The Container Affair Page 5

  Benden glanced again at the bottle now resting on the table and quietly said, “Ralph, some of my clients are very concerned about the rhetoric on the hill, and we need some people with clear thinking to hold them accountable. There are too many in Washington, starting at the very top, who want to tear down the American system of free enterprise.”

  Ralph immediately started to talk, but James held up a hand. “Ralph, just listen to me for a minute and think about what you might be able to do for us. Is that okay?”

  Ralph nodded and focused on what Benden was about to say. He was not a good listener, and everything he said on air was always well scripted. For this reason, he did very few interviews, and during his public appearances never had “live” questions and answer sessions. He loved to throw rocks, but he couldn’t catch them.

  Benden began his saga with a very careful history of legislation starting with the Smoot-Hawley tariffs in the 1930s up until this very day. James, Ralph thought, was the smartest man in the country but he never wanted to be known for that. This historical tour de force ended with the present situation on the Hill and James made his ending statement sound like the voice of prophecy. “Ralph, if things continue as they are, there will be no free enterprise system in the U.S.A. There will be only the have-nots and no middle class. The great venture capitalists will be in prison, or they’ll leave the country. The mindless and incessant lawsuits will paralyze innovation, and the Chinese will take over the banks. The end will not be that found in the Book of Revelation, but more like the Black Plague from the Dark Ages. People will be afraid of investing money for fear of a government run amuck. They will stop buying consumer goods and start stuffing gold and money in their mattress. Education will be in the form of Internet chat rooms, and the entire culture will collapse to some mindless heap of useless information.”

  James made one last statement which he knew would galvanize his mouthpiece as nothing else could. “Ralph, only you can make people see what is happening to this country. Only your voice and clarion call can make people understand the workings of these spineless bureaucrats who desire to limit the future to some communistic system of a government based planned economy. There will be no hope, no future, and no America.”

  Ralph looked stunned for he knew of no conspiracy to ruin the country and take it down some socialistic/communist path. No, there will be no failure to unite the people on his watch. He had the voice, and he now saw a potential future which must be stopped. His time had come, and all his activities in the past would now link to this new calling.

  Ralph stared at his friend saying, “James, thank you for the confidence you have in me and my army of patriots. We can do this, and we must act now. What else can you tell me? What stories can we tell? How can we best get this message across?”

  James showed his best “trust me” smile and told Ralph about his research team’s preliminary work and its timeline of events and actions, which Ralph could use to jump-start his efforts if he found it helpful.

  Ralph took the bait. He had often used Benden’s information and ideas to help build his broadcast plans. This opportunity would galvanize his listeners and make the sinners on the Hill pay dearly for their snide and elitist remarks about him and his followers. “Yes,” Ralph said, “let me know how to begin this march of destiny. I promise you this message will get out and make a dramatic difference to the real people of America.”

  *****

  The light started flashing. Ralph cleared his throat as he watched the producer give him the five-second countdown using the fingers on his left hand. As the thumb went down, the on-air light went green, and Ralph opened his broadcast with his opening tag line, “America, this is your conscience speaking to you from Washington, the capital of the United States of America. My name is Ralph Samson, and I am here to tell you the real story of what is happening to our country.”

  His face turned a little red to get the indignation flowing as he began his first attack on the faceless and cowardly incompetents who were out to ruin America.

  “Yes, my friends, today is going to be different. Yes, we can talk about the sins of our society and the fringe lunatics who are ruining our country from St. Paul to St. Petersburg. There are weirdos and fanatics who want to do away with our lifestyle and put in its place some perverted form of life. This isn’t what we want, and we won’t accept it.”

  “No, America, today, I have the opportunity, I have a duty, to address my true American friends and ask for their forbearance in times unknown to America since Valley Forge. We, you, I, and all your families are being attacked, and we don’t even know it. No, it isn’t a terrorist from abroad, but a more sinister type of terror which wants to take apart the very fabric of our nation and supplant it with foreign ideologies which will ensure our slavery and our collective misery. It is, my friends, an attack on the very engine of prosperity which made our country the greatest power in the world.”

  He paused and took a deep breath, knowing his listeners would be moving closer to their radios to hear what he was saying. He began again but with a slightly slower speech pattern which would tell his faithful listeners that he was onto something sinister.

  “My friends, there is a secret war going on in Washington and in state capitals which would limit our future by eliminating our way of life. What I’m talking about is the free enterprise system. The government has been changing the rules, making new secret laws, adding IRS agents and other federal police agencies to first control, then dismantle the free enterprise system.”

  He picked up steam and launched into his first series of attacks by innuendo about government agencies trying to reduce the freedom of companies to move monies through the banking systems of the world. Next, he launched into the probability the government would be raising new taxes on individuals and companies not part of the global community.

  He smiled and knew he had enough ammunition to launch thirty to forty radio broadcasts. His information was such that it was not entirely false nor was it all true, but it was incendiary, and this is what made him happy.

