The Illuminati (15 page)
Elder stopped the tape momentarily and explained, “The pastor in my dream was accused of treason against the government and sentenced to be executed. He was brought before a man of great power who had become the leader of the United States, although he was not the president. This man was heralded as a great peacemaker who had been able to save the world from destruction, but he was the enemy of God's people and intent on seeing them imprisoned or destroyed.” Then he started the tape again.
The voice on the tape began a two-sided dialogue:
“I have the power to set you free,” the man said to the pastor. “All I require is your pledge of allegiance to me.”
“Never,” responded the pastor. “You are the enemy of my God and, therefore, my enemy.”
“Then I will destroy you and all that are yours,” the leader threatened. “You are entirely in my control, and I alone have the power over life and death.”
Again the pastor repeated: “Never!”
The tape ended there with the young boy waking from his dream and his mother telling him what she had heard.
“I never had the dream again,” Elder said. “I often wondered if it really was the imagination of a young boy, or if perhaps it was a premonition from God.”
“Maybe it was your imagination, combined with Bible stories your mother had told you,” suggested Warner, the attorney.
“Perhaps,” Elder responded.“But you see, my parents weren't believers, and I had never read the Bible at that point. It was listening to this tape that made me start to see some answers in my life. I became a Christian because of it, and later a pastorâmaybe the pastor in my dream!”
The phone ringing interrupted their conversation. Warner picked up the receiver. “Warner here,” he said.
“Listen, Arch, this thing is really big. The Feds have a warrant out on your pastor that reads like a Mafia contractâit's âdead or alive.' The others are wanted for conspiracy. By the way, you're not listed on the warrants but Frost is.”
“What should we do?”
“I talked with that detective friend of mine who is willing to take Elder and Frost into custody on my assurance that Elder is not dangerous. He's not, is he?”
“Absolutely not. I'm sitting with him right now. He's about the meekest terrorist you'll ever find,”Warner said with a weak smile.
“You need to get him out of there and down to the station as soon as possible. The Feds are having a little trouble convincing the local judge that all these people are involved in a plot to overthrow the government, but they'll find a district judge who will accept their D.C. warrants if he won't.”
“Meet us outside the police station. We'll be there in thirty minutes,” Warner said as he hung up the phone.
“Come on John, we need to get out of here,”Warner said anxiously. “Once the government realizes that a lot of other people know you're in custody, they'll walk a lot softer.”
Within an hour, Elder, Frost, and six other CRC members on the federal warrant were being held in the Atlanta city jail in protective custody. It took less than twelve hours for the federal marshals to get a federal judge to give them custody. Elder was whisked away in a waiting car. Frost and the others were herded out to a waiting van.
Events were moving so fast that most Americans could scarcely keep up with them. The nightly news programs were expanded to a full hour on all the networks and carried the highest prime time ratings. Each network was vying for the latest details on the economy, the assassinations, and the crackdown on the religious “terrorists.”
Americans flocked to their banks to surrender their currency in exchange for bank credits. To encourage the process and to reduce any potential opposition, Russell Siever came up with an ingenious idea: The exchange would yield a dividend for the public. For each dollar surrendered, a depositor would receive a 50 percent bonus in exchange credits. This quieted all opposition to the new system.
Drug dealers, accustomed to carrying large amounts of cash, had a problem: how to exchange their currency without tipping off the IRS to their illicit business. Siever quickly found a solution to that problem also. He worked out an amnesty program whereby they could make a onetime exchange, no questions asked. The dealers with savvy could read the handwriting on the wall and grabbed the opportunity to cash in their profits. With the removal of all currency, the sale of illegal drugs would be very difficult.
Media interviews with reformed drug dealers helped to sell the no-currency system to the public. Shortly after a WNN news interview with ten reformed dealers, public acceptance of Data-Net shot up to over 90 percent. Had the Insta-pol included the Christian community in their statistics, which they purposely did not, it would have shown overwhelming opposition to the idea. Christians feared the control that such a system could yield to the government, but since they were ignored by the media, their voices went unheard.
The subject of the cash-less economy was debated on the WNN evening news by members of the National Civil Liberties Union (NCLU), who expressed concern over the potential invasion of privacy. Russell Siever represented the government's position.
“Dr. Siever, how can we be sure that the government won't use this system to control its citizens? After all, the control of someone's ability to buy or sell carries an awesome power, doesn't it?” challenged Fred Lively, the head of the NCLU.
