The Clout of Gen (8 page)

“The temptation was too hard to resist. I gave in, and he asked me to suggest a quiet place where we could talk. We ended up at the club—at the same club, John, where you found my picture a few days ago. That talk consisted of five of the most difficult hours of my life. He had everything planned, down to the smallest detail, and he left nothing out. He assured me once more, saying I was the only one he would ever contact and that through me everything would be put in place. He assured me the world would be safer and lives would be saved if I followed through. He then explained his reasons for selecting me, stating that I was the perfect match because I am honest, hardworking, intelligent, and ambitious. He said it was because I am an adventurer, a risk-taker, and because I was already successful and educated.

“He then removed a blue file folder out of his bag. Inside it were many files, and the first one he gave me was mine. It was divided into three parts. The first part consisted of ten front and back pages, containing information about major events that would happen in the years ahead. It discussed everything—wars, natural disasters, science breakthroughs, media events, the establishment of powerful companies, influential business mergers, and key political actions that would have a worldwide impact. The document mentioned specific countries, cities, presidents and royalty, actors, athletes, and geniuses. Right there in my hands, I had a taste of the future.

“The second part was about thirteen pages long, and it was all about making easy money. It contained all the numbers of major stock markets, looking ahead for years and years. It explained which companies to invest in and when and why, as well as the people behind the companies. It also included the results of all major sporting events, listing champions in each. I knew who would hit a grand slam for the next twenty years, and it even predicted the Super Bowl winner for 2000. I knew who would score in the World Cup football final and the precise minute that the winning goal would be scored. With the information in that file alone, I could have been the richest man in the world.

“The third part of the file was only two pages long, but it was the most important part, he informed me. ‘This is the part that will allow you to change history, Hitari,’ the man said. It outlined my responsibilities, a list of industries I should be associated with in great detail. It even told me what factories I should start up, giving their exact location, time of startup, and the amount of money I should invest in them.

“He then took out the remaining files. Those were the most tiresome and dull, in my opinion. It was a list of thirty people from around the world, all chosen by him. He said my job would be to visit them and give them their files at the exact time written on each of their respective files. He was very strict in telling me, ‘These individuals can never know the source of this information. They must never find out who you are.’

“Their files were smaller than mine, only three pages in each. There was a page outlining their responsibilities, and the remaining two explained how to make money. Some provided advanced information about stock investments or what industries and companies they should focus on. Some of them were tasked with the responsibility of passing knowledge on to others. It was something like a web, growing and growing,” continued Yaturo.

“Our discussion was interrupted many times because the man needed fresh air. He didn’t seem to be feeling well. He claimed he was a bit nauseous, and he blamed it on some food he’d eaten the day before. So, once in a while, we ventured outside. I smoked my pipe, and he played with his toothpick. But every time, when we went back inside, he continued from right where we left off. He was in control, and he explained to me how my approach to each person, each one of the thirty contacts, would be. He offered a simple plan. ‘Approach each one of them the same way I approached you,’ he said. ‘Bait them with a tidbit of important information in the beginning and schedule a meeting two days later. The only difference will be that during your meetings, you will simply hand them the file and go away without a word.’ He told me I would always be disguised and that my disguise would have to change each time so that I never used the same disguise twice. He also informed me that I should always incorporate some protection from a distance, just in case. When he realized that made me a tad bit uneasy, he said, ‘I am from the future, Hitari. Don’t worry. You won’t be hurt. You will live to a nice old age, but precaution is always a good idea.’

“At that point, I still had some doubts. I wondered what I was getting into. Whenever I dazed off, it was as if he could read what I was thinking. When he sensed something was wrong or that I was starting to doubt him, he knew just the words to draw me back in. Finally, the guy stood up and said, ‘Wars will come. There will be some you can stop and others you can’t, but believe me, Hitari, if you don’t do what I have told you to do, things will be gravely worse. You should be proud of all the things you will achieve. You will play a vital role in stopping the Cold War, preventing poverty, and so much more.’

“I then asked him if we would meet again, and he answered, ‘No. I will look exactly like this twenty-three years after you die.’ When he said that, I knew I had one last chance to ask him my burning question. I asked him who he was, and he gave me a wicked smile and replied, ‘I suppose you deserve to know, Hitari. It’s Alexi.’ He went toward the door and looked back at me and said, ‘Udachi!’” Before John could ask the question, Yaturo anticipated it and answered with a smile, “I checked it out later. It means ‘good luck’ in Russian! After he said that, he went away, and I never saw him again.”

“So what did you do next?” John inquired.

“Well, after he left, I had two things on my mind. First, I had to keep those files safe. I knew I needed to contact a security company, as the files I held in my hands were worth more than one could imagine. And second, I needed a sketch artist right away. I wanted to have a sketch of the person I had met. I wasn’t sure if everything he had told me was true, and I still didn’t trust him completely. Believe me, John, I have been on the lookout for that strange man from day one as the years have passed. Like you, I have been obsessed with discovering the truth.”

John had interrupted very little during Yaturo’s talk. He was focused on taking in every detail and had been furiously scribbling down notes. He was utterly hypnotized and mesmerized by the strange tale, and every time he thought he had an understanding of it, the story only became more complicated, spawned more questions.

After John had listened to Yaturo for well over an hour, the storyteller stopped and began simply gazing up at the stars. Clearly, he was ready for rest.

John, on the other hand, was anxious to hear more. “Yaturo, tell me more. What did you do next?”

