Such is Truth!
Men dare not look her in the face,
except by degrees:
they mistake her for a Gorgon,
instead of knowing her to be a Minerva.
Ben got to the Jefferson Memorial about fifteen minutes early. He walked around the monument once, noticing a young man in his early thirties standing apart, watching him. Ben decided it might be Keller. He approached the young man. "Are you Keller?"
"What do you know about your mother and Gorgon?" Keller asked, looking intently at Ben.
"My mother's only able to tell me that Gorgon somehow influenced her to make a wrong decision about Luxembourg's entry into the Expanded European Currency Union. For which she got canned."
Keller looked at Ben, wondering how much he dared tell him. "Look, Gorgon tricked your mother into coming to this place in Germany where he drugged her. Then he used a special deep-hypnosis technique he's developed, gave her a post-hypnotic order, and sent her back to Luxembourg. She made the announcement he'd programmed into her and she got sacked."
Ben looked stunned, but Keller decided to tell him the whole story. " Your mother had learned about a secret meeting Gorgon had with a group called the World Geopolitical Council. An American investigative reporter had followed the council members to a secret meeting they had in Luxembourg. The reporter died under questionable circumstances. Gorgon probably had him killed. Your mother somehow got hold of this information on Gorgon's conspiracy group. When Gorgon found out she knew about his plans, he decided to do her in. "
Ben let the information roll over him. He would react later. "How do you know all that?"
"You evidently know some of what went on at Gorgon's military field laboratory--where he programmed people to fight even while wounded?" Keller asked.
"Yes."
"Well, ever since I wound up unconscious in Mexico with a leg wound, I've been getting every piece of shit on him I could. And there's plenty."
"Why would Gorgon program my mother to do what she did?"
"Gorgon was part of a U.S. operation to wreck the European Community. Your mother was just a pawn in a very high-stake game. There were dozens just like your mother--people Gorgon squashed with a psychological steam-roller. He doesn't give a damn who he hurts. I'm living proof of that."
"Yes, how is your injury?"
"My injury as you call it was a flesh wound. But it brought me back to reality. I couldn't believe some so-called research outfit wouldn't even tell us what was going to happen to us." Keller stopped walking, motioning to Ben for them to sit down on a bench near the reflecting pool. "Just what are you planning to do?" Keller asked.
"I am somehow going to destroy this bastard. I'm more dedicated to that goal every time I hear more filth about him. You may call it a personal vendetta, but it's more than that."
"Like what else?" Keller asked.
"He's now got my ex-wife living with him. And from what we can tell, he's got her even more strung out on drugs and using her for all kinds of sex scams. Her brother and I are going to string his ass up."
"You mean Colonel Wilson?"
"Yes."
"He was my commanding officer when I did a hitch in the Army. So he gave you my name and number?"
"That's right." Ben looked at Keller, wrinkling his brow. "So how can we go after this bastard?
"Do you know what a hacker is?"
"Sure. We have a whole section in ASTRA that investigates hacking. Anyone trying to get into secured data or anyone using communications facilities without authorization we call a hacker."
"Well, I'm sort of what you call a super hacker. My job is to be in touch with the whole hacker-cracker world--to stay up with what they're doing. I work for a firm that consults with big corporations about computer and communications security. I'm their man in the enemy camp. I let the hackers know who I am, but I don't make any moral judgments about them or turn them into the cops. I go to their meetings, either in person or via cyberspace. I speak their language. I even give them harmless but useful information--as a quid pro quo."
"Don't they look at you as an enemy?"
"They're mostly harmless kids, a few grownups, who merely want to show that they can get into any system, no matter what security it has. They're motivated primarily by pride in their skills. Nothing turns them on more than being able to post on their special bulletin boards that they got into a new corporate computer system that had a million-dollar firewall or filtering program.
"Anyway, I'm into all this new information warfare stuff. Ever heard of van Eck radiation?"
"No."
"Well, I'm a van Eck freak. That's what we'll use to get into Gorgon's system. A computer gives off these van Eck radiations. I've got a little unit I bought from Watkins-Johnson in Gaithersberg, then modified it a bit. With this equipment and a television screen I can see everything on Gorgon's personal computer monitor. We'll tape it on a VCR."
"My god! We can actually get into his Parallax network? It's supposed to have one of the best security systems in the world. I just read an article about it in a security magazine."
"Well, I've cracked it already, that's where I got most of the shit on Gorgon. And we can do it again--and download more stuff."
"So what do we do next?"