“Certainly, Fred, and we're acutely aware of that. But remember that we are a democracy and the people of this country rule by the way they vote. Any politician who attempts to control the freedom of the American people will quickly find himself on the outside looking in.”
“But what about the rights of the minorities?”
“Well, if you mean the drug pushers, criminals, and anarchists, they will have a difficult time of it because we will be able to shut them down. For us to do that, the honest people of this country have to give us a little flexibility. But I can promise you this, Fred, and you know me well enough to know I do what I say: If you, or any other member of the NCLU, see any abuses of this authority, I'll help you bring it to the attention of the president. But, also think of the positive side. Criminals will no longer be able to rob honest merchants who work for their money. With no cash in the registers, all a thief can get is a computer tape, or maybe a refrigerator, if he can run with one on his back.”
Lively laughed heartily. He had been well coached in what to ask of the nation's budget manager. His instructions from the Society's inner circle had been clear: “Ask the questions, then support the program.”
The Insta-pol showed that nearly 100 percent of the viewers supported Dr. Siever and the new monetary control system.
Within one month, all currency had been converted and the Data-Net system was up and operating, with only a few glitches in the start-up. Sometimes, due to an overload on the telephone lines, the computer-operated cash registers would hang up while trying to access the central processor. Once new fiber-optic lines were added, however, the system improved greatly.
Merchants loved the new system because they were able to receive their funds transfers immediately. However, those without computerized registers had to fill out debit vouchers to get paid. This delay in converting sales into profits ensured they would change over quickly. One huge advantage of the new system was the ability to determine immediately whether or not customers had the funds available. If not, the transaction would halt while the customer arranged a credit loan from the central bank. These loans were closely monitored and payments deducted from the customer's account automatically each month. It truly looked like a win-win situation for all involved.
The transfer to a total electronic system was extraordinarily simple. Most people perceived any change as better than the status quo. With nearly 30 percent of the working population unemployed, the emotional strain was taking a fearsome toll. Crime was up several hundred percent in most cities from the previous decade. Suicides, especially among the young, were epidemic. What most of the public didn't realize was that while the transfer over to electronic money had slowed the drug traffic, it had not lessened the demand for drugs in the inner cities. The result was a new crime wave with gangs of youths stealing everything from plasma television screens to cars and bartering them for drugs. The media was quick to blame the Hunt administration for not doing enough to stop the crime and put people back to work.
“I don't know what they expect of me!” President Hunt said angrily as he slammed the paper down on the breakfast table. “How am I supposed to put people back to work? The government's dead broke.”
“Mr. President,”Cal Rutland began in his normal, condescending tone.
Hunt glanced over at his aide.
Just the way he uses the title is disrespectful
, Hunt thought.
He acts like he's the president and I'm his lackey
. Mark Hunt had been trying to decide how to divest himself of “the shadow,” a name he had overheard other staff members refer to Cal Rutland. He knew he would have to be careful. Rutland was a direct link to the Society, and it wouldn't be wise to oppose them yet.
But I'll dump him as soon as possible
.
“Yes, Cal, what is it?” he asked in controlled annoyance.
Appearing not to notice Hunt's irritation, Rutland replied, “Dr. Siever has an idea that may be of merit. He asked to see you later this week.”
“Schedule an appointment immediately,” the president commanded.
“Yes, sir,” Rutland replied with mock submission.
Since John Elder's arrest, he had been shifted from one detention center to another. After being held by the local police, the FBI had assumed control and transferred him to the Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta. There he was strip-searched, told to shower, and refitted with drab prison clothing.
When the agent in charge entered the cell, Elder asked, “When will I be able to see my attorney?”
“Shut up!” the agent commanded.“You'll get to see an attorney when we say.”
“This is still America, isn't it?” Elder replied sharply.
Grabbing Elder by the choke collar, which had been designed for maximum control over unruly prisoners, the agent jerked him to his feet. The pain was almost unbearable. The slightest upward pressure on the collar pulled the confined man's arms backward while forcing his neck into a near-breaking position.
“Mister, it's creeps like you who use the system to cry for help after murdering innocent people. If it were up to me, I'd break your neck right now!” the agent threatened as he released his grip on the bar.
Elder fell to the floor gasping for breath. He had been through this during the abortion protests. As his mind cleared, he silently prayed,
God give me the strength to bear the suffering and the grace to forgive
.