by Jake Devlin
“Lemme go down first.”
“Okay – wait. Hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“Some kind of clicking.”
“Oh. Yeah. Probably just rats.”
“Rats? Eww. I hate rats! You know I” --
“Lin” –
“I know, I know; focus. Okay; I'm good.”
“Good. Got the floor plan?”
“Yeah.”
“Plastic sheeting?”
“Yeah.”
“Hammer and stake?”
“Yeah.”
“Silencer on?”
“Yeah. Yours?”
“Yup. Taser?”
“Of course, all charged up. Yours?”
“Charging up now. And – oh, shit!”
“You okay?”
“I – I think so. Damn! Careful; there's a step missing, right near the bottom. Shit!”
“Ah, okay. And – okay; made it. Want some help?”
“Just a hand up. Thanks – oh, ow.”
“What?”
“Think I cracked a rib. Damn.”
“Double-damn. Can you walk?”
“Uh, I think so. Uh – ow! No, I'm good.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I'm good; really.”
“If you need to, you can wait here. I can finish the job.”
“No, I can make it.”
“Okay, if you're sure.”
“I'm sure, Lin, I'm sure.”
“Okay. Geez, this is narrow.”
“Better for defense back then, only one person at a time.”
“Makes sense.”
“Yup. Check the floor plan. How far to the side hall?”
“Um – looks like about ten feet.”
“And then to the main hall?”
“Maybe forty feet.”
“Okay. Be ready to turn the goggles down, in case they've got some lights on.”
- 75 -
June 18, 2013
6:27 p.m. local time
St. Tropez, France
“Well, Pam, that sure loosened my back up.”
“Oh, good. Did a lot for me, too.”
“Three times, if my count is right.”
“Oh, yeah, your count is right, very right.”
“So how was the steak?”
“Delicious. So was the dessert.”
“Yup. Back to Neapolitan.”
“You saved some for later, didn't you?”
“Of course.”
“Good. Now can I see that 'Master Plan'?”
“Sure; it's on the table there, with a copy of Agenda 21, and I put your reading glasses on top.”
“Ah, okay. Thank you; you are so considerate.”
“I do what I can, milady.”
“Wow; this Agenda 21 is pretty thick.”
“Yup; something like 350 pages. The 'Master Plan' is only maybe 25. But I've cross-referenced them. See those letters and numbers in the margin of the MP?”
“The – oh; yeah.”
“The letters label a clause in the MP and the numbers refer to the related paragraphs or subparagraphs in the UN doc. And you'll find the letters next to the paragraphs in the UN doc. Like here in the MP, you see the 'A' and '1.1'?”
“Yeah.”
“So the 'A' is correlated with Paragraph 1.1 in the UN doc. So you can refer back and forth.”
“Okay; got it. How far did you get?”
“With what?”
“The letters.”
“Oh; I think up to about MMM or so, two and a half alphabets, maybe more.”
“Wow.”
“And I've scribbled some notes on both of those. Hope you can read my scrawlings.”
“I've seen enough of it by now; shouldn't be a problem.”
“I'll leave you to it for a while; I'm gonna shower and then give Wes a call.”
“Okay.”
- 76 -
May 20, 2014
9:57 a.m. local time
Bonita Beach, Florida
“You gonna enter the new name contest?”
“What new name contest, Sierra?”
“For 'Celebrate Bonita.'”
“They're looking for a new name?”
“Yeah. Too many people were calling it 'Celibate Bonita.'”
“And it's so fourteen years ago.”
“What d'ya mean, Colleen?”
“The first mayor and council set it up right after they incorporated as a city.”
“Really? When was that?”
“End of '99, I think.”
“So it just celebrates that it's a city?”
“Yeah; boring.”
“So they're looking for something with a little more pizzazz?”
“Yeah; something more whimsical, maybe even sexy, something that'll get people from all around the world to come for it. Like that zombie thing up in Fort Myers, the canoe race down in Naples, or maybe 'Frozen Dead Guy Days' in some town in Colorado – Neederland, Nayderland, something like that.”
“'Frozen Dead Guy Days'?”
“Yeah; some Norwegian guy is in cryogenic suspension there.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Kewl.”
“Ya think so, Ro?”
“Yeah, I do, Gordy. It does have pizzazz.”
“And they get tens of thousands of visitors who come just for the novelty of it.”
“Tens of thousands, Colleen?”
“Yeah. 'Celebrate Bonita' only gets maybe six, eight thou, or so they say.”
“Who 'they'?”
“The city.”
“So you think you'll enter the contest?”
“I don't know; probably not. How long is it open?”
“Couple months, I'd think. I'll check that for you.”
“Appreciate that; thanks, Sierra.”
“No problem, Gordy. And they're gonna go to a full weekend for the thing, not just the seven hours they've been running it.”
“Seven hours? That's all? For a festival?”
“Yeah, two to nine p.m. on a Saturday.”
“Geez, that's just stupid.”
“Yeah. Speaking of celibate, I found out there are at least seventeen swingers clubs in Bonita.”
“Really, Sierra?”
