Eddy's Current (34 page)

Attached to this report is a transcription of a meeting of 10 September 2024 Mr. Peterson held with his three top advisors. I also have an audio recording of the meeting from which the transcription was made. The meeting was secretly recorded. It is clear from this meeting that Mr. Peterson is a madman. And it is clear that Mr. Peterson knew of the coming catastrophe in Crimpton. Crimpton, Idaho, was bombed so that Mr. Peterson could establish himself afterwards as the savior who offered the world a compromise solution that would help prevent another nuclear war. I urge you to read the transcription of the recording and then listen to the recording.

Mr. Peterson is prepared. He is smart. And he is power hungry. He is thorough, and he is mad. By working for only a few short years, then delivering a single speech to the United Nations, Mr. Peterson convinced the U.N. that it must grant him the power and authority to govern the world.

Mr. Peterson will have authority over all aspects of human life on this planet. All nations will answer to him. All armies will march for him. People will have a job if he says they can work, and they will eat if he says they can have food. While it is true that the world has never known a world dictator, dictators of individual countries have proven beyond any doubt to be dangerous and deadly to their country’s citizenry and to world peace.

The granting of dictatorial powers to any world leader will prove to be the monumental mistake of all of world history.

I close by asking for immediate action to stop Mr. Peterson from exercising his authority as world dictator. I emphasize that my recommendation for “immediate action” means “any action necessary,” and it means that action must be taken forthwith.

This report is concluded and submitted with my agent seal and my signature.

River N. Warwick, Sr.

— 11:47 P.M., 10 OCTOBER 2024

River’s report was too late, and it wouldn’t have made a difference if it were done sooner. The three members of the USFIA Governing Council intercepted River’s report before it got to Albert. They read the report, read the transcript of Peterson’s mad fit, and listened to the recording. They promptly filed the report, the transcript and the recording, and ordered Albert to ignore River completely. From that point on, River was not allowed to issue an official report to Albert. He was asked by the Council representatives if he retained a copy of the report, its attachment and the recording. River lied and told them that he retained copies of the report and transcript, but that they had the only recording of Peterson’s fit of rage.

The U.N. acted quickly to finalize its decisions. Details were not necessary, and were not offered. Resolutions were presented and passed with lightning–fast speed during Friday, the day after Peterson’s speech. By the end of the day Friday, all resolutions necessary to empower the WWCA were passed. Many resolutions passed unanimously. Peterson was soon to be in full control.

The U.N. General Assembly met together in the Great Hall to ratify all resolutions considered and passed that day. The vote to confirm was brought quickly, and it passed with no dissenting or abstaining votes. It was done now. What began two years ago as a longshot plan to save the world by creating an entirely new worldwide governing body — experts predicted at that time a ninety–eight percent chance of failure — was now a reality.

Generally speaking, the world governing body’s authority was set. Limits on authority, geographic and political boundaries, military power, citizen rights—all these issues and many more were not defined.

One thing was clear: Any country that refused to cooperate with the WWCA risked extermination. The nuclear triggers were the bottom line to WWCA’s power. Little else mattered. WWCA’s power was absolute because it was armed with absolute punitive capabilities.

WWCA proceeded to its tasks at once. Many didn’t realize it, but the entire office park in Houston had been transformed—set up completely for the WWCA’s operations. It was known as WWCA Operations Center. The park’s seventy–five story skyscraper, its jewel in the center of it all, was renamed, simply, The Peterson Building.

All offices had been renovated. Security systems were fully operational. Computer and communications systems were up and running. The entire infrastructure was set, tested and fully operational as well. All functions of the new worldwide government were set even before the U.N. voted.

Peterson moved into his office. The council room was an architectural dream. The best of the best. Peterson’s chair was at the head of the table, but the table had only one place for a head chair. The opposite end of the table from Peterson’s chair was rounded, providing room for two chairs to be set opposite one another, but with no place for another head. The table rounded there almost to a point. At this table there would be but one leader.

