Two Days earlier:
Gerard Heralds was making the rounds of his 'campaign contributors' to break the news to them. He also planned to speak to a few of his fellow conservatives in Congress. He had called ahead to make an appointment with three of his main contributors, making his first stop in Dallas, Texas.
The first meeting went about as well as he expected; at first there was utter disbelief that anyone they didn't control had such power. Gerard was relieved that at least they understood that they couldn't get around this. They didn't even attempt to hide their plotting from Gerard this time. As each of them made a suggestion to delay or quash this threat, Gerard reminded them that there was no legal recourse, no enemy to focus the people on while they tightened their grip on the world.
They finally accepted the situation when Gerard delivered the President's alternative. Corporations such as each of theirs could be the ones to 'discover' the suppressed energy technology, and as such be allowed to develop it.
develop it.
Gerard could almost hear the cash registers in the men's minds as they envisioned how much money they could still make with just minor changes to unsure the devices would need periodic replacement.
However, when Gerard reminded them that they would have to not only share the 'discoveries' with the other former Oil Companies in the US, but also the world, they got upset. The first thing they threatened him with was the revoking of any new campaign contributions from them.
Gerard just shook his head sadly and told them that he had no control over who got the information, and suggested that all the oil barons get together and discuss who got what. He offered to see if the President would be willing to host the unprecedented video conference. Gerard knew he was rubbing salt in the wound because these men hated the current President with a passion.
With a twinkle in his eye, one of the men, a former President himself, accepted Gerard's proposal while grinning like a shark. No doubt he had figured out a way to twist the entire event into a great debacle that would end President Robertson's career.
He shrugged to himself, and asked the gentlemen if they would contact their colleagues as soon as Gerard could get a time.
"Look, yall tell that boy that we'll be a-contactin' yall sometime next week and give HIM the time. I ain't at that boy's beck'n call!" One of the men said angrily.
"I know this rubs yall th' wrong way, heel, it goes agains' the grain for me too, but ya gots to understan' we jus' don' have much o' a choice. The vid-ee-oh will hav'ta take place as soon as the Presid'nt has time, and can get the A-rabs 'n Gooks ta 'gree," Gerard replied. He knew this was going to end his career, but he had to make them understand that there was no way out of this one.
"And if they don't?" the ex-president asked.
"Then they kin just die out like the rest of the oil business, an' anyone else tha' don' 'gree," Gerard said.
The men began muttering to each other, so Gerard reminded them that by Presidential order, they were prohibited against the release of information, or the increase of their prices for ANY reason. The penalty for such would be considered an act of terrorism.
Gerard asked his pilot to head back to Washington DC. Once in the air, he called President Robertson to apprise him of the situation. Robertson laughed when Gerard told him of the men's reactions. The President told him that it was a good thing they let him out of the meeting alive.
When Gerald hung up the phone, he told his aide to book the biggest Senate conference room for two days. Then to call a meeting of the all the members of his conservative party in congress. Try to schedule them in four groups and mix in enough of Gerard's friends in each group so he'll have allies while he's talking. His plane was on final approach when the device off the coast of Denmark was detonated.
Senator Gerard Heralds became a very busy man. Over the next few days he had managed to gain the support of the conservatives, as well as a few of the more conservative democrats. The stage was set for Alan Greenway's new bill.
After the last meeting, he received a message from Senator Greenway that the draft of the bill was ready if he would like to look it over. Gerard was surprised to note that he and his wife were invited to dinner. He asked his aide to RSVP for him while he called his wife to let her know. He briefly wondered how his 'society' wife would react to the casual family dinner that the Greenways had.
Georgina Heralds was surprised by the invitation, and although Gerard expected her to balk at having a quaint meal with a junior, liberal, democratic Senator and his family, he was surprised when she sounded happy at the invitation. He was even more surprised when she asked for the Greenways phone number to see if there was something she could bring. Women never ceased to confuse him.
Once again amazing Gerard, the two women immediately started talking like old friends and moved off to the kitchen. Alan's wife Diane looked over her shoulder as the two women left. "Dinner will be ready in about forty-five minutes. Alan asked me to make sure you two had some time before we ate."
