A Twist of Destiny Bk. 02

"People will know your face, David. You couldn't go out into public."

I abruptly changed myself to look like his identical twin, uniform and all. "Sir, I can go anywhere and be anyone I want." Before he could respond, I turned back into my normal self, but this time my hair was at the same length it was before I joined the Army. "I can blend in, disappear, alter my appearance... and my family, believe me, sir, is perfectly content to enjoy the anonymity of our new home, which is more secure than Fort Knox." As an afterthought, I shortened my hair back to Army regulation standards.

The general was quiet for a second as he parsed that. Finally, he said, "Fort Knox? Really?"

"I wasn't exaggerating, sir," I told him. "I'd know about an intruder before he even knows he's coming. I've got an early warning system that would make your head spin."

"You're talking, of course, about your daughter."

And that brought me up short. He hadn't said anything about Holly in almost a year except to ask how she's doing in the way that anyone would ask how one's kids are- politely and without motive. I shouldn't have surprised me, though, that he knew about her.

"When did you know, sir?"

Hannis seemed annoyed at the question. "Before you did, really. David, I work for the United States Government. You think we don't have some experience in keeping a few secrets of our own and playing our cards close to the chest? Of course we knew! You've been part of this project long before you were officially inducted into it. We know about your daughter's time-travel ability, your wife's horticultural ability, your son's miraculous recovery after that nastiness a few months ago, the preparation you gave yourself in Afghanistan... as I told you in the very beginning, son: we know everything. And, before you ask, no, our knowledge doesn't come from surveillance. It came from you, a future version of you."

It took me a few moments to keep myself under control as I thought that through. It's not often that I get the wool pulled over my eyes, but the general definitely caught me flat-footed. Once I'd regained my composure, I said, "I see. But, apparently, you are only aware of certain things. If you knew that I'd win the lottery, you'd have already reached a decision and it wouldn't have come as much of a shock to you. So what to do is still a gigantic question mark. As far as I can tell, sir, my best suggestion is on the table. Let the President call the next shot."

He studied me carefully and saw that I was right. After a moment, though, he almost seemed relieved. "Very well, David. I'll call him and see what he says. Meanwhile, you're still on unofficial leave from the Team while Operation Lucky Strike gets underway."

I gave him a lopsided grin. "I still can't believe you called it that," I said. "I mean, I get it- he's lucky and we're pretty much striking out in the dark- but it's just so hokey."

"Believe it or not," Hannis replied as he picked up the phone, "Doctor Lamb was the one who came up with it. Now scoot, David. I've got a pretty difficult phone call to make and I don't like people watching while I get shouted at by the Boss. I'll let you know what his decision is."

Still being a good soldier, I gave him a salute and then vanished from his sight.

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"You've recently won the lottery. According to Army regulations, you can no longer serve due to possible conflicts of interest which might arise from being so affluent. Was this the reason behind your decision to resign from The Guardians?"

I looked out at the room from behind the microphone stand. It was packed almost wall-to-wall with reporters and cameramen. The news of my resignation from the team, as we expected, was received in much the same way that a bleeding cow which has been dropped into the ocean might attract a pack of sharks. The media seemed to explode into a frenzy of questions and speculation and it had taken several minutes to get them sorted out and quiet before we could continue with the press conference. As soon as the President had made the announcement, I had unmasked myself and suffered the indignity of dozens of flashing cameras being directed at me.

"In part, yes," I answered.

Another question was fired at me. "Now that you're no longer part of the team, are you going to quit being NightShade?"

I gave that journalist a dirty look. "I could no more quit being NightShade than you could stop yourself from asking such dunder-headed questions as that. It's a part of who I am now. I have these abilities and it would be a travesty to not use them in a positive way, don't you think? Or do you think?"

"But if you aren't going to be part of the team, how will you be able to do your... job effectively?" another journalist asked.

