Simone did not remember passing out; he was surrounded by people in the park, and a paramedic was examining him. He was being prepared for a stretcher, and transport to hospital when he assured the medic that he had had a little too much to drink the night before, and had stumbled into the bushes and slept off the alcohol. He was helped to his feet and he thanked everyone for their concern as he headed back to his residence. He didn’t get there on this occasion.
Chapter 2
Zara passed comment on the episode. “Simone is an intelligent subject, yet he took time to connect the headset to the device. We must make that more obvious. It will suffice for the disciples we seek, but it must scream out at the subjects who will constitute the following flock. Colour coding and more blatant male/female geometry should help. The same comment can be made about the second test, as less intelligent people will form a large part of our first phase of the campaign. The third test will be assessed differently. If he responds acceptably to reinforcement of the ‘Truth’ while in a state of engagement, we can expect lower I.Q. subjects to be even more pliable. If not, we must consider a different parameter than intelligence to arbitrate on subject selection.”
All but one nodded and closed their notebooks. The comment created a wave of uneasiness in the group. The female researcher was not put off, and the lack of response prompted her to repeat her assertion. “It seems obvious to me that the characteristic of emotional control is likely to be more reliable than blanket I.Q. selection in the reinforcement stage.” She was on the verge of leaving with the rest when Zara asked her to stay.
“I’m prepared to hear why you persist with this notion, and how you propose to categorise subjects on this basis, when we move from single conversions to larger and larger groups. What is your name?”
Her confidence suffered a wobble but recovered. “Naomi Boniface. I am pretty sure….”
Zara cut her off as a traffic controller would with a ‘halt’ hand gesture. “Don’t be pretty sure, be absolutely sure. That’s why you are paid so well, and it is what I expect. I don’t want my staff to simply agree with me, as the rest of your colleagues have just done, but when a challenge is offered, I want it to be something I can expect to be capable of evaluation. Go – think about your proposal and update me within two days.” She departed with a cold shiver, courtesy of Zara’s menacing smile.
*
Pierze was continually obsessed with trends, both social and political. His collection of raw data on such broad spectra had to be massaged into meaningful categories before he was presented with analytical comment. The one which caught his eye this month was the relative rates of growth of the electronics sector in Iberia and Orient. Allowing for the much lower starting point of Orient and the vast difference in population density, he was still surprised that the predicted crossover point with political shift to democracy was dramatically shortened. He decided to re-prioritise the entire programme to flesh out this trend with more specific research, particularly breaking down the sector into discrete technologies.
*
When Alberto Simone was nearing the park exit closest to his residence, his communicator ringtone disturbed his train of thought. “Hello, Simone here.”
“The Truth is elusive.” Simone suffered another momentary mental blackout. He was not to know his communicator had been modified during the first two tests. “Illusion confronts us at every turn. Salvation will come gradually within the Circle of Light. You are chosen. Do not spurn the one and only opportunity to be enlightened. The time to decide is upon you. Your response is required.” Simone was comfortably confused; it was felt as engagement of pleasant curiosity. He slurred his words.
“What must I do to know more?”
“Proceed to the Chapel of the Truth.”
“I, I do not know where that is, please give me…”
“You are resourceful. You will find it. If you do not - then you are unworthy.” The line went dead.
*
Ricardo Pierze and Lionel Zara were each contemplating the future – from very different locations and the opposite sides of the situation. Pierze was surrounded by operatives who lived in a relative comfort zone, while outwardly exuding dedication and efficiency. The complex hierarchical command worried Pierze. It would vastly outnumber that of the potential threat at present, and the price of such complacency could be very heavy indeed. He recognised the gradual drift to a ‘cry wolf’ syndrome – and continual emphasis on a nebulous prediction would actually have the opposite effect to that which was desired. He preferred to keep counsel with only his small team, which had lived through the narrow margin of previous success, at least for now. He was almost impatient for something to happen.
