fashion.'
'Civilized?' The President stared at him in a genuine astonishment that swiftly regressed to his former fury. 'You! A person like you. A thug! A crook! A hoodlum! A common criminal. And you dare suggest we behave in a more civilized fashion.'
'A thug? No. A crook? Yes. A hoodlum? No. A common criminal? No. I'm a most uncommon criminal. However, I'm not sorry you adopt this attitude. Having you express yourself with such hostility to me doesn't mean that it eases my conscience in "what I may have to do to you. I don't have any conscience. But it makes life that much simpler for me. Not having to hold your hand-I don't speak literally, you understand - makes it all that much easier for me to achieve my ends.'
'I don't think you'll be called upon to hold any hands, Branson." Cartland's voice was very dry. 'How are we to regard ourselves? As kidnapees? As ransom for some lost cause you hold dear?"
'The only lost cause I hold dear is standing before you.'
'Then hostages to fortune?'
That's nearer it. Hostages to a very large fortune, I trust.' He looked again at the President. 'I genuinely do apologize for any affront or inconvenience caused by me to your foreign guests.'
'Inconvenience!' The President's shoulders sagged as he invoked his tragic Muse. 'You don^t know what irreparable damage you have done this day, Branson.'
'I wasn't aware that I had done any yet. Or are you referring to their Highnesses here? I don't see what damage I can have caused there. Or are you referring to your little trip to San Rafael today-I'm afraid we'll have to postpone that for a bit - to inspect the site of what will be the biggest oil refinery in the world?' He smiled and nodded towards the oil princes. 'They really have you and Hansen over a barrel there, don't they, Mr President - an oil barrel? First they rob you blind over oil sales, accumulate so much loot that they can't find homes for all of it, conceive the bright idea of investing it in the land of the robbed, come up with the concept of building this refinery and petrochemical complex on the West Coast and running it themselves - with your technical help, of course-on their own oil which would cost them nothing. The foreseeable profits are staggering, a large portion of which would be passed on to you in the form of vastly reduced oil prices. Bonanzas all round. I'm afraid international finance is beyond my scope -1 prefer to make my money in a more direct fashion. If you think your deal is going to slip through because of the offence now being given to those Arabian gentlemen you must be an awful lot more naive than a President of the United States has any right to be. Those are not gentlemen to be swayed by personal considerations. They have tungsten steel where their hearts should be and IBM computers for brains.' He paused. 'I'm not being very polite to your guests, am I?'
Neither the King nor Prince Achmed were quite so impassive now: their eyes, as they looked at Branson, were expressive of a distinct yearning.
Cartland said: 'You seem to be in no great hurry to get on with whatever you intend to get on with."
'How right you are. The need for speed has now gone. Time is no longer of the essence except that the longer I spend here the more profitable it is going to be for me. That I shall explain later. In the meantime, the longer you remain here the more time it will give both you and your peoples both here and in the Gulf States to appreciate just what a pretty pickle you find yourselves in. And, believe me, you are in a pickle. Think about it'
Branson walked to the rear of the coach and spoke to the blond young soldier Who was manning the massive communication complex. 'What's your name?'
The soldier, who had heard all that had gone on and obviously didn't like any of it, hesitated, then said grudgingly: 'Boyann.'
Branson 'handed him a piece of paper. 'Get this number, please. It's just local.'
'Get it yourself.'
'I did say "please".'
'Go to
'Civilized?' The President stared at him in a genuine astonishment that swiftly regressed to his former fury. 'You! A person like you. A thug! A crook! A hoodlum! A common criminal. And you dare suggest we behave in a more civilized fashion.'
'A thug? No. A crook? Yes. A hoodlum? No. A common criminal? No. I'm a most uncommon criminal. However, I'm not sorry you adopt this attitude. Having you express yourself with such hostility to me doesn't mean that it eases my conscience in "what I may have to do to you. I don't have any conscience. But it makes life that much simpler for me. Not having to hold your hand-I don't speak literally, you understand - makes it all that much easier for me to achieve my ends.'
'I don't think you'll be called upon to hold any hands, Branson." Cartland's voice was very dry. 'How are we to regard ourselves? As kidnapees? As ransom for some lost cause you hold dear?"
'The only lost cause I hold dear is standing before you.'
'Then hostages to fortune?'
That's nearer it. Hostages to a very large fortune, I trust.' He looked again at the President. 'I genuinely do apologize for any affront or inconvenience caused by me to your foreign guests.'
'Inconvenience!' The President's shoulders sagged as he invoked his tragic Muse. 'You don^t know what irreparable damage you have done this day, Branson.'
'I wasn't aware that I had done any yet. Or are you referring to their Highnesses here? I don't see what damage I can have caused there. Or are you referring to your little trip to San Rafael today-I'm afraid we'll have to postpone that for a bit - to inspect the site of what will be the biggest oil refinery in the world?' He smiled and nodded towards the oil princes. 'They really have you and Hansen over a barrel there, don't they, Mr President - an oil barrel? First they rob you blind over oil sales, accumulate so much loot that they can't find homes for all of it, conceive the bright idea of investing it in the land of the robbed, come up with the concept of building this refinery and petrochemical complex on the West Coast and running it themselves - with your technical help, of course-on their own oil which would cost them nothing. The foreseeable profits are staggering, a large portion of which would be passed on to you in the form of vastly reduced oil prices. Bonanzas all round. I'm afraid international finance is beyond my scope -1 prefer to make my money in a more direct fashion. If you think your deal is going to slip through because of the offence now being given to those Arabian gentlemen you must be an awful lot more naive than a President of the United States has any right to be. Those are not gentlemen to be swayed by personal considerations. They have tungsten steel where their hearts should be and IBM computers for brains.' He paused. 'I'm not being very polite to your guests, am I?'
Neither the King nor Prince Achmed were quite so impassive now: their eyes, as they looked at Branson, were expressive of a distinct yearning.
Cartland said: 'You seem to be in no great hurry to get on with whatever you intend to get on with."
'How right you are. The need for speed has now gone. Time is no longer of the essence except that the longer I spend here the more profitable it is going to be for me. That I shall explain later. In the meantime, the longer you remain here the more time it will give both you and your peoples both here and in the Gulf States to appreciate just what a pretty pickle you find yourselves in. And, believe me, you are in a pickle. Think about it'
Branson walked to the rear of the coach and spoke to the blond young soldier Who was manning the massive communication complex. 'What's your name?'
The soldier, who had heard all that had gone on and obviously didn't like any of it, hesitated, then said grudgingly: 'Boyann.'
Branson 'handed him a piece of paper. 'Get this number, please. It's just local.'
'Get it yourself.'
'I did say "please".'
'Go to
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