by James Hunt
“The Ghost Twins?” Bryce asked.
“Roman Lahftz and Mabel Lahftz,” Grace answered. “They were reported as missing by the FBI a few months ago. It’s standard operating procedure for GSF to investigate any most wanted criminal updates from the intelligence community, but with the backlog of cases I didn’t get to analyze their profile until yesterday. When you brought up that code for the terrorists it reminded me of them.”
“You think they’re working with the Islamic State?” Bryce asked. “That’s not their usual clientele. They’re more of a social justice pair, attacking corporations and politicians.”
“I know, but”—Grace flipped to the next page—“the code that you were having so much trouble with yesterday matches their specialty in quantum algorithms.”
Bryce skimmed the page, already aware of the twins’ uncanny ability for programming. “There could be a connection, but again I don’t think they’d be willing to work with a terrorist group like the one Vince’s has been contracted by.”
“Maybe they don’t know it’s the Islamic State,” Grace said, shrugging her shoulders. “Or maybe they’re being forced into something.”
Bryce nodded, flipping back to the first page. “Have you brought it up to Mack?”
“No. I wanted to get your thoughts.”
Bryce mulled it over. If the Islamic State had hired the Ghost Twins, that would solve the riddle of how their encryption had developed so quickly over the past few months. “I think it could be possible. You should tell him.”
Grace smiled, taking the folder from his hands, her eyes lit up like Christmas lights. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Bryce stood and grabbed Grace by the waist and pulled her close. “I’m very proud of you.” He kissed her lips, and she smiled, that warmth she emitted in full glow.
“Thank you.” When Grace turned to leave Bryce watched her enter Mack’s office, the old curmudgeon taking the file and looking it over.
Bryce returned to his work. Even though Vince now had the plutonium, he still needed the detonation system if he wanted to set it off. And if they could grab it before he could they’d have the leverage needed to bring him out of hiding.
***
The flight out of Europe was long. Sarah replayed the interaction with Vince over and over in her mind. For two years, catching him was all she could think of. And just when she’d had the opportunity to cross another name off her list, he had slipped through her fingers.
But it wasn’t just her own vengeance that Sarah wanted to satisfy; it was her brother’s family as well. Ben left behind a wife and two children. Whatever despair she felt paled in comparison to their grief. She wrestled with telling Becca about Vince, the fear of exposing a scar to the knife once again holding her back. But in the end she decided Becca deserved to know. Sarah would have expected the same herself.
The plane landed in Chicago, and the ride over to their house on the motorcycle felt good. It’d been a while since Sarah had visited her hometown. She had not realized how much she’d missed it until she was actually there. The buildings, the food, the people, and of course the Cubs, opened a floodgate of memories from her childhood and career.
Chicago was the original location of the GSF, until two years ago when the same events that had sparked her brother’s death also spiraled the world into chaos. The GSF’s secrecy was nearly blown by a CIA agent. Taylor Grimes, a man Sarah believed to have a very large stick up his ass, discovered who they were and wanted to go public. But Mack managed to talk some sense into Grimes’s boss, and only a handful of people outside the GSF now knew of their existence, Sarah’s family among them.
Becca’s car was in the driveway, and the lights were on in the house. Through the front window, Sarah saw her sister-in-law with her niece and nephew in the kitchen. Ella and Matt were at the table, while Becca stirred some steaming concoction in a steel pot.
A smile curved up the side of Sarah’s face, and despite the churning sea of nerves rolling over and over in the pit of her stomach, she found herself jogging to the front door. She pounded three times, and it was Ella who came and answered, her smile nearly as wide as the rest of her face.
“Aunt Sarah!” Ella squealed in delight and wrapped her arms around Sarah’s waist.
Sarah lifted her up, spinning both of them in circles as she stepped inside. “Hey, nerd!” The commotion triggered Matt to join them, and he shared the same bright-eyed smile that Ella still had plastered on her face.
