Madness

by Bill Wetterman

  Pendleton exhaled slowly to keep his anger under control. “Yes, under one condition, you do not harm her, demote her, or persecute her in any way without my approval. Despite her betrayals, I adore her. She was under the control of the enemy. Doctor Levi and his team did a good job. I’m expecting a good result.”

  “What about the others—Ursa, Magnus, and the like?”

  “You will outrank them, but we must make peace with our enemies. If they join us, we must agree to forgive and forget the past.”

  The bell rang again, “Are we straight up, Hans?”

  Van Meer grinned and gave his friend a hug. “Right you are, ole boy.”

  #

  The elevator stopped at Pendleton’s floor. Two Global Realm security people escorted Hurst and his party to Pendleton’s suite and rang the bell. Then their escorts left the floor. Hurst’s first thought was to run.

  Pendleton, himself, opened the door. “Welcome Robert Hurst, good to see you.”

  Hurst jerked at hearing his birth name.

  “Thank you for inviting us, Mister Pendleton.”

  “Call me Arthur.” Pendleton turned to the others. “Welcome all of you. You’re honored guests. I received your tests scores on our Special Operations Career Modules. You more than qualify for service, and I see you’ve all gone through the citizenship procedures. Welcome to the Global Realm, citizens.”

  Hurst wondered when the snipers would shoot him dead. Time flew by since his abduction from the former United States. Could this enemy really be making nice without an agenda?

  “You’ve met Hans Van Meer?”

  Hurst nodded. “Yes, briefly at the hospital. Of course we pursued him after the Monroe assassination attempt last year.”

  “The past is past. Everybody is here but my mother and her escort. They should be here any minute.” Pendleton turned to Polaris. “Do you need any accommodations at table?”

  “Just a space for my chair, I can adjust the height.”

  “Thank you, Michael Ziebach,” he gripped Polaris’ shoulder firmly, “for being Lovey’s friend.”

  Hurst struggled with Pendleton’s sincerity. This man must have an ego too large for the Solar System, yet he seemed so genuine.

  “You’re welcome, Sir.”

  “Call me, Arthur.”

  “You’re welcome, Arthur. Your Lovey is my friend. I only have four, and one is my cat.”

  The bell rang. Pendleton called out, “It’s unlocked, Milton. Come on ahead.”

  As Milton Rogers and Anne Pendleton entered, Hurst felt the presence of greatness. Rogers’ reputation, his financial abilities, and his love of humanity gave him credibility.

  “I love being the last to arrive. Milton said we would be.” Anne Pendleton counted those present.

  “Right you are, Mum,” Pendleton helped her to a chair. “Now that Milton’s here, and before dinner, let’s smoke the peace pipe, as you American’s say.”

  Pendleton introduced all around, and then sat down himself. “This time yesterday I revealed the Global Realm’s Citizen Control Team headed by Milton Rogers. Their orders are to do what is necessary to maintain order and punish the unlawful. If a person becomes a citizen and plays by the rules, that person will have all his basic needs met beyond where ninety percent of the world’s needs were before yesterday.”

  “If a person chooses to be rebellious,” Rogers said. “That person will pay the consequences.”

  “Day after tomorrow, I will be making another announcement regarding the Global Realm’s Counter-Terrorist Team.” Pendleton smiled and then pointed at Hans Van Meer. “The top job’s yours if you want it.”

  “Yes, I certainly do,” Van Meer answered. “Please understand. The Global Realm is not a democracy. It’s a dictatorship, but an enlightened one. These early appointments come out of necessity. We need the world’s safety enforced. Three years from today, when the whole world has completed the testing procedures and gone through our continuing education models for that period of time, the highest ranking citizen in the Counter-Terrorist module will have my position, if that person isn’t me.”

  Anne Pendleton raised her hand. “By counter-terrorism, you mean finding and eliminating your opposition, don’t you?”

  “Of course,” Pendleton grinned. “To save the world, humanity must learn to work together for humanity’s sake. The quicker this happens, the better.”

