Obsession - THE CONTROLLER 02 Read online

  THE CONTROLLER - Obsession

  By

  Jerry Bruce

  THE CONTROLLER

  -Obsession

  Jerry Bruce

  Copyright © 2005 Gerard F. Bruce

  ISBN 978-0-9844538-1-8

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Richard was devastated when his nemesis revealed that Veronica was his White House insider. It would not have hurt more had he been stabbed through the heart. Who else did the Controller have under his thumb? More important than that, who could Richard trust? How long was she under the Controller’s influence? Was it just during his eight years as President of the United States, or was it even longer? Was it an accident that they met and instantly fell in love, or was it planned to happen that way? These were only some of the questions racing through Richard’s mind.

  It was now very clear to Richard that the Controller had been hedging his bets all along and had his stand-in waiting in the wings from the very beginning. And if he had one, maybe he also had a second. The Controller always seemed to have the odds calculated down to the most finite degree, leaving nothing to chance, and having all possible outcomes thoroughly analyzed. Richard was certain the Controller had at least one backup plan for any action that he could conceivably take, demanding that he come up with something foolproof, something that would be successful—without costing him his life.

  It didn’t help that he was growing wearier with each passing day. He had the affairs of his World Organization of Nations presidency to deal with as well as his conflict with the Controller, and he needed about twenty hours every day just to stay on top of things.

  Richard knew that this ongoing battle of wits wasn’t getting him anywhere and served only to agitate the Controller. He started to doubt his own abilities to match this worthy adversary. The Controller looked upon every one of Richard’s moves the same way a boxing champion views the feeble jabs of a sparring partner—something to be dealt with, but not to be taken seriously. Richard was merely helping the champion hone his skills, when in fact he needed to use their sparring sessions as an opportunity to learn more about his enemy. After all, sparring partners occasionally end up as title contenders.

  Richard reflected back to the beginning of his first term as U.S. President. After the initial adversity with the Controller, he saw the positive aspects of what the Controller was trying to do, to elevate the underprivileged, feed the starving, eliminate disease, and rid the world of the political undercurrents that made peace a dirty word. He bought into the Controller’s plan because these were also the accomplishments that he wanted to leave behind as his presidential legacy. He learned to suppress his misgivings by weighing his doubts and suspicions against the very real accomplishments that he could achieve. He was part and parcel to everything that had come to pass. No longer could he argue with his inner spirit that he had been forced to take part; that stand collapsed with his first voluntary act. He would never be able to confront the Controller, let alone defeat him, until he admitted to himself that he had abetted Satan and had become part devil himself. He would have to exorcize the demon within, but not until he used it to squash the Controller. If it meant taking himself down, then so be it, but he had to succeed, failure could not be an option.

  “One thing is certain,” Richard whispered to himself, “I have to convince the Controller that I’m back on his side and that my recent opposition was misguided. Then, after I have regained his confidence, I have to create a weakness where one doesn’t exist. A false sense of security might help. I can’t allow him to oust me and install a replacement. I have to assure him that such action is unnecessary.”

  * * *

  The cell phone rang out its rendition of “Hail to the Chief,” the same way that it had done so many times before. As with each time before, Richard felt the same tingle go down his spine and could feel the same apprehension that he was about to talk to the devil himself. He could feel the cold beads of sweat on his forehead. God, how he wished this would all end—one way or another. With trepidation he picked up the phone.

  “Hello, Controller.”

  “Hello, President Sinclair. Are you of a frame of mind to discuss our relationship? We did, after all, leave some things on the table.”

  “I suppose now is as good a time as any.” Richard could have kicked himself for not sounding more cordial and eager to talk. How else was he going to win back the Controller’s confidence?

  “Excellent. Now then, let’s not beat around the bush. Are you desirous of continuing our relationship or not?” His voice was all too familiar with its cold, calculating, emotionless tone. On many occasions, Richard thought that the Controller must have ice water in his veins.

  “I have given it a great deal of thought and I have come to the conclusion that it would be in my best interests, as well as yours, to continue our arrangement. Unless, of course, you have changed your mind and prefer not to have me on board?” Richard wanted to lay his cards on the table and see what kind of response he evoked from the Controller. The Controller was going to have to accept Richard’s new attitude, that of one who has become somewhat disenfranchised with his superior, as a part of the deal.

