Chapter 6

I


Julia and Miri were still in Julia's office talking when Kimber came upstairs. She knocked on the closed door and said, "Jules?"

Julia opened the door and let Kimber inside. Miri was sitting in the chair on the opposite side of Julia's desk.

"Jules, I need to get back home here in a few," said Kimber; "I'm starting my internship tomorrow."

"Okay, Kimber," said Julia; "I know you have to get back. Miri and I will only be a few minutes more."

"Great," Kimber said. "I'll finish the preparations for dinner. All you'll have to do is put it in the oven and make a salad."

"Thanks, sis," Julia said. "Did Jaime help you?"

"Yes, she did, so make sure you thank her, too," Kimber said, laughing, knowing that Julia would be sure to do just that.

"Just give us a few more minutes and I'll spring you from this trap known as the Summers household," Julia said.

Kimber left the office and went back downstairs.

"Now, Mirielle," Julia said to her daughter; "What we've talked about up here, about my past, about Jack, stays between us. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Miri said. "I'm sure you'll tell the others when and if the opportunity presents itself."

"Maybe about my role as the SpineSplitter," said Julia; "not about the fact that Jack is your biological father. That's just between us, as it's always been."

"I know, Mom," said Miri, getting up from her chair to give her mother a hug. "It's our secret of sorts. Just between you, me, and Jack if I ever get to meet him."

"He wants to meet you, Miri," Julia said; "but now is probably not a good time."

"Not with all this weird stuff going on, no," agreed Miri.

===

Julia and Miri came downstairs, and they, along with Jaime, thanked Kimber for helping with dinner. Kimber left shortly after that.

"Jaime, thanks for helping Aunt Kimber with dinner," Julia said; "My head is in a million different places, and fixing dinner was not one of them."

"It's okay, Mom," said Jaime; "I know you always like us to help out when it's needed. Aunt Kimber and I were talking about when I was a baby, and how she and Aunt Niki argued with Dad about how Jameson is a boy's name, when it was clear that I was a girl baby."

"You remember how you got that name, right?" asked Julia.

"Not really, Mom."

"'Jameson' was your great grandmother's name. Her first name," Julia said. "Dad was her favorite grandson, and had hoped his parents would name him Jameson. Instead, they named him after your grandpa Bryan, but just left the letter B off. So, to make amends, he named you after her."

"Why's that?" Miri asked. "Didn't you have any say?"

"I did," said Julia as she got out the ingredients for the salad; "I'm the reason you're called Jaime, and not James, like your great grandmother was."

"How did Miri get her name?" Jaime asked.

Julia thought about that for a moment, then said, "I knew someone who had the name Mirielle, and Dad and I really liked it."

"How come Miri doesn't have red hair like the rest of us?" Jaime asked.

Oh, boy, thought Julia. Then, "You know how the gene for red hair is recessive, right? That both parents had to have the gene in order for their child to have red hair. When we were expecting Miri, we knew there was a one in four chance that she wouldn't have red hair, because my red hair gene would have had to be present at conception. Obviously, it wasn't because Miri's hair is brown."

"Weird how that works," Jaime said. "But that lesson about the pea plants helped a lot."

"Uncle Nik hated those lessons when we were kids," Julia said; "He understood the concept, but not how it worked. I think he was trying to figure out how two people with dark hair could have a blonde kid like him. This was shortly after our guardians adopted him."

"How come they didn't adopt you, Uncle Jere and Uncle Joe, too?" asked Jaime.

"Because we all had living relatives at the time," Julia said; "It was only after we became teenagers that Jere and Joe learned that their real father had died. By that time, Jere was going off to college and he took Joe with him. They still had a sister who could take them in."

"The Occupation was stupid," Miri said as she set the table for the three of them; "They tore families apart for no reason other than their own impotent power."

"True, Miri," Julia said. "And they ruled by fear. It was an imperfect government, and anyone with two eyes and a brain could see that, but the leaders of the New Government didn't want to see it. When they realized that it was an imperfect system, they came up with all these requirements for the 'perfect citizen'. Granpa David saw parallels to Nazi Germany and decided to work to get the real leaders back in power."

