Melaton waited until they were all in before closing the door. Then, without so much as pausing, she launched across the desk and tapped the man midchest.

Sachar wobbled on the spot, his eyes slowly closing before he started to tip back. It was slow enough that Melaton had time to move around the desk and ease him into his seat.

“Is—is he dead?” Emily asked. She wondered if she had just witnessed a murder, but a rumbly snore from the man put paid to that.

“He’s asleep,” Melaton said. “It’s what my power does.”

Emily swallowed. “Right, right, that’s what you do.” Putting people to sleep with a touch didn’t sound terribly strong, but Melaton had made a career from it.

“I can do more than that,” the Hero said. “I’d keep it hushed up, but things won’t make sense otherwise. So keep it to yourself.”

“Keep what to myself?” Emily asked.

“This,” Melaton said. She pressed a hand to Mister Sachar’s forehead and her eyes rolled back. The woman swayed a little, random muscles across her body twitching minutely. Her lips moved and she even snorted once.

And then the Hero snapped out of it and took a long step back.

“What, what happened?” Emily asked.

“I think she went nuts for a bit,” Teddy said.

Melaton rubbed at the side of her head like someone working through a headache, then gestured to the door. “Let’s go,” she said.

“Um, what?” Emily asked.

The question earned her a pointed glare that had her rushing out of the office ahead of an irate Melaton.

They breezed through the entrance, ignoring the secretary’s confused questions, and then back out onto the street. Melaton took the lead again, taking them over to a nearby alley where she pulled out a phone and started tapping away at something.

“Um, Melaton? What happened?” Emily asked.

Melanie didn’t look up. “Powers evolve. Mine felt rather awful when I got it. I can make people sleep. Big whoop. I’m a walking single-use cure for insomnia. It’s not ideal. But then I took out some pretty heavy hitters in some spars and even a couple of people who went wrong. My power works absolutely if I can make physical contact with someone. No counters. Just a nice snooze. It’s basically the perfect nonlethal takedown power, at least from zero range.”

“Oh, okay?” Emily asked.

“But then my power got some more utilities. I was hoping for range, but instead I got dream-related things. I can see people’s dreams if I’m touching them, and I can direct those dreams.”

Emily put two and two together. “You can read minds?”

“I wish. I can see dreams. You remember some of your dreams?”

“A bit?” she said.

“I dream of eating things, and that I’m asleep,” Teddy said.