"Mom!" I was shocked, "We're not going to just start killing people! I mean if they attack, we'll defend ourselves, but… I mean what kind of a king would I be if I just started killing people?"
"You'd be a king who isn't killed first. You'd be a king whose people know he will protect them from violent criminals. You'd be a king whose people did not commit crimes against each other because they knew they would face swift and severe justice," she said levelly. Mom really was scary…
"I'd be a king who faced rebellion before he became king. I'd be rejected and hunted. I'd be the target not only of criminals, but of every government in the world. Not just because of what I did, but because I have the knowledge of how to do it and they would stop at nothing to get that power for themselves. Failing that, they would kill me to keep that knowledge from others. You and Dad, our whole extended family, even our friends would be used as leverage against me. I'd never have a moment of peace and safety for the rest of my short life." I'd had visions, or nightmares really, of that scenario. It might happen anyway, but I hoped to minimize it.
"Listen, Mom, I think a less violent approach might work better. I've been working on a plan for a couple weeks now. Even Dad thinks it's the way to go." I looked at Dad, he remained silent. "A little help would be nice…"
"Um… Yes, maybe it would be safer if we took a more cautious approach. Some of them might need to be… put down, but only when and if there's no other choice. He's right about the possibility of all of us becoming targets if the idea of lethal alien technology gets into people's heads…"
"If Food First's work gets in the way of drug smugglers, a lot of innocent people are going to be targets pretty quickly," Mom countered.
"We have plans in place to protect our people," Dad started, but then I cut him off.
"Look, we're wasting time. In this base we have an artificial intelligence named Joe Torres. He is self-aware and has feelings just like anyone else, so I have decreed that he is an official citizen of Earth and a loyal subject. Anyway, he can… put memories into people's heads, if they give permission. The laws are very strict about that sort of thing. Anyway, if you say it's ok, he can fill you in on the entire plan in like one minute. Then, we can all talk about it, to see if you think we've missed something or if there might be a better way. Ok?"
"Put memories in my head? I don't think so! You know what else is safe? You stop all this Supreme Ruler of the Earth business right now, and go back to your normal childhood!" Mom was not quite yelling, but almost.
"Mom, that's not…"
Dad stood up, "Why don't we sleep on it, and let all of this settle in overnight? Then, we can revisit this discussion over breakfast," Dad quickly interrupted me. "I'll cook," he added.
Mom was shooting daggers at me with her eyes. "Yes, why don't we." She stood up and we all left the headquarters and started back to the house. The sun had set while we were inside and, I had one of the invisible surveillance drones that shadowed Dad for his security emit a wide angle visible light spectrum beam from overhead to light our path as we walked in silence. Mom glanced at it distrustingly several times along the way.
I went straight to bed. As I lay there, I communicated with Joe, asking him to use one of the surveillance drones to broadcast his voice as a surrogate for him at breakfast. I wanted him to be at his most polite and try to show Mom that he could be trusted not to mess with her head in any way shape or form unless she granted explicit and specific permission to do so. As a back-up I asked him to prepare an audio-visual presentation of the entire plan, and its status to date.
Actually, there's an important update, he told me telepathically, I didn't want to disturb your… family time earlier, but there's a new development. I have overheard a conversation between several members of the faction we've designated as Group 17, from the area around Santa Ana Huista and Concepcion Huista among others. They were discussing food distribution deliveries from Comida Primero. Although we have tried to stay away from villages where their influence is strongest, they have word that we make regular deliveries of food to San Juan Ixcoy in Huehuetenango. They plan to be present at the distribution point tomorrow afternoon when our driver is scheduled to arrive. It seems they will 'request' that the deliveries be made to a different destination tomorrow and into the future, and that henceforth, the delivery vehicles be marked instead with the words, 'Comida de los Pueblos de Huista.' They would like the truck to bring the food to a location in Petatan from now on, where their people will be on hand to distribute the food in their name. They would like to make a statement that they are the ones who will provide aid to the common people, or if Comida Primero does not cooperate, the statement will, instead, be that they are the ones who make the rules and punish those who do not obey. If the driver does not make the delivery as requested, they will kill him and make the delivery themselves, then send their driver back to the warehouse to check on our operation and decide where all future deliveries will be sent. If he does make the delivery to Petatan as ordered, he will be instructed to have the Comida Primero 'jefe' meet with them at a place called La Ciela Hotel & Resort Huehuetenango outside of the village called La Democracia near the western border of Huehuetenango. During the visit he will be persuaded to send all of Comida Primero's shipments to places specified by Group 17 or else. In the conversation, they speculated on sending Comida Primero trucks across the border into Chiappas, Mexico after having some 'additions' made to their cargo.
I sat bolt upright as soon as he mentioned Group 17. We had designated various gangs and factions in Guatemala by numbers to avoid using their names. Some groups were good, upright organizations, others, not so much. Group 17 was a seriously bad and very well-connected bunch of narcotraffickers, largely based in Huehuetenango, but with reach throughout the country.
As soon as he finished, I sent a mental reply, Holy cow! That's serious, Joe! Can you contact Dad, and act as a relay so the three of us can discuss it?
"Yes, King Tim. There was a very short pause, then I have informed him of the situation and created a communication relay.
Dad, did you hear what's going on?
I did. This is not good, it's much sooner than we anticipated, Dad chimed in on our silent conversation. I think the first thing we need to do is replace that driver tomorrow with Manny, Manuel Cruz. He's one of the men we've been training in paramilitary tactics. We have a contingency to get his parents hidden out of harm's way at a moment's notice, he has no wife, children or siblings. He's level-headed and has no history of personal contact with any bad actors according to Joe's research. I think we can count on him to follow orders and properly assess the situation. It's too dangerous to arm him and to all indications, if he cooperates with Group 17's orders, he should be safe. They'll want him to deliver the mandatory invitation to his boss after all.
That was pretty sound thinking, but I wasn't comfortable risking someone's life. Joe, I want my shield ring sent to Manuel by LITV booth before he sets out. Tell him it is a top-secret military device that was designed to protect secret agents from a country you can't name. Demonstrate to him that it works so he has confidence in it, and in us. Impress upon him that it is to remain 100% confidential or we will all be at risk. He should also be promised a big bonus upon his safe return, and that his parents will be well taken care of if anything does happen. Tell him exactly what we overheard, but not how we heard it. I want him to know exactly what the situation is before he commits himself to it. If he doesn't feel comfortable with it, we'll just cancel that delivery route and regroup. If he does accept the mission, he is to play innocent, as if he's just the normal delivery driver. Also, we need the real driver to stay in the warehouse all day until Manuel returns, keep him busy with other work inside, and pay him triple. We can't have any rumors of changes in that route or any indication that we suspect anything unusual being leaked. And, Joe, it goes without saying that an armed, invisible drone escort should accompany him at all times, ready to act if necessary. Unfortunately, we can't let him know it's there, or even that such a thing exists. Sound good?
Jesus, Tim. You're good at this, Dad's approval rang in my head.
You, too, Dad, I replied.
Listen, Tim, your mother needs to be clued in on what's happening. Give me a few minutes to talk to her. I'll get back in touch afterwards. Don't start anything in motion until I get back to you.
OK, Dad. Make it quick. I did not relish his position right now, while not as dangerous as the situation in Guatemala, it was not without risk.