The Eye of the Whale

CHAPTER 1

The aftermath of yet one more International Whaling Conference was being cleared up in the building. Posters and bits of paper littered the floor. Chairs had been overturned by over zealous activists, sick of hearing the same old spiel on whaling quotas. Many of these die hard activists had campaigned for years to end this barbarism. There was even some blood at the front where security staff had grappled with some who simply could not take the latest washing of the hands decision to continue whaling for scientific purposes. Some journalists were snapping their hi- tech cameras and some leading news stations were doing live bulletins.

As the crowd dissipated a lone figure is seen standing at the back, dressed in blue jeans, donkey jacket and grey woollen hat. He was about 5 foot ten inches with brown hair and whiskers. He had some sort of trekking boots on. He was stood there in some sort of mesmeric trance, for he could not take all that he had witnessed in. It would not register. Sonny Preston was his name. He had been a leading anti whaling campaigner for the past three years. Highly intelligent he thought that a ban was finally on the cards, and that all this false pretence by Japan, Norway and Iceland to hunt whales for scientific reasons would be over. They got away with it time and time again. When, he thought, would mankind leave these giants of the seas and time itself to swim the oceans in peace.

The place was Reykjavik Iceland, June 2015. How strange he thought that even in the 21century, mankind could still not sort out its problems. And that for all of religion and all of the wars, whales had lived for millions of years. It was daunting for Sonny to think that man would soon kill everything on the planet in an insanity that not even Dante could dream up.

Man with his awesome weapons of mass destruction that seem of little use but which gobbled up budgets and the best brains in the world. Food factory farming was now routinely talked of. Even whale farming was openly on the agenda, put forward by the Japanese smooth negotiators. Cars were everywhere. Litter was strewn across the planet and oceans, without a care in the world. Even man’s attempt to investigate space had come up with little except expert robotic warfare. Sonny envisaged the ultimate battle soon, where a new breed of robots would terminate, as in the Arnold Swarzenigger movies, human beings. The world was heading for apocalypse and there was little it seemed that could be done. It was quite terrifying to behold. Sonny was 35 years old. As of yet he had no children. Indeed he thought the world no fit place for children.

It was he thought the final conference for him. He had other plans. Big plans. As of yet private, but that which would rock the world to the core. He saw himself now, after this final insult with whale factory farms, as some sort of earthly messiah come to rid the world of man’s insatiable greed and lust for all things material.

A cleaner bumped into him, bringing him out of his reveries.

She was Philippino, or something like that he mused.

You nowhere to go, she asked innocently.

He thought for a while then said, The world can seem so sick at times, I wonder if there is a place where anybody can go.

Well, I know what you mean. Me a cleaner and just look at this mess.

Yes, I must apologise. We must tell our friends to be more respectful but things get heated.

You people see yourselves as green, yet you cannot dispose of your own litter!

I know, it is terrible. And with that he turned around and walked towards the exit.

Outside the harsh northern sun of Iceland struck him full in the face and he squinted. Getting his bearings he turned right along the main street the Aolstraati and looked for a coffee shop. There were dispersing crowds and police along the pavements. He wondered if all of these demonstrations ever achieved anything. He saw up ahead a cafe named the Pink Flamingo. And there was a sign of the bird outside above the shop’s entrance. In he went and got a few stares from the native Icelandic people who perhaps saw him as one of them eco leftist nutters who had caused trouble at the whaling conference. It always amazed Sonny just how indifferent the masses were to whales and to life on this planet more generally. Wars were everywhere. Weapons. Giant gas guzzling cars and planes. People lived like there was no tomorrow and just did not seem to care about the planet.

