Ari stood at the balcony and gazed out in the distance towards the Arabian Sea. Along a vast, sandy plateau next to the water, he watched as a parade of heavy machinery emerged from his bunker located underneath it. The enormity of this project made it seem as if all of the UAA’s resources had been devoted solely to its completion.
Ari turned to all those in attendance. The enormous balcony could hold over 2,000 people comfortably. At the moment it appeared to be at capacity, filled with the highest ranking UAA dignitaries and their spouses.
Masika accompanied Ari and wore a long, red robe-like dress with a black belt under her bosom. The color of the garment made her also standout in the crowd, creating a stir among the audience.
Ari stepped up on a small platform placed on the balcony so he could address the crowd. Upon the sight everyone present, except his wife, hushed and placed their hands atop their heads in an O shape. The Malik was about to speak.
“You all are probably wondering why I summoned you here today,” he began.
They all placed their hands down once he began to speak. No one dared interrupt the Malik. Instead they stood, awaiting his next comment.
Despite their feigned loyalty, most had grown tired of his failed economic policies, rising inflation, and broken promises. They were all high-ranking government officers and had witnessed firsthand the economic ruin of their country by this man and the growing dependence on foreign currency for its continuation. However, no one dared speak out against him in fear of both the downfall of their political career and possibly the termination of their life.
“What you see before you,” Ari went on to say, “is the greatest government project ever undertaken!”
He paused, awaiting his just adulation. The crowd did not disappoint him and applauded on cue. Everyone smiled as if the happiness had been surgically sewn onto their faces.
“It represents our salvation and emergence as a world power!”
The crowd continued their applause. Usually much louder, it remained tepid at best.
An artificial lake slowly grew larger behind him along the plateau above his bunker. Occasionally some water would spout up, creating a fountain-like effect for a few seconds and then subside. Many stared at the plateau, wondering what this all meant. No matter what idea came to mind, nothing seemed to explain what they saw before them.
Ari went on to further grandstand about himself and the economic success he had brought to the UAA. He also touted at length the beneficial effects of his stimulus plans. Most understood by now that the only thing the plan did was stimulate the country’s further economic dependence on foreign money and raise their national debt to unfathomable levels.
This rhetoric that once sounded promising now lost its luster. After a few more self-ingratiating remarks to the growing crowd’s disinterest, Ari said, “This brings us to the final stage in my economic stimulus plan.”
Many had long tuned him out, turning their attention to the lake along the plateau. However, his last statement caught all of their attention.
“I have promised the people of the UAA both prosperity and that one day our country will become a world power,” he continued, emphasizing his statement by slamming his fist into his palm. “And what you see behind me is the answer to this promise.
The crowd again applauded, weary of his statements. Instead of excitement, they braced themselves about hearing the cost of such a huge endeavor. They could only imagine how much of the UAA’s hard-earned money had been thrown away on this project.
Ari went on to explain that under the plateau was a massive bunker. Built to withstand a nuclear war, the bunker was created to immediately sequester them along with another eight thousand of his most ardent supporters until either a cure for The Disease became available or the plague ended on its own volition. He touted its benefits and spoke in a grandiose fashion about the revolutionary nature of the project.
“We will rise like a phoenix from the earth’s ashes,” Ari boasted, “creating a new world founded on our ideals, our principles!”
The applause immediately dwindled as a low mumble of concern began to rise among the attendees. The words immediately and sequester resonated poorly with each one of them. Panic-stricken and wanting to leave, most began thinking of the best way to escape.
Those in the back of the balcony began to flee towards the elevators while those in the front slowly eased their way backwards. They would not be taken willingly and be forced to leave all their family and friends behind. The plan sounded both illogical and amoral.
“Stand your ground!” Masika shouted with a shrill to her voice. “Show the Malik respect! Don’t you see that he’s attempting to single-handedly salvage this pitiful country of ours and again make it great!”
She stood up on the platform next to him, her red dress standing out like a beacon against the blue sky’s backdrop.
“We all were nothing before Ari Lesmana took control of the UAA,” she went on to say in a less-harsh tone. “He is the one who has given us hope. He is the one who has given us direction. He is the Malik! Who does the country turn to when it needs food, shelter, or the necessities of daily living? Not God, not his family, not anyone else but the Malik. He is both our spiritual and political leader. His word should not be doubted.”
Her words spoke volumes about Ari’s tenure as the Malik and how he saw his role in that position. Many surmised he felt that way, but Masika’s comments only solidified their suspicions.
The crowd’s mumbling only grew louder. Her lecture did not do anything to settle their nerves. In fact, her condescending diatribe only began to provoke panic amongst the attendees. Some began to turn and flee while others knocked each other down just to get off the balcony.
“Cowards!” Masika shouted, disappointed in these people she called countrymen. “You are all cowards!”
“Enough!” SattAr announced from the back of the balcony. Surrounded by fifty of his elite and fully-armed military personnel, he and his entourage blocked everyone’s means of escape.
