into the forbidden and mostly forgotten medical prac-

  tices of almost-vanished cultures about the world. "We

  are to assume control of the great pharmaceutical firms

  of the world. That, in a nutshell, so to speak, is our

  task. By control is meant we will control the voting

  stock of the corporations. This will be done under vari-

  ous companies and also individuals, all of whom you

  may correctly assume are under the control of Satterhili

  and Stavers. I personally know little of the mechanisms

  for accomplishing all this. My responsibility is to select

  the firms, evaluate their products, extrapolate their fu-

  ture needs, and then recommend what facilities we

  should also purchase outright or control. I speak of

  international conduct. It is obvious to anyone within

  this field that whoever controls pharmaceuticals con-

  trols much of the world. Ours is a planet with billions of

  people devouring trillions of capsules, pills, liquids and

  other means of ingesting drugs. Control their produc-

  tion and distribution and you control the people."

  Dr. Hammad Al-Binn toyed with his pencil.. "We go

  far beyond this, of course," he added finally. "We shall

  gain a controlling interest in the major genetic esearch

  firms and facilities of the world. We do not need to

  control agriculture, but we have need to control the

  chemicals and genetic substances on which they de-

  pend to continue their food production. In this manner,

  the group we represent will actually control inuch of

  what the world does every day. Man must eat.. we

  control his sonrce, of sllordv kf@m rnll@f 6@- J--

  DARK MESSIAH

  191

  alleviate pain, control his ailments, improve and extend

  his life. We will also control this area."

  A hand went up and Diaz nodded to the Reverend

  Roger Sabbai. The stringy cadaver leaned forward, his

  eyes ablaze with interest. "Question, not comment," he

  began by way of holding off any objection from Diaz,

  "Do you include in this compendium you have just

  described the illicit drugs of the world?"

  Al-Binn didn't hide his sudden annoyance. "I find

  generic references a waste of time and words. I will

  respond to a specific query, if you please."

  The reverend smiled. -6f course. Those who deal in

  narcotics of all kinds usually find disfavor in words that

  penetrate, and-"

  "Sabbai, goddamnit," Diaz broke in, "knock off the

  editorial crap. If you can't bottom-line your questions,

  shut up."

  Sabbai nodded. "Do we take over the international

  sale and distribution of drugs such as cocaine, heroin,

  marijuana-the whole litany of addictive materials, to

  further our needs? I ask the question because we are

  referring to an industry that earns some hundreds of

  billions of dollars a year. 11

  Dr. Al-Binn off-eyed a sly smile in response. "No. Our

  interest in the illicit narcotics trade will be to learn

  their contacts, routes anG operations. Then, once I have

  ascertained the main flow, I turn my info-mation over

  to Mr. Diaz."

  "Two points," Diaz said brusquelv. "We will go after

  the major drug dealers. We will, through forces not

  allied with us, strike at their funds and sources of funds.

  That is all you need to know on this subject, except to

  stress that we will not sell or disperse drugs that stu-

  pefy rninds or create addicts. We want control of func-

  tioning minds and bodies." Diaz nodded to At-Binn.

  "You may discuss, very briefly. your other main line,

  Doctor. "

  Al-Binn showed his surprise at being instructed to

  describe openly what was until this very moment a

  heavily guarded secret of his work. "We intend to re-

  Dlace most of the heroin and cocaine, The United States

  192

  Martin Caidin

  is our main area of research and testing. At this mo-

  ment it is the United States that has five percent of the

  world population and consumes more than fifty percent

  of all these drugs consumed on this planet, or some

  seven hundred tons every year. Let me add a point 1

  hope Mr. Diaz will not interrupt."

  "Be specific, Doctor," Diaz said, gesturing for him to

  continue.

  "We work with hard basics," Al-Binn said in a lecture

  tone, convinced his immediate audience knew little of

  the true psychological and physiological facts of life.

  "Man functions by responding to the overwhelming

  commands of his system and his survival. His single

  most overriding need is to eat, so, at the head of our list

  is hunger. It is simple. Eat or die. Second to food,

  almost a parallel, is the need for water. Thirst com-

  mands us. Food and drink. The moment a belly is full,

  sex assumes the dominant position. Sex with mankind

  transcends procreative needs. It is intoxicatingly satisfy-

  ing. And there is the key to the fourth basic need for

  mankind. Intoxication. Every society, every culture in

  the history of the human race follows this pattern. -

  A]-Binn took a deep breath. "We intend to meet this

  fourth drive by producing and distributing, worldwide,

  a new addictive drug that is safe to consume, with

  which to intoxicate, but which will not have deleterious

  effects upon the human system. In street words, it does

  not hurt the body, but it will expand, it will almost

  explode other sensations so incredibly that people will

  fight for and risk death for this drug. We have already

  produced this chemical."

