Free Counterpoint by John Day Page B

difference too many lives, more
effectively than any politicians could have done. Best of all he
had remained anonymous, the secret power behind the throne, not for
him the fanfare and adulation.
    Of course, in reality the Duke had
picked him well, as Sam soon realised, when drawn deeper into the
web of The Organisation. Sam also realised much of the business was
based on illegal practices, with intimate connections to serious
organised crime. Whilst this fact went against his whole philosophy
of life, he could often achieve greater good for humanity this way,
than through the so-called legitimate methods.
    Sam’s colleagues at the mountain
headquarters were of the same mind, none of them sought personal
power. Although collectively they formed a team, they were all high
achievers, individuals pulling in the same orchestrated direction;
this was the reason for the success, of the Duke’s
Organisation.
    All glory went to the Duke; he made the
business what it was. Let him bask in the limelight, they did not
want it, themselves. Unswerving loyalty to the Duke was the bedrock
of their belief, no one was forced to work for him, they truly
wanted to. No one there had actually committed an illegal act,
though they knew who had. They were all paid reasonable salaries
for what work they did and they all knew what everyone else was
paid. Nobody was jealous or dissatisfied because they had more in
benefits than they could ever use, and in any case, their work was
their reward.
    Max was examined by a paramedic and
found to be quite alive, but with a severe skull fracture, and
extensive powder burns to one side of his face including an
eye.
    A business like decision was made by
Sam, for the medical team to operate and save Max’s life. Quite
simply, the Duke had planned to use Max in the future, as he was
the right type for The Organisation. Sam had agreed to this, after
he had studied the dossier about Max.
    The three specialists forming the
medical team, from the large private hospital in the nearby city,
effectively owned by The Organisation, were briefed. They conducted
their initial examination of Max by video link, from the mini
hospital on the mountain. After basic medical intervention to
stabilise his condition, Max was flown by medical helicopter to the
specialists, so they could carry out the necessary surgery on
him.
    The skull fracture was routine, plastic
surgery to the side of his face was under review.
    “Let’s see what nature does,” said the
specialist. “We can tidy up from there.”
    The eye was more problematic. The
cornea was badly seared and the retina detached by the blast. Bits
of wadding and metal fragments had to be removed from the
eyeball.
    They reattached the retina using an
experimental Bio-glue rather than a laser, followed by an
experimental stem cell injection at the back of the eye. The
specialist believed these would replace damaged cells, only within
the eye. There was a risk the cells might develop uncontrollably,
so they would monitor his progress. They fitted an experimental
cornea graft and lens to replace the damaged tissue.
    The glue, stem cell treatment, cornea,
and the lens was produced by a company, funded, and controlled by
The Organisation.
    Sam decided not to tell Carla about the
experimental nature of the operation or about Max’s actual
condition until he was “out of danger,” six hours later.
    Although sedated, she leapt up and
hugged Sam when he finally told her. She knew the last six hours of
sedated grief were better than uncertainty and possibly still
losing Max. Sam told her not to make contact with Max, until he was
healthy enough to be brought back to the mountain, this was for
security reasons. She knew better than to ask questions or disobey,
but was beside herself with emotion and eagerness to see Max and
tell him all the things she wanted to, when she thought he was
dead.

Chapter - History and the
future.
    As soon as Paul, the Duke’s double
arrived, he was taken