Fri, 23 September 2005  Chapter 5 - "The Tasking"Comments[0] |
Fri, 23 September 2005 Chapter 4 - The Proposal (Where?)
The room was silent aside from Franc's detailed proposal. Each of the members of the Darkest Group were uneasy with what needed to be done, but were all in agreement that there was no other way to achieve their goals."Now I have been successful in the past because of the way I deal with hindrances such as these. I have always treated any problem in the very same fashion. You are met with the obstacle. Then you identify and become familiar with it… then you obtain it and use it to your own advantage." Franc scanned the faces of everyone in the room. He saw that both Giovanni and Juan-Pedro seemed apprehensive to the role that each would have to play. Franc then turned to his brother Hector. Chief Hector was an extremely large and broad person, even compared to any other officer on the force. He had the frame of a warrior, and his mind always seemed to be somewhere else. Not that he was unintelligent, but as if he had something more important to ponder. When Franc finally caught his gaze, hector returned a nod of approval to let his brother know he was in support even though Franc knew that Hector had been weary of the group since the beginning. Franc now turned to the Mayor. Mayor McCain was a highly educated man who was the least complex in the room. His main goal, within the group and in life, was control. Not how much, but that no one had more. He made no attempt to hide it, and his people, the citizens of the city, wanted it. He was elected on the coattails of the recession when the San Franciscan voters had employment and economic stability in mind, and Mayor McCain had all the right friends to make that possible. The most important of his friends being Robert Baron… Robert Baron was arguably thee most powerful business man in the world. His father, grandfather, and he had each been the next in line to control General Forge and Foundry. The first Robert Baron, Robert's great grandfather, had started the company as a private firm which "managed" projects for the American Department of Defense at the beginning signs of the first World War. When the idea of America entering the war became a inevitability General Forge and Foundry became publicly owned, and all over the world, and all at once the Baron family became ranking military officials, members of judicial systems, politicians, and most of all permanently rich. For those that knew the current head of the family, Robert Baron III he was completely unstoppable (his grandfather, Franklin Baron, was named after a close personal "friend", hence the third and not forth). He had his hand in everything, and General Forge and Foundry was the most diversified company in the world, and there were none comparable. The company did everything from studies whose results often turned into accepted practices and industry standards; to consulting the military on the maintenance of their facilities, and inner-city warfare tactics just for random examples. When the economy was hot with start ups General Forge and Foundry specialized in venture capital, and when the bubble burst they specialize in corporate refinancing, and commercial asset liquidation. When the economy seemed to droop a little too low for even GF&F's tastes…. you had war. Since Robert's youngest years everyone around him was immediately aware of his command and quest for power. Even the numerous maids, nannies and butlers that came and went through Baron Manor found it was evident that Robert III was following in the family tradition as his famous fore-fathers did. At a young age Robert had lots of friends in school, but he never gravitated towards one in particular. He seemed to become involved enough to be known, and to know what was going on at all times. When it came to claiming, for instance, a best friend or a travel mate for vacations Robert refused to do either. The only time that someone accompanied Robert on a holiday was when a boy named David asked to be invited to their Christmas getaway in the UK. Surprisingly enough to the others Robert was neither thrilled nor indifferent about the proposal, and he invited his friend without thinking twice about it. So when Franc stared at Robert in expectations of an acknowledgment, Robert nodded the moment their eyes met. Robert still had the same goal he had since he was a child, and in his eye he had not achieved it yet. Franc knew that the group's question at hand had been turned over in Robert's mind only until the point where he was sure it would support his goal. If they were able to pull it off Robert would, at that point, finally have achieved his life quest.
"So gentlemen," Franc prepared, "now is the time. The choice needs to be unanimous, and if we are all in agreement it will start the moment we leave the building. Now I know that you are all in agreement on one thing, and that is that there is no other way to surpass this roadblock. The choice you are making is if the end result is worth what needs to be done. I know my end result is worth anything. Is yours?"