“Yup; I even got the membership lists.”
“All of 'em?”
“All of 'em.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah; disappointed when I found out all they do is play golf.”
- 77 -
June 18, 2013
6:58 p.m. local time
St. Tropez, France
“Got your message, Wes. What's up? Oh, the desalination plant? Really? Good. And how soon to have it online? Oh, that's great. And it'll supply the whole island? You're sure? Great. And how are the residential models coming? Oh, shit. We've got to get the price down under a grand. Yes, dollars. I'd love to get it down to a couple hundred when we get into mass production. Keep pushing 'em, see if maybe they can eliminate some of the bells and whistles. Yup, down to basics. Good; thanks.
“And the bird deflectors? How'd the presentation go? Oh, that's super. Orders? Ten million? Really? Grand. Give Trenda and Alyona a big bravo, and whatever bonus you want to.
“Oh, on the FDR car, two things. Let's be sure that repairs are as simple and cheap as possible, and smallest units for replacement. No, just – well, if somebody breaks a taillight lens, they can just get the lens, not have to buy the whole taillight assembly. And make it easy to find and fix engine problems, like if a timing belt breaks, you don't have to tear the engine down just to see that. And easy access for repairs. Yup, back to basics. And add-on parts for some repairs; like if you need new transmission seals, a sealing thing that can clamp around the outside of the tranny, so you don't have to tear the whole thing down to replace those. And longevity; every part should last at least 500,000 miles, no less. And just a reminder, no computers, zero electronics. No Michael Hastings vulnerabilities,
okay? Good.
“Married life still treating you well? Good. Give Amy a hug for me, okay? Good. Yeah, I will. Bye.”
- 78 -
May 23, 2014
2:24 a.m. local time
Transylvania, Romania
“Okay, Lin, his bedroom should be right around this corner, third door on the left.”
“Okay. Probably guards there. Ah, yeah, but just one. Got him; he's down.”
“Good. And now the Andorran's signature – wait, let me zoom in. Okay; go ahead.”
“Double tap to the back of the head; one – crap; jammed. There.
Two.”
“Good; got it. Shit! The door's locked.”
“Double locked. You take the top, I'll do the bottom.”
“Okay. But you'd better do the roll and I'll go in high, okay?”
“Right. On three. One, two – wait. Hear that?”
“Yeah; young girl, screaming. Go!”
“Three!”
“Shit! I need another shot. Okay. Go, go, go!”
“What the hell, Keith? He's not in the bed.”
“Over there, in the corner, the naked guy.”
“What the hell is he” –
“Vat are you – how did you get – guard!”
“Crap! Nothing. Tase him, Keith.”
“Got him. Check the girl. He's out; he'll keep.”
“Jesus, Keith, what a bloody mess; he tore her whole throat out. Christ! And he tore her up down there, too. Double tap the pervert!”
“No, no, no. The client wants us to do the stake while he's still alive.”
“Oh, right.”
“Then you can do the double.”
“We oughta cut his balls off and his tongue out first. Bastard.”
“Yup.”
“So much blood. Sonofabitch!”
“Yup. But give me the stake and hammer so we're ready when he wakes up.”
“Okay. Here ya – wait. Hear that?”
“What?”
“Growling. Sounds like” –
“Shit! Biggest dog I've ever seen!”
“Where'd it come from?”
“Who cares? He's – oh, shit. Here he – ah, got him.”
“Good shot, Keith.”
“Christ! Must be 200 pounds.”
“At least. Jesus. Should I double-tap him, too?”
“Sure. Wait'll I zoom in. Gun still jammed?”
“Lemme see. Ah, okay. One, two. Yup, all cleared.”
“Good. Now the stake and” –
“But if he bursts into flames or disintegrates into ashes, I'm outa here.”
“Ain't gonna happen; trust me. He's just human.”
“Christ, look at his fangs! No, don't touch 'em.”
“It's okay; gloves. Open wide, asshole. Oh, he's out, Lin. And look, they come right off. Dentures over his real teeth.”
“Careful.”
“Yup; give me the stake and – or do you want to do it?”
“No, you go ahead. I just want to cut his balls off.”
“I know. Got the plastic sheet?”
“Right here.”
“Tent it over the stake. Good – no, no, don't cover his face. The client wants to see this. Okay; ready. Slap him awake.”
“Wake up, you bastard. Wake up!”
“Mmf – vat are you – noooo!”
“Smile for the camera, pervert. Lin, zoom in.”
“Nooooooooooooo!”
- 79 -
June 18, 2013
7:13 p.m. local time
St. Tropez, France
“Wes said hi, Pam.”
“Oh, good. How're he and Amy doing?”
“They're doing fine; he loves married life.”
“Good. Geez, Jake, this stuff is as scary as you said it was.”
“I know.”
“And I've only gotten through K.”
“Yup. Try this. Turn to the second-to-last page.”
“Of the MP?”
“Yup.”
“Okay. Um” –
“See the section 'Deceive, Divide and Conquer'?”
“Yeah – but wait; right above that is 'Things to Ban.'”
“Oh, right.”
