Unlimited Plan (*)

Pay Day

47.

New York, United States

Kinkaid's phone rings.

"Kinkaid speaking..."

"Major! What a pleasure to finally speak to you."

Kinkaid gestures to one of his technicians to record the call.

"Phoenix..." he responds tersely.

The major's team had managed to trace the two mercenaries involved in the deaths of Baltac and his friend. Both had been arrested upon their return to New York, and Kinkaid had therefore taken over the New York offices of his organization to interrogate them himself. Until now, he remained confident he could get to Phoenix by dismantling the henchmen crew he had hired. He had just obtained the name of their leader, a certain Macmillan. But Phoenix's call casts a shadow on his hopes of finding him before it's too late.

The offices occupy an entire floor of a business building facing the street on one side and the East River shores on the south tip of Manhattan on the other. Across, a heliport extends over the river waters. Under the guise of an import-export company, the organization chose this specific location for its access to both downtown, major routes, and the helipad. Although mainly used for tourist flights, it can serve government aircraft and provide a quick shuttle to the international airport.

Kinkaid looks resignedly below, at the courtyard where the Vietnam Veterans Memorial stands. He now knows that the long-awaited moment for Phoenix to make his move has arrived. Even if the analysts can guide him on the trail of this "Macmillan," and indeed if they can find him, he harbors no illusions. Phoenix has probably broken all contact and terminated his henchmen's services before calling. He also suspects the futility of trying to locate his adversary but nevertheless must use all available options. The technician confirms with a thumbs-up that the tracking systems are in place. He then holds up three fingers to indicate that the line must remain active for three minutes for the location to be sufficiently precise.

"What an adventure, isn't it major?"

Kinkaid doesn't respond, given Phoenix's cheerful tone, he evidently won't have to work hard to keep him chatting, as the mastermind seems in a talkative mood.

"I congratulate you. You have learned more about my intentions than I would have imagined."

"I wasn't alone."

"Ah! Our dear SdS... Yes... I think he must have greatly helped you to get on the right track. That boy scout and his British friend even had me worried for a moment, I can admit that now. Well, he should be happy in his grave. Thanks to him, I probably won't need to dial a few thousand mobile numbers randomly to prove the means at my disposal, you're already aware of the details now, aren't you?"

Beneath the innocuous surface of the conversation, Kinkaid discerns the weight of each Phoenix's sentences. He has clearly conveyed his resolve. This isn't about negotiations, but rather an ultimatum. He won't hesitate for a moment to kill thousands of people.

"And now," Phoenix continues. "With our French friend out of the game, it simplifies the situation, doesn't it? It's just you and me..."

Kinkaid nods silently. Phoenix does not intend to involve a third party in their upcoming transaction. That's a good thing, the major thinks. His demand must remain reasonable if he hopes to achieve anything without alerting all Western nations to the threat hanging over them.

"Just you and me," Kinkaid confirms.

"And our friends from the CIA, of course..."

Kinkaid can't suppress a sarcastic grin. Phoenix insists on implicating the CIA. He wants to rub their noses in it by demonstrating the potential of his research and, incidentally, to squeeze out more money, no doubt.

"I won't fail to inform them and share all the details of this crisis with them."

A brief laugh bursts from the other end of the line.

"Always so insightful, Major... You know, I followed your career with interest when I worked for Echelon. 'Know thy enemy,' said Sun Tzu, I suspected you would be assigned to my case. I must admit I am not disappointed..."

"I would return the compliment, but as far as I'm concerned, you're just a megalomaniac psychopath."

Another laugh resonates.

"Come now, major, among men of a certain intellect, let's not stoop to vile slander. If I were a 'psychopath' as you so elegantly put it, I would have already set my systems in motion and be reveling in their grim results by now. No, I am ... just a disgruntled employee seeking to settle his disputes with his former employer."

"I see ... and how much is this 'settlement'?"

"Seven hundred and fifty million."

A heavy silence falls.

"US dollars, don't worry," Phoenix specifies. "I am still a patriot."

"A hefty sum nonetheless."

"On second thought, it would probably have been more economical to keep funding my research, don't you think?" Phoenix lets out sarcastically before continuing. "I'm convinced that between your organization that will wish to plug this major breach in Echelon, and the CIA that certainly doesn't want to be spotlighted, the motivation should be strong enough to reach that figure. After all, the CIA is responsible for the research that made all this possible, I doubt they'll want to make headlines in every newspaper."

"It will take some time to..."

"You will think that Major, but no, it will take very little time, in fact, forty-eight hours ... maximum. Two powerful administrations like these, don't tell me they can't move mountains if they work together."

"I'm on it, how can I contact you?"

"Come now, Major ... you're slipping in my esteem... There will be no further contact. I'm sending you the details for the money transfer, if I haven't received the required amount in two days, I'll be obligated to write a few SMS messages to a first selection of numbers."

"Understood."

"You know, it's funny, major, the random selection algorithm I developed to choose the numbers must be bugged... I've just noticed an abnormally high proportion of codes from Washington and Brussels on this first list... Perhaps this information will help you negotiate more quickly with your superiors?"

The call abruptly ends.

"I got him!" screams the technician... "He's in New York!"

Kinkaid frowns. He indeed imagines Phoenix's presence in the "Big Apple" due to the arrests made at the airport. yet he highly doubts that he would let himself be traced so easily. Nonetheless, he can't help but approach the technician's screen with some hope.

"44 Water Street..."

His hope shatters instantly.

"That's the pizzeria across the street," Kinkaid states grimly. "No doubt, Phoenix knows exactly where we are... He is toying with us!"

The major lets out a long sigh. His options are now slim. Although he's prepared and has already laid his groundwork with the higher directors of the organization, he must still inform the CIA. He'll have to explain the situation transparently and secure their payment to cover the exorbitant sum demanded by Phoenix. All this in forty-eight hours ... it won't be best hours of his live.