by Kymber Jones
“I’m scared.”
“I know. That’s why you have your Uncles and me with you. We aren’t going to let anything go wrong.” Sveren assured her.
Chrys leaned her head against Sveren’s shoulder. “Thanks.” She said softly.
“Now, let’s go in there. You have a room full of anxious brothers ready to get to know you all over again.”
Chrys smiled. She loved the thought of her brothers being there and finally getting the chance to know them. And Chrys especially loved knowing she had the family that raised her to help her and give her the strength she knew she would need.
“Let’s go,” Chrys said.
* x * x * x * x * x * x * x *
Inside an enclosed room, Bullet sat against the far wall, keeping each of the Tornabene brothers in his sight as they paced, talking amongst themselves. Every so often, one or two of the brothers would stop to look at his watch, then look out the small window on the door, then begin pacing all over again.
“How much longer until your men get here, Commander Hunter?” Vita asked.
Stone was only a couple of minutes late bringing Chrys inside the room, but Vita was a man that did not like to be kept waiting, even for a couple of minutes.
“They’ll be here in just a minute. They’re on their way inside as we speak. Unfortunately, Chrys was injured a couple of days ago, and she’s not moving as quickly as she normally does, which is why they are running a couple of minutes late.”
Hearing that Chrys was injured captured all of her brothers' attention.
“What do you mean that she was injured?” Abe demanded before Vita could ask.
“We were on a mission, and she ended up getting shot. We’re lucky she survived. It was touch and go for a little while, but thankfully the Brat pulled through. She’s supposed to be on convalescent leave for the next couple of months and taking it easy. We’ll see how well she behaves and follows the Doctor’s orders.”
Vita looked at his brothers. To come all this way and find out how close they came to, possibly never knowing what happened to their sister? The thought sent shivers up each of their spines.
The door opening sound alerted everyone that they were about to be joined by someone not yet introduced into the meeting. Bullet just nodded, greeting his brother but keeping his eyes focused on Chrys, who stood only a few feet outside the room.
“You come in when you’re ready; you hear me, Love?” Bullet told Chrys, who nodded.
“I can do this,” she muttered to herself, thinking only of giving herself a short pep talk.
“You’re right.” Bullet agreed. “You can do this whenever you’re ready. Don’t push yourself.”
Taking a deep breath, Chrys grabbed hold of Sveren’s hand and gripped it tightly. Then, letting her breath out, she took the first step into the room where four men, all wearing suits and ties, stood in a half-circle, with expressions of disbelief on their faces.
“Caro Dio in cielo (Dear God in Heaven.).” Nico gave a fervent prayer, crossing himself.
“It is Crystalline,” Abe said, tears pricking his eyes.
Chrys smiled. “I would hope so.” She quipped. “Otherwise, I’ve been going by the wrong damn name all my life.”
The men with Chrys coughed. Bullet and Stone tried to look like they were talking together, but Svern didn’t even try to hide his eyes rolling.
“You look like our Grandmother when she was your age,” Vita spoke up. “We were skeptical of meeting you, but you look too much like Nonna (Grandmother) for there to be any doubt.”
“I would love to meet her someday,” Chrys told Vita. “I asked Uncle Tate to get a hold of you for me. I wanted to meet you finally, but I wanted him to be the intermediary. I thought it would be better for everyone involved if Uncle Tate, Uncle Jack, and Sveren would be here for emotional support. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” Vita said. “I want you to know, though, my brothers and I - your brothers - will be here for a while to get to know you. After that, we would like you to come to New York with us and spend some time with us.”
Chrys nodded. “We’ll see,” she replied. “I’m not going to promise anything until we see how things progress. I would love for you to spend some time here so we can start to get to know each other, but I’m not going anywhere until I feel comfortable with you, family or no family.”
Vita watched Chrys closely. Although young, there was a strength in her he did not see in many people, especially young girls her age, and he could not help but admire that strength.
