Final Act

by Van Fleisher

  Moki Joe’s younger brother, Tocho Tom, who preferred to be called Tom, had gone through school quietly, always in his big brother’s shadow, except when it came to academics … especially math. He’d won a full scholarship to the University of New Mexico in engineering and left with a double master’s degree in chemical and mechanical engineering. Tom was in great demand on the job front, but he wanted to help Native Americans find jobs on or near reservations and to help preserve at least some aspects of tribal life. And so, he had begun brokering and implementing projects to create manufacturing or production facilities close to several reservations throughout the country.

  Tom and Kaya had always been close, and Kaya’s appreciation of Tom’s humanitarian efforts brought them even closer. For his part, Tom didn’t approve of his older brother’s support of a political party and Administration that seemed to disdain their shared racial ancestries. Still, he never confronted his brother, and he even wondered if it was all part of his act or public persona.

  Kaya was living in Detroit when her uncle, Tom, was to be honored at an event celebrating the opening of a new soft drink manufacturing plant that he had helped set up on the outskirts of Mount Pleasant, Michigan, close to the Isabella Indian Reservation. So, Tom invited his niece to the celebration. The facility would initially employ almost fifty people but was designed to accommodate expansion to four times that size.

  It was the first time Tom and Kaya had seen each other in a few years, and Tom was amazed at her beauty, poise, and authenticity. She was an articulate and stunning young woman. They were both surprised by the ease and intellectual compatibility of their conversation – so much so that they both re-arranged their schedules to spend another day together.

  They talked, they laughed, and they promised not to let so much time go by between meetups. But when Tom and Kaya said their goodbyes, they came away with very different emotional states. Kaya felt lighter and happier than she had been in a long time, as she was able to talk openly with a trusted family member. She even came away with some hope that she and her father might one day be close again, based on Tom’s optimism that Moki Joe may not be who he appeared to be.

  Tom, however, came away with a heavy heart and burden, and he wasn’t sure how to handle it. He did know, however, that it was time to see his brother again.

  ***

  CHAPTER 27 – AN IDEA

  Quincy Medical Center, Massachusetts. Vijay had returned to the hospital at 6:00 p.m. with a laptop. Sophie, Alek’s nurse, explained to Vijay, in no uncertain terms, that he had a half-hour with the patient. Alek smiled like a kid who’d just gotten a new bike for Christmas when Vijay handed him the laptop. It took him less than five minutes to restore the feed, and another twenty-five minutes to show Vijay how he’d done it.

  Alerted by what must have been an internal timer, Sophie pulled the laptop from Alek’s grip and told Vijay that his thirty minutes had expired. On his way out the door, Vijay turned to ask Alek a question; but decided against it when he saw that he’d be interrupting something that looked a bit more than a normal patient-nurse relationship, but possibly, she was just taking his pulse … for a very long time.

  On his way home, he called Zoe to tell her that the Final Notice feed was live again. Zoe was thrilled and wanted to inform her team ASAP, but she quickly gave Vijay the update that Kalin hadn’t shown up at work and that they were watching airports and searching his office and home. She also alerted Vijay that she’d set up protection for Alek and told Vijay to be vigilant, at least until they had Kalin and Vasin.

  ***

  Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Vijay returned home with the weight of what Zoe had just told him on his mind. Jennifer asked for an update on Alek’s condition and Kalin’s status. Vijay passed along the good news about Alek, as well as what appeared to be a budding relationship. Jennifer was very happy for Alek on all counts. But when Vijay gave her the update on Kalin (leaving out Zoe’s warning), she asked something that Vijay hadn’t thought about.

  “I doubt that J. Edward even knows that Kalin was involved with Alek’s kidnap and presumably the Final Notice attacks. But as soon as he does, he’ll need another CEO … and quickly.”

  Vijay explained that J. Edward might have been made aware that something was wrong when the FBI showed up with a warrant to search Kalin’s office.

  Jennifer continued, “And what about a CEO replacement?”

  Vijay wasn’t getting the point. “I have no idea what he’s going to do, but yeah, he’ll need to replace Kalin, and sooner rather than later, especially if negative news leaks out.”

  Jennifer smiled when she realized that her genius-level husband hadn’t ever considered the obvious. “I wonder where he’d find a qualified, even overqualified replacement? Someone who knows the business inside and out. Someone who already has the respect of the employee group, and someone who J. Edward would trust?”

  Vijay finally got it. “Jen, I’ve ‘been there and done that,’ and I doubt J. Edward would want me back after I hacked the VT2 system. Besides, Kalin got rid of a lot of good people, people that I hired, and worked well with.”

  Jennifer retorted, “If you went back, you could ensure that good people were put in place. VitalTech was your baby. Your legacy. Do you want to see it crumble? Another hiring mistake by J. Edward at this stage could sink the business.”

