by Mark Donovan
“Thank you for attending today’s Business Leaders Conference,” said Ms. Devins graciously. “It should prove to be an eventful day of collaboration between business and government that I hope will be a new catalyst for strengthening our country and putting our countrymen back to work.” The crowd erupted in applause as Dave sat quietly in his seat.
“As you know, our country’s unemployment rate has been stuck in the double digits for a number of years now and I, as well as the President, want to see this situation improve more than anyone else. We want to get America back to work and we want to see the standard of living improve for all Americans.” The Secretary paused for affect and to allow the small audience to roar in applause.
“However, the President and I want not just for the American public’s standard of living to improve, but also for the lives of everyone in the entire world, both economically and health wise.” Again the audience enthusiastically applauded. Dave noticed the two Hollywood executives he had brunch with earlier in the morning fist pump one another in reaction to the Secretary’s last sentence.
“So to achieve these goals we need to look beyond our own borders, to political leaders in other countries, and to international business leaders like yourselves, for answers to solving the world’s economic ailments and health maladies. We need to look not just within the confines of our own country, but at the entire planet as a whole. As one large single family.” All of the business leaders in the room rose from their seats and gave the Secretary a standing ovation that went on for nearly two minutes. Dave did as well as to not bring attention to himself.
Back in the Hotel El Camino hotel room, Dan gently moved a joystick and guided one of the nano-flies onto the top edge of the podium so that it looked straight at Secretary Devin’s face. She was so focused on giving her speech that she never noticed the small fly sitting quietly looking at her. As Secretary Devins began to speak he tweaked the microphone levels and adjusted the focus on the fly’s optical lens. The secretary’s image was positioned front and center on Dan’s computer screen with every word she said being recorded. Dan looked over at the other computer laptop and saw an image of the crowd listening and occasionally applauding to the Secretary’s speech. The other nano-fly was working just as well.
Ron sat in front of his computer screen verifying everything was operational one last time before squibbing the nano-dust canisters. After running through the last set of software diagnostics, and activating the nano-dust particles, he moved the computer mouse up to a soft switch button on his screen and clicked the left button on the mouse just once. Instantly a seal was broken on each canister and billions of nano-dust particles began to spew from the canisters and down into the air conditioning intake shaft towards the conference room’s occupants.
The secretary was in the midst of her speech when the first nano-dust particles entered the room through the air conditioning registers three minutes later. Due to their nanometer in diameter size, the nano-dust particles went unnoticed as they first drifted into the air, and then were inhaled by both the secretary and her audience.
“As all of you are already aware, our planet is suffering from increasing global climate change and related elevated temperatures,” said Secretary Devins. “Scientific evidence has proven that the global climate change is the result mainly of mankind, and in particular the most industrialized nations. Our President also acknowledges the fact that it is the United States that is chiefly responsible for causing global warming. Being the leader of all industrialized nations over the past century, and acknowledging that our citizens have an insatiable appetite for energy, and the consumption of all types of products, the President and his administration formally apologies to the other nations of the world for its citizen’s decadence.” The audience listened intently, with some squirming slightly in their seats, and no one saying a word. The Secretary went on speaking.
“The President, however, realizes that just saying sorry isn’t sufficient. It’s not fair to our sick planet, and for the entire world’s population, to just provide some apologetic lip service to this issue. As a nation, we need to make amends to the planet and the world, but in a smart way. In a way that improves not only the health of the planet, but that also raises the economic and health conditions of every person in the world. Hopefully, by leading by example we can convince other industrialized nations to follow in our footsteps.”
There were numerous murmurs from the audience, but none that could clearly be made out by neither Dave, nor anyone else trying to sift through the whispered conversations. Reading the audiences faces, however, Dave could sense a combination of nervous excitement and genuine concern. He wasn’t sure if all the business men and women liked where this speech was heading. The Secretary continued.
“So the President and his administration have developed a master plan that we believe will eliminate the threat of global climate change and lead an economic recovery to our nation in just a few short years,” said Secretary Devins.
“As I am sure all of you are regrettably aware of, the hybrid automobile never was embraced whole heartedly by the American public, even though our government heavily subsidized both the development cost and the purchase price of the vehicles. Our citizens simply preferred to stick with their larger gas guzzling cars, because they cost 25% less than the hybrid vehicles we produced for them. The American public couldn’t look past their personal economic situations to see the true value of the hybrid vehicle that it offered to the world. With its better fuel efficiency, and ubiquitous deployment and manufacturing of it all around the world, everyone on the planet would have gained. Both economically and health wise. But unfortunately it wasn’t to be. The American public needed even more prodding and incentives that we as the federal government were simply too uncomfortable providing.”
“Fortunately, however, the administration has learned from this failed experience and I am here today to discuss the administration’s new plans. Plans that we believe will solve the nation’s, and the planet’s woes, in just a relatively short few years.”
