Hawk reached for his gun before he noticed it lying on the floor. When he knelt down to pick it up, the man kicked Hawk in the face. Surprised by the blow, Hawk shook his head in an attempt to regain his bearings. Before he looked up, he heard a mechanical click, the kind he’d heard many times right before a knife fight ensured. He rolled to his left as he felt the man’s presence overhead. Hawk swept the man’s legs out from under him, toppling him to the ground.
Hawk bounced up and scanned the ground for his gun, which he couldn’t locate. Searching the area, he glanced over at the attacker groaning as he staggered to his feet. Then Hawk finally noticed the gun—in the man’s hand.
“Oliver Ackerman says hello,” the man said before he fired a tranquilizer dart at Hawk, who dove to the ground.
The man seemed surprised that a bullet didn’t explode out of the gun’s barrel, almost as surprised as Hawk was that the attacker had missed from such a short range.
Hawk took advantage of the man’s stunned reaction and kicked the gun free. Without wasting another second, Hawk followed the kick with a combination of punches to the man’s face. As the man reeled backward, he pulled out his knife again and swiped at Hawk. But the jabs never connected with Hawk, who evaded them before crippling the man with a brutal kick to his knee. The man hit the ground in pain, moaning and clutching his leg.
Hawk snatched the knife off the ground and stabbed the man in his leg before shooting him with the final tranquilizer dart in the neck. After a few seconds, the man passed out.
Hawk grabbed the man’s cell phone and took a picture before sending it to Ackerman with a brief message. “Was this supposed to be a test?” Hawk typed and sent along with the photo. He stuffed the phone into the man’s pocket and hustled down the street.
CHAPTER 8
United Nations
New York, NY
PRESIDENT MICHAELS STRODE to the podium and held up his hand in an effort to stop the applause from the United Nations General Assembly ambassadors. His humble gesture belied the way he basked in the adulation. Neither the previous U.S. president nor the one before him had ever received such a warm welcome. Michaels considered the support a direct result of his strong leadership among the international community, dismissing the political pundits who explained his popularity by the way he kowtowed to the prevailing winds blowing in Europe.
Michaels smiled and waved as he waited patiently for the clapping to cease. He surveyed the global crowd and felt his confidence swell. The U.N. had invited him to speak on the innovations he had directed in the area of renewable energy sources. But Michaels never intended to stay fully on topic.
“Mr. Secretary General, Mr. President, world leaders, and distinguished delegates—I am honored to stand up here today and address what I feel like is the defining issue of our time. Clean and renewable energy sources have the ability to transform our planet, revitalizing cities that have been ravaged by pollution as well as energizing countries that have never had the same opportunity to launch forward economically into the twenty-first century. And while I think it’s important to discuss these issues, I find these technological advances even more vital to doing something we’ve all dreamed of. In fact, the real reason you’re all here today was because of a dream long ago by some men with excellent foresight. They wanted to see the days of world wars end as well as regional conflicts. They wanted us all to dwell in peace and harmony, making the world a better place instead of one more divided by everything from ethnicity to economics to environs.
“When the world ethos is governed by men and women who care more about the future of the human race than they do lining their pockets, we have an incredible opportunity to move forward as a species, reaching and surpassing the dreams of those innovators who came before us. However, truly advancing globally requires bold leadership to create a clean environmental revolution. And none of that will be possible if we don’t simultaneously root out the evil forces of terrorism.”
A buzz began to fill the auditorium as Michaels’ tone turned decisively off topic.
“Quite frankly, we need all of you to combat terrorism more than we need you to invent more green technologies. There are plenty of brilliant minds who conjure up ideas each day to make our world a cleaner place to live in. But there are also corrupt minds who constantly plot and scheme how to enforce their extreme beliefs on others, utilizing the tool of terrorism to do so. And that must be stopped.
“I’m proud of the advances we’ve made in the area of addressing terrorists all across the globe who seek to impose their brand of horror on the American people as well as our trusted allies. We will not take a passive stance on this during my tenure in the White House. Al Hasib and other groups who hope to impose fear on the global community will receive their comeuppance. No longer will we address such provocative rhetoric with attempts to merely thwart their forthcoming attacks. Today, I put forth a new resolve led by my administration and this country. Terrorists, you have nowhere to hide. We will find you and destroy you. Our actions will be swift and decisive, and you will know where we stand on your tactics designed to kill innocent people while dealing in the currency of fear. No, you will fear us. This country and any other allies who wish to join us will be protected by a union of resolve that will take aim at your pathetic attempts to sow discord and terror among the masses. We will wipe you off the
