Chapter 17

"MOM," Blake's thought blasted through their minds. "A couple of SUVs just passed going towards for grandpas and they were traveling fast."

They could see that the vehicles were only about three blocks away. The four of them scrambled out of bed and started pulling on clothes.

"General Branch is in the lead SUV and he is very angry," Blake anxiously reported as Benito started following the SUV's at a discrete distance. "Get out of the house mom!"

"Too late," Jim reported urgently. "He sent the watchers around to the back to make sure no one goes out that way. We missed them in the excitement of the moment. Damn."

JJ could see Jim running down the alley toward the back of the house.

The four of them were dressed and leaving the bed room when they heard the screech of tires in front of the house. They had just about reached the kitchen door when the front door crashed open and soldiers poured into the house with rifles ready.

Commands of, "Freeze!" rang through the house as rifles aimed at the four of them.

JJ, her parents and her uncle immediately stopped and put their hands in the air as they faced the soldiers.

General Branch marched through the broken front door with his pistol at the ready. Other soldiers fanned through the house searching for anyone else that may be in the house. They quickly returned with a report that the four were the only ones in the residence.

General Branch looked at JJ and said, "Well Major Janis. Imagine meeting you here. Where is Jim Bronson?"

"I'm not really sure General," she replied. "He dropped me off here and said he would pick me up later."

"Jorge' call 911 and tell them the army is attacking another house," Jim ordered. "JJ, don't do anything that would let them think you are anything other than what they think you are. As long as they are looking for one guy they won't focus on anyone else we associate with. If they know others can receive this gift they will attack and kill whoever we come in contact with."

JJ agreed with Jim and said to General Branch, "You are breaking the law General. What right do you have breaking in like this?"

"National security Major," General Branch said crisply with a thin smile. "I can and will do anything to protect it."

Jim started moving into the back yard and pushed the three watchers so they looked in the other direction. He simply walked up to them. Each one fell into a deep sleep and crumpled to the ground as he touched them. Jim could sense the pair of soldiers with rifles trained on the back door. JJ, the girls, Jorge' and Benito joined with him and reached out with their combined power and touched the two. The soldiers quietly lay their rifles aside and sat on the floor before slumping into a deep sleep. Jim walked into the kitchen and he could hear the conversation in the living room.

"Right now Major," General Branch continued, "all of you are under arrest and we will wait for your boy friend to return."

Bran retorted for JJ when he said, "You can't do that," and started walking toward the General. "I am a lawyer and this is illegal," he said emphatically.

General Branch lowered his pistol and shot Bran in the chest.

Collette and JJ screamed as Bran was hurled back by the force of the bullet. They could also feel Bran's shock and pain as the large caliber bullet ripped through his body. Bill roared in anger but stopped when a lot of rifles were pointed at his head.

JJ started moving toward Bran to help him and more rifles were pointed toward her. She glared at General Branch and demanded, "Let me help him."

"It would be no use," General Branch said icily. "He will be dead in moments. Like I said, I can and will do anything to protect National Security."

"Don't do anything JJ," Jim demanded. "I will take care of it but they must believe I am the only one that they have to catch up with."

Jim thought for just a moment. There were too many to control all at once in the room even with all of them joined together. He had to find another way. Something all of them had in common that he could use. He had it.

Jim stepped into the living room and in his best parade ground voice bellowed, "A-ten-hut," combined with mental commands from all of them joined. All the soldiers in the room had been conditioned to follow that order and they all snapped to attention and stayed that way. Even General Branch was standing at attention with his still smoking pistol pointed upward in a parade ground position of an officer carrying an un-holstered pistol. Jim marched across the room and removed the pistol from his fingers. In the process Jim's hand touched the General's and he could feel the rage in the man. Jim reinforced the order to stand at attention with the physical touch and knew it would hold until he released it.

"I will take care of you in a moment General," Jim growled.

Jim turned and hurried to Bran with an order sent to the rest of his little group ... Aloud he ordered, "You four watch these men. Tell me if any of them start to move." Mentally he said, "That will make them think I am doing all of this. Don't act like you are helping me but, JJ, I will need your help with Bran," he said mentally

Jim knelt beside the wounded man and ripped his shirt open so they could see the wound. He laid one hand on his forehead and one hand on his chest. Jim could feel the damaged lung and the damage to the nerve bundle along Bran's spine. JJ and the girls joined him and they sent orders to the damaged flesh to start repairing itself. Torn arteries connected directly to the heart were repaired first to stop the massive loss of blood. The damage to the lung was repaired so oxygen could be sent to the brain and the body could help with the repair. A cracked chest bone fused whole again. The bullet hadn't gone all the way through and as the body was healed the projectile was forced back toward the surface along the same path it had entered. In less than five minutes of intense work the bullet projectile slowly moved out of the entrance hole and rolled off of Bran's chest. The hole closed and the skin was left without a scar.