Forming the Team

"Do... you think I could start sooner?" Luna asked after a bit. "I... don't want to be alone in my thoughts."

"Of course, I'll talk to Hank tomorrow to see if he's ready for you, then we'll bring you in, OK?"

"OK," Luna agreed, unable to do otherwise.

"Don't worry, it's going to be fine," Mindy said with a smile, "There's also a gym if you decide you want to work out. I know when I had my break up, working out helped me a lot."

"We'll see," Luna smiled slightly, relaxing in the warmth Mindy exuded.

Luna spent the evening unpacking and setting up her things in the apartment. She threw out the pictures she had of her and her ex. Finally, she went to bed to get some sleep. "A new day, a new life."

Hank was in his office when Mindy bounded in, "Hey Hank, whatcha doing?"

"Working on building a distributed data architecture. If someone manages to compromise one server, they don't get all the data or even have a way to marry data from two servers...," he began explaining.

Mindy's eyes almost immediately glazed over, then she held up a finger, "White Rabbit has arrived. Are you ready for them to get started?"

"Oh...," he stammered, looking around and picking up a stack of papers and straightening them nervously. "I mean... sure. Whenever they're ready I guess...," he murmured suddenly thinking the workspace looked very unorganized.

"Well, she doesn't have a car, do you mind carpooling until she can buy one? She's got a bicycle, evidently. She didn't need one in Dallas," Mindy offered, her brow furrowed, "How do you get around without a car?"

"The bigger cities, as long as you're a reasonable distance it's faster. By a lot," he explained. "When I was in the service, I was in New York City. Driving? There's no point. I could run faster than most cars could get anywhere downtown."

Mindy wrinkled her nose, "Well, she'll need a car here, even if riding a bike or running would be faster. She'll freeze without one." Mindy paused, "So you good to give her a ride? At least until she buys her own car."

"Yeah, sure. I mean... my car isn't great, but the heater works," he shrugged.

"Thanks, I'll tell her. Let me give you her number," Mindy relaxed, now back on even footing, "She's... four doors down from you in the apartments so you won't need to go out of your way." She wrote down a number, along with the name White Rabbit, then Luna. "Luna is her given name, but she prefers to go by White Rabbit when possible."

He blinked. White Rabbit was a she? It was depressing to admit that skilled women in tech careers were still much fewer than they probably should have been, but he was both surprised and pleased for some reason that the woman that had fought him so well in that interview was a woman. In a small way, it reinforced his hope in the world. "Yeah. I'll give her a call and work it out," he said softly, looking at the paper.

"Awesome, let me know if you have any difficulty." She whipped her phone out and sent off a text to Luna, "she'll expect your call."

He swallowed, then smiled, "All right then."

"Don't worry," she winked, "Luna doesn't bite, she's very sweet. Have fun!" Mindy turned and left him to his work so she could go do her own.

He finished up for the day, late as usual, then went home and began cooking a plate of spaghetti and a salad. As it cooked, he lifted his phone and called Luna's number. "Luna speaking, how can I break your day?" Her voice was slightly husky and almost sultry.

"Er... White Rabbit? This is... um... Digger... er... Hank," he stammered, not quite sure how this conversation should go.

"Hello," Luna blinked, then a small smile appeared, "Mindy said you'd be calling me, I was quite excited to hear I would be working with you." He heard the faint sound of a timer, before she continued, "Still am quite honestly. You're fantastic."

He chuckled nervously. "I thought I was the only one. I'm still looking to find someone that slings exploits as slick as you do. I understand that you're my new neighbor... ish."

"Mmhmm," she responded as she pulled the tray of cookies from the oven, "I thought Mindy was going to faint when she realized I used a bike to get around."

"You missed the snowstorm earlier this winter. It can get bad," he said.

"Don't worry, I'll sling all the exploits you want," she giggled, "And I'm... glad? Dallas didn't have snow very often and it was Texas, two flakes twenty feet apart, shut the whole place down."

"Yeah, it was a lot more than that. I can't promise a good-looking chariot, but the heater does work," he offered. "And it beats biking. That said, I'm usually the last one in the office. Mostly because I get... in the zone. In fact, I just got back from work." She glanced at the time. It was seven-thirty.

