End of the World

by D Thomas Jewett

  The limo pulled away from the curb and headed toward the Bank of England. It was a short distance, but due to the narrow streets and crowd of protesters, the drive was necessarily slow.

  The telephone buzzed. She looked at the readout and put it up to her ear.

  “Yes Jimmy,” she said.

  “Of course.”

  “I'll make sure that we get that out of the meeting.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Okay.”

  She ended the call and looked through the side window, watching as the limo turned onto Cheapside Street. It continued, making its way slowly, against the flow of protesters lining each side of the street. The limo turned on to Threadneedle Street. Mikaela was surprised at what was up ahead – a throng of people crowded behind a barrier of rope and police. She was curious, and so she continued watching as the limo drew closer. The limo turned just before the barrier, and she looked through the glass, and into the eyes of one especially agitated demonstrator. And then she read his sign, “DEATH TO BANKERS.” Oh my, she thought. That sign he's holding. Why on Earth is he so angry at bankers? After all, we’ve done so much for them!

  The limousine soon pulled up to the curb. The rear door opened, and Ms. Bradford’s three-inch pumps appeared, followed by her finely proportioned legs. Mikaela lifted herself out of the car and began to walk toward the building’s entrance. But she took just a few steps when a newsman shoved a microphone in her face.

  “This is Mark Bragg, reporting for International News, with Mikaela Bradford – a true expert and authority in the derivatives markets. Ms. Bradford, will you please answer a few questions?”

  “Certainly.”

  “Mikaela, very quickly now, what are the issues that you see associated with regulation of the derivatives trade? How would you address this?”

  “I think there are major issues, two in particular. And with hindsight, they should have been addressed sooner, but we are now going to address them. First, a lack of general transparency, particularly as it relates to regulations. Secondly, due to the high degree of interconnectedness, we now have systemic risk. This means that if one part of the system fails, the implications for the rest of the system would be hard to determine. And this would be a serious problem.”

  “But why wasn’t the issue of systemic risk addressed by the people who invented derivatives? Didn’t anyone look and say ‘wow – we have all these derivatives out here and these things create systemic risk. How will we handle it all?’”

  “Well, many creators of the credit derivatives market were already operating within the confines of regulated financial institutions – such as banks. I think they assumed that all of the participants would be subject to the regulatory framework that existed at the time. But it turns out that this was not the case – companies like AIG came into the market and became major players. And yet they were largely exempt from regulations. And therein is the problem; and why the industry – actually, the entire economy – needs a regulator to assess and manage systemic risk.”

  “Very quickly. What do you think of derivatives being cleared and traded on exchanges? Do you support that?”

  “Well, central clearing is a good thing – the more, the better. But mandating exchange trading is not necessary. Central clearing provides all we need toward reducing systemic risk.”

  “Very quickly – on commodity prices. Do you think commodities are being manipulated, possibly by speculators. Since you are an expert on commodities, we would very much appreciate your input. And it has the public’s attention. Is there manipulation going on?”

  The corner of Mikaela’s mouth crooked up into a subtle smirk. “Ah, no. It’s not possible for investors to manipulate commodity prices in the long run; unless they manipulate the underlying supply and demand. But there is no evidence to suggest that supply and demand are being manipulated. Of course, investors can affect futures prices in the short term – but the underlying fundamentals dictate prices in the long run.”

  “Mikaela Bradford. Always a pleasure to see you. Thanks very much. Jeff and Carol – back to you.”

  Interlude

  The smoke drifted lazily off the tip of the cigar, moving into the air as though a slithering snake. Traveling through the air, it spread out from its source, creating a misty fog above the furniture and then dissipating into the darker reaches of the chamber. The chamber was of irregular shape, and the light throughout the chamber varied with the movement of the dancing flames – flames emanating from a massive stone fireplace. And despite the fire's warmth, a chill permeated the chamber, as though evil roamed within.

  Five leather-upholstered chairs were arranged in a semi-circle, facing into the fireplace. Each chair was occupied by a man, and each man was obscured in the shadows cast by the fire.

  A regular clicking sound began. It was the sound of leather heel impacting hardwood floor. And with each click, a tall, dark, and slender man moved closer to the circle. The man reached the circle, standing in front of the fire and before The Council. And even as he stood, he bowed his head ever so slightly. “You wish to see me, my Lord?”

  “Yes, Daniel.” Lord Basil was especially business-like. “We have already spoken of these vermin who are minting gold and silver coin and pushing them into circulation as money.”

  “Yes, sir?”

  Lord Basil seemed to almost grit his teeth as he said, “Daniel, we are now hearing they've expanded their operations – they are reaching more people than ever!”

  Daniel's eyes grew large, but he remained silent.

  “Why, Daniel? Why have you not stopped this abomination as I instructed?”

  Daniel's face turned ashen. “S – s – sir?”

  Lord Basil's lips curled as he said, “Well, speak up. Answer me!”

  “Sir. We have –”

  Lord Basil snapped, “Never mind! I don't want to hear your puny excuses!”

