In the early 1600s, Barwicke Brannon and his wife, Nicholina, gave birth to a child on a ship bound for the New World-only to see the child fall ill and its illness spread. In order to save the remaining lives onboard, the child had to be sacrificed to the sea. Barwicke agreed, but he did not realize that as the baby drowned, so would his wife, as she threw herself overboard. So began the Brannon obsession with purity and a lack of genetic defect. Centuries later, Thomas Brannon is part of the Caltech graduating class of 1955 and has been schooled in the family history well. According to the Brannons, death is sometimes necessary to ensure the survival of the human race. Riff raff are to be disposed of, while intelligence, beauty, and health are to be revered. It is an easy sell to his intellectually advanced classmates, and together they make a plan that, in time, would rule the nation. Soon, a secret society arises-a society who uses kidnapping and rape to produce the perfect race of mankind. Now the breeding season is upon them, and years of research and surveillance are about to pay off. They will manipulate the population and the gene pool of the United States- until an escape threatens to reveal their odious plan and end a four-hundred-year fight for purity.

The Righteous Enemy

By Loryn Kramer

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 Loryn Kramer
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4759-2777-1

Chapter One

Caltech's graduating class of 1955 provided the world with hundreds of brilliant men. While other Caltech students studied alone, this group of men always studied together. In the basement of a house that once served as a fraternity, five men studied for their nuclear astrophysics final. They would graduate from Caltech in less than three weeks, and they had already secured jobs, all except for Warren Richards, who would continue his education in medical school. After medical school, Warren would join a private practice back in Boston. Toi Yoshida, who arrived at Caltech on the prestigious and much-desired student visa, would return to Tokyo to work with his father in the family's textile business. Thomas Brannon would join his father at Brannon Pharmaceuticals, which had operated as Brannon Medical until recently. Joseph Prosterman planned to join his uncle's legal practice. Calvin Edwards was undecided about his future, but he believed it would involve chemical engineering.

The day had been long, and the five students were exhausted. They had taken a break from their studies long enough to enjoy a snack and give their bodies a much-needed rest. On the small television before them, a news reporter talked of the popular polio vaccine and the number of inoculations already given in the United Kingdom.

"My dad thinks the polio vaccine is a hoax. He calls it population control. The average person would trust anything the government called a vaccine." Thomas was aware that on this date, May 5, 1955, over 500,000 people in the UK were receiving the polio vaccine. He also knew that millions more were expected to receive the vaccine once it was available.

"My father believes it's a conspiracy to rid the world of undesirables. You better avoid the vaccine, Joseph." Warren laughed. He would never admit he thought population control was nothing more than ludicrous.

"Funny, my friend. You will hire me someday, and just so you are aware, my fee will double when it comes to bailing your ass out of jail." Joseph threw a tattered sofa pillow at his friend.

"What do you think, Toi-Toi?" Thomas was curious about Toi's thoughts.

"My father married my mother because he believed she was a rarity. He calls her his gem. Both of my parents are over five-eight—an unusual height in Japan. He thought they would produce tall children. My father is a wise man."

Toi topped off at almost five feet nine inches tall, and his brother was only slightly taller. "He wanted to make a change. He thought if the Japanese were going to succeed and be respected all over the world, we needed to be stronger. There is no harm in manipulating the gene pool."

"I think we're going to find that millions of people won't be able to tolerate the polio vaccine and money will be wasted. The vaccine will leave thousands of people, indigents included, disabled or challenged—maybe even dead. This will cost our country more money. It's that way with any new drug." Thomas had heard his father say this so many times that it was easy for him to quote.

"Personally, I think we should rid the world of the riffraff. Our own melting pot overflows with people who serve no purpose other than to suck from our wealth and dedicated work ethic." Calvin, whose bombastic father was a member of the United States Security Council, often spoke of the indigents who demanded the U.S. use its hard-earned money to provide for them. Like Thomas, Calvin repeated the words he had heard his own father speak.

With his strong and wide shoulders pushed forward, Thomas leaned into the group as though he had a secret to share. "Gentlemen, I think if we put our heads together, along with our contacts and our money, we can do the job. The five of us in this room have all we need to make a change. We have doctors, lawyers, access to the FDA, and government contacts. Toi-Toi, I am sure we can find a way for you to contribute. In fact, you can help us make a better and more sophisticated and respected Japanese population in the U.S." Thomas was seated on the edge of his worn chair, excited at the thought of making a difference in the world. Only recently, he had engaged in this same conversation with his father.

The five men talked of the many prisoners on death row and the rise in the current jail population, knowing that in the years to come, the number of inmates would triple. As their conversation continued, they were in agreement that all inmates should be sterilized. It would take a lot of work, but they believed they, with the help of others like them, could weed out the bad seeds and clean up society.

A few hours later, these five young men had pledged to work together and to keep this between themselves. It was understood that their plan was not to be discussed with anyone, not even family—that time would come later. The first plan of action was to marry-up. Improving the gene pool started at home. Before heading back to their separate rooms, it was agreed they would meet in one month to put their scheme in place.

None of the five men shared with the others that they were aware of their own father's work and dedication. In their own homes and upbringing, the seeds for change had been planted long ago. This day was destined to occur. Their acceptance and arrival at Caltech had been arranged years before. Their personal involvement in perfecting the gene pool had been discussed by ancestors who had long ago passed away.

Chapter Two

Planning a meeting in a public venue was risky, but they knew they would go unnoticed here in the bustling resort. The luxury hotel in sunny Florida was framed with countless Queen Palm trees standing tall and majestic. The hotel lobby was filled with tourists who hadn't packed for the arrival of unseasonably cool temperatures. Only the week before, the local weatherman had mistakenly promised sweltering temperatures and the possibility of a heat advisory. It was the winter holiday for most private schools, and overly stressed parents were busy and easily distracted by children running out of control. It was painfully obvious that the harried parents weren't enjoying their vacation and would need another one once their children were back in school. Men in button-down shirts and khaki pants blended in with the crowd; holding a camera and a water bottle made one invisible.

For the members, the busy hotel was ideal. A room had been obtained and the security team had swept the room, giving the board the predetermined all-clear signal. To any other hotel guests who passed the room, the newspaper in front of the door indicated the guest was either away or sleeping in after a late night. To the members, it meant the room had been vacated by its previous guests and was now safe for their gathering. As a safety precaution, the rooms on either side of this room were intentionally occupied. The room to the left was perfect for the father pretending to be in Orlando for the weekend to visit his children, who lived in the city with their mother. Upon his arrival, he had explained that because of his costly divorce, he was forced to pay cash for the room. He further explained to the hotel clerk that obtaining a credit card was on his bucket list. Accepting a cash payment was against the hotel's policy, but the young desk clerk had taken pity on him. She agreed with him when he complained that his ex-wife was awful. The clerk had flirted with the man, and as a hotel courtesy, she had taken fifteen percent off the cost of his room. She...