Despite the fact that Mike had not wanted Cathy to be involved in work that was this sensitive, she spent an entire Saturday helping Mike with his report. Mike dictated while she typed up the report that explicitly identified ten of the upper level leaders of the Jihad movement. There was a shadowy figure referred to as Mr. X who was the eleventh leader. It was an amazing document in that it laid out exactly the structure and operations of the leadership. Even as she typed, it was hard for her to believe that Mike had been able to acquire so much information about the true leadership of what he had started referring to as the Jihad Façade.
The eleven men were worth a combined eighteen billion dollars in legitimate assets. They had influence in enough countries to be able to utilize billions of dollars as they desired. Those were the assets that were directly traceable to the eleven men. There was another three or four billion in assets that resided in criminal organizations around the world. That was the assets they brought to the war against the West.
It wasn't just their assets that made them powerful men. The gross revenue that passed through the companies they controlled made them the equivalent of several European countries. The gross revenue was just a few billion short of a trillion dollars. It was a staggering amount of money. They were able to control a lot of people by deciding who received a dip out of that money stream.
Although not directly involved in the day to day operations of their companies, these men were basically captains of oil, industry, and construction. Two were members of the former royal family of Saudi Arabia. One was a royal in the United Arab Emirates. Another one of the men owned refineries and chemical plants throughout the world. One owned one of the largest fleets of ships in the world. Another owned a construction company that had built some of the largest projects in the world including underground facilities in Iran, Iraq, and Syria. One of them had manufacturing capabilities distributed around the world making everything from toys to missiles. One of them was a weapons dealer and had brokered deals between China and just about every one of the Third World countries. It was hard to say what one of the men did since he had interests in just about every high-tech industry under the sun. The source of wealth belonging to Mr. X was not identified.
The document described how the men used their power and influence to weaken Western countries while building up the military capabilities of the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and South America. A ten million dollar bribe could get a major political leader in just about any country to provide anything that they wanted. This included billion dollar arms deals to countries that weren't quite overtly hostile to the country. These were very smart men who didn't waste one dollar more than was necessary to achieve their goal.
Although Mike had labeled the level of people below the leaders as aides, the fact was that all of them were very wealthy as well. None of them were worth less than a hundred million dollars. They were also much more visible than the leaders, often living decadent lifestyles in full view of the press.
The individuals that Mike had called messengers were usually members of the entourages of the aides. Some were well connected with leaders of criminal organizations that provided prostitutes, drugs, and other forms of entertainment upon demand. A good percentage of their business was supported by the aides and leaders. The excesses that were described were truly sickening.
Throughout the report, there was reference to the eleventh leader as Mr. X. His aides and their messengers were unnamed as well. Very few details that would allow anyone to identify the mystery man appeared in the document. It was obvious that he was a very key player in the entire war.
Cathy finished typing the last paragraph and turned to Mike. She asked, "Are you going to wait to distribute this until you know who Mr. X is?"
"I know who Mr. X is," Mike replied.
Frowning, Cathy asked, "Should I replace the references to Mr. X with the man's name?"
"No. Mr. X has been identified in another document," Mike answered looking over at Cathy. He knew that she would identify the man as soon as the news covered his death, but felt that she was better off not knowing until after the fact.
Puzzled, she asked, "Shouldn't it all be in one report?"
"No. Only eighty people have clearances high enough to know who Mr. X is and this report has to go to a lot more people than that," Mike answered.
"Oh," Cathy said. She looked over the report for several minutes checking it for any errors that she might have introduced in typing it. There weren't any obvious mistakes in the section she had just finished typing. She looked over at Mike and asked, "Everyone in this report is going to die, aren't they?"
"Yes," Mike answered.
Having read about the kinds of things the men had done, Cathy said, "Good. These men are very evil."
"Yes, they are," Mike said nodding his head in agreement. He hadn't wanted to expose Cathy to the contents of the report, but she had argued that her role was to support him. He knew that rather than taking most of a Saturday, that it would have taken him more than a week to type it up by himself. Since time was of the essence, he let her help.
"I still don't get it. Why are they doing this? They don't believe in Jihad. They don't seem to believe in anything except gratifying their every desire regardless of how sick and perverted it is," Cathy said.