  He glanced at Diaz. "Do I identif@,?"

  Diaz nodded and Al-Binn went on. "It is known by

  its code name of 4K dash S. It is a chemical-molecular

  quantum leap into the future. It turns sexual gratifica-

  tion into magnificent pleasure and obsession, yet does

  not harm the body or the mind. It makes food taste as if

  it were prepared for the gods. It increases tremen-

  dously the pleasure of working and creating. And it

  enormously expands the desired traits of loyalty fealty

  and faith to whatever grou-P sunnhes this dr@;.- [Ir-

  DARK MESSIAH

  193

  took another deep breath. "That is my function and my

  report. "

  Diaz stretched his arms above his head, brought

  down his hands and cracked his knuckles. He wanted

  this speeded up. He nodded to the next chair and its

  occupant. "Dwight Grayson. Keep it tight,"

  Grayson could have stepped forward from an adver-

  tisement in Forbes or the Wall Street journal. Attired

  impeccably, silver-grey hair "just so," moustache per-

  fectly trimmed, long-perfected modulation to soothe

  and impress, he sat ramrod straight, yet relaxed. "My

  field is cosmetics and gambling.- He smiled with the

  facial signs showing the startled response to unexpected

  words. He always enjoyed mashing down the inferiors

  about him with his superior intellect, and the record

  spoke for itself

  "Cosmetics and gambling," he repeated. "In some

  ways I disagree with the good doctor who preceded me.

  Gambling is as powerful a drive as intoxication. It is

  intoxicating. In today's world, and it will increase in the

  future, gambling as it truly exists is the perfect ma-

  chinery with which to create, foster, perpetuate and

  enlarge upon mass hysteria. This has long been the goal

  of governments through legalized gambling and the

  huge payoffs of lotteries. The ultimate, sinful, wonder-

  ful, Cinderella reward. PennsvIvania nald one man the

  sum of three hundred and thirty million dollars in a

  lottery. So far, thirty-nine states have lotteries and they

  increase by leaps and bounds. We shall, through our

  government contacts, create the first lottery prize of

  one billion dollars. it is already underway. "ben we

  embark upon such a venture we will likely sell on the

  order of more than one hundred thousand tickets every

  ininute throughout the country and likely five times

  that number throughout the world."

  Grayson bestowed his most beatific smile upon the

  lowlifes about him. His was the business of true popula-

  tion control, as he would in a inoinent drop upon them

  with all the subtlety of an arivil.

  "Gambling is more addictive than drugs, It meets all

  dreanis, all wonder, and it makes illusion into reality,

  194

  Martin Caidin

  which drugs cannot do. Gambling is debasement, but

  then, so the human race, is debased, and it is this

  pairing of factuality we shall weld even tighter. You

  see, people are essentially fatalistic and we all wait for

  the wand of the sorcerer to wave over us and sprinkle

  us with dreams come true. Cinderella, indeed, for all of

  those who gamble! We offer wonders; we offer good

  fortune, blessings, luck, riches from randomness, mira-

  cles from bias, power from chance. The fall of dice, the

  slap of cards, the races; none of these can touch a

  lottery with a reward exceeding the power of kings and

  despots. And , he added with a courtly flourish, "we do

  all this through good citizenship. We are loyal and

  patriotic. We shall disperse to our government all the

  profits from such lotteries so that we maV rectify the

  staggering, crushing burden of federal deficit. We shall-"

  "Holy Jesus Shit Christ, man, get to it," Diaz growled.

  "Sorry," Grayson said, not hiding his displeasure.

  "Fuck your sorry," Diaz snapped, choosing his words

  deliberately to bring this pompous (but brilliant) asshole

  down to the level of the conference table. "Cut the

  bullshit, man. Spell it out."

  Grayson nodded. He knew the real power of the

  greasy man in the overalls and he knew absolutely he

  must never get on his wrong side. Diaz was performing;

  so be it.

  "Every lottery ticket in this country for the national

  contests," Grayson went on, "and every lottery ticket to

  be sold throughout the world, will be printed by our

  companies. Every ticket will have a chemical cornposi-

  tion that will rub off on fingers and hands and be

  absorbed by the body. The printers, distributors, store

  salespeople, the buyers and their families; each and

  every one of these people, hundreds of millions of

  them, even billions of people, will be absorbing 4K

  dash S. The chemical will be impregnated in every

  ticket, in every sales brochure, Along with this effort

  will be subliminal advertising extolling the virtues of

  the Reverend Douglas Stavers and the Church of the

  Ascension. The feehrigs toward this man and this church

  will he holy, God-gratif@,jng, nitimate enrichment and a

  DARK MESSIAH

  195

  guaranteed trip to whatever heaven is popular at the

  moment. It will be a most carefully orchestrated effort,

  and we shall through two other means assure the

  connection. "

  He turned to the head of the table. "Mr. Diaz, I

  impinge upon the authority of Miss Maxine Stark, here

  at my left," he gestured to the heavyset.

