Chapter 7: When Chinese takeout trumps existential conversation

Q wanders the Institute to find a pleasant doctor with peculiar lab mice. Theo suffers at a bar, while the rest of the team eat Chinese takeout together and discuss hero names.

Q started her adventure by walking down the hallway from Pagel’s lab. There were doors on the left and windows showing the outside of the building on the right. Every door she walked past, she tried open and look inside. Some of the doors opened, some didn’t; the ones that did were innocuous, janitor closets or storage rooms. When she reached the end of the hallway, it forked.

            Q decided to go left. The hallway quickly turned dark as Q moved further away from the windows. A woman appeared in the hallway. She strode confidently, her hair tucked into a low bun. She seemed preoccupied with the folder in her hands. Q kept her head down and tried to walk past her. The woman stopped Q with a hand before slowly taking her eyes off the folder. “Who are you?” She asked.

            “Oh,” Q said, placing a hand over her heart, surprised. “I’m Hazel. I have a pass.”

            Q held it up for the woman to inspect. She examined it intensely, adjusting her glasses. The woman’s attitude changed completely. “Welcome to the Kattegat Institute,” She said, smiling. “I’m Nicki; I work at the Radiology department.”

            “Which we are in currently,” Nicki continued with a light laugh.

            “Really?” Q said, looking around dramatically, though she didn’t spot anything interesting in the empty hall. “That’s so interesting. Can I see your lab? What do you guys do there?”

Nicki beamed. “Sure, I can show you my and Dr. Lawrence’s lab,” Nicki responded, clasping her hands together. “We are working on the effects of radiation on animals to extrapolate the effect of Orange Day on humans.”

“Ah,” Q intoned, getting the gist of it.

Nicki motioned and led her to the next door on the right. She opened it for Q and called out happily, “Doctor! We have a guest! Get the mice!”

Q gave her a confused look. Nicki reassured her with a wave, saying, “Don’t worry, it’s cool, trust me.”

The lab was L-shaped with very little on this shorter part of the “L,” besides a counter. A man walked around the corner, and Q froze in shock. “Hello Miss,” The man said, walking up to shake her hand.

Q didn’t move, staring at him. The man was pleasant-faced with a small beard and big glasses. “What?” He said, touching his hairy face. “Nicki, is something on my face?”

Nicki shook her head as Q answered faintly, “No, I recognize you.”

The man looked at her with scrunched up eyebrows. “Huh,” He said, shrugging amiably. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t get out of the lab much.”

The man held out his hand again. “Hello, my familiar stranger, I’m Doctor Lawrence,” He introduced.

Q reached out and shook his large, warm hand. “Hazel,” She responded with a hesitant smile. “Now, what’s this I hear about mice?”

“Well, Miss Hazel,” Lawrence explained. “The mice we have here at Law-Shah lab are very special.”

Lawrence went around the corner; Nicki and Q followed him. Around the corner was the large series of cages and tunnels with dozens of mice scurrying between them; above the circuitous cage was an ambient orange light. When Lawrence was spotted by a few mice, they hurried toward him.

Lawrence walked to one edge of the series where a flap was, opening it and taking out one of the mice. “These aren’t any mice,” Lawrence said. “They’re lab mice, meaning they are all genetically identical.”

Lawrence held the mouse in his hand and it sat there patiently. Q stepped closer, hovering a hand over the mouse. “Nicki mentioned that the mice were to test what happened on Orange Day.” She commented.

Lawrence nodded. “That’s correct; all these mice are being irradiated by their own orange clouds.”

He pointed at the orange light. “That emits alpha particles like the ones from the orange clouds,” He continued.

Q took a step back. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

Dr. Lawrence shrugged. “It should be, but since nobody died from radiation poisoning after Orange Day, we can assume that some chemicals in the clouds acted as a protector, like potassium iodide.”

Q nodded like that made sense. She reached out a hand and gently petted the mouse. “So, has anything weird been happening with the mice?” She asked.

“No,” Nicki answered. “The mice are surprisingly acting similar to the humans; unaffected in every way possible. No sign of radiation sickness.”

“But some humans are reacting,” Lawrence admitted. “They have been developing the capabilities to do amazing things.” Lawrence looked at Q. “Surely, you’ve seen it on the news?”

