The Price of Power

[Torri]

She was taken aback by his forthrightness. Nobody acknowledged the sheer impossibility of the task given her, none but the ranting inside her own mind. She broke her gaze from Marcus moments after she intended. Perhaps she jumped to conclusions too soon. He lifted his sleeve and so Torri directed him to a nearby station. Of all the technologies at her disposal and blood was still extracted with the same procedure as it had been for two centuries. She spoke casually while she prepared everything. In her experience the tougher the man the more squeamish around needles they were. So she carried on their conversation as a distraction. She barely knew she did it.

"It seems you propose too good an offer, sir. I will gladly share any information with you that we glean from your study. A small pinch."
It was over in moments. Practiced hands made sure of that.

She stuck her head out the door and flagged one of the passing scientists to whom she passed on the vial. When she turned back, a coy look followed. "Stool and semen samples next?"
She upheld the charade a moment before shaking her head. Maybe it was time to get outside. Apparently she forgot what it was like to socialize with normal people. "Kidding of course. If you come back tomorrow, we can pick up where we left off. You systematically studied this power. I have yet to gain a systematic understanding of its process. Anything you could explain would be appreciated. All Michael tells me is metaphor."