THE GAME THEORY



THE GAME THEORY

Michael Nemeth

“Like Intelligent Design, the idea of the Invisible Hand stubbornly persists in the face of overwhelming evidence” -James Kenneth Galbraith.

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PROLOGUE

As predicted by the Mayans, Planet Earth experienced a period ending, and a new one emerging. The first real evidence was when the magnetic poles began to move erratically causing wild gravitational waves and shifts in the continental tectonic plates triggering volcanoes, earthquakes, and accelerated climate change.

The ice caps melted, resulting in major flooding to coastal populations. Drought and desserts appeared where there were none before. Pollution combined with high atmospheric volcanic ash changed the sky, blocking out most of the sun’s rays. The rays that got through were kept in the atmosphere slowly raising global temperatures, eventually melting the last glaciers. The rains were an acidic deluge. Most of the crops and vegetation could not cope.

Then the viruses came, affecting the planet’s birds; soon after all hoofed animals, then the rest; only a few species survived. What followed for mankind was devastation in the form of two pandemics, SCARS4 and H9N8, wiping out more than 60% of the world’s population in the first wave of flues. The next round had no names, there wasn’t time; fewer than 100 million people existed worldwide.

Throughout this period governments collapsed, schools, institutions, entire cities were abandoned. Only the largest companies with formidable resources survived and became the new world order. Oil, food, and drugs were the only currency. The biggest, Titan Oil, acquired interests in everything from food to steel. One odd move was when they took over the World Wide Web. At first, they claimed it was just to save and maintain it. Shortly after they secured most of the infrastructure and hardware; they soon monitored and controlled it limiting free access to the last real global communication system. It was hard to get any reliable information or news that wasn’t edited by Titan-On-Line.

During the pandemics, Eden Drug Company owned by Titan Oil, conducted research with the few animal species that were unaffected by the viruses. They used a couple bald eagles trapped near the Alaskan pipeline; the oil company’s mascot, two white tigers from a private zoo in New Jersey; plus a pair of Colorado wolves that were caught after terrorizing the Billings’ Refinery, and a pack of rogue coyotes near the Beaumont Refinery in Texas. They were all taken to Eden Labs in Ann Arbor, Michigan where scientists developed a vaccine that eventually was successful in protecting humans against the smorgasbord of deadly ever mutating viruses.

Titan Oil provided all their employees with the vaccine and sold millions of doses to the public. The overseas companies were able to find other surviving species and develop their own strain of the vaccine. What were common in all the vaccine forms were the side effects that manifested in the offspring, creating a new generation of children: visible mutations that blended some of the physical reminders of the host DNA; a variety of features distorting the eyes, mouth, noses and ears. Children started showing pin feather hair, hard shelled noses, and some with bird-like eyes.

Overseas, Chinese sailors found kimono dragons on remote islands that had survived, and a few giant pandas in the secluded mountain reserves. The result was an entire population who were powerful, fast; some with hard scale-like skin, and some with just different ears or eyes, but all majestic highbred beings.

In North America, for people who could not afford to buy the cure at a Titan clinic; there was a mix of cheaper underground vaccines available.

The main characters in the story with their features:

• S. T. Williams (eagle DNA), bird-like ears, yellow eyes, slight discolored hard skin over nose.

• Jane A Williams (white tiger DNA), slight feline facial features, high ears, blue cat-like eyes.

• Wyatt Williams: like his father, predominantly eagle features, with his mother’s blue eyes.

• Charlie Williams: like his mother, predominantly white tiger features, with his father’s large yellow eyes.

Titan Oil’s private army, the Bush Security people, had K-9 features, usually wolf or coyote. The rare tiger or eagle features were from a small original batch of vaccines only available to top company executives. People without the vaccine did not live long enough to have children; with only a few exceptions who developed a natural defensive immunity.

Survival and progress was possible, and two different types of societies emerged. The majority of communities were just extensions of the major companies, still functioning with capitalistic free market values. The others were self-sufficient communal societies; not unlike the Amish communities, that flourished in and around southern Ontario and Pennsylvania; however, without the religion, and with a real thirst for new technology.

*

This story takes place around an old house in a small village above the north shore overlooking Long Point Bay on Lake Erie, across from Cleveland, Ohio. The alternating chapters are the Before and After.

The main After character, S.T. Williams, runs a local repair shop in an abandoned big box store-type building. His wife, Jane, works in an indoor reforestation farm at Titan’s Agra-Lab. She is experimenting with the reintroduction of outdoor agriculture from one of the few remaining seed banks. The air has become so contaminated oxygen masks must be worn at all times anywhere outdoors. The year is 2069, exactly 100 years since man first landed on the moon.

The main Before character, Sean Galbraith, is a retired Washington Economics advisor. He is living in the present time during which he and the world will witness the greatest changes to our planet since modern man has tracked time.

You are about to meet his granddaughter.

Chapter 1

TYRANNY OF SMALL DECISIONS

Mary is intently watching her favorite professor as he writes TYRANNY OF SMALL DECISIONS on the large white board. He prints big bold letters and moves with command and style. She is captivated by this confident, magnificently fit, mature, African-American professor watching him rhythmically pace back and forth.

The professor gestures as he quotes, “Aristotle, sometime before his death in 322 BC, says, ‘For that which is common to the greatest number has the least care bestowed upon it. Everyone thinks chiefly of his own, hardly at all of the common interest, and only when he is himself concerned as an individual. For besides other considerations, everybody is more inclined to neglect the duty which he expects another to fulfill.’ ”

He continues, “Imagine a railway with daily service to get in and out of a remote location. It provided services regardless of conditions, in fair weather and foul, during peak seasons and off-peak seasons. The local airline and bus company also offered service, but only when conditions were favorable. After several years, the railway service is then withdrawn, because travelers did not provide the railway with the revenue it needed to cover its incremental costs to keep the line operating, resulting in, ‘no service at all’ once the bus and airline stop proving the seasonal option.” He then stops writing and walks away from the board.

Mary notices that today the professor is wearing the exact same well tailored clothes as he had on the day before. She wonders if he might have not made it home last night, and fantasizes about what he might have looked like when he was twenty-three, her age. She stares down at her notebook barely hearing him ask:

“For those of you that completed last night’s assignment, let’s have some other examples of undesirable economical outcomes due to individual small decisions or choices made initially with a positive intended, however, cumulatively in mass, results in an opposite negative impact to the contingents.”

She hides her pretty face behind her hair as she feels his eyes scanning the classroom. She peeks through a small part in her bangs as the professor picks on a young man in the front row.

“Yes, John, stop waiving your hands and stand up.”

Mary lifts her head slightly watching John stand, knowing he will answer any question just for a chance to hear himself talk. She looks back down to her iPad notebook trying to get the images out of her mind, and to find her place again in the novel she downloaded earlier in the week. She is only half listening as John answers.

“Tyranny of small decisions…” John says as if boasting, “a result when consumers don’t consider all the costs and benefits of a choice, and when the same choice is made by many people, the result is irreversibly damaging.”

The professor’s face reads disappointment. “Okay, but I was looking for an example, not a definition…” He pauses.

Mary tries to finish reading the last couple lines of the chapter, until she notices the silence. She lifts her head and realizes that the whole class is now looking at her. She removes her glasses, pulls her long curly red hair back over her right ear; sits up straight before making eye contact with the professor, just as he says:

“Yes, Mary, are you with us today? Let’s hear your example on this topic…” Before Mary can even get a word out, he continues in a patronizing tone, “and try just this one time not to turn it into another environmental issue. I would expect a Galbraith to give a little autonomy for the economy.” The professor claps his hands once shuffling his shoulders.

Mary smiles, feeling that familiar chemistry she always has when she locks eyes with her favorite professor. She’s aware of the class and shifts her facial expression as she answers in a serious manner. “Okay...so I won’t go with the example of how small decisions made by farmers and land owners to drain wetlands or small decisions of industrialists to release pollutants into our skies are an example of tyranny. I’ll just use the fact that thousands of educators make small decisions every day to leave out a vital factor, the environment. It’s just like your quote from Aristotle—you’re only thinking of your own interests, and neglect reality, expecting that it will be part of some abstract elective or future program. So, who should we be hearing the truth from regarding our environment? The engineers? The lawyers? The military?”

Mary gets up, grabbing her books and starts her trek toward the door while continuing, “The farmers, the fishermen, truck drivers, Wall Street, Washington, United Nations…why can’t it be coming from you, our educators?”

“Where are you going, young lady?” the professor challenges her.

She stops in the doorway. “Nowhere. That’s the point. We’re not going anywhere that really matters.”

“Mary, I want to see you after classes today, or you are going to fail this class and not graduate this term,” the professor calls out as she leaves.

Mary spends the rest of the day in the library finishing her book, The Elite Society, before deciding to go back and see the professor.

She knocks on the door and walks in. She is agitated when he does not look up as he says:

“Mary, I have better things to do with my time than wait around all evening. You are lucky I have papers to mark or I would not have stayed this late.”

“Look, you asked me here, remember? So I’m here.”

“Is your education not important to you?” He continues before she can answer, “You have a chance to make something of yourself. You are one of the brightest students I have ever taught, and you just don’t get it.”

“I don’t get it?” Mary rolls her eyes in disbelief. “Can you not see what is happening all around us?”

“Mary, not everything is about the environment. You can graduate with top honors, and then if you decide, take a few years and work with a special interest group, make a difference. Just don’t do it in my class. You influence and distract the other students who are here to learn.”

“Learn what?” she huffs. “Your canned lessons on how to apply ourselves so we can propagate the agenda of the almighty economy?”

“Mary, no one forced you to study economics.”

“No, but it is clear after these last four years that I have entered the Devil’s Lair.”

“Mary, do you hear yourself? Honestly, the Devil’s Lair, my classroom?”

Mary gestures right and left. “NO...it’s this whole place.”

“I’m surprised at you, Mary,” the professor shakes his head. “I never saw you as the religious type,”

“It wasn’t meant that way. There is a bigger picture. There are other elements and things more important than learning about the economy.”

“Of course there is...” the professor pauses for a moment to reflect. “Okay, humor me, you have my attention. I’ll listen. You educate me on how you see things. Get it out of your system once and for all, and then I don’t want to hear it again. Not in my class.” He turns to a white board on the wall, and with a red marker he writes as he is saying, “Not everything in life is about the ECONOMY VS. NATURE.”

Mary picks up a green marker and writes the word MOTHER over the word NATURE. “Mother Nature...” she erases and rewrites NATURE in green,

“and don’t be offended, it’s not just your class, but it is the economy against Mother Nature.”

“Please, we’re just here to discuss your behavior in my economics class, young lady, and if you plan to have a future…”

“Future?” Mary interrupts in a low voice looking straight into his eyes. “That is exactly what I am concerned about. And not just my future, but everyone’s future.”

“Look, you’re far too young to start shouldering the weight of all the problems on this planet. So just put Mother Nature on hold while you are in my class and focus on Father Economy,” the professor smiles.

“Father Economy?” she snaps back, “You’ve got to be joking? The father hasn’t even started to wave his invisible hand. In case you haven’t noticed, the earth is changing...”

Mary writes the words, one under the other, EARTH AIR PLANTS ANIMALS as she says, “The father is on this side!” She points to MOTHER NATURE. “He has not weighed in yet. He has noticed that we’re no longer satisfied with just suckling at her breast. And like a good father, he wants us to have free will. What he can’t see is that we just want her exploitable resources, so we can serve this precious economy...” Mary’s passion is evident as she continues, “and it’s killing her. Like any mother, she has given all she can. But like spoiled children, we just can’t wait to inherit what we believe is ours. You’re teaching us to rip at her very flesh, her every treasured morsel listed on the stock exchange. You can see how she is responding to the pain.” Mary writes the words in blue, CLIMATE and FORCES under MOTHER NATURE.

“Even with all her gifts, we still plunge deep into her belly, gouge at her skin, violate the very balance of nature. Yet we’re continuing this back and forth dance we insist on leading. Have you not noticed? Are you seeing what is playing out around the world, its daily news? With every disastrous war, oil spill, reactor leak, dammed river, strip mine, smoke stack, weapon testing, logging, and so much more? Each manmade catastrophe just provokes an equally devastating natural disaster. How long how can we ignore what is imminent? How long can this endure before it’s too late?”

The professor, surprised at her emotion, tries to settle her down. “Things are not quite so dire. You can’t just look at the ugly side of mankind. We are not all opportunists. We have many magnificent accomplishments. There are endless good deeds and as many kind, well meaning people as there are those that do wrong.”

Mary picks up the red marker, looks back at the professor and begins to lecture him. “Okay, let’s go with that. You said, ‘as many as’. That would imply a balance. So why are there now less species? She writes the word LESS beside ANIMALS, and continues. “Less trees,” as she writes LESS beside PLANTS. “Polluted skies, holes in the ozone, dangerous UV indexes, hundreds of thousands of children gasping with asthma...”

She writes LESS beside the word AIR; then turns to the professor. “Do you want to know what the tyranny of all these small decisions we make daily is?” She doesn’t wait for his answer. “When this balance you’re talking about finally keeps us from going outside because the air is un-breathable, so toxic that the very plants and animals that feed us all need to be farmed indoors, small decisions that foster the tyranny of disease and pandemics eventually leading to…”

Mary stops for a second to write PANDEMICS and DISEASE under CLIMATE and FORCES in green. She switches to blue and writes the word MAN. And in red beside MAN she writes LESS saying, “Less man...”

The Professor interrupts, “And that is tyranny?”

Mary leaps back at the board. “No! The tyranny is...” She writes in red the word FEW and in green INNOCENT. “Even with less man, regardless the number, there will always be the few privileged and the innocent. Because that’s what we learned—that’s what you teach.” She draws a red arrow to the word ECONOMY, saying as she completes a circle in red, “And the only way the economy survives is to continue to exploit nature, resulting in less air, less plants, less animals, and less man.”

Then, her big finish: “That’s our future. If you care to see past the Market Index, it’s a vicious circle spiraling in on itself, like flushing a toilet.” She makes several more swirling circles in red, then points at the word INNOCENT and writes with the green marker, OFF-THE-GRID and OIL, putting an x through the word OIL; whispering to herself, “It starts with X on oil.”

She stares at the board then back to the professor; throws her purse over her shoulder, and hands him the red and green markers. She half turns toward the door; then taking one last look at the board, she picks up the blue marker, draws a line across the bottom of the board under INNOCENT, writes HOPE below the line, and draws a final arrow from INNOCENT to HOPE.

Mary says under her breath, “It will have to be the innocent that rise against those few privileged if there is any hope to clean up this mess.”

Mary notices that the professor was listening as he stares at the board. She heads to the door with her back to the professor. After a couple steps she hears him say:

“It’s not just me, Mary. All the staff is concerned. You are rebellious. It’s like you’re trying to force a confrontation over anything that doesn’t agree with you...like you have some kind of hidden agenda.”

Mary hesitates. She realizes he cares, he’s always treated her fair, and she tries to hold back the tears. “You’re right. I am just a small insignificant voice…”

The professor jumps in. “On the contrary. Because of your family’s contributions and the influence they still hold here, believe me, your voice is loud.”

He runs a hand over his salt and pepper hair. “Mary, I respect your passion, but you have to get past this thought that it’s you against the world. The world is not against you. It’s much more complex than that, not all black and white, Mother Nature against the economy.”

Mary wipes away a tear and raises her voice. “I don’t care about what my family has done, or what you think about them...” She hesitates, trying to choose her words carefully. “Okay, you brought up my ancestry, so let me remind you of yours. It was no mass migration or divine spiritual pilgrimage. There was no war, no plague, drought, or other natural disasters. No pioneers, no explorers, and no mistake. Africans were taken from their home, brought to America, and sold like commodities, beasts of burden to serve the economy. Each sale just small decisions...to buy, or not to buy.” She stops and it’s awkwardly silent before she continues.

“There. Is that the example of tyranny you wanted to hear from me in class today? I know we are living in a different time now, but the only thing that has changed is that now we are all slaves to the economy. Whether you like it or not. I won’t just go along quietly while you all groom me, gown, cap and papers in hand, ready to serve the Master singing, ‘Yes we can.’ ”

Mary realizes she is still holding the blue marker. She steps back to the board, drops it into the tray, and leaves without looking back.

***

Later that day, in the Dean’s office, a group of professors are discussing Mary’s behavior and how they can’t see graduating her with such an attitude problem. They do agree that her marks are adequate and that she has strong analytical skills to solve and understand complex equations well above average.

One professor states there is no doubt she knows the fundamentals and elements of economics. He’s concerned about how she might apply herself in the job market, and how it may reflect back on the institution.

The dean agrees, but it’s not just her job performance and attitude reflecting back on the university that worries him. He speaks for the group when he says that what scares them all is the attention they may get if they fail a Galbraith.

They talk further about her family’s legacy and influence that helped develop modern economics. Their discussions go on for a time until they all agree that it would be better to just let her graduate.

An older professor stands up, looks out the window and says, “She’ll probably join some organization like Green Peace, have babies, and live off the grid somewhere no one can hear her.”

Mary’s favorite professor speaks up for the first time during the meeting. “You’re probably right. But babies are only innocent for a time until they grow up...and then, God help us all!”

Chapter 2

THE THOMPSON BATTERY

[Sometime in the future, Mary’s adult son, Williams, is sitting at his desk looking at a computer screen with his air mask pushed up on his head.]

Williams looks up at the clock realizing it is well past quitting time. He needs to wind up what he is working on and call it a day. He leaves his office and walks to the main shop, where he notices Dan has already turned off most of the lights and equipment for the day.

“See you tomorrow, Dan. I’ll finish closing up,” Williams says. He scratches his hard, beak-like nose, the result of animal DNA vaccines a generation before that had affected 90% of the global population. The vaccines were extracted from a few species, avian and feline, that survived the deadly viruses. Other side effects produced Williams’s avian ears and yellow eyes. But he was ruggedly handsome all the same.

“You want me to deliver the generators to the refinery on my way home?” Dan replies pulling his mask over his head as a prelude to stepping outside. Dan is fifteen years older with a normal, albeit weathered face.

“No, it’s late. I’ve got T-O-L open,” Williams says, referring to the privately owned Internet service, Titan-on-Line, “I’ll shoot McEwen a heads up, and we’ll deliver them in the morning.”

“You sure? It’s not a problem for me to stay.” Dan stops for a second and remembers: “Oh, the forestry station called again. We have got to finish that new tractor planter for the Agra-Lab folks.”

“I know, I’ll talk to Jan at supper tonight and tell her. We just got the gas engines in. We’ll finish it over the weekend and deliver it on Monday.” Williams nods his head to Dan and pulls down the overhead door behind them. They both step back into the shop and remove their masks as Williams continues.

“Dan, I know you and I have been working together a long time, and I appreciate all the long hours you put in here, but you’ve got to get yourself a life. I still can’t believe you quit your refinery job when they fired me. You not only were their best machinist, you understood how everything works.”

“Me? You were the boss.”

Williams touches Dan’s arm momentarily. “I knew how to schedule the equipment and the men, even how to work management. Dan, you could hear, see, smell, feel things that no one, and I mean NO ONE could. The way you fix things, and the way you understand equipment, and not only the mechanics, electronics, and physical specifications, you somehow get inside the very fiber, like they were living or something. You couldn’t scrap anything. It was like giving up on a life. It’s almost weird.”

Dan smiles. “Hey, how many times have I told you? I work for you. Anyways, it wasn’t fair to fire you because your kid hacked into the company’s computer system and froze it up. It was just Charlie’s way of showing them how smart he is.”

Williams nods. “Dan, if anyone was smart at Titan, it was you. You are by far one of the most intelligent men I have ever met. You could easily be running that whole refinery and then some, if you put your mind to it. You just have to stop being so much like…well, you.”

Dan smiles again. “No, your dad, Mike, was the smart one, and I told him I would keep an eye on you.”

“But, Dan, those jobs are hard to come by, and I have not been able to pay you even close to…”

Dan puts his hand on Williams shoulder. “Stop it. You don’t owe me anything. I owe you. Believe me, that goddamn refinery can’t even begin to give me close to what I have here… shit, I’d be long dead if I had stayed any longer. Charlie was not only your son he was my friend, just like Wyatt. Hell…you, Jan, Charlie, Wyatt, your dad, you’re my only family.”

Williams swings his hand up onto Dan’s. “At least my son can talk to you…even before Charlie took off without so much as a good-bye. I know it’s been difficult for Wyatt, as an officer with the local Rangers, and practically the only law around here. It’s tough to have your little brother in exile, a fugitive. What was Charlie thinking?”

Dan shrugs. “He knows how hard you worked to get that promotion and that you planned on working out your final days for Titan Oil. He also knows how hard it made it for his mom working for Titan Agra-Lab—and how heartbreaking it is, especially since Charlie can no longer stay around these parts, because we all know that if Wyatt doesn’t arrest him, Bush Security will get him.”

Williams shakes his head. “Charlie was never satisfied here. I’m okay living in this small village. It’s far enough away from the refinery and Dover Pond, yet close enough to make a meager living.” The Ponds were Titan Oil indoor communities, generally surrounded by security fences, to separate and protect the elite from the rest.

Williams continues, “Once McEwen realized that Charlie was acting on his own I got back my network access to T-O-L, and as long as they throw enough work this way to keep the lights on, I ‘m not complaining.”

“That and the locals have been coming in regularly with odd repairs,” Dan adds.

Williams pats Dan on the shoulder and tells him to go home.

The walk from the shop to the house is short enough that Williams doesn’t bother with his filter mask. This small village’s population is mostly employed by the Titan Agra-Lab forestry station and they have a much healthier environment than the gated population at Dover Pond off the Titan Oil Refinery and Steel Mill.

The house feels quiet, especially since the boys have left home.

“Hello? Is that you, S.T.?” Jan sings out, using his nickname.

“Yep, just going upstairs to get cleaned up,” Williams says as he runs up the front main staircase.

He gets to the top of the stairs and Charlie’s bedroom door is open. Jan has been in there again. He pushes the slightly open door a bit more and scans his eyes across the walls; it is like a newsroom or a war room Charlie has old Buffett Retail Outlet posters that he found somewhere in the shop. The long defunct Buffett franchise featured a wide variety of GREEN products. There were also posters of solar panels, windmills, electric cars, and old video games. Yes, video gaming—that is what got him into trouble at Titan Oil.

William closes the bedroom door and heads to the washroom. He takes a shower and thinks back to when the boys would spend hours trying to figure out how to get some of those old computers and laptops running. Wyatt even figured out how to modify a generator to run everything on DC power. But once Charlie got on to those computers, he was hooked and never satisfied. It was always more memory, more speed, and more capacity. He would read every manual, and if he could not find out what he needed in the manuals, he would log into Titan-on-Line.

They had many discussions, and for a long time, Charlie would just lock himself in his room and play those video games for hours and days. The few times they talked, it always turned into an argument over how Charlie was using Williams’s special T-O-L connection to the refinery. He’d say, “Dad, the Internet lines should be free for everyone to use, not just Titan Oil.

He’d tell his son, “If Titan Oil had not maintained the system all these years, there would not even be an Internet.

Williams did eventually get Charlie a job at Titan Oil in the IT department. But then, Charlie finally did it to himself; he set up some kind of unauthorized link so that he could game with others like himself. Once Titan Oil discovered the breach, they told Williams that Charlie had been networking for several years, not only from work but over Williams’s home link—and not with local people, but with people all over the world, including China. That alone could get you locked up for a long time. Communication with China, the enemy, was against the law and considered treason.

Williams finishes cleaning up and walks downstairs. Jan has brought some greens from the lab, and it looks like she is going to stir fry some Agra Produce.

“Wyatt stopped by the shop today and was talking to Dan for awhile, and then left with just a ‘Hello’, and ‘see you later, Dad’. Did he stop by to see you at the lab?” Williams asks.

“Yep, he wanted some flowers for the girl he is seeing at Titan Steel.”

“It’s hard to believe that she is an electrical repair person,” Williams marvels. “She is so small, but smart as a whip, and we know Wyatt and his passion for electronics.”

“I hope she can settle him down…they have a lot in common,” Jan adds.

“It’s too bad that there wasn’t someone out there who could get Charles’s attention long enough to get him away from those computers.” Williams shakes his head.

“You have to stop being angry with him. He did not do this to hurt you,” Jan reminds him.

“No, he just did it to play his precious video games,” Williams scowls. “He knows how much we all depend on Titan Oil for our very lives. We have a good life here—friends, neighbors, and people that count on us not to be reckless.”

“Well, that’s why he sent that e-mail to McEwen, the operations manager. Charlie made it clear that he acted alone and no one else was involved. He does care,” Jan says in a sharp voice with her cat-like ears back, this being one of her vaccine side effects.

“I’m lucky that the shop still gets work from Titan Oil, since I’m no longer working at the refinery,” Williams says, holding her gaze.

“Titan Oil uses you because you do good work. You’re the best…” she kisses him, purrs, and flashes him that feline smile.

Williams kisses her back and amorously pushes her against the counter, then notices something in the sink. He picks up a peanut butter covered spoon. “Has Charlie been here? You still grow peanuts at the Agra Station, right?” showing her the spoon.

“It’s his favorite.” Jan stops smiling and looks away.

Williams turns her to face him. “Oh, great. You’re not still sneaking supplies to him, are you? Look, they know there is a Gate out on the Point, and they know about the gardens,” Williams frowns. “It’s just a matter of time before Bush Security goes out there and closes them down.”

The Gates were modular communities with their own water, sewage drainage, and power infrastructure. They grow their own food (gardens), and have products and services, even the power to generate community revenue; essentially they are small industries with zero carbon footprints. Their progress is sustained using “contraband”—at least as Titan Oil considers it—KEY software (Knowledge Empowers You).

Williams continues. “I hope that Charlie is not staying there. Gates are not safe, and Titan Oil sees them as a threat. Gates have not been legal around here for over fifty years. Thankfully, your parents lived in the original Long Point Gate for awhile when you were small,” he reminds her.

“Yes, and so did your parents. And had they not been living there at the time they may have never gotten the corporate-DNA vaccines, during the pandemics, and none of us would be here.”

Williams smiles at her. “Then you wouldn’t have these beautiful cat-like features.”

Jan give him a kiss. “Then you wouldn’t have those magnificent yellow eyes…but I’m pretty sure you would still be hardnosed.” She taps the bridge of his tuff bill with the thin sharp claw of her index finger.

“Look, we don’t want to be banished like Charlie,” Williams pleads.

“It wouldn’t be so bad…” she says with a distant stare.

“Don’t you like living in this house? It’s been in my family for over three hundred years. What about the Agra Lab? You love working with plants. Who else can grow those old seeds in polluted ground with acid rain and little or no sun?” he insists. “You said it yourself: every plant that lives is not only feeding us, but cleaning the air. You’ve convinced Titan to support you to grow new trees. Your reforestation project needs you. And what about all the guys that work for me at the shop? They have families,” Williams stresses the word. “Hell, without the shop, Dan has no job. He could never go back to the refinery. What’s he going to do?”

Williams stops for a second, shakes his head, looks up at her and says, “No, we’re here, and we’re here just doing what we do, and not making any waves. It‘s the path of least resistance.”

“Your great-grandfather and your grandfather are turning in their graves with that talk,” she says, glaring at him.

Williams snaps back, “The world was different then. People could move around and travel, take vacations. They had a chance to live and work in all those countries. My grandfather and great-grandfather even lived in places like Brazil and Russia for awhile.”

He thinks for a second; looks at an old Chinese scroll on the wall. “Grandpa was even over in China working on a Nuclear Hydro Project. God knows what’s going on in those places these days,” Williams mutters.

“What about your grandfather’s Buffett store!?” she snaps back. “Do you forget what that building you keep calling a shop was?”

She lowers her voice. “Yes, Charlie was here, and yes I gave him more seedlings. You may not want to hear this, but he needs our help.”

“Charlie never needed my help!” Williams shoots back.

“Well, he’s asking for it now,” she says in a loud whisper.

“Does he need more gas? I can’t ever seem to keep that tank full lately,” Williams resigns. “Anyways, tell him to just keep coming at night. He knows where we keep it behind the shop. Tell him to take all he needs, I don’t even want to know.”

“It’s not gas he needs,” Jan says quietly.

“Then what?” Williams says with exasperation. “Food? That’s your department.”

“It’s something bigger,” she continues in a low voice. “It’s too difficult to work the land all day wearing masks, and they need to grow more food.”

“He wants me to build him a tractor and planter?” Williams says incredulously. “Like the ones we built you for the Agra Lab?”

“No. Like the original plans show. Electric planters, and electric tractors.”

Williams looks at her, his mouth agape. “Jan, those need to run off batteries, and batteries have to be recharged. You need a lot of gas to recharge batteries, and…”

“Just build him the planters and tractors,” she interrupts him, “you don’t need to know anything else. Just remember how difficult it was for us at first, working outside with filter masks at the Titan Agra Farm, before you built those first couple tractors. Without the tractors it was almost impossible! Those contorted weeds grow so fast that you can’t keep up hoeing by hand in masks. And you need to cultivate or you lose the crop.”

“Well, they have been doing it by hand for thousands of years,” Williams retorts.

“They had animals—horses, mules, oxen—and they could breathe the air,” Jan reminds him, then marches out of the kitchen. As usual, she always had to have the last word.

***

Williams gets ready for bed and is asleep before Jan comes up.

In the morning, the slight reddish brown glow coming in the east window is all Williams needs to get up and leave early to the shop.

As usual, Dan is there before everyone. Back at the refinery he was never on time, and he took a lot of time off. Here, it’s like he never goes home, always fixing or improving something.

What stands out most about Dan is that he is still a pureblood. No signs of vaccine side effects that produced various animal features from the hosts in humans. He says that his mom and dad were too stupid, too stubborn, or too suspicious and never got the vaccines. They eventually both died, but not Dan…he survived, only to get cancer from working in the refinery. And now, he seems to be surviving that too. When Williams asks how he is doing, he usually answers: “Some people are too fuckin’ stupid, or too fuckin’ stubborn to die.”

It was that type of talking that kept Dan from moving up at the refinery, especially in front of McEwen and the other management.

Here, Dan is someone that they all can count on. Even the boys. Dan would always razz Charlie; and sometimes when he wasn’t too busy, he’d spend hours with them on those computers that he helped Wyatt build in his early teens. At times, Dan would even challenged Charlie at some of those old video games.

When Williams first met Dan, he used to play around and sometimes lock up the computers at the refinery. They’d have to wait days to order parts in. He’d just laugh, “That’s Dan.

“Good Morning, Dan,” Williams waves, walking over. “Do you need a hand loading up those generators?”

“Already loaded up. Just need these last couple jerry cans, boss, and I’ll fill them up while I’m at the refinery.”

There are about 30 old cans already loaded in front of the two generators, and Dan is up in the truck moving a row of brand new jerry cans up against the back of the one generator.

“Hey, let me hand these last two jerry cans up to you,” Williams volunteers.

Dan quickly jumps off the truck. “No, no, you don’t need to get your hands dirty.”

“C’mon, Dan, these are brand new cans.” Their eyes meet as Williams picks up the two cans. “They’re heavy,” he says, swinging the first one up onto the back of the truck. Dan’s eyes are still locked on Williams’s face. “Delivering those full cans somewhere?”

Before Dan can answer, Williams swings the next one up with his left hand and it catches the edge of the truck. The jerry can bounces out of his hand onto the floor. The lid breaks off as the can falls on its side. Williams bends over to grab it from dumping gas all over; then he stops and is puzzled. There is only a small amount of clear colorless liquid slowly seeping out.

“That’s not gas!” Williams informs Dan.

A serious look appears on Dan’s face, one that Williams has never seen before.

Dan hesitates, and then confesses, “Okay, you’ve got to know, I owe you that. It’s not a regular jerry can. It’s just supposed to look like one. It’s a Thompson battery.”

“Where did you get them?” Williams is genuinely puzzled.

“These are for Charlie. I’ve been using our generator to recharge them for him…but don’t worry,” Dan quickly adds, “this is the last time.”

“The ‘last time’? How long you been charging batteries for Charlie?” Williams eyes him warily.

“For Charlie…not so long. But I’ve been charging batteries the whole time I’ve been working here,” Dan says without remorse. “S.T., you can’t always close your eyes and keep looking away.”

Chapter 3

6 O’CLOCK NEWS

[Back in our current time, Mary’s grandfather, Sean, sits in front of the TV]

Through the open window, a sudden early evening breeze throws back the curtains, shooting sunbeams past a leathery ear, onto an old strong hand holding a crystal glass half filled. He notices that the magnificent glow of his 20-year Scotch is the exact color of his mother’s eyes. Before leaning back into the cushions of his favorite Emperors rosewood chair, with the index finger of his other hand, he taps the two inch heater from his Cuban cigar, missing an ash filled English mint tin at the edge of a small table. He removes the cigar from his chapped tobacco stained lips; holds and savors the musty sweet flavor, still tasting a hint of Scotch. He exhales and relaxes his shoulders back into the cushion. His eyes gaze straight ahead through the swirl of smoke, toward the glow from the television. A word pulls him back from a suspended calm as he refocuses on the TV screen.

A commercial is already in progress with a handsome, but low-key salesman walking through an aisle in a well lit cavernous hardware-type store.

“at…Buffett’s…Grand Opening.”

In another aisle: “The new Buffett’s retail warehouse opening to serve our customers, north of Lake Erie. We serve all of your ‘off-the-grid’ home, garden and farm needs.”

Another aisle: “This weekend only, fifty percent off the new cadmium and lithium ion rechargeable Thompson Batteries. Thirty percent off our regular low prices, on all our ‘Best’ solar silicon panels, and thirty percent off all Chinook Windmills.”

Another aisle: “While supplies last, get your free emergency ‘survivor man’ flashlight with any purchase of DC power tools. Don’t forget to check out all our indoor and outdoor lighting products. We have electric scooters, starting at under $100, electric bikes under $60, quads under $500, and our ‘global green’ award winning electric urban two passenger vehicle under $1,000. We have electric troll motors for your boat, and electric gardening tools and accessories for your electric tractors, and lawn mowers.”

Another aisle: “Stock up your survival food reserves with our unique nutritious brand of organic foods, from dried, canned, and ‘just boil ready’ pouches. Or, do it yourself with our ‘Home-Grow’ greenhouses, driers and vacuum bagging kits.”

Another aisle: “For all you hardcore, completely off-the-grid customers, we carry everything you need…from our full line of DC electric distribution panels, wiring, controls, batteries, switches, converters, inverters, back up natural gas generators, and for the more experienced, magnetic fuel generators. We carry both the compact series from ‘Koala’, to the largest low voltage, high output ‘Mushroom Towers’ from ‘MEGA’ for farms, businesses, camps and remote urban communities.”

Standing at the checkout: “...And remember, at Buffett’s, we offer free delivery, installation, and a full one-year service guarantee. If you’re not satisfied with your purchase, return if for a full no-question refund.”

Stepping on the grid that opens the automatic doors, waving at presumed customers arriving in the parking lot: “…Again, the grand opening of the Buffett store south on Highway 24, just east of Dover at 2 Queen Street, on Long Point Bay.”

The screen flashes the address, and the words: Remember to download your free KEY software with all technical manuals, assembly, and operating instructions for every product offered by Buffett’s.

The brief silence is broken with the familiar theme song and logo; then returns to the 6 o’clock evening news. The picture now shifts to a male reporter in the studio behind a news desk.

“Welcome back, here again is today’s top story from Nunavut, where Canada hosts a group of top international scientists. After reports of erratic shifts in the Northern Magnetic Pole that was verified by a press release from NASA yesterday, also confirming similar shifts occurred in Antarctica.

“We will have full coverage following tonight’s newscast, live from Nunavut with Dave Maki who has been reporting on this story all week for the CBN news network.

“Now, to Pam Zackary, on the Business View…Pam?”

Once more, the picture on the screen changes, showing a well dressed, perky woman on a different set.

“Thanks, John. A roller coaster on all markets today, with the biggest drop in the NASDAQ. A barrel of oil hit an all time high in trading, topping out at $389 before settling at $334, on the heels of last week’s announcement that several European, Russian and Mideast Oil Giants merged, and are now trading under the new name AlliedOil.”

She shifts her gaze to another camera: “And from this side of the pond… Executives from their Huston head office confirmed they also have a name change to announce. They will now be going with the new name, ‘Titan Oil’. In the same press release they highlighted the details, verifying the joining ‘of the Titans’ that unites Japanese, African, Mexican, North and South American oil giants taking back the number one spot, and keeping them as the largest oil company in the world.”

Back to the first camera: “This is only one month after Ronald ‘TEX’ Buffett sells off his final remaining Titan Oil Shares.”

Smiles for the camera: “On that note, we have a special interest Business Feature from Phil Morrow who has spent a week in Africa with the elusive philanthropist. Stay tuned for our live coverage of the Nunavut summit, immediately following this program.”

The screen changes to a reporter dressed as though he was on an African safari, fedora and all.

“Welcome, I’m Phil Morrow, sitting here with Ronald Buffett and his son, Don, under what is one of the largest available…” a hesitation as he lifts a piece of paper and reads from it, “and, I hope I get this right, a magnetic fuel generator produced by MEGA, Mushroom Energy Group and Associates.” He flashes a smile at the camera and turns to Ronald and his son.

Phil: “Okay…what brings billionaire philanthropist Ronald Buffett to Africa these days?”

Ronald: “Well, Phil, as we discussed earlier, my son Don has been in Africa for quite a few years. This is just one of the many projects funded by one of our foundations, and he is doing magnificent work over here.”

Don: “Thanks, Dad.”

Ronald: “Our goal here has never been to just throw money at a situation.”

Don: “Most people, if given the option, want to feed, shelter, and take care of their own families by being self-sufficient.”

Ronald: “So, we don’t follow the philosophy, to just feed and shelter people, because we feel that if you just come to do that, you need to continue coming back, feeding and sheltering them over and over, because they will come to expect it. Look, to get to the point, we’re foreigners coming in to aid here. These people are already desperate and they are not always thinking clearly. They are weak and only trying to survive. So they hear about foreign help or remember help coming in the past. Sometimes there is help and sometimes, none comes, and now you have a recipe for disaster.”

Don: “Giving them the knowledge means that they can choose and learn to take care of themselves.”