Mike said, "I think it was Tony who suggested that they were bored. A high school kid will go out and play a video war game to pass the time. These guys are so rich that they go out and buy a real army. They are playing war games."
"You're not serious, are you?"
Sighing, Mike said, "I don't know. The more I look at it, the more I believe that. Only seven of them are even pretending to support Jihad. Why would anyone worth a billion dollars declare war against the society that allowed them to collect that much wealth?"
Cathy looked at the report for a minute and then said, "Let's send it out and then go home. I feel dirty. All I want to do is to take a long hot shower."
Understanding what she was feeling, Mike asked, "You do know what happens once we send out this report, don't you?"
"Not really," Cathy replied. It was obvious that the men were going to die, but she hadn't thought beyond that.
Mike said, "The first battle that can actually end the war will begin. All of the armies that have been working together will get isolated from each other. They won't have the ability to replace the resources necessary to continue the fight. The terrorist organizations will collapse before long."
Cathy said, "That does make me feel a little better, but I still want to go home."
"I do too," Mike said.
Cathy saved the document and then submitted it for distribution according to the list that Mike had given her. When it was sent out, she shut down the machine and said, "It's done."
"Let's round up the Marines and go home," Mike said.
Cathy had been so involved in typing the report that she had completely forgotten about the Marines guarding them. Feeling a little guilty, she said, "I can't believe that I forgot about them. They've been sitting outside guarding the building all this time. I should have taken them some coffee."
The real estate agent sat at the table looking at Mike and Cathy with a large smile on her face. She said, "We've had an offer on the house."
"Judging by the smile on your face, I'd guess it is a pretty good one," Mike said.
"That's right. I got forty thousand more than your asking price. I got three people in a bidding war for the house," the woman said.
Frowning at the idea that she had been holding a bidding war for the house without telling him, Mike said, "Let me see the offers."
The woman handed him a stack of papers with the offers from three different people. He could see where the people had increased the amount of their offer several times. He looked through the stack of papers and selected the bottom one. He scratched off the price on the offer and replaced it with the asking price. He showed it to Cathy and asked, "Is this okay?"
"Yes," Cathy answered thinking it was one of the nicest things she had ever seen anyone do.
Handing the marked up offer back to the real estate agent, he said, "This is the offer we'll accept."
The real estate agent looked at what Mike had done and frowned. Mike had set the amount back to the asking price. With more than a little irritation in her voice, she said, "You can't do that."
"I can and I did," Mike answered.
The price difference meant a loss of more than two thousand dollars in commission. Getting angry, the woman said, "I got you a good price for your home."
Looking the woman in the eye, Mike said, "You negotiated that price without consulting me. In the process, you have hurt the feelings of a friend of mine. That is the offer that we accept."
"They are going to be so happy when they learn that we've accepted their offer," Cathy said looking over at Mike with a smile.
"But, I got you a better price than that. You have to take the best price that was offered," the agent said.
Mike leaned forward and asked, "Did you notice all of those Marines outside?"
"Yes," the woman answered irritated. Those Marines had made showing the house a whole lot more difficult. Very few people wanted to see the house when it required that they get searched before going into it. She felt that she could have gotten even more for the house if the Marines hadn't shown up.
"They are there for a reason. My name is on a terrorist death list," Mike said making reference to what they had discovered when searching the house of the man who had tried to kill him. There was a low growl to his voice when he relayed that fact.
"Oh my," the real estate agent said with a frown.
"A guy tried twice to kill him. He shot the wrong person the first time and was killed during the second attempt," Cathy said. She was still rather upset over that little episode.
Mike looked the real estate agent in the eye and said, "One day Bob noticed a strange car circling the block and slowing down in front of my house each pass. At the time, he knew that someone was trying to kill me. Despite that, he stood out in his front yard to warn me when I arrived home from work. He put his life at risk for me. You don't fuck friends like that because your broker is a greedy bitch. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal clear," the woman answered shocked at the anger in his voice. She didn't appreciate being called a greedy bitch, but she wasn't going to make an issue of it.
