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Subject: +*+*+*+ Solomon's Private File #127 "Lobbyist" +*+*+*+
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 2015 01:01:18 -0500
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Solomon's Private File #127
These stories about Stephen and Solomon take place starting in
1950's. Stephen wrote about his life in letters to a penpal, and then
in a secure blog, in case he lost his memory again, in the master
computer in his school for gifted students, which he started attending
in 2016 in a new incarnation, until his death. Now his son Solomon is
attending the same school, and is writing in his own secure blog for
his future incarnations.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
Solomon is 19 in this story, in the Summer of 2045.
Solomon's Private File #127 "Lobbyist"
START Page
I was in my office at the Bureau when I sent an image to the
Assistant Director and said, "Emergency. Man walked into the Capitol
home made sarin, time release. I won't let it be used." He grinned and
said, "I like your characterization. I'll call Capitol Police." He did,
and he relayed the information I gave him. He sent some agents to pick
up the man they were holding. I said, "Alright if I question him as an
agent?" He said, "Can I watch?" I said, "Sure. Probably won't be much.
Type to demand a lawyer in an instant. I'm going to threaten him with
er, me." BIG grin.
He was read his rights and put in a perp room. There were a lot of
people in the outer room when I walked in. I said, "Oh. I didn't know
these rooms were equipped with an automatic audience. Don't have other
work to do? No? Well, please breathe quietly. You, shallow breaths, or
that button's going to be some dangerous weapon." Squelched laughter,
even from my target. I changed disguise from my best known one, the
museum, into another more rough one. I said, "Scary enough?"
Enthusiastic nods. I went into the room and sat across the metal table
from the perp. I leaned back and said, "Having a nice day?" He looked
confused. Then he said, "What am I doing here?" I said, "By the looks
of it, sitting." He said, "I was at the Capitol, then I was arrested,
read my rights, and brought here. That's all I know." I said, "Been to
college?" He said, "Yes, but what's that got to do with this?" I said,
"Education. So you DO know some things." He stared at me, and then said
with some heat, "What's with you? HEY out there! I want another agent!
One with a brain!"
I said, "Sorry. Short staff at the moment. Get taller ones in later.
If I haven't got a brain, do some skull filling. Why're you here? Come
on, don't waste your chance to mess with me, I mean tell your side of
whatever you're here for. You do have a side, don't you?" He said, "I
want a lawyer!" I said, "Oh! Good. I'll tell them." I moved to get up,
and he said, "Wait! Why is that good?" I said, "Well, you did something
really bad in a Federal Security Zone, or else you wouldn't be here. We
don't get full cooperation on terrorist things with perps, we call
Solomon. He really has a thing against terrorists. He rings their whole
life dry, and we get a wagon load of juicy information we can use to
nail a lot of people. Saves us a lot of trouble with the perp, and we
get some good career advancing work to do. We all come out ahead. Well,
except for the perp, with the consequence."
At the end of that, he was looking really bad. He said, a little
shakily, "If I tell you all about the thing that caused me to be here
with you, you won't call him?" I said, "Sure, but you'll have to sign a
waiver of right to council, now that you've asked for one." He sighed
and said, "I'll do it." I went to the door and was handed a form. He
read and signed it. I said, "Now's your chance to sing." He did. The
whole thing. I asked for clarification in spots, but not much. I said,
"Thanks. You've been a big help. You know there are going to be some
bad times ahead for you." He nodded. I said, "Could be less of that if
you've got any other good bits you could give us." He said, "How do I
know that's for real?" I said, "What, my word isn't good enough? Oh,
alright. I agree I don't look all that trustworthy. My curse. Well, one
of them. How about we get a Federal Prosecutor in here, and recorded?"
He said, "I agree to that." I said, "But to get one, er, well,
kidnapping is frowned upon around these parts. Need bait. Got some bits
of interest? Outlines of possible cases we could make?" While he was
thinking that over, I said, "Good thing you're being nice about this.
Solomon doesn't think much of those in your line of, er, is that
actually a real job?"
