energy generated by these farms of antennae…” he stares at their vacant expressions.
“Sorry, I won’t get too technical, but it manipulates the atmosphere. And they can do pretty much what they want. I suspect they have been doin’ this for a while. These waves are so powerful and dangerous that it can knock out a plane’s electronics too.”
Florian shakes his head in agreement.
“I think I’ve heard about this. That must be the death ray or the two are linked.”
Drew looks at him surprised.
He faces Griffin again and they all continue to stare at him.
Drew shakes his head.
“I can’t believe it. It all seems so… unimaginable. Why would they want to do that to us? Their own people?”
“Because somethin’ else is responsible. In control. I… I am not sure what exactly, but, urg, I don’t think it’s humans.”
Peter-John stops pacing and stares at him.
“You tellin’ us it’s the aliens?”
He stares at the floor.
Then faces the door.
He moves more to the wall.
“I… can’t… say. I’m not too convinced about the existence of aliens, but I am sure there is somethin’.”
He was about to sit down, but stops.
“Oh, urg, I almost forgot. I wanted to tell you about Iraq. I’m not sure if this is perhaps linked to the death ray, but… it’s strange. There are stories that many of the Iraqi’s surrendered without firin’ a shot.”
He scans the room.
Everyone was listening.
“These Iraqi soldiers were hidin’ in the mountains. The next day they all came out and surrendered. They were all bewildered.”
Peter-John starts pacing again.
He scratches his head.
Madison speaks.
“What was odd about it? They probably saw that they were outnumbered.”
He takes in her questioning gaze.
“Maybe. The strange thing though, urg, is that they all claim to have had terrible nightmares the night before the surrender; each and every one of them. As they surrendered, they all complained of headaches.”
“What has this got to do with the death ray?”
Drew confused.
He puts a piece of cold meat into his mouth.
“Thing is, outside the mountain, a few miles away, there was an American army vehicle with some strange antenna device mounted on top of it. The antenna was directed straight at the mountain. The Iraqis surrendered to the soldiers in the vehicle.”
He stares at the floor, shrugs, then heads back to his seat in the back of the room.
Emily gives him an assuring look and smiles.
She gets up and connects her memory stick to Florian’s laptop.
“I don’t have much to say. Just that you should be careful what you eat. Bein’ someone who absolutely adores food, I think it’s only fair that I share with you what I have discovered.”
She opens a file and an article pops onto the screen against the wall.
“I heard about this.”
That was Embeth.
“Yeah, I suppose many have. They have successfully made two burger patties and this with no real animal supplyin’ the meat; cooked it up in some laboratory.”
“That sounds nasty.”
Drew suddenly put off the cold meat that he was chewing.
He swallows hard.
“Yeah, apparently cost more than a house. Thing is, what I’ve learned about investigatin’ these odd things, is that when they make somethin’ public, it has probably been goin’ around for a while. I suspect that we’ve been eatin’ these lab patties for years. And it is dead cheap to make.”
“What do you mean? How would we be gettin’ these patties?”
Peter-John paces faster.
He stares at Florian.
Florian seems to have calmed down.
He remembers Florian mentioning something about food.
“Take outs. I won’t say names, but I’d stay away from those quarter pounders.”
She removes her memory stick and joins Griffin in the back.
“Florian, didn’t you have somethin’ similar regardin’ food?”
Florian nods yes.
He gets up.
“Sorry… for overreactin’ earlier. I apologize.”
“Sure, dude. No probs.”
Drew gives him a wink and smiles broadly.
“There is a reason why half the population can’t shake off this flu.”
He observes their intrigued impressions.
“They have been removin’ all nutrients from what we eat. Apart from that, all meat and milk have been injected with hormones. I can take a guess here and say that these hormones are no good for us.”
“They’re breakin’ down our immune systems?”
“Exactly. This has been happenin’ since 2011, 2012, perhaps even earlier. Next thing they’re gonna do, I am convinced, is remove all vitamins and mineral supplements from the shelves. Leave us totally vulnerable.”
“Actually, since before 2009.” This was Emily.