First he looked at Robert, "Of course. There is no other way" the reply came as Robert waved his hand in the air motioning for Franc to continue quickly. Giovanni-Paulo was staring at the desk as he felt the stare of Franc inquisitive eyes. He weighed heavily the words that Franc spoke about whether the task at hand is worth the end result. Everything in his body was uncomfortable with the decision. His muscles became tense, and he gritted his teeth behind closed lips. He knew that he should burst out and irrationally decline, but his desires held out, and "I am with the group." Franc finally turned to Juan-Pedro, "Now Juan you have one of the toughest decisions to make. The rest of the group is at the whim of your decision, and you also have the hardest task. Now if you agree, making it unanimous, you will have to leave for Columbia immediately, for you can do no more here, and only run the risk of exposure." Juan-Pedro sat silent at the table giving no sign of an answer. His silence ran long enough to the point where the rest of the group shifted in anticipation. He was tapping his fingertips together in front of his face in a physical show of meditation. Everyone held there breathe, and straightened up. He stopped tapping his fingertips which signaled that his answer was coming. He then turned, without warning, and looked at Giovanni, and stared. Giovanni eyes widened initially in surprise, but then he tried to look through Juan's gaze for a message, and he felt as though his Columbian associate had second thoughts too. A very foul look came over Franc's face when he saw the connection between Juan-Pedro and Giovanni-Paulo. He had no idea whether Juan had any communication with Giovanni, but right now he didn't like anything but agreement. Franc spoke up, "Juan-Pedro? Are you willing?" Juan continued to look at Giovanni now with a more intense look, as if he were looking back through the Italian's eye for a message that was not to be spoken. Inside Giovanni desired for Juan to call the whole thing off. To upset the unanimity and to make the decision that he himself could not. The words almost came right out of his mouth… "Just say no."
"I am not going to be the one to hold back the group. I am in this to the end, and I expect that everyone should be willing to give up just as much. I am nobody's fall guy, and none are greater than the group." Juan-Pedro still stared at Giovanni and Gio back at him. They now knew that the other had the same growing feeling inside them.
And each member stood up without saying a word, and left conference room 216. Category: novel text -- posted at: 4:55 PM Comments[2] |
Mon, 19 September 2005 Chapter 4 - "The Proposal"Comments[0] |
Fri, 16 September 2005 Chapter 3 - The Shepherd (Where?)
Now in the city of Saint Francis the night was cold, but less than usual. An elder man of the cloth stood at the corner of a skyscraper's room. He commanded a bird's eye view of the city from the highest floors of the building in which he stood. He was facing a corner window, looking out towards the water that surrounded and characterized the city.The man, Father Augustine, was wrapped in a thick black robe of typical Catholic ware. He was an average size man with dark gray hair, and he wore thin framed glasses which gave him a scholarly look. At the moment he stood still, staring out the window at the vast openness of the city. His head wasn't rotating, nor were his eyes darting around to find a certain target. Father Augustine stared blankly through the window waiting for something to present itself. Like a bus rider for his bus, he very slightly rocked forward and backward on his feet with one hand laid gently in the other behind his back, continuing to wait patiently; something he had learned well in his old age. Suddenly, without anything appearing Father Augustine abruptly stopped rocking, and stiffly stood straight, as if at attention. Time seemed to stand still, and it became very quiet. The fog which would always gather around the windows all along the top floor of the building quickly wafted apart as if someone had fanned it away. His eyes opened fully, and his breath was held. Anxiety built up inside the Priest's stomach, and finally what he had been waiting for appeared. A streak of blue light, like a great fire, shot across the sky coming from the west and crossing perpendicularly overhead of the Golden Gate, and plunged down in the bay in the general proximity of Alcatraz.
The Priest began to clear his train of thought, took a deep breath and began, "Dear Father, I praise you for your grace. You have blessed me by allowing that I be part of your hidden plan. You have blessed me by allowing that I be present during the days that have been prophesized. And you have ultimately blessed me with the Miracle of the Messiah. Now, during the final hours of The Last Crusade which I have been tasked with, help make me the grip of your vengeful striking hammer. Empower me with the divinity as you have before. In my own eyes I am not worthy of this task, but I continue on only with the faith that you are omniscient, and have chosen me with a higher reasoning, one which I cannot at this time understand. With my proclamation of faith I will recite the prayer which was taught to me by the angel Mychal whence I was lifted up by You, Oh Lord, in my three hundred and sixty fifth year. Category: novel text -- posted at: 10:35 AM Comments[0] |
Thu, 15 September 2005 Chapter 3 - "The Shepherd"
My Odeo Channel (odeo/92ef39f04cf1b272)Comments[0] |
