“Look Jess, the Israeli lobby is only powerful because it has the Evangelical`s voting power behind it. Whatever they`re after it`s obviously in their mutual interest. And that`s one piece of information the Reverend will not be giving you. Getting confirmation of what we know gives your story substance, credibility, but I don`t see the Reverend providing any help with that. I reckon he`ll clam up.”
“I`m not going in there like the Spanish Inquisition, Arnie. He`s expecting the meeting to be about his Ministry, his Corporation`s contribution to the betterment of humanity. Their vehement opposition to stem-cell research partially hurt them, so some good press about what they did in buying out these private labs is exactly what they need. Once I`ve got a bunch of quotes then I`m going for it, throw some accusations out there and see what gives.”
“Well you`re the journalist Jess, so take it to them the way you reckon is best. Guess I`ll have to throw in the odd question or he`ll start to wonder what I`m doing there.”
Now glad he was coming along and the awkwardness over, she gave him an affirmative nod. “Then I`ll introduce you as my assistant reporter and if the Reverend asks you a question, just damn well lie if you have to.”
“Reckon I can handle that,” Arnie said. “So let`s get this show on the road, see what the hell happens now.”
“I`ve got a good feeling about this, that there could finally be some light at the end of the tunnel.”
His reply was quietly spoken. “Yeah, well let`s hope it`s not a train, coming right at us.”
At the airport, each sitting on a high chair, drinking coffee and with little in the way of conversation, Arnie remembered something he`d meant to ask Jessica. “Did you hear from Janice Hoag?”
“No,” she said, with a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”
“She called me yesterday, said she couldn`t connect with your phone.”
“Really? What did she want?”
“To know what was happening. She was angry at not being kept in the loop.”
“What did you tell her?”
“That after Laredo we were screwed, the investigation at a dead end. Then she rambled on about her brother not getting justice and wanted to know what you were doing about it.”
“And what did you say?”
“That you hadn`t given up, even though Carlucci had.”
“And?”
Arnie shrugged. “She went on about justice for her brother again, wanted to know what you were up to, kept pressing me.”
“You didn`t tell her did you!”
“Course not.”
Jessica shook her head. “Never really bought that justice for her brother thing. Remember what Nelly Hoag said about her, that the only person she cared about was herself.”
“Well she sure wanted to know what your next move was.”
Jessica paused then dug in her grab-bag and retrieved the cellphone. Skimming through her calls she turned to Arnie. “No missed calls.”
“So?”
“So why not call me back. She called you, and how did she get your number? Carlucci, he must have given it to her. Why?”
“What are you getting at, Jess?”
“I don`t know. Janice speaks to Carlucci, gets your number and speaks to you not me. Something`s off.”
CHAPTER 33
It was 7.00pm when they arrived at the Reverend Tobias Stone`s residence twelve miles south of Montgomery, Alabama. The security cameras were intimidating, as was the voice on the intercom asking questions about identity. Opening slowly, the security gates were in tune with a row of flood-lights that illuminated a long driveway and the façade of a distant building that was now clearly discernable.
“Religion sure seems to pay well,” Jessica said, “looks like a goddamned palace.”
Arnie agreed. “Yeah, done well for himself has the Reverend Stone. Like they say, God bless America, land of opportunity.”
“Land of giant corporations,” Jessica said, reaching into the foot-well of the car and retrieving her laptop. “And the United Ministries looks like it`s one of them.”
“That`s six cameras so far,” Arnie said, “more up ahead.”
Jessica looked over her shoulder and to her right. “Wasn`t expecting the house to be that big, and this is some security, what`s that all about?”
“As always, Jess, power and money, and this outfit has plenty of both.”
To the crunch of gravel they pulled up outside the front entrance, which was framed by a large portico. Watching one of two giant doors swing open, Arnie looked across at what appeared to be a butler or maybe a security man. He nudged Jessica`s arm. “Here we go, Jess, the final frontier.”
“I guess, so let`s hope it`s pay-off time. If I don`t get what I need then I`ll open up with both barrels, that should get a reaction.”
“Good luck with that strategy Jess. This is the nation`s top Christian, schooled in the art of mild manners and self control. Reckon you`ll only get what he wants to give you.”
“He`s eighty three years old so I`m hoping he won`t be as fast on his feet and will give up something of importance. He doesn`t know what we know, so when I throw him a curve-ball he may stumble.”
Having gone through a security scanner, the visitors were asked to leave their cell-phones on a desk in the hall, prompting a remark from Jessica. “Everyone seems to have these damn scanners. Whole world`s gotten paranoid about listening bugs, too much to hide I guess. Charlie Shawcross was right, he`s in a fast growing business.”
Entering the main living room from a marble columned reception hall, they were greeted by a tall, elderly man, slightly stooped, with soft features and arresting eyes. Reverend Tobias Stone looked like a small town Pastor. After the introductions, and an offer of drinks that both Arnie and Jessica declined, the Reverend sat on a chair across from a large couch occupied by his visitors. With a warm smile he invited Jessica to open proceedings.
