New Roommates
Merc and Johnny had switched batteries once he had checked messages on his phone. She scrolled through the list of people that had called her. There were messages from most of the kids in the dance class, as well as a few other people that worked there.
"Ok how did they all get my number?" Merc muttered.
"I don't think it would be that hard unless you're impatient." Johnny said. "That secretary there…god I felt like strangling her."
"Why?" Merc asked.
"She was just too slow." Johnny said. "She was hot…but really slow." Merc giggled. She flipped her phone shut, turned it off, then traded batteries with Johnny again. "See…it does come in handy to have the same cell phone, just different colour."
"Yeah, yeah. Do you want a prize now, flame boy?" Merc asked. "You just burned a hole in the knee of your jeans you know." Johnny looked down.
"Aw, man!" He muttered. Merc smirked.
"We're here." Reed said, turning around in the front seat again. Merc looked out the window. Her eyes widened at the size of the building. She then noticed all the flashes.
"I haven't seen this many reporters since people thought Britney Spears was at the dance studio." Merc said.
"Here." Johnny said, handing over a pair of sunglasses. She looked at him to see him wearing a pair himself. "Always have an extra set."
"You dork." Merc said, smiling. She looked back at the police van behind them where Ben was. She felt bad about not sticking with him.
"You can get out any minute now." Johnny said. Merc remembered that he was in the middle this time. She got out of the police car and threw her hand up to shade her eyes from all the flashes. That was a big mistake because she caused people to fly backwards into other people.
"Ok…again…I'm sorry." Merc said. She looked at Johnny who was eating up the attention. He was also with Ben.
"Smile, Ben." Johnny said. "They wanna like ya."
"Uh…" Ben said, turning to a group of kids. "Don't do drugs." He followed Reed and Sue into the building. Merc stood with her arms crossed, watching Johnny soaking up the attention. She coughed loudly and he looked at her.
"Time to go inside, hot shot." Merc said, grabbed his arm and pulling him through the revolving door.
"Welcome back to the Baxter, Dr. Richards." Merc looked at the old mail man. "Got your usual for you." He handed over a bunch of envelopes to Reed.
"We've had a tough year." Reed said, looking somewhat sheepish.
"Yeah…like nine straight." Ben said. They all walked into the elevator. Merc put herself in a corner and Johnny took the other corner. Reed hit a button and the doors slid shut. Nothing happened.
"Either we're moving really fast…or not at all." Johnny said. The doors opened again. Merc looked down as everyone else looked at Ben.
"I'll take the stairs." Ben said.
"I'll go with you." Merc said.
"Nah, don't worry." Ben said. He walked out of the elevator but gave Reed a look before the doors closed again. This time the elevator started moving.
"How come Ben can't turn it on and off like we can?" Johnny asked.
"That's what we're here to find out." Reed said.
"If it happened to him, then it could…" Sue said, slowly.
"Wait. You mean there's a chance we can be full-on-24-7-fantastic?" Johnny asked. Merc looked at Reed.
"Grow up, Johnny." Sue said. "Do you really wanna walk around on fire for the rest of your life?"
"Is that a trick question?" Johnny asked. Merc smiled. "C'mon, am I the only one that thinks this is cool?"
"I think it's pretty cool." Merc said. Reed and Sue looked at her. "Uh…in a…it's ok for now kinda way…I think." The elevator doors slid open and they all walked out.
"I dunno Reed but I think you might be bringing your work home with you." Johnny said.
"Believe it or not, he lives here." Sue said. Merc was too busy looking around to hear anything else until she felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Reed, still standing a fair distance away, but had stretched his arm out to get her attention.
"Come on, Merc." He said. "I'll show you where all of you can stay."
"Ok." Merc said.
A while later she was sitting in Sue's room while Sue was walking around in a robe, drying her hair and putting things away.
"Why do you get the nice room?" Merc asked.
"Do you really have to ask?" Sue asked. "What's this?" Merc stood up and looked over Sue's shoulder at the scrapbook the older woman had just found. Unconsciously she kept moving her hand to cause articles of clothing to float from the suitcase and into the dresser.
"Wow…look at all of these." Merc said. Sue flipped a page and found a photo booth strip of pictures that were of herself and Reed. "Awww…I forgot how cute you two were." There was a noise behind them and Sue slammed the scrapbook shut as they both turned to see Victor standing in the doorway. He smiled. "Hi."
"Hi." Victor said. He looked at Sue. "I've been worried about you." Merc looked between them.
"Umm…I'm gonna…yeah." She said, giving Sue a quick hug then going past Victor. She stopped and looked at his back, not sure if she heard him speak or think "good girl". She walked down the hall and ran into Reed.
"Where are you off to?" Reed asked.
"I was gonna go wait for Ben." Merc said.
"Ok." Reed said.
"Victor's in there talking with Sue." Merc said.
"What?" Reed asked. Merc just shook her head and hurried past him. She went through the door leading to the stairwell and leaned over the handrail to look down the flight of stairs.
"Hey!" Merc said, spotting Ben. Her voice echoed around the stairwell a bit loudly. "Sorry."
"It's ok." Ben said, shortly joining her at the top of the stairs. "Well…now I know how many stairs there really are." Merc laughed. The lights started to flicker. "What the…" Merc shrugged and they went through the door to see Victor's back to them. "There a problem here?" Victor turned around. Reed looked around Victor to see them.
"No problem, Ben." Victor said. No wonder that hole was so big. Merc narrowed her eyes at him. She glanced at the table where Reed had thrown his bills. The stack started to rise into the air as she stared at it. She shook her head and they all fell back onto the table. Victor walked past them into the elevator. The doors shut behind them and Merc heard the sound of him hitting the door, although it sounded louder then it should have been.
"Merc." Ben called. Merc shook her head, not even aware of the fact that she had been staring at the elevator door. She looked at Ben to see him standing farther inside the apartment with Reed. She quickly joined then and put her arm through one of Ben's. She wanted to have him know that at least there was one person that still loved him even if Debbie didn't. The thought got her really mad as she stared at the glass beakers.
"Mercy…" Johnny said suddenly. Merc jumped, causing the beakers to shatter. She groaned.
"Oh Reed, I'm sorry." Merc said.
"That's ok…there was nothing in them anyways." Reed said.
"Really, I'm sorry. I'll clean it up." Merc said. Without even thinking she caused the trash bin to slide over to the table and the broken glass to slide into it.
"Uh…ok." Reed said.
"I think we should run some tests." Sue said. Merc looked at her. She wasn't really sure when Johnny and Sue joined them but they were there now.
"That's a good idea." Reed said. "Umm…Maybe we should start with Ben."
"Why me?" Ben asked.
He's had the most exposure to the cloud. Reed thought. Merc looked from him to Ben.
"He says you've had the most exposure to the cloud." She said. She looked at Reed again. "Sorry…habit."
You can say that again. Johnny thought. Merc smacked him. Goddamnit! Why is it always me?
"You're the one that's always thinking the wrong things." Merc said.
"Ok…maybe you guys can figure out how to shut hers off." Johnny said. "Because this is total invasion of privacy."
"Merc…you might want to let go of Ben so that we can do this." Sue said, softly. Merc realized she had her arm firmly locked around Ben's. She looked at his face and he just nodded. She loosened her grip and stepped away.
"Come on, Merc." Johnny said. "We can see what Reed has in the form of game systems."
"He would have a game system?" Merc asked as they left the older three.
"Probably not…but I did bring mine." Johnny said. Merc laughed and followed him to his room to get the system and then back to what would probably count as the living room to set it up and play.