The Unbelievable Mr Brownstone Omnibus 3

by Michael Anderle

  Shay leaned against the smoldering bar, her arms folded over her chest. “There’s going to be a lot of explaining to do.”

  “I’ll mostly leave that to the man who hired me, but I’ve accumulated more than a few connections throughout the last couple of decades who can help.” The Professor picked up the beer and took a sip. “Danger and death always await us. Why worry about the expected? The important thing is that you got that map, and I’ll be able to collect the vimana, and most of the men who think nothing of murdering innocent people are now dead.”

  James’ armor retracted, leaving him nearly naked.

  The Professor chuckled. “Never thought I’d need to have extra trousers on standby. I’ll keep that in mind for the future, lad.”

  22

  When the knock came at James’ door the next day, he considered bonding Whispy. Even though the Professor and Shay seemed convinced everything was over, he wasn’t sure. He walked to the front door and activated the front door camera. A handsome dark-haired man in his thirties was standing there in a suit.

  His posture was too perfect, and his eyes were too suspicious. The man was obviously a government agent. James’ hand curled into a fist. He would twist any Fortis agent into a pretzel if they damaged his house.

  His phone chimed with a message from Shay.

  Visitor should be at your front door. I’ve vetted him.

  James put his phone back in his pocket and opened the front door. “Who are you?”

  “Daniel Winters,” the man explained with a too-practiced smile. The voice matched what James had heard in the truck.

  James pointed to his couch. “Take a seat.”

  Daniel stepped inside. “Do you mind if I use an anti-snooping device?” he asked after James closed the door.

  James shrugged. “I don’t give much of a shit either way.”

  The CIA agent removed a small silver cube and set it on James’ coffee table before taking a seat. “I figured we should meet.”

  “Why?” James asked as he walked over to his recliner and sat down.

  Thomas had returned to his spot beside the chair after the flurry of barking at the front door.

  “I’d like to be on good terms with you, Mr. Brownstone,” Daniel explained. “I’m assuming you understand the big picture of what occurred by now.”

  James grunted. “Far as I can tell, someone in the government hired the Professor to have Shay go get the vimana map so the Professor and some other people can go grab the vimana. The idea is they can have some big flying castle to fight spaceships or shit, but these Fortis assholes, they wanted control of it, so they tried to kill Shay and me.”

  “That’s a pretty accurate and to-the-point understanding of the overall situation,” Daniel replied. “Specifically, it was Senator Johnston, who I’m sure by now you appreciate is a pretty significant player in the United States’ response to alien threats.”

  James narrowed his eyes. “I’ve got one question. Did he know about Fortis?”

  Daniel sighed. “He was initially supportive of them, actually, until they went too far.”

  “You mean killed random people to cover their shit up,” James muttered.

  Daniel’s face darkened. “Exactly. He then became key in helping support other factions who wanted a more balanced approach, such as the one I’m associated with.”

  James shook his head. “All this shit is too complicated. He could have come to me directly.”

  “Sometimes a few layers of plausible deniability mean survival in government, especially government black ops. I just thought you deserved to know. It’s not an exaggeration to say you’re at the center of all these events even if you’re not the only alien concern.”

  “You talking about the Nine Systems Alliance?”

  Daniel chuckled. “Of all the threats I’ve dealt with in my recent career, they’re actually on the more reasonable side. At least we know where they’re coming from. No. The Vax and the Alliance aren’t the only groups of aliens out there, or even the only groups who have messed around with aliens. You dealt with it. You saw some of the salvaged tech taken from other alien races. It’s advanced even compared to the Alliance.”

  “You mean those weird-ass rifles?”

  “Exactly.” Daniel took a deep breath. “Some things are too dangerous. I used to think those things represented some of the most dangerous alien tech on Earth. You saw what they can do: transmute matter based on thought alone.”

  James narrowed his eyes. “Used to think?”

  “My people have collected some of the footage taken from cameras near your last fight with Fortis.” Disbelief spread over Daniel’s face. “You were able to take shots from them like they were nothing. You should be dead or a pile of peanut butter, or something.”

  “The first time I got shot with one it turned my arm into stinking purple smoke.” James grunted. “That shit wasn’t fun.”

  “But you have two arms…” Daniel blinked and looked at each of James’ arms. “I see. That’s even more impressive. I understand now why you’re such a vital part of Senator Johnston’s alien defense plans.”

  “What about you, CIA?” James rumbled. “You just basically said I’m scarier than your magic monster gun. Does that mean you’re gonna come at me soon, just like all these other fuckers?”

  “No. You see, I’ve dealt with a lot of aliens directly, and it’s taught me an important lesson.”

  “What’s that? Don’t start shit you can’t finish?”

  “My grandfather taught me that long before I joined the CIA.” A genuine smile appeared on Daniel’s face. “The lesson I learned is that aliens are a lot like anyone from Earth or Oriceran. Some are good. Some are bad. Most are complicated.”

  James snorted. “And you’re saying I’m good?”