She began by congratulating him on his ministry`s commitment to the betterment of humanity through their good works, before moving to the huge investment in the science labs they had taken over.
Occasionally nodding in agreement, the Reverend seemed at ease, allowing Jessica to expand on her presentation. No questions of any awkwardness were asked, so the answers were open and delivered in a relaxed manner.
Jessica`s smile softened the directness of her next question. “There is one science lab that I`m sure the public will have a particular interest in, the one you have in Honduras. Can you tell us why it has been moved there and what exciting project they are working on?”
The reverend`s answer was swift and accompanied by a confused look. “We closed down all our labs. Yet you say we have one in Honduras?”
“Yes,” said Arnie, feeling it was an opportunity for him to enter the discussion. “It`s a substantial research lab, been there for almost three years and even has the U.S. military watching over it. You seem to have forgotten about it.”
“I haven`t forgotten about it, Mr.Krench. I don`t know about it and none of my colleagues on the Board have ever mentioned it. I think you must be mistaken in assuming it`s one of our labs.”
It was unexpected answer, one that threw Jessica`s strategy out the window, leaving her with no option but to go for it. “I can assure you, Reverend, that the United Ministries owns that Honduran lab. It represents a huge investment that drew in considerable funds from Israel, a major financial transaction that surely you must be aware of.”
Reverend Stone seemed momentarily ill at ease before he turned and looked towards the doorway. “Alice, come and join us,” he said, with obvious relief. “These people are the journalists sent by Preston Fields, here to promote a story on the good we are doing through one of our research labs. And we have discovered a very strange situation.”
The Reverend`s wife was
almost as tall as her six foot husband, straight backed, educated face, and with piercing blue eyes. Appearing to be in her early seventies, Alice Stone strode across the room, smiled at the visitors and took a seat in the wing-back chair next to the grand fireplace. Her voice was cultured and soft in tone. “I hold an executive position within the United Ministries but no place on the Board, so my contribution may be somewhat limited. However, having overheard the question regarding the ownership of a Honduran laboratory, I can confirm that to be the case.”
The Reverend looked at her sharply before turning back to Jessica, his expression apologetic. “It seems we do have a lab in Honduras young lady. There are obviously some things in such a large corporation not always deemed matters for me to be concerned with.”
Jessica now had her entry. “During an investigation commissioned by Senator John Carlucci into the case of the three Marines bludgeoned to death in Texas recently, it was discovered that these men each received a payment of $30,000. And that payment has been traced back to your Evangelical Corporation. There is documentary evidence, so can you explain the connection?”
The Reverend`s expression now became strained, his deep set eyes showing a mixture of confusion and anger. “We are a Christian organisation and our United Ministries exist to reinforce these values, do good throughout the land. Yet you are suggesting some lurid connection with the fate of those three Marines? That`s absurd.”
“Those Marine`s, Reverend,” Jessica said cautiously, “were attached to the military base that protects your research lab, and a witness claims there have been sinister experiments taking place, trials that would not be allowed by Federal regulators in the United States.”
“And you think our corporation paid these Marines $30,000 each and that this lab is responsible in some way for their deaths? That is an outrageous allegation, young lady, an unthinkable act for an organisation like ours.”
“I`m afraid the evidence and a witness statement says otherwise,” Arnie interrupted.
“What witness?” said Mrs. Stone.
“The girlfriend of one of the Marines.” Arnie said. “She worked at the lab and kept notes in her diary.”
“According to the Houston Press in an article published this morning,” said Mrs. Stone, “a detective called Chella Kim at the Laredo Police Department has stated that the witness I believe you are referring to was killed in a shoot-out.”
Arnie was right on it. “How do you know that was the witness I was referring to?”
The Reverend raised his head, eyes glaring at his wife. “You knew about this, Alice?”
Arnie and Jessica now knew to be quiet. And by the look on Alice Stone`s face, they were right to be.
“You are a good man, Tobias, who has given his life to further the cause of Christianity. You have fought for and served God`s will with total commitment and sacrifice. But we live in another age, a brutal one, where turning the other cheek is met with derision. The fight against evil has been lost. The violence that men and women impose on each other not only persists but prospers, is growing to uncontrollable levels.”
Like an autocratic headmistress chastising an errant pupil, she continued, her tone almost patronising. “Look up from your bible, Tobias, cease with your piety and see the world as it is, not the way you would like it to be. The battle is lost. Look no further than the Middle East for proof of a coming Armageddon of violence, one that will surpass even today`s atrocities. The Israelis have joined us to find a solution before it is too late. But the problem of growing human violence is not just in far off lands. We have an epidemic in our own country, a situation the good and the great turn away from, build barriers against. They watch it grow until those barriers are stormed and the good start crying out for even more violence in the disguise of justifiable defense.”