"We set up a van about a mile away from Parallax headquarters; the van is painted like a telephone truck. I disguise myself as a telephone repair man, get into the Parallax communication room, and plant a relay device. Then back in the van we just tape everything that comes onto Gorgon's computer monitors. Simple."
*****
Ben's meeting with Keller had been last week. At present, Ben and Frank were on their way to visit Ben's mother. They were driving through the small village of Potomac, Maryland. The noise of the other cars rushing by on the highway faded into the background.
"So that's how we got this muck on Gorgon," Ben said. Ben had brought some sodas for the trip. They clinked their aluminum cans together. "Here's to the destruction of the Gorgon son-of-a-bitch," Ben toasted.
"His utter downfall," Frank rejoined.
Ben continued, "We also learned that Gorgon is a very busy--and evil--man. He recently had a secret meeting with a Warren Warfield, a multi-billionaire. We couldn't get the details of what they discussed. Gorgon hopes to be the campaign election manager for President Randolph. We have got to stop that if we can."
Frank shook his head in agreement.
"This organization called the World Geopolitical Council appears to be a new grouping of American plutocrats, to take permanent control of the U.S. We also found evidence--from Gorgon's own notes--that he orchestrated the NFL scam. The bastard made over $23 million from the scam, betting against the Leopards."
"This is all great stuff, and it gives us a helluva lot to work with, "Frank opined.
"Look," Ben said eagerly, " we've got to stop this bastard now more than ever. This political takeover seems like farfetched stuff, I know, but from what we know of Gorgon he's capable of anything. I think with the backing of a select group of billionaires and other experts he could do it. He could manipulate the next presidential election and they could put their man in office. Then they could change the whole structure of American life. Frightening! "
"If we can get hard evidence about Gorgon's planned coup, we can stop it. " Ben thought for a moment. "Damn, people have no clue this is going on. Most people don't even understand that a man like Gorgon can manipulate huge numbers of people using television and political campaigns."
" We've got to get some dynamite proof of this conspiracy, " Frank said.
" And with Keller's help we'll get it, " Ben added.
"Well, let's first take what we have and create a strategy for your TV debate with the good doctor. Some way to nail the bastard to the wall. You might bring up his dear-departed sadistic father--and see what kind of vampires fly out of his brain."
"Yeah, I'll see if he reacts to that bit of past history," Ben replied.
They both thought in silence.
"We'll go for the jugular, " Ben said, " I'll refer to his conspiracy plans and see how he reacts. "
" It's so outlandish an idea that he may try to blow it off as your paranoid delusion. " Frank suggested.
" I'll keep at it and see where it leads. "
" But we'll need a contingency plan, if the conspiracy subject doesn't go anywhere. I think you could manipulate his sense of intellectual omnipotence," Frank said. " How do we attack his pathological sense of intellectual supremacy?"
"I want to try two different but connected ploys, " Ben said. He'd been thinking along the same lines of a fallback position. "First, in the course of the debate I'm going to drop little bits of information that Keller and I got from Gorgon's computer. Things that only Gorgon could know. He'll wonder how in the hell I could know that precise stuff. For example, I'll innocently mention the name of the World Geopolitical Council. If that doesn't rattle his cage, I'll throw in how much he made on the SuperBowl."
"That's excellent. That might really throw him for a loop."
"Then I want to make it appear that I don't think he's smart enough to be able to manipulate a whole country--or even a football team. I'll try to goad him into admitting that he actually did program Wally Globus."
"That's good," Frank said. "We talked about this before, but it's good to remind ourselves. Ben, no matter what happens you want to stay away from talking about your mother or Angela."
"I think you're right. Though I think I could handle them, even if they came up. But if he brings either of them up I'll simply digress to another subject."
"Remember, this is our chance to nail this bastard. We want to get him to divulge some damaging information about himself. Hopefully you can goad him into incriminating himself before a national television audience. And you might even get him to admit stuff that would be legally lethal. That's what we're after." Frank clenched his teeth. "I only wish I could be in the debate with you. I'd like to do him in!"
"Your information and support are invaluable."
"Just don't look at the gorgon in the face, remember," Frank said, covering his eyes in a mock gesture.
"Frank, if we don't stop this lunatic, it may be too late for the United States. Gorgon and his henchmen may just turn this country into a full-blown dictatorship--beyond the fascism of the Bush II and Obama juntas."
"I know. After this debate attack, we'll have to plan our next line of assault. We'll need some additional forces, people who can join us in this battle. We can't do this by ourselves, Ben."
