Epilogue

Dave and Maddie sat at a table in the dimly lit interrogation room. Neither knew for sure how this would play out, but whatever came, they would face it together. After several agonizing minutes, the door swung open, revealing Henry Ironside. He strode to the other side of the table and sat down without a word, leafing through a manila folder.

“Quite the day you two have had,” Henry said.

“You could say that,” Dave replied.

“Murder, espionage, treason… the list goes on and on.”

“All crimes that we did not commit,” Maddie insisted.

“And why should I believe you?” Henry asked.

“You don’t have to believe us,” Dave countered. “Believe Charlie Larusso. What the hell was he doing masquerading as me, huh?”

“And further, why would we submit ourselves for voluntary questioning if we had done these terrible things?” Maddie pressed.

Henry sighed. He needed to ask these questions, even if he already knew the answers. “Ok, let’s start from the beginning. David Brighton, did you or did you not attack the members of the Masonic Security Council?”

“No. It must have been Charlie disguised as me.”

“Convenient considering he’s dead.”

“It’s the truth!” Dave insisted.

“Relax, I believe you. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t try you for it. With Charlie’s betrayal, there’s plenty of reasonable doubt. No jury would convict you.”

“So, are we done?” Maddie asked.

“Not quite,” said Henry. “There’s still the matter of Dave escaping our custody.”

“That wasn’t my choice.”

“Really? Care to explain?”

Dave replied, “Remember my supernatural friend, Nimue? The Lady of the Lake?”

“Yeah.”

“Turns out she sensed I was in danger and took it upon herself to get me out,” Dave explained. “She said if she hadn’t, I’d have been dead.”

“I can assure you that my team does everything by the book!” Henry growled, more than a little offended by Dave’s suggestion.

“I know that. It wouldn’t have been you that killed me.”

“Then who?”

“The Illuminati.”

Henry sat back in his chair at this. “So, that’s what this is all about…”

Dave said, “They’re back, Henry. Somehow, they’ve developed the ability to conceal their powers from us. If they can do that, I’d imagine they’ve figured out other ways around the Masonic security systems, maybe even your jammers.”

“And if that were the case, and you were their target, all they’d have to do is wait for us to put you in a holding cell,” Henry surmised. “You’d have been a sitting duck.”

“Exactly.”

“Still, none of that accounts for you impersonating a government official,” Henry shot back. “Disguising yourself as Ben Carson to make us think he was still alive? That’s wrong on so many levels.”

“Believe me, I hated that I had to do it,” Dave said, the regret apparent on his face. “But it was necessary; it was the only way to draw Charlie out. He had to believe his assassination attempt had failed.”

Henry considered this for several seconds. “I suppose that makes sense. Tactically, I’d have probably done the same thing. But that still leaves one unanswered question.”

“And that is?” Maddie asked impatiently.

“How do I know the roles aren’t reversed in all this?” Henry replied. “How do I know that you aren’t the traitor and Charlie wasn’t the one working against you the whole time?”

“First off, Charlie wouldn’t have committed suicide if that were the case,” Dave answered. “But more importantly, that’s why I dropped my disguise the moment I pulled Charlie into the press conference. We both know the limitation of disguise spells, Henry.”

“True,” Henry nodded. “No sorcerer can go from one disguise to another. You have to return to your original appearance before using a different disguise.” He leafed through the manila folder for a bit longer before continuing, “I’m convinced. I’ll report back to the rest of the Security Council that your actions were necessary for the safety of the general public as well as your own. Far as I’m concerned, you’re both clear.”

“Security Council?” Dave asked.

“Yep, we’ve already formed a new one,” said Henry. “Every member of the old council had their backups ready in the event something happened to them. This is a secret plan that only those members and the President of the United States know about. I’m now onboard, along with Eyota Black, Patricia Jenkins, and Megan Powers.”

“Congratulations,” Maddie said, more relaxed now that Henry had cleared them. “But if this plan is so secretive, why tell us about it?”

Henry cracked a smile. “Isn’t it obvious? You two are backups, now.”

Dave looked at his wife’s panicked face and said, “Henry, we’re flattered, but this feels like too much too soon.”

“Don’t worry about a thing. You two will be trained in everything you need to know. Hopefully, you’ll never have to ascend to the Security Council, unless that’s what you want. But from now on, you and I will be working very closely, Mr. Brighton.”

“How close are we talking?” Dave asked.

“You’ll have to officially work your way up, but I have plans for you as a major operative for the MBI. With the Illuminati back, we’d be fools to waste incredible talent like yours. Eventually, I hope we can track them down and snuff them out personally. How does that sound?”

“After what they did to Ben and the others, I’d love nothing more,” Dave said.

“Good. Now, I do recommend you try and refrain from bending the rules anymore, Mr. Brighton. The MBI frowns on such behavior, understand?”

“I gotcha, but no promises,” Dave replied with a wry grin. “I do have to ask: why the hardball routine? If the new Security Council wanted us as their backups, why go all hardboiled interrogator on us?”

