And in some far off distant land Some men, Oh, such a tiny band, Will have to leave their solid mount And span the Earth, those few to count.
Mother Mary Shipton 1488-1561
Christopher Golde
Chapter seventy three
The Unwilling
Date: 6th of June 2024 Location: Tibet
The hotel looked amazing with the evening light providing a perfect reflection on the surface of the pond, complimented by the surrounding mountains, now a spectacular silhouette for the backdrop. It was the first time this year Jason had left the underground world that he now called home and he had almost forgotten how much he missed the real world. To see it this way, with Tibet as the setting, brought both joy and sadness to him.
He had also not seen Pietta in more than a year, only talking and seeing her online and he was equally excited at seeing her, that too giving him a mix of sadness and happiness. He missed her. He had chosen to leave Julie back in the city for this trip. He knew this time he would need to concentrate solely and wholly on the people that were attending the meeting. Pietta was coming because she still ran his company and this was business, business of the gravest nature.
He was staying at the hotel he was now looking at across the pond, The St Regis Lhasa Resort and so were most of his meeting guests. He had arrived in Tibet the day before, giving him a chance to settle in, but most of the meeting guests were arriving tonight. Among the attendees, as well as Pietta, were Nigel Stansen, the General Secretary of the Peoples Republic of China, Mr Yunshan, the Dalai Lama, a representative of the Vatican and secretary to the Pope of the Catholic Church, three Muslim Muftis, the most senior Rabi that Jerusalem could provide, an assortment of world leaders or their representatives, and Bill Gatwick.
They were all coming at his invitation and none knew why except for Nigel Stansen, who had actually told him. It was not going to be a good meeting. He had chosen Tibet because he knew this is where it was likely to all start and Tibet had always seemed such a special place to him. There was something very spiritual about it and he was more than happy to leave his underground city to come here.
He had met most of the other people attending the meeting that he knew were coming, but he had never had the pleasure of meeting the Dalai Lama and he was looking forward to that as well. The Darkness had mentioned that the Dalai’s had played an important role in his history and he had met with most of them. That in itself was extraordinary.
He looked at his watch and decided he had better return to his room and get ready for the dinner. He would go and see first if Pietta had arrived, as he couldn’t wait to see her.
As he walked he noticed he was breathing a bit heavier than normal but knew it was the altitude. This hotel was close to being the highest on earth and they even supplied oxygen masks in each room. It was ironic really that he had come from the deepest inhabited place on Earth to the highest inhabited place on Earth.
The sun was about to set behind the mountains that surrounded them and it sent the most beautiful orange and yellow rays shooting into the sky, silhouetting the craggy trees and distant mountain ranges that surrounded the hotel. It was a pity that so much of this beautiful land would soon be uninhabitable and that mankind may not see such beauty with the naked eye for many years’, even decades to come. He had always understood the fragile nature of life, but it seemed so ironic to him that their God would create such incredible beauty, only to then take it away. Maybe it was punishment for humanity as a whole not appreciating enough what we had been gifted. No doubt a future generation would one day see it again and this time would surely look at it with a much greater understanding and appreciation.
He arrived at the lobby of the hotel as several large black four-wheel drives pulled up at the front entrance. No doubt some of his guests. He did not want introductions now, so ducked in quickly before anyone noticed him and made for his room via the stairs. The rooms were clean and refreshing, reflecting genuinely the culture of Tibet without being extravagant. They had offered him the Presidential suite but he had rejected that for something much more modest. He was sure some of his distinguished guests would be expecting the royal treatment and he needed it not.
As he opened the door to his room he noticed the light was already on and assumed it must have been the staff turning his bed down or something of the sort. He closed and locked the door behind him and as he walked around to the small study that adjoined the main bedroom and pulled back the dividing curtain, he was startled to see Pietta sitting at the small table, a cheeky smile on her face. She jumped up and dived at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and he held her tight, smelling the familiar scent of her hair and taking it in as much as he could. Both of them said nothing for at least a minute and he could tell she was sobbing lightly.
When he did pull her back gently to look into her face, she rubbed away some tears quickly and smiled. He wanted to kiss her but knew that would make things difficult for both of them.
“We better get ready for dinner,” was all he could say.
“Yes I suppose so,” she replied, again wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
He did not let go and neither did she and he looked long into her beautiful elfin features.
“I missed you,” he finally got up the courage to say.
“I missed you too,” she said and buried her head back into his shoulder.
He just held her there for a while and thought back over the last twenty years plus and everything they had been through together. This had been the longest time in those twenty years they had been apart, and he didn’t like it. She was more than just a business partner.
He pulled her back again after a few minutes.
“No, I think we really do have to go, you only have one hour to get ready and I am guessing it will take you longer than that.”
