by Andy McNab
He paused, like he was deciding whether to carry on or bail out. I knew the feeling.
‘You see, James, what started as just Atherton dinner talk in the nineties soon mushroomed into something much bigger.
‘It became more than just an inward-looking, self-protecting, geek-populated cult. The cognitive elite will bring order, peace and prosperity to the planet.’
His eyes had become blank and unblinking, yet his smile never dropped. Either he was mad, or he believed what he was saying. Whichever it was, I found myself having a little respect for him, even though he was my target. It wasn’t his history, but his clear determination to succeed.
‘I have been thinking for months of a way to explain the business model of the CE, even to some of its members, and the easiest way I can describe it is that we are cardinals in the greatest crusade the world will ever see, and Mr Egbers here is one of our Knights Templar.’
I turned. He had moved away from the door and was staring at me, his face still stone.
Parmesh leant in and put a hand on my shoulder. ‘James.’ He smiled. ‘I am inviting you to join us.’
10
‘What? Work for you?’
‘James, no one works for me. We are family. I am asking you to join us in making the world somewhere that we all can live together and be prosperous. Crazy idea? We think not.’
My eyes darted between them. Egbers’s eyes drilled back into mine, his expression impossible to read. An image flashed into my head of an unyielding medieval priest, killing disbelievers because God had told him to. Religious people find it very easy to justify unreasonable and irrational behaviour, just like there had been in the last so-called ‘great’ crusades. Was I being asked to become one of him?
It was time to protest, but sensibly. ‘Look, I’m not one of you people. I’m just small fry. I don’t have your money, don’t have your vision. I don’t—’
He held up his hands, then gave a slow shake of the head and a tut. ‘James, James, I understand. I am sure this has come as quite a shock to you. But all you have to do is trust, believe, and you will surrender to hope.’
I knew the CE called themselves a cult, but this was starting to tear the arse out of it.
I jerked my head back to the South African. His cold, pale-blue eyes continued to burrow into me. They were slightly glazed and off-focus, as if he was on medication or, more like it, in some form of trance after Parmesh’s performance. Whatever it was, I didn’t like it.
Parmesh carried on with enough charm for both of them but was on full evangelical. ‘Mr Egbers, he was just like you once. He was sceptical, thought it was all madness, but he soon came to grasp the truth.
‘Change is coming, James – and at the right time, people like me, the cardinals, will make themselves known. We are going to help governments regain power, help them make policies that will ensure people feel better about their situations and then start to feel good about themselves. We are going to give society a set of networks to make it better. Improve ourselves through connection, dialogue, collaboration, working together. And the technologies and services that we have and can build will allow us to give back to citizens their lost faith in the system, rebuild the social contract. We will be able to give the world hope. Do you not want to be part of that? After all, James, Mr Egbers tells me you are a builder, and he knows everything. Do you not want to be part of something creative, to build something?’
‘I was part of a system once, and look where that got me. I—’
He cut in again: ‘Exactly, James, exactly. But we are going to change that. Inequality is unnecessary and self-defeating. If we adjust our policies in a way that, say, Roosevelt did during the Depression, we pre-empt the revolutionaries, the crazies, the ones with the guns, the ones at the extremes, the haters. We stop them in their tracks. You want to be part of that? You want to be the very person who makes it happen?’
The yacht juddered, and I felt a bit of motion. Through the window I could see the high ground a couple of kilometres away, and it was moving.
Parmesh stood up and pulled his T-shirt down over his start-up dad-bod stomach.
‘Think about it, James. I know, a big ask, but what we are going to do for the world is big. Any questions, we can talk later. I have something to attend to now. My daughters, it is Daddy talk time. Feel free to wander round the yacht. Ask the crew for anything you need.’
A knot tightened in my gut. Not about the job offer: whatever that was, he was playing me. And it was working because I wanted to know more. I got off the settee to join him.
‘Where are we going? Am I a prisoner? Am I not going back to Akaroa?’
The hand came up again. ‘James, relax. All is good.’
He laid both his hands on my shoulders and gave me a smile.
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. ‘James, you are very important to me. Not that you feel like it right now, I am sure, but you must believe me when I say I need you. I want you to join us in our crusade. Once we act, hope will be everywhere.’
Parmesh slapped my shoulders gently and his eyes smiled into mine. Then he turned and walked, stopping at the top of the stairs. ‘Please, James, just sit back, relax, or maybe go out on deck, take in the air and the view of the ocean. Once we are out to sea it will be a bit colder so take a jacket. Any of the crew will show you where they are.’
He began to descend the stairs.
‘James, feel free to call your family, call your sister, check that they are safe. Use the cell by the door – yours will not work. I know you are concerned, and will want to hear their voices. But, please, no word of what we have talked about. Not yet, anyway.’
His head disappeared, and Egbers went out on deck.
I was alone.
I opened my phone and saw no bars. Parmesh was right. By the door, on a small stand, a Samsung was charging. It opened without a code and there were four bars. It was only then that I remembered I didn’t know Charlotte’s house or mobile numbers. It was all speed dialling. I opened the contacts list on my own phone and dialled her on the Samsung.
