The Unveiling Read online

  The very thought was therapeutic. He was therapeutic! His courage in this time of great adversity was awe-inspiring.

  Romanero’s universal plea quickly dominated the headlines. The “Human Love Chain” as dubbed by the press, would begin in New Zealand at twelve midnight, New Zealand time, and slowly work its way around the globe, until finally reaching the South Pacific 23 hours later.

  As the press reported the story to the far corners of the Earth, the first thing on the docket for world leaders inside the general assembly was to try and prevent an international recession from happening. It was agreed that an immediate trillion-dollar cash infusion needed to be made into the world’s economic systems.

  This way, citizens could withdrawal money from ATM machines and make necessary purchases using their credit cards. But strict limits needed to be placed on both withdrawals and purchases for the foreseeable future.

  Hopefully it would work...

  The next item of discussion was to do all they could to halt the serious price gouging taking place in the world. Prices had skyrocketed since last weekend, with no end in sight. Even though many countries had anti-gouging laws on their books which, essentially, curbed price increases during disasters, with no way of tracking sales in this temporary cash-only climate, those laws were all but worthless.

  People with access to cash were paying outrageous amounts to stock up on food, bottled water, toiletries, batteries, blankets, medical supplies, candles and flashlights, sometimes paying as much as $20 for a gallon of gasoline or bottled water, and $50 for a durable flashlight. Those without cash were forced to barter other things to obtain these essential items.

  Until a solution could be found, price-gouging would only continue, especially regarding water. Due to the many fires the past three days, some of the world’s water supplies were running dangerously low. In some cases, reservoirs were scraping rock bottom. Brownish-yellow water flowed and, in some cases, trickled out of showers, faucets and hoses, making it dangerously unsafe for human consumption.

  With demand for their product at an all-time high, bottled water companies stood to expand their businesses by as much as five-thousand percent.

  Once the trillion-dollar cash infusion trickled through the system and the world was back online, a new international price-gouging law would be enacted. This would allow the maximum retailers could charge for goods and services to be ten percent above list price, and not a percentage point higher.

  Those breaking this law, once enacted, would be heavily fined. Second time offenders would be jailed, without exception.

  Before breaking for lunch, the Pope, who arrived earlier from Rome, weighed in, “Could you imagine being a youngster now? Imagine those who are fast-approaching adolescence and are suddenly the youngest people on the planet again? From a psychological standpoint, it must be excruciatingly traumatizing.”

  The Pontiff sighed, “This would explain the growing number of suicides among them. We must do all we can to quell this growing problem, by opening more crisis centers for the youth and by flooding the airwaves with public service messages of hope.”

  Secretary-General Jurgen Staat nodded agreement and said, “Before we recess, please take a moment to watch this short video. It very well may be the first step to bringing hope to so many, especially among our youth.”

  In an instant, Salvador Romanero’s early morning interview was shown on two big screens inside the general assembly.

  While watching, world leaders turned on phones and checked e-mails and text messages and were quite surprised that most were centered on the man whose image was up on the big screens in front of them.

  When the interview ended, the young Spaniard received a rousing ovation from most in the room—world leader and delegate alike. Romanero bowed his head in a show of humility.

  A lone cameraman was granted access to broadcast it worldwide. It was instantly picked up on all other networks.

  Leaving NATO Headquarters, Romanero was flanked by Secretary-General Jurgen Staat on one side and the Pope on the other. The media was there waiting to capture every last moment.

  Out of nowhere Salvador Romanero, a complete unknown for most of the world, was the big story in Brussels, Belgium, even topping the earth-shattering Christian discovery the night before, which, in and of itself, was rather astounding.

  With dark forces leading the way, this was just the beginning of things to come for the young man from Spain...

  6

  LEAVING THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, President Jefferson Danforth was checking his cell phone and nearly collided into the very last person he wanted to see, Russian President Uri Osolovich.

  After two years of heated negotiations with the Russian nationalist leader over who should lead the way in protecting the Middle East from the constant threat of Islamic terrorism, their relationship was anything but cordial.

  “Excuse me, President Osolovich,” President Danforth said, nodding as politely as he could without breaking stride.

  “Mister President,” the Russian leader said, loud enough that many heard him, “with your troops completely decimated, how do you plan to keep democracy and diplomacy alive and well in the streets of the world, without the proper manpower to accomplish such a task?” His voice dripped of arrogance.

  Jefferson Danforth stopped dead in his tracks, as did many others. He wasn’t ready for his foe’s blunt questioning. Not now, anyway. After last night’s discovery that it was Christian in nature, it was no big surprise that many for whom he was Commander-in-Chief were among the missing, as many had professed a deep faith in Jesus Christ, thus explaining the many losses.

