and I had a brief but rather enlightening conversation before I came to talk to you.”
“He’s talking to you guys?”
“Yes, and interestingly enough, he’s citing you as the reason.”
“Me?”
“Indeed. He’s told us about his spirit companion and about the incident a few years ago. He also gave a concise report on his version of the events that transpired over the past couple of weeks.”
“Concise or irritable?”
Harrison chuckled. “Both. He had quite a few colorful opinions about how I chose to handle the situation by sending you in alone, and all the, as he put it, cloak and dagger. Out of the twenty minutes we talked, I do believe he spent half of it mocking our organization and scolding me for mishandling the entire situation.”
Jacob winced. “That...sounds exactly like him.”
“Indeed. For a man who’s spent his life on the run, he’s no whimpering victim of circumstance. He’s rather spirited, and I can see why he made a good companion over the past couple of days.”
She didn’t know the half of it, but he was going to keep his promise to Levi and keep his mouth shut about him. Not that it sounded like Levi was having any trouble voicing his opinion. Although it had only been about an hour since he’d seen Levi, Jacob suddenly yearned for the man’s presence. He certainly had a way of lighting up the room, even if it was to slap someone with whatever was on his mind.
“We should be lucky that he wants anything to do with us after this. I wasn’t expecting 2218 to come at us so hard,” Jacob said.
“Had I even an inkling of what they were gearing up to do, I wouldn’t have left you alone. As it is, you took a situation with decidedly stacked odds and turned it on its head.”
“I got injured, twice, in the same leg.”
“And still managed to keep going, deftly defending yourself and Mr. Boaz.”
“Got outed to the target I was supposed to be hiding from.”
“While still managing to gain the trust of Mr. Boaz and his spirit companion.”
“Got a whole town involved in the mess.”
“Who know nothing save that one of their own was in danger and needed help. Not one of them has reported anything supernatural, and so the secret remains one.”
Jacob narrowed his eyes at her. “I blew up a house.”
She met his gaze evenly. “The reports state that in their fit of murderous intent, 2218’s first attempt was to blow up Mr. Boaz’s residence. Thankfully, due to the quick thinking of a federal agent, he was spared his untimely demise and escaped their clutches.”
“You fudged the report to make them look bad,” Jacob said bluntly.
“As if they need any help to look bad. With the help of the FBI and NSA, the members we have in custody will remain that way, and I can promise you they won’t be seeing the light of day by the time we’re done. There is a list miles long of the various crimes most of them can be tied to. And with Edward Sharp down, 2218 has lost both a great many members and a key leader.”
“That must have been the big mouth who shot me.”
“That he would.”
“Really not sad to see him go.”
“I assumed so.”
“He shot me.”
Director Harrison nodded patiently. “So the reports say. As did Mr. Boaz, on at least three different occasions.”
Jacob chuckled. “He really doesn’t back down once you get him riled up.”
“Yes, his persistence and loyalty are admirable. As is the level-headedness and cooperativeness he displayed during this entire debacle. Which is precisely what I told him when I made him a job offer.”
Jacob sat up straight. “You what?”
“I informed him that we have a place for people like him in the DDI. And despite his...vehement protestations, outside of a laboratory environment. There are people like him in the world who need to be watched and some who need to be helped. Sometimes we send in agents alone, or we send in a team. When we need a team, we send in null class and a psychic in our employ. The combination is surprisingly effective, one well-trained agent to keep order, and the psychic to give the human touch another psychic will need,” Harrison explained rapidly.
Jacob was still stuck on the job part. “I cannot believe you took a guy who’s been paranoid about government everything and offered him a government job.”
“Agent Ryder. I’m making the same offer to you. Would you prefer to work with a partner rather than