Now I was really worried. He knew me and he knew my family: was I being made an offer I couldn’t refuse?
11
Come on, Charlotte, pick up!
I tried to stay calm and logical, keep some sense of proportion. But just the mention of my family had got me worried and that fast became fear. Was he threatening my family if I didn’t join his?
I was thirteen hours ahead so it was early morning in the UK. I just had to hear her voice to make sure everything was okay.
Come on!
It rang and went eventually to answerphone. The default voice told me to leave a message. I cut off and tried again.
It was finally answered, the voice gruff and sleepy.
‘Simon, it’s me. Sorry, I know it’s early.’
‘It’s not, it’s the middle of the night. For fuck’s sake, what is wrong with you?’
‘I need to talk to Charlotte.’
Bedclothes rustled and the phone was dragged over fabric. I heard some mumbling between them.
Charlotte’s sleepy voice came on, breathy as she tried to get herself into gear. ‘James? You okay?’
‘You – you’re okay? Nothing’s happened to Mum, Pip, the boys?’
It sounded like she was changing position, maybe sitting up. She cleared her throat. ‘You’re okay?’
‘Just had that weird feeling something was wrong, that’s all, and wanted to check. The kids – you seen them? Pip okay?’
‘Yes, everything’s great, we’re all good. Unless you count my bag being stolen at yoga. Can you believe that? It was right by me. Anyway, I picked the boys up from school – Pip had a job interview. That’s great news, isn’t it? Something to do with green energy. She fetched them just before seven and she wasn’t too sure how it went. Look, everything’s fine.’
‘Okay, sorry to wake you.’ I worked hard to sound calm and change the tone. ‘Tell you what,
I took a picture for you today. You’ll love it – great view of the bay. I’ll send it in a sec. Did the boys get their kiwis?’
‘Yeah, they love them. They had them yesterday. There was lots of Daddy this and Daddy that.’ She laughed. ‘It’s okay, they haven’t forgotten you. When are you back?’
‘Not sure – there’s a snag with the build. It might take a while to sort out. What about Mum – she okay?’
‘You have to stop worrying about us all the time. You sound like Dad. Mum’s still the same. She still thinks I’m her mummy most days, and she wants me to take her home, bless her. She always gets distressed when I leave. But you don’t want to hear all that now. What time is it, anyway?’
‘Sorry, sorry. I’ll call soon after the weekend when you’ve seen Mum. Just say hello to them all for me, yeah?’
‘Yep – and, Parker?’
‘Yes, m’lady?’
‘Don’t forget the picture.’
‘Yes, m’lady.’
She clicked off, no doubt to the sound of Simon honking about her irresponsible brother.
It wasn’t the first time I’d called so early in the morning, but that was only because I hadn’t thought about the time difference. Simon hadn’t been a fan of the early-morning wake-up calls then, either. But Simon wasn’t a fan of much, really.
I loved talking with Charlotte when I was down here, but I always felt guilty afterwards – even when I called at a civilized hour. I’d been lying to her for seven years about what I got up to. The whole family thought I had a yearly contract in New Zealand. I’d been lucky enough to get a job after our company folded. Work wasn’t easy to come by in the UK and these ‘yearly contracts’ had been a godsend for us all.
I still did bits and pieces back in the UK, mainly because I needed a cover story. But as far as they were concerned, the one thing that was constant and helped us all was a contract I had with a shopping-mall construction firm in New Zealand. I wasn’t making millions, but it was enough for a little extra to share round the family. We all needed it and, of course, it relieved the pressure when it came to paying the nursing-home bills. Plus, I got a lot more out of it than just looking after my family.
However, Simon got pissed off with it. In fact, he got pissed off with everything that had anything to do with Charlotte. I’d never understood what she saw in him. He was even pissed off that he wasn’t the breadwinner in that house. He should have got his finger out of his arse and worked harder instead of being an ‘artist’. Oil paintings of unicorns and castles don’t pay the rent.
I opened up the photos and set about emailing the nice shot of the yacht in the bay. I used email rather than WhatsApp because yet another communication app meant it would be easier than it already was for the family to contact me. I felt I needed to be in control of our communications while I was down here.
But I had forgotten: someone else was in control of my communications right now. There were no signal bars on my mobile, just the Samsung.
I had a sudden thought about the family. It wasn’t just my mobile signal that had dried up. What about my income stream?
I took some deep breaths of the ocean air. I had to think about what might be happening here. What did I need to be doing about it? What were they planning to do with me? Why was I a ‘chosen one’ for this so-called family?
For now, I didn’t have a choice. All I could do was play along with Parmesh, keep onside.
The land slipped away as we headed out into the Pacific Ocean, and the yacht began to surge up and down as the bow cut through the waves.
I checked my mobile once again. Still no bars. That didn’t make me feel good, but then I thought, Why would Parmesh let me use his mobile if any badness was planned for me? That was what I had to keep trying to tell myself.
