Trigger Page 13

  “What do you mean by that exactly?” I was riveted.

  Anna looked like she was starting to follow what we were talking about, but was still a little out of it, as if she’d woken up from a bad dream and wasn’t sure yet if it was real or not.

  “In order to be the example nation, the US couldn’t openly or even covertly involve itself in certain activities that it previously had; intelligence gathering, backroom negotiations, infiltration and recovery, counterintelligence initiatives, the list could go on. Basically, anything that was gray area as far as international treaties, practices and laws were concerned, the government had to steer clear of,” he explained.

  “Doesn’t the government continue to do stuff that pushes those boundaries when it really wants to?” I asked.

  “To a degree. However, there are different levels for these types of things. I am talking about very dark gray area activities that are measured by a completely separate scale than the actions that you are referring to.”

  “You’re talking about black ops type stuff?” It wasn’t really a question.

  “That’s part of it.”

  “Don’t the DOD, the FBI, the CIA and all the other acronym agencies do that for the government? Plus there are defense contracting companies out there.” I was finding it hard to accept what he was saying for several reasons, but a big one was because it was difficult to imagine the limitations that existed on a governmental level.

  He flicked an appreciative look in my direction. “Yes and no. Government entities and contractors have a major problem that my company does not: accountability to the governmental hierarchy, the American public and ultimately the world population. How often have you seen something backfire on a government entity in the media? I am sure you have heard of Blackwater?”

  We both nodded that we had.

  “In the end, the fact that they are the US government actually inhibits them more than you’d think. Everyone has to report up the chain on what they’ve done. If they screw up and it goes public, it’s their career on the chopping block. Almost nothing in the government can actually stay a secret. The international media can broadcast to all corners of the globe and it can’t be controlled. Look at WikiLeaks and all the ‘classified’ government information they have published. No matter how ‘top secret’ it is, if it involves the government then someone knows about it and there’s a good chance it’ll be compromised. Certain countries have tried to keep a stranglehold on local media and to varying degrees have been successful, but they haven’t been able to control the worldwide media. This has always limited their power on the world stage or led to their eventual downfall.”

  “I get what you’re saying but how does your company specifically factor into this?” I asked.

  “In order to set the global standard as the leader of the free world, the United States government had to be above reproach. If the US acted above the very laws and ethics it was pushing on other countries then it would not have the backing of other powerful nations.”

  He took a deep breath and went on.

  “With the understanding and acceptance of this, a select group of people who were well connected, influential, and wealthy knew that in certain circumstances decisions would need to be made, and actions taken, that the government could not be involved with. They saw the need for an organization that was not limited by bureaucracy, legalities or the political correctness of an action. There needed to be people that could see what had to be done and possessed the motivation, means, and ability to make those things happen.”

  “This still sounds like you are talking about what the FBI, the CIA, and the NSA do,” I ventured.

  “With the media exposing so much of what the CIA and the FBI do now, they can’t be truly effective in specific areas. They may have the resources to take certain actions, but there is always the risk of having those actions and their motives dragged into the spotlight. My organization doesn’t have those risks because in the world most people live in, we do not exist.”

  “You are talking about zero accountability,” I interrupted. What he was describing wasn’t just hard to believe, it was starting to become truly frightening.

  “No, just zero public accountability. The corporation is like any other company; it governs itself. There is a board of directors which is run by a chairman. The chairman, with the help of the board, creates the overall strategy of the company. There is a chief officer who oversees the day-to-day operations and answers directly to the board. There are various other internal checks and balances to make sure that everything the company does is in line with the primary directive.”

  “Primary directive?”

  “It is similar to a mission statement for a normal company. For us it has more meaning because we bleed for it.”

  “What is it?” I found myself holding my breath in anticipation.

  “Not on my watch.”

  The power within this simple statement resonated in his voice. I could tell that this wasn’t just something he said, it was something he lived.

  “Do people within the company answer only to others within the organization? It seems like the board could decide it wanted to run the world and there wouldn’t be anyone to stop it.” The ramifications of the things he was telling me were staggering.

  “The company does have the connections and resources to affect things on a global level, but this isn’t about ruling the world. It’s about making sure it isn’t taken over by the wrong type of people. There is a delicate balance to everything and it is part of our agenda to keep that balance.”

  “How do you do that?”

  “By watching out for what we call tipping points. A tipping point is an incident that will trigger a chain of events often tragic or catastrophic in a nation. An example would be the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which was the tipping point that started World War I. Another would be Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, which led to the Gulf War. One of the primary things we do is to try to prevent tipping points from actually tipping.”