He had to chuckle. He said, "Some don't think it is. Pay is great,
though." I said, "I'd think some of those pockets you fill on the sly
might be a little cheesy. Any mousetraps?" He actually laughed. He
said, "I shouldn't, but I like you. You've been much nicer than I could
have expected." He outlined some things he could give up. I said to the
strange mirror behind me, "Guys, you heard that? Go find one." One said
in the intercom, "She's here, her ears burning." I said, "Well, put out
the fire, and escort our new guest in." I stood, and she came in, and
sat at the table. I stood relaxed, leaning on the door. After they were
done, she turned to me and said, "Agent in Charge, comments?" I said,
"No ma'am. Except to him. Sweet deal. You should be real grateful. Just
like we are for your help. Anything more you can think of that we can
verify, wouldn't hurt. Well, us, anyway." He had to chuckle. He said,
"Well, there IS something. Might happen, but I'm not sure." I said,
"Are you trying to torture my curiosity? Won't work. I'm a BIG boy.
Please!" He laughed. He said, "Alright." He told us some more
interesting things, even where we could find some evidence. I said,
"You know, you were in the wrong er, occupation. A little bit of
exercise and training, and you could have been a great G-Man. You
really dig for people's secrets. Stay away from my wife!" He laughed
really hard. The Prosecutor tried very hard not to. Perp agreed to
testify when needed. He was taken away and processed. I said to all who
had watched, "Discussion? Conference room." We went.
I said, "Comments? Questions?" An agent said, "Any special powers?" I
said, "In detecting the sarin, my disguise, and in feeling emotions,
yes. I think Hawk would want to include my humor in that." Chuckles. I
said, "Emotion sensing was incidental and unnecessary." One said, "How
did you work it then?" I said, "We know his so called job." Knowing
looks. I said, "What are the skills and personality type needed for
that position?" They provided the list of, education, communication,
and ability to compromise morals and ethics. I said, "Except for
education, they appear in skills, very similar to their er, prey."
Chuckles. In personality type, they said outgoing, big ego, loves the
sound of his own voice, arrogant, manipulative, and an elitist social
climber. I said, "See something?" They did. More like politicians. I
said, "Yes, but with receiving no recognition of power, which induces
more jealous hunger for it. So, in the course of events leading to the
interrogation, we already know something of the basics of who he is and
what motivates him. The crime tells us he REALLY holds grudges. It also
tells us he's unusually impulsive for his position. What I did was act
to accentuate the parts of him that I wanted, and diminish the parts of
him I didn't want."
I said, "To start, I made myself look homely. To some of you, that
condition may be a little familiar." Chuckles. I said, "Then I was
careful to do nothing to cause him to hold a grudge, but in fact
lightly cause him to think I might hold one, so he could be grateful
that I didn't. With me so far?" They were. I said, "And in doing that,
I made him think I wasn't very intelligent. He needed it, and his
arrogance took it to heart. He felt he could outsmart me, and so could
trust me and himself more. I was casual and friendly, when he was
expecting far worse. He HAD to feel I was something like his lifeline,
that he had no one else for. I threatened him with er, me, but in a way
that he would think I was actually doing him a favor. With all that, we
shrinks would say he created an attachment to me as a protector, but
not all that consciously, where that could be called to his attention
so he could reject it." Two shrinks nodded.
I said, "Then I took him one step at a time to reveal all he knew,
and encouraged him to think hard for more. In the end, he gave us more,
and with almost eager cooperation, than I would have gotten just from
reading his entire disgusting mind, which I REALLY didn't want to do.
And he'll testify. All of you could have done the same, if you had
analyzed who he was, and planned your approach accordingly, and worked
with keen observation and self control. In acting, it really helps to
use the method, er, method. More authentic and less detectable. I was
feeling who I portrayed. At no time did he suspect I was playing him,
when we all know he really should have, as anybody in his position
would expect. I used humor at just the right moments to shake up his
mind a little when it looked as if he was slipping the leash." One
said, "I noticed that, when he was wavering on giving plea bargain
outlines. Well done!" I said, "You've marked yourself for watching,
with that." Some nods, and he was embarrassed. I said, "Now, somebody
tell us why I took this case. Shrinks, traps shut." Chuckles. They all
looked at the agent who had recently spoken. He looked ready to melt
into the carpet. He said, "To teach us." I said, "Yes. Working?" They
all agreed it was.
I said, "To get somebody to do what you want, you cause him to want
to. Not always out of fear, although that can work very well in some
situations and people, but because it would be in his best interest,
and to please you, because doing that is also in his best interest. And
he had no other way out. What makes that work even better, is when it's
actually all true. Honesty can do things that nothing else can. Trust
is critical. He got a better deal than almost humanly possible, all
without a lawyer in the way, and he actually wants to help us. Hey, if
exception of our own very nice professional associates." Smiles. I
said, "This specific procedure won't work in every case. Maybe not even
most. There is no one technique to fit all situations. Observe. Think.
