Mark seemed still in a daze and he finally leaned over and said, “I don’t think the security guard saw Gabriel and Ariel in the car, but they were in plain sight. But you and I could see them.”
“Well Mark, now maybe you realize that behind us is the power of God.”
Chapter 23
9:40 AM EST New York - Bear News Viewing Room
They cut to a commercial; John Roddenburg came out from behind the news desk and walked to the door leading into the glass-enclosed room. He opened the door and walked in, with his hand outstretched. He looked directly at me as he said, “You must be Jack South.”
I reached out, shook his hand, and said, “Yes I am.” I added, “Thanks for having us on such short notice Mr. Roddenburg.”
“Call me John,” he said. “All my friends do.”
“Okay, John it is.”
He looked over at Mark and said, “You are?”
Mark replied, “I am Mark Anderson, Mr. South’s legal advisor.”
“Well, pleasure to meet you,” he said, as they shook hands. “Will you be a part of the interview coming up here soon?” he asked Mark.
“No, I am just observing and taking notes in case the bureaucrats try to do something stupid.”
“I know what you mean Mark.”
He turned back to me, “Jack, we should be through with the President’s speech commentaries in a few minutes. Then we can chat for a few minutes and you can give me the agenda you think I need to have for our interview. We will then go on live television in about an hour or so. In addition, since we are doing your interview without planning it and with all the news, we will be doing it in parts. Therefore, it will be interview, commercials, news updates, and so on. Then we will probably air it in full several times over in the next few days. Is this all okay with you?”
“In its entirety?”
“Yes, in its entirety.”
“Then sure John, this will work for me,” I said.
“You know my producer told me to tell you, Jack that almost every television in the world is going to be tuned in. You are big news Jack, big news. Are you ready for that?” he asked.
“Yes, and that is what we expected. Especially from your show John, we know you will let the truth out.”
“Well in the meantime, there’s coffee, cold drinks and snacks over there,” as he pointed to a small room off to the right. “Please help yourselves and we will chat soon.”
As John Roddenburg left, I asked Mark, “Coffee?”
He nodded his head and said, “Sure, why not?”
Chapter 24
4:45 PM CEST Brussels - The Waldger Group Corporate Headquarters
David Matthews was still monitoring the events on Bear News about the California disaster and the video about Jack’s interview with The Network that morning. His phone rang. It was Betty from the headquarters building located a few blocks away on the Waldger campus. She said that he was needed at the conference room there in fifteen minutes and that a car was just about there to pick him up. She also told him to bring whatever he had to date on Jack South with him. Mr. Waldger would be expecting a complete update. David told her that he would be downstairs in a few minutes and hurriedly grabbed the files he had been accumulating on Jack South. He had his assistant copy and email them to Aafre’s assistant to be distributed to the attendees at the meeting.
David assumed the meeting was being called on an emergency basis for in all his years, the director had never once called an impromptu meeting. He also assumed that everyone was being brought together. Many would be attending via a secure conference line from other parts of the globe. It would normally take two, maybe three days, to get everyone here. The first part of the meeting would probably be to watch the interview with Jack South by John Roddenburg at Bear News.
Afterwards, there may be some very hard questions directed at him. David hoped he had the right answers. He grabbed his laptop as he walked out of his offices: then getting on his cell phone, he called the contact who the Group had monitoring Jack in New York.
As he hurried down to the car, it dawned on him that he was not usually invited to the conference room as a participant; so there must be something up that would allow the real powers of the world to include him. He was both concerned and elated that he might finally find out exactly who was who in this group. He knew the leader. He had been hired by him personally, several years ago, like many of the other members as well. However, he also knew that by taking the job, he had made a lifetime commitment and that he had to be very secretive about what he did for them. He could not even share any details with his wife or family.
The phone was ringing on the other end. Finally, Presley answered in New York. “Presley, it’s David. I wanted to let you know I am on my way to a closed-door meeting. I also wanted to check and see if you had any updates for me on Jack South.”
Presley replied that he was outside the corporate headquarters of Bear News and that prior to Jack arriving at the Bear News building, a huge crowd had amassed outside and it was close to a riot when their car pulled up and security had to rush them inside. Presley then described the atmosphere outside the studio. “There were a lot of people with homemade signs for and against Jack. The crowd has swelled to well over a thousand people outside the studios in the past hour or so. Just so you know, David, we are trying to get into the studio. Security is very tight and the doors are actually locked and manned. We have called one of our people who should be able to get us in another way, so we can monitor what is happening in there. Oh also, his attorney is still with him. That’s about all we have right now.”
“Thanks Presley. I appreciate your diligence on this. By the way, for the next few hours, my cell will be off. If something urgent happens, please call my direct line and Sheryl will pick up. It is okay to speak to her. She is my personal assistant.”
“Will do,” Presley replied, as he hung up.
David walked out the door to the waiting car that was there to pick him up. He opened the back door and slid into the seat before realizing that in the car with him was another man; it was Cardinal Luke Richital from Rome.
