^^ Third Eye Mk1 ^^
— Erin —
"I... should get to work." Kyra wobbled her way over to my desk, and fell against my back tiredly.
"Not on those wobbly legs and no sleep, my dear. Ask Megann to drop you off, and I'll deliver your bike when I come for breakfast." I instantly sent Megann an SMS, (making good use of my AI's possibly illegal connection to all the local Cell Towers,) asking her if she minded dropping a friend off at work in town, and then went back to work.
"Right... okay, that makes... perfect sense... I'll see you then, I guess?" She asked slowly, staring at my back.
"If you'd prefer I take you, I will finish what I'm doing in the next five minutes or so, but I was under the impression you would want the chance to pull yourself together, before you return to your nosey family?" I turned and raised an eyebrow at her.
She grinned. "Ooh, Yes, okay, that makes sense! Okay, well, I'll see you in a few!" She kissed my cheek and dressed, wobbling her way out and down the stairs, where I could hear her conversing with Megann, before I turned back to my work.
I smiled and set the guitar case into a shadow, allowing a drone to push it towards the base, and out of a portal there it opened on its own.
The Disk that Lobo has used was done being analyzed, thankfully, and it's tech had been replicated and distributed, meaning my drones could open small portals, though only for a few seconds at a time before they had to re-charge. I was working on having them all run on Dark Matter, but that was surprisingly more difficult.
The knife and Fatherbox were still being analyzed, with no clear end in sight. All the aspects of both had already been scanned, but a mystery ingredient was present that the computer couldn't identify or replicate.
I commissioned a third Infiniclip, this one with basic hollowpoint ampules of the Dendrotoxin, and then grabbed the keys to the bike, dressing in my new armor, which included a new system, a pair of sunglasses that had a heads-up display. Hopefully, it would assist with my lack of super-sight, just like my hearing aids could filter out and catalogue ambient noice, alerting me to any sound that was abnormal. I'd need to be able to keep up with these people, after all, if I wanted to be a bounty-hunter of some sort, like Lobo. Well, almost, considering I only planned on hunting criminals.
'Nomad, you asked to be notified when Lex Luthor's Stock had reached its lowest point... it is currently valued at $2 a share, a -2,460 point drop, the furthest drop in stock history, and cannot legally go any lower, due to the American Market Laws.'
"Good. Use the $100,000 loan from the League to buy all of the stocks that were just dumped back into the market, as many as I can get. I want all his stock. Also, considering that he just got dropped by all his investors, the number of Shares would have dropped as well, so I'm sure I can get the full 49% of those shares, correct?" I asked, and opened the Manila envelope on my desk, (recently replaced with a real one, after Diana fell through it,) placing the pages into the analyzer one by one. "Also, keep these on my private server, but analyze them on a back burner."
'Recording... encrypting... analyzing... setting aside; Anonymously Accessing Stock Market... Yes, you are correct. Only 49,000 shares are available, having been consolidated from 120,540,000 shares, -conversely the highest in stock history,- and all are currently biddable. You will have only $2,000 dollars remaining, if you purchase them... will you?'
"Do it, anonymously and untraceably. Leave no hint that it was me who bought them, and keep an eye on those, another back burner processor, at all times. His stock prices will rise up again, I'm sure of it. What's his net-worth, now?" I smiled, and mounted the motorcycle, turning the key and coasting down the road leisurely.
'Lex Luthor is currently valued at 3.26 billion dollars, -mostly in real estate,- down from 1.688 Trillion Dollars, a loss of approximately-'
"One Trillion, Six-hundred-eighty-four Billion, seven-hundred-forty Million Dollars, American.($1,684,740,000). Ouch. Someone's taxes will be rough this year." I chuckled, pulling up to the cafe and parking the bike in Kyra's spot.
I walked in the front, humming a happy tune, and sat in my seat, sliding Kyra's keys across the bar to her. She was sitting on a pillow, to my amusement, and she sighed, cradling her own cup of coffee between her hands. "You are incredibly hard to tire out, aren't you? Did I even have a chance?"
"Here's a hint: it usually takes thirteen people, two days, and several dozen half-hour rounds, only interrupted by food, sleep, and bathroom breaks." I whispered, as her sister was at the other end of the bar, making tea for the only other customer, an older woman in a shawl and dress.
She turned, apparently having heard, and looked over the rim of her glasses at me, then Kyra, who was now blushing and hiding behind her cup of coffee. She smiled a little, and returned to her tea after a moment. "Well-brewed, Σεληνόφως, but you have a ways to go to match your sister... has she made any progress in her cooking?" She asked in fluent Greek, calmly using the girl's full Greek name, 'Moonlight, Selenafush,' and glanced up when the doors opened again.
Zatanna waved at me awkwardly, sitting next to the old woman and speaking softly. "Baba Aster, how are you? You are healthy again?"
The old woman tsk'ed. "Aiyah, as healthy as an Old Woman can be, girl! You ask silly questions!!! Now, I shall ask my own! Who is this girl who has fucked Κυριακή so sore she needs a cushion? Is she Greek?"
