Managed to refrain from mentioning, yet again, that, despite the disdain given to it by the majority of A-Cs, troubadour talent was actually quite impressive.

"Troubadours use persuasion," Gower added. "Ronaldo used manipulation."

"Gladys Gower wasn't the only person whose mind Ronaldo could enter and affect to the degree he was able to," Siler went on. "It's a big reason why he was a very successful businessman. Ronaldo also had an actual flair for business, and Yates encouraged that. He had a good life, really. Probably a lot better before he was activated to start carrying on with the basic experiment, which was to create a superrace of those with the Yates genetics and a few other specially selected genetic samples."

While I didn't argue with the superrace theory, especially considering what we'd been through these past few years, I did think about the timing of when I was pretty sure Ronaldo had been activated. Didn't time out right for Yates to have activated him. At all.

However, Siler seemed to have comprehensive information. Whether we'd get all of it out of him was the question. "So, was Yates always marching under the Purity of the Race Banner? He had a lot going on for such a single-minded goal."

"So did Hitler," Siler said. "But it all ends the same way."

"Can't argue with the logic." Had a theory, but I wanted a few more answers first. "Okay, but what about all the others?"

"He kept track, but he never kept contact with any other than Ronaldo. Ronaldo was a good son, at least in the ways our father would see it, and that was, apparently, enough for him."

"Why not? It seems stupid to avoid all the kiddies if your entire plan is to make them into your own genetically enhanced army."

"Honestly? I think he found better and more loyal options outside of his genetic pool."

"You mean like Herbert Gaultier, Antony Marling, and your mother, right?"

"Among others."

"Yeah. Leventhal Reid had to have been a better 'son' to him than even Ronaldo could be."

"Definitely. Reid was far smarter, for starters."

"And he was politically connected," Chuckie said. "So that had to have been advantageous as well."

Siler nodded. "Yates also had proportionately more daughters than he did sons."

"That doesn't seem right."

"Why not?" Gower asked. "Based on the Yates offspring that are on our side-and counting Aunt Gladys and, if we can safely assume so, Siler here-we have four women and two men."

Chuckie nodded. "If those numbers are representative of his general genetic drift, it's easy to believe two thirds of his children are women."

"But, other than Serene and Mahin, we've only seen guys."

"Expect that to change," Siler said.

"I'm back to asking why you think we can't swing these women to our side, then," Jeff said. "Our track record seems good."

"And because of that, it'll never be good again," Siler said. He looked at Mahin. "You've ensured that."

CHAPTER 48.

"EXCUSE ME?" Mahin sounded shocked and horrified. "I haven't had contact with any of them since they murdered . . ." she glanced at Gower guiltily.

"My brother," Gower said gently. "And we believe you, Mahin. Don't worry."

Siler shrugged. "That wasn't an accusation of evil activity. However, the reason they've spent this year finding, prepping, and brainwashing the others is exactly because of you." He looked at me. "And you, of course."

"Mind explaining that? 'Cause I don't see the 'of course' in regards to me."

"Sweetly nave. Not your best look. But I'll explain for the apparently slow ones in the room." Siler grinned at Claudia and Lorraine, who both laughed. Jeff rolled his eyes and Christopher hit us with Patented Glare #2.

"Yeah, explain for all the slow of wit," Tim said. "Because I'm with Kitty. Why would she be the reason they don't flip?"

"I get it," Chuckie said. "You're the one who ensured Serene flipped to our side, Kitty. Not Brian-you."

Serene nodded. "Ultimately, that's true, Kitty."

"And you're the reason Mahin flipped," Chuckie went on. "You and White for Mahin."

"I didn't do any of it," Christopher said. "Buchanan and Kitty's father did more."

"But you were there," Chuckie said patiently. "For her and Serene. So was Jeff, but you were the one they were doing a different kind of brainwashing on. And Kitty figured that out, too."

"Ah, Operation Confusion. Good times . . . good times."

"Other than our getting Jamie, were they?" Jeff asked.

"Everyone's a critic. So, you're saying that because we'd stopped three attempts, they felt it was three strikes and they were out?"

Siler nodded. "Essentially. But I'm saying 'you' specifically, not 'all of you' generally. The assumption-which, after spending time with you, I think is completely accurate-is that there's at least a fifty percent chance that any of the Yates progeny who interact with you are going to flip to your side. Especially the women."