  As he continued his harangue, the producer kept giving him the thumbs-up sign and smiled. The producer, who had worked with him for several years, thought where does he get this crap?

  *****

  SAN FRANCISCO A few days after Malone’s boating incident with the four young people, Vice President of Human Resources Max Benoit received his first applicant. A smart looking young lady in her early twenties, Ms. Cate Stanley, had presented herself at his office. He was immediately impressed by her attitude and good looks. Mr. Benoit was a happily married man in his mid-forties but was very taken by her manner, her figure and overall attractiveness. Also, as an HR professional, he noted she was well qualified and showed good street smarts which would be helpful when working with internal team members as well as government and private clients the company dealt with daily.

  He was curious how this young lady had met Mr. Malone and why he was told by the boss that she “get preferential treatment.” She did not know the name Malone, nor did she appear to understand her benefactor was the founder and CEO of the company. All Benoit knew was that if she was qualified give her a job and let Malone know.

  She was hired to work on GPS related product offerings tied to both cell phones and Internet-based services. She could use her street smarts with the super nerds who created code. Hopefully, she could pick up on the work quickly.

  The other three members of the ill-fated three-hour cruise, as Malone had described it, all showed up within forty-eight hours of Cate getting a job offer. They were incredulous about how all of this had occurred and were even more shocked when in turn they also received job offers. JD was hired to work in the finance group learning corporate accounting and acquisitions. Frank’s position was with the marketing group to learn ways to productize the whiz-bang stuff. Jeanette was assigned to the human factors group, giving her access to the medical applications team where she could use her fourth-year nurs
ing education.

  None of them knew who was behind the hiring, and all wished they had the personal information about the guy who had so nicely recommended them to Mr. Benoit. They had asked of course, but he had been abrupt in his answer, stating the referring party had asked only that these young people be interviewed and under no uncertain terms were they to know his name or anything about him. He sternly told each person they were not to ask about him again nor try to find out. They all agreed to the terms of employment and went to work making more money than each of them thought possible, even after graduating from college.

  Malone followed each one with great interest and had his security department chief, Hal Broadbent, keep tabs on each one and provide him with a written briefing on how each was doing in their jobs and what issues, if any, existed in their pursuit of success. The reports confirmed his analysis of their character, ability to learn, and work hard. Their work ethic pleased him, and he looked forward to the weekly updates.

  Hal had been told to maintain strict confidentiality. He had known John for many years and knew what this meant to him. He purposely kept eight of his best and most loyal agents tied to the new hires. They knew whatever information gathered was only communicated to Hal and nothing was to be sent by email nor was anything put on the computer. As John received reports, he read them and then shredded each one. Even though he was a technology icon, he hated the reality of the eternal nature of the email world.

  Malone’s secret was safe until a fateful meeting two months following the employment of his young friends. He rarely left Building 8 which housed his office, along with security and logistics, and was the smallest building on the corporate campus. Logistics didn’t know who occupied office space on the opposite side of the building. They figured it was just another suite of offices for the super sleuths employed to hack-proof the nation’s computer systems. They were correct in their assumption, but there were three offices with a separate entrance which belonged to the CEO and founder of Primera Vista Enterprises, John Malone. His secretary, Maria Guerro, had the first office, John had his regular office, and there was a secure conference room which could be reached only by going through John’s office or the security office.

  Today, a cool and damp December day, John left his office and Hal drove him to Building 3 to attend a briefing by the Chief Technology Officer, Barbara Twining, who offered him a look into the future of cybersecurity. The subject was fearful to John who often wondered where all this would end but felt his company was best suited to providing the security needed by the nation and companies to survive the onslaught of today’s techno-predators.

  As John entered the room, he saw over fifty people milling around waiting for the presentation to begin. Only a few senior managers knew John. Many of the employees didn’t know the name of the CEO and founder of the company. They had heard rumors of his reclusive nature but gave him the benefit of doubt because they were well paid, well taken care of, and provided with as much intellectual curiosity as they could receive anywhere. John looked like any other technology person with his glasses, graying hair, and laptop. He moved to the front of the room and finally saw Barbara. She immediately stopped her conversation and walked toward him. They shook hands like the old friends they were, and she beamed her happiness at his attendance.

  John smiled and said quietly, “I wouldn’t miss any of your breakthrough sessions unless of course, there were more than four people in the room. Who are these people?” He gestured over his back at the throngs standing around.

  Barbara laughed. “John, you have got to get out more often from your monastery or whatever you call your office. These people are just some of your top talent. You told me to beef up the department; well, this is the result. We have some of the best young minds in the country. Frankly, we have some of the best people in the world. You should be proud of them, John. I want to thank you for letting me do what I think is right in developing these people and our company.”

  John quickly jabbed at the air above her head. “Don’t let it get any bigger in there, Barbara. The brain you have is about the right size for your cranial cavity. But if you think you have the best team, I accept them. Let’s get on with the briefing.”