As the secretary continued to speak, Ron was beginning to compare incoming DNA signatures from the different nano-dust cell clusters that had been ingested by the occupants of the conference room with a national DNA database stored on his computer. As the software churned on his computer, names of the attendees in the meeting room began to pop up and scroll down the side of his computer screen. The nano-dust cells were working. Ron would now need to begin running the construct software routine to shape the nano-dust cells into video and audio recording sensors.
“The administration, with the help of its closest colleagues and friends in the House of Representatives, will be formally submitting a new bill to congress in the next couple of weeks called the Transportation Movement Act,” said Secretary Devins. “This act will revolutionize how the citizens of our great country, and the products that they consume, are transported and effectively moved throughout the country and around the world. In short, the “Transportation Movement Act” will change how the American public travels by dramatically reducing its personal dependence on the use of the automobile.”
“What this new act means is that the administration is proposing massive investments in our country’s public transportation system such that the need for personally owned automobiles is no longer required or even necessary,” continued the Secretary. “In both large and small cities around the country new MAGLEV rail systems will be constructed. Moreover, the cities will be interconnected via a national network of MAGLEV rail systems. For those of you who may not already be familiar with this technology, it is a new type of rail system that uses magnet technology. Through a process of magnet levitation, train cars are suspended, guided and propelled down their tracks, or more specifically guideways, at extremely high speeds. In China, for example, their MAGLEV trains travel at speeds in excess of 300MPH. And in regards to the power required to operate MAGLEV trains, they produce virtually no pollution. Th
ey operate solely off of clean electricity. The electricity will be generated via massive new solar panel fields that we will have constructed in the areas just outside of each city.”
“By making a massive investment in our country’s public transportation infrastructure, it is the administration’s goal that the need for personal automobile use will no longer be required, except in rural areas. Ultimately it is the administrations hope that eventually the need for automobiles, in even the rural areas of the country, will no longer be required, as those population areas are incentivized to move to the cities nearest them.”
Again, the business men and women clapped excitedly.
“The automobile generates nearly 70% of the carbon emissions in this country alone. By dramatically reducing the American public’s need for the gas combustion automobile we project that we will reduce the carbon emissions in this country to a tenth of what they are today.” The audience jumped out of their seats again in excitement applauding the Secretary’s proposal.
“Moreover,” said the Secretary to a rousing applause, “we believe by making the massive investment in our country’s public transportation infrastructure we will create tens of millions of new jobs, both in the private and public sector. And in addition, through international partnership incentive programs with foreign contractors and businesses, we anticipate creating millions of additional new jobs overseas. We will allow the private industry, with grant assistance from the government, to create the new MAGLEV rail systems, engines, and passenger cars. However, for the actual day-to-day management of the new transportation system, we will rely on the government’s existing public rail administration to own and operate it.” Again, the attendees jumped out of their seats with thunderous applause.
“Now to fund the Transportation Movement Act,” said the Secretary. “We will need to temporarily raise additional government revenues. Unfortunately this will create some pain for all citizens of our country. However, we have modeled the new revenue plan such that it is both fair and progressive. At the heart of the revenue plan is a new mileage transportation tax. What this tax means is that for every mile a person travels by automobile, plane, bus or rail they will be assessed a tax of $0.02. In addition, every finished product will be assessed a similar fee.”
The crowd responded in hushed nervous whispers to the tax idea. These people traveled frequently, as well as far and wide. Moreover, they purchased many new products each year. They knew instantly that they were going to take a major personal financial hit with this new tax. However, they also realized that the overall “Transportation Movement Act” offered some new and exciting business opportunities. Particularly for those who were friends of the administration and who were early champions of the plan. That’s why they were invited to attend today’s major announcement, and most had already realized this by Dave’s observation of their growing delighted facial expressions.
While the folks in the audience were still whispering and the Secretary was pausing for a sip of water, Dave tapped a short one word message out on his micro VHF radio to Ron and Dan to see how they were doing. A few seconds later he had a response back from Ron confirming that all assets were operational.
“I will reiterate this is a temporary tax that is both sensitive and progressive. As a result it will not dramatically impact the poorest members of our community, and for those that it does impact, they can take solace in knowing that it won’t be permanent. It is, however, a necessary and vital component of the administration’s grand plan to solve global climate change and fix the world economy. And as a result, it is the first step to be taken in the implementation of the “Transportation Movement Act” (TMA), as we need to first generate the revenues to fund the initial design and development of our plans. In conclusion, I hope all of you here today can see the many values and benefits of this Act and will stand behind us in support of it. We will need all of your help in convincing the American public to rally behind this plan, and to urge congress to support its quick passage. Once passed, the TMA will lead us down a path to a prosperous country once again. And more importantly provide global economic opportunity and improved health conditions for the entire world population, and the planet.”
