Gifts Of The Future Ch 06

The summer of 1979 had most of the "chosen ones" on the paths that they were destined to follow. Robbie Seldon and Crystal North were dating and realized there was something building between them as they started college that summer. Brad Seldon and Jay Hanson were starting their jet fighter training at Edwards Air Force base... and both their wives were pregnant and due on the same date!

Cadet Karen Moss had returned to the Air Force Academy in Colorado for her senior year and she and Rickie Estevez had already set their wedding date for the following June! Bob and Lisa Clark once again graciously offered their Bel Air property for the ceremony and Barbie Seldon had agreed to help her brother make all the arrangements!

Charlie Richards and Lily Wilson were spending many hectic hours at UCLA Medical Center studying and learning the ropes as they did rounds with the residents. They had both already changed their minds about the fields of medicine they wanted to eventually specialize in... Charlie was going to concentrate on diagnosing and treating diseases and Lily wanted to specialize as a surgeon.

Jonnie North was settling into his job with the FBI, poring over dozens of unsolved cases to see if he could pick up on anything new or that might have been missed before. He'd also delved into the background of Kristina Davidson, who'd been confined in a mental institution ever since she'd been deemed incapable of standing trial. She'd been in a semi-catatonic state ever since the night she'd tried to shoot him.

Jonnie shook his head in confusion every time he went back over Kris' file. Nothing from her past would have led him to believe her capable of doing what she'd done. She'd had a happy childhood... her parents were still overwrought that their seemingly perfect daughter had just so totally snapped. Even the story she'd told him about how she'd been stalked and raped by some man had been a complete lie! Her life had been idyllic up until the point she'd met him...

So what had caused her to go completely off the deep end over him?!! He felt nervous at times when he thought back over his relationship with Kris and tried to figure out if he'd done anything at all that had led her to be so obsessed with him, but he couldn't come up with anything. But he still felt bad as he feared that it was somehow his fault that she had lost her grip on reality...

Megan, on the other hand, suddenly became obsessed with reality. She had been concerned ever since the early 70's when the country had gone through an "energy crisis" when oil prices had spiked and there was a gasoline shortage. Her father Charles had been pissed during that time, constantly muttering about how OPEC and the United States government were keeping the country dependent on oil when there were plenty of alternative energy sources available that were not being explored!

But because of his job with the FBI, Charles was prevented from going any further with his "mutterings." And here it was, 1979, and the country was once again facing rising gasoline prices because a little "piss ant" country like Iran was going through some political turmoil and it was affecting OPEC's oil output... or so that was the excuse they gave for hiking prices again!

Megan became intrigued with how something so seemingly insignificant happening in a little country on the other side of the world could cause such headaches for a country as powerful as the United States. She saw an ad in one of the Los Angeles papers where one of the major networks was holding open auditions for news reporters and had openings for writers and camera operators for a weekly investigative news show they were putting together, so she auditioned and they hired her on the spot.

Megan spent the rest of that year investigating and following stories on the situation in Iran and its link to gas prices in the U.S. Jonnie did not like it when the network sent her to Iran at the beginning of November when there were rumors flying that a group of militants were trying to pull off a major coup. Megan called Jonnie from her hotel room in Tehran the night of November 3rd to tell him that she had an appointment the next day to interview some officials at the U.S. Embassy, but she didn't get that interview...

The next morning, November 4, 1979, the U.S. Embassy was invaded by student militants who took it over and were holding everyone there hostage. Jonnie was floored when he turned on the TV that morning as he was getting ready to fix breakfast for him and thirteen-month old Jonathan to see his wife doing a live broadcast from Tehran outside the Embassy as excited Iranians were shouting encouragements to the hostage-takers.

Megan was doing her best to stay focused and deliver her report, but some irate Iranians started shouting at the American news crews who were documenting what was happening. Jonnie dropped onto a chair beside Jonathan's highchair as he watched his wife glancing about nervously as she was describing the chaos going on around her.

