"Cough! Cough..."
"It gets really dusty in here, doesn't it? Can you hold the door open with something, Black Smoke?"

"Cough. Sure thing. Where's... Wiseman?"
"He's probably sleeping right now."

"That's... a shame. Cough."
"Don't worry, you'll get to see him. We need to get him all charged up anyway, get him ready for the new wave of recruits..."

Two powerful psychics were inside Wiseman's chamber on the tenth floor of the Tower. Miss Planner had her hair tied up in a utilitarian ponytail. She was wearing her black tracksuit and wielding a large extendable brush in her tiny hands, while Black Smoke stood behind her in a grimy tank-top and shorts carrying a bucket of water and a mop. They looked like a pair of underpaid hotel janitors.

Miss Planner was eager to get the place cleaned up and looking good before the new wave of recruits arrived at the Tower, some of whom would probably appreciate being given psychic powers from Wiseman rather than getting them the old-fashioned way. Black Smoke was just curious what Wiseman looked like. He helped Miss Planner clean a little, but his heart wasn't in it. Perhaps a little bored, he struck up a conversation with his boss.

"So how'd you get this job?"
"Oh, it's a long story. I was a manager at my last job at World Alliance Bank, so I started out with the Chosen Ones working as a manager in the distribution division. I did that for a while until I got promoted to general manager. And then the Elders needed someone to be their proxy, and Elder Presence vouched for me... so, here I am!

"That story wasn't... that long. Cough. I'd like to hear more... how'd you come to be a Chosen One?"
"Well, someone gave me some Nuke to smoke because I was just so cute. And then I started thinking about how psychic powers have the potential to change the world... I learned about all the different white organizations through research on the internet, and I thought the Chosen Ones sounded like the most fun. So I put together a resume and sent it in, and they told me I could start whenever I wanted. Now I'm second only to the Elders! Wow!"

"Haha.. hahaha! Cough!"
"Hehehe!"

Black Smoke laughed and shook his head as if he found Miss Planner's little story hilarious. She laughed along, but her eyes were serious as she mopped the floor with dogged determination. She didn't laugh much around other people, and when she did it didn't seem genuine. The diligent, diminutive young lady moved quickly, her golden hair gleaming in the dim light of the cold concrete chamber.

Black Smoke admired her for a moment as she worked. She was witty, confident, beautiful, and gentle. She was the type of girl men fantasized over... or at least she would be, if her feminine characteristics were a little more pronounced.

"Cough."

Miss Planner finished wiping the floor and got right to the next part of the cleaning process, cracking open a door on the machinery hooked up to Wiseman's tube and pulling out a little rag and spray bottle. She hummed as she wiped down the metal boxes and pipes, a sly smile on her face.

"Maybe you can tell me what it was like working for the Wild Cards, Black Smoke. Real nasty group, right? Hehehe."
"Yeah. They're... a real bunch of nuts. Hahaha! But it wasn't that bad, really... cough. I dragged my best friends from the Brotherhood in... with me, and we had a blast. There weren't that many sludge monsters running around, back then... grrrgh... not as many as there are now. We all got along pretty well... I mean, we were all in the same boat, right? Cough. All looking for... human flesh to eat."

"Oh yeah? How'd you meet them?"
"I met the Witch... of Darkness, Lila at a party... she told me she wanted to take over, be the boss. I think I even tried to talk her out of it at the time, hahaha... cough. But we stayed in touch, and she asked me to be her lieutenant... I knew she was crazy, but... I guess I just wanted to keep playing with the big boys for a while... so I stuck around, and then they really got big! Hahaha! Way bigger than the Brotherhood ever was, even... even at its peak! I wish you could... have been there... we raided homeless camps, took a bunch of piggies home to the stadium... got them cleaned up, and sold them for... a lot of money, hahaha..."

"Hehehe! You guys were super rich, huh?"
"Yeah. Hahaha! Cough. But... the money didn't last long... cough. And Lila wasn't a ton of fun to work for, so I left after a while... but I still kept in touch with the rest of the gang... and I still went back to help from time to time... until they started going off the deep end... heh heh... hahahaha!"

"You don't say."
"You know how they make sludge monsters?"

"Uh-uh."
"Cough. Cough! It's... it's not a drug, or anything like that... how they do it is... by using evil spirits to create contaminated psychic energy. They made a lot of us, experimented on us, looked for the strongest versions... they kept me in a cage for a while, fed me... slop... and made me smoke Nuke to get me to accept it... I mean, get my body to accept it."

"That's horrible! You poor thing!"
"Yeah. Well, I didn't care, really... I was happy to be there. Haha... hahaha!"
"Hehehe!"

Miss Planner giggled again as she squeezed out some cleaner onto Wiseman's tube. The dark liquid in the giant glass cylinder shifted, and Wiseman's huge milky-white head peeked out from inside. The spiritual being's eyes opened wide, and he let out a loud groan. Black Smoke and Miss Planner stared into each other's eyes for a few moments before Black Smoke broke the silence with his usual awkward chuckle.

"Ahaha... cough..."

Wiseman blinked several times, his enormous mouth softly opening and closing. Miss Planner wiped his tank with her rag, a gentle smile on her face.

"Hello, Wiseman! Good morning!"
"Ah, Miss Planner. It is a pleasure to see you."

Wiseman's voice was booming and reverberated through the room, shaking the ground. He spoke with an articulate clarity and confidence that belied his bizarre appearance. Black Smoke choked back another laugh as Miss Planner smiled brightly and leaned against the glass.

"And you as well, Wiseman! You look great today!"
"Thank you, my friend. I see you've brought a new Chosen One with you."

"Nice... to meet you, Wiseman. Cough."
"Do not be frightened, young man. I know my current appearance may be a bit unsettling, but I was once human like you. I became a spiritual being to protect the Chosen Ones from the forces of darkness."

Miss Planner gently tapped the glass, causing Wiseman to shift inside the cylinder and turn towards her.

"You don't have to give him the speech. He's not here for that. He already knows who you are. He's just here to help me clean. He has powers already anyway."

Wiseman glanced over at Black Smoke in the corner of his eye. The strange, skinny psychic had a thin smile on his lips.

"Death Smoke, is it? No... Black Smoke. Hmmm. It appears you are quite fond of Miss Planner. You admire and respect her, just as I do."

Miss Planner was astounded that Wiseman was still going through with his little speech even after she told him not to. Black Smoke coughed nervously, scratching his arm with one hand.

"Cough... cough."
"Black Smoke, you are a man of great talent. You have endured incredible pain for the sake of your fellow Chosen Ones. I am honored to call you my ally."

Black Smoke chuckled at the absurd praise. Miss Planner gave him a playful glare.

"Ahaha... if I'm... being honest, Wiseman, I don't really... think of myself as much like... any other Chosen One... cough. Haha. But thanks."
"No, you are a true Chosen One, Black Smoke. Your determination, courage, and strength will never fail to inspire and guide those under your care. That is a responsibility you were born to carry. Indeed, you possess the potential to grow in a manner far beyond the rest of us."

The words came pouring out from the giant floating face of the spirit. Black Smoke nodded politely, looking down and to the side. Miss Planner's eyes grew distant and a soft sigh escaped her pursed mouth.

"Wiseman, leave him alone. He doesn't need a big motivational moment right now. He's fine as is, okay? I could do without all the grandiosity right now. If anyone's going to be his emotional support, it's going to be me."