I breathed in my coffee, pounding my chest and hacking up the brew violently. "Fuck that burns!" I hissed, coughing into my fist and drinking the water that Selene handed me quickly. 'Note to self: NOT IMMUNE TO HEAT DAMAGE!!!'
'Noted. Your armor is, however, immune to all but the most Extreme temperatures.'
The old woman grinned, nodding. "Ahh! She is Greek! Girl! Can you cook? My granddaughter has only a talent for brewing, and so needs someone to cook for her, once she no longer lives with her mama!"
I recovered from the scare, and grinned at the violent glare and volcanic blush that Kyra was sending at both of us. I spoke softly, in English, leaning over the counter. "What do you want me to tell her?"
"Can you cook?" She shrugged unhelpfully. I narrowed my eyes, and she blinked. "Oh that! I've got it. Baba, we're just friends, don't go planning a wedding or anything."
The old woman raised an eyebrow slowly. "Just Friends? Humph! You know, your grandfather and I had a few of those, back in the 70's, after Άνεμος was born, best friends I have, even to this day-"
"Mother, are you bothering the customers? You promised you wouldn't!" An exasperated-looking Ann came out of the kitchen swiftly at our universal sounds of disgust, addressing her elderly mother sternly.
"What? I'm not, there's hardly any people in this place!!!" The older woman frowned at her daughter.
Ann sighed, and smiled at me. "Ah, Erin, I'll have your food out in a moment, it's a bit rough with just me back there."
I smiled. "I can help, if you like? Your mother was wondering if I could cook, anyway, and I haven't touched a stove in a few months, I don't think. I still remember the recipes, though... any requests?" I glanced at the elderly woman.
She smiled, and leveraged herself up out of the chair, using Zatanna as an unwilling brace for a moment, then straightened and walked towards the kitchen like a slow old woman on a mission.
I nodded and followed, kissing Kyra in the cheek as I passed. "Ice will help more than the cushion." I suggested helpfully.
She smiled guiltily, and lifted herself a little, showing the center of the donut she was sitting on, and the pile of ice packs. "Way ahead of you." She sighed, sitting back down and relaxing.
I smirked at the look of shock and awe on both Selene and Zatanna's faces, and winked at them, slipping into the kitchen.
It was a nice-sized galley kitchen, complete with everything any good kitchen needed, plus the things only a Mediterranean Kitchen would need, such as a vertical rotisserie for gyros, or the Panini Press.
I nodded and got to work with the materials that were on the counter, as the old woman watched. She directed me towards a few ingredients, and soon enough I had a tzatziki sauce made, and a fresh Gyro turning.
She tasted some of the finished lamb and pork I had put on the rotisserie together, then my tzatziki, and nodded her approval. "Mm. Yes, you can cook, I approve! Any grandmother should be happy her grandchildren can feed themselves when she is gone! Now tell me, girl, what is your name?"
"Dr. Ειρήνη Φύλακας, or Doctor Filakash, if you prefer." I nodded, and made her a sandwich, then took the rest of the meat from the rotisserie, piling it onto a platter with a small bowl of the sauce, and tucking into it swiftly.
She raised her eyebrows, and poked my stomach after a moment of shock, finding it as hard as a rock. "Ha! I see! A doctor, you say? Ooh, very nice! HA! Played a bit too much of that with my Kyra last night, eh? The fantasy is too fun to leave?" She nudged me playfully.
I shrugged, taking a break from the food. "No, I mean I went to the Dallas MIT and four other colleges around the world, for twelve full years, and therein gained 10 Collegiate Degrees, 3 of which are PH.D.'s; aka: Doctorates. And until your granddaughter provides me with permission to speak about her sex life,-"
"NOT GIVEN!!!" Kyra yelled.
"-then I will not 'Kiss and Tell'." I finished, and went back to eating, finishing off the platter while she stared at me, looking both confused and impressed.
Ann nudged her, making her look away. "You're staring, mother!"
"Mm... well, I apologize, I wasn't sure what to think of that... both her claims of being a peerless scholar and the amount of food she just packed into her stomach... somehow." She poked my stomach again, and I lifted my jacket, showing her the chiseled abs underneath, then flexing, just to mess with her. She squeaked, pressing a hand to her chest, to my amusement.
"They're real, Baba, as is the rest of me." I commented blandly.
She sighed and chuckled, patting my shoulder. "Yes, Yes, I've gotten my fill, I apologize again. That is quite impressive, young lady doctor! I shall retire, you should help Ann in the kitchen... I am unable to, sadly." She showed her hands, which shook slightly. "Too dangerous to hold a knife, now." She sighed again.
I hummed and pressed a thumb to the base of her spine, then another to the middle third, pressing gently, aware of my new strength. She gasped, then looked at her hands, perfectly still. "What in God's name...?" She whispered.
