Helen suggested starting a holding corporation named Kunoichi, and Julie loved it. Susan didn't know what it meant, making Julie love it even more. Finally they let Aunt Susan on the joke that the kunoichi were female ninjas. Susan said it was perfect.
"Aunt Susan, we have a problem that we're not sure how to resolve," Julie said.
"Lay it on me, kiddo."
Julie looked at Helen. Helen took over, saying, "We have all this money that we essentially confiscated from an enemy of the state after we took him out. It's not going to stand up to any kind of scrutiny at all, and we don't want it to look like we got rich out of Uncle Jim's position."
Susan thought for a moment. "So why not make some of the companies nonprofit? You put in basic seed money in the form of a loan to the company and we arrange for government loans for the rest. You two get to look like the selfless superheroes you are. Any more problems you want me to fix?"
The two of them sat there, stunned. "That's absolutely crazy, but it could work," said Julie after a moment."
Susan added, "But keep the most profitable companies privately owned. The public will forgive one or two. Might as well bring in some cash for a rainy day, if you know what I mean."
Helen said, "And we get to look like we threw away an empire for the good of the country. My God, you're brilliant!"
Susan said, "I'm glad you recognize that. Now get back to work."
CATALINA ISLAND, CALIFORNIA
SEPTEMBER 25th
Greg pulled the women aside. "We're getting out of here and you whores are going to help make it happen." By now, the young women knew better than to show any signs of defiance. They remained silent.
"We're going to take over a boat and take off to the mainland. Once we're there, I'm going to let you go. Okay?" The girls all nodded to keep him from exploding into a rage. "Pam, get your mouth over here and help me relax while I tell all of you how this is going to work."
He explained how a couple of the girls would invite themselves aboard a yacht to party with the crew and then do whatever they had to do to get them drunk and sleepy. The guys would then board and hijack the boat and they would all leave the island and live happily ever after.
He locked the girls up in their room again afterward.
Pam ran to the bathroom to throw up. When she came out she said, "I just want to die," and sat on the bed. Sandy sat next to her and put her arm around her.
"If we get on a boat with Greg, he'll kill us," said Lisa. "We need to get away before then."
"Or kill them," said Sandy.
"I vote for kill them," said Sonya.
Maria said, "Me, too."
Greg threw open the door. "Get your asses out there, you whores. We have a customer."
The women stood and walked out to the living room to see the next client who brought a couple cans of beans or whatever.
HONDURAS
SEPTEMBER 28th
Julie and Helen flew down to Honduras with another military shipment of vaccines for the civilian population. They were amazed at the number of people who came to see them at each vaccination site, even though there was only a few hours notice.
As usual there were news cameras there all day. When they finally finished with the vaccinations and interviews at one site they were relieved to get a few minutes to themselves in a back room of the clinic. A young mother rushed back into the room followed by one of the marines providing their security. Helen waved him off.
The girl couldn't have been more than seventeen. She said in Spanish, "Senora! My boy is very sick," pushing the baby at Julie.
Julie took the infant in her left arm and brushed back his hair with her fingers. She looked into his eyes for a moment. They were glassy and the baby was feverish, but his breathing was regular. Helen put her hand on his head for a moment as well.
Helen looked up and said in Spanish, "He'll be okay now. What's your name?"
"Dina."
"And what's the baby's name."
"Diego, senora."
"Let's get him in to see Dr. Valdez." Julie carried the baby into the next room and called for one of the navy nurses that accompanied them. Helen and the young mother followed.
The American nurse placed an IV and gave the baby IV fluids. She said, "He's just dehydrated. He'll bounce back quickly." Julie thanked her and repeated that to the mother in Spanish.
Once the IV was completed, they packed up and flew on to the next site.
The next day one of the male nurses they were working with came to them with a laptop, saying, "You need to see this clip."
It was a hidden camera video from the back room of the clinic showing Julie holding the baby and Helen with her hand across its forehead saying, "He'll be ok now." The video jumped to the young woman with a very healthy looking baby a few hours later saying, "Helen and Julie healed him!" The video then repeated the clip from the clinic back room.
Julie thanked the nurse for showing them and said to Helen, "This is bad. First because it was a hidden camera and second because the video is edited to make us look like faith healers."
"I think whoever did it was shooting for a little more than faith healers," said Helen. "It's a good lesson about hidden cameras, if nothing else." She sighed. "What I don't understand is how the girl can really believe we did anything more than hand the baby off to the nurses. The video only works because of how deeply the girl believes it. I wonder if she's not a little nuts."
"This freaks me out. We're going to have people praying to us. I'm an engineer, not some kind of religious figure."
"It's my fault, Julie. When I deliberately chose religiously charged words such as forgiven, fallen, and forsaken I knew I was running this risk. We've essentially ordered executions just by declaring a group to be fallen. I don't know why I wasn't expecting the flip side of the coin. The girl probably is a bit psychotic, but she won't be the last mentally ill person we'll face before this is done."
