Ub as he likes to be called, had a hat made from bear’s skin. The Secret Service’s psychologists commented that the shape was unusual, and for sure it was hand made by Ub himself. Through the hat, he seemed to exhibit a desperate image of a cult leader, a kind of genius protector shaman. Also, he seems to be desperately trying to prove to everyone that he made it to the top from his small village in nowhere, without any help, by himself. Since it seems like, in his mind, he made it all alone, against all the odds, he became the genius of all the geniuses. Therefore, his life is not a waste like everybody else, but an amazing success story. He describes it in desperate detail in every tech magazine interview, just to “inspire people,” as he says. The fact that he was there at the right time and place, that circumstances blindly pulled him up, or that an army of nameless assistants helped him to his high ascension are never mentioned, just as the narcissistic butcher never mentions his sharp blade.
For Lop, he has a serious split in his personality. A high contrast between his body and his clothes gives him a kind of an illusion of being half-god and half-human. This was a big and hardly believable assumption from the psychologists, but the best is yet to come, as in the report, it mentioned that his perfect person’s image, is a perfect camouflage for his bizarre and disturbed personality. On the surface, he seems to be very balanced. He manages to jog every day for an hour despite his very busy schedule. He’s got a perfect curriculum, is a perfect father and husband, and a wise member of the Board at DM. This is his human side. But a deep dive in his personal life reveals another side, a disturbed one. It is described in two pages that Konu skipped after realizing that it was a stretch.
Lop does weird activities with his boyfriend, ones that I even couldn’t read properly. The report says that it’s not only the sexual ones that are troubling, but their activities orbit more towards religious ceremonies invoking control and sacrifice, the crazy ones. This is a huge contrast that qualifies him, without a doubt, to the psychotics and the maniacs hall of fame.
Erwa cultivated an idea of a peculiar magical genius. He made his bracelets by himself and sculpted on them some patterns in circular shapes with different colors. He thinks they enhance his abilities. He feels very connected to his imaginary world through the talismans. They comfort him especially in covering up the shaking left hand. After reading the reports of the two lunatics before, I wasn’t in the mood to see a photo of Erwa’s dog, mutilated and hanged upside down with missing parts. I didn’t want to read anymore and screw up this beautiful morning.
The report concluded that the three of them have very big egos and a desperate need to be in the center of attention. Both Erwa and Ub lack the physical qualities and the communicative acumen to conduct any relation with their peers, an extreme psychological limitation considering the top positions they have. The psychologists concluded that they needed to be watched closely as their conditions could worsen quickly.
Konu closed the report and said with irony, “Wow! I'm sure they will conquer the world with those imbeciles. Anyway, what were the football scores in yesterday’s games?”
I replied, “High Castle’s team won by three yesterday. But to be honest, the game was very poor.”
“Since the AI took all bets off the table, no one is watching anymore. Sad, isn’t it?”
“Yes sir.”
After a moment I couldn’t resist asking Konu about those “imbeciles,” as he called them.
“Sir, may I ask a question, if you don’t mind, of course?”
“About the engineers, I presume,” he replied
“Absolutely, why is the army is collaborating with them? They are insane.”
“Dismar, do you think you and I are sane? Do you think a monkey, a cat, a dog, or any biological being is reserved, calm, and rational? No, we are not. The rules are dictated by societies, and if a being thinks he is above those rules… well, no one can predict his behavior. Don’t think that we are normal and they are crazy. By the way, I’m sure if I’d ask the Secret Service to prepare me a report about you, we would find out that you tend to masturbate in bus stops!”
“Sir, I would say in airport toilets, my favorite.”
Laughing, he said, “Speaking about airports, we are flying to the league this week, but I guess you guys already prepared the trip, right?”
“Thank you for reminding me, sir. Yes, the service briefed me already as they made all the necessary arrangements.”
“I will meet her privately, as you probably guessed. No protocol needed.”
“I will manage the services for that time, sir,”
“I know you will.”
Chapter 6
The League
“Even a small and boring job could still elevate you if you let it.”
~ The hostess at the Royal Hotel
“Bullshit…”
~ Dismar
C onou forced me to read a full, 400-page book about The League. It
