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.With billions of dollars in revenue at stake, clandestine activities ranging from intelligence gathering and sophisticated electronic warfare to coordinated military-style operations will become an everyday reality in the new business ecology.Ultimately, the competitive actions of the Corporate States will mimic those of any competing predators in the natural world.Alliances will be made, weakness will be studied, and, when the opportunity to dominate presents itself, power will be exercised with swift and lethal precision.”James H.Stone“Predictions in the New Business Ecology”42.Jeri stood behind the counter and vaguely noticed her heart beating faster as she held the red and blue-edged airmail envelope.It was thicker than any of those previous, its corner covered with extra airmail stamps and the dull smears of red “RUSH” postmarks.She smiled with excitement and started tearing it open when a voice suddenly cried out across from her.“Don’t open that!” Tom Coleman screamed as he leaned across the counter and roughly snatched the envelope from her hand.Jeri stared back at him in shock.“What the hell are you doing?” she asked angrily, holding out her hand.“That belongs to me!”Tom ignored her as he carefully examined the envelope.He shook his head disbelievingly as he held it up to the dim overhead light.“It can’t be him,” he mumbled.“It just can’t be.”Jeri watched him cautiously for a moment before looking over at Chip.“Do you have any idea what he’s talking about?”Chip nodded his head slowly.“I’m afraid I do.”“Then please, enlighten me,” Jeri demanded.“Your former pen pal was a terrorist, Jeri,” Tom said matter-of-factly as he dropped the envelope onto the counter.“A what?” Jeri asked, smiling at the absurdity of Tom’s comment.“You heard me,” Tom replied flatly.He turned and pointed at the shrine of letters on the far wall.“You see all those letters over there? They weren’t written by a doctor, or an art collector, or some freelance journalist out on assignment.They were written by a killer.By an international goddamn terrorist.And when he wasn’t writing letters and taking silly pictures for you, he was murdering innocent people.”Jeri’s smile slowly faded.“You can’t be serious.”“I’m absolutely serious,” Tom replied.Jeri looked back and forth at the two men.“Okay, what the hell’s going on here? Is this some kind of practical joke?”“I think it’s time Jeri heard the full story,” Chip said softly as he stared into his beer.“Wouldn’t you agree, Tom?”Tom narrowed his eyes on Chip.“Sure, why not.” He frowned at Jeri and pointed at the barstool next to him.“You may as well come over here and sit down.”“I’ll stand right here, thanks,” Jeri replied tersely, crossing her arms as she leaned against the counter.“Suit yourself,” Tom countered.“You want the story? Here’s the story.”Tom quickly began summarizing his investigation, beginning with his initial discovery of the link between the letters’ origins and the deaths of several Petronus Energy researchers.Jeri’s eyes widened in surprise as he then told her about the death in Kaliningrad that proved his assumption was more than just a theory.He was just about to tell her about Alex and the SOG team raid in Amsterdam when she suddenly held up her hand.“I don’t get it,” Jeri said, shaking her head.“Even if there was some shred of truth to what you’re saying, how could you possibly know all this?”“It’s my business to know all this,” Tom replied as he reached into his jacket.He pulled out his ICE badge and briefly showed it to her before returning it to his pocket.“I’m not playing with you, Jeri.I’m an agent with the Department of Homeland Security.This is what I do.I know everything there is to know about your pen pal.” He paused and pointed at the envelope on the counter.“And I’m telling you… that letter can’t be from him.”Jeri picked up the envelope and held it in front of Tom.“What makes you so sure?”Tom looked at her with a cautious expression.“Because four nights ago I watched him die in his hotel room in Amsterdam.”Jeri stood frozen for a moment, waiting for the shockwave to pass through her.She squeezed the envelope tightly in her hand before walking over to her barstool and sitting down.A moment later she looked up at Tom with an accusatory stare.“You used the address he included in the last letter to find him, didn’t you?”“Yes,” Tom replied flatly.Jeri’s eyes flashed to Chip.“And you knew about this?”Chip nodded.“I did, Jeri.I’m sorry.That’s why I’ve been spending more time here lately.I thought if nothing else I could at least… well, keep my eye on you.”Jeri glared at him angrily before looking at Tom.“So how did he die?”“He killed himself,” Tom answered unapologetically.“We had him holed up in his hotel room, surrounded by agents.There was no chance of escape and he knew it.So he detonated a bomb like any other gutless terrorist would do.Luckily none of the agents involved were killed.”Jeri stared at the envelope in her hand and shook her head.“Then this can’t be from him.” She suddenly ripped the corner open and looked inside.The folded sheets of hotel stationary were covered in a familiar handwriting.Jeri started to remove them, then stopped and looked at Tom.“Did you see him do it?” she asked.Tom looked at her quizzically.“See him do what?”“Did you actually see him detonate the explosive?”“Yes.Well, I mean… I watched it happen over a live video link from the agents conducting the operation.They were just about to enter his room when the explosion happened.”“Was the door closed?”Tom sighed.“Yes, the door was closed.”“So you did not actually see him detonate the explosion – correct?”Tom shook his head in frustration.“Look Jeri, I see where you’re going with this, but it’s pointless.There were three teams of agents covering the guy when he entered the hotel.They swept the entire place before entering his room.He blew himself to hell, and I saw it happen [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]