“What the hell explodes lightning?” Jack asked.
“Not lightning,” Nat said. “It just kind of looks like lightning.”
“Fine, it looks like lightning, and is the opposite cuz it goes around backwards. What the fuck does that even mean.”
“Anti-lightning?” I suggested.
“Anti-matter,” Kate said.
We all turned to look at her.
“The fuck is that?” Jack asked.
“What it says, the opposite of matter.”
Jack looked at me and Nat. “Someone make her make sense, please.”
“I kinda would like to know more about this, too, Kate.”
Kate sighed, and it sounded like she said ‘morons’ under her breath, but I couldn’t be sure. “Okay, matter is like protons and electrons to make up atoms. Lightning is electrons because it’s electricity. That’s why it seeks out a positive charge in the ground.”
“So Reilly is shooting protons?” Nat asked.
“No, Kate explained. “Protons and electrons have an opposite electric charge, but they’re otherwise not the same. Turns out there are exact mirror images of particles in every way. For protons they’re called anti-protons and for electrons they’re—"
“Anti-electrons,” Jack said standing tall like he actually knew something.
“Positrons,” Kate clarified, scowling and shaking her head at Jack.
“How do you know this?” I asked.
“I watch Star Trek.”
“Nerd,” Jack said.
“Hey, if she’s right, then I’m going to star watching it, too,” I said. “Best explanation we’ve had, so far.”
Kate held up her hand in a weird salute with thumb outstretched and fingers parted in the center.
She is a nerd.