Ronald: “We teach people how and where to find good information, starting by introducing ‘KEY Software’ developed by the good folks at Software Corp., and funded by the Bill Foundation.”

Don: “Most of the equipment we need is from surplus and returned goods donated from the many global Buffett’s Retail Outlets.”

Phil: “Okay, you brought it up…so why so much controversy around KEY Software?”

Don: “We don’t know?”

Ronald: “It’s all coming from the G7 countries.”

Don: “Let’s go over to this work station we have set up here…”

Don gets up and leads them into a control room just inside the Tower. He then proceeds by pulling a thumb drive from his breast pocket and boots up the computer.

“This was initially put together for developing countries.” Ronald says while the software is loading. “It’s not new, all the information is out there, and the folks at Software Corp. just pulled it together, so it’s focused and universally user friendly.”

Don: “If you look at the first volume, it’s an educational program based on a traditional high quality, well supported, home school format. As you know, not everyone on this planet has access to a good education.”

Ronald: “We believe that this is a fundamental requirement.”

Don: “It’s turning on the lights.”

Ronald: “Throughout the entire KEY software, they were careful not to mention any references to religion, politics, and history.”

Phil: “History?”

Ronald: “That’s right. There are too many versions of the same history. Even if you state just the facts, there are thousands of people ready to fight to the death with their own facts. For example: something as simple as stating that a conflict began on a given day. Well, you can be sure someone will try to correct you with another date and all the reasons why the date you have is wrong. Look at the World War II concentration camp pictures, eyewitness accounts, actual bodies, you know what I’m referring to, and still there are people who will tell you it never happened. They will swear that the pictures were staged. These are from well educated, top government officials. So, no history, it’s in the past anyways.”

Don: “Again, it’s the same with religion and politics. No mention, or references, anywhere throughout the software…period.”

Ronald: “So, you start out with just learning to read, write, and do arithmetic.”

Don: “Then, as they progress, they can understand and learn how to apply Volumes 2, 3, 4 and 5.”

Ronald: “That’s right, so if you already know some of the information, or are a fast learner, you skip past or through all those modules quickly…”

Phil: “Modules? So it’s not like following first year—grade 1, second year—grade 2, and so on?”

Don: “No. You progress at your own pace. I’ve seen some people—right here in this community, the ones that really want to learn—they advance through half of the education program in just a few months.”

Ronald: “Volume 2 is called ‘Shelter’. This volume is mostly learning skills like carpentry, metal trades, masonry and electrical—very similar to an apprenticeship program with actual projects and workshops that immediately contribute to the community. It starts with simple structures, right up to practical water and irrigation systems, to the most advanced projects like this Tower—a sophisticated power station. The basics are covered in this volume and the full drawings, schematics, and operation manuals are in Volume 5.”

Don: “Volume 3, you can see, is titled ‘Food’. It shows people how to set up a farm, fishery, and how to keep livestock. It has a great section on food preparation, including recipes, and everything from how to grow plants, and cultivate seeds and grains. It shows how to mill it, bake it, and how to store it.”

Ronald: “Volume 4 is called simply ‘Humanity’. This is my favorite. It’s the most complete collection of music, dance, art, and poetry. Learn to play the guitar, dance a polka, carve a statue, or recite ‘Plichka’, ‘The Little Bird,’ written in 1833 by Alexander Pushkin. This volume definitely caters to the left side of the brain.”

Don: “Then, finally, Volume 5, titled, ‘Survival’. This volume is invaluable. It starts with a full medical library with basic knowledge and information about nutrition, anatomy, health care, Eastern and Western medicines, symptoms, and simple treatments. It also has a section on personal and community self-defense. This volume is where you can also find the entire collection of technical manuals, assembly and operating instructions for every product offered by Buffett’s Retail Outlets.

Don gives the camera a hearty thumbs-up. “Finally, Dad personally supervised and gave direction on the last chapter, covering the A-B-C’s of Micro Economics. This is a section on how to sustain a small community in these global economic times.”

Phil: “So, back to my original question, why the controversy?” Phil says this as though he already knows the answer.

Ronald sits back in the old dirty swivel chair, and says with a slight grin, his voice full of passion. “It’s good. Damn good! KEY software has been downloaded, in China alone, more times than the Bible has been worldwide, and both are free downloads. I’m guessing that The Bible is a free download?”

Phil: “I’m sorry. I still don’t see the issue.”

Ronald: “As I told you earlier, this information was originally developed for the Foundation, to use in our charity efforts.”

Don: “Dad and I have been discussing this off and on, and what I think the problem is, and it’s just conjecture: This collection threatens the very competitive edge we have in developed countries over these underdeveloped countries. Right, that’s what underdeveloped means—not educated. When Iceland’s economy crashed a few years ago, technically they were poorer than most of these developing countries. We didn’t all of a sudden refer to them as ‘Third World’. Of course not, they have a well educated society, with a good schooling system, solid physical infrastructure, water, food, shelter, everything we’re trying to get in place here.”

Ronald: “Capitalistic societies today are based on profitable institutions, specifically: educational, medical, even utility and energy providers.”

Don: “Can you imagine if Americans all decided to live in these Gates, completely off the grid? Growing their own food, bartering goods from community to community, like the pioneers that founded our great nation? Chaos!”

Phil: “What about the latest reports that many of the products in your retail chains are not properly tested? Reports that most of the off-shelf items in the stores don’t meet FDA or ASA approval. In fact, it has been stated by the government in press releases that many of your products are unsafe.”

Ronald: “That’s nonsense. Most of the products have been around since Thomas Edison lost the DC-AC voltage wars to Westinghouse.”

Don: “The products are all low voltage, and ‘safer than most toasters and blow driers’, Dad likes to say.”

Ronald: “Come here, follow me.” With that, Ronald stands up, steps outside and walks over to some farm equipment near the Tower.

Ronald: “See that electric tractor? It gives you the same results as a gas tractor. Farming really hasn’t changed much in the last 3,000 years. The plow and cultivator used in ancient China and Persia behind an ox, is the same as the ones used today behind a tractor. Except today, big equipment suppliers would have you put eight, or a dozen plows together, then sell you an enormous expensive tractor to pull it.” He points at a large old green beat-up tractor. “Look, in the West, the farmers will tell you equipment is the most expensive investment they make. The next highest cost they have is the fuel needed to run them.”

Ronald turns to the camera. “We tell developing countries to look at us. See how successful we farm our land. See our yields. When, in fact, the truth is our farmers survive ‘if and only if’ they can get a loan to buy that new $200,000 sprayer, or a $500,000 combine. He then works night and day continuously renting, leasing or buying more land to justify the expense. Meanwhile, ten more family farms are lost because not everyone can get that loan, and the cycle goes on and on until we have only a few wealthy farmers raping the land to pay for more expensive equipment.”

Don: “It will be a long time before you have the will, and the technology, to move a large modern multi-ton tractor or combine with just batteries. So they’re stuck with gas guzzling heavy farm equipment.”

Ronald: “Our approach is to take the most advanced plow, cultivator, planter, harvester, and farm equipment—look at doing only one or two rows at a time. Five or six light modern electric tractors can do the same work one row at a time as a large modern gas tractor doing four, five, six and eight rows at a time and at a fraction of the cost using the exact the same plow, cultivator, sprayer, pumps and nozzles, etcetera. So, instead of mechanizing half a dozen farmers, we mechanize hundreds of farmers, each working on their own land as they have been, for generation to generation.”

Ronald: “If you look at what happened in other places like Brazil, Argentina, here in many African countries, even Eastern Europe after the Wall came down. Large American, Japanese and western European agricultural companies came in with their government officials and met with their local counterparts from those developing countries. They offered them large expensive machines and financing with the vision that it will improve their agricultural performance. Now, the farmers in those countries have never operated equipment like that before and most wouldn’t even know how to farm using that equipment. Even if they could, most couldn’t afford just the fuel and maintenance costs. In Brazil alone, hundreds of thousands of farmers were pushed off their lands and are now living in rural and urban slums, unwelcomed by the locals. Wherever they try to squat and return to the only thing they know, the government sends in troops to move them off private lands. They have become a nuisance to the local citizens and the government. No one knows what to do with them.”

Don: “Are you starting to see? They try to develop these countries from the top down. They are certainly not here talking to the farmers that can’t afford the equipment. As we speak, there are Big Agricultural company lobbyists, here in the capital to wine and dine this government with their embassy sidekicks offering to aid with new equipment and loans.”

Ronald: “That’s what I liked about countries like Poland and China, they didn’t just start dancing to the G-7 ‘We Are The World’ song. Now, China, they chose small, modern, simple equipment, and they work with the local farmers. The same in Poland—they respected the small family farms, and today Poland exports high quality organic produce to all of Europe.”

Don then points at a large rusty elevated fuel tank. “Instead of trying to import expensive fuel to run large equipment, you include the solar, wind, or the Best green rechargers to refill the batteries.” With that, he pops open a side panel on the tractor, and removes what looks like a jerry can from the electric tractor.

Phil: “That’s not a conventional looking battery.”

Ronald: “That’s right, Phil. BYD, a Chinese battery company who I invested with, developed these batteries to look like a jerry can.”

Don: “We call it a ‘Thompson Battery’, named after my mom. Her maiden name was Thompson.”

Ronald: “It’s designed this way for several reasons. One reason is, it’s easy to handle.” He grabs it and holds it toward Phil. “If I told you that you can put this empty jerry can out in the sun for a few days, and it fills itself, that’s a statement!”

Don: “In these developing areas we work in, it’s the family’s food money— money that should be used for heating, cooking, medicine, books, shoes, glasses, clean water—that’s what’s being used to buy fuel for these big old tractors.”

Ronald: “What’s the use in donating or buying tractors for these folks when after you leave they can’t afford the gas? So, they’re right back where they started.”

Phil: “Right…I have got to wrap this up. So on the record, Ronald, am I to understand from our earlier conversations that you will continue to offer Buffett franchises in North America and Europe?”

Ronald: “That’s right. We have over a thousand successful outlets throughout Asia, South America and Africa, and we are going to continue to expand wherever the demand makes it possible for our franchise owners and shareholders to be successful.”

Phil: “Thank you, gentlemen, for your patience and kindness over this past week, and the best to both of you. This is Phil Morrow, in Africa, reporting for the CBN.”

The screen changes to the male newscaster behind his desk.

“Wow! That was a fascinating story, and I’m sure this is not the last we hear from the Buffett group.” He looks the camera squarely in the lens. “Good night. Please stay tuned to this channel as we continue coverage of the Nunavut summit. I’m John Morrison, and this has been the CBN World News at six.”

Sean presses the remote control and the television screen goes dark. The curtains stop fluttering in the breeze as they settle over the open west window. The room grows dim. What’s left of the mangled end of the extinguished cigar rolls off the pile of ashes, out over the side of the tin, and down onto the table beside the empty glass. He stands, walks to the china cabinet, carefully picks up a picture frame.

Sean waddles side to side as he makes his way to the window. Held in both hands, he lowers the frame so that it parts the curtains, illuminating the portrait of a beautiful, regal looking woman. He leans his head forward, stares down at her, his lips quivering as though trying to form a word.

Sean feels a lone tear leave his eye, inch down his nose, hanging there until a second tear joins it; down to the glass, pooling over her cheek. He wipes the portrait against his sweater hearing the frame clank on the buttons; then slides the frame into his sagging pocket. He reaches forward taking a long breath of fresh air, closes the window, and steps back into the darkness, as once more the curtains fall into place.

Sean speaks to her as he only now can; in his mind: Catherine, my love. If only I had known…

Chapter 4

THE BLACK EYE

Dan races through the shop with a long hockey equipment bag he pulled from under his work bench. Kevin, Gord and Allen, following close behind, jump into the truck. Williams runs out the front door of his home; the truck slows down.

“We’ve got to get out to the Point, they’re coming across the bay,” Allen yells with his head stuck out the passenger window as they continue past him.

Williams runs to the main intersection, following the truck, and stops to catch his breath. That’s when he sees Jan on her scooter coming down the Forestry Station road. Williams flags her down.

“Where are you going? What’s going on? Dan bolts out of the shop with half the guys, saying something about boats crossing the bay,” Williams tells her, catching his breath.

“I know. Most of the field workers left right after their shift ended, before we heard about it, in the lab,” Jan says, holding open her mask.

“Surely, you’re not thinking of going all the way out to the Point on that?” Williams gestures at the 2-stroke scooter. “It’s going to be dark soon.”

Jan shoots him a what do you think look, and guns the 50cc engine.

Williams resigns. “Dan’s got the truck. Move up. Go straight, and stop by the house so I can grab a mask. We can go as far as the marina and see if we can see anything from there.”

Williams stops trying to choke out any more words and swings his leg over the banana seat.

He flies through the front door and quickly exits pulling his mask over his head; he runs to where Jan is standing beside the scooter. He grabs the handle bars, moves back the kick stand, and with one kick, starts the small engine. Jan doesn’t argue for driver’s position. She climbs on behind, wraps her arms around his waist and leans forward.

The crest before the marina is visible from the house. They start down the steep road and the scooter gains speed. Williams needs to use the hand brakes as they go into the first ‘S’ turn. He dodges and swerves around several people. Half of the village is walking or riding bikes down to the marina, including young Ricky who is passing everyone on his dirt bike.

Rick arrives at the water’s edge, and is already off his bike, standing with a small crowd making their way down to the dock and out to the small light tower at the mouth of the marina harbor. Jan and Williams get off the bike, just as a loud roar causes him to lose his grip, and the scooter falls to the ground.

Everyone drops down, startled by the two low flying Bush Security helicopters that just flew over their heads coming from the north behind them. Before they can stand up, a rat-a-tat-tat of gunfire from the helicopters riddles the shore of the Point across the bay.

Williams stands in awe. He sees the long string of lights from the small armada of Bush Security patrol boats all the way back to the refinery docks. For a moment, he focuses on the two main refinery flare stacks spewing a continuous bright yellowish-orange flame against a brownish purple sky. Between the flare stacks and the giant bluish green flame from the Titan Steel Mill, he can barely make out the dark silhouette of the tall, now dead, giant smoke stack, at the abandoned Generating Power Station. His eyes scan back and forth following the carpet of lights that mark the east shore of the bay from Dover, all the way to the outer bay to the Titan Oil Docks.

Williams turns his attention back to where the helicopters are once more circling in for another assault on the Long Point Gate. They swoop down; again a rat-a-tat-tat from the helicopter guns; joined by more guns from the numerous boats closing on the small remote community.

Three flashes light up the southern sky from the ships gathered in the outer bay, followed by three loud explosions…BOOM, BOOM, BOOM…forcing Williams and the other onlookers to cover their ears. Two of the three shells explode in the water; the third one hits the beach close to the boat houses, sending up a large plum of black smoke.

“It’s going to be a slaughter!” Williams screams with anger. “Those people out there, they haven’t even thrown a rock.”

“There’s a lot of children there…” Jan hesitates and whispers “Charlie” in mid sentence.

Wyatt and a group of Rangers pull up on quads. One of the Rangers yells for everyone to get back away from the water’s edge.

“Why aren’t you and your Rangers out there stopping this?” Jan yells, pushing her mask off.

“Mom, settle down. Most of the people got out last night,” Wyatt says, pulling her mask back down over her face. Wyatt’s own mask covers his handsome eagle features, like his father’s; but his brilliant blue feline eyes come from his mother.

“The attack was tipped off. They’re expected,” Wyatt says to his father.

They look back across the bay just as the first landing craft hits the beach. Armed men in camouflage gear are already wading in, firing into the dead wood piles along the beach. That’s when they see the first sign of resistance, in the form of a red beam shooting out across the top of the water. The ray passes through everything it crosses; rendering each weapon it comes into contact with completely useless.

Three, four, five and six more red rays appear targeting the boats farther out. Behind the beams, farther inland what looks like a lighthouse or water tower seems to be covered with thousands of static flickers, growing more and more intense. Three lightning bolts suddenly branch out, hitting both helicopters coming in, and one of the outer ships, with a magnificent sharp flash. The helicopters crash into the water. The bow of the front most gunship lifts in the air and disappears into the deep cold water of the bay. The red laser rays stop; the tower goes dark, and for a moment complete silence.

Someone yells, “That’ll teach ‘em!”

Moments later, another shell from one of the two remaining navy ships breaks the silence; hitting the beach, taking out several docks and boat houses of the Gate. The smoke clears, and Williams notices the tower generating a strobe effect with static getting more intense. Another brilliant bolt jolts straight up, arching and branching off in several directions, then straight down, as the landing crafts and several patrol boats explode violently. The crowd watches dumbstruck as the debris showers down.

No one can believe what they see next. Thousands of what look like small lanterns rise up out of the Gate. The tower is glowing blue. Everyone looks up as the lanterns are still rising high over the entire inner and outer bay. The Tower glows brighter, then projects a narrow plate of blue light in a perfect circle just above the water encompassing the remaining boats and extending out toward the refinery just off Dover. The circle widens, and then suddenly stops growing. Williams looks up briefly at the lanterns that now look like stars. He hasn’t seen stars over the bay in at least 30 years. He is appreciating their beauty when the blue disc flashes one last time and disappears just as the lanterns rocket instantly downward. When the lanterns hit the water, each gives out loud bang, sounding like 10,000 firecrackers all going off at once. Several boats are in flames.

Bush Security men are shouting; but their yelling is drowned out by a deep bass sound shooting across the water from the Point. The first electro-magnetic wave sounds like a loud drum, and before the second wave hits, every gas tank in every boat explodes. The gas tanks in the boats tied up at the docks across the marina all burst into flames as well. Wyatt and Williams pull Jan to the ground just as the quads and the scooter tank explode, sending them flying in every direction. The second wave hits and more explosions, then three, four and five each less intense until eight, nine, ten and eleven are now just pulses and slight gusts of wind, dying with every pulse.

“Everyone okay?” Wyatt yells, hopping to his feet.

Williams’s ears are still ringing, but he can see that there is something wrong with Ricky. Jan rushes over to him; he’s covered in blood and one of his legs has a deep laceration. Jan throws off her jacket, rips off her blouse, and uses it to wrap his leg.

“We’ve got to get him up to the house,” she yells, picking up her jacket. She puts it on and buttons it up to cover her bare breasts.

“How were all the quads, motor bikes and vehicles destroyed?” yells one of the Rangers.

Williams turns to Scott, the owner of the marina, and asks him about his electric kart. Scott nods his shiny head and runs to his lakeside house. True to the bald eagle DNA vaccine, in his senior years, Scott has lost most of the down feathers on the top of his head. He disappears into a garage and exits driving the electric kart.

“The gas charger blew up, but she’s fully charged,” he says, pulling up beside Ricky.

“Will she make it up the hill?” Wyatt asks.

“Hasn’t kept me from visiting your neighbor, Betty, all these years in the middle of the night,” Scotts smiles and shrugs his shoulders.

They lift Ricky onto the kart, as Wyatt, Jan, and the group, follow back up the road.

Williams turns and looks back. He is standing on higher ground now and can see more of both the inner and outer bay. There are a few boats left afloat on the water on fire. The flare stacks are shooting flames very high in the eastern sky, but they are not the only things burning. It looks like a small tanker is in flames on the southern tip of the outer bay at the Titan Oil Docks. The refinery and steel mill have one or two small fires; and it looks like the boats at the Dover Marina took the same hit as they did, with many boats and docks in flames.

Williams whispers under his breath, “I guess they were expecting the attack.” He tells Jan that he’s going to stay and help put out the fires and clear up some of the mess.

***

By the time Williams gets back to the house, Ricky was tended to, and taken home. Wyatt assures Williams that Ricky will be okay.

“Where’s your mom?” Williams asks.

“After Mom cleaned up, Dan came and got her. He drove her up to the lab. I guess she is going to help herself to the First Aid supplies and go tend to the wounded,” Wyatt says with a look of anxiety.

“Why didn’t you go with her,” Williams says quietly, already knowing the answer. His job is hard enough; there are a lot of outlaws staying at the Gate.

“Mom told me to stay here and make sure you were okay.”

“You said someone tipped them off, and they were expected—when we were down by the water—what did you mean?”

“Titan Oil has been trying to get us to go to the Gate and arrest those guys for awhile, and we have our own people inside giving us updates at both the Gate and inside Titan Oil. We got tipped off two days ago that they were coming tonight across the bay,” Wyatt explains, “but we thought it’d be more of a warning. None of us Rangers expected a full-on attack with Apache helicopters and all those patrol boats.”

“If you knew that was going to happen, why didn’t the Rangers try to stop it?”

“They never would have let us in. There are as many outlaws working for Bush Security living at Dover Pond as there are staying at the Long Point Gate. Even if we could go in, we have no authority inside Titan Oil walls, and as far as I’m concerned, no authority inside the Gates.”

“Why did Titan Oil have their Bush Security attack the Gate?” Williams demands.

“You know who they are after.” Wyatt looks his dad square in the eyes.

“All that wasn’t just to get Charlie,” Williams shakes his head. “They must see the Gate as a threat. If Charlie was in that much trouble, your Rangers would have caught him by now.”

“Dad, I don’t decide what’s right or wrong,” Wyatt states matter-of-factly. “Titan Oil claims that laws were broken, and they want results. I follow orders from the government, and they see Charlie as a problem, an outlaw, a terrorist collaborating with the enemy,”

“Even when you know that’s not true? You would follow orders, even if that means handing over your brother?” Williams presses.

“How do you know it’s not true? Besides if we did arrest him, we won’t hand him over to Bush Security, and we’d hold him until there is a fair trial,” Wyatt says.

“Titan Oil owns everything. Can’t you see that? Maybe not all the Rangers, but few politicians or judges can survive long without Titan Oil money.” Williams stops and thinks; then says, “Listen to me, I’m telling you what you already know.” He lets out a deep sigh.

“I’m sorry, Wyatt. I try not to get involved. I try not to take sides. It’s just that there is so little hope to break the power those companies have over everything. The tiny paper government we have survives only on the little taxes and contributions the companies decide they want to pay,” William preaches at his son.

“They don’t control everything, Dad. You witnessed that today,” Wyatt replies in a monotone.

“You think it’s going to end with that light show we saw today? Okay, impressive, more than I could ever expect, but it’s just one Gate. Titan Oil has dozens of refineries, hundreds of factories, and thousands of Ponds. They employ hundreds of thousands of people, and many of them are soldiers for Bush Security.”

Williams puts his head in his hands and continues. “McEwen is on-Line right now, and I wouldn’t be surprised if, by morning, they are back with every available resource Titan Oil can throw at the Gate. They know if word gets out that one Pond might fall, one refinery could shut down…” He pauses. “No, Titan Oil would never let that happen.” Williams starts pacing back and forth, clenching his fists.

“It’s going to get ugly around here, and I’m afraid my family is right in the middle of it, and there is not a FUCKING thing I can do to stop it,” William finishes loud. He reaches for a bottle of whiskey from the cupboard beside him; filling a small glass. He raises it to his lips and drinks the entire glass all at once; then pours out the rest of the bottle almost overfilling the glass.

Wyatt is silent. He’s never heard his father swear, and hasn’t seen him drink since Grandpa Mike died. Wyatt sits beside his father, puzzled by this rare moment. Sharing the same glass, he finishes what’s left; puts down the empty glass. No words, the once predictable, solid as a rock man he’s known all his life; his head is down, shoulders drooped, hands shaking, weeping like a child. Wyatt doesn’t know how to approach this stranger before him.

“We’ll get through this, Dad, all of us. Just keep it together. I promise we’ll get through this.” Wyatt walks to the door, looks back, pulls down his mask and leaves.

Williams sits in the dark with only the air purifier fans humming. His mind clears, he’s thinking about all the things he might have done while the boys were growing up. He wonders if he showed them too much. Did he let them have access to too much technology? Should he have thrown away that other KEY software stick when they first found it in the attic? At the time he thought that if the boys had the KEY, there were a lot of answers on it that they were looking for, and maybe they wouldn’t always be surfing on-Line. Why did he let them play around with the old Buffett stuff? He should have buried it with the rest of the old surplus crap.

He thinks and tries to convince himself; it couldn’t just be his fault, look at Wyatt, he grew up playing with electronics. He was a wiz right from a young age. Hell, he put together his first computer at age nine. Yet Wyatt was able to move on to be a Ranger. Why couldn’t Charlie just do his job? He had a great opportunity working in the IT Department at Titan Oil. He was one of the best, a real natural.

“It’s those damn video games!” Williams smacks the table with both fists. “Why couldn’t he just outgrow playing those stupid addictive video games?”

Chapter 5

WASHINGTON, DC

The sky is blue and the sun is still high when Sean and Mel arrive in Washington. Sean looks around at the familiar surroundings and remembers the time they were attacked by a group of armed protesters. Mel had only just been assigned to Sean. Reagan was in the White House, and tens of thousands of demonstrators had taken the streets. Their black bulletproof limo was surrounded in front of their hotel, and they sat tolerant to the display of discontent arbitrarily aimed at their presence. Mel waited silently for ten minutes to see if the crowd would disperse on its own, but they only became more restless. He sensed the time was now or never and leapt from the front seat, weapon in hand. Within a few moments, this normally calm, well spoken man, single handedly in full combat form had applied his craft, clearing a path for Sean to casually stroll into the building. Although many years have passed since then, Mel, still in top physical form, always makes Sean feel safe.

They pull into a long line of black stretch limos, shiny SUVs, and executive chauffeured automobiles, mixed in with green military vehicles. A uniformed man steps out in front of their vehicle, and motions them to the right, as a side gate opens. They disappear under the building; met by a dozen or so security people in dark suits. They exit their vehicle, and are guided down a familiar corridor.

Sean motions to Mel that he needs to use the washroom. Mel goes in first, looks around, then, holds the door open as Sean enters and goes into the only stall, across the room there is a sink and a lounge chair. He turns, rustles with his pants, and sits.

A moment later, he shifts, and the toilet flushes. He reaches for the paper and stares for a moment at the highly polished silver and gold paper dispenser hanging on the marble wall. He looks down, his pants draped over his black shoes. They look cheap and worn, especially against the granite floor.

“Mr. Galbraith, will you need some assistance?” asks Mel.

“No, it’s fine, I’ll just be another minute,” he replies.

Mel has been with him every minute for the last two days; ever since they called him to Washington. He thought those days were behind him. Going back home to his wife’s house after all these years working in the U.S., it was the solitude he waited and worked for. After the life he has led, he just wants to be left alone. This call came out of nowhere; although, with all the chaos that has been going on in the world, there was a time when he controlled, contained, and influenced an entire U.S. economy.

Unlike James, his brother, Sean always worked behind the scenes. They were quite the team back in the Kennedy days. He missed their discussions. His brother would often call him from his office with an emphasized Scottish accent “Wherrre arre yue tooo…” He would never find out about the company Sean kept. No one could know; he regretted not being able to go to his only brother’s funeral. It’s the price he pays to be anonymous, even to his own family; it was like he doesn’t exist.

When Sean leaves the washroom, several people are waiting for him. They walk him down a corridor and into a very familiar room he has sat in many times in the past. It’s been a few years since he’s observed a hearing in the Supreme Court Building. There are several screens set up. Before he can make out anything, he is greeted by his old colleges; many of whom he has mentored. Sean was briefed by Mel on the drive down to Washington, DC, and during that drive he had time to reflect, thinking about how these hearings are almost a repeat of history. Today, he will observe Ronald Buffett and Bill Software, who are both being investigated by a special committee requested by the U.S. Congress.

He has never met either gentleman in person, although, this would not be the first time here for Bill.

Sean, over the years, has at times with just a word, changed the lives of more than one business giant. Often he has put damaging questions in the ear of the Governor or Senator during such hearings. They all wear ear pieces, and many times Sean would do the thinking for them.

The staff is just setting up, and everyone in the room is busy on laptops, or making notes. The screens are showing people coming in, and Sean knows that from past experience it will be at least an hour before the questions can start. He reminisces back to some of the first hearings he attended. Back then, they spent days locked down, preparing, at some remote resort before coming back to Washington. It was always the same task; Sean’s attention was specific; looking mainly at trying to forecast the outcome and impact events or things would have on the economy. When new businesses, products, world events, politics, or just plain people start making waves; it’s this Committee that decides if they want to change it, allow it, or stop it. No further discussion; when it gets to this level, the decision is final.

He remembers reading many secret documents marked “For Member’s Eyes Only.” They told of how the original Committee was founded by William McKinley. The first meetings resulted in the unpopular McKinley Tariffs, and later they stopped the very popular William Jennings Bryans’ “free silver” campaign. The Secret membership included the likes of Andrew Mellon, Lord Rothschild, J.P. Morgan, George Westinghouse, Andrew Carnegie, Charles M. Schwab, and Thomas Edison. The Committee quickly realized their power to influence events, and the need to remain and work behind the scene anonymously. They not only had power over Presidents, they found that they could even regulate the brilliance of an Albert Einstein, Ede Teller, Big Billy Haywood, Mark Twain or even a Nicolai Tesla, that’s something Edison could never achieve alone.

The Committee would develop and control the actual economic fiber that powered and underwrote interests in North America and abroad. They have over the years decided the fate of more than one President, “that tried to ignore their recommendations, guidance or direct requests.” They could discard or shuffle the Fortune 500 Companies, governments, either foreign or domestic; like scrabble blocks, trying to form that special word, they’re looking for.

“Sir, a cigar, drink, some bottled water?” Mel interrupts, breaking him from deep thought.

Sean looks up and answers, “Yes. A single malt scotch and a Cohibo.”

The voice in his mind continues with his train of thought. Even though there is no smoking in the building, in this room, like this, it’s always been tradition since McKinley, J.P. and Edison, even the likes of Eisenhower, Patten, Trudeau, Thomas Marshall (if the Democrats only knew). Then, he remembers savoring many a Cuban cigar with his good friend, Art Jr., back in the Kennedy days.

Art never explained why Sean was recruited over his brother, although, no one joins without a unanimous consent of the Committee; still, Art was the reason he was brought in. Everyone had to be comfortable, and they always used a secret ballot to vote. Sometimes, even after several re-votes; like back when J.D. Rockefeller tried to bring in his son, J.D. Jr. No one knows who the one “no” vote was. After all, this is a lifetime appointment. You don’t want to fall out of favor with this lot.

The room goes dim, and as the hearing begins, the door opens, and Jeff Goldstein arrives late. He’s one of the newer additions to the Committee; always wearing an Armani suit, and a smile that would send any father running to hide his daughters (and wife). Jeff danced through Harvard and Yale, always the youngest, top of the class, most likely to succeed. Sean, like everyone, was impressed by his brilliance at first, but later it was clear he was cut from a different cloth. He adored the high profile, needed to be noticed, and there was a smugness and arrogance about him that kept Sean alert at a distance. The Committee was not sure which side of the camera he would be sitting on today.

Jeff looks over at Sean, and flashes a smirk. They have history; Jeff is a natural at pulling the economic strings. In the past, Sean and Jeff had differences.

The hearing is called to order. Bill Software and Ronald Buffett are separated by what looks like council. The seating arrangements are predetermined. The Senior Senator reads out: “It appears that the funding activity of the Bill Foundation is in direct conflict with the Internal Revenue Service—United States Department of the Treasury authorities. Primarily, regarding the software development costs claimed by Software Corp., involving the work they did for the Bill Foundation. The work was for a project that was portrayed originally with physical material distributed at no charge, as part of their charitable activities under the trademark name KEY.”

The Senator then holds up a marketing brochure; the packaging with the loose shiny silver memory stick, and he continues. “An IRA investigation revealed the software was in fact intended and used as a tool to support profitable commercial activity. Not only will we show that it was masterfully designed as a ‘for profit’ venture, but we will also show the malicious intent to not only undermine this great nation’s educational institutions, but to also damage our medical system, and the very economic infrastructure that allowed Mr. Bill Software and Mr. Ronald Buffett to amass their substantial personal wealth.”

He then sets down the articles, turns in the direction of Ronald Buffett, and again continues reading. “The second charge, directed to Mr. Ronald Buffett, is brought forward by our FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection. Mr. Ronald Buffett will be questioned by this committee here in our Nation’s Supreme Court Building, and asked to cooperate.”

The Senator is no longer reading; instead he is looking over his bifocals directly at Mr. Buffett. “This, after numerous refusals to respond to the FTC regarding their concern for the public’s safety, even after several reported, well published accidents that occurred while using products available from his retail outlets. We will show correspondence and legal notices that went unanswered. These were formal documents requesting that unsafe products be pulled from the shelves, and recalled, until they can be tested by a third party to ensure they do not pose a threat.”

A pause as he looks back at his papers before he continues. “Furthermore, that many of those products are in fact illegal, without FDA, ASA, or any regard for our regulated industry standards.”

The Senator lifts a letter up in the air showing the audience; then reads it: “ ‘In one case, an electric generator of an unproven technology was sold and installed by Buffett employees, resulting in the destruction of a neighbor’s motor vehicle parked at least fifty yards away. It was established after a thorough FBI investigation that the device was able to ignite the fuel contained in a sound undamaged vessel causing it to explode.’ We can only be thankful that no one was injured.”

Jeff is getting frustrated with the speech and decides to speed things along by talking to the Senator through his ear piece.

“Okay, Senator, you‘re showboating. Wind it up, we need to move on,” Jeff says firmly into the microphone. Everyone in the room who are tuned in smiles as the Senator taps his ear, and quickly finishes.

Again, Jeff speaks into the microphone in front of him, causing everyone on the bench to stir. “Let’s hear some questions gentlemen.”

The Chair speaks up. “Mr. Buffett, we will start with you. Do you agree that what we just heard from the good Senator of Arkansas sounded serious, and troublesome? Do you know of the event, that the honorable Senator speaks of?”

Ronald clears his throat, and leans forward into the microphone. “Of course, the vehicle was not in plain sight of our technicians, otherwise they would not have started up the generator. The damaged vehicle was being stored at the back of the neighbor’s property in a small shed.”

He hesitates and then says, “Look…we all know that’s not why I’ve been called here, Oil refineries and all kinds of chemical industries have dozen of fires every year, some burning for days. We all hear about the car fires and exploding barbeques, at times causing death, and none of those company officials will ever see the inside of this building…”

The Chair immediately interrupts, “So, the answer to my question was ‘YES’?” He continues without waiting for a reply. “Mr. Buffett, this will go much easier if we just answer the questions and not go on and on. We’ll give you time to address the Committee after we get through our preliminary questions. You are not on trial today. So, once more, are you aware that some of the products sold at your retail outlets, are not approved for sale here in the United States?”

Ronald is shaking his head slightly. “Well, if you’re going to keep asking me questions that you already know the answer to, and you‘re not going to let me respond intelligently, then, you are correct, that this is not a trial. At a trial I would have a chance to choose how I defend myself against those that intend harming me and my interests.”

The entire room begins to rumble at Buffett’s remarks.

“Order, order,” yells the Chair, banging down his gavel.

Sean leans forward, talks directly into his microphone, and is heard only in the ear of the Chair, and the members in the room. “Let him speak,” Sean voices in a firm, direct tone.

The Chair bangs down on the table, repeating, “Order, order, order, ORDER!” in an annoyed voice, again hitting the table one last time. After clearing his throat, he says, “Please, keep it down. We do not want to continue over that racket.”

When all is quiet, the Chair turns back to Ronald Buffett and says in a controlled tone, surprising everyone including Ronald, “Mr. Buffett, you have the floor, we will hear you now.”

“That is encouraging,” Ronald responds, looking up briefly at the video cameras. “Okay, here it is people, brace yourself…” Ronald pauses for a deep breath of air. “Most of you know me, or know my reputation. I’ve been called hard, tough, ruthless, and at times relentless. I’ve even read nastier comments.”

There are slight murmurs of laughter through both rooms as Ronald continues, “But, never has anyone called me…” he stops and looks around the room behind him before saying, “unfair.”

Ronald notes that he has their rapt attention. “Several years ago, I had a substantial interest in a major oil company. I guess they go by Titan Oil now. Well, I learned something interfacing with that organization on how different some businesses are run. I thought that I knew a little something about business…but what I saw led me to sell those interests, and without regret.”

He says quickly, “That’s about the time I invested in a well run Chinese company that makes batteries and electric cars.”

Then continues slowly, “Gentlemen, and yes, ladies,” looking up at the two female senators, “I’m not a young man, and I will not see the day when electric cars are the norm out in society.”

He nods and continues, “Do we not see what’s happening in the world? Do we not see how we got here?”

Again hesitating. “The products we sell at Buffett Retail Chains are the same products used in developing countries. It’s not new technology. The only thing innovative about Buffett’s retail is how we make it available. Or should I be saying that we dare make it available? Thomas Edison was preaching the dangers of high voltage over a hundred years ago, and he invented the electric chair, for God’s sake, to show how dangerous high voltage is. He preached how DC power was the only safe option, right up until he lost the AC-DC war to George Westinghouse and J.P. Morgan. Read your history books.”

He turns again to include those behind him. “Most hair driers and toasters today are many times more dangerous than any DC voltage product we sell. And for that matter, regarding that generator mishap…” he points at the Arkansas Senator and says, “Did you know that so-called unproven technology you’re so informed about, was in fact invented right here in America, long before anyone knew what nuclear power was?”

Without waiting for an answer: “The only reason it was never made available was because it was wireless. Imagine that! No high voltage power lines, and because it was a wireless system it could not be metered, therefore, NO COMMERCIAL VALUE. Besides that Westinghouse, Edison and J.P. Morgan already had the AC lines strung and they were already billing American citizens.”

He smiles. “So, today we spew tons of carbohydrates or radiation into the atmosphere for our electricity. We pollute the very air we breathe, so we can move tons of steel up and down asphalt roads, because it fills the right pockets.”

Jeff had stepped out for a few moments, and is now back in the room. He looks over his shoulder, and asks, “Sean…are you sure we want him to continue down this road?”

Sean stands, and says again with authority, “Let him speak. And listen to what this man is saying. He is talking about our founders. He is talking directly to us and I want to hear him finish what he came here to say.”

With that, Sean sits back down knowing that he still commands a lot of respect that he has earned over the years with the Committee. Jeff gets up and leaves the room with two other members.

Buffett, surprised at his freedom to speak, has grabbed the microphone from the table, and he is now standing. “I’m not saying let’s do what China is doing, and go all out and ban the sale of gasoline. All I’m asking for is, at least let some of the people have a choice. That’s what my stores do. When people are fed up that the utilities are overcharging them for power they never used, we give them a choice.”

