Never Again

By Ludovic De Montauban

Genre: Thriller / Strategy / Suspense:

Synopsis: After the loss of his beloved son, a billionaire devises an amazing spider-web stratagem to permanently end all terrorist activities.

 

After reading the first chapter, you will be fully absorbed and deeply touched.
"Find out why millions of copies sold in France!"
As a foreword, here is a journalist's reaction:
The New York Times :
The stratagem is brilliant and keeps us going until the very end. It is extravagant but with a completely plausible and unexpected outcome ... breathtaking. What an imagination! This French bestseller novel will definitely restore your faith in humanity!
The majority of the book had a movie-like quality, and as someone who has had similar experiences, it was easy for me to relate to some of the events portrayed in it. There is absolutely nothing I dislike about the book.
I finished reading in two days with a big smile on my face. It is impossible to finish a chapter without going on to the next one. I enjoyed the book to the extent that in the contradictions and nuances of life, I like to find clarity and balance.
Do not be fooled by the deceptively violent beginning, which is a decoy.. This intelligent book invites us to transcend stereotypes and hasty conclusions.
The book's themes are complex and serious, but its reflections are simple and pure, allowing nuances while preserving the ethical imperatives that resonate with the reader. Likewise, the plot is stimulating while being crystal clear and very well written.
Although the dynamic plot leads the reader from one human story to another, to the four corners of the world over the years, the thread of humanity and idealism remains subtly perceptible, which makes it possible to appreciate the changes in rhythm and intensity of certain passages and makes reading very pleasant on the whole.

And I can't forget to mention the surprise ending, which is a real hymn to life. It makes you want to live and fight for a better world! An astonishing reversal of the situation, an outcome that responds so satisfyingly to the moral dilemmas that lurk in the background throughout the story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gabriel Alexander
• Release date: Feb 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201805975

Book preview

* A story based on true events

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© The Unstoppable Stratagem January 2022

Copyright: All rights of reproduction, translation, or adaptation reserved for all countries.

After reading the first chapter below, you will be fully absorbed and deeply touched.

​​​​​​​"Find out why millions of copies sold in France!"

As a foreword, here is a journalist’s reaction:

The New York Times : The New York Times Such an inspirational story with unique and very clever stratagem. Read the first chapter and you will be completely absorbed.

The stratagem is brilliant and keeps us going until the very end. It is extravagant but with a completely plausible and unexpected outcome ... breathtaking. What an imagination! This novel will certainly restore your faith in humanity!

I finished reading in two days with a big smile on my face. It is impossible to finish a chapter without going on to the next one. I enjoyed the book to the extent that in the contradictions and nuances of life, I like to find clarity and balance.

The majority of the book had a movie-like quality, and as someone who has had similar experiences, it was easy for me to relate to some of the events portrayed in it. There is absolutely nothing I dislike about the book.

Do not be fooled by the deceptively violent beginning, which is a decoy. This intelligent book invites us to transcend stereotypes and hasty conclusions.

The book’s themes are complex and serious, but its reflections are simple and pure, allowing nuances while preserving the ethical imperatives that resonate with the reader. Likewise, the plot is stimulating while being crystal clear and very well written.

Although the dynamic plot leads the reader from one human story to another, to the four corners of the world over the years, the thread of humanity and idealism remains subtly perceptible, which makes it possible to appreciate the changes in rhythm and intensity of certain passages and makes reading very pleasant on the whole.

And I can’t forget to mention the surprise ending, which is a real hymn to life. It makes you want to live and fight for a better world! An astonishing reversal of the situation, an outcome that responds so satisfyingly to the moral dilemmas that lurk in the background throughout the story.

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* Please reserve any judgments about the story’s true message until you have read the entire book through to the very last chapter.

Genre: Action / Strategy / Suspense:

Synopsis: After the loss of his beloved son, a billionaire devises an amazing spider-web stratagem to permanently end all terrorist activities ... Without any bloodshed!

Operation Greenwich Village

May 24, 2016 – 02:15 a.m.