“Aunt Sarah!” Matt raised his arms, and Sarah scooped him off the ground as well.
“Holy crap, you guys have gotten fat!” Sarah sagged her arms, over-exaggerating their weight, though they had grown since the last time she’d seen them. “How old are you now? Sixty? Eighty?”
“Five!” the twins exclaimed at the same time, giggling.
Becca emerged from the kitchen into the foyer. She wore a look of surprise and reservation. “I didn’t know you were in the neighborhood.”
Sarah let the twins slide to the floor and played with her hands awkwardly. “Yeah, well, I was able to get a flight over here, so…” She cleared her throat. “I hope it’s okay.”
Becca smiled, and her eyes softened. “We were just about to eat dinner. You hungry?”
Dinner was comprised of meatloaf and green beans, along with stories of school and sports and anything and everything that sprang into the twins’ minds. For once they did most of the talking, while Sarah just sat and listened, laughing harder than she had in months. Every once in a while, she would look to Becca, who smiled but kept quiet.
With full bellies and empty plates, the twins retired to the living room while Becca and Sarah remained in the kitchen. Sarah snatched up the plates before Becca could get up. “It’s the least I can do.” She loaded the dishwasher, her nerves getting the better of her in the form of a light twitch in her left hand when she poured in the soap.
Once the kitchen was cleaned and the idle tasks done, Sarah and Becca crossed their arms, both unsure of how to react. Before Ben’s death they had always liked each other, but once he was gone their relationship had frozen. “Kids seem like they’re doing well.”
Becca nodded. “They’re both loving school.”
“Glad to see they got your brains,” Sarah said, cracking a nervous smile. “God knows that was something both me and Ben lacked.”
Becca shook her head. “What’s going on, Sarah? We haven’t heard from you since Christmas. You don’t call. You don’t text. And now you show up out of the blue?” She moved from the table, leaning against the opposite counter from where Sarah stood. “What happened?”
Sarah inhaled, her nerves still unnaturally rattled. “The people that were involved in Ben’s death,” she said, her voice low. “I’ve been looking for the two that escaped.”
Becca remained still, the only sign of the life the light pulse of the vein in her neck. “I thought you stopped those people?”
“I stopped the people who pulled the trigger,” Sarah answered. “But there were others involved; two more, to be exact. I’m chasing one of them now, and it won’t be long until I have him cornered. When I do, I’m going to make sure he pays for what he did.”
Becca drew in a slow breath through her nose and gently leaned against the counter, her arm brushing against Sarah’s. “You know I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dreamed about Ben since he’s been gone.” A smile creased her face, yet her eyes had moistened. “I see him playing with the kids in the backyard, helping cook breakfast in the kitchen.” She paused, her voice catching, and she wiped the few tears from her cheeks and shook her head. “I know his death was hard on you. And I know I didn’t make it any easier. I know you blame yourself, but it’s not your fault.” She turned her body to face Sarah and gripped her by the shoulders. “No matter what you do to these people it won’t bring Ben back. It won’t give you any peace.”
“Mom?” Ella poked her head back into the kitchen, her feet pigeon-toed. “Can w
e go out back and play?”
“Yes, but only if you stay in the backyard.”
Ella smiled and then looked to Sarah. “Want to come with us?”
Sarah slid around Becca and scooped Ella off the floor, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “I wish I could, punk, but I’ve gotta go. I’ll see you next week though for dinner.”
“Promise?” Ella asked.
“I promise.” After another quick goodbye and a similar promise to Matt, Sarah walked to the front door, the echoes of the twins’ laughter following her outside along with Becca, who stood in the driveway as Sarah climbed onto her bike.
“Sarah, you know you can always call to talk,” Becca said.
Sarah started the engine, the bike humming to life between her legs. “Thanks.” She shifted gears and sped off, the bike rocketing forward and the wind whipping Sarah’s face. Her mind was filled with Becca’s words on the ride back to the airport. Sarah knew Becca was right. Killing Vince wouldn’t give her any peace. But while Becca dreamed pleasant memories of Ben, Sarah had nightmares. It was only one, but it replayed every night. Ben’s death wouldn’t leave her, and neither would the desire for vengeance.
