What do you think about that, Eddie?
I was starting to get excited that he might be who were looking for, but this dampens my enthusiasm.
Danielle was reluctant to say what she thought because Eddie might think she was crazy, but her job made her push those feelings aside and say, Eddie, think with me a moment. What do we know about what kind of person Superman is?
Well, hes deadly in hand-to-hand combat and hes capable of breaking the law.
What law did he break?
Well, he stole the test booklet.
And if he were to be tried for that, what would they charge him with?
I see what youre saying. Only a minor misdemeanor and probably not even that since hes a student.
Now I know this is going to get philosophical, but please be patient with me. If he had not taken the test would a greater wrong have occurred?
I want to say no, but Ive gotten to know Leila, and it would be a crime against society to have that girl placed in a low-station job. I really believe she will be a difference-maker when she gets older. Unfortunately, Superman would be punished for the theft, but the reality is he should be rewarded for rectifying a mistake that was going to be made.
So, if you were going to say what kind of person our Superman is, how would you respond?
There was a long pause, and then Colonel Ortiz said, Its just like you said earlier, this Superman has a heart. However, he killed four people.
Alright, lets look at that, Eddie.
Oh no, youre going to prove me wrong there, too.
Well, think about it. Have you seen the video information that Major Daniels has put together on the number of people that little band of five has killed?
Colonel Ortiz had seen the report and it had made him angry. He wanted to find the one that escaped and kill him with his bare hands. Yes, Ive seen it.
Did you notice on the recordings that none of their victims were given a chance even when they tried to hand everything they had to them? What do you think would have happened to our Superman if he had not fought back?
Hed be dead.
Right, so what does this say about how aggressive Superman is?
Im not sure I know what youre saying.
Prior to his being attacked, had there been anything to happen in this school that even remotely looked like someone had beaten up other students?
No.
So lets say our Superman discovers by accident that he has these combat skills, and if he is someone with a good spirit and heart, what would he do during hand-to-hand training?
He would deliberately lose, Eddie said. He would try to avoid hurting anyone.
Exactly. Look at Tags records again and see what he did in his first hand-to-hand match.
Eddie looked through the papers, found what he was looking for, and then read to Danielle, In his first hand-to-hand match Tag accidentally broke the arm of his opponent. They said he was greatly upset and insisted on going to the hospital with the injured student, who was Eric McAnn.
Eric McAnn is his best friend. He hurt him and I can imagine how he felt about that; then what?
He never won another match. The instructors say that the accident caused him to lose his desire to even try. Danielle, youre beginning to scare me. How do you put all these things together?
Honestly, Eddie, I dont know. Sometimes I just sense things. Theres one thing that feels right to me. Our Superman would never hurt anyone unless it was forced on him.
So it looks like Tag is our best candidate so far.
Yes, I think youre right. But Eddie, dont interrogate him first. Give him a chance for the pressure to build up while others are being interrogated. Also, make sure when he goes into the room that there are a couple of marines outside the door. I honestly dont think that he would hurt anyone, but he may try to escape.
Well do it that way. Ill inform Inspector Connor of our discussion and let him know that the interrogation is taking place in the morning. He may want to be here.
Probably, Danielle said, but in her heart there was nothing but sadness for the young boy with the startling green eyes.
Chapter 13
T ag was sitting in a chair along with six other students outside an interrogation room at school. He was taken out of his first session by a security officer that told him to wait until it was his turn. His heart was hammering in his chest and he was very close to panic. He saw absolutely no way out of being interrogated. Eric was in there being questioned, and he knew he was probably next. I have to calm down, he thought. If I go in there like this then theyll know Ive got something to hide. He closed his eyes, began taking slow deep breaths, and focused on the psychic field. The patterns usually calmed him. Only think about the patterns, he thought. He almost started to panic again when the shadows showed him that every inch of the hallway he was sitting in was being watched. Then something new caught his attention. There was a new kind of shadow pattern coming out of the room Eric was in. It actually had color. It fluctuated from light blue to navy. Suddenly it turned red, and then went back to fluctuating blue. This has to be the truth field, Tag thought. He could actually feel it in his mind, and he could tell that the fluctuations were emotions that Eric was having during the session. The red was when a falsehood was detected. The patterns were soothing to Tag, and then he had a thought. Red! he thought, and the field turned red. Blue! and the field turned blue. Tag then noticed that the fluctuations grew noticeably. Ah, that red must have startled the examiner, He realized. He felt sudden hope, but he had to be sure. He wasnt going to try to manipulate the field while Eric was being questioned. Please dont let me be the next one, he prayed. Then he saw a security officer coming with Danielle Ashford in tow.
How many times do I have to go through this before you people get it through your thick heads that I dont know anything? she said.
The security officer marched her up to a chair and said, Sit down and wait until its your turn. Try to behave.
Danielle stuck her tongue out at the security officer as he walked away, and then she sat down and saw Tag. She looked at him for a moment and then started giggling.
Whats so funny?
She said, Tag, I guess youre it this time, and then she laughed out loud.
He smiled at her and said, Yeah, I guess I am. Youve forgotten one thing though.
And just what is that?
It appears youve been it several times. I guess you could say youve been tagged.
Everyone in the hall laughed, including Danielle. She got up and sat down beside Tag. So Mr. Fourth Level Tag Master, are you too hung up on Leila to ask anyone else out?
Tag looked at her for a long moment, wondering how she could know about Leila, and said, Im not like Eric. Its not easy for me to approach girls and ask them out. He looked at the floor and said, Any girls.
She was again struck by the intensity of his eyes. Then she said, Well, what if a girl asked you out?
I might go. It would depend on the girl that asks.
What if it were me?
Are you asking?
Yes I am.
Then youre right again.
Huh?
Of course Id go out with you. I guess that makes me it again. By the way, every boy in our class is planning to ask you out or already has, because if you havent noticed, you are pretty nice to look at. How can you have any room on your calendar for me?
Danielle looked at him and said, Thank you, however, I keep tight control of my calendar, Tag. Im very selective about who I spend my time with. She had decided to ask Tag out to see if there was any possibility of his being Superman. She felt somewhat guilty about the deception, but sensed it was something she needed to do. According to school records he would turn eighteen years old in three weeks. She had just turned nineteen a month before, so she was actually only a little over one year older. She wasnt robbing the cradle, just rocking it.