Miss Martin was momentarily saved from answering my query by the entrance of the Ossetian archer code-name Shade, given name Sarin Aboev. My eyes roll at her casual entrance, leaning on the doorway as she asks if everything is alright. I barely restrain from telling her that _'no, everything is not alright. I am trying to conduct an investigation and you are distracting me with your remarkably inane questions. I would have imagined a supposedly master archer would be better at aiming for the heart of a matter, but here you are, wasting everyone's time.'_ The need to reprimand Miss Aboev is powerful, but I keep a civil tongue. Mother is fond of repeating old chestnuts, helpful little proverbs that are supposed to guide one in becoming a better person. A special favorite of hers is _'If you can not have anything nice to say then do not say anything at all'._ She repeats it to me on a near daily basis. I do try to listen to her, mother is a remarkable woman after all, but this particular lesson is long in the learning as it would require me to live like a mute hermit. What can I say, other people bring out the worst in me. My problem is that if Shade just used her eyes she could come to her own conclusions as to what is wrong. I am starting to suspect that Magnus Boyle was wrong about this _'team'_ and my place in it. I can hardly see it working out if Shade is indicative of the caliber of my team mates. I take a calming breath, force myself to accept that I'm surrounded by fools regardless of where I am, a peril of consistently being the smartest person in the room, and must learn to deal with the shortcomings of my peers. I refocus my attention on Miss Martin. The supposed oracle, who insists on being called Cassandra (Forcing others to identify her with her Nom De Guerre? _Deduction_; trying to distance herself from her past. Interesting) must be suffering the effects of a migraine, massaging her temple while grimacing mightily (Try being a genius inundated by the insipid questions of the brain dead, then we shall talk about migraines!) That, coupled with the signs of stress I have previously identified, all on top of her earlier shriek, tells me that she is most definitely not fine, regardless of how much she asserts that she is. Mayhap she has issues that she doesn't wish to discuss with myself, a virtual stranger. Perhaps her situation is one she wishes to keep from her new found allies. Maybe she feels if whatever bothers her so will alienate her from us if the truth was to come out. She turns her head slightly from us, a physical cue that most would miss but one that speaks volumes to me. It is a dismissal, her subliminal effort at telling us that she would like to be alone now. Well, Miss Martin, I am afraid to inform you that I care very little for what you would like. Your misfortunes have whetted my appetite for mystery, and now I demand for it hey be slated. Besides, I hate being lied to. I lock eyes with her, fixing her in place, letting her know that I am hardly the type to let such a thing go. "Well, Cassandra. . . " I put extra emphasis on her, fully meaning to harangue my would-be compatriot about the futility of attempting to lie to a man who has mastered the art of reading the subtelties of human facial cues, especially when said lie is as feeble as the one she just spouted, when I am unfortuanatly cut off by blundering entrance of another dim-witted teammate! Woe is me! Tea C. Sun the V, code-named Armory, is in my opinion one of the more interesting of this team, if only for the mystery of her past. Hers is a story I wish to delve into further in the near future, though that hardly excuses her rudely barging into my diatribe. She stutters when she asks what is going on, while either forgetting or choosing not to dissipate the armor she can materialize, even after realizing there is no immediate threat. _Deduction_; Nervous around team mates. Catalog for potential future leverage. A Ditto came from down the hall, just doing routine sweeps of the HQ and also peaked his head into the doorway where the current Question, Shade, Armory and Cassandra were all kind of in an awkward place. "Everything okay, Q? Shade? Armory? Cassandra if you need anything just give us a yell, alright? If your powers are still kinda in a weird state we can get somebody from the League with more experience to help you sort things out..." Ditto's duplicate suggested noticing the sweat on the girls forehead when the air conditioning is set at a cool 65 degrees. "Bloody hell!" I groan loudly, throwing my hands in the air in exasperation. My investigation has become a damnable soiree. I might as well have sent out invitations. I can just picture them now, all printed on salmon pink royal paper, reading _"You are cordially invited to the witness the slow yet inevitable destruction of Charles Ditko's sanity. Dressy casual. RVSP. Buffet provided."_ Well enough is enough! If I must deal with their ignorance then they must deal with mine, mother's chestnuts be damned! I swing on the group, stabbing my index finger at Miss Aboev, Miss Sun and the Ditto clone (I have trouble accepting the clones as actual people. Not very forward of me, I know, but even genius' have their own particular foibles.) "You, you and you" I punctuate each finger stab "Keep quiet or leave!" I swing towards Miss Martin, locking eyes once more. I begin to summon facts related to the lady in question, relevant pieces of information swirling in front of my eyes, useless snippets banished to the back of my head once more. Serenity overcomes me as a I repeat what I know. "Kendra Martins, only child, both parents working full time jobs. Very few friends growing up, exception; Juliet Silverman. Girls grow up together. Witness reports indicate two are extremely close. Silverman perishes supervillain attack, perpatrator designated; Snafu. Martins in early teens at time, retreats from public eye. First reports of vigilante; Foresight surface short time later. Physical descriptions match Kendra Martins. Foresight shows signs of limited chrono related clairvoyance. Exhibits particular vendetta against Snafu. Foresight suspected in apprehension of Snafu. Foresight sightings cease, though series of anonymous police tip offs begin, each alerting authorities of crimes before they happen. Some time later Kendra Martins reported as missing person. Unknown to parents or authorties Martins begins training as Amazon, also functions as soothsayer. Eventually returns as hero Cassandra, helps stop the Tomorrow Woman's bid for power." Serenity recedes as I finish, slowly returning to the real world. I take a deep breath before continuing own. "To the layman these are just the disjointed facts that make up your life, Cassandra. To me they begin to paint the picture of the person living it. You have seen horror and tragedy uncommon, and have come through the other side stronger for it, for the most part on your own. Snafu took something precious from you, so you took his freedom, fitting vengeance. In the doing he nearly killed you, or so the reports say. Even when your mission was finished, you still continued trying to help people, adapting your tactics to suit your abilities at the time. Then for some reason, long after you had confronted your foe, you fled." I pause once more. Another question, one I feel is linked here somehow. Why did she flee to paradise island? _Note to self_; Investigate into why Miss Martins fled to Paradise Isle. Previous findings indicate she is running from her past. Identity which specific part. "You exhibit bravery, tenacity, pragmatism, a fierce willpower and most impressive to me a modicum of intelligence. I sincerely doubt a woman of your capabilities would be sent into a pathetic screaming fit by 'just a feeling'. Your not fine, so don't bother lying to me. It doesn't work. I want to help, in my own fashion. Let me!" Please, please let me. I need this, need it with my entire being. I will her to accept my help, bend my entire spirit and soul into forcing her to say yes. The questions you pose are an itch with a dire need of scratching. I am an addict and you are my fix. Just say yes. Just say yes.