by Mark A Pryor
Vyper gave the phone back to Bodnar. “Whoever did this could have caused train crashes and loss of life, but they did not. If it was CIA, they would deny it. Just like our deal. They want us to hack the Russians, and they want deniability.”
“You’re right,” said Niko. “The government will never come to our defense. If we get caught doing something illegal, they’ll throw us under the bus. So, deniability is important to Homeland—we can use it to our advantage.”
Bodnar spoke up from the front seat. “You never stop scheming, do you?”
Niko smiled at Vyper. “Never. But don’t worry. This is nothing like the time bombs. This is about Homeland letting us do our job without constantly looking over our shoulders. If Homeland wants deniability, they can’t be caught communicating with us—monitoring us. They have to leave us alone.”
Vyper raised her eyebrows. “Do I get my computers back? The network equipment? Everything?”
Bodnar took the ramp to I-66. “You two make a lot of sense. I’ll make your demands clear.”
Sterling, Virginia
Niko unplugged his laptop from the front of a network switch. He looked around Vyper’s computer room with satisfaction. It had taken three days, but all her equipment was back where it belonged, wiped clean and rebuilt.
He opened the door and stepped down from the raised computer room floor to the living room. Vyper sat on the couch, computer in her lap. The TV on the wall displayed a large map of the Texas-Louisiana coast with colored lines connecting colored dots.
Vyper turned her head. “Sit down and take a break. How is it going?”
Niko sat down and leaned over to give her a kiss. He opened his laptop. “The last of the configurations are complete. It’s time to run through final tests.” He looked at the TV. “Looks like the oil fields. Is that what Cybercade’s monitoring?”
“It is. I copied their data feeds. They will not notice.” She set her laptop aside. “I have been checking out Runion and a few other dark websites, picking up chatter. There is more information on the Moscow Metro break-in. I am not sure who did it, but whoever it was, they included some of Prixster’s signature code. It was not me, but the word is out—Prixster hacked the Metro.”
“The world thinks you attacked the Russians? That makes you a target. Zatan was looking for you before Sokolov was killed. I can’t see why he’d stop now.” Niko held her hand. “If our government wanted deniability for their attack, this is one way they could do it. Maybe they know you’re Prixster, and they’re using you as bait.”
Vyper pulled her hand away and waved it dismissively. “It is not the first time I have been pursued. Marko was the only person who ever discovered my identity. I will be careful.”
“We have to take this seriously. What if he finds you? The Russians play rough—Sokolov did.” Niko brushed her hair behind her ear. “You’re prepared for virtually any kind of computer attack, but not for a physical assault. Just look at how helpless we were when the FBI broke in.”
Her hand began to flap. “I was scared. They burst right in. We could not stop them. We could not hide.”
“Let me take care of it. I’ll beef up the security system and increase your home protection.”
Vyper placed a hand on his cheek and kissed him. “You are the best.” She placed her computer on her lap. “Right now, I want to check on my bots. They have been probing the pipeline and refinery systems ever since the FBI left us alone.”
“Are you using your Groper program? Wouldn’t it be detected?”
“Detected? Not my program. It does not look like a sustained attack. I spread the probes across thousands of bots located all over the world. And I have slowed it all down. It looks random.” A text box appeared in the upper right corner of the TV screen. She pointed. “There—it found a server with old web software that was missing important security patches—the third one I have seen so far. I will install my monitor and tracker software on all of them.”
Niko used his laptop to access the unpatched server. “I’ll break in and grab the list of sign-on IDs.” He tried a few hacker tricks. Soon he was browsing through restricted files. He copied the list of user names. “I’m going to monitor the sign-ins for a few days. See if there’s any suspicious activity.”
“This is odd.” Vyper displayed a list of locations on the TV. “I’ve been collecting data from the Russian computers infected with my tracker. Most of them are located in Vladivostok. But three are accessing the internet from Phoenix, Arizona—three different computers on the same subnet. Not only that—two more are coming in from a location in the Bahamas—an office building in Nassau.”
“Very suspicious. It looks like the Russians have collaborators in two more locations.”
Vyper tapped away at her keyboard. “Let me see if these computers are accessing the systems in Texas or Louisiana.”
While Vyper was occupied with the oil fields, Niko searched for home security systems—not just cameras and locks. He wanted something they could use to defend themselves as well. They could afford the best thanks to Sokolov’s money.
The sound of typing stopped. Vyper stared silently at her screen.
“What is it,” Niko leaned over to see her computer. “You look confused.”
She nodded. “Five computers in the Phoenix site are probing a pipeline control network at Rockefeller Petroleum in Houston, Texas.”
“Just as you suspected. We’ll give Homeland the details. But something else is bothering you.”
She turned the screen and pointed to a string of letters and numbers. “This is what they are looking for. They are trying to get a response from something. It reminds me of Stuxnet—only different.”
“You think it’s looking for a specialized computer? This site is a major oil pipeline hub. It could be looking for a system that controls pipeline operation.”
“I agree, but I am not sure what to do next.”
