THREE months later the Brazilian ambassador to the United States gave a lavish dinner party at the embassy's newly-finished complex of buildings in suburban Bethesda.
Ambassador Branco, a cousin of the president and a more distant relative of a general who had overthrown the government of Brazil half a century earlier, graciously accepted compliments from the stream of guests flowing past him in the reception line The men were in traditional black dinner clothes, the women in the most expensive gowns and jewels they possessed The ambassador himself wore a conservatively-tailored tuxedo with the sash of his office bearing merely a few of his huge collection of medals and decorations.
Jo Camerata, tall and stunning in a low-cut strapless gown of black, reached the ambassador and allowed him to take her hand in his.
"A beautiful new embassy, Miguel," she said, in a carefully modulated voice "You must be very proud of what you have accomplished "
"Its beauty pales to insignificance now that you have graced us with your presence," said the ambassador, in English.
Jo smiled at him and moved to the next flunkey in line She was a strikingly beautiful woman, a centimeter or two taller than the ambassador, with dark hair to her bare shoulders and even darker eyes The lush figure of a Mediterranean empress Her fingers and wrists and throat flashed with gemstones and precious metals, over her heart was a diamond pin in the shape of a stylized V.
The crowd mixed and milled as Jo, unescorted but never alone for very long, wandered through the opulent rooms admiring the rich draperies, the exquisite furniture, the paintings and sculptures that adorned every wall, every corner Brazil was a rich nation, and this new embassy proudly proclaimed its nation's wealth and newfound power.
"Don't you think the ambassador looks tremendously relieved'"
Jo turned to find Sir Harold Epping standing beside her lean, dignified, bushy white eyebrows, trim white mustache and ruddy cheeks He held two slim crystal flutes of champagne Jo deftly handed her empty one to a passing waiter and accepted Sir Harold's.
"Thank you, Harold "
"You're quite welcome It's good to see you here "
"Bored already'"
Glancing at her cleavage, "Quite the contrary, dear girl Quite the contrary "
Sir Harold was one of the few men on Earth who could call Jo "girl" without risking emasculation.
"You said you thought Miguel looked relieved?"
The English diplomat smiled and dabbed at his white mustache "You are the only person I know who can get away with calling everyone by their first name I've known you for years; yet I never know if I should call you Ms Camerata, or Mrs Nillson, or perhaps Josephine Or is it Josette? Are you descended from Frenchmen?"
Jo laughed "You may call me Jo," she said graciously "I haven't been Mrs Nillson for more than fifteen years "
"Widowed?"
"Divorced," Jo answered stiffly, "although my first husband died shortly after "
"Can't say I blame him Probably broken-hearted "
"Hardly'"
"And you never remarried? There's hope for me?"
Laughing again, "I'm afraid not I remarried almost fifteen years ago "
"Really? I had no idea Who's the lucky fellow?"
"No one you'd know "
"H'mm " Sir Harold sipped at his champagne The dinner guests drifted from room to room, chatting, laughing, telling each other stories they had all heard at similar parties, but pretending they were amused and amusing Jo wondered why Sir Harold was showing interest in her marital status Surely he has access to all the information he wants Is he trying to get to Keith?
"The Brazilians have done themselves proud with this place," Jo said as she and Sir Harold paused before a marble fireplace with a huge portrait of President de Sagres above it "It must have cost half their gross national product "
"Hardly But did you observe that there's not a military uniform to be found anywhere among our hosts? And how relieved the ambassador appears to be?"
"You mentioned that before "
"Yes De Sagres thwarted the army's coup attempt in Brasilia, you know "
"So I heard "
"The president appears to have gained the upper hand over the generals His cousin seems happy about it "
"Shouldn't he be?"
"I had always wondered about him," said Sir Harold "Which way he would )ump when the fire got hot "
Jo gave him a sly smile "Miguel doesn't jump at all He merely stays here in Washington and waits for the smoke to clear in Brasilia Whoever is in power, that's who he supports "
"You think so?"
Jo nodded.
"I suppose you have better sources of information than I do," Sir Harold admitted "You have the farflung operations of Vanguard Industries at your beck and call All I have is British Intelligence "
A series of musical tones chimed out over the hubbub of conversations.
