The candidate screening session held by the ELETF (Emergency Executive-Legislative Task Force) was boring as hell. Her assumptions were that the Federal Government had pre-screened the candidates and everyone in the room because Mr. Mouser never reacted to anyone. She sat silently on the chair out of view from the general audience, flanked by the two Secret Service agents as each applicant came on the stage and went away after a brief talk with the ELETF board composed of the President and a few members of the Congress.
Such cooperation was necessary because everyone was in a hurry to appoint a new Supreme Court but nobody wanted to give too much power to the Executive. Usually, the Executive would pick their own candidates and let the legislative reject those they didn’t want to but who got the seat, in the end, was always someone aligned with the White House’s policies. If replacing only two Justices was already considered a great amount of power in the hands of the Executive branch, imagine having the power to appoint the whole court. To curtail this imbalance of power, Congress was invited to participate in the selection process from the start. It also helped share the blame and criticism between the two branches.
She could only imagine how giddy Agatha was in the audience. It was a historical moment and she literally had a first-row seat to watch it live. She was seated on the second row but the actual first row was blocked off for security reasons. The rest of the country had to watch it on TV. Or from behind the heavy stage curtains, as it was her case. It wasn’t a bad position seeing the process evolve from the sidelines. The President even spared a few moments here and there to make eye contact with her. He didn’t smile or anything because they needed to maintain decorum.
As the protocol guy showed, some people wouldn’t welcome her but it was a necessary evil. She was a female working in the adult entertainment industry. Enough said. It was ridiculously easy to make the same kind of mistake Randall did. The best misunderstanding she could hope for was if people thought she was an estranged daughter of the President. The worst would have her infamy raise to the stratosphere and maybe cause a Presidential Divorce. Nobody wanted to be in the shoes of that intern during the Clinton administration.
As all candidates had to walk past her, most ignored the girl but some were polite enough to greet her and a few even tried to know what she was doing there but the two SS goons made it clear she was off-limits. She made a point of smiling back because among them was the next Supreme Court. It was a social capital investment with no risk and a high yield. She kept her back straight and assets covered for fear of the same misunderstandings. The services she was offering were of a different sort.
It was something she had a hard time admitting. She was there to vet the next Supreme Court Justices as much as the President and Senators. She could knock one of them out of the race just by speaking up. It was a power she feared wielding. None of them had any magic about them and Mr. Mouser didn’t react. She got some time to freshen up and stretch her legs during the interval with the two agents so close behind her she could throw herself backward and there was no way she’d hit the ground.
But like all the good things that weren’t a joint hearing session, it ended.
----------------------------------------
The ELETF board would hold a press conference after the event and she wasn’t invited. Instead, they took her to a meeting room where she would wait until they needed her. At least she got Agatha to keep her company. She told what happened before the session and the lawyer became furious.
“We gotta sue that guy!” Agatha screeched. “How dare him to suggest you’re a hooker!”
“This is what it is. The Secret Service said they will take care of the matter. I think what may happen to that guy could be worse than a lawsuit. And a lawsuit is a public act. We are flying under the radar right now.”
“Right. It’s been a rough start this year for you, isn’t it?”
Cat threw her arms across the table and rested her cheek on it. “Yes. But I made a lot of money. Phillip will have a hard time filing my taxes next April.”
[No we won’t.]
“Sorry, did you say something?” Agatha leaned forward and asked.
“Nah, just me mumbling to the ghosts in my head.”
“You do that a lot.”
“Yes, I do. It helps me think.”
“I watched some of your shows. Is all that trading real?”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Sure is. How do you think I went from dead broke surf-couching girl without a penny to her name to a millionaire in forty-five days? And it’s all recorded in HD video. Every single transaction. If the IRS enters through that door now and audits me, I can put every penny in their due place. Which reminds me, I’m going to pay a hell's lot of taxes this year. Ugh. I don’t have the mind or the time to play the tax avoidance game.”
“The offshores are all locked down.”
“That too. Damn, my money needs a vacation.”
They talked for a long while on autopilot before anyone entered the room. When someone did, it was the President. He entered with the same two agents that kept her company during the hearing. She saw a few military officers outside that were barred from entering by the Secret Service.
“Miss Wallenstein, thank you for your patience. The help you offered today was of inestimable value.” Both women stood up awkwardly, unaware of the protocol in such a situation. The commander-in-chief waved a hand, “No need for fancy protocol. Stay where you are. First, I’d like to apologize. Patrick Randall no longer works for the government and he has been severely reprimanded. What he did was inexcusable.”
The two sat back and the man took a seat on the other end of the table, flanked by his MIB goons. He beamed a toothpaste commercial smile and the mood in the room changed.