Considered this. "You know, I kind of bonded with your mother. Right before she tried to kill me and Adriana arrived to save the day."

"Not a surprise. Hell, you've flipped the top assassins in the world to your side. And if you could make my mother like you, then you have a lot more persuasive power than you realize."

"We . . . kind of . . . understood each other."

"Exactly. So, your enemies made the decision to spend this past year bringing in the rest of the Yates progeny and brainwashing them. They're good at this kind of persuasion, and these people aren't going to join you now, because you stand in the way of everything they want."

"Money, power, ruling everyone else?" Reader asked.

"That, and regaining their family glory, seats on the YatesCorp board, and more. They've been promised a lot." Siler shook his head. "If I'd had all this offered to me when I was young and, more importantly, alone, I'd probably have gone for it, too. They're very persuasive, and they're offering something most of these people have never had."

Looked at Serene and Mahin and it wasn't hard to guess what was the biggest thing our enemies were offering. "Family."

Siler nodded. "Yes. You offer it, too, and you all mean it. Which is part of why you're so dangerous to them."

"You're not like them. At all. Neither are Serene and Mahin."

"I was," Mahin said quietly.

"I could have been," Serene added. "If I'd been approached differently, especially since they were drugging me."

"It was clear that kidnapping wasn't going to be effective," Siler said. "It's why they haven't tried it since."

Serene nodded. "Even crazed with the Surcenthumain they'd given me, it wasn't that hard to tell you were trying to save me."

"Well, when the drug's hold ebbed and you were able to hold onto the sanity, yeah. And you're smart." A couple of alligators chasing us with intent to snack also had to have helped Serene grasp reality. Wondered if I could find Alliflash and Gigantagator and move them into the Zoo somehow. They'd certainly keep Hacker International on their toes.

"Smart means nothing against good brainwashing techniques," Siler said.

"Oh, it does," Chuckie replied. "But I agree-even the strongest can break."

"Well, we had Serene's catnip, remember-Brian was on our side."

She laughed. "True enough. But really, it was all of you who made choosing the right side easy. Not that they ever asked me to join them. As Benjamin said, kidnapped isn't the same as being recruited."

"That's true, however, Serene was also in the A-C community," White said, shooting Serene another fatherly smile. "Not as tightly in as she is now, but still, within it, with family. Perhaps they would have tried brainwashing her if they'd been successful in their kidnapping attempt."

"Heck, they brainwashed Clarence, and Stephanie, and they certainly weren't kidnapped. Ever." Wondered if the tracker Siler had on Stephanie was really going to show us where the Yates Gang was hiding.

"This is true," White said. "But unless Benjamin is going to tell us that Clarence wasn't really Stephanie's father, I don't believe we have anyone else identified within the community who might be a hidden Yates child." Felt Jeff tense.

"No, Clarence is really her father," Siler said. Jeff relaxed. Took and squeezed his hand. "Your community's views on out-of-wedlock births meant that Yates couldn't just cruise through every available A-C woman."

"Because he knew what would have happened on the home world and could see how Serene's mother was shunned, meaning nothing had changed on this world, and if there were enough women being shunned with no corresponding man to shun at the same time, someone would make the connection."

"Right. However, Stephanie has Yates blood in her, and from the little she told me when I was helping her get away from all of you, that's what they're using to keep her on their side-the proof of her true blood-right."

"Fantastic," Jeff muttered. "What are we going to tell Sylvia?"

"We'll handle it," White said gently. "Somehow."

Time to get off Stephanie, at least for the moment, and back to the rest of the matter at hand. Now wasn't the time to point out that all of Jeff's sisters and all their very talented children had Yates blood in them, too. Nor to mention that, out of his remaining four brothers-in-law, only one was considered trustworthy at the moment. I'd save that stressful conversation for another time.

"Okay, I get why they didn't turn Serene. Mahin flipped to our side, though. So why not others?"

"Because the people in charge of their side of Project Kindred Spirit have found all the remaining Yates progeny," Siler said. "They have an accurate list, no searching required. The original plan was a slow recruitment process, add them in as needed. What went down between you and them last year, though, made them speed things up. They collected all the remaining siblings and they've spent this past year brainwashing them."

"They tried the brainwashing on Mahin," I pointed out. "And it didn't take."