“That’s why Homeland gave us the ‘bat phone’.” Niko took a cell phone from the table. “They like to hear from us every day. Now we have some significant information to pass along.”
Niko called a special number connected to Homeland through two intermediate locations. He waited while the phones established a secure connection. After exchanging passphrases, Niko reported on the Phoenix and Nassau sites as well as the peculiar probes in Houston. He also promised to send the details in an encrypted, anonymous email. A terse acknowledgement from Homeland ended the call.
He shook his head. “Homeland is a pain in the ass. They should tell Rockefeller Petroleum they must tighten their pipeline network security. And someone from Homeland should check out Phoenix and Nassau. We have no idea whether they’ll follow up on anything we send them. Marko never worked this way.”
Vyper poked a finger in Niko’s ribs. “Check this out. One of those Phoenix computers is probing the power grid in southern California. I don’t like—”
A loud warbling sound interrupted Vyper. She pounded her fingers on the keyboard, paused, and pounded them again.
Niko watched without interrupting. This was the second time in two days she’d bumped into a hacker on a dark web router. Vyper had to act fast—wiping out evidence of her session before anyone could follow her through the network.
Her fingers stopped, and she looked up. “Someone is trying to track me. Maybe trying to track Prixster.”
***
For the past week, Niko had sent a lot of data to Homeland, but the information flowed only one way. The guidance they received was, “Stay out of Phoenix and Nassau. It’s not your job.” Same thing with California. The Russians were trying to break into the electrical grid, and Homeland told Niko to stay out of it.
Vyper sat on the couch next to him. “I just planted another bug in the Rockefeller Petroleum engineering network in Texas. I discovered an admin logged into the system—from the Russian site in Phoenix. I killed his session, but he will probably return.”
“Damn.” Niko shook his
head. “I told Homeland about this. Rockefeller users, including admins, are logging in from unsecured remote sites. If someone steals a password, they can log in from anywhere”
“Nothing we can do about it.” She slid closer to him and glanced at his laptop. “What have you learned about the pipeline equipment? Have you found anything that would respond to the Russian probe?”
“Homeland hasn’t told us shit. I’ve been reading some of Rockefeller’s engineering docs. I found a flow computer that might be the target. It controls and monitors the flow of oil.”
They looked through the specifications together, studying how the system worked. Anyone who modified the program could disrupt the movement of fuel and trick the monitoring system into reporting normal operation.
Vyper selected the source code of Groper. “I will add a probe to my program. We will see where all these flow computers are.”
“I’ll tell Homeland.” Niko made a call on the bat phone, explained what they found and promised to send details in an email.
He was about to hang up when the man from Homeland said, “We followed up with Rockefeller on their lax security. They promised to enforce rules on admin signons. If they’re not on Rockefeller’s internal network, they’re required to use the company’s secure remote connection.”
Being cooperative? They must want something. “That’s great. Just a few minutes ago, someone from the Phoenix site—”
The voice on the phone interrupted. “We need your help. It’s urgent. Have you seen the news about the power outage in Los Angeles?”
Niko searched the news. “Not really, just looking at it now. Seems serious.”
“It’s a cyber-attack on Valley Electric. We isolated their network from the rest of the grid. Our folks are still working on bringing them back on line.”
Niko put the phone on speaker. “Vyper, Homeland needs you to restore power in LA. It was a cyber-attack—sounds like it might be related to the intrusion we reported last week. The one they told us to stay out of.”
Vyper tapped away at her keyboard, then looked up. “I cannot access Valley Electric. Has anyone set up generators and satellite communication?”
“One moment,” said a voice on the speaker phone. “I’m connecting you directly to our incident response team.”
Niko turned on network news, where the anchor desk reported on the developing situation, speaking to on-site reporters via satellite phone. No video was available because emergency operations officials had commandeered all power generators in the area, including those from news organizations.
Vyper worked with the emergency team to establish a connection to the power distribution network and identify the systems that were affected by the attack.
“I wouldn’t want to be in LA,” said Niko. “Traffic snarls and accidents, mob scenes at banks and gas stations, looting, riots. Hospitals are running with limited power on backup systems. It’s threatening patients’ lives. Officials are reporting shootings … some deaths. It’ll be dark soon—officials ordered an immediate curfew.”
By nightfall, Vyper had identified the cause and devised a plan. The power company had to isolate the major parts of the network so Vyper could repair each segment one at a time. They kept the malicious software isolated from the newly-repaired sections.
Each time Vyper cleared one segment, Valley Electric restored power to another section of the city. Within a few hours, the system was back to full capacity. The city was in shambles. Emergency crews would get no rest tonight.
It was after midnight in Virginia when Vyper closed her laptop. “I am exhausted. This is the first time I have had to fix a problem while people were suffering … dying. The Russians have never attacked our country like this before.”
Niko gave her a hug. “This tit-for-tat. Moscow blames us for the attack on their Metro, so they attack the power company in LA. Could be the start of a full-scale cyberwar. And our country has the most to lose.” He kissed her. “You need some sleep. Let’s go to bed.”