Q shook her head. “I don’t watch the news,” She answered. “The last time I did was a few days ago; a man died of coral snake venom.”

“Coral snakes aren’t indigenous to this region,” Lawrence replied immediately. “It’s too cold. My best guess is that a human either brought a snake, or its venom, to kill this man, or that human killed the man with poison they didn’t know they possessed.”

Q shuddered at how accurate his guess was. Lawrence placed a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. “But, that’s why we are researching Orange Day,” Lawrence said softly. “To figure out why humans can do these things and if we can cure them, or at least control them.”

“We don’t want any more tragedies,” Nicki added.

Q kept petting the mouse. This was her opportunity to make some inquiries and discover things that Alicia and her partner may not know yet. “What have you learned so far?” She asked.

Lawrence laughed heartily. “I’ll tell you, if you promise not to go to the press,” Lawrence replied.

He held out a pinkie finger. Q laughed and wrapped a pinkie finger around his. “I promise.”

Lawrence leaned in as he explained, “The mice have become complacent, yet intelligent.”

Lawrence moved back to the other half of the room to a counter with a maze on it. “Watch,” Lawrence instructed as he set the mouse in the entrance of the maze.

Q checked out the maze. It was complicated with a multitude of dead ends, but the real end had a prize, a saltine cracker. Q had her doubts about the mouse navigating it any time soon and being successful. The mouse circled in the entrance, waiting. “Go,” Lawrence said.

The mouse took off, quickly turning corners and swerving to avoid dead ends. It was almost at the end in about a minute, when Lawrence ordered, “Stop.”

The mouse skittered to a halt an inch away from the marked finish and cracker reward. It stood still, taking panting little breaths. “Is that supposed to be impressive?” Q asked innocently.

“Yes,” Lawrence answered, surprised that Q wasn’t impressed. “Lab mice can be taught tricks, sure, but to stop? At the end of a maze? It simply doesn’t make sense in their tiny little brains because there is food right there.”

“But this mouse, along with the rest exposed to the orange light,” He continued. “Will follow any command that they can learn, and because of their intelligence, they can learn a lot.”

Lawrence looked at the mouse while giving his next command. “Reverse.”

The mouse turned around and scurried to the beginning of the maze, stopping at the entrance a minute later. “See?” Lawrence said, gently picking up the mouse. “No, ordinary mouse would do that without a strong motivator.”

Q nodded; it suddenly made sense to her. “That’s amazing,” She commented. “Do you think that effect transferred over to humans?”

Nicki shook her head as Lawrence said, “No, the amount of exposure the mice are getting is exponentially larger than what we were exposed to Orange Day, and subsequent days. This effect might be present in some humans, babies perhaps, but not full-grown adults.”

Nicki spoke up. “It’s the amount of radiation per mass that affects a creature; a human can handle more radiation than a mouse, so when exposed to the amount of radiation humans faced on Orange Day, it had this effect on mice.”

Q hummed in thought. “But they haven’t been doing anything strange? Like the weird new abilities in humans?” She asked.

“If they are, they haven’t shown us,” Lawrence answered amiably.

Lawrence picked up the mouse, petting its head for a short while before returning it to the circuit. Other mice scrambled over to smell the mouse, then left, uninterested. Q looked for a clock, wondering if she had been away for long. Q wondered about Kris and how she is doing, her forehead crinkling.

“Is something the matter?” Lawrence inquired.

“Oh,” Q responded, wringing her hands. “I was here at Dr. Pagel’s laboratory with a friend, and, I’m just thinking if they were wondering where I am.”

“Ah, Pagel,” Lawrence said, smiling. “A smart man, working in the same field. Radiology is a passion of his since graduate school.”

“We went to the same school. He would always stay after class to discuss things with the professors. It was the subject of his grad project. Then he was fortunate enough to get a job working radiology here at the Institute. They only take the very best.”

“But that’s a story for another day,” Lawrence added. “We should get you back to Pagel.”

Lawrence patted Q’s shoulder and led her to the door. Nicki followed, offering Q her arm. “I’ll walk you back,” Nicki offered, smiling.

Q smiled back. “Sure,” She responded. 

