Caleb 17 - The Prodigal Returns

Not to put too fine a point on it I had fucked up. There had been mitigating circumstances no doubt, and I didn't agree with everything that had been done to me, but Maggie hadn't been wrong when she had said I had stormed off in a snit. I had thought long and hard about my career choices, and about all the different alphabet agencies I could apply to. The military was definitely out. I wasn't going overseas, which pretty much immediately ruled out the CIA also. That left the Secret Service, Homeland, the NSA, and the FBI.

The Secret Service I had been warned off of; Homeland, despite the catchy name, also had overseas postings. The NSA... well, I didn't want to be spying on my neighbors all day every day. The only place I actually wanted to work was the FBI. I needed to try and rebuild some bridges, but without becoming a puppet. I hoped I could make it work.

I checked my attire once again. I had my best - well my only - suit on, plus a tie. My hair was combed neatly and my shoes were shined. I walked up the steps and through the door.

After I passed through the ubiquitous metal detector, I was directed to a reception desk, where I informed them of my nine o'clock appointment. I was signed in, given a temporary pass to clip to my pocket, and directed to a seat. They informed me that someone would be down directly to escort me up.

That someone was James.

He smiled as he approached. I stood up and took his proffered hand.

"Good to see you," he said, "follow me please."

He led the way to an elevator and punched the button for the top floor.

Maggie's' office was obviously the biggest on the floor, and probably in the building. It reminded me of a lawyer's office. A bookcase stuffed with leather-bound, legal-looking books lined the wall behind where she sat at a light oak desk. In front of the desk and off to the side a little was a low table with four chairs around it, presumably for informal meetings, and there was a single chair across from her at her desk. A spare chair stood to the side of her desk, angled toward the empty one.

Of course, there was also a flag on a stand in the back corner. A door, on the side wall, was closed. I presumed it hid her personal bathroom.

Maggie didn't get up when I entered. She wasn't playing power games - not pretending to be on the phone or reading something - she just watched me as I walked toward her and took the seat she indicated.

"I must say," she said as I sat down, "I was surprised when Dianna said you would come to see me here."

Since there wasn't a question in that anywhere, I waited for her to speak again. She didn't. I decided to move forward with my planned approach.

"I think," I said, "given the way things went the last time we spoke, we should really be starting this meeting with an apology."

I saw her face flush a little and she started to draw breath. I went on before she could speak.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I said and did some things that I now regret. I could rattle out any number of justifications, but that wouldn't change the fact that what I did was wrong."

She opened her mouth, closed it again, and then finally said, "What brought you to that realization?"

"I had a long chat with Major Vince Wragge from the NSA," I said. "He wasn't quite as, shall we say, direct as you were, but the message was the same. I needed to listen to the message and understand the situation."

"The NSA made you an offer?" she asked.

"He said he would take me on in a New York minute," I said. "They are doing background checks as we speak."

She nodded. "So why are we here, Mr. Stott?" I winced, but didn't correct her. It would sound condescending.

"I don't really want to work for the NSA," I said simply. "Sneaking around spying on my neighbors sounds too much like 1984 to me. Even Major Wragge told me I would probably not like the work, and I would be a much better fit elsewhere."

"So, it was always a bargaining chip?" she said, looking a little impressed.

"Not just a bargaining chip," I said. "A little security as well. I formulated the impression - and I don't want you to think I am accusing anyone - that a viable option, should I not wish to join you, would be my elimination. I got scared. I needed an option that you couldn't object to. I needed to show you that just because you and I were not friends, I wasn't going to become an enemy of the state."

"So, you gave yourself an alternative that meant you were still one of the good guys," she said, "and still subject to oversight, although not by me."

I nodded.

"Sound thinking," she said. "How did you come up with that idea?"

"I had help," I said. "Someone older and wiser helped me work it through."

"So, I expect you have come with a list of demands?"

"Not demands," I said. "Requests. Things I would like to happen if we can reach an agreement."

"And if we can't?" she asked.

