Gray laughed. “You’re not putting two-and-two together here. We track Jack. It may take us a few minutes after he teleports, but we can usually get a bead on his location pretty quickly. Shortly afterwards, we’re typically able to put eyes on him – sometimes by satellite if he’s outside, or a building’s security camera, or a direct line of sight by one of our agents, and so on.”
“And naturally you can see if he’s with someone,” I added, catching on. “And in my case, once he left, you’d call me.”
“Excellent deduction,” Gray droned. “We’re going to be lucky to have you on the team.”
His statement brought up a question that I had never really gotten a straight answer to. I contemplated for a moment, and then decided to ask.
“So why me?” I asked. “What’s the big deal about having me work for you?”
Gray gave me a frank look. “As I’ve said before, I hate this job. I’m ready to retire. But I can’t just walk away – it would be irresponsible of me, especially considering who might be taking over when I leave. There’s just too much power that goes with the position. And you know what they say about power.”
“It corrupts,” I quoted.
Gray nodded. “Right. So I need to bring in someone who won’t be corrupted by what the job offers because they already have almost-limitless power.”
“Hold up,” I said. “Are you saying you want me to replace you?”
“It wouldn’t be immediate,” he countered. “I can’t just hand over power and authority willy-nilly. There would be a transitional period.”
“How long?”
“A couple of years.”
I frowned. “What’s a ‘couple’?”
“Five…maybe ten.”
“Ten years!”
“Yeah, but it goes by fast,” he said with a wink.
I shook my head in derision. “I can’t even think that far down the road. But even if I could, what makes you think I won’t get corrupted like others around you?”
“There’s no guarantee you won’t,” he admitted, “but from what I’ve seen, I think it’s less likely than most. I mean, you’re incredibly powerful now, but you’re not abusing your gifts the way others might. You’re not sneaking into movies, stealing money out of locked vaults, teleporting people you don’t like into City Hall naked, or turning invisible and slipping into the girls’ locker room. You’re using your abilities responsibly.”
Empathically, it felt like he was being honest and forthright, with no hint of guile or deceit. Taken with the things he’d said, it almost felt like we could actually work together – something I couldn’t have even fathomed a week ago. And then I remembered: this was a master manipulator I was dealing with, a guy who was using me as his stalking horse in the situation with Jack. I might be forced to work for him, but it would be a mistake to trust him or let my guard down around him.
“Why don’t we cross that bridge when we come to it?” I suggested. “We need to deal with my evil twin first and then we can figure out the details of our future working relationship.”
“Fine, fine,” Gray intoned, nodding.
“So, is there anything else I need to know about Jack?”
“Actually,” Gray muttered, his eyes narrowing, “there is one thing…”
Chapter 81
I floated in the air outside a dilapidated, three-story building on the outskirts of the city. It was the former headquarters of a cement company that had shuttered ten years earlier during the last major downturn in the economy. Although the main entrance to the building had a sign posted that said “Keep Out,” a busted lock and the way the door stood ajar signaled that the sign had failed to fulfill its duties. It was obvious that, over the years, various individuals entered and exited at their leisure. At the moment, however, I was only interested in one: Jack, whom the tracker indicated was inside.
Mentally, I went over my plan once again. It had pretty much been made on the fly following my meeting with Gray about an hour earlier. With little planning, it obviously wasn’t perfect but was probably the best that could be achieved under the circumstances.
My thoughts were interrupted a moment later by my cell phone going off. It was on vibrate, but had been ringing almost constantly for the last sixty minutes. I knew without looking that it was Mouse.
I was tempted to simply let it go unanswered, as I had since my mentor had begun calling. However, bearing in mind what was next on my agenda, it was possible that I wouldn’t get another opportunity to speak to him again. With that in mind, I hit the “Answer” button.
“Jim,” Mouse said without preamble, “I know you’re upset, but think about what you’re doing.”
“I already have, and I’ve decided.”
“But you don’t have to do this. Your grandfather’s going to be fine, and he wouldn’t want this.”
“I know, but what if I hadn’t been there? What if I’m not there next time? Do you know how I’ll feel if somebody dies because of Jack – because I didn’t stop him, or even try?”
“We’ll find a way to stop him,” Mouse argued. “I promise. But not like this.”
“I’m sorry, Mouse,” I said softly. “I have to go.”
I hung up before he could say anything else and put my phone away. Then I phased and flew into the building.
*****
I found my quarry on the second floor near the middle of the building, in what appeared to have been an office bullpen. The space was divvied up into cubicles, each of which had a desk and chair. A thick layer of dust covered almost every visible surface, indicating that it had been a long time since the space had been utilized for its intended purpose.
Jack stood in what appeared to be the main walkway between cubicles, dressed as he’d been the night before. He smiled as I flew towards him, then began to clap his hands in applause.
“It’s about time,” he said. “I was starting to think I’d have to
