Jess, Flee, Stef, Es and Sonia were all in their bikini tops and
very skimpy cutoffs, attracting lots of looks. And a small "army" of
admirers was gathering around. And "protectors". The lonely guys.
But God bless 'm. Kit had known the feeling. Our ladies were God-
luscious sights to behold. And were drawing enough local attention
for some on stage to notice out of the corners of their eyes. But the
music rose and rose more as more stars came on. Buffet, the Coral
Reefers, Estefan, Stefani, Winwood, Phish, Widespread Panic, Pearl
Jam, Traffic, Toto and many more joined in with Carlos still playing
lead.
        The magic was all there, the music filling everyone to the gills,
the performers giving stories between the songs about getting there.
The Native Americans were given center stage, the dancers and
drummers. And the Gospel singers came on again for vocal backup.
Sunset was coming, the full moon to be rising just before dark.
T'was going to be one truly monumental night. They said it was
almost two million souls there by then, and the world was watching
from everywhere, though some governments were trying, and some
succeeding, in stopping the broadcast in their countries.
        Deep Purple came back on with Little Feet, Floyd, Marshall
Tucker, Foghat and others, joining the jam. I know I'm probably
forgetting your favorite performers, but you know they were there
and it's just hard to name them all. The wind was blowing the
sounds all around, tuned-in radios blaring everywhere, adding to the
reverb. It all sounded mystic. Helicopters and planes were overhead,
though high enough not to disturb.
        The clouds provided an epiphanal sunset. Performers kept on
coming on stage until it was absolutely packed, and the music was
glorious. The Allman Brothers took another quick set, then Taj
Mahal and John Lee did a couple and reintroduced Joni and Julio.
        They gave updates on the money and what it was doing
around the world. To the cheers. Starving kids and adults were
being fed, refugees were getting help, orphans homed, and war
zones being defused. And Joni and Julio did their song together
about it, Joni playing the piano so enrapturingly.
        From there, the performers kept on toward the crescendo,
the climax, the apex of the serendipity, the zenith. No specific time
in mind. They were just building the energy as far as they could
take it, all the classic riffs and chops of all the classic songs
weaving a beautifully consonant tapestry thoughout the music.
        The Doobie Brothers took a lead and you could see the
matches and lighters lighting up everywhere. The air filled with
smoke. Hm. And there was a very pungent, redolent smell. Hmm.
Everyone was standing in response to the energy from the stage.
And dancing. Dubes were getting passed around everywhere. The
Navajo security wasn't going to do jack about that. Get real. They
would have to arrest the whole Rez. Jess and them lit some of
theirs to pass. Of course, the live TV cameras stayed pretty much
focused on the stage. And the music climaxed to everyone's
thunderous applause and cheers, and they all began to sit back
down as the music calmed, the stage doing "Have Mercy".
        The rumor floating around was that Redford, Fonda, Beatty,
Benning and others were working with Joni and Julio on
producing the concert. The E had planted the rumor earlier in the
day, a way to introduce them quietly, they thought. The other
rumor was that they were going to announce that government that
some countries had mentioned. Kit and the girls acted just as
surprised as anyone when the rumors came around to them.
        Bells on the Native Americans wafted out of the symphony
from the stage, accentuated by the drummers belling their cymbals
and everybody belling anything they had.
        Jess said, "let's take a walk around, Hote...I've gotta pee."
        "Me too," Flee added. And just about everyone else had to
too.
        They asked the ones staying to watch everything for them
and our intrepids ventured off, Kit taking Pute over his shoulder,
in his backpack case, with everything in it, into the sea of people.
Sunset was maybe ten minutes away, the sky as ethereal as any
seen, there among the monumental buttes, cliffs and colors of the
high desert. Our guys got to the local refreshment booths and
toilets and pee'd away, the girls changing their tampaxi too, then
walked on and talked about how amazing it all was there.
        The Latin music was playing again, Santana backing up
Gloria and Stefani, Herb Alpert and a trumpet orchestra playing
along. Bryan Adams did his Spanish tune. Lopez did Selena songs.
Julio was getting ready to come on. Rappers were even rappin' in
the background. Every rocker known to GOD was there, they
heard folks saying, well, though, except the dead ones, among the
comments.
        Our guys walked back toward their group as the last of the
sky light flickered out. Then candles were lit everywhere. And
lanterns. Lasers were being beamed all over the sky. Fireworks
went off from behind the stage and all around. The "City" was lit
up like what, Camelot? And Kit was remembering when Ginny
had told him what time Jessy was born twenty years before -
9:07P. And it was coming right up.
        The bands were building to another crescendo with the Latin
sound and then Julio came on and did a song, then introduced Joni
again, and they did another song they had written together. And
9:07 came, Kit checking his watch. And he wished Jessy happy
birthday again, showing her the time.
        "Awww myy Gawwd...you even knew...remembered that!
