Christine's Secret

Janet: "That sounds good. Now Miss Tane, what were you saying before Nick interrupted you?"

“Nick,” Christine says, “this bunch is on our side. No one’s said a word about calling copper, and they have the same enemy we do. It’s all right.”

Nick, relaxed with Kaze kneading his back, grunts assent.

“When someone has Power but doesn’t know it, I can pull on their Power and activate it. It’s like I pull on a windowshade and it snaps open.”

“But when you already HAVE Power, I can still pull on it. While I’m pulling, you can use more magic. I used to hold Scorchy’s Power open while he blew huge fireballs in the air. Just now, at – at the hotel, I pulled on Janet’s Power to let her Fade some more.”

“So I know most people’s Powers are six-shooters, and then you’re out of magic. But I can give you an extra shot or two – that is, until I run out of magic myself. Then I have to wait and recover. I can’t activate myself, I guess. I’ve tried.”

Richter: "Can you make Powers weaker instead of stronger?"

Christine: "I don't know ... I never tried."

Richter nods and makes a note on a pocket notebook.