  “I’m saying you’re a man with deep ties to this planet and no ties to wherever the hell the Vax are from. You’re also a man who could easily have followed the path of a criminal or a mercenary selling his talents and abilities to the highest bidder, but you didn’t. You’re a man who still faithfully attends his church and gives money to orphans.”

  “You know all that? CIA’s really up my ass, aren’t they?”

  Daniel chuckled. “Most of that we got from the NSA, but the point is, Mr. Brownstone, it’s never what a man says that’s important. It’s what he does.”

  James snorted. “You expect me to be impressed? If you guys had minded your own house, we wouldn’t have had to deal with Fortis. It’s gonna take months to repair the Leanan Sidhe, and the Professor almost got killed.”

  Daniel’s smile disappeared, replaced by a stern frown. “And I’m sorry for that. You’re right. You’ve done us a great service by helping us all but finish off Fortis. I’ll be honest. If they had gotten their hands on the vimana, given how ruthless they are, who knows what they might have done with it? The kind of men who’ll kill innocent people to cover up a secret are not the kind of men I’d trust with access to an artifact like that.”

  “Yeah, not saying I disagree.” James put up his footrest. No reason he couldn’t relax why he was being debriefed by this CIA agent over his involvement in fighting another CIA faction. “But now that everyone knows the fucking truth, maybe you can answer a question for me? And don’t feed me any ‘it’s classified’ shit.”

  “I’ll do my best to answer. That’s all I can promise.” Daniel shrugged.

  “You guys aren’t going around killing people like Fortis, but you’re still keeping shit secret.”

  “You’re not exactly announcing to the world that you’re an alien,” Daniel replied.

  James scoffed. “Because I don’t want fuckers like Fortis coming after me and blowing up my favorite restaurants and bars. What’s the government’s excuse? Oriceran is weirder than the idea of aliens from space. Why the big cover-up? People can handle it. The last couple of decades proves it.”

  Daniel let out a low chuckle. “People could handle it, sure. People co
uld handle the concept of aliens from space. That wouldn’t change anything. And you’re right, Oriceran is weirder, but there have been a decent number of magicals on Earth forever, and we have organizations like the PDA to offset them, let alone bounty hunters like you.” He leaned forward, all the humor gone. The man could turn it on and off in an instant. “Now imagine people find out that the aliens could park a ship in orbit and wipe Los Angeles off the map, and even with magic, we might not be able to do much about it. It’d make the chaos after the gates reopening look like nothing. I’m sure the truth will come out within the next few decades, but for now, we’ve got to ease into it, until we can honestly tell people, not just in America, but across the entire world, ‘Don’t worry. We can protect you.’”

  We can protect you.

  James could understand the sentiment. He might not be the smartest man or the most educated, but he was strong, and he’d always thought he could protect everything and everyone important to him. The Harriken made him realize he’d been wrong, but since then, he’d done everything he could to ensure that kind of loss would never happen again.

  James grunted. “The fight we had with Fortis was pretty messy. Tons of dead bodies. Crashed helicopters, an entire building half-destroyed. How are you covering all that up? When I fought the Council, the government just admitted what happened.”

  “It’s not like anyone, regardless of faction, wants to admit that rogue CIA operatives basically started a major battle in the middle of Los Angeles. If it wasn’t for Professor Smite-Williams’ quick thinking with that fiddle artifact, hundreds of people could have ended up hurt. There are many layers of government using their influence to make certain evidence go away, such as traffic camera and drone footage, but you need to also be on board, because your name is in the middle of the cover-up.”

  James slammed the footrest down. “What the fuck?”

  Thomas popped his head up for a moment, looked at James, and then snuggled back down to sleep, completely ignoring the stranger in the room.

  “You’re fundamentally an honest man, Mr. Brownstone,” Daniel explained. “That means you don’t know how to lie well. You’re probably decent at lying through omission, but I’m a spy. I’m great at lying. I was trained to be great at it, so let me give you a little helpful hint. The best lies, the ones people are willing to swallow without pushing too deep, are those with a core of truth.”

  “What’s the core of truth this time?” James rumbled.

  “That you fought some men near the Leanan Sidhe, and you killed those men.” Daniel shrugged. “Just a few details have been changed. It wasn’t Fortis agents you fought according to everyone including the LAPD, it was overzealous cartel members who thought they could kill James Brownstone, but because of your concern about casualties, you made sure that one of your contacts cleared out the area.” He shook his finger. “Let me make this clear: this is the official story, and the chief of police is playing ball even though he doesn’t know the full story. The media is already being supplied with evidence that corroborates that version of events, so when they contact you, just grunt and tell them you killed the guys trying to kill you.”

  James scoffed. “I knew getting involved in government shit would be annoying.”

  “Hey, imagine how I feel! This is my day job.” Daniel offered him a playful smile, but James wasn’t in the mood.

  “Is this shit over then? I thought it was after the first attacks, but they came at us twice after that.”

