Ancient Island
Page 49
Chapter 48
Death of a Street Performer
After finishing four years of study at the Institute in 2004, the last scheduled culture trip was on track to depart for London in a couple weeks. Claude wanted to cancel the excursion for security reasons. It wasn’t Haley’s safety that concerned him, it was Matt’s.
Matt dedicated a significant part of his life to the study of government systems. He considered problems with central planning and worker incentives associated with communism, socialism, and capitalism. If there was ever any hope of wresting power from the rich and powerful (especially the Qabalah), a major change was required.
Matt wasn’t as absorbed in his Christian faith as Chris, but he felt it was no coincidence the Bible identified money as the primary impediment of a fair and efficient economic system. Matt often paraphrased a line of scripture stated in a letter from Paul to Timothy, “Money is the root of all evil.” If Chris was in the room, he would chime in, “It’s not money that corrupts; it’s the ‘love of money.’”
Money was an absolute necessity for trade and stability in early civilizations. It provided a method of exchange, didn’t decay or require significant storage space like most food products, and was easily transported. It came to represent power and security. Kings and other dominant people controlled the money supply, and contrived methods to amass enormous wealth, often at the expense of the general population. These schemes became more sinister and less fair-minded over time.
By 2004, it could be argued that bankers ruled the world. The Qabalah ruled the bankers. Financial institutions developed systems which charged the highest interest rates to those least able to pay. They created convoluted securities including collateralized debt obligation derivatives which the bankers themselves couldn’t explain. Those schemes led to the housing bubble and insolvency for many of the world’s largest financial institutions. It took a $780 billion bailout in the U.S. alone to avoid a global financial collapse in 2008. Matt was determined to create a better system.
With the advent of computer technology and real-time worldwide communications, Matt realized it was theoretically possible to replace money with a more efficient and equitable system. The ORION Institute was confronting many of the greatest scientific and technical challenges mankind had ever faced, but Matt’s task would be the most difficult to achieve. He envisioned a world without money and based his system upon Jacque Fresco’s Sustainable Resource-Based Economic System.
Playing devil’s advocate, Brian asked, “If a resource-based economy is so efficient, then why hasn’t anyone tried it before?”
“I can think of at least two reasons,” Matt answered. “Those who control the wealth don’t want to give it up, and we haven’t had the technology until now. For the first time in history we have the ability to track resources worldwide on a real-time basis.”
“So what makes you think the rich are willing to give it up?”
“Some won’t, but there are others like Mr. Weston who are fully behind us. You’ve seen how well the system works at the ORION Institute. Our studies have proven when people aren’t afraid of being without resources, a large majority stop hoarding and wasting. Less resources are needed which results in an enormous improvement in efficiency and productivity. The most astonishing and unexpected benefit is a wide-spread sense of well-being. In the end, even the rich are better off.”
“You don’t have to convince me, but the Qabalah isn’t going to give up control of the money supply without a fight.”
Brian was correct and that’s what worried Claude. The Qabalah controlled U.S. banks and through them manipulated the world’s money supply. It was their primary source of wealth and power. If Matt’s plan was successful, the Qabalah had a great deal to lose.
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The Qabalah had operated with impunity for thousands of years with few people aware of their existence. They influenced the Chinese dynasties, the Mongol empire, Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Saddam Hussein, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and major national governments including the United States.
They exploited differences between cultures, resources, and religions to manipulate the world’s civilizations to their advantage. When they became bored, they chose sides and pit nation against nation for their amusement. But the ORION Institute was starting to introduce technologies and improve communications. The internet, which had become one of the Qabalah’s most effective weapons for spreading misinformation was now being used by ORION and sovereign governments to reduce miscalculations.
Anastasius developed a software program to help identify possible communications within the Qabalah. The Medium was the code name the Qabalah used to identify Matt.
The name started coming up frequently after Matt’s advisor approved his dissertation, “Converting the World to a Resource-Based Economy.” Mr. Weston and Claude used their money and connections to set up consultations for Matt with financial representatives from over fifty different countries. When it became apparent governments were seriously considering the idea, the tone of the Qabalah’s messages became threatening.
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Despite the threats, Claude approved the London excursion, but insisted everyone would travel together with him serving as chaperon. Matt was the only student who had work to conduct on the trip, a brief unofficial meeting with Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Chancellor is the British equivalent of the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. It required the considerable influence of both Claude and Mr. Weston to arrange the visit. The simple fact the meeting took place added substantial weight to Matt’s PhD dissertation.
Two weeks later on a sunny July day, Mr. Weston’s private jet took off from the tiny Sebring Regional Airport. When the group arrived in London, Claude and the students checked into the luxurious Corinthia Hotel. The cool misty evening offered a welcome relief from the Florida heat.
A porter greeted them at the door. Tired and hungry, they inhaled the fragrance of flowers from nearby Whitehall Gardens and the aroma of fresh food wafting from one of the hotel restaurants.
As Claude requested, everyone remained together the following day while accompanying Matt to his meeting with the Chancellor. Haley was looking forward to having her picture taken in front of No. 10 Downing Street, but was disappointed to learn she couldn’t get past a security gate at the end of the street. An attractive young woman was waiting at the gate on Whitehall to escort Matt inside.
When Matt returned, it took him twice as long as his visit to describe what happened. Even though it wasn’t an official meeting and lasted less than ten minutes, he said the Chancellor was intrigued and seemed open to the possibility of a resource-based economy. The meeting took place at No. 10 Downing Street because Chancellor Brown had swapped apartments with Prime Minister Tony Blair who wanted more space for his family.
The rest of the week was spent on typical tourist activities including visits to the British Museum, the Tower of London, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. They attended performances of Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera in the evening.
Dan said his favorite memories of London were the roar of the underground, double-decker buses, and the sound of a half dozen different languages being spoken in the same restaurant.
Matt remarked, “Even the vehicle congestion with beeping horns and diesel fumes create a distinctive setting, somehow more civilized than back home.”
On their last day, Claude led the students across the Hungerford Bridge for a visit to the London Eye. It dominated the skyline on the other side of the Thames. A street performer wearing a cape, bowler hat and dark glasses started performing for the crowd while tourists waited in line. Haley and Claude were immediately suspicious. The recent threats from the Qabalah made Claude nervous.
The performer jumped, kicked and danced a bizarre combination of Kabuki and Kung Fu. His cape flowed artistically and he carried a cane which he wielded li
ke a sword. As the crowd delighted in his acrobatics, he lunged toward Matt. Three feet short of reaching the target, his body was suspended in midair for a full five seconds before dropping to the ground. The crowd gasped and applauded. Two security guards watched nervously.
Matt appeared to be enjoying the show. The man continued to dance and jumped in Matt’s direction several times before falling to the ground. Matt shouted, “Way to go Chief!” The intensity of the performance grew and the man made one final run at Matt. He jumped so high into the air it looked like he was catapulted from a trampoline, but this time he fell flat on his back. The crowd groaned as his head hit the pavement with a disgusting thud.
His body turned bright red and then disappeared, leaving nothing but ashes. The spectators whooped and cheered for an encore. It didn’t happen.
Dan turned to Matt and asked, “Was that a street performance, or did that guy try to kill you?”
Matt looked at Dan with a smug expression, “he tried but never stood a chance. Do you remember when we were kids and went to Arcadia for Thanksgiving? Do you remember the Indian Chief I described?”
“Yea, but I thought that was your imagination. It wasn’t real. What does your imaginary friend have to do with what happened here?”
Matt patted Dan on the back. “It was real to him,” he said while looking at the ashes.