CHAPTER 1
Maxim Sandstone strode along the concrete sidewalk, his eyes swiveling side to side, scanning up and down buildings, darting a look at the sky before resuming the pattern. Black fatigues covered his six-foot three-inch, broad-shouldered body. Black glasses with special coated lenses covered emerald green and gold eyes.
He was in hunter mode, gliding in silent steps along the walkway. He had left his jacket in the SUV, not caring that his weapon was visible to the regular people scurrying around him and his group.
The communications bud in front of his left ear connected him to all his teams in the area, allowing them to hear everything he, or the group around him, said. “Start moving all our vehicles to the compound in Ralston. Has Patch made a list of the owners of the properties surrounding our land?”
Striding beside Maxim, the sun glinting on his light blonde hair, Reader Crosswalk flipped a hand at Garrote “Gar” Wells and his team of five men, relinquishing responsibility for Maxim’s protection to them. “All personal vehicles, yours and our teams, have been moved. The overseas teams are already at the new compound. Patch gave me the owners list a week ago and I gave it to our legal eagle, Adrian, who assigned it to a real estate team. Signed purchase agreements are already coming in.”
“What about the bank and investment accounts?” Maxim’s mind swirled with lists.
“Someone attempted to hack the public business account and your personal accounts. Whoever it was didn’t discover the real accounts.
“The day after the failed hack, Boswell Sandstone, your father, contacted the banks he knew about and told the managers he had your power of attorney for the accounts in your name. He didn’t ask about any business accounts. He wanted all the funds transferred to an offshore bank. All the banks contacted me since I was the next person in line to approve changes.
“I called Adrian. He took over. Only one account was transferred due to lack of due diligence on the part of the bank… or a bribe. Adrian is taking care of recovering the funds.”
A quick hitch of Maxim’s gait was his only reaction to the information. People were more important than money. “We have plenty of money. Adrian needs to concentrate on getting the infrastructure in place so we can protect our people. Were all of the packages recovered?”
Reader huffed. “All the people Joseph, Card, Andrew and Lincoln researched were delivered to their destinations. The ones foisted on you by your family were inserted into safe places with instructions to stay there. As the teams left, they contacted your family’s head of security, Robert Stephenson, gave him the packages’ locations, and advised him to send people to recover them.”
Maxim halted in a small, concealed alcove across from the Sterling Protection & Security Company high-rise building. He considered the downtown eighteen-floor building an excessive expense. “We don’t do business that way, Reader.”
He swept his hand across his head, threading his fingers through the thick black hair. “I understand the reasoning. I concur with the decision. What’s been happening in the business suite that set everything in motion? I know what the last straw was for me, but what caused this ramp up for the rest of you?”
“Your father, plus Carl Thurgood, your father’s legal eagle, and Elliott Swanson, the head of security, have had physical meetings with all team leaders and most of the team members who are stateside. The overseas team leaders were contacted via Zoom meetings. They were hinting that the structure of the organization was changing and not to worry. Business will continue as usual. It’s only an accounting and clerical alteration.”
“Ah.” Maxim watched the cars being waved past the guard post and entering the parking structure. “Where are the jets and helicopters? Were you able to get the tech vehicles and Hummers out of the garages before the lockdown occurred? What about the arsenals?”
Gar repositioned his team to surround Maxim and Reader more fully before stepping forward. “Bill and his sons have been trading out the new vehicles with the older ones for about a month, sending the new ones to Ralston. It’s going to be a tight fit when all the teams assemble at the compound.
“Casey and his crews stopped construction on the houses to work with Casadore and his group to secure the grounds… putting up fences; coating the entire current property with cameras built with audio, body heat, movement, sneezing and just-about-anything sensors; building warehouses for the helicopters, jets and drones; and extending the landing strip to accommodate the planes, jets and other infrastructure. Building inspectors have been coming and going every day.
“The basic arsenal was left in place. The high-tier weapons, including all the boomers, were moved to Ralston. That building was the first one they built.”
Maxim nodded. “How many of the teams are staying? What has Thurgood, my father and the Sterling board said about the activity? By the way, everyone, thanks for keeping everything going. My time away was the last step to meet the final stipulation under the Grandfathers’ trusts.”
He looked away from the traffic across the street, giving his men his total attention for a few seconds then returning his focus to the building. “We don’t need the money, but I was damned if I was going to let my father and brothers and their damned board of directors, get their greedy hands on a single penny of my inheritance.”
Trace Bodine inched forward, using his body to steer Maxim and Reader toward the side street away from the monstrosity. “Come on, boss. You know everyone is loyal to you. The stateside teams are in place at the courthouse.”
He nodded at the convoy of four black SUVs, one Hummer and a medium-sized tech bus turning onto the street. “We don’t plan for you to enter the room until the judge is seated. Adrian and his second will be at the table. He knows you’ll be making an entrance and has warned the judge you’re running several minutes late.”
Maxim stuffed his fisted hands into the pockets of his pants. He extended his stride. “Did all the teams make it in?” He stopped at the silence. “Who? What’s happening?”
Trace had hoped Maxim was sufficiently distracted he wouldn’t follow up. “Jet and his team were rerouted to another location. Jet went as a distraction for the Wind and Rain teams who were scrambling to get away from unfriendlies. We’re still working on catching up with them.”
Trace stepped in front of Maxim, angling him toward the approaching SUVs, Hummer and tech bus. “Bossman, you have to go to the courthouse. We have Jet and his team. We’ll get them back to the states.”
Maxim wavered then stepped up into the back of the Hummer, waiting for the pile of bodies to settle. He was so tired. Exhausted from the rush to make it back to the city in time to attend the stepped-up court date. Weary of dealing with greedy family members and their sycophants who were trying to steal not only his inheritance but his business from him.