  “There is no way you could discover every potential tipping point and stop it.”

  “No, we can’t. If we can’t stop a tipping point from occurring then we at least try to mitigate it in order to keep the damage to a minimum.”

  “That sounds like an awfully altruistic agenda for the people who you say founded a company that can control the US government.” I eyed him as I spoke.

  “They aren’t formally or informally affiliated with the US government or any government for that matter, and they have no interest in being a part of any government. This is a completely separate organization. The company isn’t completely unselfish either. People in this line of work are privy to a lot of information that the average person isn’t. Plus, they have the connections and finances to benefit from that, and there is a great deal of money that can be made.”

  “So it is about power and money, then.”

  “The founders were already wealthy and politically powerful. Granted, not all of them had risen to their high ranks in entirely scrupulous ways, but they all acted in the best interest of the US because in the end they benefited as well, either financially or through their personal accomplishments. They all held or could have achieved high-ranking government positions but they turned their back on that to start this company. Their agenda meant so much to them that they left their public and often lauded positions to work in virtual obscurity. Subsequent members have had many of the same traits as the founders. They either had or could’ve had amazing careers in the military or the government but they opted to take the path less traveled. To be part of this organization means that you have to stay off the radar. In the realm where we operate, anonymity is essential.”

  “If your company doesn’t work for or with the US government, then how would you categorize what it does?”

  He spoke slowly, as if considering his words very carefully. “You could say that the interests of the company usually run parallel with those of
the United States, or at least they benefit the United States in some way.”

  “Usually?” I arched an eyebrow at him.

  “To say always would be unrealistic,” he said with a shrug.

  I frowned thoughtfully. “What’s the company’s name?”

  He hesitated briefly before saying, “Aerial International.”

  I racked my brain but came up empty. “I haven’t heard of it.”

  “I would have been amazed if you had. Aerial takes its privacy very seriously. If anything gets media coverage, we go to a great deal of effort to keep our people and the company’s involvement out of it. Like I said, anonymity is a necessity in my business,” he said.

  “Aerial. So your company is named after a cartwheel with no hands?” Anna asked, looking better but still slightly dazed by it all.

  “If you looked up the word ‘aerial’ you would see that it also means imaginary, visionary, and lofty. Considering what the company does, the name fits.”

  “How do you become a part of Aerial?” I asked.

  “Most people are former government agents, spooks, intelligence experts, or military special forces. Some have worked in private security or elsewhere in the civilian business world. People find their way to the company either through personal or business contacts. It is far from easy to join. Everyone who is referred or comes to our attention is thoroughly vetted before they are even considered for interviews and testing.”

  “Sounds pretty intense,” I commented.

  “Few are considered and fewer actually make it through the entire process. You have a better chance of winning the lottery than even being considered by Aerial.”

  The fact that he was a part of that select group made it difficult to swallow the lump in my throat. What would a person who was the elite of the elite be capable of? I decided it was better not to pursue that line of thought, so I asked another question.

  “You refer to it being an international corporation that no one really knows anything about. How can that be?”

  “The original board of directors consisted of some of the most powerful and highly trained people you can imagine. Through their personal and business networks and with their financial capabilities, they could get to anyone, any place, at any time. They could make anything they wanted happen. These people wielded real power, and they knew that in order to operate on the level they needed to, they had to have an impeccable cover. They also needed to make money, so they set it up first as a consulting firm for security. Then they expanded into research, finance, software, electronics—anything that could make money or benefit the other branches of the company. The original members of Aerial were able to obtain several very lucrative patents. Savvy investing and expansion has made Aerial one of the wealthiest companies in the world, yet they are privately held, so no public reporting. By having a lot of money, keeping all their records confidential, and through constant vigilance, Aerial has been able to maintain a very low profile.”

  “How big is Aerial?

  “It is a multibillion dollar business. The main office is based out of New York but there are offices in several major cities around the world. Strategically, there have to be. For a while it was the only one of its kind. Eventually, a few similar companies started to appear, but they all have strictly capitalist agendas. The biggest competitor, shall we say, is out of Eastern Europe. Most didn’t make it long-term, or they started to specialize in one specific area. Many were reduced to private security companies that provide civilian contractors overseas. You’ve probably heard of some. Others would surprise you.”

  “You do realize that you sound like someone who has read way too many Tom Clancy novels, right?” I tried to joke feebly.

  He flashed a humorless smile. “When I first learned about it, I thought the same thing.”

