Uncle Jim had taught them that the most valuable weapons were ones that no one knew you had on you and their security team insisted that they use the body armor from now on, but both of them knew well the value of preparation. Maybe it was overboard, but the assassination attempt on Uncle Jim had driven the point home. Sooner or later someone would try to kill them.
Their twelve guests arrived and were brought into the conference rooms en masse. The girls greeted them at the door and talked with each of them for a moment before getting started.
Helen said, "Let me jump right in." She pulled up a slide on the computer screen with a list of industries. "These are the areas that we hope to impact as soon as possible." The next screen came up showing their companies superimposed over the first chart. "And here is where we stand so far." Most of the industries had nothing next to them.
She said, "This is what you need to know to start out. The goal is to jump start our vital industries and the economy as a whole. We have started a few companies as nonprofits and several more as for profit enterprises in which ownership will be turned over to the employees over the next ten years. We will keep a couple of companies, but only a couple.
"Our problem is that, while we are making great progress, it's a pebble in the ocean so far. We want your ideas, your help, your participation, and a couple of years of your lives to help restart the country properly.
"Everything is negotiable as long as it leads to something positive for the workers, the economy, and the American people as a whole."
Terry Bryant was the first of the group to speak up. "What you're doing is admirable, but the way you're going about it is stupid." He caught himself and said, "Sorry. What I mean is you should be putting up websites with needs to be filled and letting people submit business plans. You pick the folks who are most likely to get it done and fund them to the hilt while hitting the right balance between riding them and staying out of their way.
"This nonprofit stuff is not going to cut it, no matter how good it makes you two look. It's just not going to generate the level of obsession that is needed to succeed. It also loses the benefit of competition."
Julie asked the group, "More comments? Don't be bashful, because this is about the country, not about us."
Karen Gutierrez, a Hispanic woman in her fifties was the next to comment. "I love the nonprofit idea for the industries that just won't be profitable for some time. Not everything is going to make money right away. I also like it for shipping because we need cheap and ubiquitous shipping to grease the wheels of the economy. But my time and energy is for profit driven companies that are hungry and ready to explode out of the gates."
"Look, we love what you're doing, but maybe you're not the ones to be doing it," said a young man sitting in the back of the room. When Julie looked at him strangely, he said, "I'm John Richards and I wasn't actually invited."
Helen laughed. "Don't stop now, please."
"Here's the deal. You two have little or no experience starting companies, but you have a huge pipeline of cash to direct into them. You also are the crown princesses of the United States and our very own modern Evitas. We need you front and center motivating and driving the American people, not screwing around learning organizational development by trial and error."
"So get to the pitch," said another of the investors.
Richards stood and walked around to the front of the room as he talked. "I'm proposing that we join forces in forming a large corporation filled with smaller companies that we turn into the back bone of the American economy until it gets to the point at which it has to be broken up because it's too big. Then we cash out, wealthy beyond belief and heroes of the turnaround."
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 21st
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 wil
l 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 22nd
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 23rd
New York City was filling rapidly and felt more like t
he 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.
That evening they attended a new Broadway show, amazed that there were actually three productions to choose from. From the quality of the show, you wouldn't know that the biological attack had ever happened.
They were invited backstage after the show and posed with all of the cast and crew for pictures. I'll never get used to being treated this way, thought Julie.
They went out for dinner afterward, had an incredible meal, and found themselves back in the kitchen meeting all of the staff afterward. It was a joke between them that they couldn't go anywhere without being dragged back to meet everyone in the place. Indeed, everyone had heard of their family's preference for regular people and it was expected that they would want the full tour, wherever they went.
By the time they got back to their room for the night, they were both exhausted. They turned on the television to find coverage of their visit taking up most of the news broadcast. It seemed insane. Flipping through the channels, Julie discovered that the Spanish language channels covered them as much or more as the rest.
The Forgiven The Fallen The Forsaken Page 29