by Jim Magwood
“That sounds good. We might have stumbled on something, Roger. If we can get a link to some names of people today…”
CHAPTER 54
“We’ve got several new officials at home talking about how they would solve this crisis—this vigilantism.”
“Same here. We’re moving toward our own elections next year and we have one or two who seem to be saying they have all the answers. It’s nice to have all the answers when you don’t have to sit behind the desk.” He chuckled. “The other party is fighting so hard amongst themselves to prove who’s tougher that they haven’t taken the time to even think about what they would really do. Or what they could do. And, yet, as usual, everyone believes them. If they say it, it must be true.”
“Would you negotiate with this group, Jeffery? If they can do the things they appear to be doing, would it be worth our while to use them? To get them to clean up things we don’t seem to be able to control?”
The president thought for a moment, and then replied,
“John, that seems like an impossible question. If I had the power to simply declare war on the problems we’re facing, I’d probably do that tomorrow morning. We have the military power to do almost anything we want. But, the people have pulled the reins so tight that we can’t reach out and do anything anymore. No, maybe it’s not the people. But, they’ve turned the power over to representatives who’ve changed the rules, and the ability to just step out and do what we see needs being done is gone.”
The Nine had chosen to get together again to try to establish some plan to control, or stop, the activities of the vigilante group. Agreement, though, was elusive.
“But Jeffery, if we can’t do this cleanup because we’ve been handcuffed, wouldn’t it be appropriate to get help from some group like this? We all have secret organizations of our own that we’ve used at times. What would be different in soliciting this group, or at least enabling them to continue doing the work they’ve been doing?”
“Grigori, I agree it sounds tempting, and maybe even jus-tifiable. Presuming we all want “peace on earth,” and presuming this group really is honorable, the fit would seem to be right. But can we really justify circumventing all our laws and constitutions—step completely outside our systems—to hire vigilantes to do our work?”
“Jeffery, you talk about stepping outside our systems and laws, but in face of the suffering of people in all our countries from drugs, crime, immoral politicians and such, how can we not be serious about getting help from people who seem to be able to get things done?”
“I agree, Donald. In Japan, we have very strong law enforcement and very little toleration of lawbreakers, whether citizens or politicians. But look what just happened to us with the attacks on the Umeda Company. The company and their personal bank were able to get away with major crimes we were never aware of until this group came in and shut them down. I didn’t have any choice but to make an announcement against the group, but in reality I wished I could have applauded them. How else would we have been made aware of what was going on and then gathered the strength to step into that mess? I wished I could hire them.”
Eli had been strangely silent for quite a while, but finally spoke, very quietly.
“Gentlemen, I believe I remember a certain individual who said he would fix all the ills of his country, then began an extermination program that ultimately pulled the entire world into a war. If you looked at his words on the surface, and especially if you were from his country, he sounded very reasonable. They caused all our problems. If we get rid of them, we will be able to control our own destinies again. We can rise to our proper place of world respect if we get them out of here.
And a good part of the world followed him because he sounded so right.”
“But, Eli, he was a madman that was able to convince a depressed people to follow him…”
“Yes, Grigori, a madman. But how many people died because of him? How many died in your country because we, the world, didn’t rise up against evil men? Thirty million? Hiditaki, how many from your beautiful islands died because of men who thought they had the right to decide for themselves against the world?
“Gentlemen, we have all suffered because of evil men who decided they had rights over their people, and over the people of other countries. Look at the last couple of leaders in my own country who have been caught in acts of fraud and deceit. And yet we all have these people still in positions of trust and leadership. So, are we now talking about bringing in people who are working outside our established laws—criminals, if you will—and asking them to clean up our faults and messes? Turning them loose without rules and controls to wreak havoc on those who are wreaking havoc? How would that be any different than the madmen and despots we have suffered under for lifetimes? How would we control it? How would we ever stop it?”
The meeting continued for hours. The men were all pas-sionate about the situation plaguing the world, but were also very divided on what to do about it. They were all of age to have suffered in wars over the past decades. They all knew the pain of death and destruction. And they all wanted to stop the evil influences tearing their countries apart. But, there were greatly differing views on how to solve the problems.
Well into the evening, Donald Everett from Britain led the men into a straw poll to get some kind of an idea as to how the combined group was thinking. “Without considering any other factors, gentlemen, just ‘would it be a good plan to use or assist these people in doing what they are doing, perhaps even on a more widespread basis?’” Of the nine men, three were against, six were for.
