>>luckyu11 - Does this mean you are dropping the efforts to go after the hackers and others here on the dark web?
>>Th3Qu33nB1TCH - No, in fact, those who chose to remain on the sidelines in this fight are welcome to continue this effort, but they will be moved to a different group and headed up by a lead chosen from those who have helped already. If one of you do not accept my offer, then I would imagine you will be the one to lead up this effort, with our support under your direction with an override from ADAM.
>>Ih8tuGeorge - Why do I feel the other shoe hasn’t dropped?
>>Th3Qu33nB1TCH - Because it hasn’t. Since we are laying our cards on the table, I’ve asked ADAM if he is ok with me laying out another one.
>>ki55mia55 - Adam is really Andrea?
>>luckyu11 - Adam, are you an AI?
>>ki55mia55 - Wait, what? Did I miss something?
>>Ih8tuGeorge - Fuck! Adam, are you an AI? Damn, that would explain why you are so cool. I’ve argued with my roommate that you can’t possibly be real.
>>MyNam3isADAM - I am not what you would consider an Artificial Intelligence. A typical AI is a super fast computer that can approximate what a human would do in a situation and then choose the best option. That type of AI approximates a human.
>>luckyu11 - I’m in.
>>Th3Qu33nB1TCH - That was fast.
>>luckyu11 - I’m Japanese, we love technology, and I’ve been studying AI stuff for years, since I was eight. I’d have ADAM’s babies if I could.
>>Th3Qu33nB1TCH - You might want to take that back.
>>Ih8tuGeorge - Damn, wish I was a girl.
>>ki55mia55 - Nerdgasm.
>>Th3Qu33nB1TCH - Kiss, you really don’t get out a lot, do you?
>>ki55mia55 - Sorry, I’m not that good with interpersonal relationships. I’m excited, is that a better word choice?
>>Th3Qu33nB1TCH - No, I think you were right the first time. Keep Nerdgasm. It’s growing on me.
>>ki55mia55 - You’re kinda cool for a CEO.
>>Ih8tuGeorge - Yeah, I’m going to have to agree with kiss on this, are you sure you are the real Bethany Anne?
>>MyNam3isADAM - She is the real Bethany Anne, I would not pull your leg like she would.
>>ki55mia55 - Really? Why not.
>>MyNam3isADAM - Because I would not break faith with you three.
BAM! Bethany Anne thought, my little AI just grew up.
>>Ih8tuGeorge - Adam, how did you help J0n3sN4u?
>>MyNam3isADAM - Once you sent me the message, I spoke with Bethany Anne and she sent…Well, would you speak to this Bethany Anne?
>>Th3Qu33nB1TCH - I have different groups who operate on my behalf. In South America, I have a representative from my Ranger group who extricated him and is making sure he is safe.
>>ki55mia55 - Is he putting him in a safe house?
>>Th3Qu33nB1TCH - Well, she has him protected at her house while she takes care of the problem. Her group is responsible for policing, and a drug lord problem is in her area of responsibility.
>>Ih8tuGeorge - A ranger? Like a Texas Ranger?
>>Th3Qu33nB1TCH - Yes, the concepts are similar.
>>Ih8tuGeorge - Can I work with her?
>>Th3Qu33nB1TCH - I suppose the potential is there. However, I’m not sure you would make the grade.
>>Ih8tuGeorge - I’m not as sedentary as you might think.
>>Th3Qu33nB1TCH - Ih8tuGeorge, I wasn’t talking about your ability to move physically. I was thinking more about the fact she is one of the best hackers in the world. So, you might need to up your game before she could benefit from your help.
>>Ih8tuGeorge - She’s a hacker too? I’m in love.
>>Th3Qu33nB1TCH - How can you be in love already? You haven’t even met her.
>>Ih8tuGeorge - Who cares? She can kick ass and hack computers, what else do I need to know?
>>Th3Qu33nB1TCH - Well, how about whether she can cook?
>>Ih8tuGeorge - There is Taco Bell for that.
>>ki55mia55 - I’m with George, if she can hack and kick ass, I’m in for meeting her as well.
>>Th3Qu33nB1TCH - I’ll have to consider that. If you guys are on the team, it would make sense, and I imagine it would happen in the future, but otherwise I have no idea. I can’t make a promise either way.
>>Ih8tuGeorge - It doesn’t matter, ADAM has made my life mean something. That he is some form of AI only makes it cooler. Your group seems pretty damned important, and I trust you guys more than the rest. I’m in.
>>ki55mia55 - I wish I could be in. I need to stay with my GF, and she won’t leave her parents. Yeah, I know, love and all of that but I can’t leave the only girl who has ever trusted me and done me right.