  , powerful woman

  with daggers for eyes, "who is charged with basic re-

  search for our, ah, group leaders."

  Maxine Stark nodded slowly. She did not smile. She

  hadn't smiled for years. She didn't care for smiles ex-

  cept in the models she used for the worldwide cosmet-

  ics sales and advertising she ran for Stavers Industries,

  for the chemical products pouring into Satterhill homes

  and thousands of others. She made her decision to

  remain as silent as possible. She wanted great heights

  through Satterhill and Stavers, and she didn't need to

  mouth off to achieve that goal.

  "You're doing fine, Mr. Grayson," she said, then

  looked to Diaz. "He speaks -well for me."

  Diaz nodded. "Stay with it, Grayson."

  "This is where cosmetics come in. We already have

  the controlling interest in every major cosmetics firm in

  this country as well as seventy percent of those in ot ther

  countries. They will carry our advertising on radio., on

  television, in all matter of publications. Every product,

  from lipstick to hairspray to aftershave lotion, will carry

  4K dash S. The advertising is critical to making the

  subliminal connection between what effects this drug

  will produce and the goals ol I the Church of the

  Ascension.

  "Now we attend to a major point. We are behind the

  vast mergers in global media. Weli hidden front even

  the most astute financiers, we now have the majon Ity

  control of Sony, Bertelsmann AG, the Australian News

  Corporation, flachette of France, Maxwell of England

  as well as Pearson of England, and we are maneuvering

  into a control position of Turner out of Atlanta, as well

  as the three major television networks in this country.

  We'll attend to the smaller syndicators later. We will

  hnvp the porwe'ded hut onlitmilina interest ;rt '111din

  196

  Martin Caidin

  tapes, discs, and home videos. This will accomplish

  what I have already described,"

  He looked at each person in turn. "The sum total of

  all this is to bring the world, as individuals and power

  groups, to support the Reverend Stavers, and the Church

  of the Ascension in their goal. And that goal is to return

  man to the moon and send him on his way to the planet

  Mars.

  Dwight Grayson had intended to add one more point

  to his briefing. But he noted that Dr. Hammad Al-Binn

  had stayed religiously away from the subject, that gaunt

  Sabbai had said not a word about it, and he judged he

  was being tested to see if he could decide on his own

  when to keep his mouth shut. If Douglas Stavers (and

  he knew the true identity of this man), or Angus McIver,

  as they chose to refer to him, wanted nothing said

  about the chemical substance a thousand times more

  effective than 4K dash S, then most certainly he wouldn't

  say a word. But he couldn't instantly dismiss the Etorphin

  Mark Six they had produced under a secrecy so tight

  that even mention of the chemical could result in pun-

  ishment by execution. They simply called it Goddess,

  an innocuous brand of perfume they had kept active as

  a cover name.

  Goddess---or Etorphin Mark Six-was the most po-

  tent mind-altering, mind-controlling, substance ever cre-

  ated. As a pain-killer it was on the order of twenty

  thousand times as effective as pure morphine. Which

  meant it was the most powerful control of other men

  ever devised, greater than any religious faith or fanaticism.

  Loaded into the frangible tip of' a narcotic dart and

  tested under every condition imaginable it had proven

  devastating, A single dart fired into the skin of a charg-

  ing African elephant killed the beast before it lost its

  footing. It "froze" crocodiles to utter stupefaction so

  that they sank to the bottom of a river and drowned

  because they never carne up for air. The test against a

  great blue whale ninety feet long startled the test crew.

  They fired one dart from a helicopter into that massive

  hide and sent the greatest creature on the planet into

  throes of ecstav and drowning, as it sank heedlessiv into

  DARK MESSIAH

  19 7

  the depths. It turned a great white shark into an idiotic

  animal with its killer senses shut down to zero.

  it couldn't be used in pure form against a human

  being. Total paralysis and death resulted instantly. But

  with Goddess diluted to acceptable proportions they

  had a mind-control device, that for approximately three

  hours before it wore off, brought on total obedience

  while leaving the prey in full control of cerebral func-

  tion. Once you breathed Goddess in no more than a

  vaporous whiff, for the next several hours you were

  instantly obedient to the first words spoken to you.

  Goddess would be the most tantalizing, barely dis-

  cernible scent of perfume in the Church of the Ascen-

  sion. In all the churches.

  And it would be used with perfectly diluted amounts

  for key leaders of government and industry throughout

  the world.

  Man would soon be started back to the moon.

  And then to Mars.

  They were all gone save Roberto Diaz and Al Templin,

  The two men secured the room and Diaz brought out a

  bottle of Suntory, vodka, favored by these two, They

 

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