Balance of Power Shifted (49 page)

Everyone it seemed
, other than Fei Yen, was excited to be on this expedition.  Ling did not relish that Fei Yen became a physical wreck since his demotion.  At some level, he felt sad that her youthful indiscretion of stabbing her boss in the back had backfired on her.  Just a short couple of months ago, he had trouble maintaining a coherent persona due to the stress put on him at the time.  The entire crew was to meet in the galley for a get together to kick off the exploration of the site in a few minutes and he relayed this information to Fei Yen who turned even greener with the mention of what the cook had prepared.  Just as well he thought since he had a special bottle of cognac that he had brought on board and he might just be a bit snookered which would be easier to accomplish while not worrying about her.

Back in DC, t
he President of the United States was sitting in the Oval office with a group of his advisors, which included members of his own team and experts in their fields from business and academia.  An hour earlier everyone received a packet containing the latest economic indicators with a breakout on industries related to oil and gas as well as smaller players such as solar and wind turbine companies.  The companies broken out were in a tailspin.  Some of the smaller players had filed for bankruptcy since financing had completely dried up as soon as opinion determined that Electricus was for real.  The stock prices of all major oil and gas companies had collapsed as investors pulled out their investments reading the writing on the wall. 

On the other side of the
spectrum, the US economy was booming.  Consumers not shackled by gas prices that had averaged well over four dollars per gallon but now averaged $2.33, had taken that money and moved it into discretionary funds leading to a spike in consumer spending on virtually everything except cars.  The automobile and trucking industry were experiencing a strange phenomenon.  Car sales had almost completely stopped as consumers waited for Electricus driven cars to hit the market.  Normally you would expect that auto industry stocks would crumble, but that had not happened instead they were soaring as investors understood that consumers would replace their gas driven cars as fast as the industry could crank the electric versions out.  The consensus of the team was that even though there would be big losers, the impact of the changes would result in a monstrous positive net gain for the country. 

The team did agree on one important point.  The United States would need to ensure that the oil and gas companies as well as power companies continued to serve their customers for the next ten years. 
The fear was that as demand and profits drop off, the industry would stop drilling for oil and natural gas, stop refining and the point of sale locations such as gas stations, home heating companies and even repair people would abandon the industry.  The government had to have a plan in place to bridge that gap or there would be big problems.  The proposed plan on the table would nationalize certain industries on one hand and on the other mandate complete transition in 10 years to Electricus based systems for businesses and consumers.  Running a shrinking legacy power grid and oil and gas industry were areas of business the US Government did not want to be part of any longer than needed.  To help with this, Michael Carter from Efficio had offered to collect a service fee to help defray some of the cost to maintain an orderly transition.

The learned group in the room reviewed the status of the top 10
oil-producing countries in the world and rationalized what they expected to happen in each.  Russia was the big gorilla in the room since it was the top producer just above Saudi Arabia and was the second highest exporter, which meant that Russia relied on the cash from oil to fill the country’s government coffers.  In many respects, Russia was very similar to the US, which was the third largest producer; however, they did not have diversification in place to offset the oil reserves and may head into a short-term recession until the government retools their manufacturing outlook.

  Saudi Arabia by all accounts would take it on the chin.  With cash from oil production dropping off in dramatic fashion the country would face a rebellion from its citizens who were used to having oil subsidize most of their education and economic programs.  It seems more and more realistic that Efficio’s
own Magna Carta for Electricus and commitment to minimizing economic hardship in countries hardest hit by lost revenue from the onslaught of Electricus would be needed.  In the scenario outlined in the documentation provided by Efficio, countries such as Saudi Arabia and Russia would become manufacturing and distribution areas of Electricus.  The concept behind it was ‘free market’ in a sense, where market conditions and competition would dictate cost.  The goal is to avoid or reduce severe economic impact through intelligent implementation and distribution of Electricus. 

Iran on the other hand was an area the President would like to leverage to the hilt.  Iran had been a thorn in the side of the US for years now as they supported terrorism around the globe and had
produced nuclear weapons in total disregard for anyone.  For now, Mike Carter and Efficio were adamant that Electricus not become a political ‘big stick.’  The United States already had assured our good neighbors Canada and Mexico that a plan was in place to make a smooth transition.  Canada seemed to be comfortable with the outcome and had already worked out the economic numbers for themselves, however Mexico was uncertain about the impact on them so far, but were not in a panic.

The President would not admit this to anyone, but Electricus was his ticket to re-election and if it had not dropped into his lap prospects for serving a second term were slim to none.  High prices at the gas pumps and for heating oil had soured the public on his administration as well as his failure to address a more hostile world as countries like Iran and Venezuela ignore
d US policies and wishes with impunity. 

The President had no idea where Mike Carter and his dead partner William Bates got their drive from, but it does seem crystal clear they firmly believe that Electricus is a gift from above
and not truly to be owned by anyone, but more like being managed.  If played correctly all his foreign policy mea culpa’s' would be forgiven.  In just the last week, he had three calls for meetings here in the US from Iran, Russia and China.  From his CIA briefing every morning he knew that, China was working overtime to steal the secret of Electricus so they must have decided to work it from multiple angles. 

Even though China was the fifth largest oil-producing nation, they did not export any of it and used it instead to sustain and increase their manufacturing prowess.  They were also large importers and were ravenous in their appetite to feed their burgeoning economy.  In other words, Electricus was the answer they were looking for and would not skip a beat since they were not dependent on oil revenue. 
It had been years since a US President has had solicitation from these countries and not in reverse.  His advisors were speculating that they might be shifting their hard stance on numerous political areas in face of a changing economic outlook.