“Had to check your mental toughness,” Henry answered. “We’re in for some difficult times, I’d wager. We can’t waste time on anybody with a weak constitution.”

Maddie then said, “Henry, if I may be so blunt, why us? Why place two young sorcerers like us in line for the Security Council? Surely there must be many other Masons more qualified and well-established than us.”

Henry shrugged. “It comes down to trust, especially in times like these. We just discovered one of our best men was a turncoat. We’ve still got to sort out who can and can’t be trusted. But I’m certain of one thing: we can trust you two. Both of you have amazing instincts. Hell, Dave was right on the money about the Illuminati from the start, even as I was trying to downplay the possibility. And Maddie, the way you figured out that Dave was at the press conference? Sheer genius. If anyone in this country can be trusted right now, it’s you two.”

“Thank you,” Maddie smiled, squeezing her husband’s hand. “Is that everything?”

“Just one last thing I wanted to ask your opinion on.” Henry pulled a plastic evidence bag from his pocket and placed it on the table, displaying the black ring inside. “We found this on Charlie’s body, underneath his Channel. What do you make of it?”

*****

“Dr. Iger, give us one good reason we shouldn’t execute you for this failure!”

“Nothing that happened today was my fault,” Mark replied with calm conviction. “As I’m sure the High Council is aware, Charlie Larusso had full leadership authority for this operation. He gave the orders, I followed them. But as I warned him not to, he underestimated David Brighton. Once Charlie was dragged into direct combat, it was over. There was no stopping his failure at that point.”

“And why did you not attempt to aid him?” asked another of the council.

“I was following his final order: stay hidden,” said Mark. “If I had entered the fray, we would now be more exposed than we already are. I understand your anger, for I am also upset with the situation. But the fact remains that this failure rests squarely on Charlie’s shoulders, and he paid the price for it with his life.”

“Yes… but the Masons are now aware that they may have traitors in their numbers. No doubt they will work to flush out any turncoats. Our informants have also indicated that a new Security Council has already been formed.”

“Perhaps, but if I may be so bold, I believe this can work to our advantage,” Mark continued. “Yes, the Masons are now aware of the possibility of traitors, but they still don’t know who the traitors are. If we can find ways to feed their paranoia, they may eventually destroy themselves from the inside. I believe I am perfectly positioned within the Masonic communities to help engineer this.”

“And how do you plan to do this, Dr. Iger? The new Security Council is made up of four of the most loyal members of MBAS. How could you possibly influence them without being on the Security Council yourself?”

Mark’s lips curled into a smile. “There are other ways to exert our influence…”

*****

“Are you ready for this?” Maddie asked.

“Yeah, just really nervous,” Dave admitted.

“Do you think they’ll like me?” Tammy asked from the back seat of the car.

Maddie gave a smile over her shoulder. “They’ll love you, Tammy. I’m sure of it. But bringing you here will also invite some difficult questions.”

“I think I know how to respond,” said Dave. “And if push comes to shove, I have permission to tell them the truth. I’d prefer if it didn’t come to that, but…”

“We’ll see how it plays out,” Maddie agreed.

“Ok, we’re here.”

Dave pulled into his parents’ driveway and parked in their usual spot. He had told them that three of them would be coming, but not that Tammy was the third person. As per usual, his dad came out of the garage before they could even turn the car off to help with the bags. His double take at seeing Tammy hop out of the back seat was a moment Dave would never forget for the rest of his life.

“Hey, Dad.”

“How you?” John said.

“Same old same old,” Dave smirked.

“Yeah, right. Seems y’all got a story to tell,” he replied, glancing at Tammy. “And what’s your name, little missy?”

“I’m Tammy,” she said with a wide smile, showcasing her missing tooth.

“Glad to meet you, Tammy. You can call me Mr. John. Maddie, why don’t you two head on in? Dave and I got the bags.”

“Of course! Come on, Tammy,” Maddie answered, taking the girl by the hand.

Once the girls were out of earshot, John gave Dave a serious look. “Who is she?”

Dave decided the direct answer was best. “She’s our daughter. We’re adopting her.” While John continued to stare, Dave continued, “C’mon inside. I’ll explain everything.”

The two men soon arrived in the house to find Tammy making friends with Sara in short order. Sara gave a glance to her husband before saying, “John, why don’t you take Dave into your office for a bit? Didn’t you say you needed his help with something?” She then looked at Tammy and continued, “We girls need some time together.”

“Yeah!” Tammy agreed excitedly.

John nodded and motioned for Dave to follow him into the sunroom that functioned as his office. After putting the bags in the corner for the moment, John slid the door closed and turned to his son.

“You wanna tell me what’s going on? All of a sudden, you two are adopting?!”

“I know it’s sudden, but it was the best option,” Dave replied, keeping his voice low so as not to alarm the others. “Tammy’s had a rough life, and it got worse recently when she lost her only family. Gang violence downtown, her mom and brother got caught in the crossfire. She has nobody left.”