"Not really," she said. "I mean, it was started, yes. But I was found and activated right before the attack last year. They didn't spend a great deal of time prepping me. For anything." She looked down. "If they'd spent the time, things might be very different."

"No, I refuse to believe that. You and Serene both had the option to go to the Dark Side and you both chose doing the right thing when it mattered. And you have, too," I said to Siler. "So, based on what you're saying, either they're still flippable, or the three of you are nothing like these others at all."

"Listen, I'm just like them. Every scared, scarred, lonely person is, in that sense, just like them. However my uncle saved me from that life and that temptation. And yes, I consider being a top assassin to be a far more worthwhile and decent career than what these people have as their motivation."

"I'd rather spend time with hired killers than the Mastermind and Apprentice, too. You dudes definitely have more honor."

"Maybe. However, you need to remember that what all of you care about and what I care about rarely align."

Siler was really good at saying that he didn't have the same goals as us. Yet he knew what was going on with us and with his siblings. All of them. Maybe he cared about us because of White, Lucinda, Gladys, Serene, and Mahin. Thought about it-maybe only because of Serene, at least initially. She was younger and would have been in much more danger from Yates than Siler's three older half-siblings. Same with Mahin, at least once she was found and activated.

And yet Yates hadn't tried to get Serene, which was really stupid. Maybe Mahin's mother had managed to keep him off and away somehow, but Serene had been orphaned young. And her A-C family hadn't really loved her; Brian had confirmed this when he'd gone to meet them after they'd gotten engaged.

Serene got a Daddy Crush on White within days of meeting him, and I was fairly sure she'd had a Daddy Crush on Alfred, too. Serene had longed so much for parents, for a family, to really feel accepted and included, that she'd been primed to become Ronald Yates' Good Little Girl well before I'd ever met her. And she was amazingly powerful, the perfect Yates Test Subject. And yet he'd never even so much as looked her up, let alone tried to bring her "home."

"Are all the female Yates progeny more talented than the males? Proportionately, I mean. Jeff's mom has no talents and neither does Richard, unless you count charm."

White laughed. "Ah, I'm always reminded of why Jeffrey loves you so much, Missus Martini. However, while Lucinda and I might have no talents of our own, clearly the genetics were passed along. Christopher's probably came mostly from his mother, but Alfred is also un-talented, and Jeffrey is immensely powerful."

"True enough," Siler said, thankfully before anyone who might be thinking about the rest of the Martini Clan's potential to join the Yates Army shared their thoughts. "But to answer the question, yes. The women are, for the most part, stronger than the men. Not all of the offspring have talents, mind you, but those who do are all powerful. However, if I could choose who would be on my side, I'd take all the women, versus the men."

"So, while Yates knew what was going on with his kids in a very general way, he'd lost active interest in any of his children once he had his Good Son in Ronaldo."

Siler nodded. "Pretty much, yeah."

Which, aside from confirming that Yates was a misogynist-something his rampant womanizing with sweet young things had already more than illuminated-confirmed something else. Time to toss out the theory I'd put forward a year ago and see how accurate it might be.

"It was Leventhal Reid who kept the real black book. And you, of course."

CHAPTER 49.

SILER STARED AT ME. "Yes to both. How'd you figure it out?"

"Are you saying he was in cahoots with Reid?" Jeff asked.

"Cahoots? Really? When did you grab the Old Person's Urban Dictionary?"

"I'm serious, baby."

Buchanan nodded. "I'd like to hear, right now, how Siler here has the same information as Reid would have."

"I want to know how you know that Leventhal Reid was the one who kept the list," Siler said.

Rolled my eyes. "Dude, seriously. Think about it. I'm sure Yates started the Little Black Book-he'd have had to since Reid was a lot younger, right?" Siler nodded. "But still, based on what you said, he didn't care much, it was more of a list of conquests, versus a list of potential allies."

"Yes. Once he had Ronaldo he seemed . . . content, I suppose."

"It's the little things you treasure. However, Reid, aka the first Apprentice was-and, sadly, is again-a sick, scary psychopath, but he also had vision and he was great with long-term planning. It doesn't take much to guess that he'd pay attention to all the women his Mastermind, also known as Yates the Horndog, had screwed and was screwing, for all the reasons that have pretty much defined my life since meeting Jeff."