Balance of Power Shifted (47 page)

We rolled up to the Paschel home around 1:10 and only 10 minutes late.  There were a few cars in the area, but it seemed peaceful, well that all ended when we walked in the front door.  Walking in a
nd putting down some wine and pastries we had brought, Mrs. P met us in the foyer to greet us.  “Come” she said, as she started to walk to the back of the house where the kitchen and family room was.  As soon as we rounded the corner, we were knocked back with shock as the 50 people crammed into that space yelled congratulations!  Mrs. P was beaming as she saw absolute surprise on our faces.  There were relatives that had not been around for a while as well as neighbors who knew Fiona and of course our Efficio brethren.  Kristen was looking quite pregnant and Taylor and she were eating up the attention they were getting.  Sean and Steve were there and were already badgering Fiona on why she was going to marry me.  The Filamore’s were in deep conversation with Fiona’s dad and it sounded like they were talking sports.  It seemed that every time I tried to put food in my mouth one of Fiona’s relatives started talking to me, so I think it was about two hours later that I was able to taste some of the delicious food that Mrs. P had prepared. 

We had brought our overnight bag so
at the end of the party we just crashed there with Fiona in her room and me on the basement family room couch since a number of out of town guests were staying there.  As I laid down, Fred who was now about 85 pounds decided he wanted to sleep on the couch with me, but after a brief discussion, he settled for the floor.  It went through my mind that we would not be able to wrest him away from Mrs. P in the future.  As I drifted off to sleep, I thought it was nice that Fiona had so many caring relatives and was happy that I would be soon part of it.

A few days later, after l
anding at
the International Airport Leonardo da Vinci di
Fiumicino near Rome, I met Miguel and another Clavis security agent who had flown in the day before.  Using their rental vehicle, which was a large Mercedes sedan, we drove north along the coast for a couple of hours to the marina area of Montalto.  If how beautiful a location is contributed to the success of the venture this one was a guaranteed success.  Not only was I staring out the window for the entire ride at the gorgeous scenery and glimpses of the emerald Mediterranean, but also I was enthralled with the building and vantage point on the water.  The building did not come cheap, but was at a perfect location on the water, easy access to transportation and enough square footage under roof to meet our needs. 

Since the facility housed yachts and powerboats of the well to do, there was already decent security in place with
the stonewall topped with broken glass and barbed wire, but all done in a manner that it blended in with the other buildings and not look like a minimum security prison.  We were able to drive through the front gate after it opened automatically for us by someone inside.  Then we drove right into the building through the large loading dock door as it opened as if by magic as soon as we approached.  As soon as we drove inside, the loading dock door came clanking down.

As I got out of the car, a
man with long blond hair, full beard and thick framed glasses approached.  Senor Hart at your service he said as he shook my hand.  I was somewhat distracted while looking around the facility because at the same time I was looking to see if Bill was here, and I was not paying much attention to the person in front of me.  After a second or two, I focused in on Senior Hart in front of me and it was not until I discerned the telltale wiseass grin that I realized it was Bill in disguise.  We both gave each other a strong man hug and then I added, “That disguise is an improvement, you should adopt it permanently.”  “Yeah it’s good to see you also dude” Bill joked.  “Come on out everyone and meet my good friend Mike Carter.”  As soon as he said that about 9-10 people came out of what looked like an office area and marina supply store.  As the others were coming over, he said to Miguel and me “remember I am William Hart to these people and in public.”

The first person Bill introduced me to was Father Jovinni
and based on the way he was introduced my guess was that these two had some kind of bond together.  I already knew who Father was and that he was privy to a lot of information so I said “thanks Father for all your help” and conspiratorially said “and it looks like our friend William here is healthy as can be.”  “No doubt,” Father said in very good English, but with Italian accent that would do well on the big screen.  The other people were his plant manager, who appeared to be a solid conscientious type and a group of workers as well as the two day shift Clavis security guards.  I introduced the manager and the security team to Miguel so that they could compare notes and prepare for the modifications to meet Clavis requirements. 