"Mommie come home."

Jonnie turned his head to see his son staring intently at the TV screen, and then he noticed that Megan had stopped talking so he looked back at the television again. His wife was just staring into the camera with her eyes wide and her hand holding the microphone was shaking... then she started speaking again.

"This will be my last broadcast from here as it is apparent it's becoming way too dangerous for any Americans to remain in this country. We can only hope the Iranian government will soon bring this situation back under control and that the hostages will be freed quickly... if the government can withstand the pressure being exerted by the Ayatollah, who is bending the minds of most Iranians toward his view of the U.S. as 'an evil Satan!' Until this situation is resolved, our prayers will be with the hostages and their families. Reporting live from Tehran, this is Megan Richards-North signing off for US and the World News This Week. Mommie is coming home, Jonathan..." she ended quietly with a slight smile before the camera was turned off.

Jonnie stared at the TV screen for a stunned moment as it returned to the studio broadcast and then turned to look at his smiling son who looked at him and repeated happily, "Mommie come home!"

He smiled widely back at his angelic boy as he stood and leaned down to kiss the top of his head. Then he bent down in front of him and said, "Thank you, son! Now... how would you like your eggs this morning?" He chuckled and shook his head as he straightened up, wondering why he'd asked such a silly question when Jonathan wrinkled his nose and cheeks into an exaggerated grin and squealed, "Cheeeeeese!!!"

**********

Megan and her news crew were finally able to get a flight out of Tehran, but it was only going as far as Riyadh, Saudi Arabia... they'd have to get another flight out from there once they landed. But at least they were able to get the hell out of Iran! As soon as they landed in Riyadh, they were dismayed to discover that they'd have to wait several hours for the next flight with available seats and it was to London... at least from there they would be able to get a direct flight to the U.S.!

Megan called Jonnie and he was relieved to hear that she'd made it safely out of Iran, but irritated that it would probably take her two more days to finally get home! He said gruffly, "You wouldn't listen to me about not going over there in the first damn place... but at least you paid attention when our son told you to come home!!!"

She was silent for a moment and then asked, "You and Jonathan were watching my last broadcast, weren't you?" When Jonnie confirmed that, she admitted, "I heard his little voice inside my head so clearly... 'Mommie come home.' Jonnie... I'm on the other side of the world! How did he project his thoughts so far?!!"

"Megan... that anyone can do that at all is a miracle! What difference should it make whether you're standing right in front of him or ten thousand miles away! He has a special connection to us... he can communicate to us no matter where we are. We just have to realize that he's got abilities that are far beyond yours and we have to teach him to be mindful of how he uses those abilities. But I'm sure his innate goodness will also temper him from abusing his abilities. Like Peter Parker's Uncle Ben told him, we have to teach Jonathan that with great power comes great responsibility..."

"What the hell are you talking about, Jonnie?" Megan laughed through the phone.

"Didn't you ever read any of the

Spider Man

comics when we were kids? You know... Peter Parker was raised by his Aunt and Uncle and he became Spider Man after getting bit by a radioactive spider... he acquired all these cool powers and turned into a superhero, fighting crime in... whatever they called the city he was living in!"

Megan was laughing even harder. "Jonnie... our son is not Spider Man! Or Superman... or Batman... or even Captain America! He is not going to turn into a superhero stamping out crime wherever he sees it!"

Then her laughter died. "That's your job, Mr. FBI Agent! Don't you dare go putting any foolish notions into our son's head as he grows up making him think he's any more 'special' or 'powerful' than anyone else! All we need to make him understand is that it's inappropriate for him to invade people's minds unless there is a very compelling reason for him to do so! Now... be sure and kiss our sweet boy good night for me and I'll keep calling to let you know as I get closer to home. Good night, my love... I can't wait to be in your arms again!" she said as she sighed heavily.

Jonnie growled, "Then don't take any more goddamned foreign assignments! I don't like it that my wife ended up in a very dangerous situation and I couldn't be there to protect you! Please, Megan... promise me you'll be more cautious about where they send you in the future. All right?!!"

