Sorry, The Only Power Left Is Alteration.

An oscillating fan moved around the gym slowly. The hot moist air laid so heavily that it could barely push the atmosphere inside this baking box of cinderblock. A pile of English books rested in the corner on a pile of supports from a broken bomb flex machine that had become a disassembled pile of wires and metal. The punching bag still swayed gently from the last use.

A map of Indore hung on the wall along with some motivational posters of some incredibly muscular men and one very muscular orange cat with black stripes. The CD player screamed:

 

Get Ready To Fight!

Sundara laid over the bench. His knuckles turned white as he lifted the bar, then ever so slowly lowered the heavy weights to his chest before raising them back up. Sweat dripped from his body. He picked them up and then put them down again until he had done fifteen reps and his arms felt like noodles.

He sat up with a glance toward the puddle of sweat under the bench. He took a big gulp of sports drink before wiping his head with a towel.

A big mirror lined the right wall. He looked at his body and flexed. The radio perked up and another song squelched out from his mix tape.

 

Body! Body! Wanna feel my body baby!

 

He had time to flex while listening. His biceps were big, he had perfectly defined abs, his legs bulged with muscular definition. His neck wasn’t too big but he didn’t want that. Pectorals could bounce on their own across his broad chest. Shoulders were strong supports for his beefy arms. He flung the towel over the back of a metal folding chair as he directed the fan on himself. Then he found a muscle shirt. There would be no time to shower. He’d be sweating all day at his weekend job anyway.

 

Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Mach-

 

He clicked the player off. If he lingered here much longer, he’d be late for work. A key chain rested near the radio with a toy of a fat orange and black striped cat and a yellow dog with a big tongue hanging out. He clutched the keys and walked outside the cinder block building.

His grandmother sat on a blanket. The old woman was recognized as a lucky merchant and told fortunes. There was always another elder chatting with her and sometimes there was a line of people waiting to receive her wisdoms for a small price. She sold a small collection of handmade charms and jewelry as well.

He gave his grandmother his most loving and respectful salute before hoping on his bike and riding off to the eastern side of the city of Indore. It would take a while to navigate to the bigger roads and it was incredibly hot, so the winds from riding in the old Wonda cc50 did not provide much relief. Instead, the sun beat down upon his dark skin like a beast breathing fire from above.

It would take an hour of driving like this before he reached the Madresh Water Park employee lot. Security waved him through once he presented his ID. A steel warehouse served as the employee check-in. Sundara grabbed his punch card and managed to punch in with but a minute to spare.

A woman stood behind him. Her presence so sudden that when he turned around, he almost fell back against the time clock with a shout. He wiped his head. His tongue felt a bit swollen and his mouth tacky. The fountain was just a few meters away, but this pale white-haired woman in glasses looked very important. He’d never seen such colored eyes before, were they naturally red?

“Greetings Sundara, it’s good to meet you. I’m staff director Azoria Singh from Pradesh Gas, Mogg-dell from corporate sent me to speak with you directly. We have a huge opportunity for you if you wish to earn triple pay for the day.”

His head went forward and his eyes opened slightly. If she was a foreigner then she spoke perfect, Hindi though with a bit of a southern accent. Was she from Bengaluru? Perhaps she was an albino woman? He had to admit there was a huge allure to her presence and he flexed slightly to try and impress her. It was not terribly difficult for him to bed any woman he wanted at least once but this one felt beyond his reach.

“Triple pay? But I don’t work for Pradesh. I work for Mangalore Fun Park.”

Azoria handed him some paperwork as she pushed up her glasses, “We’re collaborating with Mangalore Fun Park to promote our new mascot. But our employee did not show. Mr. Pranesh said that you would be perfect for the role and I see that you would fit the suit perfectly.”

Sundara looked a bit skeptical, but it looked official and she offered triple pay. He grabbed a pen from the top of the time clock and started signing the paper work. This was a chance, maybe even for a new part time job that would pay more.

Azoria smiled, “There’s not much time. Please follow me. The job is very simple. We just need you to wear the mascot suit. The voice modulator in the suit will say her lines. Just wave and do some fun gestures when people approach.”

A mascot outfit hung on the wall. It was a costume of a cartoon style girl with flame patterned hair and eyes. She was wearing baggy violet pants and a matching bandeau with a flame pattern of the Pradesh Paradise Gas Company on the left side of her bosom. She had a big head with cute fiery eyes and the hair pattern had streamers attached to it.

