Discoveries

"We need to come up with a plan, and come up with it now," Lucy muttered, watching at Aarti's mom and Mr. Scary barreled towards the group of guards in front of them. "Because while heroic, that's just going to get them killed."

"No," Aarti replied mildly, slicing a sharp glance Lucy's way.

"Yes, because they've caught her before," Lucy retorted. "I don't know how. Jebediah probably knows, but we're all pretty not knowing just what he knows."

"I could still say," Jebediah said, earning himself a sharp poke in the side from Court. "Just saying," he continued, dancing aside and causing Niles Jr., still in his possession, to giggle.

"Didn't you say he knew your biomom?" Lucy turned to Kathryn who was lurking in a clot with Sol and Kuro.

Kathryn reluctantly nodded.

"He didn't say who it was, though," Kathryn added. Sol drifted to her side in a silent show of solidarity. "It's okay," Kathryn told her with a smile. "I'm not made out of sadness. It's not a big thing."

"You're ours, and that's that," Sol told her firmly, winding an arm around Kathryn's. Behind her, Kuro nodded in agreement. The current size disparity between them and Kathryn was slightly amusing.

"And the twins are going to run out of juice soon," Court added with a sigh. "And I'm talking about both sets." He shrugged as Lucy shot him a warning look. "Lucy's right. We need a plan."

"Most of the high value targets are here. Hopefully Cassidy will be able to get the rest out safely." Aarti unslung the bow off of her back. "We just need to buy enough time."

"Plus, we still have the hat," Dawnie added, glancing towards Don who was now wearing the hat again. "Maybe we can show them we have it and distract that way?"

Lucy contemplated. Her eyes skipped over the kids grouped up behind her in the hallway. There were only her, Court, Ella, Aarti, Niles and his little baby mama, the twins, this new girl Kathryn, Morris, Dawnie, Jebediah, Don, and a few others she barely recognized from the first escape. That was a problem. She wasn't familiar with them or with what they were able to do. After what happened the last time, Lucy wasn't going to involve Trolli in any schemes.

"Wait, we do have extra firepower. We have Kathryn," Lucy said, turning to look at Court. "Look up old news feeds. If he knows her biomom, then other people will know that they have been in contact." Lucy frowned. "They should have appeared at the same time at some point fighting something."

"On it," Court said, collapsing to the floor cross-legged. The silver laptop reappeared in his hands, humming as he opened it. "You're what? Twelve? Thirteen?" He directed towards Kathryn.

"Twelve," Kathryn said. She glanced at Sol, biting her lip. "I'm the third in my series. The other two were unacceptable, but there was only a year's development between us."

"Fourteen years then," Court said with a nod. "Missing magician girls fourteen, fifteen years ago," he muttered as the sound of tapping filled the hallway.

"They're not going to catch her," Aarti muttered, drifting closer to the battle going on.

Mr. Scary had tossed a smoke grenade of some sort into the crowd, buying them some leeway. Aarti's mom had just waded in. She was fierce, and guards were falling at her feet as if she were reaping wheat. The guards closest to the exit were turning to join the fight. The very sight of that told Lucy that there had been something going on outside that had lured their attention.

She clenched her fist, glancing at Jebediah. He was cooing at Niles Jr., a happy look on his face. That was new. Lucy couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him happy over something that wasn't Rena or some weird lab equipment.

Lucy's look shifted to her brother. Niles was staring at the fight with a conflicted look on his face. His fists were clenched, and his baby mama was clinging to him like some weird little brown-haired limpet. Lucy could almost see the cords in his neck. It didn't take a rocket scientist to recognize the stifled bloodlust starting to curl around him.

Aarti was also staring at the fight. Or rather, her gaze was fixed on her mother. Aarti's grasp on the strange bow without a string was white-knuckled, and it was obvious that she was stopping herself from joining in.

Beside her, Court made a triumphant noise. Lucy smiled. Court was always so reliable.

"Her name was Zatanna." Court looked up at Kathryn. "Your birth mom was hot."

"Court!" Lucy felt a strange stirring in her heart, as if a little fire was starting.

"Not as hot as you," Court hurriedly said with a glance in her direction. Lucy could feel the fire kindle brighter. "She spoke some sort of gobbled gook to make the magic happen."

Jebediah and Lucy crowded around his laptop as he turned up the sound. Jebediah frowned before his expression cleared.

"Backwards! She's speaking backwards." Jebediah turned towards Kathryn. "Try saying 'retaw.'"

"What?" Kathryn frowned at them. She glanced at Sol who shook her head in shared confusion. "That's not a word."

"But it's a backwards word," Jebediah said. "Go on. Try it just once."

"Retaw?" Kathryn hesitantly said.

They all jumped as a clump of water splashed down. Lucy looked up at the dry ceiling. Then she shared a wide-eyed look with Jebediah.

"Find more backwards words," Lucy said. "Everyone! Think! Backward things."

"Backwards elemental things," Sol added after a moment's thought. "We have to figure out the pronunciation. I don't think it'll work just saying anything."

"Or she'd be weaponized by now," Kuro finally said before going back to lurk in his sister's shadow.

"Figure it out, people! And fast!" Lucy ordered as Court continued his search. "Anything else?"

"I think I got a feed from someone outside," Court said. He grinned up at her. "You won't believe what's going on out there."