Super: Origins Read Online Free PDF Page A

later I did hear from the folks here.”
    Apparently they don’t just restrict themselves to scooping up people applying for federal service , Lex thought. “So, I guess you never had any experience with this sort of thing when they took you on, either,” she said aloud.
    “True. I think that’s the case with most of us,” Casey replied. “Except for Joan; she was in the military before. It’s hard to tell, though. Not everyone wants to talk about what they did before they came here.”
    “So, if you had to make the decision over to take this job, knowing what you know now, would you do it?” Lex asked, watching for Casey’s reaction carefully.
    Casey looked Lex in the eye and gave a short laugh. “You’re right to the point, aren’t you? I like that.” After considering the question for a while, Casey nodded. “I think I would. There are drawbacks, but I’ve experienced things because of this job that I never would have in a lifetime on the farm. Not all of them have been good, but I think that in my case the balance is to the good.”
    ”But,” Casey continued, looking Lex in the eye again, “that doesn’t mean that you’ll have the same experience. I’m guessing that since you came here on your own that you live in the city already. A lot of the things that interested me involved coming here to begin with, so that’s not going to mean a thing to you. Plus, if they told you this isn’t just a job, don’t think they were kidding. There are some good things about that and some bad, too.”
    Lex had opened her mouth to ask more about that last comment, but closed it again as three other women walked into the room. Clara she recognized, but the other two women Lex hadn’t met yet. The first one stood about Lex’s height with fiery bright red hair and a very light complexion. In order to show off her long, slim legs and extensive cleavage, the redhead wore a form-fitting green dress with a deep V neckline. The woman grinned somewhat wolfishly at Lex, who gave a cautious smile in return.
    The other unknown woman was tall and wiry; not as tall as Casey, but a good foot taller than Lex. Lex thought she looked somewhat older than the rest of them, and noticed that her face seemed weathered and had a bit of a tan that looked permanent, as if she’d spent a good deal of time outdoors at some point in her life. She wore her hair long and loose over her shoulders, and Lex guessed its color was what people meant when they said “platinum blonde” since it didn’t quite look like grey hair. A pink tank top and camouflage pants completed the blonde’s look, and she leaned forward to shake Lex’s hand.
    “Hi, I’m Joan Morgan,” she said.
    “Lex McKilliam.”
    The moment their hands met, Lex felt Joan’s slightly larger hand start to tighten around hers. Lex knew exactly what to do to deal with pressure handshakers, like her father, and so she matched Joan’s grip strength, looking her straight in the eye and smiling like nothing out of the ordinary was going on. Joan stepped up the squeeze a few times, and each time Lex matched her, smiling more broadly as the handshake went on. Lex could hear Casey laughing in the background.
    “I wouldn’t try her if I were you, Joan,” Casey said. “There’s a lot more there than what you can see.”
    The edges of Joan’s eyes had started to tighten by this point. Lex could feel the pressure somewhere in the dim background, but nothing like the intensity she'd gotten used to when growing up. She could have kept it up for quite a while, but when she felt Joan’s hand relax, Lex let go immediately.
    “Ha ha, you have quite a grip!” Joan said, smiling at Lex as if she were pleased.
    Lex remembered her father sounding off with that type of fake laugh and briefly wondered if the military gave a course in it. She figured she should probably just nod at Joan and did so as she leaned back on the couch. The redhead quickly moved around everyone else and sat next