Prototype

[Faige Harrison]

"He smells like maple syrup..."

"Faige..."

"It's not altogether unpleasant. Course I don't think I'd want to smell like that..."

"Faige?"

"I don't think they make a "country breakfast" scented deodorant though, so how--"

"Miss Harrison."

Faige blinked, looking up from the prototype gloves she was wearing. "I was paying attention."

The tech sighed, running his hand over his obvious comb-over. Who was he fooling? "We need to run a few more tests with these before I'm satisfied."

"We've already run eight tests. I have a concert to get to tonight," she lied "can I just leave?"

"Just a few more..." his voice was exasperated. What a job, designing tech for ungrateful teenagers. He gestured her over to the large, chest high tank of water.

Faige studied the tank. This was way too much. Didn't he know that five gallons was her maximum, and even then she had trouble. What did he want her to do, fail?

"This is too much water..." she muttered, placing her hands on the glass edge of the tank.

"Humor me. Just try okay? Once this one is over I just have a few more things--"

"Fine fine whatever" she interrupted, shaking her arms out before extending them over the edge and skimming her palms along the water. She took a deep breath, plunging both hands up to the wrists into the icy liquid. Her nose wrinkled, body tensing as the usual dim glow of her eyes intensified somewhat. After a few underwhelming moments of... nothing... she sighed and looked over at the tech.

"See, I can't do it?"

"You gave up pretty fast. I need you to try harder. I want to push the gloves as far as we can this session." He pushed the coke bottle lenses up onto his nose, then folded his arms. Not budging eh?

The frustrated teenager stuck her hands back in the water and closed her eyes.

"Come on Faige... just do it. Stop bitching."

Another minute passed, two minutes, five minutes... and then the water began to form small bubbles which collected around the sides of the tank and Faige's gloves. She couldn't feel it heating up, seems the prototypes were doing their job. Expecting to see nothing, she opened her eyes and looked into the tank. She was shocked to see the bubbles. Ironically enough, the shock threw her concentration and the water began to boil rapidly almost instantly.

"Crap!" She yelled, jumping backward and throwing her hands out of the water.

"What? Did it burn you?" The tech's voice was steady and calculating as his eyes moved from the water to the form of the girl.

"Well... no.. no it didn't but it was just kinda a shock." She said, studying the gloves. "I never done that much before."

"I think you're capable of more than you give yourself credit for. We're going to scale down this test and try it from a distance." he said, walking over to the tank to scoop a two gallon bucket of water out of it. He set the bucket on a table next to the tank.

"But I can't--" Faige began.

"There's that word again." the tech chuckled dryly. How many kids had he seen like her? How many "can'ts" had he heard? He gestured to the bucket. "You have to touch things, right? You're touching the air, and the air touches the water here in this bucket."

"Okay, I guess that makes sense..." she said, standing on her tip-toes so she could actually see the surface of the water in the bucket. "After this one I get to go though right? I bet my ride is here already."

"Fine, but you have to really 'wow' me." As he spoke he was getting out of the way.

Faige pushed her hair back with her fingertips, then raised her hands toward the bucket. She felt so silly, standing her like a bloody magician. She wondered if she should wiggle her fingers and yell "Abracadabra!" too. She was overthinking. Okay... air... water.. bucket. Air... water... Her eyes began to glow brighter again.

To her astonishment, the water in the bucket remained untouched but rather the bucket itself began to melt. A hole formed in the side of it and the water spilled out, down the table and onto the floor. Faige dropped her hands. "S...sorry... I was trying to do the water." she muttered.

"That's fine. I think I've got enough data. You go ahead and leave those here, I think they'll be ready for you soon." He nodded "Go on, get to your concert."

Faige peeled the gloves off and set them on the bucket table, nodding. "Yeah, it's gonna be rocking. Later!" she offered a wave as she turned and ran out the door.

"Now I want pancakes."