“Not many people tell me what they are going to do,” Vita admitted grudgingly. “It is usually I who tells them. But, in this case, I think we can make an exception. You are used to making decisions and expecting them to be obeyed. While I won’t agree to obey all your decisions, I will agree to this. You won’t learn to trust us if you don’t feel safe, so we will do whatever needs to be done to assure your safety.”
Chrys nodded. “Thank you. Now please, sit. Let’s all get comfortable and start this meeting.”
“The first thing we need to discuss is how you came to be here,” Abe said. “We need to know what happened to you.”
Looking at her Uncles, Chrys silently asked them for permission to break the code of silence. She knew if she were to speak about what happened to her as a young child, her family’s lives could very well be at risk, but she also wanted the chance to get to know them, and the only way to do that was to tell them everything and hope like hell the family that raised her could keep them safe.
“It’s your call,” Stone told her gently.
“We’ll stand by you, whatever decision you make.”
Chrys nodded her thanks and took a ragged breath before letting it out. Here went nothing.
“Papa and Mama were getting ready for a party. I can’t remember who’s party, only that Mama was excited. She took me to a park to keep me out of everyone’s hair. I kept trying to help get things ready, but I only made some rather big messes. At the park, Abe and Nico came to see us. Nico played hide and seek with me. Only when it was my turn to hide, I found the perfect spot: a large trash can that had just been emptied. After I climbed inside, someone picked the trash can up and carried it away. I cried out for Nico, but I was too far for him to hear me. The man that carried the trash can acted surprised to see me inside. He said he would help me find you, but instead, he knocked me out and took me somewhere else with a couple of other people. I was with the new people for a few days. They barely fed me and were always yelling at me to be quiet. I finally managed to sneak out of their house when one of them left for the day. Somehow, I made my way to the Naval Pier. One of the Sailors was drunk and thought my family was on board the Ship because he took my hand and led me on board with him. I snuck away from him shortly after we boarded the Ship and hid. I don’t know how long I hid, but another Sailor found me during what they call Sweepers a day or two later when everyone had to go and clean the Ship. By that time, I was extremely dehydrated and was becoming malnourished. He took me to their Doctor onboard the Ship, and then they called everyone to Quarters, where they asked about me. No one knew I was on board. No one remembered me arriving with anyone, and no one had any clue where I came from. The Doctor that treated me had a friend on board he trusted to watch over me. The man was young and had just joined the SEALs. His Team was on the Ship for a training exercise. Some females could have watched over me, but he trusted this man over everyone else. So, this SEAL became my guardian. He wouldn’t let anyone or anything harass me. If he wasn’t watching me, one of his Teammates was watching over me. When we got back to Norfolk, the man’s superiors gave him a new mission. To watch over me and train me. At first, it was until I found my family but it soon became clear no one was looking for my family. When questioned, the man was told I was going to be the start of a new program. A program where young women were trained and used to infiltrate not just our enemies but the enemies of our allies. Over the years, I learned to stop asking about find
ing you. I had been threatened with your lives many times, and I wasn’t going to risk anything happening to you. The men who raised me became my family. We’re closer than any actual blood family could ever be. They kept me safe, even disobeying orders many times, to make sure nothing bad happened. The man I call my Dad is out right now with my adopted brother. They’re spending some quality time together. Commanders Tate and Jack Hunter are two men I call Uncles, and Sveren here is a man I call my brother, though he is more of a pain in the ass than anything. They are all going against orders to allow me this chance to contact you and try to get to know you. And truthfully, I no longer care what orders we have. I want to get to know my first family.” Chrys watched all of her brothers as she spoke. “I never forgot any of you. Not completely. And I want the chance to get to know you again. You just need to know the danger being with me could bring.”
“Well, this family sounds like one we would like to get to know. Especially this man you call Dad. We owe him a great deal of thanks.” Vita said after Chrys finished speaking, and he was finally able to find his voice.
