The camera focused on John as he began, “According to sources from the Vatican, the Pope of the Catholic Church has died. The cable we received states that he died at 7:21 AM central standard time. We have no additional details at this time but along with all the other stories from today, we will keep you informed as we receive further information.”
Chapter 29
7:45 AM Friday, Center City, Kansas City, Missouri – Aafre Waldger’s’ Suite
As the aide ushered in the entourage of Secret Service personnel into each room of the suite, the President stood at the door. They opened the closets and bathrooms, looked under the bed, moved the couches, looked out the windows, and closed the drapes in the room.
One agent said to the President, “It seems all clear, sir, but we need to station at least two men in the room.”
“That won’t be necessary, Agent Jones. I am quite sure that we are secure. If you insist on an agent, position yourselves outside the door. I need some privacy for now, please.”
“It is against the rules, Mr. President. I have to have an agent in the room near you. That is protocol.”
“As you wish, but may we have one in the bedroom there and he can shut the door? That is only a few feet from us in the unlikely event there is a problem.”
Jones thought about the request for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders, not wanting a confrontation over this with the President, and decided to give in, “Okay, Mr. President, I will compromise on your request.”
Jones pointed to the bedroom and told one of the agents to station himself there, off to the right of the suite. He then took the other agents, went out the door, and quietly closed it.
Stevenson looked over at Aafre and said, “Sorry, but this is the way it goes. I have little or no control over what they do or do not do. However, as I am sure you know, they do not talk and they ignore what is said or not said in my meetings.”
“I understand, Mr. President,” Aafre said. “We have similar precautions for our members and myself. Now, with that out of the way, would you like some coffee or something to drink?”
“Coffee would be fine, Aafre.”
“Help yourself and once you get your refreshment let’s sit over here in these two chairs by the fireplace. That way we can chat some before the meeting.”
Stevenson went over to the serving cart and poured out a cup of coffee, added creamer, then joined Aafre. As he sat down he said, “This is somewhat unusual, Aafre. Normally we do not directly associate ourselves together or we use intermediaries. You are being quite bold in tying us together publicly. Why the radical change?”
“At this point it makes no difference. The world’s political arena will be changing quite quickly and world opinion will be a moot point. Most will be more concerned how to survive from day to day than worrying about who talks to whom. In addition, as far as the media coverage is concerned, in a few days we will take care of that permanently. We will not have to worry about what the Americans say or hear on their massive communications networks.”
“So how do you see that occurring? They have freedom of press and can say anything they wish. This right of Freedom of Speech, as per our constitution, is an irrevocable right. Regardless of what is happening now, that will not change.”
“Let’s put that aside for now. We have other issues to deal with that you and I need to talk over and iron out before the meetings conclude on Sunday. This press issue will take care of itself.”
Aafre placed his cup of coffee down as he turned to the President, “What I want to discuss is the next few years.”
Aafre smiled at Stevenson who could tell that Aafre was pleased about whatever he was about to say.
“Before you came here today, I was thinking that since World War II, once inaugurated, the President of the United States became the most powerful individual on earth. One could say that you were the Caesars or Pharaohs of our modern world. Prior to America and the job you now hold, the British were the torchbearers. They pretty well ruled the world from their little island. They ruled a very large portion of the world by force, intimidation and of course stripped those countries of their resources. Nevertheless, like I said, after World War II, this ended and your country took the standard and became the leader of the free world. Since that time, we have had our group behind the scenes. We have made sure that the power of the Presidency in America and other Western Governments were under our influence. If not for our group, you would not have the position you have now; neither would your predecessors, or anyone else who wanted the job. The same goes for all the leaders of the western nations and of course a few others.”
Stevenson sat there thinking how full of himself Aafre was as he kept talking with his fake smile. The man disgusted him.
“Take for instance the president who grew up without a father or a mother who could barely support him. Then this same person becomes a Rhodes Scholar, a Governor, and then President. Any idea, Stevenson, what the chances of that happening is?”
“Never thought about it, Aafre,” Stevenson replied, as Aafre continued his story of how great he was.
“Then there was the President that may or may not have been even born in the United States, with a similar story. Single mother, no money, yet he goes to Harvard, and becomes a Senator. He won, of course, by default, after we got the goods on his competition’s divorce. The other candidate withdrew just before the election. Obviously, he won. Result, he served out a half a term then was, elected President. Now add to that the fact that he was half-black. What are the chances of that occurring, especially in America? Well it did. In addition, our people filled strategic positions in your government and other governments; many you don’t even know about, Stevenson.”
The President wondered who else Aafre had spying for him. He was also wondering why he had ever agreed to all of this to begin with.
