1:00 a.m. EST
The escort opened the door and stood aside. Zack entered but Jim paused. Studying the escort lady’s eyes, he said, “Say, are you a sister?”
She smiled as Zack tugging Jim’s arm, said, “Let’s go,” and he and Jim entered a low-ceilinged room. The escort closed the door and stood inside.
A single light hung from the cracked ceiling. The bare bulb illuminated the twelve-by-twelve space. The only furniture was an old wooden table and three folding chairs, two facing the table, one behind.
Zack sensed that magnetic presence he had felt so many times before.
After a moment of silence, Joe Case stepped out of the shadows. Smoking a cigar, he wore green army fatigues and a black Pi baseball hat. He walked to Zack.
They embraced.
Joe: “How are you, champ? Long time.”
Standing back, Zack said, “Case, how have you been?”
“Good, good.”
“How’s Kim?”
“Good, good.”
“You look great,” Zack said.
“You, too.”
Zack indicated the tiny room. “Modest space, Case. You live here?”
Joe smiled and with his cigar pointed to Jim. “Do I know this guy?”
“I don’t know.” Zack asked Jim, “You know Case?”
“Heard of him.”
Case puffed his cigar and studied Jim. “You look a little green, muchacho. Sea a little rough?” He smiled.
Not liking the muchacho reference, Jim said, “You look a little green yourself, boy.”
Case went behind the table, sat and suggested the two folding chairs facing him. “Have a seat.”
Zack sat and tugged Jim’s sleeve.
Sitting, Jim whispered, “For the record, this guy is wacko. Just want you to know”
“Noted and thank you, Massa,” Zack whispered back.
“Ah, excuse us for the short notice,” Joe said.
Zack paused for a moment. “Joe, we’ve been wondering. Just who is us?”
Joe smiled and held out a cigar humidor. “Cubano?”
“Thank you.” Zack took six cigars.
“Think you got enough?” Jim mumbled.
Joe smiled. “Take all you want, plenty where those came from.”
Zack put five in his pocket, bit the end of one, lit it and said, “Good cigar.”
“The real thing.” Joe smiled and said, “So, Zackary, you received my fax.”
“Yes.”
Joe held up a small compact disc. “Zackary, remember I told you, the Pi people were putting some pieces togethergot an audio recording.”
Zack studied Joe, “I think I recall your sentiments, algo apesta en la pila de madera…so what stinks in the woodpile?”
“I think Benny is making his move,” Joe said.
Jim nudged Zack and muttered, “I told you he’s nuts. Let’s get out of here.”
Zack ignored Jim and said to Joe, “Is that why we’re here?”
“Yes. Listen to this recording. It’s garbled in places, some static, but with all we now know, the meaning is clear.” Joe blew cigar smoke toward Jim.
Zack exhaling smoke, “With all we now know?”
Joe said, “The events of the past few dayssince Friday. The so-called news story from Miami. The Channel 10 video of white cops brutalizing…”
Jim coughed on the cigar smoke and whispered, “This is insane.”
Joe put the audio stick in a small player on the table, paused, said, “This conversation was recorded aboard the President’s yacht three months ago, Sunday, May twenty-fifth. You’ll recognize the three distinct voices—Professor Leo Novak, General MacCallister and Dr. Barbara Lande.”
Zack: “Armstrong’s E.I.C.”
Joe: “You nailed it. With the events of this past Friday and Saturday the meaning is now unmistakable.”
Jim stood. “Wait a minute. How do we know who’s on this tape, where it came from? This is unadulterated bullshit.”
Zack jerked him down. “Sit down and listen.”
Joe said, “Novak speaks first—like I said, the recording is intermittent, we had a problem with the microphone on Benny’s yacht, but you can get the gist.”
He turned the machine on and they listened:
Lande: “It’s all perception, gentleman. Create the perception, and they’ll follow like sheep.”
Mac: “What about the goats?”