Chapter 25
9:50 AM EST Washington, D.C. - White House, the Oval Office
The President and Jamal Jones, director of Homeland Security, were having an off the record meeting in the Oval Office. Jamal assumed it was about Jack South, but he waited for the President to speak. He had known and worked with Stevenson since he was in the State Legislature in Illinois. Stevenson had been very vocal on state issues from early on in his career, and in a short time had reached star status in the state until he was eventually elected Senator. It seemed to Jamal that since he had known him, Stevenson just seemed to get things done. Stevenson was very popular and good looking. He was six feet two inches tall and appeared to stand even taller. He had little body fat, and weighed around 180 pounds or so. His balding top only seemed to add to his stature as the years went by.
About eight or more years ago, the Democratic Party decided that Stevenson should run for President. Jamal became his campaign manager in Illinois. In the process, he, like Stevenson, learned that in order to get to the presidency you had to take orders. They figured it out and played the game. After the election, Jamal was appointed as Director of Homeland Security for all his years of service with Stevenson and helping to get him elected. Like others who attach themselves to a rising star, Jamal did so willingly. To him, Stevenson was his star. However, he still had his own ambitions too.
“Jamal,” the President said. “You and I are going to go down to the War Room alone and will be attending a video conference with The Waldger Group that is in Brussels. During that conference, we will also be watching to see what Jack South is saying in his interview on Bear News. It is important that we understand what this person’s agenda is and how it is going to affect all of us in the coming days. There is something different going on here. I think we are dealing with a power that is helping him and that we ha
ve prepared for all these years. If Jack is who we think he may be then we cannot even begin to stop him and his ability to cause destruction for the next three plus years.”
“What are you talking about?” Jamal asked. “Why could we not stop him?”
“Jamal, we all knew that one day we would have to fight a war not of this world. That is what we have prepared to do for hundreds of years. For instance, the ICBM System was built just for this purpose, to protect us from something not of this world; not the crap fed to the public about protecting our shores from nuclear attack. Unfortunately, Jamal, the person we suspect Jack South to be may have the power to torment us for some time. However, after he is gone, assuming he is the one, we will prepare for that final battle against his masters, which we will win. We will then set up the perfect government and turn the earth back into an Eden.”
“That is all supernatural to me. I mean, I have read the Bible, but I thought the Catholic Church said all that stuff had already happened in Revelations and that none of this was relevant to what they call the last days.”
“Well they are wrong and we know they are; and so do many powerful men in the Church. However, if the time is now and our nemesis from another world is setting the time clock, then we have to be ready to act. We will only get one chance. So keep all this in mind today during the interview and during the conference.”
“I will do my best sir. Are we ready to go now?”
The president looked at Jamal with a worried face and said, “Yes, let’s go. They are waiting for us.”
Chapter 26
9:55 AM EST New York - Bear News Viewing Room
John Roddenburg was winding down comments on the presidential Rose Garden speech and giving an update on the carnage in California, along with clips from the internet of my interview with Brad. Then, his co-anchor took over and offered even more coverage for the viewers from California, including press releases provided by FEMA headquarters in Washington.
Mark and I were sitting inside the room with the coffee and snacks. I was actually hungry. It was almost 10:00 a.m. and other than the donut hole in the Teal Room I had eaten, I had had nothing else to eat. Therefore, the fruit and pastries were looking good. I helped myself to a plate full. Mark just sat quietly drinking a cup of coffee, loaded with sugar.
John Roddenburg walked in smiling and asked, “You two doing okay? Do you need anything else? If you do, I can send a runner out to get it for you,” as he busied himself getting some ice in a cup and then poured himself some soda.
John looked up at me, then pointed over to a small table in the room with some chairs around it, “Let’s talk; we have about thirty minutes till we go live. Oh Jack, one more thing before I forget, we have all the graphics and the software your people sent. We hooked up a computer and a large viewing monitor that we use in the newsroom. You can use it if you like. Want to tell me what they are for, Jack?”
Direct and to the point, well that was John, I thought. As we all sat down, I answered, “They are for the viewers to understand what is going to happen next. In addition, we would like a climatologist or meteorologist for the interview, if you have one available, for I only know specifics, not scientific details. I am not sure I can explain the far-reaching effects.”
“So, is it weather related?”
“Yes, it is all weather related for now.”
“So what else is going to be occurring? Can you give me some insight into your next prediction? At least, I assume you are going to predict something else.”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the three pages of printed instructions, and handed them to John.
“Read this and then you will know why we will need to get the message out.”
John Roddenburg unfolded the pages and started reading. You could actually see the color draining from his face. His jaw tightened and he ran his fingers through his hair. He finally looked up at me and said, “Is this for real Jack? This is scary and it is not limited to a specific area. This has worldwide implications.”
I looked at him and, then said, “John, this is the way it is going to be, and to a ‘T;” no exceptions, and no misunderstandings.”
“I understand now why you need help Jack, but I am not sure I know what it all means either. So we need, as you say, some expert advice. This is really short notice, but then this whole thing is.” He thought for a moment and said, “I will see if I can get one of our meteorologist guys over here in a hurry. They usually have the midday and afternoons free.”
