Washington, USA.
The press conference had not been easy for Collins. They literally peppered him with questions as soon as he stepped onto the press room and, although he expected it, he was not fully prepared to face the suspicion of journalists, and even more so when the only suspects in the attacks were dead. At first, he tried to focus on his government's efforts to end the national emergency due to the attacks, but could not, since one of the journalists asked him for his opinion about what was happening in the Middle East and only said that his diplomatic corps was in talks with several countries to avoid a war in the region, and the whole press conference went there. He expressed surprise at Israel's nuclear weapons and the theft of them, and commented he had offered help to find them.
“Do you think they can find them before they are used by those who stole them, as for example, against the USA, hypothetically speaking?&rdqu
Chihuahuan Desert, Texas, USA.The night before had been too busy in the complex and Hansen could not sleep well, worried about the constant arrival of more guests. When he was about to go out for breakfast, there was a knock on his room door; he opened it and was met by the smiling figure of Harvey. This time Hansen thought it was a forced smile."Mr. Richmond is waiting for you in his private study. Please follow me.”“You hadn’t told me that he had a private study.”“I didn’t it because it isn’t available to you.” Harvey said solemnly as they descended the stairs. “Besides Mr. Richmond’s room, of course.”Hansen found that comment a bit rude, but understood he was in no position to reply, at least not yet. They went through the spacious living room to the southwest corner and they found a kind of corridor, also wide, which ended in a kind of reading ro
Washington, USA.Collins could hardly fall asleep, but he did not sleep enough because before dawn he was awakened by an urgent call from the Secretary General and Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, the Englishman Frederick Williamson, and Italian Admiral Guido Martinengo, respectively. Upon reaching the telepresence room, he found both characters on either side of the big screen in front of him."I apologize for being late, gentlemen," justified Collins, sitting in the chair behind the large table in the center of the room. “Has NATO already taken a position on the conflict in the Middle East?”"Greetings, Mr. President," Williamson told him. “We are calling you to inform you that Turkey has asked the Council to activate security and defense protocols for its nation, arguing that it could soon be the target of attacks by Israel.”“I understand that Turkey is already mobilizing its troops. W
Tel Aviv, Israel.The five men had talked animatedly for a few minutes in one of the rooms of the old house on the outskirts of town. Abinadab was outside waiting, heard a car stop in front of the house, looked out the window and saw three men coming out of it. He recognized them and hurried to open the door for them, letting them in. Prior to the closure he made sure there was no suspicious person on the street.“Where are they?” One of them asked.“In that room,” Abinadab pointed to one of the rooms. The three men entered the room and found the other Israelis sitting on the floor in a rug, immediately ending the conversation.“Our friends, the gringos!” One of them said, the leader of the group. “Come on! Come on! Sit down with us.”The newcomers sat down next to them.“We heard there was a problem with the missiles,” the American leader said in
Tel Aviv, Israel. In an old shack built in the middle of the desert on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, the group of mercenaries who had lost their nuclear weapons regrouped around the commander of the operation and the rest of their companions, obfuscated by the audacity of the Israelis. The commander, an African-American man with an imposing presence, had just given the news to their client, throwing the satellite phone on the table he was sitting at. He looked closely at his men and after a few seconds that seemed like an eternity to everyone, he got up and said, resting his fists on the table:“Gentlemen, I have informed our client of the latest events, and to my surprise, he has taken it very well, to the point that he has ordered us to leave the country immediately.”“¿And the rest of the payment?” One of the men asked.“The rest of the money is being deposited at the moment in the accounts of e
Tel Aviv, Israel.Justin had taken advantage of the fact that his friends were already drunk when he decided to leave the bar to find a quiet place to try to call his country. He had stolen one of his companions' jeeps and already was on the outskirts of Tel Aviv when he saw in the distance what appeared to be two missiles traveling through the Israeli sky, almost at the same time, and after a few seconds slightly take two different directions approaching the ground. Within seconds he heard a loud bang and saw a huge cloud of smoke and dust rise. In the bar he had heard one of his former colleagues say that the stolen missiles had already been launched against Iran, so he assumed that those that had just hit the city had been launched by Iran in response to the initial attack.He pulled off the road and stopped about two hundred yards from it in the middle of the barren landscape. It was already waning the afternoon. He took the satellite p
Buenos Aires, Argentina.The flight had departed around midnight the day before and despite being sleepy they couldn't get much sleep. The journey went smoothly despite how long she considered it had been. Only when they were passing through the Amazon did they feel some turbulence, and that made the girl a little uneasy. She told her that was normal when they traveled by plane and she calmed down. As always, Julianne gave her the security and confidence she needed when she was feeling uneasy or worried about something. Despite not being her mother, she raised her as if she were, especially when her brother strongly asked her to do it for him. She considered herself his mother, having had her under her care practically since she was born.And to Marianne she was her mother.The captain announced over the loudspeakers in English and Spanish they were approaching the airport and began the descent maneuvers for the landing, ordering the passe
The Vatican, Vatican City State.He was about to go to sleep when he heard a knock on his bedroom door. Lazily he went and opened it, finding a man in his late sixties with an expressionless face. He was just like him, in pajamas and slippers."Cardinal Agnello," he greeted him, intrigued. “I was about to go to bed. What can I do for you?”"May I come in? It will only take a few minutes ...”He stepped aside and the newcomer entered the room. In the middle of it he turned to look at him, still with an expressionless face. After several seconds, which seemed like an eternity, he began to speak:“Cardinal Nitti, I have just received very important information and I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow to communicate it to you. It is important we make a decision tonight.”“And what information is that?”"It took a while for our investigator, but after so long we finally
New York, USA.The Bentley pulled up in front of one of the great buildings on Fifth Avenue, near the Metropolitan Museum. They got out of the car and entered the building. The man who had always spoken to them entered the elevator with them, while the other two who accompanied him stayed in the car and continued on their way. They came to a large entrance hall to one of the apartments, with marble floors and walls covered with some paintings that they supposed must cost a fortune. A butler greeted them and led them across the hall to an office which looked more like a library, judging by the number of books. The butler asked them to sit down, while the other subject told them he was going to look for Mr. Richmond, leaving immediately."Can I get you something while you wait?" The butler asked them."If possible, a soda," Doris asked, somewhat embarrassed. The butler nodded slightly."And for the gentleman?""Just water, than