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pt2
Principal Pelter, sober and not hung over could be a commanding presence,
the theatricality learned at grad school back in California, “Bring in the first
one, when he’s done escort him back to class. Don’t let him talk to the other
two.”
Martin Kelly, a sleek nose ands trusting eyes, he looked Mexican in some
part of his lineage. His hair was not black or straight, most likely he was an
African American also, a few descendants with trace resemblance to the original
strain were still to be seen in these rural areas. He could not pick a negro out
in a crowd back home, the racial features were long lost.
It was a superficial interrogation, Pelletier knew all the answers before he
asked the questions, he just wanted to see how attuned this kid was, what things
he might lie about, if he was hungry or just bound to be a lump. A life long
townie, generations on welfare, Kel, as he was called, was only here because he
was with the other two. Paul felt confident, at least he had some potential
recruits to discuss things with.
“Security.” They waited, security was always slow and never too bright,
“Take him out this door, escort him to his class. The door was the one to the
hall. Security was a big service, it had the potential to employ everyone, no
disability ruled out some security job from watching people in person or on
screens to various forms of cryptography and eaves dropping. Kel seemed like a
potential security person. If he was smart enough to take a job.
The next kid, Mike Warner came from a family of displaced farmers. Those
people hated idleness and government support. When the employment possibility came
up the boy jumped at the chance and said he also had his father, brothers and
cousins who needed jobs, even part time. “I’m not making any promises.” Even with
one on the hook P felt it was necessary to angle him properly, “There aren’t that
many jobs and we can only fill one at a time.”
“Well, did you ask Kel? Because I don’t think he’s going to work out for
you.”
Not yet hired and he was starting out as a back stabber, that level of
nervousness was good to work with, Mike Warner would naturally be suspicious of
others and he seemed bright enough to suck up to those who would do him the most
good. P felt richly satisfied having scored himself his first lackey. “Stay out of
trouble and don’t talk to anyone on your way back to class. Go that way.” P
indicated the door where he would walk past their friend Johnnie. From the monitor
on his desk P watched him walk robotically through the waiting room.
“Get in here Mr. Miller.” P said loudly without shouting.
Johnnie slouched in. He was the one P wanted to recruit for his personal
satisfaction. The boy looking at the ground, making unnecessary sound with his
shoes, he was the one who reminded P most of himself, independent, arrogant and
trapped by the combination of a lack of opportunities and his parents expectation.
There was really nothing he wanted to do. At this boy’s age he had yet to discover
drugs or fornication and still saw alcohol as something for old people. Which was
how P felt until he got to college.
“Kel, Mike and you were in here before. I see you restored the Native
Village. Nice job too. But then we caught you smoking a cigarette in the school
parking lot.” P was now quiet, he wanted it all to sink in. “I know you’re their
leader. Not because you’re the only one who can afford a cigarette. Not because
you’re smart, Mike is the smartest of the three of you. You are leading them
because you’re not afraid, the others are afraid of me but you think I can‘t hurt
you. You have your entire future laid out for you and I can’t do a thing about it.
Your parents want you to go to ag college like they did but if you go to college
or not your future is secure. I could throw you out of school today and tomorrow
you would start the job you’ll work for the rest of your life.”
Johnnie looked up, “We all chipped in for that cigarette, Kel’s mother
bought it for us, we gave her some drags and the butt.”
“Sure, they’re poor, those people will do anything. I wanted to help those
guys and I won’t let you stop me. I offered them an opportunity on the condition
they stay away from you.”
“You can’t do that. You’re the Principal, that’s not fair.”
“Life is not fair, those boys and their families know that. You have it
already in the bag, life on the farm to look forward to, those kids have nothing.
You are the one who is unfair to them. Out of fairness, even though you don’t need
it, I was going to offer the same opportunity to you.” P had judged it right, like
himself this boy hated the idea of being in his parents’ work for the rest of his
life. It was neither compassion nor sadism that now motivated P. He just wanted to
see if he could do it. Had he learned enough in life to outmaneuver this boy who
was standing in for his younger self. P watched the seconds go by on the monitor
facing him on his desk. A few seconds more of holding his own.
“You can’t take my friends away.”
“You’re right and I didn’t. Even if I told them that hanging around with you
was a bad thing they could still do whatever they want. I can’t force them not to
talk to you. Could I force you not to talk to them?”
“No.” Johnnie said weakly, adding, “What is the ’opportunity‘?”
“Just a part time job. You probably wouldn’t have time to do it with all the
work you must do at home with your parents.” He did not have to turn the word
’parents’ into a wretched noise. Just his saying it did that for him. Just as
Principal and Parent were a terrible alliance John now had the chance,
opportunity, of using the Principal to pry him away from his parents.