This was a high-jacking of the evening`s agenda, an alarming development that left Arnie and Jessica sitting in awe. Their expectations had been not just exceeded in terms of the story, but overwhelmed by such a revelation. Across the room, cutting a lonely figure, the Reverend Tobias Stone was sitting in a state of shock. His voice showed anger.
“So this research lab in Honduras has been kept secret from me, Alice? And from what you have said it is part of an agenda that must have an evil objective, one that you are complicit in and that betrays my trust in you. What have you done, woman!”
“Not me, Tobias, it is the whole Christian movement. We have finally realised that science is not the opposition, offering only explanations captive to the laws of physics, not God`s laws. We have been shown that science is a partner not a competitor, that the secret to fulfilling God`s will lies inside us, in our biology. It`s a science whose time has come and which is now racing ahead with discoveries that will be our salvation.”
Though reluctant to interrupt such a flow of admission, Arnie felt a need to seize the moment and press an important point. “Then you must be talking about the Cygnus agenda?”
Her silence and refusal to deny was sufficient confirmation for Jessica, who threw Arnie a sideways glance. Now the big question could be put, the one she hadn`t expected to ask but which had been given credence by Alice Stone herself.
“So if these laboratory experiments are in pursuit of God`s will and designed to meet the challenge of banishing violence forever, how do you justify the deaths of these three Marines? That and the murder of a Federal witness and her protector?”
Alice Stone didn`t hesitate. “We lose thousands of innocent souls to violence in our country alone and the numbers are rapidly increasing. No worthy cause in history has been achieved without risk, and casualties along the way are accepted as a price that must be paid in the interests of the greater good. God understands our difficulties, the terrible choices and sacrifices we must make to ensure success. Every price paid is mourned with a heavy Christian heart, but persevere we must and with success now in our grasp we will prevail.”
Reverend Stone now abruptly stood, his hands trembling as outrage overtook him. “What have you done, Alice! This is an unforgivable abuse of your position, a position I entrusted to you in the belief that only goodness stemmed from your heart. I prayed that the Christian way would continue its march in your good hands. Not a way guided by evil experiments that meddle with humanity itself. Not one based upon surrendering our Christian conviction that creationism never bows to science. My ministry now has blood on its hands!”
Alice Stone had heard enough. “Sometimes you can be such a fool, Tobias, naïve to the point of irresponsibility. Look up from your self-delusion. Look at the violence amongst us, a wave of evil feeding on itself and getting worse by the day. See the world as it is, a cauldron of Satan`s poison, the very thing God has entrusted us to confront and destroy. Well, we finally have a way to do that, to end wars, end the gang dominance in our fear ridden cities, the rape of women, all acts of violence. Who would not grasp such an opportunity, who would deny the innocent such protection, and in doing so, deny God`s will?”
The Reverend Tobias Stone had remained standing and now stared at his wife of over fifty years, broken not just by her betrayal, but the enormity of what his Christian ministry had become. Now he let loose, eyes boring into Alice Stone, nerves spiking through his entire body as a seething rage took over. “You have stopped serving God and instead have taken over His role. It is an act of monstrous self-righteousness, without conscience or contrition. That is not God`s work but the devil`s, and it chills me to the bone.”
She showed no emotion, her response spoken without compassion. “This matter is greater than any individual`s sensitivities, including yours Tobias. It is something that God has commanded us to carry out. Science has always been looked upon as the enemy, an opponent of creationism, but God has intervened to show us that science holds the solution, not in physics but in biology. This salvation will alter the soul of humanity. We now know our fate is in our ge
nes.”
Too enraged and shocked to respond, Reverend Stone exchanged a long, cold stare with his wife, hesitated a moment then marched from the room, leaving Arnie and Jessica speechless.
Arnie was first to break the uneasy silence, his question more an accusation. “So, Mrs. Stone, what is this great biological discovery that you believe holds the promise of humanity`s salvation, an end to human violence?”
Alice Stone answered in a chilling tone, her defiance unbowed. “Our scientists have isolated and managed to re-engineer what has been named the Cygnus gene. That is the gene responsible for violent impulse, the promoter of all violent behaviour. Experiments have reached a stage where success in altering that gene in monkeys has had spectacular results, and three brave Marines proved that it was achievable in humans. Many in government are with us and say they will start with criminals, who will undergo compulsory genetic alteration.”
“And what`s next,” Jessica almost screamed, “genetic engineering of newborns. This would be a monstrous act. You have deemed it your right to impose such experimentation and then implement the next stage of your grotesque Cygnus agenda. And you see no wrong in this?”
“Spare me the moral sermon, Miss Hahn, especially from someone who condemns humanity`s atrocities yet stands by and does nothing but offer platitudes, watches the violence continue unabated. You salve your conscience by building defenses that are useless and only invite the continuity of suffering. Defense will never win. Such a victory can only be achieved by an offensive and at last we have the weapon to do that. We will inspire this nation of God-fearing souls to unite with us in pursuit of a society free from violence. Who amongst them will dare to challenge such an objective?”
The Cygnus Agenda Page 24