Tea and Biscuits

[Thevshi]

North Bay

Freedom City, New Jersey

December 3, 2023, 10:15 AM

 

The past few days had been something of a whirlwind for Vicki Adams, from having her father pull her from attending the Atom Academy and placing her (unknowingly to him) at the even more Metahuman focused Claremont Academy, to an extra dimensional trickster decide to pull many of the Claremont students into various versions of video games on Vicki's first day at the school. In many ways it was a good thing that her first day had been a Friday, so that she might have the weekend to get her bearings and acclimate to the new school.

But then, on Saturday afternoon, Vicki had been called to see Headmistress Summers, who had told her that Synapse was going to be in town Sunday morning to meet with her. So, at the appointed time Sunday morning, an Uber had arrived at Claremont to take Vicki to see the Englishwoman. A bit more snow had fallen on Freedom City over the past couple of nights, but, as an East Coast city, it was quite familiar with dealing with a bit of snow and the roads were clear and traffic was not significantly affected.

 

The route had been pretty straight forward, east to State Route 9, which took Vicki across the Century Bridge, from which she had a great view of both the Century Narrows to the east, and downtown Freedom City to the west (with the massive Sentry Statute looking out toward towards the bay). Once on the northern side of Freedom City, the Uber followed the shoreline of the Century Narrows east, passing several large and expensive homes along the shoreline, until they pulled up to the address where Vicki was to meet Synapse.

 

It was a sleek and modern two-story villa nestled on the southern shore of North Bay, overlooking the cover in which sat the North Bay Yacht Club (which Vicki had seen a version of during the Mario Kart inspired race Quirk had put together back on Friday).

 

[BitCook]

Magic 8 Ball

Having never been to one of Synapse's homes before Vicki appreciated both the neighborhood and the choice of domiciles.  While she wasn't judgmental, nor did she revel in the material, she still had appreciation of the finer things in life.  Over the past three years, ever since the ball had shown up on her doorstep, Synapse had been a large part of Vicki's life.  Mentor, Teacher, Friend, Confidant, Therapist; these were all hats that Synapse seemed to effortlessly wear when dealing with the young girl.  For her part, Vicki really appreciated having someone to talk too who understood the challenges of the British social structure and specifically Vicki's position in it.  There were expectations and pressures that were not easy to navigate, but Synapse had done her best to give advice and outright help where she could.

Vicki was wearing a Navy knee length dress which was gathered up at the waist, under it, a white long sleeved tight fitting tee shirt and tights along with some navy sneakers to round things out.  The oversized coat covered most of this up, but she was still not really used to snow and cold and was finding this aspect of America less than pleasant.

Walking up to the door, she pushed the bell and nervously shifted from foot to foot as she waited for an answer.

[Thevshi]

Synapse

 

Vicki did not have long to wait before the door opened, revealing her mentor on the other side. Dee Farrington, as was often the case, was dressed to match the rebellious image she had crafted before Vicki had been born, with a pair of black jeans, a Nine Inch Nails T-shirt and Doc Martins. The thirty-something had shoulder length black hair, with a few stripes of her natural blonde mixed in. From what Vicki knew of Synapse, she was not nearly as rebellious as she may once have been (even having married an investment manager), but there were certainly times where it still shone through.

 

Dee gave the teen a warm smile. "Morning Vicki. Hope the drive was uneventful." She said as she let the teen into the entry way of the home. "I can hang up your coat if you like" Similar to Lawrence and his father, Dee spoke with an upperclass accent that was rather familiar to Vicki.

 

The interior of the home continued the look of the exterior, with a sleek modern design and décor that consisted of a number of shades of white. After hanging Vicki's coat, Dee led Vicki a short distance from the foyer to a large, spacious living room filled with leather sofas and chairs. Tall windows looked out onto the back patio, where there was a pool (covered for the winter) and yard, which overlooked the cover containing the yacht club.

 

But, as impressive as the view outside was, it was easily to overlook, as suspended in the air through out the living room were various clusters of holographic screens. Some showed images of what appeared to be some costumed Power or another, others had what seemed to be written reports, or maps, or all manner of other data.

 

"Greetings Vicki Adams." Spoke a mechanical sounding voice as the two entered the room.

"Vicki, that is VERA, the AI that oversees Vanguard's headquarters back in London." Dee stated almost absentmindedly. Glancing at the various screens, she looked back at the teen. "Was just getting a bit of work done while I waited."

[BitCook]

Magic 8 Ball

 

It was hard to surprise Vicki.  She was both very good at anticipating things and her gifts tended to spoil a lot of surprises.  However, this was... incredible to say the least.  She was amazed at the casual display of power and technology that her mentor possessed.  The fact that the AI was just talking too her was something she was very not used too, not matter how modern her fathers house had been.

