Chapter 14

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Holland said in passable Mandarin. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."

The five other men sat around the table, their faces were unreadable.

"I trust you received my proposal," he shifted uncomfortably. Marianne had told him these men would either go along with the proposition he presented, or they would probably having him killed.

"We did, Mr. Campbell," the eldest of them replied in clear, but accented, English. "It was intriguing."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room. Holland thought about saying something, but held his tongue. He was warned that being too expressive would give away some clues as to what he was up to or might be used against him.

"Why do you want one of the Delilah robots, Mr. Campbell?" One of the others finally spoke. "You do not strike us as the kind of man who would resort to something so crass as assassination in order to get your way."

"My needs are my own, Mr. Tsai," he replied, perhaps a little more curtly than he should have. Holland surveyed the other four men. "My terms are more than generous, and you will become very, very wealthy off our partnership."

The five men exchanged an uncomfortable look. "You understand that we are ... ah, anxious ... about turning over one of our most valuable assets to a ... what is the word? ... A 'wild card', Mr. Campbell. We do not want one of these robots used against us."

"I understand your concerns, General. I assure you that I do not intend to use the robot for any military or political agenda," he said, trying to appear sincere. That much was true. "It's not like you don't have six more, either."

Inwardly, Holland smiled to himself. For the first time, the other men in the room seemed to be at a loss for words. No doubt, they were trying to figure out how he knew they still had seven of the assassin robots.

"Our partnership will be beneficial to everyone," he continued, making his voice smooth and charming, all the while trying to cover the nervousness he felt. "I will work exclusively for you for five years. During that time, any patents and projects will be jointly owned and controlled by both of us. If you look at my track records, not only is my work cutting edge, but it is immensely profitable. My work at Neurodyne made them well over two billion credits in residuals last year."

"You work is impressive, Mr. Campbell," General Hu admitted softly. He looked to the other four and they silently nodded their assent. He stood and extended his hand in the Western fashion. "We agree to your terms, Mr. Campbell. We will deliver the robot one month after you move into the offices we have arranged in Hong Kong."

Holland took his hand, noting the other man's firm grip.

Moments later, he found himself ushered out of the secure meeting room. His gait was quick; dealing with the Chinese Hegemony was always risky business.

Marianne fell into step beside him. "Things went well, I take it?"

His only response was to smile, aware that they were being watched and recorded. He would only feel safe once he was back on his own private jumpjet that was guarded and shielded from prying eyes.