— YOU'RE CRAZY! — Martin exclaimed at the old man's statement about the President. — You don't know what you're saying!
Robert Payne dropped the match on the frozen ground and, while sitting, stepped on it, extinguishing what was left of its heat and replied:
— Don't you understand? Have you forgotten about young Fadiq? The bombings? Don't you remember the video I sent to Gregory Evans? Who caused the explosions? Who was behind all this?
Martin's eyes widened in disbelief. He remembered the video where the two men in suits passed by the boy before the explosion. He had no words to say given the facts that connected him; after all, one of them had even tried to kill him.
Robert Payne continued:
— Don't you remember the names of the two agents who did that?
— Were they agents under the command of our President?
— Do you know what your problem is, Danny Martin? The worst blind man is the one who doesn't see the truth right in front of him...
— Open your mouth now, before I lose my patience...
The old man smiled clearly, enjoying the whole theater.
— Do you know why Jesus always spoke in parables? Because people didn't have the cognitive capacity to understand him... so I'll speak in parables... If the government were a cake, the President would just be the cherry on top...
— It's all just a game...
— The little Iranian boy just wanted to study and become a doctor. There was never any attempt, except for the interested parties deceiving the entire country!
— And Allison Bates?
—The one we used to bug the White House? Let me tell you, just this morning she was in a car accident on her way home after spending the last forty-eight hours attending to an emergency at work. Strange, isn't it? Tell me, what's it like to suddenly know so many truths?
Martin was stupefied.
— I'll tell you what, boy, you're looking for a black dog at night when he's already got his teeth in your heels!
Robert coughed as he put the small box of matches back into his pocket.
— People are capable of accepting anything. Those who fight violence are capable of accepting the death of a murderer. All they need is someone to blame.
—Is this what they've been doing since the beginning?
— Blame them for what you do, and there will be no arguments to fight it!
Martin lowered his gun once more. He couldn't believe that this could be so real. He couldn't believe that for so long he had worked for those who were most to blame.
The gentleman continued his words:
— And this is what I have called you to do! To go where I cannot reach, to do what I cannot risk. Help us fight them, Danny. Of all the options you have, this is the only one that represents a true choice. Of all the things you can do, this is the only one that goes against the system... you are the only one with access to Gregory Evans to carry out such a mission.
— You have that unparalleled technology, the Pandora project. Why have you never used it to take control of everything? Why don't you reveal yourselves once and for all and show your power?
Robert Payne smiled and looked at him calmly. To which he replied:
— It's an incredible power, isn't it? The DSN, or Project Pandora, the box of all things... A Neural Sonic Trigger capable of transmitting unquestionable commands to anyone. A weapon with incalculable power that I didn't allow the government to get its hands on and use at its leisure... Decades of research and my entire life spent on this work. I've wondered what I would do if I weren't involved in all this. But ever since I got the first results of this experiment, I've been asking myself the same question you just asked:
— Why not use this to take control and get everything back on track?
Robert smiled and continued:
— Every day that passed I repeated this same question to myself. To answer it, I will use another question. If I did this, if I took control of everything, if I subjected nations and governments to a system of fear, what would I become?
— Give a man power and you will know who he really is... — Martin said, rambling.
— There is also another important factor. There are too few of us to put a plan like this into practice. The Council of Pandora would not allow it, they do have immense power and use it with great skill.
— Tell me about them! — Martin said, eager for more information.
"We've wasted enough time here!" the old man replied. "And besides, they've been after me ever since Gregory Evans started investigating me. Your hacker friend has also been messing with too many things he shouldn't have… Now that I think I've convinced you of our situation, I need to know if you'll do your part."
— Tell me what it is. — Martin replied curiously.
— We cannot allow Kenan to obtain legal support for Muslim incursions. He is gathering forces to take control of the world's major oil exploration points. Once he has this under his yoke, he would have the economic hegemony necessary to command any type of international negotiation, be it for disarmament, diplomacy, ideology or even the dismantling of the sovereignty of the major nations. Deny him anything and the fields will be destroyed.
— This is your vision, but it does not represent reality.
— What would happen when their farce was discovered? When they discovered that the entire plan to combat terrorism was just a front for the occupation of strategically selected locations? World governments would never accept this kind of blackmail!
— The Council would not accept it.
— What he will be able to do is start the Third Great War, if there is no skillful diplomatic bias. And there won't be.
— Where did you get this information? — Martin asked, sitting down in his chair.
— I told you, we are few, but we are the best! But that doesn't matter, what matters here, my dear, is that I have gathered the main documents that prove that the terrorist attacks were ordered by President Kenan Vaine himself. Get Gregory Evans to bring this to trial before the troops are sent and we will prevent it from happening!
— Why haven't they put this out there yet? On the internet, maybe?
— You're too smart to be so naive! Do you really think this would be successful? Things don't work that way in the environment we're dealing with...
Suddenly, the sound of helicopters could be heard overhead, putting them both on alert. Robert Payne hurriedly stood up and turned toward the darkness.
— Come on! — he shouted to Martin, waving in a direction.