First Episode

The Cost of Power is set in an alternative universe from the main Martiniere Legacy series. In this book, I take a closer look at the mind control technology and…the relationship between Gabe and his father Philip ends up being different.

Additionally, Gabe tells Ruby who he really is much, much earlier than in the main Martiniere Legacy series.

Most of all, I’m freeforming this story. I somewhat know where it’s going to go, but how it unfolds depend on what happens with Gabe, Philip, Ruby, and Justine once they get on a roll in this particular setting.

UPDATE, April 21, 2023 : Given where I am in this story drafting-wise (approximately 60,000 words), THERE WILL BE A SECOND BOOK. No way can I wrap up what I’m doing here in 40,000 more words. Things are gonna happen with Philip, Gabe, Ruby, and the Martiniere Multiverse, and I don’t want to cut the Multiverse elements that start coming into the story. This may be the series that resolves the entire Multiverse element of the Martiniere stories.

Now whether that book gets serialized here or not…we shall see.

Enjoy! This is part one of Chapter Five. There will be five parts to this chapter.

July, 2033

GABE

This was bad.

No.

The fact that mind control technology had been in Zingter Enterprises’ hands for at least ten years was horrific. Walter Braun might be dead but his son Frank was no better—Frank Braun possessed even fewer scruples than Philip.

And it explains one hell of a lot. But damn it, for Joey to be the source—how old was he then—twenty-two? No. Twenty-one.

Twenty-one, and already owing a fortune in gambling and other debts. Washed out of four universities by then as well. But had this betrayal been Joey’s idea, or had he been blackmailed into it? What role did the Brauns play in Joey’s decline?

No time to think about that right now, Gabriel. But it needs to be figured out if Justine doesn’t already have the answer.

Gabe clenched his fists underneath the table, then released them. “What does Philip know?”

“He was made aware of the data breach shortly after Zingter had acquired the technology. I have emails that show Philip’s attempts to negotiate the return of the tech by sacrificing me. Joey’s suggestion.” Justine’s voice was calm and steady even when discussing this piece of her past, her face gone blank and expressionless. “When I wouldn’t marry him, Braun demanded that Daddy-damned-dearest develop the indenture experiments.”

“Why didn’t he tell any of us?” If Philip had only said something—anything—even the faintest suggestion that he was operating under compulsion would have cast a different light on the situation.

Then I would have gone after Braun and Zingter, not Philip and the Group.

Walter Braun had still been alive five years ago, and taking him down would have been a pleasure, one that Gabe was sure Philip would have enjoyed seeing happen as well. Damn it.

“Because Braun turned around and exploited a vulnerability in the original setup to program Daddy-damned-dearest.” Now Justine looked down, swallowing hard, expression returning as her brows furrowed. “He made Daddy-poo think it was his own idea to marry me off to Braun. Then blackmailed him when we countered that by my marrying Donald.”

“My beloved falcon,” Donald Atwood murmured. “Don’t beat yourself up. Would you have willingly gone to Braun if you had known what was at stake?”

Justine’s face twisted momentarily, almost like she was going to cry, and Gabe’s gut tightened.

God no, Tine, please say you wouldn’t have sacrificed yourself for the Family. Please.

There were some things that were just too much to bear, and even considering marrying then-seventeen-year-old Justine to eighty-one-year-old Walter Braun without her consent was one of them.

Gabe clearly remembered the events leading up to Justine marrying Donald. It had been one of those nightmare Family Christmases at the Hôtel Martiniere. He was on his way to Donna-gran’s suite when he heard Justine’s screams for help as she tried to evade Philip and Joey’s attacks after she said no to Walter Braun’s proposal. Triggered by those screams, he thundered up the stairs to the penthouse, suspecting what was going on. Managed to get Justine free, sent her to Donna-gran, then was locked down using his words so he couldn’t fight back while Philip and Joey—mostly Joey, really—battered him.

Gerard plus Piotr and Serg extracted Gabe from Joey and Philip’s ragefest. Recovering from that beating had taken several months, because his wounds became infected. Joey had taken a whip to Gabe, leaving marks that still scarred his back. And it had been Joey, not Philip, repeatedly chanting his words, locking Gabe down so that he couldn’t retaliate. While Gabe was a better fighter than Joey, Joey was better at using vocal tones—and they both knew it.

After escaping Joey and Philip, then the planning and scheming with Justine began. The scramble over the next tense hours while huddling in Donna-gran’s suite, trying to find someone else—anyone else—for Justine to marry, someone safe, who would protect her until she was old enough to access her funds without restriction, and who would be open to divorce within a reasonable period should that be what Justine wanted.

Donald Atwood was the perfect candidate. Wealthy, kind, respectful; supportive of his mother’s political activities surrounding reproductive rights.

Gabe stared at his sister as she continued to gaze down at her hands, her face tightening until it was expressionless once more. At last, she looked up, directly at Donald.

“My answer would have been identical.” Her voice was ragged and soft. “Even more so, had I known.”

Ruby brushed her foot against his. Gabe glanced at her. She raised her brows, questioning.

Later, he mouthed, and turned his focus back on Justine and Donald. The tenderness in Donald’s expression even as Justine raised her chin defiantly, not looking at anyone but Donald, strongly suggested that there wasn’t much substance to the rumors of their impending divorce.

Either that, or divorce was a cover for a scheme the two of them were running. Totally in character for Justine and Donald.

Something to bring up privately with Justine, and perhaps Donald as well.

“How many people know, Tine?”

Justine finally broke away from eye contact with Donald to look at him. “My informants. Everyone in this room. I went to Uncle Gerry with the information once I was certain that Zingter had the tech, and he called yesterday’s meeting for our allies to discuss it, in conjunction with what we knew about that damned Criminal Injustice show. The risk that you were going to be exposed, plus learning this, and everything else that idiot Joey is doing right now—we’re headed for a crisis in the Family.”

“I see.” Gabe tapped his fingers on the chair arm. This cast an entirely different light on things.

Who drove the investment in that show? Philip—or Joey?

Just because PJM Corp had financed a big chunk of the show did not automatically mean that it was Philip’s doing. Philip had given Joey significant control of his personal holding company, instead of Joey setting up his own. Tellingly, Gerard had not objected to that decision of Philip’s, at least as far as Gabe knew.

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