The MMG
By Mike Damm
This novel is a work of fiction. The characters, names, incidents, dialogue, and plot are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.
Copyright 2015 by Mike Damm
July 2015
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To Susan, who inspires me every day
Prologue
2018
Aiah could not believe his luck. He had stumbled onto the greatest secret the world had never known. In 2008 he had become a member of a networking organization called the MMG, short for the Mastermind Group, which projected itself as a group of world leaders coming together for the betterment of all. They hosted a public conference once a year to exchange ideas and to foster a global unity, but behind the scenes they were creating world change.
Aiah had eventually discovered the vehicle, called a Run, which was used to create change; a vehicle that enlisted the help of many, but hid the truth from all. An assembly line of change where each person did their small part without even realizing they were a cog in the machinery for market manipulation, insider trading, espionage, and assassinations. Aiah also learned who the lead Run planner was, John Bettle.
John Bettle had been an MMG’er for many years. He personally was blackmailing the MMG leadership to stop assassinations and war mongering. They had been involved in most of the world events since the mid-50s, when the group had formed. They were involved in the murder of JFK, ruined LBJ and Agnew, set up and exposed Nixon, manipulated the markets in the 70s, 80s, 90’s and beyond. The tech bubbles, the sub-prime bubble, and Bettle personally orchestrated the market Flash-crash of 2010. No one ever knew of MMG involvement, the MMG controlled media made sure of that.
Bettle was dying and needed to pass on his blackmail control over the MMG. He had chosen 2 interns that had worked for him in the late 1980s. Aiah needed to eliminate Bettle’s blackmail threat to remove the hold, and use the MMG Run process that he had uncovered to take over world control.
Chapter 1
2018
It had been 32 years since Melanie Price had last seen Jonathan; Jonathan Bettle, her first boss and her only real love. He had asked her to come see him at Saint Mary’s hospital, part of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota. She was in a taxi, taking the few mile ride from the airport to the Mayo complex. She could not help asking herself, what was she doing? It had taken years for her to get over him – run! Why was she going to see him now? So what if he was dying, why would she see him again only to lose him once more?
The first day of her adult life took place June 28th, 1986 when she was 21. It was the day she realized she was in love with him. In May of that year she had landed a college intern position during the summer of her junior year at Northwestern University in Chicago. The intern location of Dubuque Iowa seemed strange for an international company that specialized in economics and global investing, but you go where you can.
When she was introduced to him she remembered how guarded he seemed, like he was manufactured, not real. At first he was a puzzle; within 4 months they would have a connection that only people that truly love each other can share. There was no sexual relationship, yet many intimate parts of life were shared; including love, faith, family, friends, even past sexual relationships. The term emotional affair had been mentioned later in life that helped her understand their relationship. He was 28 years her senior and was married; she had a boyfriend back in Chicago.
It all started as a simple friendship. They had review time and would go outside during the day to discuss her work and have a cigarette, and they would end up talking about anything. They shared personal stories and eventually some secrets. It seemed like it was all good clean fun until she realized that talking to Jonathan was more important than talking to anyone else, including her significant other. By the end of the work day she would have nothing to talk to her boyfriend about; everything was already discussed, or Jonathan would be the subject. Her girlfriends starting asking who Jonathan was; she did not even realize how much she was talking about him.
Going back to school that fall was the hardest thing she had ever done. At first she wanted to call him, tell him how hard it was to not see him; he was her best friend, damn it. What do you do when your best friend is the one you can’t talk to anymore; the one causing your pain, who do you talk to then? Loneliness, depression, loss; life would lack joy for a long time.
The taxi was pulling up to Saint Mary’s Hospital. It was time to see him again. Earlier she had been so confident that she could handle this. She knew there was an emotional door inside her that had been shut for over 30 years, but she did not expect that door to start rattling. The emotions wanted out, the mind wanted to protect the rest of the body, and the heart seemed to just want to be near him. There were so many butterflies in her stomach she was about to be sick.