Untitled
The only constant, which was at best a dangerous...
3:54 AM, Friday, February 5, 2010
.. Link
The only
constant, which was at best a dangerous convenience, was the existence of electricity, and Carlos
used it to his advantage
He stood at the far end of the bare concrete room, a lamp on the floor behind him, silhouetting
him, leaving his features undefined and further obscured by the upturned collar of his black suitTo
his right was a wreck of a low wooden table with file folders spread across the top, and to his left,
under a pile of newspapers, unseen by his ?disciples,? was a cut-down Type 56, AK-47 assault
weaponA forty-round magazine was inserted, a second magazine in the Jackal?s beltThe only
reason for the weapon was the normal custom of his trade; he expected no difficulty whatsoever
He surveyed his audience, noting that all eight kept glancing furtively at one anotherNo one
talked; the dank air in the eerily lit abandoned store was tense with apprehensionCarlos
understood that he had to dispel that fear, that furtiveness, as rapidly as possible, which was why he
had gathered eight distressed chairs from the various deserted office rooms in the rear of the store
Seated, people were less tense; it was a truismHowever, none of the chairs was being used
?Thank you for coming here this morning,? said the Jackal in fake chanel handbag Russian, raising his voice?Please,
each of you take a chair and sit downOur discussion will not be long, but will require the utmost
concentrationWould the comrade nearest the door close it, please
The old, heavy door was creaked shut by a stiffly walking bureaucrat as the rest reached for
chairs, each distancing his and hers from others that were nearbyCarlos waited until the scraping
sounds of wood against cement subsided and all were seatedThen, like a practiced orator-actor,
the Jackal paused before formally addressing his captive audienceHe looked briefly at each person
with his penetrating dark eyes as if conveying to each that he or she was special to himThere were
short, successive hand movements, mostly female, as those he gazed at in turn smoothed their
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
382
respective garmentsThe clothes they wore were characteristic of the ranks of upper-level
government officials?in the main drab and conservative, but well pressed and spotless
?I am the monseigneur from Paris,? began the assassin in priestly garb?I am he who has spent
several years seeking each of you out?with the assistance of comrades here in Moscow and
beyond?and sent you large sums of money, asking only that you gucci silver bag silently await my arrival and
render me the loyalty I have shown to youBy your faces, I can anticipate your questions, so let
me amplifyYears ago I was among the elite few selected to be trained at Novgorod There was a
quiet yet audible reaction from the chosen eightThe myth of Novgorod matched its reality; it was,
indeed, an advanced indoctrination center for the most gifted of comrades?as they were given to
understand, yet none really understood, for Novgorod was rarely spoken about except in whispers
With several nods, Carlos acknowledged the impact of his revelation and continued
?The years since have been spent in many foreign countries promoting the interests of the great
Soviet revolution, an undercover commissar with a flexible portfolio that called for many trips back
here to Moscow and extensive research into the specific departments in which each of you holds a
responsible position Again the Jackal paused, then spoke suddenly, sharply?Positions of
responsibility but without the authority that should be yoursYour abilities are undervalued and
under-rewarded, for there is deadwood above you
The small crowd?s reaction was now somewhat more audible, definitely less constrained
?Compared to similar departments in the omega constellation lady watch governments of our adversaries,? went on Carlos, ?we
here in Moscow have lagged far behind when we should be ahead, and we are behind because your
talents have been suppressed by entrenched officeholders who care more for their office privileges
than they do for the functions of their departments!?
The response was immediate, even electric, with the three women openly if softly applauding
?It is for that reason, these reasons, that I and my associate comrades here in Moscow have sought
you outFurther, it is why I have sent you funds?to be used totally at your discretion?for the
money you?ve received is the approximate value of the privileges your superiors enjoyWhy
should you not receive them and enjoy them as they do??
The rumble of why not? and he?s right rippled through the audience, now actually looking at one
another, eyes locked, and heads nodding firmlyThe Jackal then began to reel off the eight major
departments in question, and as each was named successively, there was an enthusiastic nodding of
heads?The ministries of Transport, Information, Finance, Import/Export, Legal Procedures,
Military Supply, Scientific Research and hardly the least, Presidium AppointmentsThese are
your domains, but you have been cut out from all louis vuitton denim monogram final decisionsThat is no longer acceptable?
changes must be made!?
The assembled listeners rose almost as one, no longer strangers but, instead, people united in a
causeThen one, the obviously cautious bureaucrat who had closed the door, spoke?You appear to
know our situations well, sir, but what can change them??
?These,? announced Carlos, gesturing dramatically at the file folders spread out across the low
tableSlowly the small group sat down, singly and in couples, looking at one another when not
staring at the folders?On this table are secretly gathered confidential dossiers of your superiors in
each of the departments represented hereThey contain such injurious information that when
presented by you individually will guarantee your immediate promotions, and in several cases your
succession to those high officesYour superiors will have no choice, for these files are daggers
aimed at their throats?exposure would result in disgrace and execution
?Sir?? A middle-aged woman in a neat but nondescript plain blue dress cautiously stood upHer
blond-gray hair was swept back into a stern bun; she touched it briefly, self-consciously, as she
Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
383
spoke?I evaluate personnel files on a daily chanel coco handbag bas
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