The World Economic Forum is possibly the longest running annual international forum, it is attended by the good and great of the economic, industrial and commercial communities. It is also attended by the heads of state and heavy-weight political figures, who in the end are always affected, if not controlled, by the financial organisations. In 2017 someone said that 'even a mediocre government could seem great when the financial world supports them', in the end it is finance that governs a country rather than the government. The WEF is then in effect the government of the world by proxy. This year the WEF was opened by the President of the United States of America, who would also attend the main forum ofor three days before going on to meet with the EU parliament and meet with the various first ministers in an emergency summit. After the official opening and reception the first session speaker was the billionaire Rick Pickles, who was to speak on, 'Strength in Financial Unity'.
“Good morning ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, and any others who do not come under either category, [there was a murmur of chuckles]. My name is Rick Pickles, as if you didn't know that, and I want to address this forum about unity. As we speak this planet faces enormous issues, natural disasters seem to happen by the day, and natural disasters cost money.
There are more political and idealogical issues than anyone can count, not to mention issues of religion and faith systems, and all of these cost money. Thankfully we have had over a decade without wars, but that peace looks more fragile by the day. Can we afford more wars, are we prepared to relinquish our high standard of living to fund more wars? What will be the bill for the problems caused by the spate of recent volcanic eruptions, and who will pick up the tab? Who will be paying for the rehousing of those people left homeless in Crete or the devastation of the island of Lesvos? Can the Greek government afford either of those solutions, possibly not, and what country will be next. Is it not time to pool our resources? In this very room there are the representatives of some of the richest political unions in the world, the EU, the Russian Federation, the United States, the Union of Islamic States, to mention a few. But where are the poorer countries, not here, they cannot even afford to send representatives.”
“It is sad to me, that some of the richest organisations on this planet are the various religious institutions, who fund little in the way of support to the poor nations, other than attempting to convert them to their particular faith. The Church of Rome, the Anglican Church, the various Islamic factions that can't even agree among themselves which faith is the right one, and the various eastern sects that have sprung up in the first thirty years of this century. All these together are worth more than the combined economy of the EU and the Russian Federation. Isn't it time these organisations were brought under financial control, indeed the Roman church represent themselves as an autonomous state, the Vatican, a sovereign state that is untouchable. And then, to add insult to injury, these religious organisations are classed as charities and as such exempt from taxes.”
“I am asking you all, particularly the ministers and first ministers present, to consider taking this forum further than an international talking shop, why can we not combine, stop war for ever, stop poverty for ever, stop the struggling of individual states, and combine to overcome the adversity of natural disasters. Together we are stronger, together we invincible, and, you know it makes sense. Thank you for listening, I can now throw the floor open for discussion.”
The team had been camped on the island for over a month, and in another month the temperature would be too great to continue. The team had been sent from Harvard University in the US, to investigate the tradition that an ancient monastery on the island contained some early Jewish artefacts. These artefacts were supposedly brought to Ethiopia after the Jewish exile in Egypt around the time of Cleopatra. Although the remains of the monastery had been found no such artefacts had yet been discovered and time was running out on this, the third and last dig season.
The team awoke this morning to a strange smell in the air, one of the team thought that someone had cooked eggs for breakfast, but the camp-fire was yet to be lit. Sally Horowitz, the senior conservator, was puzzled and walked to the top of the slight rise that surrounded the small pond. It was evident that the pond was the source of the terrible smell, there was a mist rising from the limpid water that clung close to the ground and had started spilling over the surrounding bank. Sally immediately returned to the camp and found Ryan Jacks the Site Director, “What in hell is that bad smell,” he asked straight away.
“It's that stinking pond Ryan, there's some sort of fumes coming off it,” Sally told him.
“Really, let me have a look,” Ryan said as he walked off in the direction of the pond, with Sally tripping after him, “This looks serious Sally,” he said as soon as he saw the pond. “That smell is sulphur Sally and that may be a volcanic vent, come on we'd best get out of here quick.”
The two quickly walked back to the camp where the rest of the team were milling around wondering about the smell. “Everybody, break camp as quickly as you can, I think we are sat on the top of a volcano and it may not be long before it blows,” Ryan announced loudly. “Bud, can you get the boat sorted and warm up the engine, everyone else, I want to be off this island in less than an hour, so let's go people.”
The team forgot about breakfast and started packing while tents were struck over their heads. Records and the small number of artefacts found, were packed into boxes, and personal effects were stuffed into rucksacks. In forty-five minutes the camp-site was empty and a trail of archaeologists stretched toward the coast of the island. The boat was waiting with the inboard engine chugging away and pumping excess water from the bilges. They were just loading the first load of equipment when the ground shuddered and, looking back the way they had come, a plume of steam was rising into the still air.
“Ryan, feel this water,” asked Bud.
Ryan leaned over the tiny jetty and put his hand in the water, it was warm, much too warm to be explained by the warm atmosphere. “I don't like this Bud, let's get a move on.”
Bud suddenly pointed out into the lake, “Look at that.” Ryan looked In the direction that Bud was pointing and saw a patch of bubbles breaking on the surface to emit a small wisp of smoke as each bubble broke. “Right forget the equipment, just get on-board, quickly,” shouted Ryan.
No one needed to be told twice and within minutes all twenty-one members of the team were on the boat as it chugged out toward Gorgora, some twenty-three miles away.
About an hour into the four hour voyage the water around around the boat suddenly started to dance, and a second later the sonic boom hit the boat. All eyes turned aft to be greeted by the sight of a column smoke rising into the atmosphere above the island and smoking lava bombs soaring into the air, arching out into the lake. As they watched, and as the minutes passed, the bombs flew higher and further out into the lake. A few minutes later a blast of hot air hit the boat, spinning the vessel in the water, then came the bombs, falling now around the MV Luta. Bud gunned the engine to get as much speed as he could out of the diesel, whilst he swung the tiller left and right in an attempt to avoid the debris falling from the sky. Bud did an excellent job of steering the boat, and it wasn't his fault that a particularly large and glowing lava bomb made a direct hit on the Luta. The boat disintegrated in an instant as the heat and the energy was released into the lake-water. The MV Luta was gone, along with it's cargo of twenty-one human-beings.