“Welcome, Henry, welcome. It is such a pleasure to see you finally. Will you join us?” He gestures towards two open seats, which my father and I fill. As we sit, all of the other men sit down as well. The large bald man continues to address me, and I look directly back at him; but I can’t help noticing that the other men are looking at me and then darting glances back at the speaker. It’s as if he is the one in charge, and the rest of them are waiting for his permission to speak.
“Henry, it is on this exquisite night, the night of your graduation, which we have chosen to introduce ourselves. We are your father’s business associates, but more so we are his brothers; brothers in the most sacred and powerful fraternity in the world. It is on this night that we wish to illuminate to you your place in this world.” He smiles at me for one moment, and I make intense eye contact with him for the first time. I feel his power shake into my being as he continues.
“Henry, allow me to introduce my brothers, your future partners in life and in fortune.” He says to me and points to his right.
“This is Mr. Stephen Freeman, CEO of Hightower Foods, the largest whole-sale food production corporation in the world.” He gestures to a blond haired man and then continues.
“This is Mr. Jeremy Reynolds, majority shareholder of the Reynolds Oil Trust and board member of Lyon Pharmaceuticals, the most profitable pharmaceutical company in North America.” Both men make eye contact with me as they are introduced, but remain silent. I feel the room swell. The power becomes palpable around the table. The large bald man continues introducing the attending gentlemen, working to his right.
“This is Mr. Roger Dupont, chief liaison for the United States Central Intelligence Agency and former CEO of Dark Tide, the corporation that received the largest military contract from the United States government last year.” The speaker continues introducing the gentlemen at the table; thirteen men in total, all of them holding impressive and noteworthy positions. It seems that these men represent all the major industries: agricultural production, banking, media, pharmaceuticals, energy, steel, arms manufacturers, and more. The list of industries that these men are involved in is endless. Many are involved in government in some form. None are politicians, but hold positions of power in government by appointment. After introducing the last man, the large bald man bends his arms at the elbows and gestures to himself.
“And I, Henry, am Eric Herod. I currently am working with both Dark Tide and the Rising Sun space program, however my position with the Brotherhood occupies much of my time.” He says and smiles toward me briefly. He then nods and makes a facial expression that communicates to me that I am now expected to speak.
“It is a great pleasure for me to meet all of you. I find myself feeling fortunate and quite lucky to be making your acquaintances.” I say and smile slightly, nodding my head towards the other gentlemen. Mr. Herod then replies.
“Now, now, Henry, as you shall learn, should you choose to work with us, it is not luck that has led us to you. Contrastingly, it is your blood. As your father’s son, you are destined for greatness. You are meant to lead, to guide this planet and its inhabitants into a new world order.” He speaks to me powerfully, and I wonder at what these words could mean.
We eat dinner and converse throughout the meal. Many of the men suggest positions that I could take within their respective businesses when the time is right. They are all implying that I must do something first before I can begin working with them. I am overwhelmed by everything, but am extremely excited nonetheless. I desire to be powerful like these men, maybe even more so. As dinner concludes, Mr. Herod clears his throat and silence falls across the table. He then begins to address me.
“Henry, now that you have come to know us better, I think it is time. We would like to extend an invitation to you, just like the one that was extended to your father many years ago, to join our brotherhood. We wish to guide you, to teach you the secrets to our success, and to build you into the leader you can become. Will you accept our offer?” He asks me. I consider him for a moment and then speak, projecting my voice to all of the men present at the table.
“Yes sir. It would be my pleasure to join the Brotherhood. I hope to pledge myself as soon as possible, and am extremely grateful that you have selected me.” Mr. Herod smiles slightly and then responds.
“The pleasure is all ours Henry.” He then raises his glass of brandy and all of the other men follow suit.
“To the Masons, and to the new world order, which with their help, we shall create.” He toasts me and my father. As the men toast us, I feel the darkness in my heart grow, and the power inside my chest swell. I feel a certainty that with the Brotherhood, the world shall be mine.
I smile towards the other men, and then lift my glass of brandy to my mouth and sip. As the liquor pours downward into my stomach, I see something. It’s almost like a cloud of darkness surrounding each and every one of the men at the table. It’s faint, but I can see it. More so, it’s like that same darkness is projecting out of their eyes. As quickly as this vision came though, it leaves, and I lose the thought through the act of savoring this most recent victory.
I am no stranger to victory. In high school, I played three sports: football, basketball, and track. For all three of the teams, I was captain and MVP my senior season. Moreover, in my senior season of basketball, I led the team in scoring to a state title.
My Dad had me play sports from an early age. It was because of his initial pushing that I honed my raw athletic talent. I remember a touch-football league that my father enrolled me in when I was an adolescent.
The league met once a week for games between different teams. I was not only the best player on my team, but in the entire league. The games were officiated by a group of parents, three or four fathers who came to watch their children play.
Strangely, one day the parent supervisors approached me. They asked me, as the best player, if I would mind refereeing the games in their absence. They told me that they didn’t feel it was necessary that they attended the matches anymore. I could still play in addition to officiating. I remember one of the parents said to me:
“Mason, we’re putting our trust in you.”
I excitedly agreed to their proposition, and remember the swelling of pride within myself when they handed me a black whistle. Because I was the best player, I had been given this task of leading and guiding the entire league. I approached the assignment in self-satisfaction.
At first, I tried to officiate the games as fairly and with as little bias as possible. I looked upon it as my duty to ensure that the games were conducted as they should be. I saw myself as a leader, the biggest and strongest member of the league, whom the other kids looked up to.
As the weeks went on though, and it became apparent that the parent supervisors were not returning, my attitude started to change. I started to notice that the other players accepted my calls without question. I began to realize that I could change the course of entire games without question. I could make myself win, or another team win, or any other outcome happen that I desired. It was like I became God.
Around this time, after one of the games, I was approached by an older teenage boy named Pindar. Pindar had darker skin and a narrow and serpentine-looking face. He always wore a black jacket made out of some sort of scaled animal hide. On his wrist, he had a tattoo of what looked like a man who was part lizard.
Pindar had seen the control I had over the league and the other players. He told me that I was a great player, and that I should use my influence to make myself more powerful. He told me that he had a plan that I could help him to unfold.
Pindar told me about another football league that included teams from all over the region. This other league was intense and fierce, and included some minor gambling. Pindar said we could make a