They fell asleep almost immediately.
Whoop … Whoop … Whoop
Niko opened his eyes and glanced at the clock—2:15.
Whoop … Whoop … Whoop
Intruders! Probably not the FBI.
Defense
Chapter 22
Niko jumped out of bed and picked up his phone. On the screen, a night vision video showed the bright-green images of two men on the left side of the driveway and one on the right. He touched a drop-down menu and selected “Dog.”
The sound of three barking canines broke the silence outside. The figures on the screen stopped, raised their weapons, and turned to a defensive position.
Vyper stood on the other side of the bed, stepped into her slippers, pulled on a nightshirt, and picked up her phone.
“Follow me!” Niko snatched a shirt and pair of shorts from the chair next to the bed, picked up the bat phone and his gun, and ran to the computer room, Vyper right behind him.
He held Vyper’s hand. “Stand behind the door. It’s bulletproof.” He slammed it shut. “Call Homeland.”
On the inside of the computer room door, a large video monitor showed the three green figures moving toward the house. Niko touched the screen and selected more menu options. A loud alarm screamed outside the house.
The video switched to full color as floodlights illuminated the lawn outside. Two spotlights scanned the yard randomly. Three men dressed completely in black, carrying assault rifles and a battering ram, suddenly stopped and tore the goggles off their faces. They sprinted to the outer edge of the lawn.
“They had night vision goggles,” said Niko. “The light must have been blinding. Looks like they’re wearing body armor.”
Vyper yelled into the phone. “Homeland, this is Harris. Armed men are attacking my home. Send help now.” She ended the call and touched an icon on her phone. “Data purge and computer shutdown started.”
The lights blinked. Vyper glanced at her phone. “They cut power. We are on batteries.”
Niko slipped into his shorts and pulled the shirt over his head. “It’s okay. I connected the security system so it runs on emergency power.”
Outside, two men spread out, ten yards to either side of the third, then all three sprinted toward the house. As the first man came within ten feet of the door, two strobe lights flashed intense beams at his face, stopping him abruptly. The other men came from the sides and ran up to the door.
Niko remotely fired the door-mounted mace cartridges at the intruders. Two men dropped to their knees holding their faces.
The other man picked up the battering ram and smashed it into the door. He rammed it a second time. The door lurched into the house and dropped to the floor.
Niko switched the video to an indoor camera so he could watch the men cross the threshold into Vyper’s home. He remotely fired two more mace cartridges at the intruders as they entered. All three dropped to their knees, struggling to clear the liquid from their eyes.
Standing behind the computer room door, Vyper put her arm around Niko who held a finger to his lips.
They watched the screen as the intruders spread out to search the house.
One man walked to the computer room door and jiggled the knob. “Open door!” He jiggled it more. “Open door, now!” He stood back, raised his assault weapon, and fired a short burst of bullets at the door. None of them penetrated.
A second man joined him, carrying the battering ram.
Niko motioned Vyper to a corner at the far end of the room, while he stepped to one side of the door, raising his Glock and aiming it at the entrance. He inhaled and slowed his breathing.
Body armor. Aim high.
The door to the room burst from the hinges. As the first man appeared, Niko shot him once in the head, knocking the lifeless form against another man.
Someone outside the door returned fire. Niko turned and glanced at Vyper, who nodded and raised her thumb.
From outside the house came
the distant sound of police sirens, becoming louder and more insistent.
Niko peered through the doorway and spotted two men gesturing to each other. He shot one in the head, knocking him backwards to the floor. Before the second man could raise his weapon, Niko shot him, too.
Flashing red lights pulsed through the open doorway. The sirens of several vehicles competed for attention. They had to be right outside.
Vyper ran to Niko’s side and peered through the computer room doorway. “The front door is gone. And the men—they are not moving. Are they dead?”
Niko wrapped his arm around her. “I think they’re dead. I hope there were only three.”
A gunshot rang out, then two more.
A powerful voice from a bullhorn demanded attention. “FBI. Drop your weapons.”
Another gunshot. The faint sound of helicopter blades beat louder, changing pitch before settling into a low hum.
Niko hugged Vyper. “The cavalry arrived. Let’s wait in the living room.”
Vyper walked around the lifeless men on the floor.
The bat phone rang. Niko answered it. “This is Zima.”
An unfamiliar male voice responded. “Is Harris with you? Are you safe?”
“Yes, and yes. We’re both here. Safe and alone … I think. Are you Homeland?”
“Homeland sent us. Walk out the front door slowly, one at a time, holding your hands over your head. Leave any weapons you have behind.”
Niko turned to Vyper. “We have to trust someone.” He set his Glock on a table and headed outside, stepping into the blinding light, hands held high. Within seconds, two men frisked him while a third held a gun at the ready.
A middle-aged man in a business suit approached. “You can drop your hands.” He took Niko’s elbow. “Follow me.” He walked away from the house.
Niko glanced at Vyper, who was walking behind them, accompanied by a young woman dressed in a jogger’s outfit. He stepped on a stone in his bare feet. “Do I have time to get my sneakers?”