Chapter 12

Sultry: Another country heard from; 12

"Who are all these people?" Sultry asked.

Cassie said, "These are a few of the children of the Heroes."

Jack was right ... it is a conspiracy. Sultry thought, then said, "What's up?"

"Eva has been kidnapped," Cassie said.

"What are they doing here?"

Cassie explained, "Eva was kidnapped from here."

"What was she doing here?"

"Nobody knows ... at least..." she turned to the crowd, "Hey! Anybody know WHY Eva was here?"

Assorted messages of denial.

Sultry held up a hand and closed into a fist.

Well, one would think that the entire bunch of Cassandrian's sang in the same choir because they shut up instantly and all eyes were on the director; Sultry.

She said, "If nobody knows ... why are you here?"

She pointed to the biggest Heroes son and looked.

"I don't know why ... As for me ... I got a holo call and came instantly."

That produced a few dozen nods and agreements. They all were summoned ... in one manner or another.

"Who called?"

"I don't know."

"How about the rest of you? Who called?"

More denial.

"Looks like there's more to this than meets the eye.

"Traditionally, Cassie, is there anyway to talk to Crossroads without going there?"

"No," Cassie said. "There's nothing in any of the operations handbooks ... and if there's one thing I know ... it's the handbooks. The last ten years have been extremely boring."

"Why didn't they just let you go back to Cassandra?"

"Because Jack wasn't dead."

"You used to go home when Jack and I were on Earth."

"Three weeks before you could come back. That's the rules."

"That didn't happen the second time Jack left Earth for Crossroads."

"I did cuss him out for coming back early." She looked at the Powers, "And then YOU guys showed up and things got sidetracked. I'd have sent him home if you hadn't flustered me."

"Sultry?" asked the Powers that Be.

"What?"

"Have you never tried the watch?"

"Sure," she said. "Hot-rodded all over Earth. Even took the kids off on vacation. Stopped doing that when history didn't line up with the books and Surprise Me got in trouble with the school."

She exhibited a lightbulb moment.

"You mean here?" she asked.

Seven in One nodded.

"Nope," she confessed, "Never have. I mean ... we ... Jack and I played Ducks and Drakes with the Rules as it is ... the watch simply has to be against the rules."

Cassie said, "There's not a single mention of it in the books."

"Really?" Sultry said. "I didn't use it after Jack because ... hmmm"

"OK! Everybody grab somebody. We all need to be touching. Yeah like that," Seven in One shouted.

The Powers that Be looked at Sultry.

"Yes, Ma'am."

She wound the watch.