Read When the Gods Aren't Gods: Book Two of The Theogony for Free Online

stability is you. Here’s what I would suggest you do. One, in the morning, you send the amendment to the legislature. Two, you back it up with speeches about how good this will be for the country. Three, you get the amendment passed this month. Four, next month, before the end of the month, you retire, refusing to take any retirement compensation or benefits from the state. Maybe you claim you have a problem with alcohol. Whatever. I don’t care. Five, lastly, you vanish from the public eye, never to be seen again. If you violate any of these points, or even think of violating any of them, all of this will become public. Do you understand me?”
    The governor had one more card. “This is blackmail,” he charged. “I’ll fight it!”
    Calvin cocked his head. “Really?” he asked. “This isn’t blackmail; this is an investment in your life . How do you think the people in the Lake Dardanelle land deal are going to feel about you when it comes out that you intentionally screwed them over?”
    “How do you know about that?” the governor asked. “No one knows about that!”
    Calvin shook his head, “I told you, the ship sees everything. Did they ever find the body of your third partner, or is it still buried somewhere along the Arkansas River?”
    The governor deflated. “I’ll do it,” he whispered. “I’ll do everything.”
    “I’m sure you will,” agreed Calvin. “We’ll be watching, too, just to make sure.” He stood up. “C’mon, Night. I need a drink to get this disgusting taste out of my mouth.”
    “Wait!” called Elizabeth Briggs with a sob. “What about me?”
    “You?” asked Calvin . He looked at the governor in disgust. “You can do whatever you want.”
    Night crossed to her in two brisk steps and handed her a card that he pulled from his pocket. Looking at the governor he said, “This is my card and my phone number. If he ever does anything to you or refuses to go along with anything you say, give me a call. I’ll be happy to come back some time when I’m not in uniform. I don’t need ‘friends’ to do my dirty work; I’ll be happy to talk to him for you, myself.”
    “Thank you,” said the s oon-to-be-ex Mrs. Briggs with a sniff.
    “ My pleasure,” replied Night, tipping his cap as he walked toward the door. He made sure to bump into the governor as he walked by him. “I’d really like to see you again,” he growled in his deep voice. “Next time, I won’t be so nice.”
    The two men walked out of the house and back toward the car that would take them to the airport and their waiting shuttle. “Are you still going to give all that to the press?” asked Night.
    Calvin nodded. “Just as soon as he leaves office.”
     
     

KIRO-TV, Channel 7, Seattle, WA, January 22, 2020
    “In national news this evening, the White House announced that it had 37 signatures on the amendment to join the Terran World Government,” read KIRO’s anchorwoman, Anna St. Cloud. “President Bill Jacobs made the announcement earlier today.”
    The scene shifted to the president at a podium, “I’m very happy to announce that Arkansas signed off on the 28th Amendment today,” the president said, “this makes 37 states that have ratified the amendment which will allow the United States to join the world government. We are only one state shy of it being signed into law. That this has come so quickly can only be seen as a mandate from the masses.”
    The camera came back to Ms. St. Cloud. “Assuming that one more state ratifies the amendment within the next three months, the amendment will have gone through the ratification process faster than any other amendment previously. The 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, previously held the record, as it only took four months during the summer of 1971 to be ratified by the required three-fourths of state legislatures.”
    The camera shifted back to Bob Brant, the station’s co-anchor. “Although there are several