  “How did you find out about it? I mean obviously you were not a founding member,” Anna put forward. She appeared to have leveled herself out mentally and was ready to join the conversation.

  “I was actually traveling abroad while I was still in high school when I was spotted. They waited until I was at university in England before they approached me.”

  “You were spotted?” I emphasized the last word.

  “When someone with the potential to work for the company is found, we say that they have been spotted. A ‘spotter’ is someone who is adept at finding people with specific skill sets who could work for the company. It takes a special type of person to be able to be a spotter, as well as a little bit of luck.

  “After someone is spotted, how are they recruited?” Anna asked.

  “In the early years the founders could recruit people they had worked with or who were referred by reliable people they knew. As the company grew, it became necessary to formalize and expand the recruitment process. It was getting tougher to find people with adequate potential in the small pool they were looking in, so Aerial started searching the general population rather than just branches of the military and the government. Aerial also started looking for younger candidates before government agencies, the sports world, or the business world could get to them. This allowed the company to recruit the cream of the crop. Once the recruits were provided with the most advanced and comprehensive training available, they became some of the most elite operatives in the world.”

  He checked his watch before continuing.

  “They couldn’t just pick up anyone off the street, though. There are certain traits that people exhibit which indicate a propensity for this type of work, the same as when people are gifted at a particular sport, music, or computers. In order to find the right people, Aerial trained some members to be able to search out individuals who have the innate abilities and personalities traits needed to do well within the company. These specialists travel the world extensively, spotting potential recruits for the company. When a spotter finds a candidate, they put them through the vetting process. If the potential recruit makes it through that, they enter the company’s training facility.”

  “Sounds painstaking,” I said.

  “It is. The spotters have a hard enough time finding a potentially qualified individual at all, and there is always the possibility that someone else finds them first,” he explained.

  “Like who?” Anna interjected. She looked more like her usual self now. She still appeared somewhat shell shocked, but was acting fully aware, which made me feel better.

  “There are a multitude of possibilities; recruiters for government agencies such as the FBI, ATF, CIA, NSA, and Special Forces. There are also private security companies, the professional sporting world, and even certain sectors of the corporate world. They all have scouts out there looking for individuals with certain abilities and characteristics. Many happen to be similar to what we look for. Fortunately, most of those recruiters have no idea how to spot true talent in the general populace. They go through the same tried and true methods of recruiting from high schools, colleges, and other government agencies. They look at classroom test scores, how fast someone runs the hundred-yard dash—basic things like that.

  “True talent?” I interjected, picking up on the unfamiliar term.

  “Yes, we look for talented individuals to be a part of Aerial.”

  “You mean like someone is a talented athlete?”

  “You’re thinking of talent on a very fundamental level, where the majority of the rest of the world functions. There are people who are good at something, and then there are those that excel to the point that anyone else is inept by comparison. Consider the students in the most advanced computer class at MIT or at an Olympic training facility. Now imagine an individual in that group who was so gifted at what they did that they made everyone around them look incompetent.”

  I must have looked a little uncertain because he continued.

  “You mentioned Michael Jordan when we met. Would you say that he was a good basketball player?”

  “I would say he is considered one of the best, if not the best.”
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  “One of the most talented ever?” Chase prompted.

  “You could make the argument that in a group of very athletically gifted professional basketball players, he was the most talented basketball player ever.”

  “That is the level of talent that I am talking about. A talented person is born with natural skills that are highly evolved. It isn’t something that comes with practice and training, although you have to do plenty of that too. Talented people are different; they have better control, faster reflexes, and better focus. They are able to function at the highest levels, and under the greatest stress, in the most extreme situations. Not only will they keep their cool; they will excel beyond all expectations. Someone who is truly talented is extraordinary, and only they are recruited by Aerial because in this business you have to be better than everyone else just to survive.” He was deadly serious.

  “That is all so extreme,” I said. My mind continued to churn through the facts he had laid out. I believed him, but it was a lot to take in all at once. His presentation was as professional as he was and forthcoming for once, which helped.

  “To be talented is to be extreme. Two of the foremost traits a talented person displays are drive and determination, and not at standard levels. They are motivated to succeed at any cost. They are driven to succeed, are unsurpassed in their abilities, and have the will to overcome all obstacles. When they decide on a course of action, they are a force to be reckoned with.”

  Still reconciling everything he had said, I asked about the one thing he hadn’t touched on yet. “You said that it was a rival company that is after me?”

  “There are some similar companies out there that are in it for the money and the power, and are not as concerned with the long-term effects of what they do or who they do it for. Their services are available to anyone for a price,” he explained.