“Well, you also Stevenson had absolutely nothing. We groomed you. Even as unlikely as it was to happen, you were accepted to Princeton on a full scholarship, then Harvard Law School. Although, if you remember, your grades were C+ or B- in high school, and I might add, not much better in college. If you remember, we changed those grades during the campaigns for you. That annoying reporter from Bear, John Roddenburg, somehow got a copy of your original transcripts. However, we took care of it, as we always do. We also had to keep you in line because your hormones were out of control. Stevenson, remember that one girl at the sorority party when you were at Harvard? She reported the incident between the two of you at 2:00 AM. She was in an accident by 4:00 AM. Our people covered it up, remember? But in spite of all this, you became president too.”
Aafre leaned in towards Stevenson, until their faces were within inches of each other. Stevenson had an urge to grab his neck and twist it because he was making him angry. Aafre seemed to have read his mind because he backed off a bit.
“How did it happen? Money, Stevenson, money is the real power and the only power. You, like many other world leaders, was groomed for your position. You were not elected because of your good works but groomed to do as you are told!”
Aafre picked up his cup, leaned back and took a sip, keeping the cup in his hands, and shook his head slowly as he stared into the cup. Stevenson knew he was waiting to see if he would lose it. He decided he would somehow control his temper and his words.
“You know, in reality, it is not necessary to even have Presidents, Prime Ministers, Kings, or Queens, other than the fact that the masses expect to have one. The reality is that it is money that makes the difference. Money, President Stevenson…this is where the real power comes from, as I just mentioned before. Money buys food, comfort, cars, TVs, toys and more importantly, power. Plenty of money to go around translates into happy people, happy politicians, and happy countries.”
As Aafre paused to readjust himself in his chair and take another sip of his coffee, Stevenson thought, ‘happy people.’ Why not just give them free drugs, but then again, maybe they
did.
“The same people who really run the world today financed the wars in our recent history, Stevenson. You probably do not know this, but financing was provided to all sides. For instance, Hitler was financed and so was Churchill, Roosevelt, and even Japan and Italy. The money all came from the same source. You see, Stevenson, with no money there is no war, period.”
Aafre’s eyes flicked away from the cup and looked directly at Stevenson. He was enjoying telling his story.
“The reason we do this is the eventual payoff. This is control of people like you and then of course the masses. You see, prior to World War II, we had a problem…actually several problems. The Jewish bankers controlled much of the world’s assets, along with the Bank of England, as did your Federal Reserve. Therefore, we looked at the world and settled on Stalin and Hitler. Stalin was not our first choice but he was in the running to start a new war. We lied to him and allied him with Germany. About midway in the war, he figured it out and came to us, begging. We let him switch sides. Nevertheless, this war needed to accomplish several things. First, get the Jews out of banking and seize their assets worldwide. We decided on Hitler for this job. He did a perfect job and he never knew he was being used. We gave him money and allowed him to bolster his economy and win the trust of the German people. We knew he would cause problems and we helped by carefully planting people in his organization to manipulate and make suggestions to him. Japan was trying to corner the financial markets so we needed to deal with them also. The other issue was that England controlled too much of the world and were becoming difficult to deal with. Therefore, Stevenson, with our money Hitler invaded Europe. Japan, in fear of being financially shut off, attacked America. The Italians were more than happy to befriend Hitler for money. Then Roosevelt, our man, entered the war.”
He was smiling, Stevenson noticed. Aafre seemed to like the memories.
“The result was as follows. The Jews lost their stranglehold on the world’s economies. England lost its colonies. Japan became a slave nation of manufacturers as China is today. The money, and all of it, is now in our control. The Jews were returned to Palestine and are now kept there. Unfortunately, the Jews established in America were now a problem. However, over time, and with money, consolidations, and buyouts, we were able to take them out of the banking, media, and movie business. There are exceptions but very few. The big six now own most of it.”
“Aafre, did you and your organization orchestrate the killing of all the Jews under Hitler?” Stevenson asked this, knowing the answer would irritate him.
“Yes, we did. We had to seize their property and erase any claim they may have. However, they were able to recover some of their property, but very little in the past seventy odd years.”
Well, he seemed proud of this. Stevenson felt he had been wrong in his assumption. Finally, he asked, “Aafre, how old are you?”
“What do you think, Stevenson?”
“Maybe sixty-five to seventy.”
Laughing, Aafre replied, “Well I guess I will answer it this way. Very old but then so are you. Now do not change the subject, Stevenson. The point of all this is that your position in the world exists because we wanted it to. This was told to you when you accepted our money to finance your campaigns. You agreed to follow our policies throughout your Presidency.”
As Aafre paused, Stevenson thought it was strange that he did not want to talk about his age. He was speaking as if he was there in World War II pulling the strings. That would make him well over a hundred years old.
“As of today, the tide of the world’s leadership is going to change, Stevenson, starting with America. Now, before you blow a fuse and do something stupid remember that we agreed to finance you through school, then the senate and all the way to the Presidency. We made it very clear who was in charge and what you were to do.”