"There will be a lot of people who choose to believe it. So what do we do with this?"
"We tell the truth about it and let the chips fall where they may. People have already made up their minds and will believe whatever they want to, but we'll be on record as having always told the truth."
Julie crossed her arms and frowned. "I'd prefer to stick to economic and engineering miracles if you don't mind."
"It's a deal. We have just a couple of more stops and we'll be headed home. We can freak out there," said Helen.
LAS VEGAS
SEPTEMBER 30th
Jim's plan to absorb the European refugees and other immigrants was working well. They were funneled quickly into jobs throughout the county and new territories, given land if they wanted it, and many immediately decided to stay. Immigrants from Australia, India, and the Philippines were settling the West coast and Mexico very quickly. Europeans were flocking to the East coast all the way down through Panama.
Al had the military blocking South Americans from slipping into Central America and Jim was pouring English speakers into the new American territories. He knew that he was taking a card from the Han Chinese way of doing things, but he didn't believe for a second that he could change the cultures enough to make the annexation work. But he could change the mix of peoples.
There were frictions, but the citizens of the new territories were now being given freedom of movement throughout the entirety of North America and ownership of property in their own areas. For the most part, they were happy for the new level of opportunity.
Jim knew that it would take a generation or two for things to sort themselves out, but he understood that the entire continent would prosper soon enough.
Rob had flown down to see him. "We lost Kemp, Jim. He's either holed up, waiting us out, or he's given us the slip and is long gone. Either way, we're not going to get him unless we luck out."
"Stay on him as best you can. We need most of those resources elsewhere now, anyway. If he's holed up, he'll wait to move until the net is a bit looser. F
igure out what he needs and that will tell you where he'll go."
"I've got a kid on it that's like a human bloodhound. We may get him yet.
"Another thing I wanted to ask. Is there a consensus yet as to where to put the capitol?"
"I've been arguing for Phoenix to bring that city back, but, truth be told, I really don't feel like I have a horse in the game. I'll be out of office by the time it moves."
"Don't be so sure, Jim, your poll numbers are the highest anyone has ever seen. You may get lynched by both parties if you don't agree to another term. What about building it on the Arizona side of Hoover Dam?"
"Same as Phoenix. What's the benefit beyond water?"
"You're right. What about Flagstaff?"
Jim thought for moment. "So you have a city that needs to be rebuilt, surrounded by deserts that we can use for solar power. The size will be limited by the surrounding national forests, which we're not about to touch. It's a clean slate for a new city. It's crazy, but I like it."
"Glad I could help."
"How in the hell did we have that many hyperkinetic ICBM's in the hands of civilians?"
"The previous administration and congress were corrupt to the core. The question is, how do we keep it from happening again?"
"It's a good question. I've been thinking a lot about it, and most of it comes down to the question of how to keep the American people from getting so damn complacent?"
"And if we can get the people to accept some responsibility, maybe we'll have a generation before we have to worry about it again."
Jim chewed on that thought for a time. "It's an interesting concept. There are a lot of changes that need to be made. Maybe we can rework the tax system at the same time and put some real limits on the power of corporations."
"Maybe we should think bigger."
"Bigger than that?"
"Maybe it's time to end the kind of wars that we've seen over the past century and a half."
"How?"
"We initiate treaties and trade agreements between all the largest nations. Human rights, free trade, no Muslims, and absolutely no tolerance for war or totalitarian states. A large military made up of all of the nations in the alliance and with the power to put a stop to all but the largest wars."
"I need to think on this," said Jim.
"Don't think for too long. Things are moving fast."
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
OCTOBER 2nd
Kemp spent days hiking south. He finally managed to slip onto a semi travelling in a useful direction. When he was able, he obtained a car and drove like a maniac west to the state of Washington. When he drove up the dirt road to his destination, he almost cried with relief, knowing that he would have an insane amount of resources in a short period of time.
He was stunned to find the warehouse empty. He went to the vault next and saw a sign that said, "Kilroy was here." He was devastated.
He dug down deep enough to determine that the door had been blown off and the vault was empty. He said to himself, "How could this happen?!" He didn't think it possible, but he felt something deep within his psyche break. He collapsed and lay there in the dirt looking up at the sky for hours.
Suddenly, he was calm. He knew what he had to do to survive. Everything else could be done later.
He returned to the car and drove west toward Seattle. Aside from avoiding a couple of checkpoints, the drive was uneventful for him. After a few hours in the car, he found himself looking at the Pacific Ocean.
There were marinas full of sailboats everywhere along the bay. Stealing one would be the easy part. The difficulty would come in stocking it for the trip to Brazil.
By twilight, he found what he was looking for, a 28 foot sailboat that appeared to be in good condition. He left the car with his gear in the dry bag, and unloaded a kayak he had found earlier in the day. Just after dark, he paddled to the marina and boarded the sailboat.
