When Rome Stumbles

by David Kershner

  “The four GMO companies used both techniques to manipulate the Mercantile Exchange as a way to make money on derivatives and to push their situational specific seeds.”

  “Hold on a minute!” the Senator said exacerbated. “First we have crops that can lead to untold cancers and genetic disorders, then we have corporate and government corruption and collusion in murder, kidnapping, and treason. Now you’re telling me that these four companies used the weather to manipulate the futures market? When is this going to end?”

  “The lengths to which these companies went were quite extraordinary, I’ll grant you that. Let me explain,” Samantha began.

  It didn’t go unnoticed by the Committee members that Sam never referred to notes, or needed coaching from Secretary McInerney. This was something that worked in her favor to garnering credibility with the joint Committees. At a minimum, it helped convince them that she at least believed every word she was saying.

  “If one of the GMOs engineered a flood resistant seed, rice for example, then all they would have to do is seed some clouds repeatedly to produce more rain. If everything is saturated and it can’t be absorbed, then the fields become water logged. They use the added rainfall to destroy the traditionally grown crop so they can swoop in and save the day with a new modified variant the following year. The opposite is true for highly drought immune crops like tobacco, cotton, and soy. However, since they know when they are seeding or disbursing cloud formations, they then go to the exchange and buy or sell derivatives accordingly.”

  “I don’t suppose you have examples of these types of events and scenarios?”

  “Yes ma’am. This information is detailed on pages five through eleven in your Addendum,” Samantha replied, ignoring the temporary blip in her synopsis. “Additionally, if a company is having a bad quarter, for example, they will arrange for seeding or disbursing agents and then wager on calamity. They essentially cornered the market and blamed the weather phenomenon on God while reaping untold amounts of money. All of this was done to keep profits up and shareholders happy.”

  “This is insane. How is this even possible? I’ve heard of cloud seeding, but cloud disbursement?”

  “Yes, ma’am. It’s not an exact science. Over the years, they’ve tried numerous chemical combinations with varying degrees of success. According to the researchers, it is their assertion that specially designed jet engines have been used to disburse a concoction in their condensation trails, or contrails. The report refers to these as ‘chemtrails’. The primary difference between the two is the duration with which it is visible. A normal engine only expels water vapor in its exhaust; this is gone in a matter of minutes. The scientists deduced that a chemtrail lingers for hours.

  “The Dutch team analyzed the chemical make-up of these and determined that they’ve sprayed aluminum, boron, and arsenic, as well as barium and titanium to disburse cloud formations and cause or extend drought conditions.

  “Seriously? I’m finding this extremely difficult to believe,” a Congressmen countered. “Truth be told, this all sounds like a bunch of hokum, conspiracy theory nonsense. There’s no way that the airline industry was in on this.”

  “Do you recall the two hundred dead cows in Wisconsin? Or the thousands of birds that fell out of the sky in Arkansas? Or the thousands of dead fish in the Chesapeake? Well, all of those, it is believed, are the result of chemtrails. Now, to be fair, mass animal deaths are not a new occurrence. Nature will do this on its own with drastic swings in temperature, for example. However, the frequency with which these events have been reported in numerous countries, most of which are NATO allies I might add, is particularly alarming.

  “However, and to your point, please understand that I’m not implicating the airline industry because, as you said, I don’t believe the airline industry was in on it. However, I really think that the Case Orange authors could better explain how this works. And again, according to their report, observers and scientists noted that the only thing out of the ordinary for each of these three events was the presence of long lasting contrails over the affected area.”

  “My head hurts. I don’t know if I can take any more of this,” a Senator said. “And what do you recommend that we do about these?”

  “It is my understanding that this isn’t much of an issue for the U.S. anymore since the majority of the airlines closed up shop a decade ago. As a result, whatever entity is or was doing the spraying would raise suspicion as there are far fewer flights to use as a cover for their endeavors. I would humbly suggest that you subpoena the tax filings for the GMO companies and verify that what I’m saying is true, if you haven’t done so already. I’d bet that they don’t make money hand over fist on the Mercantile Exchange like they used to, at least Hyloset doesn’t. A simple forensic financial audit should provide you with your answer.”

  After a brief sidebar conference, the Ranking Member addressed the Chamber and said, “Ms. Jameson, thank you for your testimony here today. At this point I think we need to call a recess for lunch to allow Committee members to digest this information. We would very much like to commend you for bravely coming forward. I’m sure that after we’ve had a chance to review the addendum in its entirety, along with your statements, there will be additional questions. Mr. McInerney, we would appreciate your presence as well. This hearing is adjourned until 2:00 PM,” she said as she gaveled the session.

  * * *

  Prior to heading down to D.C., Layla and Katherine were given strict instruction by Josh to not leave the farm. Once he appeared on national television, there was no guarantee that Javy wouldn’t come looking for the girls again. If they needed to go anywhere, Evan could take them. They may have a name and a face, but the man was still at-large.

  However, when Katherine found an online article that their favorite actress, Heather White, would be filming scenes for her upcoming movie not far from their father’s farm; the temptation was too great.

  “Come on, Evan?” Katherine implored him.