Governance was surprisingly simple and straightforward. Peterson led each session. No one spoke unless called upon. Votes were expected to be unanimous. Decisions were to be clear. There was to be no doubt in the minds of any person in the entire world that authority to run the world was vested in the WWCA, and that the authority to run the WWCA was vested in Tyler Peterson.

Decisions were made in the first session. There was no need to wait on matters of military authority, commerce, religion, or economics. The new economic system was adopted. The people of the world would benefit, so long as the people submitted. Submission was the litmus test to determine allegiance. Military service was mandatory. Religion was defined. The world would be much different now.

12 OCTOBER 2024

Sydney Albert hoped that he could scare River and intimidate him until River relented so that the USFIA could back away from the issue of Peterson and his mad reign. Albert gave it his best shot. “Your report was just slightly over the top, wouldn’t you say, Warwick?” Albert said, with obvious sarcasm. “It was not your place to write such a report, Warwick. You are the observer, the investigator and the reporter, but you are not the judge or jury. Maybe you could at least admit to using hyperbole to make your point? Just maybe?” Albert said, again lacing each word with a strong sarcastic tone.

River passed a note to Albert. It read, “I insist that, in order to continue this conversation, we pass written notes back and forth.”

Albert scribbled a note and passed it to River, “Absolutely.”

“Have you even read my report?”

“No, but I’ve heard enough about it to know that it’s over the top.”

“My report stands as written. It is neither hyperbole nor exaggeration. It is factual, and it was my duty to write it,” River wrote. “The least you could have done was read it before you judged me for it.”

“It’s speculation, Mr. duty–bound, patriotic hero,” Albert scribbled. “Do you realize the situation you’ve put me in? Can’t ignore you, can’t take your advice. Might have to make you appear to be an alarmist. What were you thinking? I’ve got huge pressure on me, Warwick, and you’ve not done anything to alleviate it.”

“Have you read the transcript of Peterson’s meeting with Hall, Samuel and Gualt?” River wrote.

“No.”

“Have you listened to the recording of that meeting?”

“What recording?”

“Do you have two sets of headphones here, in your office?” River wrote.

“Yes.”

River placed the recorder on the table, plugged in the headphones and pressed the Play button. They both listened. Albert was stunned at what he heard. After the recording finished, River handed Albert a copy of the report he was supposed to have received. Albert read it, and then realized that the Governing Council must have decided to go along with Peterson. There could be no other reason they wanted to ignore such an obvious piece of evidence against him. Albert’s bosses had given in. They had decided to join the madman.

A tense silence gripped the room for several seconds. Albert then wrote, “River, you’re going to be surprised to read my next statement: I agree with you. Not just because of the transcript or recording either. Your report is accurate. Damn you for writing it, but it’s true. I’m not upset with you for your accurate observations and thorough investigative work. I’m upset with you because you had the guts to make us all face what I suppose we all knew but would not admit to. Your call for action against Peterson was the right thing to do. Not too bright for either of our careers, but it was the right thing.”

“What do you plan to do?” River wrote.

“I’ve been ordered by the Governing Council to ignore your report. Do you have a safe place to hide your report and the recording of Peterson’s fit of rage?”

“Yes.”

“Hide it—somewhere that no one can find it. Lie if you’re asked about it. Get this straight: Even if a member of the Governing Council asks for it, do not produce it for him. Understand?”

“Yes. I’ve already lied to the Governing Council about it. I told them that I gave them the only copy of the recording.”

“Where did you get the recording to begin with?” Albert wrote.

“Frederic Hernandez.”

“That makes no sense. Hernandez wants to see you bleed to death or something. He wouldn’t cooperate.”

“I know that it makes no sense, but it happened. Hernandez gave me the recording. He’s the one who recorded the meeting.”