Lionel Zara would exploit the advantage of an almost vertical chain of command. His main concern was to achieve a significant momentum before the authorities realised there was a problem. The technology was not the concern; it would take time, but it would emerge. The means of creating a ‘new religion’ from within the people – an apparently self-generating, innocent hope was the real challenge. Such faith had to pass through the Pierze scrutiny firewall until it was too late to halt the tide. He was certain that the fatalities amongst protestors within Futureworld had been the undoing of the previous campaign. There would be no repeat of this. He had to nurture the Circle of Light as the choice of the people at all times. This was his paradox; the vertical command of millions in the shortest possible time.
This was the arena which beckoned the two gladiators. They were each familiar with their adversary, and yet this was only useful up to a point. The last battle was fought with a known threat but no idea of the identity of the foe. The current vacuum represented precisely the opposite.
*
When Alberto Simone eventually arrived back at his residence he realised he was extremely hungry. As he prepared some cereal and coffee, he tried unsuccessfully to banish the assertion that if he could not find the Chapel of the Truth, he would be unworthy. He simply couldn’t rid himself of the intrigue implied. Finally, he made the connection indirectly – he asked himself – ‘How did they know my communicator number?’ Once on this train of thought he checked the device; it led to the logical discovery that satellite coordinates had been entered into the appropriate application. Although they didn’t specify the target, he knew for certain he had not entered them himself. With his sustenance only partially consumed he checked out the location on his communicator. It wasn’t too far away, and toward the other side of town. The urge to investigate further was so compelling that he departed without finishing his cereal. On the way, he tried to rationalise what had happened over the last twelve hours, and why he was unable to let go of this highly suspicious chain of events. He eventually settled for the probability it was merely his perennial obsession with needing to solve a problem, now that it existed. Marginalising the close brush with death vaguely drove him to an expectation of some reward.
When he arrived, his first thought was that the building was unremarkable, if not dilapidated. He had somehow visualised a much more pretentious context to match the imagined image of the Circle of Light. The large, creepy-looking door was locked and he walked around the grounds. At the rear he met a gardener who was engaged in superficial maintenance of the untidy borders. “Excuse me, I’ve been asked to come here to meet someone. Would you know if there’s anyone inside?”
The rather skeletal individual was startled by Simone and appeared to be very nervous. “I know nothing of the building Sir, I am not employed here. I only do voluntary work to keep the place tidy.” As the gardener turned back to his toil, a figure, attired as one would expect a clergyman to be, beckoned him while indicating the need to avoid attracting attention. The previously locked door was now standing slightly ajar and he followed the priestly figure inside. The interior looked nothing like a chapel or church, except for the pew-like seating arrangement. He was led to a side chamber, which was spotlessly clean and full of technical equipment.
The contrast with the rest of the building strangely produced a sense of foreboding. Without uttering a word the ‘clergyman’ bade him to sit in a seat which resembled a dentist’s chair, and left the room. Simone did not accept the invitation to sit. It was fully five minutes before an individual he thought he recognised from the previous tests entered and welcomed him. The voice was not that of the person extoling the virtue of the Truth. “Thank you for coming. I have been asked to conduct the third test – that is assuming it was the reason you came?”
Simone hesitated. “Well, I suppose you could say that my curiosity is aroused, but I’d like to know a little more about the purpose of the tests, especially as I seem to recall the first two not being voluntary.”
The technician stalled. “I am sorry but my only remit is to conduct the test.”
Simone began to back-pedal. “I’m not comfortable in taking another test similar to that with the drill unless I have some idea of the purpose or verification that it would’ve shut off, had I failed to grasp the solution. Surely that’s reasonable?” The white-coated man was steadfast.
“I can only repeat what I have already said - my remit is only to conduct the test. Would you like to speak with someone else or perhaps come back at another time?”