"I know about the zone, don't worry that will be just fine. I don't have a reason to rush home. Besides, if I start getting hangry I'll just come over and poke you until you feed me. I can be a needy, demanding brat at times. Fair warning," she giggled, her voice softly teasing.

He chuckled at that. "I'm not sure you want me to feed you. I might order something... But I'm standing over a pot of spaghetti and bagged salad," he smiled a wry smile to himself.

"So what I'm hearing is... you need me to feed you up right good and proper?" Her voice thickened slightly as the southern accent slipped out. "I can do that. You tell me your favorites and I'll start the crockpot before we leave in the morning." She chuckled again, "And I'll bring you cookies. Are you allergic to peanut butter or chocolate? Or gluten... you're not a... vegetarian are you?" Her voice dropped into a whisper, with a faint concerned note. "I heard that you can find them in the north."

His mouth fell open in shock. "No, I wasn't suggesting you had to...," he trailed off worried that she'd gotten the wrong idea. "They didn't seriously put babysitting my eating in your job description...," he trailed off, then added softly, "...did they?"

"No..." she trailed off, "I was just... offering?"

"Oh," he breathed. "OK... I thought... I mean... I guess I worried that you thought I was suggesting that you had to...," he trailed off. "Sorry... I'm... I'm not really good at this," he offered.

"It's alright," she murmured. "Just... treat me like you would one of the guys. I just figured a good hot meal would help out. It's... a southern thing."

"I mean... if you want to, I guess...," he trailed off thinking. "I could buy the ingredients?" he offered with a smile.

"Deal," she giggled, "Particularly since I can't go grocery shopping easily."

"All right then." He looked down at the pot. "Have... you eaten already? I mean... you probably have, but if you... I have enough spaghetti and salad for... two."

"I have not," she giggled, "I was stress-baking all day. If you tell me where you're at I will happily take you up on dinner and I'll bring me and dessert."

"I'm in 112. Just come on...," he trailed off. "Stress... baking?" he murmured as the words finally sank in.

"Yes, I didn't know if you'd want me yet, so I was stress-baking to keep my mind occupied," she explained with a giggle. "I'll be there in... ten."

"Oh. OK. I'll see you in ten minutes...," he murmured as she hung up the phone. Looking around he gulped, racing to the dining table and quickly stacking up loose papers he had been using along with his laptop and then putting them on the desk in the spare room. He straightened up a few things as he continued to cook. Taking down both of the plates that he had, then looking into his fridge, he murmured, "Shit..." He only had water and milk. Taking down two glasses, he looked at them and sighed. "What the hell were you thinking, Hank?" he murmured before he set them on the counter and moved to strain the spaghetti. She knocked on the door, a musical note, "Enter!"

She peeked around the door, then entered the apartment, shutting it behind her. She stripped off her jacket and hung it up before walking towards the kitchen, and then gave him a small, shy smile. The sweater and winter pants she was wearing clung to her curves and she was carrying a medium-sized Tupperware container, "Hi. I come bearing cookies."

He turned and was struck by the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on. "I... Hi...," he managed before pointing at the pot and saying like an idiot and a small, goofy smile, "Spaghetti."

A soft giggle escaped and she ducked her head, she tucked a lock of hair behind one ear, "Smells wonderful, how can I help?" She approached and placed the container on the counter next to a coffee machine and pot that was more than twice as large as hers and looked like it was at least thirty years old, then twisted her fingers in front of her. The locks of hair falling in his face made her want to reach up and touch them to see how soft it was.

He blinked. Help? It was spaghetti. "Um... well... I have water or milk. Which would you prefer? Maybe... pour?" he offered, and gestured at the glasses as he reached for the colander.

"Mmm, milk, which would you prefer?" She moved around to help him, bending to get the milk from the fridge and pour some into one glass.

"Milk's good. It will help with the citric and malic acids in the tomato...," he offered, before realizing that he probably sounded like an idiot. "I... uh... I get heartburn if there's too much...," he explained softly, then shrugged, "but it's simple, hard to screw up, and it tastes good..."

"I am the same way," she offered with a soft chuckle. "I usually drop a portion of carrot in the sauce to help with the acid." She poured the second glass of milk, biting her lip as she focused. Then put the milk back in the fridge and carried the glasses to the table. "Of course, I also just like food," she patted her stomach with a giggle.