"Then I'll say thank you for your time and apply elsewhere." I said mildly, "just like any other applicant. Perhaps sometime in the future, I might get to know my great-great-grandmother, but that would be totally separate from my professional life."

She sat back in her chair and spread her palms. "The floor is yours."

I spent a moment marshalling my thoughts.

"I am offering you access to the most powerful user you have seen in generations," I began. She knew that already, but it was the central bargaining chip. "I have Compulsion, although I have only just started to train that properly, TK, which I have trained extensively, Telepathy, and Empathy. Even untrained as I am, I have taken down two Psi predators, a Norm predator, located a previously unknown user, and recaptured a drug dealer rapist and murderer and his gang.

"I don't pretend that any of that was anything more than pure chance - being in the right places at the wrong times - but it shows that with the proper training, I could be a real asset to your organization."

"And in return?"

"I want to be able to trust you," I said bluntly, "and not be wondering if everything that is going on in my personal life is some kind of subtle manipulation. My family is not a lever by which you can pressure me into action. You told me that I needed to take the hits because bad guys wouldn't hesitate to use my family against me. I accept that as the truth, but isn't the corollary that anyone who uses my family against me is, by definition, a 'bad guy?'

"As far as training goes, the gloves are off. Throw whatever you like at me, and I'll stand or fall on my own abilities, as long as my family is not endangered for real. I'll take the hits. Vince Wragge also told me I had all the prerequisites to be a Healer. If possible, I would like that training, please.

"Obviously, I need to finish my education. I have two years left. I am confident that I will get a good degree, but we might be jumping the gun a little even having this discussion just now. I would, however, like to know what my options are - or aren't.

"Outside of that, a living wage. I will have a family to keep, and although they will also be earning, I eat a lot all of a sudden."

"Is that it?" she asked.

"Two more things," I said, and she inclined her head.

"I would kind of like to get to know my great-great-grandmother. I never even met my grandparents, and I have relatives I didn't know about at all. The last few months have been a revelation."

"And the other?"

"Twenty years of missed birthday, Christmas, and Thanksgiving gifts. I thought grandparents were supposed to spoil their grandchildren."

She actually cracked a smile at that.

"Dianna told me about your two housemates," she said, "and you using them to train your Compulsion."

I nodded. "I was convinced by someone that I needed to train all my powers," I said. "Their request seemed like an ideal opportunity to kill two birds with one stone."

"Would you show me?" she asked. "It's a touchy subject, but I need to know you aren't abusing them."

I offered her the memory, and she took it. Her eyes glazed for a moment, and then she chuckled.

"You were fairly extensive in your getting them to state their requests," she said. "It was a good use of your Telepathy both to let them guide you in their fantasy and also watch for trouble, and nice to see you ask permission first. It was also nice to see you realize that not every need generated by a fantasy should be fulfilled. A horny mind can cause a lot of damage if not moderated.

"If all your 'training sessions' with them follow a similar pattern, I see no issues. We will have to request a random sampling to ensure things aren't degenerating, but otherwise, I would say carry on."

I nodded.

"First of all," she began, "thank you for coming here today, and for the apology. I know that things have been, and are still, intense for you in both your personal and professional life. Believe me, it will get easier eventually - though it may get harder for a while at first. I have heard about your research into the bond, and Jules already reached out to Dianna to ask about the people the bond was created for. Unfortunately, since the family were Norms, their records are not part of the Everson Library. I do, however, happen to have a rather large department of interns, and I have set a couple of those to find out what they can. I'll let Dianna know if anything turns up."

I was surprised on two counts: one that Jules had already reached out to Dianna, and two, that Maggie would use her resources to try and help.

"Thank you," I said.

"Trust is something that will take time to build," she conceded. "We didn't get off to the best start. The traditions of keeping Stott children isolated and ignorant, and blocking their power, have been causing us problems for many years. Dianna says that you will not allow any children of yours to be so treated. How do you propose to prevent it?"

"Very simply," I said. "I will have myself sterilized before I will bring a child into such a situation."

Her jaw dropped, and then she chuckled, and then she started to laugh properly.

"Well, Mr. Stott."

