The Krakow Klub (25 page)

Jim lifted both hands into the
air and stammered, “I’m so sorry.
I thought that I was going
to kill us both! I think that you’d better take over for the rest
of the flight.”

John reached over and took the controls.
“Okay, that’s enough excitement for one day. Now let’s strategize.
I need you
to be
my business partner, and even
more importantly, I need your help in overcoming the Krakow
Klub.

“I’ve accepted the fact that I have two very
different sides to my personality. My Mylean half is very
technically
oriented,
and judgments
are always made
on the basis of careful study
and analysis. On the other hand, my human side is emotional. I tend
to make decisions that are
spur-of-the-moment
and based on my feelings at the time.

“As you well know, I have a rather nasty
temper that can cause me to feel aggressive. Put the two together,
and you have quite a scary situation. I just can’t trust myself not
to let my human side take over at some critical moment. That, my
friend, is why you are so important.

“Maxxine isn’t like the master control
module. She doesn’t act as my
conscience,
and
she can’t overrule my decisions except in a few rare instances.
That makes it too easy for me to make a serious mistake based on an
emotional decision.

“The good thing is that I can program Maxxine
wi
th rules
that limit your actions in a way
that will likely
prevent major problems.
You’ll have all the resources that you need, but if you attempt
something that is unacceptable to the established guidelines,
she’ll prohibit you from proceeding. Sounds complicated but it’s
quite simple.

“Of
course,
you can
always appeal to
me,
and if I agree, I can
allow an action that had been forbidden by Maxxine.

“And, Maxxine will be there to advise you at
every step. With your
integrity
and her
technology, we can put these anarchists out of business
permanently. And then we
can start the process of
turning
our nation around.

“We’ve been edging closer and closer to a
complete
form
of socialism for many years. We
both know that will lead to our downfall if we’re not careful.
Socialism
has never
worked,
but no one pays any attention to history. Look at
the former Soviet Union. A classic example. It imploded quicker
than anyone could believe.

“In a welfare state, the people are
powerless. All decisions are from the top down. There is no
innovation.
No
real freedom. That’s a
miserable way to live. Eventually, the system collapsed just like
all the others who have tried the grand socialist experiment.

“Democracy may be a lousy form of government,
but it beats the hell out of anything else. I believe that the
major shortcomings of democracy can
be
addressed
without destroying the benefits.

“Socialism is simply spending other people’s
money. And as Margaret Thatcher famously said, ‘The trouble with
Socialism is that pretty soon you run out of other people’s
money.’”

Jim nodded solemnly, “I’ve only been in
Washington, DC, for a relatively short
period,
but I can see that you’re right. There are many leaders today who
have the best of intentions but poor insight into what impact their
decisions will have on future generations.”

John continued, “At my age, I know that I may
not live long enough to see
this thing through to the
end
. You’re young enough, smart enough, and dedicated enough
to guide the country through these dangerous times.”

“John, I think
you're
far too negative. You’ll be around for many years to come, and I
have a suspicion that, since you’re part Mylean, you’ll outlive the
rest of us.”

John adjusted their altitude slightly and
moved them closer to the shore. “That might be
true,
but I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. I
very much need to return to Mylea for an extended stay. I want to,
no, I need to explore my Mylean heritage. Sometimes, I just don’t
know who I am. Am I human? Am I Mylean? How much of which? I need
to find the answers to those questions. And I don’t think I can do
it without visiting Mylea and getting to know the Mylean
people.”

Jim looked down at his hands. “I can see how
you feel, but what about the distances involved. Surely, your trip
would take many years, even at the speed of light. I’m afraid that
if you leave, it will be forever. What if you decide to stay there?
What about Julia?”

John shrugged, “I don’t have those answers
yet. But, I do know that I’m going to ask Julia to go with me. I
haven’t brought the subject up
yet,
so she
doesn’t have a clue. Let’s just keep it our little secret for
now.

“You must know how I feel about her. Frankly,
I can’t believe my luck in meeting her. It’s as if we’ve known each
other forever. We think enough alike that we can finish each
other’s
sentences.
Sometimes, I even think
that she can read my mind. I could never prove it, but I have a
deep suspicion that Maxx engineered the whole thing involving our
meeting.
There are just too many
coincidences.

“As for the travel time, Maxx has been
working on some innovative technology that would allow for travel
exceeding the speed of light. In fact, I understand that NASA is
already working on something similar that they call ‘Warp Drive’
that utilizes ion propulsion. Who knows, by the time I’m ready to
leave, Maxx may have perfected his technology and the trip will be
much shorter, time wise.

“Maxx has always controlled my life, so I
shouldn’t be surprised if he’s still in charge. It’s troubling to
think about, but, if he did send me Julia,
I'd
be forever thankful. Jim, for the first time in my life, I am a
truly
happy man!”

He continued as they dipped down and hovered
over the golf course. “I’ve already asked Maxxine to build the ship
for the trip to Mylea. If all goes well and you accept my
partnership offer, I’ll be leaving
about
a
year from now. By then, we will have defeated the Krakow Klub and
can start making the changes to restore our government to its
constitutional basis.

“Maxx tells me that he’s designed special
chambers on the craft that will effectively permit me and
hopefully
Julia to make the trip with only
minimal aging. It sounds like some suspended animation process. I
don’t understand
it, but
I guess that’s not
important. Maxx knows about little
Akiro,
so
there’ll also be a doggie-sized chamber for him, too.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a long
time and making a decision has been nerve racking. But, I feel that
I don’t have a choice. I need to understand my Mylean side. It’s
pretty scary for
me,
but I feel as though I’ve
just got to do it while I still can.”