“That would help John, because I want your viewers to be able to understand.”
“I’ll get right on it. By the way, we are broadcasting every few minutes that you are here. We are even going live on the radio with our affiliate stations. I did want to ask you though, how long do you think the interview should last?”
“Well, that is up to you. When you are through asking questions, we will leave. You will have done your job and we will have done ours. But we need some ground rules.”
“Like what?”
I replied rather sternly, “First, I will do my best to answer the questions about California and the messed up interviews at The Network. Then I will answer the questions about what we are about to tell the world. However, if I say that I cannot answer any question or I do not know the answer, then you stop. There will be no going after a question that I will not give an answer to. Just move on to another subject or, as earlier today, the interview will end. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
Getting up, John said, “I’ll be back in a few minutes. We are going to use the interview room upstairs. A page will come to escort you both; and oh, by the way, we were able to assemble the panel we called you about putting together. So is that still alright with you?”
“Yes, that will be fine John.”
“Thanks Jack. I’ll be back soon.”
As he was leaving, I got his attention again and said, “No tricks John; straight and to the point.” He shrugged and nodded yes and then walked out of the room. I assumed that he went to get his resources together.
Mark looked at me and asked nervously, “Can I read that paper?” I reached back in my pocket and handed it to him, hoping that he would not have a heart attack and die on me.
Chapter 27
5:05 PM CEST Brussels - The Waldger Group Corporate Headquarters, 42nd Floor
As their car drew up to the headquarters building in the center of the campus of The Waldger Group, David looked over at the Cardinal. There still was not a word or an expression from him, nothing. He just sat staring out the window. If it were not the fact that he could see him breathing, David would have thought he was dead.
The car stopped at the entrance and as David opened the door, the Cardinal made the sign of the cross, and then reached for a briefcase he had lying on the floor. He then exited the car and followed David into the building.
Once inside, a stern looking security guard asked, “Names, please?”
“David Mathews.”
He then asked for an ID and David handed him his corporate ID card. The guard ran it through a scanner, looked down at the screen, and then as he handed the ID back said, “Thank you, Mr. Matthews.”
The security guard then turned to the Cardinal and said again, “Name please?”
“Cardinal Luke Richital, from Rome,” he said, and handed him a card, which was also scanned. The guard politely asked the Cardinal to remove his head covering, since in his picture, he did not have one. The Cardinal removed his hat, and then immediately placed it back on his head.
The guard said, “Thank you, Cardinal.” He told them that they were to go to the elevators to his right and proceed to the 42nd floor where they would get further directions.
As they moved towards the elevator, David noticed the Cardinal looking at him in a strange way. Finally, he asked, “Who are you? What do you do for the company? I have never seen you before.”
David politely replied, “As you heard, my name is D
avid Matthews, but the rest you will have to ask someone else. What I do for the company, I am not allowed tell you, as per corporate instructions.” This seemed to pacify the Cardinal as both men stepped into the elevator.
They rode non-stop up to the 42nd floor. Actually, there were no other floor buttons on the elevator, but for the 42nd floor. When the doors opened, they were met by a man fully armed with an automatic rifle, which was strapped across his shoulder and a small handgun at his waist. He looked like GI Joe in a suit. Like the security guard at the reception area downstairs, he seemed as if he could eat them both for dinner if he chose to do so. He must have noticed David staring at his armaments. He quickly got his attention by looking directly at David and then, with a swagger only a man like that could have, said, “Please follow me.”
They went into a large room with various other doors that had numbers displayed in the center of each. These doors surrounded the room, all the way around. He addressed the Cardinal, “You can use room number three.” Then, turning to David, he said, “You can use room number seven.” He followed up with, “Someone will be here shortly to direct you to where you need to go.”
David walked into Room 7, which was empty except for a chair and a small table. Having been there before on the day he was hired, and remembering what to do, he put his laptop and files on the table, and undressed down to his skivvies. He had just finished, when two men came in and without a word, went through the laptop, his clothes, pants, and shirt pockets. They asked him to stand on the chair and then passed a wand over his body to make sure that he did not have any contraband, weapons, listening devices, and so forth. It was worse than an airport. David then instinctively bent over and pulled down his underwear while they poked into his anus. Finally, they told him to get dressed. There was some toilet paper and disinfectant on the table, and a trash receptacle for him to use. When David was finished, he got dressed and sat in the chair. A few moments later, another military, beefy like man came and said, “Please follow me.”
David was led into a very large conference room in a different part of the 42nd floor. It was lit up with TV monitors all over the walls and a very large one in the center. It looked as if there were around seventy-five to eighty seats. There were microphones set up at each seating place, along with a green writing pad, a small desk light, pens, a drinking glass, pitcher of ice and sparkling water. There was also a receptacle for power and an internet connection. The chairs were very comfortable looking, done in a soft green felt with solid walnut wood frames. The table seemed to be almost thirty feet in length, going down two sides and enclosed by about ten feet on the ends making a rectangle. He was definitely impressed.