Arm in arm, they walked down the hallway as Lawrence said good bye. Q focused on not transforming impulsively while walking and touching Nicki. Nicki took her to Pagel’s lab, stopping by the door. Q let go and peeked inside. The only person in there was Kris. “Kris!” Q greeted cheerfully, moving to hug her.

“Hey, Hazel,” Kris said, clinging to her.

“How did it go?” Q asked after pulling away. “What did Pagel say?”

Kris looked beyond Q at Nicki. Nicki waved. “I’ll tell you later,” Kris answered. “Who’s your friend?”

“Nicki,” Q said before pulling Kris over to Nicki.

Nicki held out her hand to shake. Kris smiled cryptically, shaking Nicki’s hand with her gloved one. “Ah, this is Nicki.” Kris commented.

Nicki seemed to be confused, her brow wrinkling. “Alicia mentioned you at Callithump earlier today,” She explained.

“Oh! You’re the friend Alicia mentioned,” Nicki responded, recalling the conversation earlier. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, you too,” Kris said before turning to Q. “We should get going.” Facing back to Nicki, Kris pointed. “You better start coming into Callithump to say hello in the morning.” She joked lightly.

“I will,” Nicki replied, crossing her heart. “I promise.”

“Great, have a nice day,” Kris said, tugging Q out of the lab.

Kris hurried through the hallway back to the front desk. Q stopped when they were outside. “You were so nice to Nicki back there,” She commented.

Kris huffed, a scowl on her face. “I wasn’t trying to be,” She responded. “I was just trying to act… unsuspicious.”

“Unsuspicious?” Q repeated, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I’m bleeding from my breast,” Kris said quickly. “It would be suspicious if I acted in pain, cause then I’d have to explain why I was in pain…”

Kris trailed off when she saw Q’s worried expression. “Why are you bleeding from your breast?” She asked, astounded.

Kris pulled down her shirt, flashing Hazel the band aid. “I’ll explain it when we get home,” Kris said.

Kris turned and walked away from the Institute. She felt a hand intertwine in her gloved one. “How about you explain it as we go home?” Q said quietly. “Cause it would be kind of awkward to wait in silence until we get there.”

Kris blushed as she started her story, “So, we did a CT scan, which found weird cavities…”

+++++

            Paul left the boutique with a smile on his face. He was sure that his friends could come through with his… possibly overdramatic demands. The costumes would turn out just fine. He felt like celebrating.

            Paul curbed the instinct, instead deciding to call Kris and check what she’s been doing. Maybe he would mention the costumes, maybe not if she was in a bad mood. He pulled out his phone and dialed, before holding the phone to his ear. He kept walking, no need to stop when he was on a roll.

            Kris answered. “Yes, Paul, what are you calling for?”

            Paul contemplated whether that was Kris being angry or her usual self. “Hey, Kris,” Paul said nicely. “I was just calling to check up on you. Did you talk to Alicia?”

            “Yeah, I did,” Kris replied. “I went to her lab today. Got a few samples taken, so... here’s hoping that something good comes out of it.”

            “That’s great,” Paul commented.

            He heard her huff lightly. “So, what did you do today?” She asked as if she was compelled to do so.

            “I visited a friend of mine,” Paul answered. “His name is Soman and he runs a boutique with his wife.”

            Kris laughed away from the phone, but it was still audible. “Let me guess,” She said, moving the phone back to her mouth. “You were designing our costumes with them?”

            “Yes,” Paul said, faking being defensive. “We need costumes. It was the next logical step.”

            Kris decided not to comment on that. “So, do they look good?”

            “Absolutely stunning,” Paul replied. “Sexy black, armor in the lining, masks, and equipment; it looks great.”

Kris hummed. “However, Soman needs a month at least to get the basics down,” Paul added. “He said that we could do a fitting sometime to make sure it works out. Oh, and they would need our measurements.”

“Huh, okay,” Kris responded. “I mean, that would make sense.”

There was muttering on the other side of the phone. “Fine, I’ll ask him,” Kris said, not to Paul. “Sorry, that was Q. She wanted me to ask if you wanted to come over tonight, maybe for a late dinner.”

“Sure, your apartment?” Paul asked.

“That would do,” Kris answered.

“Kay, I’ll be there in an hour, or two,” Paul said. “I have to check on Espe.”

“Tell her, I said hi,” Kris replied, before hearing squabbling. “Q, too.”