Mike sat back in his chair thinking about how Bob must have felt to have his offers rejected over and over. His jaws clenched and unclenched as he tried to control his anger. In a tight voice, he said, "Now, you will go next door and let Bob and Ellen know that we accepted their offer. You will tell them the price that I wrote down on that piece of paper. You will then help him sell his house for the price that he wants. I want him treated like a king."
"Yes, sir," the woman said turning pale.
In a dismissive voice, Mike said, "You may go now."
The woman packed up her papers and left the house on shaky legs. His anger was one thing, but the thought that terrorists wanted him dead terrified her. She hadn't wondered why there had been Marines stationed at the house. After glancing over at the Marines, she stopped by her car and removed her top. The idea that a terrorist might have gotten his hands on her was the stuff of nightmares, but she wasn't going to let them know that.
Cathy went over to Mike and rubbed his shoulders. His muscles were hard as rocks. She said, "Let me get Kim."
"Why?" Mike asked.
"You're a little tense," Cathy said with a smile. She thought what he had done for Bob and Ellen was very nice. It was also very honorable. That kind of loyalty to friends made her love him even more.
"I'd rather just stay here and hold you," Mike said looking up at her over his shoulder.
"After Kim is done with you, you'll do more than just hold me," Cathy replied running a hand down his chest and to his crotch.
"Oh my," Mike said with a smile.
The massage that afternoon did not end with Kim giving Mike a happy ending. It ended with Cathy giving Mike a much more intimate happy ending. He liked it a lot.
Hands behind his head, Mike sat back in his chair watching everyone work with a smile on his face. Winking at him, Cathy set a cup of coffee in front of him and said, "Here you go."
"Thank you, Cathy," Mike said. He picked up the cup and took a sip. He sighed in satisfaction and watched the cable news channel on the situation board.
Charlie glanced over at Mike wondering why he was sitting there doing nothing. For the past few weeks, Mike had been working almost non-stop. Mike and Cathy had stayed late after work every night. It didn't seem right that Mike would just suddenly kickback in his chair that way. He shrugged his shoulders and turned back to his computer.
Charlie wasn't the only one who had noticed that Mike was doing nothing. Tony watched Mike thinking about the translations that he had done. He had a feeling that Mike had just finished something very significant, but he wasn't sure just how big it was. He would ask, but he knew that Mike wouldn't answer any questions. He was pretty sure that whatever it was that Mike had done would become clear with time.
The news on the cable news channel was covering the invasion of Libya by Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and India. The Australians were boarding their ships to leave that day. Grinning, Mike said, "I've got a feeling that the war is going to be over by the time they get to Libya."
"Why are they attacking Libya anyway?" Charlie asked.
"From what I understand the last major attack in London was backed by Libya," Mike answered.
Shirley said, "I read in the newspaper that France was going after Morocco and Algeria because they had been supplying the Muslims in France with weapons."
"I wish them all luck, they're going to need it," Mike said. He hoped that they left Berberland alone. The Berbers weren't to blame for the problems in France.
Charlie asked, "Why do you say that?"
"Look at the kind of weapons they are taking with them. They're bringing rifles, artillery, rockets, and missiles. The weapons are carried by men, trucks, tanks, or aircraft. That requires them to get up close and nasty with the forces that are there. They don't have a single Pigeon, Spider, Giant Spider, or Wasp," Mike answered. Shaking his head, he added, "They are going to discover that they are up to their asses in alligators before they even reach the swamp to drain it."
"That's a pretty negative assessment," Charlie said looking over at Mike with a puzzled expression.
"No, it is not. It is a realistic assessment. We've bombed cities into ashes and the bastards still come crawling out to fight us," Tony said to Charlie. Turning to Mike he asked, "Why do you think it will be over before they even get there?"
"It is going to take them four months to get a good beachhead there. By the time they reach the major cities, our forces will be at the Cape of Good Hope," Mike answered.
"You're right," Shirley said with a laugh. They were rolling through countries at a terrifying rate.
Mike saw the next news article and said, "Ah, we have another nation emerging from the chaos that is Africa. That's interesting - Mandinkaland. Does anyone know anything about the Mandinka?"
"Nope," Shirley answered.
