"This is very strange," said Sage as she observed Tezz's findings. "If your model is an exact representation of what you saw then this means Diana has had access to Sentient technology." She turned to face the scientist. "You are positive of these results?"
"With one-hundred percent certainty," he said, arms crossed. "Although some components appeared to have been homemade, they are still based on that of Sentients. Not to mention how wildly different the interior layout is to a proper Camaro of the time."
"But... that's impossible," Vert said, thoughts drowning in theories. A memory of his own father surfaced, completely unprompted. "Do you think she's telling the truth about her father, or do you think she just made it up?" He looked to the rest of the team. He'd called them together once he made Tezz swear he wasn't wrong.
Agura was the first to respond. "She didn't look like she was lying to me, but then again, who can say for sure?" Then, as an afterthought, "Do you think her father ended up like yours?" The question hung in the air as she watched his expression darken and she regretted not taking a softer tone.
"Could be. Except, he obviously found his way back." The bitterness wasn't as well-hidden as he hoped. "How else could she have gotten her hands on Sentient tech? She would've needed some kind of access to the Battle Zones."
"Maybe it was a freak accident," Spinner offered with a shrug. "Maybe a portal opened in that town and spit out some busted up Zurk or something."
"Do you really believe she is intelligent enough to comprehend that sort of technology? I ask out of genuine curiosity," Tezz added when the others glared at him, Agura specifically.
"While I cannot assess what her intelligence may be," Sage started, "I can confirm that Spinner's theory is incorrect."
"How so?"
"There is no way a Storm Shock could have opened without my knowledge, even if it was not in Handler's Corners."
"It's not possible that you could've made a mistake? Or really just not known?" Sherman questioned.
"No, I am afraid not."
"What about before you came to Earth?"
Everybody spun around to face AJ. The blonde hadn't said a word in the past twenty minutes. He scratched the back of his head, feeling unsure of himself all of a sudden.
"It's just... Well, I was thinking. Didn't you say that Vert saved you and brought you to Earth? You wouldn't have known about any Storm Shocks here if you didn't even know where here was... Right?"
Sage blinked, having not considered that line of reasoning. "That... That is very much a possibility, AJ. One that I had not considered." She couldn't seem to get a firm grasp on anything these days. She felt like she was slipping.
"So..." Stanford said amidst the silence. "You think it's possible she's had Sentient tech way before we made it cool?"
Tezz furrowed his brows as he considered something. As much as he didn't get along with the Canadian, he couldn't disagree with what he'd come up with. "I think AJ is right," he said suddenly, reaching a conclusion.
"I'm sorry, what? Can you repeat that, Tezz, because I know I misheard you." Spinner refused to believe his ears. Tezz agreeing with AJ? It couldn't be true.
Ignoring Spinner because he'd rather not revisit that unpleasant fact, he continued, "Diana's car has a lot of Sentient components but they are not exact replicas of the ones in ours. They seem almost thrown together, similar to the build of my prototype vehicle. They are undoubtedly Sentient in nature but I do not believe they came from an actual Sentient."
"So, the theory is that someway, somehow, Diana–or her father–got ahold of Sentient technology and figured out how to cobble it together into a car?" Vert needed this theory to be sound, though he knew the only way he'd find out for sure was if Diana herself spilled the beans.
"That is the most logical conclusion," said Sage as she gave the schematics a final once-over. "Most of these components do appear to be a replication of Sentient technology, but using the available counterparts of human technology to substitute."
"We need to get her back here, Vert," Agura said. "Should I go try to find her?"
"She said she was gonna be back after grabbing some gear from home," he muttered weakly, eyes closed. He had a headache.
"You do not seriously believe that." Tezz shut his mouth when Vert's eyes snapped open and flicked to him, alight with anger.
"Well, maybe if you could've contained your 'scientific interests' until she was at least asleep or out on a mission, then none of this would be happening." He would be glad they had more information, but not when it could cost them so dearly. It wasn't even that big of a deal. He didn't need Tezz to confirm something he already had a good feeling of.
Agura decided now would be a good time to get Vert some privacy after catching the way even Tezz wilted at his tone. "Vert," she began, nudging the leader away from everyone with a hand on his shoulder, "maybe we should talk about this alone." She looked over her shoulder and sent the remaining team a look that told them to disperse.
They scattered like ants. Even Sage drifted away to give him some space.
"I can't be the only one upset about this," he said, fingers massaging his forehead.
"Of course you aren't," Agura offered, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "But I think you might be overreacting just a little bit."
"How can you say that?" He had to force himself not to raise his voice.
"I know you're mad at Tezz for chasing her off and yeah, I think it was stupid of him too. But I don't think she's leaving for good. She'll be back, I know it. It sounds like she just needs some time to cool off."
"Why are you suddenly acting like you trust her when you were just as suspicious as me in the beginning?" he asked, feeling a little betrayed.
"That's not it, Vert. I'm not trusting her; I'm trusting my instincts. I just have a feeling, y'know?" She gave his shoulder another squeeze.
He took a deep breath. "Is this supposed to make me feel better?"
"Have my instincts ever let you down, Vert?" She felt herself smile when he looked relieved.
"Alright, fine. It's just... I don't know what to do about her now that we know."
"Vert, like it or not, it is what it is. Just because she has Sentient tech doesn't mean she's plotting anything. We found her out driving in the desert. If she's telling the truth about that being her dad's car, then we don't know what happened. He could've passed it off to her as just another car and she has no idea what she's got. Until now, anyway."
"...Maybe you're right."
"We'll get our answers but not by pushing her away like this. I know you don't trust her at all but why should she trust us? How would you feel if you were in her shoes? I think we should just play the whole thing by ear and figure it out as we go. The more we get together and plan, the more put off she'll be."
"Yeah... I guess you're right."
"Aren't I always?"
He chuckled. "I don't know why that still surprises me." He returned her soft smile before breaking away to go for a drive. He needed to clear his head before he could sleep.