***
Mack had Grace leave the report on his desk before she walked out, and Mack bellowed for Bryce, who he watched jump from his chair and scurry to his door. “You read Grace’s report?”
“Yes, sir,” Bryce said. “There could be a connection.”
“Sit down.” Mack pointed to the chair in front of his desk, and Bryce did as he was told. “Have you found out where Vince is going to hit next?”
“Yes.” Bryce tossed a projection onto the wall. “There is only one manufacturer that makes the systems needed for nuclear weaponry, and it’s here.” The map blinked a red dot in an area just outside of Philadelphia. “The general population doesn’t know its true purpose, and it’s listed under a dummy corporation that has a contract with the CIA.”
The name pricked up Mack’s ears. “Put together a plan for Hill. We’ll need to get her up to speed as soon as possible. I’ll see what else I can find on those twins.”
“I’ll let you know when she arrives,” Bryce said.
Once Bryce was gone Mack reached for his phone. He dialed a number, pressed the device to his ear, and waited. The line never rang, but after a few seconds, a male voice answered, eerily robotic. “Line secure.”
“Alpha, Tango, Bravo, Niner, Foxtrot, Whiskey, November.” Mack spoke the words slowly and clearly. After the last word, another voice came on the line, this one more human than the last.
Another pause, and then a curt voice on the other end. “Director Mallory.”
“Mallory, it’s Mack.” He swiveled in his chair and then hit the switch that fogged the glass walls of his office like a bathroom mirror. “I need to know if you’ve had any breaches in your secure files.” It was never a pleasant experience, being told that you may have been hacked, but Mack didn’t have time for pleasantries.
“Not on my end,” Mallory answered. “What’s this about?”
“One of those loose ends from the Global Power case has resurfaced.” Mack pushed himself out of the chair and paced the floor. “A former agent of mine, Vince Moors, I think he might be working with a pair of hackers that the FBI flagged a few months ago.”
“The Lahftz twins?” Mallory asked. “They got a few low-level items from our servers a few years ago, but they haven’t been a bother for us. Their foray is more of the corporate and political arena, from my understanding.”
Mallory’s understanding was the least of Mack’s problems. “Well, they may have graduated to something slightly more violent. I have intel that the twins and Vince have been contracted to build a nuclear device for the Islamic State.”
“Christ.”
“Vince Moors is planning to hit the manufacturing plant outside Philadelphia to steal the ignition system. It’s the only piece he has left.” Normally, Mack would have kept this to himself, but the fact that he was about to step on another agency’s toes, especially one that already knew who they were, told him that he might need to keep Mallory in the loop.
“And you’re planning on getting there first,” Mallory said.
“That’s the idea.”
“All right. I appreciate the heads up. Just do me a favor and make sure whoever you send doesn’t kill anyone?”
Mack rubbed his forehead. “That makes two of us.”
Chapter 5
The moment Sarah walked through the door she was yanked into Mack’s office with Bryce, and she was brought up to speed on the progress of finding Vince. When she saw the image of the computer chip that was no larger than a credit card she raised both eyebrows, pointing to the flimsy piece of hardware. “That little thing detonates a nuclear bomb?”
“Yes,” Bryce answered. He smacked a few more keys, and the image of the facility in Philadelphia appeared. “And this is the chip’s sole manufacturer that you’ll be infiltrating.”
Sarah examined the building and leaned back, cracking her knuckles. “So I just break in, steal the chip, and use it as blackmail to lure Vince out of whatever hole he’s hiding in.”
