Revolutionary Blues by B Sha - HTML preview

Fall 2015 - Epilogue

Slowly, the world moved on and the frenzied news media found a different drum to beat. Politically, Greece was cast out, displaced from its positions in international committees and intergovernmental organizations. Party leaders scrambled to take control of a barely functional government. The state, left unable to afford any services, nor possessing resources to punish any crime, sat idle while Greece was engulfed in bursts of violence. The black market thrived.

The country was left socially divided, pockets of demographically similar populations banded together to defend their domain. While they grew weary and embittered towards those outside their homogenous societies, especially the influx of refugees from Europe, communities themselves saw renewed cooperation that hadn’t been witnessed in decades. There was simply no other option for survival. Economically speaking, the quality of goods and services declined, but there was hope among many that eventually they would grow accustomed to their new reality, as long as it was accompanied by peace and equitable progress. Progress brought about not by socialist programs, but rather by people waking up to the fact that the state no longer ran the biggest protection racket in town. Citizens armed themselves, took responsibility for their own lives and safety, and out of necessity embraced an entrepreneurial spirit. Individual citizens set about in force to rebuild. The Greeks were spared the gallows after all, and silently transitioned to self-sufficiency despite being made pariahs in the global trade hierarchy.

Outside of Greece, it was a different story altogether. Politicians pushed forward secret trade agreements, measures to co-opt greater control of national finances, and other totalitarian policies in the name of Economic security. Proposals were flung about for a completely electronic global currency based on the IMF’s Special Drawing Right. Armchair economists called for laws that forced citizens to hand over all their cash notes. Some bankers even cried out for a central treasury in Europe. The most hysterical were the shouters for authoritative global financial regulations. It was readily apparent that the marrionettists that ran the world were in no hurry to give up the controls.

Mila walked in on Gavin sitting on the balcony.

“How’re you feeling today?”

They were staying for a couple months in Gibraltar, in a casually furnished apartment with a view of the northern Pillar of Hercules. He admired the view for a moment before answering.

“I’m starting to come to terms with everything. Even the fact that all we did was speed up the clock.

They planned to use a Greek crisis all along. It’s as if all the legislation and bills were just waiting on the capitol steps for the opportune moment, which I unwittingly provided.”

She had lately seen a look on his face reflecting the fact that he’d come to accept his powerlessness, his voice carried an impotent tone. She tried to lighten the mood by taking his hat off his head in a playful gesture, and placed on her own.

“So what’s next? We have money. We have our best years ahead of us. Let’s do something exciting! I can’t stay cooped up in here anymore.”

“You’re right. It’s silly to be so wrapped up in these things. Even the Greeks decided to bury their head in the sand and reelect the same guy that sold them out. If they don’t care, why should I? Fuck it. Let’s go have some fun.”

That night, for the first time in ages, Gavin and Mila went out on the town. The night spent dancing and drinking at nearby bars was exactly what he needed to break out of his slump. He awoke like a spring chicken, with a bounce in his step, and decided he should give his old friend a call. The team was still owed their severance package after all.

“Look who finally decided to call me back.”

“I would apologize, but you can probably understand why I had to lay low for a while.”

“Are you satisfied? You finally made the waves you wanted.”

Gavin thought Rohan was being sarcastic. He replied in kind.

“I guess you want me to concede that you were right all along? Could have saved us all a lot of trouble by just hiding out on some island. Should have just watched the fireworks from afar, for all the good we did.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? Gavin, we changed the course of history. You changed the fucking course of history! How can you be so goddamn blind? What more did you expect? People are starting to wake

up. Things don’t change overnight.”

“You might be right. I pray that you are. I suppose you know why I’m calling?”

“I have a good idea. I promised the team a severance package, luckily they haven’t sued me yet to deliver.”

“How are Jason and Eric?”

“They’re loving the limelight. Time spent in the eye of the storm has made them celebrities. They’re a lot better at molding their messaging for CNBC, so they actually get invited back.”

“That’s good to hear. Anyway, how soon can you get out to Gibraltar? We might as well start by grabbing the hard drives out of safe keeping. They’re nearby, but I need you with me to retrieve them.”

“You’ve got the money in Gibraltar? Why do you need me there?”

“I didn’t want to take any chances. You just never know with money, the temptation to cheat can be overwhelming. We both need to be there in person to take custody of the safety deposit boxes with the harddrives.”

