Chapter 28
“OK,” said the boss of the large and famous law firm of Smith & Smith in Washington DC, “Let’s go.”
His four associates and Joe Link, a strategies consultant, accompanied him. They left the private elevator and entered into a bare room – their Faraday cage.
The boss opened the discussion by saying, “After all the attacks, starting with the ones in Rome, confusion reigns at a global level. Joe, tell us what is the most likely short-term scenario.”
Joe Link was a big man, a former football player, with a thick neck and rippling muscles. He barely fit into his super large dark suit. He cleared his throat.
“I think the most serious view is that of Jeremy Rifkin, president of the Foundation on Economic Trends, and consultant – as many of you well know – to many heads of state, including Angela Merkel. He has made it clear he believes Europe and the US are undergoing a structural crisis and that development paradigms have to change – especially with regard to energy.”
“That’s nothing new. We’ve been saying that for a long time. Even the President has spearheaded alternative energy research.”
As a football player Joe Link had learned strategy: how to figure out the other sides’ next move and how to block it. So he was able to swallow the boss’s sarcasm – especially when he thought of how well he was being paid to work for him.
“Right, but Rifkin goes further. He believes we need to move beyond the Second Industrial Revolution stage to a Third one. We have to stop relying on the achievements of the past and start creating. He says the First Industrial Revolution ended in the 1960s. We are now in the second one where we are using up everything we had produced and saved and have begun living on borrowed time.”
“Once, again nothing new,” commented the boss as his entourage nodded in agreement.
“True, but you have to know all of the parts of the puzzle to figure out the future,” replied Joe Link with a slight tone of irritation. “Let look backwards. I agree with what Rifkin said in an interview with Maurizio Molinari of Italy’s La Stampa about how the 1980s laid the ground for the housing bust and the great recession. There was too much building and prices were too high. George Bush senior lost to Bill Clinton due to the high unemployment rates in 1989-1991. And now instead of creating new opportunities we are just burning through what we have. Consider the fact that in 1991 Americans were saving 9 percent of their income and by 2001 it had gone down to zero.”
Link stopped to catch his breath and take a sip of water. He glanced at the boss who looked back at him with an icy stare. No one seemed very interested in what he had to say.
“So instead of putting our houses in order we just kept on spending and living off our credit cards until even that was no longer possible. So we began using our houses as if they were ATMs. We refinanced over and over again and used the proceeds to continue spending until there was nothing left.”
“And according to you and your oracle what did governments do or should have done?” asked the boss.
“Governments more or less acted in the same way. Meanwhile oil prices continued to rise because the developed world would not reduce demand and emerging countries like China and India increased theirs. Globalization has been seen as a new way to consume instead of produce. For the west it just meant being able to buy more at lower prices from emerging countries. It’s a vicious cycle.”
“You apparently are in complete agreement with Rifkin. So what is the solution?”
“Every time there is a recession we do the same thing. We pump some money into the market and say we want to cut expenditures. You need to spend to have a recovery. Emerging countries increase production and this makes the price of raw materials and oil rise. Then the price of everything goes up, including food. The situation becomes unsustainable and we fall back on relying on debt to keep up with our needs. This will never work, even if Congress were to cut four trillion dollars from the American debt.”
The boss started to get bored.
“Let’s cut to the chase. What is this so-called Third Industrial Revolution?”
“First of all we have to put an end to the vicious cycle. Then we have to develop a new economic model that will create millions of jobs. We have to make it easier to engage in entrepreneurship. We are approaching the end of the oil era. We need to move to sustainability and self-producing energy based on the model of the Internet and renewable hydrogen energy.”
“Explain yourself better.”
“It’s simple. Ten years ago we lived in a very different world. Nowadays people worldwide have greater independence. We live in a mass society where millions of people communicate with each other, exchange personal data, do business, and move millions of dollars. If each of these individuals in addition to a computer, a laptop and a smart phone to connect with the Internet had the possibility to produce power and cover his personal daily needs, he could release the excess online, and make a profit.”
“Again, that’s what we have been saying. Even our President agrees – although I don’t know if he has consulted with Rifkin.” Said the Boss. “Well, Mr. Link: thank you for time. We will let you know soon if we need to meet again.”
