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  He remembered Sarah’s admonition that he needed to trust her. He thought carefully about what might have occurred in her life before he had met her. Obviously, one of those occurrences was her having known Walter Reighland.

  “Ted, Walter and I know each other from a long time ago,” she began.

  “I can see that. Would you care to explain yourselves?” he said.

  The three of them stood for a moment in an awkward tableau. Behind them, carts and attendants whirled around in an intricate ballet of service.

  Ted saw some things that he couldn’t understand; some of the tables and chairs, for instance, seemed just to float on thin air. It seemed impossible, but he knew that Reighland was full of surprises. Just how many he was only beginning to realize.

  “Let’s go there and sit down to discuss what’s going on,” said Walter. He nodded to a series of chairs and a table that was floating in midair near them. As they sat down, three attendants appeared with refreshing drinks for each of them. Ted carefully pushed his away, and crossed his arms. He saw Sarah, who was having a bit of difficulty in trying to convey her feelings to him.

  Ted had noticed that Sarah held tightly to Walter as they walked to the table. He saw the look on her face that showed she obviously had a lot of admiration for the man.

  But did she love him? Ted struggled with his feelings, trying to understand what he was seeing. It was obvious to him that both of them were very comfortable with each other; not just old friends but definitely former lovers. Walter had made a number of telling gestures in the way he interacted with Sarah. For instance, he would stroke her hair as he walked. Sarah responded warmly to the gesture. Ted struggled with his urge to punch Reighland in the face, and barely restrained himself. He knew that he must be patient, at least long enough to listen to Sarah’s side of the story. Then he would punch him…

  “Well, Ted,” began Walter. “I suppose you are wondering just what the hell’s going on, aren’t you?” he asked. “Let me assure you, that you would have every right to be concerned, were it not for the fact that you are married to one of the world’s most incredible women.”

  Sarah blushed at this and looked at Walter with genuine affection. She gripped his hand tightly with hers. Then she smiled at Ted.

  “Please give him a chance to explain, darling,” she begged him. “You’ll see why this is the best for all of us!” She implored him, and Ted felt anger beginning to rise.

  “I’ve known Walter since before we met, Ted. In fact, I’ve known him since Kady was very little,” she said. “Please understand that we were lovers long before I met you. And, Walter is one of the kindest and most generous men ever.” She gave Walter a quick kiss on his cheek.

  “If he’s so goddamned wonderful, why didn’t you marry him, then,” said Ted, seething.

  “Maybe I should just contact Martin and my attorney right now. I know you’ve been trying to steal or destroy Ghent, Reighland! And, I know you bought a majority share of ‘Pecker’ as well! Who the fuck do you think you are? And, now, this!”

  Ted was furious, putting the dots together and seeing he was being played for a fool. He stood, ready to hit Reighland when Sarah stood up and hugged him tightly. She kissed him fully on the mouth. He resisted, trying to push her away. But, she prevailed and held him close.

  “Ted, my love! I am totally yours! You and I are soul-mates! I love you, completely and utterly!” she cried. Tears formed in her eyes, and she smiled at him. “Walter is why you and I are together, don’t you see?”

  “All I see is…” he started to say. Walter Reighland stood and looked Ted straight in the eyes. “Ted, I understand you are upset, but please refrain from name-calling. Sarah is indeed your wife, your woman. She loves you unconditionally, and the least you can do is give us a chance to make this clear. I am not after her. In fact, it was I that arranged for the both of you to meet. Do you remember that conference? Do you know who had put it together? I did.”

  Ted looked at Walter, trying to see if the man were lying.

  “What the fuck are you talking about? I went to that convention to sell my software. Meeting Sarah was a coincidence. A happy one. At least until today,” he said, glaring back at Walter.

  Sarah still was clinging to him, and he decided he would allow it for the moment. He knew this was far more complicated than it first appeared, and he promised himself he would see it through.

  “Ok,” he said, “Let’s hear this out.”

  “Thank you, darling!” Sarah said with evident relief. They sat down, but this time Sarah stayed close by Ted’s side, stroking him and looking at him with love. She put her head on his upper arm and kissed it gently. Ted, almost without realizing it, started rubbing her back gently. It calmed him down, and he retrieved his drink and took a sip. It tasted delicious.

  “Ok,” he said again. “What’s this about?”

  Walter Reighland laughed, and made an all-encompassing gesture with his arms.

  “All of this is yours! Well, yours and your children!” said Walter. “This is Ocaba Bien, my own personal pleasure resort. It has the most advanced technology and hospitality staffing in the world! There are things here that won’t be released to the rest of the world for over fifty years!” Walter took a draught of his beverage and pursed his lips. Sarah took a sip of her drink, and then kissed Ted passionately. Ted was again taken aback by her sudden display of affection, but it felt nice, and he did notice his heart rate was getting back to normal.

  “I am a very powerful and meticulous man,” said Walter. There was no boasting in the statement; it was merely stating a fact. “All my life, I have fought to make the world a better place. It has saddened me that much of the strife in the world is because of bias and prejudice, but there is something about the human condition that transcends all of that.”

