Power (Book 1 in SRMTHFG Series)

12

I type the codes that Gibson handed me into the computer. He said I should start doing a little work around here. I have nowhere else to go, and it feels good to be useful, anyways. I'm in my pod, Chiro in his, Jinmay in her pod, Antauri is meditating, Gibson is conducting experiments on some rock samples from Fay, Sparx is polishing his magnets, Nova's tearing down another shrine of herself that Sparx set up, and Otto's working on my bike.

At last, I finish typing in the codes. It took two hours straight, but I did it. I press a button on my computer and tap a blue square on the holographic touchscreen. Gibson shows up.

"Finished already?" he asks, setting down a test tube and a beaker. I nod.

"Very well then, you may have a break." He smirks and talks loudly. "Chiro could learn a thing or two from you. He slacks off quite a lot."

Chiro looks at the screen from where he's sitting in his pod. His feet are propped up, soda in hand, and a TV show blaring on his screen. He rolls his eyes and turns around. I switch off the monitor and step out of the pod, stretching.

Suddenly, Otto rushes in with a hovercart. It has something covered over it.

"Hey guys, check it out!" he says excitedly. He pushes a button on the hovercart, making it land. "I've been working on it forever!" He whips off the cover.

"My bike! It's all fixed!" I say excitedly.

"Yep," Otto says, "and that's not the best part! I added a pastel blue design with purple streaks. It now has a sleek body structure, containment units, a GPS, a communicator, a holoscreen and computer, and hover boosters! Not to mention dimensional transporters and a space mode that turns it into a ship! And that isn't even all of it! Don't worry, I've tested it a bunch. Ninety-nine point ninety-nine percent safe!"

"Oh my gosh." I rub my finger along the side. The seat is a pearl white, the same as the basket and wheels. "Thanks so much, Otto!"

"Ah, don't mention it," he says. "This is just like a weekend project to me."

I raise an eyebrow and smile mischievously. "If you weren't a robot, you'd be blushing like crazy right now with all that pride."

"Wanna take it for a spin?" Otto changes the subject. "I'll get my hovercar."

"I'll get my mini ship," Chiro says, jumping up.

"Trying to escape your chores again, I see?" Gibson calls over the intercom.

"Oh, c'mon, Gibson, we're still kids. Just let us have a little fun." I look at the camera and poke out my bottom lip, giving puppy dog eyes. "Please?" I ask sweetly.

"Argh... alright," Gibson gives in. "Teenagers." He mutters before logging off.

Wow, the puppy eyes and the lip? I haven't pulled out that war-winning grenade since I was six.