CoSS, Simplified

(1) Telegadgets

"Hey. Hey, Jerrod. Jerrod..."

Jerrod took his eyes off from the people ahead and faced Guillermo. "Yeah? Sorry, I was...thinking." He yawned.

Guillermo raised an eyebrow. "Right. Anyway, the boss wants you. He's in his office."

Jerrod yawned again and nodded. He turned and walked down the short hallways of Telepathine, the shop that repairs telegadgets and the like. Telegadgets were used by novice mind masters to help them keep their abilities under control, to strengthen their skills, to practice them, or just to get accustomed to them. It was an easy transition from learning the mental ability and to actually doing it on one's own. Jerrod called those telegadgets training wheels. He found most of them to be wastes of money, especially since he learned his abilities on his own.

He made his way to his boss's office and stood in the doorway. "Eddie? Ermo said that you wanted to see me."

"Yeah, yeah," Eddie said with a sigh. "Sit down."

Jerrod stepped in and sat at the desk. He had an idea as to why he was here. He just did not actually care.

With his mind, Eddie closed the door. He leaned back in his chair and pointed to a calendar. "You see this?"

Jerrod restrained from letting out a sigh. These meetings always began with a stupid question. He gave a short nod and waited for the man to continue.

"You notice the circles?" Eddie continued.

Another stupid question.

"All those circles are days you were and are scheduled."

No kidding, dipshit. My name's under those damn circles.

"You see these red marks?" Eddie pointed to the bold dots beneath the circles. "These are all days when you were late." He took a small pause as his voice took a more stern tone. "Now I got a company to run here, and if you can't make it on time, why do I need you for? Hm? I can get some other self-absorbed know-it-all who can come here on time." He slammed one hand on the desk.

Jerrod let some breath pass through his lips before he said anything at all. "The last two times I was late, I called you and said-"

"No, Erlichmann. You texted. You didn't call. And you texted ten minutes before you had to come in."

"I was being pulled over..."

Eddie shook his head. "All I'm saying is I got no reason to keep you around if you're gonna treat this job like a joke."

It is a joke...

"There are many others guys out there that will be more than happy to do what you do. How do you think they become Mind Sages?"

Now here was when Jerrod Erlichmann wanted to smack him across the face with the metal telegadget on the desk. No one could become a Mind Sage just by working here. The experience could help, but it would not guarantee someone the title. Mind Sages were telekinetics, psychics, or telepaths who were recognized by the Council for the Secret Societies of the World, or the CoSS. They represented the best supernaturals on the planet. People became great and ultra-powerful just because a certificate said the Council approved of their work and ability level. With many more threats coming as of late, everyone wanted to be the best.

Jerrod barely heard the rest of what Eddie had to say. He only though of the Council again, which was something he had thought of only a couple times. He thought of them as he exited the office and headed down the hallway. He would have become more in depth with his thoughts, but Guillermo interrupted. "Hey...hey, Jer. Can I ask a favor, man?"

Another favor. Jerrod was used to hearing these.

Guillermo wiped his hands with a cloth. "You think you can help me learn how to move something big like a car?"

Jerrod chuckled and walked across the main floor. "That's not something I can just teach you, especially if you still use a telegadget."

"Hey, I can move some things without it." Guillermo removed the item that resembled an earpiece. With a quick swipe of his hand, he caused a box fifty feet away to fall off a table. With that same invisible energy, he set it back where it was before.

Jerrod shook his head with a small smile. "You should get used to going around without that thing. What's the biggest item you can move without it?"

Guillermo shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe a table?"

Jerrod took off his work vest. "Go two weeks without that secret agent-looking thing. Then maybe we can talk about me teaching you." He hung up his vest in the small employee room and gave Guillermo a pat on the back. "See you tomorrow though. It's about that time."

And before the other man could say anything, Jerrod headed out. He snapped his fingers and seconds later, his car came right up to him in the parking lot. It was time to go home at last. Another day done. Now it was a new day to research more on the world-renowned Council for the Secret Societies of the World.