  Oil was no longer the key ingredient for determining power and advantage.  The President tried to hide his smile of delight by raising his hands in front of his mouth, but based on some of the glances in the room he knew he had not been entirely successful.
  He thanked everyone for his or her expert analysis and advice and excused himself to walk back his office.  On the way in, he asked his trusted assistant to please get Mr. Michael Carter on the line, as soon as he was available.

Mike was sitting with Fiona and Sean reviewing the production situation country by country when his cell phone rang. 
Only a few people knew this phone number so Mike answered it immediately.  “Hello, this is Michael Carter speaking” he said as he answered.  The voice on the other end replied, please hold for the President of the United States. Looking at Sean and Fiona with obvious surprise on his face, he whispered “The President.”  Fiona pantomimed about leaving the room, but Mike shook his head no.  Within a few seconds Fiona and Sean heard Mike say, “Thank you Mr. President it is an honor to speak to you,” and heard a one sided conversation for the next three minutes ending with Mike saying, “It would be pleasure to work with the team Mr. President and thank you for your support.” 

Ending the call Mike turned to the others. 
“Well it looks like the President is 100 percent on board with our plans for Electricus and after sitting with his advisors for hours reviewing independent economic analysis as well as our own. They also spent time reviewing our ‘rules of engagement’ document which they dubbed the Efficio Magna Carta, and they agreed to support the transition plans we developed and also added some new wrinkles including nationalizing certain industries that are needed to support those who are not yet on Electricus and still using legacy methods for up to 10-years.  He knows that I am not his biggest fan, but is hoping he could win me over if this is handled fair-and-square.  We shall see...” he finished with a little skepticism in his voice.  Knowing that the US government was now looking after their interests and not trying to block them was a major relief to everyone in the room.

Returning to the discussion at hand, Mike was
ecstatic about the huge advance they had made around the globe in just a few months.  On the table right now was a discussion on kicking off the Gulfport site with a press conference and good old-fashioned barbecue for the town.  Fiona and Gwen had cooked this up on their own, and thought it would be an immensely positive event to show the world that we would not be backing down in any way.  Mike agreed and we scheduled it for one week from today, which would be Friday of next week.  Mike insisted that they go all out and he wanted the best barbecue available.  He left Fiona and Sean to figure that one out while he toyed with an inert bugging device from a Clavis security sweep at the showroom building.  Wearily, he wondered where else compromises might exist.  The Clavis team believed it had come in with a load of office supplies months ago based on the materials found attached to it.

Aboard the
Dayang Yihao, the mood was not entirely optimistic.  After operating the two unmanned drones continuously for a week and half, they had nothing that jumped out and said, “Hey I’m important.”  What they had instead, were two dozen areas that they could not get a clear picture from and a few questionable objects.  They were 85 percent complete in mapping the grid and would be sending down the manned submersible in three days.  It was exhausting work for everyone involved and most hit the sack by 10 PM to be up at dawn.  Professor Ling was disappointed. The scientist in him wanted to see something of importance, but at this point, it did not look hopeful, which meant facing the wrath of General Hu.  The only positive was that
Fei Yen would take the brunt of his anger, but collateral damage was expected.  Fei Yen and he had actually worked out a reasonable working relationship based on mutual survival and since the seasickness had finally passed.  She was doing her share of the work which he had to grudgingly admit was very professional.

Two of the United States most seasoned Seals
volunteered for this assignment.  As they each fell into the night sky from the rear of the Navy aircraft, the frigid air found at 22,000 feet did not even register through their specially designed wetsuit and helmet equipped with oxygen. The night was clear with a three quarter moon, which not optimum for the assignment, still allowed the tandem to keep each other within 100 feet.  As they rocketed through the night in a high-speed descent, their elongated bodies maneuvered and adjusted to the needed direction with slight body movements.  Their GPS watches kept them heading in the right direction until the navigation lights of the Chinese ship were visible.  

Tethered to
each of the Seals was a torpedo like container that trailed 35 feet behind.  At 3000 feet, the Seals deployed their high-tech parachutes and within two seconds, the altimeter trigger released a smaller chute attached to the torpedo devices.  With no wind to speak of, it the Seals approached their landing coordinates and separated from their harnesses a second before knifing into the water.  Still tethered to their cargo, the taught line guided their equipment to within 35 feet of them.  Taking time to sink their parachutes they turned their attention to the equipment.  Sinking the smaller chutes, the Seals unfolded a few components of the torpedo and slid in behind their electric powered sleds to head to the coordinates for the ship at just fewer than 10 knots per hour.

The two dark shadows circled the
Dayang Yihao slowly.  Stopping near a low deck used for launching different watercraft, they tethered their torpedo craft to the ship using a magnetic leash just below the surface.  Floating up and breaking the surface with only a slight ripple, the interlopers from the deep climbed aboard the ship.  Taking off unneeded gear and depositing it on the deck, they reconnoitered the ship for any signs of movement.  Intel said that typically only one mate stayed in the wheelhouse during the overnight with one shift change.  The ship had two special deep sea anchors holding it in place that kept it on point in calm seas, resulting in the lack of need for constant vigilance.  The Chinese Naval ship maintained a fifty-mile circumference around the research ship and the Seals knew that they had to finish their mission on time to make sure the naval ship did not interfere with their recovery. 

The submersibles were stored on the deck above them near the boom crane th
at hoisted them in and out of the water.  Each night the unmanned drones were recharged which took a minimum of eight hours to complete.  Working quickly, the Seals placed tiny limpet mimes the size of a half dollar fore and aft.  The mines would explode at a depth of 1200 feet causing small punctures in the hull and imploding the drone under the massive weight of 1200 feet of water.  The rear limpet would sever the tether cable from the mother ship and if everything went as planned no evidence.  The manned submersible was another animal.  Their instructions were to sabotage the sub in a manner that looked like it was an electrical malfunction.