SUED FOR PEACE (The Kurtherian Gambit Book 11) (13 page)

He was going to have to move.

He could not trust living inside his walls now, and it was going to cause him great distress until his technology team could confirm it was safe for him to come back.

This was going to cause him undue stress when he least needed it.

Unfortunately, he never considered that by the time he left, the microscopic bugs had already invaded his briefcase, and he took the little devices with him to the next location at the embassy.

ADAM, however, was already working the little machines as soon as he placed the briefcase down.

Washington D.C., USA

The President walked into the meeting room with the fourteen heads of companies he had requested to attend with him. Fourteen heads that he had pulled with his top business advisors from the information provided by TQB.
 
When asked, he was adamant he wouldn’t tell them where the information had come from, simply that he had it and that the FBI was able to confirm a fair amount of the details.

He had planted twenty-two additional names in the meeting request in case they started talking before they got to Washington. He then had his press secretary tell the extra twenty-two they would be joining him at a separate location in the Whitehouse. That would be his second meeting.

He walked into his first meeting with four members of the secret service and four members of the FBI.

He had asked Gen. George Thourbourah to attend this meeting to listen.

Everyone turned to face the President as he stepped up to the podium.
 
There were no chairs in the room as he didn’t intend for it to be very long.

He turned to make sure the doors were shut and then turned back to those standing in front of him.
 
“I appreciate all of you coming today. Unfortunately, you are here for a different reason than many others.”
 
The noise started to ramp up, and he just looked to the left and the right.
 
He waited about thirty seconds and then looked at his watch before tapping on the microphone to get their attention. “I will be quick, because I have another meeting, one with people living inside of our society, not trying to live above it.”

He put up a hand to forestall the noise, “I don’t personally care if you want to argue with what I have to say.
 
Just let it be known that I have representatives from the FBI here in this room with whom I’ve shared documents delivered to me that suggest there is an illegal Cabal, operating for well over a century, that has done many harmful things for their company’s benefits and their personal gain.
 
Now, I’m also aware that those members have taken it upon themselves to start a fight. A fight using both legal and illegal efforts to obtain technology that does not belong to them.”

He looked out over the mass of faces, a few eyes, he noticed, darted to others in the room.
 
“Now, unlike many Cabal efforts in the past, this time, they have bitten off way more than they can chew.
 
Based on our research, compiled as we watched for evidence of these battles both on the stock market and off, shows us that this Cabal is getting their asses kicked.”

He looked around again after a pause, “Or they are dying.”
 
When he said that, the whispering got a little louder.

“Now,” He continued, and the noise died down, “Officially, I don’t know any of this at this moment.
 
I can’t help anyone, I can’t defend anyone, I can’t possibly ask for clemency from another group who might believe that there is such a rule as an eye for an eye and are willing to implement it.”
 
He looked hard at the people in front of him.

“What I can tell you, is that I have documents that let me know who I should be talking to right now.
 
You can be assured, as the good countryman you are, that your government is now aware of this effort and will not sit by and allow this Cabal to operate going forward.” His face firmed up, his look of annoyance clear on his face.

“I can tell you we know how to protect those who might be afraid of the dark, so to speak.” He looked around, hope shining out from at least a third of the eyes in the group. “But, they aren’t going to like the solution, I don’t think.
 
It seems the group that was attacked only recognizes our prisons as safe zones.
 
So, to be safe, people have to turn themselves in.”
 
He smiled to the speechless people in the audience, caught unawares that they now had a binomial option of safety in prison, or no safety.

The President turned to his right and nodded.
 
Two FBI agents stepped back beside the General as the President turned around to the audience again, “It saddens me to say that inside this information provided me was proof.
 
Proof that this Cabal had infected people all the way to the top, so to speak.
 
The FBI has confirmed this information, so in front of you as witnesses, they are taking into custody General George Thourbourah, for aiding and abetting a group that was inimical to the United States of America.”
 
Now, the room erupted in talk as the General went wide eyed and the two FBI agents quickly turned him and popped handcuffs on his arms before he got his wits about him.
 
The front FBI agent pulled a card out as the room quieted.

“You have the right to remain silent…”
 
He started.
 
The President leaned one arm on the podium, and watched every person as the General was read his rights and then walked out of the room, his head hung low.
 
Everyone turned back to see the President staring at them.

He spoke in a conversational tone, “You have the same right to remain silent, to not implicate yourselves in anything.
 
What that will accomplish is staying out of the only guaranteed safe place in this solar system. If you have any desire to be safe?
 
Well, these two guys up here have business cards, you might ask for one. Have a good night.”
 
The President stepped off the podium and swept out of the room with his security, leaving the two FBI agents behind with everyone else.

The President thought the looks of shock on all of the faces in the room were priceless.

Paris, France

The sound of the door closing behind George hadn’t yet left the room when Terence smiled to the rest of the people sitting around him.
 
“So, there go the only two without the, excuse me, ladies,” he smiled around the table, “The BALLS to seize the future!”

Downstairs and outside of the hotel, Cynthia stepped up to the curb and waited for her personal limousine, a Mercedes, to pull up.
 
George stepped up to her, “Were you honest about wanting comfort?” He asked.

She slipped an arm around his, “George, you have no idea how close you dodged the bullet in there.”
 
Her limousine drove up, it was a little longer and had modifications for security.
 
George noticed a driver, but another man from the front seat stepped out to open the door.

He nodded to George before opening the door for Cynthia, “Is this the man you expected?”
 