" You're right, but we have to get just the right people--who'll realize Gorgon's power and comprehend Gorgon's plot. People who'll understand how deadly serious this is, and be willing to do whatever it takes to defeat him. This is one battle we've got to win. "
Ben flicked off the cruise control on his Corvette and crawled along a private corduroy avenue lined with snow-flecked beeches.
"Mother may not recognize you," he said to Frank. "She drifts in and out--goes off into another dimension or something." He cleared his throat. "Ah, here's our turn."
The Corvette bumped along a gravel driveway until it reached a sentry box. The gatekeeper waved Ben through, and the Corvette slid to a stop at the entrance of a two-storey classic revival building constructed of brick. A concrete frieze displayed a scroll inscribed "Fairoaks Clinic."
Two days after her return from Luxembourg, Pamela Emerson's physician had prohibited her appearance before the congressional committee, diagnosed nervous exhaustion, and had the ambassador admitted to the Fairoaks Clinic.
A nurse ushered Ben and Frank into a comfortable, private visiting room, murmuring that Professor Emerson would join them soon. Ben had insisted that his mother be addressed with her proper title to remind her of better days when she was a distinguished professor at Mt. Holyoke College. He thought the title of "Ambassador" might not sit well with his mother right now.
Ben and Frank sat at opposite ends of a long sofa upholstered in the equestrian pattern that was repeated with variations on the wallpaper and armchairs. Both men rose to greet Ben's mother when she appeared in the doorway.
Attired in a dark blue silk suit with a white blouse that hung loosely on her lanky frame, Pamela Emerson padded quietly into the room. Her short gray hair was neatly arranged and she had heightened her pallid cheeks with rouge.
Ben embraced her warmly and told her how well she was looking. She patted his shoulder. "You always say that. You're sweet."
Ben's face lit up with a wide smile. She was not withdrawn today. What a relief.
She was startled when Frank extended his hand towards her. "A pleasure to see you again, Doctor Emerson."
Pamela's eyes darted around the room before fixing on Ben. "Who is he?"
Frank answered smoothly, "It's been so many years since we've seen each other, I'm not surprised you don't recognize me. Frank Wilson. Did Ben mention to you that we met at the Army War College?"
Pamela frowned and shook her head slowly.
"Well, I'm doing some research currently, running the librarians ragged, and I was hoping you could help me."
"Help you?"
Frank smiled. "I think that entire Luxembourg episode was blown all out of proportion."
"What--what do you mean?"
"Oh, the media distortion, the cover-up. I'm trying to get at what really happened, going over the big picture with a magnifying glass, and I thought you might fill in the details."
Pamela addressed Ben. "This wallpaper. Did I ever tell you it reminds me of the riding academy I attended as a girl?"
"Several times." Ben smiled at his mother.
"When I was ambassador, or ambassadress, as they insisted on calling me, several members of the royal family consulted me when they purchased mounts. If I misjudged everything else, they had to admit I could judge horse flesh."
"What did you misjudge?" Frank asked.
Pamela's eyes suddenly lit up. "Everyone knows I was a disgrace. Didn't you hear about my humiliation? The whole world saw it on every television station you could imagine."
Frank's eyes narrowed. "I never heard your version, though."
Pamela gazed at an infinite point outside the window. In a stilted voice, she recited, "I acted beyond my instructions. I acted without authority."
She trembled and sank back on the couch. Ben put his arm around her shoulders. "It's all right, Mother."
Frank glanced nervously at Ben before continuing to question his mother. "Do you know a Doctor Lyman Gorgon?"
Pamela closed her eyes and replied, "I've heard the name. Is he in the diplomatic corps?"
Frank bit his lip.
"Are you tired, dear?" Ben asked his mother, who, with closed eyes, leaned her head against his shoulder.
"I don't get enough sleep," she answered. "I keep having those dreams. Could you make the bad dreams go away? I slept very well after you did that-- what did you call it?"
"Relaxation induction?"
"Yes. Would you do that again, to make the bad dreams go away?"
"Certainly, dear."
Frank looked on in fascination as Ben, speaking in a cadenced, deep voice, began to induce a hypnotic trance in his mother. "You hear the sound of my voice, and you feel the weight of your thighs against the sofa, and you feel the gentle touch of silk against your back, and this makes you feel relaxed, calm, tranquil, pleasantly drowsy. . ."
