by Van Fleisher
Ninad explained, “This is a simulation-based on the little information that Supervisory Agent Brouet has shared with me, but we will quickly be able to go live as soon as we begin receiving your live feed. The dots represent your Final Notice people. As they exhibit more aggressive readings, the dots change color and begin to blink at the orange and red levels; and when they reach those levels, they are pushed out to local law enforcement in the vicinity.”
He clicked on a dot, and a box appeared. “Clicking on a dot will bring up this detail box, displaying whatever information you provide, plus information that we hold. That includes our facial recognition files and a lot of federal, state, and local government data. We’ll be able to push this app out across the country to all levels of law enforcement.”
Vijay chimed in, “Very impressive, but how did you get this far so fast, and why did you assume that we could provide GPS info?”
“I was talking to my cousin, Ganesh, who used to work with you, and he told me about the watch’s capability, including its GPS functionality. So, I built the app with the ability to use a broad range of data, in case you gave it to us.”
Vijay asked Ninad to pass along his regards to Ganesh, and Zoe broke in, “Ninad, please show them the other dimension.”
“OK. This app, so far, will tell us the hot spots insofar as all Final Notice people are concerned; but we need to stay focused on protecting our priority targets, and the danger increases as a Final Notice person gets closer to one of our priorities. This is especially true for those Final Notice recipients similar to the ones in the Boston area, who may display a different reading from a traditional revenge seeker. So, Supervisory Agent Brouet is requesting that as soon as possible, and until the elections are complete, all priority targets are given a tracking device of some kind.”
“You can buy them all VT2’s,” intervened Vijay, half-joking.
“That’s certainly an option,” chuckled Ninad as he regained control. He switched to a new screen which, in addition to the Final Notice dots, showed blue dots in a few different sizes. They were also moving about the map. “The blue dots represent our priority targets – judges, senators, etc. – and they will also show photos and details when the dots are hovered over or clicked. When orange or red dots move closer to them, alerts will be pushed out to local and federal law enforcement. The program will also be able to discern the directness of an orange or red dot’s path toward the blue dot, injecting another level of urgency. Any questions?”
Zoe jumped in and stated the obvious. “We believe this is just the tool we need, but it’s dependent on getting info from you and getting the priority target’s acceptance of carrying a tracking device.”
Vijay asked, “Since this is for their protection, why wouldn’t they accept it?”
Zoe laughed. “Some of our politicians would rather not want others to know where they are from time to time. But more importantly, what degree of certainty do we have that you can continue to provide this information from now through the elections?”
Vijay answered, “Alek and I are pretty sure we can continue to provide the information, unless VitalTech somehow uses a legal method to stop us, based on a leak, or some proof or strong evidence that we have invaded or hacked their system. How are you going to answer the inevitable question about where this information is coming from?”
Zoe answered, “As Ninad mentioned, a lot of the information we’ve covered today is already at our disposal. You’ve told me that you don’t have comprehensive user photos or employment details, but we have immediate access to over ten-million facial recognition files and tens of millions more from local and state government systems. We have access to tax records, mobile phones, and internet tracking, social media monitoring, and countless security cameras around the country. I’d be surprised if anyone would question where the intel is coming from, but you’re right about a leak. If we’re asked in a legal forum, we’d have to tell the truth. But we’ve been receiving data from VitalTech for two years, up to a couple of days ago. And we still don’t know if it was VitalTech or someone else that has stopped the data feed, so it’s a pretty muddled situation. And hopefully, if we have to, we can ask or possibly force VitalTech for the data by declaring a national emergency. Seems like more of an emergency than a wall.”
Vijay was impressed and excited. “We’re willing to take the risk but do me a favor. Change the name of your app so that it doesn’t immediately create a connection to the VT2. And Ninad, can you stay on the line with Alek to make sure we have the correct interface details?”
Ninad chirped, “Will do.”
Vijay signed off. “OK. Thanks, Zoe, and congratulations, Ninad, on some very cool programming. Alek, please give me a call when you finish up with Ninad. Bye, all.”
Vijay sat back in his chair and took a very deep breath. He’d just taken a step to the other side of the law, but he rationalized, It shouldn’t be this way. This cooperation is vital, and as long as the data is not abused, it’s in every law-abiding person’s interest. He sincerely believed that, but would Jennifer?
He needed to find out. Jennifer had just put Karima down for her nap, so he asked if she had a minute, and she did. He began with the Supreme Court justice murder. “Last night, the system that Alek and I have been working on identified a Final Notice recipient in an elevated emotional state, consistent with previous killings. It was in D.C., so I immediately called Zoe to give her his coordinates.”
He skipped the part about Zoe being attacked, “I lost touch with her after that, and then this morning I learned, along with the rest of the world, that a Supreme Court Justice had been murdered by a Final Notice recipient. Our system was so close to stopping it, and if the FBI had been receiving our data directly, they would have had the time to stop it.”
Jennifer was impressed with what Vijay and Alek had created, but it was still illegal. “Is Zoe able to get you immunity?”
“No. But she’s also risking her job by accepting the data.”
“That’s fine, but that doesn’t keep you out of jail, nor does it make the Russians or whoever the bad guys are more tolerant of your actions. Vijay, I was able to handle the situation with a single goon, but they won’t use that simplistic approach next time. Please, think of your family.”