  “Hum,” she groaned and twisted up her lips. Her look said she’d probably remain silent going forward.

  “Colin Franks will report to Hans and his team. The former MI6 and European counterparts will cover Europe to the Urals, through the Arab world, Middle East and Africa. China’s former head of the Zhongnan Baobioa, Chiang Yang, will report to Hans and will cover from the Urals to the Indian Ocean and east to the Pacific, including Japan.”

  Pendleton tilted his head and said, “Now for the peace pipe. There is no other agency that trains and executes better than yours.” His hand gesture included them all. Hurst flushed. He wanted a new challenge. Yet, did he want that challenge to come from Pendleton? Of course, everything came through Pendleton. Why should he be on the losing side forever? “The Americas and Oceania, including the former Indonesia, are offered to you, Mister Hurst.”

  “Even with all that’s happened with Peacock.” Hurst gasped. “You and I have a poor track record.”

  “Indeed, but I’m talking capabilities here. At every turn, your team bested my team. Only Hans performed, escaped, and survived in the field for all the years since the university.” Pendleton focused on Hurst, and Hurst recognized his compassion. “I don’t desire bloodshed, Robert, but humanity is a bloody species. You know as well as I do we’re destroying the earth. Join me in stopping that from happening.”

  “I guess people won’t be calling me Ursa anymore.” Robert Hurst extended his hand and Pendleton shook it.

  “I’m afraid we won’t need all the handles, except I’m not sure what to call Lovey.”

  “She’ll tell you when she wakes up and decides who she is,” Anne said.

  “You and your team served your government well, loyal to the end. I will demand no less, and I respect your capabilities. Together we have a huge undertaking ahead of us. Keep in front of you at all times the greater goal—a world united for betterment of Mankind as a species, not for individual greed.”

  #

  Anne Pendleton took a whimsical glance at her plate and shook her fork at her son. “This is what everyone in the world is eating this evening?”

  “A variety of this, Mum, changed a little for regional tastes.”

  She took a bite of salmon. “Hum, not bad but not much.”

  Rogers nudged her shoulder. “The average human being in rich countries eats three times the portion sizes they need for good health. Try the carrots. They’re delicious.”

  She took a drink of water to clear her pallet. Then she picked up a four-ounce glass of a golden, wine looking drink. “So this is the nutrient beverage you were talking about.”

  “You could survive on four-ounces of the stuff twice a day for months if need be,” Rogers said.

  The others at the table busied themselves with eating and making various sounds of approval.

  She took a sip. “Oh my word, this is good.”

  “That’s the reaction we’re getting worldwide. We’ll see,” Pendleton said. He clinked his glass against his mother’s. “We still have over six-hundred million people to reach with food distribution, and Myanmar, India, and Pakistan are difficult. We’ve had to eliminate lawbreakers.”

  “Yes, you do that quite often.”

  She watched his countenance sour.

  “I always bring my worst critic on an issue with me to keep me honest,” he said. “The fact is, once an individual is admitted into the Global Realm, there is no death penalty. For those who hinder our efforts with violence. Violence will be their reward.”

  Rogers touched her hand. “I know you don’t understand, but to
do the best for all humanity, some must be eliminated.”

  She smiled at him. Her mind said, go slow. Her emotions whispered you’re almost sixty, what the hell.

  Chapter 27

  One Week Later

  In Iran

  Billows of dark smoke soared higher across the border in Pakistan. From his window in Zahedan, al-Sistani’s soul darkened. His wives and children in the courtyard below were under strict orders not to go outside the walls. Cellphones no longer worked. Satellite towers were useless since the Global Realm shutdown the Internet and replaced it with a highly monitored, restricted system.

  Proud of the history of his people tracing back to Darius the Persian, al-Sistani believed in time-tested methods. Today, he sent letters to those he considered trustworthy. Twelve riders went out announcing a meeting scheduled six months hence in Mashhad near the Imam Reza Shrine.