(Snickering)
Lande: “How do most people know for sure that China is really there? Read about it, see it on TV, scan the Internet–nobody feels the goods anymore. It’s all virtual, the only reality is water, fire, earth, the elements, atomic numbaahs, atomic weight, how they’re put together is all in the head of homo sapiens.”
Mac: “I’d say there’s a little more to reality than that.”
Novak: “Lande, I think you should stick with communications, lay off the science, and most of all get rid of those nasty cigars.”
Lande: “Brain tissue stirs ideas and out of the mouths of the word-making-mammal comes meaning, and the meaning becomes deeds put down toward the reordering of history that ends one reality and begins another.”
Novak: “And where is that from, Doctor?”
Lande: “My dissertation.”
Novak: “Let me recap what President Armstrong and I discussed this past week at Camp David.” He cleared his throat. “As you know, with the latest unconscionable act in France the President believes that the time is ripe for a conclusive solution to international bickering, economic chaos and insane hit skip terrorism. He has no doubt in his heart that it is his divinely appointed destinya unique moment in the annals of this planet, in the context of history, that is, to conceive a new world order, to move forward in our combined human evolution with freedom and democracy for all the earth’s people.”
(Static) Novak continued, “The President also desperately wants to make the streets of America safe again for the average freedom-loving Joe and Jane Doe. In tackling the knucklehead global bad boy syndrome at its root, he intends to forge a new world peace under American protections and freedoms at home and abroad.”
“He wants to utilize our cyber-attack superiority, the military’s satellite pre-emptive missile technology while we’re still on top.”
Lande: “I always liked up top best.”
Mac: “Jesus Christ.”
Novak: “So, Doctor Lande, why don’t you expand on this plan you have to accomplish the President’s mission?”
Lande: “As I was saying, gentlemen, it’s all perception (static)in roughly three months we’ll have(static) I’ll produce a video(static)routine traffic stopcops pull over a(static)buxom female”
Mac: “Professor, tell me I’m not hearing this”
Novak: “Just a minute, this is not a made-for-television movie script, Babs. Grasp the global aspect of our mission.”
Lande: “May I finish?(static)get the big picturesetting will be some remote area, nighttime, rough videowide shots”
Mac: “shittin’ me.”
Novak: “Then what?”
Lande: “The cops(static)will then have their way with the female driverher(static)bang her, blow jobdrug paraphernalia aroundleak the video(static)to a local TV station and, bingo, add water, stira feeding frenzy(static)President steps in”
Mac: “You gotta be off your Boston rocker. I can’t believe you”
Lande: “Why?”
Mac: “What cops are stupid(static)it’s a Section Eight.”
Lande: “General, the scene will be staged(static)actors(static)wet backs, drug addicts, porno star, snort of cocaine, few thousand bucks, whatever(static)they participate in a video. When it’s over, well, the lady will be history, and the would-be cops(static)you work out the details on that, Mac, dear.”
Mac: “Novak, this will get our(static)cut off. Leak to a TV station(static)past a receptionist let alone a news director. Besides(static)actors, drug dealers. How you going to keep them from(static)too many loose ends.”
Lande: “General, you have an explosive news video (static)get it to TV news director starved for ratingsexclusive story with red-hot videowham, bam, thank you, ma’am, second coming stuff, the actors will have a memorable time, one and only performance, know what I mean?”
Mac: “You’re certifiable”
Novak: “The general just said you couldn’t get it past a receptionist, let alone a TV news director.”
Lande: “Professor, that’sLet me explain, some(static)news director, dead last in the ratings, would give their firstborn(static)it’s called ratings, survival, you should understand survival, General.”
Mac: “Yeah, I do and this idea gets us(static)by the unsurvival nuts.”
Novak: “There is just one thing, Ms. Lande. What about your female victim? The media will be clamoring for her identity, now, won’t they?”
Lande: “Like I said—drug related. A hookersacrificegreater good”
Mac: “I’m not believingyou’re getting more ridiculous(static)”
Lande: “Why, General?”
Mac: “If you don’t see the holes in this so-called plan, you flat-ass just can’t see.”