He looks around again and asks, “Do you remember the millions of dollars a MAJOR electric utility company cheated from good honest people, for just the privilege of sending them their utility bills, charging it out as a service?”

He smiles and continues, “When oil companies raise gas prices, while the price of a barrel of oil is dropping, the people, your voters, realize Big Business answers to no one. But we give people a choice.”

Ronald has his arm moving with his index finger out. “Let’s be honest, usually the choice, whether it is an electric car with less power, no extras, no air conditioning—or a light bulb that gives off less light, they are making those choices, many times at a compromise. For whatever reason, if the success of my retail chains is an indication, then people ARE making those choices. Ask yourself, who are they hurting? Can’t be the environment. Giving the voters a choice can’t be hurting the politicians, surely?

He looks up and smiles at the panel of politicians. “Every independent solar, or wind generated kilowatt produced off the grid, is unmetered, and not going to the utility companies’ pockets. Every mile driven by an electric vehicle is revenue lost by an oil company. And for every electric motor installed in an electric vehicle, there is countless lost after market revenue for motor oil, oil filters, air filters, mufflers, spark plugs, tune ups, and repairs—millions of dollars lost to motor vehicle companies.”

He is nodding his head up and down; then continues speaking a little quicker, “Yes, gentlemen, we’re talking the top of the Fortune 500 heap, utility, automobile and oil companies. All that lost revenue. So, why am I here in front of my Government if citizens choose to buy an alternative product?”

He looks up at the Chair. “Do they not pay the taxes? Yes, they do. Shall I tell you how much retail tax was collected by just the Buffett’s stores alone? Last year we had sales that rivaled all the TRADITIONAL BIG BOX RETAILERS. So, why are their CEO’s not here? The world’s largest retail store sells guns and ammunition that we know has been linked to deaths and crime. Major home improvement hardware stores sell high voltage welding machines—I’m talking 650 amps at 220 volts that would kill a man in seconds. Last year just regular handyman power tools were responsible for 93 deaths in California alone.”

Ronald takes a paper off the desk and grins while he reads, “ ‘Just from using interactive video games and software, purchased from the one of the major electronics outlets stores, there were 381 injuries reported, and two deaths from heart attacks, due to raised blood pressure and an increase in heart rate resulting from playing an intense video game.’ That’s directly from the Board of Director’s report.”

He holds the paper up, then continues in a calmer tone looking Bill directly in the eyes for a second, and then back to the Chair. “If you can allow me a moment more, let me tell you about KEY software. I saw it working in Africa firsthand, in a remote area where an education was not available to anyone. I saw how the program improved their lives. In places with no other outside information, those communities were able to learn how to grow food and feed themselves, build their own homes, grow intellectually, with dignity as humans. In one community where I visited with my son, I returned after just one year, and most of the people went from starving and barely able to hang onto life, living in donated tents. Just one year later, they were a thriving village of new houses, with running water, toilets, shops, and gardens. I saw the handicapped singing, painting, teaching, and creating magnificent works of art. The village greeted us with music, dancing, and treated us to a home cooked meal that could fill any Texan I know. Yet, there are many places here in America where we would offer our own citizens less. That’s why we give away free copies of KEY software at all our outlets, and that’s a decision that I made. No ill intent to our educational system, but, people…”

Ronald turns and scans across the room at all the different ethnic groups represented, “Look around, America, not everyone can afford to go to school, not everyone speaks English, and KEY is available in 47 languages…”

Jeff and the two members rush into the room, announcing, “There has been a major earthquake on the West Coast from Chile to Alaska, Los Angles and San Francisco were hit hard…” He sharply crosses then uncrosses his hands, palms down. “This hearing is over.”

Richard, one of the other members sitting in front of him, stands and turns to Sean. “Thank God, I couldn’t stand to hear one more word.”

He clears his throat, looking at Sean’s feet; then appearing a little insecure he raises his eyes and says, “What’s wrong with you Sean? Have you finally grown a conscience living up there alone in that big old house of yours?” Richard then looks over to Jeff to see if he is paying attention. He turns back to Sean, removing his glasses, waiting for a response.

“Relax Richard, the world is coming apart. You shouldn’t concern yourself with me,” Sean waves him off.

Several young pages run into the room handing notes to some of the government officials in the main hall. Many of the Press Group are already packing up and leaving as the Chair begins banging the gavel and adjourning, due to the reported earthquake, and the room begins to quickly clear.

Both Bill and Ronald are allowed to leave unrestricted. In the back room, the members of the Committee also start to clear out as the screens go dark. Mel leads Sean out of the room, back to the waiting car.

Chapter 6

THE LONG POINT GATE

Williams finishes his breakfast, still worrying about how Jan made out; she didn’t come home last night. He figures there must have been a lot of injuries. Maybe even Charlie. He hesitates for a minute; then thinks maybe Dan knows something; he is usually at the shop early, or calls when he is not coming in.

Williams grabs his mask and closes the door behind him. He puts it over his face as he walks to the shop. He looks up, quickens his pace, then starts to run. Bush Security vehicles are all around the shop.

Williams steps through the front showroom door, normally never open this early. He puts the keys back in his pocket and continues inside. There is no one in the showroom, but he can hear Dan’s loud squeaky voice from the back. Williams walks out into the shop area, where he can see more than twenty Bush Security thugs with at least six of them wrestling Dan, Kevin, and Gord to the floor. Dan is yelling the whole time; words that only Dan can articulate. When the team sees Williams, they turn their weapons on him.

The Bush officer in charge yells, “Put your hands on your head, and step forward…slowly.”

Before Williams can even blink, behind him, Wyatt and his Rangers burst in and stand between Williams and the Bush soldiers with their weapons poised.

“We got Dan’s call, Dad, and got here as quick as possible,” Wyatt tells his father in a low voice.

Wyatt then looks over and yells to Dan, “I told you to wait for me, and not to come into the shop.”

Dan raises his head from his awkward position. “There were only four of them when I called you, so we took care of those guys ourselves. I thought we’d be out of here long before the rest of these goons showed up. Besides, I told you to come and help your dad…I don’t need your help.” Dan finishes and puts his forehead back to the floor.

“I can see that,” Wyatt shakes his head. He turns to the Bush officer and says in a firm tone. “Okay, tell your men to let them up—we’ll take them into our custody.”

A sneer forms on the officer’s face. “I don’t think so. These men were involved in last night’s battle.” He points at Dan. “We’ve been watching this one for quite some time, as well as your father, S.T. Williams, and your mother, Jan Williams.” He is sounding like a prosecutor.

The officer points to the men pinned to the floor. “We’ve even got her and these three on security video last night, breaking into the Titan Agra Lab Stores, and stealing medical supplies. Your mother has been under surveillance for some time. We know that she’s been smuggling stolen and unauthorized items to the people out at the Long Point Gate. We are gathering up all the suspects and taking them back for questioning.”

Wyatt lets loose a cool smile. “First of all, you have no authority outside the Titan Ponds. My father and mother were both with me and my Rangers last night at the Marina watching with many witnesses how Titan Oil crossed the bay and attacked that community. She needed those supplies to tend to the wounded from those attack helicopters Titan Oil sent in.”

Wyatt raises his voice, “So, you leave now, or we will also take you, into our custody,” Wyatt stares directly at the officer, and trains his pistol on him.

The officer matches Wyatt’s bravado. “Well, then you too can see that they are a threat to Titan Oil’s interests, and we will not allow that threat to persist. Besides, you’ve got to be joking about taking us into your custody. There’s twenty of us and only…” He stops mid sentence.

The main overhead shop door opens, and ten more Rangers enter, leading four Bush Soldiers, with their hands on their heads, and handcuffed, through the door. Another ten more Rangers fall in behind Wyatt from the showroom. A standoff ensues. No one moves for the next minute or so and there is an eerie silence.

Wyatt finally tires of the b.s., and calls the officer’s bluff. He yanks back the hammer on his pistol, and the silence is broken by an audible CLICK!

The Bush officer immediately tells his people to lower their weapons, and they begin leaving out through the back overhead door. The officer indicates to the four soldiers in handcuffs. Wyatt nods and a Ranger steps up to unlock them. The other Rangers step aside to let them go to their vehicles.

Wyatt, Williams, and Dan watch through the front showroom windows as they drive up to the corner and turn north.

Williams turns to Wyatt. “Am I ever happy to see you. But where did you get all of these Rangers? You’ve always complained that you don’t have enough resources, and such a low budget to patrol this whole area with only twelve guys.”

Dan laughs, leaving for the shop, where all the new Rangers still are, but not before saying, “They’re not all Rangers. I’d be asking him where he got the extra uniforms.” He continues, laughing and cackling all the way.

Wyatt tells his father, “We need to get you packed up and out to the Gate. They will eventually be back, and we can’t hold this village long without a lot of people getting hurt or killed.” He leads his father out the front door.

Williams hesitates. “I can’t leave the shop like this…and the house. It’s everything we have.”

Wyatt grabs his father by both shoulders and looks him square in the eyes. “This isn’t over. They will be back. You don’t have a choice. If you stay here, they will take you…or do something worse. And I can’t let that happen. I promised Mom I would not return without you. She is waiting for you at the Point.”

Over the next two hours, Dan and the guys load up with everything from the shop they can get on a large trailer. Meanwhile, at the house, Wyatt helps his father pack the truck with as much as they can of their lives. Williams understands it will be awhile before he can come back…if ever.

Everyone is quiet driving up to Long Point. They turn onto the causeway, and Williams notices all the fortified checkpoints with sand bags piled high on both sides of the road. He recognizes most, if not all the locals, as they wave them through. The road is good all the way up to and through the Old Provincial Park, but then it gets rough. They bounce around quite a bit, and Williams worries about his possessions in the back. They stop well back before they get to the gate.

Dan announces, “This is as far as we can go. This is a gas engine, and we don’t want to blow up. The Tower is on low, and here, we’re just outside its radius.”

Two electric karts pulling wagons drive up to meet them.

“Come with me, Dad. Let these guys unload. There is a cabin set up for just you and mom,” Wyatt says to his father while walking to the front of the truck. Before Williams can answer, Dan shouts, “Hey, don’t worry, S T. I’ve done this many times over the last three years. I think I know my way around this place.” He smiles saying, “I’ll make sure they don’t break everything.”

Wyatt is met at the Gate entrance. There is only a small guard shack with old George Backhouse half sleeping in his chair. They walk in past a high natural sand dune stretching in either direction of the guard shack, and it looks like a roadway was dug through. Once they get to the other side, No walls, no fences, and the most noticeable difference is all the greenery; small trees and bushes everywhere, even some flowers.

Williams says to Wyatt, smiling for the first time in a long while, “You can see your mom’s been at work here. You know, when I first started seeing Jan, I’d pick her up at the Agra Station. She was always working late, and they would say to me while I was waiting, that she could grow anything, even flowers, through gravel or asphalt.”

Directly ahead were two towers; one obviously a water tower, surrounded by a large cluster of buildings, houses, and cabins. The other Tower was the community’s power source and main defense mechanism. To the southeast, was a lighthouse on the bayside, with more buildings, and cabins down by the water’s edge, with several boat houses and long docks. He could also see the damage from the Titan attack. They walk toward the lighthouse, and as they get past the first building, Jan runs up from behind; and before Williams can say anything, she rushes into his arms. Jan holds his head and kisses him.

“Thank you, I’m sure he didn’t come easily,” she says, turning to Wyatt and giving him hugs and kisses, as well. “I’m so happy to see both of you—especially after Dan called this morning to tell us about the Bush-whackers at our shop.”

“I thought Dan called you?” Williams says, looking askance at Wyatt.

Jan intervenes, “Wyatt and some of the Rangers stayed here last night.”

Dan walks by and says, “We will be back with the rest of the things, boss. Who knows…maybe we can go tomorrow for another load? Oh, Wyatt, they need your help back at the Tower again.”

“Go, go on, I’ll get Dad settled in, and show him around.” Jan motions Wyatt toward the Tower. “We’ll see you later.” She grabs her husband’s hand, smiling hopefully. “Come on, you old poop, this is our new home for the next little while. Let’s get you something to eat, and then I’ll show you where you and I are going to sleep.” She walks into the cabin and holds the door open for him.

“How many people were hurt last night?” Williams asks before stepping inside.

“Several, but what you mean to ask is how Charlie is, and was he injured?” Jan says knowing Williams all too well.

“Yes, how is Charlie?” Williams concedes.

“He wasn’t even here last night, he’s somewhere back on the West Coast,” Jan says.

“West Coast? California?” Williams blinks his disbelief.

“No, I think Seattle or Vancouver…too many refineries in the south area. You know, San Diego is a Titan Oil stronghold for the entire Pacific.”

Williams wrinkles his brow. “Jan…I’ve never heard you talk like this.”

“I’m so sorry,” she touches him arm gently. “I had to keep this from you. Lately, there is a lot I haven’t been telling you. You are just so set in your ways, even when it came to our own son, Charlie.” Her tone became firm. “You just shut him out like he stopped existing…you do that.”

It’s awkward for a moment, as they look away from each other. Jan steps toward the table, sits down and pours the coffee into two glasses.

Williams sits down, takes a drink; then glares at the cup. “What is with the cold coffee? This place looks like it has all the modern conveniences?”

“Yep,” Jan nods. “Life is great out here at the Point…once you learn how to live without fuel. How to heat things up is one of those new things you have to relearn. You want to minimize electricity use, because it requires too much energy. Plus, there’s no gas, and you can’t use propane and other combustibles out here. Matches are okay, open fires, no problem if you want hot coffee.” She points to her left and suggests, “I’ve got some hot ambers still burning in the wood stove?”

“No, this is okay. So what is Charlie’s part in all of this…now that you’re going to tell me everything?” Williams reaches for her hands.”

“Just like in his video games when he was a kid, Charlie has a high ranking in this organization, very high, within the top five,” Jan smiles proudly.

“Organization? What organization? ” Williams shakes his head in bewilderment.

“Well, Wyatt or Dan knows more about what he does, so…” She is interrupted mid sentence.

“Wyatt, the Ranger?” Williams says with a bit of sarcasm.

“Well, I don’t have to tell you about Wyatt’s talent with electronics and computers. You taught him everything he knows…”

Williams interrupts again, “He learned most of it on his own from the KEY software—both he and Charlie. Is that why they need his help at the Tower?”

“Yes, let me finish,” Jan says with a hint of exasperation, “the rest. You are right, he learned from a disk, or thumb, I’m not sure what it was, but yes it’s the KEY software. Anyway, Charlie told me that they found it years ago in the stuff left behind from the Buffett’s Store.”

“I was with them when we found that KEY in the attic,” Williams informs her. “I knew it was there.”

“Remember, those computers Wyatt put together from the supplies left in the back warehouse? Well, once Charlie got that software on those computers, he started making copies and distributing it to everyone.” Jan takes a drink of her cold coffee and continues, “This software has everything. It has an educational program, plans for building things, medical information, lots of technical stuff you would just love. It teaches about self-defense—but, also about self-reliance, and how to sustain and survive. I’ve been using the food section ever since Charlie loaded it onto my personal computer. That’s how I was so successful at the Agra Lab these last few years.”

“Jan, you always had a way with plants,” Williams relinquishes a slight smile, “even before Wyatt and Charles…even before you and I met.”

“I know, but now, whenever I need any help, everything is available on the KEY with such clear details. And there is so much more I still need to learn.”

“I know the software well,” he nods. “I knew what it was when I first found it in the attic. My dad gave me my own copy many, many years before that.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Jan blinks her eyes in genuine surprise.

“You know me,” Williams shrugs, “its outlawed stuff—didn’t want you to get into trouble. Maybe I shouldn’t have let the boys have that copy?”

“Listen to yourself, you wouldn’t deny them that knowledge any more than your father denied you,” Jan half laughs. “You should have tried to talk to me about it. When I finally got that copy from Charlie it was magic. So much information…”

“So why didn’t you tell me, about it?” Williams raises an eyebrow.

Jan lets out a sigh. “I tried many times, but you know how you get whenever anyone tries to talk to you about anything to do with the Buffett’s, even the boys. You left them alone with that stuff as long as they didn’t bother you. Every time they tried to show you what they were working on, you were so busy with something more important to you. So, both Charlie and Wyatt started learning from it, using what they learned, and sharing it with anyone interested. They shared it religiously. Everyone here is still learning from it.”

Jan became more intense. “So, to answer your question, most of the equipment and machinery was built by Wyatt, with a lot of help from Dan. When they ran out of supplies and parts, Dan could only make so many things at the shop, and they used up everything useful from the Buffett stuff lying around, including the bunch of things that were hidden around in the village, and out here at the Point. That’s when they realized that they needed to find more Buffett’s.”

Williams almost has to laugh in spite of himself. “So, don’t tell me…Charlie used his network of gaming friends he collected over the years? That’s what got him into trouble with Titan Oil, when he was caught using their Titan-on-Line Network. They knew he was gaming at work, and they were monitoring his activities. When it was obvious he was doing more than just gaming, they blocked his access. Knowing Charlie, that would have pissed him off, and he locked up their entire network, and just walked away.”

“Yes,” Jan nods. “And when he walked away, he didn’t want to get us in trouble with Titan Oil, so he distanced himself from us, so it would look like he acted alone.”

“Why did he take such a big risk in the first place?” Williams, uncomfortably, finds himself having to rethink his son.

“He needed the new updates from China,” Jan explains. “Until then, all they could do was use solar panels, wind mills, and batteries. They could not get enough power to keep the batteries charged. There are days without wind and the sun cannot always get through all that pollution. And even when it does, there’s still not enough power.”

Williams is getting it. “So that’s why Dan’s been using the generator at the shop to recharge all those batteries.”

“Yep, that’s why,” Jan echoes; then continues speaking fast. “So, Wyatt and Charlie knew they could not rely on gas generators for power, because that meant relying on Titan Oil. That’s when they came across references to the Tesla, HAARP and Gwen Towers. While trying to get them to work, when they realized that without the right supplies it was impossible. Charlie found out that there were similar Towers already working China. He needed to get their trust first, and with the help of his gaming friends over there, and friends he made from Green-police…”

“Green-police?” Williams interrupts.

“They’re a worldwide environmental watchdog-type group originally from the Vancouver, Washington State area. In the beginning there were just trying to save the whales, now they are just trying to save anything,” she explains. “Anyway, once Charlie convinced the Chinese officials that he was not a part of Titan Oil or the government, they agreed to help. But the files were so large, the downloads would have taken too long and the IT security systems would never allow that type of transfer. So Charlie knew the only way to get those files was to use the operation manger’s computer, with the only private security link to the Asia Pacific region and refineries. Also, it was the only line that IT would not suspect. That’s why he got into that trouble at Titan Oil.” Jan pauses to catch her breath.

“So, no one ever told me he broke into McEwen’s office, and used his computer.” Williams narrows his eyes at her.

“I’m not sure they know at Titan Oil exactly what happened. After Charlie locked up their entire network, remember, they had to bring the whole refinery down on manual? And it was weeks before they could even start the refinery back up safely,” Jan reminds him.

“I remember that’s the first time we didn’t know where Charlie was. His whole life I always knew where he was. I could always find him. But after that day…” Williams says in a low whispering voice, “he just disappeared.”

“The first year was the hardest for me,” Jan shakes her head sadly. “I wanted to find him, I wanted you to find him, and when you just shut him out, I begged Wyatt to find him. That’s when Wyatt told me where he was…somewhere in China far away from the Bush and Titan Oil people that were after him. Then, about six months ago, I was so happy Charlie finally contacted me over the Net. I knew it was him right away when he wrote the words, ‘from Buttercups for sale’ ”

“As in your homemade peanut buttercups,” Williams acknowledges. “His favorite,” they say together, smiling.

Jan continues, “After that first contact, I was hooked, and I’ve been a part of building this community ever since. It wasn’t long before I noticed Dan here, and he’s been looking out for me. It was Dan who brought Charlie to my parents, living at the Straffordville Gate…that’s where Wyatt and Charlie tried to build their first Tower together with the help of my family,” Jan says with pride.

“Straffordville, the next Gate west of here. I remember…near Burwell and the old Thomas Edison homestead, isn’t that a bit ironic?” Williams comments.

“When Charlie and Wyatt could not finish that first Tower. Charlie went off to find more parts and learn more about the technology. It was over a year he was gone, but then he came back about six months ago with this new Tower and parts to finish the one in Straffordville and many others. So, while Charlie went off looking for Buffetts, getting more supplies, all along he has been helping to build a lot more of these Gates, everywhere. That’s why he was on the West Coast and in China, it was getting harder and harder to find Buffetts, and they needed to supply many Gates if they were going to put Titan Oil out of business.”

“What? Put Titan Oil out of business?” Williams says getting up. “He can’t do that with just a bunch of hackers and outcasts.”

“Okay, you’re going to need that hot cup of coffee.” She gets up and puts a couple of pieces of wood on the ambers in the stove and grabs the pot; puts some coffee in it and places it on the stove.

“You know, I started growing coffee at the lab, just for you, and let me tell you, coffee never grew in these parts, ever,” Jan says sitting back down. “Charlie has only been able to keep contact with the Chinese by using the Green-police’s organization to carry messages back and forth. He needs access again to Titan-on-Line to get word across the ocean and to get more new updates. Titan Oil has many refineries in and around Singapore and Japan. The network he has locally with his gaming friends still needs more repeaters. Now his network only covers the areas with the Gates. The new updates for the Tower will boost his network worldwide.” Jan pauses; fans her face with her hand. “Just listen to me—it sounds like I know what I’m talking about.”

“Go on, you’re doing fine,” Williams encourages her.

She takes a breath. “Okay, the Chinese still make all these things that were sold at Buffetts and they don’t need or use any oil or gas vehicles there anymore. Charlie has shown me many pictures of the Chinese style Gates, its green everywhere, and they produce healthy food, farm fish, and he said other places like India have even started cloning new animals, and birds. They no longer use coal, nuclear or gas generators to make electricity, it is all supplied by wind, solar, and magnetic fuel generators. Even though they were hit hard by the pandemics, and Japanese attacks, they had already set up many remote Gates, and once China Petroleum got the vaccine formula from the Iranians and Russians, they were able to use DNA from surviving pandas. Charlie said that Chinese sailors also found many surviving Kimono Dragons on several islands, and that is how they could produce enough vaccine for all the surviving people. He said that all of their offspring and children have magnificent aggressive dragon strength, and features, while others have beautiful soft Panda features with gentle, wise, patient dispositions and character.” Jan takes another deep breath.

“Pictures, how did he get pictures?” Williams finally gets a word in to ask.

“I told you last year he went over there. The Chinese arranged the first shipment using a Green-police ship. He went there after the Japanese were pushed out, and saw firsthand the New China. He said that they will be great allies to our cause.”

Williams says with a look of surprise, “Our Charlie, has done all this, just in these last couple of years?”

“That’s not all,” she says excitedly, “He took a wife while over there. He did not tell me much but I bet his White Tiger features were hard to ignore, and when donating some of his universal type blood, they were able to get more from Charlie than just an ally.”

“Wait a minute, hold on…tell me about this wife?” Williams is stunned.

Jan smiles, “She’s a doctor. They must have just fallen in love while he was in her care. There’s something else, they have a daughter, apparently there is going to be at least one child that will not be from a test tube. He didn’t say much more about how they met and why he had to leave before she was born. They may both be in Vancouver? With this next shipment he wasn’t sure.”

“Did he show you any pictures of them?” Williams is bubbling with renewed respect for his son.

“Yes, he showed me pictures of their whole family. Her name is Jinse, and Jinse’s mother is a beautiful woman with slight panda features. She has a strong white round face with black hair, black ears, and a black circle around her one eye. He told me that her father is a powerful Golden Dragon.”

Jan continues, “After he got back, the Green-police people sent pictures of Jinse and their daughter. They are both beautiful, she has her father’s strength and also the Golden Dragon features and her mother’s beauty. Their daughter and our granddaughter, Xiao-mei, is a rare white dragon with Charlie’s eyes and ears.”

The coffee is hot, and she pours two cups; then gets up and says, “Enough, come on, I want to show you around. A lot has changed out here at the Point since you were last here.”

They first walk up the lane slowly toward the Tower, raising their masks to drink coffee. They meet people along the way. Once they arrive, Wyatt spends a few minutes explaining to his father exactly how the Tower works.

Jan takes his empty cup and goes back to the cabin to show Dan where to put all their things from the house. Jan returns, and steals Williams away, and takes him to the large gardens. She shows him how an electric tractor would help them work, much more of the land with greater success; especially over working the land by hand wearing those heavy masks all day.

She walks him to the most southern part of the Gate near the large old lighthouse, and shows him the clean fresh water ponds. She explains how the sand works to filter out the pollutants, and she points to all the fish in the largest pond, telling him that it was one of the first ponds, and was made years ago by his grandfather, John.

They spend some quite moments at the three graves they both knew well, each marked with only their first names: Mike, Mary, and Sean.

Hand in hand, they walk over to the area being reforested, and she explains how the trees will slowly filter the air. She tells him that they are going to need a lot of trees, and it’s the trees that will finally allow them to no longer need the masks.

On the way back, she shows him the sewer, water and electrical distribution system, as they walk over several high sand dunes to the west shore on the lake side of the Point. There is a long beach facing into the steady west winds where there are hundreds of small windmills.

When they get back, it is late and the solar lights along the path come on. They find Wyatt in the battery compound, where he is busy showing two young girls how to check the battery levels. They wave, and both Jan and Williams can tell he is enjoying giving the lesson. Wyatt always has time for the girls.

When they get back to the cabin, Jan makes a simple supper from leftovers she found in her fridge. Williams finds the shower, then comes and sits down to eat, wrapped in only a towel. Afterwards, Jan also takes a shower and joins Williams outside on the back deck of the cabin, facing the inner bay. He is looking across, straining, but can’t see their village over the high cliffs behind Scott’s well lit marina. They can hear the generators humming across the water, and then he looks down to the lights of Dover Pond, and to the flare stacks, casting a reddish yellow glow over the bay. Farther out, toward the tip of the outer bay at the Titan Oil docks, bright lights from the large tankers sparkle on the water.

“I like the night, when you can’t see that rotten sky,” Williams says, pulling off his mask, and just now noticing that Jan is not wearing a thing but her mask.

“Let’s go inside where you can breathe the air without these smelly masks,” he suggests, looking around to see if anyone is outside.

“Okay, but let’s just go straight to bed,” Jan says and leads him to the bedroom.

Williams pulls off his towel and turns to Jan. “I don’t have my pajamas.”

“You don’t need them tonight,” she says, turning off the lights. She slips into bed beside her husband of twenty-five years, and rolls into him.

He puts his arms around her. “I almost forgot how smart you are.”

They continue as if it were their first night together, making love while listening to the music of crickets outside fiddling, and to a lone frog chirping.

Williams whispers to his wife, “I love you Jan.”

Chapter 7

MARY CATHERINE GALBRAITH

Mel wakes Sean as they pull into his driveway, it was a long drive back from Washington, and he slept most of the way. Mel walks him to the door and says, “Will you be needing me anymore?”

Sean thanks him and tells him to go back home to his wife and two young daughters. He steps in, and walks to the kitchen, past the living room, as he considers, for a moment, turning on the television to see how the West Coast is making out. He decides instead to go right up to bed. The radio was on in the limo the entire drive up, with updates, and as he was nodding in and out of sleep, he had heard the reports about all the aftershocks, and major radiation leaks from the damaged San Onofre Nuclear Plant between Los Angeles and San Diego.

Before he goes upstairs to his bedroom, Sean pours himself a scotch from the bottle sitting on the kitchen counter; he empties the little that’s left in the bottle, shuts off the lights, and walks up the stairs looking into his study which is actually his home office. He notices a message flashing on his answering machine. He hesitates for a second and wonders if Mel forgot something, or if someone from Washington needed to get a hold of him. He thinks for a moment and figures it may be important.

“Ah, crap,” he whispers out loud and walks into his office. He places the glass on the desk, sits in his office chair, leans forward to hit the “play” button, then grabs his glass again as he leans back to listen to the message.

Hello, Grandpa, it’s me, Mary. I know we don’t talk much, but, since I just graduated and you’ve been paying all the bills, well for that matter, my education. Anyways, I just thought I would swing by tomorrow on my way home. I hope you don’t mind, my boyfriend, Mike, is picking me up and he’ll be with me. You can expect us there around noon or so, and I can show off my Business Economics degree. Okay, Grandpa? I hope you’ll be there and every thing is okay, and, see you tomorrow.

Mary is the daughter of Sean’s only son, Walter.

“Wally,” he murmurs to himself, finishing his scotch. He stands up and walks over to the credenza beside his desk, opens the drawer and needs to put one knee on the floor in order to reach all the way to the back. He pulls out a decorative well constructed black box with a bottle inside. This is a very old bottle of scotch, one of the many perks and a special gift he received from the Prime Minster of the UK.

He says, again out loud, to himself, “Well, old boy, there’s less than fifty of you available worldwide, and its time we got acquainted.” He takes out the forty-year-old bottle of Glenfiddich from its black and silver box.

Sean continues talking to the bottle. “I’ve been waiting for the right occasion, and today seems like it’s right.”

He looks around the room, then goes to the tall hutch; opens an upper glass door, grabs a crystal flat-sided scotch glass. He takes his handkerchief from his pocket and wipes the inside of it clean. Then holds it up at eye level with his right hand and with his left hand still holding the handkerchief he wipes the outside of the glass carefully, and studies it while moving his index finger over the engraving of the Galbraith coat of arms. He sets the glass on his desk and pours out a little scotch. Sean picks it up and swivels the golden liquid around in the glass as he smells its aroma.

He slowly brings it to his lower lip and drinks a small mouthful, first moving the liquid with his tongue from cheek to cheek, over and around all his teeth several times before swallowing. He lets out a sigh, looks at the glass once more and smiles at it. Sean carries the bottle and glass up to his room, setting it down on his night table next to the bed. Then grabbing some night clothes he heads for the bathroom.

In the shower, he starts to think back over all the things he could have done differently with his son. Wally was so close to his mother, Catherine. He remembered back to the day he was trying to teach his son how to swim for the first time in a hotel pool, at a Hilton in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He recalls after they got out of the pool, Wally refused to go into the shower, even after he told his young son to get in and wash off the chorine. Wally ran out soaking wet all the way back to his mother waiting in the room. He remembers Catherine telling him that it was because he never spent any time with his son; that Wally saw his father as a stranger. The two of them hated being cooped up, day after day in all those hotels while Sean attended to business.

Sean gets out of the shower and goes back to his room. He looks at the bottle of scotch and speaks to it. “Poor Wally, it’s no wonder he’s so screwed up.” He continues his conversation with the bottle of scotch as he pours another drink. “All those foreign embassy tutors in Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Russia, France and finally Washington.”

He taps the glass against the bottle saying, “Cheers.”

Sean continues sitting at the edge of the bed, addressing the bottle. “Then, when Catherine got sick, she had to move back here to this house.” He looks around the room. “This house her grandmother left her. She knew I couldn’t leave Washington, not since I was finally calling the shots from behind the scenes.”

Now holding out his glass in front of him, he says, “Yes, my friend, I was the guy pulling all the major political strings. I was so involved with my work, that I did not notice when our Wally became a Walter. I rarely got up here to see her before she died. And when Wally dropped out of business college to take care of her, how could I object?”

He hesitates; then continues in a somber voice, “Someone had to be here with…”

Sean takes the cork out of the bottle and pours another drink; then holding the bottle in front of him, he tells it, “Yeah, when Wally called to tell me she was expecting me home for her birthday, and I started telling him how busy things were…Wally shut me up when he told me that she was in the hospital, and I needed to come quickly.”

He stops, sets the bottle back on the night table, gets up and walks over to the dresser, placing the glass next to a picture frame. Sean stares at his wife’s image for several minutes. He takes a deep breath while grabbing his glass, turns around, and raises it to the large portrait of his wife hanging on the opposite wall.

He gives her a toast: “Here’s to the little time we did have, old girl.” He winks; then gulps back what is left in his glass.

Sean sits back down on the side of his bed, grabs the bottle, again removing the cork. He stops before pouring anything in the glass.

“Hell, I’ve really screwed things up. It’s no wonder Wally doesn’t come over, ever, to see his ol’ man,” he reprimands himself loudly, putting the cork in before setting the bottle back down on his night table.

He leans back a little and points at the bottle. “After the funeral, he never really forgave me. I did not even get an invite to his wedding, and I haven’t spoken ten words to his wife, Jill, or Jillian, or Janus? … something like that?” He stops to think a moment; then continues talking to the bottle.

“When his daughter, Mary, was born, I was still in Washington. He just sent me an email. I should have replied with…” he pauses again; then reconsiders. “I should have sent something.”

He shifts around, kicking off his slippers laying down still talking out loud. “Then, out of nowhere, he comes over with young Mary, and asks to borrow some money for her college. Wally, Wally…he could never hold down a steady job. His wife, uh…Judy? supports him, you know?” as he raises his eyes back to the bottle. “I think she works at some accounting or tax office in Dover.”

He reaches for the light on his night table, grabs the bottle instead; then sits up again, pours another drink. “Mary did say she graduated and got a Business Economics degree, now that’s something to celebrate. Good for her.”

He finishes the drink, turns off the light, lies back, and says again, “Good for her,” and falls easily to sleep.

The next day, Sean is sitting in his chair in front of the television watching the news coverage of the earthquake, aftershocks, and radiation leaks from the California disaster. Then there are the volcanoes, and just as they start to report about another new virus SARS5 pandemic hitting China and India, the doorbell rings. He checks his watch, and can’t believe it is already 2:30 in the afternoon. He gets up and grabs the plate with his half eaten toast, and his empty tea cup; takes it to the back kitchen, before he heads for the front door.

The doorbell rings again, as he opens the door, and there stands his lovely granddaughter with a striking, large, well built young man. “Come in,” Sean tells them.

“Grandpa, this is my boyfriend, Mike,” Mary says, as Sean shakes his hand and beckons for them to come in.

Mike steps back and says, “No, no, I’ll leave you two alone. You probably have a lot to talk about.” Mike smiles, as he turns and heads for a midsize panel truck with a big Buffett’s logo on the side.

Mike yells back to Mary, “I’ll just be down the road, with my dad. Give me a shout on my cell when you want me to pick you up.” He waves, looking at Sean, and says, “Hey, Mr. Galbraith, it was nice to meet you,” and gets in the truck, backs out of the driveway, waving cheerfully at Mary as he drives away.

Sean looks up at the sun still high in the sky overhead, and comments to Mary, “Is it just me? Are my eyes getting old, or does the sky look different…odd?”

“It’s not your eyes, Grandpa,” Mary says as she steps past him. “It is different. Haven’t you been watching the news, Grandpa? They think it has something to do with all that volcanic ash and the changing magnetic poles.”

Mary stops in the middle of the foyer and looks up the spiral staircase. “I forgot how big this house is. I don’t know if you heard, but a few months ago, mom and dad moved out of their small house on Plank Road to a trailer park in Dover. So there’s no room for my stuff, and Mike’s going to ask his dad if he can store my stuff in their big warehouse for awhile until we can find an apartment.”

“Apartment?” Sean bristles. “It’s that serious with this Mike fellow?” He continues with another question before she can answer the first, “Did you meet him at the University?”

Mary smiles, “I’ve known Mike since high school. He’s a local, and he works as a Millwright electrician down at the generating station.”

Mary continues talking while she walks around looking and picking up all the interesting knickknacks he has collected during his travels. “Dad still talks about all those countries where you guys lived, and traveled to.”

Sean, following her around, says, “Yes, we moved about quite a bit,” then returns to his earlier concern. “So, where are they going to store your things, again? And what do you know about his father and family?”

Mary stops, puts her hand on her waist, and tells her grandfather, “His dad was an engineer at the generating station, and took an early retirement. He just bought the old boat factory and furniture warehouse, and opened up that new Buffett store here in the village.”

Sean smiles, “I’ve seen the TV advertisements. So that would explain why the truck Mike was driving had Buffett written on it,” and heads to the kitchen. “Can I offer you something to drink or eat?”

She follows and walks past him over to the stove, turns on the gas, walks to the sink, puts water in the kettle, and starts opening a few cupboards. “Where do you keep your instant coffee, Grandpa?”

“I’m sorry, Mary, I have never acquired a taste for coffee. I drink tea, and there’s a variety of it in the tin on the counter. If you’re hungry, I’ve got some…” he starts to say, as he looks in the refrigerator, “well…truth is, I wasn’t expecting…wait a minute,” he says, closing the empty refrigerator, “there are some biscuits in that cupboard just in front of you,” as he points up.

She takes down the bag of cookies, lays them on a plate, and pours the boiling water onto a couple tea bags in a tea pot. She places the cookies and two tea cups on the table, sits across from him, and asks, mock formally, “Tea?”

Sean puts his hand over the tea cup. “Yes, please, but first we should maybe wait for a moment or two to let it steep.”

Mary puts down the tea pot. “Oh, I didn’t show you yet…” She reaches in her rather large purse or handbag, and pulls from it a rolled up document. She slides off the red ribbon, opens it up and holds it out for him to see. “Thank you, for all your help, Grandpa.”

Sean takes the document and holds it reverently. “No…thank you, Mary. You don’t know what this means to me, thank you.” His voice breaks with a little emotion. “I wish I could have done a bit more.”

He reads from the diploma: “ ‘Dean’s Honor Roll’…” He scans up and down the document; then adds, “Quite impressive.”

Mary looks at him, leaning forward. “Maybe it’s something I inherited from you? Economist, right? You, and your brother? We read his books as part of our studies on the economy. Although, when I asked Dad what you did, he never really could explain it to me. I don’t think he really knows—or cares…oh, sorry Grandpa, I didn’t mean anything…” she winces.

Sean replies sadly, “No, it’s okay, no secret, your dad and I never really hit it off too well. It’s not his fault. I was never really a good father to him,” he says in an uncomfortable tone. It’s quiet for a moment, and he rolls up the diploma, reties it with the ribbon, and hands the document back to her.

They both sit there nervously as Sean kneads the lobe of his right ear between his thumb and index finger, and she plays with the earring of her right ear in a likewise fashion. They both stop when they notice they’re both doing the same thing. He pours her a cup of tea, and pours some in his cup, as well. He raises the tea cup to her as though to make a toast, stretching his hand across as she moves the cup to her other side. He notices that she too is left handed, like him. It is awkwardly quiet while they drink their tea; she eats a biscuit, then takes the phone from her purse and places it on the table while putting her diploma back in her purse.