"Yes, Jonnie... I promise... no more dangerous assignments! Goodbye, love... I'll be home as soon as possible!!" She hung up after he said he loved her and she heard the line go dead. Then she turned away from the pay phone and jumped when she saw a man standing just a few feet from her and staring at her.

He was obviously Middle Eastern from his appearance... olive toned skin, dark hair and eyes but he was dressed like an American in jeans and a polo shirt. He didn't look to be much older than her... middle to upper twenties... and he was regarding her carefully, but there was no disdain in his eyes at the fact she was an American woman, unescorted and with no regard for Saudi customs where their women were concerned. She'd been making herself ignore the black looks from some of the Saudi men she'd encountered at the airport.

Then she jumped again when the man said, "You are Megan Richards-North... the reporter from 'US and the World News this Week.' Yes?" The man had just a slight accent, but his English was very good. When she swallowed and nodded, he indicated with his arm as he said, "Could we please go somewhere and talk privately? I have some information that may be of interest to you because of the topic you've been investigating. Please... will you come with me?" he asked politely.

"Uhh... sure. Just give me a moment to let my crew know so they won't worry about me, OK?" She excused herself from him and quickly went to where the guys were sitting watching her to make sure no one tried to bother her. They didn't like it, but they agreed and then one of them followed her and the man until he saw them step into a crowded airport café and sit at a table in a corner.

The man was brief and to the point. His name was Yosef and he was born in Saudi Arabia but he'd been sent to college in the U.S. to study investing and high finance. His father had worked all his life for one of the rich OPEC oil Sheiks as a bodyguard and the Sheik had noticed that Yosef was very smart, so he'd paid for his education and made Yosef promise to come work for him after college, managing his assets.

Yosef was in charge of making sure the Sheiks billions were well invested and he was paid very good bonuses when those investments did well. But he'd begun to notice in the last couple of years that the Sheik had pulled out of a few investments and Yosef had no clue where those millions were going. That was something he was not privy to, but he did know that the Sheik was not making any large purchases. He already owned four homes, a half a dozen cars, a yacht and an airplane... what else could he have needed?!!

Then he told her about a conversation he'd accidentally overheard between the Sheik and one of the other OPEC ministers. They were saying that the funds for their training camps were getting low again and that the American capitalist pigs were once again squealing that they couldn't keep their angry constituents from questioning why the price of gas was going up again. The Sheik had said he could take care of the funding and they would have to call a meeting with the other ministers to talk about stabilizing oil production again so the Americans would stop squealing.

Yosef leaned toward Megan and stated quietly, "It sounds like the Sheik has the cooperation of some U.S. politicians in keeping your country dependent on OPEC oil. That in itself is not that alarming, but the training camps they were referring to are for tens of thousands of young Muslim males who are being recruited and brainwashed to believe that America is evil and they are training them to commit acts of violence whenever they see an opportunity. These training camps are spread all over the Middle East... it is not just Saudi Arabia and OPEC involved in this."

His voice got even lower as he continued. "I know this because I spent some time in one of those camps when I was younger. I was sent to one in Iraq and I was there long enough to see how some governments and religious leaders are systematically twisting the Islamic faith. Muslims haven't even been able to agree amongst ourselves for centuries how to practice our own faith, but some of the ones in power have found another way to try and unite Islam... by teaching all young Islamic males to hate America and everything it stands for!

"Fortunately for your country, there are still many of the Islamic faith who are not buying into this brainwashing and most of the countries in this area of the world are still not willing to unite for a common cause... especially to try and make an enemy of the United States... they are not that stupid. But there are still plenty of radicals out there... just waiting for a time and any excuse to rally thousands more to their hateful cause. Believe me, Mrs. North, things will get much worse in the future... and we have no way to fight radicals who have been brainwashed to believe it is an honor to die and take as many infidels with them as they can in the name of Allah! Everything I was told at that camp was so opposite of everything I learned as a boy..."