The assistant behind the counter knew immediately that he was not local. Sonny looked out of place but he needed to gather his thoughts. Sit by himself and ponder on not just the future of whales but of the direction his future life would take for he had plans. Plans that he felt would finally reorder the mayhem that this planet had become. He noticed that on a rack were some internationalist newspapers. He briefly looked at the menu and ordered the ubiquitous Cappuccino. How he wished he could be different as western cafes were as much a part of the culture of decadence as pollution itself. Starbucks. Macdonalds. Café Neros et cetera. Waste. Money. Capitalism. He had never been a messiah type figure in his mind. Once upon a time he had been a top marine biologist working out of UCLA researching into many things but the corruption of the cosmetic industry proved too much. When he had finally put in a complaint about the manner in which the Japanese carried out an annual cull of Dolphins off a bay in Japan, he found himself ostracised from high academia. His career in ruin he became a drifter. Moving from one town to another, slowly latching onto the environmental cause. With an IQ of around 160, he could at times find life frustrating. He had hoped to go onto be a professor in marine biology but now he read largely ‘green’ literature and more left wing radicalised books. He had been placed in a psychiatric ward for a while when he had got into trouble over make up being tested on dolphin skins. But he knew the score in today’s world. He knew that there was a glamorous artistic elite that live for beauty and perfection. But he had fallen in love with the cause of the whale, figuring it to a super being that should not be allowed to die out or be researched upon like it its planet was a giant concentration camp. He felt that cosmetics could be tested in other ways. Besides every time the Japanese government issued statements that it needed to whale for ‘scientific reasons’ he felt the word scientific was being abused. Science should be about doing good and about invention for good causes. It seemed Capitalist thinking was still the driving force of the world. A world that sent man to the moon in 1968 yet still in 2011 had gas guzzling giant cars that rendered huge tracts of the atmosphere non breathable. He picked up a tray, placed the huge Cup of Cappuccino on it and selected a cake covered in pink icing. 20 euros. He paid the cashier and moved to a seat by the window so he could watch people go by. Just like his life was becoming a journey to nothing he thought of all those protestors who had made their way to Iceland, largely for no reward at all.

Iceland seemed such a modern type of country, although with a small population the capital was resplendent, with four by four vehicles everywhere. Somewhat bizarrely, Iceland prided itself on green technology such as electricity generation from geezers. Yet for Sonny, the plaintive fact was that the country felt the need to assert a type of macho pride as it still whaled. He saw a couple of hippy type girls carrying a placard,

Kill the whalers. Sonny was thinking that it was the green movement in general that appeared to have a kind of nice non violent image. Whale protestors were seen as mainly peaceful types who never engaged in terrorism. That was soon to end as Sonny had finally made plans, He had reached the end titration point of a long journey of self introspection. He had nothing materialistic in life. No fixed home. No girlfriend or car. No ties to allow him to live the life that most people on earth seemed to want. Certainly the Icelandic government had created a modern city in all respects, even though the winters could be rotten. He guessed he always knew the outcome of this year’s commission, as it was by now routine. Okay a moratorium had been won earlier in the century as stocks were of pristine whales sank to all time lows, but he knew that this ‘scientific’ angle was annoying everyone with connections to the safeguarding of the environment. But governments were so powerful. He knew that SOMETHING concrete and violent had to be done to finally rid the world of the scourge of modern day whaling practices. Even as he thought of the word ‘scientific’ he dreaded to conjure up what was going on some of those huge Whale Factory Ships.