Again, the audience rose to its feet in applause and cheer for the Secretary. She repeatedly thanked them as the audience gushed and fawned over her. The press in attendance filmed and took notes in almost an utter panic. This was going to be great material for the evening advocacy news shows. Before stepping off the stage to mingle with the crowd the Secretary approached the podium’s microphone again and made one final request.
“Now I expect all of you to spend the next day and a half at this conference working with my staff on determining how best we can function as a team to realize this dream and vision that I know all of you so deeply share,” said the Secretary grinning ear to ear as she spoke into the microphone.
As the Secretary spoke, Ron observed her field of view of the audience from his computer screen and the nano-dust based cameras that were tapped into her eyes’ optical nerves. Similarly, when the crowd cheered her final statement, her audio level needles associated with the nano-microphone cells tied into her cochlea peaked on their graphs. Ron then repeatedly tapped the space bar on his keyboard and scrolled through a total of 40 pages on his computer, confirming each target’s sensors were active and fully operational. NSurv was now in position to watch the intricate web between these people and the administration unfold.
As the guests began to congregate in small groups and break for lunch, Dave quietly departed the conference room and made his way back over to the Hotel El Camino. The audacity of the administration’s plan was more than he could have imagined. They were going to effectively bring the movement of people and product in the country to a crawl, and at the same time monitor their every move, and item that they purchased. It was insidiously genius of the administration, and if the public didn’t become fully informed about it soon, they’d more than likely help seal their own miserable fate with their masters.
As Dave walked out of the conference room, a tall weathered looking man was standing in the lobby area just outside of the conference room. Dave did not see the man, but as Dave passed by him, the man slowly looked up from his magazine and seemed to pay close attention to him.
Chapter 26 (March 8, Saturday 12:30pm Pacific Daylight Savings Time)
Dave returned to the Hotel El Camino hotel room to find both Ron and Dan still glued to their computer screens and tracking the events in the conference room. The attendees were still talking in small groups and the Secretary was floating from one group to the other thanking the attendees for coming and supporting the administration throughout the years.
They then observed Barbas walk over to the Secretary and shake hands with her. The two walked off to a quiet corner of the conference room to chat privately. Ron adjusted a few settings on his computer screen to make sure they could clearly see and hear the two talk.
“Dimitris, thank you so much for coming today,” said Secretary Devins. “The President is so thankful for your support and help over the years. I hope today we didn’t take you fully by surprise and that you will again support us in getting the TMA approved.”
“Absolutely, madam Secretary,” Barbas responded. “I fully support and encourage the President’s plans that you so eloquently explained today. You will get the full support of Mr. Grivas, ABO, and me in championing your new plans.”
“Well I fully appreciate hearing that,” replied the Secretary. “And the President will as well.”
“I believe the President has really got a winner here for the United States and the world,” responded Barbas in a fawning tone. “I just hope that Barbas Holdings, Inc. will have the opportunity to participate in some of the new business ventures that spawn out of the administration’s new plans.”
“Oh absolutely,” replied the Secretary in a whispered tone, as she reached out and held one of Barbas’s hands with both of hers. �
��The administration views you and your company as one of the family, and we take good care of our family members.” The secretary paused for Barbas to fully understand her double entendre meaning.
Barbas looked back at her as both meanings of the message sunk in. The madam Secretary was both smart and beautiful, and he immediately understood what was being offered and expected. He smiled warmly back at the Secretary.
“Well I very much appreciate that,” responded Barbas with the slightest of grins. “Maybe you would like to join me for dinner this evening so that we could further discuss the administration’s plans and how Barbas Industries can help.”
“I’d love that,” responded the Secretary in a pleased manner. “Please pick me up at the Ritz Hotel at 8:00pm. Until then, enjoy the rest of the afternoon with your colleagues here. I need to go call the President and let him know how his plans were received.”
The Secretary shook hands one last time with Barbas and then departed the conference room in a hurry. She was excited to report to the President the audience’s genuine enthusiasm for the TMA.
“Wow,” commented Dan as he looked over Ron’s shoulder at the scene play out in front of them. “Barbas and Secretary Devins, strange bedfellows indeed.”
“I’m frankly not too surprised,” Dave replied. “There have been rumors about the Secretary in the past. This just confirms it. At least she is preying on her equal in this case.”
“So how does everything look?” questioned Dave to Ron. “Have all the targets of interest inhaled enough of the nano-dust cells to construct the audio/video sensors in each of them?”
“Yes, all the planned targets are now under the constant nano surveillance of NSurv,” replied Ron clinically. “Everything that each one of them see and say will be recorded on our mainframe optical disk drives back at NSurv. My staff will review each target’s files and provide a synopsis report to me daily, along with relevant audio/video file clips. We should be able to quickly piece together the network between them and the administration.”