The tug of war between curiosity and fear culminated in requesting conversation with a person who could answer his questions. He waited in isolation for almost fifteen minutes, and then his communicator rang. It was the voice he expected. “Welcome once more friend. I am told you have doubts.”
Simone wasn’t happy that he couldn’t put a face to the voice. “Not so much doubts as questions. I haven’t been given any explanation of the reason for my involvement with you or the repeated reference to the Circle of Light and the Truth. I believe anyone would find this strange.”
The silence was awkward and Simone said, “Hello, are you still there?” The reply came immediately and there seemed to be a more sympathetic intonation.
“I can certainly tell you more of the Circle of Light. As far as your involvement is concerned I have already informed you that you were chosen – and that is all that needs to be said. You are free to choose your path.” A cautious Simone asked for more information on the Circle of Light.
“We are of one mind, which deals in the Truth. Other faiths demand belief before acceptance, which can only be truly delivered after death. There is considerable and growing disaffection with this kind of spiritual bargain. The Truth is inescapably enshrined in the laws of physics with respect to our existence. If we breathe poisonous gas or touch high voltage cable, we will die. We are also dying from the moment we are born. There are ways in which medical science can prolong this period, not all of which seem to be without consequence. We believe that people should always have access to truth in these matters, and in that spirit they are elevated to the Truth. In all other faiths the Great One is never accountable for disaster, but always credited with wonder. Civilisation is a word whose definition is rooted in progress, yet since mankind became agrarian and abandoned the nomadic life we have relentlessly diluted ‘society’ and corrupted the natural world on which we depend. We must ask ourselves – ‘Is society not supposed to be one of the benefits of civilisation?’ We also owe it to ourselves to question how this rape of the planet will end; it surely was not in the grand design at the beginning? Our philosophy is simple. The great one will not save us from ourselves. We must embrace the Truth and deal with its laws as commandments; we must begin to pay off the mortgage for the civilisation we have taken out over the centuries. The species is under threat from itself. The more our flock grows – the greater the Light of our Circle – and the more we can welcome those who wish to deliver change. We do not discriminate between or deny anyone’s religious leanings. The two faiths do not have to be mutually exclusive. We do however stress that ours will be judged within our lifetime and that of our grandchildren. Finally, I would urge you to consider that no matter how unpleasant it may be, the Truth is simple, it is the bending of it to comply with objectives of control which cloud the sky.” Simone was aware of another mini-blackout, but only just. He wasn’t aware of why he was no longer confused with any aspect of the last twenty-four hours.
“I’m ready to take the third test.”
A third chamber was windowless and devoid of light. He was led to an enclosure and then halted and given the familiar headset. Before he could articulate the question, he was in receipt of the answer via the headset. “The Truth requires that you are absolutely certain of your desire to continue. The test will be explained and if you decide to withdraw you must leave and never return. If you elect to continue the test must be completed. The most common obstacle within any faith has always been fear of the unknown. It may however also be considered as the foundation for believing – the ‘I have nothing to lose syndrome.’ We must all clear this hurdle in one way or another. All members of the Circle of Light need to convince themselves through this test. We all seek to know what, if anything comes after death. If you proceed to the enclosure we will take you there. You will be put into gradual stasis and then briefly experience the state of being clinically dead before being revived. This will potentially allow you to glimpse the alternative to being alive, or conclude like many of us that there is nothing to glimpse. At that point you may accept or decline the final ceremony to membership. Should you declare you have indeed glimpsed evidence to support another faith you will be encouraged to return to the life you already have. If however you still wish to join with us, you may pledge acceptance of the need to subordinate this faith to that of the Circle of Light. It is not necessary to renounce the other faith, but it may limit your involvement in certain activities if conflicting priorities develop. In such circumstances, you may be offered a fourth test, which would result in a definite pass or fail judgement. You must now ask any final questions you may have before proceeding to the enclosure or the exit to the building.”
Simone was not unduly shaken by the prospect of ‘momentary death’ but did want to know if there were instances of failure to revive any subjects.