Raiders: Quest for the 7 Adman

The Powers 2: Electric Boogaloo

As Seamus and Kato took a bite of the bread, they could taste the flavor, and it was like no other. Delicious sweet garlic and butter filled their mouths. They looked at each other as they started levitating. Despite witnessing the same event that occurred with their friend, both still held a semblance of surprise. Seamus gave a quick, worried look to Kato, as he was still having second thoughts about the whole ordeal. Kato gave him a look of reassurance and confidence. Whatever happens, you, Sam, and I can get through it together. We're your friends and we got your back, it said. Seamus nodded slowly and turned his head forward, a little more at ease. Kato did the same and prepared themself for what was about to happen.

Jim and Harri looked at each other as well. They readied themselves for whatever was about to come from the new super people. Jim walked behind the bar and Harri stood back by one of the tables.

As they went up, a green sphere started to form around Seamus. As he ascended, it grew, starting from his chest. The color soon enveloped him from limb to limb, almost like a suit of armor. Once he was clad in the green light, the sphere from his chest grew until it swallowed his entire body, leaving him in the orb. He looked around at the sphere, unknowing of what it meant. He panicked a little bit when the color started to darken, making it opaque. The feeling quickly left when he felt power and security as he was surrounded. Jim and Harri watched from the sides of the room, hoping it wouldn't get any bigger.

The two men directed their stares toward Kato. They were glowing, similar to Sam, but the energies were different, as well as the color. Sam's energy was chaotic and spontaneous, akin to the unorderly serenity that is jazz. Kato's energy was calm. The blue aura moved like a river and with calculated precision. Jim looked at Kato with awe. He wasn't used to seeing subtle and raw power. Yes, his companions' powers were also subtle, but only Harri's was nicely fit for combat, which the man in question tended to avoid. He was broken out of his trance when Harri grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him down.

"Please be more careful," Harri stated, his usually monotone voice holding the tiniest bit of concern.

Jim opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a sudden breeze going over his head. Slightly shocked, he turned back to look at Kato. The blue aura was still there, but something else had appeared. Every few seconds or so, a soft, purple ring pulsed out of Kato.

Almost simultaneously, the two fell to the ground. Seamus's bubble popped as he hit the ground and his armor dispersed. Both of Kato's auras had disappeared as well. Jim and Harri remained where they were and looked out from their hiding spots to make sure that the two were okay.

"Now, how did you feel when you did that stunt out there?" Klark looked intensely at Sam. He was given the task to develop Sam's powers with him, but he knew there would be no progress if they didn't even know what the power was. He knew they would first need to find the source of the power. For Klark, it was his emotions. If he could channel his emotions through the music, others would feel that way as well.

"I don't really remember," stated Sam. He said it tentatively to Klark because he knew it would be no help. Figuring out his powers would be difficult for Sam because he didn't know what had caused it the first time. "Maybe if we try to trigger it again it'll do it and we can figure out what it is?"

"If we do that, it could take forever before we know exactly what caused it. It could have been a single note or expression I played, or a look someone gave you. To get a good handle on what you did, you're going to need to try and remember." Klark studied the other man as they sat in the side room. "Look, Sam, when I got my powers, I didn't know what was going on. They had me playing trombone with the crew up on stage upstairs. Little did I know, I had had some bread earlier that was magic of some sort. I got really into a solo, and you would have thought that they had all taken sleeping pills before I walked up there. What I do know now, is that my powers are activated without any control.

"To control your powers, you need to know how it feels. Whether the feeling is physical, or emotional, you need to know how it's happening. If you can't figure it out, you can't control it, and then you no longer deserve to have it. You have to work for and with the things within you to get it down."

"I really don't know how it happened, man" Sam looked at Klark desperately. "It just happened."

Klark brought his hand up to his chin in thought. Sam looked at him hopelessly. He was about to tell Klark that they could do this some other time, but then Klark snapped his fingers as an idea popped into his head.

"How passionate are you about music?" Klark asked out of the blue.

"Oh. Um...Very?" Sam seemed taken aback by the directness of the musician. "As I've said before, I'm in a quartet. I've also been to state competitions and sometimes make up random melodies before I go to bed." Before he could continue on his rant, Klark waved his hands in front of Sam's face to quiet him.

"I know I asked, and as fascinating as it is listening to another musician's experience, I think I get the point. I believe your strong connection to music is the key to your power. Whatever you were thinking of when I was playing earlier, try doing that again."

Sam nodded his head and closed his eyes to concentrate on his desire to play music. He thought about his favorite jazz piece he got to play with his friends, the time he accidentally played the Monster's Inc theme for his zoom class, and all the times he ended a sweet lick with a squeak. Through his closed eyelids, he could see a familiar golden light. He felt a familiar weight slightly pull him down as the neck strap appeared. Not wanting to break his focus, he slowly opened his eyes to see the same saxophone in his hands and Klark smiling at him.

"Now," Klark said, preparing his trombone. "How about we start on those duets?"

Sam gave him a big smile and wetted his reed. The boys counted off and started playing a smooth melody. Sam took the melody while Klark harmonized and controlled the tempo. They kept playing for what felt like an hour, but only about 10 minutes had passed. The two artists intended to keep playing until they were interrupted. Suddenly, the two heard a slam on the ground from the other room.