Chapter Text
“Are you alright, love?”
The question jolted the half-awake gremlin, who suddenly sat straight and gave an embarrassed glance at her friends who sat around the breakfast table and gave her concerned looks. Well, at least two of them did. While Liz and Raora gave her worried looks, Ceci just sat there with an annoyed expression on her face.
Normally, Gigi would tease the automaton about always being grumpy, but not that morning. She was too tired to do so. Instead, she just gave a sheepish reply as she scratched the back of her head.
“Yea, I’m okay, Liz.” She began, before suddenly yawning. “I just couldn’t sleep last night.”
Raora was the first to react, as she immediately slid her chair closer towards the gremlin and pulled her into a hug. Caught by surprise, Gigi suddenly found herself pressing against the pather’s rather large chest. If there was anything to wake her up and give her energy, it was that.
Blushing from the sudden hug, Gigi did her best to maintain her composure and keep the animal inside her calm, as the big cat continued to soothe her. It was a tough battle that she felt like she was going to lose.
“Oh no!” Raora exclaimed. “Did Liz and Nerissa keep you up all night again?”
“What the frick?” Came the panicked reaction from the red haired leader of Justice. “I would have you know that the Demon of Sound has never been into my room!”
“No one said anything about her being in your room, Liz.” Ceci said, giving their leader a smug look.
Staring at the automaton with wide eyes, the Rosarian’s face suddenly began to turn bright red. With eyes darting left to right, Liz stammered out a few words in an attempt to correct herself, but it was useless. Defeated, the leader of Justice simply slammed her head on the table and buried herself beneath her hands in an attempt to save herself from further embarrassment.
Hoping to save her friend, Gigi gave a slight chuckle and shook her head, as Raora’s grip on her loosened.
“No, it wasn’t them this time. I just had a lot to think about last night, that’s all.” She said, now free from the panther and able to lean back on her chair.
“You, a lot to think about?” Ceci jabbed. “Come on, don’t lie to us. Did you stay up playing Roblox again? Or was it reading BL this time?”
“Excuse me?” Gigi replied in mock shock, as she felt a slight burst of energy fill her body. Okay, that was it. She had full energy within her now. There was nothing more that would fully wake her than arguing with the automaton. “What are you trying to hint at with that first remark?”
There was no one else who knew how to push her buttons except Ceci. Somehow, the automaton was always ready to tease and fire at the gremlin. But deep inside, Gigi didn’t mind. In fact, she liked the attention. Not only that, she liked fighting with her, if that made any sense. It was their special little game, one that the two shared between themselves.
“I think it was pretty clear what I’m trying to hint at, but it seems like that empty head of yours needs a little help.”
Giving out an exaggerated gasp, Gigi suddenly stood up and slammed her hands on the table.
“You take that back right now!” She screamed.
Ceci shook her head. “Only if you stop lying and tell us what you were actually doing last night.”
“I told you, I had a lot to think about last night!”
“Sure, sure.” The automaton said, not convinced. “And what exactly were you thinking about?”
At that point, a smug grin formed on Gigi’s face, as she narrowed her eyes on Ceci.
“Oh, you know, I was just thinking about how bad you wanted me.”
The next moments came as a flash, but the next thing she knew a buttered slice of bread slammed right on her face, forcing her to flop back onto her chair.
“She wants me so bad.” Gigi said, with a triumphant tone in her voice, as the slice slid down from her face.
The rest of breakfast was uneventful. Once everyone had eaten and cleaned up, Liz then began distributing the daily chores for everyone. With a headquarters as large as the Lookout, daily maintenance was key in ensuring that the facility was in top condition, and that they wouldn't get in trouble when the Higher-ups send a team for a surprise inspection.
As each member of Justice went off to do their assigned tasks, Gigi was about to do the same, when she was suddenly stopped by Liz.
“Are you sure you’re alright, love?” She asked the gremlin gently, a look of concern in her face. “This is the third time this week that you haven’t been getting sleep.”
“I’m fine, Liz.” Gigi said coolly. “I promise.”
For a moment, Liz stared at her, as Gigi returned the gaze. Under her scrutiny, Gigi felt nervous. But the leader of Justice eventually gave a small nod.
“Just, can you promise to try and get a good night’s sleep tonight? I don’t know what's on your mind right now, and I don’t think you want to tell me what it really is either, but I’m worried for you. So please, get some proper sleep or else I’ll have Ceci watch you.”
“Have the doll creep over me until I fall asleep? No, thank you!” Gigi said, with a chuckle. “I swear, I’ll get a good night’s sleep starting tonight!”
“Good.” Liz said with a smile.
With that, Gigi dashed off to do her chores, hiding away the guilt she felt for lying.
***
Ceci was working on the Great Gate when Liz found her. The large ancient portal was one of the key pieces of equipment in Justice’s inventory, as it allowed the team to travel to any part of the world below. However, during that moment, the portal and the mechanism behind it needed calibrating.
