you might be in the future than who you were in the past.
—Lisa Bevere
Sardo's Private Dining
I'm dining in a private room at Sardo's with Satan's representative on earth—at least, that's how I see him.
Malachi Bane is a dangerous man and what he's proposing is I surrender my will completely to him so he can accomplish his own purposes.
It's an insane proposition aimed at men desperate for money and power who will do whatever it takes to accomplish that aim.
Fortunately, I've never been that desperate or driven to grasp at the brass ring—I have something to lose, but many don't.
I believe life demands something whether you can do it or not and being like a fist smashing is not the way to roll.
"You were asking about our initiation sessions," Bane said in answer to an earlier question, "and I said in order to qualify for those I have to know if you're willing to submit to authority."
"What exactly does that entail?" I responded.
Bane sat back with a self-satisfied grin, "It means the way I structured the organization, everyone must buy into the vision. I don't expect you to fully believe in everything, but you have to defer to my wisdom at first and then gradually you will see the fruits of that decision as you go on."
I nodded. "I think I can see your rationale for that."
Bane leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "Let me be frank with you, Paul. There are certain influential figures in government who can hinder or facilitate the growth of Great North Corp. We have to make sure these people get elected and remain in office."
"That seems reasonable, from a business perspective."
Bane chuckled cynically, "It 'seems' reasonable, but you can't rely on the voters or elected officials. Sometimes, we have to bend the rules a bit to get a level playing field. What I'm saying is we sometimes have to make hard choices to succeed—are you willing to do that?"
"If it means getting ahead in my career and becoming successful I can see times where I might have to make those kinds of choices."
"Let me explain part of the initiation procedures to you, Paul. First of all, you'd be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement—you can't reveal anything about our dealings to outsiders. Understood?"
I nodded.
"Secondly, you'll have to pledge your loyalty to me and Great North Corp. As far as you're concerned, they're one and the same. But it's the third step I think you might find challenging."
He paused and stared at me. I don't know if it were for dramatic effect but I found the action quite threatening.
He then seemed to soften a bit and smiled reassuringly.
"I know this sounds intimidating but the fact is you have to unlearn certain ideas you might even cherish if they get in the way of this new life. You might even call this an unbaptism —You may have to renounce certain affiliations or beliefs that are part of the 'slave mentality' prevalent in our society. You're about to join an exclusive group of masters who are true leaders, not followers."
"Is this some kind of ritual in which I have to participate?"
"It is. It may seem melodramatic, but it's an outward way of marking the transition from being a sheep and a follower to becoming part of a small group of master souls that will steer not only Great North Corp but also control the levers of power. The sky's the limit, if you're willing.”
This is crazy town, I thought to myself. I felt I was listening to the calm voice of madness.
I wasn’t sure exactly how the Empowerment ritual would play out, but I could see how it could lend itself to surrendering my will to another to bend or shape as he saw fit.
I wasn’t even sure if I were just surrendering to a human master or a demon and the thought of it sickened me.