Mutants & Masterminds: The Indigo Children - [Prologue] Tess

[z012]

Morning, Sunday April 24th

The buzz of the patrol boat had already been picked up by the security system and an image routed through to the terminal Tess had been using to study muscular diseases and syndromes. She sighed and stood up, stretching after several hours cramped over the glowing screen. This really was beginning to be tiresome; they were coming out daily now and Tess wondered if perhaps she should cut back on the refreshments. Cops and their sweets. By the time they'd tied off at the small pier and made their way up to the main house, the bastard daughter of New York's crime boss had a tray of home-baked pastries, a cooler of sodas and beer, and hot tea set up on the patio just around the side of the house.

"Officer Leary, Officer Clark, over here. Please, come join me for afternoon tea." Her accent had softened a little in the years she'd spent in the States, but with her soft, waif-like appearance and classical style of dress it gave her the air of a genteel lady of bygone eras. Tess cultivated that air quite carefully and employed with all the precision and skill of an Olympic athlete.

The officers smiled on cue and pulled off their hats even though they were still outside. "Thank you, ma'am," Leary said as he slid into a seat. "Alway a pleasure to visit you." His partner took the third seat and smiled nervously as Tess poured him a cup of tea. Clark was still working up the courage to ask her on a date; he was an honest cop (unlike his partner) and still new enough to the Force to worry about silly things like conflicts of interest and being involved with the mob. He'd learn.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit today, gentlemen?" Her voice was soft and retiring, with no implication that the question was anything more than exactly what it was.

"Just coming by to check up on you, Ms. Romano," Leary replied smoothly. "Out here alone most of the time, we don't want anything to happen to one of New York's finest ladies." Clark's earnest nod was simply adorable.

Tess blushed just the correct shade of girlish pink and waved away the officer's concern, "Oh, hush now. I have staff here most days taking care of one thing or another. You boys shouldn't use valuable police time just to keep me company."

"It's our duty to protect and serve, ma'am," Clark finally got up the nerve to speak directly to her, but ducked his eyes away when smiled at him.

"Well, I do certainly feel more safe knowing that you two are looking out for me." The table lapsed into a warm silence for the next few minutes as the sweets mostly disappeared, along with the tea and several sodas.

Finally, Leary stood up again, brushing crumbles off his uniform, "Why don't Clark and I have a look around, Ms. Romano, just to make sure no one's gotten on the island since the last time?"

Since yesterday, you mean? It's quite a swim. Tess kept her sarcasm to herself and smiled cooperatively, "Of course, Officer. Officer Clark hasn't seen the house yet, why I don't show him around while you check the rest of the island?" This was her only little dig; she was tired of Leary poking around her closets and palming any small valuables she left unattended through the house. He was one of her father's creatures and the petty theft aside, she didn't like him. He cleared his throat to protest, but Tess had already taken Clark's arm and was moving towards the house. Over her shoulder she smiled sweetly and added, "I'll have more cold drinks ready for when you get back, Officer Leary."

I wish Rob were here to keep an eye on him. At should call Isaac about the dogs; I hope Leary is allergic. Or terrified. Either way. Her thoughts completely masked by her innocent expression, she pulled Clark into the house for a tour of about one tenth of one of the most expensive private residences in the world. If he ever saw the other nine tenths, Tess might just have to kill him.

[jameson (ST)]

Leary's eyes twitched and his smile went sour for a moment. "OK, Ms. Romano, no problem," he replied with forced sweetness. He nodded to his partner and then headed down the patio stairs and out into the gardens and the ground beyond.

Tess turned to Officer Clark and said, "Shall we?" as she took his arm. He nodded and the two headed indoors. The French doors from the patio brought them into a modern great room. Most of the walls were floor to ceiling windows except for a wide fireplace done in white stone. Everything was neat, elegant, and simply decorated in a way that spoke of the home's mistress.

