The Forgiven The Fallen The Forsaken (40 page)

The agreement
around the table was palpable.   Terry said, "I like this kid.  It's solid
reasoning."

Julie said,
"Keep going John."

"We split
ownership of the corporation between those forming and developing these
companies and we work like dogs to get the right people in place running the
various companies under the umbrella.  Each of us works the area he or she is
most interested in.  The Evitas keep the money rolling in and keep the public
looking at us in a positive light.  We make the whole thing Kunoichi Corp.

"I'm
saying that we can have companies on paper by tomorrow.  We can have them
starting up by the end of the week, and actually running by the end of two to
three weeks, but only if we're bringing in the right folks to run them.  And we
recruit the best available on the planet via the internet."   

Helen asked,
"Agree?" All of the investors nodded, though a few looked a bit
skeptical.  "Okay, now I want to hear any problems you can think of that
will have to be fixed to give it a chance of working."

In the end the
group spent a full day in that conference room arguing and kicking ideas back
and forth.  By the end of the day, the major issues were worked through and
they agreed on splitting ownership into shares.  They would incorporate the
next day and arrange funding, but Julie and Helen received a fairly strong
warning to stay out of the way for a while.  

Their
previously started businesses would be separate from the rest of the Kunoichi
Corporation, but they would have access to advice from the investors turned
managers. 

Before going to
bed that night, Julie said, "I think we're on the right track.  Overall, I
think it's going to work."

Helen asked,
"But what will we do now?"

"Pass out
for about three days, for a start," said Helen as she yawned and crawled
under the covers.

"I like
the way you think," agreed Julie.

DANA POINT, CALIFORNIA

OCTOBER 21
^st

The yacht had
cleaned up nicely and so had his new crew.  They looked nothing like the worn
and beaten women Kemp had rescued the week before.  It was good to see.

He had insisted
that they all make doctor appointments given what they had been through.  They
all ended up with flu shots and antibiotics for gonorrhea and chlamydia but had
been given a clean bill of health otherwise, except for Pam discovering that
she was pregnant.  Kemp took all of that news in stride and without judgment.

They had taken to
working on the boat during the day and relaxing in the evenings, whether
playing cards, watching movies, or just watching the night sky.  They had even
cleaned out and repaired the spa and were enjoying soaking in it, though the
use of swim suits quickly became an afterthought.

If Kemp didn't
know what to think about the situation, Pam's announcement that she was
pregnant really threw his equilibrium to the wind.  Who knew who the father could
be, but with his own children dead, he couldn't imagine doing anything but
making sure the child would have the best chance possible.  His previous life
just didn't seem very important anymore, certainly not worth giving up this.

What if I
let Kemp die and I kept the new identity of Frank?  It's not like anyone is going
to go looking for that pig.  If I keep my voice and face off of the internet,
phone, and TV, I could do just fine.  The problem will be the girls.  There's
no way I can keep that many of them from having some internal spat that gets me
caught as part of the unintended consequences
.

The idea
troubled him, but not so much as the prospect of losing what he was already
thinking of as his new family to prevent a possible negative outcome.  He would
just have to influence the variables as much as possible. 

That night
after dinner, they gathered in the living room as usual.  "I have
something to get off my chest," he said.

Sonya
interrupted him, "You're not Frank.  Relax, we know."

He collapsed back
into his chair, feeling completely lost.

She continued,
"There was one of Frank's sick videos in a dresser in Pam and Lisa's
cabin.  We're guessing that you found the boat and for some reason decided that
assuming that pig's identity was better than keeping your own.   And we're
staying anyway, Skipper."

"My baby
is going to need you," said Pam.   She half smiled and added, "Sorry,
you've been drafted."

Kemp sat back
and said, "If I'm captured here, I'll be executed.  I can't stay in the
United States because it will always be dangerous for me.  If you're with me,
it might someday be dangerous for you, too."

"We'll
protect you.  You're not talking us out of staying with you," said Lisa.

"I can never
tell you the whole truth about the past."

"And we're
never going to tell you everything about our pasts either," said Sonya.
"So don't think you're getting out of anything that easily."

Sandy joined
in.  "You belong to us now, so don't even think you're ever getting away."

He had a good
laugh at that.  "I don't think I could pull it off if I tried.  Okay,
you're all sure of this?"  They all nodded.  "And you're positive
you're not going to change your mind any time soon?"

Lisa said,
"Don't make us beat you!" 

Kemp laughed
again and said, "Alright, you win.  You stay under whatever conditions you
want."

Sandy asked,
"So, skipper.  What's the plan?"

"The plan
is that we need to get to the Bay area to pick up the money I stashed there. 
Once we get it, we sail south and get the hell out of the States.  If you want
to go back to visit or stay, that's fine, but I have no intention of ever
coming back.  Just know that it's such a huge amount of money that you'll all
be extremely wealthy."

Sandy asked,
"Is it stolen?"

"Actually,
we had it printed."  Kemp saw the alarmed looks and added, "It's the
real deal, printed on the actual government currency printers with the correct
paper and inks.  It just wasn't recorded, that's all."

Sandy asked,
"How much is there?"

"More than
all of us together could spend in a lifetime," he said. "And I'm
going to need your help to get it."

Pam asked,
"So when do we sail?"

"We're
fully stocked and fueled.  How does late morning sound?"

"Aye, aye,
Skipper," said the entire crew.

They retired to
the bar, the hot tub, and the aft deck for a relaxing evening.

That night, he
felt someone crawling into bed with him.  When she kissed him on his cheek, he
saw it was Pam.  She said to him, "We've come to an agreement.  From now
on, you never sleep alone unless you just want to." 

