Issue 1 Downtime

In the late afternoon, Maya takes a trip into town to do a little shopping. She stops at a small used bookstore, a bit off the beaten path but with some interesting books on history and folklore; two of Maya's favorite subjects. After looking around a bit (and alphabetizing some out of place books), she stops to glance through a tattered hardback on some long-forgotten culture.

Around a corner, Barbara peered at the other girl.

In one of her nervous glances around the store, Maya spots Barbara. Awkwardly, she waves at the girl.

Barbara awkwardly waved back. "Don't I know you from school?"

"Probably?" Maya says. "I'm Maya. Maya Mills."

"Barbara Kirby. Are you new here, too?"

"Yeah. A little," Maya says. She hugs the book to her chest, like she's afraid someone might steal it from her while she's talking. "I just started. I haven't even really figured out how to do...power things, yet."

"Power stuff is...overrated, anyway."

"Yeah. It really is," Maya says.

"But that's all they want to talk about, it seems."

"Well, it is kind of important. It's why we're, you know...here," Maya says.

"I thought we were here to learn."

"Maybe. Sorry," Maya says, wincing. "It's just, well, I mean....we could go learn anywhere? Right? There's a reason we're here."

"Not all of us can go anywhere," Barbara moped. "Stupid MRA."

"Exactly," Maya says. "We're here because of our powers. One way or another."

"Yeah. It sucks."

"Well, it could always be worse. I mean, we're not being constantly tortured. Or experimented on. Or murdered," Maya says.

"Maybe they ARE experimenting on us. Haven't you seen the Danger Room?"

Maya sighs, "Yes. Unfortunately."

"Don't tell me they're not recording that."

"I assume everyone records everything. All the time," Maya says.

"It is terrifying."

"Well, that's more or less true here in England. Did you know they have one camera for every 11 people?"

"Well, I guess we'll all just have to learn to share then," Maya jokes weakly.

"I think it's dumb. Everyone's expecting Harry Potter, when it's really more George Orwell."

"They're going to lock our head in a cage?"

"Nah, probably just keep tabs on us at all times. Creepy telepathy things and whatnot."

"Yeah. That makes sense," Maya says. "I mean, if they want to keep us safe, they need to know what we're doing, where we are, stuff like that."

"Not to mention that, according to the student info pamphlet, the headmistress can read your thoughts, the English teacher knows what you will do, and the X-Team leader could be anywhere. No, nothing suspicious about that at all."

"They can't help how they were born," Maya says.

"Yeah, but putting them all in power is suspicious."

"I don't think it takes a conspiracy for the most powerful and dangerous people to end up in power," Maya says.

"No, just the permissive culture of "Jolly 'ol England."

"You don't like England?"

"Like I said--everyone else here expects it to be Mary Poppins or something. It's not a fantasy land, it's a real place."

"Maybe. But I don't think you're giving people enough credit."

"Oh?"

"People are smart. They know what's going on," Maya says. "Sometimes they feel too powerless or too scared to do anything. And sometimes they don't want to see things that'll hurt them. But you shouldn't underestimate them."

Maya glances over at an older gentleman across the store, "That man right there? Every day, everything in the world is trying to kill him. He could be hit by a bus or get cancer or stabbed or a man with the ability to throw rocks around could level an entire city block around him. And that's not even getting into all the radiation in space or stuff like that. But he faces it every day. Just like everyone else."

Maya hugs her book tightly, "I think that's amazing."

"Yeah, but at the same time, you have idiot high schoolers filming themselves jumping off buildings or holding on to ropes tied to ends of cars. Those are the kinds of people I'm talking about."

"And some people smoke or eat junk food," Maya says with a shrug. "It doesn't mean their dumb. They just have different priorities."

"People who smoke are dumb, though."