Identities

"So, what did the crazy lady have to say," Cassidy asked Court as he strode into the hideout.

"She's not crazy," Court replied, "and what are you doing here, Cass? Isn't there an island somewhere missing its evil genius?"

"Ha-ha," Cassidy shot back. "What are you doing here is what I should be asking, but we all know you follow Lucy like a little lovesick puppy."

"I happen to like puppies," Lucy called from her position on the sofas in front of the televisions. "Anything you'd like to share?"

"My mom says they missed a creche," Court said, snagging a cookie from the plate next to Cassidy's arrangement of mechanical knickknacks.

That got everyone's attention. Carol and Leilani looked up from studying what looked like cookbooks on the other end of the kitchen island. Rena and Aarti slowly lowered their phones, identical frowns on their faces. The only ones who didn't seem surprised where Don and Dawnie.

"Thought as much," was all Don said before going back to staring at a map spread out in front of the televisions. Little flags dotted it, and even as Court watched, he placed another one.

"Do I dare ask," Court said to Cassidy who looked over.

"They're spying on someone's intel over there. I'm just thinking that plausible deniability is alive and well in my heart," she explained to Court.

"Says she with the walking explosives?" Court murmured as he drifted towards Lucy.

"Every girl needs a hobby." Cassidy grinned as she turned back to her project.

****

"So, who's the girl," San asked Paul. He was slouched against the glass of his cylinder, one hand ruffling his curling blue-black hair.

Paul looked up at him. There were circles under his eyes, and his hair was a dry haystack on his head. Every few hours, someone would show up to inject a stimulant into him, keeping him awake.

San reflected that it was a particular form of torture for Paul. It was only when he was sleeping that he could effectively foresee. Keeping him awake kept him from his talent, but it was also slowly killing him. Paul had only been able to snatch fitful catnaps when his body essentially shut down for a few minutes before the stimulants kicked in, pulling him back awake.

"She's someone we don't know," Morris said. "Her name's Circe. Her creche wasn't on any list."

San stilled at that. His eyes shifted from Paul to Morris and back again. Paul's eyes tiredly slid shut as he leaned his head back against the glass of his cylinder.

"We should get out of here," San said, standing up. He looked around at all the surrounding cylinders. The others were looking up at him, sparks of hope lighting up their eyes. "We can't stay here. Staying here is a death sentence. We all know that."

"But we can't abandon Niles and the kid," Paul said, not opening his eyes. "That is a road that should never be traveled."

San stared at him for a moment before sighing. He pulled his arm back, balling up his fist. Taking a deep breath, he drove it forward against the glass. It shivered slightly but didn't crack.

"It'll work," Paul said suddenly.

"Have I told you that you're so annoying when you keep doing that," San retorted.

Paul's lips curled into a slight smile.

*****

"You're asking us to use you as bait?" Diana asked, thrumming her fingers on the table.

The girl seated across from her smiled. A plate of cookies had been summoned along with a glass of milk. Arthur had long since given up since it had been his forces that had supplied the overworlder treats. He had no clue how it had happened. One minute she was saying she needed a snack, the next his own seneschal had appeared with the milk and cookies.

"I would be the best bait," Sabrina said with a nod. She took a dainty bite of cookie and washed it down with milk. "These are very good cookies." "My men are without equal, even when it comes to acquiring treats," Mera said with a smile.

If anything, at least the appearance of the girl had defused Mera's silent aggression. The smothering hostility that unlaid every word and gesture was muted in the girl's presence. Even Arthur had to admit that he found the girl restful.

"I'm on the top ten of their acquire list," Sabrina informed them. She smiled at Bruce. "I probably rank right below San, Court, Lucy and Jebediah. It'll be okay. You could put a tracker on me and then I wouldn't be in danger, right?"

"And why would we believe you? I don't remember you in the dossiers that were released," Bruce asked.

"But Lucy, Court, Jebediah and San weren't really released either, right?" Sabrina took another sip of her milk. "I didn't think they would release Kaylen's, but then again, it made sense."

Bruce exchanged silent looks with Diana and Arthur. The girl was strange and the calm she brought was unusual.

"All you have to do is affix a tracker and lurk nearby while I stray around some public place that has some video capability." Sabrina carefully broke a cookie into fours and ate a quarter. "I will wander in front of the broadcast and you catch the bad guys."

She placed the cookies on the plate in a circular pattern, corners touching. Then she looked up at them, her eyes scanning them intently.

"You have to be fast before they disable the tracker. I don't want to die, and if you mess up, I will."

They pondered those ominous words as the girl went back to eating the cookies.

"We can't endanger a child," Mera said in a near whisper, "but her words might be true. What if she could be used as bait to lure these monsters out into the open, even for a few seconds."

"A tracker might not work," Bruce cautioned.

"We might be able to trick them instead," Diana said. "What if we use an illusion to disguise someone else as Sabrina."

Sabrina watched them discuss, silently devouring her treats.