CHAPTER TWO

January, 2044

"Aren't you a precious little girl?" Bryan Costner said to his newborn daughter, Kendra, as her mother nursed her for the first time. He ran his fingers through the baby's sparse hair lovingly.

"How do you think Briana will act once we bring her home?" Danica asked her husband.

"She'll probably ask when she'll be big enough to play with," Bryan said.

"That wouldn't surprise me at all, honestly," Danica replied as she lifted Kendra up to burp her. "You got a burp for me, little girl?" she then asked her baby daughter. Kendra complied and her mother offered the other breast to her. Kendra latched on without incident.

"We should call your folks and tell them Kendra is finally here," Bryan said.

"We  will," Danica said; "I want a little alone time with Kendra before the grandparents, uncles, and Great Grandpa Frank come down to meet her. I'll be one exhausted girl with all of them and Briana, too!"

"Just before they brought you two in here," Bryan said, "I got a text from Alex. Briana is behaving herself and she and Lexie are having a grand time. Sandy says the shop is under control."

"That's good," Danica said as she started to burp the now sleeping newborn; "I'm so glad that Sandy and Alex could take Briana. The girls are probably having one big sleepover."

"That's probably true," said Bryan as he took Kendra from Danica and put her back in the isolette.

"I'm going to sack out for a while, Bryan," Danica said between yawns; "You can stay if you want, but I know that you probably want to get home to peace and quiet while Briana is gone."

"You've always been able to read my thoughts, Danica," Bryan said as he kissed her forehead. "I'll be back this afternoon, I promise."

"Okay," Danica said as she closed her eyes. No sooner had she done that that she was asleep. Bryan leaned over the isolette and kissed his daughter's cheek, then headed home.

None of them knew that Great Grandpa Frank would never get to meet his newest great-grandchild.

===

On any other day, Winter Donovan would be sleeping at four in the morning.

But because it was Saturday, he was up helping his dad and grandpa get the boat ready for the day's work. Winter would accompany them and the crew out to the deepest water to catch the lobsters that were the family's livelihood.

At 16 and standing nearly a head taller than his father, Joe, Winter Donovan was an imposing presence. He had the brute strength of his father, and thensome. Even Grandpa Frank thought that Winter would be taking over the business eventually.

Everyday, Winter thanked God that the Donovans rescued him and his younger brother, Wyatt, from the awful children's home they were living in when they were little boys. Winter had no idea who his real parents were. The Donovans were the only parents he and Wyatt knew. He was proud to be their son, and proud to be the brother of Danica and Kendree.

He worried about Wyatt everyday. Wyatt never did talk much. He was very intelligent and got along with everyone. Winter wondered if Wyatt was negatively affected by their time in the children's home. Wyatt was three and Winter five when the Donovans adopted them. It was because of Wyatt that their father got them on the boat at the ages of five and seven. Wyatt liked being on the water, but lobster fishing wasn't his thing and Joe saw that early. Wyatt loved to draw and paint, and many of his works were hung in their home. Winter often wished for that kind of talent.

His talent, however, did not lay in artistic pursuits. It lay in weapons handling and in business. His father made sure that both boys got weapons training as soon as they were old enough to hold a gun. Winter excelled at it. Wyatt was good, but only wanted to use it to hunt.

Winter had no problem with killing anyone who threatened the family's way of life. He knew that there were people out there who saw him and his family as "Undesireables", and that sometimes, these people weren't above murder to achieve some misguided directive, all because his family was mixed race.

Winter had heard from his mother that his and Wyatt's biological parents were mixed race. "That's a big reason we chose you and Wyatt," Tracy Donovan told her son; "because you were mixed. Another reason is that it was plain to see you needed to get out of there. They tried to separate you two, but Dad and I put our foot down- we wanted both of you because brothers shouldn't be separated. It didn't hurt that your Uncle Jere was a journalist. He'd have made a big stink out of it."

Uncle Jere later became a Senator, and now was making a big push for the Presidency, which Winter thought was cool.

"You got those pots in place, Winter?" his father asked.

"All set, Dad."

"Let's get going, then," Joe Donovan said; "Grandpa Frank is getting antsy."

Winter only smiled.

But Winter had a gut feeling that something this day was going to happen, and it wouldn't be good.

===

"God, I just love making speeches!" Senator Jeremiah Donovan said sarcastically. "Said no one, ever!"

"Coulda fooled me," said his brother-by-chance Nik San Marco; "You're just like David, whipping the people into a frenzy."

"True that, brother," Jere said, "but that doesn't mean I actually like it. I don't think David liked it that much either when he was the 'Voice of the Resistance' or whatever the lame title was bestowed upon him was."

"That's probably true as well," Nik said; "The ability to make a speech does not a politician make, and David knew that. You, on the other hand, Jere, are a politician whether you like it or not."

"Yippee." Jere shot back with a grin on his face. "But I want to lead this country and finally get it back to where there aren't any losers trying to start a second Occupation. I think the people like what I'm saying."

"I know they do," Nik said; "Nobody wants a second Occupation. Except maybe people like Rick Pike, though he'd be the last to admit it."

"Rick's an all right guy," Jere said; "He just has ideas that his advisors didn't research thouroghly enough to be plausible. I honestly don't think he wants a second Occupation any more than you and I do. He lived through that shit, too, remember?"

"There's just something about him I don't trust," Nik said; "What, I don't know."

Jere felt that way about the man as well, but would never give voice to those feelings. Not even to his own brother. There were some things that Jere Donovan kept to himself. Possibly the only person he shared those thoughts and feelings with was his wife, Jasmine.