  Daniel turned his face away as Lord Basil's eyes bored into him. Venom spewed from Basil's lips as he said, “You shut them down, and you confiscate their gold. And you do it now – by whatever means necessary!”

  “Yes sir,” Daniel replied.

  “And Daniel,” Lord Basil said as more of an afterthought. “If you do not succeed, you will be replaced. Do I make myself clear?”

  Daniel's lips trembled. “Yes – yes sir.”

  Then Basil's face softened. “Remember, it is our control of money that allows us to control everyone and everything. We must never allow anyone to control their own money.”

  “Yes, my Lord.”

  Chapter 5

  “Gold is my enemy. I am always watching what gold is doing.”

  ----- Paul Volcker, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Circa 1980

  Bill and Brandy's tireless efforts and smart management brought growth and ever greater success to their Freedom Money business. And along with the growth, they received more and more reports of Freedom Dollars used in commerce.

  But in addition to their Freedom Dollar products, they also operated a custom coin design and minting business, catering to private interests and sovereign countries worldwide. Their most recent success was an agreement with Chili's government to provide a new line of gold and silver collector pieces.

  But success attracts vermin – in this case, bankster vermin. And following Agent Kehoe's ultimatum,[34] they now came to believe that an assault by the banksters would be forthcoming – most likely using the federal government as their tool.

  So Bill and Brandy developed a daily routine of security measures. In the morning, they would sweep for bugs upon arrival in the office; and in the evening, they would sweep for bugs when they arrived home. Twice a day they would check their cars, and first thing in the morning they would check to make sure the pens were in their correct places on each computer. They also removed the batteries from their cell phones and designated the phones for emergency only.

  “... I wasn't involved in the development of cell phone eavesdropping tech
nology – but I know they have it,” Bill declared. “And they definitely can track our cell phones. So there's two good reasons to remove the battery!”

  * * *

  And then one day, Brandy was searching the internet when she called out, “Hey Bill. Come on over here – y’all gotta see this!”

  Bill came up and peered over her shoulder. His lips moved silently as he read the computer screen.

  For Immediate Release

  June 3, 2009

  United States Attorney's Office

  Western District of North Carolina

  Contact: (704) 555-6222

  Four Defendants Indicted in Unlawful Coin Operation

  ASHEVILLE, NC—Bernard von NotHaus, 65, formerly of Evansville, Indiana, and two additional defendants from Evansville, along with William Kevin Innes, 53, of Asheville, North Carolina, have been indicted in U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina on conspiracy and other charges in connection with an alleged unlawful operation to publish, possess and sell for profit, coins in resemblance and similitude to U.S. coins. All four defendants are also charged in the alleged conspiracy with uttering and passing, and attempting to utter and pass, a coin of silver in resemblance of genuine coins of the United States in the denominations of five dollars and greater, and intended for use as current money. The four are also charged with one count of mail fraud, while von NotHaus and Innes are both charged in two additional counts each, with selling and possessing with intent to defraud, Liberty Dollar coins; and with uttering and passing, and attempting to utter and pass, a coin of silver in resemblance of genuine coins of the United States of the denominations of five dollars and greater, and intended for use as current money...

  “... People understand that there is only one legal currency in the United States. When groups try to replace the U.S. dollar with coins and bills that don’t hold the same value, it affects the economy. Consumers were using their hard-earned money to buy goods and services, then getting fake change in return,” said Owen Harris, the Special Agent in Charge of the Charlotte Division of the FBI. “No one in this country is above or beyond the law, and our law enforcement partners will continue to bring violators to justice ...”

  ... The indictment includes a Notice of Forfeiture and Finding of Probable Cause that the defendants forfeit to the United States all of the property involved in the offenses with which they are charged in the indictment, and all property traceable to such offenses.

  “Damn,” Bill exclaimed. “This could be us!”

  “Yep,” Brandy replied. And then she turned and looked at Bill, her voice dripping sarcasm as she said, “Did you notice how the Feds are trying to keep all the precious metals that provide backing to the certificates? Who would’ve thought the Feds would steal from the certificate holders?”

  “After all,” Bill chimed in, “the certificates are supposed to be a claim on a specified amount of gold or silver. But these government people just want to steal the peoples’ wealth. They are so much slime!”

  “You think we're next on their list?” Brandy asked.

  “Why not? Our Freedom Dollar is as much threat to the banksters as the Liberty Dollar. Yeah – I'd say so,” Bill replied.

  * * * * *

  And then on a morning soon after Von NotHaus' indictment ...

  Bill and Brandy were sweeping their office for bugs – and they found one; in a place where the day before there had been none. They continued sweeping and found even more. They stepped outside for a walk.

  “I guess it's time,” Bill said as he kicked the gravel in the driveway.

  “Yep,” Brandy said in her Dallas drawl.

  Bill squinted in the morning sun and said, “I think we get Murray to get our precious metals out of the Golden Mint.”

  “Yep,” Brandy replied. “Otherwise, the Feds will take it. “

  “Anything else?” Bill asked.