"Why did it take so long?" Miri asked;

"Because things had to be done carefully without resorting to all out war," Julia said; "Granpa David had threats against his life constantly; he always had to watch his back. Nonna Jordan did, too. If you were against the government, they'd find ways of getting you to conform, or you died. Millions of people joined the Resistance, and the Disturbed Ones was the most vocal of all the Resistance groups. They held rallies where Granpa David and the other leaders would speak, and they would be attended by hundreds of thousands of people. Then the people would take what they heard and apply it in their own communities. Slowly, they made progress."

"I hope that there isn't another one," Jaime said; "Because I'd go out there and kick some people around."

Julia looked at her second born child; she had no doubt that she would, even at twelve, to "kick some people around".

Somewhere in the back of Julia Summers' mind, however, she saw another of her daughters taking up the mantle of defending the country from another Occupation. And it wasn't Jaime.

But she was in the same room.

===

Someone continued to follow Sandrina San Marco and her cousin, Danica Donovan, around the various Washington locations they frequented.

Sandrina always felt that she and Danica were being watched, but not ever seeing anyone made it hard to get anyone to believe her. So she kept her suspicions to herself.

This day, she and Danica were out running errands for Aunt Natasha in preparation of her father, Uncle Jeremiah and Aunt Julia's visit. Their cousin, Vixen, wanted to come along, but her mother said no, that it would be easier if the older girls went on their own.

Vixen didn't like that much, but she knew better than to complain.

At a local coffeehouse where the girls decided to rest and recharge, the cousins talked about the impending visit of Sandrina's father, and their aunt and uncle.

"I wonder why they have a meeting here, instead of over a secure internet connection?" asked Danica.

"I wish I knew," Sandrina said; "Dad just wants to get it over with because the people they're going to see have reschedled it twice now, and Dad hates that kind of stuff. When Dad was in the Army, and he had a meeting scheduled, it started on time, and if you were late, then God help you!"

"Don't fuck with Lt. San Marco, huh?" asked Danica as their drinks and sandwiches arrived.

"Exactly," Sandrina said. "If he had a meeting at 2pm on Wednesday, at such-n-such a place, you better damn well be there! Now that he's been a civilian for two years, the people he works for drive him crazy because they're so inefficient."

"That would drive me crazy, too," said Danica; "Like Dad would say, 'the boat leaves at six in the morning. Be on it!'; essentially, be there or get left behind. Dad's fired guys for less than that!"

"Uncle Joe pretty much runs that business now, doesn't he?" asked Sandrina.

"Since Grandpa retired, yeah, Dad runs the show," Danica said. "And he's good at it. The business brought in over a million and a half bucks last year!"

"Didn't you do the books for a while?" Sandrina asked.

"Yeah, I helped out in the accounts receivable department," Danica said. "Grandpa still signs the checks, but I helped out with the figures. That's why I'm a business major. I love doing that shit!"

"Graphic design is my thing," Sandrina said. "I worked on all kinds of stuff. I designed the logo for Uncle Ryan's business when I was twelve. I entered more art contests and won, to the point that I was asked not to enter anymore to give others a chance to win. I love illustrating and just creating stuff."

"I've seen some of the stuff you've done, Cousin, and it only makes me wish I had a tenth of your talent!" Danica said.

"We all have different talents," Sandrina said; "My brother, Matt, loves chemistry and biology; Peter likes to write and fix things; Daniel loves cars and everything about cars. I think he wants to be some kind of engineer."

"Kendria just wants to be normal again," Danica said sadly; "She hates that the injuries she got in her accident last year has limited her. But she's still pretty sharp, and thinks that she might want to help others with Traumatic Brain Injuries."

"Whatever happened to the drunk driver who hit her car?" Sandrina asked.

"He's in jail," Danica said; "When he gets out, he has to pay for all of Kendria's medical bills. What started out as a simple trip to the store for groceries ended with my sister in the hospital for months upon end. She now has a service dog to help her with stuff."

The girls later got up and headed back to Natasha's house, the person following them not far behind. Their main target was Sandrina, because of her father's service in the Army and in the Resistance group called the Disturbed Ones.

