“But I can’t tell them about this. They’d never trust me.”
“Oh, don’t worry, you won’t have to. You see, if I know Tempest, and I do know Tempest, they won’t take so kindly to the death of two of their Hands...three if you count Randall. Yes, by the way, they think I’m dead. Let’s keep it that way.”
Caine nodded his agreement. “Understood.”
“Tempest will want to take their pound of flesh in return.” Kurtis closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “You all have a target on your back now, which gives you justification and a necessity.” He spread his hands. “Works out pretty well for all of us, don’t you think?”
“Is there anything else?” Caine said, keeping his tone as even as possible.
“Ah, yes. How is Skylar?”
“I’m sorry?”
“The redhead,” Kurtis said, growing visibly impatient.
“I’ve only recently been introduced and,” he noticed Kurtis’ growing irritation, “she seems well. Her and the other young man seem close. That is all I can gather from my observations.”
“Close with Devonte?” Kurtis said, his jaw set tight. “Pathetic.”
“I suppose,” Caine said flatly.
“Try not to agree with me too enthusiastically.”
“Never.”
Kurtis slumped back in his chair. “Well, she’ll come around,” he said. “One way or another.”
Caine said nothing.
“That’s all,” Kurtis said. The screen went blank.
“So those are his true colors?” MacPherson said, emerging from the shadows to the right of the screen. “Traditional megalomania, narcissism, and a hyper-fixation on our biologist. Lovely.”
Caine didn’t know whether to address the woman by her former title or her new one, so he spoke around having to use either. “You now know what I told the Lieutenant,” Caine said, “right from his very mouth.”
“Yes,” MacPherson said, “you’ve earned, not my trust, it’s still too early for that, but you’ve earned my acknowledgment.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Exactly what he asked you to,” MacPherson said. “You’ll check in with him regularly with my supervision and try to glean as much information from him as you can. When we have enough, we’ll drag him down into the pit with the rest of his organization.”
“So I am still stuck in a world of shadows and lies,” Caine said, his voice a despairing whisper.
“War is a game of shadows, Caine,” MacPherson said. “But what you’re doing now, is dragging it kicking and screaming into the light. And when it’s done, you’ll be there too.”
Caine looked up, the first hints of tears burning at the corners of his eyes. “Thank you,” he said.
“Don’t mention it.” MacPherson paused for a moment as if working through a difficult problem. At last she said, “And let’s keep this operation between us for now. Too many voices, and secrets start spilling.”
“I understand.”
“Good,” she said, “now get going, the government liaison should be here any minute for the inauguration ceremony, and you still have to change into your new, official uniform.”
“The masks?”
“Not for these. Our tactical gear for combat situations utilized the tech and a version of the design from your masks. The technology inside was a step ahead of our own. I guess that’s what happens when you kidnap or blackmail so many of the world’s greatest minds.”
“People will work very hard to ensure their safety and the safety of their family,” Caine said.
“Yes, I suppose they would.” MacPherson moved to the door. “Go change, be back here in no more than ten minutes.”
“Yes...” Caine paused, stuck again on the rank and title.
“Commander,” MacPherson said.
“Yes, Commander.”
“And Caine?”
“Yes, Commander?”
“Welcome to the team.”
As Caine walked down the hall to his quarters, he realized that, for the first time in a long time he was smiling. He had new purpose. And perhaps, he thought, I have found people who value me for more than just my usefulness.
#
Devonte pulled at the tight uniform. “Are jeans and a t-shirt really not an acceptable uniform?”
“You know, when I invited you to be my roommate in this place, I didn’t expect you to complain so damn much,” Brannigan said.“Buck up, this is mostly a formality. Unless we’ve got something important going on, I doubt anyone will care what you wear.”
Devonte fiddled with the pin, sticking himself as he tried to put it on. The blue lightning bolt slicing through the black circle glistened on his uniform. MacPherson had told him it was a tribute to Inkanyamba, the first kaiju they ever defeated. Brannigan had then made a joke about the team name, which had earned him an ice-cold glare.
“Six months, huh,” Brannigan said. “Feels like forever ago.”
“No,” Devonte said. “I think it’s all happened so fast…like everything with Inkanyamba was just yesterday.”
Brannigan opened the room door. “You gonna stare at yourself in the mirror all day, or are we going to get this over with?”
“I definitely can’t just stay here?”
“Do you want to get booted before we even get officially started?”
Devonte grumbled, adjusted his collar one more time and followed Brannigan into the hall. “Is the president going to be there?”
“No, heard he’s on vacation. Suppose it will be the veep doing the honors.”
“Small blessings,” Devonte said.
“I hear you.”
They entered the room to find everyone else already gathered. Several familiar faces turned to greet them. Devonte scanned each one of them. Skylar, MacPherson, Greenwood, Gunner, Arnett, and a dark-skinned man Devonte didn’t recognize. The man seemed to notice Devonte’s lack of recognition and strode over to him, hand extended.
“Caine,” he said.
“Devonte.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“Yeah,” Devonte said, “how do you fit in to all of this?”
“I betrayed Tempest to join you.”
“I see.”
“Rhodes,” the commander called, “you’re already late, care to not hold us up any further?” She gestured for him to join the group.
The commander had been talking to a man in a perfectly fitted tan-suit. The Vice President of the United States. His weathered complexion was complemented by a short crop of salt and pepper hair. He gave a genuine smile as Devonte approached and the whole team gathered around him.
“Well look at this,” he said. “What a fine group of people here today.”
“They’ve proven their mettle,” the commander