Paul smiled. “Alright, bye Kris, tell Q bye too.”

“Bye, from us,” Kris said before hanging up.

Paul put his phone in his pants pocket. Picking up the pace, Paul reached the bus stop; the bus came a few minutes later. Paul got on, paid, and stood near the back of the busy bus. Several bus stops later, Paul got off and proceeded down the street to his apartment building. When Paul reached the apartment, he unlocked the door to see Espe on the couch, watching TV. “Hey, querida, did you do tu tarea?”

Espe nodded. She glanced at him and asked, “Dónde estabas?”

Paul walked over and sat on the couch beside her. “I visited Soman hoy at his boutique.”

“Oh, how is Bree?” Espe inquired.

“She’s good,” Paul said. “Sino, she is muy grande. She could have her baby any time now.”

Espe placed her head on Paul’s shoulder. “Can we go see el bebé cuándo Bree is in the hospital?”

“Quizá,” Paul answered, unsure. “We would have to ask Bree.”

Espe frowned. “Fine, but I want to see el poco bebé,” Espe said. “It’s going to be lindo.”

“Sí,” Paul responded, patting Espe’s leg. “Have you had la cena yet?”

“Sí,” Espe said. “Do I have to go to practice esta noche?”

“What’d you eat?” Paul asked.

Espe smiled. “Cereal?” She said.

“That cereal azucarado?” Paul said, guessing right. He laughed. “I told you, you can only eat that at breakfast. La próxima vez, have… mac and cheese or a sandwich.”

“Okay,” Espe said, giggling. “Te prometo.”

“Back to la tema,” Paul said. “Yes, you’re going to la práctica.”

Paul checked his watch. “Pronto, in fact.”

Espe sighed. “Sí, I’ll go get ready,” Espe responded, standing up and leaving the room.

Paul watched her go before taking at his phone and dialing. “Hello? South Side?” Paul inquired. “Yes, I was wondering if I could get an appointment tomorrow.”

The man on the phone said something. “No, it would take some serious time,” Paul said. “It would be most of my back.”

The man said something else. “That’s great. I’ll see you then. Bye.”

Paul hung up as Espe walked back in the room, wearing exercise clothes with a sports bag on her shoulder. “Who was that?” She asked.

“I was setting up an appointment with a tattoo artist,” Paul said.

Espe smiled. “What are you getting?”

“You’ll find out when it’s done,” Paul replied. “I want it to be una sorpresa.”

Espe pouted for a second as Paul got off the couch. “Vamos, querida,” Paul said, moving to the door.

Espe followed him out the door. He locked it behind her and handed her the key. “Are you not coming home after you drop me off?”

“I’m visiting Kris after I drop you off,” Paul said. “That reminds me, her and Hazel say hi.”

“Are they dating?” Espe asked.

“No,” Paul answered, surprised by the question, though to be honest he had thought about it. “They just live juntos por el momento.”

Espe nodded. “They’re cute together,” She commented lightly. “Tell them I say hi también.”

“Sure,” Paul said. “I won’t spend too much time with them. Maybe just dinner.”

Espe looked up at Paul with puppy eyes. “Will you bring me something back?”

“Sí, mi querida, promise I won’t be long,” Paul said. “I can’t get into that much trouble with that pair of mujeres prudente.”

+++++

“You want me to buy her a drink?” Theo asked confused.

Tomas nodded. Jaeger’s Bar and Grill wasn’t busy or nice, but Theo’s coworkers didn’t seem to care. Tomas had ordered nachos, while the girls got fries and chicken strips. Josephine and Ali seemed to be having fun. Theo felt like this was one big cliché being played out.

Therefore, to make it more cliché, Theo had to buy Josephine a drink. Josephine because Tomas was into Ali, so to be nice Theo was paired with Josephine. Not that Theo minded, Josephine was pretty and polite, and she wasn’t as extroverted as her friend, Ali. But, two shy people tend to struggle to make conversation.

            “Seriously?” Theo asked.

            Tomas and Theo were leaning on the bar, watching the two women from afar. They were chatting and watching the sports game on television. The gentlemen offered to go get drinks for the lot of them. This led to the present situation. “Yes, seriously,” Tomas said, patting Theo’s arm with the back of his hand. “If you could entertain Josey long enough, me and Ali could get together.”