Wonder how Nik San Marco would feel if I assaulted his daughter for days upon end? the Stalker thought. How would he get back at a whole group of people more powerful than him, Donovan and that Summers bitch.

The Stalker and their employers failed to do their homework on Sandrina San Marco however; and they would find out sooner, rather than later.

===

When Sandrina was alone in her bedroom, she got her carryon bag out from under her bed.

She checked inside and saw that the Walther P38 and ammunition she had bought was still there.

It was a late night trip to a firing range that Natasha recommended that got Sandrina to thinking about keeping up her weapons skills. She had asked about where reputable gun shops were in the city, and was given the address of one in Alexandria. "As long as you're over eighteen, or take a parent with you, you shouldn't have any trouble making a purchase," one of the men at the firing range told her.

Sandrina had gone to the gun shop the following day, just to look around, since she wouldn't be eighteen until December. Her father would not allow her to bring her own weapon to Washington with her.

She had been impressed by the selection of the handguns she saw, and really liked the Walther. It wasn't as impressive as Aunt Julia's Glock, but it was a nice looking weapon all the same.

"You like that P38, young lady?" the man who ran the store asked her.

"It's a nice looking weapon," Sandrina had replied. "My father had something very similar and was pleased with it."

"You looking to purchase something like that?" asked the owner, who stood a good six inches shorter than Sandrina.

"I'm just looking at the moment," Sandrina said. "I'm not yet eighteen so I can't legally purchase one."

"When will you turn eighteen?"

"In December."

"How come you're so interested in a gun?" the owner asked.

"I have a Walther at home, but my father told me I couldn't bring it with me," Sandrina said; "I was taught to use and respect weapons from a very young age. My dad is former military."

"I see," said the owner. "And where is home, young lady?"

"Chicago."

"What brings you to the Washington area?"

"College," Sandrina said. "Graduated early, decided to get college underway."

"Smart girl you are."

Sandrina said nothing, recognizing that the man was either a really bad flirt, or a really bad spy.

"How did you hear about my little shop here?" he asked.

"My aunt goes to the Capitol Area Firing Range to keep up her skills, and people who know her there recommended your place to me," Sandrina said.

"I might know her then," the man said; "I shoot there all the time. There's a lady there who used to work for the CIA training agents with firearms. I think she's retired or something now."

"My aunt isn't that old," Sandrina said; "She's in her mid 40s. People know her because of her height, even if they don't know her name."

"She's either really tall, like you," the owner said; "or really short."

"She's really tall," Sandrina said; "She's about six-foot-two."

"Ahh, I know who you're talking about," the shop owner said. "Think her name is Natalie or something. Most people call her 'Nat'."

"That would be her," Sandrina said.

"Nice gal;" said the owner; "She has two kids she brings in there to shoot. The girl is really good; the boy sometimes doesn't seem interested, but is also a good shot. Cousins, then?"

Sandrina laughed; "Two of sixteen first cousins!"

"Big family then."

"Yeah, pretty big," Sandrina agreed.

The owner then got back to business. "I can hold the Walther for you for sixty days, if you're interested. If you buy it, you'll need a parent or guardian's okay."

"I'll keep that in mind," Sandrina said.

"Let me get a name and a phone number from you then," the man said.

Sandrina gave him the information he asked for. Upon seeing her surname, he asked, "You're not related to Nik San Marco by chance, are you? One of the heroes responsible for ending the Occupation?"

"He's my father. Why?" asked Sandrina; "I was two and a half when the Occupation ended."

"I might be able to do business with you today, Sandy," the man said; "Everyone knows that the kids of the three people responsible for ending the Occupation are highly intelligent, and have had extensive weapons and survival training. This true for you?"

"Yes," Sandrina said; "My dad started training me and my brothers when we turned ten years old. Our cousins get the same training."

"There's a little known law that went into effect by an act of the Interim President, Christine Collins-Ross," the owner said; "It basically allows gun shops like mine to sell to those individuals who are the progeny of the four main individuals who ended the Occupation. It's called the Summers-Vincent act, after the two women who were instrumental in the ouster of the Illegal government."

