Fear the Future (The Fear Saga Book 3) by Stephen Moss Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Stephen Moss
fifty afterward. Provided, of course, that you are current signees of the TASC Independence Charter, and provided, gentlemen, that we can come to an agreement here today on the protocols I require.”
She looked around the room. She had surprised them, as she had planned to do, but she still saw hesitance. It was cracking under the weight of her clear resolve, but she had not won yet. On the one hand, she knew none of them wanted to be the one who would have to report back to their superiors that they had passed up a chance at such a prize, but nor did they wish to give in so easily either.
“I can offer one more thing, gentlemen. But this represents the full extent of my generosity in this matter.” They waited, and she did not disappoint. “If I am to ask for the right to fly a StratoJet into New York’s airspace, then it is only right that I offer the same courtesy to anyone else who thinks it appropriate.”
Most were taken aback, some were confused, some were outright suspicious, but all were at least a little bit curious. She went on, “TASC would like to offer to collect and deliver any of your state’s representatives that wish it directly from your home nations to the 34 th street heliport for the meeting at the UN headquarters, along with full protection from TASC forces. In one of our StratoJets it will take roughly a quarter of the time to get to and from New York as it would on a conventional passenger jet, and your charges will be much safer along the way.”
She went on with a rare smile. “It is not required, not by any means. But I hope you will see it as the gesture of good will it is intended to be. If all goes well at the meeting, you can consider it the first step toward gaining full access to the StratoJets, for your own use and even production down the line.”
She remained smiling as she said this. Bordering on beatific, it was more than a little bit scary for those in the room that knew her well. But it was also enticing as well. They knew her as a hard-line intelligence chief, but she had not always been so. She had once been a master at the art of seduction, and she employed some measure of that charm now.
They looked at her skeptically. It was an offer of candy from a stranger, there was no doubt about that, but this was no ordinary candy, and for all intents and purposes they were already in the stranger’s van anyway, so why not take the treat?
They would have to think about it. Oh, they would definitely have to think about it. Of course, she would say, take your time, she would say.
And so they would hear the rest of her requests and take them back to their superiors along with the details of her offer, and then they would get back to her.
But it would not be twenty minutes after the meeting had ended before the first of them started reaching out to her via her many back channels. Perhaps they could discuss a special consideration, in return for being the first to support her request. Perhaps a special relationship could be established. I could be a friend to you, they would say.
And who was the stranger offering candy now, she would think. But she would agree. For TASC needed them as much as they needed TASC. Indeed that was the whole point. As she and Neal had discussed in laborious detail since their declaration of independence, and communicated to their growing network of administrators and ambassadors and her growing network of spies: they must use a carrot whenever possible.
For they had some very nice carrots to use. But if the proverbial carrot on the end of the proverbial stick didn’t work, Ayala thought coldly, well then, she would just as happily use said stick to beat the proverbial shit out of them instead.
Chapter 6: Meating Room
The plane came in low and fast, piloted with aplomb by one of General Toranssen’s cadre of StratoJet pilots. It was not alone, and it was not the first. It was part of a chain of them coming into the heliport just south of the
She looked around the room. She had surprised them, as she had planned to do, but she still saw hesitance. It was cracking under the weight of her clear resolve, but she had not won yet. On the one hand, she knew none of them wanted to be the one who would have to report back to their superiors that they had passed up a chance at such a prize, but nor did they wish to give in so easily either.
“I can offer one more thing, gentlemen. But this represents the full extent of my generosity in this matter.” They waited, and she did not disappoint. “If I am to ask for the right to fly a StratoJet into New York’s airspace, then it is only right that I offer the same courtesy to anyone else who thinks it appropriate.”
Most were taken aback, some were confused, some were outright suspicious, but all were at least a little bit curious. She went on, “TASC would like to offer to collect and deliver any of your state’s representatives that wish it directly from your home nations to the 34 th street heliport for the meeting at the UN headquarters, along with full protection from TASC forces. In one of our StratoJets it will take roughly a quarter of the time to get to and from New York as it would on a conventional passenger jet, and your charges will be much safer along the way.”
She went on with a rare smile. “It is not required, not by any means. But I hope you will see it as the gesture of good will it is intended to be. If all goes well at the meeting, you can consider it the first step toward gaining full access to the StratoJets, for your own use and even production down the line.”
She remained smiling as she said this. Bordering on beatific, it was more than a little bit scary for those in the room that knew her well. But it was also enticing as well. They knew her as a hard-line intelligence chief, but she had not always been so. She had once been a master at the art of seduction, and she employed some measure of that charm now.
They looked at her skeptically. It was an offer of candy from a stranger, there was no doubt about that, but this was no ordinary candy, and for all intents and purposes they were already in the stranger’s van anyway, so why not take the treat?
They would have to think about it. Oh, they would definitely have to think about it. Of course, she would say, take your time, she would say.
And so they would hear the rest of her requests and take them back to their superiors along with the details of her offer, and then they would get back to her.
But it would not be twenty minutes after the meeting had ended before the first of them started reaching out to her via her many back channels. Perhaps they could discuss a special consideration, in return for being the first to support her request. Perhaps a special relationship could be established. I could be a friend to you, they would say.
And who was the stranger offering candy now, she would think. But she would agree. For TASC needed them as much as they needed TASC. Indeed that was the whole point. As she and Neal had discussed in laborious detail since their declaration of independence, and communicated to their growing network of administrators and ambassadors and her growing network of spies: they must use a carrot whenever possible.
For they had some very nice carrots to use. But if the proverbial carrot on the end of the proverbial stick didn’t work, Ayala thought coldly, well then, she would just as happily use said stick to beat the proverbial shit out of them instead.
Chapter 6: Meating Room
The plane came in low and fast, piloted with aplomb by one of General Toranssen’s cadre of StratoJet pilots. It was not alone, and it was not the first. It was part of a chain of them coming into the heliport just south of the
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