“What if we nuke them?” Sadiq offered. “We could find ways to smuggle numerous nuclear bombs into the States and detonate them from anywhere. They wouldn’t see that coming; they wouldn’t have a defense against that kind of massive, coordinated attack.”
“Then what? Nuclear winter for the entire planet?” Myatlev asked.
“It would be well worth it to see them suffer and pay, finally, for every bit of blasphemy they engage in every single day. Millions of them are guilty of blasphemy against Islam, and they never see punishment. It has to end.”
“Yes, but we shouldn’t rush into doing things that are short-lived and plain stupid,” Myatlev said bluntly.
Sadiq’s face flushed, which made his olive-toned skin turn a dark shade of purple. “This is insulting. I will not stand for it!” He stood up abruptly, throwing his chair back. “I thought we had the commitment to do something, not just talk like impotents!”
“And we do have commitment, but we also want to have a good strategy,” Myatlev said firmly. “Just think about it. If you nuke a couple hundred million Americans, would they even know what that was about? No, they’d end up having lived a life of luxury and ignorance. They would die quickly, painlessly, without having seen or understood what they’ve done wrong. You would punish them for their countless blasphemies by killing them, but they wouldn’t know the reason. They wouldn’t understand. You wouldn’t punish them for their arrogance because they would die still thinking they’re better than everyone else on this planet.”
Sadiq held Myatlev’s gaze sternly for a couple seconds, still angry, then lowered his eyes. The Russian had a point, albeit hard to admit.
“What if the Americans saw it coming, and there was no place to hide from it?” Myatlev continued. “What of their arrogance then, when chaos, fear, and poverty will take over their lives, day by day, minute by minute, while they sit powerless, unable to do anything about it? What of their arrogance when they’ll have to watch the peoples of the nations they have despised rise to unprecedented power, while they lose everything they have? That’s what I would call vindication. That’s what I would call punishment for their many blasphemies against Islam. That’s when I would be satisfied that they can no longer feel entitled, and that’s when I would agree the new world equity has been established.”
“Do you have a plan, or is this just wishful thinking?” Singh asked.
“It is a goal for now. But if we keep this goal central in our minds, a strategy will soon be set,” Myatlev answered. “Once you’ve all had time to think about some potential strategies, we will meet again and finalize a plan of action.”
“What about money?” Javadi asked. “Whatever we decide to do, it will require tens, maybe hundreds of millions to make it happen.”
“Although we are all among the richest people in the world, we cannot directly fund this initiative from our personal accounts,” Myatlev answered. “We will find and organize sources of funding, and it’s entirely up to each of us what or who those will be. After all, we’re business people, aren’t we? We should be able to put something together to fund this organization. Please remember, there is significant opportunity at the time an empire falls. Our businesses will thrive beyond our wildest dreams. Consider your fundraising efforts nothing more than what they really are: seed capital investments for our futures.” He stood, signaling the meeting was over. “Only one question remains. Can we?” Myatlev asked, the pun with the Council’s acronym noticeable to everyone. An unexpected question, they all answered in different tones of voice, but quite forcefully.
“Yes, we can.”
Myatlev escorted his guests to the helipad, while his staff radioed the chopper to come back and pick up the passengers. He watched them interact casually with one another while waiting. They were a good group: strong, motivated, and bold. They were ready to hear his strategy and adopt it; although it was already in play.
...15
...Monday, January 4, 9:07AM EST (UTC-5:00 hours)
...DCBI Headquarters, 6th Floor Conference Room
...Washington, DC
“Good morning, guys, let’s get started,” Robert said, entering the conference room a little late. “We have a tough one ahead of us. We’re selecting vendors for the e-vote contract today, and we won’t be going anywhere until they’ve been selected. It’s already very late in our timeline, and we can’t delay the decision anymore.” Hearing how harsh his own voice sounded, he changed the