  “Our CCL’s were returned weeks ago so we can carry our side arms,” Layla pointed out.

  “Yeah, and we need to exercise the horses anyway. How about this, how about we take them there, check it out, and ride back. You can drive over and meet us,” Katherine pleaded.

  “Please,” the pair said again in unison.

  Evan playfully dragged on his decision making process just to be a pain and watch the two beg. He eventually relented and agreed to go with them.

  The girls quickly saddled the horses and made the thirty minute trek with ease. Even though they’d be back before he arrived from D.C., they left their father a note all the same.

  When they crested the cliff and got their first look at a movie set, they were surprised at the size and scale of it all. As they drew closer, they could see Evan being spirited to a roped off area for locals and onlookers to watch scenes being prepared. The two dismounted their horses and tied them to the bumper of his Suburban. Once secured, they headed over to meet him behind the line.

  “Have you seen her yet,” they asked excitedly.

  “She was just escorted into that tent over there by someone. Probably a manager or film crew member,” Evan said as he nodded in the direction of her handler standing outside the structure.

  Flyers were handed out to the onlookers that contained the day’s shooting schedule. As the three reviewed the timetable, they were immediately drawn to the timeslot between 1:00 and 1:30 PM. There was to be an autograph session in the catering facility.

  “That’s it!” Layla exclaimed. “We can meet her at the autograph session. Let’s get out of this chaos.”

  “Can we wait?” Katherine asked. “According to this she just went into hair and make-up. I want to see what she’s dressed like.”

  “I’ll keep her company,” Evan said. “I’m kind of curious myself.”

  “She could be in there for an hour,” Layla whined.

  “You can go explore the set or something then. He’ll st
ay with me,” Katherine responded.

  “Fine,” her sister answered. “Meet back at the horses at 12:00 for lunch?”

  “Okay,” came Katherine’s reply.

  The two stood among the throngs of other onlookers and waited. When the better part of an hour had passed, Heather emerged from the tent with her manager. She was dressed in military BDU’s with her hair disheveled and blood and dirt make-up caked on her face.

  Once she was in full view, the fans began clamoring for the actress to come closer. Being the professional that she was, she started heading toward the gathered crowd to afford them a better look.

  Getting his first glimpse of her, Evan said, “My God, what are they filming?”

  “They’re doing a remake of some blockbuster from the 80’s. Dad would probably know it,” Katherine answered.

  As Heather approached the onlookers she couldn’t believe what she saw. There before her was a younger version of herself standing among the crowd. She immediately started walking straight towards Katherine. I’ve seen that girl before... in a picture.

  “Oh my gosh,” Katherine said. “She’s heading right toward us!”

  “She’s giving the fans what they want, I guess,” Evan replied.

  Heather and her manager closed the distance between the make-up tent and the crowd quickly and were standing directly in front of Katherine. Play it cool, she thought as she shook hands and thanked the people for coming out.

  She made her way over to the doppelganger and casually said, “And what’s your name?”

  “Katherine. I’m a huge fan,” she gushed.

  “My word, you look just like me when I was a teenager! Doesn’t she?”

  “The resemblance is striking,” her manager replied.

  “How old are you?” the actress asked leadingly.

  “Twenty-one,” Katherine answered, shocked to be speaking with her teen idol.

  “Do you want an autograph?”

  “Really? Sure!” she said excitedly.

  Anna produced an 8x10 headshot and a pen from her large leather bound planner and gave both to her client.

  “What’s your last name Katherine?”

  “Simmons,” she quickly replied forgetting all of the measures her father had taught her.

  Gotcha!

  Heather glanced over at her friend who simply smiled. Then she wrote, ‘To Katherine Simmons, My Biggest Fan! Love, Heather’.

  She handed Katherine the autograph and said her goodbyes. Anna lingered behind, quietly observing the young woman and the crowd. Heather’s manager couldn’t resist. She approached Katherine and asked, “Are you going to be at the autograph session?”

  “Absolutely! My sister’s gonna be so jealous I got this autograph. I can’t wait to rub it in.”

  “Great. Meet ya there,” she replied and departed back to the set.

  As she entered the tent, she said, “I have a surprise for you.”

  Barely able to contain herself, Heather blurted, “Did you see that girl? We totally have the same father!”

  Anna held up her hand to preempt her excitement. “She and her sister will be attending the autograph session after lunch.”

  “Perfect!” the actress exclaimed emphatically.

  Chapter 23

  Katherine and Evan exited the crowd and made their way back to his truck to drop off the autograph. The pair spent the next two hours wandering and taking pictures of the various cast members as they came to and from the set. Shortly before noon, Layla appeared and the three sat in Evan’s Suburban and ate lunch. The girls then walked the horses to the nearby stream to water them in preparation for the ride back to the farm. They concluded that movie sets were pretty boring. Unless you were actually in them, there wasn’t much to do.

  As the autograph session neared, a slight drizzle had begun to fall. The three disembarked the Suburban and started making their way to the catering tent. Katherine already had her photograph, but decided she wanted to meet Heather again and opted to wait in line with Layla. As they approached the front of the tent, Heather spotted the pair and signaled to Anna.