"Hello Vera, you're very cool and I can't say I've ever talked to an AI before."

That was a bit of an understatement, even if every bit of it was true.  She looked around the house, approving everything she saw.  Part of her really hoped that somewhere down the line she had a life like this, AI included of course.  Still, she was also wise enough to know that time was something to be savored, so she tamped down on that desire and found a seat.

"So before we really get talking, are you responsible for getting me to Claremont?  I mean I know that Lawrences dad was partly responsible, but I can't imagine his parents were 100% of it.  I'm sure you had a lot to do with tricking him, right?"

[Thevshi]

Synapse

 

"Thank you Vicki Adams." Replied the mechanical voice of the AI.

 

"We can wrap up for now VERA, I will finish up when I get back to the Haven." Dee interjected as she led Vicki into the room.

"Of course Synapse. Good day Vicki Adams." The AI answered, as the screens began going dark.

 

Dee lifted up one hand and swept it to the side, as if clearing off a bookcase, and all the holographic screens floating in the air were swept away, as if they had never been there.

Taking the moment to take in the room in a bit more detail, Vicki spotted one thing that was slightly out of place with the rest of the décor. Just at the end of one of the sofas was a open plastic bin, filled with what appeared to be children’s toys.

 

Look back over at Vicki, Dee gave her a mischievous grin. "Well, I am not sure I am 'responsible,' but I certainly had a hand in things. Once I got word you were being pulled from the Atom Academy, I recalled that Lawrence’s parents had been fostering a young Powers who was at Claremont. So, I reached out to Lord Harrow and we had a bit of a chat about your circumstances. That led to discussions with Headmistress Summers and Lord Harrow eventually reaching out to your father, about some minor bill or another going through Parliament, and your father took the opportunity to ask where Larwrence was attending school."

 

"From there, it was rather a simple matter of presenting Claremont as your father wanted to see it, so he would not bother to take a harder look. Bloody good thing to, bleeding Quirk popping in on your first day."

[BitCook]

Magic 8 Ball

 

"That was so confusing... I don't even know how to drive yet... or have a license," she said shaking her head.  "...and there we were, on some crazy arcade track.  Oh!  I was put into a pram!  How embarrassing was that?"

 

However, she did something that was very anathema to British culture as she listed to Dee's explanation, she moved closer and wrapped up Dee with a tight hug, expressing her gratitude and relief with a physical sign of affection that she would likely be mortified about later.  Still, it was a massive indication how that rather complicated chain of events had affected the teen super.

"I even told some of the students what I could do and they didn't shy away.  It's really amazing there!  I hope that I get to stay until I graduate!"

 

Letting go of her mentor she leaned back, looking all kinds of shy after the un-British display of emotion.  Brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face she said, "sorry... it's just what you did means a whole lot to me."

 

What she didn't previously suspect or know was that Dee was also a mother.  She didn't want to pry, but her eyes kept darting over to the small basket, hoping that Dee would open that conversation up.  Given that they were toys, her child had to be rather young, but still, how cool was that?
 

[Thevshi]

Synapse

 

"Well, I have never had the pleasure of encountering Quirk, but I have read enough accounts to know my patience would run thin very quickly." Dee responded as Vicki discussed the experience with Quirk.

 

As Vicki stepped up and gave her a hug, the Englishwoman accepted the hug without hesitation and returned it in kind. As the teen stepped back, slightly embarrassed Dee gave her a small smile. "Don't worry love, I know what a struggle things have been for you." She said as she guided Vicki over to one of the sofas before sitting across from her in a chair.

"If it wasn’t for your father's very apparent political views and profile, I would have been trying to work to get you to Claremont much earlier and more directly. I probably would have had a sit down with your parents to talk about your abilities and the like. Obviously, that was not an option."

 

Noting Vicki's eyes regularly returning to the basket of toys, Dee looked over at it for a moment before looking back to the teen. "Spotted Natasha's toys?" She asked with a smile. "Not often that they are so neatly put away, but she has not been to Freedom City since the summer."

[BitCook]

Magic 8 Ball

 

"I didn't know you were a mother," Vicki said tilting her head as she got comfortable on the couch, tucking her legs underneath her.  "Where is she then?"

 

Considering that Dee was perhaps one of the coolest people that Vicki knew, there was a little pang of jealousy.  How awesome would it be to have a mother like her?  While Vicki loved her parents, it was a conflicted love.  Her mother and father were so focused on her fathers political career, that there was little time to spend together as a family.  It was telling that she had spent far more time with Alice than her parents over the past five years and considered her nanny more like her mother than her actual one.  Which, it was kind of sad that she didn't see Alice now that she was in the states.

"As for my parents, yeah... they do make things difficult most of the time.  But, as long as I don't make too many waves, I'm hoping that they just kind of forget that I'm over here."