Like parting the Red Sea, he walked unhindered through the crowd as they moved away from him.
“SattAr,” Ari said with his usual smirk. “I was wondering when you would join us.”
Chapter 44
Masika refused to step down from the platform. She would not let SattAr intimidate her. Her position in the UAA was solid. She was the wife of the esteemed Malik. No politician or military personnel had any authority over her.
The chaos of the mass exodus ended, and most of those who attempted escape had been escorted back onto the balcony. The armed soldiers blocked the exits. With machine guns strapped to their shoulders, they deterred any further retreat.
SattAr’s arrival proved to be an auspicious one. Ari appreciated how his men wrangled up the crowd like a bunch of cowboys would a wayward herd of cows. The security at the estate certainly had not been trained or expected to perform such a feat.
Contrary to his wife, Ari did not get offended by the crowd’s reaction. Instead, he shook his head at the time and thought, Simple people. This is why I am the Malik and you all are my subjects.
He assumed they were not intelligent or enlightened enough to see the brilliance of his plan. Only a true genius, like himself, could realize the potential of his plan and understand the prosperity it would bring to the UAA.
Ari stepped down from the platform and awkwardly bowed to SattAr. It was a perplexing gesture as his subordinate should have been the one showing respect to him.
Masika snarled at the gesture and even SattAr did not know how to react to such a display. He attempted to make the O sign above his head but resorted to just keeping his hands to his side and let Ari finish with the bow. If the Malik went down any further his nose would have touched the ground.
“You have come just in time,” Ari finally said, putting his arm atop SattAr’s shoulder. “We are about to escort all these people here and another eight thousand men and woman into my bunker.”<
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He brought SattAr to the edge of the balcony and looked out at the growing lake along the plateau. Ari gazed upon it, believing his own words. The thought of Alex Pella and The Disease had been momentarily forgotten. One triumph at a time—he could deal with the potential cure in the morning. And if none were produced, he would be safe in his bunker, awaiting the right time to emerge triumphantly.
“Can you understand all that I have done?” he proudly asked.
SattAr certainly did. He fully understood how Albert Rosenberg and The New Reality continued to loan money to the UAA without any expectation that it could ever be repaid. The fact was Albert wanted Ari to continue his reliance on foreign economic support until ultimately the UAA bankrupted itself. It would be easy then for The New Reality to take over the entire country, just as they recently did with Iceland, Greece and France.
“I hope you all remember this day.” Ari turned to the frightened crowd and boasted as he stepped back up on the platform. “You all can tell your descendents that you were there with the Malik as we all entered the bunker. I assure you all that this will not be a day you will ever forget!”
The crowd gazed upon the Malik with trepidation. Why had he forsaken the rest of his country? Why were they not personally informed previously about this plan? There were no answers. Only one fact prominently remained. They would be forced to accept yet another direct order from the Malik and have it shoved down all their throats without a chance to discuss alternative options.
Jeers started being thrown by the crowd. Many came from the Malik’s personal cabinet members while others were from some of his closest friends. They were tired of his failed plans, broken promises, and of the economic crater he had created for the UAA. With another huge economic failure standing in front of them, they wanted no more of the Malik.
SattAr listened to the crowd and fully understood their fears and concerns. He, too, had come to the same, unfortunate conclusion that something needed to be done. The people have spoken, he thought as he hopped up on the platform next to the Malik.
Masika scowled at him. “Get down,” she glowered. “Mind your place.”
Ari still tried to appease the crowd. Never before had he received such a strong, negative response. While unsuccessfully attempting to win the crowd’s support, he hadn’t noticed SattAr’s presence nor heard his wife’s ongoing admonishments.
Ari had no time to react. Before he made another attempt to rally the crowd in his favor, he suddenly felt a sharp, piercing pain in his left side. It felt like a bolt of lightning had just struck his chest and immediately took away his breath.
He looked down only to find a silver dagger, with the UAA emblem etched on its ivory handle, embedded in his ribs. SattAr held the weapon. Before he could utter any final words, he fell to the ground. Death had overtaken him before his head hit the platform.
The crowd momentarily shuttered at the sight of Ari’s assassination. There was no cheering, applause, or laughter. Instead, they all stood somberly in place. Some murmured a prayer while others kept quiet. A dark era in their country’s history had ended, and now a time for a new rebirth had begun. Despite the threat of The Disease still lingering, they believed better days were ahead of them.
Masika physically lamented at the sight of her husband’s death. Her hands clenched and her whole body shook in rage. She tried to claw out SattAr’s eyes but he grabbed her by the wrist and pushed her to the side.
“How can you do this to me!” she shouted. “What am I supposed to do now?”
Masika fell to her knees and began to cry. The tears she wept were for herself and not her husband. His dead body lay sprawled across the platform in a growing pool of blood. She did not care. He only reminded her of her own fall from grace.
The hollow feeling inside her had grown to unfathomable levels. She could see no further point of continuing this meaninglessness life. Her existential existence all of a sudden had no purpose, and she was left with an insurmountable sense of hopelessness.
