The Doomsday Key

Ivar intended to use his keynote to swing the Club of Rome's resources in a new direction. It was a time for true action. Still, he read Antonio's darkening expression. Anger had replaced the man's coddling tones.

"Speaking of your speech," Antonio said bitterly, "I obtained an early draft and read it."

Ivar stopped and turned to the man. "You read my speech?" No one was supposed to know its content. "Where did you get it?"

Antonio dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that you can't give such a speech and still expect to represent the Club of Rome. I've brought the matter up with Copresident Boutha. And he concurs. Now is not the time to broadcast warnings of imminent world collapse. It's...it's irresponsible."

Blood burned the chill from Ivar's face. "Then when is that time?" he asked, working his tight jaw. "When the world has slid into chaos and ninety percent of its population is dead?"

Antonio shook his head. "That's what I'm talking about. You'll make the club look like madmen and doomsayers. We won't tolerate it."

"Tolerate it? The core of my speech comes from the Club of Rome's own published report."

"Yes, I know. The Limits to Growth. You cite it often enough in your speech. That was written back in 1972."

"And it's even more timely today. The report outlines in great detail the collapse that the world is currently barreling straight for."

Ivar had studied The Limits to Growth in great detail, mapping out its charts and data. The report modeled the future of the world, where population continued to grow exponentially while food production only grew arithmetically. Eventually the population would outstrip its ability to produce food to sustain itself. It would hit such a point like a locomotive and overshoot it. Once that happened, chaos, starvation, and war would ensue, with the end result being the annihilation of mankind. Even the most conservative models showed that 90 percent of the world population would die as a result. The studies had been repeated elsewhere with the same dire results.

Antonio shrugged, dismissing the entire matter. Ivar balled a fist and came close to breaking the man's nose.

"That speech," Antonio said, oblivious to the danger. "What you're advocating is radical population control. It will never be stomached."

"It must be," Ivar argued. "There's no way we can dodge what's coming. The world has gone from four billion to six billion in only two decades. And it shows no signs of slowing. We'll be at nine billion in another twenty years. And even now, the world is running out of arable farmland, global warming is wreaking havoc, and our oceans are dying. We will hit that overshoot point sooner than anyone is expecting."

Ivar grabbed Antonio's arm, letting his passion show. "But we can mitigate its impact by planning now. There is only one way to avoid complete worldwide collapse-and that's to slowly and steadily lower the human biomass of this planet before we hit that overshoot point. The future of mankind depends on it."

"We'll manage just fine," Antonio said. "Or don't you have faith in your own research? Aren't the GM foods your corporation is patenting supposed to open new lands, produce greater yields?"

"But even that will only buy us a small window of time."

Antonio glanced at his watch. "Speaking of time, I must be going. I've delivered Boutha's message. You'll have to adjust your speech accordingly if you wish to deliver the keynote."

Ivar watched the man stride off toward the drawbridge that spanned the Kirkegata entrance.

Standing in the courtyard, Ivar remained as rain began to drizzle out of the sky, the first portent of a greater deluge. He let the icy drops cool the pounding of his heart. He would address these matters with the copresident of the club later. Perhaps he should temper his rhetoric. Maybe it was better to use a more gentle hand on the rudder that steered the world's fate.

Calmed again and resolute, he headed across the courtyard toward the bulk of Akershus Church with its large rosette window. He was already late for the meeting. Within the Club of Rome, Ivar had gathered like-minded men and women, those willing to make hard choices, to stand by their convictions. While Antonio and the two copresidents might be the figureheads of the Club of Rome, Ivar Karlsen and his inner cabal kept their own pact, a club within the club-a heart of iron, beating with the hope of the planet.

Crossing into the church, Ivar saw that the others had already gathered within the small brick-walled nave. Chairs had been pushed to one side, and a choral stage had been set up to the left of the altar. Arched windows let in murky light, while a brightly lit gilt chandelier sought to add a meager bit of cheer.

Faces turned as Ivar entered.

Twelve in all.

They were the true powers behind the club: leaders of industry, Nobel Prize-winning scientists, government representatives from major nations, even a Hollywood celebrity whose high-profile advocacy had drawn both attention and money to their group's causes.

Each served a specific purpose.

Even the man who approached Ivar now. He was dressed in a black suit and wore a haunted expression.

"Good morning, Ivar," the man said and offered his hand.

"Senator Gorman, please accept my condolences for your loss. What has happened in Mali...I should have spent more to secure the camp."

"Do not blame yourself." The senator gripped Ivar's shoulder. "Jason knew the dangers. And he was proud to be involved in such an important project."

Despite the reassurance, the senator was plainly uncomfortable with the topic, still raw from the death of his son. From a distance, the two men could almost be brothers. Sebastian Gorman stood as tall and weathered as Ivar, but he kept his white hair neatly trimmed, his suit pressed to a razor edge.

Ivar was surprised to find the senator here, but perhaps he shouldn't have been. In the past, Gorman had proven to be unwavering in his determination. The U.S. senator had been instrumental in expanding biofuel research and development throughout the Western world. The summit here was important to his issue. And with an election coming up, the senator would find time to mourn for his son later.

Still, Ivar understood the man's pain. He'd lost a wife and son in childbirth when he was in his early thirties. The tragedy had come close to destroying him back then. He had never remarried.

"Are we ready to get started?" the senator asked, stepping away.

"Yes. We should begin. We have much ground to cover."

"Good."

As the senator gathered everyone toward the bank of waiting chairs, Ivar stared at his back. He felt no twinge of guilt. Viatus meant the path of life. And sometimes that path was hard, requiring sacrifices to be made.