Questions & Lunch

February 21st, 2024 – Wednesday

Katherine woke up to an empty bed which made her sad until she saw the rose. It had a bow tie and there was a piece of paper beneath it on Garrick’s pillow. She smelled the rose and it had a fresh scent to it. Then she read the note:

“Katherine,

Every time I think that my world could not get any better you prove me wrong! This ink and paper just can’t convey how much I love you. You are the bravest person I know and Monday night was special not because of the ladies. It was special because you thought to bless me with such a gift.
I love you so much!
Your partner, friend, lover,

Garrick”

It was then the smell of breakfast hit her. When she poked her head out she saw Garrick and Shorty #5 eating at the kitchen island. Shorty put his plate in the sink tray and headed downstairs thanking Garrick for some bluetooth headphones he got for the reports that he was doing good in school. It was nice to watch him act like this with kids and especially kids with a rough upbringing. Garrick was putting the sink tray into the washer when Katherine tried to sneak up and kiss him. She prepared for a poor reaction, but his body only tensed for a few seconds. She remembered she had kissed him through his shirt on the largest scar on his back. Then she heard him whisper, “If you’re not my girlfriend, or one of our lovely friends from Monday night please just kill me without ruining the most beautiful image I have of Kat and my life with her right now.”

She leaned into him and wrapped her arms around to the front of his waist, “How was your lunch with Ameera yesterday?”

“Oh, she had a ton of classes and couldn’t get away so we’re having lunch today at that Starbucks on 5th and Mercy Row.”

“Well, have a good time today. Garr-bear,” she let go of him to sit at the island and eat the food he had made her. There was lunch packed as well in a zippered lunch bag with ice packs. She hated having to go through acting like a teenager because of how young the experiments made her, but her boyfriend was pretty sweet. Garrick, the workaholic, was at the other end of the island taking a picture of a piece of paper and then typing on a tablet.

He showed her the note which read: “I know what you and the ‘heroes’ of S.A.V.I.O.R. are doing. You won’t get away with this.” He mentioned he got it sometime last night stuffed into a pocket of the Gryphon’s coat at the Giving Tree. He was sending it to Geist in hopes he might be able to track Ramona or someone else from the charity organization. There was also a concern about Julianna and whether or not she was doing okay at Koan Memorial Hospital. There’s a slim chance the note may even be related to the unauthorized cybernetic augmentation issue circulating around Koan Memorial.

Katherine blinked, “Wow! You are a workaholic, we have got to do something about that.”

Garrick smiled looking at her, “No time Kitty Kat, you’ve got classes and have to leave in 7 minutes.”

Pouting ever so briefly before giving away to a mischievous grin, “You know leaping and flying slower than you has its benefits.”

“Oh?”

“I get to look at your ass even more!” Katherine bounded away as Garrick’s face went red and his cheeks puffed up to prevent from spewing the bite of his breakfast. Victory was hers!

As the swordsman known as the Gryphon, Garrick sent an early morning email off to Colonel Lightning because of a lingering question about how he knew so much about him. Col. Lightning wrote back that he knew of Cuthbert Faulkner, but didn’t know him personally. He replied it’s a shame what happened to him. As far as S.A.V.I.O.R.’s work and Jake’s miracle, he congratulated Gryphon on becoming legitimate so quickly. He went on to mention some heroes can take months to become accepted by the public or even by the city – Gryphon and his team seem to have both. He suggests those on the team don’t let it get to their heads, as public perception can be fickle. Gryphon nods reading these words of wisdom.

Gryphon also received a short message from Mavis Beacon, addressed to #TheGryphon. Asking if he’s too famous now to still get that drink? He writes her back saying nope he’s just a nerd and would be happy to have a drink. They should set something up next for Friday or Saturday for lunch. He joked with her, “Provided we don’t end up saving the city together again, LOL!”

He had been thinking a lot about how much has changed for him what amounts to just over 5 weeks! 2024 was shaping up to be an incredibly weird year. He wondered how heroes took time for themselves and people they care about because everything was moving so fast.

He made a list on his Wacom tablet he brought to work:

• Jan. 15th: A letter from the Geist.
• Jan. 17th: Meeting at 772 Union St.
• Jan. 19th: Meeting at Jake’s Old House. We watch Death of a Reporter.
• Jan. 24th: Meeting at the Vault so M.A. and B.P. could mind talk.
• Jan. 26th: Stopping the Armored Car.
• Jan. 27th: Jake’s Alien Cloning Factory and 1st vision with Ashmadiel.
• Jan. 30th: Kat and Patsy fight.
• Feb. 02nd: Loses virginity traditionally.
• Feb. 09th: Visit to Nine Lives Club.
• Feb. 05th: G2G begins work on M.A.’s new outfit.
• Feb. 10th: Follow the clues to find Fat Lucca and Jake.
• Feb. 14th: I admit I love Kat. Text was sent to Patsy saying I love her and wish her happiness even if its without me.
• Feb. 17th: Antartica, Dimensions Open Up. M.A.’s new outfit is done.
  Kat and I lay out how we feel about relationships. Polyamory may be a thing?
• Feb. 18th: Art project and coffee. Ameera agrees to become my girlfriend provided Kat accepts her.
• Feb. 19th: Officially recognized as Spirit sponsored team, S.A.V.I.O.R. we take down Papa Zombie!
  Jake becomes local folk hero.
• Feb. 19th/20th: Found out his girlfriend is the best ever, just amazing!