Aafre waited to let that sink in. He could see Stevenson now squirming in the chair, beginning to feel quite uncomfortable and becoming angry. This was his signature trait. This is what he did to others who assumed that they were superior to him.
“Now, Stevenson, it is time to change the direction of the world. At this point, and we knew that eventually it would come to this, we need to consolidate all the worlds’ powers into one. That includes the United States of America.”
Stevenson sat there astounded and as Aafre spoke, all he could think about was that democracy was going to be gone. He then said to Aafre, “I knew the intent was to make the world one, but I thought America would be the standard bearer for that and it would be transparent. With the United States, you and the other members of your group would rule the world of economics, much like it is now using its politics. This is what your organization led me to believe. This is what I signed on for, not the U.S. being a third world country. Now you are saying there is a change of plans and my country will not be a player. That is insane. We have more power than any country in the world. If you added them all up together we would still have more power.”
“America will be a player, yes Stevenson, but not the way it is now. America will answer to a higher government that we will form. It will look sort of, as the U.S. has fifty states, which then make up the country. The new government will be formed using countries in a similar fashion. So instead of being a President your position will be more like that of a Governor, similar to the Roman Empire forms of Government.”
Aafre waited to see Stevenson’s reaction, which was what he expected. Stevenson face was turning red and that trait usually meant he was about to lose it. Aafre continued to push him as far as he could to see if he could get him to do or say something stupid. Angry people were easily manipulated.
“As for your other statement, yes, you still have the most powerful military in the world. For example, you could push the button on the football you carry and unleash your nuclear arsenal on the world. Nevertheless, if you did that, there would not be a thing left worth having. Might as well move the human race into caves, because that is exactly where those left would end up.”
Aafre made a harrumph sound. How self-centered, Stevenson thought.
“Look, Stevenson, you take away the missiles, and you have nothing. You owe every country on earth more money than you could ever produce in the gross national product in a hundred years. Your cities have sold your real estate, your toll roads, even your parking meters, to other countries in an attempt to offset your debt. Your bonds and treasury notes are worthless. On Monday, when trading resumes, they will be worthless. America’s credit is not good. You are bankrupt. Other than your military, you have nothing to offer the world. And now it is time to pay your debt.”
Stevenson was getting angry, too angry.
“In a few days, these hurricanes are coming as the Witnesses predicted. Your entire infrastructure will be in disarray. America will become like a third world country in just a few weeks. Americans are armed. They will fight amongst themselves, then against your military. They will be hungry. Their cars will not run for there will be no fuel. Their electronics will not work. The antiquated electric grid you have will not be able to withstand the destruction and the majority of the country will be in shambles. The largest part of your population lives in cities and suburbs dependent on those cities. Most of those people in your cities could not feed themselves in the wilds if they had to. Therefore, they will steal, rob, maim, and kill for a biscuit. Without our resources the disaster will be a hundredfold.”
Stevenson then snarled at Aafre.
“Now, Stevenson, I have a plan and you need to follow it. You will do as I say or what I just described will be ten to one hundred times worse, for we will isolate you one way or the other.”
“What do you want, Aafre?”
“I want you and the Vice President to resign, immediately.”
“What! Resign, why?”
“The reason, Stevenson, is that our timetable was a bit off. You see, we did not expect these Witnesses for a few more yea
rs and by that time, you would have been out of office anyway. Then the next person we selected would be President. We thought we had timed it correctly but missed it by a few years. So simply put, you are the wrong person in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“What if I say no, Aafre?”
“Is that your answer…no?”
“All I am doing is asking a question, Aafre.”
Aafre looked at Stevenson, and then decided that he would most likely now have to go to plan ‘B’ as with the Vice President earlier today. He decided to reason with the President instead.
“Look, Stevenson, let’s try and keep this civil. What I can do for you is find something in the Corporation for you, something you may like to do. Like cleaning up after these disasters, say with a billion-dollar budget. How about that? Would that work for you?”
Stevenson realized that in front of him was a man who could make sure that he had an accident, with just one word. As if reading his mind, Aafre said.
“Remember the young President who thought he was invincible, Stevenson? He did not like the rules. He wanted to create his own rules, including stopping the Federal Reserve which belongs to us. Remember what happened to him? Also, think back, Stevenson. Last night, did it ever occur to you that your security detail did absolutely nothing to protect you even though you were not the target? Other than the one rogue agent whose career will end in a few days, did you ever think about why they stood down on that stage?”
Aafre leaned back in the chair, looking at Stevenson. He could almost hear and see the gears working in Stevenson’s head. He was going to give in.
“No,” Stevenson replied, “It did not occur to me, at least not until now.”
Stevenson was thinking that Aafre was right; they had done nothing. That was not only unusual but also treasonous. In all of last night’s excitement and all the things going on, it had never occurred to him. He did not want to die; he had a family, a wife, and child. He looked at Aafre then made a decision.