"Both of them are my aunts," Sandrina said; "But I don't even think they know this law exists. Do you have a copy of it?"

"It's part of the requirements to have it on hand," the owner said; "I'll let you read it, but it basically says that if you've reached the age of sixteen, are away from home for college, and can prove your identity, then I can sell you that Walther and you can take it home after the background check clears."

The owner handed Sandrina a well worn copy of the Act allowing her and her cousins to purchase weapons without parental consent. It even had her great-aunt Christine's signature on it.

"Can I get a copy of this?" asked Sandrina.

"Sure," the owner said. Sandrina had noticed the change in his demeanor as soon as he realized she was Nik's daughter.

By the time Sandrina left the shop, she had a new Walther P38, a copy of a law she didn't even know about, ammo for the gun, and a sense of relief that if someone had been following her and meant her harm, she now had a way to defend herself.

===
II


The younger two of Julia's brood came home from camp. They and Aaliyah had plenty of stories to tell; Rachel got sunburned; she and Aaliyah got picked as "Co-Campers of the week"; and Zach talked constantly about taking archery classes.

"I haven't used a bow since I was about eleven, Zach," Julia said; "I probably have become pretty rusty."

Jasmine came and picked up Aaliyah from Julia's house. On their way out, Julia chuckled as Aaliyah talked her mother's ears off about camp, and "Can we go again next year, Mom? Please??"

Since Zach and Rachel had eaten on the way home, Julia sent them in to take showers and unpack their bags. Good natured "awww, Mom!" and "But I'm not dirty enough to take a shower, Mom," followed.

Okay, Jules, she thought to herself; they're all home now. Now it's my turn to go out of town again.

Julia wasn't looking forward to her trip to Washington with Nik and Jeremiah. She knew that they would be asked to do assassin work for the CIA because they seemingly couldn't catch up with the people who wanted to stage a second Occupation.

Oh, like we can? she asked herself.

Just then, a scared sounding "MOM!!!" erupted from upstairs.

Julia took the steps two at a time. As she reached the top of the stairs, Jaime poked her head out of her bedroom.

"Mom, I just got this email," Jaime said, talking so fast that her mother had to ask her to repeat herself.

"Let me see," Julia said and sat in the chair in front of the computer. As she read the unsolicited email Jaime received, Jaime's voice chat program booted up. Then, a sinister male voice said,

"Good evening, Jameson."

"Who is this?" Julia asked. "I'm Jameson's mother." Julia then clicked on the "RECORD" feature on the voice chat program.

"Ahh, Mrs. Summers," the voice said. "So nice to speak with you."

"Why are you scaring my daughter?" Julia asked angrily.

"Because the world isn't a very nice place, and she should know that, Julia"

"Trust me, all of my children know the world isn't a very nice place sometimes," Julia said.

"I'm sure of that," the voice said; "But especially for your children, Julia. Your past is going to come back and be dangerous for your children. Especially for your oldest daughter."

Julia saw Jaime standing there, looking like she'd seen a ghost. She jotted down a note for Jaime to call Nik and Jeremiah.

When Jaime left the room, Julia said, "What does my oldest daughter have to do with you?"

"Does she know she has three brothers she doesn't know about?"

"I only have one son," Julia said;

"That's not what I meant, Julia," the voice said; "Mirielle has three brothers on her father's side of the family."

"Her father did not have any other children before Mirielle," Julia said; "If you have business with me, I strongly suggest you not try to get my attention through my children."

"You reported our fax to your superior at Homeland Security," the voice said. "We know that your late husband isn't Mirielle's father."

"I'm ending this chat now," Julia said; "Per Federal regulations I have to inform you that this conversation has been recorded; you've also violated the Internet Children's Protection Act of 2022, which makes it a felony to threaten the life of a child via electronic media. It is also a felony to use a child to threaten a Federal agent. If you want to take your chances, go right ahead, but I can pinpoint your location to within five feet."

Without waiting for the man to repond, she closed the chat. She looked for the man's username and was shocked when she found it among Jaime's list of approved friends.

The man's user name was "Ryan Summers".

His location was Ryan's business office.

Someone who worked for Summers Tech Systems was also working for the American Republic Movement. The computer's authorized user was a man named Dave Jepsen.

