After a smooth, tactical landing on a white sandy beach, we disembarked and made our way towards a luxurious and heavily guarded seaside mansion.

"One of my favorite hideouts." Carmen whispered to me. "We're the only ones on this island. I call it The Cay."

"I'm sure you do. ACME Agents have nicknames for everything."

Carmen brushed off the jab. "Just like you, Red, I can't escape all traces of my past."

We entered the home now, into a foyer that was more like a rotunda, complete with a dome in the ceiling which let bright sunbeams in through faceted cut glass. There was a double stairway, with ornate mahogany banisters, leading up to the next floor. A small balcony was at the top, where one could pause and take in the ocean view in the floor to ceiling windows that were behind me.

"Your room is up and to the left, first door." Carmen instructed. "I am sure you wish to clean up and rest. I will send up an invitation to dinner with Marionette in a few hours."

"I'll walk with you." O'Malley offered.

"I'll pass." I said, starting up the stairs and onto the second level. He followed regardless, holding the bedroom door open when I attempted to swing it shut on him.

"Why are you being a brat?" he demanded.

"I'm sorry, Instructor, need I remind you that I went from being on being on an Training assessment to whatever the fuck this is?"

"You are much safer here than -"

"That wasn't for you to decide!" I screamed. O'Malley blinked, shaken by the blast of my ire. "And did you forget that she's a criminal too? What happened to you?"

He walked towards me tentatively. "You're right, on all counts."

I shook my head, stepping back. "I trusted you."

"You still can, Red."

"No." He was arms length away from me now, and I shoved him further. "I can't. Devineaux doesn't know shit about what you're up to, so it's not sanctioned by ACME, Falcon thinks you're with them, and now this?"

"I promise you, Red. It's hard to explain, but believe me. We're still on the same team."

"Get away from me."

"Red -

"Get out!" I yelled.

He held up both hands, a gesture of surrender. "Okay. I'm leaving."

Sean backed out of the room, and closed the heavy oak door softly behind him. Overwhelmed, I flopped face down on the queen sized bed in the middle of the room and stifled tears in sheets that felt like Egyptian cotton. Exhaustion took over and I closed my eyes, waking later to a lithe female sitting on the edge of the bed.

"What do you want?" I asked her, my throat raw.

"When have you last eaten?"

"I don't know." I turned my face away from her. "Please leave me alone, Carmen."

I could hear her exhale quietly. "You must take care of yourself while you're here, Isabella. That includes grooming and a proper diet." When I didn't respond, she continued. "You are not a prisoner here by any means, but to ensure everyone's safety, there are some house rules."

"If I'm not a prisoner, I want to go back to ACME."

"If it was so easy for O'Malley to take you here, it's not safe for you to do so."

"The only way Sean could ever 'take me' is for granted." I scoffed. "I willingly went with him, thinking I would find some answers."

"How valiant of you." Carmen commented wryly, cutting my bravado in half.

"Either way, I'm unaccounted for, and ACME is wasting resources searching for me - resources that could be used to find my father."

"Didn't I promise I would help you?"

"So?" I shrugged. "There's no honor among thieves."

I could sense her flinch, and a part of me regretted my sharp tongue. She recrossed her legs. "I understand why you are lashing out, Isabella. It is the only form of control you have at the moment. Nonetheless, I intend on keeping my word - if you keep yours. You are not to talk to the house staff outside of Marionette, you are not to enter rooms on this floor except your own, and you are not to attempt communication with anyone outside this island."

"Okay." I answered dryly. "So what am I supposed to do?"

"Anything else you wish. My home is your home. Although if you are taking requests, I would like you to start by taking off that awful uniform and washing off some of your journey."

I turned now to display my distaste fully, but the woman looked back at me with a gentle gaze, with a warmth I didn't quite understand.

"I will send Marionette up here with a late supper, and leave you undisturbed for the rest of the evening." she said as she rose. "In the morning I will show you around the island."

"Fine."

"Good evening, then."