He breaks the silence, not wanting her to leave yet. “You should get that framed as soon as possible.” He’s clearly struggling to find conversation. “So… what now? What are you going to do with that new business degree?”

Mary gets up and walks to the sink with her empty tea cup. “Mike’s dad has offered me a job at his store. He’s going to need a lot of help, setting things up.”

“How are you going to get back and forth to work from Dover? Do you have a car?”

“Dad’s not working now, and he said I could use his old Honda. And mom has been walking to work from the trailer park. That’s why they moved to Dover, so she could be closer to her job,” Mary says, staring directly into his eyes.

“Well, that’s just silly. How much room is there in that trailer? Do you even have a room to yourself? You’re a young woman now, and you need some privacy,” he says with concern.

“I know, Grandpa. It’s just temporary…until Mike can find an apartment for us,” she shrugs with a little smile.

Sean wrinkles his brow, talking in a higher pitch, “Are you going to get married to this guy, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Mary stops smiling and looks back now, wrinkling her brow in the same familiar way. “Maybe…I don’t know. We haven’t really talked too much about it. Mike just finished his apprenticeship, and has been busy lately helping his dad. And I have really been studying a lot for the finals, and with graduation, mom and dad moving, it has just all happened too fast.”

Sean pauses for a moment, grabs his chin, scratching his cheek with his index finger, before saying, “Look, don’t take this in the wrong way, just think about it. This is a big house. There are a lot of rooms upstairs. There’s even your dad’s old room, plus the sewing room, and a spare bedroom, a second bathroom. You don’t have to worry about me, I mostly stay to the back of the house, and I have my own washroom, even my own private staircase here behind the kitchen, it goes directly up to my office and bedroom.”

Sean looks excited as he points to the stairs behind the kitchen. He turns to Mary with his eyebrows raised and is smiling as though he can’t believe what he just offered her.

Mary spins around, clenching her arms and fists close into herself, saying very quickly, “Really, Grandpa? Mom suggested that I ask, but dad told me not to bother. Oh, Grandpa, this would be perfect for me! And I could pay you some money for room and board…”

She’s cut off in mid sentence with Sean saying, “Absolutely not! NO granddaughter of mine will pay anything while living in this house. If your grandmother were still alive, she would insist on you staying here.” He almost breaks his smile as his chin quivers.

Mary picks up her phone and calls Mike to tell him the great news. She steps out of the kitchen into the dining room and parades around the table, talking to him about the house as though she’d been there, more than half a dozen times as a little girl, when her father used to bring her to air the place out when Sean was still in Washington.

Two hours later, Mike comes back over with a couple of guys, and moves her few things upstairs into her father’s old room. They both thank him again, and explain that they need to go because Mike’s parents are taking them out to dinner. She suggests that she should spend the first night at the trailer with her mom and dad, so she can tell them the good news when the moment is right. Sean walks her to the front door and gives her a key.

They leave, and the house is silent again. He walks up the stairs and opens a few windows to let in some fresh air. Then he goes into his bedroom, grabs the bottle of scotch off his night table and takes it with him down to his office. He places the bottle back in the box from where he got it the night before, looks at it and says, “Well, old boy, I may have someone else to talk to around here.” Sean closes the box and puts it back in the credenza, again getting down one knee to push it to the back, just as the phone rings.

He walks to the desk, and picks it up with a grin, singing hello into the phone. When he hears who is on the other end, the smile leaves his face. It is a conference call with all the members of the group, and for the next hour or so he is in serious discussions.

They ask him to come back to Washington for several emergency meetings; as a result of all the recent global and national events. They explain that now more than ever, they need to secure the economy, or everything will fall into chaos. The West Coast refineries are severely damaged, as well as most of the utilities after the earthquake. Many times during the call they acknowledge that he has retired, but, they remind him that no one really retires from the Committee.

In addition to the damages on the West Coast, the East Coast has been dealing with major coastal flooding, as a result of rising ocean levels due to the polar caps melting. Government aid and resources are running out quickly; they had to pull back all troops from foreign deployment. The oil companies have needed to back fill with their own security forces to continue to protect their overseas interests. Rebuilding the coastal infrastructure has limited other government spending, resulting in a severe failure to maintain public infrastructure. Routine blackouts, water shortages, poor roads, collapsing bridges, failing drainage and sewer systems; all have been neglected.

Nature’s assault has been hard on the public, including the commercial and industrial sectors. The agricultural community has been hit the hardest with floods, droughts, and climate change from global warming. The instability impacts all farmers and crops worldwide. While some glacial fed rivers have completely disappeared, most other major rivers have record flooding, and displace many people who can never return to their homes. If last year was any indication, another scorching heat wave this summer, will test the hardiest. Food prices are at a record high, and gas prices continues to soar.

Goldstein speaks up for the first time. “Sean, this is Jeff. We never got a chance to discuss things after the inquiry broke off so quickly. I wanted to spend some time with you to fill you in on what we need to do, so that we can stay on top of this. You know there’s not much we can do to stop Mother Nature from beating the hell out us. All we can do is brace ourselves and try to recover, hoping for some kind of relief to come soon. In the meantime, we can’t just stand by and do nothing. We have to continue the way we always do, finding ways to minimize the damage by trying to protect what we can…” Jeff hesitates, and Richard takes over.

“Most of the products sold at these Buffett stores come in from China, and Ronald was right about a couple of things, when he mentioned the economic impact of those products. The oil companies need that income more than ever, and I don’t need to lecture you on the tax revenue we receive from fuel sales.”

Another member speaks up. “Sean, hell you wrote the book on that, years ago, that very topic.”

Richard adds, “That’s why the Oil boys love us so much.” And they all laugh.

Jeff says, “But now it’s not just the oil companies. With all the blackouts, damage to the grid…” Jeff hesitates once again, and Richard cuts in.

“If and when, the utility companies finally do get power back on line, they will need to recover those expensive repair costs, and a lot of customers, including smaller businesses and industries, are pretty upset with all the power interruptions.”

Sean interjects, “So, what you’re going to tell me is that they’re not paying their bills?”

Richard: “That’s right, Sean. And when utility companies threaten to turn off their services…well it’s not like before, when they had to pay, or sit in the dark.”

Jeff: “Hell, it’s just like Buffett said, they now have a choice. People are just going down to the nearest Buffett’s store, and they set themselves up completely off the grid.”

Richard: “Look, Sean, I know you’ve been out of the loop for awhile, and I’m not sure you know how quickly this is spreading. With the gas storages, many people have started to use electric vehicles, and the police can’t keep them off the roads any longer.”

Jeff: “They’ve even stopped trying to ticket them.”

Richard: “Hell, some of the police forces are even using electric vehicles now, inside the city limits. With all the cut backs to the policing budgets, those electric karts are just cheaper to buy and cheaper to operate.”

Jeff: “You can imagine how foolish we look, when, if you remember just a few years back, we insisted that the government pay out all those tax dollars to bail out the auto industry? And then we practically insisted they continue making cars using gas engines—even after they had developed good electric and hydrogen vehicles. Now everyone starts buying these Chinese electric cars.”

Richard: “It’s ugly, really ugly.”

Jeff: “Then there’s the matter of National Security. You know, the political situation with China—we still owe them a shitload of money. So it’s hard to stop them, politically, from shipping everything else they make over here.”

Richard: “Besides, half the companies over there are American Manufacturing Companies anyways, with a lot of management people working over there now, a lot of them with their entire families. So, it’s been hard trying to keep them from sending over all those hundreds of technicians to support the Buffett stores. They not only sell the stuff, they install it, and service it. I guess we just don’t have enough people here trained in that field—and besides, the Chinese are leading us in that technology.”

Jeff: “So, now that the Buffett stores are continuing to supply those magnetic fuel generators, we have a real potential security problem. Magnetic fuel generators don’t mix with our national energy strategy, and they do actually pose a physical danger. So we were talking with our people at the Pentagon, and they agreed that the technology can be used by terrorists to stage attacks. American Homeland Security is going to avert this by shutting down these stores.”

Sean cannot believe what he is hearing. “You’re joking? That won’t stop anything—it will just continue as an underground economy. We’ll even lose that little retail tax revenue we collect now, and Jeff, I don’t have to give you a lesson about supply and demand,” Sean says with certainty, “there is a demand…”

Jeff cuts him off, “We feel that the Chinese are already operating underground, and using this opportunity to set up a formidable terrorist organization across the entire nation.”

Sean jumps back in. “Are you hearing yourself? This is starting to sound just like the Westinghouse, Edison, J.P. Morgan meetings we are all so very familiar with. We’ve all read the minutes of those meetings. Or do I need to remind all of you? Back then, Tesla had invented that Tower, using the same technology, invented right here in America. But we know with all the money Westinghouse, Edison, and J.P. Morgan had invested in building the infrastructure to provide all those new customers, starving for their high voltage AC brand of electrical power. They even convinced ole diehard Edison and let him join this group eventually giving up his precious DC power. All of them stood to make a lot of money. They spent a good part of their fortunes banking on revenue coming back to them as they started to bill all those new customers for AC power from their growing distribution empire. As soon as Tesla completed the Manhattan Tower, and it was clear to J.P. Morgan that you can’t meter wireless generated power, he pulled the funding. Tesla and this technology didn’t have a prayer. Then, when the war broke out…the same shit we’re talking about now, right?”

He only hesitates for a second not letting anyone else take the lead. “Then they accused him of building a secret weapon, and that brilliant man never recovered. When he died, they took all his work and buried it, claiming it in the name of National Security…how ironic. I wonder what kind of world we would be living in today if this group’s original founders would have just let things develop, without interfering.” Sean stops and reflects on what he just said.

Jeff yells back over the phone, “You’re losing it, Sean. We heard the exact same thing from Buffett, remember? We were all at that same meeting. Why do you keep repeating the same thing over and over? We got it, J.P., Tesla, Edison, Westinghouse…no one cares. You’re stuck in the past. Get with the program, open your eyes. We need to look at tomorrow, so get back here to Washington, and look at some of these economical models we’re running. You need to see these trends for yourself, look at the numbers. The numbers don’t lie. For fuck sakes, Sean, these are your formulas we’re using—and the models you developed, so don’t sit there and talk to us like we’re on different sides.”

Sean lets out a deep sigh. “Okay, alright, but I can’t take off back to Washington right away. I just got back here. Give me a few days.”

Richard: “Sean, you may not even need to come down here. As a matter of fact, it might be better if you just work from there. We can send Mel up, with most of your old team, put them up in a hotel, and we’ll install a teleconference system in your home office.”

Jeff: “Sean, we’ve got to see your face when we’re talking ‘cause I can’t tell half the time if you’re not just joking with us, okay? We’re in this together.”

Sean lets out a rare chuckle. “All right, all right. But tell them this is a small village, and they will need to stay in Dover, it’s a nearby town.” He hesitates; then adds, “My granddaughter is staying with me, and she doesn’t need to know about this.”

They complete their call, and Sean stays up most of the night working.

The next day he sleeps in well past noon. He goes directly to his office and works until five, when he starts to get a little hungry. He walks down to the kitchen and makes himself a sandwich and walks to the living room to watch the evening news.

Just then, Mary and Mike walk in through the front door, and Sean does not realize that he is still in just his housecoat and slippers. Mike steps back, turning, and excusing himself; Mary, not bothered one bit, walks over to greet her grandfather, and kisses him on the cheek, telling him not to change anything, and just be himself, reminding him that this is still his home.

Mike tells her that he has to leave, and will be back tomorrow.

Sean walks upstairs to change into some clothes, and needs to quickly shut his second bedroom door off the upstairs hall, as he notices Mary walking up the main front staircase. While he is changing, he keeps looking back at the closed door, not sure about his new situation.

When he is dressed, he hears her in the upstairs bathroom. Sean opens his bedroom door to the upstairs hall and tells her that there are towels in the hallway closet, and if she needs more room for her things to feel free to use the sewing room or spare bed room.

Mary calls out, “Okay, Grandpa. I’m just going to take a shower…oh, wait a minute…” She shuts off the shower, steps out of the bathroom only holding her T-shirt loosely in front of her; continues out to the hall and asks, standing right in front of him, “Hey, you have a big tub in the downstairs back washroom don’t you? I would love to have a bath. Is that okay?”

Sean smiles and walks back to his room, saying, “Of course. This is our home now. Just put something on. We have nosey neighbors.”

“Thanks. Where did you say the towels were kept?” she asks following him.

Sean opens the hallway closet outside his room and points to the towels. “Right here, the extra pillows, bed linen and blankets at the bottom with the hand towels here in the middle, and bath towels are up top.”

Mary steps beside him looking in, with her T-shirt under her chin, as she reaches with one hand for a hand towel and with her other hand up for bath towels. Of course, the T-shirt drops. Sean bends down to pick it up. Mary steps back, completely nude, shakes the folded towel open and wraps it around her as she turns around looking back out the front window.

She turns to her grandfather; her hand goes to her mouth. “Oh shit, I’ve embarrassed you. I’m sorry. It’s just after four years of co-ed dorms and well…I just thought with us being family…I’ll try to be more careful.”

Sean hands her the T-shirt. “Mary, first of all…watch your language. And it’s okay, we are family, you are my granddaughter, this is your home too. And like you told me earlier, don’t change anything, just be yourself.”

Sean goes to his office and back down to the kitchen to clean up. He hears Mary in the tub with the bathroom door open, and she asks him if it’s okay to wash a couple loads of laundry after she has her bath.

Sean tells her to leave his stuff in the laundry hamper and that the laundry soap is in the closet next to the dryer. If she needs a fabric softer, there is none.

Mary finishes her bath, puts in a load of laundry, and comes out wearing just a long night shirt. She has tea with her grandfather and they talk into the evening. They have a second pot of tea, some biscuits, and Mary eventually washes her grandfather’s clothes as well.

Sean brings out a box of photos from all his travels and shows her many pictures of her grandmother and father as a boy. She can’t help saying how much she looks like her grandmother. Sean agrees. He notices the time, kisses her on forehead, tells her good night, leaves her downstairs in the kitchen, and he goes to bed.

She stays up looking at the pictures while folding her clothes. She takes her freshly dried clothes upstairs using the front staircase and then comes back down. She folds Sean’s clothes into a laundry hamper and carries it to the first landing of the back stair case outside his office. She looks back wondering if he will see it or trip over it; then picks up the hamper and walks it up the rest of the stairs up to his bedroom.

Sean is snoring and she smiles putting down the hamper on a chair. She continues through his large dark bedroom realizing a shortcut to her room as the hallway light shines in through the slightly open door.

Sean stops snoring, opens his eyes, sees her as the light silhouettes her body through the night shirt. He smiles and says, “Goodnight, Catherine,” then quickly falls back to sleep, and continues snoring.

Mary closes the door behind her with an involuntary shiver; whispers, “Good night, Grandpa” to herself, and goes straight to her room.

Chapter 8

FRIDAY THE 13TH

There is a strong wind at the Long Point Gate, and it’s hard to breathe this morning. The cabins are not very airtight, and the HVAC system can’t filter and condition the air fast enough inside. Williams rolls over and puts on the mask that’s beside the bed; he sits up, and looks out to the kitchen area where he sees Jan putting some wood in the stove.

“Good morning,” she says as Williams walks in.

He lifts his mask to reply, “Good morning,” and lowers it again.

“I turned up the fan to high. It should get better in here in just a few minutes. The coffee will only take a little longer,” Jan says in a cheerful voice.

“Hey, how do I get a hold of Dan?” Williams says. “I’d really like to see if there’s any way we can go back to the shop and house to pick up a few more things.”

Jan smiles, “Oh, he was already by this morning, and has the truck ready for you. He figured you would insist on going back in. He’s up at the central cafeteria by the main gate…” Her face shows concern, “but I wish you would stay here. Dan says there was a lot of activity around Dover, and several ships came in to the Titan Oil docks through the night. Dan thinks they’re setting up for another attack.”

“Okay, sorry girl, got to run, save the coffee for tonight,” Williams says as he gets up and leaves.

Jan knows better than to try any further to dissuade him.

Williams goes up to the cafeteria and notices that there are about fifty or so people sitting. Dan is up in front of the group organizing something. Williams listens to him as he goes over their defense strategy.

Williams scans the room to see if Wyatt is around. He notices that there are no Rangers in the room, and leaves the cafeteria for the Tower.

At the base of the Tower, he sees Wyatt talking with someone. Williams goes over, and Wyatt explains that the Tower is on auto, and fully functional. They walk together, and Williams is impressed with Wyatt’s knowledge of this technology.

Wyatt says he needs to leave, because his shift is starting. He had heard about all the activity in and around Titan Oil and Dover. He tells his father that he doesn’t think they would try an assault across the bay again, but they may try to block the only access to the Point. He says that he has to meet with some friends in Dover who keep him informed about what’s going on at Titan Oil.

Wyatt explains that what he is about to tell his father has to stay between the two of them. “There are too many new people here, at the Gate, so Titan Oil may also have ears reporting back to them.”

Wyatt invites his Dad to tag along with him, and he will call Dan later to let him know where he is. Wyatt figures this way, he can keep an eye on his Dad, and at the same time do his rounds.

They walk out of the Gate and head down to the trucks, parked out of the Tower’s range. Wyatt says, “There is a plan…and it’s been in the works for over a year.”

“Can you be more specific?” Williams coaxes his son.

Wyatt considers the request, then says, “It’s Charlie’s plan. They have known for a while about Titan Oil’s intent to assault the Long Point Gate. Charlie figured that they would attack thinking that this Gate would be easy to overtake. Now that Titan Oil knows about the Gate’s defenses, they will not allow that strike to be seen as a complete failure. That’s why Titan Oil chose to attack a remote northern Gate first. What they did not expect was the sophistication of our defense and weapons. So, now they are going to need some time to develop a new strategy, and by looking at all the activity at the docks, Titan Oil is bring in their elite muscle from the south. We know that this is where Titan Oil will start their campaign. We’ve given them a black eye and they will need a success here before they try to attack any of the other Gates. It is not the first time that they have tried. All the Gates have been warned. This first battle was important to Titan Oil, and they can’t afford to fail a second time.”

They get in Wyatt’s truck and head away from the Point. Wyatt makes sure his 2-way radio is off; then tells his father, “Here’s the plan: Charlie is less than a day away. When he gets here, he will lead the blitz and destroy Titan’s Dover Refinery, with minimal injury to the residence at Dover Pond. At the same time there are four more teams planning to attack the Billings Refinery in Montana, the Sarnia Refinery at the mouth of the Detroit River, and both the Dartmouth and Baytown Refineries on the East Coast. Charlie has been working with Green-police to build five new ships, with the help of his network, and supplies coming from China. These ships will have a Tower built onto them, and as they pass the five waterfront refineries, the Towers will level them beyond repair.”

Williams is bowled over at what he’s hearing.

Wyatt goes on to explain that fire is fairly common at all the refineries, and with the dangerous fumes and chemicals, already most of the population is up wind, and far enough away; so the hope is minimal casualties, maximum destruction.

Williams can only look back in silence as Wyatt continues. “Titan Oil has brought a lot of Bush Security people into this area, and they are busy getting intelligence—mostly harassing the locals and trying to infiltrate the Gate. We have tried to get more Rangers to the area, but I’m afraid to alarm my superiors, because we are not sure how many of them are in the pocket of Titan Oil.”

They stop at the house, and Wyatt goes up to his old room to take a look around. Williams grabs a few items, including an ancient Magyar Sword that has been hanging on the wall of the dining room ever since he can remember.

“What’s with the sword, Dad?” Wyatt says with a smile.

Williams looks over at Wyatt and motions to the only other sword in the house, an 800-year-old Scottish Clamor over the piano.

Wyatt reaches up and pulls the sword partly from the leather sheath. He puts it over his shoulder and says with a grin, “Maybe, it will come in handy?”

They leave the house, and go to the shop. It is obvious that the Bush people had returned there. The back door was force open, and everything inside has been torn apart; a real mess. Wyatt starts to pick things up.

Williams waves him off. “Just leave it.”

Williams heaves the sword over his head and swings down and across the main overhead door cable, bringing the door slamming down. He looks around once more at all the damage and removes his mask. They start to pick through the mess to salvage what they can, but after realizing the extent of the damage, he motions Wyatt to just leave everything alone.

It is now clear to Williams that this has turned into a war, and his two boys are definitely in deep. There is no way to back down. He realizes the value of a quick offensive attack and knows that if they don’t, Titan Oil will eventually have the resources they need, and the Gate will not have a chance.

On the drive to Dover, they pass many Bush troupes, and they are finally stopped at the main security entrance. Wyatt gets out of the truck slinging the sword and sheath over his shoulder as he has a few words with the guards, and they tell him that no one is getting in or out.

Wyatt starts to walk back to the truck when he sees a small figure from inside, sneaking past security toward him. He runs forward, and gets to her before Bush Security does. It is his electrician girlfriend, Julie, from Titan Steel. She wraps both her arms around him, as Wyatt starts to walk back to the truck.

The two Bush soldiers make an attempt to stand in front of Wyatt, when to everyone’s surprise, he reaches over his head and pulls out the Clamor from the sheath over his back and holds it out to his side; still holding the girl in his other arm. They walk past the two soldiers who have decided to stand down. She jumps in the front seat beside Williams, and Wyatt gets in after throwing the Clamor behind the seat.

“Hello, I don’t know if you remember? I’m Julie,” she says, holding her hand out to Williams.

It is after six when they finally get back to the Gate. There are hundreds of people running about, and Williams notices several new kinds of people, that he has never seen before. Wyatt introduces them to his father, as Chinese Dragons. They are strong and very noble looking, dressed all in black silk. Williams is then told that Charlie had returned just before noon.

Wyatt is met by what looks like a very high ranking individual, and they leave together while Williams heads back to the cabin to look for Jan.

She spots him first, and runs to him shouting, “Have you seen him? Charlie’s back! We just spent the whole afternoon together, and S.T., he’s not that little boy anymore.” Jan is bubbling over with excitement.

“I know. I just spent the afternoon with Wyatt, and I could hardly recognize him as my son, either. He has matured into a man, and I didn’t even realize it until now.”

Jan’s face turns serious. “Do you know what’s going on?”

Williams nods. “Did Charlie tell you anything? What do you know?”

“Charlie didn’t tell me anything. I was just glad to finally be with him.”

They both jump when several low horn alarms sound, and the Tower starts to hum. Dan and Wyatt run over to Williams telling him that he should take cover with Jan and go to the bunkers.

Williams glances at Jan, and she sees a look in his eyes, that she’s not seen in a long time.

She grabs his arm. “NO! You’re staying with me! I know there is something major going on tonight, and…”

Williams stops her in mid sentence, kisses her hard; then steps back and says, “You’ve always told me to take care of my boys. And if they are going to be in harms way, I will never forgive myself. I have to go. Wyatt and Charlie need me.”

She lets his hands slip from hers as she breaks down crying.

Wyatt’s girlfriend, Julie, holds her, and says, “I’ll stay with her if you want, Wyatt?”

“No, you need to come with me to help with the new Tower. My mom can take care of herself. Right, Mom? And everything is going to be okay,” Wyatt says looking at both of them.

Wyatt then tells his father that he cannot come with them. “Everything has been carefully preplanned, and you would just get in the way.”

Wyatt and his girlfriend run off to the boat that is waiting for them.

Williams spots Dan, grabs him, and tries to slow him down long enough to see if he can be of some help.

Dan explains that Charlie has already left, and is with the main assault team. “Just relax, boss. It’s all going down as planned.”

Dan turns to walk away, and Williams grabs his arm again; looks him square in the eyes. “I’m not staying here while the fight’s out there.”

Dan and Williams, and about forty men silently cross the bay in small skiffs; only the quiet hum of the electric troll motors and the waves washing along the side of the boats can be heard as they glide over the water. Williams realizes that he is only armed with that sword as he watches everyone else load and check their weapons. Dan has an assault weapon. Their eyes meet, and Dan reaches down by his ankle, and hands Williams a small pistol as they touch shore.

They move up the beach trying to stay behind the driftwood. The flare stacks are very bright up this close. Dan explains that they need to get ready to support the main team’s escape. They have been moving equipment into place inside the abandoned coal-fired generating station that is between Titan Steel and the Titan Oil Refinery. The water is not deep enough close to shore, and the refinery is too far from the beach to get a good position for a large ship.

Dan tells Williams that they have been setting up a second Tower inside the stack for several months during the nights, and Charlie has been working with a team the last couple hours to get it ready. Once it is on full standby, Charlie will lead a charge on the main office building and Bush Security Headquarters between Dover and the Refinery. Another team will assault the ships and tankers at the dock. Then Wyatt will energize the Tower and start the assault as they lay waiting to evacuate them back to the Gate.

Rat-a-tat-tat comes from the direction of the generating station. Williams raises his head and sees several Bush Security soldiers rushing to one side of the station.

“Something is wrong! That can’t be part of the plan,” Williams whispers loudly to Dan.

There is more gunfire.

“No, they are not supposed to know about us being inside the abandoned generating station,” Dan says.

“Well, it looks like a bunch of Bush-whackers know something.” Williams points to the north side of the main building where several Bush solders are running with weapons. “Look! “There’s another bunch over there, going around to the other side. My two boys are in there, and I’m not going to lie down and watch it from here!”

Williams gets up runs in the direction of the generating station, and by the time he gets to the side of the first building, there is a full gun battle. Dan and his compatriots are trapped on the beach behind an old steel boat hull. Williams makes his way alone into the generating station. He knows this building inside and out. His grandfather worked here as an engineer; and his father worked in maintenance as a millwright electrician for years before it closed down. Afterwards, his father and grandfather would sneak in at night to salvage. When he was just a kid they would bring him along; and he spent many all-nighters just gathering nuts, bolts and bearings. Although, after his father and Dan were caught one evening by Bush Security, Dan has never returned; and over the last couple of years, Williams has come over alone at night whenever he needed more parts.

Once inside, it’s dark, but he finds the maintenance shop, and knows the way to the control room under the stack. Up on the second floor, he can make out a group of people standing just outside the control room. The gunfire is up on the generator turbine floor, and the light flashes through the grating, strobing in every direction, while Williams finds his way up another stairway. He spots Wyatt.

Wyatt also sees him and yells down to him, “Dad is that you? What are you doing here?” He pushes aside the gun barrel of one of the men aiming it at his father.

Williams makes his way up to them, and looks inside the control room.

Charlie yells out, “Wyatt! It’s all yours. Julie and I have got it ready. Get in here and power this thing up, we are falling behind.”

Charlie steps out from a small cloud of smoke in front of the control room doorway and says, “From the sounds of all the shooting, it looks like they know we are here,” nodding his head while looking at Wyatt.

The room is dimly lit with only the green glow tubes on the catwalk outside the control room. Wyatt steps past Charlie, after smacking him on the shoulder, saying, “You’ve got to get moving, bro, if you plan to get out of here to their headquarters, before, I start blowing things up.”

Then Wyatt throws a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of their father, saying, “Hey, look over there. Guess who just showed up?” and disappears into the control room.

Charlie turns toward his father. It is only then that Williams notices how tall and straight Charlie stands. He has on a long coat, and still has his long hair. The now full-grown adult Charlie, with feline features, still resembles his mother, though he has more the white tiger traits. But there is no mistaking those blazing yellow eyes, just like his father’s.

Charlie walks right up to Williams, and they embrace briefly. Charlie pulls away and says, “Dad, I know that it has been a long time, but I’ve got some important work to do.”

Sparks fly as bullets begin to ricochet around them. Williams pushes Charlie back into the control room, and closes the door. Outside the room Charlie’s dragons are returning fire.

Charlie shouts, “Wyatt! We need to find another way out of here and get to the main headquarters building.”

Williams speaks up. “Guys, you’re safe, as long as you stay in here, the wall around this stack is two feet thick. There’s no way in once we close the blast doors to this room. We can lock it from the inside, and hold out here until it’s over.”

Charlie tries to move his father aside. “You don’t understand, Dad, I’ve got to get to the Headquarters Building, or a lot of people are going to die.”

Williams shakes his head. “Why? It’s just a bunch of security thugs, and the Titan Oil management offices.”

“Dad, I need to get into McEwen’s office again and use his computer link. Then I need to crash it again, this time their whole system has to go down. What Wyatt is doing to the refinery is just a diversion. This is bigger than revenge for the other night,” Charlie explains, as Wyatt tosses him a 2-way radio.

Williams is getting it now. “Okay, look, you know Grandpa worked here a long time, and he would bring me here at night to scavenge…anyway you have to trust me. I know a way out to the coal yard. There is a conveyor tunnel that runs just under this room. There is also a trap door in the back of this room that was used to move the big electrical panels in. Come on, I’ll lead you out of here and take you to that building.”

Williams calls to Wyatt, “I’m going with Charlie. No matter what, do not leave this room, and keep the blast doors closed. You’ll be safe, until it is clear.”

He turns to Julie and tells her to make sure they both stay in the room and not to leave or they may get shot. Williams locks eyes with Wyatt as his heart goes heavy, not wanting to leave; then he says, “Listen to me, son, you can hold out here for days. We’ll keep in touch over the radio, and we will let you know when we’re clear. Do not open that blast door.”

They make their way down into the tunnel. Charlie has two Chinese Dragons come with them. The tunnel ends in the middle of the coal yard, several hundred yards away, where there is still gunfire coming from the main building. More Bush soldiers are heading towards the building. Williams stops to look back.

Charlie says, as he makes his way out of the tunnel, “Come on. You said it yourself. He is okay as long as he stays put.”

They get clear, and start the two kilometer hike across the barren field, running from one dead tree stump to another. Before they get to the building, they hear alarms sounding around the buildings. Now there are sirens and horns coming from the refinery, the steel mill, and as far as Dover Pond. Charlie gets on the radio and tells Wyatt to start. Within minutes, four large propane spheres explode.

Back on the beach, Dan watches and smiles, telling the guys that he has fantasized about this for years.

The refinery damage continues with numerous explosions. The Bush soldiers turn their attention away from Dan’s stronghold, and make their way back to the road leading to steel mill.

Most of the people at the Gate are now on the water’s edge, watching the entire refinery in flames across the bay.

Charlie, Williams, and the two dragons wait as the last of the soldiers leave the Headquarters Building. With only a few vehicles left in the parking lot, they make their way into a side door into the building. Once inside, the two dragons handle several Bush Security people with ease.

They all make their way down the corridor. Charlie finds McEwen’s office, breaks in the door, and gets on the computer. For the next 20 minutes, he loads data to and from several memory sticks.

Williams watches from the doorway, keeping one eye down the hall. He marvels at his son’s mastery on the keyboard, and his intense concentration.

Charlie finally looks up. “Okay, I’m done. In about two hours the entire Titan Oil databases will be lost, and all the forty-six refineries worldwide including most of the 500 or so depots, ports transfer yards tankers and all 12,000 plus gas stations worldwide will be cut off, and shut out of the network. I’ve set up a sequence of commands that will instantly shut down all the refineries by freezing all their controls. There will not be any time for manual controlled shutdowns this time, and it’ll probably cause several fatal fires in

most, if not all the refineries.”

Charlie flashes a thumbs-up at his father. “Okay, we’re out of here!”

They exit the building and see that both the mill and the refinery are now on fire. A large group of Bush soldiers are firing at the boats leaving across the bay, and they realize the only way back for them is on foot through Dover.

They start their walk west, for most of the night. The Bush soldiers are up and down along the beach, to the south. Guards are posted all along and outside their security fences to the north.

Williams, exhausted, sits beside his son, behind a large fallen tree stump, and the two dragons lay down in the tall dead grass. Daylight starts to break through the black purple smoke, and they will not have the cover of darkness for long.

Williams turns to his son. “So what do we do now, Charlie? We are inside their walls, and it is just a matter of time before they find us. Wyatt can probably hold out for a couple of days, but eventually even he will need to come out.”

Charlie smiles, “It’s not …” he starts to say, when his father interrupts.

“Whatever happens, Charlie, and whatever happened in the past between us, I want you to know I’m proud of you, both of you. This whole mess was…hell it’s been going on too long…I just didn’t want to deal with it. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to support you better, Charlie, I should have been.” Williams stops as he looks for the right words. “I should have been helping you more. You did this all on your own,” Williams says with regret.

Charlie grins and replies, “Relax, Dad, keep it together.” He pats his father on his shoulder. “As I started to say, it’s not over. This is not my first battle plan. In the beginning, after I had to leave. I spent most of my time looking for old Buffetts to find more equipment, and I’ve met a lot of people along the way. Dad…a lot of people don’t like the corporations and Big Oil companies.”

He turns to his father, looking him in the eyes. “So, once I got a network of people organized, I needed a way to move things around the country. Like I said, I made a lot of friends and not just gaming buddies. There are my friends from China—you already met some of them.” He gestures toward the two Dragons. “You haven’t met my friends I made at Green-police yet. They helped me get equipment in and out of the country, and back and forth to China. But I used a different group to move things inland.”

Charlie looks skyward, then says, “So, Dad, what day was it yesterday?”

Williams answers with a funny look on his face. “It was…Thursday. So…?”

“No, what date?” he emphasizes.

Williams ponders the question. “Uh…Thursday was…I think it was the twelfth.”

“And today? Wonder why I picked these two particular days?” Charlie raises his eyebrows at his father.

“No….Why? Today is Friday…the thirteenth.” Williams remains puzzled.

Charlie checks his watch, and pulls out a small electronic object from his pocket. “Watch this—it’s a signal sender. Time to meet some of my other friends.” He pushes the button, and within minutes they hear loud rumbling of many motorcycles closing in on the community.

Thousands upon thousands of bikers are converging on Dover.

Charlie nonchalantly shrugs his shoulders. “I promised them free gas. All they can carry.”

The bikers are well armed, and it only takes until noon before they defeat the confused Bush soldiers and take over the Dover Pond. When they reach Charlie, they wave recognition and continue past toward the refinery and steel mill.

By the day’s end, the battle is over, and Charlie has won. A small caravan of bikers take Williams back to the Gate. By nightfall, Wyatt and Julie arrive to join in on the victory celebration.

Chapter 9

WARN BUFFETTS

A large black panel van with a U.S. Government license plate is still parked in the driveway when Mike drops Mary off after an evening out. He walks her to the front door and Mel opens it to let her in. She turns to Mike and explains that her grandfather is helping the government on some project. All these men will be gone soon as they are done, and she will be okay alone with her grandfather. Mike leaves, and Mary goes into the house.

Sean is in the dining room. He tells her in a loud voice so everyone in the house can hear, “Sorry, Mary, it’s just until they get the new equipment hooked up. Then they’re all leaving because they are all going to work from their hotel in Dover. They have a nice big room set up already and won’t be coming here to bother us again.”

Sean then turns to Mel. “Please get them to hurry and wrap things up, it’s getting late.”

The last two technicians leave, and Mel goes over some final instructions on how they will make contact with Sean, explaining that he has a direct secure line from Washington and the support team in Dover. Then he goes over a few more details on how the new teleconferencing equipment works.

Sean closes the door after Mel leaves and walks back, past the living room, where Mary is sitting in front of the television.

“Grandpa, come here. You have to hear this,” Mary says, waving him into the living room to look at the TV.

Sean walks into the room, and sits in his usual chair. He reaches for his cigar, but stops short, distracted by what he is hearing and seeing on the screen. The reporter is on a balcony of his hotel, and in the background, high walls of water are splashing up as waves crash below into the building. Massive amounts of water continue to violently shoot up behind him.

The soaking wet reporter is yelling into his microphone: “This storm erupted without warning. I was doing a story on the gradual flooding counter measures taken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to slow the damage from the rising ocean levels right before this storm suddenly blew in. The storm has now breached all the new dikes and levees. There is an evacuation order for Norfolk and the entire Virginia Coast. The U.S. Navy has moved all its ships from the Navy port out to sea to ride out this storm.”

Sean gets up and goes to the kitchen where he puts on the kettle and prepares some tea, all the while still listening to the news report. When he gets back to the living room, Mary has gone upstairs. Sean puts down the teapot and the two cups; then pours himself a cup. As he is sipping the tea, he hears Mary running back down the stairs. She has changed into a pair of pajamas.

Mary sits back on the couch, crosses her legs and puts a cushion on her lap. She leans forward, smiles at her grandfather, grabs the teapot, fills her empty cup, and settles back into the couch. She turns to Sean with a look of uncertainty. “Grandpa, do you believe what is happening? First, all those earthquakes. Now all this flooding…something’s going on.”

Sean smiles at his welcome company. “Well, my dear, nothing to get all worried about. These things go on all the time. We just hear about it a lot quicker with today’s technology.”

Mary frowns. “Mike’s dad says it’s going to get worse. That’s why he’s opened up a Buffett’s…to help people prepare.”

“Nonsense,” Sean waves her down and says with a slight smirk, “prepare for what? Things like this have been happening since man’s been on this planet, major disasters, and even a few ice ages. Mankind has never been this prepared for survival. The difference is, we communicate so well today, that we tell everyone about everything.”

“What about the Inca Calendar—or wait a minute, the Mayan Calendar. It predicted all this, and you can’t tell me the modern man has not played a role in getting us here.”

Sean says with a distant blank stare, “Mary, you can’t even begin to imagine the role we played…I played.”

Mary feels his discomfort. They stare away from each other for several seconds; then she says, “Is it too late, Grandpa?”

“Of course not it’s not too late, nor is it the first time we’ve been here. There has never been a shortage of people predicting gloom and doom, the holocaust, Battle of Armageddon, then Nostradamus, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Kalki. The Arabs predicted that Dajjal will come during the end of times. They all had some doomsday prediction.”

Sean can see how Mary is not easily convinced as she listens intently, ignoring the television. He continues, “Old Russian believers in 1669, they were so certain the world would end, that over 20,000 of them burned themselves alive. Then around 1891, Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon Church, announced that Jesus would return within fifty-six years, and the world would end. In 1914, Jehovah’s Witnesses prepared for the final Armageddon War.”