Being five days ahead on all his projects meant he could also start a few algorithmic tests on nuclear fusion. This was the first time he was going to perform this on a company server researching a theory. If Dr. Sarnoff’s process for fusion could not be replicated without the techniques he shared. Then it created the possibility that the process was a universal constant. All societies would come across them at some point. To deny a world an advancement that would be a universal constant at some point was tyranny. Alpha Prime’s technology embargo would have to come to an end, or modify heavily at the very least. This means potentially suing Alpha Prime in galactic court if Jake can confirm his theory and she won’t listen to reason.

Garrick knew he didn’t want Jake to solve or take credit for his father’s work. The funny thing was Garrick was not sure if he would have time to continue down his father’s path? He was sure that the dome and mini-fusion reactor with scalable infrastructure idea had to reach humanity. This would allow humanity to reach the stars. There was no one else he knew or trusted more to shepherd him and that vision than Constance and Brandon Mallic. Garrick decided he would ask Constance if she was interested in helping to lead humanity to an age among the stars! If she wasn’t then it was going to be Spirit Enterprises as his back up. It would also mean he would likely leave Mallic Robotics at some point to focus on this and hero work.

If he could pull this off and honor his father then maybe his family would speak to him again. If not then he’d likely just forget he had a family before Ashmadiel came into his life. It would then be time to leave that life forever, shut down the fusion reactor and retrieve the A.I. and try and figure out why it won’t talk with him. At least then he could hear his mother’s voice once again. The A.I. was even called Cynthia as a way of remembering his mother. His father had supplied the audio clips the voice modules were based on, and he was integral in matching it to the emotional module. Garrick still had done all the programming on it from scratch.

He looked up at the clock and it was almost time for lunch! His algorithmic tests just ticked over to 23% complete for the trial stages to tell him if his new designs were stable to begin construction. He had not tried to build a miniature version because he knew he just didn’t have the time, yet. These were just theoretical tests of his ideas on remaking the wonder that was the Daedalus Project. Before he left he decided on one final text because it had been a few days since he had tried to let Patsy know she should be able to access her power.

Garrick was a lot calmer than he would have been two days ago. As he headed off to the Starbucks in Zericho where he’d meet Ameera for lunch. All of the NK ladies had now seen him in his normal form when Katherine invited them over Monday night. For some reason he didn’t understand his scars seemed to make them more affectionate? It was weird for him to think all of that abuse got him an out of this world massage from all the ladies for a second time and Katherine! Then he remembered seeing Tyra kiss Katherine and almost on instinct he blurted out, “That’s hot!” Then Katherine and he both got to look at each other while “fan service” happened to each of them. Lost in a decadent daze of memories, standing in line to order his coffee when a familiar voice behind him said, “Hello Handsome!”

Startled and embrassed he turned and there stood Ameera, out from behind her out popped Stefania. Both of them wearing their Norwood Knights branded clothing! Garrick hadn’t seen the clothing much but once before on Tyra. Ameera and Stefania joked he was still thinking about Monday night as they glanced down below his waistline. Garrick’s face was now far more red than it already had been. Stefania left her big lunch order (with stuff to be boxed up for later) with Garrick and went to grab a table in the front corner away from the door. Once they were seated with food and drink the ladies wanted all the details! Stefania was live tweeting #GryphonInterview as they got the run down. Soon #teamwork was on all the tweets on how Garrick explained the team working together each fed into the next person’s success. He shared the run down making sure to use hero identities and just didn’t bring anything he didn’t see in great detail. The Covenant had been wrestling with angry spirits and the Beast was the reason reinforcements couldn’t aid Papa Zombie. He spent a great deal of effort in hyping every member of his team. In short order five tags began to follow the tweets: #SAVIOR #NorwoodKnights #GryphonInterview, #teamwork, and #humble.

Before they all left and he headed back to work or classes Ameera stole a single kiss on his cheek. Remarking with a small giggle that it was so fun being chaste after Monday night! Garrick turned and took her hand with speed she had not really seen out of him before and he kissed it. Letting it go and seeing her blush ever so slightly he nodded, “Yes, it is.”

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Art by: AZ_Artisan
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