Collateral Damage - Marc Cerasini [29]
"Prekid! Predaja zatim" Jack cried, ordering the man to surrender.
The man grasped the detonator, lifted it. Jack had no choice. The Glock bucked, its blast muted by the howling wind.
There was an explosion of red. The detonator, along with the hand clutching it, tumbled over the railing. The force of the concussion slammed the man against the rail, and he tumbled over it, too.
He screamed once, before bouncing off an ENG dish.
"Damn it!" Jack yelled, punching the rail.
Though he had stopped the bombers, he'd failed to take either man alive. Jack was back where he'd started...
* * *
6:54:30 P.M. CEST
Ungar Financial, LLC
Geneva, Switzerland
Expressionless behind horn-rimmed glasses, billionaire currency speculator Soren Ungar held the phone to his ear, listening to the Albino's rasping voice speaking from thousands of miles away.
While Erno Tobias talked, Ungar stared at his own reflection on the glass surface of the desk. He'd worn a blank business mask for so many decades that his bland, angular face now seemed incapable of even a micro-expression.
Ungar believed that was for the best. One should always maintain control and hold one's thoughts and emotions tightly. It was vulgar, unseemly, bourgeoisie to do otherwise. Even now, the anger that seethed inside him never reached Soren Ungar's cold, dead eyes.
"This was an expensive mistake Ibrahim Noor made," Ungar interrupted. "Inviting that Congresswoman to his compound, today of all days, was a bit of insanity on his part."
"Noor had his reasons," Tobias replied. "Williams and the others were to be his gift. A blood sacrifice to those who remain behind. Slaughtered lambs for them to vent their rage before the final conflagration."
"Nevertheless, it was an error that cost me a million euros to remedy," Ungar said without a trace of rancor.
"Noor and his savages can have the others to do with as they please. But I may need the Congresswoman's services in the future. It's never wise to squander an asset that could still prove useful."
Ungar paused. "Fortunately, I will only have to deal with these savages a little while longer, until they have served their purpose. When the bloodbath begins, America's attention will be focused on stopping the threat, and I can act freely. After the final attack on their financial center and my speech tomorrow, before the International Board of Currency Traders, the final nails will be pounded into the coffin of American hegemony."
"You will possess wealth beyond measure," the Albino rasped.
"More importantly, with Europe in ascendance, a sorry century of dangerous technological inventions, vulgar consumerism, crass commercialism, and vile popular culture will finally end."
"This plan is not without risks. And losses. I assume that you have accounted for them," the Albino said evenly.
"The outcomes are worth the risks," Ungar replied. "A century ago, Europe ruled the world through its superior culture, its economic might, and its colonial ambitions. Then came the First World War, communism, fascism, nazism, and another war that obliterated all traces of the glorious Europe that was. The Second World War allowed those barbarians to enter the gate. It gave the Americans free rein over the fate of the entire world."
Ungar glanced up, at the painting of his great-grandfather, the man who'd catapulted his Swiss family to prominence in the banking industry.
"America's dominance ends now," he went on. "Though Europe can never beat the superpower militarily, there are other ways to bring defeat to your enemies."
"Yes, well... I'm going back to the compound and meet with Noor for the last time," the Albino said. "Then I'm heading to my apartment in Manhattan, where I'll prepare for the final strike in the morning."
"Very good," Ungar replied.
There was a long pause. "You're quite certain the other nations are ready to go along with this scheme?" the Albino asked at last.
"Europe is