[SPOILER] Right, but that's what I mean about a lie that's obviously a cover story - with this sort of elaborate double cross, I don't think they'd want to run the risk of the heroes actually believing the Killer Croc story and having that work against Cassandra. I'd think they'd want to spread a story that people would notice didn't add up.
That being said, I'm not sure Cassandra blew her cover needlessly so much as, both her and Onyx were wrong or lying about what the goal was. Rather than it being a long term spying mission, that this was meant to be a retrieval for Orphan and the data. Because if the Team assumes the worst and thinks that they're both spies, then the Team would also assume they're both trying to cement their trustworthiness long term, and won't do anything to jeopardize it, and that let Cassandra blindside Artemis when her actual goal was more immediate. If everyone thinks you already have a good reason for doing something, they won't go looking for another, and passing off a quick con as step one of a long one makes it more likely people won't interfere because they think they have a surplus of time to observe and ferret out what your goal is. If that's the case, then there wouldn't be much benefit to keeping her cover- they're in the middle of the fortress, backup has been waiting this entire time, the fog just has to make it 4 feet to get into the upload tube.
If mental conditioning is on the table, I also think there's some chance the point wasn't Onyx - but rather Tigress. Luring her in, then installing some sleeper commands, so that she, a trusted member of the Team, can be made to sell their story - that might be worth trying, especially when after the whole 'broken arrow' thing they have experience with sleeper agents who don't know they're sleepers (I'm still expecting Artemis to call in a favor with Diana to borrow the lasso of truth just to be on the safe side, if she's in full control of herself after all this.)
Though in the end, the Light's MO is to pack as many different goals into a single mission as possible. So any 'this was the REAL goal' speech we get next time isn't necessarily what they wanted in the planning stage, it'll just be whatever part of the plan they actually succeeded on. [/SPOILER]
Karrin Blue
posted @ Sun, Nov 21, 2021 8:52:59 am EST from 68.9.91.142