Once again Gavin was pulling him out of hiding, when all Rohan wished for was a short reprieve. But he was also growing tired of the meager living, and knew he owed it to the Eric, Jason and Austin to deliver what he promised them. In any case, it provided him a good excuse to get away from the flea-bitten, over-populated country he was now proud to call home. If only just for a little bit.

“All right, I’ll talk to Isabella. You’re lucky I’m freelance. I guess my next piece will be about sightseeing in Gibraltar.”

“I thought I saw that you’re writing for the Indian Business Standard? Shouldn’t you be covering the energy crisis?”

Again Rohan laughed.

“It’s not that kinda paper, and I’m not writing about the industry anymore. I do a lifestyle and travel column… staying the fuck away from all the sticky stuff,” and slightly more defensively than he intended, he added, “for good.”

“Sounds like quite the life you got there, bud. Anyway, I gotta run but I’ll be waiting for you here in Gibraltar. Get over here as soon as you can. I’ll cover the flight, obviously. Just send me the details. Oh, and give Isabella my regards.”

Rohan arrived there nine days after the phone conversation and was greeted at the airport by his old friend. After a brief stop at the apartment they headed to DeMontclaire Asset Holdings, just a few miles away. They took the scenic route so Rohan could get a glimpse of the Rock of Gibraltar and admire the deep blue sea that lay beyond it. They drove on and Gavin pointed out secret caves and tunnels carved into the vast mountainside. It almost allowed Rohan to forget the true purpose of his visit.

Gavin parked his Peugeot on the street and they walked inside, where they were greeted by a portly old attendant. He calmly waved them on to the head clerk without a hassle. Gavin stated their business and the pair were promptly led into the General Manager’s office. Rohan was already enjoying the speed and efficiency of the first world, something he missed sorely in almost all aspects of life back in India, where the simplest bank transaction could take hours. Finally seated in the plush leather chairs of the GM’s opulent office, they provided once again the purpose of their visit and their identification.

The General Manager, Herr Freiburg, punched away at the keyboard, deleted, then tried again, his Teutonic disdain audible in the click-clack of the keyboard. He moved his hands away and ruefully clasped them together on the mahogany desk, looking Gavin in the eyes and ignoring Rohan completely.

“It appears there must be some kind of mistake Mr. Folsom. We don’t have any record of you ever opening an account with us. Are you sure you’re in the right place? The streets of Gibraltar can be quite confusing, you see. Even I, after many years, sometimes find myself confused. If you’re so inclined, we’d be happy to open a new account for you.”

Gavin and Rohan exchanged confused looks but Rohan kept silent.

“This is a misunderstanding, clearly. I’ve been here several times, in this specific office, in fact. I talked to you directly, every single time—“

“Well, we of course have many customers, as you know, and I would never claim to keep account of every single one Mr. Folsom. Our electronic record’s memory on the other hand, I assure you is quite flawless.”

“That’s impossible, I have a signed receipt,” Gavin said trying to remain calm and producing the sheet from his briefcase.

The banker studied it carefully, then said, “Mr. Folsom, this is not the receipt that we give our customers. This is either a clever prank or a very careless scam.” He pushed the receipt over to Gavin and turned it before continuing, “See here, there’s no transparent register and the DM watermark is missing. Both of these security features are listed in our pamphlet which you can see for yourself. In addition, there’s a secret measure, a string of digits printed next to the barcode in ink visible only under ultraviolet light. I might venture a guess that it’s missing as well, though we can test it if you like.”

“You’re the one that gave me this receipt! This is insane—“

“Mr. Folsom, I’m sorry, but I will now have to ask both of you gentlemen to step out of my office. We are very busy here at DeMontclaire and we can’t waste time on individuals who aren’t and don’t have any intention of becoming customers.”

Gavin rose from his chair livid and slammed his hands on the table, with Rohan trying to pull him away.

“You’ll pay for this, Freiburg, I’ll make you pay for this!” Gavin spoke angrily.

A large security guard appeared at the door to escort them out but the stately manager motioned him to stand down.

“Really Mr. Folsom, and how will you do that? You see, as far as we’re concerned, you don’t even exist. You’re a ghost, and we obviously don’t conduct any business with ghosts, so that resolves the matter of us paying you anything. Now please, both of you, kindly leave this office under your own power… while that still remains an option.”

Seeing they were boxed in a corner, Rohan pulled at Gavin's sleeve.

"Let's go, man. This isn't finished."