Jim nodded in understanding. “I understand
your dilemma, and I now understand why you need me as a partner. I
can act on your behalf, no matter where you are, or no matter how
far away you happen to be.”

“Thanks. I just couldn’t be gone for such an
extended
period
without a trusted partner to
handle my resources. If you decide to accept my offer, this island
will be your base of operations. Mister T will keep everything
running smoothly. You’ll also have access to my space station
and
Maxxine. And, even Maxx will be available
for consultation when you need him.”

He handed the controls back to Jim, who
looked down and smiled sheepishly. “You
really
do trust me don’t you?”

He extended his right hand to John. “Okay,
partner, you’ve got a deal. I’m ready to move on to something new.
You’ll need to spend some serious time teaching me the ropes.
Somehow, I tend to cringe at what Maxx’s reaction will be to our
little agreement.”

With that, Jim guided the little craft toward
their landing spot.

“Jim, we’re going to be a great team. Don’t
worry about compensation. You’ll have access to a rather
substantial account that I already set up in Lichtenstein. By the
way, in case you didn’t know, they’re more secretive than the
Swiss.”

Continuing, John said, “Maxxine has already
come up with some excellent background information on the Krakow
Klub members. We’ll have their bank account info, their habits,
their backgrounds, and a complete history of their nefarious deeds.
When we make our move, they won’t know what hit them.”

Jim executed a gentle landing at the spot
from which they recently lifted off.

John hopped out and turned back to Jim,
“You’ve taken a real load off my mind. Changing jobs is never
easy,
and I promise that you’ll never regret
your decision.

“Now, I can devote my energies to convincing
Julia to go with me to Mylea. It’s not going to be easy. She’s
strong and brave but she and her brother are very
close,
and I’m afraid that might be a real stumbling
block for her. I can’t imagine that she’d agree to be away from him
for such a long time. For now, I’m just going to play it by ear and
see if Maxx can offer me some of his sage advice.”

The two said their goodbyes and Jim headed
toward the guest house while John continued up the pathway to the
front door of the villa.

“Julia, where are you? I’ve got fantastic
news. Jim has agreed to be my business partner.”

Julia emerged from the living area with Akiro
and Mitch trotting along behind her. “I don’t know where the time
went! I’ve been studying the model and even played with your
computer design program a bit. It was fun.”

Just then, Mister T entered and spoke
privately to John. “Boss, I just got word that your other guest
will be arriving in about fifteen minutes. I’ve prepared the dining
room,
but I think that we should start off in
the lounge.” With that, he turned and silently left the room.

John leaned over and whispered to Julia, “The
countdown is on. Our special visitor will be here in a few
minutes,
and I can’t wait to see Jim’s
reaction. He’s going to have a heart attack.
It
will
be a reunion to end all reunions. Do I hear wedding
bells?”

Julia rolled her eyes and touched his wrist
gently. “My dear, you are such an optimist. Never think that you
can predict what a woman will do. It’ll get you in trouble every
time.”

A few minutes later, the helicopter could be
heard approaching from the direction of Key West. The rhythmic,
deep bass thrum of the rotor blades became more and more distinct
as the helicopter descended toward an open area near the beach at
the back of the house. John had selected the site
specifically
because
it was far from
the guest house and could not
be seen
. The
landing area was also not visible from i
nside the
main house
. Jim would hear the helicopter
approaching,
but that wouldn’t arouse his curiosity since
another guest was expected.

Inside, Julia stood beside John and encircled
his waist with her arm. “I’m not worried about the situation. I
know that you and Jim can fix everything. Just remember that I’m
right here for you, in the background, providing moral
support.”

John smiled in response. “Thanks. Right now,
we’ve got a guest to
greet,
and I can hardly
wait to see how our romantic little plot plays out. We’ll put all
our worries on hold for just this one day.”

Within a few short minutes, Mister T led
Sylvia up the steps and into the house.

She was strikingly pretty
—
petite with short blond hair and deep blue eyes. Her
eyes betrayed her fun loving
nature,
but her
expression was
one of pure
business.

She looked around her
surroundings,
and John could tell she was taking copious
mental notes. He was quite certain that she
would be
feeling tired
from her long
trip,
but
she gave no indication of it. In fact, she looked fresh and
comfortable even in the warm, humid atmosphere of the Keys.

Sylvia wore white slacks and a loose blue
tunic. She had on designer sunglasses and carried an oversized hobo
bag over her shoulder.

“Welcome to Scott Key, Miss McDonald. I trust
that you had a pleasant trip.”

Extending her hand, Sylvia replied, “The
pleasure is all mine, Mr. Scott. Your island is
beautiful,
and I can’t wait to spend a few days relaxing
after we finish up with business. By the way, I have good news on
that front.”

“Wonderful, but first let me introduce you to
Julia Compton. She’s agreed to play hostess, so you’ll be in
excellent hands.”

The introductions were
completed,
and John suggested that Mister T take Julia’s
suitcase to her guest bedroom. I’ve arranged for you to stay in the
main house. The guest area is totally
private,
and you’ll be quite comfortable there.

We have another
visitor,
but he’ll be staying in the guesthouse. You’ll meet him at lunch.
Right now, maybe we could have a short meeting and catch up on your
progress on the bullion storage facility.”

Mister T picked up the heavy bag, turned, and
looked out at the vanishing helicopter, the engine still audible
even at that distance. He shook his head from side to side and
wondered why humans and their vehicles had to make so much infernal
noise.