The Last Enemy - Parts 1,2 & 3 - 1934-2054
Page 48
Chapter 2
Skip Ross looked at the holographic clock projected on the middle of his desk. The State of the Union address was about to start and Charles had not yet arrived, though he had hurried through the Langley headquarters’ gates exactly seven minutes before. The delay was due to the security checkpoints that had disrupted Washington traffic, turning the US capital into something that at times reminded Skip of the Baghdad of the first decade of the century.
It was time. Skip waved with the hands over the desk, and the hologram tuned into the House of Congress’ live feed. President Paul Moreno had just taken place on the speaker’s stand to address the nation in his first speech after the November 2024 election. Right then, Charles walked past the office door, tried to greet Skip, but was abruptly silenced by the CIA director. The speech began, and Skip did not want to miss a single word, even though he had read the text in advance. It was all about the way the message was conveyed.
“Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, my fellow Americans: as we gather tonight, our nation is faced with unprecedented dilemmas, and the civilized world once again is looking at America to lead the way forward. The state of our Union has never been stronger.” The voice of Paul Moreno resounded in Skip’s office.
“Well, I don’t think saying hello to me would disturb our President in delivering his message,” Charles resentfully remarked. Skip ignored him. Paul Moreno was expected to extend the consensus around the policy of Telomerax prohibition that had taken him to the White House after a wildly controversial campaign. Skip himself had provided the new President a few ideas, during the interview where he was reconfirmed as head of the CIA.
“…due to the reckless management team of Ambrosiax, the launch of anti-aging drugs based on Telomerax made tens of thousands of Americans lose their lives, leaving many more of their loved ones in grief and duress. Among them, Dr. Michael O’Brien, who is with us tonight. Last month, Michael was with his two children at the funeral of Shawn Kyles, his wife he loved, who died of cancer at age 32 with the baby she was carrying. A death that could have been avoided, had more judgment been exercised at the right time, and less greed allowed to drive the decisions of Corporate America. This should never have happened in our country, a country that for the first time in history, has made its primary goal the pursuit of happiness of its citizens.”
“How much did you lose with Ambrosiax, Charles?” Skip asked, his eyes fixed on the President, and his hands rhythmically adjusting the hologram angle.
Charles was becoming increasingly irritated.
“About fifteen billion dollars in market cap, several nights of sleep due to protesters camped outside of my Long Island mansion, roughly ten million dollars in cash to pay my lawyers, and a bit of my reputation. The silver lining is, it can all be earned back.”
“I think the right conditions are about to materialize, Charles, just keep listening.” Skip smiled, briefly glancing away from the hologram.
“Let me add today,” the President continued, “our government is more committed than ever to the American ideal, and we make our number one priority to ensure the right of all the American citizens to the safest possible pursuit of happiness. As I vowed in my campaign, America will never witness another Ambrosiax case again, and the drug and all its derivatives will be banned from public distribution until researchers come up with a version that is safe beyond doubt.”
“Which according to what we know might never exist…” Charles commented. “It is a kind of open-ended declaration of war, against an elusive enemy.”
“That’s why the President needs allies,” Skip continued, “and he has just found a very influential one.”
“We know it is a controversial choice that has sparked a furious debate during the election campaign last year. Yet, we are not alone in this judgment. Just one week ago, we greeted the election of Cardinal Tim Dolan of New York to the Holy See, the first American pontiff in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. I am not a Catholic, and like many Americans I beg to differ from Cardinal Dolan’s view on a number of key ethical matters, from abortion policy, to assisted death, to same-sex marriage. That has not changed, even now that he has become Pope Benedict XVII. However, we both agree that prudence in managing drugs like Telomerax is worth a temporary, little restraint on the vast freedom that this country enjoys.”
“The temporary, little restraints call for some credible enforcement means,” Skip commented, “Paul’s position about Telomerax made him win conservatives, and appealing to the Pope position, the first American Pope, allows him to enlarge his consensus among Catholic Democrats, which he badly needs since he lost libertarians and the Tea Party forever. The last thing he needs now, if he does not want to lose control of the Republican Party, is for Telomerax to keep spreading despite the ban, making his policy ineffective.”
“And here is where I can help you again,” Charles added, “developing Telomerax allowed us to design also Telomerax detectors, to check if people are using or have used Telomerax. Let’s not forget that many people still use it simply to get rid of cocaine side effects.”
“That’s exactly what government agencies like us need from our leading corporations!” Skip said in a tone that was neither cheerful nor ironic. “Just tell me. I hope no one can easily track you behind this new company, as you said before, your reputation is still somehow tarnished.”
“We control the new company, - it is named BioGuard by the way, - via multiple venture capital funds whose investor lists are private. I have no executive role, and no one really bothers interviewing all the members in the board of directors to find out who the investors really are.”
“Very good, I think we will need a lot of BioGuard detectors as we move forward. You will rebuild your empire sooner than you imagined, if the budget that the President has in mind is approved by Congress. But let’s listen to President Moreno, he is about to finish.”
“….in a single instant we realized that this will be a decisive decade in the history of liberty, that we've been called to a unique role in human events, to an act of balance between huge rewards and potentially even larger risks. Steadfast in our purpose, we must now press on. We have made a decision for safe freedom. And with this choice, my fellow Americans, our country will lead the world to a better future. Thank you all. May God bless you and your loved ones.”
The majority of the House of Congress burst into applause, as the sound of the live feed faded and a bunch of political commentators appeared on the screen. Skip switched off the hologram and turned to Charles.
“Why did you ask to meet me in person? You could have updated me on the detectors via secure holoconference.”
“It’s about George. There are people around asking questions about his death. I was told by people with connections in the journalist community of the Silicon Valley.”
“So what?” Skip replied nonchalantly. “Do you happen to have something to do with it? If you have something to hide, telling the boss of the CIA is not exactly the smartest thing to do.”
“Oh no, not at all. It was a stroke, according to the coroner report. I also saw George’s body in the morgue, and could not see any kind of wounds, so I guess the coroner was right, but…people asking questions after more than a year…it just sounded strange, and I wanted to tell you.”
“On second thought, it is strange..” Skip repeated, “who exactly is asking these questions? Journalists? Private investigators? Maybe foreigners?”
“No, no foreigners. I was given a few names. They are all Americans, Jewish Americans to be more precise. I know, because my girlfriend Sally is a Jew, and I have come to recognize their last names.”
Skip managed to conceal his surprise. “Time to put in service the new version of FriendWatch,” he thought, then he replied to Charles in the most dismissive tone he could manage.
“Alright, thanks for the heads up. Frankly, I do not see this as a top priority. You could have sa
ved yourself a trip on the bullet train.”
“Well, you forget that I had to give you your quarterly quota anyway,” Charles snapped back, placing a small tube of pills on the desk. Skip looked at the pills and the hologram projector next to them, then raised his eyebrows,
“Charles, looks like you were not listening to our President. This stuff is no longer legal.”
“Do not worry. This version escapes BioGuard detectors. See you next time, Skip.” Charles smiled, imitated a military salute to Skip, and left the office.