Ancients

than the hard looks coming from the younger majority.

'What was wrong with the initial tests of today?' asked a tall man with a head of boyish blond hair. 'This is why we have started with nations that have neighbors who will eventually have to be dealt with. We all agreed that pinpoint strikes were not necessary, so it was effective to start with these locations.' He was staring at the Austrian with mild contempt.

'The young gentleman from America has voiced the standard 'toe the line' opinion of the youth in this room. An opinion, I might add, that rings of dictate and not council.'

Only a few of the older people rapped their knuckles on the polished table to indicate their agreement. With a bemused look, the American Coalitionist took note of those few who sided with the Austrian.

Nonplussed by the limited agreement, the old man plodded on.

'I must say, the tests today were reckless and their random destruction will attract attention to our endeavor. Without the Atlantean Key, we have no pinpoint-strike capability. We can and will harm the economies of friendly nations, and that, ladies and gentlemen, will affect most of us in this room directly.'

The aged man from Austria sat down. The tall American watched but remained standing, intent on finishing his statement. Now was the time to hammer home his points against the old guard of the Coalition. As he waited for the murmurings to subside, he decided upon a gentler approach. After all, he really hadn't expected that the circle of destruction would spread so far across the Iranian border in the afternoon strike of Thor's Hammer.

'My friends, I know many of you have expressed your fear of starting before the Key has been recovered. I must again remind you that many of the economies of our own nations cannot afford the luxury of this wait. The elimination of old thorns must begin now so that new growth can begin. These outlaw and backward nations that we have targeted are a drain on everyone and every government represented in this room. Limited strikes with the Keyless Hammer can lessen some of the pressure of defending against such fools. We need these limited strikes for the time being. When our own people are in place at the head of these governments and our loans negotiated for boosting their economies, you will see the benefit of acting now.'

The man from Austria stood suddenly, slamming his hand on the table-top.

'We must limit Thor's Hammer to today's strikes only and curtail operations until the Key is recovered. I am sure all here are thrilled at the power achieved in this first test. But, like most of you, I saw today what could happen if we act without knowing the full potential of the weapon, without some form of control.'

'May we inquire as to the progress of the Ethiopian venture, Mr. Cromwell?' asked Caretaker from his seat at the small desk.

'The report filed this afternoon describes a disappointing end to one of our scout teams in Ethiopia, who it seems conflicted with a group of Americans that were conducting an unrelated dig nearby and were eliminated. The details are rather sketchy at the moment, but nonetheless cannot help but have the adverse effect of setting us behind in our search for the Atlantean Key, at least until another team can be dispatched from the Sudan.' The Englishman sat after giving his brief report.

'I take it these Americans have no idea these mercenaries were working for us?' the Austrian asked, nodding toward the American. 'Mr. Tomlinson?'

'I and the two other Americans in this room can hardly control the actions of every agency in our country. The identity of this agency is still unknown. How could the Americans have received any valuable information if the men we sent into Ethiopia had none to offer? However, I promise to use all of our influence and resources to discover who interfered, and those people will be dealt with.'

'Even more ruthlessness?' Zoenfeller asked loudly.

'We are ranging far off the subject. The two strikes were a success. North Korea is hurt and hurt badly and is liable to strike out at any time. Iran will not soon recover, at least in the near future.'

'What we have done, and all we have done, on the Korean peninsula is angered an old and weary tiger that is now wounded and fearful for its life. The weapon was weak in Korea and too powerful in Iran, and we ended up hurting Iraq!' Zoenfeller said as he tried to bring his point home. 'And now the Middle East ally many of us, including your own country, have created in the past ten years has also been hurt beyond measure, now requiring even more funding from us in the near future, all because the weapon didn't have a particular enemy in mind.' Zoenfeller was unhappy to see that only a very small percentage of members were nodding in agreement with his words.

Coalitionists who seemed to be losing their nerve were noted.

'Regardless, the next set of strikes will go forward. The Atlantean Key will be recovered before we start hitting government assets in our own nations and those of our allies. As for old enemies, we must continue to lay the groundwork. The last few years of drought have crippled the Russians, and the flooding in China has weakened an already flagging support base for their leadership. The time to hit them is now, not later,' said Tomlinson, with so much calm that it froze the blood of the elder element of the council.

'You are suggesting that we advance our carefully planned timetable for the elimination of those two powers by four years? Am I correct?'

'Yes. Most here are so very tired of the Juliai Coalition's timidity when it comes to dealing with these two backward powers. The fear of these toothless tigers in the East has been so greatly exaggerated that it sickens those of us who have had to stand here in this room and hear tales of terror of how dangerous these nations are, when in fact it would take but a single nudge to send them both toppling over. This is not the fifties; it is now.'

'And neither nation will react the way Kim Jong Il has? I guarantee you, instead of folding like a shoddy house of cards, they will fight to stay their power over their people. What if nations start believing North Korean claims of the disaster not being a natural occurrence? Silly as he seems to most, what if Kim's wild accusations cause other, more levelheaded people to start investigating your not-very-well-disguised laying of the sound amplifiers in North Korean waters? Russia and China are capable, my young friend, of doing the unexpected.'

'That is your opinion of them. They are weak and they will fall. Their economies cannot withstand a natural disaster on the scale we plan. And the intelligence Kim has only shows oil exploration that was cleared far in advance by international treaty,' Tomlinson said.

He looked around the room and smiled. A soft gesture coldly calculated to ease the minds of the elders.

'Due to our efforts in America, the grain and other foodstuffs that are needed by these nations just won't be available. They are already looking to the West and the United States in particular with a large degree of mistrust. The new president is having a hard time convincing them that he is not using food as a weapon to alter their national policies against rogue elements, like Georgia and Taiwan. A limited confrontation between East and West is an ally to our cause.'

'I agree. The timetable must be adjusted to take advantage of these elements that can only have a positive effect on our plans,' said the man from France. 'We must accelerate.'

More than 80 percent of the people in the room felt the same as they rapped their knuckles on the table before them. However, Tomlinson, ever the politician, felt he needed the support, at least for the moment, of the older members.

'I have assets in Ethiopia that are standing by to find the buried Key. In the States, my best intelligence person is close to tracing its whereabouts by finding the hiding place of the plate map stolen in 1875 by Peter Rothman. She has already learned it was sent to our brothers and sisters of the Ancients. Now is not the time to lose your nerve, ladies and gentlemen--not with your own governments in your control as the prize for rising above any timidity.'

'The timidity we show, Mr. Tomlinson, is due to the fact that we only agreed to the tests in Iran and Korea. We did this because you guaranteed we could test the weapon without the Key.'

'This argument is getting very tiresome. Now if you will excuse us ...'

The man from Austria shook his head. Events were moving too fast and the elder statesmen of the Juliai were worried. Maybe it was because the memory of another, even more zealous renegade was fresher in their minds than in those of the younger men and women. Adolph Hitler had once defied the Coalition and nearly destroyed them. Now it was happening again, and they were helpless to stop it. Tomlinson was bringing on the Fourth Reich his way.

The young lions had taken control of the most influential entity in the history of the world. It had happened