EARTH ALERT 2: Beyond the Tipping Point

In the real world, climate change now comes fast and furious: superstorms, floods, fires, earthquakes, etc., happening planet-wide.  In sci-fi novel “The Alien Manifesto,” all of these disasters are foretold. 

UPDATE:  In October of 2012, Superstorm Sandy ravages the East Coast of the USA, causing unthinkable damage and havoc.  In “The Alien Manifesto,” the public (and media) are finally waking up to a worldwide pattern of eco-disasters.  In this abridged segment of the novel, our hero and narrator, Marty Powers, meets with Jill Appleton, a beautiful Sedona, Arizona, psychic, to discuss the situation.  Jill works for the U.S. State Department, as does Leela Powers, Marty’s psychic wife, who is on assignment somewhere in Europe.  Marty and Jill meet in a secluded forest near Sedona to avoid ubiquitous wiretaps, listening devices, and e-mail hacks….

“But who are these bad guys and what are they up to?” I said.  “Is this the Russian mafia or something?”

“Eco-terrorists.  They are into eco-blackmail.  And much worse.  This is an international cabal, Marty, bigger than you can imagine.”  She paused and spread her arms wide, palms up.  “You know our planet is facing an environmental catastrophe.”

I couldn’t help smirking.  I had never really bought the concept of global warming.  It had just seemed like a PR stunt to me, some kind of propaganda to make some rich guys richer.  That was one of the issues between Leela and me.  She was hardcore on climate change. […]

“Jill,” I said, “I damn well know what’s going on.  I saw it on the History Channel last week.   ‘Last days of life on earth’ or something like that.  Too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.  Climate change.  Hotter every year.  By 2050, the oceans will rise and everybody has to leave New York and London.  Icebergs melt.  Greenland disappears.  So?  We won’t be here to see it.  By 2050, sweetheart.  Maybe later.  Fifty years, a hundred years.”

“How about in six months?” she said calmly.  “Maybe a year at the most.”

“Wha—”

“In the next six months,” Jill explained, “we will see things happen on this planet that are totally beyond belief.  I mean catastrophes.  Big time.  And not just natural disasters, which were already happening because of human greed and stupidity.

“No, Marty, it’s much worse than that.  Because there are people on this earth who want to make money on our environmental collapse, on human misery.  These people are already making money—big money, billions—just on threats and blackmail alone.”

“Well, just who is really behind all this eco-terrorism?”

“They call themselves Black Swan.  The name comes from some book about unexpected events changing the course of history, or something like that.  It’s an international cabal, Marty.  It’s huge.

“It started in Russia with some billionaires who cashed in when the Soviet Union collapsed.  The Americans got involved when Bush Two stole the election in year Two Thousand.  Most of its elite members are rich and powerful.  There are two U.S. congressmen involved, plus high-powered lobbyists, and several bigwigs from American corporations and Wall Street.  Plus bigshots from other countries whose names we are unfamiliar with so far.”

“Wow,” I said, feeling smaller and smaller.

“This is the intel straight from Leela, Marty.  Top secret.  The media hasn’t touched it yet.  It’s all hush-hush.  These people are very well connected, including control of the media.  Plus they have an enforcement arm called The Brotherhood, which is a bunch of hired guns and strong-arm types mainly from Eastern Europe.

“So what’s their scam?  What kind of ‘eco-terrorists’ are we dealing with?”

“Blackmail, mainly.  They warn a government what they intend to do, then put a price on not doing it.  The starting price is about one billion euros. Supposedly these thugs have the technology to trigger all kinds of environmental disasters. Earthquakes.  Floods. Droughts.  Glacier melting.  Gigantic oil spills.  They have developed micro-nuclear devices that could set off everything from an avalanche on the Matterhorn to a nine-point mega-quake off the coast of California.  Plus there is a suspicion that they are tampering with the Internet.  Too soon to know, though.”

“Jill, I really hope that this isn’t just another wild-eyed conspiracy story ripped from the pages of supermarket tabloids,” I said, with a little too much glib.  I saw Jill squirm.  But I had heard enough conspiracy theories over the years, especially related to global warming, to add this one to the cuckoo column.

Jill stiffened slightly, her eyes blazing.  Obviously, she was getting exasperated with me.  Then she sighed, let her shoulders drop.  “Marty, this is no fiction.  And it’s no joke.  Leela doesn’t speculate.  She is in the heads of a lot of people and this is the information she has picked up.  So far.  And it’s pretty scary.

“Marty, I am truly frightened by what could happen to our planet,” continued Jill, and now those expressive eyes conveyed her for-real fear.  “These criminals, if they don’t get what they want, they could accelerate the whole ecological disaster that we’ve been talking about for years.  They could literally take us beyond the tipping point, to where the planet’s defensive systems start to turn on us.”

“Just what do they want, Jill?  These guys seem to have money, power, political control….What more do they want?”

“There are rumors, Marty, rumors that Leela has picked up and stuff I have overheard in State Department meetings.  Something about a space station…a moon colony…exploring the solar system…a drug that lets you live forever.  This is where it starts getting really weird.  That they need trillions of dollars and euros to carry out their wild schemes.  All of this is pure rumor so far.”

To be continued.  Look for EARTH ALERT 3, coming soon.  You can also order the book, “The Alien Manifesto,” in print or e-book form.  Go to  http://www.amazon.com/The-Alien-Manifesto-Marv-Lincoln/dp/0979920817

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