  Vijay was not convinced and offered yet another excuse. “I don’t know. I like my free time, and I want to be around when Karima, and maybe a brother or sister of hers, is growing up.”

  Jennifer smiled at the reference to more children, but stated, “Free time? All you do with your free time is work on VitalTech stuff, anyway.”

  Vijay wanted to end the conversation, “I’ll think about it.”

  Jennifer, smiling again, replied, coquettishly, “Actually, I’d like to take your mind off it and re-focus on that brother or sister you talked about.” She took his hand and began pulling him to the bedroom.

  Vijay flashed his amazing grin and said, “What were we talking about?”

  ***

  Denver, Colorado. (seventeen days earlier.) Tom met ‘MJ,’ as only he called him at Moki Joe’s hotel suite at the Grand Hyatt in Denver a few hours before MJ’s performance at the Grizzly Rose. They planned to have dinner, and then after the show, spend the night catching up. It felt good to be in the warm glow of his big brother, and Tom was pretty sure his brother was happy to be with him. But Tom also felt that MJ was holding back something from him; of course, he was holding something back, too. So, dinner was mostly catching-up talk. The real conversations would come out later.

  Tom loved MJ’s performance, and the crowd’s obvious love made him proud beyond measure. He, more than anyone else at the Rose, understood the meaning of many of MJ’s songs, and many of them brought on tears of happiness, sadness, and just good ole’ nostalgia.

  MJ was ravenous after the performance, and they decided to escape back to the hotel and order room service. His suite would allow them to relax in privacy without any unwanted attention from fans who might recognize the “Black Indian Cowboy.” (That label always got a smile from Tom because MJ was actually intimidated by horses, and the only cows he’d ever been close to were 36-ounce T-Bones.)

  Neither of the Hunter brothers drank alcohol anymore, but the privacy and their intimacy allowed them to be open and discuss come what may. MJ asked about Tom’s recent time with Kaya, and that allowed Tom to get what he had to say off his chest.

  He ambled over to the mini-bar and picked up a can of cola, “Want one,” he asked, holding the can up.

  “That’s poison in a pop-top,” MJ laughed. “I’ll stick with my water.”

  “That’s rich, given all the things you’ve swallowed, drank and snorted,” Tom retorted as he began to compose, in his head, what he would say.

  He began with his assessment of what an incredible young woman Kaya was. “She’s beautiful, personable, caring, and very proud of her father, despite
their political issues.”

  MJ expressed his displeasure, “I don’t understand why we can’t have political disagreements without going down a path of anger and hurt. We used to spar and then laugh it off.”

  Tom replied, “Politics have changed a lot over the years. For everyone.” To his brother’s nodding, he approached the real issue. “Do you remember when Kaya entered the Miss America contest?”

  “Yeah, it was thirteen-months ago, and I was touring Europe and couldn’t get back. Is she still pissed about that?”

  “No. She might have been a little hurt at the time, but she’s a big girl and smart. Remember, her Hopi name means ‘little but wise.’ ”

  “I named her,” growled MJ, still agitated. “Well, Mom suggested it,” and a slight smile brightened his face.

  Tom was struggling with how to explain, so he blurted out, “The beauty pageant is at the root of her political anger and hurt.”

  Moki Joe looked puzzled, “I don’t understand?”

  Tom decided to lay it out. “Kaya was raped during the pageant.” He had wanted to get it all out, but MJ exploded.

  “What!?” he shouted out with a voice that could have reached the very back rows of a large venue, without amplification, and with a look that would wither all, save the very brave or foolish. “Who?”

  “The President of the United States. The one with you in the autographed picture you sent Kaya.”

  An uneasy silence began. Tom waited for another outburst, and MJ’s mind was in a state of turmoil, hate, and rage, but his reply was soft, filled with devastating sadness. “Oh my god,” he whispered, as tears welled up.

  Teary-eyed as well, Tom completed what he needed to say. “At first, Kaya was ashamed, a common occurrence with rape victims. But then, each tweeted support from you about the President was like salt in her wounds, and the photo was almost more than she could handle.”

  “I’m going to kill him.”

  “That’s a pretty natural reaction, but easier said than done, and I’m not sure that the infamy of the event and loss of you would be in Kaya’s best interest.”

  MJ looked at his watch and said with great solemnity, “Tom, I have exactly seventeen days to live. My watch, my ‘deathwatch,’ alerted me almost two weeks ago. I went to a doctor and then a couple of specialists, and they confirmed that I’m dying, but they wouldn’t give me any specific timing, just that it was days or weeks, not months. I spoke with someone from the watch manufacturing company, and they advised me that the device is ninety-eight percent accurate. Only one Final Notice, as it’s called, has been reversed since the watch was launched three years ago.

  The brothers looked at each other and hugged, the tears flowing freely. Still hugging, MJ whispered, “Exactly two weeks from now, I will be alone with the President and Vice President in Wilkes Barre, just before my last performance. And I will kill him.”