  “No, I can't think of anything. We're already prepared, so it's now a matter of letting the chips fall where they will.”

  Within a few hours, Murray had removed all of Freedom Money's assets.

  * * * * *

  It was 3:00 am, and the muzzle of the rifle poked out of the bush. What an ungodly hour to be awake, thought Agent Sturstill. Nestled on the edge of a fir and tamarack forest, he pulled the M-16 butt into his shoulder as he peered downrange through his night-vision goggles. With his goggles, he looked upon an expansive circular open area, a grassy field with a house and workshop standing near the center. He scanned the open area, methodically – and detected no movement. All is quiet, he thought.

  Decked out in SWAT gear, he felt the sweat roiling under his kevlar helmet and tight kevlar vest. He was shaking – shaking with excitement as the adrenalin pumped through his veins and his shoulders clenched in fear. I love it, he mused. The excitement. The thrill. I can shoot any of those bastards – and who would blame me? After all, they're terrorists, and a threat to the U.S. government. And I carry a badge!

  In the pre-raid meeting, the team leader had told them as much about the OP as he could. A man and a woman – both were 50-odd years old. They were business owners with regular jobs. Hell, I guess seventeen of us can handle 'em, he smirked.

  Sturstill was a big man. His Identifier was N-3 – Nancy-3, meaning he was the third agent on the north side of the property. As a member of 'the team', he wore a head set and communicated over the common network channel – and at this particular moment, the channel was filled with incessant chatter. He listened. And as he listened, his eyes glazed over. It was as though a flock of birds were singing in his ear – and it made his head spin. The chatter continued for a while, but then it died down as the team leader took control of the channel. Sturstill listened attentively as a roll call was conducted.

  “Nancy-1”

  “All clear.”

  “Nancy-2”

  “All clear.”

  “Nancy-3”

  “All clear.” Reported Agent Sturstill.

  “Nancy-4”

  “All clear.” ... and on ...

  And then the agent heard over his headset:

  “For those units I identify. On my mark; move in slowly.”

  “Nancy-1; Nancy-3 – Move in.

  “Nancy-2; Nancy-4 – Stand pat.

  “Echo-1; Echo-3 – Move in.

  “Echo-2; Echo-4 – Stand pat.

  “Sierra-1; Sierra-3 – Move in.

  “Sierra-2; Sierra-4 – Stand pat.

  “Whisky-1; Whisky-3 – Move in.

  “Whisky-2; Whisky-4 – Stand pat.

  “On three – three, two, one – MARK!”

  Sturstill felt even more excited. He glanced at his hands and noted a slight tremble, but then he ignored his heightened excitement and focused on the house, looking for any sign of movement or activity. When he turned his eyes to the left or right, he could see the green figures of his team members – advancing in unison through the knee-high grass. He knew that the leader had left half the team near the perimeter so they could apprehend anyone who might slip by. But it was quiet, and Sturstill could see no evidence of flight.

  He heard the team leader bark instructions through his headset. “Okay. All those who are near to the house – halt. Now, three of us will enter through the front door. Remember, this is a no-knock search warrant – when we go through that door, these people could be shooting at us.”

  “Nancy-3 and Sierra-3 – meet me at the front door. Take it slow and be careful. The rest of you, stand pat, stay alert, and cover us. Let us know if and where you see any activity.”

  Sturstill made his way quietly up to the front door and joined the other two men. “Okay,” said the team leader, “Sturstill, you break in the door. We’ll come in right behind ya.”

  Sure you will, Sturstill thought. He did not like being the lead on these break-ins. The owner was shooting far too often – and the first one inside was the one to get shot. And though he wore Kevlar and a helmet – that was no damn consola
tion!

  “Okay, chief,” Sturstill replied. He felt his hands shake even more.

  Sturstill stood back and charged the door, kicking it inward so that it banged against the interior wall. He moved quickly into the house and dropped to the floor; trying to get out of the way of any bullets! Meanwhile, the other two followed behind him and assumed positions just inside the foyer. They pointed their weapons toward the interior of the house.

  All three men were breathing heavily. They waited, listening for any sound, real or imagined.

  But there was only silence.

  After a few minutes, the team leader gave hand signals – Sierra was to stay put; and the team leader and Sturstill were to clear the upstairs first.

  The leader climbed the stairs with Sturstill backing him up. When they reached the top, the team leader entered the nearest bedroom, cleared it, and re-emerged. They went on to the next room, and Sturstill entered. This was the master bedroom – the covers were mussed and partly pulled back. He removed a glove and inserted his hand between the covers and the mattress. “Hmmm,” he murmured. Then he stood up and continued his search, first walking into the bathroom, and then the walk-in closet. He found no one.

  Re-emerging, he followed the team leader to the third bedroom. The leader entered and within a few minutes, he re-emerged. They checked the bathroom with the same results.

  They descended the stairs to the first floor, where the team cleared the remaining rooms without finding any occupants. The results were similar for the basement.