  True followers of the faith would not join the Global Realm. Until they could strike back at the infidels, they must learn how to feed, clothe, and help their own. They must learn where to hide, where to meet, and when to strike back. The twelve riders would deliver messages to believers who, in turn, would send out twelve new riders. al-Sistani bowed low to the ground. His prayers ascended, and he prayed long and tirelessly. Allah is faithful.

  What Realm would exist a decade from now, a century, even until the coming of The Twelfth Imam? He didn’t know who had lived or died in the fierce onslaught of the Russians and the thorough desecration from the bombings Pendleton used against Islam’s holy places. Still, Pendleton was a symptom, not the real enemy. The fight against Satan was Allah’s battle.

  He rose, washed his feet, and slipped on his shoes at the doorway. The sunlight caused him to squint, and he cupped his hand over his eyes.

  “There’s Papa,” his wife, Noushin, called out, and six children raced to him. He handed them grapes and laughed. “It is a good day to play.”

  He glanced up as the wind out of the east blew the smoke deeper into the city. Today was not a good day at all.

  #

  In Israel

  “We speak for the Greater Sanhedrin,” Rabbi Thomas Levinson stated. “Make peace with this man, Pendleton, and the Global Realm. Preserve our heritage and allow us to keep our holy sites, especially the Temple Mount. Thank God it still stands.”

  Around him sat sixty-nine other rabbis all from Tiberius of Galilee. The Knesset and its leadership, weakened in the initial strikes by the Russians, allowed Global Realm forces into the country. Now the religious leaders, anxious to continue rebuilding their old religion back to its former greatness, gathered to plea with their crumbling government to accept Pendleton’s Global Realm.

  “He will allow us to practice our religion, maybe even help rebuild our temple. Yes, he will allow the Muslims the same rights, but he’ll stop the bloodshed and bring peace.” Rabbi Levinson wiped his brow and studied the faces of those in the gallery. “A Jew living in peace, practicing his religion as God instructed him, we haven’t had this luxury in over two-thousand years.”

  The Secretary General, Moshe Robinowitz, polled the membership. The people were so eager for peace there was little objection. After the roll call he said, “I am tired of fighting and war. By your votes, I see you agree. Therefore, I hereby disband this body. Go home. Join the Global Realm. Take the tests, and may God be with you.”

  Robinowitz turned to The Seventy and said, “Since you speak for the believing Jews, you are given over to their will and the will of the Global Realm. Take care not to be too zealous in your pursuits. You haven’t yet tested Pendleton’s patience.”

  #

  In the United States – Los Angeles

  “Sweet Land Villa is not a holy place,” Robert Hurst said, as he confronted Shawna Aster, movie star and the director of seventeen god-awful dumb-blonde movies. “The Global Realm is turning Sweet Land into a university center for advanced research in neurosurgery.”

  When he was Ursa, he had go-betweens who handled this type assignment. Working for Pendleton meant enforcing the rules in difficult cases in person. Hurst’s presence meant Aster couldn’t appeal to a higher authority.

  Aster stood her ground, toe-to-toe with five of Hurst’s best agents. Her hair had tangled from the wind. The tattoo she’d proudly sported on her upper chest in her films was covered by a Western American Region yellow shirt, indicating she had joined the Global Realm, but hadn’t been assigned an occupation.

  “If the Pope can stay in the Vatican, I can stay in Sweet Land. My fans can’t visit me if I’m not here.”

  What fans did Shawna Aster have? With the conversion of the Global Communications Network from special interest satellites to one controlled World Education Network, movie stars, sports heroes, and populist personalities had lost their positions of fame. “You’re forgetting the world has changed,” Hurst said. “If you don’t select a vocation path and relocate, I’ll assign you to an urban cleanup detail today.”

  She sighed and backed away. Reality must have hit her. She paled. “Where will I go?”

  “For two weeks, you will be allowed to remain here. The Global Realm will remove all unnecessary furnishings for reuse or recycling.”

  “Then?”

  “You have two choices, Miss Aster,” Hurst said. “First, your test scores show promise in Global entertainment. There is an opening as a producer and screenwriter for feel-good event coverage worldwide. The programming airs eighteen hours a month reporting only uplifting news.”