"Food is good. People who like food are good. It's a lot easier to relate to people who eat than the ones who try and pretend they don't," he observed.

She bit her lip, then carried the plates and the bowl of salad to the table to set it. "I never understand those people." She smiled up at him, her eyes crinkling at the corners, "Thank you for inviting me for dinner."

He waved it away. "Not an issue. I suppose I should have thought of that when they first told me you were coming... My first night I didn't eat. I was so tired from driving and unloading the little U-Haul trailer I just crashed. I could have... I dunno... ordered you a pizza or something ahead of time... At least considered...," he trailed off, once again frustrated with his less-than-stellar experience dealing with other humans in any sort of a leadership capacity. Vince made it look so effortless. And Annabelle? Like she had invented the practice herself.

Her nose crinkled, "When did they tell you I was here?"

"They said you were coming...," he looked up at the ceiling as he thought. "Last... Friday. No... Thursday. I just... I got wrapped up and...," he trailed off, blushing and ducking his head as some of the hair fell in front of his face again. "... forgot."

"Oh, Digger," she sighed and walked over to him. She touched his hand gently, "You weren't given an accurate time of my arrival, and let me guess, you just found out this morning that I was actually here, didn't you?"

"Well... yeah, but...," he trailed off.

"No buts, only facts," she said with a soft giggle. "You can't plan with the knowledge you don't have. I arrived yesterday, I unloaded my truck, then Mindy took me to dinner. Today, you were informed I was here, and now you're feeding me." She smirked, "And it's something better than just pizza because it comes with companionship." She winked up at him, "Careful, like all good programmers I use logic. Now, would you prefer for me to call you Digger or Hank?"

He shrugged. "I got Digger in the Army and it stuck. Apparently, no one online wants that for a handle. Hank works too. That's what Vince and Annabelle call me. I answer to both."

"That doesn't tell me your preference, however," she pointed out with a giggle. "I got lucky with my name, nobody ever thinks of being the White Rabbit."

"Except in that one movie. The one with the hackers that were in the simulation?" At her look of surprise, he said, "I never really went out much so I watched old movies. I was a computer guy, so those became classics...," he shrugged.

She giggled, then crooked her finger slightly, when he lowered his head, "That's where I got the name. How did Neo get in trouble? He followed the white rabbit." She smirked, "The same way Alice did."

"Are you trying to tell me that you're trouble? That I should stay away?" he asked softly. He was already disinclined to do so.

"Yup," she giggled, "I find all the holes," she wiggled her brows, then stole the pot of spaghetti and carried it to the table. "Let us feast. So, old movies, I get a kick out of Fifth Element, but when I want something cute with explosions I watch Undercover Blues."

"I liked both of those. I enjoyed some of the Die Hard movies... and the old Hackers movie. Oh, and a lot of the movies they made about World War Two."

"I can only watch some of those movies, others make me cry and I do not cry pretty," she pointed at him with a fork, then fixed his plate before fixing hers. "I think I shall call you Digger Hank."

He cocked his head to the side, thinking about that. "OK," he said finally. "You'll be the only one."

"That's cause I'm special," she giggled. Then bit her lip and waited for him to start eating.

He took a bite, chewed for a moment, then shrugged. "Yep. Tastes like spaghetti. I haven't lost it."

She giggled softly and took a bite herself, "Sorry, it's a habit. Master of the house eats first."

"You don't need to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm just glad you don't think I was trying to poison you before your first day or something," he offered, chuckling nervously. He hoped she saw it for the joke it was. Since getting out of the Army, he could count on one hand the number of dates he'd been on. They all ended in disaster. Not with them being angry or anything, they simply didn't answer when he tried to call them again. The last one had been about two years ago. After that, he simply decided there wasn't much of a point, so he stopped. The side-effect of this, however, was a distinct lack of practice in being social with anyone outside of a work setting, and even then, he was not particularly adept.

She giggled, "Oh no, I wasn't worried about that." She winked, "You'll keep me around for a good long time so I'll people for you." She touched his hand, smiling at him, "If you poisoned me, you'd have to be the leader all by yourself."