Ben continued in this vein until his mother's shoulders dropped and her chin fell forward. "Now you are deeply asleep, and tonight, when you go to bed, to sleep, you will feel the same deep relaxation, the warm, gentle weight of your head against the pillow will cause you to sink into a deep, tranquil sleep. You feel calm and peaceful because your dreams are only pictures, harmless pictures, and you can simply cancel them whenever you want them to stop, cancel any pictures and continue to sleep tranquilly. You may want to describe the dream pictures to me now, knowing they are only pictures you can cancel easily."
"Picture," Pamela spoke in a monotone. "He wants to make me sleep, too. The picture."
"Do you recognize the picture?"
"Yes."
Ben glanced at Frank, who was staring intently at Ben's mother. Then Ben asked his mother, "Who is he?"
"Lyman Gorgon."
"You have a picture of Lyman Gorgon. You can cancel him because he is only a picture."
"Yes. I can cancel him. But he told me to do something."
"Lyman Gorgon told you to do something?"
Frank leaned forward and asked, "What did he tell you to do?'
Pamela hesitated. "About the Currency Union. "I'm to say-- Luxembourg should not join the Currency Union."
"Where are you and Gorgon?" Frank persisted.
"Germany."
Ben and Frank exchanged glances.
Frank asked, "Are you meeting him for the first time?"
"Yes."
"Did he invite you?"
"Yes."
"Is it a party?"
"No."
"What exactly is the invitation for?"
"He has a beautiful Arabian. I'm helping the Archduchess find a new mount."
Suddenly Pamela's voice changed. "No, no. Don't!" Her face contorted and she held her shoulders and rocked herself. Suddenly a horrible thought seized her mind. "He killed the young reporter in Luxembourg, you know."
"Who," Frank asked.
"Gorgon had the young man's car pushed over a cliff when he found out about the World Geopolitical Council." Pamela said, her voice trailing off, a shudder passing through her body.
Ben spoke gently to his mother. "These are pictures in a dream. Any time you want to change the picture, you can. You're feeling alert now, and any time you want to change the picture, you can. Now there is only you in the picture, and you're smiling and feeling fine, feeling calm, relaxed, and by the time I count to five, you'll be awake and feeling fine."
As Ben counted, Pamela's lips stretched into a smile, and she opened her eyes.
"Please, Ben, would you do one of those relaxation inductions so I can sleep tonight?"
On the drive back to Ben's apartment, Frank looked thoughtfully at Ben. "Hope I didn't disturb your mother. I would've stopped any time you said."
They'd been driving for some time, but Ben was still shaken. "I think it made some kind of weird sense. This is what I make of it: Gorgon lured Mother to Germany with an offer to sell a horse. When he got her there, he drugged her, hypnotized her, and gave her a post-hypnotic suggestion. She obviously carried it out--announced that the U.S. opposed Luxembourg's entry into the Currency Market--and that's how she got recalled."
"I guess", Frank said, "that once Gorgon found out that your mother knew of his coup d'etat scheme and Gorgon's murder of the reporter he felt he had to do her in."
Ben suddenly turned to Frank. "Dammit, I'm going to destroy that monster. It's clear that Gorgon was behind mother's breakdown--just like Keller claimed."
"Do you know what a gorgon is?" Frank asked. "I looked it up."
"Some kind of hideous mythical monster as I recall."
"Three Greek mythological women with snakes for hair, so hideous that if you looked at them you turned to stone. So Perseus, son of Zeus, took on one of them, a little beauty named Medusa. He was able to cut off her head by looking at her reflection in his shield, not looking at her directly. Interesting symbology isn't it? Using beauty and fascination to turn people into stone. A good description of modern advertising and television--and Gorgon's whole scheme."
"If we're going to destroy this monster, we've got to understand just who the hell he is." Frank said. "We'll have to run another full profile on him."
"Wait with the 'we' stuff; I can't ask you to get any more involved, Frank, you've already done enough."
"He's done horrible things to your mother, and he's still got Angela in his clutches," Frank said. "You're not about to do this by yourself. I'm in this for the long haul."
Ben reached over and they did a high-five. "Okay, we'll put another profile together and then figure out how we can destroy him."
"If you want to see Gorgon in action" Frank said, "he's giving a public lecture at Georgetown University next week. By the way, Gorgon's Parallax Corporation logo is Medusa."
"Am I going to be turned to stone?"
"Not if you don't look at the gorgon in the face. Take your shield; practice safe monster killing."
Fascinated, Ben stared at the repulsive Medusa image.
Ben laughed quietly to himself. "Take me to your leader."
