Chapter 2 sequence

Twelve people gathered in the heavily guarded underground conference room, representing twelve distant countries.They sit in six rows of comfortable chairs, each a few feet apart.They listened attentively to what the speaker had to say. "I am pleased to inform you that the threat we have all been deeply concerned about is about to be eliminated. I do not need to explain in detail, because within the next twenty-four hours the whole world will hear the news. You can rest assured that nothing will happen. Things can stop us. The door will remain open. Now we start the auction. Got a first bid? OK. A billion dollars. A second? Two billion. Is there a third?"