He blinked and she could almost see the wheels turning in his head. "You know... that's a good point," he observed.

"Logic," she pointed out with a giggle, "But yes, according to the contract I signed, I'm to be your counterpart with cyber-security. We're going to be partners." Her eyes were lit up and a smile was on her lips as she looked up at him.

"So... we're working together. We like movies and food. Um... Do you have... family? Where you're from, I mean?" he asked.

"No," she smiled softly, "My parents passed five years ago, shortly after I got accepted to college. I'm also single now." She dropped her gaze to her plate, stirring the spaghetti.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... bring up bad things," he murmured, inwardly kicking himself.

"It's alright," she smiled up at him again. She touched his hand again, "No apologies needed. You didn't know, and it'll just take some time to... stop blaming myself for ignoring the signs I should have seen."

"People are... hard sometimes. Most of the time, actually. One of the things I like about computers is that they're predictable. There's always a reason, right? If it doesn't work, you did something wrong or something went wrong, and when you find it and fix it, it works. With people...," he trailed off and shrugged.

"I dunno, sometimes my computer mysteriously starts working when I threaten to reformat the hard drive." She giggled, "But yes, computers are easier than people... sometimes. What's your favorite music?"

He ducked his head. "Metal. There were... so many that listened to it in the service and... the drums and the guitar...," he shrugged, "It's good to program to because it drops you into that space..." He paused, then observed, "Techno too. Unless I really want to relax. Then I'll find some nice piano or saxophone music. Maybe strings..."

"We're going to be besties you and I," she announced, pointing her fork at him with a giggle. "I love rock and roll, and techno."

"Yeah?" he said softly, a shy kind of smile touching his lips. "I'm glad. I don't want to... you know... irritate you with my flow."

"I don't think you could," she smiled softly. "I'm enjoying spending time with you." Her nose crinkled, "I'm worried about irritating you with my flow. I like playing my music loud and occasionally dancing along to it while I'm working."

"I don't know about the dancing, but... I'm all about loud, good music," he said. "Do you... read much, I don't know... listen to... things to learn or other stuff?"

"Ahh... no," her nose crinkled slightly, "I'm a kinesthetic learner, I learn by doing. Occasionally I can listen to someone and watch them do, but I always, always have to do to understand." She smiled shyly.

He nodded, "That makes sense. I do a lot of practicing or... practical learning too, but I usually find my next... 'Oooh, I want to learn more about this thing,' by listening to other people talk about it."

"I tried, but sometimes when people talk, my mind just goes, 'Welp that was fun... squirrel' and... yeah," she looked down at her plate, "That's why I typically have my stuffie when I need to focus on learning. I squeeze it and pet it to keep my mind focused."

"Oh... I have...," he looked around, patting his pockets. "It's...," he got up and quickly went into another room, coming back with a hand-held device with a bunch of switches and knobs and actuating devices on it. Some made a sound, some did not. "This."

She looked at it, and when he handed it to her, she started to play with it, touching various parts and then giggling with it made noises. He could see her start to relax, "This is brilliant. My stuffie is just a stuffed animal." She gently placed the device on the table, then touched his hand, "Thank you for sharing it with me."

"You... can have it if you want." he gestured softly with the hand that she wasn't touching so she wouldn't break contact. "I... have another one..."

"I... are you sure?" She bit her lip and he nodded with a small smile. Then she gently squeezed his hand holding it before pulling the device towards her with her other hand. She gave another smile, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I hope it helps. I don't use it as much as I used to, but... there are times...," he trailed off and she sensed that it still provided some needed relief.

"You said you had another one though right?" She asked softly, looking up at him. "So maybe we can share this one at work?"

"I mean... if you want to," he said, still not letting go of her hand. It was soft and really nice to hold on to.

"I would like that," she smiled at him, then picked up her fork to start eating again, but not letting go of his hand. She liked it, it was warm, with just the right calloused feel. She blushed as her body perked up and she shoved her hormones back down. "So, tomorrow, I get to slick up and try to sneak past your defenses?"

He chuckled nervously. "I guess so. I don't think I've got all the servers set up quite right, but It's probably not the worst idea to start poking holes in the security while I'm still working on them. That way, if it's major, I can scrap what I'm doing and start from scratch rather than finish out something... sub-par."