“You know me so well,” she smiled.
“No, I know all women,” he said, “there is no exception to that rule.”
She laughed softly and wiped her eyes pulling away and turning to the door.
“Where is your room dear,” he asked?
“They were good enough to put me right next door to you.”
“Perfect, let me walk you to your room.”
Pietta laughed and wiped her eyes. They both walked slowly to the next room talking quietly about her trip to Tibet and how she had been managing the business by herself. When Jason left her, he told her he would pick her up in one hour. He walked back to his room stopping for a minute outside his door just looking back towards her room. He nodded his head and smiled as if surprised at his own emotional reaction and especially hers. He then went in and began to prepare for the dinner that would change the world.
At one hour exactly he was standing back in front of her door and rang the buzzer. She knew he would be right on time and she would never keep him waiting.
When she opened the door he just stared and gasped. She was dressed in a long slinky tight red dress that went all the way down to her calves before it split, either side touching the top of her black stiletto heels. The top was sheer around her shoulders only and even though the outfit showed nothing, it was incredibly sexy on her, especially with the shoes.
“Wow, you are going to give some of these old men heart attacks, especially the religious ones,” he said, smiling. It was a genuine comment, she looked stunning he thought.
They walked to the special room that had been set up for the dinner arm in arm. When they arrived, outside were at least twenty dark-suited well-armed guards and two orange cloaked monks. The security guards checked their identification and performed a very thorough search for any type of weapon. Jason did not mind as he knew that in this one room would be many of the most powerful and influential people in the world.
When they entered most of the guests were milling around enjoying some light food on offer by waiter staff. Jason saw Nigel on the far side of the room and guided Pietta in his direction. Nigel was talking to two men, one Jason knew was the Dalai Lama and the other he did not recognize but judging by his dress was the Rabi sent to represent the Jewish people of the world.
Nigel saw them coming and interrupted his conversation turning the Dalai in Jason’s direction. Your eminence I would like to introduce you to Jason King and Pietta Wong. The Dalai put his hands together in front of his chin, bowed his head and smiled. Jason did the same but with more solemnity. Pietta bowed and the Dalai grabbed Jason’s hand. He looked straight into Jason’s emerald green eyes.
“Mr King, I have waited so long to meet you.”
Jason had to smile now.
“Eminence, it should be I that is saying that to you as it is my privilege to at last meet you.”
Jason was very genuine in his sentiment. The Dalai turned to Nigel.
“I wonder Nigel if you would not mind if I borrowed Mr King for just a quick moment?”
Nigel just smiled and gestured his approval without resistance. He took Pietta by the hand and started to say how wonderful she looked and the Dalai left the circle of four leading Jason by the hand that he still held.
When they had moved to a part of the room that was not occupied, he turned to Jason, still holding his hand and spoke gently.
“Mr King, I know why we are all here and I just wanted to assure you of my support and that of my people. You have some incredibly hard decisions to make over the coming years and you must know that there will be some things that will seem so terrible but cannot be avoided. Do not Mr King, take personal responsibility for these decisions, you are saving humanity so that there is a future and do not torture yourself if you live while many do not.”
“Did Nigel already tell you why we are here,” asked Jason solemnly?
“No,” replied the Dalai Lama, “he has said nothing.”
“Then how do you know your eminence,” asked Jason softly?
“Ahh,” said the monk smiling, “we have common friends.”
Jason thought for a moment.
“Do you mean…” Jason was wondering how to describe his spiritual mentor.
“I served under Phan Tu Mah at the Temple of Light when I was a young monk,' he rescued Jason.
“Oh I see,” said a relieved Jason, “of course, you would know the prophecy.”
He thought about the monk and the temple.
“I tried to find out what happened to him when the temple collapsed in the earthquake but I could never find any trace,” said Jason “do you know anything, your eminence?”
“Mr King, he was as much a part of the temple as the very stone it was built from,” he said, so softly and meaningfully, “his body could not exist if the temple walls did not stand but his soul is now with his people and no doubt he is now in another form.”
Jason understood this very well and just smiled and grasped the monk's other hand putting them both to his forehead as he bent forward.
“Thank you for your words and thoughts eminence,” he said when he straightened up, “I will use your advice to the best of my simple ability.”
“Jason King, you are the oldest of us all and it is your advice I will seek, thank you for your humility.”
Jason had never thought like this until now but he had always known that this destiny they were about to embark on and all others facing humanity, were his responsibility. The Darkness had told him that the age of his soul had made him the father of humanity and that was something he had always struggled to come to terms with.
He heard Nigel speaking from behind them and asking everyone to take a seat. He smiled at the Dalai and let go of his hand beckoning him towards the table. He looked about for Pietta and saw her still next to Nigel. He headed in that direction.