  “Blah!” she stuck out her tongue.

  Hurst wet his lips to keep from saying what he thought. “Second, you can work at a Global Entertainment Center in a lesser role. Take your pick.”

  “Before I do, where will I live and who will be surrounding me.” She smirked as her middle finger popped up in Hurst’s face. “I want to be close to my public.”

  The woman had no public, but he didn’t have time to argue. “If you take the writer-producer position, you’ll be housed in a 1000 square foot accommodation in London at the Global Headquarters media division. If you choose an Entertainment Center opening, you’ll be relocated to. . .” He checked his list of available spots. “You should have selected an opening after testing. By waiting, you’re choices are limit to Tucson, Flagstaff, Tulsa, and Carson City. Or you can be placed on a waiting list for the new constructions being completed in the next two years if you want to stay near Los Angeles.”

  “What will I do while I’m waiting?”

  “Work clean-up, like every other citizen, Miss Aster.”

  “I busted my ass to get where I am.”

  Hardly, she’d been born into an entertainment family. Her notorious sexual escapades and bouts with drugs and alcohol made infamous headlines nationally. Hurst’s security people removed all of her illegal substances from the premises with her permission. She didn’t want to do time in prison.

  “The Global Realm will provide all your needs, but don’t break the law.”

  Shawna grumped. “Without a cellphone, I can’t even call fellow actors to find out where they’ve gone.”

  Hurst bit his lip. “Sorry, what about family?”

  A shrug told him family didn’t matter.

  “Tell me about the Entertainment Centers.” The look on her face confirmed the seriousness of her circumstances had hit home. “You’ve relocated all my help. I’m barely getting along by myself.”

  “The rooms in the Centers at your level are 650 square feet,” Hurst said. “Unless you select to become an adult sex worker, then you gain an additional 150 square feet in which to entertain.”

  All the color drained from her face.

  “I’m sorry,” Hurst said. “You picked the career paths you wanted to pursue and took the tests. You didn’t pick a vocation within that path.”

  “What about clothes?”

  “In London, you’ll wear government black. Entertainment centers here in America, pink.”

  She stared around her property and fin
ally let out a squeaky laugh. “What’s open in Flagstaff?”

  “Two bartender slots, a disc jockey, several exotic dancers and adult sex workers, and restaurant servers.” Hurst studied his papers again. “Here’s a possibility. How old are you?”

  “Twenty-nine—why?”

  “There is a position called utility worker. Because of the hours, applicants have to be under thirty-five. Utility workers fill in, as needed, and assist in scheduling the show times and performers. You’d have an 800 square foot apartment and a balcony.”

  “Is that job open in Flagstaff?”

  “No. But there is one position open in Tulsa.”

  “You think my fans will remember me if I’m dancing on a pole?”

  Hurst took a step back and wondered if this woman had lost track of all reason. “Of course,” he said, not knowing what a fan of a C-movie star really was like.

  Shawna Aster pondered her fate. Finally, she shrugged, “I’ll take the Tulsa job. I like variety.”

  “You do understand you’ll be required to dance and take your turn as a sex worker.”

  “What percentage of the time dancing and entertaining men sexually?”

  Hurst studied the job description. “Twenty percent of your work hours. So, an estimate would be five hours a week each “

  “Whatever,” she sighed. “This new world really sucks.”

  Hurst turned to his team leader. “See that Miss Aster is relocated to Tulsa as soon as we can arrange transportation.”

  As he headed back to his government vehicle to rejoin his staff, Robert Hurst considered the wisdom of the new Global Realm. Here was a loony, but capable, writer-producer, who made her selection based upon being close to her fans, when the world was heading for an environmental disaster. Maybe working in an Entertainment Center in Tulsa was her best contribution to the Global Realm. Who was he to judge? Before Pendleton took over, the main topics of discussion in the media and on television were sex, infidelity, and promiscuity, and this in an overcrowded world. Pendleton was right. Humanity needed a dictatorship.

  #