by Gini Koch
Well, that was exactly how it had gone down for the Chuckie in the other universe, so this wasn’t a surprise. It was, however, a confirmation. And the proof that my last hopeful doubts were going to be dashed. “Let’s talk about that some more. Was there anyone who might have, oh, protested your win?”
“Yeah,” he said slowly. “I haven’t thought about this in years, but now that you mention it, there was someone who was just a little older than me, in high school, I think. He protested my win, for quite a while.”
“Did you ever learn his name?”
Chuckie shook his head. “No. We were both minors, so his name was kept out of it. He came in second, but refused to accept, so they never shared his name with me.”
“But yours was shared.”
“Yes. I won and my parents and I gave them permission. What does this have to do with anything, or are you just enjoying reminiscing?”
“Oh, it’s really significant. Same as for your counterpart in the other universe. Probably in all the universes, but I don’t have enough data to guess.”
The wheels were once again spinning. “You’re saying that this person, whoever it was, became the Mastermind?”
“Yeah, I am. He turned that loss into a lifelong hatred of and competition with you, which grew into a full-blown mania by the time he was an adult.”
“So, we just need to figure out who that was in this world, and we’ll know who the Mastermind is.” He looked at me closely. “And everyone else has figured this out. Because the me in that world knew who this guy was, didn’t he?”
“He did. And Other Me did, too, therefore. They didn’t know he was the Whack-A-Mole King of Lunatic Take Over the World Plans, but they knew who your lifelong enemy was. I mean, they know he was their Mastermind now, because we had to take him out before I came back. But they didn’t know until we switched places.”
“The Great Mommy Switch, as your counterpart called it, was good for a few things, wasn’t it?” He took a deep breath. “I could start guessing, but I think it’s going to be better if you tell me straight out who the Mastermind is. And, before you ask, I promise you that I’m going to do what you want—react like you did when you found out what Tucci was planning, not how I’m sure I’m going to want to react.”
Took my own deep breath. “Okay. Dude, just remember two things. One—everyone else is going to kill me if you go into Wolverine’s Patented Berserker Rage. And two—everyone else loves and cares about you. Everyone. Even the guys who act all tetchy about your authority. They may have the Alpha Male head-butt fights with you, but they still care about you. So, you’re not alone in this, okay? We are all, and I do mean all, here for you.”
Chuckie looked pale. “This is going to be worse than I think it is, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. You’re gonna hate it.” Sent another prayer up to the various Powers That Be, and then took the plunge. “The Mastermind is, for certain, Cliff Goodman.”
CHAPTER 5
CHUCKIE WAS QUIET, which was a good sign. I hoped. Hard as it was not to run my yap nervously, I allowed him to process what I’d said by keeping said yap firmly shut.
After a good long minute, he swallowed. “So, you’re saying that the man I think is my best friend, the man I was going to have be my best man at my wedding, the one guy I think ‘gets me,’ that man is actually the person responsible for my wife’s death?”
“And every other action against us and you, specifically. Yes, that’s what I’m saying.”
“Ah.”
Cleared my throat. “Ah, do I have to tackle you before you make a mad dash for The Retribution Railroad?”
He shook his head slowly. “No. I understand why no one wanted to tell me. And . . . I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that you were the one to break this news to me. Alone.”
“You need to go to a workout room and hit something and maybe scream a lot?”
“No. I want to save the rage. I know that’s what you do these days—you use the rage to control your power, to ensure you’re mad enough to kill if you have to.”
“Yeah, I do—”
The door slammed open, rudely interrupting me, and Jeff, Buchanan, and Gower were there. Gower was built like Jeff and Buchanan—big and buff. He was also black, bald, beautiful, and Reader’s husband. More pertinently in this situation, he was the Supreme Pontifex of the A-C’s religion. Why he was with Jeff and Buchanan wasn’t hard to guess—bring the head religious man when you have someone about to totally lose it.
All of them looked worried and ready to tackle someone. And all three of them came to a screeching halt, looking confused.