Taking seats around the roundtable were national leaders, religious leaders and business leaders from all around the world. He saw Bill Gatwick and nodded to him. When he was close to Nigel, he saw his name card on the table and thankfully it was next to Pietta and Nigel.
Jason pulled out Pietta’s chair and she sat down and he seated himself next to her. On his other side, Nigel remained standing while everyone else found their places.
After a few minutes, all had settled and Nigel still standing, began to talk. Jason looked around the room at the diversity of waiting faces, all offering respectful silence to the professor. He guessed that probably never in history had such a gathering taken place. The countries that were represented by their highest or second-highest officials were the host country Tibet, China, Russia, India, The United States, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Great Britain, Canada, and Italy. Another group of countries was represented by military officials or lesser officials. The most senior men from the world’s religions included the Vatican, Israel, three Muslim creeds, Buddhism and Hinduism. Then there were the industrialists, among them being three of the world’s richest persons, which included Bill Gatwick. All in all about twenty-five of the world’s most influential people, apart from himself, Nigel and Pietta, were gathered here to listen to Nigel speak and then himself.
“Welcome to Tibet,” he began, “and thank you to our host Tibet for allowing us to meet in their country regardless of race or creed, something that would be quite difficult in most of your countries.”
Jason smiled, he knew Nigel would not pull any punches when it came to speaking to them all. He was virtually one of the only men in the world beyond reproach.
“Fifty-eight years ago,” he continued, “a group of you here tonight asked a twenty-five-year-old student of anthropology to head up a United Nations research team. With some trepidation I accepted and the rest is history and I stand before you tonight to hand over that position.”
There was a considerable murmur around the room and many looks of alarm, this was un-notified and in many of their opinions, it would be unacceptable.
Nigel raised his arms and lowered them slowly to quell the anticipated alarm.
“There is a very good reason for this and the main purpose of this gathering.”
He paused and looked around the room in his usual theatrical way.
“I am eighty-three now and tonight we are going to discuss an event that will take place in the next couple of years and will last for many years after that. You need younger blood to help guide your nations, religions, and businesses through these times and even if I were to last it out, I am far too old to be taking the action required. I, therefore, am appointing Jason King to replace me as head of the council and the person who will continue my work.”
Now there was considerably more murmur and even some open objection. Jason expected the announcement and also expected some not to be too happy with it. He looked around the room and was not surprised by those most upset.
Nigel again hushed them.
“I will not drop out completely and I will be there by Mr King’s side until I die, I can assure you, but he will be for all intents and purpose the boss. I would now like to introduce Mr Jason King to say some words and tell you the main reason we are here tonight. Jason.”
Jason stood slowly and Nigel sat down. The room became deadly quiet. Most of them knew Jason King and many of them were religiously afraid of what he might bring. There had been many rumours over the years and not all good.
“Thank you, Nigel,” began Jason, looking at the professor seated beside him.
He looked around the room and at each individual face as he began. He knew this was not going to be easy.
“When Nigel asked me to take this position over, I too was not happy about the prospect. Nigel has been a beacon to humanity over all those years he mentioned and amazingly has I think earned from each and every one of you respect. Across so many nations, beliefs and interests, that is quite incredible. I accepted his request after he told me what was about to happen to our world.”
The faces around the room looked from each to the other questioningly.
“I don’t think I need to go into the lead up to the global threat that is with us today, as you will be all aware of the forecast for global destruction on an unprecedented modern world scale, both from Earth’s crust shifting and the asteroid that approaches. You will all have your different beliefs and most of you have participated in the preparation of the underground cities and the launching of interstellar missiles to hopefully intercept the asteroid. What you are not aware of and neither were we until last week, is that all of our previous warnings and calculations were wrong.”
Now throughout the room, comments were loud and alarm evident, as Jason had expected.
Finally, he was able to quieten them down but it had taken a few minutes.
Jason continued.
“Two things have happened. One, we discovered that not only are the time zones in the other dimensions completely different, but they are also totally unreliable. You do have multiple Universes that mirror each other to a degree and often re-join, but many of them are anywhere between ten and one hundred years different to our time zone. It is like when we create time zones around the world to harness more daylight, in Australia we call it daylight savings, and these dimensions sometimes even have different annual calendars. One hundred years is not much time really with respect to the time frame the Universe exists in.”
He paused for a moment and had a drink of his water.
“This could have been good, giving us more time but after recalculating everything by relating it to geographical timing which does not vary, we have discovered that the 2046 time frame we had hoped for is now 2026 to 2027.”
The room erupted again and this time Jason could see the fear.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Jason spoke over the noise, “unfortunately it gets worse.”