“'Incandescent light bulbs, coal, electric blankets, plastics, fossil fuels, nuclear power, private property, capitalism, free speech, free press, freedom of assembly, automobiles, tobacco” –
“Ah, tobacco, right; hold on. One of the things we picked up from one of our other bugs was that the whole lung cancer-caused-by- smoking thing was a deception, a misdirection, a coverup.”
“Coverup? For what?”
“For the fact that lung cancer was actually caused by radioactive dust in the atmosphere from all the nuclear bomb tests during and after World War II.”
“What? But” –
“I know, I know; 'everybody knows.' Well, everybody knows only what they've learned, and most of what they learn is filtered before it gets to them; it's second-, third- or fourth-hand, and most people don't think at all critically, just accept the pablum they're fed.”
“But” --
“We've found lots of studies that ran from the early '50s to the mid-80s that proved that it was nuclear radioactivity, not smoking, that caused it. But those were suppressed by the US government.”
“Why?”
“Liability, in part. Same reason the Department of Defense and the CIA kept Project MKUltra hidden for decades.”
“Ah, the LSD experiments.”
“Yup. Same reason the government keeps so much stuff hidden from the public. The outrage would be overwhelming.”
“I know.”
“I know you know. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.”
“Got that right, Jake.”
“But now look down at that 'Divide and Conquer' section.”
“Okay. Ah, um – holy shit! Are they serious?”
“Very serious.”
“'Exploit and exacerbate hostility between US and USSR; between Christians, Muslims, Jews and other religions; between races, like black versus white; conservatives versus liberals; males versus females; rich versus poor' – geez, that's a long list.”
“It runs over to the last page, too.”
“And single-spaced. 'Short versus tall; thin versus fat; sports teams' – wait, sports teams?”
“Think of the riots at soccer games in England.”
“Oh, right. Or at the World Cup.”
“Boston fans versus New York fans in the US.”
“Right, right.”
“Driving the wedges deeper and deeper.”
“Divide and conquer; they ARE serious.”
“Serious as a heart attack.
“But the scariest part of that whole exercise was buried deep in both documents. I think I marked it JJJ in the Master Plan. Can I” –
“Sure; here.”
“Thanks.
“Ah, yup, there it is. 'Reduce world population to a sustainable level,' with '500 million as an initial goal' in the next paragraph.”
“500 million? Geez, Jake, there's over seven billion now.”
“Right. And this was written back in the '70s, when it was around three and a half billion.”
“So they wanted to eradicate – what? – 80 percent of the world's people?”
“A little more than that, about 85 percent.”
“But why?”
“In their words, 'to save the planet.' Radical environmentalists back then, and still more radical ones today, following in their footsteps.”
“But with seven billion now, that hasn't worked out so well for them, has it?”
“Nope. But they've still got that same goal, 500 million, and it's the secret foundation under that Agenda 21.”
“You sure?”
“Yup; and one of the first things that came out of that conference was setting up what's now Earth Day.”
“Earth Day? Really?”
“Yup. And that's just a part of their overa
ll devious strategy.”
- 80 -
July 13, 2013
6:57 a.m. local time
Undisclosed location
“Well, Doc, we've got some good news, some good news, some good news, some bad news, some more good news and some more bad news.”
“Ja, Rona?”
“First, your letter was very persuasive, and the main office decided not to turn you over to the client.”
“Oh, vundergood!”
“No, no, no, no hugging.”
“Ach, sorry.”
“There's more.
“B, all of your equipment, everything, is being moved to our new research building, and you'll be able to continue your research, with Greg and Julie alongside you.”
“Ah, good; zey are delightful peoples.”
“Right. Understand, they will be working with you, not for you. They'll be your partners, not your assistants.”
“Ja, ja, I underschtand. Pears. Is zat ze right vort?”
“Peers.”
“Ah, peers. Peers. Ja.”
“Three, you will have unlimited funding for whatever the three of you decide you need.”
“Virklich? I mean really?”
“Yeah, really. But now the bad news. Joel?”
“D, we're going to kill you. And it'll be gruesome.”
“Vat? Kill? Vat?”
“Rona?”
“But fifth – and this is some more good news – your death will be faked, we'll give you a new identity and your work will all be done in secret.”
“Ah. Varum – I mean vy?”
“Because we need our client to believe you are dead, truly dead, so they won't keep looking for you.”
“Ah.”
“Joel?”
“And finally, F, a little more bad news – and this is because we do believe your story about you deceiving your bodyguard into giving you his gun and then blowing his head off with it -- we will be observing you very closely. Understand?”
“Ja, ja, I sink so. You mean you vill be wery vary of me und” –
“We will be what?”
“Wery vary of me und all zat I say or do.”
“Werry vary?”
“Ja, ja, wery vary.”
“I think he's saying 'very wary,' Joel.”
“Ja, Rona, ja; wery vary.”
“Oh; okay. Yeah, Doc, we'll be very wary of you. And if you try to deceive Greg or Julie or any of us, you will be terminated. And I don't mean fired; I mean terminated, maybe gruesomely. Understood?”