As he sighed in the sunlight streaming through the window, he was strangely happy that that there were others who shared his sentiments with displaying this placard. Maybe he should go and shake their hands, but he did not need to. He had put his plans into operation. He had thought long and hard about what to do and decided that he would use his awesome intelligence to save these giants of time. Beasts that were the masters of the aqua sphere in all that it represented and also masters of time. Just like the greatest human minds that ever lived, such as Albert Einstein, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Roger Penrose, and Stephen Hawkin to name a few thought on the complexities of astrophysics, maybe the whale spent much of its time to musing on time and space. It was one of the Japanese Prime Ministers, Isako Suzuki who had released a statement to the world saying that the whale was merely a fish. A fish. To Sonny man had to invent diving suits, aqua lungs, submarines and sophisticated radar techniques to get about in the water, whilst some whales could alter their shape as they dived to below 500 meters without getting the infamous bends like humans. When Sonny sometimes switched on television to watch wildlife programmes he was always fascinated at the sight of humpbacks breeching the water and twisting. He thought maybe it was a sign that they were tired of living on this tiny planet where man brutalised all. Or maybe it was some kind of plea to a God out there in the universe. Either way soon, if all his plans went well, whaling would cease and there would be respect for everything Environmental. No huge farms of cattle for the Macdonald’s fast burger industry, and definitely no more whaling. He wanted to see that whale stocks would grow to good levels once again, although with the amount of ships and military utilising the seas he doubted if this goal would now be achievable. But it was readily achievable to prevent whaling taking place ever again. If only he actually knew what went on in these factory ships. Sadly the instruments of government kept this top secret. We the masses were never going to find out what the word ‘scientific’ really meant.

He put two spoons of sugar from the bowl on the ultra clean white table into his cappuccino and stirred the cup. Sugar, what a huge industry that was too. People were obese everywhere with burgers and other fast foods readily available. Although extremely intelligent he was a pragmatist. He could of course forget about sugar and the simple everyday pleasures of the so called free and democratic west. He knew in his heart that he should be courting some nice girl and settling down with children, because that was what evolution was all about. Maybe when his ‘mission’ was over he would reengage the real world. But for now he had only one goal on his mind to save these monsters of the deep from such a fateful death sentence as ‘scientific whaling’, the loophole that the whalers hid behind. And for so long. But this was going to end. The more he thought the more determined he became. He knew that there may be casualties but although he would try to be a bit like Robin Hood or ironically Arnold Shwarzenigger in Terminator Two whereby he did not kill anyone, he knew that reality of any sort was vastly different than science fiction. He was not writing a science fiction book. Someone had to make a decision and he had made up his mind once and for all. And he knew that he must not attract attention to himself as his plans developed.

He picked up the pink cake and savoured the moment.

Better than a Big Mac, he mused.

He left for his hotel some 30 minutes later. It was not far off the main street. In he went, though noting he was not a well dressed foreigner on holiday. Just as he did so he was met by a lovely girl in dungarees.

Hi, I saw you at the conference. I am not staying here but I was wondering now that I have bumped into you what did you think.

Well, it seems that it is the usual bullshit.

I know. If I had my way I would blow the fucking whalers off the face of the earth.

At first he was struck by the violence of this good looking girl, but then he saw just how passionate she was in her look.

I know how you feel.

Then the girl said,

What you doing now?

I am going to have a warm shower, so please excuse my decadence. Say how would you like to come to my room and have a talk about the Whaling conferences of the world. And maybe a drink?

She looked down at her feet and seemed a bit tentative.

Life is generally a bit of a big bullshit. I know it’s a nice hotel but yes, sure, but I only drink soft drinks.

Me too, but we could have a tea or coffee if you’d like. I am her only tonight then have to go Amsterdam for some important business.

Okay.

So they got the elevator up to the third floor, room 35. Sonny asked her for her name after introducing himself, to which she said,

Tanya.

That’s nice. You sound Canadian.

"Yes, Vancouver. I sort of live semi-rough there with my dogs. She got out a photograph showing Tanya outside a caravan with two Red Setters. There was no man in the shot.

Me, I am American, Los Angeles. Would you believe it I once used to be a marine biologist at the University of California.

Wow. What went wrong

I fell fowl of the authorities. Now I drift around attending green causes with whales something I deeply feel about.

They sat down in his room and Tanya noticed the quite luxurious room and flat screen television.

I will ring down for coffee. Said Sonny facing Tanya.

I will just have orange or whatever they do here in Iceland.

Yes I am not gemmed up on the local culture, but it seems such a modern city.

Tanya somewhat ironically added,

You would think that such a place that is well into green technology would not feel the need to whale.