Bryce tilted his head from side to side. “It’s a liiiiitle more complicated than that.” The projection on the wall shifted to a schematic of the building that rose six stories off the ground. “Level one is nothing more than a security checkpoint for employees coming in and out of the building. Levels two through five are production of the computer chips themselves. And level six is where most of the executive offices are located. But the nuclear detonation chips aren’t stored on any of these floors.” The schematic descended underground, where a small room was centered around at least a dozen pipes that extended from the structure in twisting turns and curves for at least five hundred yards.
“That’s the server vault,” Bryce said. “It controls a variety of their cybersecurities, manufacturing protocols, and storage for the intellectual designs for the chips themselves. In addition to the servers, there is a small vault where the actual nuclear chips are stored. Half of the pipes you see extending from that room are filled with a mixture of water and coolant to ensure the servers don’t overheat, while the other half of the pipes acts as a ventilation system.” Bryce stepped closer to the wall, returning the image to the first floor of the building. “There is only one entrance into the server vault from the ground level, and that is through this elevator, which can only be accessed by a biometric thumb and retinal scan of the guard on duty, which changes every hour.”
“Sooooooo… I won’t be going through that elevator,” Sarah said.
“No.” Bryce expanded the view of the tunnels extending from the server room. “I’ve analyzed every point of entry, and the only way for you to get inside is through these tunnels. They’re broken up into twenty-yard sections, each with its own individual infrared scanners to detect any living tissue that enters, which will trigger a pressurized force equivalent to nine Gs to immobilize the intruder and divert water and coolant into the compromised tube to kill whatever is inside.”
“It does what now?” Sarah asked, raising her eyebrows.
“In addition to the scanners, the tubes run on a statistical program that changes the flow of both air and coolant every thirty seconds, making a clear path into the servers virtually impossible. Oh, and the coolant has an acidity level that burns through nearly every fiber known to man within twenty seconds.”
“Why can’t I just go down the elevator again?” Sarah asked.
“Time,” Bryce answered. “We know the people that hired Vince are planning the attack soon. And we want to get the chip before he can. It’s easier for me to manipulate the security features of the pipes in the time frame we have than the other entrances.”
“And the idea behind this method of entry is secrecy,” Mack said. “We want you in and out without anyone knowing you were even there.”
Sarah drummed her fingers on the armrest. “I take it I won’t be bri
nging my two-piece for this trip?”
Bryce ended the projection on the wall and closed his laptop. “Sarah, the moment you’re detected in any of those pipes during your infiltration, you’ll die.”
“I see.” She nodded a few times. “Okay. You can send someone else.” She jumped from the chair and headed for the door. She nearly escaped before Mack flipped the lock switch at his desk. She turned around, her body hunched over and her knees slightly buckled. “Oh, c’mon, Mack, this isn’t work for me! I should be out looking for Vince! Getting the plutonium back! Just send one of our maintenance guys. I’ve seen them crawl into all sorts of spaces.” She gestured her thumb to the support agents beyond the walls of Mack’s office. “Remember the time when Johnny accidently clogged all of the drainage pipes with that weird experiment he was doing? It smelled like burnt hair for weeks.”
“I’ll give you two reasons,” Mack said. “One, because you let the plutonium get away in the first place. And two, because I said so.”
“Sarah,” Bryce said, extending a thumb drive. “I already have the program to break you into the vault. We just need someone fast.” He placed the drive in her palm. “And no one is faster than you.”
Sarah narrowed her eyes. “Plucking my ego strings, eh?” She inhaled then thrust her arms straight down at her sides, clenched her fists, and flung her head back, letting out an exasperated groan. “I hate it when you use my awesome, amazing, otherworldly abilities against me.” She lowered her head. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
“I don’t need to remind you two that this isn’t some type of game.” Mack pushed himself out of his chair and hunched over his desk, his large gut smacking against the edge. “If we don’t get this computer chip before Vince does, then he will have a fully functional nuclear weapon that the Islamic State could detonate anywhere. Not to mention we’ll be in the CIA’s backyard. We get this chip, we not only stop the nuke, but we’ll have leverage to lure him out into the open. Let’s not screw this up.”