"Please," I said, "do you have to rub it in?"

She chuckled again.

"Caleb, you absolutely screwed me."

I looked at her, puzzled.

"I thought I had found your hard stop," she said. "Something I could use to pressure you into doing what you had so far managed to avoid. I wanted you to make a threat. To explain how you wouldn't comply with a legal requirement because although it's not actually law, I could get a court order in an instant. I wanted to put you in a no-win situation - a Kobayashi Maru, if you will, to see how you would deal with it. And you Kirked me. You changed the rules.

"No court in the land can compel you to have children against your will - and also, I'm sure you know that as the matriarch of the Stott line, I would be devastated to lose your bloodline. Well played."

"I wasn't actually playing," I said.

"I know," she said, "and that's why it's so powerful. You have proved that you have the will to do what it takes to uphold your own principles without going too far. I hope that over time, you will learn to trust us. I don't deny that there are still some traditionalist Eversons who regard all Stott users as the spawn of Satan, but attitudes are changing. Our longevity doesn't help the situation in that respect.

"You have actually helped quite a lot because you have proved them wrong on multiple occasions when they predicted you would go rogue. If you work with me, I am hopeful that we can change minds - and that, when it comes time for you to have children, there will be no requirement for them to be 'abused,' as you so aptly put it.

"Next, I would like you to restart your training with James. He said you were making good progress. You have missed a number of weeks, but I'm sure he can catch you up. I'll have to look into Healer training. I was aware you had the prerequisites, but I don't have anyone on staff with that skill. I agree it would be useful if I can find you a trainer.

"I agree that you need to finish your education, but I would also like for you to continue in your role as a consultant until you do. Our field agents were impressed with how smoothly the Booth takedown went They would be very happy to have you as a resource if you are willing. Obviously, since we are no longer providing you with accommodation, we would be happy to pay you a retainer of three thousand dollars a month. Sadly, I can't offer you any other benefits, healthcare or dental. Those only come with a substantive role.

"For your information, the salary you can expect if you are successful with your application starts at ninety-five thousand per year. It's quite a bit higher than a standard agent's salary, but then, you have a much more sought-after skillset."

I nodded, and she reached into her desk drawer, pulling out a small wallet. She tossed it to me, and I looked inside. It was my Consultant ID, but enclosed in a cool flop-down wallet, just as I had envisioned when I was showing the Vardys my ID.

"I even got you the cool wallet," she said, and I blushed. "Let's call it an advance on all those gifts I owe you."

I regarded the ID for a moment, and then put it in my pocket. She took that as my acceptance and nodded.

"Welcome back," she said. "I don't expect everything to be smooth sailing from here on in. Life seldom is, and the powered community gets prickly about a lot of things. Perhaps, when things have settled down more, you might introduce me to the prospective mothers of my great-great-great grandchildren?"

I took that as the end of the meeting and stood.

"Thanks for your time," I said. Maggie also stood and stepped around the desk. I was expecting a handshake. I got a hug.

"It's good to have you back," she said. "Let's not do that again."

James walked me out of the office and toward the elevators. "We can start training tomorrow," he said. "Pick a place?"

"I've been working in our backyard," I said. "As good as any, no?"

"Have you kept up your martial arts practice?" he asked. I nodded.

When the elevator arrived, we got in and he punched a button. It wasn't the first floor.

"If you can spare me an hour," he said, "then I can be prepared for tomorrow's session. Otherwise, I might be wasting both our times."

"I'm not really dressed for it," I said.

"I've got a set of training clothes you can use," he responded.

The floor we arrived on was a large gym, almost totally open-plan. There were training machines, treadmills, static bikes, cross trainers, various punchbags of different weights, a boxing ring, and a large training mat.

Over on the far side, two doors led off - I guessed to changing rooms since they were gender-marked.

I followed him into the male changing room, and he opened a locker and handed me a set of sweats. "You'll have to go barefoot, but that should be fine for now," he said.

He left me to it, and I got changed, joining him back out in the main room when I was ready.

"Okay," he said, "let's see what you got."