The yacht crashed into a wave and I abandoned my attempt at logical thinking. I watched the land disappear behind me. Was I on a one-way ticket if I said no to whatever Parmesh had in mind for me?
12
It was cold and windy out on deck, even with the sun beating down. Parmesh had been right. I pulled my socks back up to my dad-tan line, my only bit of comfort at the moment being that the deck wasn’t wet and soaking my wool-clad feet.
One of the crew, a small woman in her twenties, with red cheeks and blonde hair in a bun to stop it flying everywhere, ran up to me with a fleece-lined windbreaker, the yacht’s name embossed on its left chest. She had a strong American accent. ‘She’s the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, wisdom, learning – everything that’s kinda cool.’
I thanked her and zipped it up to my chin. The world was instantly warmer. The Samsung was still full of strong signal. I continually checked. It made me feel better that I had contact with the outside world if I needed it.
The yacht bounced over the white horses, the coastline three or four miles to my left. We must have been travelling north.
It also made me feel better that we weren’t heading out to the open sea. Not that I didn’t like ocean, but land felt safer. Having a point of reference made me feel somehow that I hadn’t been kidnapped. I checked the Samsung once more.
I heard Parmesh behind me before I saw him. As I turned, a crew member further along the deck ran towards a newly landed gull. The massive grey thing waited until the shouts and clapping were just centimetres away before it fired up its wings and shot away.
Parmesh was multitasking, switching his mobile from hand to hand and ear to ear as he pulled on a windcheater. The wind took away what he was saying so he motioned with his spare hand to stay where I was. He was coming to me.
Like I had places to go.
The call ended and the mobile went into the coat pocket.
‘James!’ His expansive wave took in the coastline. ‘Magnificent, is it not? Can you imagine waking up to that every morning?’
‘Absolutely.’
York, in the north-east of England, versus South Island: there never had been any competition. I’d have stayed down here the first time I came if it hadn’t been for my boys. They might not be in the same house as me any more, but they still needed me, just like I needed them. There was also the rest of my family. I’d miss them if I didn’t see them every so often. My parents were to blame for giving me such a happy and stable upbringing that I didn’t want to leave them.
I joined Parmesh in admiring the view, both hands on the guardrail to steady myself against the waves, before the spell was broken. ‘So, James, your family, your sister, they are all okay, are they not?’
I fell back to earth. ‘Yes, they are.’
I was about to say thank you, but then decided against it. What if he took it as an insult? I was overthinking this. ‘Why do you want me to join you? I mean, you don’t even know me.’
I couldn’t bring myself to say ‘your family’. I didn’t know if he’d used the analogy to help explain or that was how he really thought of it.
‘Oh, James, I really do know all about you, everything. That is why you have become very important to me.’ He kept his hands on the rail as he surveyed the coastline. ‘What I need you to do and why, I will tell you once we are inside.’
He was playing with me.
‘I know you are interested – you cannot help yourself. But trust me, you will like what you learn, on so many levels. All you have to do is have hope and we can make change happen.’
Waves crashed against the cliffs in the distance.
‘Where are we going?’
‘Christchurch. It is not far, but I love going by sea. Better for the soul than taking the helicopter. Besides, the crew need to do some maintenance, refuel, that sort of thing. And I like waffles. Café Lumes in the city? The best.’
He stopped and smiled to himself, like he was having a private moment. A gust of wind hit him from behind and blew his hair over his face momentarily. ‘What do you think, James? Shall we get out of the wind and find out how to put the world straight?’
He was all smiles and I found myself mirr
oring him. ‘Do I have a choice?’
He broke into a laugh. ‘Of course you do. But I need you. You are important for our crusade, James.’
‘Why can’t I use my mobile?’
Parmesh pointed up to nothing in particular among the array of antennas and white spheres. ‘We have a bubble, like a Faraday bubble but much better. No Wi-Fi, no cell signal can come in or out except our own.’
He pointed at the Samsung. ‘Nothing else works for just over a hundred metres around the boat. Cool, do you not think? Mr Egbers likes to keep control of our world. It is safer that way.’
Just then a gull dive-bombed and got its revenge as a perfectly aimed grey and white squirt landed on his head and continued onto the shoulder of his windcheater.
I stood still, wanting to laugh but not sure what was about to happen. That soon changed as Parmesh erupted into laughter and one of the crew came running towards him with a towel.
I joined in, but not as much as I would have liked to. Parmesh wiped his hair and took off the jacket.
‘It is when I talk with my kids and the gulls get their comeback, I think that is Nature’s way of telling me not to get so up myself!’
He nodded at the door and the crew member took the towel and jacket away. ‘Please, James, after you. Out of the wind. You have a lot of information to take onboard.’
He jumped ahead to open it for me and seemed to realize something. ‘Ha! Take onboard. I just made a funny!’
I plugged the Samsung into its charger, took off my windcheater, and we sat in the same places as before.
‘James, I need you to know that I and the vast majority of the other cardinals are serious about our beliefs. We really will be able to help and guide governments to reorganize, take back control and so help the people. They will depend on us. But there will be many turbulent waters to cross before we are finally there. James, I need your help.’