With this segment of Chapter Six of Repairing the Legacy, we continue the serialization of Repairing the Legacy. This is a rough draft work in progress and may not reflect the final form. Time period: set after the ending of The Martiniere Legacy main trilogy, before the Epilogue (for this chapter). I’m breaking longer chapters into sections for readability. This is the second part of Chapter Six. There will be four parts to this chapter.

PASSING THE BATON

October, 2061

GABE

Gabe called Brandon first. He was in the basement office at Moondance.

“Hey Dad.” Bran glanced to the side. Checking his calendar? His next words confirmed it. “So what did Dr. Sheri have to say?”

“It’s time, Bran.”

“Bad, then.”

“Cardiac problems.”

Brandon winced. He was only sixteen when he witnessed Gabe’s heart attack during a visit to Moondance. Plus Bran had been Gabe’s caregiver after his initial G9 infection.

“How bad is it?”

“Early indicators. Your mother and I have an appointment with Dr. Amy on the 21st. Looks like the anti-aging serum is fading.” Gabe took a deep breath. “We won’t know if the post-G9 is coming back until then. But—”

“You have Mom and Mikey to consider. And it was stress and overwork that caused the heart attack before.” Brandon exhaled. “What timeframe are we looking at for transferring the leadership?”

“We have to find a new Martiniere-in-waiting. You’ll have a better idea of who you want as your replacement than I will. That’s going to be the major determinant.”

Brandon nodded. “I’ll start making a list. What then?”

“Let’s interview candidates between now and Family Christmas. I still need to talk to Justine and Eliot; we’ll need their input as well. Your mother needs to talk about the oath ceremony with Donna-gran, so—” Gabe raised his hands. “It’s not happening tomorrow.”

“Wouldn’t expect that unless you died.” Brandon forced a chuckle, grimacing. “So—perhaps March?”

“Sounds most likely. We need the Board to sign off on your choice, and then all the transfer details—”

He was already tired thinking about the work that this transition of power involved.

But he was doing it. If he didn’t have Ruby and Mikey to consider, things might be different. Then it wouldn’t matter if he worked himself to death for the Family’s sake.

#

Next came Justine.

“Bad news from the doctor, Gabie?”

He sighed. Was he in serious enough condition that everyone anticipated this call? Or had Ruby talked to her? He didn’t think Ruby would, but—

“I know you were seeing Dr. Sheri today,” Justine added. “The timing—”

Of course. Both Brandon and Justine would have that appointment on their calendars. Part of their jobs. He supposed it would be the same with Eliot McNaughton.

“Yes. Cardiac issues, and I see Dr. Amy on the Friday before my regular week in LA. Ruby and me both.” Another sigh. “It looks like the anti-aging serum is fading, at least for me.”

“Damn it to hell.” Justine scowled. “Fuck. I’m sorry, Gabie. Does this mean you’re going to hand the title over to Brandon?”

“Yes. I don’t see any options. I’m not going to work myself to death for the sake of the Family and the Group. I can advise Brandon, but I can’t take point anymore. I need to think about Ruby and Mikey—”

“Gabie, I understand.” Her frown deepened. “I completely agree with your decision. Brandon can be the Martiniere. He’s proven his capabilities. You and Ruby are raising our father’s clone. He needs a good father figure. Since your health is suffering—you have to prioritize. Not be like Daddy-fucking-dearest and consider yourself indispensable.” She sighed. “It’s not like you haven’t been vocal about stepping down once you got the Group and the Family on an even keel. This isn’t unexpected. Just—” her voice caught, then steadied. “Sooner than I’d like to see it. There’s still work left to do.”

“Not like it’s happening tomorrow. Bran and I figure March at the earliest. That’ll give me time to close out some projects, and resigning gives me the opportunity to focus on particular problems without trying to juggle everything. Plus interviewing potential contenders for the Martiniere-in-waiting. Bran’s making a list of prospects.”

“That sounds good. Though I’d hoped for five years.” She shook her head. “But that’s neither here nor there.”

“Ruby was going to contact Donna-gran, tell her, plus get coaching about the Matriarch’s role in the transfer of power. Or do you want to tell Donna-gran?”

“It’s fine for Ruby to tell Donna-gran.” Justine smiled weakly. “Ruby is the Matriarch, after all. But thanks for thinking of that, Gabie.” Another pause. “I’ll see if Donald can get away for the weekend, since all three of you will be here. We’ll do something fun, for once.”

“Feel free to include Eliot and Nick, too.” After all, they were almost Family.

A bigger smile. “Thanks. You’re calling Eliot next?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll get in touch with Brandon, talk about prospective Martinieres-in-waiting with him. I have a pretty good idea who would be good, especially with some seasoning after heading up Internal Affairs. Just like doing that did for Brandon.”

“I think he’d appreciate it.”

Justine took a deep breath. “Another thing? Take care of yourself, big brother.” That choke in her voice, a show of emotion that was so rare in his sister. “I—I don’t want to lose you. Too many years apart thanks to Daddy-fucking-dearest. And—you’re not the only one who needs to make time for close family. Promise me that you’ll take care of yourself. Not just for Ruby and Mikey, but for me. Please?”

“I will,” he said, touched by the emotion.

Something he hadn’t expected from his sister.

*************************

Like what you’ve read so far? Check out the other stories in The Martiniere Legacy—all links here, both Amazon and other sources.

Justine Fixes Everything: Reflections on Mortality is now available at Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo!

What’s it about?

EVEN THE MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE....

Over the years, Justine Martiniere has become the fixer for the Martinieres. Have a problem? Go to Justine to get it remedied.

But it wasn't always that way.

First, Justine needed to escape the abuses of her father, Philip. She didn't expect to fall in love with the man she married, Donald Atwood. But she did–and then she faced the choice between remaining married to Donald, or stopping her sociopathic, megalomaniac father.

Justine Fixes Everything is in part the unusual love story of Justine and Donald–and in part the saga of her rise to power, viewed in retrospect as she tells the history to Philip's clone Mike, as he recovers from surgery. It's about what she sacrificed to become powerful—and, at the same time, how that past comes to haunt the challenges she faces toward the end of her life.

Want more? How about an alternative Martiniere world where Ruby and Gabe meet in a different manner and meet more challenges?

ANOTHER MARTINIERE LEGACY STORY ON KINDLE VELLA—A DIFFERENT LIFE—WHAT IF?

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B09LH72GQG

One of the turning points of the Martiniere Legacy series is the death of Gabriel Martiniere's family in a plane crash when Gabe was twelve. That put Gabe's biological father, Philip, into the leadership of the Martiniere Group and the Martiniere Family, and expedited Philip's megalomaniac ambitions. But what if that crash hadn't happened? What would Gabe's relationship with Ruby, the love of his life, look like?

Billionaire nerd with a conscience, unlucky at love, striving to overcome the shadows of his past while trying to find agritech means to fight climate change.

Former rodeo queen, just trying to get her degree in agricultural robotics and make her mark on the world while trying to find agritech means to fight climate change, also unlucky at love and struggling with a shadowy past.

Can Ruby and Gabe successfully negotiate the complexities of the Martiniere Group and launch Ruby’s world-changing biobots without interference from competitors, while maintaining a relationship?

UPDATES ON A DIFFERENT LIFE HAPPEN EVERY WEDNESDAY, THROUGH DECEMBER, THEN MONDAY-WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY STARTING IN 2022. EPISODES CURRENTLY SCHEDULED THROUGH JANUARY.