In the west end of Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, a man dressed in black enters a residential building. He is holding a violin case. He seems vigilant—wary of the slightest noise. He slips on a hood and black gloves before stealthily crossing the hallway. He ascends the stairs to the last floor, and then climbs the railing to reach the terrace overlooking the neighborhood, where he crouches near the ledge. His vantage point gives him a 180-degree view of the streets below. He opens his music case and pulls out a two-piece rifle, assembling it and adding a night sight and silencer to its muzzle—a proper marksman’s arsenal. He takes a shooting position and carefully aims his weapon at an upper-class house across the street.

Meanwhile, in a large conference room on the opposite side of the country, the Special Forces unit commander monitors and directs the mission’s operations with an iron hand. Every member of his intervention team is equipped with front-facing mini-cameras and military-grade earbuds.

On the slightly elevated balcony of a large house near Christopher Street, Sammy, a man in his thirties, sits with his wife. They are set apart from the rest of the family and can wholly enjoy the late-summer air.

The woman says tenderly, I’m so relieved to have beaten this damned illness—to have won against breast cancer and to finally be pregnant as well! The universe is sending me unexpected favors to apologize for having been so hard on me .... And now to enjoy a beautiful summer night alone with you, while everyone else is sleeping, is a precious gift.

Finally, peace, he answers with a smile. "At this time of night, no one can hassle us over the phone, trying to sell us the latest electric car made in China, a sun-drenched apartment in Florida, or shady African stocks."

Well, they do have to earn a living. They also have families and children to feed. Don’t be too harsh, love.

Yes, Mother Teresa ... I’ll do my penitence. Cross my heart.

Call me Saint Mary, mother of God, she says, smiling.

OK, my sensual Virgin Mary, pregnant with our unborn prodigal child by the ways of the Lord, however inscrutable?

Eternally virgin. That’s my destiny, she says, beaming.

Yes ... but it’s true that they suck our energy all day long, adds Sammy with a half-smile. Not to mention your cousin, who constantly bugs us with his stupid pseudo-fascist political and religious ideals. He’d be better off finding himself a girlfriend to offload all his excess testosterone.

In response, she laughs and nestles comfortably into his arms.

At that very moment, two men dressed in black discreetly make their way toward the corner of Seventh Avenue. They briefly pause to slip on black hoods, gloves, and pairs of black shades, then proceed up to Bedford Street, and arrive at the large iron gate of a private garden, over which they swiftly climb. They silently continue to the front door of the house, alerting the third assailant via their earbuds: Bravo 4, this is Alpha 2. We’re in position, ready to infiltrate the target. Do you copy?

Alpha 2, this is Bravo 4. Copy that, the sniper answers from the opposite rooftop. I’m in position with the target in sight. Over.

Bravo 4, this is Alpha 2. Okay, we’re counting on you to cover us. On my mark, we start the operations. Alright, here we go guys. Over and out.

Armed with silenced .357 Magnums, the two assailants forcefully enter the upper-class residence, break into each room, and with horrifying violence exterminate the drowsy occupants, one by one.

From their raised balcony, the terrified couple witnesses these summary executions. Sammy grabs his wife’s arm and whispers firmly in her ear:

Escape through the front. I’ll create a diversion by going out through the back garden. I’ll make noise to attract their attention. Don’t waste a second, darling. Save yourself as quickly as possible!

What about you? How will you make it out if you draw them to you?

Don’t worry about me. Think first of our baby, my love ... now, go!

The attackers catch sight of the young woman running toward the kitchen and escaping through the glass door at the front of the property. At the same moment, they distinguish a man in the dim light, knocking over a chair as he tries to escape through the large garden window. The two killers immediately set off in pursuit, but Sammy manages to get away and starts running, dashing through the small park adjoining the property. The two assailants shoot in his direction but fail to hit him through the trees.

One of the three killers instructs the others via his earbuds: This is Alpha 2 to all units ... We can’t let them escape. The orders are clear—not a single survivor. I’m taking the vehicle to cut him off. You go after him by foot and keep me informed of his position.

The sniper, positioned on the roof overhead, directs his rifle toward the young woman. He takes his time to focus in on his moving target, and then holds his breath to ensure the precision of his shot ... His finger delicately brushes the trigger, and shoots her right through the head with a soft thud. She collapses, lifeless, on the lawn, her face covered in blood and her dreams of motherhood in shreds.