"Any chiropractor could probably do a better job than me, though they'd charge a thousand times as much. Release pressure from your spine, and your nerves will relax, allowing for finer motor control, temporarily. It'll last anywhere from a few hours to all day, depending on how active you are, and how bad the damage is." I nodded, and stepped over to the stove, while she was still staring at her hands.
Ann kissed my cheek happily, directing me to a pot of chicken and peas with an uncut onion next to it, and then touched her mother's elbow. "Mother?"
The old woman startled a bit, then grinned, scurrying swiftly, (for a slow very old woman, so a fast waddle,) over to the apron racks, pulling one on, then she began ordering everyone about like a tiny Greek Drill Sergeant. "Kyra! Make yourself useful and summon my grandchildrens! Erinyes, get a pot of water and two Kebabs roasting, one pork, one lamb! Annie, I want six racks of lamb and a side of pork!!! Selene, I want two different soups, one vegetarian, one chicken broth!!!" She barked out orders whilst slicing and dicing several different vegetables, not even looking at them as she did so.
I chuckled and obeyed, enjoying the familiarity. Crotchety old Greek women were demons in a kitchen, but the food and fun were worth it. I took up a lot of space in the small kitchen, but my agility and experience moving around smaller people did help, keeping spills and bumps down to a minimum, as people showed up over the next two hours or so, for an impromptu lunch.
I managed to eat little pieces of everything, over the course of cooking that whole time, and was almost full by the time we called a halt, and entered the little party.
Zatanna had called the people from the house, and a few more Leaguer's who I supposed were in the area, in their secret identities, and about twelve members of Kyra's family were present, though a few had dropped in to say hello and apologize that they couldn't stay. Apparently, they lived all around the town, and a few here actually lived in New York and Manhattan, but had made the thirty-minute drive because, apparently, 'baba Aster's cooking was worth it'.
She was a great chef, that was true, but I had defiantly made a few of my own gramma's recipes, out of familial pride, and I smirked at her when I saw people enjoying them.
She rolled her eyes, and sat down in one of the scant few chairs, (the three tables were pushed together to make a buffet, all the chairs were against the bar,) grumbling at one of her grandsons to get her some of my food. "I shall taste it, then, to satisfy you."
I smiled and snagged a plate, filling it with a little of everything, hopefully enough to fill me up, and sat down at the bar, my seat thankfully still empty, likely due to Kyra shooing off her younger cousins.
"So, is this how you pictured me meeting your family?" I grinned at her, drinking some of the coffee she placed in front of me.
"About exactly how I pictured it, actually..." she nodded, and smiled at a toddler someone had brought in, wandering over to her and hugging her leg. "Ah, hiya, Sammy! How are you today?" She patted the little girl's hair, shooing her off to the other side of the bar, where her father pulled her into his arms, giving her a small bowl of soup and a spoon.
"Slowly, Sammy." He warned her, and she replied saucily, 'but is yummy!!!' I smiled, restraining the reflexive d'aww by sheer force of will, though I was not entirely successful, apparently.
"You like kids, huh?" Kyra asked, smirking at the immediate attention she'd called to me, as the entire room had heard her.
I frowned at her. "Rude, first of all, and second of all, yes, I adore the little punks. Always wanted a couple myself, but it's difficult to raise them, in my lifestyle."
Annie pet my hair gently, apparently mistaking my meaning. "Plenty of female couples have babies, nowadays, honey!"
I laughed. "No, I meant as a Doctor! I've worked, studied, or exercised almost 24/7 for the past 28 years of my life, and the only reason that's not 29 is because I took a year-long break when I was an infant. This is the longest break I've ever had, going on a week long, almost. So I meant, to be clear, that I want to have time for my children. I couldn't give two shits about being Queer, my dear, and none of my lovers would have minded raising children with me, if we had a schedule for it... hell, they might just do it anyway, now that I'm gone." I shrugged, happy that at least that would go right.
She hummed, sitting next to me. "Wait... none of them? You have multiple relationships? You mean one after another, right?"
"No, we were a single relationship, all of us. It worked well for us, with our schedules... not much time for exclusivity, when there's a new Particle being discovered, or some new theorem being solved, after all." I explained casually, and finished my soup, dipping some of the meat into the broth, and eating that before it dripped all over the place.
"Huh... well, that's over, now... right?" She asked, looking at Kyra.
"Just friends, I said! Two lesbians can be friends, just like any other two girls, Mama!" Kyra sighed exasperatedly.
"Okay, okay! Don't get fresh with me, girl, I'm just trying to help!" She frowned at her daughter, then looked back at me. "So 'friends', huh?"
"If she wants. She wanted something else, I refused, end of story." I shrugged the subject off, sipping my coffee.
"Oh!... well alright, then, I won't pry any further, I suppose..." she nodded, and patted my hand, returning to the group of women who'd claimed the rest of the seats, while the guys claimed the side near the windows.
I sniffed, smelling something like smoke, and stood up quickly. "Anyone in this room with any sort of ability to detect fire, do so now."
My voice silenced all the different conversations instantly, and four different people began to murmur spells, each taking too long for my tastes, until Zatanna upstaged them all.