"They're calling us to dinner," Jo said "Just like on a cruise ship "
"How gauchel"
The crowd streamed in to the formal state dining room with its three magnificent chandeliers, where a dozen circular tables had been set with flawless damask, sparkling crystal, and beautiful figured chmaware from Coimbra Livened servants showed the guests to their tables Jo was placed next to the ambassador and his wife, an overweight former video star in a grotesquely green gown with a plunging neckline and enough emeralds to make a maharajah jealous Seeing that Sir Harold was being seated several tables away, Jo spoke briefly with the ambassador, and the Englishman was asked to change places with one of the Brazilian flunkies at the ambassador's table.
Senora Branco glared at Jo, who ignored her and welcomed Sir Harold to their company.
* * *
Less than twenty kilometers away, but more than thirty meters below ground, three technicians sat at their monitoring stations, exchanging exaggerated tales of their daring and bravery to pass the long hours.
"So there I was," said the youngest of the three, traces of acne still blemishing his )ovial round face, "at the top of the jump with a busted fitting on my right ski and nowhere to go but down the chute "
On the other side of the steel walls that enclosed their station, a thermonuclear fusion generator quietly converted isotopes of hydrogen and helium to energy Deep in the heavily shielded heart of the fusion generator blazed a man-made star, a core of plasma a hundred million degrees hot that duplicated the unimaginable forces existing in the heart of a star Incredibly powerful magnetic fields held the fierce blazing plasma in a cage of energy The forces at play inside the fusion generator, if let loose, could have destroyed the city of Washington in an eyeblink.
But the monitor screens showed that everything was under control more energy than the entire power grid of the United States had been able to produce a mere generation earlier was routinely created and used while the three technicians swapped stories.
"There were three of 'em," the second technician was saying, unconsciously toying with his thick red mustache "Mako sharks, and man did they look hungry"
A fraction of the energy generated by the fusion reactor was converted into the electricity that powered most of the government buildings in Washington The White House, the Capitol, the Library of Congress, the office buildings for the House and Senate and all the administrative departments from Agriculture to Space, all the agencies from FBI to IRS-- their lights, their air conditioners, their coffee makers and paper shredders and computers and even their pencil sharpeners were all powered by electricity from the man-made star.
The largest part of the fusion-generated energy, however, powered a strangely small device that made no noise, no vibration, and seemed to be doing nothing Energy went in, but to the unappreciative eye, it seemed that absolutely nothing came out The device, little more than a hemisphere of polished metal gleaming in the overhead lights, seemed to swallow the energy and give nothing in return.
Except that the city of Washington, and all its suburbs out to a twenty-kilometer radius, were shielded by an invisible, impalpable bubble of energy Airplanes could fly through it Cars could drive through it People could even walk through it without feeling a thing, except perhaps a slight momentary tingling along the skin, as if the tiny hairs on the back of one's neck had been stirred.
But a nuclear bomb could not pass the energy bubble It would explode, and the protective screen would absorb the heat and blast and radiation the way a sponge soaks up water, only more efficiently Much more efficiently The best physicists on Earth still did not completely understand how the energy screen worked It was a gift from the stars, from the alien spacecraft that had entered the solar system more than thirty years earlier As was the fusion generator.
Together, the fusion generator and the energy screen had ended the Cold War Removing the threat of nuclear holocaust and providing cheap, abundant energy had changed the world enormously Gifts from the stars.
"Our command post was being overrun," the third technician was saying, "so I took the automatic rifle from the sergeant who had just been hit and sprayed the bastards a good, long burst Then somebody threw a grenade "
She was older than the two males who worked with her, almost a full generation separated them The two young men listened with envious eyes and mouths hanging agape to her tale of valor in Central America, while the gifts from the stars quietly, unobtrusively protected them all.
Dinner was pretty much of a bore, Jo thought The ambassador spoke glowingly of a "new era" in Brazil.
"Our president has a unified congress behind him The army has been purged of its more adventurous elements, and the people support our president totally " Jo knew it was an optimistic view of the situation The Brazilian congress was far from unanimous and there were still young military officers who harbored dreams of glory.
But, undeniably, Brazil had avoided an army takeover and President de Sagres was starting to move in the direction of devoting the nation's immense wealth to raising the standard of living of the people who created that wealth.
