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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 two of Chapter Nine. There will be six parts to this chapter.

July, 2033

GABE

Gabe didn’t need to use tones again on Ruby to get her to settle back into the chaise lounge once the table was cleared. Philip returned to the lounge he had been in—he also looked exhausted—and Gabe dug out folding chairs from the utility shed next to the pergola for everyone else. He placed his by Ruby, so that he could hold her hand, at least.

“Why were you in Portland, Philip?” Ruby asked. “Obviously, that was fortunate for recording Rivers—but what brought you there? I didn’t think there was much Martiniere business in the Pacific Northwest.”

Philip shifted in his chair, looking abashed. “Getting the security report on you, Ruby. And meeting Jorge Saldivar.”

Aha. But why is Jorge meeting with Philip in Oregon? What’s going on?

“Gabriel wasn’t the only topic under discussion when I met with Saldivar this morning,” Philip continued. “Saldivar brought me the full version of that document I shared with you before dinner. Mariah was not my sole source. I don’t trust her to share everything—and she only gave me a partial version.”

“Good idea,” Justine muttered. “I don’t trust that little viper at all.”

“I should have listened to you,” Philip sighed. “You did warn me about her, Justine. Saldivar also brought proof that she was working with Joseph and Frank Braun, targeting me. He was present when I took that call from Sheriff Rivers. I assured him that I would handle it.”

“So what sort of payment do you owe Jorge for all of this?” Gabe asked. God, he didn’t know what was worse—the threat from the Brauns appropriating the mind control technology, or the price that Jorge Saldivar would demand in return for this information and his help.

Because there would be a price. Jorge Saldivar did not hand out favors for free. Not even for family, as he had learned.

Philip rubbed his face with both hands. “Jorge is furious about the role the Brauns played in your mother’s death, Gabriel. When I told him about the partial document I had, showed it to him, he used his resources to track its source down further. He wants the Brauns to pay for engineering Angelica’s death, and is willing to collaborate with the Family in order to bring them to justice—whether legal or extralegal, he doesn’t care.”

Gabe raised his brows. Oh, this was huge. He knew that his mother Angelica and Jorge had been close; Angelica’s mother Catarina had been Jorge’s sister. Jorge had taken Angelica and her sister Erica into his household after the death of their parents, when an opposing cartel attacked the Ramirez family, leaving Angelica and Erica as the only survivors. Jorge and his wife Isabel raised Angelica and Erica along with their own kids, financed Angelica’s career as a ballerina before she broke her ankle and met the Martiniere twins at a ballet fundraiser.

But Jorge had always been remote toward Gabe, nowhere near as friendly as he had been in the stories that Mama had told Gabe and his little sister Louisa about their great-uncle Jorge. And when Gabe had met with Jorge before US vs Martiniere Group, asking what the cost for protection from the Family might be—well, Jorge had named that price, knowing that Gabe wouldn’t trade being a Martiniere for becoming a low-level Saldivar functionary. Not unless he was desperate, and, well—the Vygotsky cousins had come through when that happened.

So the Saldivar support for me now comes because of how Mama died.

It made sense, sadly enough.

“I don’t understand,” Ruby said. “Why would the Brauns want to kill Gabe’s parents? Especially given the power of the Saldivar cartel?”

“Their deaths were nineteen years ago,” Philip said. “The Saldivar cartel did not possess the same strength that they do now. They were battling internal and external adversaries and were in disarray.” He winced. “Much like the Family has been for the last ten years.”

“It still doesn’t make sense.” She frowned thoughtfully. “Why kill Saul and Angelica?”

Gerard and Philip scowled at each other. “It is a long story,” Gerard said. “And until these disclosures, I did not consider it as a possible explanation for that plane crash.”

“I thought much the same. You start, Gerry,” Philip said.

“Zingter and the Group have always been somewhat competitive,” Gerard said. “Agricultural technology is not our only area of research and investment.”

“Monitoring, security, and drones,” Gabe said. Oh, he knew this piece as well. “Pharmacology, on a small scale tied to agtech. And weren’t there some hush-hush military contracts back in the 1950s?”

“Exactly, Gabriel.” Gerard flashed him a quick smile. “You remember when I assigned you the job of digitizing records from that era.”

“One of the most damn boring summer tasks I ever had to perform in high school—oh.” Now he remembered. One file that his uncle had suddenly extracted from the pile Gabe had been scanning. Gabe had glanced at it, getting ready to scan its contents next, had gone so far as to remove staples and organize the documents in it, when Gerry rushed in, fretting, and grabbed that particular file.

How much of this file have you read, Gabriel? Gerry had asked, a mild compulsion in his voice.

Nothing other than a quick look at the front pages as I removed staples, Gabe had answered.

