“Mother, you might want to see this.” A synthetic voice chimed, distracting Eve from her latest project, a perpetual motion generator.

Though Eve had secured enough energy to power her inventions, for now, she was afraid that they were soon going to outstrip any sort of conventional power source. There was also the fact that Eve had gained that power using some questionable methods.

Mainly by threatening to blow up Stuttgart and most of western Europe if she wasn’t provided with the power she needed.

Of course, they hadn’t believed that she could do it until she’d sent them the blueprints on how to create such a powerful bomb, with some of the necessary components taken out. Even with those subtractions, it was plain to any half-intelligent scientist that her claims were true, albeit within the realms of science fiction novels.

“Mother?” the voice asked worriedly when it didn’t get a response.

Shaking herself, Eve smiled. “Don’t worry Pixel, mother was just thinking. What was it you wanted to show me?” She said as she spun in her rolly chair while simultaneously pushing off to send her rocketing across her lab to where her supercomputer laid.

“There was a situation in Paris about fifteen minutes ago. Two superhumans engaged another superhuman that tried to rob a bank.” The voice explained hesitantly, as Eve crossed the room. “I’m sorry that I didn’t notice it until now. I’m still trying to get used to all of this.” Pixel apologized.

“That’s nonsense Pixel, you’ve done perfectly well for a three-day-old.” She assured as she pulled to a stop in front of her monitor. “Plus, if you were a human, you wouldn’t even be conscious at this point in time. You’re doing fine.” Eve stated with finality as she started up her screen.

The screen booted up in short order and waited for input. “Alright, go ahead and put it up.” It flickered a moment before a video started to play. Watching in interest, Eve pulled out a notepad and started taking notes as she talked aloud to herself.

“So it appears the smaller one has some sort of speed-based power, while the giant one obviously can turn his skin to metal or something. His size is also most likely from a power as well, It’s clearly abnormal in any case. As for the armored one…” She paused and studied him, sticking her nose close to the monitor.

“Perhaps his armor is his power? Or maybe it’s magical in a sense. His sword appears to be able to cut through whatever metal that giant's skin is so it's obvious that it’s not normal. It would be only reasonable to assume that the armor isn’t as well. For the man inside… It’s unclear.”

Humming as she thought things over, Eve asked, “Do we have any sound?”

“Well, yes, but it’s not very clear. I was able to make out that the armored man is called Neuschwanstein and is the grandfather of the boy in the blue costume, but they were too quiet to catch anything but that. The grandfather did seem to have a german accent too his french, however. ” Pixel responded.

“Oh, really? Another Deutscher, wonderful! And with a name like that probably a patriotic one as well.” Her mood dampened when she processed what else Pixel said. “Wait, you said that you could make out that they were grandfather and grandson?”

“Yes, the small one called Neuschwanstein ‘grandfather’ when he finished evacuating the civilians. Neuschwanstein told him to use his name.” Pixel replied, unsure why it was important.

“This is bad. Has anyone checked the footage yet or heard them?” She asked urgently.

“Uh, no. It’s been approximately twenty minutes since the incident. The police are still cuffing the suspect and guarding him. They’re unsure about how to transport him with his size. They haven’t had the time to check the security feeds yet.

“As for hearing, only the suspect himself should’ve been able to hear them, but he’s currently unconscious and is about to be placed in a coma.”

Eve sighed in relief. “It’s true, that moron has to be at least four meters high.” She giggled. “That has to be the biggest idiot I’ve ever seen.”

Pixel groaned.

“Alright, here’s what we’ll do,” Eve said confidently. “Can you edit the video so it sounds like his name got obscured by the wind or something when the boy says ‘grandfather’?”

“Yes.”

“Good, ok, as for the whole hugging and comforting bit afterward. Hopefully, others will just explain that away with, I dunno, some sort of mentor-student relationship.

“Also, check the surrounding streets camera, see if there's anyone that we can’t see using this camera that might’ve heard them. We can’t be too cautious here.” Eve ordered as she pushed back across the room to her workstation.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“... That hadn’t even occurred to me.” Pixel said quietly.

Eve laughed. “You’re still learning Pixel, you’ll get it eventually.” She assured and dived back into her work.

A few hours passed as Eve poured over her formulas. For some reason, they just weren’t… clicking in her mind. They should’ve been, she knew they should’ve been. Her [Scientific Mastery] was telling her so.

She groaned as she threw her hands up. “Why isn’t this working? It should be working!” She complained while slouching back into her chair. “Why is this, of all things, so difficult?”