Chuckie managed a small smile. “Sorry, Jeff. Yes, I’m sure my emotions are off the charts. But as I just told Kitty, I’ve spent a lifetime banking anger and turning it into something that works in my favor.”
Gower came and sat on Chuckie’s other side. “Chuck, seriously, I’m here for you, we all are.”
“I know, Paul. And I appreciate that, truly. But Kitty needs to debrief us and we need to do the same for her.”
The three other men looked like they didn’t believe it could be this easy. “Ah, are you sure?” Jeff asked. “Because, trust me, you don’t feel like you’re banking anger or turning it into something useful. You’re ready to kill.”
“I am.” Chuckie stood up. “You just have no idea how many times throughout my life I’ve wanted to kill someone who’s wronged me, or Kitty. I know the expectation was that I’d go on a rampage, and, honestly, if Kitty hadn’t told me what was going on privately that could have happened. But . . . we have a history of this, of watching each other’s backs, of giving each other the bad news the other one doesn’t want to hear but has to. I’ll be okay.”
“Really?” Buchanan sounded no more convinced than Jeff had.
“Really.” Chuckie’s eyes glittered. “What you all forget is that I’m both an extremely patient person and I’ve been in covert and clandestine ops for my entire adult life. You don’t rise up in the C.I.A. by losing it anytime something goes wrong or someone tries to kill you or kills someone on your team or someone who you care about. You rise up in the Agency by being smart enough to solve problems off-book, without any dirt flying back onto you or anyone else you need to protect.”
Gower nodded. “You’re much less . . . impulsive than, say, Jeff is.”
“Anyone is less impulsive than Jeff,” Chuckie said with a laugh. The others laughed, too, and I felt the room relax. “Understand—I’m going to kill him. But I’ll do it when it’s not going to cause us all more problems than it solves. It’s going to be slow, horrific, and as painful as I can possibly make it. And I’m going to make sure he knows it’s me who’s killing him, and that I know why he deserves to die. But, that won’t happen until, as I said, it’s in a place or a way that doesn’t ruin all of us.”
“What do you think?” Buchanan asked Jeff.
Who cocked his head. I could tell he was concentrating on Chuckie. Jeff nodded slowly. “When you’re with Kitty, you really can’t hide your emotions from me. Naomi could, and did, hide them from me when you two were falling in love, and you’re pretty good at it when you’re not with Kitty. But when you are you’re almost as clear a read as she is.”
“That’s good, I guess,” Chuckie said.
Jeff nodded. “It is. Chuck’s under control,” he said to Buchanan. “For now.” He turned back to Chuckie. “But you and we need to be on guard—because that control feels tenuous. And it’s going to be tested the moment you see Goodman again.”
Chuckie shrugged. “I never did anything to you when you essentially took Kitty from me. I won’t do anything to him until it’s the right time.”
“Hey, I thought we were past that.” Jeff sounded hurt.
Chuckie walked over and clapped Jeff on the shoulder. “We are. Well past that. And I was glad of it before b
ut I’m incredibly grateful now that you, not Cliff, were my best man. Thank you for that, Jeff. So much.”
Jeff pulled Chuckie in and hugged him tightly. Gower joined them. Group hugs were really an A-C thing, and I didn’t mind them. But I knew better than to add into the Bro Hug right now. Chuckie didn’t need me there, because I knew without asking that him crying would be a bad thing all the way around, and I was pretty sure he was close to breaking down right now.
Buchanan knew better, too. He stepped closer to me. “This solves the biggest issue. But we still have an entire set of people who cannot lie who know that Goodman is the Mastermind. We have to debrief each other and then move swiftly, before Goodman catches on and escalates whatever it is he’s planning now.”
“Death ray. I’m telling you, that’s what he’s working on.”
“So you said. However, where the death ray is remains our first mystery.”
The others broke apart. “What’s this about a death ray?” Chuckie asked.
“Debriefing,” Buchanan said in a tone that brooked no argument. “Now. And not here, either. I want everyone back in the Embassy. We can go there first, before any help is offered to Gideon Cleary.”
