The Krakow Klub (45 page)

John continued, “Members of Congress, you and
the entire nation have
been misled
. I’ve
already mentioned that the acts of terror have
been
attributed
to a group of radical jihadists. Nothing could be
further from the truth, although a couple of their groups did claim
responsibility for the acts. It was probably just wishful thinking
on their part.

“This plot was hatched by
a
secret
organization known as the Krakow Klub. It’s a group
of individuals, twelve of them, who are intent on overthrowing the
government of the United States. These people are extremely
wealthy, powerful, and ruthless. Their ultimate goal is to control
the world. I regret to inform you that several members are American
citizens.

“Over the years, they’ve infiltrated many
groups and organizations, most importantly, the military and the
houses of government. I can assure you, as I look out on this
audience, that there are several of you right here who are on their
payroll.”

In the audience, members of Congress began
looking at each other with suspicion. One member stood as if to
leave the
hall,
but he then thought better of
it and slowly sat back down.

“As you saw in the video, explosives have
been carefully planted around this wing of the hotel. If those
explosives
were detonated
, the entire
facility, and us along with it, would be destroyed in a matter of
seconds. With the entire governing body dead, they would be free to
do as they wish. Just think about it.

“We have no time to lose. With your agreement
and support, I can prevent the Krakow Klub from detonating the
explosives, and next, I can prevent them from their final
takeover.

“The only thing that we have to agree on is
my compensation for performing these services. You won’t like it
because it is not money. I have more money than I
could
ever spend already. What I require from you
are
authority and power. I assure you that
both will be used wisely to the benefit of the entire country.

“I can assure you that I will stop the Krakow
Klub in its tracks and all that I ask in return is twenty-five
years to oversee the transition of our government back to its
constitutional roots.

“We will work together to achieve that goal.
Most of you are hard-working and dedicated people. The few who are
not will soon
be exposed and eliminated—gone
from our midst.

During the twenty-five years
that I act as advisor, the government will continue to function
normally. However, when necessary, I will veto or suspend any law
that is not in compliance with the Constitution as it was
originally written.
You must agree to grant me this power.
My price is not negotiable.”

There was an immediate outburst of comments
from all over the hall. John simply stood back while they came to
terms with what they had just seen and experienced.

He then indicated to the Speaker that he
should get the meeting under control again.

“Please listen very carefully to what I am
about to say because if your reaction is negative, I am going to
walk out of this room and leave you to your fate.”

John knew that he was deliberately misleading
them,
but time was of the essence. If they
knew that the explosive devices had already
been
disarmed
, they would never agree to his terms, even after an
agonizing lengthy debate.

The room became very quiet. John stood
waiting for the last murmurs to die away.

He continued to speak calmly and
deliberately. “I will eventually get what I ask for whether you are
still alive or not. After you have all
been
vaporized
, I don’t think that there will be anyone who would
be unwise enough to refuse my offer.

“I’ll just sit back and let the Krakow Klub
complete their coup. Then, the world will be ready to accept me
with open arms. My price will be insignificant when compared to the
consequences of refusing me.

“I am no dictator and have no desire to be
one. In fact, I’ve spent a great deal of my life studying the
various forms of government around the
world,
and I am still firmly convinced that our nation still has great
strength and a promising future. But, in recent years, we have
drifted ever closer to
socialism,
and that can
only lead to our ultimate downfall.

“I have the tools and resources to bring this
country to unprecedented
prosperity,
but there
will be a cost. We must look
backward
before
we can move forward. Our forefathers established a government that
would be the most admired and respected in the entire world.
Unfortunately, we’ve
strayed,
and much of that
respect
has already been lost
. We have the
opportunity to correct our mistakes, but first, I require your
approval of my request. I swear, before you all, that I will not
use my power to the detriment of any loyal American. As you can
probably guess, and rightfully so, there is no time for debate. You
must act now before the Krakow Klub kills all of you.”

John stepped back and motioned to the Speaker
that the podium was his.

The Speaker spoke into the
microphone, but looked directly at John. “Mr. Scott, even if this
Congress should vote in favor of your proposal, it would not be
legal without the signature of the president.
Based on what
we have just seen, you know that is not going to happen.”

John stepped back to the microphone and
replied, “If you
vote
for my proposal, I
promise you the president of the United States will approve your
decision. In fact, it will be done immediately, right here in front
of this assemblage.”

The Speaker was stunned. He turned towards
the audience and said, “You have heard what Mr. Scott said. As much
as it grieves me, I must call for a vote. All in favor of granting
Mr. John Scott a
twenty-five-year
oversight
term of power as payment for his
services in
defeating the Krakow Klub,
please say
‘aye,’
”

There was a brief period of silence followed
by a few soft “
ayes
”. As the seconds ticked
by, more and more members of Congress joined the vote. At last,
there was a vast majority in favor of John’s offer. There were
probably some dissenters
present,
but none
dared speak aloud.

Somewhat amazed at what had just happened,
the Speaker pounded his gavel and said, “The motion has
passed.”

John immediately stepped back to the podium
and announced, “Ladies and
gentlemen,
please
rise and welcome the president of the United States of
America.”

Expecting to see Carla Montrose, almost all
remained seated as the impressive audio system immediately began
playing the presidential anthem as recorded by the United States
Marine Corps Band.