Clark was looking at the massive TV over the fireplace, "That's the biggest TV I've ever seen," he remarked. "At first I thought it was just a painting." Indeed the TV was showing a slow slide show of photos, mostly landscapes, from around the world, and the picture had just shifted from a panorama of the Southwest to a shot of an Old World Castle rising above the mist shrouded forest in some eastern European country.

"Well it is difficult to make a last minute run to the movies if I get bored," Tess remarked offhand. "Living on an island is nice for one's privacy," she added, "but it doesn't lend itself to a spontaneous lifestyle."

Clark laughed, and turned a little read, "No, I guess not." He walked around the spiral stair and the massive fish tank there and found the dining room and kitchen, "WOW! That kitchen must have cost you a fortune!" He turned to Tess, his eyes wide as though the room had been coated in solid gold, "Do you cook a lot? I mean you must, unless you have a personal chef I guess. Do you have a professional Chef?"

[z012]

Tess smiled indulgently, "Sometimes. Mostly she comes out about once a week and cooks up a whole bunch of meals for me for the rest of the week. Marie's still in school, so I get to be her guinea pig and she gets to cook in a professional grade kitchen without having to share it with a hundred other students."

She toured him from the kitchen and family room, past the two story fish tank that served as the center of the winding stairs that descended to games room and through to the mahogany wood plated office that was about the size of Clark's entire apartment. Everything was done in simple, clean lines with the minimum decoration necessary that gave it the air of pristine elegance. She grinned at his open-mouthed amazement at the house. "So, do you like my home, Officer Clark?"

He blushed again and nervously ran his hand through his short-cropped blond hair, "Please, Ms. Romano, you can call me Tom. And your house is amazing. I've never seen anything like it before. At least, never from the inside."

"Well, Tom, if you insist, then I insist you call me Tess. 'Ms. Romano' makes me feel like I'm back in boarding school or already an old maid. And as you Officer Leary make such a good point of looking in on me, we should be on more familiar terms, don't you think?" She almost gave him enough time to respond before taking his arm again and gently tugging him back upstairs. "We should get those drinks for when Officer Leary gets back, and I could use a sit-down for a bit."

[jameson (ST)]

"Sure thing Ms.-, um, Tess." Tom blushed again, the kid was a couple years her senior but acted like a teen at his first school dance. It was kinda cut and endearing but Tess knew it could also be a show. It rang true though and he helped to to get fresh drinks and bring them back to the patio. Tom was looking around the sculpted lawn when his partner returned, a sour glower on his face.

"Nothing amiss here Ms. Romano," Leary said as he took up a glass of lemonade and chugged it down. Tess hid a smile behind a hand as she wondered to herself how the sour beverage would react with Leary's sour temperment. The brutish officer wiped his mouth with a hand and then wiped his hand on his trousers. "Thanks. You have any late night visitors out here lately? I saw some footprints on the beach at the other end of the island, heavier than you could make ma'am."

"Oh, that's probably just some kids. The rich ones come out here on weekends and drink because its isolated. They don't both me much though." Tess waved a dismissing hand, it really wasn't an issue with her, kids would be kids after all.

Leary frowned but said nothing. Tom added, "Well if they do give you any problems you should let us know." The three sat in silence for a bit while the cops stuffed their faces with cookies and lemonade. Finally they seemed sated and stood to go.

"Well Ms. Romano, we should be going, thanks for the hospitality."

"If you ever have any problems you know who to call," Tom added with a touch more enthusiasm than needed.

[z012]

Tess walked them back out to their patrol boat, staying on the shore long enough make sure they were actually headed back to Manhattan. Well, that was half a morning wasted on my father's and the NYPD's paranoia. She sighed as she headed back towards the house, Finish studying for finals, then call Isaac. I really could use a sit-down right now.

She stepped into her home, her senses reaching out to the electronics that riddled the compound. The security system let her know that no more uninvited guests were approaching and the environmental controls adjusted themselves just a tad warmer to leave her in a more relaxed state. If only people could be so accommodating.

Continues in [Prologue 2] Ross &Tess & Isaac