Julia went back to her office and brought up the list of employees of Summers Tech Systems as of July first. She wanted to play a hunch.

There was no employee by the name of David Jepsen on the July first list.

That's because the David Jepsen she knew had died of cancer in April. His computer was taken offline and reconfigured for a new employee. That employee was hired June fifteenth.

His name was Brady West. A "Brady James West" did appear on the July first employee list.

Hmmm, Julia thought, maybe it's time to head up to Belvidere and check things out.

===
III


Jaime handed the phone to her mother.

"Who?" mouthed Julia.

"Uncle Nik," replied Jaime in kind.

"Nik? Jules..."

"What's going on there, Jules?" asked Nik. "Jaime called me all upset."

"Someone has hacked into a voice chat program that Jaime has on her computer, and really wanted to talk to me," Julia said.

"What did they say?"

Julia looked around. Zach and Rachel were already in bed. Jaime was standing in the kitchen, and Miri was in her room, reading.

"Jaime, go get ready for bed while I talk to Uncle Nik, okay, sweets?" asked Julia to her second born.

"Okay, Mom," Jaime said; "but do I have to actually go to bed?"

"No, Jaime," said Julia; "read or something. Just stay off the computer. I'll need to have it swept for illegal programs."

Jaime nodded and headed up the stairs.

"Okay, Nik," Julia said; "They basically are threatening Miri's life. This is the third such threat in the last week."

"Why does anyone want to harm Miri? She's just a kid," Nik asked.

"Because she's the only child I had when the Occupation ended," Julia said; she hated to lie to her brother about Miri's biological father, but the less he and Jeremiah knew about Jack, the better.

Julia saw Nik drive up, so she told him to come in the house and closed the phone connection.

"It's a distraction technique," Nik said when he got into the house; "Natasha told me that Sandrina thinks someone is shadowing her. She's usually right about those things, so that has me concerned at the moment."

"We're still going to talk to CIA and see what the hell it is they want with us," Julia said. "But right now, I'm debating a trip up to the shop in Belvidere to play a hunch."

"Is that where the threat came from?" Nik asked. "Who would be stupid enough to use Ryan's shop to threaten his daughter?"

"These A.R.M. whackjobs, that's who," Julia said. "We have a new employee there who is using the reconfigured computer of an employee who died a couple months ago. I just want to rule him out as a spy."

"Miri will watch the house and her sisters and brother, right?" Nik asked.

"She's done it before," Julia said; "She knows the rules that I've set forth, and to only use force if there is no other alternative."

"I'd feel better if I went with you," Nik said; "Not that I don't think you can handle it, because God knows you can, but to act as a lookout in case things get ugly."

"That's a good idea," Julia said; "Jere's on deadline, so I'm glad you were able to come over. Let me go talk to Miri, okay?"

Nik nodded and Julia headed up the stairs to Miri's bedroom. When she got there, Miri was reading one of her father's computer programming textbooks.

"Miri, I'm going to go out with Uncle Nik for a bit," Julia told her; "Watch the house and your siblings. You know the rules. No phone, no computer, no mp3 player, no laser movies. You'll need to be alert."

"Okay, Mom," Miri said as she put the textbook away. "I know where the weapons are if I should need one."

"You can take one of the Walthers if you need to," Julia said; "I hope that you don't need to."

"Me, too," agreed Miri as her mother left the room.

Julia made her way back downstairs and said to Nik, "Let's go."

===

It only took twenty-five minutes for Julia to get to Belvidere; Nik was following in his own vehicle.

About a block from the shop, Julia pulled into to an empty parking lot for the closed business there. Nik pulled in next to her and they both got out of the car.

"I'll stay behind you while you go find out what's going on," Nik said as they approached the back door of the shop. The light in what was Ryan's office was on. After Ryan's death, the office was turned into a repair area. The alarm usually set itself thirty minutes after closing time, which on Thursday nights was 7pm. It was 8:20pm.

"Whoever is in there bypassed the alarm system," Julia said. "This is really starting to piss me off."

While Nik stayed behind a neighboring building, Julia walked up to the back door of the shop. The door was open because of the warm temperatures, but a screen door was in place to keep out the bugs.