  John went back to the first row of seats and opened his laptop to the files he was working on and the PowerPoint slide for Barbara’s presentation. He heard Barbara directing traffic, asking everyone to sit down. She then asked security to close the doors and let no one else into the room. This served two purposes: one to keep non-invited guests out and keep the program moving forward.

  She went to the lectern, turned down the lights, opened her laptop to the first slide, and made sure the projector was properly focused. She looked out at the crowd and began her speech.

  The presentation went well, and John was amazed at the progress her team had made in some of the cybersecurity capabilities matrices which were only a dream of his six months prior. Questions now began, and he paid close attention, typing some of the questions into his laptop for later scrutiny and evaluation. Then, at the end of the appointed time, Barbara did something he did not anticipate or appreciate.

  “Lastly,” she said with great emphasis, “I would like all of you to thank the one person who has made these advances possible. I would like to introduce Mr. John Malone, founder and CEO of Primera Vista Enterprise, and the reason all of you have the opportunity of making these breakthroughs. John, please stand up.”

  Applause filled the room as all the participants rose from their chairs, yelling and clapping for the one man they knew only by reputation and inspiration. John slowly stood, frowning at Barbara who knew full well he did not like being pointed out, nor did he like any form of hero worship. He then turned and waved to the audience who swarmed toward him. His security team was already in motion with Hal in the vanguard as they attempted to isolate him from the adoring team. But they could not get there fast enough, and people began asking questions, wanting autographs, and thanking him for providing the foundation for their career success.

  John pulled back onto the stage, and now even Barbara was asking people to back away, but it was too late. Only one person backed away, and at the same moment, John’s head swiveled to the right. His eyes caught hers staring back at him.

  It was Cate, and she was mouthing, “It’s you, really you.” Her face went from a smile to a frown as the security team ushered him from the room. He glanced back one more time and saw her looking at him with uncertainty and confusion.

  As he moved rapidly out of the conference room, John motioned to his security boss and said, “Hal, bring Ms. Stanley to my office once the room clears. Do it quietly and don’t make a fuss. Tell her I want to explain.”

  Hal looked at his boss and old friend, nodded his head, and walked back to the conference room as his men escorted the CEO out of the building and into his waiting car for the ride back to Building 8 and seclusion. When he got back to his office, he thanked the security team who all understood Malone’s aversion to crowds and anything which looked like hero worship. They appreciated this about him and privately assured their allegiance and loyalty to Hal to do his bidding and be extremely private in all dealings with the boss.

  Within fifteen minutes, Hal announced himself via the phone intercom to see if John wanted to see Ms. Stanley. He told Hal to give him about two minutes. He quickly got up, went into his private bathroom, washed his face and hands, then took a brush to his unkempt hair. As he looked at himself in the mirror, he wondered why he was doing all of this and why was he nervous about meeting this employee. He quickly downed a breath mint, went back to his desk, and picked up the phone to tell Hal to escort Ms. Stanley into his office.

  Cate was confused when she saw her benefactor and rescuer. She was amazed to see the middle-aged man at the front of the conference room was none other than one of the richest people in the world. Here was the man who only two months prior had come to the rescue of a bunch of neophyte sailors and had been both gra
cious and charming. He had offered them hope of a job and followed through by employing all four, further amazing her and her friends.

  Now the truth was out in the open, and she wondered why he had kept his identity a secret and why was he so nice to all of them in the first place. She was concerned there was something sinister in his motives, and as she walked into the office escorted by the corporate head of security, a man known to all as Hal the Hulk, she became even more nervous.

  She saw him starting to rise from his chair as she entered and was immediately filled with a sense of ease because he seemed to be the same kind-hearted man she had met on the boat. He had this silly little boy smile, and his hair looked like he had dragged a comb through it but still looked ragged.

  John’s heart lifted the moment she walked in. How amazing she had looked today compared to when he had met her and her friends. She no longer looked like the half-drowned cat in an oversize sailing weather suit, dripping water down her chin with her reddish-brown hair matted to her forehead. In front of him was a young woman in her early twenties who was both confident in herself and her future. She was very pretty but not in a Hollywood or runway model sort of way. She had the girl next door look and her fresh appearance did not detract from her physically fit body. She was around five feet four, maybe five he thought, without shoes and about one hundred-twenty pounds. His analytical mind placed her an eight on his ten-point rating scale which was good. Tens were a pain in the ass, he thought, and you could not trust a woman who was overly beautiful to be truthful in anything, especially the reality of aging.

  He thanked Hal for bringing Ms. Stanley to his office. Closing the door very quietly, Hal did not quite know what to think as he took a chair outside the chief’s office. He had never seen John Malone show the least bit of interest in any woman since college, except for his first wife, Lauren, which lasted less than a year and a half. After that experience, he knew of only a handful of women Malone had dated during the last eighteen years. Most of the women wanted to get serious with Malone, but he avoided any entanglements which might cause him to lose interest in his business. Strange, Hal thought, what does he see in this young woman? Cute she is, and smart, but what else does he see in her?