“General Fortner?” Blunt asked. “Is that you?”
“In the flesh,” Fortner responded, looking up at the camera and smiling.
Blunt was still unsure. “Who did we leave buck naked outside of Tangiers one night?”
“That little twerp Teddy Myers,” Fortner said, breaking into a chuckle. “The poor sot couldn’t keep his mouth shut and hurt your chances with that waitress broad.”
Blunt’s doubts were quieted with Fortner’s answer.
“I’ll come open the door in just a minute.”
Blunt opened the door slowly and motioned for Fortner to come in.
“There’s nobody out there,” Fortner said as he stepped inside. “I wouldn’t have even considered venturing near this place if there was. I’d never put you at risk like that.”
Blunt broke into a smile and shook Fortner’s hand. After securing the door, Blunt gestured toward the living room.
“We can have a seat in here,” Blunt said. “Would you like something to drink?”
“I’m good,” Fortner said. “And I’ll keep this brief.”
The pair sat down across from one another, the smiles that were on their faces just moments ago had vanished.
“Were you just in the neighborhood and decided to pop in?” Blunt asked.
“I’m being transferred to Ansbach and thought I’d pay you a visit.”
“Ansbach? That sounds like a nice cushy gig.”
“I wish,” Fortner said. “It’s going to be nose to the grindstone Army counterintelligence. A sentence to a Siberian work camp might be more relaxing than what I’m in for.”
“I’m sure you’ll manage,” Blunt said, shifting in his seat. “But I take it this is more than a social call to catch up on work.”
Fortner nodded. “Unfortunately, it is. There are some serious issues we need to contend with, all of which begin and end with Katarina Petrov. Seems she’s hell bent on taking over the world.”
“That’s nothing new,” Blunt said. “I suspected that when I first got mixed up with her and The Chamber. It was a damn fiasco.”
“Well, I don’t know what you’ve heard, but I suspect that you don’t know about the latest bit of intel we picked up in the past few days.”
“Fill me in.”
“This one-world currency fiasco is a smoke screen to what’s truly happening behind closed doors,” Fortner said. “We’ve learned from several strategically placed assets in multiple foreign governments that Petrov is making a play to create a united government, banding countries together with common laws. The economy is just the beginning. Pretty soon, any nation that aligns with this ridiculous plan is going to be subject to a plethora of edicts without a legitimate way to appeal them. At least now, citizens can travel to centrally located sites to air their grievances. But that’s going to go away. She’s ginning up support for a judicial system that will trump anything we have in place today. It’s going to be a disaster.”
“That would help explain Michaels’ sudden change of heart regarding Petrov and The Chamber,” Blunt said. “He’s trying to stay out of the picture now and put his finger to the wind to determine which way the court of public opinion is blowing. The moment it shifts toward one world, it’s over. He’s going to steamroll ahead—and likely retain some prominent position of power on the new governing cabinet.”
“Honestly, Michaels is the least of our worries. To me, the most troubling aspect of what I’ve heard is Petrov is angling for a world military force next,” Fortner said. “She wants, in essence, a world police organization that will keep everyone in line.”
“Any ideas on how to stop this?” Blunt asked.
Fortner sighed. “You mean aside from putting a bullet in Petrov? I’d love to take her out right now.”
“You and me both.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t want to engender any sympathy for that woman or give fuel to our detractors. We have to prevent The Chamber from getting its hooks in the U.S. government, first and foremost. After that, we can expose Petrov before we take her out.”
Blunt shook his head and forced a laugh. “And to think that just a few months ago, all we concerned ourselves with were madmen running around in the Middle Eastern desert.”
“It’s always like that, isn’t it?” Fortner asked rhetorically. “You think there’s one thing that’s going to get you—but it never is. The thing that gets you is the thing you never see coming.”
“Fortunately, we’ve seen Petrov in time.”
Fortner nodded. “And now it’s time to show the world who she really is.”
“The Firestorm team is back in Washington, trying to figure out a way to prevent the Supreme Court from giving Michaels the win he needs to push this one-world currency initiative forward, but after they’re done . . .”
“You just let me know if and when you need any help,” Fortner said. “My men will be there to assist.”
CHAPTER 14
Istanbul, Turkey
KATARINA PETROV CLOSED HER EYES and tilted her head back as the makeup artist dusted powder on her face. A natural beauty, Petrov loathed wearing anything on her face. She insisted foundation and other products made her face itch. But she relented due to the pressure of a producer who insisted by telling her that her face would wash out beneath the lights.
Petrov didn’t care, but she cared what the producer thought. More to the point, Petrov was concerned with the general public’s perception of her. Winning them over was critical to building an unstoppable momentum.
Once the lemmings realize this is the way to go, no politician will want to stand against them—even if elected officials know their offices will be vanishing.
“Press your lips together like this,” the makeup artist said, closing her mouth and then making a soft popping sound.
Petrov mimicked the woman several times before she nodded her head approvingly.
“That’s it,” she said. “Perfect.”
She handed a mirror to Petrov, who took it and studied herself for several seconds.
“I hate it,” Petrov said. “Think there’s something