Awwww, sweetheart..." and hugged him real hard and kissed him
a lot.
        "Jeez...it was right?"
        "To the fucking minute," and kissed him some more. "You
know, sometimes you really impress me, Cody," and went back
to kissing him. Then he discretely passed her the transmitter when
they took a kiss break after Flece said how sickening they were.
        Jess got all excited, "you want me to!?..."
        "Sure, darlin'...it's your birthday," he nodded and smiled.
        Then the stage announced that there was a message from the
White House to the concert over the Internet. The big screens
switched to showing Bill, Hill, Al, Tip and the kids all waving and
saying "hello" and how much they were enjoying it all. Then the
Prez announced that he had stopped the government from trying
to stop the concert, and everyone roared their approval.
        Billy Crystal asked "Willy" to play some sax lead with the
concert song. So he did, just happening to have his sax there. The
"City" loved it. The world loved it. And Hilly, Al, Tipper and the
kids all danced.
        Well, the First Friends signed off and Julio and Joni restarted
the music, continuing with the concert song. Jess looked at Kit,
smiling heartily, and put her thumb on the button of the transmitter,
small enough to be hidden in her hand. Kit smiled most heartily
back and they put their arms around each other, sitting there on the
Navajo blanket.
        Jess waited until Julio and Joni finished the song, then pressed
the button, pointing the 'mitter up to the sky. The signal bounced
off a satellite, then reached the butte about that half mile from them
and activated the CD's inside the holojectors. She and Kit were still
looking toward the stage, playing dumb.
        The two figures appeared out over the butte, and Joni and
Julio and the other performers on stage apprised the City of the
vision. "Al" and "Joan" were standing maybe 250 feet high on top
of that butte, wearing their T-shirts and cutoffs. The two million
there screamed, yelled, hollered and cheered or just stared or started
walking or running toward the butte as they all turned and saw the
"giants".
        Jess pressed the button again, at Kit's whispered-in-her-ear
instruction, and the beautiful young apparition of a young woman
out there in the desert air shimmering over that butte said:
        "Hello, people...my friend and I here are just holograms...
but we are announcing the World Peace Government...and ask all
of you here, and watching all over the world, to join together to
end war on Earth...for the rest of time..." her voice booming out
over the entire Valley. It was just a little louder than a Shuttle taking
off from Cape Kennedy. And one plane flew right through her
and "Big Boy".
        She continued, "you have a good start here...with the money
raised...but if you do all you can, you will raise Civilization to a
higher level. The leaders of your countries have had the
opportunity for almost two months to respond to our plan...and
even take the credit...but only a few expressed desire to talk with
us, or help, and we thank them tonight and will bring them into
our government. But it's up to YOU. You are the people. You are
the source of any government power. You've contributed mightily
to the concert fund. And that shows the governments and
yourselves how much you do care. So...join and give to the
World Peace Government...and change your world for good...and
ENJOY THE CONCERT!...." The two giantgrams waved, smiling,
then disappeared when the holojectors turned off.
       The throng was quiet, then started cheering, screaming and
all wildly again. Julio and Joni regained everyone's attention, and
Julio said, "we can tell you now...we agreed to set up this concert
for the World Peace Organization..." adding that that was all they
knew so far. And the folks all around the concert and the world
were asking each other who the heck was the World Peace
Organization...or Government. Performers were asking Julio and
Joni, but they just answered they didn't know either.
        Kit said once more to his girl, "happy birthday again,
majesty."
        She kissed him and said, "Oooo, Kit...darlin'...you are so
incredible...and it's the happiest I'll ever have, sweetheart...thank
you sooo much, honey..." then they both slipped the transmitter
back into Pute's pack, their cyboy on the sat-phone modem, as
usual, with Cygirl. And Jess whispered in Kit's ear, "I think I adore
you, Kit Hickok Crockett Quixote Cody."
        "O God Lord," he answered in genuine surprise, turning his
head to kiss her face. Then Flece hugged them both and they
returned the same emotions to her.
        The MC's tried getting the President back on for his reaction,
but he was in important meetings was the story. Then there was
that matter of the government pulling the plug on the broadcast
over MTV and networks during the Arc Girl's message. Jammed
the satellite, they did. All that had been seen were the first few
seconds of the giants standing there, if you remember. And the
government had already been at work on confiscating the footage
of even that, plus formulating the spin cycle. So, the world
watching on TV was thinking, well, that wasn't scheduled. They
had seen something, of course, but the media wasn't confirming it.
And everyone knew that meant trouble for someone.
        The stage - the organizing performers and MC's - knew it
had been and was still being jammed. And they announced that to
the audience - safety in numbers, A? - but the government had
shut that off too, and MTV was forced to go to commercials or
whatever while the government attempted to lay down the ground
rules to MTV, the networks and concert leaders.


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