Cynthia nodded, a little sad, “I’m sad to say it was, no others chose to align themselves with me this evening, Nathan.”
 

He nodded his understanding when a separate woman surprised George by exiting the vehicle.
 
He didn’t get a good look at her, just noticing the black hair before she put a hat on her head as she walked into the hotel.
 
Cynthia half pulled, half pushed George into her backseat before Nathan leaned into the car, “You have seventy-two hours before the deal is over, understand?”
 

Cynthia nodded her head, “I’ll be there, with the proof.”
 
She stared Nathan in the eyes, “I’ll do my time.”

Nathan nodded, “See that you do, Cynthia. I went out on a limb to help you here.”

She held a hand out and Nathan took it, “I know Nathan.
 
We’ve done good business together in the past, and I wish you and your wife a beautiful and healthy child.”
 
He nodded, accepting her good wishes and closed the door.

He turned and lowered his head, his hat covering a large portion of his face as the vehicle left and he walked into the hotel to go to a meeting room in an out of the way area of the hotel.

—

Terence never noticed that each time a server left, they did not come back. He was about to suggest they break up into smaller work groups when he noticed a woman with a veiled hat and a man dressed in livery standing beside her.

“Who are you?” Terence asked.
 
It took only a few seconds for everyone at the table to see others looking behind them and to stop talking and turn around themselves.

“Oh good,” her voice was smooth, and Terence was wondering what she looked like under that hat. “I finally have your attention.”

“I believe the man asked who you were,” Constantina asked from a few places closer than Terrence, “This is a private meeting.”

“Yes, I’m aware.”
 
She said standing up, “This is an offshoot of the Illuminati created in 1776, now a sad spectacle of the original shining ideals.
 
Well, at least somewhat shining compared to you.”
 
She started walking along, a black gloved hand drawing along the backs of everyone down the side. “I’ve heard enough of your plans, thank you very much.”

She reached over and grabbed Truett Mastersos III, “Truett you are judged, good-bye.” Terrence was shocked as she easily grabbed Truett and pulled him bodily out of his chair into the air where he just…vanished.

“What the hell?” the next man over exclaimed.

“The hell,” she told Marco Broussard, “is that you have been doing evil deeds for over seventeen years, Mr. Broussard, and now it’s the penalty box for you.
 
She yanked his chair out and caught him under the arm.
 
She pivoted and threw him up over the table, and those on the other side screamed as he started coming in their direction, but he never landed.

He disappeared as well.

“The hell with this!” Karthi Montero muttered from down at the other end of the table and pushed his chair back; he kept his eyes on her as he walked away and around the end of the table to walk out the door. She watched him the whole time as he continued walking.
 

Right by Nathan.

Two women screamed when they saw the man turn into a literal wolf-man in front of their eyes.
 
Karthi was screaming as the wolf-thing growled and held his neck in its left hand.
 
Then looked at all of those still at the table as dinner.
 
Two of the men got out of their chairs and slid across the table to get on the other side from the Werewolf.

“Hold! Don’t eat him, your wife will be most upset,” the strange woman told the Werewolf.
 

“What the hell is that and who the hell are you!” Terence yelled, twisting his head between the two of these frightening beings.

“I’m the one you should not have crossed.
 
I took a survey of one, myself, and decided the future would be a lot better without you in it.
 
Nathan here,” She waved a hand at the monster holding Karthi, “Is here to make sure you hear what I have to say.”

“What is it?” Terence wanted to scream but tried to keep calm with everyone else freaking the hell out.

Her voice went silky smooth over steel, “You have been tried by the Queen Bitch herself for crimes against her, her people and humanity in general.
 
Everyone stand up.” Those still sitting pushed themselves out of their chairs, “Now wait until I get to you, but feel free to be as scared as you want as you can’t move your muscles.
 
I’ll get to each of you in a moment.”

Then the mysterious lady pulled off her hat and everyone realized that the person they were planning to attack, had been listening to their plans in their own room.
 
“The supreme art of war is to subdue your enemy without a fight.
 
I’ve tried being nice, and you all just fucked it away.
 
Now, you get the Queen Bitch,”
 
Bethany Anne’s voice changed, her eyes grew red and four people screamed in their minds while others wished they could cry, “in all of her glory!”

The Matriarch, the Queen of the Vampires went around each person, called their name out and told them a few of their sins and pushed them.
 
They simply vanished.

She spent no more time on Terrence than she did the others. Ten minutes later, she came up to Karthi, “You aren’t even worth it, you little rat-fink bastard.”
 
Nathan dropped the man and Bethany Anne grabbed him before he could drop, “Karthi, your sins are plenty.
 
Think of them as you serve your time.” She pulled him sideways, and he disappeared, “and die.”

Nathan changed back to a human again.
 
He twisted his head around, trying to pop his neck. “Don’t eat him, seriously?” he groused.

“I didn’t want them to rush you. I figured better to sit still than get eaten.
 
With Karthi in your hand like that, it was totally believable.”

“That would be hideous, I think. That man smelled.”

“I imagine he did, worse after you grabbed him,” She agreed.

Two seconds later, the two of them took a step, and they disappeared as well.

An hour later, the hired help came in and found that the room was a little messy, and there was some urine by the door, but no one could find any of the occupants.

It was all over the news the next day, that twenty-two of Europe’s major business people had all disappeared.

Cynthia and George stayed in bed for forty-eight hours, took twelve hours to make sure to review their estates one last time, and went together to the Hague to turn themselves in.