Bill and I excused ourselves from Father and walked back into the production area of the plant to where the intake pumps
passed through a windowless cement block room that had a 5000-gallon tank-sitting smack in the middle of it.  On the intake side, was a heavy-duty stainless steel cabinet with a series of gauges that monitored water flow, temperature as well as turbidity.  The piping from the pump into the tank was transparent and made of thick Lucite or glass.

Bill used a biometric retinal scanner to open a side panel to the stainless steel control area. 
He pointed to a 5 gallon container in the front of the chamber and said, “this my friend is an Arsenic solution that contains other elements that have no effect on Electricus, but is a ‘red herring’ if anyone does get this far.”  “Mr. Hart, if I may say so, this whole contraption is a ‘red herring’ as we know none of this is needed.”  “Not entirely true,” Bill said, “The water flow meter is very accurate and is linked with to the Arsenic dispersion mechanism to ensure the right amount is mixed in and that trace elements are consumed during the reproduction process.”  At the concentration level of the mixture, I expect to get about three months of production out of each batch.  Just in case it runs low, I have a wireless connection to the network that will send us an alarm when the 5 gallon tank drops below 20 percent.” 

“What can I say
Bill, you are freaking amazing.  This is just what we need.  Can we mass produce this contraption quickly?”  No worries my friend, this encrypted flash drive contains all the specs and the local fabrication company that built this for me is already working on building a dozen more and should be ready in two to three weeks.”  Bill went the next step and kicked off the process for me to watch first hand.  A muffled high-speed whine signified the pumps engaged, and with a moderate roar the water pumped into the tank very fast.  The gauges on the control panel showed temperature in Celsius which Bill read off as 74 degrees Fahrenheit.  Another gauge showed a 600 gallon per minute flow and turbidity meter hovered in the normal range.  A smaller tank mounted above the entire apparatus was the fully reproduced seed Electricus.  Each 5000-gallon tank had to account for 50 gallons of Electricus.  This tank drew from a larger tank on the main production floor that was never less than half-full.  A high-speed agitator kicked in and churned the water for 30 seconds, and as soon as that shut off the output pump kicked in and transferred the raw Electricus solution to the new 5000-gallon reproduction tank where it would sit for at least 2-days.

We spent another hour reviewing safety requirements to avoid anyone being shocked during the production and tra
nsportation of Electricus and Miguel used his iPad to show everyone the physical security controls such as the gate system installed in the States and the guard procedures.  We talked about engaging a contractor that we could work with to do additional installations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.  We had already interviewed a friend of Jeremy’s that specialized in construction projects for US and non-US embassies around the globe.  Their work was impeccable since any failure in their designs would have deadly results for their clients.  We had purposely not signed any contracts in the European Union area to allow us to expand more gradually and to be able to generate Electricus on the level companies could use to test and prototype products.  We also wanted to get Electricus in the hands of our goodwill team that the Vatican crew had built around the globe and start-delivering product to the needy.  Tomorrow morning we had a meeting back in Vatican City to discuss that whole aspect with not only the Archbishop, but also a cadre of other religious leaders open to see their poor and needy get a jump up on life.

At M
iguel’s suggestion, Bill and I did not ride back to Vatican City together to help ensure something did not take us both out, whether by a sinister event or a freak car accident.  After passing through what I considered low key, but efficient security, they escorted me to Mr. Hart’s office.  No sooner, did I walk through door then Charlene jumped me and planted a big kiss on the side of my face.  “Mikey” she yelled, “I am so glad to see you.  Bill just called and said he be here in 10 minutes.”  “You look great Charlene and I don’t think I ever saw Bill so happy.  You two are a great team!”  Hey before he gets here I just want to send Fiona a quick message if you don’t mind.”  “Go ahead Mike but don’t forget to tell her hello from me.”  A couple of minutes later I sent a quick text saying, “good day here and some great ideas discussed.   Charlene says to tell you hello.”  Two minutes later, he received a response saying, “Everything was good on my end and working with realtors on global regional corporate and production sites.  Many choices but need local talent to guide.”  “Will discuss when I get back. Luv u and have a great day” was my last transmission.  “Luv u and b careful” was her last message.  You could tell by the dialog that we had never mastered the texting language, nuances, and emoticons that everyone else seemed to like.  In fact, I always felt like an outcast when I texted, let alone the few times I tweeted especially when all my friends were so adept at it.