  When Layla neared the actress, Heather remarked, “Katherine, this must be your sister.”

  Katherine smiled at Layla and said, “See, I told you we talked.”

  “Don’t be too hard on her, she is your sister after all,” Heather said. She smiled and extended her hand. “It’s an absolute pleasure to meet you.”

  Anna reappeared with a photographer in tow and said, “We’re all ready.”

  “I’ve got a surprise for you two,” Heather said giddily as she motioned for them to follow her.

  The girls looked at each other before Katherine said, “Ms. White?”

  “Yes? And please call me Heather,” she replied.

  “Can our friend come?” Katherine asked.

  Heather looked Evan up and down and replied, “Sure, why not. The more the merrier.”

  As the three women, Evan, and the photographer exited the tent, Anna made the announcement that the session was ending and thanked everyone for coming. It was met with the predictable groans. She apologized for Heather and said she wasn’t feeling well.

  “Um, Heather?” Katherine said. “What’s going on?”

  “Remember how I said you looked like me as a teenager? Well, I thought it would be fun to have our set photographer, Max here, take a picture of the three of us so you could see it for yourselves.”

  “We brought a camera,” Layla said as she held it out for Heather to see. “You don’t need to go through all of this. We could have just done the picture in the tent.”

  The man let out an audible gasp and said, “Nonsense! No actress of mine is going to be photographed with one of those skimpy pocket cameras.”

  “It really is a much better picture,” Heather said. “You’ll see.”

  After some staged poses and a few minutes of hamming in front of the camera, he declared that he had what he needed. He would have several shots printed for them to take home.

  While they waited, Heather plied them with questions. As they provided answers, Heather would ask others. She was always careful to only ask something derived from the girl’s responses and not her research. Eventually though, the pair disclosed that they lived on a farm and were attending college. When Layla and Katherine answered a question, Heather did detect trepidation and even thoughtfulness in their wording. Like father, like daughter.

  The photographer reemerged with two sets of photos for the girls and Heather signed one for each, ‘To the Sisters I Never Knew I Had, Love, Heather White.’

  As the group exited the photographer’s tent, the light drizzle that had been falling had turned more constant and intense. The three women said their ‘goodbyes’ and parted ways. Heather ran through the rain showers and quickly entered her assigned trailer on the set. Layla, Katherine, and Evan worked their way through the crowd to the Suburban. They moved as quickly as they could through the masses of people trying to get cameras and film equipment covered and put away.

  Evan started the Suburban and the three warmed themselves in the truck. Katherine leaned over the back seat and grabbed rain gear out of the bugout bags she had thrown in the back of the vehicle at the last minute.

  “See, I told you they’d come in handy,” she smirked at her sister.

  “Yeah, yeah. You’re a genius. I know,” Layla responded in kind.

  The pair donned the two piece suits over their clothing and told Evan they’d meet him back at the farm.

  “Dad should be home from D.C. soon so go ahead and show him the pictures. He’ll get a kick out of them. Okay, Evan?” Katherine asked.

  “Can do,” he replied casually.

  “Tell him we’ll get there as quick as we can, but the trail’s gonna be muddy with this weather. It’ll be slow going,” Layla said.

  “Roger that.”

  The two girls exited the vehicle and then untied and mounted the horses. As they started making their way toward the
bridle path, Heather prepared to emerge from her trailer in her BDU costume. The set had been shut down until the following morning as the weather forecast predicted rain most of the afternoon and evening. She and her manager concluded that the best way to find her father was to follow her two sisters. The actress had layered up, but thought better of putting too much on as she would be on foot while they were on horseback.

  Before she could leave, Anna started to have second thoughts. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asked.

  “You saw those two. They’re the ones in the photograph he showed me. I need to follow them.”

  “Wouldn’t it be easier to take the car I borrowed and follow their friend instead?”

  “Didn’t you see that guy in the tent? He has bodyguard written all over him. That dude would spot a tail a mile away. No. This is the way it’s gotta be,” Heather responded.

  “What if –,”

  “Stop it! We’re not playing the ‘what if’ game anymore. I’m going to meet my father. That’s the end of it.”

  The manager shook her head and exhaled loudly, resigning herself to her client’s decision. “Just be careful.”

  “Love you,” Heather replied as they hugged. “Wish me luck.”

  Layla and Katherine worked the horses up the steep incline of the trail and then began their decent toward the farm. Heather found the trail slippery and used shrubbery and saplings to help pull her way up. If it’s like this, it’s going to be a long hike. She didn’t have any doubts about her physical ability since her mother had given her the advice to take care of her body. Jessica had stated that a fat actress is an unemployed actress and Heather had taken those words to heart.

  When she crested the ridge, she was relieved to see that the trail worked its way down a gradual slope. The girls were nowhere to be seen though. After some quick investigating, she saw the telltale markers in the form of hoof tracks. Well, all right then. I’ll just follow these. The fresh signs were easy to identify. They were the ones that weren’t filled with rainwater. As she headed further into the forest, the fallen leaves began obscuring more and more of the trail. As long as I can stay close enough I should be able to tell the difference.