  He sat back and looked at the surroundings. Again, he waved his hands at the beautiful palace that defied the imagination. “All of this, it means nothing to me, except as a means to an end. And that end is the elimination of hate and strife amongst the people of this world,” he said. “My life’s work is to create a heaven on Earth. I have been doing this since I was but a young lad. My father before me and his before him worked to bring peace to this world. It’s the work of many generations to make any manner of change in such a vile place. There are forces far beyond the notice of the average man.”

  Ted looked at him with skeptical eyes. He wondered about the man’s sanity.

  “Oh, not THOSE kinds of forces!” laughed Reighland.

  “I am talking about the overwhelming needs for love and acceptance, and the drivers of behaviors that cause harm to others. There are reasons why people feel sad or angry. These emotions are our guardians; they let us know when the balance of these forces is off.”

  “I am not speaking about the supernatural or paranormal phenomenon, although I suppose many people may think of them as such,” he said. “No, these are just the typical biochemical occurrences of the brain. When people are lusting for power, or control, or sex, or any other thing, then these interactions rule us. We are slaves to their power, but my forefathers and I have found ways to harness this into creating a new world for humanity.”

  “Part of this is identifying trends, and relationships among people of note,” he continued. “We keep databases on the activities and daily lives of millions of people who will one day advance our cause. Most of the time, our predictive capabilities are valid. Occasionally, there are missteps, but we always have a contingency plan. In your case, it was simply to arrange for you to meet Sarah.”

  “You can’t mean you were orchestrating an entire convention on the off chance we’d hit it off?” said Ted, incredulous. He squeezed Sarah to him, and she hugged him tightly.

  “Well, of course, that’s exactly what happened, isn’t it?” laughed Reighland.

  “I met Sarah and Kady very many years ago. They met me at my zoo, shortly after Sarah’s husband, Jim Wolcott, had been killed in
action. Kady was distraught, and I managed to comfort her a bit. They toured the zoo, and we had a grand time. Since then, Sarah and I have maintained contact. Whenever possible, I strove to help her and Kady. Of course, Sarah is very resourceful and needed little enough from me. At one point, I helped her to recognize she was in a losing relationship. I arranged for her to attend a Grand Ball. It expanded her mind to the actual workings of the world. I must say that meeting Sarah and Kady opened a door to a remarkable opportunity. I had followed your career for quite some time, as your software enabled many construction projects to be initiated that directly challenged my goals. It was evident that Ghent International was becoming a force with which I must reckon. Brett and Kady were the keys to allowing me to be finally able to use Ghent for my needs.”

  “It was predicted that a young man or woman would soon be able to commandeer an enormous share of the data collection market by just expanding upon known ideas for messaging and social media using smart devices. Brett was one of the seven people we were following closely, and I decided early on to invest in ‘Pecker.’ It allowed me to gain access to your company, and Sarah being your wife made it much more amenable to me. You see, Brett becoming a billionaire is only the beginning. You and your family can do whatever you wish, for the rest of your lives!”

  Ted and Sarah took in this information. It was difficult to understand just what made them so special to receive these great gifts from Walter Reighland. The man was confident of their acceptance, and his cocksure attitude ruffled Ted’s feathers somewhat.

  “What do you mean about Ghent?” asked Ted. “What makes you so sure I won’t fight back?”

  Reighland chuckled. “Ted, what I am offering you is very straightforward. You and yours are set for life. Ghent will continue as it has, with a few minor changes in how certain customers will be treated. ‘Pecker’ will become the focal point of a new media empire that will extol the virtues of the Ocaba philosophy. When that is achieved, we expect that the people of the world will ultimately come to terms with their place in the Universe. There will be no need to fight wars for control of resources, nor endure the inevitable suffering that wars bring. We know that within three generations, we will manage to eradicate world hunger, and make great strides in being able to control the weather. We have models that will predict earthquakes and tidal waves, and also there will be the restoration of the rain forests. We are currently using an experimental genetic modification technology to reproduce extinct species of plants and animals that will be returned to our world. We will be able to live in harmony with all the other creatures on Earth. There will be no need to kill for food. We have already mastered the ability to synthesize and combine raw elements to make our sustenance. Everything you see here at Ocaba Bien will be released in time to assure that humanity can finally set aside it’s differences, settle old scores and let go of hate and outmoded ways of thinking.

  The next step after that will be the design and construction of environments under the oceans, and the preparation for the greatest adventure of all – our voyage into the Universe.”

  “It seems crazy,” said Ted. “I mean, with all due respect, that’s crazy talk.”

  “Is it?” said Reighland.

  He smiled at them, and suddenly his chair floated up into the air.

  They followed it as he rose out of sight, up over the edge of the cliff face. From seemingly nowhere, his voice boomed at them.

  “Welcome to Ocaba Bien, my friends! Please relax until the Grand Ball this evening! I shall see you there! Until then, enjoy yourselves and bask in the sensual pleasures offered to you!”

  Walter Reighland’s laughter echoed in the ocean breeze, as Ted and Sarah clung to each other.

  

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Kady Markland was in heaven. Her stepbrother was a wealthy, successful athletic man. Just recently, he had protected her from a drunken asshole. Then, he had whisked her away in a marvelous coach, to a magical castle, where she was going to go to the biggest and grandest ball ever!

