The Zul Enigma

by J M Leitch

  ‘So… how did they know when to piggyback the holovideo of Zul?’

  ‘From the surveillance in place at his office. Remember your father contacted his secretary after we reinstated his comms? She said she’d call him back later? That’s how they knew they could get another holovideo in.

  ‘The next technological intervention was interrupting the UN satellite broadcast and beaming out Zul’s message in its place. Although this required some level of technical knowledge and access to specific equipment, it wouldn’t have been that difficult to execute.’

  ‘I have a question. What was the point of having Zul appear?’

  ‘To unite people and prepare them for what was to come. Firstly, everyone who heard Zul speak that day wondered whether he and his message could be genuine. See, it reinforced what many people had already been saying for years about evolution through densities. And it comforted us. It gave us a definitive point we were heading towards. It gave meaning to our lives and gave us something positive, if you looked at it in the big scheme of things, to cling on to. It was an entreaty for all humanity to come together for the greater good – to save the planet and save the galaxy. It was an attractive theory to believe in. It scored a very high “feel good” factor.

  ‘Secondly, the people behind this would have caused mass panic had they announced they were going to slaughter every poor person on the planet, but since that was exactly what they intended doing, having Zul tell us the majority of people would “evolve”, was a subtle way to get us thinking about what it would be like to wake up one day and find the population decimated. They left us to work out how it would affect those of us left… to realise we’d need a comprehensive survival plan that would look after the people who didn’t “evolve”, in case it really did happen.

  ‘Zul exuded mystery and compassion and trust, and the reality underlying his message percolated through our consciousness rather than hitting us on the head like a sledgehammer. The world itself “evolved” into accepting what Zul said and that it might be true without panicking.’

  Scott shifted his position. ‘You know the more I think about it, the more I realise it was a stroke of genius to have Zul appear right then. See, the problem… the message about evolution and the method of dealing with it… the Global Consciousness initiative, were delivered simultaneously. So even though Zul’s message unsettled us, and the longer we thought about it even terrified some of us, the meditation initiative gave us something to hold on to that not only made us think we were helping our galaxy, if we chose to believe what Zul said, but also helped us overcome our fear of the future. Him appearing like that jolted us into supporting the meditation initiative. And when Zul made the evolution message public, it forced the Secretary-General to come up with the Clean Up Plan and the Industry Operations Package.

  ‘Anyhow, back to the technology. The most sophisticated part of the whole plan was bio-engineering and triggering the virus.’

  ‘They must have had a lab and research team to do that.’

  ‘For sure – but of course we have no idea where it was located.’

  ‘How was the virus triggered?’

  ‘A high frequency radio wave generated by a Klystron. Just like the Tribunal accused your father of doing.’

  ‘They said he used the one found at OOSA's office.’

  ‘The people behind this probably planted that there deliberately to be dragged out as evidence against him.’

  ‘How did it work?’

  ‘It would have been set to generate a specific high frequency radio wave, which would have bounced off the ionosphere and travelled round the world, triggering the virus.’

  ‘That’s possible?’

  ‘Sure. That’s how radio hams pick up signals from thousands of miles away. The waves are reflected from the ground and off clouds and upper layers in the atmosphere. See, they would have designed the virus to activate when exposed to the specific ultra high frequency they generated… one that would not commonly occur.’

  ‘That is ingenious.’

  ‘Then they emitted the waves at the exact time it was 21st December round the planet. Since it only took a second or so for the waves to bounce round the world the virus, causing instant heart seizure, was triggered in everyone who was infected practically instantaneously.’

  ‘Could anyone have traced the signal?’

  ‘Of course, you can’t see or hear radio waves. The only way it could have been detected was if someone was monitoring the specific frequency at the time, which was extremely unlikely.’

  ‘They were so clever,’ Rachael said.

  ‘The only places radio waves can’t penetrate are heavy metal structures such as ships, submarines and planes. And bomb shelters of course. But all shipping and planes were grounded worldwide at the time, although not many of the world’s poor were likely to have been on board, I wouldn’t have thought.

  ‘Anyhow, summing up, when you look at the e-mails, the holovideos, the TV broadcast and the trigger mechanism of the virus, although they were all brilliantly devised components of the plot, the technology and equipment required was pretty easy to come by and wouldn’t have needed a big team to set up and operate. The virus on the other hand was a very different kettle of fish. Both the bio-engineering aspect and coordinating the method of delivery.’

  Rachael nodded. ‘So, what’s next?’

  ‘The people behind it.’

  ‘But we don’t know who they were.’

  ‘Sure, but we can make some deductions from what we do know. Firstly, as you just said, they were very, very clever. They had a finite objective but used a path to reach it that was flexible and fluid. They had the creativity and intellect to revise their plan and get it back on track at a moment’s notice when something went wrong. The execution required people with expertise in communications technology, laser technology, cosmology, virology, psychology and surveillance. They did their research impeccably. And they knew every tiny detail about your father.’

  ‘Like how Elena was pregnant when she died, which is why they came up with the baby hologram.’

  ‘Yeah. And it wasn’t just facts they knew about your father, they knew how he would react in any given situation too.’