“Fine, I get that, but why you two?”

“We had been mentoring her mother,” Dave fibbed again. “I was helping her with their family finances, while Maddie was helping with her kids. We had a good relationship, even to the point that Tammy’s mom said she was looking up to me as a father figure. After her mom and brother died, she had nobody else to go to. Foster care was the only option, but she would have fallen apart completely in some stranger’s house. We offered to take her. Like I said, it was the best option.”

John shook his head. “Son, I wanna believe you, but it’s a big leap from financial mentor to adoptive parent, and I doubt the State of Georgia would make that leap without doing their homework.”

“They checked us out. I mean, I already passed an FBI background check for my job.”

“But why weren’t we contacted as references?” John fired back. When Dave hesitated, he continued, “We’ve had a few people in town become adoptive parents, and it’s always the same song and dance. No kid can be placed with them until they undergo several months of inspections and multiple positive references from family and friends. Something doesn’t add up here, Dave.”

Dave began to feel a bit nervous at his dad’s prodding. “I don’t know what else to tell you, Dad.”

“Ok,” John said, looking at a sheet of paper on his desk. “I’m not tryin’ to pry, but there’s been some unexpected things to happen with you this year. And I sometimes wonder just what you and Maddie get up to in Atlanta.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dave replied.

John held up the sheet of paper for Dave to see. He could tell it was a picture of him and Maddie on the roof of the Westin. Moreover, Maddie was shooting fire from her hands and Dave had his wind sword at the ready.

“You tell me the truth, Dave. What am I lookin’ at?”

Dave’s mouth went dry. “Where did you get this?”

“Not important right now.”

“You bet your ass it’s important, Dad!” Dave pushed back. “I work for the government, remember? What you have there is something highly classified. So, I ask again, where did you get it?”

Nodding, John replied, “There were some rumors going around online of something big that happened last week in Atlanta, so I investigated. Found that in a security camera on the Westin rooftop. Couple of minutes after I did, it had been erased.”

Dave blinked twice at this. “Online rumors? You investigated? Dad, what are you talking about?”

John sighed, seeing there was no avoiding the truth. “I guess since I’m lookin’ into your secrets, I might as well let you in on mine. I’m a member of Anonymous, Dave.”

“Oh, that’s funny, Dad. You don’t even have wireless internet!”

“Not here, and that’s on purpose,” John grinned. “Protection for the family. I got a feelin’ you know a little somethin’ about that. But at work, that’s where I do what I can to keep an eye on things. And when I heard rumors of something big and secretive in your area, I had to check it out.”

“And you hacked the Westin security cameras before we could scrub them,” Dave finished, realizing his dad was telling the truth.

“Exactly. Now, who’s ‘we’? What is it I’m seeing in this picture? I know what it looks like, but it seems too fantastic to believe.”

After thinking a moment, Dave figured it was time. “What you’re seeing is Maddie and me using sorcery.”

John stood there stone-faced for several seconds. “Sorcery, you say?”

“Yeah. Sit down, Dad. It’s a long, long story…”

*****

There was much murmuring in the Lewisburg United Methodist sanctuary that Sunday morning. An email had gone out earlier in the week informing everyone of a major announcement regarding the future of the church. That almost always meant a minister was being relocated, as happened quite frequently in Methodist churches. But none had heard any more specific rumors about what was going to be announced; everything seemed so secretive. One could cut the tension in the air with a knife. At last, as the prelude ended, Dr. Mark Iger stepped up to the pulpit to deliver the announcements.

“Good morning, friends. I’m glad to see so many lovely faces here today. This is a great day of great anticipation, to which I’d imagine most of you would agree.” Mark paused a moment in expectation of laughter from the congregation, but none came. “As I’m sure you are all aware, an email was sent out this week regarding our future as a congregation. More specifically, this announcement is regarding my future as God’s servant. For the last several years, I have grown increasingly concerned and frustrated with the state of discourse in our great nation. We have lived in divided times at other points in our history, but things seem to be reaching a crescendo as of late. Tribalism has increased. Citizens who disagree are at each other’s throats, both in public and on social media. And how do our elected officials respond to this? They participate fully in these childish displays.

“Friends, I have prayed long and hard about these problems, and I believe our great nation is at a crossroads. I believe we as a people have rejected the sound leaders that God would have us elect in favor of whining children who are smart enough to play to our fears and baser instincts. If we are to regain our status as God’s chosen land of freedom and prosperity, we must reject the immaturity of our current leadership in both political parties and, as our forefathers did, provide new guards for our future security. Now, I am not advocating for a revolution, merely a movement to restore sanity and morality in our nation’s government. But every movement must begin with one individual brave enough to lead by example.”

The room fell dead silent at this. Every last person in that sanctuary was on the edge of their seats, wondering exactly where Mark was going with all this. After a dramatic pause, Mark at last spoke the words that would forever change the course of the world.

“This is why, effective immediately, I am resigning my post at Lewisburg United Methodist and declaring my candidacy for the United States Senate.”