A
rchbishop Eduardo Cordova was very pleased with the responses he had received from their government and religious contacts around the globe.  When he first broached the subject to them through an intermediary, there was tremendous skepticism.  On one level, the concept of Electricus was just not that widely known when they were first approached; on another level, the goodwill offered was considered tainted by ulterior motives.  The first issue resolved itself through the tremendous amount of press covering not only what Electricus is and what it means for consumers and corporations it was also covering the struggle of Efficio against the large and powerful faceless establishment. 

Archbishop Cordova envisioned in his mind the biblical struggle between David and Goliath.  The entire world was assessing what the impact meant to them. 
Even a few cults had sprung up professing that Electricus came to us from alien beings in response to how we had been treating our planet.  In the large room in front of him, there were over a 100 people.  Represented were the major religions including medium level representatives from most of the world’s countries.  All were here to listen to Mr. Carter and Efficio’s plans to ensure that a good portion of the success of Efficio ends up with those traditionally cast to the side by society.  Mr. Bates sat in the room, but was not part of the presentation and discussion to protect his real identity.  After Mr. Carter’s presentation, the “how to make it happen” discussion will ensue and the Vatican team would start working out the details with anyone who was interested.

Bill was as interested in the coming discussions as anyone in the
room and even though he felt left out not being up there with Mike, he had no illusions that this was the smart way to handle the situation.  All of a sudden, the noisy chatter that had dominated the room became eerily quiet as the Archbishop climbed the steps to the low platform that held a single podium. A very large electronic display screen hung to the left side of the stage.  The Archbishop opened with, “ladies and gentlemen and more importantly citizens of our fine planet. I want to welcome you to this gathering to hear an extraordinary offer from Mr. Michael Carter who is one of the co-founders of Efficio, which as you all know by now, discovered and harnessed a wonderful gift called Electricus.  At the end of Mr. Carter’s presentation, we will have an open question and answer session.  If needed, we do have a number of interpreters present that can aid in rephrasing questions for presentation in English.  Now, I will turn it over to Mr. Michael Carter.

As generous applause echoed though
the room, Bill watched Mike calmly stride onto the stage and walk to the podium.  Again, Bill was amazed at Mike’s ability to assume whatever role he needed in a public forum and brought an air of gravitas with him as he positioned himself behind the podium.  “Ladies and Gentlemen it is a pleasure to speak before you here today and is the culmination of a vision that William Bates the co-founder of Efficio and the entire management team have had since we knew what Electricus could provide mankind.  Since Electricus was discovered, we’ve have seen ourselves as a care taker of this gift to humanity and because of this we felt the need to ensure that Electricus was not subverted or subjected to rigid control for the benefit of a few.  We have faced strife at almost every step of the journey and people have died in support of our ideals and against any effort to deny Electricus due to greed or power.” 

“
Efficio is a vehicle to commercialize Electricus and allow a good portion of the revenue from licensing to fund goodwill projects around the globe and provide stewardship of this astonishing resource.  Our goal is to focus on those citizens that dwell in the slums of our world’s largest cities or inhabit undeveloped parts of the world where technology and infrastructure do not exist.  Our fellow countrymen will also benefit, but more along the lines of a traditional free market means.  Of particular interest to us is to avoid throwing world governments or economies into disarray that could lead to a different set of problems.  Efficio will work from the commercial aspect to level set and try to minimize the inevitable problems that will arise due to how money and power are controlled today.”