Which was true enough. The CONFIDENTIAL—TOP SECRET stamps all over those papers when the other military contracts hadn’t been stamped so much had spooked him to begin with, especially since he had gone through a tough mind control programming session that morning which included a nano infusion. Gabe’s brain was fuzzy from the lingering ache caused by resisting the infusion and the drugs, and when he saw that draft proposal for—Mind control using hypnosis, physical stressors, electroshock, and psychoactive substances, the pain from that morning made him veer away from looking further. He didn’t want to see it. Everything was already too bright and hurting, and if anyone got mad at him one more time that day, he would start hitting someone, and Gabe didn’t know if he could stop. Especially if that someone was Philip or Joey.

Good, his uncle had said. I will handle this one myself.

“There was a file you took away from me one afternoon,” Gabe said slowly. “It contained a proposal to study mind control.”

Gerard nodded. “Yes. It was that contract, Gabriel.” He sighed. “Your great-grandfather Charles fought in World War II. He did not want to see the Nazis—or the Communists—gain worldwide power. And since the Cold War was raging, and rumors were flying about Soviet parapsychological and mind control experiments, well, the United States Government was looking for research and technology of their own. The Family already had some mind control structures in place, and Charles thought he could weaponize them.”

“Was this tied to the CIA’s MK-Ultra program?” Ruby asked.

“Yes,” Philip said. “Charles eventually didn’t like what was being done with the program. He turned paranoid because he thought they were after him.”

“Delusional,” Gerard said. “In this case, the Group’s proposal bested Zingter. Erhard Braun was furious, or so I have been able to piece together from assorted communications.”

“Erhard Braun?” Justine pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Walter Braun’s father? Oh, this is getting deep. Why would a military contract from the ‘50s lead to the plane crash that killed Gabie’s family in 2014?”

“Accusations of espionage,” Philip said. “Charles claimed that Erhard was feeding information to the Soviets. He aggressively attempted to ruin Erhard’s credibility. It turned out to be—nothing. Or so was thought to be the case at the time. Erhard and Charles feuded throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s. Charles—became irrational, and mandated that high-level Family members undergo more intensive mind control programming, starting in the ‘60s. He didn’t like the route the politics of the era were taking, so he tightened up the Discipline for high-level heirs if they wanted to have access to the Martiniere Family Trust and have a chance at roles within the Group. The modern-day version. Rigorous expectations, including summer work for the Group in some form or another. Mandatory participation in mind control programming. Military school for the boys, finishing school for the girls. Charles wanted to ensure that no Martiniere got involved with the popular social unrest of the time. After the Patricia Hearst debacle, he cited that as justification for imposing mind control on the Family’s high-level heirs.”

“I still don’t understand why,” Justine said. “I almost fell victim to this fucking feud, if that’s the driver behind all of this—mess—and Gabie definitely has been affected. All that happened long before we were born, much less you two. Why are we still fighting our great-grandfather’s battles? Please don’t tell me it goes back to ancient European royal feuds from four centuries ago or even further back. That would be enough to make me scream.”

Thank you, Tine. Gabe would have said it if she hadn’t. Better from her, he supposed. This way he wouldn’t be throwing off angry tones that would agitate Ruby.

“The Brauns had no market with the United States Government for their mind control explorations since the Group cut Zingter out of the contract and Charles poisoned Erhard’s reputation,” Gerard said. “That included US allies. And while Erhard did not do business with the Soviets, Walter—did with their successors. He also aggressively sought to steal Martiniere technology. Not just mind control but other technology.”

“And sought vengeance upon his father’s betrayers.” Philip shook his head. “The more I think about it, the more I become convinced that Saul and I were both negatively influenced through Walter. In different ways—I was drawn to the Church of the Electric Born.” He scowled. “It’s been a rough awakening, these past few days. If it hadn’t been for that medication countering what I’ve been fed, Mariah and Joseph would still be making me dance to Frank Braun’s tune.”

No mistaking the broadband anger in Philip’s voice. Ruby’s hand tightened on Gabe’s, her lips narrowing and her eyes half-closing in reaction. Tension radiated off of her.

“Rubes,” he murmured. “Take it easy.”

She looked at him, her expression reflecting both pain and fatigue.

“Philip,” Gabe said softly. “Modulate. Please. Ruby’s just about had it.”

He managed to gather Ruby in his arms and sit in the chaise lounge without mishap, grateful that it was one of the sturdy heavy-framed redwood lounges and not a light metal folding chair that would have collapsed under them. She buried his head in his chest, trembling. He kissed her temple and stroked her back. She relaxed under his caresses, finally exhaling hard and turning her head to face the others. But she still clung to him,.

Philip glanced at Ruby and winced. “I apologize. But we also have this situation. By all that we know, Gabriel’s fiancée should not be reacting to our vocal tones and influencing us in return. There’s no logical reason for it.”

“There’s a reason.” Ruby raised her head, her voice quavering. “We just don’t know what it is yet.”

“And we have this situation with the Brauns,” Gabe said.

“Yes,” Justine said. “And just how are we going to deal with them?”

Philip snapped up a document. “So let’s start planning strategy.”

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