ax_main | Kitty and Tessa | Backdated 9/13

Kitty tracks Tessa down and make a proposal. Tessa is, despite herself, surprised. And now we know where her quest to learn the entire internet started.

Occupying her usual terminal in the school library, Tessa allowed herself to become almost totally-engrossed in the the streams of code scrolling in multiple windows across her monitor. She had made a few, very minor modifications to this particular machine during her time at the school, modifications which allowed her to gain the most efficient possible use of its admittedly somewhat modest capabilities. Modest, but still sufficient for her purposes--she was, after all, still learning. Her facility with information-transfer had hastened her advancement, of course, but the cyberpath was by no means arrogant enough to presume she had mastered the technology.

Fingers lighting across the keyboard before her at a pace that would likely have impressed most non-speedsters, she allowed herself a moment to enjoy the psychic silence and the purity of distilled data. It was sub-optimal, she reflected, that she had spent so many years in a relatively primitive corner of the world; had Tessa been exposed to these systems even a year or two earlier, she would be incalculably further advanced. And she had only just begun to scratch the surface of what her potential might be, augmented as it was by the speed and variegation afforded by the global computer network.

Kitty didn't even bother with doors these days. She knew they were there, of course, but she'd gotten so used to the absence of boundaries that just phasing through the wall and into the library was easier than finding the door. She'd become well aware of many of the house's secret passages that way too. So, phasing through the wall, she headed straight for Tessa, a thinky expression furrowing her brow.

Relaxed as she was, Tessa would never allow herself to grow careless, simply because she was comfortable. Her head snapped up immediately as she registered movement in her peripheral vision, but her momentary tension quickly evaporated. Kitty could, potentially, pose a physical threat to her, if one judged solely by the potential inherent in her mutant abilities and intellect. However, the cyberpath knew enough of the other girl's disposition to consider that possibility an extremely remote one--and besides, she harbored some affection for the phasing mutant. Not enough to completely compromise her logic, of course, but sufficient to bring a small smile to Tessa's face.

"Kitty," she said. "This is an unusual circumstance, but not unwelcome. Is your laptop presently undergoing maintenance?"

"No, I was actually looking for you," Kitty hummed, grabbing a chair to pull over to Tessa and straddle backwards. "Although, along those lines, I could build you a much better rig than that one..."

"I am aware," the olive-skinned teen replied placidly. "However, I am reluctant to make non-essential impositions upon your time. Particularly now, as our obligatory academic studies are about to begin." With a few quick keystrokes, she suspended the stream of code, turning in her seat to face Kitty fully--a rarity, given her ability to divide her attention amongst numerous concurrent tasks, and a subtle hint at the high esteem in which she held her visitor. "How may I be of assistance?"

"I know what you've been doing," Kitty pointed out, resting her arms on the back of the chair, and her chin on top of them.

The cyberpath blinked. "I suppose that is plausible. I did not think my activities would be of any special interest to the other students here, and so I expended no particular effort to conceal them."

"But what if your activities were of special interest to the students?" Kitty asked. "What if you could use your skills to help them?"

"I have considered that possibility," she admitted, "and I am still analyzing the potential ramifications. But I suspect that you did not come to speak of hypothetical scenarios. If you have a specific proposal in mind, I am willing to hear it." Her words were chosen carefully, as they always were, but the way Tessa sat very slightly forward in her chair betrayed her enthusiasm.

Kitty sighed. "Ever since that stuff at the museum happened, I've been keeping alerts on my social network feeds activated for anything involving mutants, or the FoH, or The Right. Anything that would either be good...or bad for us. Stuff we need to keep on top of. Now I know the Professor is probably watching the news too, but he doesn't know the Internet like I do, like you do now. And you - you can collect and collate this information much better than I can."

"Faster, perhaps," Tessa corrected, "but not necessarily better; a qualitative analysis will have to wait until more data is available." Had it been anyone else, the reply might almost have been absentminded, and, though her gaze remained as sharp as ever, it was fairly plain that her multifaceted consciousness was expanding upon Kitty's intimation to an exponential degree.

"I could do as you suggest," she said slowly, "but to what end? What do you propose to do with this information, assuming that I agree to collect it on your behalf?"

"It stands to reason that people experimenting on mutants might not like them very much. Or at least, a few of them might also overlap with the FoH. So first, I just want to track all the hatemongering - create a database of the different sources, you know? Second, I want to keep an eye out for incidents like the one that happened in Central Park. If something gets dangerous for other mutants again, we can find out as soon as that video is on the web and tagged, you know? And maybe we can help," Kitty suggested.