Novak: “What about police recordsthey record(static)”
Lande: “No record existscover-up. Perfect. The community goes bananas. TV networks, cable, pick it up…media feeding frenzy… and(static)basic ingredientsanarchyinfiltrate protesters with our people(static)ball is then in your court, Professor. That’s when your habeas corpus and all that legalese(static)red-level terror alert Constitutional pizzazz kicks in.”
Novak: “Yes, domestic violence(static)when the legislature cannot be convenedexecutive emergency powers”
Lande: “Gives the President legal authority to(static)kick some ass, right, General?”
Mac: “Wellhe is the Commander-in-Chief.”
Novak: “It gives the President extraordinary powers to maintain the peace and security in times of domestic violence, external threats.”
Lande: “Whatever. Then a clincher…a major incidentwe’ll link terroristsresponsible”
Novak: “Incident”
Lande: “Chemical, biological(static)”
Mac: “Jesus Christ.”
Novak: “casualties?”
Lande: “Have to break some eggs tobaby cakesPresident can press his joystickorder invasions of”
“Mac: “Jesus Christ, Ithis is likemovie.”
Lande: “Better, baby cakes.”
Novak: “This fake news plan of yours, where would you startwhat city?”
Mac: “Novak, you can’t be going along with this lunacy.”
Novak: “Go on, Babs.”
Lande: “I did a little research. Happens to be a hot news battle in the Miami Florida (static)one TV station is getting its ass handed to it(static)sixth in a news rating’s war.”
Novak: “After the video is presented, then what?”
Lande: “Like I said(static)supplement the initial tape with few more staged incidents(static)key citiesTV news live-eye units roll(static) keep the press people busy with breaking news, air crashsabotagewhateverknock out a few key communication satellites. President(static)declares martial law, throw in a couple more fake incidents, label them terrorist(static)President orders strikes on (static)it’s really(static)duck soup, baby cakessheep to the slaughter, so to speak. American people will rally round Benny.”
Novak: “Sounds too simple, too easy. What do you think, Bill?”
Mac: “Those TV news people (static)…you’re not going to feed them anything. They verify(static)everything.”
Novak: “If your mother tells you, listen, but verify, isn’t that what they say, Babs?”
Lande: “That’s Ronald Reagan, Moon Man and Otto history, if it evah was true(static)hot news video(static)TV news people smell a scoop, slam dunk, get it on fast, first, beat the competitionself-preservation, survivalname of the game.”
Mac: “That’s bullshit, they still verify.”
Lande: “General(static) You know how they(static)a hot news story(static)leaked, whatevaa(static)they use that source as verificationso and so reports, ‘reliable sources say, unconfirmed reports told us(static)speaking toon conditions of anonymityJack Dick confirms, experts announce(static)fill in the blanks, General, like shooting fish in a(static)telling ya, baby cakes(static)kicker is, terrorist involvement(static)threat to national security, that’s the President’s excuse(static)to go global.”
Novak: “So, General, what do you think now?”
Mac: “Well, if this bean town hotshot is right”
Lande: “White House line will be that this is essential to preserve the Union, the peace, the family unit, democracy, hell’s bells, the children, apple pie, religion, democracy, our way of life.”
Novak: “And it is just that.”
Lande: “One thing can screw it up.”
Novak: “What’s that?”
Lande: “Time frame. All has to happen like a bat out of hell. Two days. Hands down, three (static)like I said(static)Labor Day weekend would be perfect. If it goes any longer than three days some drink water jerk journalist is gonna start asking questions(static)snooping around.”
Mac: “I can take care of communications links, satellites, Internet—that can go down anytime.”
Lande: “Not anytime. Friday (static)”
Mac: “right.”
Lande: “Like I said, it’s all perception, good people.”
Novak: “And so, Dr. Lande, just one thing concerns me.”
Lande: “What’s that?”
Novak: “What is the out for the President if this thing goes boo in the night?”
Lande: “Easy…some crackpot white supremacist Ku Klux(static)nut cakefaked a video, TV got snookered in, we all nearly got had. Lesson for the press. Ben’s clean as a Jayhawker’s dick.”