            “I thought I came here with you for some nice relaxing drinks and a bit of food,” Theo responded.

            “Saturday, when you couldn’t come,” Tomas said. “Ali and I were flirting, but she didn’t want to leave Josey all alone.”

            “I get it,” Theo said, turning to the bar and making eye contact with the woman behind it. “Excuse me, I’ll take two beers, whatever is on tap.”

            “I’ll have a beer and a bloody Mary,” Tomas requested.

            The bartender poured out three beers and set them on the counter. She took a minute to mix the bloody Mary before handing it to Tomas. “Thank you,” Theo said as they carried the drinks back to the table.

            “What took so long?” Ali asked, an easy half smile on her face.

Tomas sat down close to Ali, while Theo sat beside Josey. “We were discussing some things,” Tomas said, giving Theo a meaningful look.

            Theo nodded in response, sliding a beer to Josey, who picked it up and sipped it. Ali took the bloody Mary from Tomas and downed half the glass. Ali laughed suddenly before turning to Tomas and stroking his arm. “So, what’d you boys do today?” Ali asked.

            “Nurse things,” Tomas answered. “Watching patients, making sure they don’t die.”

            “You’re so selfless,” Ali teased, tapping Tomas’s nose.

Theo turned to Josey, already grossed out by them. “So, what did you do today?”

Josey turned a little red, muttering, “I ran some CT scans for various patients.”

Theo smiled, meeting her gaze. Blinking, she was unable to maintain eye contact. “That’s interesting,” Theo said honestly. “I never really understood how CT machines worked, or why people use them. It’s just a thing people say, and I’m supposed to know what they mean.”

Josey laughed, though Theo was unsure whether she thought his little joke was funny. “CT machines use X-rays,” She explained, warming up to him. “And, they’re used to see anomalies in the body. For example, a patient today came in for a scan to see if they had any cysts. CT scans can also detect tumors, but you have to be pretty good at reading the images to spot them.”

“As a technician, that’s not my job,” Josey continued. “I just put people through the machine and send the data to their doctor, who usually can read it.”

Theo nodded as she talked, trying to be a good, active listener. “Kay, Ali, I’m going to get you another drink,” Tomas said loudly.

Theo looked over to see Tomas get up and walk over to the bar. Josey tapped Theo’s shoulder. “Can you let me out? I’m going to see what’s taking our food so long.”

“Sure,” Theo said, standing up and letting her out of the booth.

When he sat back down, Ali pounced. Literally and metaphorically as Ali was practically laying on the table as she talked to Theo. “So, what do you think of Josey? Isn’t she cute? You two would be good together.”

“No, I’m not like that,” Theo replied, holding his hands up. “Josey’s nice, but I’m not interested.”

Ali’s eyes narrowed. “Why?” She prodded. “Are you gay? Or a misogynist? Do you just not like women?”

Theo’s hands curled into fists. “No, I’m not gay,” Theo answered impatiently. “Or a misogynist. I like and respect women. However, I am not interested in dating right now.”

Ali leaned back, crossing her arms. “Oh, I see,” Ali said, her nose crinkling. “You’re a player. You’re only into one night stands, hit and runs…”

“No, I’m not that either!” Theo said, sharply. “I’m not interested, period. Any way you can twist that in your sex-driven mind- I am not that. Not interested, no thank you.”

Theo huffed, glancing down at his hands. They were glowing. He quickly tucked them under the table. He took deep breaths, trying to calm down. Theo closed his eyes for a moment as Ali looked around for someone to help defend her. She was livid by the time Tomas got back. “Your friend’s being a total a*****e,” Ali informed Tomas as he sat down. “He called me sex-driven and that he wasn’t interested in Josey.”

“Sorry, dear,” Tomas said in an unapologetic tone. “He’s one of those asexuals. Doesn’t want to have sex with anyone ever, the weirdo.”

Theo crossed his arms, his hands thankfully no longer glowing. “Don’t demean my orientation,” Theo commented.

“He probably just had his heart broken and now he doesn’t want to put himself out there,” Ali muttered to the table. “In case he gets hurt again.”

Tomas nodded as if that made sense before taking a shot. Ali was on her second bloody Mary. Theo put a hand to his forehead. Ali wasn’t even drunk yet, and she was already making stupid comments. This was going to be a long night.