As soon as Link left the Faraday cage, the boss turned to one of his four assistants and hissed in a threatening tone of voice, “The more I see him, the more I think he is a jerk. To think of all the money we pay him… and you are so keen on him.”
The assistant went pale and replied,” He is very highly thought of by many leaders of government…”
“Well then they are all idiots. Let’s move on. What do we know about the President’s personal life?”
The second assistant answered. “As for the risk the President would be caught up in a sex scandal, well it has all quieted down after the disappearance of the two escorts and the two Washington Post journalists. Plus ever since Murdoch’s problems with ‘The World of the News’ the tabloids have been ultra-cautious.”
The boss nodded in approval.
“And what ever happened to Michael Bardi?”
The third assistant replied with a sneer,” Recently someone tried to kill him. Apparently it was an Arab super-assassin working for the people financing the Islamic movement. He survived.”
The boss listened carefully, without betraying any emotion. Then he brought the meeting to a close and ordered, “We must invest in a big mass media campaign to convince the people that we are the good guys and the others, the oil producers etc., are the baddies. To quote Humphrey Bogart, ‘That’s the power of the press, baby. And there’s nothing you can do about it. That’s all.’”
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Chapter 29
“I made reservations,” said Rachel as she got off the expensive bidet. She had been forced to have it custom installed in her bathroom because in the U.S. it is associated with houses of ill repute and a lack of hygiene. She carefully dried herself.
“Reservations for what and where?” whispered Michael Bardi who was stretched out naked on the rumpled bed. He was exhausted after hours of Rachel’s energetic lovemaking.
“Sedona. I’m tired. I want to go on vacation and celebrate your having healed from your wound. Tomorrow we leave for Phoenix and we’ll pick up a rental car there.”
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“What kind of car is this?” asked Rachel. Michael was driving.
“A Nissan Versa. It was the last car left – tourists have taken all the others. It’s got a GPS.”
“How fast are you going?”
“Eighty-five miles.”
“Are you nuts?”
“Look, the speed limit on these roads in Arizona is seventy-five miles. You round it up a bit. There are rarely any cops. Look at the truck passing us, I bet it’s going at more than ninety.”
From Phoenix Airport they had taken I 17 towards Flagstaff, about 100 miles away. Then SR 179 for Sedona. Two hours total before they reached their destination. They arrived at the outskirts of Sedona, where Rachel had booked a bed and breakfast famous for its luxurious bedrooms, art
collection and organic meals. The décor was luxury rustic down to the last detail. Even the menus and table settings changed every day.
Rachel and Michael were given the Sundance Room. It had a canopy bed, set high off the ground. Rachel dropped her carry on, kicked off her shoes, and stripped off her linen dress. She stood in the middle of the room wearing only her thongs, the next thing to come off. Her nipples were hard and erect.
She filled up the Jacuzzi and got in. Michael meanwhile had popped open a bottle of champagne, filled two flutes and placed them on the bath’s edge alongside several lit candles. Then he too immersed himself in the rolling water. Rachel pressed against him.
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The guide had been waiting for them in the lobby for half an hour. The appointment had been set for 10 a.m. Michael and Rachel finally came down the stairs and offered their apologies.
“Welcome. You’ve hired me for several days. But before we begin exploring I must fill you in on what you are going to see and do. My name is Carlo Montezuma, just like my ancestor who brought the survivors of the Yavapai tribe to the Green Valley after their forced exile to the San Carlo reservation, 180 miles away. Yes, we Native Americans have suffered greatly. Some speak of genocide given that millions of so-called Indians were eliminated on this continent. But it is better not to say that in public.”
Rachel and Michael listened carefully as they sipped the peach tea and nibbled on the exquisite mini-muffins Ron had served them.
“Let me continue,” said Carlos Montezuma. “Sedona, by the way, is the name of the wife of founder of the first post office. You said you want to participate in meditation sessions that take place in the city’s vortexes. Sedona’s vortexes are famous worldwide because they are not created by wind or water. They are vortexes of spiritual energy that emerge from the ground in certain areas. The energy interacts in a number of forms and ways. It’s not easy to explain. You have to experience it. A Native American legend says there are four places in the world with this energy power. Two are of a positive nature and two negative. The positive ones are in Kauai in Hawaii and in Sedona…”
“And the negatives ones?” asked Rachel.
