Six hours later, the state of the world can only be, described as total chaos. Mass looting hits every major city, as many believe the end of the world is either, at hand or truly going to hell in a hand basket. Many countries declare Martial Law with soldiers working hard to regain order in their streets. Churches, cathedrals, synagogues, and temples throughout the world are, packed with standing room only.

However, most of the pastors and priests that led these houses of worship have vanished. There are very few spiritual leaders left, to give spiritual guidance and comfort for what has happened. Miraculously however, there were no fatalities from the vanishing. For reasons unknown, billions of people all over the world called in sick to their jobs, cancelled trips on planes and trains, or simply did not show up when scheduled to do so. Pilots, train operators, taxi cab drivers, and other forms of transportation operators, simply did not show up for work.

This of course, caused major delays and frustration for tens of millions of passengers, all over the world. In addition, cars, houses, and other properties owned by those who vanished are now vacant, making it a field day for thieves and dishonest citizens. Homeless-people are moving into the vacant homes, along with drug addicts, prostitutes, and those lured into the gangster lifestyle.

In the financial district, people are having a hard time accepting the recent stock market news. So much so, that some have jumped out of their office building windows – plummeting several stories to their deaths, while others took a more subtle approach like sleeping pills or a bullet to their head.

Many analysts predict that it will be impossible to recover now that foreign and domestic trading has slowed to a crawl, and consumer confidence is almost, non-existent. To add insult to injury, A.J. Grimason II is now the interim president – shaking what is left of citizens’ confidence of things getting better, any time soon.

Grimason on the other hand, relishes how easy it was for the desperate and panic-stricken government to just, hand him the highest seat in the land. He is now more powerful than he could have ever imagined. A secret swearing in ceremony took place without the public’s knowledge – conducted by Chief Justice Carl Withershins.

All those years of trying to stop, Dante from leaking the information in that incriminating letter, now appears to have been a huge waste of time. Now that he is the top man in charge, he can do whatever he wants – so he thinks. Dagon made sure Grimason made it into the office of the presidency. However, the price for such a powerful position is Grimason’s soul on a silver platter. Bon appétit!

§

At the Presidential Mansion, Grimason’s top aide briefs him on the current state of the world, and gives him advice on how to resolve the immediate problems, here at home.

“Sir, I believe there is only one way to put a stop to all the looting and violence,” confidently said the aide.

“What is it?” asked Grimason, with a smirk on his face.

“All the analysts I have spoken with concur that now is the time to initiate, the Global Observation Directive. Once we have the system online, we should make it mandatory for every citizen from the ages of five and up, to have the chip implanted in the palm of their right hand. As you know, President Destiny had the project scrapped and its funding locked. In addition, many of the world’s leaders, including many here, agreed with her and that it was a bad idea to have the government invade people’s privacy in this manner. Getting citizens to comply will be a tough sell. However, given the dire nature of this crisis, it is the best time to argue the great need and benefits for having it.”

“I agree. This country has given its citizens far too much privacy in my estimation – making my former job hard as hell. Finding terrorist and so-called sympathizers, near and abroad was like searching for a proverbial needle in a haystack. With everyone electronically plugged into one central database, it will be easy to locate those who break the law. In fact, let’s make it so that everything that a person does is automatically, downloaded into the system.”

“Why?” asked the aide with concern – sensing that Grimason’s train of thought is crossing over into dangerous territory.

“Well, everyone needs to eat, buy goods, and conduct business on some level; right?”

“Yes...”

“Well, we can simply have all that information downloaded and use it to our advantage, to maintain order throughout the country. No one will be able to buy or conduct business without the implanted chip. We’ll not only be able to locate an individual but we will be able to study their spending habits and come up with unified ways of conducting business across the globe. However, this aspect of the system will only work if the entire planet gets onboard. Troubling times bring out the best and the worst in people. I will use their fear to get them to comply with all that I desire. Once it is establish here, the rest of the world will soon follow. Trust me.”

Grimason leans back in his chair with a confident, arrogant smile, as his aide looks puzzled and a little afraid. Wicked thoughts stir in Grimason’s mind and oh, how he loves to imagine vain and wicked things. Dagon has his heart in the palm of his hand and he will not let it go until he gets what he wants – world domination.