“Let me out, Tommy,” Ali said suddenly. “I need to use the restroom.”

When Ali left the booth to go to the bathroom, Tomas’s demeanor changed completely. He seemed sober as he leaned onto the table and reached for Theo. Theo held out a hand, puzzled, and Tomas clasped it tightly. “I’m sorry,” He said quietly. “I know she’s being a b***h to you, but I like her and I wanna play the game to stay on her good side. If this gets serious, I’ll have a talk with her about asexuality.”

Theo raised an eyebrow. “Okay?”

“Buddy, I’m serious. I’m sorry that this isn’t fun for you, but I’m really grateful you’re here.”

Theo let go of his hand. “Jeez, Tomas,” He joked. “You’re going to make me blush.”

Tomas laughed, his face turning red, and settled back. Theo smiled, thinking this wouldn’t be so bad.

+++++

            Alicia paced in her lab. Pagel received word that their sample from Kris’s was finished in the mass spectrometer and went to the chemistry lab to get the data. The instant Pagel walked in, he began explaining it, “The venom is a variation of coral venom. It isn’t the actual venom, molecule for molecule, but it’s close enough to mistake it for coral venom, like the coroner must have for the guy Kris killed.”

            Pagel gave the papers to Alicia who quickly read through them. “So, we could make an antivenin?” Alicia asked.

            Pagel grimaced and walked to the counter. He sat down on a stool before answering, “Yes, we could technically create something to counter Kris’s venom, but… should we?”

            Alicia faced him, her eyebrows moving together. “What do you mean?”

            “It’s her power,” Pagel said tiredly. “What would happen if we tried to suppress it? I’m not speaking biologically, but psychologically as well.”

            Alicia crossed her arms. “You honestly think there could be repercussions? It would be an interesting study to see if suppressing a recently developed, or realized, part of your personality and identity would have an effect on your psyche, but she was the one who came to us to cure her… And we can.”

            “She didn’t come for a cure; she came for answers.”

            “Which we can give her,” Pagel continued. “The issue is to get her opinion, to be supernatural or not to be, and then move on to our next project, our original project.”

            Alicia resolved herself that if Pagel dropped the subject, she wouldn’t be able to bring it back up. The original project led to their current conflict, but that was beside the point to Pagel. She smiled halfheartedly. “How is my karyotype coming along?”

            “Don’t know,” Pagel said with a shrug. “We won’t see the results for another week. Karyotypes apparently take time.”

            Alicia chuckled, realizing that Pagel would need time to exorcise his frustrations about various scientific drawbacks of the Institute. Alicia pointed to the door as she commented, “Do you want me to go call Kris now?”

            “Yes.”

+++++

            “Hello,” Kris said. “You have reached Kris’s phone, which means you must have misdialed. Please try again at a later time. Have a nice life.”

            Alicia faked a laugh. “Funny, Kris,” Alicia commented. “The sad thing is your voice sounds like an automated recording.”

            “Ouch,” Kris said. “So, what’d you call for? You have my results?”

            Alicia instinctively nodded, answering, “Yeah, your venom isn’t technically coral snake venom, but that’s the closest thing to it.”

            “Great, what do we do now?” Kris replied. “You mentioned an anti-venom, but that wouldn’t be useful until after I sink my nails in someone.”

            “The proper term is antivenin,” Alicia said. “But, I don’t know if we should make it. This is your power we’re talking about. Pagel and I had his brief talk about it, and he doesn’t think that we should make your power null.”

            “It is like fate gave you these powers, so it would be wrong to take them away,” Alicia continued.

            Kris answered promptly. “Then why did fate bring me to someone who could take them away?”

            “I think talking about curing you suggests that something is wrong with you.”

            “Yeah, something is wrong with me. I killed a guy by touching him. That seems a little, uh, wrong.”

            Alicia sighed. “Maybe we can come up with an alternative solution. We shouldn’t leave it up to having the power or not having the power.”

            Kris was quiet for a moment. “I wouldn’t be against this power, if it wasn’t so deadly,” Kris admitted.

            “That could be our solution,” Alicia said. “Keep the power, make it less fatal. A pump with a partial neutralizing chemical that could reduce your deadly venom to a temporary paralysis.”