This is Bravo 4. I have managed to eliminate the woman, but the man is out of my sight. I no longer have a visual on him. He must have escaped through an alley. Over.

In the faint glow of the streetlights, the second killer unwittingly drops his weapon as he runs to intercept the fleeing man. He finally reaches his target and viciously grabs him, pulling out a long, sharp combat blade from his holster and severely wounding the fleeing man’s arm. The would-be killer makes several attempts to stab the fugitive in the face and throat.

After a violent physical altercation, Sammy, who is skilled in combat techniques, abruptly blocks his assailant’s hand. Pivoting with a quick movement from the hips, he strikes the other man’s throat with a raging blow from the elbow, followed immediately by a knee kick to the chest. Finally, he sends his attacker to the ground by forcefully kicking his shin. Blood flows from Sammy’s forearm; his opponent’s knife reached deep into his flesh, and his injury burns fiercely.

He glances at his fallen adversary but hastens to escape before any possible accomplices appear. Panting, he continues his frantic race for survival.

He heads back, weakened, toward Seventh Avenue, but feels himself slowly losing control of his movements. He struggles to focus. His vision is foggy; everything around him becomes blurred, and his movements are hindered by the considerable loss of blood. But he shakes off his mounting despair, improvises a makeshift tourniquet from his shirt to stop the bleeding, and resumes his desperate bid to evade a seemingly inevitable death.

A little later, the floored assassin gets up, slightly stunned by the mighty blows he’d been dealt. He immediately alerts his colleagues of the direction the fugitive took, and then moves to recover his weapon on his way back, so as not to leave any trace.

To all units, this is Bravo 3. Our hostile is approaching Seventh Avenue, heading southwest. Be careful. He’s fast and dangerous.

To all units, this is Alpha 1, I repeat, this is Alpha 1, says the mission’s commander from behind his control screens. Our man is heading toward Hudson Park Public Library. If you take the parallel street, you’ll be able to cut him off before he can slip into Morton Park.

Okay, Alpha 1, this is Alpha 2. Copy that. I’m in my vehicle. I’ve located him. I’m going to make a sharp U-turn to corner him before he enters the park. Over.

As it reaches the man, the car accelerates and suddenly skids with a sharp screech. The vehicle faces Sammy, who freezes for a moment while compressing his painful arm injury with his white shirt, now red with blood. The driver seizes the opportunity, and with explosive acceleration, slams Sammy against one of the steel protection barriers. Then he reverses, leaving the future father’s lifeless body to slump on the road.

To all units, this is Alpha 2. Operation Greenwich Village finalized. No survivors. Mission accomplished.

The driver returns to pick up his accomplice before swiftly disappearing into the night.

Thousands of miles away on the West Coast, Alpha 1, the elite unit’s commander-in-chief, stares blankly ahead, utterly exhausted. He sits in his chair for a long while, eyes half-closed to allow the pressure to subside. Then he turns off the monitors and gets up from his director’s seat in front of a real-world stage. He seems wearied and troubled by this challenging but critical mission. He closes the large, armored door of the conference room and slowly returns to his quarters for some much-needed and well-deserved rest. He needs to be operational again soon. A similar mission awaits him in the coming days.

∴

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Virginia, USA

September 25, 2017 – 03:00 p.m., in one of the most heavily guarded buildings of the United States Secret Service.

Crystal Dabby, the CIA’s Counterterrorism Department head, is a charismatic figure. She’s a pretty woman with fair skin and big, deep-blue eyes, straight black hair cut in an angled bob, and a cold, almost impassive gaze. Standing in her office, she speaks in a solemn voice. She recounts her mission’s developments, the objective of which is to neutralize a new criminal organization that has implemented a disconcerting underground scheme to draw a permanent end to Islamist terrorist activity worldwide.

"I am sure that this avenger organization’s ambitions seem unrealistic. How would it even be possible to eradicate pseudo-religious terrorist networks whose adepts, dispersed around the globe, are prepared to die to achieve their goals? You will understand by this report’s unexpected conclusion that this new organization’s clever strategy works to perfection.