting to get it, but it would be rude to put her on the spot about it.

"Thanks. It's still difficult to get in, but my mom said she could probably pull some strings."

"Who's your mom?" he asked, but he already knew the answer. It would have been weird, though, if he didn't respond.

Maria smiled shyly. "She's the manager and owner." The last part was said quietly and under her breath. Ryker would have missed it if not for his superpower.

Ryker pretended to be surprised, and he was about to say something else, but at that moment, the woman in question entered. She walked in from a set of double doors that were situated behind the tech support counter. When she did enter, Ryker struggled to keep his eyes in his head and his jaws on the floor.

The woman who entered should have been a movie star. The woman was short, perhaps more than half a foot shorter than Ryker. She had long, dark hair falling over her shoulders and sultry eyes with thick, tasteful mascara lines. She was dressed to impress in a business dress that showed her curvy figure. Even with the curvy figure, Ryker could see signs of muscle mixed in. As she walked closer, he could tell that she knew how to use her body to her advantage.

Maria looked back as her mother entered, but she quickly turned back to observe Ryker. Her mother always had an effect on men that made them forget every other woman in the room. Maria was hoping that it wasn't the same for this guy.

"Oh, my god! I don't know his name," she thought in a panic.

Ryker made sure to control his facial expressions even more after the internal comments of Maria. After her panic at not knowing his name, she quickly went back to observing his reactions to her mother. When she saw that he didn't react in the usual manner, Ryker saw Maria smirk slightly.

Maria's mother, and the owner and manager of this Circuit City, seemed to frown.

"Are you the person who wanted to speak to the manager?"

"Yes."

"I'm Ms. Jimenez, the manager," she said and held out her hand to shake. "How can I help you?"

Ryker shook her hand. "My name is Ryker Stone," he said with a slight smile at Maria. "And…Well, I came here to try and get some help."

“Oh? How so?” Ms. Jimenez queried.

"He's an employee of the store that just got attacked," Maria said excitedly. Ryker nodded.

"So, how will I be able to help?"

Ryker was about to reply when Maria spoke up again. "He was there."

"What do you mean he was there?"

"He was the person who survived the attack that the news is talking about."

"Interesting," Ms. Jimenez said, tapping her lips. She looked over at her daughter, who was looking at Ryker, then she turned to Ryker, which, for his part, pretended to not notice the exchange.

Her eyes narrowed for a moment while she thought.

"Now would be a good time to hear someone's inner monologue," Ryker thought.

After a moment, Ms. Jimenez looked at Maria with a large smile. "If anyone needs a manager, try to handle it here. I'll be upstairs with Mr. Stone for a little while to see what I can do to help him."

"Yes, ma'am," Maria replied. Although, Ryker noticed she was no longer smiling.

"Follow me," Ms. Jimenez ordered. Ryker hesitated for a moment, looking at Maria, but she was pointedly not meeting his eyes.

Ryker moved to catch up and was right behind her before the double doors even closed. He followed her through a large back room with multiple shelves of excess stock. The space in Ryker's store wasn't even half the size, and they rarely kept extra stock. The manager always said he only wanted to buy the things that were selling the most; everything else was a waste.

They turned a corner of the storage room and headed up a flight of stairs. It reminded Ryker of his store, but this one had numerous information and safety bulletins tacked up when then ascended. There was no door at the top of the stairs and no large window for someone to look down onto. However, the top was still an employee breakroom.

Ryker's head immediately swiveled to the coffee area.

"Is that an espresso machine?" he asked in astonishment.

A shiny silver espresso machine was sitting atop a sturdy wooden table with a layer of thick laminate on top. On top of the machine was a container filled with whole coffee beans that were waiting to be fed into the machine for grinding. The machine had a water tank on the back and a frother on the side. The table was clean and appeared to have a variety of extras displayed to make a magnificent cup of coffee.

"It sure is. Would you like a cup?" Ms. Jimenez asked with a smile.

Ryker shook his head. "No, thank you. I was just surprised. My store barely has a regular coffee maker, let alone something so fancy."

"That's too bad," she said. "Come this way."

Ms. Jimenez entered the office, and Ryker followed her in. She had him close the door as he entered, and he took a seat. She was already seated in a large leather work chair. When Ryker sat down on the chair provided for people sitting on his side, he noticed that she was perched much higher than him. He couldn't complain, though; the chair was incredibly comfortable.

When Ms. Jimenez saw that Ryker was comfortable, she leaned forward a little on her chair. Her bust practically spilled out of the U-shape the opening of her dress made. Ryker averted his eyes and focused on a mug set to the side and filled with an assortment of pens. It was a purple mug with a metal rim. On the front were the words – Chaos Coordinator. Below that was a definition of what a chaos coordinator was, but Ryker didn't have the time to read it.

While looking at the mug, Ryker didn't notice the smile forming on the seductive woman. Even after his power told him, he still didn't look. Suddenly, Ryker felt a slight tingling that spread goosebumps along his arms. The room seemed to get slightly hotter, causing Ryker to adjust in his seat.

"I'll get right to the point here, Mr. Stone. I think I can help you here. But, you might need to prove yourself." Ryker raised his eyebrows at the comment. He glanced at the women briefly but didn't want to be rude and stare too long. For some reason, he was finding it extra difficult to focus.

Ms. Jimenez laughed, and it sounded like angelic bells that reverberated in Ryker's ears. "I own three stores here in Reno. Unfortunately, your store wasn't one of them. If it was, I might have discovered you earlier."

Ryker didn't know where she was going with her comments, but he just leaned back and waited.

"How about this," she said, then stood up and walked slowly over to his side of the desk. Ryker sat up straighter in the chair as she moved closer. She sat at the edge of the desk, her legs dangling down and crossed at the ankles. One of her red and black wedges swung loosely on her toe. "How about I show you mine? Then you can show me yours."

She leaned forward again, only there was nothing in the way to stop Ryker from seeing as her ample bosom ballooned from the dress. The tingling in his skin increased, as did the heat in the air. With a strain of effort, Ryker immediately pulled his gaze up. Her full, burgundy-colored lips seemed to pout at the exact moment his eyes passed over them. Somehow he resisted another wave of his fluttering heart to look her in the eyes. Her deep chocolatey eyes pulled him in with a need to never look away.

Ms. Jimenez hoped that the boy would be able to resist her power longer, but she was confident that she had him completely under her sway. She was still impressed at the boy's ability to resist her pheromone power.

"Pheromone power?" Ryker asked, snapping out of the embrace of her eyes. "That explains the tingling and heat."

Ms. Jimenez was so shocked at the sudden breaking of her powers hold that her ability faltered altogether, as she almost jumped off her desk.