Stone watched Vita and his brothers as Chrys relayed what had happened to her so long ago. He grunted when he realized Chrys’s situation had not scared her brothers away. As much as Stone didn’t want to admit it, he was afraid Chrys finding her biological family would be the start of taking her away from them. Then he realized Chrys wasn’t leaving them, her world was just expanding, and that she had more than enough love in her heart for everyone. She had proven that multiple times when they received a new Team member; she took him in wholeheartedly after she kicked his ass.
“Captain Hopkins won’t want your thanks,” Stone told the brothers. “In fact, he will be the one telling you he owes you his thanks.”
“And why would he owe us his thanks?” Abe asked, confused.
“Because we got to know Chrys as she grew up. We got to love her. And he was lucky enough to call himself her adopted father. He knows damn well Chrys never had to call him Dad, yet she chose to. She also chose to let us be a part of her newly expanded family, something else she didn’t have to do.”
“Well, as part of her new, expanded family, I think we all need to spend some time together. Get to know each other.” Nico said, finally speaking up.
“We couldn’t agree more, boy,” Sveren said, trying to see how Nico would react to his insult, but he just smiled.
“Great,” Chrys said, standing up. “Now, I suggest we all go find a place to grab something to eat. I’m starving.”
Sveren laughed. “Brat, you ate almost an entire damn quiche by yourself for breakfast. How the hell can you be hungry?” He wanted to know.
Chrys shrugged. “What can I say,” she said, chuckling. “I’m a growing girl.”
Chapter 4
A couple of weeks had passed. Chrys spent time going back and forth from the Cavalier Hotel with her new biological family to the house she grew up in with her Team Members. Wherever she went, though, she made sure her brothers (all of them) were with her, and everyone was getting the chance to know each other.
“So, Love, how do you like these new brothers of yours?” Captain Hopkins asked his daughter as she drove the group over to Bush Gardens in Williamsburg.
Smiling, she watched as everyone kept quiet, all their eyes trained on her as they waited to hear what she had to say.
“Oh, I don’t know; they seem a lot like Sveren and the guys in many ways.” Chrys teased.
Hopkins barked out a laugh. “That ought to be good.” He agreed. “But how so?”
“They’re all very protective and like to tell me what to do.”
“And do you let them?” Her dad wanted to know.
“Tell me what to do?” Chrys laughed. “You are crazy. Danny’s finally driven you over the edge. Oh, you poor, poor man! Don’t worry. I’ll be a dutiful daughter and visit you as many days as possible when I’m not forced to slave away to keep you set up at that Nursing Home we spoke about last year.”
“You wouldn’t dare, you little bitch!” Hopkins laughed. “God, I’d be breaking out and murdering someone within an hour.”
“I know!” Chrys chirped. “I’ll be taking the drinks and snacks for everyone to watch the show. It’s going to be great! I can see it now. US Navy Captain was driven insane by family and committed murder, starring our very own Captain Hopkins. It was written, directed, and produced by his daughter, Captain Chrys Hopkins. I can see this becoming a Broadway, or at least an Off-Broadway, musical. The guys would love it!”
“Brat, you have a very twisted sense of humor,” Hopkins told her, still chuckling.
“Yep. But you love me!”
“Yes, I can’t deny that, unfortunately. It’s a bit too late for that.” Captain Hopkins said, then changed the topic to something more serious. “Now, Brat, I hate to change the topic on you, but do you have your computer with you? I know you’re spending time with the family, but I need you to check something out.”
“Sure, what do you need?” Chrys instantly became security conscious.
“Someone has been trying to break past our firewalls. They haven’t managed to yet, but they keep trying. I want you to take a look and see who this person is and what their story is. Are they just some young punk playing a game, or is it a threat?”
“I’ll look into it after we get to the Park.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
“I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Alright. Love you.”
“Love you too, Brat. Have fun out there. Tell your brothers I said hi, and that they better keep you safe.”