I watched as she left, her high ponytail swishing in the air as she did. Once the door closed, I drew myself to a seat, pulling off my clothes and leaving them in a pile unceremoniously by the four poster bed. Then I went into the adjacent bathroom. There was no shower, only a large, rectangular tub which faced an impressive view of the lush green island. On a small vanity, there was a luxury brand of both body wash and bubble bath, and underneath, shampoo and conditioner. I decided to run myself a bubble bath and turned the gold tap on, filling up the modern tub. Once adding bubbles, I noticed there were jets in the bottom, stirring up the water and creating a pleasant smelling froth. Stripping down fully, I lowered myself into it and sighed. From my vantage point in the tub I studied the terrain. The sky and the waters were void of activity, and the thicket of the forest in the distance seemed impenetrable. The plane that had brought me here was a military one, not used for long distances, so I figured I was somewhere decently remote in the Pacific, but maybe not further than Hawaii.

Tomorrow I'll see how they bring supplies to the island. I reasoned. That's probably going to be my best way of getting off. Feeling armed with the beginnings of a plan, I began to enjoy my soak, sitting in the water until the tips of my fingers and toes wrinkled. A fluffy towel sat on a rack at arms length, and I reached for it, pleasantly surprised to find it warm. Wrapping it around me, I padded my way on the dark wooden floor to the vanity, finding on the shelves toothpaste, a toothbrush, and an assortment of lotions and body oils. I chose one labeled coconut, and massaged the liquid into my still damp skin. Then I brushed my teeth, which felt as if they were coated with a thin layer of fur. Finally clean and now wrapped in an ivory silk robe, I returned to the dormitory part of the suite.

The pile of clothing I had left was discreetly removed, and a silver tray was sitting on the writing desk. I could smell the dish from here, soupe à l'oignon, and my stomach betrayed me with a rumble. I admitted to myself that I probably should eat to keep up my strength, but after exploring more of the room first. Adjacent to the sleeping area was a small sitting room, where I could enjoy more of the view, while reading one of the many colorfully bound titles from a bookshelf embedded into the wall. The door next to it led into a walk in closet, one of the largest I had ever seen. Expectedly, most of it was empty, but there were a few sundresses hanging towards the front, with a selection of shoes underneath. In the first few drawers was a simple collection of basics - shirts, underwear, bottoms. The fabric felt good quality, and in my size, but there were no labels to give any hint of where they were purchased or made.

Old habits die hard. I thought, knowing this to be a quirk of ACME's Undercover and Special Operations. I selected a dark colored t-shirt and matching leggings, and returned back to the bedroom to have my meal.

The next morning, I washed my hair with the conditioner, leaving some in. I arranged my damp curly locks on top of my head in a messy bun. I then put on a yellow sundress, which ended right before my knees. I paired this with some white Keds, walking in the stiff shoes to the sitting room. I stood before the window, watching the sunrise. There was a discreet tap at the door.

"Bonjour, Mademoiselle." It was who I assumed to be Marionette, a pleasantly corpulent woman who was dressed in a neat pastel green uniform. She had bottle blond hair, and freckled arms from the island sun.

"Hi. I actually don't need anything -

"Madame Sandiego insists on your company today for breakfast." she interrupted, continuing on in French, adding a pardon once realizing her blunder. I did not acknowledge the statement, just continued to watch as the sun climbed out of the sea and over the hills, as it always did, without care for what was going on in the world underneath it.

Once she had left, I went to check the side drawer, where I had left both O'Malley's challenge coin and a small penknife which had belonged to my father. Both were still there, and I slipped them into my bra, not wanting either item to be discovered.

About an hour later, there was a soft knock again.

"Yeah?" I called.

Carmen's face filled the doorway. "Did you not get my message from Marionette?"

"I didn't know what she was saying. I don't speak French."

A reproachful look formed on her elegant features. "Your adopted father says otherwise. Come, Isabella, please. I am willing to answer your questions with the truth that you deserve."

"Bof." I replied, but got up all the same, following Carmen's lead downstairs and into the dining room. She occasionally glanced back at me as she walked.

"You've grown up to be both smart and beautiful." she said in explanation. "Devineaux is going to have his hands full with you."

"I'm sure he already does, thanks to all this." I noted. "Which is not helping the fact that he doesn't like me to begin with."