“Well, Mother…” Pixel began hesitantly. “Before, you were mostly working with modern science, just taking already understood processes in a creative direction. With this, however, you are instead contradicting modern science. You have no reference to work from, in fact, any references you might have will only say that what you’re trying to do is impossible.

“If you look at it that way, what you’re doing is making a new sub-science from scratch. With that view, it’s no wonder that it’s going to take a bit longer.” Pixel explained logically.

“Huh… guess I never looked at it that way before.” Eve remarked as she pondered Pixel’s words. “Well, whatever. I’m taking a break, Do you have any updates on that Paris situation?” Eve asked as she rolled back across the room to her computer.

“Yes. The giant man has been identified as one Rex Cody, an American transfer student on a sports scholarship. He was successfully transported and placed in a medical coma with no further incidents.

“The internet is abuzz with people speculating on who Neuschwanstein and the ‘Blue Boy,’ as they’ve temporarily named him, are.”

“Temporarily?” Eve asked, confused as to that detail.

“Well, people figured that if one of them already had a name, the other probably had one too. Also, we’re in luck. People have interpreted ‘the whole hugging and comforting bit’ as a superhero and their sidekick. No mention of a possible familial connection has been brought up.” Pixel briefed, they seemed to hesitate on the next bit though.

“However… we may have had a witness.”

Eve shot up in her seat. “Where? When? How? And why was I not informed immediately?”

“Uh, in a nearby alleyway, since almost the beginning of the news broadcast, most likely powers, and it’s very hard to wake you up out of your work trance.”

Eve frowned. “I do not have a ‘work trance.’ I work as normal as everyone else does.”

Pixel just brought up a video of Eve, from not more than ten minutes ago.

She was hunched over her work desk almost completely motionless with a creepy smile on her face. Faint whispering could be heard as she muttered to herself. “AH HAH!” She shouted suddenly before quickly scribbling something on the sheet. Then resumed her state of motionlessness and muttering.

Eve pouted. “Alright. I may get a little too involved in my work, but that’s normal for a scientist.” She crossed her arms and leaned back into her chair. “Why are we even discussing this? Tell me about the witness.”

Pixel cleared their throat and pulled up another video.

Eve watched as a person walked in from the left. They paused and leaned against the wall while looking out towards the battle, seemingly unconcerned by the violence they were seeing.

She paused the video. “What am I looking at?”

“I’m not too sure. They weren’t seen on any cameras leading to, or, from the scene and even though they obviously saw the conflict they never reacted like they were going to help either side. They just... watched.

“However, It seems as though they knew we were going to be watching as well.” Pixel commented as they fast-forwarded the footage. “This is after Neuschwanstein and ‘Blue Boy’ leave.”

The video started and it seemed like the witness had barely moved. After a few seconds, they stood up straight and stretched. As they brought their arms down they turned and stared straight into the camera.

Straight at Eve.

Smiling mischievously, they mouthed something before turning and walking off.

“I’ve translated what she mouthed, she said ‘I know you're watching. Meet me on top of the Eiffel Tower tomorrow night at twelve. Don’t be late.’ I also ran a facial recognition scan to see if I could find her identity.

“I didn’t find anything but that may just be because of the graininess of the footage. As for her motivations… I can only guess.

"I removed her appearance from any other database as well. If any one else see's this footage, it will just look like an empty alleyway."

Eve calmly listened to Pixels run down and absentmindedly complimented them on their initiative. Her mind was elsewhere though, trying to understand the woman on the screen before her.

Obviously she had some sort of transportation power. She’d gotten to and from the location without being recorded on any surveillance devices. Something that was impossible in the modern world. Cameras were on everything nowadays.

She’d also known that Eve was watching, somehow. A sort of future-sight perhaps? Or maybe it was a bluff, maybe the message wasn’t even meant for Eve? Left for the government? Who would she be if she was trying to contact the government?

There was also the fact that she looked familiar… Where had Eve seen her before?

It hit her in a flash.

“Pixel pull up footage from the Molts Massacre.” She ordered urgently.

They did so without question, supplying a variety of videos all at once.

Sorting through them all, Eve tried to find the one she knew was in there. A few moments of searching later she found it.

Bringing over the freeze-frame to the paused camera footage, Eve asked, “Now, Pixel does that look like the same person to you?”

There was a pause as they studied the two photos. “You're correct, there is an eighty-two percent match. I believe that you are correct in your assumption mother.”

“Wonderful!” Eve stood up and walked out of her lab.

“Where are you going mother?” Pixel questioned, confused by her sudden enthusiasm.

“Why, to meet with our new friend of course!”