He knew better
than to argue.  They held each other until they drifted to sleep.  It felt exactly
right.

KUNOICHI CORP HEADQUARTERS

OCTOBOBER 22
^nd

Julie and Helen
were amazed at the progress being made.  Each member of their business group
was fully involved and was busy building the groundwork and hiring the people
for their companies.  All of the requested loans were quickly approved and
things were moving at light speed.

Already, Julie
and Helen were finding themselves sidelined at times by the need to get out of
the way of the team they had created.  Even so, they found themselves the focus
of every reporter within several hundred miles. 

"I'm
beginning to think that it's time to get out of here for a while," said
Helen.

Julie scratched
her head and said, "How does New York sound?  Since Richards insisted that
we buy that jet, we might as well use it." 

"That
sounds good. We can take a look at the East Coast HQ that he's been setting up,
and maybe we can do something more with the Europe situation."

"I'll have
Marcy set up the flight."

A couple of
hours later they were on a private jet bound for New York.

MICHIGAN

The drop off at
the factory was routine.  The company employees emptied the trailers while the
drivers waited patiently.  With everyone busy, Luke and Jamie were thrilled at
the prospect of not being dragged through yet another factory or warehouse to
look at everything. 

An older man
walked up to them and introduced himself as Ron Blankenship, a reporter, and
asked for a quick interview.  Inwardly, Luke groaned to himself, but he
understood these things were important. 

He asked the
reporter, "What do you want to know, Ron?"

"Can you
tell me about what you're seeing out there on the road?"

Usually the
first question was about their relationship.  Luke welcomed the change. 
"It's rough out there.  We see all of the damage.  While things are
improving, there's only so much we can do all at once.  We see towns that we
just don't have the capability to support.  Many trips we evacuate people to
areas that are functioning better. 

"Occasionally,
we still have desperate people trying to hijack our loads.  There is no real
law enforcement presence yet, so we do what we have to get the loads through. 
Every load we haul is vital.

"Most of
all, we see the strength in the people.  They've been through hell, but they're
still pushing ahead.  Who are we to do anything less?"

Ron asked,
"What would you say to the people out there?"

Julie answered
this one, "They need to know that the worst is over.  Americans everywhere
are doing everything they can to repair the country.  Dysfunctional ideology
has been sidelined for whatever works, and we're not going to stop until the
country is functional again."

Luke said,
"I would ask for all of the help they can give us.  We need everyone
working to get the infrastructure and economy up and running again.  Rest when
you need to, but give us your best efforts over the next year or two and all of
us together will make the country function again."

"What
about school for you two?"

Luke said,
"That's something that is up to us for now, but at least there is a wide
selection of recordings of college courses.  This trip we're finishing a course
on early US history."

"How old
are you two?"

Here it comes, thought
Luke, but he answered, "I'm fifteen and Jamie is nineteen."

Ron said,
"You realize that you can't get a commercial driver's license before
you're eighteen?"

Luke smiled and
said, "You find someone to take this next load and I'll be more than happy
to go back to playing videogames and maybe working on getting a garage band
together.

"Look, now
is when it matters, not in three years.   We're focused on doing a job that
needs to be done right now.  Hopefully we'll survive the next year or two and
will be able to think about other things, but for now, this job is what is
essential."

"How do
you feel about the other drivers?"

Luke smiled. 
"They are amazing.  We have friends from all over the world driving with
us.  It's been a privilege working with all of them.  It's been an extra
delight getting to know drivers from all of the American Indian tribes.  You
can't spend time with these folks and not love them."

Ron asked,
"What about the two of you as a couple?"

Luke and Jamie
both laughed.  Jamie said, "I was wondering how long it would take you to
get to that.  We'll see if we can still stand each other after another couple
of years of working so closely together and take it from there."

Luke said,
"Looks like it's pull time."

Ron quickly
said, "One last question, please.  How do you two deal with being
celebrities?"

Luke said,
"It's awkward and silly.  People need heroes and a couple of times there
have been cameras on us when we did something that looked courageous.  We could
tell you stories all day long of seeing regular people doing things that make
anything we've done look like nothing.  The important part of what we do is the
day to day work, not the dramatic moments that we trip over every so
often."

Jamie said, "Someday,
we won't be able to help anymore because of the ridiculous celebrity thing. 
We're fighting that deadline to get everything done that we can before fame
eliminates our effectiveness.  If you want to help us, print that.  Tell people
to let us keep working.  That's what matters."

Ron said,
"Thank you both for all of America.  Stay safe out there."

One of the
workers poked his head out of the side of the loading bay and slapped the side
of the truck twice.

Luke waved and
said, "We've got to go."  He jumped in the cab and pulled the truck
forward several feet.  Jamie secured the trailer door and hopped in as well and
they were off. 

The reporter was
clearly thrilled with the interview and quickly moved on to talk with the other
Kunoichi drivers.

NEW YORK CITY

OCTOBER 23
^rd

New York City
was filling rapidly and felt more like the world before the virus than any
place else Julie and Helen had been.  It was phenomenal.  The city was
overflowing with European immigrants to the point that they were lucky to get
hotel rooms in Manhattan at all.  Helen said to Julie, "Look at all this
human capitol.  We need to take advantage of this."

They had a full
day meeting with everyone from the Mayor to various European ambassadors.  They
made a number of commitments to have their business managers look at various
business ventures and opportunities, but were careful about making any agreements
beyond that.  Still, it was productive.

When they took
the subway back to the hotel, they were mobbed with people taking pictures and
wanting to shake their hands. It was as Samantha had said.  Everywhere they
went, people looked at them like rock star comic book heroes.  Back at the
hotel, Julie apologized to their security team for not listening to them about
the subway.