He sat back with a sad look on his face. Then he shook his head and stared into Megan's concerned eyes. "You won't hear about any of this on the news in America. That's because it is not talked about here, either. The radicals want to keep this quiet, but the more they recruit and the larger their numbers grow, it is bound to come to light at some point. But I have noticed over the last few years that it seems to be getting easier and easier for so many young minds to be twisted... and it worries me. It's as though... some dark force is running rampant in this part of the world and we've no way to stop it! I pray that my own young son will stay strong and away from such darkness," he said sadly as he looked down.

Yosef put his hand on Megan's where it was resting on the table between them. "I am telling all of this to you because I hoped you would believe me and keep this in mind as you conduct your investigations. But you must be careful... some people in your own government are cooperating with OPEC... even if they aren't aware of what OPEC has been supporting. If you get too close to the truth, your life could be in danger... be especially careful who you trust."

He squeezed her hand and stood abruptly, saying, "I wish you luck, Mrs. North. You will need it if you decide to continue digging into this." Then he released her hand and strode away quickly as Megan just stared at his retreating form, her brain whirling from his warnings. Her father was right... their own government WAS cooperating with OPEC... but they couldn't possibly know that they were funding those "training camps!"

What the hell was she supposed to do with this information?!! She had only Yosef's word about any of it... but he'd seemed so sincere. He'd known she was digging into the U.S. government's dealings with OPEC because of her news stories over the last few months. She'd hinted it seemed strange that so much of the country's supply of oil came strictly from OPEC nations and questioned the rationale behind that since so many countries in that area of the world were still politically unstable and it didn't seem to take much to affect OPEC production and supply.

And Yosef had told her that OPEC was conspiring to turn that whole region into a collection of millions of angry young Muslims who hated America and everything about it! And the U.S. was dependent upon those nations for the one product that was needed and consumed the most in their country?!! She knew the government was already well aware of that fact, so why wasn't anyone looking into alternatives?!!

Megan shook her head as she stood up and made her way out of the café and back toward her waiting crew. So many thoughts kept drifting through her mind... No one in the government was going to do anything about this because too many people were making too much money by letting OPEC control the price of oil... like the American oil companies! They could just sit back and keep their prices for a barrel of oil at the same high levels... and it wasn't costing them nearly that much to pump it out of the ground!

She frowned as another thought popped into her head. Why hadn't anyone been looking into alternative energy sources for transportation? Why were all vehicles manufactured with only gas or diesel engines? Why hadn't someone figured out how to mass produce an electric/battery-operated vehicle... or even one that utilized solar power? Why?!!!

She snorted a short laugh as a cynical thought crossed her mind. Probably because all the American automakers were in cahoots with the oil companies and the government... keeping the country dependent on oil!!! And it would never change as long as they were making all that money...

Megan shook her head as she realized she was sounding like a cynical conspiracy theorist! How would she ever get proof on any of that?!! Well... she was an investigative journalist; it was her job to look into questions like those!!! She clenched her jaw as she made her way back to where her crew was waiting for her and she spent the remainder of their time at the Riyadh airport making notes on all her questions and thinking of where to start in her search for the truth...

**********

Jonnie was happy that for the next several months... the furthest Megan traveled from home was to Washington, D.C. But he was still worried that she was going to anger some of the wrong people with her "snooping" into a topic that many politicians didn't seem to want to discuss. He'd felt disturbed by what the Middle Eastern man, Yosef, had told her when she'd returned from Iran and related the story.

Several weeks later, she'd received an envelope at the network studio from Yosef that had contained a photocopy of a personal note that he'd found on the Sheik's desk from a United States' senator jokingly asking when he could inform his constituents that gas prices were going to go back down or at least stabilize. Megan had gone to D.C. to try to meet with that senator, but he'd refused to talk to her. She had wisely not told him about the copy of his memo she had...