  The President turned to face the glum-faced Russian leader, “As of right now, President Osolovich, we cannot calculate with any great certainty just how many of our troops have vanished or perished. But I’ve been assured by my top military advisers that we still have more than enough manpower to maintain a formidable presence anywhere in the world. We may have been weakened, but we’re certainly not crippled.”

  President Danforth was lying, and the Russian leader knew it.

  President Osolovich shook his fist victoriously. “Mother Russia remains strong and very much intact!” His icy blue eyes ripped into the American leader like a grizzly bear shredding a freshly-caught salmon, with its razor-sharp claws and teeth.

  President Danforth gulped hard then flinched, knowing his adversary was telling the truth. But Russia was only one of his mounting concerns. If push ever came to shove, China could easily assemble 200,000,000 soldiers in a moment’s notice. India too. And with a combined population of nearly two billion people, if the armies of Islam ever gathered, they could do the same.

  It was a frightening realization, to be sure. Jefferson Danforth silently feared that it was only a matter of time before those countries started flexing their military muscles along with their many allies. The very thought nearly stopped his heart from beating inside his chest.

  Not wanting to cross swords with his arrogant nemesis, especially with so many cameras rolling, Danforth changed the topic. “What do you think of this Salvador Romanero fellow?”

  “I must admit he is quite impressive. Who could have ever predicted it?”

  President Danforth studied the Russian leader’s face, looking for any sort of change of expression that might show he was lying. He saw nothing.

  Even so, President Osolovich was quite mindful that Romanero was the new puppet on the world stage. Only he was no puppet at all. Soon, the young Spaniard would be the one pulling all the strings, and the present world leaders would be his puppets, not the other way around.

  President Danforth excused himself from President Osolovich’s company. He needed time to think and bounce ideas off some of his top cabinet memb
ers, and somehow find a way to top Salvador Romanero’s very timely idea.

  Yes, he needed to hatch a brilliant plan of his own, something that would sway the press back into his corner, instead of following Romanero everywhere he went like untrained puppy dogs.

  If not, he feared world leaders might no longer seek the wisdom of the United States. This brief encounter dictated that much. In this strange and uncharted climate, it wouldn’t take much to lose control of the power he’d fought so hard to obtain. Just yesterday, he had no clue who Salvador Romanero was. Now he appeared to be in direct competition with the man. Go figure.

  The moment he was alone in his quarters, President Danforth called Vice President Everett Ashford, who was still underground in Colorado, using a secure connection.

  “Can you believe this Romanero fella?” the President snapped.

  “He’s already dominating the airwaves over here, Mister President.”

  “Can’t say I’m surprised.”

  “It’s like he came out of nowhere.”

  President Danforth coughed into his fisted hand, “Have the Secret Service dig deep into his past. I want to know all I can about that man.”

  “Already being done, Sir.” The Vice President scratched his head, “No one in Spain seems willing to talk about him. All we know for now is that, prior to today, he had hundreds of thousands of followers on his social media accounts, mostly in Western Europe. In the past few hours his Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts have all gained tens of millions of followers, and still counting. Soon he’ll reach the stratosphere.”

  President Danforth winced. “Something about him just isn’t right.”

  “I agree. It’s like he’s cast a spell upon the whole world.”

  “Forward everything you can about him to me as quickly as possible.”

  “Already being done, Sir.”

  “Good. In the meantime, I need to come up with a good plan of my own.”

  “Have you considered the mounting transportation problem? Namely, the aviation industry?”

  “In what way?”

  “Millions are stranded in foreign countries far from home, right?”

  “And?” the President said impatiently, causing his grayish-green eyes to turn steely-gray.

  “Your offer to bring stranded journalists to Brussels with you was brilliant. World leaders viewed it as an act of good will on your part.”

  “What are you getting at, Everett?”

  “After brainstorming all day, we feel whoever takes the lead on bringing stranded travelers back home first will have the upper hand. The fact that Americans are stuck in every country on the planet means we can pressure world leaders to follow your lead again, by bringing all stranded travelers home, not just Americans, dead or alive.”

  “Let me mull it over. I’ll get back to you.” The call ended.

  There was nothing to mull over. President Danforth loved the idea. Of the many problems world leaders faced, the currently paralyzed transportation industry was one of the biggest. Yet, with so many other crises on the table, it was pushed to the bottom of the list.

  The President sent a secure text message to his chief speech writer, Martin Feingold, informing him of his plan, and ordering him to write a speech that he could share with the American people immediately following the vigil in Brussels.

  By the time it ended, it would be roughly 7:30 p.m. in Washington, D.C.

  Primetime. Perfect!

  Yes, before Americans lined the streets to honor the many dead and missing, President Danforth would hopefully provide another positive shot in the arm for so many.

  After that, he would board Air Force One for Madison, Wisconsin to bury his late mother. He envisioned himself praying nonstop on the flight back to the States that Romanero’s prediction would backfire in his face, and that rain and snow would cover the entire Earth during the vigil, thus discrediting him.