“You’re offering a job for money, not food stamps or a grade.”
“Money, yes, money. You like money, you’re interested in money? A job for
money?”
“They say you can never get enough money.”
P contained his enjoyment of the moment. “There is some paperwork …”
“My parents don’t have to know about this, do they?”
“You’re sixteen, this is business and business matters are completely
confidential.”
“Good.”
By the end of the month Mr. Pelletier is buying the boys breakfast on Monday
morning after getting off the bus returning them from a weekend of basic training.
The boys shovel it in while Paul tells them lies about how he is racking up big
sales in the field using all his salesmen tricks.
The next week P could not believe the message left on his phone. Could it be
a prank? He receive no authentication message. Out of fear and respect no one
would dare pull a prank like this using the Agri-Corp name. A call to confirm if
made by Paul would be frowned on and he did not want to gain notice that way. He
was obliged to take it on faith. When the weekend came he did not catch his usual
bus to a connecting bus but instead drove himself to the destination.
There was unavoidable embarrassment, almost no one associated the jobs they
did or the tactics they were taught to use in the field with anything a gentle and
forgiving Lord would identify with but here they gathered for one of the largest
meetings of Agri-Corp employees anyone had ever heard of and it was in the temple
hall of a church. The company enforced punctuality and the room filled quickly.
The light dimmed, the wall began sparking and everyone took seats and became
still.
Some familiar looking plants began to appear on the video wall although the
ones in the presentation even when blown up to twenty times its size were more
perfect and more beautiful than any ever seen in the field by those in the room.
The title streamed across the wall then an enthusiastic almost irrational
voice spoke.
The first farming revolution was Tri-Cal, this ultimate product of cross
breeding and molecular genetic engineering produced corn kernels the size of wine
corks and twice as many ears per plant as other corns. A true silo buster at
harvest time. Agri-Corp developed it and owns the genetic formula, no one else in
the world can grow it who does not buy the seed directly from us, and it’s not for
sale! The competition can not adapt it or a mutate it because the Tri-Cal seed is
sterile.
The Tri-Cal family of growing products will grow and out perform in any soil
but to unleash the awesome growth potential and to prevent rapid soil depletion
Agri-Corp recommends adjunctive nutrition formulated especially for busting down
silos the Tri-Cal way!
By the nature of any dynamically growing crop it is especially vulnerable to
fungus but fortunately this particular engineered growing product has its
bountiful yields locked in and extra production assured with the various
fungicides for your unique conditions and the special Tri-Cal requirements.
Agri-Corp engineers are working around the clock to incorporate fungal and
viral resistance to power punch future optimum harvests for the pending release of
Tri-Cal Generation III coming soon.
The wall became dark again. A single light beamed on a live speaker. A very
average looking man but one who spoke with unaccustomed knowledge. He seemed to be
someone more important to the company than the rest of the guys who filled the
seats.
He spoke.
P tried to listen and understand but his new self was like his old self and
if he was not active then to him the lecture became a backdrop to a dream.
Lights went down again and through half open eyes the changing slides were
like the moon shimmering over the speakers head. “Tri-Cal number two was
exclusively cultivated on Agri Corp owned farms. By adding to the corn genetics
genetic material from another grass plant, the banana, we had perfected “no-till”
corn. Corn plants as tall as banana trees growing from a mat and from every crotch
emerged first tassels and eventually a tremendous ear of corn. Like a tropical
fruit this corn grows year round and so is ideal for the frost free corn belt
through Michigan and parts of Canada.”
Pertinent images flashed on the wall as he spoke.
“Mature corn is on the plant year round and to keep adequate size the highly
vigorous stalks require constant thinning and with the original Tri-Cal’s
susceptibility to fungus constant spraying is required. Because number two is
grown from a perennial mat all plant culture for its development had to be
preformed by hand. The seed for Tri-Cal II is grown in a lab and not the field and
that allows Agri-Corp to boast about the savings on fossil fuel during
development.
“Tri-Cal II is deemed by Agri Corp management the perfect crop for a new
world that was emerging with the advent of global warming and the end of fossil
fuels. We have developed a miracle crop in time to save billions from starvation.
Because other countries do not recognize limited exclusivity of food stock
and seed germ as well as limits on the presence of genetic engineered food. And to
maximize the profits we can all anticipated, as well as for reasons of already
having the resources in place, also having had a bad experience with the first
version of Tri-Cal. The United States was chosen by our multinational food
corporation as the place to exclusively grow Tri-Cal II. The United State was also
deemed one of the most amenable places for the social revolution that was needed
to farm II. The corporate department of sociology projected an exchange of forty
to one. That is for every one farmer removed from the old fashioned mechanical and
fossil fuel based farm, forty workers will be in place since II requires hand
tillage.”