Agatha let out a small chuckle and Mr. Mouser jumped on the table, moving to stand in front of Cat. She felt a slight headache and saw a glowing blue aura around the President. It wasn’t strong like the Shaman but definitely dozens of times stronger than an average person. She grit her teeth and powered through this headache.
“What have you done?” She opened her eyes to a surprised man. “Tell me, what is this? Withdraw whatever you did to Agatha now!” Underneath her burst of outrage, she was freaking out. The President could use magic!
“I’m sorry, miss. It’s a passive ability,” the POTUS admitted. “Miss Stewart, would you please excuse us? I have something to talk about with Miss Wallenstein.”
Feeling skeptical about the excuse she was given, Cat glanced at Agatha and could tell the lawyer thought leaving her alone was a terrible idea. But if the President was talking about passive abilities, it meant he was a returner just like her friends. It was just too much to process. Like how Mr. Mouser didn’t react at all. The cat was completely at ease with the man.
“I’m not leaving my client alone with three men,” Agatha protested and grabbed Cat’s wrist. “No offense,” she directed at the President.
“None taken. Are you sure?” He asked Cat, about letting Agatha stay in the room.
“Agatha, there’s a secret side of all this that is not common knowledge. We’ve been keeping it from you to safeguard you from trouble but I think it’s time for you to know. You're on the clock now, and your NDA is in effect,” Cat said. “Agreed?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Miss Wallenstein,” the young lawyer poked the tip of her tongue at her. “What is it?”
Cat huffed and faced the President, “Did you withdraw your ability?”
He showed her his open palms, “It’s turned off.”
“Okay. Agatha, can you recall what you felt when he entered the room?”
The lawyer thought for a moment, “I felt very happy to be in his presence.”
“Do you now?”
“No. I mean, the surprise has passed. Why would I? What is this about abilities that you’re talking about?”
She faced the president again, “Can you turn it on briefly and off again when I say so?” She got a nod. “Okay, Agatha. I want you to keep your focus and remain aware of your feelings. Do it now.”
Agatha gasped and sighed, then scrunched her face in confusion. During that time, Cat kept an eye on the man and saw his aura flare for a moment as another sting of headache affected her.
“What just happened?”
“The President used magic on you.”
“Shut up!” Agatha exclaimed in disbelief.
“It’s true,” the man himself admitted. “As I said, it is a passive ability but it is magic. It doesn’t change people’s minds--”
“But makes them that more flexible to what you have to say. Is this how you won the elections?”
He shook his head, “No. I am not strong enough to influence a whole nation. It did help me win the preliminaries and the debates, I’ll admit it.”
“Wait, you weren’t pulling my leg?” A still confused Agatha kept glancing between the two.
Cat gently grasped Agatha’s hand that was still grabbing her wrist, “I wish I was, Agatha. But no.”
Cat explained that he got a blessing when she attempted to kill herself without getting into many details. She made a small cut in her arm to show how fast it closed as her regeneration was divided by how many wounds she had. Then she explained everything supernatural that happened since then, including Roger Marthan’s true nature and how all the attacks from the George Washington Bridge to the Brooklyn were caused by the same person. To ease the feeling of being excluded, she explained how she didn’t intend to tell it to Oliver either, but he learned it anyway.
“That’s a lot to unpack,” Agatha vented.
“Understatement of the cen-tu-ry,” Cat intoned with a forced grin to keep the mood light. She was mad at the President and decided to score a point for the away team. “And now we know the President's most-guarded secret as well.”
“That’s true,” the man shook his head, clearly seeing through the girl's childish ploy. “But I can’t do anything to you. Guantanamo won’t be rebuilt anyway. We just don’t have the budget and we already are troubled with keeping our bases worldwide.”
Cat tittered at the thought of being sent to the prison camp in Cuba. “Thank you?”
“Well, besides attempting to charm us with magic, what brought you here, sir?” Agatha shrugged off the levity and tried to put the meeting back on track.
“My first objective was to express the appreciation we have for Miss Wallenstein’s efforts. She never shied away from what she had to do and went above and beyond what was expected of a civilian in her position. I also assure you that the teams we’ve placed around you are for your protection. And they would certainly intervene if you were mugged along with your friend Theresa. Not just call 911.”
She wanted to reply with a loud “Fuck You”, but she didn’t. Instead, she made a gesture to tell him to keep speaking.
“Finally, the IRS did an audit on you, Miss Wallenstein. They found some really interesting things and wish to have a friendly chat with you. Again I assure you they wish to help you.”
She glared at the smiling man from behind narrowed eyes. “Fine, bring them in.”