“You’re sayin’ they’re killin’ us off? How?”
Embeth curious.
“With somethin’ as simple as the flu. Or some other germ they probably cooked up in a lab.”
He goes silent.
Shrugs.
“Y’all watched Superman?”
“Big spoiler that was. His identity is suddenly known. Never in the history of Superman, was his identity known to those around him; especially not to Lois.”
Drew says dismayed.
“I think there is a reason behind it all. But that’s not what was curious. What was curious was that Superman had to protect the codex.”
“What’s the codex?”
“In the movie it was the DNA or so of Superman’s people. Back in reality, it’s a collection of internationally recognized standards, codes of practice, guidelines and other recommendations relating to foods, food production and food safety.”
They all look at him expectantly.
“Codex has brought back at least 13 of the prohibited substances and cleared it to be used for consumption. Things like aspartame in our flavoured water, potato crisps, etc. Aspertame is known for causin’ cancer and yet we all eat and drink it.”
“Has no one wondered why so many children are suddenly diagnosed and dyin’ of cancer?”
‘This is all so messed up. Why would they do this to their own people?”
“It’s like I told y’all. It’s not humans. It’s somethin’ else.” Shouts Griffin from the back.
“You just reminded me of somethin’ when you mentioned Superman.”
That was Peter-John.
He straightens himself.
“That General Zod looked very much like an Arab to me. What was more curious was that the language that appeared on the screens in the spaceships or whatever, appeared as if it was Arabic.”
“And your point?”
He shakes his head.
“I can’t say, but it almost seemed as if Superman was supposed to come and help us against the Arabs. The Muslims. That that was the programming. Subliminally.”
They all stare at him.
He continues to pace.
Madison starts.
“Just got an email from Babalwa. She says they suspect that there is definitely one of these HAARP farms right outside Cape Town. It seems these farms are a global phenomenon.”
Florian shrugs.
“The attack is global.”
Everyone goes quiet.
Griffin breaks the silence.
“Let me take you down to the bunker dad and I built.”
He gets up and heads to the kitchen.
He opens the back door and everyone follows him.
ب
He moves slowly down the stairs. Everyone else follows.
“Wait here.”
He disappears into the darkness, finds the light switch and
soon the room is filled with cool white light.
“Please come in.”
He gestures to the wooden camping chairs in the right corner of the room.
“Please sit down. Make yourselves comfortable.”
They all enter the room.
The girls all bunch together; Emily, Embeth and Madison. The boys explore the room.
“When did your dad start work on this bunker?” Asks Drew.
He fiddles with the things lying on a square table in the centre towards the left side of the room.
He looks up quick.
Confused expression on his face. His jaw tenses up.
He scratches his head.
Starts biting his nails.
“Dad didn’t start the buildin’, Pops actually did, back in the 80’s. He said we had to be prepared for when World War III began. He died before he could finish it though. Dad continued workin’ on it. I helped. We completed in in 1991, right after the Cold War.”
He offers the girls some water.
“Drink. Please.”
“How much food and water have you got in this place?” Peter-John, takes of his spectacles and wipes it with his blue, cotton shirt.
“Don’t know. We have been stockin’ the place for a while. We used them as time went on and replaced what we took with fresh ones.”
He hands a bottle of water to Drew and then sits flat on the floor.
Drew says thanks.
Starts twisting the cap of the bottle, but seizes suddenly. Looks up into the light and then sort of jumps to a few crates to the side.
He wants to cover his head, but noticing the confused expressions on the others, he grins.
“Lost my… my… balance. Sorry.” He wants-wants to look up, but rather keeps his eyes fixed on the floor.
He opens the bottle and takes a sip.
He looks up slowly.
Only one still watching him, was Peter-John.
What forms on his lips, then a grin as he rolls his eyes.
Peter-John continues to stare, but then smiles and shakes his head.
You’re crazy.
He focuses on the girls.
They were chatting as usual. Embeth was the loudest. Now and again, Madison would look his way, smile with her eyes a flutter, and then shyly look away.
Peter-John was not sure what it all