[Thevshi]

Synapse

 

Dee gave Vicki a small smile as the teen mentioned not knowing about Natasha. "Well, not something I make a point of advertising. The times I have met with you, I have wanted the focus to be on you and what has been going on with you, not chatting about my little one running around." She gave a small grin before continuing. "But, she is back in England with my husband, her father, who is probably either spoiling her, or having her work on perfecting her basics in gymnastics. I will be home in time to help get her to bed and read with her."

 

The Englishwoman gave the teen a sympathetic look as she turned to topic back to her family and how difficult things could be with them. "Well, you have generally chosen the path of least resistance in trying to navigate things with your family. I rather chose a different path and tried to be as much of an embarrassment as I could to my father. Not that I fault you for that. For all their faults, I do believe your parents care about you, their priorities are just not where they should be."

 

"With a bit of luck, your father will not bother every looking deeper into Claremont over the next three years and things will remain quiet for you." She stopped a moment and grinned slightly. "Well, in terms of your family."

[BitCook]

Vicki giggled and nodded, her first few days at the school had been a massive culture shock.  Everything that she thought she knew had been upended, in a very good way.  Like many other wayward students who had attended Clarmont, Vicki had realized that in a very short period of time, that it had become her home.  She loved the people there, had already started to make the beginnings of friendships, and most important, was becoming slightly less conscious of her powers and how different they made her from 'Joe Average'.

"I don't know how you did that.  I guess I'm not much of a rebel... I think you were and are really brave.  You know what people are like, especially in the 'upper crust' or whatever you want to call it."

Then a slightly shy smile crossed the teen heroes face as she looked over to her friend and mentor, "so... um... how did you meet your husband?"

[Thevshi]

Synapse

 

Dee gave a small smile at Vicki's comment about her rebellious nature and being brave. "I was angry and decided I did not really care what any of the so called 'upper crust' thought of me." She replied. "While I don't regret my choices, it was a lot of fun along the way, I am coming to the realization that at some point in the future I am going to have to have a serious talk with my daughter about some of the tabloid stories that are out there."

 

When Vicki asked how she met her husband, Dee paused a brief moment as she considered how to respond. While Erick had relaxed somewhat regarding his secret identity (in large part after meeting her) it was still something he was rather guarded about. "The 2014 Winter Games in Sochi." She replied.

 

"We both went to the games to pretty much enjoy them, and ended up independently stumbling into a conspiracy to rig the games for Russia. You are probably too young to remember the coverage of the doping scandal that disqualified dozens of Russian athletes, but what was reported in the media did not even being to cover what was going on. The drugs being used were not your normal 'performance enhancers,' but pushed the Russian athletes to superhuman levels, while basically turning them into single minded automatons."

 

"You can still find some footage on the internet of a Russian athlete running around starkers at the starting line for the biathlon and having to be restrained." Dee tapped the side of her forehead with a mischievous grin. "He was one of the drugged up Russian athletes who had been ordered to kill my brother, who was competing in the games, out on the course, so….I had to remove him from the race. Seemed a good way to do so."

 

"That was the start of what we jokingly refer to as our 'first date,' Which included me racing a snowmobile down the ski slopes and onto a luge track after the Russian agent that was supplying the drugs to the athletes, while also being chased by Russian goons on skis with assault rifles."

[BitCook]

Vicki blinked several times, she had never asked that before and had only gotten some small glimpses of her mentor's life over the past couple years.  That was an amazing story and something that was straight out of one of the action movies.  Shaking her head, she turned to the man sitting on the couch next to her.  He had blonde hair and blue eyes with a seeming casual attitude to his natural good looks which were not hard to look at with a lean build of a gymnast.  

"That had to be quite a first date, but I don't know that we've ever met before.  Thank you for letting me come into your home."

She hadn't heard him come in, but she was already starting to accept that meta humans were far more common than not.

Of course, what she didn't realize was that he was just an echo of the real Foreshadow, past or present was hard to tell.  Whatever this phantom said to her, it caused her to reply, "no, really I appreciate it... and yes, Synapse is really awesome.  I have to agree.  You're very lucky!"

Turning to look back at Dee she gave a hidden and shielded thumbs up to her mentor with a cheeky grin plastered across her face.

[Thevshi]

Synapse

 

Dee was smiling as Vicki started to reply to her little summary of her and Erick's first meeting, but it faded quickly as she realized the girl was having one of her visions again and confusing it for the present. Leaning back slightly with one elbow resting on the back of the sofa and her hand behind an ear, the Englishwoman reached out to the teen's mind to gentle communicate with her.

 

Vicki, the teen heard Dee’s posh accent clearly in her mind, Erik is not sat over there. He is back at our home in the Hetfordshire countryside. You are having one of your visions. Let it play out, but try to focus on separating it from the present.