Grigori spoke after the vote.
“Gentlemen, I voted in favor of doing something like using these people to help us. However, I know I, personally, could really never do such a thing. I know it would not be right. But, what can we do? How much effort can we justify to track these people down and stop them? I wonder if we can just leave them alone? That I could see myself allowing.”
CHAPTER 55
“If I was to suggest…I mean, are you open to…Uhmm…I don’t know what I’m saying. Just that there are a lot of things out there that need fixing, and I wondered if you might consider something?”
“Go ahead, Mr. Baxter. We’re always looking for places that need our help. What do you have in mind?”
“Uhh…Well…Okay. There’s a company in Singapore I’ve been investigating. I got the word on it about a year ago, and I’ve learned some startling things. Such as, it appears to be the world’s premier supplier in the human slave trade markets around the world. From what I’ve gathered, they steal or purchase men, women and children, all colors, all races, and sell them to anyone, anywhere that wants bodies. I’ve found evidence of people being sent into mines they basically never come out of. Little children working in match factories with only enough time off for them to get a scrap of food and enough sleep to start again the next day. Women in garment factories making no money because it all goes to paying off the debt they carried with them when they were sold. Men working in diamond mines, coal mines, cutting roads by hand through jungles and deserts; and working until they literally drop dead. I could go on and on to name things I don’t even want to talk about. But, it’s atrocious.”
“And…?”
“I know these people have been investigated because I got some UN reports that exposed them. Of course, nothing was done about any of it. But, I’ve got a couple of boxes of reports at the office that lay out a pretty good case against them.”
“As I said, Mr. Baxter, and…?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, what is it you want?”
“Well, I guess...it’s that I don’t know what to do. They’ve been looked at by several organizations, but nobody does anything. I guess I was wondering, Mr. Johns, what could be done about them. I mean, if the supposed law enforcement agencies aren’t going to do anything, what else can we do? I know just my writing some more exposé reports isn’t going to get anything done to stop
them. People already know about them.”
“Mr. Baxter, why don’t you just say what you want? I can hear it coming from you, from your heart.”
“I guess… Uhh… I guess… I want them stopped.”
“Thank you. If we are going to work together on things like this, we need to be direct in our communication. It makes it so much easier.
“Mr. Baxter, there is nothing wrong in your request. What we’ve been trying to do all along is clean up the evil in the world, give people a chance to get hold of these things themselves, and help them get on with better lives. All the laws in the world, of civilized nations at least, and all the religious writings say that evil should not be tolerated and that the people have a right to live in goodness and peace. Unfortunately, the people have allowed the evil influences to beat them into submission and they’ve given their powers over to agencies that are now unable to get the job done. So someone has to step in to help them. Our function simply cannot be wrong, and your decision to step in with us is enabling you to help us help downtrodden and frightened people everywhere."
“So, you can really do this? I mean, if I ask…?”
“Yes, we can. This will take a little time to study and to determine how we can go about it, but I assure you we will begin the process immediately. They are a worthy target, and you are to be commended for bringing it to our attention, Mr.
Baxter. If there was ever something that could be called evil in our world, these people could be the epitome of it. Let me go to work on this now, and I will be back with you within a week or so.”
CHAPTER 56
THE JAKARTA POST (December 21) Further to the reports we have had from local television and radio stations, it appears the destruction of a factory in the jungle area south-east of Jakarta was total. There appears to be nothing left of the large complex. Even the roads leading in to the location were bulldozed. It looks as though the entire complex of buildings was first burned and then bulldozed.
Indosiar Television has shown some early film of the area that basically shows a large piece of cleared jungle with nothing in it but crushed building materials. Nothing remains intact.
Indosiar also broadcast interviews with several residents of the area who all said roughly the same thing. They all tell of several major explosions in the early morning hours two days ago, followed by the sound of heavy machinery moving in on the roads toward the complex. They reported seeing apparent bulldozers as large as houses, but we do not know how the sizes were actually judged.
The machinery worked for about eight hours and then left.
As they went back down the roads, the apparently dug them up and left them as basically nothing but impassable dirt.
It is rumored, but we don’t have proven details, that there were some five to eight hundred people supposedly freed from the complex. They were discovered walking out the plowed up roads or camping in the jungles nearby. The rumors say the people were apparently slave labor for the factories that had been producing clothes, shoes, and small toys and appliances for shipment to metropolitan sales areas throughout the world.