  ‘But why choose him?’

  ‘He was on record saying he thought intelligent life had visited our planet before. They knew Zul would appeal. And they designed the message to echo his worries about the state of the world. The combination was irresistible. Plus he was a trail-blazer, who wasn’t afraid to back something nobody else believed in. He was someone who would promote Zul’s message with passion and integrity. They also appealed to his ego… told him they’d picked him out not only to save the galaxy but to develop the way the new world would operate in the future. They’d done their psychological profiling homework, that’s for sure.’

  Rachael narrowed her eyes. ‘I can’t believe anyone could be that cruel. To frame a good, decent man for such an abominable deed.’

  ‘It’s…’ but Scott’s words petered out and all he could do was shake his grey head.

  The icy wind whipped the tree branches into a frenzy, as freezing drizzle ran silently down the outside of the window.

  ‘There’s something else,’ Scott said in a low voice. ‘I’m pretty sure a member of the team played Zul… but regarding Astraea… I’m not so sure. I think she was an actor – I don’t think she knew what she was involved in.’

  ‘Why was she so flaky? She made my father really uncomfortable.’

  ‘I wondered about that too. Zul was eloquent, calm and controlled. If he were an actor, he was well directed and must have spent hours learning his script, as well as how to field your father’s questions. That’s why I’d bet he was played by one of the perpetrators. Astraea, on the other hand, was quite different.’

  ‘She was meant to be fourth density – not as knowing as Zul.’

  ‘Sure. But in her book, your mother says Astraea kept going into a trance-like state. An
d it always coincides with when she’s imparting technical information. That made me wonder if perhaps she’d been reading those parts from a tele-prompter. See, I don’t think she was nearly as knowledgeable about the technical side as the Zul character. She was comfortable with the spiritual stuff, but not with the science.’

  ‘So why use her? Why not stick with Zul?’

  ‘Think about it. It was a bad break that NASA came up with circumstantial evidence showing Dr Maiz could have sent the messages to himself. That was not what the people behind this wanted to hear. They must have been tearing out their hair. Had Anderson successfully shipped your father off to the psychiatric hospital in Madrid, it would have been a major setback for their plan.

  ‘It was critical they got Zul into the safe house to have a real-time conversation with him. Not just to pass on the rest of the information but because they wanted the Americans to know your father hadn’t made the baby holovideo up and that he wasn’t acting out Zul. But they were playing a very delicate game. They didn’t want to spook him, because had they pushed him over the edge right then, the Americans might have changed their minds about taking him to Vienna. They might have taken him straight to hospital in Madrid, like they originally intended. I think that’s the reason Zul backed off when your father started freaking out, why Zul didn’t tell him everything then and there.’

  ‘That makes sense – but they were lucky to have the chance to get Zul in when they did.’

  ‘True… and that reinforces my point about how flexible they were… that they were able to take advantage of such a small window of opportunity.’

  ‘But how did they know he’d escape?’

  ‘They were listening in on your father’s secretary, remember? Most likely they were listening in on his friends, too. That’s how they knew they might have one more chance to piggyback in a holovideo with the last of the information, as long as Ms Stone persuaded the secretary to let Dr Maiz accept Dr Fisher’s holovideo call.’

  ‘But I still don’t understand. Why send in Astraea and not Zul?’

  ‘For a few reasons. They may have thought they might jeopardise the relationship Zul had built up with your father if Zul gave him such shocking information. Remember, by the end of the holovideo call with Zul, your father was already getting frustrated – you could even say exasperated. By using a beautiful woman, they confused him. They put him off guard. They made him uncomfortable and they made him more malleable.’

  ‘But they couldn’t have briefed whoever played Astraea at such short notice.’

  ‘No. They would have had her standing by all along. As I say, they were very clever. They were prepared and they were creative enough to change course and make the best of any unexpected opportunity that came along.’

  ‘If they were actors, what do you think happened to them?’

  ‘These guys were preparing to kill nearly six billion people. I’m sure they’d have had no qualms disposing of one or two actors. They probably gave them a dose of the free vaccine.’

  Rachael pushed her hair out of her eyes and sighed.

  ‘Then there’s another thing. Barbara always puzzled how Dr Maiz, a civilian, managed to escape from our custody. For it to happen once would be odd. But twice? After he was murdered, she was sure it was no coincidence.’

  ‘You’ve read the book, you know how he got out of UNO.’

  ‘Your father’s friends Dr Roberts and Dr Fisher put a very slick plan into motion.’

  ‘You think someone manipulated them?’

  ‘It’s possible.’

  ‘What about the first escape?’

  ‘That was no accident.’

  Rachael shrugged. ‘But a truck rammed the car.’

  ‘That was a set-up. They knew where we were keeping your father – they’d have followed him there after his first meeting at the White House. It would have been easy for them to arrange an accident on his way back from his second meeting with Anderson.’

  ‘But why go to all that trouble just so you guys could pick him up again in a few hours?’