I cast a glance at the President and he gave me the most subtle nod. I then returned my attention to the throng of reporters. "At present I am on a sort of probation. I may work alone and retain my former authority as a law enforcement officer at large, but I'll be watched closely. If my continued service doesn't besmirch the United States Government, they may hire me on to be a full member of the team. For the time being I'm a solo act. Next question."

"You have an account on an erotic fiction website and you've written a large number of stories that are devoted to incest. How can we trust that you're worthy of being a hero in light of that fact?"

I smiled devilishly at that question. We knew that it would come up. General Hannis wanted to bury it but I convinced him to let it ride. He didn't like it but did so when the President backed me up. "I have three answers to that question. One: before that wonderfully salacious bit of information came to your attention, you were totally oblivious to it and accepted me as a hero- and not once have I done anything to indicate that I was unworthy of being regarded as such. Nothing has changed, except that, now you know who I am.

"Second: I wrote fiction, which is perfectly legal. So does Stephen King and no one seems to be in a hurry to vilify him as an axe murderer. One of the greatest science-fiction writers of the last century, Robert Heinlein, pointedly included incest in some of his novels and yet he posthumously holds the title of Grand Master of Science Fiction and, even now, one of his novels is required reading at the Army's Officer Candidate School. A person is not what they write."

I then concentrated pointedly on the reporter and reached into his mind. It took me only a few seconds to pull out exactly the kind of information from it that I'd hoped I would find. "Thirdly: as practically everyone on the planet knows by now, I am empathic and a reading telepath, which means I can read your mind. Therefore, perhaps you would like to explain your deep obsession with certain underage actresses and the many fake nude pictures of them that exist on your home computer and even the few that you carry in your cell phone right now. It's legal because those images are fakes, but it still calls into question your trustworthiness as a public figure, too. I mean, why not put yourself under the microscope? You help to shape public opinion, do you not? All I have is a long history of saving lives and bringing very evil men to justice. Everyone has flaws, Mister Pollard. Everyone. Even him," I cast a sideways nod to the President.

"I didn't have years of training and education to make me into NightShade. I became NightShade almost literally over night. I had almost no choice in the matter and it came as quite a surprise to me when it happened. I never intended to become NightShade. You, on the other hand, spent a great deal of time in becoming what you are today. What makes you so much better than anyone else in this room when you're just as flawed? Frankly, if you're not breaking the law, you're welcome to continue indulging in your perversions. Shouldn't David Shayles, who never expected to become NightShade, have the same rights as you?"

"But you aren't like me!" Pollad countered.

To which I solemnly replied, "I am as human as anyone and always have been, where it counts the most." To drive the point home, I tapped the side of my skull.

A hush fell over the room as I dropped that bomb, but I ploughed onward. "But our legal system is set up in such a way that human flaws are not criminal offenses. It is supposed that a society's laws are a reflection of its tolerance to those imperfections. If you see fit to publicize mine, be prepared to have the same done to you. Now, we can continue this pedantic and philosophic dialogue or I can hand you the stone that you just lobbed at me, back through the hole you just made in your glass house. It is, of course, your call." I waited wordlessly as silence answered me for several long seconds. It isn't often that the media gets told to shut up and they listen, but they definitely got the message this time!

"Very well, then," I said, breaking the stunned silence. "Next question."

It took a moment for someone to raise their hand, but when they did things finally got back on track. "What do you intend to do with your lottery winnings?"

No time to be acerbic now, unfortunately. Naturally, my knee-jerk reaction was to repeat the answer I'd given a few days before when I was just David Shayles, low-level Army soldier who'd won big. As NightShade, however, I couldn't be as brusque. "I intend to safeguard my family from ever having to deal with you lot. Ever. You know my name and some of my history. Beyond that, however, the Shayles family will essentially fall off the map, like we've suddenly ceased to exist. What I do with my money after that is, frankly, no one's business but mine."

"Will you make a secret hideout for yourself?"

