Chapter 29

Gregor Kondor was old and he was sick, but none of that lessened his willingness to destroy anyone who posed a threat to his plans. It was a lesson he'd learned early in life. All his years and experience had never given him any reason to change his mind. As far as Kondor was concerned, there were only two kinds of people in the world. There were those who ruled, and those who were meant to serve. Early on, he'd known which one he was going to be. He hadn't become one of the richest men in the world by being a nice guy, and he hadn't gotten that rich without a network of people who kept him informed about things he needed to know.

Kondor had many sources of information scattered around the world. It was a mid-level officer in the American CIA who let him know that the disbanded group called the Project was still around, although under a different name. The same people who had destroyed AEON and murdered his friend were trying to track down the bombs, with the connivance of Langley and a White House pretending to look the other way.

That meant they were a problem.

Kondor remembered the last time he'd seen Johannes. He remembered the hospital stink of his room. He remembered Gutenberg's terrible burns, caused as he escaped the flaming collapse of his home. A fine man, persecuted and murdered by the same people who now threatened to prevent his plan to transform the world from bearing fruit.

He should have taken care of them sooner, but he'd been absorbed in the preparations for establishing a world government. It didn't matter. There was still time enough to eliminate them. Kondor pressed a button on his desk to summon his head of security .

No one would ever mistake the man who came into the room for anything but what he was, a former special forces soldier who had left all of his compassion on some obscure battlefield. Harlan Crowther was a few inches over six feet tall, broad shouldered, with muscles that stretched his shirt to its limit. His arms were as thick as some people's legs. He'd grown up in coal country, in the hills of West Virginia. At seventeen he'd lied about his age and joined the Army. He'd put up with the military bullshit because he loved the challenge of special forces. He would've put in his thirty, but he'd punched out an officer in Afghanistan and earned a dishonorable discharge.

After the Army, he'd joined a mercenary outfit. That was where Kondor's spotter had found and recruited him.

Crowther had an instinctive ability to lead and the kind of amoral ruthlessness Kondor admired. It had only taken him a few years to rise to his position as head of security. Crowther earned two hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year. Kondor considered it cheap at the price.

"You sent for me, sir?"

"Sit down, Crowther. I have a job for you."

Crowther took a seat.

"I want you to take care of a problem for me. There are some people who are interfering with my plans. It will require travel."

"Where am I going?"

"At the moment they are in Washington, although that may change. There may be additional travel."

"When do I leave?"

"Soon. First I need to be certain they are still in America." Kondor pushed a folder across his desk. "This is the information you need."

Crowther opened the folder. It contained photographs and a list of names and addresses.

"You want a full sanction? "

"Yes. Everyone in that folder. You will need to use caution. These people are not typical. They are highly trained, usually armed, and should be considered quite dangerous."

"I've always liked a challenge, sir."

"Do not underestimate them, Crowther. Pick a few men to go with you, men you trust to do what has to be done and keep their mouths shut."

"That's not a problem."

"Do this for me, and there will be a large bonus for you and your men when you return. I will let you know when it's time to move."

Crowther stood. He knew when he was being dismissed.

"Yes, sir. I won't let you down."

As he left the room, Crowther smiled to himself. The job paid well, that was for sure, but it was boring as hell. Except for a few isolated incidents, there hadn't been much to do except train and keep his men in a state of readiness. That wasn't easy in the peaceful quiet of Switzerland. It was about time he had something to do that would require all of his skills.

Kondor had said the targets were dangerous. Maybe so, but he was certain they'd never come up against somebody like him.

By the time he exited the château, Crowther was whistling to himself.