  ‘Because they wanted to know what was going on – which is the other reason I don’t think they had anyone on the inside at the safe house. See, we’d had him in there for three days during which time they didn’t have a clue what was going on. And remember your mother said Dr Maiz heard tyres on the gravel outside the motel? I’d bet any money that was them. After the accident they followed him to the motel, or even followed Dr Roberts because, like Barbara did, they’d have guessed that’s who he’d contact. Then they rented the room next door and listened in.’

  ‘So that’s how they found out he’d check himself into hospital in Madrid. Either that or you’d arrest him.’

  ‘That’s right.’

  ‘But what if you had planned a rendition job? Surely they wouldn’t have risked letting him get on the plane.’

  Scott frowned. ‘Rendition was never a consideration in your father’s case.’

  ‘But they didn’t know that.’

  He raised his snowy brows. ‘Perhaps they got access to our flight plan. And had another intervention ready in case we changed our minds about taking him to Vienna.’

  ‘Did Barbara investigate the car accident?’

  ‘Sure, but only as a matter of procedure. She wasn’t that suspicious until after your father was killed. Of course by then the trail was cold. She never did trace the driver.’ Scott rubbed his knees. ‘Another drink?’

  ‘I’ll get them.’ Rachael got up, but midway across the room she hesitated and turned. ‘I know you said you talked about it with Barbara, but did you ever really believe that Zul might have been behind it all?’

  ‘You mean that he was an evil version of the benign figure he portrayed?’

  ‘Yes. Perhaps there are beings out there experimenting on us.’

  ‘This was the problem back in 2012 – no one knew for sure. But that December when the virus was identified… well… it practically proved it was a human plot.’

  ‘That’s my point. Practically. But not irrefutably.’

  She was taking the lid off the ice bucket when Scott said, ‘You know…’ and when he didn’t continue she looked round, holding the tongs in her hand. ‘I don’t think the two events were connected. At least… not at first.’

  ‘Which events?’

  ‘Getting rid of Anderson and your father, and the global massacre.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Perhaps your mother was right and there was a faction in the American military that was uneasy about Anderson and your father jeopardising their objective to own space. Perhaps they did want rid of them both. But I don’t believe the military was the real bad-ass behind all this.’ Scott leaned back in his chair and it moulded to his new position. ‘I don’t think that faction in the military had any idea where the Zul plan was heading. I think another group engineered it. A way more sinister group.’

  CHAPTER 6

  Rachael frowned. She turned back to drop ice in the glasses and pour whisky over the cubes. She added water to Scott’s and gave it to him.

  ‘So what could possibly have been more sinister than the US military?’ she asked. She settled back in her body sculpting chair, took a sip from her glass and put it on the little table at her elbow.

  ‘A group that was way more obscure, way more powerful and way more heinous. But first let’s look at what effect the massacre had on the way our world operated. See, after 2012, the traditional system of individually run countries had to change. Most people came to recognise it, even though some of the leaders wanted to cling on to the old style of government. Truth was, organisationally and psychologically speaking, we all needed to band together to survive.’

  ‘How long did it take for things to stabilise? I read that to begin with there was a free-for-all going on, with the resources of the decimated nations up for grabs.’

  ‘That’s exactly how it started out and for a few months things got very ugly. The main global organisations
back then were the UN and the emergency Global Caretaker Group. Well, the UN had no power… plus it was falling apart. At the beginning of 2013 members were already losing confidence in Mr Howard because of his strong association with your father. Then, of course, all hell let loose when the Tribunal announced that the UN was guilty of distributing the virus.’

  ‘Greg resigned, right?’

  ‘Yeah. After he quit there was no one strong enough to hold it together. Of course the GCG’s objective was to match supply with demand for all necessary food items, and energy of course. And it did an admirable job. But even so, by the end of 2013, everyone was struggling. Governments were forced to form coalitions just to keep their countries functioning and the majority of politicians were floundering because the expertise they had didn’t translate into solving the problems that existed after the global massacre, which were more concerned with logistics than politics.

  ‘That’s why the new movement developed. It grew out of the GCG and the cohesion it achieved through international businesses working together to continue supplying survivors with the necessities of life. It didn’t stem from the old-style politicians. And eventually it evolved into Global Governance, which was ratified by all nations in late 2014. That’s when things began to stabilise.

  ‘It made sense, of course. With such a drastically reduced population the world had to unite. It was clear it had to be run by experts – like a corporation. So the Global Currency was launched and global law enforcement under the Global Judicial System was introduced. The UN, the World Bank, NATO, the European Union: they were all dinosaurs. They’d outlived their dubious usefulness. The world didn’t need them any more and so they were disbanded. However,’ Scott tapped the armrests with the flats of his hands, ‘the thing that never ceased to amaze me is how relatively seamless the progression from old world operation to new world operation panned out… especially since the devastation in some regions was so much worse than in others.’

  ‘Six-sevenths of the population was wiped out, the vast majority living in Africa, Asia, South America and the Middle East, and those of us left in Europe, North America and Australasia anticipated massive disruptions. We thought energy shortages would affect supplies of water and food. But in truth it wasn’t nearly as bad as expected. Of course, our governments had major headaches restructuring their old frameworks of operation, but we never faced breakdowns in civil order and we had all the essentials, like food. It wasn’t a picnic, for sure, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been.