Sir Harold leaned close to Jo and whispered, "What on Earth is so amusing?"
"What do you mean?"
"You're smiling like one of Rubens' pink little cherubs"
"Was I? I had no idea " Jo consciously kept her face straight through the rest of the dinner She had no intention of telling Sir Harold or anyone else that President de Sagres's newfound strength had been a gift from her husband.
But as she said goodnight to the ambassador and his green-eyed wife and headed down the broad marble steps toward the line of limousines waiting for their owners, Jo was accosted by two other dinner guests.
Li-Po Hsen looked distinctly out of place in a tuxedo The Hong Kong industrialist, head of Pacific Commerce Corporation, would have been more at home in a flowing silk robe or even in a lightweight tropical suit The tuxedo was too formal, too western, for his ascetic oriental face with its hollow cheeks and menacing hooded eyes.
Wilhelm Kruppmann, on the other hand, looked more like the bouncer in a rough
"Do you mind if we ride downtown with you" asked Hsen Despite his oriental looks, he was completely westernized, none of the painfully indirect eastern politeness for him.
"Both of you?" asked Jo "Your drivers on strike?"
They laughed, but it was uneasily, Jo thought as she allowed her chauffeur to help her into the plush rear seat of her limo Hsen and Kruppmann took the two seats flanking the TV console, facing Jo.
The car pulled smoothly away from the Brazilian embassy and started toward the corporate office towers in the heart of Washington, its electric motor whisper-quiet For several moments Hsen and Kruppmann remained silent as the limousine whisked down tree-lined Bethesda streets Jo watched their faces carefully This was not a social visit
"You can speak freely," she told them "There are no recording devices in here and the partition behind you is soundproof Besides, my chauffeur speaks only Italian " Two of her three assertions were true.
Kruppmann and Hsen glanced at each other Jo smiled patiently.
"This business of Brazil," the Swiss financier blurted "It has me very worried "
"We had expected the Brazilians to proceed with their plans of expansion," said Hsen "Now, suddenly, abruptly, de Sagres has thrown out the military leaders and threatens to invest the better part of his nation's wealth in internal improvements "
"Unbearable," muttered Kruppmann.
"It is something of a surprise," Jo said carefully "But we can all do business with de Sagres Brazil will still be a major market "
"For Vanguard Industries' fusion generators, yes For Vanguard's electronics and pharmaceutical divisions, yes But what about the armaments that Pacific Commerce was going to sell them? What about the increase in their exports that would have been necessary to support their expansion program?"
Jo knew that Hsen's term, "expansion program," was a euphemism for the planned invasion of Venezuela
Slowly she said, "Brazil will still be increasing its exports of coffee, metals, petrochemicals Pacific Commerce will still carry those cargoes in its ships The export program will shift emphasis, it will be aimed at different markets, that's all "
A splash of bright glareless light from one of the street lamps at the entrance ramp to the automated highway briefly illuminated Hsen's face In that flash of a moment Jo saw undisguised fury in the oriental's eyes Then the shadows concealed him once more.