I cocked a curious eyebrow at the reporter and gave him a sporting grin. "What makes you think I haven't already?"

Another question: "What happens if you don't get hired back on to The Guardians?"

"Then I become a vigilante who is very, very difficult to stop." No sense in sugar-coating it. "Look, it's like I said before: I've got these abilities and it would be a waste to not use them in a positive way. The President understands that I will not stop being NightShade simply because I don't have the government to back me up. People will still need help and The Guardians can't be everywhere. Neither can I, for that matter, but I will never stop offering a helping hand to those in need when I can be there. The military missions against tyrants might be behind me, for now, but nothing is stopping me from saving lives and bringing criminals to justice. That is, after all, what I was made to do. Now, before people start getting up in arms about the term 'vigilante', I want to make it very clear that I have no intention of committing any crimes. If a police force does not want to employ my services, that's fine. If FEMA doesn't want me to help in disaster relief, okay. I won't go against the wishes of any long-established organizations or municipalities. That said, if I am attacked with deadly force then, as always, deadly force can be expected in return."

"Why do you still smoke?" was a random question thrown at me from the back of the room.

I smirked wryly. "Ah, yes. Good question. Clearly it poses no threat to me now that I am immune to all forms of disease and sickness. So it isn't going to ever hurt me. I smoke because I'm used to it. 'Addicted' is, I believe, the proper word. As I said before: I'm not perfect. Before my transformation into NightShade, I smoked. Even then I understood the inherent risks of smoking and did not condone it. And I still don't condone it. It's a foul, smelly, filthy habit and it's an extraordinarily difficult one to break. I've tried many times and methods to quit and each attempt, I'm sad to say, ended in failure. Perhaps one day I will get tired of it; perhaps not."

The President then stepped forward and interrupted. I graciously stepped aside to let him have the floor again. "I've been giving some thought to the situation," he said to the reporters and their cameras. "I realize that I am in a unique position to grant Mr. Shayles a special sort of Office. Until such time as it can be determined whether or not he'll be hired back on to work with his team, I personally guarantee that Mr. Shayles, otherwise known as NightShade, will be able to continue working with my full authority to support him. His presence as a representative of the United States in foreign lands is still in question and, unless he is specifically invited to do so, he will not work in any other countries. But while he stays within the domestic borders of this country, he will be given full dispensation to perform without worry from any legal consequence- unless he ignores the Laws he has sworn to protect and defend. This is a decision that I have just now reached, but I will make it official by the end of the day."

He turned to look at me. "NightShade, you have served your country and Mankind well in the last year. You have proven yourself to be a true hero and, like you, I believe that it would be a waste of your talents for you to sit idly by when you are needed simply because some local busybody decides that he doesn't like you. I want you to continue serving as you always have. For now, I can't pay you for what you do, but I trust that, once we create an Office which befits your talents, I will." He reached out his hand, which inspired another whiz-bang flash of cameras to nearly blind us, and I took it.

The picture of the President and I shaking hands on the White House Press Conference stage was plastered on every major newspaper around the world. Most headlines read "NightShade: Hero For Hire!" or something similar. There were a few mentions of my creative writing forays, but all of them were buried deep in the papers and magazines and hardly anyone paid much notice to them anyway. All in all, it could have gone a lot worse and, to be fair, it went pretty much according to Plan, so none of us was unhappy with the results.

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"You don't have the authority to participate in this mission, Shayles!" Aventine shouted at me from across the Las Vegas Strip. She was glowing with a bright golden hue in the full sunlight and floated in a fighting stance, facing off against me. "That's matter of opinion, Aventine," I replied, knowing full well that the news cameras were trained on us from several hundred yards away. I didn't know for sure if they could hear us (probably not but parabolic microphones work well with a clear line of sight and camera crews aren't above using them so we had to behave as though they could hear us), but the fact that we were disagreeing on something was plainly evident to the entire world, which was watching avidly. We had to sell this and make it look as real as possible. "While your mission may have started in France, it ended here, in the United States, my territory."