Yaturo sighed heavily from fatigue and graciously continued, “Well, I set up the security room you saw and spent five or six hours a day reading the papers Alexi gave me. I still had time before I was supposed to make my first contact around seven months later. It felt amazing knowing so much, especially since I believed I was doing it all for an admirable, honorable cause—to help the human race.

“I eventually made practical use of the information. After a few months, I started trading at the stock markets. I had to be careful in order to avoid arousing suspicion, so I was careful not to go on too long of a winning streak. I knew when to lose and when to make profit. I also chose different markets and mixed things up a bit. My profits were so high that the losses were nothing by comparison. All the money I made from the stocks I donated to the charities. I never used it in any of my businesses or for personal gain. I also enjoyed betting, mainly on horses, since that was one of my reasons for meeting with Alexi the first time. I only gambled for entertainment value. It was never about the money—though I realize that may be hard to believe—and it simply was exuberating to always be right.

“Things were all on track. My business was growing, my father’s electronics business had never done better, though I had to expand it, and my steel factory was supplying worldwide. At that point, I decided to go into logistics so I could control it all. Alexi had instructed me to invest in the medical sector, so I did. I admired the work of those in the field, helping and healing the ill and diseased, and it was also very profitable. No wonder Alexi advised me to go through with that! I continued my normal life on one hand but was living a very different one on the other. I felt like some kind of fortune teller, like a prophet or Nostradamus, only I never made a mistake or a false prediction. Alexi’s forecasts were infallible.

“When the time came for my first meeting, I had already studied the person I was going to meet. My first contact was in Hong Kong. I was disguised very well, just as Alexi advised. I changed my hair and wore big black glasses that covered my eyes completely. I gave him the bait and he fell for it. Honestly, I was sure no human could resist such valuable knowledge. After that first contact, twenty-nine others were met over the course of twenty-six years. It required me to travel to find them. I flew to the United States, the Soviet Union (as it was called back then), London, Paris, South America, one of the Arabian Gulf states, and Africa. The contacts were everywhere, smartly chosen by Alexi. For each of the thirty meetings, I wore a different clever disguise, spoke with a different accent. I very much enjoyed playing all those roles, and I never gave away a clue of who I was or where I had gotten the information from. I was running the show.

“After I passed the information to the contacts, I kept an eye on their progress. Eventually, I even set up a department to analyze their businesses and follow up on their work. I studied all the reports on a regular bases, and the more I studied them, the more convinced I was that Alexi was totally accurate in his selections. It was as if each of their personalities and actions were an open book to him. I had to believe that was only possible for a person who really did come from the future, as Alexi claimed to be.

“At that point, I began believing in what I was doing. We did have a hand in stopping the Cold War. We did prevent many disasters. We prevented further casualties from occurring in the Persian Gulf War. We helped many people in need. My medical factories provided supplies for those injured in the wars, and we provided safety products to many. All the contacts did what was needed according to the plans that were set. Everything and everyone fell perfectly into Alexi’s strategies. To put it in a simpler way, all the right people were in all the right places doing all the right things at all the right times. Some provided the necessary media, others the logistics. Some controlled the pharmaceutical industry, while others operated chemical or oil factories. Some provided food. Whatever was needed was taken care of, and we were everywhere. We had the right products at the right time and location. Following Alexi’s instructions by the letter, all contacts did exactly what was needed from them, and they were happy to do so, as we controlled many sectors of life.

“I had everything under control, and I started to become very arrogant because of that. I traveled the world to meet whoever I knew was destined for fame. Also, through a third party, I arranged several events to gather all of the contacts in the same place. None of them knew about the others, and they only assumed they shared some business interests. I took pleasure in seeing the fruit of my accomplishments, and it also proved very helpful later.

“Suddenly, though, it all changed. At the time of the Gulf War, I got my first eye-opener. We weren’t always the good guys. We were just willing pawns. One of the chosen contacts had been involved in supplying false information, and that led to casualties. I began to doubt everything we were doing. By the end of the Bosnian War and the massacre in Rwanda it was all clear.”

“What was clear?” John asked, scribbling more notes.

Yaturo sighed heavily again. “It was clear that I wasn’t making the world a better place. In reality, all I was doing was moving along a plan, according to what was given to me. I felt Alexi had lied to me and had just used me to fulfill his dreams or his own agenda. I wasn’t sure of his intentions, but I suddenly became very bitter. I lost my sense of purpose, and I was devastated, feeling as if I’d been used and had convinced others to be used as well. That was when I decided to take some action. Creating that tape was one way. I hoped someone would find it, that something might happen.” Hitari then paused and went inside.

John was frustrated. He was filled with anger at what he’d heard.
The whole world—all of recent history—has been some hoax perpetuated by a plan laid out by some madman claiming to be from the future? We’ve been manipulated! All these decisions in various sectors of humanity were not made based on studies or research or trial and error, with the common good in mind, not based on cooperation or science. It has all come from so-called knowledge allegedly passed down from the future from some unknown person? How could this be?
John fumed. He felt disgusted, betrayed. He suddenly felt as if the human race had been treated like mindless drones, like machines, blindly following a preset course. The more he thought about it, the more he began to despise the harsh reality. 
Wars and casualties have occurred based on the decisions of thirty people, decisions they made because of some madman’s files?
He began to consider all the misery in the world that could have been prevented. He pondered all the hardworking people, being led like sheep. He thought of his marriage falling apart, his brother and the agony he’d gone through in losing his home. John thought of his friends’ misery, of worldwide poverty.
Children are starving while those big shots get richer and more powerful! This has to change,
John resolved, and he felt he was the one who would change it.