That was a pro-tip given to him by Butch.
“We’ll be the judge of whether you’re dangerous.” The three men came out from the safety of their trucks. The first man carried his carbine. The other two had semi-automatic pistols.
He laughed.
“What’s so damned funny?” the leader asked, not sharing his mood.
“Oh, it’s hard to explain. I had a run-in with guys like you back in St. Charles. I stayed out of the way while your team members looted the gun counter at a Bass Pro. Then I tried to avoid being shot by more of your men when they stormed a camp full of families. This morning I watched as your friends blew up the asteroid sitting in the river. It killed a crap ton of Kansas City, uh, people.” He wasn’t sure what to call them. To put an exclamation point on his speech, he laughed even harder.
The carbine guy lowered the rifle, clearly settling into the role of controlling his prisoner. “Still don’t understand why that’s so hilarious to you.”
He snorted, then pointed at their trucks. “Because you forgot your roadblock has two directions.”
Butch and Haley stood behind the men, aiming rifles and looking as if they might pull the trigger on the spot.
The men dropped their weapons.
His plan for a two-pronged diversion had finally worked.
Denver, CO
Petteri allowed himself a moment of reflection while the helicopter blades got up to speed. The city of Denver was crumpling in around him like a wet paper bag. His men had fought off the uprising of citizens as much as they did battle with elements of the city police force and other mining companies. When enough steam gathered against him, he simply didn’t have enough men to hold the line. Even promises of untold wealth couldn’t change that reality.
The executive helicopter lifted off the roof, taking him, Dorothy, Mr. Aarons and his two extra guards to safety. He leaned to see out the window.
“Will we ever see the ore?” Dorothy asked sadly.
His team had done their best. It was no longer a curved ball of rock; one side had been chiseled down by several feet and the ore evacuated on dump trucks. But it was a small portion of the greater treasure. He estimated his people had gotten ten percent at best. It pained him to admit they would never get the ore. There was a way to rephrase what was about to happen.
“Dorothy, the rock down there still has value to TKM. You are about to see how.”
Petteri pulled out his smartphone and dialed a familiar number.
Stricker picked up after two rings. “Ah, Mr. Petteri. How good of you to call.”
“I’ve made my decision.” He sighed for effect. “TKM will surrender the dig site in Denver to the US government as payment for your trouble.”
“Excellent!” Stricker bubbled.
“But that’s not all.”
“Oh?” the man on the phone said cautiously. “I must remind you the president wants this—”
Petteri laughed in a jovial way. “This isn’t about being difficult. This is about helping the nation. I’ve tried to get my relief trucks into the cities to help the people survive. My teams have made some progress, but even I have to admit I might have bitten off more than I could chew. My fondest desire is knowing Tikkanen Mining has done a small service in keeping people alive until your government forces could get in there and finish the job.”
He set up his final gamble with his losing hand.
“I want to offer you the entire dig site in an additional city. Consider it a down payment for all the work you’re going to do with the recovery efforts. Denver was, um, a mutually agreed-upon fee from TKM.” He chafed saying the words but couldn’t get around the fact he’d been played. “However, to show you we are in this together, to the end, we’re giving the second rock as an outright charitable gift. No strings attached.”
Petteri looked over to Dorothy. Her jaw had come unhinged. Probably due to her never imagining he contained an ounce of charity in his body. Stricker sounded equally as surprised over the phone line.
“Hello?” he prodded.
“I’m here,” Stricker replied. “That is very generous, sir. Perhaps, with this new understanding, we could work out an equitable transfer regimen? Say a period where my department takes over, looks at what’s involved, then we get the rest of the agencies in there. I could even cut you in on my operation; say, ten percent of my take.”
He couldn’t pass on an opportunity for free money. “How about fifteen percent? I’ll even leave some of my equipment at each of the dig sites.”
Petteri smiled wickedly at the destruction down on the streets. There was some abandoned equipment scattered on the roads. He hadn’t been lying. But men and women from the city also stood near the giant rock. Stricker would have to deal with them to get to the equipment, and the rock itself.
On the brighter side, Stricker was being Stricker, as he expected. The man no doubt wanted to handle things through his department so he could skim billions off the top and into his own offshore accounts. It would consume Stricker’s attention. It would further delay a proper takeover by government authorities, giving Petteri the necessary time to do what he needed to salvage his own investments.
“My dear Mr. Stricker, I think we have ourselves a nice little quid pro quo.”
The helicopter left the Denver dig site, heading north.
All his resources were