            “Whoa there,” Kris commented. “Spit ball ideas with the doc, not me; I can’t keep track… A pump? Like embedded in my skin, like an insulin pump? I don’t like the sound of that.”

            “It would be that,” Alicia responded. “Or a constant barrage of shots.”

            “No, no thanks,” Kris replied. “I would take the pump over shots.”

            “Kay, well, I’ll solidify the idea with Pagel, and call you back-”

            “Actually,” Kris interrupted as the background noise on her side increased. “Would you like to come over tonight? We were planning on hanging out with Paul and getting dinner.”

            Alicia was taken aback by the offer. “Sure, sounds like fun.”

            “Great, come over whenever then.”

            Kris was about to hang up, when Alicia asked, “Wait, where do you live?”

+++++

            “Where do you want to eat, Paul?” Kris asked as she opened the door to let him in.

            Paul huffed. He walked into the living room and sat on the couch beside a bored Q. “I’ve been walking all day,” He said. “Can we just get something that will deliver?”

            Kris smiled, placing a hand over her heart. “A man after my own heart.”

            Kris went over and leaned on the couch. She continued, “I guess, we can. But, I invited Alicia. We could actually try, you know.”

            Paul shrugged. “I’m in the mood for Chinese,” He commented.

            “Chinese sounds great,” Q responded.

            Kris sighed, defeated, taking out her phone. “Fine, I’ll call Gung Ho. They’re very passionate about their food.”

            “General Zhao chicken,” Paul requested.

            “I’ll have sweet and sour anything,” Q said.

            Kris glared at them, while she was on hold. “Oh, hello, yes, I would like to order…”

            Kris walked out of the living room to the hallway, where her voice faded away slightly. Paul looked at Q with a mischievous smile. “How’s Coral been?” Paul asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

            Q mimicked him, pulling her legs up onto the couch, as she replied, “She’s good. Alicia and Pagel, her scientist, may be able to help with her venom issue.”

            “That’s good, but her superhero name wouldn’t make sense if she doesn’t use her power.”

            Q shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know… Ink. She’s not comfortable with her powers.”

            “Ink,” Paul said, slowly digesting the word. “That’s brilliant. Perfect name for me. Mm,” Paul put a hand under his chin, “But, what would yours be?”

            Q mimicked his pose. “I think Q would work.”

            “What?” Paul asked, laughing. “But that’s your name!”

            “Nobody knows me as Q except the team,” Q reasoned. “My cover has been Hazel, so wouldn’t it make sense that my superhero name is Q?”

            “I don’t know, I think we need a second opinion on that.” Paul said, lightheartedly. “What about Theo?”

            “Well, he shoots light beams and his last name is Lightner…” Q said.

            “Light?” Paul suggested. “Lightning?”

            They had a silent conversation that ended with them agreeing, “Light.”

            “Now, Alicia,” Paul commented. “I knew she was going to be the tricky one. With her unconventional, not easily explained power.”

            Kris appeared in the room as their little game of back and forth began. “The Objector!” Q said.

            Paul responded, “Control Freak!”

            “How about Manipulative B***h?” Kris muttered.

            Paul and Q both shook their head immediately. “No, that's too cruel,” Paul responded. “The Manipulator?”

“Calli,” Q said decisively.

“What?” Kris interjected.

“Black-”

“No!”

“Item Master,” He offered instead.

Kris rolled her eyes. Knocking on the door made Kris leave the area. She opened the door to let in Alicia, who hadn’t changed since she saw her several hours ago. Kris was going to comment on it, joking about Alicia’s long hours, but Paul intruded, “Hey Alicia, what do you think about your superhero name?”

“What?” Alicia asked, confused.

She stepped in, kicking off her heels and wandering into the living space. Paul clarified, “A name for the team.”

Alicia shook her head like it was a silly question and answered. “I don’t know… Queen B.”

Paul and Q were silent for a moment, taking it in. “I like it,” Paul said finally. “Very controlling.”

Alicia turned to Kris, the sane one it seemed, and asked about dinner. “We decided to get Chinese food from a place that delivers.”

“Great, because I’m beat,” Alicia responded, deciding to sit down at the dining room table.

Alicia looked around while Kris took the other chair. “Did you not invite Theo?”