“I swear, I don’t know what's wrong with it.” The automaton groaned, as she heard Liz approach. “It’s been like this for the past few days, constantly needing calibration. I think we need to tell the Higher-ups that we need a new one.”
Liz let out a little laugh and shook her head. “It’ll take them years before they see our request. Even then, it’s not a guarantee that they’ll approve it.”
Ceci just sighed and hung her head. “The woes of being the runt in the pack of the organization.”
The automaton then returned her attention to the mechanism of the portal, as Liz moved closer and stood beside her. For a moment, they two stood there in silence, as the tall Rosarian watched her friend at work. Even during that moment, she could sense the trouble brewing within her.
“So…how are you feeling?” Liz suddenly, and awkwardly, said.
“Huh?” Ceci said, suddenly looking up in confusion. “What do you mean? I’m fine.”
“Mhmm.” Liz replied, unconvinced by her quick reply. “You and Gigi…you two have been fighting a lot lately.”
Hearing that made Ceci wave a hand in dismissal. “We always fight, it’s nothing new. Besides, you should talk to her about it, she starts half of them.”
“You two bicker a lot back then, yes, but not like this…and not this often.” Liz informed her. “Ceci, look at me. Is there something wrong between you two? I don’t want two of my best girls having problems.”
Turning towards the tall red haired woman, Ceci opened her mouth, then hesitated. For a moment, she contemplated what to say, before sighing.
“I…I don’t know.” Ceci admitted. “Gigi…she’s been real distant to me lately and she’s hiding something. We used to hang out a lot in our off time, but now she seems always busy with something and she won’t tell me what it is. She never did that before and it makes me… It makes me angry.”
Liz placed a hand on the automaton’s back in hopes of comforting her.
“I know it’s stupid, but I miss what we had before and I don’t know how to bring it back. I’m sorry Liz. I’m sorry if it’s been affecting you and Raora.”
“Oh, don’t be like that, love.” Liz assured. “It hasn’t been affecting us. It’s just that, I’ve been noticing something different between you two lately and have been concerned.”
Ceci remained silent, but nodded her head.
“Listen, I’ll try to talk to Gigi about it, okay? I’m sure it’s just a small misunderstanding, that’s all.”
The automaton looked up towards Liz and gave a meek nod.
“I hope so.” She said, feeling a hint of doubt in her words.
***
As night fell, Gigi was glad for the day to be over. She was tired after such a long day. Aside from the endless amount of chores they had to do that morning, there was also the never ending amount of training needed in order to make sure that they were all fit and in top shape.
However, despite her weariness, a shot of excitement and anticipation gave her just enough energy to stay up. Checking the clock in her room, she nodded to herself, seeing that it was just about midnight. By that time, both Liz and Raora have gone to bed, while Ceci had finished her rounds checking and security system and would have powered down alright.
Not wanting to waste another minute, she opened the door to her room and scanned the hallway. Empty.
Giving a smile of satisfaction, she quickly made her way out of her room, gently closing the door behind her. She then swiftly moved, making sure to make light steps in order to avoid much noise.
This was a well practiced act that she had done dozens of times now, but despite that fact she was still careful. One wrong move and she could wake the others up. If that happened, then she would have a lot of explaining to do.
Taking her mind away from such a possibility, she focused and stayed alert. Making her way through their headquarters, she eventually reached the Great Gate, its portal active as usual and ready to be used at a moment’s notice.
Glancing behind her to make sure no one was there, Gigi then moved towards the control panel and plotted down coordinates. Satisfied that they were all correct, the gremlin moved towards the portal and closed her eyes.
Portal travel was safe, but it always made her feel nauseous. It wasn’t exactly her favorite activity, but she knew she had to do it. Opening her eyes, she stared at the glowing gate and took in a deep breath. Without wasting another second, she sprinted forward and leaped into the portal.
The next thing she knew, the world around her was filled with a swirling collage of colors and sounds, all mixing into one. Tumbling through time and space, she felt like she was in there for eternity.
Tumbling and falling, she felt dizzy while being thrown around in the stream. Keeping her eyes closed, she waited and prepared for the sudden of the journey. It was always hard to tell when that happened, but she hoped she could predict it this time.
Sadly, she didn’t.
Instead of stabilizing herself and landing on her feet, as she hoped for, she was instead flung and slammed down onto the cold pavement.
Letting out a groan of both pain and annoyance, Gigi did her best to dust herself and get up. Once on her two feet, she began looking around to gather her bearings. She was in the middle on an empty sidewalk, with only the light coming from street lamps that dimly lit the area. Scanning the nearby rows of buildings, her eyes eventually fell upon a two story structure, whose entrance was marked by a simple logo that resembles a moustache. She was in the right place.
Stepping forward and up the steps towards the door, she was about to knock when a familiar sounding voice suddenly spoke up from behind her.
“Well, well, well, look who it is.”