The Secret Service agents sat at the table in the center of the bedroom. They had removed their sunglasses but their eyes still looked sharp and stoic, barely betraying any hint of emotion. The iPad was set up on the table itself (the pizza box had been tossed away hastily in the corner).
Jason lay on the bed, licking his lips, still feeling the touch of Audrey on them. Audrey sat next to the bed near him, the two of them trading meaningful looks. Laureen lay on the other side of the bed, resting her bad leg on a pillow for support. Hiroshi was curled on the floor, munching on a pizza crust, occasionally pausing to wipe crumbs off himself. Max sat in a chair closest to the table, arms folded and waiting quietly.
One of the agents checked his watch and nodded to his partner. The second guy turned on the iPad and a virtual call went through, buzzing loudly. After a few seconds of ringing, the picture switched on and the President's face filled the screen. He appeared to be sitting down. His appearance was still gaunt and tired looking, similar to when Jason had last seen him at the press conference but he managed a slow smile nonetheless.
"The Metahuman Agency..." The President said to them. "I...no...this country owes you a great debt. This is the third time you've put your lives on the line against a downright apocalyptic threat. I...can't thank you enough for what you've done."
"Thank you sir," Laureen said, smirking. "We're, uh, happy to help. It's been rough, won't lie though. But I'm glad that fucking bitch is dealt with and her pack of crazy ass thugs in the ground." She paused before asking. "How bad is the damage? And the uh...death toll in San Francisco and Quincy?"
The President sighed, running his single hand through his hair. Jason leaned forward, curious about that himself. "I won't lie, its very bad. We're estimating civilian and military casualties in the hundreds so far, not to mention millions of dollars worth of property damage. But it could have been much worse. You all stepping in saved both those cities from complete annihilation. There was no way t prevent any loss of life but prevented many, many people from being killed. You're heroes, far as I'm concerned."
Jason clasped his hands together. It was hard to process. Hundreds had been killed in this battle. He felt his stomach tighten as he tried to process that. He'd been at ground zero of a metahuman attack before he became a member of the Metahuman Agency. He remembered how terrifying it was...how monsters seem to come out of nowhere and began to destroy New York around his eyes. The screaming of people, the explosives quaking the ground, the rampant chaos...he couldn't have imagined what it had been like for all those poor civilians caught in this madness. And many had died, because they weren't fast enough. He shut his eyes, trying to process it all but he just...couldn't. It was too big, too much. He tried to take in the solace of what the President had said, that those cities hadn't been utterly destroyed and that millions of lives had been saved. Without them, Jacqueline would have wiped those cities off the face of the earth and who knows what she would have done next?
But still...hundreds were dead. Innocent people had died thanks to their battle. Jason felt a bit sick as he forced his eyes open. He just...couldn't deal with it now. He had to push away his thoughts or he would've been sick right then and there. Partially successfully, he managed to push his thoughts down but they continued to gnaw at him, chewing at his thoughts.
"So," Max cut in, adjusting himself on his chair. "...What happens to us now? The Director...you know what happened to her..." He pursed his lips. "We've ended the Skeleton Crew but we've got nothing now. No base, no resources...what are you planning to do with us, Mr. President?'
"Yeah..." Hiroshi mumbled, his nervous voice cracking slightly. "Uh...what happens to, um, us...next? You're not gonna..." He swallowed. "...dispose of us, right?"
The President paused and stroke his chin with his single hand. He seemed to consider this for a long few moments before he smiled and said, "...No. I'm not going to 'dispose' of you, young man. That'd be the equivalent of, well, massacring an entire battalion of soldiers who risked their lives. No, you don't have to worry about that all. I'm not going to lock you all up, I'm not going to kidnap you for illegal experimentation, nothing unethical at all. You'd had my respect since you saved my life in Washington and that's only deepened with your subsequent escapades. Please...believe me that I won't do anything to hurt you all. Trust me."
Jason swallowed, clasping his hands together. He nodded slowly. He liked the President, all things considered, he seemed like an actually reasonable person. "So..." He spoke up. "Well, that's good hear. Thank you...but does happen to us now?"
"Well, that's on you all..." The President said with a slight cough. He covered his mouth and stifled it. "You see...I think Director Prescott was right. Metahumans aren't going away, they're becoming more and more numerous. Our...my...administration refused to take them seriously, considered your organization a joke. Young adults working to protect us? No matter your abilities, the idea seemed ludicrous. But if you hadn't been there, Zeus's virus would have possibly wiped out the human race. That demented serial killer Akihiro would have rampaged across America. And there's no telling what the Skeleton Crew would have done unopposed. The fact of the matter is, we needyou. The much is clear. And so..." The President paused, against stroking his chin as if searching for the right words.
Jason leaned forward, curious as to what the man would say. The President finally sighed, running a hand through his hair then said, "We would like to offer you a chance to keep the Metahuman Agency going. Things will be...different, naturally. But we can give you the resources you had, to properly respond to metahuman threats and deal with them. This is your choice, naturally. But...I know how effective you all are. The Director was right. Your team are the only ones who fight metahuman criminals and terrorists. I would like to give you the resources to go on...to keep at it." He paused again before adding. "If that's what you want, anyway."
Jason swallowed deeply. He's offering got give us the Agency back? He thought. That wasn't exactly what he'd suspected...but it was refreshing to hear. He'd been worried...really worried actually of what could happen to him and his friends. A nagging sense that their lives were over, that the Metahuman Agency had died when they'd completed their final goal of taking down Jacqueline.
But now? Now he heard that the President himself wanted them to be rebuilt. To be the people they used to be! To continue to have adventures! He looked at his friends and saw none of them were talking. He bit his lip and decided to go first.