Both Chuckie and Gower looked lost. “What?” Gower asked.
“It’s the usual long story. But I agree with Malcolm. Let’s tell our stories at home.” Looked around. “By the way, where is Jamie?”
“I left her with your parents,” Jeff said. “Who also need this debriefing. Just like everyone else.”
“What about those who didn’t know that Kitty switched universes?” Chuckie asked.
“I’m back. We can share the wonder that was my adventure in another world with them, since it’s hugely relevant. They work with us—they’ll all roll with the punches.”
Jeff hit the intercom button in the room. “We need a voice activated system put into all Bases,” he said, more to himself than anyone else.
“Yes, Mister Vice President?” Melissa asked.
“Melissa, please advise Commander Reader that we need all Washington, D.C., NASA Base, Euro Base, and Dulce Base personnel to vacate Sydney Base immediately. Dulce Base personnel should go to the American Centaurion Embassy. All others should go to their home Bases.”
“Is everything alright, sir?” Melissa sounded worried.
“Yes, we just need to get back to work on a variety of pressing issues. And the President wants me home, pronto.”
“I’ll take care of it, Mister Vice President. I’ll advise Launch to expect you all.”
“Thanks, Melissa.” Jeff hit the intercom button again to close the line. “Let’s get packed up and back home so we can stay ahead of the latest situation that is laughingly called our normal lives. Ah, baby, why don’t you stay here and help Chuck pack up?”
Chuckie laughed. “She doesn’t have to ride herd on me, Jeff, but if it’ll make you feel better, I’m fine with it.”
Jeff gave me a quick kiss, then he and the other men headed out. I shook my head. “I’d ask if I’d jumped into another universe if this wasn’t the only one where I know Jeff is on Earth.”
“You’re sure of that?” Chuckie asked me, as he went to the closet and pulled out a small rolling suitcase.
“As sure as I can be. I’ve seen what I call the Universe Wheel before—every time I’ve almost died. But I never remembered it until Operation Bizarro World happened.”
“Huh. Well, hopefully that knowledge will give us an edge, even if it’s a small one.”
“A girl can dream.”
“Yeah.” He checked the suitcase. As I’d expected, it was already packed. The Operations Team, aka Algar, King of the Elves, was good that way. “Kitty . . . do you think that maybe my role in the greater existence is to be the guy who’s never happy?”
Went to him and hugged him tightly. “No. You’re happy in all the other universes I saw, even the ones where we aren’t married to each other. And, I promise you—you’ll be happy again in this universe, too. Even if I have to move heaven and earth for that to happen.”
He hugged me back. “Well, as long as you’re still my friend, I’m good.”
“I’ll always be your friend, Chuckie. In this world and all the others.”
He kissed my forehead. “And thank God for that.”
CHAPTER 6
I’D HAVE LIKED TO have taken a look around Sydney Base, but since Other Me had done the full tour, me wanting one would sort of scream suspicious, concussion excuse or no concussion excuse.
On the other hand, it was nice to be heading home. It would be the afternoon of the day before today. Decided not to worry about it. Also decided that I would be within my jet-lagged rights to ask for one of Jeff’s mother’s brownies when we arrived. We hadn’t had breakfast, after all.
Sydney Base’s launch area was just like all the other Bases’—lots and lots of gates, those unlovely contraptions that looked like airport metal detectors but felt like hell on earth to step through, at least for me.
Happily, Jeff carried me though the gate, just like always. And I had to admit, after not knowing if I’d ever use a gate again in my life, even the nausea wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Of course, I was also very glad we hadn’t eaten yet, because the transfer from Sydney to D.C. was a long one, relatively speaking.
Since anyone at the Embassy who wasn’t “in the know” didn’t know I’d been gone, our homecoming was somewhat anticlimactic. However, for me, it was great to come back. After all this bouncing around, I was truly able to look at the Embassy as home. Figured that probably meant we’d be moving again soon, because that was always the way things worked for me since I’d joined up with the gang from Alpha Four.
