It could be that the Minion Master icon and response was an automated system she set up.. and she is crying because he really IS dead, and she's remembering.

I'm not too sold on the Sasha triple agent idea. I think she probably has her reasons and her regrets (as does Schlock), and she may even come around to the sluggy side in the end, but I doubt there's a third party she's working for.

Possibly, I guess we'll find out shortly.

My suspicion is still that she has Sam at an old MM base and cut off the comms when she found him talking.

The MM chat icon is a bit more ambiguous. It could well be an HC agent or automated bot lurking on MM comms in case someone showed up.

Izzy surrounded by pill bottles and with a MM super scrambler is interesting. She may have already escaped HC and not be in her cell at all when Aylee shows up.

In fact, that looks like a boarded up window behind Izzy.

Looks like Sam unwittingly made a great chess move, because he just took hC's most powerful piece out of play for this scenario. Guess Sam is a pawn for Torg's team after all (figuratively only, I still maintain my Zalia spec - Torg would not have assigned a piece to Sam when he didn't even know he was alive).

Two things are about to happen though:
HC are about to discover Izzy has escaped again
Aylee is likely to be in the middle of it when they do.

Also, Sasha is definitely(ish) still working for HC

It's also possible whoever rescued/stole Sam's remains deliberately set this up.

Sam is bait.

Kusari et al may be in for a surprise.

The Sam encounter will somehow reveal something about Kusari (via ripping of clothes)

And who do you think that could possibly be?


Think again... What other character really knows about Sam (besides Schlock himself)? Weird girl, Sasha. I haven't figured what her ultimate role/play will be, but I don't think taking out Kusari (whether it's Sasha or not) is the aim. If it's Sasha, she's not ready to lay her hand down - If she did, she'd be on her own, as there is no way that Torg et al. would trust her (even with that grand of a gesture - assuming that she could pull it off). No, I think Kusari is just being distracted from the prison break that is about to go down.

As long as Kusari doesn't get called back too soon, I still call this a successful maneuver. Whether it was a deliberate maneuver or just the genius of Sam's dumb luck is another question.

I thought previously that it might have been Sasha who sprung Sam and then set him up to make the call to lure out Torg or HC, but this strip suggests that Sasha is still on board with HC as it is her alerting Schlock in his vid call. Unless that's a double blind.

The idea that this is a prison break distraction move doesn't really work, because Sasha and Sam don't know about the planned break of Izzy and Torg didn't know about Sam until the call commences..

It may well still turn out to be a distraction planned by Sasha for some other purpose. The most likely is still to draw out Torg.

It's possible that Sam was asked to make the call standing obviously beside the MM 13 sign and then he and whoever would bug out. It's also possible that whoever was behind the MM avatar and popped the scramblers will take steps knowing that HC are likely on the way.

No idea who might have set up Sam if it wasn't Sasha (and whoever she might *Really* be working for - MM?). It's waay too subtle and cerebral for Oasis

The only other people who knew about Bjorkea base and Sam's prior dismembered condition might have been Wilden and possibly Strom.

Wilden, however probably didn't know much about Minion Master. It's not clear how much Strom might have picked up from HC about Minion Master or the guys about their activities before he left them in New Jersey, but he has proven very good at finding stuff out in the past.

The very real danger is that HC captures Aylee and discovers the DigBots when she tries to break in to Izzy's cell (to find Izzy not there anyway).

I think either MM or Izzie popped the scramblers

I'm also wondering if Sam has faked a hideout to throw hC.

Sam was probably taken by Philinnon. At least it makes sense in terms of the fact that Philinnon was after him, has the ability to be stealth, and would explain why Sam is warning Torg away from looking for him. What it doesn't explain is why she didn't leave him dead or kill him for good or why she left footprints and fingerprints when she can turn into mist, but it's maybe not entirely clear the degree to which she can carry stuff in mist form. Also, the being at a minion master hideout part doesn't fit well, but maybe he got away. Regardless, we've basically eliminated Sasha and Kusari as possible suspects for taking Sam (unless Sasha is lying and really is a triple agent), which pretty much leaves Philinnon as the only credible known element who could have taken him. I mean, Oasis would also have the skills, but that would make no sense.

I think she's already in a minion master hideout, since she was the brains behind MM anyway, she could have sent her brother's signature. I think she got Torg's message and was just as surprised as Torg was when Sam opened a chat. She responded despite the risk, then fried the transponders. She took a risk just to acknowledge one of her former minions and tell him to stay safe. Who knows, maybe she liked the big galoot. Sam brought back memories. Now she has to move again, or risk being traced.

Aylee won't be that close to the cell, she's supposed to carry her off once Izzy emerges with the digbots. That's not to say she won't be in the middle of things. HC wanted her too.

I predict Tong gets Izzy, but loses Aylee to HC.

Well, I've apparently already used up all my winning spec points. I knew it wouldn't last for long. And you win the spec points for Izzy breaking up on her own!

You also make a good point about Sasha not knowing that the prison break was planned for tonight. Yet, Kusari is baited away from hC headquarters for a reason. And there was a prison break - that, again, was baited. So she may not have known about Torg's plans, but she could have been setting something up - which just happened to coincide with Torg's plans.

Two interesting points to play with right now... (1) Sam warns Torg not to try to find him. And he does so using tech that Sam likely doesn't know how to use. This all suggests that Sam is with someone else, and presumably someone that he trusts. (2) Where does Izzy go - and how does she connect with her brother? What does Sasha know about the Minion Master? If Sam is with her, was MM's response to Sam a surprise or a set up? (OK, that was a few more than "2" - I've forgotten how to count in my old age... ;-))

Uh.... the King..... check....