"For my part, I'm in," Jason spoke up. "I...can't imagine life without the Metahuman Agency...I want us to continue, in some form. If you can give us that, Mr. President, I'd be fucking happy to continue as we were. These guys are my friends..." And more, He thought as he looked at Audrey. "I'm sure as hell don't want to be separated from them. Maybe it won't exactly be as it was...but I'm game to try and rebuild ourselves."
Laureen nodded too. "Yeah..." She folded her arms. "I ain't got nothing beyond this..."
Same. Jason thought.
"And as the motherfucking team leader," She rapped a fist against her chest. "I got, like, responsibilities and shit. Yeah. I'm in too."
Audrey's antennae twitched. She was quiet for a few moments, twiddling her massive thumbs before she looked up. Her brown eyes met Jason's. They shared a long look between each other and Jason cracked a broad grin at her. Audrey smiled back and nodded slowly.
"...I don't want to be away from my friends," She said quietly. "The world out there? It's not for me. The Metahuman Agency was my home. It was a place where I felt like I belonged. If you can give it to us again...I'll happily stay."
Jason grinned broadly, happy to hear that. Audrey smiled back at her before, almost shyly, pulling herself away. Laureen nodded and gestured at the door, saying: "James is sleeping but the professor would say yes, I guarantee that. This is his life, his dream, building gadgets and all that science crap. He really can't function as a normal member of society..." She snorted, folding her arms. "Fuck, I don't think any of us can. So he's in, no doubt."
"Well, that makes four of you..." The President said with a smile. His eyes flicked offscreen and one of the agents adjusted the iPad so he was facing Max and Hiroshi. "And you two?"
Hiroshi looked at the floor, licking some crumbs off his face. He looked very small right now and hugged his legs close to himself, obviously nervous. Max looked more relaxed and faced the iPad with his single eye. He narrowed it, rubbing at his untrimmed stubble before finally saying quietly, "I...I'm going to have to refuse."
Jason raised an eyebrow. Thatwas surprising. He stood up off the bed and said, "What? You, Max? Why?"
Max scratched at hid stubble and sighed before refolding his arms. "I dunno..." He muttered. "I'm better than I was, for sure. But I'm hardly one hundred percent. I just don't think I can really commit to a new mission, a new life, before I figure myself out." He jerked a thumb at his eyepatch. "I need time to deal with this and a lot of other shit I've been keeping buried for a while." He blew out harshly before looking back at the iPad. "I hope you understand, Mr. President."
There was a moment of silence. Laureen spoke up first. "Dude, that's no problem," She said with a smile. "You got shit to deal with. I get it. But if you ever want to come back...you know where to find us. Okay?"
Jason nodded too. He got it. It was a bit disappointing but he got it. "Yeah dude. Take sometime. Deal with crap. Then...you can come back. Only if you wanna though..."
Max nodded, going quiet again as he leaned back in his chair. Hiroshi coughed and stood up. He sucked in a sharp breath and said, "Um...well...." His cheeks flushed nervously and he looked at the ground nervously. "Um...Mr. President sir...I think..." He looked at Jason and the others.
"Its okay Hiorshi," Jason muttered, suspecting he knew what the kid was going to say. He gestured with his fingers. "Spit it out. Its okay."
Hiroshi swallowed but he managed to face the iPad, even as he was sweating nervously. "Um...I'm sorry sir..." He said, stuttering. "B-but I want to go home...I've been...away so long...ever since Akihiro..." He gritted his teeth, closing his eyes but forced himself to continue. "...K-kidnapped me. N-n-now with him gone and...and the Skeleton Crew defeated...I'm wondering if...if its okay if I can be sent home? I miss my parents...s-so much..." His voice cracked as he began to cry. Opening his eyes, Hiroshi blinked through tears. "P-please sir? I...I know I'm technically a criminal but...but...maybe...you could allow me to go? I...I love the Metahuman Agency and my friends...but I really want to go home."
Jason looked at him. He bit his lip. He'd forgotten about Hiroshi's family. Well...not forgotten but more like it had slipped his mind during excitement of a potential new base. He felt a lump of guilt in his throat, cursing himself for forgetting about the situation Hiroshi was in...
Laureen nodded. "Dude, that's totally understandable. Fuck, I can't imagine how its fucking been for you. The fact that you've held together so fucking well is a goddamn miracle." Her eyes flicked to the iPad. "I assume that's okay, right mister President?" Her tone had a note of coldness in it, subtle but suggesting she wouldn't react well if he said no.
"Hiroshi, you've done more for this country at such a young age than some members of my staff," The President said gently. "I will see to it you receive a full pardon and are released as soon as possible. I will also contact your parents. You'll be returned home, I promise you that."
Hiroshi blinked. His lips trembled. He tried to say something but it came out as more a choke. The tears spilled from his eyes in buckets, as his mouth finally split into a genuine, disbelieving smile.
"T-thank..." He sputtered out, coughing and wiping more tears off his cheeks. "...Thank you...s-s-s-sir."
Audrey reached over and gave Hiroshi a gentle pat on the back as he continued to descend into happy crying. Max nodded and stroked his elbows. He looked at the others and smirked.
"I think you guys will be just fine without us," He grunted. "But if you need me...really need me...I'll be there."
Laureen gave him a thumbs up. "I appreciate that, bro." She turned to look back at iPad. "So, Mr. President...what comes next then? Where do you want our new badass base?"
The President looked over his shoulder. "Well...I have to be quick...but I've already thought of something. It'll be your choice, naturally, but here's what I was thinking..."