  She felt just like a fairy tale princess, and the attendants around her were making her look like one as well. They preened and cooed, and dressed her in lavish gowns, and different hats that had long tails. She loved every single minute of it!

  She sipped at some manner of lightly alcoholic drink and laughed, giddy with the feeling of being a little girl all over again! She was so happy, and she wanted to cry.

  But, that was just silly, wasn’t it? She thought of Brett; handsome, taut muscles, and deeply in love with her. It loosened the muscles in her thighs a bit

  Kady took another sip.

  The attendants continued to administer to her every need, and she wondered how much longer it would be until the Grand Ball would be underway, and she could show off her regalia.

  She giggled again.

  “Princess Peach, here to hold court in Ocaba Bien, my royal manor and all of you are now my guests!” she cried out. The attendants ignored her, and added another layer of makeup and curled some more of her hair.

  Kady didn’t notice that they were not smiling.

  

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Just before they had been escorted to their rooms prior to the Grand Ball, Brett and Kady had been talking about the day’s events. In spite of Kady’s exuberance and excitement, Brett was getting more suspicious by the minute.

  For a while, all the glamour and the fast pace of events had him off balance, but now that he had gotten some distance from Kady, (now undergoing her Grand Ball preparations).

  Brett sat and pondered the current situation.

  At first, the unusual generosity of Reighland, and the technological marvels of Ocaba Bien were completely overwhelming. They hadn’t had two minutes to be able to think for themselves. It was surreal, and Brett took a few minutes away from Kady to try to collect his thoughts.

  Brett was a very smart and shrewd man. His dealings with other people in building “Pecker” had educated him very quickly as to how to read people. He couldn’t get a good bead on Walter Reighland because things had been happening so very fast.

  He was not convinced by Reighland’s good nature, and even if the man were genuine, Brett felt uncomfortable at his displays of superiority.

  The man treated everyone as a person, but not as an equal. This was something that Brett often found to be a source of great difficulties later on in relationships. He had sharpened his business acumen over the years at college and sought out his father for advice when he felt he could not trust his own instincts. But, he also knew his own insights were typically reliable.

  And, some of the tech at Ocaba Bien was suspicious to him. It was almost as if he and Kady were on a theme park ride of some giant magnitude. The fact that they were under constant surveillance usually would have made him uneasy. Yet, here at Ocaba Bien, he couldn’t quite get worked up about it. It seemed that being watched was the proper state of things.

  Brett also was very surprised at how Kady had sexually opened up to him. He had known that he was in love with her. He had wondered about the depth of her feelings for him for a long time. For her to suddenly become so open to his advances took him aback. If it weren’t for his deep feelings for her and wishing for something like this to happen, he would have thought it too good to be true. He found himself torn between his love for her and his caution. He had excused himself from Kady, went to his preparation room, and then dismissed the attendants. They melted away, but he knew they could materialize within seconds to provide anything he may need or want.

  Brett reflected on the situation, sipping at a cup of water. Kady was intrigued, and fascinated by the enormous wealth and gregarious nature of Reighland, to be sure. That, too, made Brett uncomfortable. He wasn’t used to having a slew of people at his beck and call. Oh, sure, he had employees and co-workers whom he had supervised and instructed, but they were part of his organization.

  He paused.

  An essential
piece of the puzzle had fallen into place for him.

  He realized suddenly that he and his family served some purpose for Reighland’s organization.

  Walter Reighland had a definite plan. And, they were an important part of it.

  Reighland had told Sarah and Kady about some of it; Kady had a dim memory of the man hovering about her and Sarah in the past. Brett suddenly had an insight that Sarah might be able to shed some light on Reighland, and he decided he would try to give her a call and discuss their current situation.

  He took out his cell phone and dialed Sarah, and a pleasant voice informed him that all circuits were busy and that he should try again later. A tiny warning voice started sounding a wee alarm in the back of his mind. This was too coincidental. He tried his father, with the same result. Then, inspired, he called Kady.

  “Hey, sexy!” she answered on the second ring. “Miss me already?” She laughed into the phone and hiccoughed once.

  Brett could hear the attendants in the background, getting her ready for the Grand Ball. What the fuck was a Grand Ball? He wondered. He thought about it some more, but kept his suspicions to himself.

  “You know it,” he said. “But, hey, baby! Let’s meet in about fifteen minutes, ok? I want to talk to you about…” he said.

  “Brett! The Grand Ball starts in twenty!” she exclaimed. “I don’t want to be late for it!”

  “Do you have any idea what it is, Kady?” he asked.

  “Why, it’s a big, fancy party, right? And THIS girl is ready to PAR-TAY!” she yelled, happily.

  Was she drunk? Brett thought about the situation, and another piece of the puzzle came into play. It might be possible that they were moderately drugged. Or, at least, they were given enough alcohol to keep them at ease, and more easily manipulated.

  “Kady, doll, do me a favor and don’t have anything else to drink, okay?” he said. He heard a giant slurping sound, followed by a loud burp. Then, he heard the dial tone of the cell as she hung up on him.