  They released their hug, and Tom said, “You’ll have to do it bare-handed and fight off the Vice President, although he’s a pussy. But the Secret Service will be steps away if either of them shouts. Besides, Secret Service will sweep wherever it is that you’re meeting, so a gun is out of the question.”

  “I can’t die, knowing what he’s done to Kaya. I need to get revenge.”

  Tom straightened up, and a slight smile formed, “I have an idea.”

  ***

  Washington, D.C. Zoe was thrilled that the constant alerts of actual and potential Final Notice assassins had slowed to a trickle, and none of the new ones appeared to be of the same modus operandi as Vasin’s or the one in Los Angeles. The re-establishment of the system had also enabled them to prevent a potentially devastating employment-related attack in Houston, Texas.

  A Final Notice recipient, who worked part-time at a supermarket in Houston, had recently lost his health insurance as the company decided to eliminate that benefit for part-timers. Unable to find alternative, affordable coverage, due to a pre-existing medical condition, the employee had become extremely depressed and began to express anger at full-time employees and management at the store.

  As a result of Zoe’s idea to spotlight potential workplace hotspots, combined with Vijay’s alert system, they identified the employee, who was exhibiting the emotional signature of a potential killer. The employee was thought to possess a gun or guns, and while en route to work, in an elevated emotional state as indicated in the data feed, he was intercepted without an incident. In his possession were an AR15 with a high capacity magazine, several spares, and two loaded handguns. He was taken into custody for a psychiatric evaluation and died a day later, as predicted by his VT2.

  ***

  CHAPTER 28 – CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY!

  Washington, D.C. Domestic life was heaven for Zoe & Demi. Zoe had moved in with Demi using one small Uber to bring over her few earthly possessions. Demi was back to work and away a lot, assigned to the dwindling but still a sizable number of Democratic presidential hopefuls. She’d had a heart-to-heart with her boss who was pissed because, in a way, she had “out-outed” him. In the end, he swallowed his pride and fully accepted her for who she was. A glowing commendation from Eric Hawke helped the process.

  On what was destined to become one of those days that a generation or two will always remember – like Kennedy’s assassination, the first walk on the moon, 9-11 or Obama’s election – Zoe answered the phone and pumped her fist in the air. “YES!”

  The Maryland State Police had picked up Vasin through a trace on his EZ Pass toll transmitter. Zoe was excited, but she did wonder how dumb a fleeing suspect could be. Seriously. He was being transported to D.C., and Zoe vowed he would not walk away so easily this time.

  Two hours later, Vik Vasin was brought in. Zoe and Sue from legal met him in an interrogation room. He was smug and antagonistic, demanding to know why he’d been brought in and to call his lawyer. They’d expected as much and told him that he’d be with them for some time. So, in the meantime, they asked him questions about how the Final Notice recipients were selected and managed. Where did he get the money to pay them? Were there others beside him managing Final Notice recipients? Everything they asked was met with no answer.

  Then they described the raid in Quincy and that three people had been captured, including Fedor and two flunkies. They had given the FBI their version of the process as well as the names of Stefan, Peter, Leon, Pavel, Mike, Yuri, and … Vik Vasin. And then they explained that he was being held under the Terrorism Act and, if convicted, could face capital punishment.

  Vasin shifted in his chair at that point and demanded to speak with his lawyer. Sue took delight in telling him that he would certainly be able to make that call, but given the stakes this time, she recommended he call a new one. She also added that if one or two of the seven people involved so far could be helpful, they may be able to negotiate a lesser penalty, although life imprisonment was probably the best deal they could get.

  Vasin did an excellent job of looking bored, so they ended the interview and told him they’d be in touch. Zoe couldn’t help herself and added, with a smile, “We know where to find you.”

  That immediately transformed Vasin’s bored demeanor into a rage, and he demanded again to speak with his lawyer. This time, Sue had the pleasure of telling one more time that they would let him make that call as soon as they had more information from the others. The Terrorism Act gave them a lot of latitude.

  Back at her office, Zoe returned a call to the Boston field office. The Boston Police had arrested a small-time crook named Nick Felty for illegal arms sales. He was providing names of his customers for the guns he sold. Vik Vasin was one of his best.

  They’d also found a possible match for Leon. The Las Vegas field office was trying to bring him in for questioning. Zoe checked the time on her VT2, which she had put on for the first time in a while, and it wasn’t even lunchtime yet.

  ***

  Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Vijay was toweling off from a shower after a fifteen-mile run
when his phone chimed. It was J. Edward Konig. When he finished the call, he looked for Jennifer and found her in their home gym, working out.

  “Guess who just called me?” he teased.

  “At this hour, I’d guess Zoe.”

  “Wrong. It was J. Edward.”

  “Was he just getting home from a party?” she asked, as she gently released the pulley on the multi-function exercise machine.

  “No, actually, he was up early to catch a flight to Cuba,” Vijay replied.