Sea of Greed

“These computers are encrypted with the latest technology,” Tessa said, “and connected to banks around the world. The financial transfer can be made swiftly and cleanly via this system. Your people are free to examine them, if you like.”

“You are prepared,” Buran said.

“As always,” she replied. “I want what you promised me.”

“Ten billion dollars is a lot of money.”

“You and the Consortium will make more than that every six months, thanks to what I’ve done.”

“True,” he said. “But there are expenses to consider and there are reasons for renegotiation.”

“Renegotiation?”

“I’m afraid so,” he said. “But, you had to know this was coming.”

“Fine,” she said. “Twenty billion. All cash and cryptocurrency.”

This time, Buran laughed — nothing loud or haughty, just a deep, heavy laugh like a father amused by a small child. It was all Tessa could do to keep her anger in check.

“Ah, Tessa,” he said smugly. “My beautiful, arrogant Tessa. You have done what the Consortium thought impossible. But you’ve made one tremendous mistake. Small, but fatal. In your desire to prove yourself, you’ve allowed your leverage to evaporate. The Consortium has its high oil prices already. There is no going back — thanks to you. But that being the case, they see no reason to pay you what they formerly considered paying. They will not be extorted for billions of dollars when there is no need to pay it now.”

Tessa’s demeanor remained icy. She’d expected some treachery, but nothing so blatant. The very lesson she’d just reminded herself of came to mind. Things were discarded when they were no longer needed.

“The Consortium offer is nothing? Is that what you’re telling me?”

“The Consortium appreciates your services and they may be convinced to give you something,” he said, “but it will not approach what you think you deserve. Perhaps fifty million. And for that, they want everything — including all stocks of the oil destroyer itself.”

“Fifty million won’t pay my interest,” she said.

“Your problem, not ours.”

The sense of entrapment was palpable. Fate and her enemies had encircled her now. She needed some way to reverse the situation, to turn everything back in her favor.

She thought briefly of threatening Buran’s wells with the oil destroyer, but it would be a futile gesture. He knew enough about how the destroyer worked to protect his fields. Her operatives would never be able to get near the injection equipment. And his response would be violent and inescapable.

The bitterness of the moment prompted waves of emotion. For just an instant, she hated Buran more than Austin. She almost hoped Austin would find the counteragent and cut the legs out from under Buran. Its discovery and announcement alone would send oil prices crashing even faster than they’d gone up.

The racing thoughts stopped.

The counteragent…

Its very existence had troubled her from the moment she’d begun the effort. She’d looked for it as desperately as she’d sought the oil destroyer, intending to find it, eradicate it and erase its presence from the face of the earth.

Failure to do that had been the one great disappointment. But suddenly the counteragent could be her salvation. It could restore her leverage and put Buran and his Consortium at her feet.

“I’ll take your fifty million,” she said, “as an apology for the insults you’ve delivered. But if your friends want to continue enjoying the windfall they’ve come into, they will pay fifty billion, in gold certificates and cryptocurrencies. They will also agree to pay a billion dollars in royalties per year, ad infinitum, and they will apologize for insulting me the way you have today.”

Buran clenched his jaw, the broom-like mustache settling deeper over his lips. “You have an acid tongue, despite your beauty. More than that, you are a fool, Tessa. This is not a boardroom on Wall Street. You’re a guest here, but you could quickly become a prisoner. Even if I forgive your rebuke, the others will not. They will not take your offer, but they’ll take your life for speaking to them this way.”

“They won’t raise a finger against me,” she said. “Not once did you explain the danger to them.”

“And what danger would that be?”

“I got rid of the oil,” she told him. “But if I’m not paid, I’ll bring it back.”

Buran’s expression froze. His eyes widened in reaction. He hadn’t expected this. “What are you talking about?”

“I have the antidote,” she said. “The counteragent that will feed on the bacteria, just as the bacteria feeds on the oil. Someone will compensate me for it. Either you and your friends or the Americans and the Chinese. Sky-high oil prices will cost them a trillion dollars each over the next decade. They will pay anything to prevent that. You know that.”

“They will take what you give them and copy it,” Buran said.