Sean pauses for a sip of his tea. “Let’s see, oh yes, in 1919, meteorologist Albert Porta predicted that the conjunction of six planets would generate a magnetic current that would cause the sun to explode and engulf the earth on December seventeenth of that year. Also, on January 1, 1000, many Christians in Europe had predicted the end of the world. As the date approached, Christian armies waged war, killing thousands of pagans in northern Europe. Before that, in 968, an eclipse was interpreted as a prelude to the end of the world by the German Emperor, Otto III. In 1910, the revisit of Haley’s Comet was for many an indication of the Lord’s second coming, and again predictions that the world would end. The earth actually passed through the gaseous tail of the comet.”

Sean continues, telling her that even in his lifetime, he has witnessed similar predictions. He points out to her that in the latter part of 1982, unique in our solar system, all the nine planets were on the same side of the sun, an event that happens once every 179 years. “Now remember, these are reputable scientists from NASA, pointing out that in 1982 the nine planets will not only be on the same side of the sun, but in perfect alignment. Even Newsweek referred to this situation as ‘an apocalyptic prediction’. In the book that these men co-authored, The Jupiter Effect, they pointed out that just as the moon affects earth’s tides by its gravitational pull, so do the planets affect each other, and particularly Jupiter, because of its size.”

Sean shrugs and says, “On May 5, 2000, all the planets were supposed to be in alignment, causing the earth to suffer earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and all kinds of other nasty stuff…”

He hesitates; then raises an eyebrow. “What do you think happed when all the planets came into one line, and exerted a united gravitational pull on our earth?”

Mary just smiles, and does not answer the obvious.

“So, if it is not some kook looking for attention, or some scientist looking for fame, it’s the entire planet worrying about something new. Like the 2000 Millennium scare. What a non-event that turned out to be. And can you believe a thing called Numerology? The kooks that came up with this claimed that if you divide the year 2000 by three, you will get the devil’s number, 666—again the end of the world.” He shakes his head in mock exasperation.

Mary, although amused by her grandfather’s knowledge, respectfully replies, “Radiation leaking from Japanese, American, Iranian and Russian reactors is not something dreamed up by some kook wanting his name in the newspapers. Acid rain, poisoned lakes, rivers, the tar sand wastelands of Alberta, the Toxic Gulf of Mexico, oil-soaked dead beaches and marshes up and down the coast of Africa and Brazil are not false scares…”

During her little speech she realizes her tone has turned condescending, and she breaks off as they turn their attention back to the television. The newscast is now reporting on the mass culling of poultry in South America and Asia, with a few cases in North America to contain a complex strain of avian influenza. The report then switches to a deadly combination of hoof and mouth-mad cow disease that has spread to the caribou and elk herds; after a month of trying to contain the outbreaks in Texas and Alberta.

Mary blurts out, “Did you hear about all of those horses they had to put down in Kentucky?”

Sean says quietly, “I’m sure all the health organizations are monitoring the meat closely—although, I can’t imagine what a good steak would cost these days.”

The lights flicker; then the TV goes off, and for the fifth time this week the power goes out. Sean strikes a match, grabs the half finished cigar, and lights it while Mary walks to him with a candle. He takes the match from his cigar, and lights the candle before the match is too short.

Mary follows Sean to the kitchen waving the cigar smoke with one arm and holding the candle alongside the teacup in her other hand. Sean carries his cup and the teapot, and while puffing his cigar he puts them in the sink. He turns to Mary with another candle, and lights it off the one in her hand.

Sean knows that the power will not be coming back on; says “Good night,” and disappears up the stairs.

Mary washes the dishes; then walks to the front door, checks to make sure it is locked, and goes upstairs for the night.

***

The next morning, Mary has already left for work when Sean goes to his office to answer the phone. He spends the rest of the morning going over numbers, back and forth, between Dover and Washington during the many conference calls. When they break for lunch, he notices Mary, Mike, and several people in the backyard.

Mary sees him in the window and waves as she runs to the house. Once inside, she explains to her grandfather, “Mike and his dad are installing a Buffett’s generator, so that we can keep the lights on during the next power outage.” She puts her hand on his arm. “It’s the least I can do for you, for letting me live here—and I’m getting it for a real bargain.”

Sean insists he should pay for it, and finally she agrees, but only if he lets her buy a couple solar lights for inside the house.

When Sean returns to his office, Jeff has joined the teleconference meeting from Washington and the Dover patch is closed. Members only for the rest of the day. They cover many issues, and Sean is exhausted. But he refocuses when Jeff starts to discuss how they must proceed to shut down all the Buffett Retail Outlets. The others go over the strategy, and Sean listens.

“We’ll start by ordering a recall on all of their high end items,” Jeff explains. “The plan is, at first, it must appear as though the government is acting in the public’s best interest.”

Jeff continues, “There also has to be a financial hit to their bottom line, and a drop in their stock value. Then after a few months, Homeland Security will reveal several Chinese Terrorist Groups within the Buffett organization. The Feds move in, confiscate the goods, in that way there is no ‘going out of business sale’ to flood the market. We set up a few landfills, and no more Buffett’s.”

At first, Sean can’t think of anything to say. The graphs, the numbers, the economical benefits, jobs saved, tax revenue, it’s all neat and tidy.

After a long silence, he speaks up. “Gentlemen, I’m compelled and need to get this out so just bear with me. I want us to be absolutely sure this is the right thing to do. I know that this will not be the first time our group has tried to stop an attempted shift in the market, away from oil—starting with our righteous founding fathers, even though electric cars were the preference around the turn of the century. On January 10, 1901, that oil gusher in Texas changed all that. Ol’ George Westinghouse’s good buddy and fellow member, Andrew Mellon, had sunk a lot of money into Texas oil, and when Spindletop near Beaumont started gushing millions of barrels of oil, they needed a market, and the rest is history. How many times do we need to do this? Wasn’t it just recently before our brilliant bail out of the Big Three? Remember how we put it to the French? Boy we always could put the boots to the French. First of all, we never did let them play in our precious North American auto market. That’s right, no Renaults, Peugeots or Citroens over here, not while this group still sits. Well, as if that wasn’t enough, just as the French start to develop a strong and growing market in electric vehicles, let’s see if I can’t still remember…that’s right, it was Peugeot Citroen. They sold, what was it? Over 5,000 electric vehicles, and we left them alone as long as they stayed within their own borders But, when the European Union emerged, there was no way to contain the new technology to just the French.

“So I believe it was you, Jeff, who made that call directly to the president of PSA—some Jean-Marcel Fox right? You offered him that deal with Toyota to build a factory in Kolin in the Czech Republic. They would produce the bodies, Toyota the internal combustion engines, and flood the European market.”

Sean takes a breath and no one says anything, so he continues,

“However, that joint venture came at a price. We know how many electric cars PSA produced after that deal. The French electric cars today are merely a novelty. You had the Japanese in your pocket, telling them that you could hand them the European market as a token for what we did to their economy in 1990’s.”

Sean quickens his speech. “Remember that, Richard? Japan thought they might want to march to their own drum. It took them ten years to recover from that little misstep. We were in top form back then. And let’s not forget how just a couple years ago, we clipped Toyota’s wing with all those recalls…” a slight hesitation and he goes on.

“But gentlemen this thing with the Buffett’s, it’s not the same. It’s one thing to play a good game of economic chess, and it’s something completely different to play outside the rules. Kind of like what we did with Saddam—putting sanctions on Iraq was good economic pressure. I was leading that front until you, Jeff, thought we should do something else—fabricate things, as an excuse to go in and shut them down. Kind of like what you are purposing now with Buffett’s. You could never have convinced a sitting President to go along with that line of shit you fed the Congress. You have to admit, Jeff, that whole thing backfired. Just like it did on Kennedy with the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. I don’t have to tell you what happened next…”

The line is silent.

Sean stops, realizing that he is just preaching to the deaf, and it is time to get off the soapbox; so with that, Sean ends his little filibuster.

The meeting goes on for a few more minutes talking about the next day’s agenda. Sean can see that there is a new breed in Washington.

After they all hang up, Sean starts pacing around the house thinking to himself, once more talking out loud. “Maybe I’m seeing the truth for the first time? And maybe I was not so different from the founders, McKinley, J.P., Mellon, and Westinghouse?” He stops, realizing that he’s talking to himself and someone might see him, as he hears voices outside.

Mike is in the backyard with his dad and Mary. It looks as if they are doing something with the new generator. Mary walks to the house with Mike, coming in the back door with some boxes.

Mike says hello to Sean, and helps Mary hang several new lights up throughout the house.

Sean makes himself some tea and returns to his office to wrap up a few things. When he comes down the back steps to the kitchen, Mike introduces his father, John.

Mike then explains, “We’ve finished with the batteries in the basement, and tested the solar lights.” He points at the solar panel they are wired to near the bird feeder in the backyard.

John comes across as a fairly intelligent man. Both he and Sean talk about the local weather, and the government cancelling several utility projects for the area. Sean is impressed with his concern for the local population and their quality of life. While they continue talking, Mary and Mike prepare supper.

Mary calls them to sit together in the dining room. It is then Sean realizes that the last time he had a meal in the dining room was with his wife, Catherine. Sean is quiet through the rest of the meal, listening to the small talk between Mike, John, and Mary. As they wrap up the meal, Sean offers John a scotch and a cigar. Just as evening sets in, once more the power goes out; only this time, just for a moment. Sean thanks John for the generator.

John explains, “That the generator and lights are on two separate circuits. The generator runs on natural gas, and backs up the whole house. The lights are independent, running off the batteries at night, and the batteries are recharged by the sun.”

When Mary and Mike are done with the dishes, John reminds Mike that they have to leave. “In the morning, we’re getting up early to go fishing, remember?” Mike is startled and sheepishly apologizes to his father. “I forgot about fishing…I made other plans with Mary.” He looks from one elder gentleman to the other. “Uh, how about if you and Sean go fishing together?”

John insists that Mike go with Mary as they planned, and not to worry about going out on the lake. John offers Sean to come and after some coercion from Mary, Sean finally agrees to go.

***

In the morning, Sean is up earlier than usual, down in the basement, where he finds his old fishing pole. He remembers how Catherine would drag him and Walter down to the bay every chance she got. He looks over and pulls out a small tackle box with “Wally” carved into the handle.

When Sean walks upstairs, he sees a Buffett truck parked in his driveway. He throws on his coat, snatches up the pole and tackle box, and just before he gets out the door, he can hear the phone ringing from his office.

Sean closes the door behind him, and gets into the truck with his newfound friend.

They fish for hours, not catching much more than just interesting conversation. To Sean though, this day is magic; it’s like when he was a kid. The only other time he can remember feeling this way was when he was first dating Catherine.

John is a patient, kind man, who listens as well as he speaks. There is pure friendship between them, and most of their discussion is full of humor and fascinating topics that interest both of them.

John points to the north shore toward Dover Industrial Park, and shakes his head sadly. “All those years I worked at the coal-fired generating station…I can’t tell you how it bothered me to work as an engineer for one of the largest polluters in North America. Over the years, every attempt that was made to reduce pollution, no matter the cost, was thrown aside.

“Think about it,” John says, taking the slack out of his fishing line with a few cranks of the reel, “every kilowatt of AC power is metered, and the money just pours in—especially with how inefficient AC power is. You can’t store or balance AC power, so you need to keep the entire grid live on high voltage to meet peak demand. That place generates 200 megawatts per generator, and there are eight of them turning out power. The only reason they even allow wind or solar is because of PR. See those windmills?” John points to Long Point and continues, “You’re lucky, in ideal wind conditions, to even get a single megawatt out of them—and those are the largest turbines available. Typically they are measured in kilowatts. Hell, you know that fifty acre solar farm outside Dover? That’s even more of a joke. Solar panel output is not even measured in watts—it’s milliamps. You’re lucky if on the sunniest day you service a dozen homes. Even that solar panel we installed behind your house—it’s okay to power three or four LED, five watt lights, but you would need fifty to a hundred panels to power a toaster, or Mary’s hair dryer at 1500 watts.”

John looks at Sean and continues, “It’s obvious, for every kilowatt hour the utility company charges, the government gets half. Combine that with every gallon of gas sold, the government gets more than half. Think about it, I’ll bet it’s a good chunk of their revenue. After all, when the oil companies report hundreds of billions of dollars profit, and the utilities can build fifty billion dollar nuclear plants, the government needs that revenue. How else can they support millions of well paid civil servants and buy squadrons of billion dollar jet fighters?”

Sean listens, not letting on that he is very familiar with this tune.

John adds quickly, not allowing Sean a chance to reply, “The common denominator: Big bucks, and Big taxes. The people that control the energy are controlling the world.”

John reels in, checks his bait, and casts back out in a different direction, while telling Sean, “I’m glad I got out. My only regret is getting my son a maintenance job there before I retired.”

John, out of nowhere, asks Sean, “What’d you do all those years before retirement?”

Sean thinks for a moment; then begins to tell this man he just met the day before, everything. It is as though he’s confessing to a priest—including, telling him about the Washington hearings he had recently attended, continuing with the previous day’s discussions about how Washington will close down the Buffett’s.

When Sean is done, John looks at him for a long moment; then says, “We need to figure out a way to somehow warn the Buffett stores.”

***

John drops Sean at the house, and returns later that evening. The two of them discuss how they would go about warning the Buffett’s. John tells Sean, “I met one of the company directors in Seattle during some training I received as part of the franchise process…”

Sean interrupts wanting to make sure John understands what the stakes are. “Some very powerful people are behind this, and there’ a real and present danger to you and your family, if you’re discovered.”

John laughs. “Sean, YOU are in much more danger for telling me about the Committee. But don’t worry—I won’t do anything without the two of us being in agreement.”

John tells him about a secure dedicated intranet Network that is only accessible to Buffett franchise owners, and technicians. He goes on, “With the security software, and unique hardware, no one outside the organization can access it. I’ve read many Warnings, Notices, and Updates about potential issues, concerns regarding product safety, and to not share the notices with the general public.”

Sean wonders aloud, “Does Washington have cause to limit the use of these products?”

John smiles. “Everyone is aware that these products are completely safe, and they still have long been held up from distribution.”

John continues in a firm voice. “Sean, if it wasn’t for all the other problems—more important—like vaccines for the last two flu outbreaks, coastal flooding, earthquakes, drought, rising food costs, sky high gas prices…do I need to go on? Ten years ago, Buffett’s and the products we sell would have never made it to the shelves.”

John then calls Mike on the cell phone to ask him when he and Mary will be returning.

While John is on the phone, Sean says quietly, gesturing upstairs, “I’ll be right back.” He goes up to his office, grabs the special bottle of scotch from the back of the hutch and two crystal glasses. Sean sees the flashing light on the answering machine, but he ignores it and returns to his guest.

John is holding up two cigars. “Cuban…I’ve been saving them for the right time, and the right company.”

Sean takes the cigar, reaches into his pocket for the cutter and hands it to John. “We write the warning here, right now, together, and you send it out tonight.”

Sean pours them both a scotch, and they continue to smoke and drink while scratching out several drafts; and finally agreeing on:

“THIS IS A MESSAGE TO WARN BUFFETT’S that there is eminent danger to anyone associated with the franchise. Immediately secure as much stock off site, as soon as possible. A government campaign has begun, targeting Buffett franchises to eliminate all products, and close all locations. Future communications will be over this secure line. You must hide the hardware running this software away from the store to avoid losing contact. Please Be Careful! Our customers will need you to provide these products and services in the troubled times ahead. Good Luck!”

Chapter 10

BUILD GATES

There is a mass rally in Dover; the Grand Gate Keeper, Allen Jacob Goreman, a man of almost the same age, height, and build as Williams—but his facial features more wild eagle-like—addresses the large crowd. He tells them, they stand today, not as dependants of the great oil giant, but as free men and women. He invites them all to convert the Dover Pond to a Gate; to take down the walls, and walk out over the land as the pioneers did, and build other new Gates.

A.J. Goreman continues, “With new Gates comes new hope. Gates are clean, and a good place to raise families. Gates promote healthy communities, Gates are independent, but Gates are also part of the honeycomb, each balanced within, each balanced with each other, and each balanced with nature. Many people in this community relied on Big Oil to provide a living. Every gallon of oil refined, and every gallon of fuel burned, continues to contaminate this planet. Of course, in the beginning, they polluted the air just a little at a time, not very noticeable at first. They even used an index to measure the bad days from the worse days, until we can no longer breathe the air without filters. The sky has become brown and purple, and the rains poison the land until the only way to grow food is indoors. Even there the produce became unsafe, and full of dangerous bacteria. The last of the livestock, bred and raised indoors, festered new viruses, until almost every species of animals is extinct—food unrecognizable, including our own human race, unrecognizable. Gates will survive, and Gates will return the balance.”

The bikers let out a roar, and slowly the Dover people join in. A. J. Goreman knows how important it is to build on this victory. All week, since the end of the battle, Green-police ships have been bringing in fresh food; and technicians to set up lights and work on restoring utilities.

Back at the Long Point Gate, Charlie and Allen Jacob Goreman review their next steps, and talk about how placing the Tower in the Generating Station was ideally located to restore power throughout the Dover Pond. Next, they need to collect all the gasoline and gasoline generators, and load them onto trucks. They are all being taken to a central distribution area in Colorado, to support in the building of future new Gates. Gasoline transport trucks are still used to move goods across long distances, and the bikers still need gas in their choppers to provide security escorts.

Charlie agrees with A. J. Goreman that, as more and more Gates spring up, eventually electric trucks will replace gas, when the distance between the Gates will be in range of a full charge. Gates slowly will displace all dependence on oil, and high voltage AC power throughout North America, as they have throughout China, Central and Northern Africa, India, the Mideast, and Northern Russia.

A. J. Goreman talks a little about how he led the Billings Montana attack, and has already been to the Sarnia Pond to share the news of their quick well executed takeover of the Large Sarnia Refineries. He congratulates Charlie on his victory over the Dover refinery and again thanks him for all the help and leadership.

A.J. then explains, “I have to leave tonight with my entourage to the East Coast to meet the other teams and review their victories over the two refineries on the Atlantic coast that were also taken down.”

They move through the large crowd, and Charlie points out his parents. A.J. Goreman crosses the room, shakes their hands, and says, “None of these victories would have been possible without Charlie. In fact, I’ve suggested that Charlie take over the leadership.

Charlie responds in the same way he always does: “Everyone is doing exactly what they should be doing.”

Williams and Jan can’t find any words; they just wish A.J. a safe journey.

Jan and Williams walk back to the cabin. Williams is exhausted and goes in to lie down. Jan goes back out to look for her boys. She asks around; stops in the rally building only to find out that Charlie has already taken off with his team of Dragons to strategize on the best way to complete what is still needed that night, and over the next couple days.

Jan leaves the gathering, and while she is asking several people about Wyatt, she runs into Dan, who is a little intoxicated. He’s not wearing a mask and is singing in an inaudible screech. Dan walks with her back to the cabin, and once inside, Jan puts on a pot of coffee.

“Wyatt is probably out with the Rangers doing their rounds,” Dan offers; the coffee slowly sobering him up. “I imagine they’re making sure that all the Bush Soldiers that didn’t get away are taken into custody. Apparently, he’s been in contact with his government superiors, and there’s conflict at the Rangers’ Headquarters. Titan Oil and the government have both formally condemned the attacks, and are demanding that the terrorist be hunted down, and they’ve deployed the Rangers to restore the Ponds.”

Jan bristles and Dan tells her not to worry. “The government is too weak. All they can do is make noise.”

Dan finishes his coffee, and wisely accepts a mask before he leaves. When Jan finally slips into bed Williams is awakened. They talk into the night, about their future, and what they should do next.

Early in the morning, Wyatt and Charlie wake Jan and Williams, who are still in bed. Jan gets up quickly and starts to make breakfast as Wyatt, Charlie, and their father continue to talk about the battle.

Charlie concludes, “The next encounter will be the most important, because Titan Oil will be fighting for their very existence.”

When Charlie finishes that statement, the room goes quiet. Wyatt and Charlie leave to the kitchen, make small talk with their mother, and a moment later Williams walks in.

“So, Charlie,” Williams says, “how long are you going to stay this time?”

Charlie shrugs his shoulders. “Dad, don’t worry. It’s going to be at least four to six months before either side is ready for each other. I don’t think anyone expected this outcome. Although, I planned most of it, even I didn’t expect total victory. We had a backup defense plan, in case things went wrong, so no one on either side planned to be here. We cannot afford to lose what we just gained. In these next couple of months, we have to get as many Gates built, and as much hardware in place as possible. Not only will we need hundreds of new Gates, we are going to need to train thousands of new technicians in this technology, and we are going to need to raise and feed a small army.”

Williams listens, and when Charlie is done, it is obvious that he is more than passionate, he is a leader.

Jan sits down at the table with them. “Charlie? Dad and I were talking most of the night, and we both agree, as nice as it is to live here at the Point, our home and house is between here and Dover. What would you say to us starting a new Gate in our own village?”

“Mom,” Charlie nods, “that’s what we’ve been working for. Our small village would be a perfect Gate.” Charlie reaches in his pocket and hands Williams a memory stick.

“Dad, on this you’ll find everything you need to build and sustain a new Gate. Remember how we found that first KEY when Wyatt and I were up in the attic of our house with you, going through the old Buffett stuff hidden up there? That KEY was the most important find of my life. It was the right collection of knowledge needed to save this planet.”

He winks at his dad. “So, you let us have that KEY, and now I’m giving you one back, with all the latest updates. Wyatt has the copy of the Buffett products on a different stick, and we’re adding new stuff all the time. There is a step-by-step plan, Dad, in sequences, as you build. Just follow it, and before you know it, the Gate is up and running. I figure, ten thousand more, and we can start to breathe.

“Don’t forget, Mom, to include the forestry station in your new Gate. Every Gate should develop a specialty, and Mom, we can use a lot more trees.”

Charlie turns to Williams. “Oh, and Dad, the shop…build those electric tractors. If you guys can pull that off, you, my parents will be a part of a very successful Gate. No matter how big or small, my home Gate will always be where my…” he hesitates, then smiles at his mom and dad.

“Home is where all my games are, so don’t throw any of them out.”

They all share a good laugh.

There is a knock on the cabin door, and a Ranger calls Wyatt outside. A minute later, Wyatt ducks his head back in, “Gotta run. We’ve got problems in Dover,” and hurries off.

That afternoon, Jan and Williams finish moving some of their things back into their house. Jan stays at the house to clean up, while Williams meets with Dan and some of the guys to straighten up the shop.

Dan calls Williams outside the shop to an old foundation next to the building where 120 years before a large high chimney stack stood. He says, “I saw some old pictures of this building, and before it was a boat factory, it was a large furniture factory, and this village grew up around it. This would be the perfect location for the new Tower, and since the village is so small, we won’t need a big Tower, like the one at the Point, or the Generating Station near Dover Pond. In fact, I’ve already started drawing up the layout for this entire Gate.”

Williams reminds him, “We need to include the Forestry Station and the Agra Lab.”

They spend the next several weeks bringing in equipment. Wyatt doesn’t even want to consider the smaller Tower; he starts building the newest and largest.

The biggest challenge, at times is finding all the old hidden gas cans, and removing all the gas vehicles and gas generators. Dover has many problems with compliance, and Wyatt is glad when a lot of the older bikers decide to settle down and live in the Dover Gate, although they’re always uppity about parting with their choppers. Wyatt is glad to see them racing around in modified electric karts. He figures you have to let them have some fun.

***

More than eight months have passed. The new Dover Gate is functional, and the day comes when Charlie has to leave again. Jan loves having Charlie back in his old room, and with Wyatt over every day, she cannot be happier.

The night Charlie’s scheduled to leave is filled with emotion. Partway through supper an entire squadron of Dragons and bikers march into the new Gate to escort him back to the vehicles left well away from the village; outside the range of the new Tower.

Charlie goes over a few details with Wyatt, and gives him a couple of memory sticks with instructions.

Williams embraces his son with all his might, fearing the worst, but knowing the road his son must take.

Charlie pulls himself away, telling his father, “I am counting on those electric tractors.”

As soon as he backs away, he is mauled by his mother. She hangs onto his arm all the way out the door, and does not let go even after 400 Dragons, and 200 bikers stand to attention as Charlie steps out. He gives his mother a kiss, and nods to his father and brother.

Charlie walks alongside the full length of his new soldiers who are standing at attention, to an electric kart at the head of the troops. After a single command from Charlie’s longtime general, a Master Dragon, they all turn around in one motion and face Charlie. Then they march north, out of town, in quick time. Charlie never looks back.

Once inside the house Jan runs upstairs. Williams and Wyatt have a drink, and talk for a while until his girlfriend, Julie, falls asleep on the couch. Wyatt wakes her up, and they leave, agreeing to get together the next day. They will continue to meet every day.

***

In less than a year, Williams has converted the shop into a small assembly plant, and they are turning out half a dozen electric tractors in a week. Jan is shipping thousands of trees, seedlings, and plants, ready for replanting to hundreds of waiting Gates. Dover Gate has utilized all the refinery piping and the steel mill has been converted to supply steel drainage, sewer, and water piping to the new Gates, including parts of the Towers that are being built in Sarnia.

Dan is now the Senior General Manager over the Dover Industrial Park. Williams sees him once a week when he is picking up steel. Dan is still Dan, and every time Williams comes by, he locks his office and offers Williams a drink from a bottle he hides in his desk.

Charlie was back in China when the news reached him about all the California Gates destroyed by Titan Oil troops. Charlie quickly found his way to Vancouver.

Charlie calls Williams and his mother to let them know that his wife and new daughter are on their way. He explains, “At this time, although, I wish it were possible, I cannot come home. Would it be alright for my wife and child to stay at the house until I could join them?”

“They are always welcome,” Jan assures him, “and they could stay forever if it were up to me.”

Charlie never told his father that Allen Jacob Goreman was killed during one of the battles in Texas, where many Gates were lost. It was only when Wyatt told his father, that Charlie was the New Grand Gate Keeper, Williams found out the truth.

Wyatt promises to keep his father informed on all the new developments of what now was an open, all-out world war. There is a defined split on the main front with the Gates in the North, and Titan Oil in the South.

By summer’s end, there are over 20,000 Gates in the North, and Charlie has secured all of South America, Central America, with over 5,000 Gates in Mexico.

All of Great Britain, Western Europe, most of the United States, Japan, Singapore, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Australia, South Africa, are under control of Titan Oil and Allied Oil.

Titan Oil and the government have been steadily building up their Air Force, and at times there are flyovers. Although they always avoid flying directly over a Gate; for a single particle burst from a Tower always results in downed planes, regardless of altitude or speed.

On the day that Charlie’s wife and daughter arrive, Jan finally flashes her magic contagious smile, something Williams hasn’t seen since Charlie was home.

Charlie’s wife, Jinse, was escorted by twenty Dragons and six bikers, who will stay there to watch over them. Wyatt tells the guardians that they can stay at the barracks nearby.

Jinse shows Jan their daughter, Xiao-mei. Jan weeps with happiness as she put them in Charlie’s room. Thereafter the three of them become inseparable.

That evening, Wyatt is trying to track down Charlie to let him know that his wife and child have finally arrived, and are safe. Wyatt needs to use the computer in the Tower with the magnetic fuel generator to boost his search range by tapping into the Ionosphere with a high voltage, low frequency beam. Wyatt will synchronize the frequencies of several adjoining Towers, and then link them to work as one. But he is not having any luck.

Williams joins Wyatt, as he tries new ways to join more and more Towers together. He’s exhausted and is now picking at straws. “Dad? Mind helping me try something new?” He explains a theory he has that routes high voltage current through the old AC transformers at the Generating Station that are part of the Dover Tower and Grid amplifying the voltage intensity.

Williams is mystified. “How can you do that from this tower? Isn’t there a danger of damaging some of the other Towers?

Wyatt explains, “Dan asked to connect the mega transformers into the system, so that he could use induction smelters at the Steel Mill.” He flashes his father a reassuring grin. “Not to worry, Pop. Dan has built enough protection into the program logic to protect the Towers. The worst thing that could happen is the Tower will shut down, and reset itself, knocking out power to the village for a few minutes.”

Wyatt is on a roll, cranking out code late into the night.

Since it is now well past midnight they decide to take the chance. What happens next is bizarre. Wyatt tells his father to pull the main contact so he can quickly reconfigure. When Williams reconnects the main contact, there is a loud POW! that sounds like a shotgun blast, and all the muscles in both of their bodies contract for just an instant. Williams falls to the floor with a thud, and Wyatt bolts back in his chair.

Jan heard the bang, and comes running after dropping the coffee thermos and cookie tin in the yard. She bursts into the control room and screams, “Are you two alright?”

Williams gets up, no worse for wear, and Wyatt shakes off the jolt by waving his arms over his head.

Once she’s calmed down, Jan tells them, “Jinse and Xiao-mei were asleep, and I thought you two could use some coffee and a bite to eat…” She hesitates upon noticing a sudden change in her son.

Wyatt’s eyes are wide open, and he springs forward in his chair, bursting with excitement, pointing at the computer screen. “You won’t believe what just happened…” He double checks to make sure; then says, “I just linked every Tower in the world on to the same frequency. Man, I’m talking all 28,643 Towers, Northern, Southern hemisphere, East, West, look…” He points at the screen for Williams and Jan to see, “every Tower in China and India, as well.”

“Can you locate Charlie, now?” Jan puts her hands on his shoulders, trying to make sense of the bizarre images on the screen; it’s all hieroglyphics to her.

“Don’t know, let’s see. Dad, try to pull up the global layout. See—the link frequencies are all the same.” Wyatt points at a series of colored bars wavering in sync on his screen, beaming proudly at his mother, who can only take his word for what it means.

“What’s this flashing on the schematic?” Williams points to a small blinking rung in the ladder logic schematic as he pulls up a screen on the other computer.

Wyatt slides his chair over to the other computer, now shoulder to shoulder with his dad, and logs onto KEY. After a few seconds he says, “Oh, that’s just Billings. It looks like their Tower is offline.”

“Does that sound right?” Jan shudders.

“Not really. Maybe I can use all these linked Towers to ‘ping’ for a response.” He types in a query and waits for a reply.

Wyatt shifts in his seat; then reads the dialogue box with the message:

UNDER ATTACK—Tower knocked out—can’t defend—only a matter of time before overrun by Bush soldiers.

Williams reads the message and reaches over Wyatt, typing: Any chance to surrender?

Response: Titan Oil does not offer surrender—already took several air strikes—last fly by sunk all remaining ships and boats on the river—our only chance for escape is blocked by heavily armed tanks and troops—with Tower down, next air strikes will level this place.

Wyatt types: Do your best to hang in there—will inform Charlie and the High Command of situation immediately.

What comes across the screen next nearly causes Jan to faint. Williams too cannot believe what he is seeing: This is Charlie—we’ll need to reorganize under new leadership, and remember—All is Not Lost.

Wyatt says, “He doesn’t know it’s us on line,” and furiously starts writing a program. He tosses his head to the left. “On the other computer, Dad, tell Charlie it’s us, and let him how I linked all the Towers.”

“Okay, okay,” Williams says, sliding his chair over and typing just as fast as his son for about 20 seconds. “Done…what next?”

“Tell him that I think I can boost his Tower, and control it from here.”

Williams continues typing, and in just seconds Wyatt swings around and takes over the keyboard, typing: Charlie, bypass the main input relay, and short across the contacts.

Wyatt starts to upload his program as another message from Charlie comes across the screen: Don’t know how you’re doing it, but don’t stop—the Tower’s at full power, I think, and I can hear the Bush jets coming in.

A pause, then the message continues. They read what may be Charlie’s last words: Wish us Luck!

They stay glued to the screen, and for the next several agonizing minutes, there is only the curser flashing at the end of the last message.

Then, words flash across the screen: Planes are down—this Tower is back in full command.

Wyatt and Williams simultaneously spring out of their seats and let out a loud ear piercing eagle screech, their fists shooting into the air. Jan just puts her hand over her heart, and tries to quell her tears.

The messages go back and forth for the next three hours. Charlie finally informs them: Titan Oil is in retreat—thanks for the help.

Before they can respond the screen lights up with messages from all over the world:

Don’t know what you’re doing, but don’t stop!

Bush planes are falling out of the sky everywhere.

Titan Oil in full retreat.

Wyatt manages to reach Charlie, and the two of them are on headsets. With his dad by his side, Wyatt stays on line for the next several hours, coordinating the cleanup.

Jan retreats to the house; then brings them another coffee, and this time even Wyatt who normally doesn’t drink coffee, takes one.

Williams can’t get Wyatt’s attention for longer than a few seconds before he is back online with Charlie. It’s just like when they were kids, playing a video game with each other online.

Jan hands Williams his cup of coffee. “What’s going on? Is Charlie okay now? Is he out of danger?”

Williams nods. “Oh yeah, he’s out of danger, no sweat.” The entire night has been like a roller coaster; he can finally catch his breath, and explains to Jan what has happened.

“After Charlie realized what Wyatt had stumbled across, by linking every Tower worldwide, Charlie immediately knew that not only was the communication capacity expanded with the common frequency link, but he could now combine and boost the power of any combination of Towers. This gave him unlimited power.”

Williams smiles at his wife, raises his eyebrows continuing, “He also realized that he could concentrate the global magnetic field and focus it into a static charge giving him the power to direct a lightning bolt to any coordinate he chooses. So, for the last several hours, he and Wyatt have been attacking every Titan Oil, and Allied Oil refinery, oil tanker, Bush airport—and there are literally hundreds of thousands of targets worldwide.”

Williams escorts Jan back to the house to tell Jinse about the evening’s events.

By the time Wyatt signs off with Charlie, late the next day, the Gates are all reporting live accounts of the devastation.

Charlie finally calls the house, and speaks with his wife and mother. Later Charlie will ask Wyatt to come to Billings and help set up a new Main Command Post.

Charlie’s last message before he goes offline is: Rebuild all the lost Gates—and go forth and build as many new Gates as possible.

Across all screens: The Grand Gate Keeper commands everyone, everywhere, to BUILD GATES.

Chapter 11

PETROPHYSICS

Mel hands Sean his briefcase as he walks into his hotel suite. It’s been a long hard day and Washington is still in lockdown. Tomorrow will be another difficult day. Sean walks to the balcony looking out across Washington, DC. It’s somewhat dark across the entire city, except for the bright glow from the security lighting around the White House that illuminates the sky. Sirens and gunfire have been common sounds the whole time Sean has been here.

Sean takes a thick envelop from the end table, He sits down, pours himself a drink, in what is now a daily routine. He flips through the stack of photos, stopping at each picture. Sean looks long at one picture and gazes into emptiness, as he slips into deep thought, only hearing the voice in his mind, going over all the events since he left home.

Mary and Mike have been living at the house since the wedding. Mike still works at the Generating Station and Mary stays at home. Sean is still trying to find out where John, his new friend and Mike’s father, has been taken after a special unit of government operatives, similar to Delta Force, sacked the Buffett’s. Jeff has never talked to Sean about his connection to the village Buffett except once when he made a comment about “The problem with living in small towns…when someone is dirty everyone in town gets a little dirt on them.”

When the Committee insisted that Sean come to Washington for an emergency meeting, it was expected that Sean was not going back home any time soon.

In less than one month, all the Buffett’s in North America were closed, and all products were seized, and disposed of. Owners who did not go underground to hide were arrested; one of whom was overly-emboldened John.

The FBI went on a hunt for both Bill Software and Ronald Buffett. Washington believes that they fled to China, but it’s difficult to confirm. All political ties have been severed with China. There were attempts by the CIA and Japanese Secret Service to infiltrate China, but since the SARS5 virus pandemic, the borders are closed and all movement in China is restricted to medical and military.

In North America, they are dealing with their own pandemic. This year’s flu season brought several new drug-resistant flu strains; however, it’s the H5N9 virus that has been the biggest challenge for the medical community.

South America reports that as much as half of their population is infected, dead, or dying. Their government is pleading for international assistance.

World health organizations are stretched thin, most working in Africa where the AIDS virus has somehow mutated with a flu strain, which spreads quickly once airborne.

These pandemics could not have come at a worse time. Crops have been decimated by severe draught in most interior agricultural belts; while flooding on the coasts has shut down all but a few shipping ports, not allowing any movement of produce.

The other diseases that were usually in check are now spreading through most developing and Third World countries.

India’s medical community was struggling to keep up with the many flu strains and were eventually overwhelmed by a devastating wave of cholera.

Malaria has spread up from the equator as far north as Mexico City, Seoul Korea, and as far south as Sau Paulo, Brazil, and Queensland, Australia.

Sean has spent the past week running models, best case, and worse case. At first they started to run scenarios to predict market health, but after the final crashes in every global market index, they are in new territory. What is disturbing is that some are benefiting from all this chaos.

Those who are capitalizing are feeding at the trough of everyone else’s misery. Those same people with power are still able to get around. In these circles, planes are still flying and luxuries for the ones that can afford it are always available. In Sean’s circles, the dinner table and the bar is always well stocked. Many of the larger corporations have secured fully enclosed conditioned-grow farms with large warehouses of fresh produce and dry goods.

The one crack in their armor, viruses don’t see the line between the powerful and weak. Their search for that peace of mind includes acquisitions of all remaining former public or private pharmaceutical and medical organizations. They know that the cure will not only protect them from the viruses, but the remaining population on the entire planet will line up to pay any price.

The most successful is Titan Oil Company. They own practically everything. Their company is now a mega intra economy, where even trading between internal organizations has meant the difference between perishing and survival. Many smaller companies are trying to join in, by providing businesses that add value to the collective; establishing the most valuable currency: “OIL.”

Oil is needed everywhere. The grid no longer reliable, gasoline generators are the only source of electricity. Trucks and cars line up for hours to pay hundreds of dollars for just a fill up, and the government is finding it harder and harder to secure the dollar.

Sean has been negotiating directly with Titan Oil, and today they need to tap the gold reserve to pay what’s left of the armed forces—despite the fact that more than 50% of the military has been recruited by Bush Security, and they are now the largest private security force in North America, maybe the world. They provide all the security for Titan Oil and the top private companies. Law enforcement is fragmented and many officers are already on the Bush payroll. Gasoline, is sold on the black market in jerry cans like drugs, and has replaced money as the street currency.

Sean showers, then finishes the bottle of blended scotch and gets into bed. Tomorrow, they will be voting on the new members.

When Sean comes down to the conference center in the morning, Mel tells him that there is a secure line set up for him in one of the meeting rooms and that he will have all the privacy he needs. Sean is led in and seated, still slightly confused.