Suddenly, the door
opened,
and President Henry Wilkinson entered with an
aura of confidence not seen in many years.

First, there were shouts of disbelief and
then prayers of thanksgiving. Then the hall erupted in
pandemonium.

The moment was so impressive that John could
see tears forming in the eyes of several Congressmen who were
sitting in the front few rows of the hall.

Wilkinson walked directly to the podium and
raised his hands for
silence,
but the audience
was still in a state of near ecstasy and made no effort towards
calming down.

He spread his arms outward in an embracing
gesture towards the members of Congress. “Ladies and gentlemen, the
rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated!”

Wilkinson was in his element, a true
political animal. The audience was ready to eat out of his
hand.

He motioned for silence again, “My friends
and colleagues, time is of the essence. I’ll give you a full
briefing as soon as it’s possible, but now we must act decisively.
Mr. Scott has outlined the events that have brought us
to
this incredible crisis. He has already saved my life,
both physically and spiritually. Even more importantly, he has the
power to destroy the Krakow Klub. I fear that he is our only hope
of stopping their complete takeover.

“You are all aware of the spacecraft that
visited our solar system recently. Mr. Scott arranged for that
visit. As you might guess, he is quite a unique
individual,
and I am honored to count him as a
friend.

“That encounter was with the planet Mylea.
Mr. Scott is half Mylean and has complete access to their advanced
technical knowledge. During his twenty-five years as an
advisor
, he will share much of that
knowledge,
and it will enable us to achieve goals that
are beyond our wildest dreams. Just consider
the
world
without cancer,
the world
with
clean water,
the world
without starvation. It
can all be within our grasp.

“No, we won’t be perfect. For every problem
that is solved, another will probably rear its ugly head, but we
will push on. We will meet every challenge and adversity.

“You saw that fiery crash. His technology is
what saved me. Just think of what we could accomplish in the years
ahead. We have an amazing
opportunity,
but we
must dedicate ourselves to the good of all people. As I said, we
have a tremendous opportunity, but we also have a tremendous
responsibility.

“First, we must defeat the Krakow Klub. I can
promise you, without reservation, that John Scott can accomplish
that.

“We, as servants of the people, should have
accomplished those items on his agenda
ourselves,
but we lacked the courage to stand up for what
is right for the nation. We have spent our lives being lulled into
the belief that what’s good for us must be good for the nation.
Wrong! We have often forgotten and abandoned those who put us into
office.
I will never let myself fall into such a
disgraceful position again.
I, for one, am fully confident
that John Scott will serve the government faithfully and to the
best of his ability.”

John stepped forward and said, “Thank you,
Mr.
President,
for your faith and confidence.
I swear to each of you that you will not regret your decision to
make me your advisor. You have taken me on trust, but soon, you
will know me well. Now, we have urgent business. We will defeat the
Krakow Klub and consign them to a very small footnote in
history!

“I do not require any written documentation
of our agreement. Our word is our bond.

“The president, Dr. Slater, and I have much
work to do, so we must take our leave. You may go back to your
rooms and relax. You are safe. The explosives will not detonate.
The nuclear device will not detonate. You have my word on it.

“Carla Montrose has severely censored your
newscasts since you’ve been here. You’ve only been allowed to see
and hear what she decided for you. Well, that’s over. I have
already had modifications made to the communications systems
here,
and you now have complete access to the
media. The news that you see will be just as it
is
broadcast.
However
, I must make one
very important request of you. For my plan to succeed, you will not
be allowed to make any outside contact. Your computers and cell
phones will not be returned to you until you return to Washington,
DC, and, at that time, you will be free to do as you wish. Until
then, utmost secrecy is required.

“Tomorrow, if all goes well, you will be on
your way back to Washington. The United States of America, as of
this moment, is under my
protection,
and the
world is about to witness the power of my Mylean legacy.”

“Appear at points which the
enemy must hasten to defend; march swiftly to places where
you
are not
expected
.”
-
Sun Tzu
,
The Art of War

Let your plans
be
dark and
impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a
thunderbolt.”
-
Sun Tzu
,
The Art of War

As the shuttle craft took off, John spoke to
Jim and the president, saying, “I’ve been thinking about the timing
of our arrival in Washington. It’s crucial that we take the White
House without a big military
confrontation,
and Maxxine has advised me that early morning would be the best
time for that.

“Once we’re inside the White House, we can
quickly arrange for President Wilkinson to address the nation.
During that telecast, he’ll order the military to stand down and
return to their bases. With surprise on our side, I think that we
can prevent any major military confrontations. All those military
commanders that are under the sway of the Krakow Klub will be
hesitant to act in defiance of the president. I am banking on the
secrecy of the organization. I believe that most of the military
personnel under their control does not know who else is a part of
it all and will be hesitant to act on their own.

“If I am right, and we act quickly and
decisively, we can stop the military involvement in its
tracks.”

He nodded toward Wilkinson, “After that,
you’re on your own, with my assistance, of course.”

John smiled in anticipation, “With that in
mind, I see no
reason
we can’t put all this
aside for a few hours and spend a relaxing evening together on my
island. We need to
be completely refreshed
and
ready for
tomorrow.
I can’t think of a better
place to calm my nerves and prepare myself for the day ahead than
my little island paradise.