He didn’t care about the money other than it would supply protection for his friends and their friends and all the families whose survival depended on money. Leaning his head against the seat headrest, he relaxed, gathering energy.
CHAPTER 2
“Oh, shit.” Suzukee Davidson, Sukee to her friends, rocked so fast on her standing desk mat balance board she almost landed on the floor.
Eight dots on her computer screen were spread out over several hundred feet, with three bunched together in one spot. Names floated above each dot. “Damn it, Jet!”
Her computers had powered up when she staggered through the door of her warehouse. Forty hours and counting since she had last slept and twenty-four hours since she had eaten.
Her head turned to the screens, walking from the bedroom where she dumped her pack toward the kitchen. Her inner “knowing” had been riding her hard the last five hours. She hurried across the floor, ignoring the loud grumbling of her stomach, to pounce onto the balance board. Her eyes slid across the images on the screens. Her mind processed the data racing through scenarios. With a nod of her head, she turned away from the wall of monitors.
“Ranger, gather your nestlings, we’re heading out in five minutes.”
Thank god Jet and his team were within jump distance. It would be the first test of her newest invention. She would have preferred more testing before a live jump, but you did what had to be done.
Sukee ran back to the bedroom, dumped the contents of her backpack on the floor and refilled it with a change of clothes and her second favorite boots. In the bathroom, she opened the doors of the storage cabinet, dropped to her knees, and dragged out six medical packs.
She patted herself on the back for following through the weekend before to visit the Warehouse, where she spent over five thousand dollars on medical supplies. The rest of that day into the night she divided and batched the supplies into twenty ready-to-go packs for herself. The remaining packs she delivered to five shelters, including the Lucky Star Tavern, the Broussard Refuge, and Pickard & Sons Detective Agency… whose slogan was, “you lose’em, we find’em”. The groups circulated through the community handing out part of the supplies, while keeping a stack for potential disasters.
Sukee placed the packs in pockets on the backpack. She got up, hefting the backpack onto her left shoulder. Staggering two steps before catching her balance, she grabbed a jacket from the hooks hanging from the top of the door. Whirling air surrounded her indicating the arrival of Ranger and the twelve tiny drones comprising his Nest.
“Gathered. Ready. Go time.” Ranger’s clipped speech suited his personality. The tiny drones hovered up and down in excitement. Their tiny voices flowed so fast words were indecipherable.
Caesar’s rumbling, masculine voice rolled around the room. He was the Controller for Sukee’s Artificial Intelligences which included the teeny drones; the larger drones, Thunder, Lightning, and Bomber; Cruiser and Streamliner, advanced jets; and helicopters, VTOls and mechanical beings. Their skins and inexhaustible power source were created from materials obtained by her space drones, Cavalier, Dynasty, Strafer, Cosmo and Stackpile with their attendant protectors and mechanics.
Guardian space drones protected a portal allowing travel into the system from other universes/realities. Predator space drones searched for portals or other disturbances allowing access into the system. Battle space drones cruised the system looking for aggressors, either leading them away or destroying persistent, overbearing enemies.
Caesar interrupted Sukee’s review of the artificial intelligences she struggled to protect and who safeguarded Earth because she lived there. “Sukee, a portal is ready to open to your destination. Thor, Hera and Zeus wish to know if you need their assistance?”
Sukee’s eyes widened. She crossed her fingers, toes and everything in hope Warlord would remain dormant for the time it took to take care of the issue. “Uh, Caesar, thank Thor, Hera and Zeus. I don’t believe their help will be necessary right now.”
She pushed down her anxiety that they were awake, controlling her fear for Jet and his team, to consider the potential danger. “But… if they would remain alert for a while, that would be great. I’m on my way.”
She strode across the bedroom floor, out the door and left the house through the all-seasons sunroom. Sukee breathed a sigh of relief that construction of the domes had been completed. Thirty domes and the connecting ramps glowed in the setting sun. “Arcane.”
The air sparkled and sizzled with energy. A humanoid figure appeared beside her, moving at her pace. “How may I help, Sukee?”
“Oh. I didn’t mean to interrupt what you were doing for a physical appearance but thank you for your effort.” Her cheeks pinkened. Having such powerful beings answering her requests right away with courtesy and without anger and shouting was difficult to get used to.
Sukee had been left on the steps of a church when she was three months old. The family adopting her gained stature in the church when they stepped forward offering a home when they already had eight biological children.
Even at her early age, she knew to hide her ability to feel emotions and the energy swirling around everything. She hid her off the chart intelligence with only the occasional slip. The consequences for failing to be normal was pain and isolation. It was during one of those sessions when she discovered her ability to gather and control the energy surrounding her. She never stole energy from living entities. She didn’t need to. The world Spirit was generous.
“I don’t know how long I will be gone. The painting crew is… .”
“I have contacted the outsiders and canceled the contract. The paint the company planned to use was insufficient for our purposes. Caesar and I have created the colors and layout needed to camouflage all of the buildings. Rods are being planted along the border of our two thousand acre territory. Programs are being written to generate a shield overhead to confuse any electronic surveillance without affecting our abilities. The usual copyright and trademark paperwork is being filed under your name with the proper governmental entities. Please be careful, Sukee. You are the heart of our group.”
Sukee’s mind reeled. Okay. “Thank you, Arcane and Caesar. It may be necessary to bring in eight strangers with me.”
“The portal has sufficient size and power to handle your needs. I will prepare the larger dome structure for their immediate use.”
With a deep breath, Sukee walked through the blue circle of light into… chaos.
