Jody stood ten feet away from (I assumed) Magnus. Though a normal person couldn’t see it, Jody accelerated himself and checked his surroundings for an ambush.

It was the day Justice Fist signed with Futuremen Capital and Jody was angry with his team, Magnus, and the world. I couldn’t say how I knew it, but we were in Jody’s head.

He hadn’t seen anything yet that worried him, but he didn’t stop. Beyond the question of whether or not he could trust Magnus, he didn’t want anyone else to see either. I could feel his annoyance as he thought that it would be just his luck if Haley or I showed up. It seemed like every couple he knew came here for privacy—not to mention underage drinking.

Fucking teenagers, he thought, remembering visiting with Sean, Dayton, half the basketball team, and a case of beer.

To Magnus, he said, “Okay. I’m here. What did you want?”

Magnus smiled and for the first time, despite hearing his name for years, I got a look at him. Gray-haired and wearing a black suit, he wasn’t much taller than Jody—which meant shorter than average. Even through Magnus’ suit, I could see that he had a muscular torso underneath his clothes.

Taking a step toward Jody, he said, “I appreciate your directness. After a lifetime of leadership, I’ve grown to appreciate people who don’t hide the truth to please me. Allow me to encourage your boldness, by matching you.

“I want you and your friends to join me.”

If I hadn’t already guessed from context, I’d have recognized Magnus from his voice—deep and with an untraceable accent. I remembered it from our phone call back in high school.

Jody laughed, “Really? You just made that a fuckton harder. You showed up out of nowhere and acted like a supervillain. Plus, you called yourself Martin Greatson. You wanna go with a name that sounds less made up. Now my friends are nervous. They’re not sure who’s really behind Futuremen Capital. It might be the Nine. It might be Syndicate L. It might be fucking ninjas. What were you going for?”

If Magnus found Jody disrespectful, he didn’t show it. He flicked his mustache as if trying to remove errant crumbs and said, “Hmmm. Ninjas. I’ve known ninjas, but don’t currently have any in my employ. I know my conduct in your friend’s… building might arouse suspicion, but I wanted to be as direct as possible. I needed to see all of you. Certain things can only be determined when you’re in my physical presence. Did you feel anything when you first saw me?”

I felt fear and queasiness that I knew weren’t mine, but Jody would never admit were his.

Raising an eyebrow, Jody said, “Feel anything? You’re not my type, man. You’re too old and you don’t have boobs.”

Magnus roared with laughter. He didn’t slap his knee, but for a moment I thought he was about to. He laughed so long that Jody stepped back, wondering if he should leave.

When Magnus finished, he said, “Ah yes, the charms of women. What could be better?”

Still smiling, Magnus answered himself, “When I was young, I might have said nothing was better, but now I find that I’m more partial to power. Power leads to wealth and wealth leads to women. I see no reason to want anything less than everything and I can tell you this from experience. In my life, I’ve had them all, often at the same time.”

“Wow,” Jody said, “that must have been nice for you.”

Magnus grinned, “You have no idea. I travelled the world with companions of all kinds—women, teachers, servants, everything a man could desire. I left many descendants behind me. I spread my seed far and wide.”

Shaking his head, Jody said, “Nice try, Grandpa, but if you’re trying to tell me you’re my father, I know better. I know who that guy is. I have the DNA tests and everything. He lives in Florida. He left my mom before I was even five and he can go to hell.”

“No,” Magnus grunted. “I have no interest in that man and I am not your father. Calling me grandfather might be closer to the truth, but not ancient enough. I think you did feel something when you saw me because I did too. Like recognized like. There’s an ancient brotherhood of immortals in this world and I am not talking about the Cabal. The Cabal were servants. I’m talking about the truly ancient brotherhood that dates back to the beginning of humanity.

“Humanity has been mixed with creatures from beyond this universe, beings capable of stepping from other dimensions and taking our form. I’m descended from them and so are you. I felt our connection and I know you did as well.”

Jody didn’t respond, but I felt his fear.