He squared up to me. Before he could attack, he was on all fours, crawling around the mat and bleating like a lamb. I kept him there for thirty seconds before releasing him.

He sat back on his haunches and laughed ruefully. "I guess I forgot to mention: no powers."

"Didn't I mention that in training the gloves were off?" I asked innocently.

"Okay, smart ass," he said, getting to his feet.

This time I let him launch his attack. I blocked; he spun, bringing his elbow around for a head strike, but I had already dropped into a scissor. Before he realized it, he was on his face on the mat. I locked in an ankle hold and put just enough pressure on to let him feel it. He tapped.

"How much practice are you doing a day?" he asked.

"Two to four hours."

"Show me 'Heidan Godan.'" That was one of many katas I'd learned.

I performed the kata.

"Show me 'Kanku Dai.'"

Again I performed it. He shouted out another four katas before he asked for one I didn't know.

"I don't know that one," I said, and he nodded.

"It seems that you have pretty-much assimilated everything I gave you so far," he said. "Drop your shields and I'll give you my final year's instruction."

I dropped my shields, expecting to be pulled into an illusion. I wasn't disappointed.

As soon as my shields were down, the female dressing room door opened, and a little girl, about six years old, entered the gym.

"They got you again, Papa," she said, grinning at me. I smiled at her and decided I would just break out which I did.

My shields were back up and my tell informed me I was back in reality.

"Fuck," he said. "That was fast. How did you know?"

"I didn't," I said, grinning. "I assumed that's what you were going to do. You are getting predictable in your old age."

He grinned back. "Okay wise guy," he said. "As you said, the gloves are off!"

He took me over to the free weights area. There was a rack stretching almost the full length of the gym, and the plates went from one kilo all the way up to one hundred.

He gestured at them.

"Show me your TK. Pick up whichever of the weights you can comfortably lift."

I cocked an eyebrow at him as the whole rack, which, in its entirety, probably weighed only about six or seven thousand pounds, floated up off the floor.

"You did say you had been training your TK," he remarked, almost to himself. "What's the most you have lifted so far?"

"Not exactly sure," I said. "Somewhere between thirteen and fifteen thousand pounds."

He nodded. "You can put those down now," he said. "How long could you have held that?"

"I held the hot tub in our yard," I replied, "which I'm guessing weighs in between eight and ten thousand pounds, for four hours while I was doing katas. To be honest, I forgot I was holding it until I realized I was starving."

"Right, right, the crack about eating a lot," he said thoughtfully. "You must be using up a shitload of energy."

"I'm considering a side career in competitive eating," I replied, only half joking.

"How about your Telepathy?" he asked.

"I've used it a couple of times," I said, "but it's not something I can really practice. I did use it on myself during my exams, and nearly got expelled for cheating."

"You read your own mind?" he asked. "Why?"

"I noticed that when I read someone's mind, the information I want seems to present itself to me," I explained. "Maybe I unconsciously ask a question and it responds - I don't know. I was trying to remember something that I knew I had read, but couldn't remember when, and when I read my own mind, again, the information was there, just waiting for me."

"Interesting," he said. "That might come in handy. Any other novel tricks you can do that I've never heard of before?"

"I was talking to one of the girls via the bond," I said, "and she couldn't open a jar, so I used my TK to do it I'm not sure if I just had the range to do it - I was probably only one hundred feet away - but I couldn't see her, and I'm wondering if I used her as some kind of proxy."

"Proxy is a thing," he said. "The further the person is away from you, though, the harder it is. We should maybe do some testing, but we'd need to establish a link, or use someone you are already linked with."

"I'll ask one of the girls if they would be up for helping out," I said.

"I'll also find some volunteers for you to practice your Telepathy on," he said.

"What, now?" I asked, "I can't just..."

"We get students looking to make some fast money," he said. "We tell them that we are looking into the possibility of ESP, and we throw a load of tests at them. They make cash, you get experience, and it's a win-win. We even get their consent; they sign a waiver saying we are allowed to read their minds. They all laugh when they sign it, but it's all above board and fully sanctioned."