  “As long as you realize, Richard—and I am certain you do—that the consequences for failure to comply with my wishes would be most severe. With that in mind, I am willing to allow you to maintain your position. However, in light of your lack of belief in my cause, I will have to keep the reins a little tighter.” The Controller realized that while Richard’s good looks, charisma, and morality were assets in getting him the U.S. and W.O.N. presidencies, they were also characteristics that deeply endeared him to the people. Even with the world’s populace under the Controller’s drug induced influence, it would be hard to replace Richard without suffering some setbacks. The Controller wished to avoid any roadblocks to the completion of his plan, so keeping Richard in place was the path of least resistance. He was certain that Richard would, when all was said and done, comply with his wishes rather than face his wrath. The Controller considered this and quickly determined that Richard’s attitude was inconsequential.

  “I want to know one thing before we go any further.”

  “Yes, I’m certain I know what it is, Richard. You are curious about your lovely wife, Veronica, and her level of involvement with me. Am I correct?”

  The pompous know-it-all attitude was almost too much for Richard to take, but he had no choice. Richard would have to learn to choose to do battle on his terms and only when success was a certainty.

  “
Precisely.”

  “All right, but this will be the first and last time I will discuss with you any of my followers.”

  Richard had to bite his tongue so that his thoughts didn’t become vocal. What did he just say? “Followers?” Does he really think that these people believe in his movement? He must be delusional if he thinks they are acting out of anything other than fear of reprisal.

  “Your wife decided to be my mole in the White House once I approached her with the possibility that it might not be in the best interests of her children should she refuse. I think it must run in the family, because throughout she maintained the same attitude which you now have. Don’t take that to mean that you are safe from my prying eyes, Richard; she still realizes the impact that non-cooperation would have upon her family.”

  Richard’s spirits were lifted briefly by what the Controller had revealed. It was comforting to know that Veronica wasn’t a willing disciple, but his elation soon gave way to despair at the thought that his wife had been living a lie all these years and would be forced to continue her role. How he was going to deal with Veronica wasn’t clear; the only certainty was that their relationship would never be the same again. At least now he knew that Veronica wasn’t cooperating with the Controller until after he decided to run for the U.S. presidency. It was also clear to him that she colluded with the Controller strictly out of concern for Randall and Jennifer.

  “Tell me one more thing.” The Controller cut him off before he could finish his thought.

  “No, Richard. I’ve told you all that I intend for you to know. Do we have an understanding?”

  “Yes. I understand what you must do and you understand what I must do.”

  There was a slight pause in the conversation before the Controller responded.

  “That almost sounds like a threat, Richard. But I know you wouldn’t be so bold as to do such a thing—not to me anyway.”

  “No threat intended.” Richard didn’t sound very convincing. He couldn’t force himself to be humble with this bastard.

  “Don’t put yourself in a precarious position Richard. I’m willing to continue our relationship; however, you must realize that I’m not going to be very tolerant of any actions that I consider not in my best interests.”

  “Don’t fret yourself, Controller. I will remain the poster child of your campaign.”

  “Good. The alternative is just too gruesome to think about. Good day, Richard.”

  Richard walked over to the bar to make himself a scotch and water to help steady his nerves. After fixing his drink, he looked up and noticed his reflection in the mirror that provided the background to the bar. Perhaps he was too afraid of what a mirror might reveal, but for whatever reason, he never looked closely at himself anymore, not even while shaving. He concentrated on the whiskers and not on the entire face. Now it was a different story, and he forced himself to pay heed to every feature. He made himself admit how much he had aged the last few years. The graying had increased from the slight salt and pepper on his temples to a fifty-fifty mix of silver and black over the rest of his still full mane. The deeper lines around the corners of his eyes and the bags under them only served to fortify the sadness that they revealed. He wondered if others were seeing the same Richard that he was viewing in his mirror—a man looking older than his sixty years. Could they see the utter frustration that he felt? Was his face providing clues to the fits of depression he would lapse into on occasion? Staring deeper still into the image before him, he couldn’t help but wonder if he wasn’t turning into another Dorian Gray. Perhaps he, as with Dorian, was physically displaying the sins that resided within.

  It took Richard a long time to finish his drink. He spent more time thinking over his relationship with the Controller than he did imbibing. “I have to put this behind me and concentrate on my duties for the W.O.N. I need to make sure that the W.O.N. presidency stays mine for as long as I need to depose the Controller.” Richard wondered if his talking to himself was a sign that he was losing his mind.

  Since he was convinced of the Controller’s insanity, Richard decided that if he was going insane it might be an advantage in dealing with the Controller. “It takes one to know one.”