The Embassy was a full city block wide and long, and we had a raised walkway that attached to the building “next door,” which we’d nicknamed the Zoo, meaning we lived in two gigantic multi-story buildings. Normally I found our apartment—which took up half of the top floor of the Embassy—to be overly gigantic. But today it felt normal, possibly because I’d just spent time seeing how large Other Me’s house was.
Jamie grabbed my hand and dragged me to the room next to our bedroom. “Mommy, look at my new room!” She flung the door open and pulled me in.
Managed not to gape, but only just. The room was Jamie’s typical Shrine to Pink, and had all four dog beds, all the cat and Poof condos, and a lot of sleeping hammocks I realized were for the Peregrines, mostly because some of them were snoozing in said hammocks when we arrived. Those were new, but apparently very much appreciated by the avians.
Before I could give any comment on the room, however, the animals were on me, howling, purring, squawking, and generally letting me know that they’d missed me and I needed to pet each and every one of them right now if not sooner. As I was mobbed, noted that what seemed like every Peregrine or Poof—of which we had an almost uncountable number by now—had joined us in the room.
“The pets missed you, Mommy,” Jamie said, presumably in cased I’d missed this somehow.
“I can tell. Give me a second, sweetheart, before I admire your pretty room.” Looked over at Jeff as I gave Dudley the Great Dane, and Duke the Labrador vigorous pets. “Other Me approved the new digs?”
He nodded as I moved from the boy dogs to the girl dogs and gave Dottie, our Dalmatian, and Duchess, our Pit Bull, the same enthusiastic petting. “Everyone else says it was past time.”
“I’m not complaining.” I wasn’t. Putting Jamie elsewhere literally hadn’t occurred to me as a necessary thing to do. Was glad Other Me had taken care of some Normal Mommy things while we were switched.
Dogs handled, it was time to give the cats some love. Sugarfoot jumped into my arms to demand his snuggles. Once he was somewhat satisfied I handed him off to Jeff and picked up Candy and Kane and gave them lots of snuggling.
Pets from my parents and
youth somewhat mollified first, chose to go for the smaller numbers next. “I see my Peregrines are all in attendance for the Reunion Revival!” Peregrines were Alpha Four birds that looked like peacocks and peahens on steroids. They were bred for protection and could go chameleon along with having the typical A-C hyperspeed.
We had twelve mated pairs hanging out in the Embassy, otherwise known as Earth’s Alpha Four Principality, and all twenty-four of them hooted.
“Can I get a bird amen?” I raised my arms up.
More hoots and all wings up and flapping.
“Can I get another bird amen?” I waved my hands around, arms still up in the air.
Much louder hoots and all twenty-four flew up a little ways off the ground.
“Awesome! Gimme feather, everyone! Up high, down low, and double dutch!”
The Peregrines landed and trotted to me, one by one, to do hand and wing high fives up, down, and with both hands and wings. Each one got a scritchy-scatch between their wings, too.
This took some time, but the Peregrines, like the dogs and cats, seemed much happier.
This left only the Poofs. Poofs were presumed to be Alpha Four animals, but during Operation Infiltration I’d discovered that they were actually Black Hole Universe animals. This meant they had powers no one but one being fully understood. So far, said powers had saved our butts more than once. Of course said being was a Free Will Fanatic of the highest order, so the Poofs tended to act on their own initiative, and their own initiative was sometimes very different from what we’d all like.
The Poofs were normally small bundles of fluffy fur with no visible ears or tails, tiny paws, and black button eyes. They could also go Jeff-sized in a moment, complete with mouths of razor-sharp teeth. Small, they were the cutest things you’d ever seen in your life. Large, they were among the scariest cute things you’d ever seen in your life.
The Poofs were androgynous and considered to be pets of the Alpha Four Royal Family—of which Jeff’s family, Christopher White, and the Gowers were all a part—and supposedly only mated when a Royal Wedding was imminent.