Because of the humid conditions, Julia could clearly hear a conversation going on inside between two men.

"That Summers chick is pretty smart," said the first man, whom Julia recognized as Brady West, the shop's newest employee. "She told me she'd recorded our conversation and quoted a couple of Federal statutes about threatening minors via computer and using a minor to threaten a Federal agent."

"It's a bluff," said the second man, who was the one Julia spoke with on Jaime's computer. "Just go along with anything she has to say. How did she react to the info about her daughter having three brothers she's never met?"

"Summers told me that she only had one son; essentially she didn't believe me," West said.

Ahh, a voice distortion program was being used, Julia thought. One that could make anyone sound like anyone else.

"I'm certain that Ryan Summers isn't his oldest daughter's father," the second man said; "And that she does have three brothers she doesn't know about. They are all older than Julia Summers."

"And who might this girl's real father be?" West asked.

"You don't have the authorization to know that yet," the second man said; "Just keep trying to get in touch with Summers in other ways."

"And do what, distract her by threatening her kids?"

"Just the oldest one," the second man said; "That will distract her away from our plans until we can take her and the other two out."

Julia had heard enough. She made her way back to where Nik was and called the local authorities. Within minutes, the police were there taking West and the other man into custody. Julia had never seen the other man before.

On their way back to their cars, Julia asked Nik,

"Why all of a sudden are we the targets of some fringe group?"

"Maybe we'll find that out on Monday," Nik said. "I'd like to get some answers, too. And I don't want to be told I'm being recalled to active duty either."

"I have a feeling I'm not going to like this one bit," Julia said.

===

"What the fuck is going on in Chicago?" the General asked his group. "What is so fucking special about Julia Summers' oldest child?"

"From what I can gather," the Commander said; "Ryan Summers is the girl's legal father, but not her biological father. The Holdouts want to use this information against Agent Summers to gain access to the man who is the girl's biological father."

"Who is the girl's biological father?" asked the President.

"That's the big unknown, Mr. President," the Commander said; "When Julia Summers concieved her daughter, it was around the time she was arrested and spent three and a half months at the former Great Lakes Prison. We found DNA test results that show that Ryan Summers wasn't the girl's father, but no information on who is."

"Can we use this knowledge to convince Summers to work for us?" the CIA Director asked. "Though it might help if we knew who the possible father was."

"I'll look into that Mr. Director," the Commander said; "Can't promise you anything, though."

"What about the others?" the General asked; "San Marco and Donovan. Can we use a similar tack with them?"

"For San Marco, we know that his fifteen year old son's accident in February was deliberately planned," said the Commander. "And we're tailing the person who is following his daughter. We've even followed her to a gun shop in Alexandria where she purchased a firearm under the Summers-Vincent Act signed by Interim President Collins-Ross in 2020. The enemy tail didn't even know to follow her. Must keep banker's hours or something."

"What about Donovan?" asked the General. "Do we have anything on him? Maybe something he's written for the Times-Tribune?"

"His stories have been fact checked several times before it even hits the Web," the Commander said; "His reputation and integrity are solid. Never been sued for libel, never used a questionable source; he records everything."

"We need their other skills," the General said; "I don't care about what they're doing now, I care about their skills. They are the only ones who can stop these motherfuckers who want to bring the Occupational government back into power."

"What about Natasha Vincent?" the President asked the CIA Director. "Didn't she work for CIA at one time?"

"She did," the CIA Director said. "For about ten years. When she left, she made it clear that her service to the country is done. She'd had children, and they became her main focus. She still keeps up her skills, and has taught her children to use firearms, but she will not come back to work for us. We tried using her past against her, and she called our bluff. She knew that we had all that information in her personnel files. It's not her that the Holdouts want. It's 'The Triad' of Summers, Donovan and San Marco."

"All right," the General said; "Your meeting with them is on Monday, correct Director?"

"Yes, General," the Director said; "At 2pm."

"Fine," said the General; "Try not to screw this up. The three of them are our aces in the hole. If we mess this up, all out Civil War may result. And the outcome may not be what we want."

===