Mel says, “Mary contacted me early this morning from your home office teleconference system, and she has something to tell you…we’re all very sorry.”

Mel closes the door and leaves Sean, looking at a very depressed young woman on the screen. Sean lets out a deep sigh and says, “Mary can you hear me? What’s happened? Is there something wrong?”

Mary looks up, and sees Sean. She gets up from behind his desk and walks closer to the camera and screen. She stops whimpering just long enough to say, “Grandpa…it’s Mom and Dad…”

Sean, as a reflex, clenches both fists on the table. “Wally? Has something happened to him?”

Mary wipes away her tears, but is still blubbering. “We’ve been trying to get a hold of you, Grandpa, all week. Mike just figured this equipment out last night, and we just got a hold of Mel this morning.”

Sean knows he needs to be relaxed for his granddaughter’s sake. “Mary, calm down. What happened to Wally and your mother?”

Mary continues to weep uncontrollably, and now Mike is holding her up. She finally is able to continue. “They’ve had the flu all week, and they wouldn’t let me go near them to see if I could help…and now they’re both dead. Grandpa, you need to come home, everyone is dying and I don’t want to lose you too.”

Mary breaks down until she can’t speak any longer.

Sean sits back in the chair, and covers his face with both hands and he too weeps uncontrollably. In his life, he’s never cried this hard, not even when Catherine passed away. Sean can’t help thinking that he never got a chance to apologize to his boy; he never got a chance to even make peace with him, and now…

Mike clears his throat and says, “Mr. Galbraith…I’m so sorry.”

Sean mutters, “Thank you. How is your mom? And have you heard any more news about John, your father?”

Mike shakes his head with a puzzled look. “Well…I’m not sure I can say.”

Sean assures him, “Don’t worry, no one can hear us.”

Mike is cautious all the same and says in a whisper, “Mom’s okay, so far. And I just found out that my father is being held at the high security Allenwood Penitentiary, north of Washington.”

Sean nods his head slowly. “Mike, stay with Mary. Let me see what I can find out. It’s the least I can do. Let me try from here.”

They say their goodbyes and Sean stays in the room alone for several hours until Mel knocks and enters to check in on him. Sean wants to know the extent of the H5N9 Flu outbreak.

Mel frowns. “It’s gotten out of hand—and there is no confirmed progress on a vaccine available for the public. The death toll numbers from the outbreaks are just starting to come in and it’s hard to make an estimate.”

Sean gestures for Mel to take a seat, understanding there's a lot more bad news to come.

“People have stopped going to school, and most factories are closed, even the large office complexes, and banks. The critical government agencies are keeping key employees under quarantine. That includes this entire team here in Washington…” Mel is interrupted by a knock on the door separating the adjoining suites.

Without waiting for a “Come in,” Jeff enters and tells Mel that he needs a moment alone with Sean.

Jeff sits on the couch beside Sean and says in a quiet tone, “I’m very sorry about your son, Sean. I understand you two weren’t very close, so I’ll get right to it: I’ve talked one-on-one to the other members, and they are all on board. You know about the vote coming up in a couple hours, and again, this is a no-brainer, especially with all that’s going on. Mark W. Alberta needs to be part of us. The members agree. But they still want to keep the secret ballot process, so you’re my wild card, Sean…”

Jeff hesitates for a second then leans into Sean as he continues, “See, I've been watching you, and I think we both know the reason you went into retirement—when you know that no one has ever really retired from this group, but you—and we both know why…”

“Humor me,” Sean says evenly.

Jeff looks directly at Sean. “You’ve gone soft. You don’t have the stomach to make the tough decisions anymore, and you’ve become our weak link.”

Sean calmly meets Jeff’s icy stare. “Oh, really, Jeff? I see you haven’t changed at all. You’ve always been somebody’s special interest puppet, and it’s obvious now more than ever, that you’ve got another big hand up your ass.”

Jeff blanches. Sean grabs Jeff’s arm; he glances at the door as if someone on the other side might have their ear to it. He turns back to Jeff and continues in a low voice, “Can’t even look me in the eye? Okay, here it is: There’s a John Williams held at Allenwood Penitentiary. I think it’s now being run by Bush Security. He’s my granddaughter’s father-in-law. He owned the Buffett franchise back in my little village—and, well, you know all too well what happened.” Sean squeezes Jeff’s arm tighter, causing him to wince. “You want my vote? Get him out…Now! I want him released and driven back to his home. If I don’t hear his voice before the vote, well, you’ll see if I’ve got the stomach for this.”

Jeff has a stunned look of indecision on his face.

“What are you looking at, lad? You’re running out of time.” Sean looks at his watch; then lifts his head high as Jeff races out of the room.

Sean chuckles to himself as he lights a cigar and pours a glass of scotch. He gets up and enters the adjoining suite; walks over to Mark W. Alberta, swirling his glass of scotch. Sean exhales his cigar smoke in Mark’s face saying, “So, I hear a rumor that your people in Ann Arbor may have come across something that can protect humans against all these wild viruses?”

Mark, now Titan Oil’s top man, is six inches shorter than Sean, noticeably overweight from too many expense-account dinners, and wears thick showy designer glasses. Mark replies, “Mr. Galbraith, I was sorry to hear about your son. I have lost my parents and several family members to these deadly viruses. And yes, to your question. We’re still just in the testing stages, but it looks very promising not only for these viruses, but for all strains out there—or for that matter, anything new that may come along in the future.”

Mark turns his head slightly as Sean casually exhales more cigar smoke in his direction. “We’ve already tried it on a small human sample group, and it appears there are no side effects.”

Sean raises an eyebrow. “Human trials?”

Mark nods his head. “Yes, Mr. Galbraith, there are no test animals left. We haven’t had lab mice for at least a year, and no one has had any success even with livestock. As you know, there are only a few surviving animals out there. All species have been wiped off the planet. And thanks to this global warming, most of the natural vegetation is also gone, or dying.”

Sean takes his cigar out of his mouth and says, “You don’t think all that pollution, acid rain, and dumping had some contribution to any of those extinctions?”

Mark acts all nonchalant. “As much as we think that we can impact global change, we’re mere ants. The recent volcano eruptions in Japan, Indonesian, Ethiopia, Hawaiian Islands, and Colima in Mexico are still spewing ash as we speak. Those volcanoes have put more pollution up in the atmosphere in this last six months than all the industrial pollutants man has ever produced.”

Sean takes a slug of scotch; then lets out a short laugh. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s the volcanoes that caused all those tailing ponds from the tar sand projects to seep into the ground water, and rivers, contaminating sixty percent of all the fresh water in North America. Maybe, it was a bunch of ants that pumped millions of gallons of unrefined oil into the Antarctic sea killing everything along its 2,000 mile long slick. No, Mr. Oil, volcanoes have been erupting on the Hawaiian Islands for hundreds of thousands of years, and I’ve been there many times. The sky was blue, ground water was drinkable, and the vegetation started growing out of that ash before it even cooled. So, save your petrophysics for Jeff…” Sean’s attention is momentarily diverted as he looks to his left. “Oh, and welcome to the group—I believe that’s Jeff waving his cell phone at me.” With that, Sean walks over to a grinning Jeff to take a call.

He grasps the phone from Jeff and walks out into the hall. He listens and then says, “John, get back to the house and find a place to hide out. Immediately. It’s not safe anywhere in the village. You need to find a place away from everyone.” Sean listens to John for a few seconds; then concludes the call with, “Tell Mike to watch over Mary.”

Sean walks back into the room, and the door closes to start the secret ballot votes.

***

Later in the week, the numbers come in, and the epidemic is out of control. The President announces a State of Emergency. Sean and the group remain locked down, and over the next several months more than half the global population is in near complete darkness, as several more volcanic eruptions shoot ash high into the atmosphere blocking out the sun.

The refineries find a way to continue operating to supply the insatiable demand for fuel. Gasoline is being used to burn the dead. Gasoline is also being used to fuel the nomads wandering from one place to another, trying to survive.

Gasoline generators are supplying the only light and the only heat, now that global temperatures are dropping from the lack of any sunlight. Titan Oil still manages to fly their planes, helicopters, transport trucks with their tanks and security vehicles still moving about like small armies. They also manage to get fresh food, booze, and even, Cuban cigars. Inside the privileged walls, little has changed. The new members, led by Mark W. Alberta, are clearly running things now. Sean and most of the older members are just there as spectators.

Two days before Thanksgiving, some of the staff workers get sick, and Sean has caught a bug. Jeff comes to Sean’s room that night with Mark. They knock on his door and walk in with a doctor. Mark has a briefcase with several vials of serum inside. The doctor perfunctorily rolls up Sean’s sleeve. Mark casually tells Sean that they’ve all had the vaccine; and that he should just give in and take the cure.

Sean pulls his arm back. “Leave me alone. I’ve had enough…it’s my time.” Mark removes his thick glasses and wipes them with a handkerchief. He offers a half-hearted protest, “C’mon, Sean. Don’t piss your life away. Not only have all the Titan Oil employees and associates been given the vaccine, the formula for the vaccine has been sold to several other companies and organizations. On top of that, the vaccine is being sold in many different forms to the general public.”

Mark closes up the case with the precious vials of vaccine and says, “Look, I’ll just leave this case in here for you. There’s several different varieties of the vaccine right there waiting. These are the best and the purest developed, and taken from only the strongest of the surviving species not effected by any of the viruses.”

Mark places a syringe on the night table next to the bed, and says to Sean, “You know how to give yourself a shot. You’ll only need one injection. Pick one. There are several different strains in this case. Jeff and I will come back for it in the morning.” He concludes ominously, “But you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, Sean. You decide what you want.”

Mark leads all of them out of Sean’s room. It’s quiet after they leave and Sean is shaking from the fever. He stares at the aluminum case long and hard, but does not move from his bed. Instead, he curls up in a fetal position under the blankets, and tries to fall asleep.

Sometime in the middle of the night, there is a soft but insistent knock on his door, causing Sean to sit up, though he’s still groggy with sleep and the effects of the fever. Again, he hears the tapping on his door.

Sean slowly makes his way out of bed, and a low voice calls out, “It’s Mel.”

Sean asks as he opens the door, “What do you want?”

Mel quickly steps in, closes the door behind him, and says, “Mr. Galbraith, I overheard them talking, and they think you’re just going to let yourself, well—Mark was laughing like a goddamn hyena, telling Jeff that you’ve got millions of dollars worth of cure sitting beside your bed—and he’s betting a thousand bucks you’re too stubborn, and will be gone by morning.”

Mel won’t let Sean talk as he continues, “Sir, you have to take the injection.”

Mel puts his arm around Sean and helps him back to his bed. “I was told not to say anything or tell you, but Mary and Mike have tried to contact you a couple times. Several calls came in very early with no one else around, and I was able to speak to them. They’re okay and Mike’s father made it back. They‘ve found a place to hide, and if you can get to the house, they are checking it regularly hoping you can join them.”

Sean is in shock, coughing and sweating with fever, but manages to say, “Why are you telling me this now? I’m too old, and too tired.” He drops back into his bed. He sees what Mel is up to, tries to protest, but is too weak to resist.

Mel rolls up Sean's sleeve, opens the case, takes a vial, draws back the needle, and begins to inject Sean. “No, you are not too old, sir. Mary needs you. You are all the family she has left, and she is waiting for you.”

Sean mumbles, “When did you last talk with my Mary Catherine?”

Mel pulls out the needle and closes the case. “Two days ago.”

Sean grabs Mel’s arm, coughing violently. “Two days ago? Why are you doing this? Why do you care?”

Mel gently removes Sean’s hand. “They gave me the vaccine yesterday, not all the staff was so lucky. My parents, my brother and his whole family are dead. And last week my wife died. All I have left are my two daughters. Betty is already sick, and they won’t waste any of the available vaccine for the families. The strains available on the streets are expensive, and not safe. That’s what took my wife. You have a lot of vaccine right here, I just need two for my daughters,” Mel pleads.

The fact that it has been a long time since Mel asked a favor is not lost on Sean. He knows how hard this request is for Mel. Sean points at the case. “Go ahead, help yourself.”

“No, they know exactly how much is in this case. Besides, it’s not safe here anymore for me, and I’m afraid, sir, that once they realize you’ve taken the cure…I’m not sure it’s safe for you, either.”

Sean sits up. “What are you suggesting?”

Mel tosses his head in the direction of the door. “Well, to them—you know, Mark, Jeff, and all their new buddies—this is just a game, sir. They’re expecting you to let yourself die—like I said, even betting on it—that way they can call your death a suicide, and discredit you to the other senior members. You need to come with me. I will get you to Mary—and with the street value of this case—we’ll have no problem traveling. I know a lot of people in security, it’s what I do.”

Mel helps Sean get dressed; then supports him with one arm and grabs the case with the other. They exit the room, Mel doing his best to move quietly.

Halfway down the corridor, Sean’s knees buckle, and Mel, in his effort to keep Sean supported, drops the vaccine case. Mel holds his breath as he opens the case to check…Phew! Nothing broken. But a door opens, and there stands Mark W. Alberta in his pajamas, blinking without his glasses on, trying to see what the commotion is in the hallway.

In a sudden and controlled burst, Mel is up on one foot, simultaneously swinging the other foot up and around, delivering a blow just under Mark’s jaw line, and the portly man drops like a poleaxed steer. Out cold. Good for at least another four or five hours. Mel kicks Mark’s feet out of the way and closes the door. He snatches the vaccine case, hefts Sean back up, and a minute later they're out a back door to a waiting car.

Sean sleeps in the back seat and when he wakes, he can tell the fever has broken. He takes a drink of water from a bottle next to him.

In the front seat are Mel, and another large gentleman doing the driving.

Mel turns in his seat and smiles. “Welcome back to the living, sir. By the way, I’ve removed one vial of serum from the case, but the rest of it is still there. A friend of mine has taken some to where he’s keeping my daughters. Thanks to you, sir, they are going to be alright.”

Sean puts his hand on Mel’s shoulder. “No, thank you for staying with me… and Mel, I want you to take the case.”

Mel shakes his head no. “Sir, it was more than I could hope for just to save my daughters…and to get you home safe. There’s enough left for Mary and her family, and then some.”

They pull up in front of Sean’s house and the two men get out. Mel grabs one of Sean’s hands and places the vaccine case in it.

Sean hesitates, looking from Mel to the case and back. “You know, after the injection, you could’ve left me back there and just took the case—would’ve been a hell of a lot easier for you.”

Mel shoots Sean a “Who’re you trying to kid?” look.

There’s a moment of hesitation; then the two of them embrace, for the first time ever, in a warm hug, knowing they’ll probably never see each other again.

Mel then hurries off to catch up with his daughters. When Sean enters his house, it’s empty. But shortly, Mike pulls up driving an old pickup truck. After getting the word from Mel, he has come to take Sean to where they are all hiding.

On the way, Mike informs Sean that Mary is very sick. Sean grips the vaccine case tighter; he points ahead with his other hand and tells Mike, “Hurry! Please hurry!”

Chapter 12

X ON OIL

Charlie has been keeping up his attack on Titan Oil relentlessly, even after several attempts by Titan Oil leadership to negotiate surrender. Once Wyatt linked the Towers together as one communication network, and after he was able to control the Billings Tower with the network, Charlie realized that the network could be used as one mass global weapons system. He then could control it, and write a master program with him as the main administrator. Every Tower mainframe operating system would be linked and controlled from the master command software. From this command station in Billings Montana, Charlie could systematically destroy every refinery, every factory, every depot, every dispensing station, and every asset.

Then he started targeting the Ponds. Members of his team, subordinates, begged him to stop killing the citizens of the Ponds, pointing out that they were no longer Titan Oil employees.

Charlie reminded them, “Have you forgotten the attacks in California and in Texas when Titan Oil planes wiped out hundreds of Gates? Those Titan Oil bombers dropped thousands of bombs on them. Did, Titan Oil care about any of us, the old, the weak, the children?”

Charlie would lock himself in the command room and sit there, nonstop, for 18-20 hours, the whole time raging destruction.

When he turned his attention overseas to first, Japan, it was only after pleas from his wife’s parents from China that he stopped.

But he did not stop entirely. He just found new targets, and when he finished with Singapore, the Philippines, Korea, he then moved to former Titan Oil holdings in the south of Russia, the Middle East. He ended with levelling Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iraq, and Syria. The final assault reduced the entire Middle East oil rich region to less than a desert, everything between Egypt and Iran including Israel.

Europe had no Gates, no Towers, and was the only hole in his WMD network. Regardless, Charlie continued his campaign of destruction by not allowing any ships or supplies to Europe. He monitored all routes and took out anything attempting to leave.

The Europeans tried numerous attempts to communicate, but Charlie refused to talk to anyone. The Chinese, together with what was left of the American government, eventually convinced him to a cease fire. Charlie agreed to a meeting.

The peace summit was proposed to be held in two months in Washington; but Charlie would have it put it off unless it was held in Toronto, at the North York Main Gate. Charlie wrote a program that kept the network and system fully automatic. This master program did not allow any flights, and it maintained the embargo on Europe. The delegation would need to use a small back Gate through Finland to exit, then travel down past the northern Gates of Russia and down through China.

Once in China, the Dragons and Chinese officials would accompany them across the Pacific using a Green-police ship. These were the only ships with the correct electronic signature. Charlie’s program only allowed ships outfitted with these special coded RF tags to survive movement. Once the delegation was across the Pacific in Vancouver, they could then use the new Trans Canada Electric Transit Train to Toronto. The entire journey would take at least six weeks.

In this period of downtime, Charlie decides to visit his family and wait there for the delegation to arrive. Toronto is only a short distance from his home on the north shore of Lake Erie.

Jan is first to greet Charlie. She was out at the forestry station when she spotted his platoon and convoy coming from the north. She waves Charlie down, standing in the middle of the road in front of the lead vehicle. She gets into an electric RV and they continue to the house.

Once there, Charlie runs up to his father giving him a brief hug, then continues straight into the house, upstairs to his room to see his wife and daughter.

Wyatt and Julie come over with Dan, and Jan prepares a feast, while Williams serves drinks all around. Charlie and Jinse come down, leaving their daughter, Xiao-mei upstairs to sleep.

During the dinner, Wyatt says to Charlie, “You’re timing to come home could not be any better…” He grabs Julie’s hand and shows off her engagement ring to everyone. “We’re getting married next weekend, and we thought after talking with Jinse, well brother, we would consider it an honour if we could have a double wedding, since we were not at your official wedding in China.”

Charlie leans over, gives Jinse a kiss, then walks over to his bother and grabs him in a strong embrace. “I owe you my life, Wyatt, and the honour will be ours.”

Williams dashes out of the room and returns from the cellar with a bottle in his hand. “I was saving this for the wedding, but…” ‘POP goes the cork. “This sixty-year-old bottle of champagne can’t wait any longer.”

There follows a loud cheer.

After Williams has filled a glass for everyone, they raise their glasses and Williams starts a toast. But before Williams can say anything, Dan stands up and in a loud voice and a tone uniquely Dan, he raises his glass and interjects, “As the newly elected mayor of Dover Gate, I want to thank you all…” He looks over at Williams. “Not sure if you had a chance to tell everyone…” Everyone laughs and Dan continues, “I want to thank all of you—not for inviting me here as a guest, or a friend—but for letting me be a part of this family. So…as part of this family, a toast in the words of another Williams—a Williams Shakespeare.” Dan grins as he begins his toast. “‘Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em’…wait.”

Dan straightens up taller. “‘The supreme excellence is not to win a hundred victories in a hundred battles. The supreme excellence is to subdue the armies of your enemies without even having to fight ‘em.’”

Before they start to drink, Jinse stands, raising her glass to Dan with two hands and says, “Famous quote of Lao-Tzu.” She turns to Charlie and motions to drink.

They all drink and suddenly Jan turns her head and spits a mouthful to the floor. Several others follow suit. Williams swallows, winces, glares at the bottle and says, “What? It’s sixty-year-old bubbly vinegar.”

They all laugh again.

Jan fetches a mop and the meal continues through the evening with more laughter until young Xiao-mei comes down and sits in her father’s lap.

A half hour later, the ladies are talking about the wedding plans with Xiao-mei now sitting in grandma’s lap. The men leave to go out on to the closed-in patio. They light a fire in the chiminea, and sit closely around it enjoying good conversation.

The double wedding is held at the forestry station in one of the large greenhouses. The air is fresh and masks are not needed even though the trees are tall and many have pushed the glass windows up with some of the branches sticking out into the open harsh air. Inside there is an explosion of colors, and rows of flowers with greenery everywhere. There are hundreds of chairs filled with people from far and near in attendance, with children running carefree.

When the ceremony starts everyone is seated, and then as the groomsmen and bridesmaids are waiting at the front, Williams leads in Jinse, and Jan follows closely behind with Xiao-mei holding her hand. Julie is led by her father.

Dan, again, reminds everyone that he is also the new mayor of Dover Gate, and is dressed in his formal robe to officiate and perform the ceremony.

Charlie and his bride, Jinse, are dressed in traditional Chinese silk. She wears a brilliant white and red gown, while he is in black and gold. Wyatt wears a Scottish kilt, while Julie is in a traditional white gown. The two couples walk to the front of the flower arch, led by two bag pipers, and a dozen Dragons with Chinese drums and cymbals. When they exchange their vows, there’s not a dry eye in the room.

Following the ceremony, there is a feast like never before. Vegetables of every variety, soya roasts and sausage, fish and fresh water shrimp, crabs, frog legs, noodles, breads, and fruit are everywhere. The evening continues well into the night with music, dance, and song.

The next couple weeks are relaxing for everyone. Charlie goes with Wyatt early every morning on rounds. Later, Charlie checks on the status of the network. In the evenings they talk around the fire, or inside at the old dining room table, drinking tea, coffee, and strawberry cider.

A week before the conference in Toronto, Wyatt notices a disturbance in the Network fields during a routine systems check and sends for Charlie.

When Charlie arrives they go through the procedures and find the cause of the disturbance. Charlie contacts Billings, and they verify what Charlie and Wyatt have found.

Charlie yells at Billings for not recognizing it sooner, and not letting him know that the systems alarmed and were just reset several times. Charlie spends the next 18 hours solid on the counsel until he finally gives in and comes home.

They let him sleep in, and he eventually comes down late in the afternoon. Jan and Jinse have lunch with him, and Williams joins them as they are just finishing up.

Charlie says to his father, “The Europeans have linked a series of atomic reactors in Scotland, Spain, Norway, Poland, Turkey, and Serbia. The result is a giant curtain, around the perimeter of Europe, shooting gamma rays straight up into outer space. The radiation is affecting the magnetic fields used by my Network.

Charlie lets out an exasperated sigh. “It never really bothered me at first…I thought they were only setting it up to use for self-defence.”

Williams does his best to understand as Charlie continues. “Both the Europeans and I realized that eventually, even without any Towers in Europe, the earth’s natural magnetic fields would slowly strengthen the Network I set up. And it’s just a matter of time before I could close the hole over Europe and move in.

“I thought that the European Union was just trying to buy some more time by keeping the hole over Europe open. But after watching the patterns in the field spectrums, I ran several scans and compared them, confirming that they are not only cycling randomly, but also intensifying as though trying to probe space.”

Charlie frowns. “Then I saw that the gamma radiation was also generating harmonics, and that’s when I first noticed them, distorting shortwave frequencies. I believe that the Europeans are trying to create a combination of harmonics to crash my Network.”

Williams shifts uncomfortably. “How likely would that be?”

For the first time in a long while, Charlie’s face shows genuine concern. “Dad, it’s not the crash of the Network I’m worried about. It’s the long range missiles. I’ve taken out all the ones in the USA, and Russian. In France, England and Germany, however, there is no record of how many nuclear weapons they might have been hiding, but you can be sure they have always had them. They know what I did to Titan Oil, if given a chance, as soon as my network falls, they would deploy those missiles.”

Charlie works with Wyatt right up until they get word that the delegation has arrived in Toronto. Charlie tells his top lieutenant, “Push out the meeting by another week.”

A lobby group comes to talk with Williams. He is approached by several of the Chinese and government officials, and some of the other high ranking people in the organization. They tell Williams that every effort they’ve made to reach Charlie was answered with the same response: “Charlie does not want to be disturbed.” They beg him to try and get a sense from his son on how they should proceed.

Williams knocks on the control room door, hoping to be let in. When the door opens, he steps in seeing Wyatt and Julie, with Charlie working a keyboard, flanked by two of his personal Dragons.

Williams gets Charlie’s attention and says, “Is it wise to have the delegation wait after they’ve traveled from so far?”

Charlie smiles and says, “Dad, don’t tell me they got to you? Sit down.”

Charlie points to an empty chair. “Turns out, Wyatt and I are not the only experts in this family. Julie, here, has a great understanding of how this shit works. We need a couple more hours, and we think we can control those reactors. Julie mentioned that they would not be using any wireless devises to control the reactors. That means that they are hardwired and they can only maintain that kind of control over those distances with fibre optics.”

Charlie continues grinning and shaking his head. “But even with fibre optics, they would still need amplifiers and repeaters. So, fibre optics technology is basically just light pulses travelling through glass or plastic fibres. The light forms an electromagnetic carrier wave that is modulated to carry information. But fibre optics still needs to have the information converted from electrical to optical—and back from an optic signal to electrical,”

He makes arm and finger gestures. “We were looking at how to intercept the signal during the conversions when Julie speaks up again, and says, ‘Why not just hit them with a gravitational EM time stressed oscillating wave?’”

“Voila!” Julie pipes up. “Once the energies of the zeroing components exist, they superpose, causing the transistors to perform a little phase conjugation.” She shakes her hips adding, “Phase conjugates will create heat, but only if elements of the time aspects in the zero force field stress oscillation waves…” She takes a breath, and finishes with both Wyatt and Charlie joining in together:

“But only if they are anti-parallel!”

Charlie animatedly says, “Now, that begins to pump waves in the time domain. When that occurs, it actually turns part of anti-phased, zero-vector-summing EM waves into a time-oscillating space-time curvature wave—a special kind of gravitational wave—where the energy density stress is oscillating…”

Wyatt interrupts, “In short, Dad, we have ‘time stressed’ oscillations that makes an oscillating scalar potential…”

Julie takes over, “A gravitational oscillating time wave that makes a ‘new’ kind of polarized EM wave—well, ‘new’ to these Towers.”

Williams cannot take anymore tech-speak. He clasps both sides of his head as if it is about to explode. “Okay, okay, in plain English, please. What does all that mean?”

Wyatt and Julie say at the same time, “A fibre fuse effect.”

William rolls his eyes. “So again, in ‘plainer’ English…”

Wyatt chuckles and says in a lower tone, “Dad, the fibre optics lines spontaneously destroy themselves. The reactors go out of control, melt down, and they become bombs in their own backyard.”

Charlie gets up smiling and pats Wyatt on the shoulder. “Make it so—set up the Towers to generate the new waves, and wait for me to give you the go ahead. Great work, Julie. Welcome to the family.” Charlie gives her a hug.

Charlie heads out the door and Williams follows.

“What now, what’s next, Charlie?”

Charlie continues his walk, putting on his mask. “Tell them I coming to Toronto. I’ll be there tonight.”

*

The next morning, the Toronto conference room is abuzz. All goes quiet when Charlie walks in with four armed Dragons and two refrigerator-size bikers. He is looking at no one in particular when he says, “Okay, let’s get started, right now!”

Charlie crosses to the middle of the head table, surprising everyone when he sits, not on the chair, but on the table itself. His personal guards stand a short ways behind him.

The leader of the European group stands to speak. “On behalf of the European Union and AlliedOil, we have traveled a great distance, and have agreed to meet with you to negotiate the next steps…” He stops when Charlie stands and walks right up to him.

Charlie stares right into his face across the narrow table. “Shut up, and sit down. I don’t remember asking you to come here and make some kind of stupid speech. Who do you think you are talking to? This is not an open forum. Are we online, or are you just suffering from some kind of brain damage?”

A gavel strikes wood, and the American government official sitting high on the bench yells, “Order, order! Please, sit back down. This will be an orderly meeting.”

Charlie grabs a bottle of water, spins around, and throws it at the U.S. official, who ducks just barely in time to avoid a collision with his face. He comes back up, but his jaw is frozen open.

“And who the hell are you?” Charlie growls. “What makes you think that you have any authority here?”

Charlie continues in a commanding voice. “You had your chance when Big Oil was in charge, and you chose to stay in bed with them. So as far as I’m concerned, you’re with them, and they lost, you’re done.”

Some delegates get up to leave, and Charlie jabs his forefinger at them. “Sit down! All of you!” They sink back into their seats as the bikers shift in their direction. “Understand…I’m not here to negotiate. And yes, I know all about the high tech wall—that radioactive curtain of reactors Europe and AlliedOil is hiding behind. We are also monitoring all the many failed attempts to use harmonics generated by the reactors to knock down my Network.”

Charlie struts around, glaring at anyone that will look back at him. “Yes, gentleman, MY Network. I played your game and I beat you at it. So now, we play MY game.”

Charlie throws down his hands. “I will NOT negotiate. I will, however, give you my terms. All I want…” He stops mid sentence, composes himself; then continues in a level voice. “All I have ever wanted is for all the oil on this planet to be left in the ground. Man will no longer drill or refine any oil. I have put the X on OIL. That means, gentlemen, in the next couple hours I want you to contact your people, and I want all the remaining refineries shut down. By the end of today, no more flare stacks. Then, over the next several months we will remove all the fuel from Europe. You will have a year to erect Gates across Europe, and eliminate anything that is gas powered.” He makes a chopping motion. “Gasoline use on this planet has now been outlawed. Any fuel anywhere will be blown up.”

Charlie rotates in a circle, surveying the entire assembly, and says in a firm patronizing voice, “Any questions?”

A member of the European delegation behind Charlie boldly speaks up. “We will need to contact our leaders…and then we’ll let you know what our decision will be.”

Charlie spins around and gets right in his face. “Decision? What decision? You have no choice. Maybe you did not hear me? Two hours, to shut down safely, under your control, or I will shut it down for you. And I promise you, it will not be pretty…” Charlie mouths the BOOM sound, spreading his arms high and wide. “Then, if by the end of today there are any flare stacks burning, I promise that the flare stacks won’t be the only things burning by the time I am done.” He slams his hands together, causing several nearby delegates to flinch.

“Please, have mercy,” yells another European.”

Charlie steps quickly to him with clenched fists, fighting off the urge to use them. “Mercy? Where was the mercy when the pollution choked the planet to near extinction? And even after we could no longer even breathe the air, we appealed to you. You know what happened to Titan Oil.”

Charlie turns to the other members of the EU. “All you ever think about—all of you—is how to capitalize on any opportunity. Even now, all you see is that you’re the new number one, the new biggest oil company in the world. AND you still continued to spew hydrocarbons from those refineries behind your curtain that is now also spewing radiation into my child’s atmosphere. Get out! And you don’t need to come back with your decisions—or should I say more deceptions. If the curtain is not down, I have your answer. Either way, like I told you, today is the last day!”

He walks to a white board writes the word OIL in big bold black letters; then with a red marker he strikes an X through the word OIL. Charlie tosses the marker over his shoulder leaves the room as his bodyguards fall into formation behind him.

Charlie’s convoy heads back home. He calls Wyatt to monitor the Network and to contact him as soon as he sees any change.

An hour passes, and no one contacts him. It takes another half hour before he arrives home, and Charlie goes directly to the control room where Wyatt is waiting. He tells everyone to leave, except Wyatt. He tells his guards not to let anyone pass, no one, not even family.

Wyatt says, “I take it that things didn’t go so well.”

Charlie sits down at the control console. “Let’s get this over with. I’m getting tired of this game. I want to start playing a new one.”

He looks over the Network and there is a lot of activity from the reactors, mostly a symphony of harmonics, desperately trying to find that right note, the magic frequency that will start resonating the fall of the Towers.

Charlie uploads Wyatt’s program. All the Towers shut down for a couple seconds and the Network is down. As the Towers come back up with the new arsenal, Charlie waits until they are at full power. He notices that while he was down, the EU fired several missiles.

Charlie is totally focused; his fingers a blur as he works the computer keys and says to Wyatt, “Take the ones going north and east—I’ll track the rest.”

It only takes the two of them 15 minutes to knock down 73 missiles in total, right out of the sky, most of them still in European air space.

The Europeans had to shut down their curtain to launch the missiles, but as the reactors are coming back up, Charlie decides to knock them down one at a time as they come on-stream, hoping the Europeans will stop after realizing that they are killing their own people.

All of the reactors came up, and all the reactors immediately went into meltdowns.

When the curtain is gone, Charlie once again turns to his brother. “Let’s finish this now. After today, no more OIL.”

They zero in on all the refineries first. Charlie amplifies the Towers and uses the new pulses to send waves of destruction. Even though there are no Towers in Europe, and in the past the Towers could not access some areas, he is able to bounce waves in. By the time Charlie is done, the only areas that he cannot reach are under a radioactive cloud from their own destroyed reactors.

They sit there monitoring Europe for several more hours, and after numerous more waves from their new weapon, nuclear power generating stations in France, Germany, England, Sweden, Ukraine and the south of Spain have meltdowns. Within the next hour, the rest, 86 of the 124 nuclear power generating stations have reactor meltdowns. The explosion in the NPGS near Alexandria in Egypt has their reactors destroyed with an explosion that can be seen as a wave across both screens. When Charlie and Wyatt finally step out, Wyatt tells Julie to take over.

The two brothers head for the house, neither one choosing to wear their masks, rather they both walk with the masks at their sides feeling the burn of the air in their lungs and throats. Unspoken between them, a couple burning questions also hang in the air: Is it finally over? Have we really won?

Chapter 13

REVELATION 19-12

Mike and Sean get out of the truck at the Old Cut, and climb into a small motor boat. They head out into Long Point Bay toward Pottahawk a sand spike midway up the Point. They pass Pottahawk where they see a cluster of cottages from the old Millionaires’ Hunting Club. To the northeast, the flare stacks from the refinery and steel mill are very heated up and the yellowish-orange streak across the sky is disturbing.

Sean turns to Mike at the helm. “Is it always like that?”

Mike makes a sour face. “We’re lucky to have a west wind, Sean. Otherwise we’d also be smelling it.”

They pass the Millionaires’ Hunting Club and Mike raises the outboard motor in order to cross several shallow sand bars. He pulls out a long punt paddle and pushes off the sandy bottom. Once inside the marsh, past the sand bars, the water is deeper and Mike again lowers the motor and they make their way up a winding channel.

Mike points as they pass old copper stills, and Mike says, “Long ago, during Prohibition in the States, there were many stills in the marsh, and locals would run alcohol and contraband across the lake. Over the years ‘Long Point’ has not only harbored this kind of activity, but because of its proximity and isolation in the middle of Lake Erie, many illegal actives were a part of the Point’s colorful history. In the early years, the Point even hosted illegal boxing matches and many ‘gambling casino’ type paddle boats would stop here. The Point is very difficult to access from the mainland because it is mostly marshland.”

Mike sweeps his free hand far and wide. “It was also a main migratory stop for game birds coming down from the north to southern destinations. As a result, these marshes were the favorite hunting grounds for the wealthy.”

Mike puts a hand to his ear in an exaggerated gesture. “Notice how the marsh is eerily quiet? We have the worldwide bird flu virus to thank for that.”

They come out of a turn and Sean can see another cluster of cottages.

Mike points to them. “Those were once the private summer cottages and hunting lodges of Charles Lindbergh. This is where Mary, my father, and I have been staying. Farther up the channel, over there to the west, are the cottages of the Mellon and Carnegie families…they are abandoned.”

The cottages, situated under large willow trees, are domed with old torn camouflage netting, originally intended to not alarm migrating birds flying overhead; now it hides the occupants from the search planes.

They arrive at the dock where Mike’s dad, John, is waiting. John secures the bow while Mike helps Sean from the boat. The elderly men share a warm hug, and John whispers in Sean’s ear, “Thank you. I know you’re responsible for my being here.”

Sean simply gives him a pat on the back to say you’re welcome.

A dozen people have now gathered and follow the three men to the Main Assembly building. Sean enters and there is a meal waiting for him. He puts down the briefcase with the vaccines just long enough to remove his Burberry trench coat and asks to see Mary.

Mike pulls out the chair for Sean. ‘You’ve travelled far…you should eat something first, then I’ll take you to her room.

Sean pushes the chair back. “Take me to Mary first. I insist.”

The cabin has a stove in the center of the main room with four bedrooms and one bathroom. Mike and John bring Sean’s things to his room; then lead him to see Mary.

Sean walks in and is shaken by how weak she looks. He turns to Mike and says, “Roll up her sleeve.”

Sean removes the packaging off one of the many syringes in the case. He randomly chooses a vial and draws the liquid into the needle, squirts a little in the air while tapping out all the air bubbles. He injects her in the arm; then gives her a kiss on the forehead. She still has not acknowledged anyone in the room.

Sean retreats to his room, notices an old bible on the night stand and begins to read it starting with Genesis 1:1. “In the beginning GOD created the heaven and the earth…” He sets the bible down to recite a prayer he learned as a child, something he has not done for a very long time; then falls asleep.

In the morning, Sean quickly gets dressed. Mike appears in the open doorway and says with a smile, “Thank you, thank you! She’s much better now and would like to see you.”

Sean follows Mike to the room and can see that Mary is still too weak to sit up.

However, she does turn her head slowly, blinks, and mouths in a slight whisper, “I love you, Grandpa,” as a tear rolls down her face.

Sean crosses to her bedside and holds her hand until she falls back to sleep, while Mike keeps his usual vigil on the other side.

John walks in with a couple fishing poles and says, “Come on, old friend—let’s leave these two alone. We need to catch some dinner.”

John furnishes Sean with an old coat and hat. They walk past the cabins and up a steep trail. They reach a clearing where several solar panels and windmills are in operation.

John says, “They were able to get a lot of the supplies out to the Point after we warned all the Buffetts. I was able to move most of the inventory before they shut me down and hauled me off to prison. I owe you big time for getting me out so I could be with my family.

Sean waves him off; then says, “Catch me up.”

John lowers his head. “Well, I lost my wife several months ago, and it’s been rough on both Mike and me. Mary tended to her and when she also came down with the flu, after we buried my wife, it became unbearable.”

