To give Omega a break from hosting, Epsilon had invited them and YJL to dinner at their tower.
Where Omega’s main living area had high ceilings and a massive kitchen, epsilon’s was more intimate. Still large, with a balcony between the tv area and kitchen, but more personal touches through out the area. Pictures of the girls at various ages. Souvenirs from trips over the years. Soft blankets and squishy pillows. A rainbow dildo enscribed with “Friendship” hanging over the door to the balcony. Cozy, clean, and full of life.
Kathy, Maya, and Nell bustle around the kitchen. Kathy finishing a several kinds of chili, gently moving around her girlfriend. Maya putting cold sandwiches, drinks, and fruit together, chatting happily with Nell. The current Batgirl finishes several sides and dessert. With four speedsters coming, along with the other 18 teenagers, left overs aren’t likely.
In the living area Jennifer and Sin sit on the couch, playing their favorite video game. Curled in her favorite arm chair, Anissa reads over a medical textbook. But hunched over the kitchen table, surrounded by blueprints, sketches, calculations and more paper than anyone should be able to get through, is Tiffany. Mumbling under her breath as her dark eyes dart around.
The door opens as the first team arrives. Matty West is already bickering with Ceridian’ahm about…Atlantis? Jania West and Luca Gordon-Grayson cackle as they push the other boys buttons, with a familiarity that goes back years. Zachary Zatara tucks a glass jar into a messenger bag, unlit cigarette in his teeth. Lucy Quinzel, in her usual roller skates, pushes past the others, “Party has arrived—is that a strap on?”
“Inside joke.” Anissa explains with a laugh, greeting everyone. She notices the last person trailing in doesn’t follow the others. Instead, Connor drifts to the table. The resident genius pauses in the brainstorming, allowing him to see the design she’s working on.
“You can.” Jennifer grins, in that annoying little sister way, “But we don’t have to answer. Tiff, can we clear the table please?”
“And please tell me you have all your pets locked down.” Anissa says to the engineer. Tiffany nods absentmindedly, clearing her work from the table.
“Pets?” Connor asks, helping Tiffany with the materials. What peaks Epsilon’s interest is how Tiffany lets him. She always had a way to do things and they just let her. But since meeting Connor, a lot of her habits adjust when he’s around. Handing her a sketchbook, the handsome boy offers a kind smile, “What kind of pets do you have?”
Looking up shyly, Tiffany says, “I have reptiles and amphibians.”
“Oh?” Connor asks, tilting his head, “Do you have a favorite?”
Reaching into a special pocket on her sweater, she pulls out a small newt, “This is Newton. He likes to spend time with me.”
Epsilon holds their breath. How many times have they seen some guy look disgusted at her interests? Or seen the light dim in her dark eyes because someone didn’t care. Or watched her trail off because the one person she wanted to listen….didn’t? As smart as she is, sometimes machines are easier to understand than people.
“Hello, Newton,” Connor says with a genuine smile, “He’s a crested newt, right?”
Have they ever seen Tiffany light up like that? Dark eyes shining and nose scrunching, she nods,“Yes! He is!”
“I used to collect frogs from a pond in the grounds. Would shove them in my pants to sneak them in.” Connor explains, holding a finger out to Newton. “Never worked, but Mom and Dad got a laugh out of it. Can you tell me more about Newton?”
“I’d love to!” Tiffany begins to babble about Crested Newts, arms full of supplies as Connor helps her carry it to the lab. Nodding and asking questions as they head out the door.
Lucy glance Nell, “Why do I feel like that was a big deal?”
“Because I’m pretty sure we all just witness Tiffany Fox fall in love.” Nell muses, setting more plates on the table.
“Oh, thank god!” Lucy laughs, “Connor’s been bouncing off the walls. He’s crazy for her. Always going on about new ideas to talk to her about.”
“Easy, Lu.” Matty snorts, swiping a sandwich with his sister. “If those two ever create a child—“
“Shhhh…” Jenn covers their mouth. “We don’t need to bring that energy here. Tiff already blows up the lab once a week.”
“Eh.” Jania shrugs, “Connor does too. He hasn’t blown himself up yet.”
Zachary laughs, kissing his girlfriend’s head, “Jani, love, I think that’s better than whatever her team would do to him if he broke her heart.”
The six girls exchange a look.
“They’ll never believe it.”
“She’s got a sweet face—“
“Nellie, we both know that means nothing—“
“Remember the Seacasters? They’re still fighting her viruses—“
“That was two years ago!”
They banter back and forth before Sin cuts in. “Full honesty? Tiffany is the scariest one of us.”
“…two of you were trained to kill—“
“Ah,” Maya tuts, “That’s most people’s mistake. Sin and me? We know how to break your body. Tiffany? She will destroy your entire life just to see how it burns.”
“And document it.” Jenn adds. “Leak sensitive information to public networks. Drain bank accounts for anonymous donations, usually to the causes they’re hurting the most. Bridges burned with one email or text, and she has an algorithm to copy a person’s…what was it, Maya?”
“‘A person’s written cadence and vernacular.’ Then, the piece de resistance, she unleashes a virus into their servers. Ever seen a Sternko system? The one that learns? She copied the code and used it in her virus. It learns as you try to destroy it.”
The other team is silent, letting that image of the other girl mesh with what they’d already seen. Sure, Tiffany is, without question, one of the smartest people they’d met. They absolutely believe she could logically do all that…but actually doing it….
Having known Connor longest. Lucy breaks the silence.
“I don’t think that’s going to deter him the way you think it would. In fact, he might propose to her sooner because of that.”
“I would for that code,” Luca sighs, ignoring the glance from his boyfriend. “Wonder if I can hack—“
“If you value your hands and life?” Anissa calmly interrupts, “I wouldn’t.”
Sin snorts, “She couldn’t give less of a shit about sexuality. But touch her codes and you lose a limb.”
Zachary looks at Lucy, “20 quid Tiff makes the first move.”
“I’ll bet 50 it’s mutual and they sleep together before we leave.”
