He throws back his head and laughs. Geriz takes off his sunglasses and leans forward, elbows on his knees. "When I was young my father often told me stories about my grandfather. A forward-thinker, he would say, a pioneer, captain of industry...a demigod. As I grew older I deduced the true character of the man. He was a thief, a used-car salesman turned greed-driven opportunist, hiding behind a pretense of entitlement that he and men like him perpetuate. He made his first real money selling the same cemetery plot to hundreds of grieving widows during the war who were too trusting. There was no pioneering. His extraordinary ability was merely to avoid incarceration. I swore to myself that I would never be a man like my grandfather." "What would you do?" "I considered giving everything away, but to whom? Charities? They only treat the …show more content…
Athena calmly dodges his punches. "My turn," she says in a matter-of-fact way, kicking him back against a wall. Michael immediately lashes out at her, rushing head first. Athena steps to one side and catches his head under her arm. She steps to the side to get him off balance then falls onto her back smashing his face on the ground and rolls back onto her feet. Michael stands up slowly, swaying, nose bloodied. He sees a handgun, moves, but Athena kicks him in the face. He goes down hard, spitting up blood. Athena kicks the gun, spinning across the floor. She waits patiently as Michael holds onto the wall to stand. Too tired to throw a punch, he lunges at her again, trying to wrap his arms around her. She twists out of the way and drives her elbow into his neck with staggering force. Michael stumbles back, mouth open, unable to to breathe. Athena obliges him with a kick to the gut, and he hits the floor awkwardly with his back against the wall but looks relieved as his lungs fill with air. Athena takes her Beretta from the agent lying on the ground, and Michael holds out a hand