On the sidelines of the conference, however, a power lunch was organised. One conference room in the heart of the headquarters of the United Nations was converted into a dining room. At the head of the long oval table sat the plump man who finances almost everything, from the presidential elections of the United States to diamond digging in Zambia. He supported the capitalist pharmaceutical companies that use people in poor nations as subjects for research and at the same time he invested in the companies in India that made drugs for mass consumption, violating the patents of western companies. He dealt with dealers of arms suppliers to all sorts of terrorist organisations and then sponsored peace conferences, wherein relatives of the dead poured their hearts out. Like a spider, he spun a web around the globe and it is rare that he himself was present at any of the events. He was in Geneva to attend a lunch hosted by the Government of the neutral nation that was supposed to be attended by heads of all powerful nations.

He arrived well before the scheduled time for lunch, and surprised the staff who were busy making arrangements. He walked into the kitchen and asked for some chocolate the country was so famous for. He moved to one large window and stood there, looking at the garden getting covered with snow.

As if he was signalled, a tall lean man with a bald head moved slowly to the financer. Looking at him, the plump moneybag smiled, almost patronisingly. “How are you, Dominique?” he enquired.

The bald fellow squinted. He knew that the plump moneybag was not interested in knowing the status of his health or wealth. There would not be any questions but he had to answer them, well before they even formed in the financer’s mind.

He replied in a calibrated tone: “The requirement was passed on already. There shall be a scheme that would involve nations. Within six months, we may expect orders for armaments of all kinds in large quantities from all quarters of the world.”

Dominique looked intently at the financer and said, “I was promised that something very big would be unleashed.” He spread his arms and exclaimed, “Really very big!” The plump man looked condescendingly at Dominique, as if he was looking at a puppy wagging its tail. He understood the predicament stirring inside that bald head. He smiled and put his large arms around the lean shoulders and said, “Peace and violence complement one another. One cannot exist without the other, for long.” He sighed and patted Dominique on his back, indicating the time to leave.

* * * * *

Next: Opening…