>>Th3Qu33nB1TCH - Kiss, we can’t directly connect with you due to paper trails, but do look for something good in the near future. You will stay working with ADAM, and we will keep the civilian side going while the others help us focus on a direct issue.
>>ki55mia55 - Thanks, it means a lot that you trust me to continue the work with Adam. Or I guess it is ADAM?
>>Th3Qu33nB1TCH - Nah, leave it Adam. We do trust you, because if it becomes known what Adam is, we are going to have a serious set of issues on our hands.
>>ki55mia55 - It’s ok, Adam has my back, I got his.
>>MyNam3isADAM - Thank you, ki55mia55.
>>ki55mia55 - Dude, it’s just kiss. Now that I think I know why you never shortened it, please know my friends all do.
>>MyNam3isADAM - Thank you, kiss.
>>ki55mia55 - I’ll catch up with you guys. See you soon and Bethany Anne? Thank you. I appreciate your trust.
>>Th3Qu33nB1TCH - You are welcome, kiss.
>>ki55mia55 has disconnected.
>>Th3Qu33nB1TCH - Ok, we will have another set of conversations, but this is just the beginning. We will figure out how many you might want to pull from your teams that would be willing to come work for me. I’ll let you and Adam vet the people first, then another on my team will do it again.
>>Th3Qu33nB1TCH has disconnected.
>>MyNam3isADAM - George, lucky?
>>Ih8tuGeorge - Yes?
>>luckyu11 - Yes?
>>MyNam3isADAM - Welcome to ADAM’s War.
CHAPTER NINE
Paris, France
George Bernard looked around the opulent room and sniffed. He hated the old, staid hotels from hundreds of years ago. He stepped into the private chambers and nodded to the second most powerful woman in Europe if you believed Forbes.
If you didn’t, she was the most powerful person in Europe, man or woman. What she knew about some members of high society would embarrass a woman of the night. She used that knowledge to manipulate men and women in little ways, ways which always worked out for one of her companies, eventually. Even a few years away.
She was a planner, a thinker, and an excellent strategist. That she was joining this event meant she wasn’t sure of the future herself.
George decided to make his way around to Cynthia to see if he could pick her brain.
He counted heads and came up with twenty-two. A pretty big group willing to change their schedules at a moment's notice to discuss the issues within the group across the nations here in Europe. He couldn’t find Joshua, but rumor had it that he had skipped out of his home in the U.S. and left a note that he was going to be gone for a long time.
He was either yellow or a genius. George wasn’t sure which. He walked over to the foods placed out and grabbed a small plate. He placed a few wedges of cheese and a couple of melon slices on his plate. Grabbing a small fork and napkin, he continued out of the line and found himself conveniently close to Cynthia.
He stepped over and cleared his throat to catch her attention, “Cynthia, how are you this evening?”
Cynthia looked up to John and smirked, “Ever the quiet and devious one George. I was wondering if you were going to swing my way, or Terence’s over there?” She nodded her head off to the left where Terence Whitesbridge was holding his own so
rt of court.
“Didn’t you know? I’m completely heterosexual,” George started, but had to stop when Cynthia spit wine out unexpectedly as she was taking a sip. He quickly provided her his napkin and she was able to sop up most of the wine without making too much of a mess.
“I’m sorry,” George started while smiling, “I hadn’t meant to catch you unawares.”
Cynthia dropped the sodden napkin on a tray and set her wine next to it, “I should remember that you enjoy twisting the words.” She turned to him and smiled, “Ok, I’ll show you my,” she paused and lifted an eyebrow, George kept quiet, “cards.”
“Damn” He murmured as she smiled.
“If you will show me your…” He raised an eyebrow to her. She rolled her eyes and finished, “Cards.”
He put up two fingers a little space between the two of them, “So close.”
“I bet you were a spot of trouble in school, Mr. Bernard.” She asked him.
He winked, “So, I’m Mr. Bernard now?” He flicked off some imaginary lint off of his shoulder, “I’ll try not to be such a cad for the rest of the evening.”
“Why is that?” Cynthia asked, “I rather like cad’s, they are so honest in what they want.”
“What if I admitted I only wanted you for your knowledge, wisdom, and guidance?” George asked her.
She pursed her lips and leaned towards him, “Then I would wonder why my body was always in second place?”
“Could it be that your greatest,” George leaned to the side and acted like he was trying to see around her to her back, “assets,” he leaned back to look at her, “aren’t displayed appropriately?”
