Convergence - The Last Science #2.1 - In Plain Sight

B2: Chapter 17 - Career Path - VII

  In the small kitchen bordering the living room, Jeremy found Rachel's parents. They fell silent as he walked in. He ignored them, fishing through the cabinets for a glass, until Andrea finally pulled one out and shoved it into his grasp.

  "Got any beer?" he asked.

  She shook her head. "Sorry."

  "S'okay." He opened the fridge and, seeing nothing else worthwhile, poured himself a glass of orange juice. After draining it, he turned back to Andrea. "So. Where do you two play into this?"

  "We didn't know anything until that day," Andrea said quickly.

  "Yeah, I got that. I meant going forward." He jerked his head back at Will's bedroom, where Maddie and Rachel were still talking. "Your daughter's in there talkin' to a United States Senator; you know that right?"

  They glanced at each other. "Yes," she said reluctantly.

  "Once she does this, there's no goin' back. She'll be a big face. The face of magic, worldwide." Jeremy shrugged. "This is probably gonna go all the way up to presidents and world leaders, you get that?"

  Andrea nodded. "We do."

  "It's crazy," Eric muttered. "All of this is insane."

  "You don't have to stay, Eric," she said. "I'd understand if you want to go home. You don't owe us anything."

  "Andy, she's our daughter." He frowned. "What kind of dad would I be if I let her do this all alone?"

  Well, a pretty typical one. "Look, take it from someone else who got famous by accident from this mess. It sucks, it's annoying as hell, and you'll never really get used to it."

  "When?" asked Andrea simply.

  "When?" Jeremy glanced back at the bedroom. "I dunno. As long as Maddie feels like she needs to get the story straight. Then we gotta figure out how to present it to the world. What media crews to hire, where to broadcast it, who to sell it to. How to handle the legal shit, what parts of the government to deal with. There's a whole fuckin' process. I don't do specifics, I'm just the muscle. Maddie's the brains."

  "...I voted for her," said Eric.

  "Well good for you, you picked a winner." Jeremy frowned. "You really voted, even from up here?"

  "Sure, why not?" He shrugged. "It's anonymous, and I'm a U.S. citizen. I still deserve to have my voice heard, right?"

  Democracy, ain't it a thing. "There's gonna be a lot of lawyers to talk to soon. Start practicin' your signatures and your initials, it's gonna be a pile of paperwork." He shrugged again. "Look on the bright side. You play this right, you could make a lot of money."

  Neither of them looked particularly pleased at the idea. Andrea glanced at the bedroom. "Half of the time, I don't recognize her anymore."

  "So it's not just me?" asked Eric, surprised.

  "No..." She paused. "She hadn't even settled on a major yet. She was thinking education, but didn't think she had it in her to go all the way to a masters... and now she's so far past school. I mean, she's a real leader. But... She's not the Rachel I remember. Everything's so different. We're never getting back to a normal life, are we?"

  Fuck me, I feel bad for them. Memories of other parents, victims of crimes he'd investigated, tumbled through his mind. He dropped his voice a little, and tried to talk more seriously. "Look, your daughter's been through a lot of trauma and way more pressure than most people her age are ever supposed to handle. That's always going to change someone. You gotta hold onto those parts of her you still know. She's still in there, but she's someone else now too." He briefly considered whether or not to tell them that his daughter had likely killed someone, but he shook his head. She can tell them that herself someday. Not my place. "You're never gonna get the girl you remember back, but your daughter's not gone. She's gonna need you more than ever now. You two are going to have the hardest job as parents, but you've got this."

  "She doesn't need us," murmured Eric. "She's the one running the show now. She even has her own lawyer. What kind of twenty year old has a personal lawyer?"

  "She does?" He raised an eyebrow. "What firm?"

  "Uhh... Luther-something."

  "Luther, Renalds and Portman," supplied Andrea. "We don't know why though. She wouldn't tell us. Feels like we're just... extras."

  Jeremy shook his head. "Everyone needs parents, some people just don't know who they are." He shrugged. "Sometimes they aren't even related to us, but they're our parents anyway. You guys are lucky enough to already know and care about each other. Hold onto that for me, would ya?"

  Andrea nodded firmly. "Always."

  Eric nodded too. "...You're sticking around, right?" he asked.

  Jeremy looked surprised. "I got places to be. I'm tryin' to find Jackie, remember?"

  He shook his head. "Trust me, we tried. We have a way to contact her, but nothing came back. We tried again while you were talking. Rachel will probably have another way, but I wouldn't get your hopes up." He paused. "We could really use your help. Neither of us really knows what we're doing."

  Jeremy let out a long, deep breath. Why am I not surprised...? Somehow, he'd known he wasn't getting out of this gig. He was going to be Rachel's personal agent for the time being; he already saw the next few weeks, months, even years laid out in front of him. And if he was honest, he didn't mind. For once in his long career in the agency, he felt like he was doing something actually meaningful and important. Where he understood exactly why he was doing it, even if he had no clue what he was going to be doing day-to-day.

  Besides, staying near Rachel is still probably the best shot at finding Jackie, sooner or later. Especially if everything is finally in the open, Jackie's gotta emerge somewhere. Right?

  "...Yeah, I'll be sticking around." They smiled. Jeremy nodded, then dug into his jacket for his phone, only to remember it had been knocked out by Rachel's spell. He glanced up shamefacedly. "Any way I can make a phone call?"

  Andrea reached into one of the kitchen drawers and pulled out a cheap burner cell phone. "Untraceable. Supposedly," she said, passing it over.

  Jeremy nodded, then went out into the backyard. He quickly dialed one of the few numbers he'd ever memorized.

  "Hello?"

  He smiled. "Lani, you're not gonna believe the fuckin' day I had."