  The President was slightly amused by his own ponderings. He chuckled to himself but quickly sobered up. Now wasn’t the time for joking. It was time to remain sober and do all he could to protect what he’d fought so hard for so many years to obtain.

  As President of the United States, Jefferson Danforth was still the most powerful man on Earth. But as the seconds passed, he felt everything potentially slipping away. Even more strange was this overwhelming premonition that he might lose his power to a man he didn’t even know 24 hours ago.

  It was downright sinister.

  7

  WITH LUNCH BREAK OVER, before reconvening, everyone focused their attention on the large monitors inside the general assembly of NATO Headquarters. It was 45 minutes past midnight in New Zealand, and the worldwide vigil was already in full swing.

  Hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders lined the streets, honored to be the first to show respect for the many departed. Energized by Romanero’s speech, save for those who were hospitalized or at home nursing serious injuries, nearly 100 percent of those 30 and under were among the large gathering.

  Some prayed in circles. Others stood side by side singing songs, lit candles in hand. Many held hands. Some hugged. Some meditated. Others stood in silence.

  Still on their emotional roller coasters, emotions varied from one person to the next.

  This same pool of emotions would be repeated in each country and time zone.

  World leaders nodded enthusiastically and flashed thumbs-up gestures at Salvador Romanero. Now seated with the Pope, he nodded back and left it at that. His dark brown eyes momentarily locked onto Crown Prince Javier. Just seeing him bristling in silent annoyance the way he was satisfied Romanero immensely.

  News makers in Brussels were frenzied, trying to obtain as much information on the young Spaniard as they possibly could. All they knew was that he was on the Prime Minister of Spain’s advisory board, and that he had an extremely loyal following back home.

  Reporters hounded the secretary of the Prime Minister of Spain, and even Prince Javier, during their lunch break, hoping they would shed some light on Salvador Romanero.

  Both declined to comment on their young delegate.

  Even deathly ill, the King of Spain was in a total state of shock. Watching the events unfolding in Brussels, he thought for sure he would suffer another heart attack. He never saw this coming.

  But who did?

  Knowing what was going on behind the scenes, the Pope was unable to remove the wry smile from his face. He drank it all in.

  As the clock struck midnight in Kamchatka—part of the Russian Federation—citizens braved the frigid night air to participate. The vigil would commence in Australia in one hour, followed by scores of Asian countries. As of yet, there had yet to be a drop of precipitation reported anywhere.

  Utterly convinced that the world was going through a spiritual cleansing of sorts, some participants, while still grieving the loss of friends and loved ones, believed last Saturday’s phenomenon needed to occur, so this beautiful moment could be made possible. They were honored to be part of this life-altering moment. They were all making history together.

  Future generations would celebrate them as heroes, pioneers, trailblazers.

  Or so they thought...

  Large groups of New Agers took Salvador Romanero’s brilliant idea of a global vigil one step further. Those who were able to get online, millions in all, met in various chatrooms and agreed to sit atop the mountains of the world at exactly twelve midnight, their time, to collectively meditate for world peace.

  “The higher up we are,” they proclaimed, “the closer we can connect to our gods!”

  Other New Agers agreed to participate, but they had no intentions of climbing any mountain tops. Why bother? With “God is all and all is God,” being their
pantheistic mantra, they didn’t need to practically freeze to death on some mountain to get closer to their gods. Since they, too, were gods, they were already there.

  Those who believed in extra-terrestrial life from outer space were also filled with an overwhelming sense of anticipation. Many agreed to meet at various locations so together they could await the Mother Ship to beam them up and take them to another planet, where they would reside with alien beings, in perfect peace and harmony, for all eternity.

  Despite what global citizens chose to believe, thanks to Salvador Romanero, many who had barricaded themselves inside their homes—two billion in all—would bravely line the streets of the world, lit candles in hand.

  Just 24 hours ago, it would have been unthinkable.

  Entrepreneurs out to make a quick buck downloaded and printed Romanero’s image online and embroidered it on T-shirts, sweatshirts, knitted caps and the like. Millions proudly wore them. Many who were cash-strapped bartered other items to obtain these things.

  Many held handmade signs, thanking Romanero for single-handedly orchestrating this world-healing moment, suggesting, even begging, that Salvador Romanero become President of the world.

  When interviewed by the press, those responsible for producing these things said it was purely an inner-calling. They couldn’t quite put it into words, but something deep down inside, whatever it was, made them do it.

  The press ate it up.

  A large number of new Christ-followers around the globe also partook of the vigil. It was an honorable way to pay final respects to family members and friends who were among the missing.

  Even so, seeing the many T-shirts and sweatshirts parading Salvador Romanero’s face and the many signs and slogans being held, many who’d been churchgoers all their lives and had a limited understanding of the Word of God, were chilled to the bone. Could he be the Antichrist?