A Reason for Everything

I stood there in amazement. "You! You're the Tin Can?"

His eyebrow arched. "The Tin Can? Is that what you've been calling me?" he growled.

"Well, what the hell else was I supposed to call you. You weren't exactly trying to give out a lot of information," I snapped.

He turned from me and wiped a hand down his face. "True. You have a point." He shook his head. "I never intended for anyone to find out it was me."

"Why not?" I asked. "With your power, we'd have the city on lock-down in no time!"

"No. That's not the way it works. The more I use my powers, the more it takes over me. My emotions get out of control. I can't have that."

"Why were you doing it anyway?"

"It was part of my bargain with Christopher. He would only agree to help find a solution if I made sure that you were protected at all times." He nodded when my eyes narrowed.

I was silent for a moment while I watched him. "I'll keep your secret." The tension melted out of his body. "On one condition."

"What condition is that?" He stepped forward to try towering over me. That intimidation crap doesn't work with me. I stepped up to meet him halfway.

"You take me to Christopher, now." He hesitated for a moment, then turned and walked out of the door. I followed close behind him, down hallways I didn't realize existed. Finally, he stopped in front of what looked like part of the wall. He waved his hand and part of it slid back to reveal what looked like an apartment. I followed him inside and he turned to the left and opened another door into a laboratory.

Christopher stood off to the side, writing notes in a spiral bound notebook. It took him a moment before he realized we were standing there. "Well, what do we have here?" he muttered. He walked over towards me and stopped less than six inches away. "I've missed you, baby."

I smirked. "Too bad I can't say the same."

"Don't be like that, Terra. I'm a changed man."

Hmm. Yeah right. "I want you and Dispatch to explain to me what's going on? I know you know what's making Tomeika sick."

They exchanged a look over my head and I saw Dispatch nod. Christopher turned back to me. "It's not a what, Terra. It's a who."

Dispatch spoke up. "The totems. Someone's using the Totems against us. Powers are being drawn through the totems and absorbed."

"So that's why she seems like she's in a coma?" Christopher nodded again.

I glanced from one to the other again. "What aren't you telling me?"

Christopher spoke up. "We've got about 36 hours to retrieve her totem and reverse the affects. If not, we'll never wake her up."