"They have cancelled the negotiations for new loans," Kruppmann said, his voice heavy and dismal
"They'll need new loans soon enough, and they'll come to you for them," Jo soothed To herself she added, But you won't have those greedy generals to fleece, you'll have to deal with people who know something about finance
"Ja, but when'"
"And when will they need shipping? I have six container ships sitting in Brazilian ports now, idle Do you realize how much that costs' Every day"
With a shrug of her bare shoulders, Jo replied, "But these are normal business problems You didn't hop into my limo just to tell me your everyday troubles "
Another long silence, while the light of the highway lamps flickered among the shadows in the back of the limousine like a stroboscope Jo saw flashes of the two men's faces grim, angry, worried But not uncertain, she decided They knew exactly what they wanted
"This business of Brazil," Kruppmann repeated "All of a sudden de Sagres has become a strong man His people look up to him Other leaders in Latin America are seeking his advice, his help "
"Like Nkona in Nigeria," said Hsen "And the upstart Varahamihara in Bangladesh "
"One minute they are nobodies, and the next they are being called 'Great Souls' and having millions kneel at their feet," Kruppmann grumbled
"De Sagres was never a nobody," Jo countered
"He was a malleable politician until a few months ago Now he is becoming the leader of the continent "
Hsen added, "Nkona came from nowhere and somehow stabilized all of sub-Saharan Africa Varahamihara was an obscure lama "
"Who averted nuclear war between India and Pakistan," Jo pointed out
"And now is being compared to Gandhi "
"His political influence is as great as Gandhi's," Krupp-mann said "Greater, even Both the Hindus and the Moslems revere him Even the Sikhs follow him"
"It was Nkona who started the movement to restructure southern hemisphere debt," said Hsen, almost accusingly "And the Bangladesh lama is leading the struggle for family planning throughout Asia"
Jo remained silent, but her heart was racing so hard she feared they could hear it in the darkness of the limousine Did they know that each of these men had been visited by Keith Stoner? Her husband
Hunching forward, burly arms on heavy thighs, Kruppmann said, "These events are not random They follow a pattern They represent nothing less than a deliberate move toward realignment of the world's financial structure "
"A realignment of the international power base," said Hsen
Realignment What a bloodless word, thought Jo She recalled what the world had been like fifteen years earlier, when the great multinational corporations were running roughshod over the world
Keith had made her see what was happening And why it had to change Forests ripped down in Brazil, farmers and even scientists who dared to protest killed by mercenary soldiers War tearing central Africa apart, whole tribes annihilated, genocide so routine that it was hardly newsworthy Terrorists striking blindly in a blood lust that seemed endless Greenhouse effect turning farmlands into deserts, raising sea levels everywhere Population growing, swelling, bursting
beyond the capability of the world to sustain so many human beings Six billion people Eight Ten Most of them starving, diseased, born in miserable poverty and dying in miserable poverty, surviving only long enough to make still more babies, half a million more each day
Keith Stoner struggled to change that world With Jo beside him, he quietly, fiercely, unceasingly worked to save the human race from self-destruction With the drive of an implacable force of nature, with an intensity and single-minded strength that went far beyond ordinary human abilities, Stoner worked invisibly, beyond the sight of the world's intelligence services and news media, to improve the human condition Jo helped him, shielded him, put the enormous resources of the world's largest corporation at his disposal
Thanks to Keith Stoner, and his wife, central Africa was now an interdependent economic zone that sold its natural resources on the world market and invested in raising the standard of living for its people Terrorism dwindled as true wealth began trickling into the hands of the poorest of the Earth Fusion energy desalted seawater and pumped it along thousands of kilometers of irrigation channels Blind exploitation of the planet's resources was slowing, a little more each year, as a new economic balance was painfully attained
Hardly anyone knew that Stoner was the man behind this monumental change But have Hsen and Kruppmann found out? Jo wondered Have they learned the role I've been playing in all this?
If they find out, Jo told herself, they will try to stop Keith And the only way to stop him will be to kill him That was why her heart pounded beneath the cool surface she presented to the two angry men riding in her limousine
With a small nod, Jo said to them, "Your computer forecasts must be telling you the same things mine do The old days of East-West competition are gone Today it's the North against the South The industrialized nations against the nations that hold most of the world's natural resources "
"The rich against the poor, as always," Kruppmann agreed
"But the poor are making rapid strides," Hsen pointed out
"Is that so bad" Jo asked lightly "The more money they have, the more they can spend on what we have to sell "
"They are moving to create a world government," Krupp-mann insisted "First the Peace Enforcers, then this verdammt International Investment Agency "
"Which you helped to create," Hsen accused
Jo arched an eyebrow at them "The HA has forestalled god knows how much terrorism by channelling investment money to the nations that need it "
"Extorting blackmail from every major corporation, you mean" Kruppmann groused "Blood money"
"Do you want to go back to the way it was ten or twelve years ago Would you like to have your factories blown up by terrorists, or be kidnapped and tortured to death'"
"We are not here to argue about the International Investment Agency," Hsen said "Although it troubles me that you so often vote against us at board meetings, Ms Camerata "
Masking her fear with a cold smile, Jo replied, "I don't want the IIA board split into two intransigent camps If every vote comes down to 'us against them,' the Third World and the environmentalist zealots will defeat the corporations every time A bipolanzed board would be very bad for us "
Kruppmann shook his head, making his beefy cheeks waddle "You are proud of kowtowing to the Greens Do you know how much the ridiculous ecological constraints your IIA insists upon are costing us?"