She laughed, the sound melodic. "My apologies. If anything, I would say that he does enjoy your spirit, but knows what it can lead to through experience and wants to prevent you from suffering the consequences."

The dining room table was set, and Carmen took her place at the head, with me sitting at the right. There was a selection of fluffy waffles, vibrant colored fruits, eggs, sausage, and orange juice. I put a little bit of everything on my plate.

"You look a lot better." Carmen began, drinking a steaming liquid from a teacup. "I am glad to see that you rested well."

"Thank you." I nibbled on an apple slice. "Where's O'Malley?"

"Sean works for me on a contractual basis." she explained, buttering her toast. "I learned of Falcon's plot through Ethan Morris, and simply paid him more to bring you here instead."

"So he was going to deliver me to them, if not for you."

"He is quite fond of you, Isabella, so I wouldn't put it that simply." She took a neat bite. "It was a large personal risk for him to do this. If ACME releases the fact that he was the one who kidnapped you at Main Street, he will truly be burned."

"And you're not going to do anything about it?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Naturally, I will say I intercepted and took you from him. But it is still a serious blunder, and Falcon is not known to be forgiving."

I suddenly lost my appetite, and set down my fork. Carmen tilted her head sympathetically.

"I have other safe homes, choupette, which he has access to. He just cannot stay here….it is not good to keep all the eggs in one basket."

"Anything about my father?"

"I have reached out to my networks. He is fine, possibly in Nicaragua. Falcon has plans to approach ACME with a ransom, which is what I believe they intended to do with you."

"ACME won't pay for it."

"They might discreetly." Carmen took a long sip from her cup, setting it down with a soft tinkle. "Shadow Hawkins is a valuable asset, not to mention a friend of the Chief. The problem is, even if they do... Falcon is not VILE. They are ruthless, and will kill him regardless."

"And what is your game plan in all of this?"

"You're a powerful bargaining chip, Isabella. I have things I want from both entities…."

"So if Falcon bids higher, you'll give me to them?" I poured syrup on my waffles with a scoff. "And here I thought you were keeping me safe out of the goodness of your own heart."

"If you knew your history, you wouldn't say that." Her voice dropped, slightly hurt. "But no. I would never."

Her mention of history reminded me of Gil. "I know you went undercover within Falcon when you were with the Agency."

"Yes." I noticed that her face was still pleasant, but her hand was trembling slightly.

"You were with my father, Maximilian."

"A few women were, but yes. I was. We became very close. I was more like a partner and an advisor to him, and less of a lover or an amusement. This is what the Agency wanted."

"Did you know my mother?"

Her hand began to shake more visibly, and she placed them under the table.

"Yes." she finally decided. "I knew her, but not intimately. She was his wife, of course."

"Did he speak to you about what he was going to do to me, then?"

"No." I could see an unexpected mist in her deep blue eyes. "Regrettably, around your mother's death I had left Falcon for my own reasons."

"They say you got pregnant and ACME wouldn't pull you from the OP."

"One part of that is true." Her words were delicate. "ACME refused to pull me from the operation. I was in too deep, and they were so close to their goal…"

"So you went and formed this."

"I united most of the bottom feeders who would be sucked into an organization like Falcon and kept them busy with my pet projects." She shrugged. "I won't apologize for that. And with my resources, I've been keeping Falcon down."

"But now?"

"You are Maximilian's only child, a legitimate one at that. I believe that he originally wanted to entice you with giving you Falcon while you are at your most impressionable."

"After all he's done."

"He views it as business." It was her turn to scoff now. "A necessary evil. But the situation has changed. After your rescue, it brought a new era for ACME. It was a tangible victory, one they could use to justify the harm to others."

"Carmen, I'm sorry."

She waved her hand. "Do not apologize for the horror inflicted on you. I was glad to know you were taken in by the Agency."

"How has the situation changed?"

"Maximilian knows now that you won't be easily convinced. And killing you would wound the Agency immensely. But Falcon would extort them first."

"For what?"

She dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. I could tell she was using the pause to think."What do you know about the Chronoskimmer?"