Madness Read Online Free PDF Page B

brothers in Afghanistan, believing the Russians to be our friends. But, no more do we believe this. Only our oil causes them to occasionally smile our way. So we are right to attack them as they attack our Muslim brothers, the Turkmen.”
    A member of long standing rose and al-Sistani yielded the floor. “While our economy suffers under the World Financial Community’s manipulation, our Russian neighbor strengthens his hand. He strikes at Turkmenistan, and we must come to the aid of our friends. Their recent vote to become an Islamic Republic demands our support, Sunni’s or not.”
    “I asked myself in Allah’s name. Why would Russian President Latovsky wish to incite a war?” al-Sistani said. “My answer came lightning fast. Arthur Pendleton demanded that the Russians attack us. The Turkmen’s gas deposits in the hands of Russia cuts deeply into our energy supply.”
    A cry went up. “What if we, and not the Turkmen, are Latovsky’s target?”
    “Better to fight him on the Turkmen’s soil, and not ours,” al-Sistani said. “God is great. Russia comes anyway. Hit Russia hard.”
    Heads bowed and many offered up prayers.
    “I will call General Jafarzadeh and develop a plan of attack if Russia places one boot on Iranian soil,” al-Sistani said. “But pray we stop his forces while still in Turkmenistan.”
    He and his comrades then reclined for dinner. The smell of onion and garlic filled the air, various fruits and vegetables, pomegranates and bananas, lamb cooked in milk displayed at table. The women serving them catered to every request, wiping the crumbs up as they fell. Bringing in course after course, they served their masters with reverence.
    al-Sistani pondered his dilemma. Russia was coming. Those in this room would soon be engaged in a war of inconceivable horror. All this would happen because Arthur Pendleton desired to rule the world.
    “Leave our enemies in Allah’s hand,” al-Sistani said, “and enjoy the gifts He bestows.”
    #
    In the week following his time with Laverna, Pendleton watched with growing concern the escalation of the fighting in Turkmenistan. The Russians were a far superior force, working under a less than capable leader. As he pondered this dilemma, Pendleton received a call from Milton Rogers. Rogers, the man responsible for setting the foundation for Pendleton’s government over a decade earlier, remained his closest confidant to date.
    “You’re second on my agenda, Milton,” Pendleton said. “Doctor Levi and I have a meeting at noon about Lovey’s condition.”
    “The Iranian situation has spooked our core supporters. What should I tell them?”
    “ Tell them I’ve already solved the problem with Latovsky. His blunder isn’t fatal to our plans, only to him. They should keep their eyes on the goal. Will you do that, Old Chap?”
    Rogers grunted an, “Of course I will.” Then he added. “ One day you’ll let me in on your reasoning beforehand.”
    “I’ll try. Right now I have t oo much going on to remember.”
    Pendleton hung up and sat in the dark. At eleven o’clock in the morning with the shades drawn, only the luminous hands on his desk clock gave any light. He’d warned the Russian President to hold off gathering his forces. But idiots are idiots. The only real harm done was to swat the wasps’ nest before spraying it. The wasp would sting Russia, but the wasps would die.
    His spirit d arkened in the gloom. Not that he worried about whether he’d reach his goal, but rather that once things were set in motion, he couldn’t control every detail. No one on his staff could predict Pendleton’s moods, even after a decade of working for him. Only Laverna, when she was Laverna, understood him. She knew exactly why and when he needed to be reassured. Now he needed her, but couldn’t reach her. The woman he’d spend a day with wasn’t his Lovey, yet he could see glimpses of her and that was encouraging.
    The next two months would determine the fate of