Page 118 of The Atlas Maneuver

Stalling.

He knew C-4 could not be detonated with a gunshot, or by dropping it onto a hard surface, or even by setting it afire. An explosion could only be initiated by a shock wave from a detonator. Like the ones he was staring at in the box beneath the workbench. High tech too. No more hot wires to a power source to ignite the detonator. These were activated remotely from a controller. The detonator then exploded in a charge that produced just enough heat and pressure to ignite the C-4.

He fished three detonators from the box and inserted them through the Mylar covering, deep into one of the C-4 blocks,twisting the ends and activating them. He grabbed a controller from the box and switched it on. A green light indicated it was powered and ready. Thank goodness. Aiko stared straight at him, her face saying,Really?

He nodded. Really.

They needed to leave the city and head south, and they didn’t have the time to try to convince the DST of the situation. Those folks had already chosen sides. No time either to involve Stephanie and jump through the diplomatic red tape. Operation Neverlight was in full swing and now it had its sights set on him and Aiko.

“We are coming out,” Aiko called out, still staring at him. “Weapons first.”

He crept close and handed her his gun, which she tossed out the open doorway.

That should make them happy.

This wouldn’t.

He underhanded the C-4 out the door.

Both he and Aiko rushed to the other side of the room and dove to the floor. He pressed the button on the controller. The brick exploded, releasing hot gases that traveled outward at tens of thousands of feet per second. The initial blast would inflict most of the physical damage. But then the gases would rush back, creating a second inward energy wave. The building’s thick stone walls provided them with a measure of protection, as one block of C-4 was not enough to take them down. But the blast wave rushed in through the open door in a burst of heat and debris.

They had to move fast.

He raised his head from the floor and blinked away the dust.

Aiko was doing the same.

“We need to go,” he said.

They came to their feet and approached the doorway. He took a quick survey and saw through the haze two vehicles, one left, the other right, bodies lying on the ground. Six. The blast had taken them all down. They made their way through a choking cloud that was beginning to settle. A few of the men were coughing,reorienting themselves, struggling to stand. He headed for the car on the right but, before climbing inside, he retrieved one of the automatic rifles and fired a salvo into the front tires of the other car. He then climbed inside behind the wheel. Aiko did the same on the passenger side.

Keys were in the ignition.

The engine rumbled to life and he shifted to reverse.

More of the men with guns were starting to stand. He floored the accelerator and backed down the narrow lane that stretched between the buildings, using the mirrors to keep the car heading straight. He kept going until he reached the end of the street then shifted into drive, whipped the wheel to the right, and sped off.

CHAPTER 67

KELLY WALKED WITHKATIE AS THEY LEFT THE TENT AND HEADED OUTinto the garden, finally stopping near the center beneath a huge fig tree. The air-conditioned tent’s thick side panels provided them with privacy. Two security men guarded the tent’s entrance. Katie told her that there was a break between speakers to allow dessert to be served. After, Katie was scheduled to address the gathering. The pitch from the president of El Salvador was powerful, especially coming from someone with firsthand experience with bitcoin as currency. It was a full-court press, but she would have expected nothing less.

“Those people back there have no idea what they’re getting into,” she said.

“We offer them freedom and independence with a currency that will hold its value.”

“As long as you allow it.”

She knew the entire scheme had been created right here among the Atlas Mountains over the course of several winter days three years ago. She’d been instrumental in formulating the plan since, after all, it depended on her creation. At that point the bank owned nearly three million bitcoin. The original million that Kelly had mined in the beginning, along with those acquired from covertmining she herself had organized over the years utilizing an array of high-speed computers. During the past three years the bank’s inventory had grown to over 4.5 million bitcoin, which effectively vested it with total control over the entire system. No one should have that much power.

“Not a single person in that tent knows what you and I know,” Kelly said. “They have no idea what they’re buying into.”

Katie shook her head. “What does it matter? It’s for their own good. They will benefit. The bank will benefit. Our clients will benefit. How is this so wrong?”

“If it’s so good, tell them the truth and let’s see if they want in.”

Katie did not reply.

“I didn’t think that was an option,” Kelly said. “What you’re planning is not what I, or they, envisioned. Bitcoin was supposed to belong to the twenty-one million people who owned it. They set its price, among themselves, as the coins are bought and sold in an unregulated market. No government, no corporation, no bank would interfere. A true marketplace commodity. You’ve now weaponized it and turned the whole thing into something else entirely.”

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