The Others

Chapter 3 - The Mole

    As Lena slurped her coffee, she couldn't help but think of how wretched it was in comparison to the rich, inner city coffee. After a few vile sips she finally asked:

    "Why is this so... this"

    "Disgusting?" asked Sinker

    "No, not disgusting per se, it's just..."

    "Gross, horrible, all of the above?" joked Sampson

    "Don't worry we know" said Sinker, "it's terrible. Why do you think we don't drink any. It's a miracle we even had some grinds at all"

    "It's so different from the stuff I'm used to. Is everything this quality?" asked Lena

    "Yeah I guess so. We make all these amazing things but they're shipped right into the city center. Meanwhile we have to live off the rejected stuff. A pork chop with too much fat, coffee beans that are too small and wrinkly, furry peas. You get the idea." grumbled Red. "It's bullshit really. Working our butts off with no powers to help and getting nothing in return"

    "I never knew things were so bad down here. Back home they always told us the menslik happily served under us and worshipped us. They also said that menslik lived easy lives with machines doing a lot of the hard work" Lena said in reply

    "Yeah well," said Red, "Now you know that's not the first thing that's sketchy about your queen." Just then Gisa came running down the stairs. She sat down and mouthed: Please pretend I've been here all along. Lena gave her a quizzical look but she heard Eli coming down and assumed it had something to do with him.

    "Hey guys what's up?" asked Eli, "Do we have any plans for what's next"

    "No Eli..." Gisa replied. She looked normal but Lena could tell she was nervous. Not only did her powers let her, but also her training to be an interrogator. Gisa was fidgeting a bit too much and avoiding Eli's eyes. "We have no plans to do anything, why do you ask?"

    "Just wanna know what I gotta do! Knowledge is power after all." He answered.

    "Yeah... it is isn't it." said Gisa.

    "Well, I feel a lot better now, thanks to you" Eli noted, shooting a thankful look at Lena. "I think we should start thinking about our next steps. We have a nice magte here who used to be not so nice. Maybe we can do something to make the other magte nice too."

    "Eli might be right," agreed Sinker, crossing her arms, "we could change things with this. Make life better for everyone. We might be able to overthrow the queen even."

    "Or" cut in Gisa, "we could do what we planned to do and lay low. We're still 'missing' after all. Wouldn't want to blow our cover. Also we don't want to overthrow the queen! Don't want anybody to *ahem* think we were against the magte empire. Oh Sinker! I wanted to wash my clothes but can't find the good fabric softener. Could you come help me find it?"

    "But-" Sinker argued while getting pulled off.

    "Come on" hissed Gisa and dragged Sinker away.

    "Well that was weird." remarked Sampson. "Think she's try an get it on with her?"

    "Sampson!" scolded Eli, "It's none of our business who Gisa likes!"

    "Are you jealous lover boy?" teased Sampson. Eli blushed. Then everyone is quite for a bit. Lena reached for her coffee but it was already cold. Sampson got up, walked over to the fridge and took out a pan of brownies. "Who wants some break the ice brownies?"

    "Nice!" exclaimed Eli. He grabbed a brownie and began munching on it happily. "Wow. These are better than I remember."

    "Yeah I modified the recipe a bit." said Sampson. Lena decided to leave before she had to try to follow a brownie recipe conversation. She wondered where Gisa and Sinker were and decided to go find them. She wandered around the house until she heard hushed voices in a room with the door closed. She considered knocking but ultimately decided to just try to walk in. Of course, the door was locked. Lena summoned her strength and with a burst of wind the door flew open. She saw both Gisa and Sinker turn with shocked, then relieved, then angry faces.

    "Invasion of privacy, much?" asked Sinker

    "Oh I'm sorry in the inner city we don't have privacy. Some people just walk around naked." replied Lena

    "Wait, really?" asked a confused Gisa.

    "No! It was sarcasm!" said Lena with exasperation "I came in cause you guys were gone for way too long, and were whispering suspiciously!

    "Sinker, are you sure she's safe? I mean, with what recent information that we learned?" asked Gisa, turning to face Sinker.

    "I don't know Gisa. She might be but if she isn't..." Sinker trailed off.

    "If she is, though, she could be a huge help. Is it worth taking a chance?" questioned Gisa. They looked at each other and silently made an agreement. "Lena we think- we think Eli may be a spy. I heard him talking over a radio to someone he called a queen and mentioned himself not being discovered yet and someone being turned."

    "Eli? A spy? But... how? Why?" Lena stopped to think about Eli's actions for a minute. The crime. The interrogation. Even the sickness. Was this all part of an elaborate plan of the queen? And if so, why? What were his powers? We're there more like him? No, that couldn't be. The queen would have told someone like Lena, who was in her inner circle. It would also cost too much to have a magte at each household in Scoresbia. So what made these 4 so special in the queens eyes? It obviously had something to do with Sinker being a magte, even though apparently nobody else knew. Would they really send a spy to look after one person? Though there was something special about Sinker's powers, she didn't see why a mole would be placed and why Sinker wouldn't have just been dragged off and turned. There was more at stake, and Lena already had suspicions as to what. "Ok. Here's what we do. We make a fake plan to get Eli to come with us away from here. Then at some point, we ditch him."

    "If he is a spy it won't be that easy." stated Sinker, "It'll have to be a long trip. One where we can leave while he sleeps. Also, what about the others?"

    "We leave them clueless until later. The less people know, the easier it will be to pretend that nobody knows." responded Gisa.

    "Alright it's a plan. Let's go before people start to get suspicious" whispered Lena.

    "Suspicious about what?" asked a voice behind them