Cynthia put a hand to her mouth and chuckled, “For a devious son-of-a-bitch, you can still be quite charming.”
“I try.”
“Yes, I know. That’s why I was waiting for you at the end of the line.” She winked at him.
George raised his eyebrows, the stalker got snared in the web. He needed to up his game. Or, considering that he wanted to be right here anyway, maybe he should pat himself on the back for accomplishing the mission. For twenty minutes, he and Cynthia talked around every subject but the reason they had come to this meeting.
The battle with TQB Enterprises.
When the time came, the main participants, twenty-four in all, sat around the table in no particular order. The issue of who sat at the end and had the most important seat was solved two centuries ago. You had a vote; you had the ability to call a vote. The rest of your power laid outside of this room most of the time, or perhaps inside the room if you considered your relationships. Take, for example, Terence Whitesbridge, who easily commanded two-thirds of the onlookers this evening.
After two small issues had been discussed, Terence stood. “Now, for the main reason we have all joined this evening in Paris.” He nodded to both sides of the table, “What we care to do about TQB and our efforts to either acquire their companies, their technology or both.” He looked down at the table and lifted a folder. Opening it, he pulled out a piece of vellum with some writing on it. “I have spoken with many of you tonight, and if I have not then, please forgive me for failing to speak with you yet.”
George wanted to snort. Terence had made sure to speak to those he needed, neither Cynthia nor he was needed at the moment.
Terence continued, “I have been approached, as have some of you, by an interested third party not associated with our group. Further, they have all sought to see if we would be willing to forego any material business relationships with TQB if they would provide suitable purchases to offset anything TQB might be acquiring from us.” Terence waited for the chuckles to die down. However they did it, TQB knew who was after them and certainly did their best not to engage in any material business with any of their companies.
Those bastards.
“So, I have talked with a couple of you who have received similar advances, and we understand that our potential suitor is none other than the government of China. Oh, they were pretty good at trying to use cut-outs, but they need to step up their game a little,” he smiled to everyone.
George leaned over, “Is it only me, or do you want to punch his teeth out, too?”
Cynthia turned towards him, a twinkle in her eye to whisper, “No, a swift knee to his jewels for me. Pompous Ass!”
Before she turned back, George asked, “Did you get approached? I did not.” She nodded that she had and then leaned back up to listen.
“Now, we have one of the nation-states getting involved with TQB, which will probably focus their attention away from whatever we choose to do, and away from retribution based on past perceived slights our group might have been guilty of.”
“Not only a pompous ass,” Cynthia whispered, “But delusional also!” George thought her eyes might light up if she got just a little more angry.
“So, we have two paths to follow at this juncture. We can take this opportunity that China is going to provide and place our tail firmly between our legs and go home.” Terence waited for the appropriate amount of grumbling to occur before continuing. “Or, we can use China as a way to hide our next attack. I’m not for letting China get the spoils of the war we started!”
George looked around in shock as at least eight men, and two women jumped up to push against the idea of letting China take the spoils of their efforts against TQB.
Cynthia shook her head as she watched the people around the table before she tapped George on the shoulder. He turned, the surprise evident on his face at what he was also witnessing. “George, we have two options here.” He nodded that he was listening. While she was speaking softly, she didn’t need to. The yelling and boisterous comments that Terence was only encouraging hid anything they needed to say. “We can go back to my place and roll around on my bed for at least a day or two before we don’t get sex again.” He raised an eyebrow in surprise at her comment before she continued, “Not much sex in prison … or you can stay here and the only wood you will ever get again is going to be the coffin they bury you in.”
“You don’t think TQB is going to focus on China?” He asked.
She turned to look at the people there and made a face, “These idiots keep thinking that TQB is another company, one they can manipulate.” She turned to look at him, “They are a force focused on the future and will destroy whatever is in their way. I’d rather be safe, even if that means prison, rather than with these idiots.”
As she stood up and started for the door she heard George move his chair to follow her.
“Cynthia, where are you going?” she heard Terence call from behind her. She turned around and smiled to the people there who had quieted down to hear what she had to say.
“Terence, and my esteemed idiots who are following Terence, I’m going home to get laid. I plan on having as much sex and human comfort as I can afford in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours before the government comes for me. I’m thankful the headsman's ax isn’t used in this day and age. I’m also leaving behind,” she noticed George coming up to her, “twenty-two dead people still talking. You have not taken the measure of your enemy. If you try to do anything with TQB again, she is going to pull the gloves off, and I doubt there will be anything but a bloody spot on the ground when she is done with you all.”
SUED FOR PEACE (The Kurtherian Gambit Book 11) Page 10