  * * *

  The Controller sat in total darkness in his lair. He had just finished reading the newspaper while enjoying a glass of Duckhorn merlot. “I see why this is your favorite wine, Richard, it has a very pleasing fruity taste. I’ll have to stock more.

  “I wonder about you, Richard.” The Controller was talking aloud, as though Richard was present and hanging on to his words. “What are you thinking? What plan are you hatching? Are you foolish enough to think that you can depose me? Well, I suppose I will find out in due time. It doesn’t really matter; I’m certain I’ll be able to deal with anything you can dream up. In the meantime, I intend to make sure my plans are followed to the letter. Soon all will be in place.”

  With that, the Controller gave a loud, evil laugh.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Before he left office as U.S. president, Richard knew that he would have to come to terms with Stephen Hamilton, his former vice president. Stephen was now comfortably entrenched in his position as U.S. president and Richard needed to determine if he had any involvement with the Controller. Richard would need all of the cooperation from Stephen that he could get if he was to successfully battle the Controller.

  He and Stephen had been fast friends for over eight years and Richard hated the thought of losing that closeness; however, he found it hard to believe that the Controller would allow someone not under his thumb to run the most powerful country in the world. It was a remote possibility that the Controller, having achieved his primary goals, was willing to let the U.S. president off the hook, knowing that he had the W.O.N. president wrapped up and the infrastructure in place to maintain his dominance.

  The United States would always play a vital role in the overall plans of the W.O.N., if for no other reason than its military capabilities. However, the influence of the American president wouldn’t be as significant as in the past. The structure of the W.O.N. empowered its leaders to use the military capabilities of any of the member nations without a majority vote. Since the Controller had placed his own people on the leadership panel, he in essence controlled all the military power in the world. Of course the Controller could never envision an instance where such awesome power would ever be needed. The occasional uprising would be a rarity now that the world was at peace, rid of disease and well fed. Any misguided group that stirred up trouble could be easily taken care of by security forces.

  Richard knew he would have to work very closely with Stephen in the course of conducting normal business, something he was looking forward to with delight. Most of all he was hoping that if he could prove Stephen was free of complicity with the Controller, they could form an alliance. Possibly between the two of them they could find out the identity of the Controller and take him down.

  Richard was certain of only one thing at this point—he could trust no one. If he learned anything at all after finding out about Veronica, it was that he couldn’t take the loyalty of anyone for granted. From now on everyone around him would have to pass the test. Everyone was under suspicion until he could prove them innocent of collusion with the Controller. As much as it hurt Richard to take such a stance, he knew that there was no other choice. He hoped that it wouldn’t cost him the valuable friendships he so dearly cherished. He would start with Stephen and work down the list until he could be positive who was an ally and who was an enemy.

  * * *

  Hamilton had taken to the office in perfect fashion, which wasn’t surprising to anyone since former President Sinclair had given Stephen a vital role in his administration. Stephen was kept up to date on key matters even if he wasn’t directly involved. Richard Sinclair was not the kind of man to have a lame duck as his vice president, quite the contrary in fact, as Richard believed that his vice president should be capable of taking over the Oval O
ffice on a moment’s notice. Of course Hamilton’s main duties consisted of managing the implementation of the water purification and agriculture projects that Sinclair was so staunchly supporting. Stephen’s experience would serve him well in his new position. The Oval Office didn’t miss a beat, so smooth was the transition of power.

  “Mr. President, President Sinclair is on the line and would like to talk to you if you have a minute.” Mrs. Margaret Williams had agreed to stay on as Hamilton’s secretary, thereby continuing her service as Secretary to the President. Though her fondness for Richard was immense, she didn’t want to relocate to New York to continue being in his employ, even though it meant a great deal more money and prestige; Washington D.C. had been her home since the day she was born and would remain so. Stephen was delighted to have her remain, as the experience she gained over the last eight years would be of great benefit to him. She brought an insight that only direct contact with those seeking attention from the president could possibly hope to attain; her innate ability to read people and their intentions served Sinclair well and would do likewise for Hamilton.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Williams, I’ll take the call.” Stephen pushed the speakerphone button so he could free up his hands and continue shuffling, reading, and signing papers while he talked to Richard.

  “Stephen, how are you old friend?” Richard wasn’t trying to be condescending, he truly believed Stephen to be one of his closest friends.

  “I’m doing just fine, Richard. How is life in the Big Apple treating you these days?” Stephen hadn’t lost one iota of his Texas drawl. Richard had once jokingly accused him of going out of his way to make sure it didn’t become “diluted,” an accusation that Stephen blatantly refused to deny.