Jon's reverie was broken when two voices called from downstairs.
"Jon sweetie, what are you doing up there? You're running late for school!"
Shit! He had gotten so wrapped up in his powers he'd lost track of time. How long had it taken him to get through to Steve? Jon quickly threw on a fresh set of clothes and dashed down the stairs. His mother and father were waiting in the kitchen, now identically dressed for the day in a pastel, flowery sundress.
"Don't forget your lunch!" They said in unison, "If you don't eat it, you'll be dragging by the afternoon." They both had a hand on a brown paper sack which they handed to their son. As he took it from him, they both leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek.
"Geez mom!"
"You're still my little boy. I'm allowed. Now get going!" They shooed him out the door, then Roger and Linda surveyed the house, wondering where to get started on the chores.
Jon jogged down the block, in a hurry to get to school. He wasn't worried about being late - it's not like his teachers would be able to punish him anymore. He was just excited to get there as soon as possible to play with his powers some more. He was a few blocks away when something occurred to him... something he'd missed during his interactions with his parents. How had his father found a dress completely identical to Linda's, in his own size? He didn't want to dwell on that, though - there were so many possibilities to explore!
~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, fluorescent lights buzzed in a clean, stark hallway. The hard sole of a man's dress shoes began echoing from the far end. His pace quickened, while he gripped the manila folder tightly in both hands. He reached the door at the opposite end and walked inside.
"Oooooh baby fuck me harder!" echoed a breathy voice from tinny speakers. The man behind the laptop looked up and froze, his eyes went wide. One hand shot up from behind the desk and quickly shut the computer. The other hand seemed to fumble for a moment, the sound of a belt buckle tinkling in the awkward silence.
"God dammit!! Doesn't anybody knock around here!?"
"Sorry sir! It's urgent. These new readings." The man who was standing tossed the folder onto the desk. The other man, still seated, looked incredulous.
"We're always taking readings. Things have been fairly stable since the initial onset. Some Controllers are quite advantageous, but nothing we haven't been able to keep under control."
"That's the problem, sir," the standing man said. "These readings are quite anomalous. Like nothing we've seen before" The man behind the desk began looking through the folder. "A young man, diagnosed as a Level One just yesterday. We've been keeping close tabs, just like all Level Ones. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Until this morning."
The seated man looked at some graphs. "This... this is off the charts! Are you sure you've calibrated your scanners?"
"Double calibrated, sir. We still need to gather more data to be sure, but we had to inform you. If these readings are correct then... then... well..."
"Well what? Spit it out!"
"It means we could be looking at our first ever Level Zero Controller."
The seated man's face went white. "My God."