"Help," Tessa nodded. "Yes, that would be a worthwhile objective. I can certainly do as you request; passive tracking of these phenomena is relatively easy, given the omnipresence of various forms of social media, and the connections between various platforms for the sharing of such." She tapped the arm of her chair. "There are other lines of investigation I might undertake," she suggested. "Facilities such as those you recently infiltrated require a very specific support structure in order to function. Nonstandard medical instruments. Customized restraints. And the energy requirements to power such an operation should also be traceable. That would, however, require a more active posture on my part."

"Do it," Kitty suggested, purpose in her gaze. "As long as you don't leave a trail."

"Leaving a trail is inevitable. All such searches must inevitably end somewhere. However, I can guarantee that the trail I leave behind will lead only to organizations and entities almost as noxious as the Right itself. If you are willing to accept my assurances?"

Kitty gave a nod. "I trust you to help keep this place secure. It's a safe house, after all, if a big one. And you're a part of it too."

"I am," Tessa agreed. "And yes, I will keep it safe, to the best of my ability. I am surprised, however, to find you coming to me with this proposition."

Kitty eyed her. "Because I'm not as hard and cold and tough as everyone else is here?"

"No," the psion shook her head. "Because you are warm and kind, and more optimistic than the majority of the students here. These are not defects. But they have distracted me from the more pragmatic facets of your nature."

The younger girl sighed. "Well, I'm pragmatic when it comes to information, and how the media can twist information, and how I can use that information. And I don't want to see anyone hunted down by a mob. Or a group of evil scientists."

"Understood," said Tessa. "I will do as you ask, and keep you apprised of my findings." She hesitated a moment, then added, "I regret that these extremist outliers have become a source of concern for you, but I will spare no effort to root them out with all possible haste."

Kitty frowned. "They haven't become a source of concern for you?"

"I am much better acquainted with the concept of strangers who wish me imminent harm than I am with, for example, the concept of friends," she replied, with a shake of her head that might have been a touch rueful. "If I am not concerned, it is because I have some experience dealing with such individuals. And the tools at my disposal for both detecting and neutralizing them are much more refined now than they were before." Thanks in no small measure to Kitty's assistance.

"Like I said," Kitty pointed out, "I could build you a better rig."

"Only if it would present no serious inconvenience," said Tessa, gesturing to the banks of computers set in need rows through the center of the library. "These have been sufficient so far, as the Friends of Humanity have, to this point, been an extremely unsubtle presence on various social media, and the internet, in general." The apparent research division of the group, the Right, had been far more subtle--but there were still traces, if one knew which leads to follow. Still, it was slow going, by her own standards. "They may become more sophisticated in their methods as time goes on, but I do not think they present an immediate threat to the school or its students."

Kitty nodded thoughtfully. "Let me think about it. You might need something more mobile than a tower."

"That would be extremely convenient," Tessa acknowledged. "But, again, I would prefer you not trouble yourself excessively."

Kitty shrugged. "Classes are a breeze. I need something to keep me occupied, anyway, besides cooking up a digital mirror and a holographic keyboard interface."

"Those both sound like productive occupations," Tessa concurred. "And I will accept your offer, with your assurance it will not interfere with your other pursuits unduly. As I also anticipate little difficulty keeping up with a standard North American high school curriculum, I will devote the bulk of my personal time to gathering the information you have requested. Is there any particular format you would prefer, when I update you? Or would you prefer the raw data, to assess for yourself without my processing it prior?"

"Why not both?" Kitty suggested. "You can send me the raw file for archiving, then analyze it in whatever way seems best to you?"

"An acceptable proposal," she replied with a nod. "How frequently would you desire updates? I can make them available upon request, or in accordance with whatever schedule you find most convenient."

"Use your best judgment?" the younger girl frowned. "I mean, if something really important is going on - say, a protest, or a mutant being outed in public, maybe text it to me, ASAP?"

"Understood," Tessa replied. "Please forward additional parameters to me as they occur to you. I am extremely flexible, and particularly as regards data accumulation and analysis."

"Oh and," Kitty hummed a bit, looking a little guilty. "If you see anything about two cute mutant boys on a date in New York or anything, I wouldn't mind knowing about that either."

Tessa simply nodded as though the addition were the most natural request in the world. "I will forward any such data I find," she said. After all, "One can never be too well-informed."

Kitty grinned and gave a nod, phasing through the chair as she hopped out of it. "Perfect. And I'll let you know when your computer is ready."