Kris looked slightly embarrassed. “I don’t have his number,” Kris said with a hint of regret.

Alicia looked at her phone. “I should. You want me to call him?”

“Sure, why not?” Kris said dryly. “We could have an entire team get together and talk about stuff.”

Paul spoke up, “Actually, I was thinking we could start doing that. Especially after we get the costumes. We could talk criminals. I could bring in my laptop and have presentations… What?”

Alicia looked at him like he was crazy. “Costumes?”

Kris patted her hand. “I know,” Kris said in a joking defeated tone. “Just go with it.”

Paul waved his hand. “Don’t worry, your costume is great,” Paul said. “Bree and I were thinking about a utility belt for you to store your objects that you might want to manipulate.”

Alicia nodded once with her eyebrows raised, still incredulous. “We are getting masks, right?” Kris asked.

“Yeah, of course,” Paul answered. “But we, my designer friends and I, haven’t discussed them yet.”

“Well, I’ll mention costumes to Theo when I call him,” Alicia said, finding his number.

She put the phone to her ear. “Hey, Theo,” She greeted. “It’s me, Alicia.”

She waited. “You’re at a bar?” Alicia repeated. “With friends?”

Alicia’s tone changed. “Okay, the team was wondering if you would want to join us for dinner…”

“I see… No, I’m sorry you can’t come… Yeah, maybe next time. See you Saturday.”

Paul watched her hang up before asking, “Why can’t Theo come?”

Alicia tucked her phone in her pocket. “Social obligations,” She answered. “He promised to hang out with some workplace buddies, but he didn’t realize he was playing wing man. Theo said he would leave if he could… He did sound unhappy.”

Kris harrumphed. “It’s not like he’s missing out on much. Just Chinese food and crazy company.”

“I prefer zany,” Paul commented.

Q seemed spaced out, sent to a place somewhere in her mind. “Hey, Q,” Paul said, nudging her lightly. “We aren’t crazy, right?”

Q, with wide eyes, shook her head. “Nope, just zany,” She repeated without any of Paul’s humor.

Kris leaned forward in her chair. “Q, are you remembering something?” Kris asked, concerned. “Something to do with Leslie?”

Q tilted her head as if that would help her remember as Alicia asked, “Who’s Leslie?”

“We went to the police earlier today to see if Q was a missing person,” Kris explained. “And Leslie, a middle-aged Latina lady, was the only person Q recognized.”

Q looked at her hands contemplatively. “I might be Leslie,” They said somber.

“Q, you can’t seriously think that you are a middle-aged Latina woman,” Kris snapped.

“I take offense to that,” Paul replied, placing a hand on his chest. “My mother is a middle-aged Latina woman.”

Alicia snorted. “What I mean was,” Kris said, backtracking. “Q doesn’t act mature like a middle-aged woman. Watch, she’ll giggle when I say something ‘inappropriate’ like… boobies.”

Paul and Q both giggled. Kris glared at them. “It’s funny because you’re the one saying it!” Paul exclaimed.

Kris put an elbow on the table and her hand under her chin. “Why?”

“Because you’re the mature one.”

“That’s my point,” Kris said, looking to Alicia for support. “Alicia, what demographic do you think Q reflects in her personality?”

Alicia looked at Q long and hard. “I think white, teen suburbanite,” Alicia answered. “Exactly how she looks currently.”

“Thank you,” Kris responded, feeling justified.

Paul wrapped a supportive arm around Q’s shoulders. “But, she remembered Leslie for a reason,” Paul said.

Kris and Q’s eyes connected. “Which is why we are going to look into Leslie,” Kris said. “I just don’t want her to get her hopes up before we find anything out.”

Paul nodded slowly, biting his lip. “That’s very mature of you,” Paul said finally.

Kris looked around quickly. “I wish I had something to throw at you,” Kris muttered.

Paul laughed, and Q managed a smile. The tense moment was completely forgotten as the doorbell rang. Kris got up and went to the door, opening to reveal a teenaged worker holding a large paper bag. “Hello,” Kris said taking the bag from the worker and turning to the inside of the apartment. “Paul, come pay the nice person!”

Paul grumbled as he got up, pulling his wallet out of his pants pocket. “Sure, Kris,” Paul said before walking to the door.