P perked up when the slide show put up a picture of the autobahn, he liked
European cars, in the background was the Agri Corp home plant which originally
developed synthetic chocolate from corn and soybeans. In Europe it was known by
another name. “Nazis.” P could hear someone whisper in the dark and he joined the
group chuckle.
The speaker cleared his throat, the audience settled and he continued. “As a
global multinational corporation Agri-Corp acknowledges but it will not allow
itself to be limited from growth by arbitrary customs or laws. The word
corporation means a living body and we are so recognized where ever we go. Like a
citizen with rights we will do what we must for mutual benefit and when our rights
are questioned we will bring to bear our army” - he paused, “ of attorneys. Our
Army. Agri- Corp employees never fear local laws or threats since it is the
corporation who takes full responsibility for their action. Like the civil rights
movement it is sometimes necessary to violate unfair laws in order to bring about
change.
“To modernize the United States first and then the world we must capitalize
on American’s unique amiability to social change. If that change is not in
accordance with legal guidelines we must first violate those laws to prove the
need. We can then move legally through the judicial system and by winning our
cases change the society.”
So now P and the other attendees were beginning to understand in depth the
purpose of the secrecy and limited access. It was nice of them to explain it all
after so long working under shadowy threats and coercion for their silence.
When it seemed like it was over, a typical load for indoctrination and
orientation, the speaker continued.
“It is against the philosophy of this company to subsidize abstract
research, or on a product that can not begin paying for itself. Thus the
introduction of generation one proved immensely profitable allowing us to move on
to step II. Labeling is still used to create resistance in people’s minds. In
today’s world that means the hungry, the starving, our customers who could be fed
by us with an enhanced and profitable product are being held hostage by the
politicians who only want to line their own pockets. But we are committed to
putting money where it will do the most good even if it means paying government
officials soliciting bribes who stand in the way of putting research to work. A
growing plant, a growing company, and yields that are proven.”
At which point the invited crowd in the church went crazy cheering.
Before too much of the momentum was lost the speaker continued, “The
preceding video display is information for public consumption, it is true, all
true, to a point but there is more and that is strictly in-house, information
exclusive to those here. As always, as long as you say nothing none of this will
ever appear in the news.
“Can you keep a secret? Tri-Cal III is ready and is scheduled to begin
preproduction growth in the spring at a selected site.”
The crowd again cheer but there was a sinister mumble in the back of the
crowd.
P was relieved, he was deep enough in this mess. He had to get out and he
had to move on. If he learned anymore he was afraid of what they might do to him
before letting him out. Somewhere cages were being constructed by non-contract day
workers.
“Strictly for reasons of climate the place we will be launching our
investment is eastern Iowa, along the Mississippi sea. Security resources are
already being focused there. Some of you, I hear the groans,” the speaker’s tone
became unhappy, “To feed a world one must occasionally inconvenience ones self.
When a decision like this is made it is made for the strength of the body of the
company of which we are all part. This world is our home, do not disparage your
place. It is temporary, in time we will see the world united and we will all carry
the same burden.”
Paul cringe at the thought of things back in town becoming cozy with all
that security muscle squatting down over little Iowa. He wanted to go home, to see
a beach and smell the musk and hear the roar of the ocean. Now he even wanted the
freedom of the lonely, alcohol driven, itinerant school administrator he once was.
“Men from Iowa, the company will ask something a little different from you.”
The speaker’s lips could be heard brushing against the microphone making a booming
whisper.
P shrank in his seat. Sometime it seemed disconcerting that this company had
no head. The corporate charter stated its mission is simply improve and encompass.
Every department had to measure up and the numbers were sent somewhere. Someone
looked at the figures, summarized them in black or red, not that there was likely
to be much red, everything was done so cheaply, don’t fly take a bus, or do us a
favor, buy this from your own money then work a twenty hour day. Separate that old
lady from her grandson and put him on a bus. Go to a foreign country stand inside
a fence and shoot at anything outside that moves. Working for Agri-Corp was never
boring, it was sometimes terrifying, often annoying and one of the most annoying
things was not knowing and wondering, who is in charge?
“So Iowans you are going to be happy hosts to some of your co-workers. Let’s
see your hands if you are from Iowa or have some knowledge of Iowa now or in the
past.”
P could feel it and see it all around him just as he felt it himself. He
looked around to see if there was anyone here he knew or knew him, or with whom he
might have spoken. There were eyes on him. “Maybe we’ll be roomies, put your hand
up.” An idiot two rows ahead spotted Paul. More reluctant hands started going up.
“It’ll be fun. Let’s see, I do have a list in my pocket. My number men tell
me one it twenty, so that should be fifty of you. I hear you. I know what you are
complaining about. No need to worry, you’ll get enough food credits.”