They pulled up to a ten-foot-high concrete wall that blocked the road and extended fifty meters in either direction, following the rise of the land, before doubling back out of sight. The double doors in the center swung open and Cesar drove through. Valika noted the guards on the parapet inside the wall, making sure they were alert, then the mansion directly in front. Souris had not said a word since getting off the plane, nor had she reacted to anything they had discussed.
Cesar stopped the Jeep and shut off the engine. “We have a meeting to attend.”
They walked into the mansion, passed through a large foyer and into a centrally located atrium where a half dozen men in expensive suits were seated around a small conference table set to one side. Valika recognized all of them from previous meetings of the group-the leaders of the six major families that made up ninety percent of the Colombian drug cartel. The Ring. Cesar’s father had founded it not long after taking over Saba, and it was one of the most closely kept secrets in the world, although Valika knew that Western intelligence agencies were aware it existed. So far Saba still remained a secret, as the West focused its energies on Colombia, the source of the cocaine.
Valika had extensive files on each of the men present and contingency plans to destroy each of their cartels if Cesar gave her the word. Loyalty was never a certain thing when billions of dollars were involved. The Ring controlled an annual take of over ten billion U.S. dollars, and she knew that given the slightest sign of weakness on the part of Cesar, the jackals would be after him.
Cesar went to the remaining seat at the head of the table. Valika took a position to his right and slightly behind. Souris moved to a chair in the shadows beyond the table and sat there.
“Gentlemen,” Cesar said, nodding at them. He leaned back and clasped his hands contentedly on his lap. “Last night was a success. We have Señoritas Valika and Souris to thank for that.” He turned to the old man seated to his immediate right, the eldest member of the Ring. “And, my comrade, Señor Naldo, you have them to thank for stopping the Americans’ attempt to interdict a rather large shipment of your product and kidnap your son.”
Valika could see that Naldo was not about to shower thanks on her. The men were never happy with her presence. For the past ten years she had run into the macho Latin attitude of South American men in all her dealings. A woman who killed, who was involved in their business, was a threat to their manhood. And Souris ’s mere presence was enough to add a level of unease to any meeting. This was the first time they got to see the American scientist, and she could see many curious glances in Souris ’s direction.
“You have taken a lot of our money.” The man who suddenly spoke was the one on the opposite end of the table. Valika recognized him and wasn’t surprised at his outburst-Alarico, the youngest of those gathered here, who had been grandfathered into the Ring because his now deceased father had been a founding member. She took half a step forward but Cesar raised the pinkie on his left hand, indicating for her to be still.
Alarico continued to address Cesar, ignoring Valika. “I myself have contributed ten times what the shipment last night would have cost Naldo if lost to the Americans, so I assume he has given a similar amount. That is not a profit. I want to know what exactly has been accomplished with our shared resources. I-and the others here-joined the Ring because of your father, because he promised us a new direction through unity, but years have gone by, your father has passed on, and you have told us little. You tell us of tests, use words one would need a dictionary for, and speak of things that make little practical sense.”
“Your father joined the Ring because my father would have crushed him if he didn’t,” Cesar said in an even tone. “And you, my dear Alarico, stay for the same reason.”
Alarico stood, his chair falling back. “I did not come here to be insulted.”
“I am not insulting you,” Cesar replied calmly. “I am mentioning facts. I called you here to tell you our new direction and what you have been paying for.” Cesar leaned back in his seat and gestured for Alarico to sit. Reluctantly, the young man did so. “It began about ten years ago in the United States. They built a facility to work on developing a new type of weapon. Professor Souris was in charge of this research. The place was called the High-Energy Research and Technology Facility. The Americans were planning to develop various weapons that utilized radio waves. One of those programs was called HAARP-which stands for High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program.”
Valika could see Alarico roll his eyes, but Cesar either didn’t see it or chose to ignore it.
“Two years ago, a good portion of the money that you contributed to our organization was used to lure Professor Souris away from the United States and to our lovely island. Before she left, she took all her research data and the prototype of the HAARP computer which she has developed into what we now call Aura.”
Valika was watching the men’s faces, noting their reactions. Even though she was Cesar’s security chief, the inner workings of the Ring he kept to himself. He had never confided in her what his ultimate plan for Aura was. She could tell some of the men around the table already knew the information he was giving them; to others it was completely new. That gave her an idea of Cesar’s confidence in the various men.
“What is this HAARP and Aura?” Naldo asked.
“I will get to that,” Cesar promised. “First, though, let me ask you all to think about something. We are very rich from our work, are we not?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “But we are always being threatened. The Americans with their Task Force Six have taken their drug war illegally into our own country, and the world turns a blind eye because we are criminals. What are they then when they thumb their nose at international borders and assassinate people? Are they not criminals also, hiding behind a flag?
“Up until now we have dared not fight back, because we did not have the means to do so with any hope of surviving. And then there are others who seek to take our part of the market-the Mafia, the Russians, now even the Chinese Triads with support from Beijing are getting stronger and stretching their muscles overseas into our markets. There is no future in this.”
“And?” Alarico asked impatiently. “What future are you crafting here on your private island?”
“The means to keep track of our enemies and when necessary defeat them. To make them fear us.”
“How?” Alarico’s question earned him hard looks from the other men at the table.
“Professor Souris has developed a computer called Aura that-”
Alarico snorted. “You’ve used our money to make computers? The Americans are supposed to be scared of a computer?”
Valika could tell that Cesar was controlling himself with great effort. “In a manner of speaking. The computer is just one piece of the entire system.”
“I am an old man,” Naldo said, interrupting and trying to throw a little water on things. “I am not, how do you say, technically proficient. My grandchild knows more about computers than I do. I do not see the connection between what you are speaking about now and what happened last night, not that I do not appreciate what happened.” Naldo nodded slightly toward Valika, the equivalent of a standing ovation in this group.
Cesar nodded in turn. “I will let the expert explain it to you as best she can.” He crooked a finger and Valika took a step back as the American came out of the shadows. “Professor Souris has been in charge of developing Aura.”
Souris inclined her head briefly in greeting to those gathered around the table. “Gentlemen. You want to know what Aura is.” A thin hand fluttered briefly from out of the robe’s sleeve. “It is all around you. It is everywhere. And nowhere. It is where we want it to be.”