I suppose the only bonus is that because the conference was held here maybe some top writers will contrast that fact. You know how the country should be moving forward with the green movement.

One problem is, the sort of censorship of the whole environmental debate, and how slow things seem to progress.

Yes I know. And the manner in which leading governments put it to the back burner. Wars seem to be fine. Money no object there. But with these gentle beasts of time and nature it seems they have no right to live, added Sonny reflectively.

The drinks came and it seemed Iceland had some such juice delicacy. Sonny although just having had a cappuccino, and a giant one at that preferred another coffee as was the general way with Americans. Its hard, he finally said. So hard.

In what way do you especially mean. Tanya added inquisitively.

At this point Sonny got to thinking of the remark mentioned when they first met. Blow the fuckers off the face of the earth.

She could immediately see the pain on the face of Sonny.

Well. Can I trust you? He figured that he could. We’ve only just met I know, but it seems to me that the environmental movement always pussy foots about. We are known as the peaceful sorts who accept all the dictates of modern governments. From my point of view it is time some of us stood up and got counted on the world stage. I have been thinking for quite some time to strike at the heart of some governments, and ram home the message that Whales were not placed here on this lonely earth to be researched upon by man. That this planet was not meant for that purpose. I am not a preacher or anything like that but I am prepared to take direct action. Just like a Nelson Mandella-type figure.

Tanya was captivated by the good looking Sonny and his stance. Sonny continued,

Obviously I cannot do things all by myself. I would need some others who they themselves would be willing to be sort of martyrs. I am not crazy or anything. I am not an eco-nutter as some journalists have described so ardently at times. I do not hear voices guiding me, but just think for one moment what goes on, on one of those huge Japanese Factory ships.

Tanya winced. I dread to think.

And for what? Cosmetics today do not need to research on animals it has been proven beyond all doubt.

Well, the governments keep quiet on this for sure. So whatever it is must be top secret.

"Sonny thought a bit longer before tentatively saying,

How would you like to join me. To help me Blow the fuckers off the face of the earth.

Tanya realised that her words had been pretty violent, but she did not herself realise what this could mean. Not knowing exactly what this enigmatic Sonny had up his sleeve., however she was 100% behind the idea, thinking similarly that the green movement had reached an impasse in that being goody goody was getting nowhere.

She added thoughtfully,

I agree with you. Enough is enough. Someone has to lead the way else the planet will be one giant whale farm for burgers and dog food.

Sonny was pleased and in his own way rather shyly shook hands with Tanya.

You do realise what this entails, he said. There will have to be secrecy. Violence. Weapons and cunning and guile. There will be governmental agencies set up to deal with the likes of us."

Yes, I know there will be a lot of sacrifice, but I already feel better having met you. It has been a privilege indeed.

They both smiled feeling that they were meant to be destined to save the whales.

So what now, eventually Tanya interrupted the silence,

There is much, much to do. I intend to recruit two more people. I have put adverts out in the media. I am looking for people who fear little and are committed to this cause. In fact that is part of the reason that I am going to Amsterdam to meet two people. I had also hoped to hire a female but you seem ideal. Together we can save these whales from extinction and much pain. Just like the Baader Meinhoffs and Che Gavaras of this world we can alter the destiny of humanity. The time is right for this. What do you think? Sonny finally added.

You know. It sounds fantastic. I have just been waiting for the opportunity to do something terroristic, as I too, had reached the conclusion that being goody two shoes got one nowhere. I know it is a bit drastic but it has been proven that terrorism achieves much of its aim. Look at the I.R.A. Many of their operatives are free and mingle with the elite of the political world. It is as if terrorism earns you respect. However, for me it is not respect that I want. I want an end to the suffering of these beasts. And the only logical conclusion to draw is that to achieve this some sort of terrorism is needed. Tanya broke off in her vexed state.

I know, Sonny stated with both conviction and wisdom." But it is not respect we are after. There has to be the