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.

The entire series—The Cost of Power: Prodigal’s Return; The Cost of Power: Prodigal’s Crucible; and The Cost of Power: Prodigal’s Redemption—will be available in early 2024. This book is finished and the next two are outlined. It’s going to be quite the ride.

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

July 2033

RUBY

The screen door slammed again as Gabe, Justine, Donald, and Gerard came out. Apparently Gabe had recruited the rest of the Family to help with bringing things out for dinner.

But where’s Gramps? Her grandfather rarely passed up the opportunity to be a part of occasions like this.

Gabe directed the others—Justine to throw the tablecloth over the picnic table, Donald and Gerard to place utensils and plates on the table, while he set the platter laden with steaks on the counter next to the grill. After he started the steaks on the grill, he sat down.

“Ron’s resting in his room. Says today took a lot out of him. Anthony will take him a plate,” he said to Ruby.

Must have been reading my mind.

“Gramps is okay, right?”

“Just tired. It’s been an eventful day. I checked on him and Anthony plans to keep an eye on Ron while we talk.” Gabe eyed Philip. “So. This is not at all what I expected to have happen when I resurfaced, Philip. Much less hearing that Jorge Saldivar is interested in what becomes of me. What’s going on? Justine said you were raging about me just last week. What brought about the change of attitude?”

Philip joined the others at the picnic table. “Let’s start with my health.” He took a deep breath. “I’ve been fighting cancer and cardiac disease off and on for the past two years. One reason why I didn’t argue when the Board wanted Justine to take the External Affairs position.”

Justine tightened her lips. She and Donald exchanged glances.

“Four days ago,” Philip continued, “I was told that I need to reduce my workload. Reduce stress levels. Slow down. It’s colon cancer.”

Gerard winced. “Phil—” he shook his head.

“We’re familiar with that,” Justine said. “Donald was diagnosed in January, 2031. It’s in remission. No metastasis, so far.”

“Then you know what’s involved.” Philip’s voice was flat. “Mine, however, has metastasized. Add the high blood pressure to the mix. I have more surgery and chemo ahead. So yes, Gabriel, that’s one big factor in my change of attitude. I could not in good conscience leave things unsettled with regard to the Family and Group leadership.”

“You had Justine.” Gabe scowled at Philip.

“Justine is excellent at what she does. But. There is just enough sentiment against a woman in a leadership role in the Family and the Group to be problematic, especially given the degree to which Joseph has been courting those elements.”

“You’re hardly a shining example of feminist thought yourself,” Justine said dryly.

Philip rolled his eyes. “Justine.”

“Daddy-poo.”

Oh, those tones. Ruby shivered. Now she could feel them right down to her bones. What was this? Why was she reacting like this when it hadn’t been so intense earlier?

Justine and Gabe glanced at her, and Gabe frowned even harder.

“Take it easy, you two,” he said. “No Family tone fights, please. For Ruby’s sake. She’s worn out and they’re hitting her pretty hard.”

“All right, Gabie,” Justine said softly.

Philip nodded at Gabe before continuing. “Joseph is worse than I am about the role of women. He has been actively circulating in those traditionally-oriented Family circles, using my promotion of Justine as an argument for supporting him, as well as consorting with the Brauns. His thought is that he will gain sufficient power to challenge me as the Martiniere, by issuing a call to take the Group public. In reality—” he sighed, gesturing to Justine. “As you have discovered, the Brauns are using him as a tool to gain control of the Martiniere Group. This is part of a long-range plan set in place by Walter Braun some years back.” Philip snapped up a file, flipping copies to Gabe, Justine, and Gerard. “Read this, please. I just got my hands on the full document this morning. I had the partial earlier and didn’t want to say anything until I had this version.”

Silence as they read.

Then Gabe, his voice low and angry, resonating deep within Ruby. “What the hell?”

“Is this true, Philip?” Gerard sounded shaken. His tones didn’t hit her as hard, but still.

“God damn that slimy son of a bitch,” Justine snarled. “Yes, Uncle Gerry. It’s true. I hadn’t been able to get my fingers on this document, but I have encountered allusions to it.”

