Empathically, I picked up nothing but candor from him. Needless to say, his impromptu speech had been unexpected and revealed a side of Gray I didn’t know about – would never have guessed existed. Caught flatfooted, I struggled for something to say. Thankfully, Gray saved me the trouble.
“Anyway, I think the focus here is supposed to be on Jack,” he said, “so why don’t we keep the spotlight on him?”
“That would be great,” I proclaimed, “especially since his spotlight is squarely on me. I mean, he’s infiltrating my inner circle, going to my father’s house, popping up at my hangout spot…”
My voice slowly faded as something new suddenly dawned on me.
“What have you given him on me?” I asked pointedly.
“I’m not sure what you’re asking,” Gray replied.
“Well, Jack seems to know a lot about me. Who my friends are, the people I’ve had run-ins with, where I like to hang out. It strikes me that he’s got far more info about me than he should, even given the fact that he’s been able to hoodwink a few people into thinking he was me.”
Gray sighed. “Remember, Jack was created to challenge you, if necessary. That being the case, he needed to know as much about you as possible.”
“So what’s he got?”
“Just a dossier. Mostly big-picture stuff – friends, family, favorite haunts. Light on minor details, like how you like your eggs, favorite video game, and so on.”
I drummed my fingers on the seat for a moment, pondering. “How current is it?”
“It’s pretty topical. Mentions your lovely new fiancée, that you lost your powers temporarily on Caeles, and – according to a time-traveling criminal – that you end up on the Caelesian throne at some point in the future.”
I had to admit to being surprised. Gray had more or less cited the most notable highlights of my visit to Caeles, save perhaps one: the fact that I’d met a future version of myself, who had gone inside my head and manipulated some things. On the whole, however, Gray’s info wasn’t just up-to-date, but also incredibly accurate. I was aware of the fact that he had a wide array of resources, but I couldn’t help but be impressed (although I wasn’t going to let him know that).
After taking a moment to recover, I said, “Doesn’t sound like it’s error-free, but your profile on me is probably close enough to explain how Jack got the bulk of his info about yours truly.”
“And he could talk to your friends to fill in the blanks on the negligible stuff.”
“While pretending to be me,” I added. “You know, it would have been nice if you guys had worked on instilling a nice set of scruples in Jack so he’d realize that kind of thing is wrong.”
“You still don’t understand,” Gray stated in a patronizing tone. “He was created to be a weapon – no different than a gun or a grenade. When’s the last time you heard of a pistol having principles or a code of conduct?”
“Okay,” I snapped back, “forget a code of conduct. How about just a safety catch, or an ‘off’ button?”
A sudden gleam appeared in Gray’s eyes, albeit only momentarily. However, it was enough to tip me off.
“Okay, what is it?” I asked.
“What’s what?” Gray responded, feigning ignorance.
“You’ve got something else on Jack – something you haven’t mentioned yet. What is it?”
“Very good,” Gray said, nodding. “I do have other info, but unfortunately, it’s highly classified. I can only share it with those having the proper clearance. That usually equates to members of my team – and those committed to joining us.”
“So that’s it,” I continued. “That’s the real reason you got me here. You’ve got something to sell me on Jack, and the price is me coming to work for you.”
“No,” he insisted. “That would be a nice outcome, but I’m not so foolish as to think we’re there yet. So, my intention is merely to help you as much as I can within the bounds of my mandate.”
“I think I’ve heard enough,” I said flatly. “I’ll be taking my leave now.”
“Oh, so I get an alert before you depart this time,” he muttered, chuckling. “I must be moving up in the world.”
I rolled my eyes at his comment, but didn’t say anything.
“Seriously though,” he went on, sobering, “feel free to call me if you need me. In all honesty, Jim, I’m just trying to help.”
“Your kind of help comes with too many strings,” I declared, “so thanks for nothing, Gray.”
He smiled. “You know, before all is said and done here, I’m going to have to think of a way to get you to call me Mister Gray.”
“Keep dreaming,” I almost growled. “A mouse has a better chance of marrying a cat and living happily ever after.”
Then I teleported.
Chapter 66
I popped up in Mouse’s lab. My mentor and BT were nowhere around, but I did see a note indicating that they had stepped out for a bite to eat, plainly intent on getting the lunch I had failed to bring back earlier. Not knowing when I’d be back, it was a fairly practical decision on their part, and I spent a moment debating on whether to try running them down. In truth, my discussion with Gray struck me now as a non-event for the most part, as he hadn’t really imparted anything new. That being the case, I decided to follow their lead and get some sustenance myself. Thus, I spent a moment scrawling my own message at the bottom of the aforementioned note (stating that the meeting with Gray was anticlimactic), and then teleported home.
Appearing in the kitchen, I immediately sensed that no one was present but Myshtal. I telepathically reached out to let her know I was around – didn’t want her to hear me making noise and think a prowler was