"It looks like they are serious about being a nation. They've taken a bit of this and that from four different countries," Mike said. He thought about calling Tim and finding out what was going on there.
Cathy looked over at Mike recalling a conversation that she had with him a long time ago about how the African countries would redraw their national boundaries to reflect their tribal boundaries. She felt that she shouldn't be surprised to learn that he was right, but it was a surprise none the less. She asked, "So what tribe is going to emerge as a nation next?"
"I don't know. It could be any of them," Mike answered with a shrug of his shoulders.
Shirley looked over at Mike and asked, "So what are you working on?"
"I'm doing my job," Mike answered kicking back in his chair and giving everyone in the room a smile. He added, "I'm supervising you."
"Oh, is that what this little bull session is called?" Cathy asked with a smile. She was going to miss these times when they went to Texas and she started working for Alex Darnell.
Mike looked over at her with a grin and answered, "Yes. Nothing is happening in our part of the world."
"We can still look for the hundred most wanted," Tony said.
Mike smiled and said, "Have at it."
"He's too happy. Something is going to happen," Shirley said looking over at Mike suspiciously. He'd been working without break ever since he had returned from his trip to the Middle East and now he was suddenly easy going and relaxed. It didn't add up.
Nodding his head in agreement, Charlie said, "He's way too relaxed."
Shirley looked at Mike and then over at Cathy. Cathy looked happy as well. She squealed and said, "Cathy's pregnant!"
Shocked at the announcement, Mike fell out of his chair. Cathy burst out laughing at the charge. She was laughing too hard to deny it. Everyone wondered if Shirley was right. Mike was the first to recover and said, "If she is, then it is news to me."
"Me, too," Cathy managed to get out between fits of laughter.
Shirley looked at Mike and asked, "So why are you so happy today?"
A number of the candidates that were running for their party's nomination for the Presidential election dropped out of the race. It seemed that several of them had decided that the issues were actually beyond their ability. Rumors had it that several had been asked to step out of the race by the party leaders despite the fact that they had massive campaign treasuries. All that were left were the two major contenders for each party.
A lot of the rhetoric seemed to disappear from the campaigns. The call for America to conquer the world faded to a mere whisper among the fringe elements. It was interesting that whenever the topic of world domination arose the candidates wrinkled their noses as if they smelled something bad. At the same time, the candidates stated that the idea that negotiation could solve all problems was a myth.
The political pundits who were trying to analyze the campaign based on historical experience were puzzled by the entire shift in campaign strategies. Rather than blusterous promises and focus on hot button issues, there were very reasoned arguments about how the United States should go forward in the future. When hot button issues were raised, the candidates reacted with lukewarm comments.
In a way, the campaign fit the mood of the American People. The majority of Americans had stopped identifying with the polarizing choices being given to them. They wanted to hear about concrete situations, real policies, and national goals. Having lost their long held political beliefs, they wanted to hear someone else put into words what they believed. They even accepted the candidate who stumbled on a question and answered, "I don't know what I would do."
Interviews that would have normally been either effusive in praise or damning in condemnation fell flat. News analysts who were used to interpreting every statement of a speech against a political agenda found that the candidates weren't helping them. There just weren't any great sound bites with which to bury one.
One reporter who believed that America should rule the world had gotten one of the candidates to agree to a studio interview. While waving a finger in the face of the candidate, he said, "We have to wipe all of the nations that are hostile to the United States off the face of the earth. We have to show the world that America knows what is best for them. If they don't like it, then I say tough. After all, we're the ones who are making the world safer for everyone by destroying the terrorists. If you become President of the United States, you may well rule the world. What are you going to do to cement America's standing in the world?"
"As President of the United States, I won't rule anything. The President is the head of the executive branch of the American government," the candidate answered.
"We are on the verge of conquering the world. You've got to carry the war effort to its logical conclusion and establish America as the one and only world power," the reporter said looking at the candidate with an expression on his face as if daring the candidate to disagree with him.
"You think war is a glorious thing," the candidate said softly.
"You bet."
The candidate stared at the reporter. After he rubbed his nose, he asked, "Have you ever visited a battlefield after the fighting has ended?"