It’s silent as they walk for another 30 minute before arriving at John’s favorite spots, a big new manmade fresh water pond. John says, “All the fish we catch from Lake Erie are released in the clean filtered water of this large pond to get detoxified.”

They sit down and talk until dusk; returning to the cabin with a good catch for the night’s dinner.

Mike cleans the fish while Sean follows John on his nightly rounds; turning on the lights and equipment for the evening power supply, checking each battery level and condition. When they return, a fish dinner is waiting, and the three men eat.

“Mary ate some bread for the first time in quite awhile,” Mike says, breathing a sigh of relief. “Thanks again, Sean.”

In the morning, the wind has shifted and a heavy sooty smell has made its way across the bay. To the east the flare stacks are rolling out blackish, orange clouds of smoke. It’s getting hard to breathe and John gives Sean a dust mask. From Dover, the hum of hundreds of gas generators is carried on the wind, along with the odor of exhaust fumes.

A week has passed before Mary is up and about. John and Sean have made several trips into Dover to get supplies, and it’s not long before word is out that there is a small supply of vaccine at the point. Many people who cannot afford to buy the vaccine from Titan Oil’s Medical Clinic are making the long journey to the point. An old retired veterinarian was able to dilute the vaccine and use it to inoculate many people against contracting the viruses.

*

The weather has become harsher and Mike is having a hard time getting to work at the coal fired generating station. Some days he cannot make it back to the Point and has to stay at the house on the mainland.

One weekend before leaving, Mike announces, “There’ve been no incidences in the village for quite some time, and with no Titan Oil or Bush Security people coming around, it looks like it’s safe to move back to the house.”

The last couple months while he’s been at the house no one came snooping around and with winter coming on it’s just too difficult for Mike to make it in and out to the Point daily. Mary and Mike decide to move back to the house on the mainland; but John and Sean opt to stay at the Point where a sizeable community has now settled.

Mike reopens his shop, and is working weekends repairing cars, and appliances for the locals in the village, not leaving Mary and him many opportunities to come out to the Point.

Life has started to settle down to a somewhat, normal existence under the circumstances. Sean keeps his ear to the news whenever he can, talking to people who still have access to the Net and shortwave radios. The world has become a wasteland, mostly controlled by the handful of surviving major corporations. The locals have set up their own policing force made up mostly of volunteers. Titan Oil, however, has their own professionally trained security people, and over the following year they have built a fence and walls around Dover, with Bush Security controlling all access in and out of Dover Pond—renamed after Titan Oil built a huge covered fresh water pond and gardens in the center of the community. The majority of the people in Dover Pond now work for Titan Oil’s refinery or steel mill.

Titan Oil has taken control of the former Ministry of Natural Resources buildings and the local forestry college, and plantation. They have built several more indoor gardens and are producing extra food for the Dover Pond and surrounding community. Several people from the village are now working at the new facility.

On one of the occasional ventures in from the Point, John and Sean stop to visit with Mary while they charge their Thompson batteries using the large industrial size natural gas generator at the shop. The natural gas comes from an old gas well at the back of the property piped directly to the shop.

It’s on one of these visits that Mary announces she is pregnant. “Mike is worried a little,” she explains to Sean. “We’ve seen a few ‘altered’ children from Dover Pond. Although it has long been believed there’d be no side effects from the vaccine, in fact the side effects do manifest—but only to the offspring of those that were vaccinated.”

“Are you talking serious genetic abnormalities?” Sean frowns.

“No, no, don’t worry, Grandpa,” Mary assures him, “the side effects are not life threatening—merely small visual oddities. Please do not feel bad. I will love this child no matter how he or she looks. I just pray it’s healthy, overall.”

Mary gives birth to a boy just after Christmas, and he is healthy—and quite normal, with a couple exceptions: He has a hard layer of darker skin over his nose. Plus, his eyes are yellow, slightly large; and his ears taper to a noticeable point, and are high on his head. Over the next several months he grows tiny pin feathers under the hair on his head. Mary and Mike have given him the name Sean Tesla Williams.

Mary tells Sean, “We named him after you, Grandpa, for saving my life… and Tesla after John’s hero, Nicolai Tesla the famous inventor who inspired John to become an electrical engineer.”

Over the next year, the environment becomes more desolate and deadly. Some of the trees and vegetation that did survive the winter were fragile and by the next winter, all of the trees are dead. Acid rain is the norm, the air has become harder to breathe without choking, and most people need to wear filter masks outdoors. There have been no sightings of any birds or animals, including insects. All of the food is now grown indoors.

When Mary announces she is pregnant with her second child, Mike becomes very worried. The generating station has been shut down after the final collapse of the main grid. Titan Oil briefly considered keeping it going, but chose instead to use its own gas fired generators. Many of the generating station employees were offered jobs at the steel mill and refinery. Mike had no choice but to work at the refinery since most of the work from his shop was now done at no charge. Money no longer had value—gas or food, were the prevailing currency. When Mike was paid, it was with jerry cans of gas that he used to trade for food and supplies.

Sean and John were coming into the village early one morning when they saw several black Bush Security vehicles at the shop and in front of the house.

John stopped his car behind the row of vehicles at the main intersection, and turned to Sean. “You better slip out…there’s a checkpoint up ahead.”

Sean opened the door and said, “Come with me.”

John shook his head no. “Leaving the vehicle unattended will quickly draw attention to both of us—we wouldn’t get far. Besides, there are at least two dozen vehicles ahead of us—it will be awhile before they get to me. This will give you a good head start.

Sean hesitates to leave his friend.

John lets out a deep sigh and cranes his neck over the steering wheel. “Sean, I can see several official looking guys in suits flanked by the regular Bush Security men in Titan Oil SUVs. I’d bet the farm it’s you they’re looking for.”

*

Sean walks back along the road and then down an embankment before disappearing in the dead wood forest. He makes his way down to the bay where he flags down one of the locals who lives at the Point.

Once back at the Point, Sean stays up most of the night waiting for his friend. In the morning, news comes back that John, Mary and Mike have all been arrested and taken into custody.

Sean convinces one of the men with a boat to take him to the mainland. While crossing the bay they see a boat heading for the village. The boats pass each other about 50 yards apart, and Sean recognizes John, Mike, and young S.T. They turn around to follow. When Sean finally catches up, Mike is doing his best to comfort his son, who is crying inconsolably.

John is almost a basket case as he tells Sean what happened. “Just as I thought, it was you they’re looking for. During the interrogation, Mike and I were restrained by a couple of brutes while two others delivered body blows. But neither of us uttered one word…” John has to pause to wipe away the tears. “Suddenly, one of the security thugs hauls off and backhands Mary after she refused to answer any of his questions. Then they tried to take S.T. away from her, and she fought to hang on to him. She held S.T. close to her while they beat her to the ground, and with the last of her strength, she turned to use her body to shield her son. They continued to deliver a savage beating, kicking and striking her with long back batons until she lay lifeless.” John lets out an anguished wail. Only after a full minute is he able to continue. “After that, I can only guess that the thugs knew they wouldn’t get any information out of us, ‘cause they said we could go. Mike pulled S.T. from under his mother, and told the men she was with child. The guy in charge just sneered and said she should have talked and not been so stubborn.”

Sean is completely dumbstruck with grief as John continues. “Mike tried to pick her up but the goddamn bullies lit into him again.”

Both men are badly beaten, but the loss of Mary is the only pain they feel.

As for Sean, the depth of his pain and anguish at having not exchanged his life for his granddaughter’s is unfathomable.

Several days and yards of red tape later, John is able to claim Mary’s body, and they bury her out on the Point.

Mike continues to work at the refinery and every day makes his way to the Point to be with his son. He blames himself for moving them inland. Many times he stands looking down at her grave and thinks to himself, Mary would still be alive if I’d only stayed at the Point. Now, nothing will take her away from the Point ever again.

Over the next three years, the community at the Point grows to well over 100 residences. The mainland is completely controlled by Titan Oil. There are fewer visits to the mainland; and with less and less fish in the wild, several more inland ponds are created to farm a supply of edible fish and underwater vegetation.

The ponds have well designed sand filtration systems set up. The inhabitants are fortunate to have a talented engineer like John around.

Mike is occasionally able to get spare parts from the refinery, and what he cannot sneak out, he salvages from the abandoned generating station—usually late at night when they can cross the bay in the dark. When S.T. gets older, Mike takes him along and the boy makes a game of it, referring to their clandestine trips with his father and grandfather as “the Williams’ night maneuvers”.

In fact, the three are inseparable. Young S.T. works with Mike and John on many projects they build at the Point, and at the shop. S.T. has become highly skilled and it is obvious he has a gift for technology.

Over time, Sean began to drink more and more. With Mary gone, and S.T., a young man full of energy, usually involved in a new project with his father, Mike or his grandfather, John, Sean finds himself feeling old and alone. It is during these times that the deeds of his past come back to haunt him; many times leaving him feeling shame. Sean usually locks himself in his own small private cabin choosing to live alone with his memories; some good, but mostly bad.

One afternoon a storm is brewing over the lake to the south of the Point. Sean has been drinking most of the day and he decides to take a walk with his last bottle of prized single malt scotch along for company. He tucks the old Bible under his other arm and makes his way out to the old lighthouse at the end of the Point. He manages to open the heavy steel door, goes inside, locks the door behind him, and climbs up the spiraling stairs. At dusk, by the time John, S.T. and Mike get there, some of the people from Gate are already gathered. Sean is up on the lighthouse balcony yelling as he reads from Revelations.

By now a massive storm is raging over the lake behind Sean and the lighthouse. High clouds mixing with the polluted plumes from the refinery are moving toward them from the southeast.

The Titan Oil flare stacks are a yellowish orange and Titan Steel flare stacks are their usual bluish pink, and both are burning exceptionally bright with giant twisting flames and dark black smoke bellowing out and up. The waves are high and crashing on the beach.

Sean holds the Bible before him with one hand, waving the other and leaning on the hand rails. He is shouting at the flaming flare stacks across the bay reading, “‘His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns, and he had a name written, that no man knew…”

Sean looks down at the gathering below and says, “I know the name of the beast,” then flips pages and reads, “‘Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him: and all kindred of the earth shall wail because of him…Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending.’”

Mike and John try to talk him down, but Sean ignores their pleas. With most of the community now standing below him, Sean continues to read from his pulpit: “‘The kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains…for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?’”

Sean again vents his ire at the flaming stacks. “Do you hear that you bastards? His Wrath will come for you one day.”

Sean turns back to the Bible: “‘And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder…and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image.’”

Mike and John can only watch helplessly as Sean climbs out over the rail. Mike tries another time to kick in the heavy steel door, knowing his efforts are useless. He looks up to see Sean throw the Bible upward, and the wind carries it out into the raging water.

Sean hangs onto the rail with one hand, the other shaking a fist at Titan Oil across the bay. He yells as loud as he can, “‘…And his eyes were as a flame of fire,

as if they burned in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters. And out of his mouth a sharp two-edged sword…and when I saw him…”

Sean stops yelling. His eyes widen and he turns his head toward the approaching storm. He watches several lighting flashes; then finishes quietly saying, “‘And when I saw him…I fell at his feet as dead.’”

Sean looks up to the heavens and releases his grip on the railing, just as S.T. yells:

“NOOOOOO! No, Grandpa…No!”

They bury Sean beside Mary.

Chapter 14

QI

When Charlie is sure the war is over and the planet is rid of Titan Oil and AlliedOil, he stops, walking away from all computer contact completely.

Another delegation is formed and they contact Charlie through an envoy, to have a second meeting in Toronto, all on his terms. This time the government is coming with a representative from Europe, Titan Oil, AlliedOil, and the Chinese as mediators.

Even though Oil can no longer exist with the Network monitoring, and the subsequent destruction of any potential combustible hydrocarbon, the various world governments still feel they need to negotiate an understanding, a formal truce…some kind of agreement with Charlie.

He will not come down from his room; he stays upstairs reading old books and sleeping for days, causing Jan concern. Jinse comes downstairs several times to talk to the “rank and file” when they come to the house for direction. Jinse also comes down to prepare him something to eat. She brings the meals up to him. She tells Jan and Williams, “Charlie is exhausted and only needs some rest.” But it is obvious to them that the events that took place had a deep emotional effect on him.

Wyatt visits Charlie from time to time with words of encouragement, and he too notices his brother has somehow changed.

Jinse meets with Charlie’s second in command, his General Dragon Master, and instructs him to take his men back to Billings, leaving only a small detachment to stand guard.

Charlie’s loyal General, Huang Di, steps down from his appointment as senior leader of the Dragons, also giving up his rank. He bows reverently and says to Jinse, “Please trust, it is best I stay at Charlie’s side.”

Jinse begins to run the day-to-day tasks and speaks to government officials many times on Charlie’s behalf.

A week later, Charlie comes down, but he spends most of his day with his daughter, Xiao-mei. The two of them meet often with Huang Di who, it turns out, is staying with Charlie and Xiao-mei primarily to complete their training and teachings in the way of Qi (pronounced chi), an ancient Chinese Taoist practice. In addition to now serving as Charlie and his daughter’s sensei, the Qi Master has devoted his life to protecting Xiao-mei.

Well over a month later, the delegation arrives in Toronto. After an initial meeting with Jinse and several high ranking members of the Gate Keepers Counsel, they decide to come directly to Dover to meet with Charlie in person.

Charlie’s first order of business is a surprising announcement: “I am stepping down.”

Murmurs of disbelief fill the room as Charlie continues.

“I’ve appointed Dr. Jinse Williams, my wife, as the new Grand Gate Keeper.” That said, Charlie immediately leaves the meeting allowing Jinse to complete the negotiations.

In fact, within a short time, she becomes very popular, possessing great leadership skills as well as excellent command of the technology. But it is through her role as a doctor that she is viewed as more of a humanitarian—although everyone is well aware she is a Williams and merciless Charlie is still her husband. Therefore, no one dares to reawaken the white tiger who took down the OIL giants.

Dr. Jinse becomes more and more involved with her new responsibilities and her passion to pioneer a network of medical facilities. Her goal is to eventually have a medical center in every Gate. She adds several new volumes to the KEY software medical and educational module, making a medical career available to anyone and everyone. She creates several medical universities at larger Gates that will eventually turn out highly capable doctors.

Whenever Charlie isn’t training with Master Di, he spends time with Jan at the BioLab planting trees and helping her with research; writing down observations, and planting new life. He also occasionally works with his father at the shop; in all instances with Xiao-mei at his side or nearby.

Wyatt and Julie decide to leave the Gate, and they move to the Sarnia Gate an hour or so from the Point. They oversee production at the assembly facility that is turning out the new generation of Towers. At this Gate, the brightest and best minds and engineers have been recruited. Towers are being built on massive assembly lines on a large scale for the new worldwide demand, with only China as the other source with this capacity.

Jan’s Agra Lab, along with many others she oversees, is exporting millions of trees per year, ready for planting. S.T. Williams is assembling hundreds of new electric tractors monthly.

Dan still runs the steel mill by Dover Pond…however he lost the next election, surprisingly to a young enterprising biker, and is no longer the mayor.

Charlie begins to fully immerse himself in Qi every morning, with Xiao-mei, under the ongoing tutelage of Master Huang Di.

Williams confides to Jan, “I cannot understand why Charlie has completely surrendered to this Qi thing?”

Jan doesn’t understand it either; however she sees that it is slowly bringing Charlie out of the shell he inhabited right after the war ended. She avoids an argument about it with Williams, saying, “Oh, it’s probably just a phase he’s going through. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. After all, he is spending a lot more time with Xiao-mei.”

But Williams does worry. One morning after watching Charlie and Xiao-mei with the Master, he waits for them to come in for breakfast. Soon as Jan leaves with Xiao-mei to the BioLab, Williams says, “Hey Charlie…spend a couple minutes with the old man?”

“Sure Dad,” Charlie takes a seat. “What’s up?”

Williams lets out a sigh. “Well…I’m concerned. Seeing you like this is…” Williams struggles for the word. “…is uncharacteristic. And it worries not just me—your mother, too.”

Charlie smiles. “Dad, what do you really want to ask me? Whatever it is, you can feel free to ask me anything. We don’t have that barrier between us anymore—at least, I want nothing to stop you from being part of who I am. Dad, I am part of you, and you are a part of me. Whatever it is that is bothering you, what can I do to ease your mind?”

Williams is surprised with his son’s candor, and he takes a few seconds to respond.”

“Okay…what’s with all this martial arts? Who are you training to fight next? I kind of understand why you gave your command over to Jinse, and its great having you here at home, especially watching you with Xiao-mei, but this Mister Hundi…he’s a ruthless soldier.”

“Dad, its Master Huang Di,” Charlie corrects him, still smiling.

Williams straightens up in his seat. “Yes, okay the Master…well, he seems to be having a huge influence over you and your little girl. Do you think it’s healthy?” His face shows much concern.

“Actually, Dad it’s exactly that, healthy. And the dichotomy of a Master is he’s both a merciless warrior and a staunch advocate of peace. In fact, in Chinese the literal translation of the Chinese character meaning ‘health’ is Qi. It also means vitality and peacefulness. Dad, Qi is like a life force that animates the different forms in this world. It’s like phenomena that happen continuously at molecular, atomic and subatomic levels.” Charlie says, opening his arms as though he is welcoming someone. Charlie continues to move his arms outward; then he stands, arches his back, and yawns. He walks over the tea pot on the counter, touches it with his hand to see if it is still hot; then returns to the table with two tea cups and the pot.

“Here…I know you’re a coffee guy, but try some of this tea…it won’t kill you.” Charlie pours both cups full then takes a sip.

Williams looks right at him. “Alright, and I’m okay with tea. Your mother and I drink it at night before going to bed. So I know you have a Chinese wife, and you are into the culture, but you also have our culture here.”

Charlie lets go another smile. “Dad, this is not a just a Chinese thing. In Japan it is called ‘ki,’ and in India, ‘prana’ or ‘shakti’. The ancient Egyptians referred to it as ‘ka’ and the ancient Greeks as ‘pneuma.’ In Africa it’s known as ‘ashe’, and in the old Hawaiian culture it’s ‘ha’ or ‘mana’. For Native Americans it is the ‘Great Spirit’ and here, even the modern Christians believe that there is a ‘Holy Spirit.’ There’s probably dozens more.”

Williams says, “Was this another thing you learned from that updated KEY software?”

Charlie is surprised by the question. “No, Dad. You know there’s no reference to any religion or history on KEY.”

Williams feels he is on to something. “Ah-ha! So this is a religious thing. Maybe there was a reason that they did not put it on KEY.”

Charlie looks at his father directly in the eyes. “No. It’s not a religion. It’s more spiritual. It’s like, within the human body there is the Qi energy that we’re born with—like an ancestral Qi. Dad, your body has eagle DNA, and you know that sometimes you dream about flying, right?”

Williams nods his head but does not say anything.

Charlie continues, “Well, I get the same dreams, and they are so real it’s as though I have experienced flying. I also dream about being in the mountains living as a tiger. The Qi that we absorb during our lives also comes from the food, water, and air we breathe. Each internal organ also has its own Qi life force. That’s why we need to clean up this planet—we’ve polluted the food, water and air.” Charlie stops for another sip of tea.

“When did you become aware of all this? And why is it so damn important to you that you need to lose yourself in it?” Williams stops, hoping he did not hit a nerve.

Charlie raises an eyebrow. “Dad, it’s kind of been inside me, way down in there for a while. You know, you always wonder why things are the way they are, but now that you ask…I think it really hit me when I was in China on my way to India up in the Himalayas, and again in Billings, when I thought that I was…” Charlie pauses as a wave of emotion washes over him. “Well, remember it didn’t look like I was going to make it. After that, I walked around up in the Montana mountains by myself wondering if I was just lucky—or was there a greater plan? The Master would follow me and even when I thought I was alone, he was always around. Then he asked me, what was troubling me, and offered to show me a way to find some inner peace.”

Charlie rests his elbows on his knees and looks down. “He started by teaching me a few simple meditation techniques, and up in those mountains, when I first felt some kind of Qi, I remembered feeling like that once before. I could go back and forth in time when everything was, and would be, in harmony. I felt it emanated—specifically from the trees, flowers, lakes and mountains. Everything around me had energy. It wasn’t like a positive or negative type of energy, more like a primordial feminine and masculine energy. When I would come down from the mountains, I’d get on my computer and continue my cleansing of the earth’s poisons…” he stops, but continues looking down to the ground as though in shame.

“At first, I thought it was my duty, and taking down Titan Oil felt right for the planet. Then after AlliedOil and Europe…” He stops and does not know what to say next.

Williams says softly, “Charlie…we can all see that it really got to you. You haven’t been the same since…it’s like you just gave up.”

Charlie abruptly looks up. “No, Dad. It’s exactly the opposite. I was sitting there after all that destruction and looking down at my fingers on the keyboard. I started to realize that I was sitting at a computer, my mind was controlling a massive network of hardware, and from a remote location by just typing commands I was influencing real life. All that power at my fingertips, the actions and results were just executions of my commands. My thoughts, my reactions—it was in fact like playing a video game, only it was for real. But, after beating this real live game, just like the video games, I would always feel that same euphoria at first. But then, I also felt that same disappointment, like it should have been more difficult. When I go back and even just sit by the computer, I still feel the same disappointing feeling I got after Europe fell. I didn’t want to play the games anymore. It’s no longer challenging or even interesting anymore. It feels slower, and I hated waiting for the hardware to keep up. I can’t explain this frustration I’m feeling—but, doing Qi, I think is helping me understand why. I try to focus my mind on other things, but I can’t help one thought. The more I compared it to video games the more I kept going back to the same question. Video games are created basically by programmers, but what the programmers don’t create are the events during my individual game. And even though they anticipate many potential outcomes and many sequences, they can’t anticipate that I, Charlie Williams will beat this game.”

Charlie stops and looks at his father to see if he is getting what he’s saying. “Dad…whose program is this ‘Real Life’ Game? I couldn’t get that thought out of my mind, and it was scaring the shit out of me. Was I just a part of something bigger? Who are the programmers? Then I started connecting into Qi—instead of looking outward at a computer, trying to build faster and faster hardware to keep up with the software. Maybe I was looking in the wrong direction? Maybe I need to first look inward?”

Charlie stares intently at his father. “Dad, that’s what I’m trying to do now. I am not just giving up—I’m actually going in the other direction. Qi has no hardware or software limitations. Look, I spent my whole life learning about processing information and knowledge through a bunch of electronics and circuit boards, always looking for more speed and more capacity—when all along the real processor is within all of us.”

With that, Charlie gets up and starts walking away, but not before smiling back and saying, “Great talking to you, Dad. Thank you for taking the time to listen. You don’t know how much this just meant to me. I’ve never just said it out loud like that, and it helped. Really, thanks a million,” and he walks out the front door, leaving Williams to his thoughts.

Williams gets up, and with a smile he says aloud, “Wow, I think I might have understood some of that. I hope he finds what he looking for, and then comes back to tell me where to find some.”

Williams stops. Then, as though he actually heard and understood himself, he continues, “I hope he comes back to show me the way to find that peace—if there is peace like that?”

Williams starts to clear the table; then decides to head to the shop.

The next morning, Charlie is back to his old self. He even starts spending more and more time back on his computer, eventually staying up all night, every night. He only stops when Xiao-mei wakes up. They come down together and leave to train with Master Di before breakfast, usually at around 6:00 am; then like clockwork, back by 8:00 so they can all eat together.

Xiao-mei then goes with her grandmother to the BioLab, leaving Charlie at home alone to sleep through the day. To his parents, it’s nice having Charlie at home even if only for breakfast.

Six months pass then one year, then two, and three. It is evident that Big Oil can never return as a threat. Jinse keeps the capitalists happy by allowing an economy to emerge. She even allows a legal tender, called “spade money” based on an ancient currency over 3,000 years old. The coins represent an ancient agricultural tool reminding everyone that growing healthy food is the prime objective of the new economy. It is made from various herbs, soya, rice, wheat and other natural based fibrous materials, compressed into a very dense rock-hard coin. It is developed and supplied by a Gate high in the Himalayas that straddles India, China and Nepal. Originally an old Tibetan trading town near the Lipulekh pass called Tadlakot. Several modern, very large tonnages of mechanical, rotary and hammer presses were abandoned there, not able to complete the journey through the high mountain pass between Indian and China years before the first modern economic collapse. The presses are set up as part of the one Authorized Mint.

These coins become the only sanctioned currency and can only be supplied from this original source. Jinse orders the building of a wall to encircle the entire area leading into and around the pass for a100 kilometers. Also, a more secure wall encircles the mountain mint and small village. When finished, it has 21-foot (7 meters) high stone walls with watch towers every kilometer, as mighty as the Great Walls north of Beijing. The security around this remote mint is the tightest on the planet. Once completed, the outer fenced area includes Khaptad, Rara Provincial Parks in Nepal all the way around to also include Shey Pholksundo National Park in India and the entrance from China.

Jinse visits every year for a formal inspection. Charlie always comes along for these visits. While Jinse tends to the official matters, Charlie disappears up in the mountains, alone for days.

Before leaving, Jinse ensures that all the coins, no matter how many were produced, are manufactured to the original secret recipe and specifications. All the coins need to be fully biodegradable over time. A heavy hammer can break the coins, and with numerous blows eventually turn them into a dust and flour that, with a little amount of water, makes nutritious flat bread. The coins can also be used for heating, and once lit, will burn for nearly an hour. The value of a coin is equal to one loaf of bread, one gallon of clean drinkable water, or one hour worth of heat energy.

Jinse is very strict with the rules governing this new economy. Health, education and security are off limits to any business ventures. She insists that everyone has accesses to free equal health care, free equal education, free equal security and existence under the same laws that apply equally to everyone. Doctors, teachers, police, and security cannot charge for their services. Jinse ensures that those doctors, police, and teachers are the highest positions one can achieve in this new society.

Police in smaller and larger communities work or double as firefighters, building inspectors, guidance counselors; they are in fact, peace officers and civil servants. All are compensated from a public International Bank.

Global security is enforced locally, and regionally. The only way to obtain the rank of officer for security, police, military and any form of autocratic organization has to be after attending the earth college in Geneva Gate. In other words, all officers regardless of country, belief, or organization had to earn their commissions by graduating and swearing a loyalty to the preservation of the planet and values taught at the college. To be further promoted, they will be required to return to the collage to be approved and qualified to hold the new rank.

Commerce is audited and conducted through the same universal transparent bank. Although there are physical coins and notes, no individuals, only Gates as a collective can participate in commerce. Every year the total value of the global net worth is redistributed equally to every Gate, based on the per capita of teachers, doctors and peace officers they can support.

Industries like tourism have become successful enterprising Gates; usually offering unique cuisines, spas, and entertainment. Music, art, dance, and theatres are flourishing. Even companies like Titan-Allied got into the action, offering fashion, perfume, and jewelry, adding to their new base business of biodegradable organic plastics, from renewable vegetation. They’ve even developed a clean burning heating fuel that is a solid wax-like alcohol derived from rotting fruit. All Titan-Allied entities are the accumulation of many individual Titan-Gates, Allied-Gates and some Titan-Allied-Gates.

*

Everything looked to be stable. Then came the great storms; first for days, then for weeks and months of nonstop rain, thunder, and strong winds; always in the same pattern only changing in intensity, and the same all over the globe. Around noon, the clouds start darkening the already dim sky, then slowly as the day goes on, it gets worse and continues through the night. In the morning, it is calm until the cycle starts again.

One evening, the storms are so severe that Xiao-mei runs crying into Jan and Williams’ room. Jan comforts her and lets her sleep in their bed, while Williams gets up to see if any windows are broken, or if the heavy rains are coming in the house anywhere.

He goes to check on Charlie and when he opens his door, Williams is almost knocked off his feet by the frightening visage before him. Charlie is somehow in a deep trance and appears to be connected to the computer with a visor over his eyes, a microphone and headset over his ears. His whole body is convulsing. On the screen, Williams can see that Wyatt is online.

Williams rushes to what he thinks is Charlie’s aid. He first yells, then starts to shake Charlie.

But Jan comes to the door with Xiao-mei still crying and screams at Williams, “Let go! Do not to touch Charlie! I’m trying to reach Jinse,” and indicates the cell phone she’s holding.

While Jan stays with Charlie, Williams runs to his computer in his office to try and reach Wyatt. He cannot contact him; then tries the desk phone.

Julie answers and hands the phone to Wyatt.

“You need to calm down, Dad,” Wyatt explains, “Charlie is interfacing with a new program. It’s important that you do not to touch him or try to disconnect him.”

Williams puts his hand over the mouthpiece and yells to Jan, “Come down! I have Wyatt on the phone.”

Jan and Xiao-mei arrive moments later and Williams puts Wyatt on the speaker phone.

Wyatt says, “You guys have to trust me on this. Please, just leave Charlie be.”

“Not unless you tell us what’s going on,” Williams says in no uncertain terms.

“Okay, okay, Dad. I can’t explain everything just yet…”

“Then just tell me what you can—at least enough to calm your mother,”

Williams demands.

“Sure, Dad.” Wyatt says, “In short, Charlie is using the new Towers to try and control the weather. He’s been doing this for quite some time. For now, you should just leave him alone. When Julie and I arrive next week for Christmas, we’ll explain everything.

In the morning, Charlie comes downstairs as usual and does not say a word about what he was doing. He and Xiao-mei go about their routine of early morning training led by Master Di; come in for breakfast; then he plays with Xiao-mei as though nothing happened the night before.

This goes on for the next several days. Darkness brings the heavy rains. Throughout the night the storms become more intense; by morning the rain stops, only to start again the next day, steadily getting worse.

Jinse arrives from the Billings Montana Gate headquarters. She goes directly upstairs to wake Charlie up and have a conversation with him.

A half hour later, Jinse comes down and tells Jan, “I’m worried about Charlie’s health. He cannot keep this up for very much longer.”

With Christmas only weeks away the weather grows worse and worse. Many Gates now report tornadoes and almost hurricane force nightly winds. Sarnia and Toronto are having severe snow blizzards. The coastal Gates report major flooding and all around the world the same weather continues to build in severity. Everyone is concerned and expects the worst.

Jinse is inundated with questions, worldwide, of how to prepare for what’s next. At almost all of the Gates, many of the buildings and even some of the older Towers are being damaged through the nights. Most Gates are nearly at their survival thresholds. Some Gates can no longer cope.

Still, one of the noticeable benefits of having independent Gates is that there is no main grid to plunge mass populations into darkness without utilities or services. If a Gate shuts down or is devastated, the other Gates nearby can help and usually absorb, even welcome distressed neighbors, until they can rebuild.

Jinse broadcasts a holiday message as the Grand Gate Keeper: “For the time being, everyone is advised to seek shelter and to stay indoors. Look out for your neighbors. Be with your families, and have faith through this difficult period.”

Wyatt arrives the day before Christmas with Julie and it is obvious to all that Julie is with child. Wyatt comments, “You can’t imagine how difficult it is travelling in this weather. Numerous times we were blown off the road on our way down.”

Jan is determined to prepare a feast despite the weather. Williams spends most of the day ensuring the house is well heated. Julie, Jan, Xiao-mei, and Jinse busy themselves in the kitchen, while Wyatt is upstairs with his brother, online.

They both come down when Jan calls them to eat. But as soon as supper is over, both Charlie and Wyatt disappear back upstairs and stay online well into the night. Julie joins them and Jinse pulls out the couch in the living room and sleeps with her daughter by the Christmas tree, while the wind howls like a banshee outside.

Williams awaken early for his usual task of trying to get more heat from the furnace. He is stopped short when he realizes that, for some reason, this morning the house isn’t its typical freezing cold. Williams has to look outside twice. He can’t believe he’s seeing the sun break the horizon. He runs back upstairs to wake Jan, but Charlie has already walked her to the window facing the east sun. Over the next twenty minutes the sun clears the horizon and, for the first time in—Williams can’t remember how long—the sky is visible through scattered clouds.

Charlie smiles and gestures skyward. “Blue…just like your eyes, Mom.”

Jan looks back into Charlie’s large yellow eyes, speechless.

Williams stands beside Jan and puts his arms around her, both still watching the sun light up the new layer of white snow blanketing the ground.

“Merry Christmas,” Charlie says, leaving the room.

Everyone dresses and makes their way downstairs for breakfast and to open the gifts under the tree. When all the gifts have been unwrapped, Charlie stands up and announces, “I have one more gift for everyone.”

Charlie motions for them to follow and walks out the front door. Everyone is scrambling to find their air filter masks when Charlie yells back, “You won’t be needing those.”

Moments later, they all stand outside in front of the house, cautiously holding masks at their sides, still not believing that the air is sweet, clean, cool and refreshing. Up and down the row of houses neighbors are coming outside, playing in the snow and waving over to them.

Jan tosses her mask over her shoulder, grabs a hold of Wyatt, and says in wonderment, “How is this possible?”

Julie answers for her husband. “Charlie just came up with this on his own, and wrote some sort of new program. After he and Wyatt made some modifications to the new Towers, he started messing with the weather.” She looks over at Charlie with admiration and continues, “The program was so fast it was almost invisible, even impossible, in fact I couldn’t even see any data streams during the uploads.”

Charlie moves close to his mother and puts his arm around her shoulder. “Mom it’s mostly your trees that made this all possible. I just cleaned up an old mess. It’s all your trees that are keeping the air clean.” He leans over and gives her a kiss. “So, don’t stop what you’re doing, we still need more trees.”

Jinse walks over to Charlie and gives him a rare, long, passionate kiss. For Jan, watching her brilliant gold skin brush against Charlie pale white face is magnificent.

While Charlie is nodding his head side-to-side, Jinse steps back and says to him, “They need to know.”

“Know what?” Jan snaps her head around.

Jinse and Charlie exchange a look.

“There is no program,” Jinse says evenly.

“No program?” Wyatt almost chokes. “That would be impossible at that speed. There has to be a program. No one, not even Charlie, can type data streams on the fly that fast.”

Jinse shrugs. “The human brain gives million of signals to the body every second…faster than any computer can process…”

Charlie winks at Xiao-mei; then takes hold of her hand. They leap into the air with both of their arms and legs moving in tandem as they slowly begin simple Tai chi poses, still in unison.

Jinse smiles at her husband and daughter while explaining to the others, “Imagine: two separate computers with two independent programmers and two different programs side-by-side sending millions of signals to millions of nerve endings completely aware of each other—yet moving as one. All that information sent to thousands of ‘I/Os’ simultaneously with that kind of precision, capable by only the human brain, far superior to any computer.”

She looks at her brother-in-law. “Wyatt, think about you and Julie playing the same video game on two different computers, starting at the same time. How likely are you to move two different characters exactly in unison?”

“Next to impossible,” Wyatt concedes.

Charlie and Xiao-mei, proving it is not only possible, but with the right training doable, quicken their motions, turning to face one another, now mirroring each other with exacting precision at a faster and faster pace. They no longer are moving from pose to pose, but appear to be in a martial arts dance, swinging their legs and arms—then no longer mirroring one another, rather striking and defending strikes, at an incredible speed, at times just barely missing each other.

Jinse nods at the two, almost a blur now, and says, “At first, Charlie could interface with the Towers only from his computer, but later…” she hesitates for a moment as everyone takes notice that clouds are forming overhead and heavy flakes of white snow have started falling.

Jinse goes on in a louder, excited tone than is usual for her. “Charlie not only doesn’t need the software, he no longer needs the hardware.”

Both Charlie and Xiao-mei slow down and move in unison again. They both stop suddenly; hold a position of the Praying Mantis, hands in front of them with their wrists curled over. They raise their right hands and slowly make a fist over their heads; then spring open their fingers, flinging bolts of lighting up and curving down hitting an old oak stump in front of the house.

Charlie stands down while Xiao-mei continues moving from position to position. She stops, freezes a pose. Then quickly leaps up, spins around swinging her other hand overhead and begins to kneel as her hand comes down slowly extending her index finger toward the ground. She hesitates a fraction of an inch short; then thrusts her finger into the snow shooting a wave out in a circle, expanding out away from her, clearing all the snow away.

Wyatt stares at her wide-eyed and says, “Wow…an EV wave…like the ones from the Towers.”

Charlie lets out a chuckle. “We don't need a Tower anymore, brother, when we can be more powerful ourselves than any Tower.”

A worried look crosses Jan’s face. “Is that safe, Charlie?”

Charlie, Jinse and Xiao-mei form a tight circle and the three of them hold hands. In seconds, the few remaining clouds clear, and as far as the eye can see the snow has melted.

“It’s warming up,” Julie says, opening her jacket.

Jan waves her hands and says to the trio, “Okay, that’s enough. Let’s just go in before we scare the neighbors even more.”

“Mom, we are inside,” Charlie winks.

“I know son, but I still need you to come back in the house. It’s just too much. You’ve overwhelmed me, and now you’re also scaring me.”

They all go inside and again Jan asks, “Is it safe for people to become walking Towers?”

No response is forthcoming.

“Do we want that kind of power in the hands of everyone?” Jan states, more than asks.

Charlie smiles. “Mom, it is very difficult to achieve the state of mind required to gain this insight…”

Jinse takes over. “Modern humans only use ten to fifteen percent of their brain’s capacity. The brain is similar to a computer. You build up this library of files with all those bits of information we’ve learned and accumulated, and we save them in our subconscious—our memory bank. No matter how smart we get and no matter how much we learn, the average brain still can only process five to seven bits of information at a time with the conscious mind…”

Williams interrupts, “That’s it? Five to seven bits? How much information is a bit?”

“Not much,” Jinse replies. “It’s just that—a bit. Like five to seven words or numbers, five to seven images. That’s it. Your conscious mind when it’s not asleep, not only pulls up information from its memory, but all day it processes information as it interfaces with its environment. Some information it stores—some information it ignores. What is always the same is how it prioritizes, using DIPI.”

“What’s DIPI?” Julie asks; then quickly pointing at Wyatt, she says, “Watch it—I know what you’re thinking!”

Everyone laughs and Jinse continues, “It stands for Danger, Important, Pleasure, Interest. So what we’re processing now is what we feel is important. It is taking priority over, well, enjoying the pleasure of eating some of Jan’s great Christmas cake, and its taking priority over reading through a favorite magazine, looking at all the wonderful pictures on the coffee table. Now if all of sudden the roof fell in, that would register as Danger and would take priority over this important information we’re sharing.”