Novak: “You understand, Ms. Babs, if this doesn’t work we will all be hanged.”
MacCallister: “By the nuts.”
Lande: “Maybe you guys.”
Laughter
Joe turned the machine off.
Zack sat in silence for a minute, then stood, “When did you say this was taped?”
“Three months ago, May twenty-fifth.”
Jim smirked. “Three months ago. Why’d it take so long for you to get this so-called bombshell out?”
Joe said, “You heard it—all the pieces fit now, long weekend, Labor Day, the Miami copsthe videowhat do you need?”
Zack said, “Funny thing about deceit, once it’s put into words it has a dank stink about it.” His shoulders slumped, he didn’t know what to feel. Rage would be futile, fear would be stupid, pity was more like it. It’s a dream. He pinched his wrist. Nope. Pinched again. Fiction. Nope. He looked up to the ceiling. You writing this stuff?
Still doubting, Jim said to Joe, “I demand to know where that audio recording you have there came from.”
Zack shook his head and whispered, “He made it up.”
“We have sources,” Joe said.
“Who is we?” Jim said.
“I can’t go into that now.”
“Oh, wowhow do we know you’re not a fake?” Jim said.
“How do we know?” Joe turned to the lady escort at the door. “Please.”
She stepped to another door, opened it, and Kim entered the room.
Joe held his hand out. “Zackary, you remember Kim.”
She extended a hand, “Hello, Zackary.”
“Kimhow are you?” Zack stood and embraced her. “Meet Jim Roberts.”
Case said, “Tell them, Kim, where you got the audio tape.”
“Pi member, Ensign Kimberly Green taped this meeting aboard the President’s yacht.”
She locked eyes with Zack. He recalled her telling him she had been an Ensign, a Pi member.
Jim said, “Wait a minuteI don’t believe that.”
Joe leaned back, pointed his cigar at Jim and jokingly said to Zack, “Who is this guy?”
“Who the fuck are you?” Jim shot back.
Joe said, “Okay, hotshot, I wrote a script, we got three people to do dandy good voice impressions of Armstrong’s E.I.C. goons,, recorded it and all so Zack here could take you on a midnight cruise to Bimini, just to say surprise, surprise, just joking. Makes a lot of sense, don’t it, boy.”
“What! Boy! You big-foot fruitcake.”
Zack touched Jim’s arm. “Do you really want to quibble the matter, right now, in light of what is happening in Benny land?”
“No.”
“Thank you.”
“But I still don’t believe it,” Jim said.
Zack puffed his cigar. “Mr. Roberts, your objection is noted. Now please, shut up.”
Kim added, “Why would we go to the bother? Ask yourself that.”
Joe moistened his cigar with his tongue and studied Jim.
Zack sputtered, “I don’t know what to say. I have never not known what to say in my entire life.” He looked at Jim. “Have I?”
“Not that I know.” Jim shook his head. “This is preposterous.”
Zack looked at Case then Kim then Case. “Are you sureI mean”
“No,” Joe, agitated, said. “We made all this up to play a trick on you.” He held his hands out and shrugged his shoulders. “For what? Gimme a break, Zack, I have better things to do with my time.”
Lightning illuminated the night, the light bulb over Joe’s desk dimmed; in the distance it thundered.
Zack nodded. “We have to get back. I’m assuming you have a copy of this recording.”
“Yes, this one is yours, you better hurry.”
Joe took the audio stick from the machine and handed it to Zack.
Tucking the stick in his breast pocket, Zack said to Joe, “One thing’s bothering me.”
“Name it.”
“Why me?”
Joe smiled. “Cause I like you, booby.”
“Booby!” Jim shot up.
Zack paused then said to Joe, “We need a lift back to our boat.”
Kim said, “We’ll get you backbut there’s a pot full of U.S. Navy in the Atlantic, and” She pointed out the window. “Storm coming up. Be careful.”
Zack nodded. “Let’s go for a boat ride, Jimbo. This may be the biggest journalism day in your young life, mine, too.”