Chrys barked out a laugh. “Yeah, right. If anyone’s going to be keeping people safe, it’ll be Sveren and me. You know that as well as I do.”
“Don’t underestimate them; they’re quite proficient in weapons training from what I hear.”
“Yes, Daddy. If you say so.”
Once Chrys disconnected from her father, Chrys looked back at Sveren and asked. “Did you know about these people trying to break past our Firewalls?”
“I’d heard rumors, but I never saw any evidence of it.”
“Well, Dad seems to think it warrants me taking a look.”
Sveren sat up. “Which means the person is either going to try again soon or succeed on their next attempt. What do you plan to do if that happens?”
“I don’t know. It’s going to depend on who this person is and what they’re up to. Do me a favor and get my computer ready for me. I’ll go sit on a bench for a little bit and see what I can find before joining everyone.”
An hour later, after they finally crossed the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and started driving at a decent speed, Chrys drove into the parking lot of Busch Gardens. When everyone got out of the vehicle, Sveren handed Chrys her backpack and helped her put it over a shoulder not to strain herself.
“Everyone ready to go inside?” Stone asked.
“I am. What about everyone else?” Chrys wanted to know.
“I think we all are. Lead the way Piccola (Little One), and show us what awaits us.” Vita laughed.
“That is just asking to be put inside a living nightmare!” Chrys laughed. “Fair warning, you do NOT want to give me free rein!”
Chrys’s Uncles and Sveren all nodded. “Very true. And she’s being extremely nice by giving you the warning. She’s never given someone a warning before.” Sveren said in all seriousness.
“Because there’s no fun in warning people. But, since I want my brothers to like me, I figured I have to play nice for once.”
“Don’t worry. I think we’re starting to like the real you.” Abe chuckled.
Chrys walked up to the first open teller at the ticket window, holding out an ID card. “Seven tickets, please.”
“Are all these men active duty?” The woman asked.
“The three to my left are Active Duty. The men to my right are immediate family.” Ch
rys replied.
“I’ll need to see some ID from the family members.”
Vita nodded, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. “Of course. Here you go.”
The other brothers did the same, each of them showing their IDs as requested.
“And is this going to be a day pass, a weekend pass, or an annual pass?”
“Make it an annual pass,” Vita told the woman. “We’ll be coming here to visit a lot more often now that our sister is here.”
“That’s great news. We love repeat visitors, so be sure to visit here as much as you can.”
“We will.”
“Now, here are your badges, and here are a couple of maps of the park. If you need anything, please be sure to ask one of our associates.”
“We’ll do that. Thank you.”
Together, the group entered the park, and Chrys took them to the first food stand sitting off to the right.
“I don’t know about you, but I need some caffeine. Then I’m going to have to sit down and check out this damn firewall business for a few minutes.”
“Do what you have to,” Vita told her. “We have plenty of time.” He waved Nico over. “Nico, why don’t you go get Crysti something to drink while she gets set up?”
“Sure, Vita.” Nico turned to Chrys. “Crysti, what would you like to drink?”
“You don’t have to get me anything,” Chrys told him.
“It’s fine. I’ll be right back. What would you like? Do you want anything to eat?”
“A Mountain Dew would be great, thanks. And maybe some nachos with cheese on the side.”
“Got it. I’ll be right back.”
“Thanks.”
While Nico hurried off to get Chrys’s snack, Chrys immediately got to work, checking and double-checking the firewalls on her laptop, going the back way into her security system, and nothing popped up.
She had been at work for an hour and was about to give up when a dialogue box showed up.
Curious, Chrys read the dialogue, debating on whether or not to respond.
“I am trying to help out two local teenagers who claim their Uncles are part of a Special Forces Team. Their names are Stella and Spence, and they are looking for Jack and Tate Hunter. We are having some major issues going on where we are, so if their Uncles are anywhere where you can contact them, please have them contact me here on my computer. Thank you. Gunner”