Olympus Hall
University of Calgary
“So upsides: we saved people, did not get eaten, and managed not to get kicked out of the program,” Laura ended her retelling of the day’s events by tearing an enthusiastic bite out of a chicken leg. “Damn Drew, this is good.”
Setting the last plate of food down on the coffee table, Drew gave a small bow. “Merci.”
Sharon took a sip from her glass of water before setting it down and rolling her shoulder to work a knot out. She had spent an hour in the university pool earlier in the afternoon, then returned ‘home’ to discover that two of her teammates had themselves an adventure. Fortunately, there had been no casualties, besides the mutation at least. “My first sensei said that after every fight we must look for the lessons to be learned.” She left the statement to hang in the air, waiting for El and Laura to respond. Much to her surprise, it was El who spoke first.
“We have a lot to learn,” the quiet boy sat cross-legged on the battered couch with his laptop open in his lap.
Laura let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Hell, at least you could do something against the mutant. I was as useless as a city-bred hipster in skinny jeans during calving season.” El looked up from his computer screen and shook his head at Laura. He started to open his mouth to say something but stopped. “The only time I did any good was when I had that axe.”
“You need weapons,” it seemed to Sharon that a gleam began to shine in Drew’s eyes. Oh, the mad scientist has awakened, eh?
“Oh, yeah like a big axe!” The excitement in Laura’s tone was paired with her nearly bouncing on her bottom on the couch.
“Too heavy for someone of your size.” The small girl gave the much taller Sharon a frown, before flexing her gymnastics and farm-trained biceps, then laughing as she caught Drew glancing at his own slender arms.
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“Ok, how about gloves that claws shoot out the back of? Rawr!”
Drew shook his head, “Nope, the trademark lawsuit from the States would be nasty.”
“A sword then, like one of those awesome samurai swords. What are they called Lassie?”
El let out a soft sigh and answered without looking up from his computer, “Wrong culture.”
“Katana,” Drew answered for him.
“Yeah, a katana. Those are the best swords ever right? I mean, why else does literally everyone carry one?” She tried to strike a swordsman pose but had to snatch her heaping plate of food before it tumbled from her lap.
“No sorry. They are good swords, yeah, but any quality broadsword would be just as good. It would also have the advantage of being able to thrust. Plus if I was able to encase the blade in an electrical field...”
Sharon leaned back in her wooden kitchen-style chair, causing the old joints to creek. Time for her to be a voice of reason, so she cut Drew off mid-sentence. “What about a gun?” The two conspirators gave her looks customarily reserved for those who break wind loudly at a wedding. “You have no ability to close distance quickly so ranged types will keep away from you, and brick types will pound you.”
“You know a gun could work. Perhaps a Gauss design or laser-based system.” Sharon could see the cogs whirring away as Drew started to trace designs in the air, whispering to himself.
“What about you Elvis.” Time for the next teammate.
El took a deep breath, steadying himself. Holy Mary, we need to work on this guy’s social anxiety issues.
“I seem to be able to turn into more animals than I thought, but it seems to be only ones I am really familiar with.” He turned the screen around to show Sharon what he had been searching for. “So I am going to get a membership to the Calgary Zoo.” On the screen was a picture of a rhino.
“Bitchin,” Sharon looked at the screen and back at El, noticing the grin starting to appear on his face.