"Thank ya, Miss. That'll be jus' fine wit' me!" Gerard replied smiling. After the two women disappeared into the kitchen, he turned to his host as they walked to the study. "Women folk nevah cease tah amaze meh; I know those two ha' nevah met, yet theys gabbing like dear ol' friends."
Alan nodded to Gerard. "I think women practice a completely different type of politics then we do; instead of expecting immediate opposition, they view every new person as a friend, and every situation as a potential to expand their horizons. Sometimes, I think we should step aside, and send them to work in our places."
Gerard laughed at the thought. "They'd sure 'nuff bring a new meanin' tah the word 'filibuster'!"
Alan led the older man over to a coffee service and poured a cup for him. While he poured his own cup, Gerard added sugar and creamer to his. As one, they turned to the comfortable furniture in the middle of the room. After taking a sip of the coffee, Gerard sat it on the coffee table, and picked up the binder containing the draft of the bill Alan was going to introduce the law that basically outlawed most uses of fossil fuels.
"Yall wrote this as a tightenin' of th' e-missions laws?" Gerard asked.
"I thought it would be a softer approach to the topic. It goes on to cover all the things we need it to cover, but I framed it in the environmental issues. I felt I could add more that way for your folks to chew on," Alan explained.
"Good plan. It'd make good sense worded like this comin' from yall. No one'll suspect ya fer writin' somethin' tha' wasn't yer own idea."
"Well, this was actually is one of the things in my platform. Environmental reform has been a dream of the people of my state for awhile now. Until this came up, I'd never have dreamed I'd get to write a bill like this and it have a chance of passing," Alan explained.
"Oh, it'll pass. It'll pass purty quick too! I'm hopin' yall don't 'spect this bit about subs'sdizing the recyclin' folks, yall got tax incentives for 'em, but we ain't gonna pay 'em tah do somethin' tha' makes 'em money anyways!"
He skipped through a couple of sections, read some more, then skipped again. By the time he got to the end of the document, he was nodding. "Yall did verra good, Alan. This is 'xactly what we need tah make this work. Th' press is alreadah hafin' a cow ovah the 'surance folks not payin' fer th' rigs in the no' sea. This here won't even be notic'd. Yall've jus' th' righ' 'mount fer us to hack at and leave th' stuff tha's needed."
However, the two men started talking about some of the issues in the bill, and got to arguing. They didn't yell at each other, but they did spar back and forth. It was all in good fun, and by the time Diane announced dinner, they were both laughing at each other.
President Jamal Robertson sighed in relief as the last of the ambassadors left his office. The arguments had taken the better part of the week since the initial contact by the blackmailers. The Joint Chiefs reported that the first of the troops from the Middle East had reported into their home bases. Their equipment was being shipped out as fast as possible.
The recall plan had the unit that was next to leave guarding the equipment of the preceding unit until it was shipped. It wasn't fast, but it was continuous Jamal only hoped that it was good enough to keep the bombs from going off.
He also had to listen to the protests and threats from the Israeli Ambassador over the discontinuing of their multi-billion dollar a year aide being stopped. The Blackmailer's budget adjustments had been quickly pushed through congress. By the time he left, Jamal could see the blackmailer's point if he was typical of the government. At least the other Ambassadors said they understood, they didn't like it, but they understood. One Ambassador from South America begged the President to reconsider, since, without the financial aid, their government would be over-thrown.
Jamal was tempted, because the Ambassador was correct. The insurgents were brutal drug-lord supported communists that would promptly torture and kill anyone who supported the old regime. It was going to be a blood-bath without the aid. Jamal did offer them transportation if they could find a safe haven for those that wanted to leave. The offer was appreciated, and tentatively accepted provided they could find the a fore-mentioned haven.
The rapid changes left the world in shock for the most part. A few of the more wealthy countries already had plans in the works to phase out the majority of fossil fuel use. As far as Jamal could tell, the blackmailer's plan was working as they'd outlined.
The deadline came and went without a major incident anywhere in the world. Anyone who knew about the plan breathed a sigh of relief, but the plans were still followed. The FBI as well as the CIA and NSA were searching endlessly for any leads as to who might have forced this onto the world, but so far, found nothing.