Daughter of Zeus ✔

21.5

They were seated at a small diner, ready to eat lunch.

Both Shylar and Moretz were completely confident, but Ada and Darcy couldn't sit still. They kept looking around, expecting to get caught. The two girls couldn't understand why they stopped at such an exposed location or why they stopped at all. They were only twenty minutes outside of the city when Shylar suggested they rest, stretch their legs, and get some food.

Darcy whispered her concerns to Ada, who in turn voiced aloud—very quietly—how stupid it was to rest anywhere. She and Darcy thought they ought to keep fleeing and for a very long time.

Calmly, Shylar ate his plate of country fried steak. It was hard to get food dripping in actual fat, and he was most satisfied when the first bite of his steak was crunchy and, above all, grease- filled.

Moretz told the women Shylar's plan, which was really Kressick's plan. In that plan, they didn't have to leave Atlanta, but merely re-locate to another secure set of penthouses on the opposite side of the city.

Moretz finished by saying, "This diner is five minutes from our new safe house. After we eat, we plan for an interstate trip to Aurora."

To the two women, the plan sounded insane. Their flight response was highly active, and they wanted to get as far from Atlanta as they could. Ada was even more insistent to leave right away, as her mother needed her, and she needed to see her mother. However, Shylar and Moretz were aware that leaving wouldn't rid them of their Prominent problem. The Sammies would be able to find them wherever they went. The only other way to beat them was an offensive subversion.

Ada had yet to touch the burger the human waitress brought her. "What's the play here?"

Of the three Corentin's, she was aware of the plan in a generalized way. What she didn't know was how important she was to the plan.

Two Sammies walked into the diner, their heads swiveling back and forth, searching the faces of each patron. Their table was at the back of the restaurant, but visible from the door. The manager pointed out their location to the Sammies.

Ada and Darcy rose up from their seats, but Moretz instructed them to sit back down.

"Why aren't we leaving?" Darcy asked.

The Sammies were thirty feet from them, and all Shylar did was cut up his steak into smaller pieces.

Ada fidgeted. "If I'm supposed to do something, tell me what it is, now."

He chewed, then spoke. "You tell me."

His Zen-like approach to the moment made her face flush. He could almost read her mind. She was thinking this was an intense situation that required quick thinking, and he and Moretz were sitting holding all the details, happy to let her take a guess. She stared between them, and suddenly her eyes widened. Satisfied, Shylar took another bite knowing what she'd realized—both of her male companions wouldn't even be there if Kressick hadn't made sure to make it so.

When the Sammies approached their table, sweat beaded at her brow, as she concentrated, but after a few minutes, the re-wire for the two agents was complete. The pair looked around the diner in a daze before seeming to understand where they were and why.

One of the Sammies knelt to be eye level with Ada. "I promise we will protect you and make sure the State knows nothing of your whereabouts or existence."

She nodded. "Thank you for your service."

The Sammie smiled. "Of course, Citizen. Anything for you."

Without another word, the two Sammies left the diner. No one spoke. The only sounds were Shylar's loud chewing noises.

"Am I going to have to do that every time?" she finally asked.