“Okay, let’s get the shredder going. We’ll go over to the office supply store and use theirs so we don’t raise suspicion here. Let’s go. Then we’ll go talk about a plan—”

“Mr. Albert, you need to take this call,” Albert’s secretary, Sheila, said, interrupting to give him the message.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Congressman Perez.”

“Hold on a minute, Warwick. Don’t leave… I’ll take this call and then we’ll get back to our meeting. Put him through, Sheila.”

Congressman Alex Perez of Florida was the chairman of the U.S. Government Intelligence Oversight Committee. Perez took every word of his committee’s title literally, especially the word “oversight.”

“Sydney, I need to talk to you. Have you got a minute? Can you talk now?”

“Yes, Mr. Congressman, please go ahead.”

“You’ve got a problem. The FBI has informed me that one of your agents needs to be investigated. They’ve wanted to check into him for months. They feel that the investigation has been deliberately stalled. It should have begun well before now. His name is River Warwick. They were running a few routine checks on his records, based on an anonymous tip they received, and they turned up something that has to be checked out. Thank God they called me and let me know what was going on. You know how I hate delays. Let’s get this going. Okay?”

“Mr. Congressman, would you excuse me for just a moment? I have to place you on hold for a few seconds,” Albert said.

“I’ll hold,” Perez replied.

“River, I’ll be quite a while on this call; I’ll call you and we’ll meet again this afternoon, after lunch.”

“Sure, Mr. Albert. I’ll see you then.”

“Sorry, Mr. Congressman, I had a person waiting in my office that I had to dismiss so I could talk with you.”

“I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but it’s been explained to me that the investigation of Warwick turned up convincing evidence of ongoing contact with a foreign agent who is known to try to corrupt American intelligence agents. In other words, he’s known to try to buy off our agents through generous bribes, and he’s also known to extort money from agents who have been compromised.

“The foreign agent’s M.O. is that he finds a personality defect in the agent he’s targeted or a deeply personal problem the agent has — maybe a gambling addiction, high personal debt, materialistic life style, drug or alcohol addiction, or even a sick relative who needs money for treatment — then offers to purchase information. He’s very effective at what he does.

“He makes himself sound convincing, almost nonthreatening. At first he offers the money, he doesn’t ask for the money. His relationships with our agents seem to quickly turn to extortion, though.

“Anyway, it clearly appears that Warwick has been in constant contact with this guy, enough so that we have to authorize and even insist on a full investigation of Warwick. It can’t come from you, Sydney. It has to come from the FBI and from my committee.”

“Let me say, sir, that Warwick has never given me any indication that he—” Albert stopped himself unexpectedly in mid–sentence.

“Go ahead, Sydney, I’m listening,” Alex said.

“Can I get back with you on this?” Albert asked.

“Yes, you can, but please remember that you can speak with no one at all, in any way, about what we just discussed. My committee’s investigation has got to be independent and confidential. Neither you nor Warwick will benefit from loose talk about it.”

“I understand. I do have to check out a few things pertaining to Warwick, though. Then I’ll call you back.”

“Sure. Remember, though, that I’m moving ahead with my committee’s investigation.”

“Understood.”

Albert was beginning to be very much concerned. Did Warwick actually write his report about Peterson to make the case that the world might be taken over by a dictator, just to deflect attention from something he did wrong? What about his report’s obvious truths? Had Warwick ever, even once, given a hint that he would sell out to, or pay off, a foreign agent? Who was this foreign agent? Who was Warwick? Had Albert grown too close to Warwick? Had he and others in the agency placed too much trust in Warwick, their “rising star?”

Questions raced through Albert’s mind. Answers lagged far behind.

Sydney Albert had to be honest with himself that his agency lacked any clear major dramatic public success stories since its inception. The heavily entrenched and very influential, yet unofficial, FBI and CIA public relations crews had made certain that in the last twenty years or so there had been one highly publicized successful investigation after another at their agencies, even though their shortcomings were no secret.