“You son of a bitch,” were the words that came from somewhere deep within Agent Deacons’ lungs. “All these years, all these goddamn years. I always believed the Chinese really started that. It was you all along. You commissioned all those murders!”
“Oh yes, agent. It most certainly was me. I staged a war with the second greatest nation in the world, all so I could rule. As it turns out, everyone should have listened to those costumed altruists that tried to tell you all I was behind it. They tried to warn the world and not one person listened. This is the power of celebrity, Agent Deacons. This is what power and influence can do for you and this is what money and powerful allies can do. It all garners trust and with trust, you can do anything. I was proved superior to an assemblage of real life comic book characters.”
Agent Jennings’ sympathy had run its course. He sank into a chair across from the doctor. His eyes darted from the former President to his partner and then down to the floor. “Hit him again, Deacons.”
Deacons obliged all too willingly as two right fists and then a left made contact with the doctor’s face. The blows were not meant to extract information. These were personal. They were meant to leave scars. The agent’s right hand was trembling from the impact but he balled it into a fist one more time and delivered a quick third right hand to the prisoner’s face.
The doctor eyed Agent Jennings disconcertingly. “Commissioning violence now, are we agent? You are now only beginning to understand the consequence of my influence on the human condition.”
Deacons cut short the doctor’s ramblings with a declaration, “We’ve got you for war crimes now Hamilton. You’re going to wind up in Guantanamo.” Deacons was smugly satisfied with the announcement. His eyes squinted as he added in a voice just louder than a whisper, “You’re going to federal prison for the rest of your life.”
“Hang on, Deke,” Jennings cautioned. “I think he’s got more to say. So what about it, Doc? You got anything more you want to tell us?”
“Of course I do, Agent Jennings. I hadn’t even had my fall from grace yet, and there is so much more to get off my chest.”