“I’d rather not go into details. You might find out on your own. Sedona and Kauai are vortexes where rainbows are a manifestation of the Great Spirit. The highest concentration of energy is when two ley lines intersect. Here in Sedona there are three areas of maximum energy concentration. The first is male, the second is female and the third is neutral (a balancing of the other two). Based on personal experience I think it is best to start with the female one in the nearby Cathedral Rock vortex."
“Why not start with the male one?” asked Michael.
“That’s a good question. It’s because the female vortex also encompasses the male energy. In addition to strength and courage, however, it also has kindness, beauty, compassion and the capacity to love. As guides we recommend that the first visit is made to the female vortex. It is a form of magnetic force that helps remove negative energy from the body and the spirit. So let’s go to the Cathedral Rock vortex where the highest level of energy is near the river. It will heal both body and soul.”
They parked the car and began walking up a narrow trail. The smooth stones were evidence of the fact that thousands of people took the same route every year. Twenty minutes later they were in a narrow valley crossed by a bend in the river. Trees and low vegetation were interspersed with grassy areas. Bright orange rocks lined the clearings. Behind it all were the red rocks of the Cathedral with its coral colored spires bathed in sunlight in a wonderful contrast of light and shadow.
The beauty of the sight amazed Rachel and Michael. Their guide had them sit on two polished rocks.
From his backpack he removed some necklaces with colored beads and a headdress of red and white feathers. He put on the headdress. Then he told Rachel and Michael to sit on their heels, with their hands on their thighs palms upwards, and to close their eyes. He began chanting in Yavapai.
Michael had taken a typically cynical Italian attitude towards the whole matter. He considered it a silly show put on to get money from tourists. But, as the consonant laden and guttural chanting climbed and fell in pitch, Michael felt a kind of fire overtake his whole body. It was like having a fever that rose and ebbed with the guide’s voice.
He heard a sigh, a moan, and then a continuous lament. Rachel was crying. Her eyes were closed and she was shaking her head and moaning increasingly loudly. Suddenly she stopped moving her head. Her body began to tremble violently and she began to speak, as if in a trance, in a voice that was no longer hers.
Her hair was wild with static. Her face contorted. Her make-up had run all over the face and she looked as if she were wearing a Greek tragedy mask. She began screaming. Her eyes were now wide open as if she were staring at an unknown reality.
Rachel grabbed a stone and began hitting her chest and head while shouting obscenities. Yellow spittle trickled out of her mouth.
“I destroy everything… everything I touch… that I touch… no love… money… money… all for me... only power... Always stronger… more power… no pity... Satan always wins… I adore you, Lucifer…”
She kept screaming and trembling all over. Then she fell to the ground as if paralyzed and incapable of breathing. Michael ran to her and began mouth-to-mouth CPR, but to no avail. Desperately he started chest compressions. Rachel was able to breathe again.
After about ten minutes Montezuma and Michael helped her to stand. They slowly made it to the parked car. Rachel gradually gained strength as if awakening from a nightmare.
“Michael,” she whispered. “My purse… I left my purse on that rock. Please go get it… Thank you, sweetheart.”
Rachel’s purse had fallen behind a bush when she had gone into convulsions. As Michael was picking it up her cell phone started vibrating. He opened the purse and took out her smart phone. It was displaying a text message: “Why aren’t you answering? I need an update. Get in contact immediately. Paul”
The message had come from the phone number of the boss of Smith & Smith law firm. Michael recognized it. He erased the message.
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Waiting room at Sedona Hospital. Most of the chairs were taken. Michael found a seat near the water cooler.
“Don’t trust her…” Montezuma had suddenly appeared from a side door. He whispered in Michael’s ear. “Look, there’s scary stuff in her file. We have been checking on her for a while. She’s
really good at playing all sides and at blackmailing... Try to get in deeper…”
“As for going deeper, don’t worry. She’s insatiable and no one can stop her,” Michael said with a smile.
Then he realized he had spoken rudely and with the kind of machismo that he detested – after all he was the kind of guy who championed the right of women to act free of the sexual taboos imposed by men and religion.
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