  “My people have been able to account for the vast majority of missing agents who allegedly died in the plane crash I told Shay about. I’m not going to blow smoke up your ass and tell you that Fortis has been eliminated, but they no longer have any effective field operatives.” Daniel stood and dusted his hands on his pants. “And that means my people can handle them from here and keep them from bothering people not in the game—like you.”

  James locked eyes with Daniel. “So Fortis is done, but what about the rest of you? You said you trust me, but what if you get the call to take down James Brownstone next week? You gonna be a good little soldier and come after me?”

  Daniel headed toward the door without a response, but stopped and looked back at James when he reached it. “For now, I believe you’re a man who will defend the United States, so I’m not going to worry about that.”

  “And if that ever changes?”

  “Let’s just say I’ve got a few more tricks and favors I can call in that even Fortis and Senator Johnston don’t know about.” Daniel opened the door. “With any luck, neither of us will ever see each other again. Have a good day, Mr. Brownstone.” He stepped outside and closed the door.

  James grunted.

  I can’t figure out if I like that guy’s attitude or if I want to punch him in the face.

  23

  The Professor sighed as he settled into the booth of the pub with a fresh mug of beer. It was a nice enough place, but it wasn’t his place.

  We all suffer in the long fight. At least I’m still breathing.

  An unassuming Light Elf in a hoodie walked up to his booth and took a seat.

  The Professor eyed the elf and smiled. “New look, Correk?”

  “It involves a bet with Leira.” Correk frowned. “Don’t ask.”

  The Professor reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the small glass sphere that had cost so many lives. He handed it to the elf. “This would all have been far easier if you had been directly involved.”

  “I’m the Fixer. My purview is the protection of magicals, not getting involved in internal US intelligence struggles.” Correk frowned.

  “Oh, don’t feed me that, old friend.” The Professor pointed at the sphere. “We both know what that represents. The fate of Earth and all the magicals on it is tied to how well we’re able to defend it. If this planet ceases to exist, it’s going to be rather nasty for the magicals on it, and the Oricerans who will need to come to it.”

  “It’s all paranoia, though. You have no proof that anything’s going to happen. If the Nine Systems Alliance wanted to go after Brownstone, they’ve had months to do it.”

  The Professor shook his head. “I wish I could share that optimism, but all I can do is assume that the aliens are as moral as humans.”

  Correk winced. “That bad?”

  “Aye.” The Professor lifted the mug to his lips and took a sip. The beer outside of the Leanan Sidhe didn’t taste as satisfying. “But I understand your restrictions as Fixer. All I’d like to know is if you think we’ll actually be able to activate the vimana.”

  Correk took a deep breath and looked down for a long moment before giving a slight nod of his head. “Yes. Everything you’ve collected and you’ve had Shay get for you should be enough. I just hope we’ll never have to use it.”

  “You and me both, old friend. You and me both.”

  James leaned back in the confessional booth, pressing his back against the cool wood. “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It’s been two weeks since my last confession.”

  “What do you have to share with me today?” Father McCartney replied.

  “I’ve kept a grave secret from you, one that might affect my soul. I’ve thought long and hard about it, but some recent events make me think I should tell you the truth.”

  The priest sighed. “James, honesty is important in the sacrament. I’m surprised to hear that you have been keeping secrets, given all the other things you’ve told me.”

  James’ hands curled into fists. “This isn’t something I’ve always known, and it might be dangerous for you to know. I’m gonna say this now. If there’s any government ass…government agents listening to this, and anything happens to this man after I tell him, you’ll see the full power of a Vax.”

  “Vax?” Father McCartney echoed. “Government agents? I don’t know what’s going on, James, but I don’t want you to endanger your soul because you think you’re protecting me. I’m willing to take the risk.”

  “I’
m not human, Father,” James replied. “I didn’t know before, but now I know.”

  Father McCartney sighed. “That’s your secret?”

  “You don’t sound surprised.” James blinked.

  “You do things that no normal man can. There’s no shame in being from Oriceran. I’ve long suspected it.”

  James shook his head. “No, you don’t understand. I’m not from Oriceran. I’m an alien from a race called the Vax, and they aren’t the only ones out there. The government’s keeping them a secret because they’re not sure if there will be a panic.”

  Father McCartney took a few moments to digest the news. “Somehow none of that surprises me, nor does it change anything.”

  James chuckled. “It doesn’t change anything that I’m not human?”

  “The Lord created all of the universe, not just Earth,” the priest replied softly. “I know everyone’s still arguing about the metaphysics of it all, but that’s my belief. As such, I don’t see that it’s relevant what species you are, as long as you are faithful. Also, this sacrament is sacred, so none of what you’ve told me here will be spread beyond this confessional.”

  “Huh.”

  “What troubles you now?” Father McCartney asked with a faint hint of amusement in his voice.

  “I just didn’t think this conversation would go like this. I didn’t even tell Shay about it.” James leaned forward. “Just between sh…stuff that’s happened in the last couple of weeks and the wedding coming up in the summer, I want to be right with you and the church.”

  “As I’ve told you before, James, you’re a good man. I still believe you’re a good man, no matter what planet you were born on.”