"No," the reporter answered uncertain at the change of topic.
The candidate replied, "When you have done that and have gotten the smell of death out of your nose, come back and talk to me. Until you've done that, I suggest that you have no idea what you are talking about. Now if you'll excuse me, there are real reporters who want to interview me. This has been a waste of my time. I'm sure that many of your viewers feel the same."
The reporter had stared as the man stood and left the interview. The interview had been scheduled to last almost thirty minutes and had ended after less than five. He was left staring at the camera and said, "I guess we know where he stands on that issue, America."
A similar result occurred when a reporter that supported a Peace at Any Price position interviewed the same candidate. The reporter said, "This country has killed millions of people in this war. If you are elected President, what kind of reparations will you offer the survivors of our actions?"
"Reparations?" the candidate asked looking at the reporter with a frown. He was not surprised that the subject would arise.
"Yes. What kind of assistance will you give them to return to their previous standard of living?
"None," the candidate answered.
The reporter was rather surprised by the answer. He asked, "What do you mean you won't give them assistance? We destroyed entire countries to satisfy some sort of bloodlust and desire for revenge on our part. War is never excusable, but this war was particularly bad!"
"Every country that we fought had declared war on us first. They attacked us. They sent people here and killed Americans. Don't you remember that?" the candidate said.
"That doesn't excuse our response. We killed millions of them in retaliation."
"They attacked us. Rewarding that kind of behavior with programs of economic development is not in the best interests of this country. That is sending the message that if you kill an American, you'll get a million in economic aid. I'm sorry, but declaring war on the United States is not the proper way for them to go about getting our help to solve their problems," the candidate said.
"We are supposed to be a civilized nation. We could have talked them out of fighting us. We could have provided economic programs that would have prevented them from attacking us," the reporter said.
Shaking his head, the candidate said, "The world reached this crisis because civilized nations were unwilling to use force to end certain kinds of problems. When we did use force, it was in half measures. We believed that civilized countries don't declare total war on a problem. Unfortunately, half measures lead to half solutions that don't eliminate the source of the problem.
"We chose to ignore some problems because we didn't want to get our hands bloody. We let tin-pot dictators kill tens of thousands of their citizens. We stood off to the side and watched. We believed that civilized nations should be able watch those kinds of things. We believed that civilized nations shouldn't get angry enough to do something about it.
"When those same men attacked us, we tried to bribe them into adopting civilized behaviors and leaving us alone. Guess what; they didn't become civilized. They didn't leave us alone. Still, we acted civilized and watched the problem develop. We did nothing when a short war prosecuted with real intent would have ended that problem in a hurry and now we have paid the price for it."
Seeing the sour expression on the reporter's face, he said, "Don't get me wrong, war is not the answer to most problems. Then again, talking isn't the answer to all problems. Theodore Roosevelt once said, 'Talk softly and carry a big stick.' In a way he was right.
"We forgot that as a result of the policy of mutually assured destruction. We carried a really big stick and everyone knew that we were terrified of using it. Rather than talking softly, we started yelling. The problem is that yelling doesn't solve any problems; it creates them.
"As I see it, we have just shown the world that we have a stick that will destroy our enemies, but not the world. We have shown the world that we are willing to use that stick. I know it is tempting to go around beating everyone with it, but that doesn't solve any problems; it creates them.
"We are approaching a point in time where we can talk softly and be heard. It is time for us to restructure our policies along rational principles. This goes for the entire world as well. We have to define how we expect countries to act; not only with us, but with respect to each other as well. The Treaty of Westphalia established the concept of a nation state. We need a new concept to expand upon that idea. The world is too small for the limited notion of a nation state. "
The candidate looked at the reporter and said, "There will be no reparations, assistance, or apologies for our part in this war. If elected, I intend to give something of far greater value. I want to put into place a framework in which nations have to behave or suffer the consequences of an entire world ready, willing, and able to correct the problem."
Mike listened to the interviews with hope. He felt that it had been
a major change from the campaigns of four and eight years earlier. At
least the candidates weren't just spouting the same divisive rhetoric.
He felt that the visit across the Middle East had an effect, but time
would tell if the lesson he had provided was well and truly learned.