“What?” Ruby stared at Gabe. That fight-you-to-the-death glower had returned, but it was focused on the document he flipped through once again.

Gabe glared at her, his face set and hard. “Walter Braun was implicated in the deaths of my family. Of my grandfather. This isn’t something that just happened in the last few years. It started before we were born.” He slammed the table with the flat of his palm. “Damn it, I thought their deaths were accidental! Not—this.”

“Correct,” Philip said, a matching hard tone in his voice. “Walter Braun—and now his son Frank—have been actively scheming to take over the Martiniere Group for years, planning to make it part of Zingter Enterprises. They have been creating their own version of the mind control technology. They want to eliminate our proprietary control of it. I’ve suspected this was the case, but until Justine’s discoveries and this document, I didn’t have confirmation. And I’ve been manipulated to keep from realizing it.”

“How did you manage to get this document?” Justine asked.

Philip grimaced. “Mariah Meyers was broken in order to do it. It wasn’t pretty, especially since she has been subtly feeding me a Zingter psychotropic that left me open to programming—and yes, Ruby, that may have included nanos that are Zingter, not Martiniere. I managed to turn it back on her with Saldivar help—also due to a new medication which took several weeks to become fully effective—and used her to get the partial version of this document.” He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have trusted her. Typical female—”

“Don’t go there,” Justine said. “Just—don’t. That isn’t true of every woman, and you know it. Look at me. At Ruby. At your sisters.”

Philip rubbed his face—yet another stress reaction gesture Ruby recognized from Gabe. “Nonetheless, as this medication has helped me break free from the influence I’ve undergone, eliminated the programming that Meyers and several other women put me through, I’ve come to see the error of much of my previous thought. Which includes my attitude toward you, Gabriel. I have wronged you in so many ways. Well-intentioned, but—I have wronged you.”

Gabe flinched and looked down. Silence hung heavy around them, the only sound the sizzle of the cooking steaks. Even the wind in the trees had stopped.

Gabe got up and turned the steaks, still silent, everyone’s eyes on him. He sat down heavily, burying his face in his hands.

Ruby ached for him. She rose—oh, her legs and arms felt so heavy with fatigue—and slid onto the bench next to Gabe, wrapping her arm around his back in silent support.

At last Gabe exhaled, rubbed his face, and sat up. “Thank you, Philip,” he rasped. “I—years ago I hoped that someday I would hear those words from you. Imagined how I could throw them into your face, make you hurt as much as I have.” He laughed short and sharp, sounding bitter and sardonic, an echo of Philip’s laugh. “Now. Under these circumstances? The only thing I can think is my God, how badly have we all been manipulated these last few years?”

“Exactly,” Gerard said. “This is—this is not some casual plan that Walter Braun cooked up. This is planned and orchestrated. A deliberate plan to destroy the Martiniere Group, and possibly the Family as well.”

“But why?” Ruby asked.

“Power,” Gabe said. “If Zingter gains dominance of the mind control technology, then are there any limits to what they might be able to do?”

“None,” Philip said. “We’ve always had guard rails around the technology within the Family, choosing to keep it as a means of managing our own rather than dominating outsiders. The oaths and rituals we use. That’s not what Zingter intends to do.”

“And because it’s our technology that has been twisted and perverted, it’s up to us to stop it,” Gabe said, that chill resonance in his voice once more.

“Agreed.” Philip’s voice possessed the same icy timbre.

“It’s time that Zingter learns what justice looks like when dispensed by the Martinieres,” Justine said, her tone echoing Gabe and Philip’s.

Philip bared his teeth. “Oh my children, my children. I scarcely dared to hope this day would come. My son. My daughter. Me. Unified against our foes. We will make Zingter pay.”

Ruby shivered, suddenly remembering the ritual with which Gabe had greeted the arrival of Vygotsky Security last night.

—Who are the Martinieres?

—We are the fighters.

—What do the Martinieres do?

—We stand and fight.

Perhaps she was beginning to understand what that really meant.

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