He stowed his gear and looked over the boat. Everything appeared to be in good shape. There was even a 12 volt desalination machine. He tested it quickly and it started. It would have to be good enough.
He spent the rest of the night searching the rest of the boats for food. By morning he had found enough to get him through a week as well as bottled water, liquor, and fishing gear. With a little luck he would be able to supplement his diet with fish.
He would have preferred to stock more, but it was time to go. He cast off, started the motor, and left the marina to a magnificent sunrise.
ARIZONA
OCTOBER 4th
Julie ran in to the kitchen to tell Helen and Susan, "Uncle Jim is on his way."
About a half hour later, they heard a large helicopter outside. A few minutes later, Jim and Susan were there and there were hugs and laughs. After the initial greetings, Jim sat down with the girls. "So, how are my little faith healers?"
Julie groaned and Susan said, "Sensitive subject, Uncle Jim."
"Sorry kiddo. It would bother me, too. Still, Latin America is crazy about you two."
He sipped his coffee, and said, "It's time for you two to get back to work. I've suggested Flagstaff as the location of the new capitol. I don't know if congress will go for it or not, but It's possible. Either way, we have to rebuild the I-40. Can you two start a construction and paving company? I've heard about your solar panel factory purchase. I'm impressed."
Helen said, "We've been busy since we got back. We're finding the right people and have bought all the hotels and houses we could in Kingman. They should start arriving there any day now. I don't see any reason we couldn't manage the same thing for a construction company out of Williams, maybe. Is Mike still around?"
Jim paused and said, "Last I heard, he was working on infrastructure repairs in New York. I'll get his number for you."
Julie nodded and said, "We want him as soon as possible."
"We're also planning a move into Silicon Valley," said Helen. "It's time to pour as much into technology as we can."
Jim smiled. "I like the way you two think. We need the full power grid and the cell phone system back up and running as soon as possible. You two seem positioned to deliver, so get me some results. Honeymoon's over girls."
"Yes, sir, President Uncle Jim," said Julie.
Jim and Susan flew back to Vegas that morning.
Later that afternoon, Julie and Helen flew into Phoenix to file final paper work for several new companies. Kunoichi Ventures was the one they kept private, but the rest were non-profits such as Kunoichi Shipping, Kunoichi Solar, and Kunoichi Construction.
They started accounts for each company with the New American Bank and started private and joint accounts for themselves as well. In total, they deposited five million dollars. While it raised some eyebrows, it was a fraction of what they had stashed at the house.
With that done, they filed loan applications with business plans attached for each of the nonprofit companies. They knew the loans would go through in a few days but wanted to get a head start on the companies.
They bought a warehouse complex in their own names in an industrial area of the city and hired several employees. They had already been in contact with Zach about running the shipping company and had put his name on the Kunoichi Shipping account as an authorized user.
They assigned him to hire diesel mechanics and to start purchasing all the trucks he could find to get them up and running. He was delighted to get started.
For the last part of their day, Helen bought a small cargo plane. She flew it home with Julie following in the Navajo Chieftain. By the time they arrived at home, they both felt satisfied at what they had accomplished.
KINGMAN, AZ
OCTOBER 5th
Helen and Julie were examining their new Kingman properties with Deepak, who had agreed to oversee the solar panel factory. The facility was still intact and was huge. It was designed to make panels out of silicon and mined from the nearby area. Best of all, there were a number of vehicles still on the property and all of th
e equipment was still in place.
"The computers and robots are shot but we can put people back into the assembly line," Deepak said. "Most of the process is simple, but it will take some time to work around the fried electronics. Our next problem will be getting the chemicals we'll need for the manufacturing process. I'll work that part out."
They left him with working capital and flew on to San Diego to interview potential employees.
In San Diego, they met with Matt, Luke, and Jamie, and asked them to help with the some of the companies. They were all eager to help. Ron and Skeeter were especially thrilled to be the first employees of the San Diego branch of Kunoichi Shipping.
Julie and Helen bought a large shipping warehouse near the port and airport. They found a fleet of trucks to purchase and put Matt in charge of finding diesel mechanics, drivers, and security personnel. They sent Luke and Jamie looking for working busses they could purchase.
The first shipments would be of food and electronics equipment to the Kingman facility using the trucks they had. Finally, Julie and Helen went to the immigrant temporary housing and went looking for some of the people who had contacted them over the net.
By the end of the day they were again exhausted, but had lined up a very eager work crew. The next day they had the first two busloads of workers and their families on their way to Kingman.
They spent the night with Matt, Luke and Jamie, and planned to fly up to San Jose the next morning to purchase tech properties.
PACIFIC OCEAN
OCTOBER 7th
Kemp sailed far out to sea before turning south. So far he had been able to keep all of the available bottles on the boat filled with drinking water from the desalination machine, but he wasn't happy with the charge that the marine batteries were holding. The solar panels were working, but it wasn't enough for any level of comfort.
The Forgiven The Fallen The Forsaken Page 26