This comment stopped the room.
“To add to that, we have been watching Apophis and it has had a collision on the other side of the solar system we did not foresee or expect.”
Now the faces were blank.
“The good news is that the collision has broken the asteroid into smaller pieces.”
He paused again to let them at least have a little respite from all the bad news.
“The bad news is that four of these now eight pieces will hit the Earth almost certainly and also in 2026. We suspect that the time of the hit relates directly to the recalibrated warning from the future and what we thought was two incidents is in reality one triggering the other.”
Now the room erupted and he knew it was going to be difficult to control.
Nigel stood up next to Jason and yelled until he got everyone seated again. Jason just stood there. He looked at Pietta and could see the tears that had been rolling down her face.
“We have done all the calculations a million times,” Jason continued, as they quietened down, “using the world’s greatest supercomputers and we believe we know where each piece will hit if left on their current courses. We also believe we can stop two of them with the warheads Russia and China have built.”
“That leaves two,” someone in the room said.
“Yes,” continued Jason, “and if we cannot stop them one will collide with Mount Everest, and one will hit the Pacific Ocean somewhere near Guam.”
Now there was stunned silence except for a few comments.
“The one that will hit the mountain we believe would destroy it completely and start a chain of destabilization that would destroy most of this region of Asia and probably half of China.”
Jason looked at the Chinese Secretary-General who was looking pale and the President of Tibet who had his hands on his head. Jason could not help but notice how calm the Dalai Lama was.
“The one that will hit the Pacific will destroy every city in Asia, the East coast of Australia, West coasts of America and South America and every Pacific Nation and New Zealand will almost completely disappear. Again it will upset the fragile plates in what we call the ring of fire causing massive Tsunamis.”
Jason stopped and lowered his head. It was hard to tell just these people, how hard was it going to be to tell the world?
The movement and noise in the room were now almost unrecoverable. Jason sat down. Some of the guests went to leave but Nigel’s Special Forces had closed and sealed the doors. Unbeknown to everyone, while the meeting was getting started his forces had been shutting down all of the multiple protective forces that had been assigned to protect their world leaders. They were all now disarmed and relocated to a single location and Nigel’s team were in total control. All communications had been cut and all hotel staff detained and locked down except for those serving the dinner.
Some were beginning to object to the locked doors but Nigel spoke loud and firm and told all present to resume their seats. He then told them all that his forces were in control and until they could come to a rational agreement no-one was leaving. Nigel effectively controlled the world.
“Now please pay attention to Mr King again,” said Nigel firmly.
Jason stood again.
“I understand your shock and concern but what we have done was necessary. You are the leaders of this world and together we must face this catastrophe. Every one of us must now step up and do the job the people of the world gave you the responsibility to do.”
Jason looked around the room and could see some rationality starting to take the place of fear.
“We have two years at the best and we need to move billions of people, prepare massive destructive devices and plan for a future world which is going to be much different to the one we have today. Now I am going to lead that movement because that seems to be what the Universe wants and you are going to work with me to do it. I know you have some misgivings about my leadership but it is mostly superstitious and, or religious. We are facing total annihilation if we do not act together and put aside our differences in race and religion. Maybe this is happening just to bring us all together.”
He looked around the room and could see the agreement.
“Our people have never faced such a threat. This makes every disaster, war, famine, and an outbreak of a disease in our history look insignificant. If you people gathered here today cannot come together we may not survive as a species. I will lead you and I will lead for all of you, but I want you to show me you too are leaders. Inspire your people. Assure them they can survive despite the fact we may have a new way of life to adapt to.”
Jason stopped and the room was quiet. He looked at Nigel and he was smiling.
“I know it is difficult at the moment,” Jason continued, “but we are going to serve dinner and we want you to break bread with each other and start discussing how you can work together. Make commitments. Make promises. Think of humanity as a whole, this is your defining moment. I know you will have less of an appetite at the moment and some of you may think it is not appropriate to eat and drink now, but as humans, this is when we come together.”
He looked around the room for agreement.
“And I am sorry but Nigel’s men won’t let anyone leave till he says so. Your people are all being looked after very well and are having dinner themselves at this moment. This whole city is on lockdown till we finish and come to an agreement, even if it takes days. We have arranged for messages to be sent by each one of you to your respective countries and organizations that you will be in the conference until further notice and to cancel all appointments.”
Food and drink began to enter the room and people settled and started to talk and then eat.
Jason smiled at Nigel, their plan was beginning to work.
And so it was the first dinner turned into many more, until an agreement was reached by all on the future plan for the world. A world where Jason King would be Supreme Commander, the first-ever global leader. The dinner would come to be known in history as the ‘Treaty of Tibet’.