Masika took out a small pill from her dress and placed it into her mouth. Within a few moments she met the same ignominious fate that she had unjustly thrust upon Guri Bergmann. Death came quickly as her necrotic corpse fell to the platform and turned to ash.
Chapter 45
Despite the fact that Guri spent most of his life in isolation, his funeral had been well attended. Neurono-Tek’s chapel brimmed with over 300 people, well over its allowed 200 limit. After what had transpired on the premises lately, the fire marshal deemed it the least of his worries.
Rabbi Rudinsky had just given his final prayers, concluding the funeral. Both sadness and laughter marked the ceremony. The rabbi asked everyone not only to remember Guri’s death but also all the others who had been taken by The Disease.
Because the details of Guri’s demise had been kept secret, the official word was that he succumbed to the ravages of The Disease and had been cremated prior to transport. Few knew the truth, and those who did swore they would take the secret to their grave.
Alex stood up and said a few words during the ceremony. He tried to capture Guri’s personality as most in the room had never met the man. Those who attended only knew that he helped discover the cure for The Disease and died in the process. Alex told the congregation about Guri’s love for comics and of his funny quirks. Most let out a little laugh but in the end felt as if they got to know this secluded man and wished they had an opportunity to meet him before his death.
William knelt in the front pew and cried like a baby throughout the ceremony. Though he tormented Guri most of the time, he felt a deep sense of remorse with his loss. Marissa patted him on the shoulder, surprised by his emotional outburst. She never fathomed he had a soft side and was refreshed to see it after all this time.
The chapel began to empty after Rabbi Rudinsky thanked everyone for their attendance and wished them all a happy and healthy life. His words left everyone with a heightened sense of religious vigor and a positive outlook after such tumultuous events of the recent weeks.
Marissa grasped Alex’s hand as the two rose together from the pew. Much had happened since Patmos over a week ago. Because she was the NIH’s representative sent to Neurono-Tek, she helped Alex and Samantha manufacture the protein coded by the gene discovered within Alex’s DNA. Ultimately, it did prove to be the cure for The Disease, and Neurono-Tek began mass producing it for global dispersion.
Despite Marissa’s long hours of work, she spent all of her spare time with Alex. Late-night dinners, long talks, and an occasional walk around Neurono-Tek made their connection even stronger. For the first time in his life, Alex actually found someone he wanted to settle down with. He had no doubts that she was going to be with him for a long time.
“I’ll see you this Friday after I return from Greece,” Marissa said as she kissed him on the cheek.
The two parted ways upon exiting the chapel. Though her trip to Greece would be short, she was personally needed to oversee the proper dispersion of the cure to the country. She had a car waiting to drive her to the airport. Alex insisted that she use his personal Stratoskimmer, but after their recent troubles with the ship, she said she wanted to fly commercial.
Alex gave her a final wink before she entered the car.
“I see we made a new friend,” Samantha said sarcastically and loud enough for anyone within a mile to hear. “And you told me your trip overseas was a dangerous one: electrocution, getting shot at, necrotic pills. I can see now what danger you really encountered.”
William walked between the two of them. “You think Marissa has a sister or maybe a friend or something,” he asked, still wiping tears from his eyes.
“Is that all guys think about?” Samantha commented. “I mean, come on, there has got to be something else going through your heads during the day.”
Alex and William looked at each other and said in unison, “Nope.”
“And that’s why women should run the world,” Samantha responded, s
ighing in disgust.
“I’ll remember to tell that to Albert Rosenberg when I meet with him later today,” Alex jested. “I’m sure he’ll be waiting with bated breath to hear what you have to recommend.”
“I wish those necroids killed me in the bunker,” Samantha joked. “We have how many more years working here together?’
“I thought I heard her say she had a sister,” William interrupted with only one thought in his mind.
Alex turned to his friend. “You know we’re going to Father Jonathan Maloney’s funeral this Friday. It’s not a place where you need to take a date.”
“I just thought it might liven up a somber time,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “You know, between the death of Guri here and Jonathan, it kind of gets to you.”
“O.K. I’ll ask Marissa,” Alex said, “as long as you stay on your best behavior.”
He did feel as if he owed his friend something. After almost getting him killed numerous times, he did want to show his sense of appreciation. Marissa recently commented about one friend she thought William would find particularly attractive. Maybe he could persuade her to bring her to the funeral in Vermont.
Alex also felt the same way as William. The deaths of Guri and Jonathan had both been an emotional blow. He ran the circumstances surrounding Guri’s murder through his mind over and over. Was there anything he could have done to prevent it? Was there something he could have said at the time to diffuse the situation?
“Then I’ll see you next week,” William said, interrupting Alex’s train of thought. “I’m just going to stop off at the employee cafeteria before I leave here. The funeral made me a little hungry.” He waved to them both and walked within the cordoned-off area towards one of the buildings at the other end of the complex. “Don’t forget about my date!” William shouted from a distance.
The New Reality Page 27