“Well, you signed the papers so in you go!”

Legs first. His biking boots had to come off. The foam insulation hugged his feet and ankles. He put his arms in the cuffs and noticed he could wear the mascots gloved fingers over his own. This suit fit him like a glove. He hadn’t gotten used to it and was about to back out when he heard a loud: Ziiiiiiiiiiiiiiip! His face pushed against the tube that he’d have to breath through so he opened his mouth and wrapped his lips around it. Little fire streamers puffed out from the mascot’s lips when he breathed. But even so, he had already been sweating in the hot warehouse and now he fast soaked the inside of this costume. He tried to say something through the tube, but the mascot’s high pitch voice activated instead.

“Gas is clean burning energy!”

Azoria patted the skin patterned felt cloth of the mascot’s back, “You’re perfect, perhaps we’ll give you a bonus and have you continue with us permanently after today's work. You are now Anna Jalaana."

“I’m Anna Jalaana. Nice to meet you! Let’s save the planet!” the mascot said with a sweet giggle, “Tee hee!”

Azoria took Sundara by the hand and giggled herself as she led him outside into the hot sun of the water park. She leaned against him and he swore he could feel the shape of her body even through the thick mascot costume. He sniffed and became tense. The costume became a bit tighter as she tickled him.

“If you help make Anna famous, perhaps you can join me in a fun game later. I’m so looking forward to it. But I need to get out of the sun.”

She opened a black umbrella and walked behind him, but when he turned around, she was gone. If the inside of the mascot was baking before, now he felt like he was melting into it. He found himself amidst the crowds of parents and children enjoying the water park.

Some of the children ran up to him and he got distracted. He still had to do his job after all. He waved to the kids. One wanted picked up, so he had to hold her while her parents took a picture.

“Gas is great for the environment!”

The kids and parents wouldn’t leave him alone. From inside his mobile oven, he became agitated. It remained steamy inside but he didn’t sweat as much. His tongue felt twice as big as normal and his body burned. But he couldn’t take off the head in front of park patrons, he’d lose his bonus, the beautiful albino woman would scorn him, he’d lose his opportunity. Still, it was too much, even if somebody saw he just needed a few minutes to breathe fresh air and get water from the fountain, or even better, a couple of sports drinks from a stall. He found a fountain and reached back to find the clasp that closed the head.

Gloved fingers rubbed across a smooth felt surface. What!? He clutched the back of the costume’s neck and tried to tear it open. His muscles tensed and cramped. Skin rashed as it tingled. He needed water bad! The sun continued to bake down on the flaming hair of the mascot. Anna danced and stomped her feet.

“Gas! Gas! Gas! Let’s put coal in the past!” she sang with a giggle.

A group of kids from the water slides surrounded the mascot, one kicked Anna shin hard enough to make Sundara wince even through his growing delirium. He tried to use all his strength to rip the mascot open from the front of the neck but the fabric wouldn’t budge.

“Greetings! I’m Anna Jalaana! Let’s gas into the future together!”

Children laughed at the crazy antics of the mascot. A heavyset boy punched her in the crotch. Luckily the thick padding buffered the blow somewhat. Sundara retreated from the water fountain and kept running until he leaned against a tree.

“Greetings! I’m Anna Jalaana! Let’s gas into the future together!”

I’m Anna Jalaana, Sundara thought as he felt a wave energy go through his pounding head. She loved clean energy. She loved gas! Gas was the future. Switch to gas for our children.

The sunny water park was so very beautiful. She loved the children and their parents and waved to them as she passed them by. Occasionally she tried to rip her skin off and did a crazy dance that made passersby laugh and clap.

She needed water! She needed air!

Anna ran head first into a tree, but it didn’t seem to phase her too much as patrons took videos of the crazy mascot’s antics. Some even clapped. It was the most wonderful of times.

“Get Ready to Fight! For Gas!” Alana said with a cute voice box giggle, “Let’s save the woooruuff grrruuuuu gethuuuu!”

She took a step forward as vomit leaked from the breathing tube and voice box.

Then she collapsed into the burning hot pavement. Hotter than ever. Frying in the sun. Dry. Burning.

A bunch of kids thought this was so amazing that they ran up to the fallen mascot and began bouncing on her.

“Switch to Gas! Tee Heeeee...eeeee-eee~!”