He and Jasmine had been together a long time, and had grown children. Their oldest grandchildren were in elementary school. He knew it was not easy to be Jeremiah Donovan's grandchild, nor was it easy being their parents. His oldest daughter, Adriana, for example, hated to be approached by other parents at her daughter's school with their displeasure with how the government was working. Some even criticized Jeremiah to his daughter's face, to which she always replied, "If you don't think he's doing a good job, then don't vote for him."

Jeremiah, to his amazement, found he was good at politics. Maybe it was his journalistic training, but he saw the path for him to make a difference in the country was to run for office. Jasmine was skeptical of anything remotely political, as she saw during the Occupation that unchecked, the line between politics and personal beliefs often became blurred. It's what took Jeremiah's biological parents and sister from him. He and his brother Joe were eventually reunited with their sister, but their parents were both dead. That lead to the brothers being raised by Peter and Kiera San Marco. They themselves were murdered by New Army troops when Jeremiah was 15.

Now a group of neo-Occupationists wanted to bring back those policies that divided a nation into "Desireables" and "Undesireables". They had people calling and harrassing everyone they deemed inferior to themselves, and Joe's father in law was one of those who received the calls. Often, the calls threatened Joe and his family with harm.

Jeremiah wouldn't stand by and watch a second Occupation happen. He had to get in there and lead the country on the right path. He remembered the past, and he would not allow it to be repeated.

One event in his life would make him work harder than ever to become President. It would occur early the next morning.

But as he sat in his office with his brother Nik San Marco, he had no idea how much it would change his life, or the lives of those he was close to.

And turn his youngest daughter and his niece into cold, calculating assassins.

===

Winter saw the boat in the mist before his father and grandfather did. It did not look like any of the boats that were out in the harbor that Winter was familiar with, and that raised his suspicions.

"I ain't never seen that boat before," Frank said in his Mainer accent, which to Winter was nearly indecipherable. Winter had been born in Massachsetts two years before Wyatt was born in Maine. Frank Pembrooke's accent was hard for outsiders to understand. Winter had simply gotten used to it.

"I don't like the looks of it, Frank," Joe said; "It's just too shiny and new to be a fishing vessel."

"Always suspicious, ain't ya, Joey?" Frank said; "Guess that's a good thing to be, knowing yer background and all."

"Dad, I don't like it either," Winter said. "Something's not right about that boat."

"Sixth sense kicking in," Joe told his son; "Always listen to it. It can save your life."

"I'm going below to get my rifle," Winter said as he disappeared below decks to get his high powered hunting rifle, a gift from Joe for his fifteenth birthday.

Sure that Winter was out of earshot, Joe said to Frank, "Is this why you're out here at your age? Because of threats to me  or Winter?"

"No," Frank lied; "I'm out here because this is still my business and I intend to protect it from the competition."

"So this isn't about those phone calls you've been getting over the last several months, since Jere announced his intentions to run for President?" asked Joe, knowing his father in law was lying through his teeth.

"Joey, I love you like a son, but please don't pry into my affairs," Frank said, and let the subject drop.

Joe knew not to mention it again. He didn't know he wouldn't get a chance to.

===

A man on the other boat was watching the goings on aboard the Danica Antonia, and knew it was almost time to take out the target, and his father in law and son if need be. He couldn't hear what was going on, but got a general idea.

He then saw the teenager return to the deck with something in his hand. He just couldn't see what. You think you're such a smart kid, the man thought; let's see how smart you are when I kill your father.

"Is Donovan in your sights yet?" the man asked his companion.

"Yes, boss," was the reply. "Just give me a signal when you want me to shoot."

"Now."

The other man raised his rifle and fired.

What he saw next surprised him enough to put the gun down. It would be a fatal mistake.

===

Frank heard a gun discharge, and pushed Joe out of the way. Joe, not expecting the move, fell to the deck. Not five seconds later, Frank joined him. Then Joe saw blood on the older man's chest and knew Frank had taken a bullet.

"What the fuck, Frank?!" he exclaimed.

"They're going to kill you, Joey," Frank said, feeling his life slip away. Soon, he would be with his beloved Anna Jane.

Just then, Joe heard another shot. Then a second.

They were not being fired at the boat. They were being fired from the boat.

He then saw Winter crouched behind the side of the boat with his rifle trained on the boat they had all been suspicious of.

"Report, Winter!" Joe demanded.

"Two men, armed, guns trained on the boat," Winter said seriously; "I took them out, and am waiting to see if there are others."

"Your grandpa's been shot," Joe said; "Call in a mayday."

Winter grabbed the portable radio; "Mayday, mayday, assistance needed on the Danica Antonia out of Kittery. This is an emergency. There are injuries. Mayday, mayday..."

Soon there was a reply, "State your location, Danica Antonia, and the nature of any injuries."

"Twenty-five miles off Kittery Point," Winter replied; "My grandfather's been shot."

"We're sending Coast Guard for your grandpa, Winter," the voice on the other end of the transmission said. "Your dad okay?"

Winter looked over at his father, who was trying to treat his grandfather's injury as best he could. "Dad's okay, not injured. Grandpa's lost a lot of blood. Please hurry!"

Meanwhile, Frank knew he was dying, and he had to tell Joe something important.

"Joey," he gasped, "I love and respect you as if you  were my own blood, but my time is coming. Anna Jane waits for me. Take care of my little girl as you've always done. All this is yours now. Pass it on to Winter when he's ready. I know it will be in good hands."

"Frank..." Joe said, but he knew that Frank was right. He heard the Coast Guard ship approaching, but by the time they got to Frank, he had gone to meet up with his Anna Jane. Nothing more could be done.

"Dad,  is grandpa..." asked Winter.

"I'm afraid so, son."
      
Winter hated knowing that this was to be the result. The hardest part of all this would be telling his mother, sisters, and Wyatt.

Something changed deep inside Winter Matthew Donovan that day. He wouldn't realize it until years later.

===