"Vanguard complies with those environmental constraints, just like everyone else," Jo replied
"For how long" asked Hsen, as softly as a cobra gliding toward its prey
Jo stared at his shadowed face, its expression hidden in the darkness as the hmo sped silently along the highway So that's what this is all about, she realized He wants to take over Vanguard
"For as long as I'm president of Vanguard," she said mildly
"Which means," Hsen replied, "for as long as you control
your board of directors Some of them are not as pleased with your IIA as you seem to be "
Kruppmann nodded "This is true Many of the directors dislike your infatuation with those environmentalists and Third World beggars "
"Do you want to put the matter on the agenda of our next board meeting, Wilhelm " Jo asked, the sweetness of cyanide m her voice
Kruppmann glanced at Hsen, then evaded with, "But the IIA is just the tip of the iceberg These are merely preliminary steps They mean to form a world government and to tax us into the poorhouse I know this"
"Who means to start a world government" asked Jo
"They do The Third World The Greens The Arabs and Africans and Latin Americans I am certain of it "
"But who in the Third World?" Jo insisted "Which nations I haven't heard anything at all "
"It is not a nation that is fomenting this idea," said Hsen "It is some small group of special people Some elite organization, some hidden force that works through the Third World nations and organizations such as your International Investment Agency We can see them at work in Brazil, and India, and elsewhere These so-called 'Great Souls' are nothing more than the front men for the real organization working against us "
"Aren't you confusing a few random events with some international scheme?" Jo countered "There's no movement to create a world government That's pure paranoia "
"There is such a scheme afoot" Kruppmann slammed a heavy fist on the padded armrest "And it is extremely dangerous for us "
"It must be stopped "
As calmly as she could, Jo answered, "But our companies are still profitable None of this has harmed us very much "
"We have lost billions'" Kruppmann snapped
"And made billions elsewhere," Jo pointed out
"Pah You'll think it's a necklace when they come to slip the noose around your throat "
"Perhaps you don't understand the long-range implications," Hsen protested "A world government would be dominated by the overpopulated nations of the southern hemisphere--including, I must add, several Asian nations above the equator, such as India and the Philippines "
"And China," Jo snapped
"Their first order of business will be to squeeze taxes out of us until we go bankrupt," Kruppmann grumbled "And then they will take over all our factories and other facilities They want to control everything, the entire world They are dangerous"
"And your IIA is helping them," insisted Hsen "Perhaps you do not realize it, but the International Investment Agency is part of our problem You have supported the IIA blindly, and this must stop "
Jo fought to keep her face from showing her thoughts You little yellow bastard, you don't like what the IIA is doing, so you're threatening to push me out of Vanguard if I don't play the game your way She knew that Hsen had his own little clique on her board of directors, including Kruppmann If I don't do what they want, he's going to try to muscle me out Very neat
Almost, she relaxed Handling her board of directors was not frightening to her They had even elected her chairman, unanimously, two years earlier
"Still," she said softly, "I think the IIA has been a net gam for us We're in no real trouble "
"We will be if this keeps on" Kruppmann grumbled
"Then what do you propose to do about it "
Hsen now leaned forward too "First, we must find out who our enemies are and how they are organized "
Jo nodded
"Then we must eliminate them," said Kruppmann, with implacable finality
Making her lips smile in the shadows, Jo asked, "Have you taken any steps along those lines "
"Yes, we have We want you to help us, though We need the support that Vanguard Industries can give us "
Hsen added, "And we need you to work for us at the IIA instead of against us "
"I won't do a thing unless you bring me proof that this-- this cabal actually exists "
"The proof we will bring you "
"We must work together on this," Hsen insisted "You are either with us or against us "
Very carefully, Jo said, "I don't want a world bureaucracy taxing us to death any more than you do "
As she listened to their plans, Jo knew that these men meant to seek out her husband and kill him They think they can control me by threatening to take over Vanguard and throwing me out But they mean to kill Keith, once they find out who he is and what he's been doing
And when they find out that I've been helping him, they'll want to kill me too