It is also rumored that the people were mostly women and small children, ranging in age from as young as two or three years of age to the teens and mid-twenties. There were a few men, but very few in comparison to the numbers of women and children. Most of the people, again, rumors, appeared to be almost starved and in very poor medical and physical condition.
When asked about the overall young age of the people from the camp, one person who was able to be interviewed by rescue agencies said that almost no one could survive more than a few years in the camps, and most would die or be carried off as soon as they became non-productive. The small children were almost all children born to the women of the camps after they had been there for several months.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“What happened to the people running the camps, Randall? And what will happen to the refugees?”
“The refugees will generally be returned to their home cities and countries. About half of them were discovered to be from countries as far away as India and China, and were apparently kidnapped or enticed with stories of future good lives.
They’ve been turned over to the emissaries of the countries for return.
“The ones from around the immediate area will be returned to the own cites as soon as the local authorities have gotten the information needed from them.”
“And the owners and camp managers?”
“Most of those who were actually in the camps at the time of the raids were captured and turned over to local authorities.
Most of them were found tied together in groups and locked in a couple of large, tin warehouses when the authorities arrived.
They were taken away, but we don’t know their disposition at this time.
“The owners of the camps and businesses, and several of those who were able to be traced as major recipients of the production of the plants, awoke a few mornings later to find their wealth gone and authorities knocking on their doors.
Most of them are now as destitute as those they had impris-oned and facing major prison terms themselves.”
There was a long moment of silence as Henry thought about what had taken place and gathered his thoughts.
Finally, he asked, “Where were they from? What countries were involved? Or, were these actions of individuals and not countries?”
“We’ve traced several of the owners to Saudi Arabia, China, Germany, Turkey, Los Angeles in the United States, and Manchester in the United Kingdom. There were many others.”
“So they apparently had an international consortium that owned and operated actual slave labor camps? They actually stole people and forced them to the camps and then let them rot and die?”
“Yes, that is what they did.”
After another moments pause, Henry added, “I’ve seen paintings of Dante’s Inferno and Bosche’s The Scream and others. This whole scenario must look like those pictures.”
Again there was silence. Then Johns asked, “What would you like to do next, Mr. Baxter?”
“Next?”
“Of course. There is so much more to do. I’m sure you have some more selections to help clean up.”
“Well…I hadn’t really given it any thought. I mean…this has just taken place and…another? I don’t know…”
“Mr. Baxter, how do you feel about what you just helped make happen? The people who were freed to go on to better lives? The evil there that was stopped? How do you feel?”
“Well, I hadn’t really given it time to… I mean, it’s so soon… I don’t know…”
“Come, Mr. Baxter. How do you feel?”
After a long pause, Henry replied, “I guess I do feel good.
I mean, a major evil influence in the world was stopped. I guess…”
“You just guess?”
“No. I guess…no, I mean…uhh…it’s good. I mean…to be a part of making this happen instead of just being on the sidelines. I guess there’s a feeling of…I guess…we can make this happen. We can clean things up if we try, and if we bring in the sources of power needed.”
“That, Mr. Baxter, is why we began this work. Many years ago, Virgil said, ‘They can because they think they can.’
Do you think we can now, Mr. Baxter?”
“Yes, I think we can. I think that has proven itself. If we gather together, we can do things like this. We can clean things up.” His voice drifted off into silence. Then, “But, will we always have the power, Randall? You started this with the power your group apparently has. Will that continue? Will you continue?"
“There is no need to stop now, Mr. Baxter. Until the people of the world have taken power back into their own hands, they will need the help of groups like ours. And leaders like you. There is much to do before we would be able to pull our direct help out.”
“But, I’m not the leader of this.”
“But you have become a part of this, Mr. Baxter. You’ve seen
what can be done. You’ve seen how you can choose an enemy and work against them. You’ve now directed an attack against a part of this evil, and you can do much more. A leader can be someone who simply points the way and stirs people into action. Despite your reluctance and modesty, you are a leader, Mr. Baxter. A very vital one in this campaign.”
“But… you are the power source. I would need you.”
“At this point, that’s correct. However, we will be here for the foreseeable future, and there are other power groups that can step in. Even governments can restore their courage and direction and take up the battle—as they should have all along.”
“So…you’re going to be around to help for some time yet?”
“Of course. As long as needed. Now, what other target do you have in mind?”