"Territory!" Aventine cried indignantly. "David, we're on the same team! Now stand down and let us finish the job!"

"I can't do that and you know it," I said with a shake of my head. I was floated in the air, level with her, and my hands pulsed with energy. The job in question was on the ground behind me, a terrorist who I'd wrapped up tightly with steel cables and gagged. All he could do was wait and see who would claim him, so he wasn't going anywhere under his own power. "Your mission was to eliminate a known terrorist master-mind who'd taken refuge under an assumed identity in the United States. My mandate, however, is to bring criminals found on domestic soil to justice. He's going to be tried for his crimes and that's that."

"You're interfering with a military objective, David. Your authority ends there."

"But my jurisdiction doesn't. Possession is nine-tenths of the law and I got to him first. If you want him, Aventine, you'll have to get through me."

"We don't want to fight you, David," Tank grumbled from the curb on the ground, about twenty meters to Aventine's right.

Leviathan phased up through the street on Aventine's left. "Mostly because we're pretty sure you'd beat us to a pulp, but it's a principle thing, right?"

I narrowed my eyes at Aventine, who now served as the team's leader. "House rules still apply: no civilians get hurt," I told her. I hunkered down a little in preparation for the battle. We all knew that, if I wanted to, I could just lay a hand on Mahmoud and 'port the both of us to anywhere I pleased, but this was supposed to be a show.

"Tank," Aventine said coolly, "I don't think NightShade appreciates the gravity of the situation."

Almost instantly I felt myself become heavier and started to drift closer to the ground against my will. Tank was increasing the pull of gravity below me and I was helpless to resist it. Rather than fight it, however, I simply teleported behind him and placed a solid boot heel into his back. Tank didn't have a chance to react and went sailing into the air with a grunt, flying in a high arc towards where I'd just been standing. His trajectory, however, fell sharply as he was caught in his own trap and the localized increase in gravity yanked him powerfully to the ground with a satisfying thud, which knocked him out cold. For the time being he was out of the fight and would be until he came to.

A split-second later, I felt Aventine's blade glide across the front of my neck and heard her voice from close behind me. "Stop it!" she growled in my ear.

In response, I leaned my chin down, trapping the sharp edge of her sword between it and my chest. I felt the metal snap like a twig when I twisted my torso to the left and, suddenly twisting to the right, slammed my right elbow into her. With a grunt she was knocked clear of me and ended up making a hole in the wall of a building behind us. When I turned completely around to check and make sure she was okay, I saw her get back on her feet and glance at the hilt of her broken sword.

She tossed the useless weapon aside. "That was my favorite blade," she said darkly.

I shrugged helplessly. "Sorry. But, really, you should've known better."

Aventine launched herself at me quickly, her fist pulled back to land a punch. At the same time I saw, out of the corner of my eye, that Leviathan was preparing for his own attack. As soon as she was close enough, I reached out, grabbed her fist as she started to strike, spun on my heel and flung her bodily at our water-wielding friend. For good measure, I sent out a bit of telekinetic "kick" to accelerate her flight. Leviathan didn't have time to move as Aventine hurtled toward him and just barely made himself intangible enough for her to pass harmlessly through his body. She ended her involuntary flight as a lamp-post ornament and thoroughly dazed.

Leviathan, though, was far from out of the fight. He raised his hands theatrically and suddenly water rose up out of the street manholes in columns. He held them in place for a pause. "I really don't like doing this!"

"Then don't do it," I suggested. I jumped up into the air to make myself a harder target for his water columns to hit me. I hadn't counted on Tank coming back into the fight, however, and felt the stunning impact of a car as it collided into me like a missile. Even as I careened through the air, practically enmeshed within the car's engine block, I glimpsed Tank staring up at me from the ground with a grim smile on his face.