Shadow Tyrants (Oregon Files 13)

“Aye, Chairman,” Eric said, taking his position at the helm.

“National Geographic is going to be so jealous,” Murph said with a chuckle.

“Why? You planning to sell photos of the islanders?” Juan joked.

“If I did, the magazine would probably pay through the nose for such a huge scoop. According to Indian records, it’s been forty years since anyone has come back from that island alive.”

FOURTEEN

LONDON

Of the Nine Unknown, Xavier Carlton was the richest by far. All of them had private jets, but he was the only one with his own personal Airbus A380 wide-body airliner. His second one, actually. The first had disappeared eighteen months ago, never found by searchers except for a few pieces of wreckage that washed up in Oman and Yemen. The insurance company had been dragging its feet about the payout, but he didn’t need the money for its replacement. He could buy five more of the luxurious made-to-order planes without straining his bank account.

As the descendants of the original Nine who had been bestowed with the knowledge of propaganda, Carlton’s ancestors had invested in some of the most influential newspapers in Europe. With that wealth, his family had branched out into other types of media as radio, television, and then the internet came to dominate news and entertainment.

Now Unlimited News International was one of the most influential, wide-ranging media companies in the world. Still, that reach hadn’t helped Carlton definitively pin the sabotage on any of the other Nine.

The latest estimate for completing repairs to the Colossus 5 was one more week. The satellite dish had been totally destroyed, but Carlton found an identical one intended for an internet company in São Paulo and purchased it for three times the going price. It was now headed to the ship for its installation.

All of that would be good news for the meeting of the Nine set to take place in India the next morning, the first gathering in more than a year where they were all present. Carlton was on his plane, waiting on the Heathrow tarmac for the overnight flight to Mumbai. His guest for the voyage was supposed to arrive soon.

Carlton was in his main deck private office going over his plans for the meeting when there was a knock at the door.

“Enter,” he said.

His personal assistant, Natalie Taylor, came in carrying a gold platter with a teapot and cups. She was dressed in slacks and a blazer, her blond hair barely touching her shoulders. She set the platter on the desk and said, “Mr. Gupta’s plane has landed, and he will be here momentarily.”

“Show him in when he arrives.”

Taylor nodded and left.

Carlton leaned over to the window and saw a black SUV pull up to the boarding stairs. An obese man in his fifties emerged from the backseat. Carlton shook his head at the way Lionel Gupta had let himself go. Carlton, trim and rock solid at forty-eight, was known for his fitness regimen, even having a private gym installed on board his jet so he could exercise while he was traveling.

A minute later, Taylor opened the door, and Gupta entered his office breathing hard from the climb up the jet’s stairs. Taylor, who was in even better shape than Carlton, looked amused but said nothing. Carlton stood to shake Gupta’s hand and waved for him to sit, which Gupta did gladly.

“Tea?” Carlton asked.

Gupta nodded. “Cream and three sugars.”

Taylor poured two cups and glided out of the office.

“The media world has been good to you,” Gupta said as he drank his tea and looked around at the lavish furnishings, many of which were gold-plated. The fabrics were made of the finest silks, and every piece of wood was hand-carved Indonesian teak.

“Let’s get down to business,” Carlton said, taking a sip from his own cup. “We both were given a massive head start in life and we’ve built even greater riches from it. You wouldn’t have one of the largest engineering companies on the planet if it weren’t for being part of the Nine, and I wouldn’t be where I am without that position, either.”

Gupta shrugged. “So we’re both privileged. I don’t apologize for that.”

“And you shouldn’t. But we have a responsibility to do something with that wealth.”

“I agree. That’s why we all have combined our resources for the Colossus initiative.”

“Maybe not everyone agrees,” Carlton said. “The attempted kidnapping of Jason Wakefield is concerning.”

Gupta set the teacup down. “He’s lucky to be alive. Is he still coming to the meeting tomorrow?”

“As far as I know. But he’s gone into hiding until then.”

“Maybe we should, too.”