Jinse has everyone’s rapt attention. “You see why it’s Important to only have the ability to process five to seven bits at a time? It’s for survival, so that if the roof does fall in, we’re not still standing here listening to me, and thinking about the cake, or those pictures. It takes all five to seven bits of information to focus on getting out safely—even helping someone you love along the way. Then, when we’re out of Danger, we can worry about what’s Important next. And when all the Important information is processed, we can embrace the ones we love, and when we are satisfied, no longer in Danger, nothing Important happening, no Pleasures required, we can look at those Interesting pictures.”

Williams thinks he understands. “So, are you saying that Charlie can process more than five to seven bits of information with his conscious mind? Isn’t that dangerous to his survival? I thought that’s what you just told us.”

“No,” she assures him. “Charlie’s conscious mind still knows how to prioritize and ensure he survives.”

Jinse lovingly puts her arm around her husband’s waist. “What Charlie realized was, in developing a new program, or even a new video game for that matter, the main program still is, in essence, millions of bits of data. But a player can only manipulate the amount of information at a time that the brain can process. And we know that’s…” she prompts with her free hand.

“Five to seven bits of information,” everyone says in unison.

Jinse smiles and nods. “While he was training with Master Di, Charlie started thinking as he was programming himself to learn a sequence of moves, that slowly he could execute those moves automatically while his mind was thinking of something else. While his conscious mind, using the five to seven bits of information, was controlling his body movement, keeping him from falling or hurting himself, so avoiding danger, he found himself within his subconscious. But not like when he’s asleep. He was fully aware. Now, without his conscious mind handicapped by the amount of available information, he was able to use his brain’s full capacity to process those memory files without limits.”

Charlie gives her a little squeeze. “See why it’s nice to be married to a doctor?”

He smiles at Jinse and says, “I can go into my subconscious, and yes I can access my entire memory and the entire memory of my DNA, back to the beginning. Inside the subconscious not only am I unlimited in the amount of information I can process, I also have no time limitations of my conscious environment. Sometimes I would drift in and out of my memory and what seemed like hours of processing information was actually only seconds in real time. Once I was done processing my own memory files, I noticed I was not limited to just my space. I could feel things around me with my physical senses.”

Xiao-mei joins her parents as Charlie continues, “I remember the time when Xiao-mei came into my space and guided me back into her space. Then we joined the Master, and we felt the energy of the things around us, without the limitation of time. We felt all the trees that once were and flowers—the sky with and without the birds. We experienced this house with all who lived here, and all who will live here. We felt the entire planet, how it was, how it is, and how it could be.”

Charlie pauses, surveys the room and says, “Even now while I’m limited in my conscious mind, I can still feel all of you, and wish I could share it with you at more than five to seven bits at a time.”

Charlie begins to weep with giant tears hitting the floor as he bows his head.

Xiao-mei takes his hand and speaks for the first time, looking at everyone. “It’s okay. Please don’t feel embarrassed. He is just loving all of you, all of us, all at once.”

The group standing around him starts to feel warmth; they look at Charlie as he begins to have a glow and his white light fills the room. Jinse also begins to glow a magnificent gold and it is bright as though sunlight was shining in the room. Xiao-mei holds out her white glowing hand toward her mother and as all three join hands, Xiao-mei’s once white skin turns a glowing red.

Through the front door Huang Di walks in and kneels, saying, “From the Golden Dragon, and White Tiger, comes forth the blood line of the Dragon-Tiger—the world will be as it once was.”

Xiao-mei glows even brighter until everyone has to look away. Then in a flash, the light is gone. When they turn back around, both Charlie and Jinse are lying on the floor, apparently unconscious. Jan looks right and left, and calls for Xiao-mei, but she is nowhere in the house; and Master Di has disappeared as well.

Williams tries to wake Charlie while Wyatt and Julie sit Jinse up. Both are so weak they cannot move. Williams picks up his son while Wyatt carries Jinse up to their room.

Jan rushes outside looking for Xiao-mei. When Jan finally gives up her search and comes back in, she heads upstairs where both Charlie and Jinse are now sleeping. Williams, Wyatt, and Julie are in the room watching over them.

Over the next few days, Jan tends to them and when they finally wake, simultaneously, she grabs a hold of Jinse and says in a panic, “Xiao-mei is gone and no has been able to find her!”

Jinse places her hand on top of Jan’s and calmly says, “It’s okay. We know where she is. Not to worry. Huang Di is there with her—she’s not alone.

Two more days have passed when Charlie finally comes downstairs to spend time with his parents and Wyatt. The three of them again voice their concern for Xiao-mei. But Charlie waves them off. “Please…do not be concerned. Xiao-mei will be coming back. She is finishing the final level of her training so that she can return to fulfill her destiny.”

Chapter 15

FAMILY

Young S.T. is waiting outside the Agra Lab for Jan to finish work. Today he is going to ask her the big question. He has been patient for over an hour and he can no longer hold back. He tells the security guard that he needs to check a pump he fixed last week. The guard calls the maintenance supervisor and gets the nod to go on in.

S.T. walks through the main lobby and looks toward the lab before entering the utility building. Once inside, he goes to the pump and gives it a perfunctory kick; it is running fine as he knew it would be. He then hurries over to the lab area looking right and left for Jan.

When S.T. spots Jan, he stops and observes her working in the middle of a garden of flowers. Colors everywhere; she is as beautiful and rare as those flowers. He marvels at her big blue eyes and golden, white and faint black striped skin. She wears the features of her Tiger DNA well.

S.T. watches her disappear behind a thick hibiscus bush full of giant pink flowers, and is waiting for her to come out from the other side when she surprises him from behind.

He grabs, kisses, and holds her tight. She clocks out and they run from the security office to S.T.’s truck without putting on their masks; once inside the truck they begin to kiss again. S.T. drives down to the bay where they sit quietly for a moment looking out the front windshield seeing Long Point stretching southward out into the lake majestically disappearing to the west. The east shore glows a brilliant reddish yellow from the Steel Mill and refinery flare stacks as their reflections dance across the dark, calm, murky waters.

He turns to her and pulls a ring from his pocket; glances down at it and says, “It was my mother’s.” He holds it out to her and asks for her hand.

Jan does not hesitate for even a moment. “YES! And what took you so long?”

Following the wedding, Jan moves into the house with S.T., his father, Mike, and his now bedridden grandfather, John. She fills the old house with life once again.

With time comes the expected passing of John. Mike still works at the refinery and soon gets S.T. a part-time position in maintenance. Mike becomes good friends with young Dan; and soon Dan is a regular at the house for Sunday dinners.

A year later, S.T. is now working full-time at the Titan Oil refinery and Jan continues at Titan’s Agra Lab. With that employment comes Titan benefits; one of which is health care at the Titan Oil Clinic where they both receive their free physicals that includes all their vaccinations. It has been almost 10 years since the last pandemic scare, but it is a good cautionary measure to insure their health.

Dan also spends a lot of time at the shop working on many side projects for anyone with an idea he likes. S.T. however, since his marriage to Jan, has become very cautious and responsible. At work he stays late to learn more about how Titan runs things; and several times he will fill in for the supervisors.

Dan does not respect or support S.T.’s newfound ambition, and many times when they are alone, Dan will remind him, “Titan was behind the death of your mother, you know.”

Over time, Dan and S.T. become estranged, though Dan continues to spend time with S.T.’s father, Mike, working together in the shop.

One night, Mike and Dan are scavenging for parts at the abandoned generating station without S.T. as their usual lookout. They fail to notice several Bush Security guards closing in on them. In a moment of chaos, Dan and Mike are able to avoid the gunfire. They make their way out, only to run into a second group of Bush Security forces laying in wait for them.

They get away, but at the last possible second before eluding heir would-be captors, Mike takes a bullet in the lower back. Dan carries Mike to the boat and heads for the Point where they will be safe for the time being.

The next day, Dan comes for S.T. By the time they get back to the Point, the doctor has done all he can. S.T. stays with his father in the old shack as he hangs on for another day. In the morning, S.T. carries his father's body back into the marsh, and buries him next to Mary and Sean’s grave.

Dan blames himself for Mike’s death and starts missing a lot of days from work. S.T. on the other hand, is working as many hours as he can. The refinery Operations Manager, McEwen, takes notice of S.T.’s dedication and skill, promoting him and giving him responsibility over all the site’s machinery and equipment. In his new position, S.T. turns a blind eye to Dan’s absenteeism and questionable behavior at work.

It isn’t long before Jan is expecting her first child. She works the same long hours at the Agra Lab; and when she finally goes into labor, her firstborn comes into this world in the middle of a garden. By the time S.Ts gets word, she is already home. They name him Wyatt after Jan’s great-grandfather, who was named after the legendary Wyatt Earp.

Wyatt is exactly like his eagle-trait father, except he has Jan’s eyes. Wyatt changes everything. They now have a reason to be home and shift their priorities to spending as much time there as possible. Jan is fortunate to have a neighbor, her lifelong friend Karol, to help with Wyatt during the day when she goes to work. S. T. continues to keep the shop open and finds he misses having Dan around. Dan has not been back to the shop since that day he was with S.T.’s father.

Dan is missing more and more days at the refinery; every time S.T. sees him, he looks worse and thinner. Whenever S.T. tries to talk to him, Dan walks away, not saying a word. Then Dan just stops coming to work altogether.

S.T. finds out through the grapevine that Dan has been fighting cancer, and losing the battle. S.T. wants to mend fences with Dan, but he’s gone back to his home town. A friend of Dan tells S.T., “He went back to die.”

Two years pass, and Jan is again with child. This time she gives birth out at the Point, with S.T. and Wyatt right there in one of the cottages during a weekend fishing trip she insisted they go on. They name their second child Charles after Jan’s father, who had just passed away months before. Charles has his mother’s tiger-like traits, except he has no coloring; but he does have his father’s yellow eyes.

A year later, someone knocks on their front door during a quiet Sunday dinner. Wyatt runs to the door to see who it is. He walks back saying, “It’s some stranger, Dad.”

When S.T. gets to the door, he says to Wyatt, “This man is no stranger.”

S.T. invites Dan in to join them for dinner, and Dan never misses a Sunday dinner at the house ever again. Come hell or high water, they are a Family.

Chapter 16

S.M. WILLIAMS

Jan has been running around the house all day cleaning up. Wyatt and Julie are coming and they are bringing the baby. The house has been a little empty since Charlie and Jinse went to Colorado.

Williams sees them coming up the drive way and he tells Jan, “I’m going down to the cellar to find a bottle of wine or something to toast the new baby.”

In the cellar, Williams does not have to turn on the overhead light; there is a stream of sunlight coming in the cellar window. He goes to the wine rack by the old refrigerator and finds a good red wine he and Jan made from the Agra grapes. He walks to the sink under the cellar window to wash off the dust. A bright sunbeam cuts through the cellar shadows, and a reflected golden glow catches William’s eye. The glow is coming from a spot between two stacks of bricks on an old shelf at the far wall. His curiosity leads him over to the shelf where he moves the one row of loose bricks. Williams reaches in and feels some kind of a bottle with an envelope leaning against it.

He grabs them both and goes back to the sink; washes the bottle and says out loud, “It’s a bottle of scotch! I hope you’re still good to drink, my old friend.” S.T. removes the cork and takes a drink directly from the old bottle and sighs, “Ah…now that’s what I call smooth.” He takes another drink; then opens the envelope, mumbling to himself, “It’s a birthday card of some kind…with a note?” He holds the note up to the window and reads:

To Sean my love,

As I write this letter I am not feeling very well and I am not sure if I will live long enough to see you again, one last time. I know how important your job in Washington is to you. I wish I could show you how silly your work is compared to the more important things in life.

Walter has been by my side and no one could ask for a more sensitive loving son. I wish you could feel his love as I do. I wish you could have lived in this home as we do. This old house … well … she is as solid as the earth. I wish you could feel the trees, the flowers, the wind, the rain and the sun around her as we do. I wish you could know life here as we do.

Although my life cannot continue on as we had hoped, always remember that as long as this house stands here I will wait for you, my love, and hope that you will find your way home.

Until then, Happy Birthday, Sean. I got you a bottle of your favorite scotch, old boy, and I leave you with a toast: Live a long healthy happy life until we are together again.

With all my love, your loving wife,

Catherine, and your devoted son, Walter.

Williams puts the bottles down and reads the note again. He looks around the cellar and puts the cork back in the bottle; slips the note into his pocket, and goes up stairs with a bottle in each hand.

Wyatt meets him in the kitchen and takes the wine bottle from his hand. “Hi, Dad. Is this some of the wine you and Mom made? We’re all out. You have got to make some more.” He notices the bottle in S.T.’s other hand, which is shaking ever so slightly. “What’s in that other bottle?”

Williams is slightly dazed, still thinking about the note. His voice catches in his throat. “O-Oh…it’s a very old bottle of scotch. I found it behind some old bricks in the cellar.”

Wyatt is no dummy. “You okay, Dad? Is something wrong?”

Williams shrugs. “No, here, grab a couple of Mom’s good crystal glasses. We have something to celebrate. Let’s see my grandson,” then yells, “Hey, Julie!”

He walks into the living room where Julie and Jan are looking at a small bundle on the couch. Williams makes his way over and looks at his grandson. He is mesmerized as he leans over and picks the baby up from the blanket bundle, and the diaper falls back to the couch as he lifts the child high in the air, then to his chest.

Williams sings with excitement. “He’s really pink…he’s pink all over.”

Wyatt nods. “Dad, don’t you know? The side effects of the vaccines only manifested for one generation. All the new babies are like this. Remember, both you and mom were vaccinated? And so were Grandpa Mike and Grandma Mary. Julie and I…we never did get vaccinated.”

Williams smiles slyly. “You sure Dan hasn’t been up to London to see Julie?”

Jan yells at him as she swats him, “Sean Tesla Williams! How can you say such a thing?”

They all share a good laugh.

Williams turns to Wyatt. “What about Xiao-mei…she was second generation?”

“Dad, I don’t know,” Wyatt shrugs. “Maybe Jinse did get vaccinated? I think Xiao-mei was just meant to be the way she is.”

Williams lifts his grandson in the air again. “So, what’s his name?”

“We named him after you and grandpa,” Wyatt smiles, “Sean Michael Williams.”

Chapter 17

TESLA-HAARP-GWEN TOWERS

It is after hours, just past 8 o’clock. Dan stands guard outside the Titan Oil refinery Operation Manager’s office. Inside, Charlie is logged on Titan-on-Line, finally his first contact with the Chinese. He is uploading to a memory sick.

Dan taps lightly on the door. “Okay, Charlie, there’s two security guys headed this way. I'll stall them to buy you some more time.”

Dan walks nonchalantly over to the Bush Security guards; pulling out an herbal smoke and lighting up. He offers them a drag off his hand rolled joint, saying, “Hey…you guys wanna feel alive?”

The older of the two demands to know: “What are you doing in the main building? And you know that smoking of any kind is not allowed inside there.”

Dan exhales a plume of smoke in his face as he explains, “It’s my job to replenish all the managers’ offices with cigars, cigarettes…and anything else they like.”

The younger guard calls it in on the radio, while the other informs Dan, “I need you to put your hands on top of your head. We’re taking you in.”

Dan flicks the blunt in the guard’s face and sprints off in the other direction, away from the operation mangers office. The guards give chase.

Charlie continues uploading to a second memory stick. It’s almost done when the screen freezes, and abruptly shuts the computer down. He tries several attempts to reboot; then realizes that his access to the computer is blocked. Charlie knows that the I.T. people are on to him, and he has little time to get out before they can report it to security. But Charlie is not scared—he’s just mad. He pulls a small handheld device from his backpack; walks out of the managers’ office directly to the secretary’s desk; gets on her computer and plugs the device into the back. He easily logs on at her lower access level. Once back into Titan-on-Line, he starts to upload another program. In seconds every computer begins to lock up all over the refinery, then the steel mill, and eventually the entire Titan-on-Line system has every computer screen locked and frozen to a popular game screen logo.

Charlie slips out a back door where Wyatt is waiting with four bikers. Wyatt leads them to a remote north fence entrance guarded by Julie’s brother, dressed in a Bush Security uniform. Julie is waiting there with two Rangers, talking to her brother. Once outside the gate, Charlie gets on a bike and leaves with the Rangers and bikers. Wyatt and Julie head back into Dover Pond to catch the end of the movie they had slipped out of earlier. When they get to the side entrance, Wyatt knocks twice. The door opens and McEwen, the Titan Oil Operations Manager, lets them back in. Wyatt hands him a set of keys as McEwen tells them, “Hurry up…the movie’s almost over.”

Wyatt responds with a smile. “Charlie got in but couldn’t finish downloading before they shut him down. So I think that’s when Charlie shut it all down—I mean the whole system.”

McEwen says, “I kind of figured something like that when four or five off-duty Bush guys scrambled out of here twenty minutes ago.”

They walk into the darkness of the movie house, removing their masks as the door closes behind them.

Over the next several months, Charlie lives out at the Point and then with his mother’s relatives at the Straffordville Pond. Later he goes south to stay with some friends he has made from online gaming over the years. He would always return to the Point with new supplies. Charlie continues to look for old Buffett stores; and when he finds one he tries to salvage stashes of equipment—especially computers, or anything that can help him build up his own network of online communications. The bikers love his vision and they work closely with Charlie as he empowers their organization with new technology.

Charlie has located the last of the Buffetts, and it is impossible to find all the equipment he needs. The bikers, with Charlie leading them, target abandoned factories and businesses. The bikers are not beyond hitting Titan Oil facilities as well. Charlie is recognized as the mastermind who motivates the bikers. He is soon on Titan Oil’s “Most Wanted” list, and has become Bush Security’s “Corporate Enemy Number One”.

Charlie stops coming back to the Point fearing they may go after his family. He spends most of his time on the West Coast up in the Colorado Mountains. They keep up the assaults until Charlie is finally introduced to Green-police, a well established rogue organization of committed environmentalists who continue to be a thorn in the side of capitalism for close to a hundred years now. They are eager to ally with Charlie.

Green-police keeps a large ship harbored in Vancouver, and operate several more ships headquartered in Shanghai, China, and they are able to get Charlie together with the Chinese.

Charlie stays in China for over a year and travels throughout the country learning as much as he can about their Gates and advancements in the new technology. The product that impresses Charlie the most are the new Towers.

The Chinese agree to build a Tower for Charlie to take back with him, along with an updated version of KEY software translated into English with all the drawings and manuals for building and operating more Towers. He also tries to learn and record as much as he can about their farming successes; like the hybrid soya beans, rice, and wheat able to grow with little sunlight, poor water quality and in harsh polluted soils.

Charlie hears about India’s success with cloning animals using DNA samples from old bones and remains. He has to go and see it firsthand. The Chinese take him as far as the border, and they arrange to have a team from India meet him at a pass through the Himalayas near the Nepal India and China border.

It takes several weeks using electric trucks, recharging at Gates along the route. They make their way up through to the pass, and the Chinese stop at the border to wait for the escort team from India. They camp overnight and Charlie speaks over the radio with an Indian guide who understands English perfectly.

The next morning, as Charlie goes through the border checkpoint, he is met by several friendly but odd looking guides. They are very small in size compared to the majestic Dragons and giant Panda Chinese he has been traveling with. Some of the Indians have larger foreheads and muscular necks, while others have small bodies, pointy faces, and long high ears. They speak English well, and are very fascinated with Charlie’s tiger-like features.

Charlie is told that they should start back through the pass right away, as it takes several hours to get to the first camp. They talk along the way, and the lead guide informs Charlie, “We still believe in reincarnation, and that the vaccines that saved the people of the planet were from the original souls. That’s how we survived and we are connected to those host animals.” The guide then asks him about the animal host of his vaccine.

Charlie says, “I was told the vaccine was from the last two surviving white tigers in America that were Titan Oil mascots.”

When Charlie says “Titan Oil”, the guides stop and are silent for a moment. The lead guide shakes his head. “Titan Oil still operates several refineries and chemical plants in India, and we have many conflicts.” He goes on to tell Charlie, “You look like some of the Titan Oil bosses.” The small bird-like guide from Nepal continues, “At one time, long ago, Titan Oil was welcomed by the people of Nepal, because they protected the sacred mountain tigers by funding the world’s last and largest ‘Save the Tigers’ reserve in the remote Hukuang Valley.”

Charlie is surprised to hear that Titan Oil may have had a heart at one time.

They climb into the waiting electric open sided karts, and the guide tells Charlie, “India was one of the last countries to have access to the vaccine formula, and by the time we could pay Titan Oil the extremely expensive licensing fee, it was too late for many. When we finally could develop enough serum, the only species alive in India were the River Dolphins in the Ganges River and several Hispid Hares found here high in these remote mountains.”

It grows darker, and they hurry to make it to the next base camp, but the heavy fog makes it difficult along the narrow mountain trail. Soon, some of the guides need to walk in front of the vehicles to lead them through the dense fog. They have to stop many times when they hear rocks falling from above down around them.

Then, surprising everyone, several large shadows leap though the fog and grab two of the smaller guides as well as the one from Nepal. The caravan can hear loud shrieking, and the remaining guides jump back onto the two small electric karts beside Charlie and the drivers. They sit still listening to the screams until it goes silent.

They try to drive on. The lead vehicle ahead of Charlie quickens its pace and soon the front of the vehicle is hanging over a ledge. One of the drivers gets out, pulls it back, but as the others in the backseat shift the kart goes over the ledge. Immediately, from above, a shadow leaps on the driver also taking him over the ledge. Two more shadows follow.

The screams from below finally stop and Charlie’s driver again tries to continue, but the fog is too dense. They are still far from the base camp, sitting there stranded. It eventually grows completely dark.

Charlie turns to driver. “Do you know what is attacking us?” They can still hear gruesome noises just below them beyond the ridge.

The Indian driver whispers to Charlie, “There have been rumors of some Bengal Tigers still surviving on the Hispid Hares, but there’ve been no actual witnesses…only people gone missing.”

They sit in the open kart for several more hours. Now, only Charlie and the driver remain. The violent attacks are still fresh in their minds. The driver has managed to slip out and wedge himself under the kart for protection. Charlie stays seated but grows more and more savage himself, at times hissing and growling into the mist.

At dawn, the driver moves his head slowly out from under the kart. He sees Charlie, perched facing straight out with one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the headrest of the seat, as though he is ready to leap out of the vehicle. He has not moved or blinked most of the night looking intensely at one of the shadows. He stares at that one spot as though it is staring back from the heavy fog and every once in a while he hisses with both of his ears back and teeth showing.

Just when the driver asks him, “Are you alright?” a large Bengal Tiger leaps from behind, lands on top of the vehicle, and reaches under the kart, clawing at the driver, pulling him out as Charlie leaps into the opening ahead of the kart. The large tiger glares at Charlie with the driver screaming and still moving between his teeth. Then, with a shake of the tiger’s head, the driver is silent and limp. The tiger turns and disappears into the mist.

Charlie looks back toward the shadow he had been watching and it is no longer there. He takes off up the trail, but not as a human would run, rather leaping with his hind legs stretching out behind him and his arms reaching forward with every stride, running on all fours like an animal.

It isn’t long before the three large tigers run him down and knock Charlie to the ground. Charlie rolls several times in the dust landing back up on his feet. He stands up tall, his fingers out like claws on either side of him; his chest out, elbows out, mouth open, showing his saliva dripping teeth. His ears are back and slowly bending his knees, he roars in a deep growl like he never has before.

The three massive Bengal Tigers circle him and as they close in, a fourth tiger, much more dominant, comes from the mist. Charlie looks straight into its eyes as it walks closer, past the other tigers. This tiger is huge and unlike the others, it has no color, it is all white with only slight black stripes, like Charlie. A white Bengal Tiger.

They square off as the other tigers turn away, bounding into the fog. Charlie continues to stare back straight into its eyes. The tiger drops its rear legs, then its front legs, and lies in front of Charlie with his head still held high, ears now forward and nose in the air sniffing. Charlie relaxes as the tiger lowers its head. They remain face-to-face for long minutes. It is only then that Charlie realizes he has a deep laceration in his side from when the tigers knocked him down. The blood and the adrenalin drain from his body, and he drops, passing out from exhaustion of the ordeal.

The tiger grabs Charlie around the waist, picking him up with his mouth, and carries him off into the mountains, and eventually to a remote valley, where the tiger lays Charlie near a stream.

When Charlie wakes, he sees several tigers and the large white tiger nearby. He leans forward and drinks from the river. The tigers cautiously circle him and most of the day Charlie sits up wondering if he is going to survive.

This goes on for another day before Charlie is hungry and needs to eat. He stands up and walks to a tree noticing some kind of moss inside the rotted trunk. He tries to eat the small shoots of grass growing in these patches around him. Again, Charlie senses his head spinning; he is still very weak as he lies back down. When he wakes it is again pitch dark. He sits up and freezes, noticing the fur of the white tiger against him. Charlie can also feel the tiger’s breath as he opens his mouth and licks Charlie’s wound, almost lifting him off the ground with every swipe of his tongue. The tiger continues up to his face and to the back of his head.

Charlie’s head is almost inside the tiger’s mouth, as he feels the teeth on the back of his neck. To Charlie’s surprise, the tiger leaps to his feet slightly knocking Charlie face down as it bites gently on Charlie’s back between his shoulders just under his neck without breaking the skin. Charlie lets himself go completely limp, expecting the worst. He closes his eyes and tries to think of his mother and father and home.

The tiger rolls him over with his nose and lies back down beside him, again licking his wound clean. He can still feel the tiger’s breath at the small of his back even long after it lays back and falls asleep beside Charlie.

A little later, Charlie pushes against the tiger’s head with his left foot to get the weight off his right leg. The tiger rolls away onto his back wiggling side to side as though trying to scratch his back; then rolls away onto its other side leaving Charlie to sleep unbothered. The tiger rolls back toward him still asleep. Charlie gets comfortable as possible, on the dry grass. He can feel the warmth of the tiger’s breath and his long whiskers over his arms and the fluttering eye lashes against his face. When Charlie lifts his head, the tiger opens his eyes and looks deep into Charlie’s. It is as though an invisible wave ripples through Charlie’s entire body to his very soul; he can feel the kinship, trust, and safety. Soon Charlie and the tiger are both asleep.

In the morning, Charlie wakes and stands tall with his brothers and sisters. He walks freely amongst them. A large female drops a half eaten rabbit at his feet, and they share a meal. Charlie, instead of picking up the kill, kneels and takes several bites of the flesh as it lies on the ground, without using his hands. They walk down the center of this remote valley meadow, and he again notices the thin hints of grass carpeting the ground. Many of the tigers rub up against Charlie, continually leading him back across the valley eastward.

The tigers suddenly stop, raise their heads, and move their ears forward. That’s when Charlie hears the helicopters; three of them. The tigers scatter. The helicopters circle around and swoop across, each taking down a tiger with high-powered rifle fire as the rest of the tigers run for cover in the rocks. Charlie makes it under a ridge and hunkers down. He is glad to see his white friend get away.

The helicopters land. Charlie sees the Titan Oil logo; and several men who look similar to Charlie get out of the helicopter.

Charlie walks toward them as if in a daze. When the men spot Charlie they quickly raise their rifles; but lower them again when they see he is a human.

Charlie continues over and watches, zombie-like, while the men net the tigers and rig them where they lay on the ground. The men yell at Charlie to get in. The helicopters rise in the air with the tigers dangling below. Charlie remains docile, staring straight ahead, and does not speak a word in the helicopter, even after they ask him many questions.

The youngest tiger hunter of the bunch speculates, “This guy could-a been here with an earlier hunt? Or he could-a wandered off from the lodge…must be lost and in some kind-a shock?”

When they get to the lodge in Nepal, Charlie finds out the truth. This was once a tiger sanctuary just like the guide had told him. But after the pandemics, Titan Oil came back looking for more tiger DNA. He learns that the Titan Oil’s so- called mascots were used to develop the original vaccines, but they could only provide enough useable serum to do the first human trials. After that, tiger serum was the most valuable, and when Titan Oil found out that a few of the tigers survived in this remote region, well, they needed to be harvested.

The harvests then turned into sport for the Titan Oil elite. Any time they needed more serum, the hunt became part of a Titan Oil tradition, an initiation to the club.

Another look at Charlie, and the junior executive from the hunt suggests, “He’s probably somebody way up the corporate ladder. I bet he holds some kind-a record for tiger shootin’.”

Charlie has never felt so much hatred for Titan Oil. He never liked Titan Oil that much to begin with, but now the hate he feels for them burns inside of him.

Two days later, they fly south by helicopter to a huge Titan Oil chemical complex in West Bengal, then by plane to Singapore. Charlie is taken to the Titan Oil Medical Hospital at the refinery, and he still does not speak a word. Everyone presumes he is suffering from severe shock, and in some ways he is.

Early the next morning they come; six of them, all Bush Security. They take Charlie from his bed, handcuff him, and drag him off. He is questioned at a Bush Security facility, where a sergeant informs him, “One of the Titan Oil senior executives back at the lodge thought he recognized you from your picture, posted over the TOL network, and he called it in.”

Charlie remains silent and shows no emotion.

The sergeant takes a call on his cell phone. He listens for a few seconds then speaks. “It’s now obvious why we couldn’t find him back home … Yes sir, without a doubt we have Charlie Williams in custody … Yes sir, where would you like him delivered?”

They prepare to take him back to San Diego, but at the last minute, Bush Headquarters in Washington calls and tells them to hold Charlie there. They are sending a special team, and coming with their private plane, arriving tomorrow.

They lock Charlie up overnight in the maximum security prison a few miles from the refinery. He lies in his cell, and his wound starts bleeding again from the roughing he received courtesy of Bush’s finest. He tosses and turns all night in his small bed; by morning his sheets are covered in blood.

When the guard comes around with breakfast, he sees all the blood, calls for backup, and they rush Charlie to the infirmary.

The three guards try to find a doctor, but it’s still early and several hours before the main staff is due to arrive. The only doctor on overnight duty is tied up with an emergency surgery.

One of the guards remembers: “There is a Chinese prisoner who’s a doctor.”

Two of the guards fetch her; the moment she is brought in, her face takes on a sense of urgency, and she starts giving orders: “You—find me some antiseptic!” She turns to the second guard, “You—find me some sterile gauze bandages!” She looks at the third guard. “And you—help me remove his bloodied clothes—then go get him something clean to put on!”

They hop to and do as she says.

The young female doctor cuts away Charlie’s clothes with a large scissors she finds in a drawer. The third guard takes the bloodied clothes down to the garbage shoot leaving the two other guards in the room with the doctor and Charlie.

She cleans his wound with the antiseptic, stitches him up; then tells the second guard, “Help me lift him up so I can wrap the bandages around him.”

When they are done, Charlie speaks his first word. It is barely a whisper. The second guard leans closer and asks, “What did you say?”

That’s when Charlie grabs the scissors and plunges it into his neck. The second guard drops to the floor and begins to bleed out.

The first guard looks on, stunned. He quickly recovers and draws his gun; but before he can shoot, Charlie wings the scissors, knocking it out of his hand; and it lands on the floor behind him.

The guard turns, picks up his gun, but before he can turn back around Charlie springs off the exam table and moves with cat-like speed. The guard doesn’t even have time to blink as Charlie reaches from behind and with one swift powerful pull, snaps his neck.

Charlie looks past the speechless doctor directly at the computer behind her. It only takes him seconds to start shutting things down—but not before he prints out several maps. Charlie also overrides the security systems protocol program releasing and opening all the locked cells and every automatic lock in the place. Charlie’s forefinger hovers for a second over a key. When he brings it down, the bright lights go out, and the dim emergency lighting comes on.

Charlie throws on a doctor’s surgical gown that was hanging on the back of the door. He then grabs two surgeon’s masks and tosses a lab coat at the young doctor, saying, “If you want out of here, you can come with me—but just until we get a safe distance past the main gates.”

They don their masks; then Charlie scans the map and heads down the hall. People are running in every direction; horns and alarms are going off, and within a few minutes, he’s able to get to the ambulance bay. He notices the Chinese doctor is close behind. Charlie jumps in the driver’s seat, yelling out, “Get in the back, wrap your head with bandages, and cover yourself up.”

She hops in through the back doors and does as he instructed.

Charlie nears the front gate and several cars are ahead of him. Security is checking each one. He pulls down his mask, turns on the siren, and zigzags to the front. A Bush Security guard steps out to stop him.

Charlie rolls down the window and yells, “I have the Director in the back with a cerebral hematoma. And if I do not get her to another hospital immediately, she will die.”

The young guard hesitates, not sure what to do.

Charlie barks, “Do you want her death on your hands? You should be worried about all the escaping prisoners.” He motions toward all the chaos around the main building behind him.

The guard continues to struggle with the decision until Charlie angrily hits the horn and guns the engine. He jumps back, signals to raise the gate, and motions the ambulance through.

After a couple miles, Charlie turns off the sirens. The doctor joins him in the front seat, and they drive north up the coast to Malaysia. Charlie trades the ambulance for a small three-wheeled Fulu, an old scooter car, with enough full gas cans in the back seat to get through Myanmar (old Burma) and back to China.

The doctor figures she knows what her rescuer is thinking—that he’s too dangerous to be with and had better travel alone. She waves goodbye and turns to go.

“Hey,” Charlie calls out. “Want to come along?”

“I thought you said we’d be parting company after we got away?” the doctor says hesitantly.

“I changed my mind, I need someone that speaks Chinese, that‘s where I ‘m going, back to China, ” Charlie smiles, “Doctor…?”

“Jinse,” she replies. “Please, just call me Jinse.”

“Charlie,” he says, offering his hand.”

“I know who you are.” She ignores his proffered hand, leans in, and surprises him with a kiss. When Charlie recovers, she says, “That’s for saving my life. They were planning to kill me, you know.”

The trip to China is uneventful, and once there, Charlie makes his way back to check on the progress of his Tower. He visits Jinse at her hospital many times and even donates his DNA for her research. When the time comes for him to leave, Dr. Jinse begs Charlie to stay.

He takes her in his arms and explains, “Jinse, I told you I have a calling. Besides, after the episode in the Himalayas I swore to avenge my brothers and sisters.”

Jinse says through tears, “I understand. But please, take me with you to America.”

She kisses him tenderly, but Charlie soon breaks it off and says, “It’s too dangerous.”

Jinse tries to talk, but the words won’t come; she lowers her head in shame. Charlie puts a finger on her chin and lifts her head up until she is looking in his eyes. “What, Jinse? Say it.”

Her face flushes red and she whispers, “Charlie…I…I’m carrying your child.”

To her complete surprise, Charlie breaks into a huge smile, embraces her tightly and announces, “We’ll get married, immediately.”

He delays his trip, pushing it back a month. The wedding ceremony is brief and private, only her family and a few close friends attend.

They share an intense and intimate time together, but when the month is up, he tells her, “You know I have to leave now. But I promise I will send for you when the time is right.”

They embrace one last time on the dock. The Green-police ship loaded with much needed supplies and his new Tower wait, as he pulls himself from her arms.

He keeps staring at her as the ship sails out to sea. He stands there, not moving, still looking back, until the lights of Shanghai disappear over the horizon with the setting sun.

The seas are calm as they approached from the west into Vancouver harbor. They unload the Towers and it is weeks before they are back in Colorado. During this time, the bikers show Charlie several other Towers they have retrieved from the HAARP Military installation located in Alaska. They tell Charlie that there are hundreds more. They also remind him of all the Gwen Towers already in place across most of the U.S.

Once Charlie and the Chinese engineers confirm that the HAARP Towers can be modified and used as part of their network, plans are put in place to collect all of them. They also confirm that the local Gwen Tower near them can also be modified to work. The system will be complete in North America once all the other Gwen Towers are located and secure; reconfigured with the new technology.

Before they prepare the new Chinese Tower for transport to Long Point, they decide to keep it there for a few more days to train their team with this new technology. Charlie and several of his biker friends decide to head up to Yellowstone where the bikers have set up their main headquarters.

Charlie welcomes the opportunity for some time alone high up in the mountains on the border of Wyoming and Montana. He spends a night sleeping outdoors with just an old sleeping bag he borrowed. It is here that he feels peace. In the mountains, in the dark, he can feel the warm breath of his brothers and sisters back in the Himalayas as he falls asleep.

In the morning when he awakens, it’s still dark; the sun is not quite up yet. He heads northeast toward a cool mountain stream to get a drink of water. He kneels, lifts the water to his mouth—then spits it out, almost nauseated.

Charlie jumps to his feet. He is overlooking Red Lodge, Montana, and as the sun tries to break through, Charlie leaps up to a higher lookout, only to see the purple, orange-brown sky over Billings. He lifts his nose and can smell the stench of those refineries. He stands tall, his fingers out like claws on either side of him. His chest out, elbows out, mouth open, showing his teeth dripping with the scent of spoiled mountain water; ears back he slowly bends his knees and roars making a deep growl. He takes another deep breath; shakes a fist to the eastern sky and yells,

“TORA, TORA, TORA!”

Closing Comments

My ambition was not to create a literary masterpiece—far from it—just an intellectual journey carried between lines of a simple fairy tale-like apologue.

My hope is to include the subconscious in a conscious pilgrimage through a maze of current realities challenging what we know, or think we know, about how we all allowed ourselves to get here.

Although the story is pure fiction, the content is a cocktail of social and moral constitutions, combined with mass ignorance of the truth, topped up with a contingency of frustrating anticipation that this course of existence, this game, is going somewhere?

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

Chapter 1……… TYRANNY OF SMALL DECISIONS

Chapter 2……… THE THOMPSON BATTERY

Chapter 3……… 6 O’CLOCK NEWS

Chapter 4……… THE BLACK EYE

Chapter 5……… WASHINGTON, DC

Chapter 6……… THE LONG POINT GATE

Chapter 7……... MARY CATHERINE GALBRAITH

Chapter 8……… FRIDAY THE 13TH

Chapter 9……… WARN BUFFETTS

Chapter 10……… BUILD GATES

Chapter 11…….. PETROPHYSICS

Chapter 12…….. X ON OIL

Chapter 13…….. REVELATION 19-12

Chapter 14…….. QI

Chapter 15…….. FAMILY

Chapter 16…….. SEAN MICHAEL WILLIAMS

Chapter 17…….. TESLA-HAARP-GWEN TOWERS

Closing Comment by Author

Global currency

Thompson Battery

Key

The Tower

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