Be creative. Plan. Execute. Follow through. That's it. Anything else?"
One said, "Will you do something like this again?" I said, "I might.
Depends on the case. I pick. It's NOT fun for me. Don't ask, and I
might not tell you off." A shrink said, "Will you give us copies of
this?" I said, "You know I will. You just wanted to get credit for that
in public. Right. Don't mess with another shrink." Laughter, and he was
trying to hide his embarrassment, and avoid his coworker's grin. I
adjourned the meeting, and went back to my office.
A man walked into my office. I said, "Turn off your phone." He said,
"But it's off." I said, "You made a mistake. You should have set it to
airplane mode. We can detect its cell signal." He powered it down. I
called our office manager, and said, "New policy. Applicants drop their
turned off phones at reception. Please create an identification form
and ticket for the procedure. I have one here who tried to record with
it." She said, "Will do." I said, "Thanks." I said to the applicant,
"You could have been arrested for that, and at the very least, lost
your phone. Tell me why we should want to hire you after this." He
said, "Would that have been really necessary?" I said, "Irrelevant.
Regs are regs. Question them all you want, but WHILE you're obeying
them, until they are changed, if that happens. Got an answer?" He said,
"Because I want to work here." I said, "That's not an answer." He was
confused, so I repeated the question. He was more confused. I pushed
the button that indicated a request for guards. I said, "Why do you
think you are qualified to work here?" He said, "Because I have an
interest in police work." The guards rushed in, and were disappointed
it wasn't something more interesting. They knew I knew that, and we
were amused by it. I said to them, "Please escort this applicant out of
the building. Don't worry if he appears to have something less than a
fully active brain. He came in that way. I doubt he'll be able to find
his way out, unassisted." They tried really hard not to laugh. I nodded
in appreciation of their effort, and that was almost too much for them.
The applicant left peacefully, still in a bemused fog.
A woman walked in. I looked at her file, and said, "I didn't know the
CIA needed a forensic pathologist. But then, they do create a lot of
corpses." She said, "Sadly, true." I said, "I thought the army was
providing that service." She said, "So did I. But they asked for
applicants, so I thought I would try it." We did the tests. I said,
"Would you take a bit of advice?" She said, "Absolutely!" I said, "Off
site backups. Cover your ass, if you want to keep it original. Standard
unwritten law in the espionage business. Don't make a real scapegoat
look jealous. Beyond that, you will be making a significant
contribution toward keeping our country safe. You will have my respect
and admiration for you and your service." I gave her back her file. She
said, "Thank you sir. May I pose a question?" I said, "Sure. If you
make it salacious, you'll have even more of my interest." She laughed.
She said, "No diplomas here." I said, "Bunch of reasons. For people who
don't get approved, well, some can get a little violent. They don't
need to know more than they absolutely have to about us. And we are a
separate organization for the government, and not directly a part of
DOJ. We do only this here, and a bit of non job related counseling, not
criminal cases. Better security. And each of us does only half days,
and we rotate. So we don't keep anything personal here but a drawer
full of nameplates."
She said, "Mysterious." I said, "Maybe, but only to some. We'e been
doing this through many administrations. Totally apolitical. They're
probably all crooks. The ones who aren't, probably just haven't had the
courage yet." She laughed. She said, "Cynical?" I said, "No, realistic.
Power corrupts by it's very nature. Even just the acquiring of it,
severely compromises ethics. That's why we in this office, shun
personal power. We need to, to do our jobs in a professional and
impartial way." She said, "I'm impressed!" I said, "Oh no! What have I
done!" She chuckled. She said, "How does one apply for a position with
you?" I said, "One doesn't. We select. And it's part time. We all have
jobs elsewhere, too. And we all are real psychologists, NOT profilers."
She laughed again. I stood, and went around my desk. I said, "If you
ever need a real friend, call on us. Any of us here. That's who we are,
what we are for." We shook hands. She left with a tear.
Ivanna said in my mind, "Walking into a bad situation?" I said,
"Possible. I can't see specifics, but my rant against power and
mistrust wasn't just a shot in the dark. Who wouldn't suspect they want
her to falsify records to minimize the reporting of so-called
collateral damage?" She said, "Got it. I like her. I'll put a watch
on." I said with love, "Good. Thanks, other mom." More love in return.
END Page
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Grant
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