Vijay’s gut twisted as he absorbed Jennifer’s plea, but he couldn’t bail out on Zoe either. He inaccurately described a notion of Zoe’s: “Jen, the FBI is trying to get VitalTech to give them the information, either voluntarily or via a court order. If that happens, I won’t have to provide it.” He left out the details about how the emotional indicators would be supplied.
Jennifer looked at him coldly, turned around, and left the room.
***
Washington, D.C. Zoe was thrilled with the new system that Ninad had developed; however, she still had major concerns. The biggest was that she was collaborating with someone who was breaking the law. How could she handle that with the Bureau? She was also concerned about the vulnerability of Vijay’s information flow being disrupted. Knowing someone’s behavioral state and their location was critical if they hoped to stop a killing. Could the Bureau formally request the information from VitalTech? If VitalTech said no, the Bureau’s situation would be far worse. Could they demand it? Zoe was meeting with Hawke shortly, and somehow, she would need to discuss it with him. He won’t be happy about the Jefferson Darrow murder, but at least now, we’ll have a better chance once Vijay’s data starts to flow.
And then there was Demi. She understood the expression, “Love is blind.” Was she blind? Several little things had begun to add up: Demi taking her phone from the room … looking at her laptop … questions. And then the incident the other night: Getting a phone call just before Zoe started the chase, twisting her ankle which recovered very quickly, and then getting ambushed by a guy who seemed to know she was coming. Zoe knew that she’d have to figure these out on her own.
***
CHAPTER 15 – YOU’
VE BEEN HACKED
Washington, D.C. Zoe was ushered into Eric Hawke’s office, and she felt a sense of déjà vu, reminding her of when, as a child, she’d done something bad, and her father was waiting for her. The Executive Assistant Director was utterly focused on a document, and Zoe wasn’t sure if he even knew she was there. As she took a seat in a chair opposite him, he tossed the document over to her and asked, “Did we have any chance of stopping that? Are we kidding ourselves that we can?”
Zoe looked at the dossier detailing the Darrow murder and waited a second or two in case he had some other questions before she replied. “If it happened a week from now, we’d have an excellent chance.” She recounted the close miss last night and then took him through the developments of the morning with Vijay and Ninad. To Zoe’s surprise, Hawke was impressed with the system, and Zoe pressed on with the point of getting high priority targets to accept a tracking device.
Hawke reflected, “From what you’ve said, if Darrow had been carrying a tracker last night, Vijay would have seen him as the target, and pre-emptive protection might have saved him. I don’t think we can force some of these people to carry one, but then they’re even dumber than many people think.”
“I don’t see any way other than this system to stop further problems,” he continued. “Give me some options and costs on the best tracking devices. I think we can get pretty broad acceptance.”
Zoe was encouraged by Hawke’s realization that without the system, they had no chance, so she addressed her biggest concern. “Yes, sir. I’ll get some options, and speaking of options; we have a problem. If I felt there was another way to limit our Final Notice exposure, I would, but VitalTech has the proprietary information that we need.”
Hawke interrupted, “And they’re giving it to us. So, what’s the problem?”
“They’re not giving it to us. Vijay is, and he’s hacked into their system to get it for us. VitalTech cut us off the other day.”
“Why?”
“We don’t know. It all happened very quickly. Their new CEO found out about the cooperation and stopped it. Then he tried to remove Vijay from the Board and his work on additional medical enhancements. Vijay was finalizing the new system outputs, and he decided to take the risk to help us.”
“Is this Vijay a saint or something? Why would he risk so much to help the FBI?”
“Strange as it may seem in today’s world, he’s just a good guy.” Ignoring Hawke’s eye roll, she asked, “Can we grant Vijay immunity, and if not, what are the chances of getting an emergency injunction, at least temporarily?”
“Definite ‘No’ regarding immunity. The emergency injunction is a possibility, especially given last night’s disaster. There’s concern that gun-happy ‘patriots’ on both sides will begin to play tit-for-tat. We’re even discussing implementing Secret Service protection for all presidential candidates and Supreme Court Justices. So, anything we can do will help. Let me get some opinions. Anything else?”
“This may be just a heads-up if it doesn’t spread – and some of it is still just conjecture – but there have been a number of unusual murders in the Boston area. They appear to be gang against gang, possibly Russians against Italians.”
Hawke snapped back, “I hope you’re not wasting your time with those! We should be cheering them on.”
“I’ve just been following them because they are Final Notice related.” Zoe explained the motiveless crimes, good guy appearances, and a lot of Russians. She also drew a comparison with last night’s shooting. “Although there weren’t any Russians involved in last night’s shooting, that we’re aware of, there are similarities to the Boston killings. A Final Notice recipient kills someone, and a good guy is on the scene to take out the killer. And although Connelly might have had a loose, deranged motive, he was backed up by someone who stopped me from getting there, and Connelly doesn’t seem like someone who would have a partner.”
“You’re saying Final Notice people are being managed? And that we’re pretty certain it’s Russians doing the managing in Boston?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Let me know immediately if any of your suspicions turn concrete. Anything else?”
“No, Sir. That’s all. I’ll keep you posted.”
Hawke’s gaze told Zoe that he was now somewhere else, and the meeting was over.
***
As Zoe headed back to her office, she felt that the meeting with Hawke had gone better than she expected. He could have arrested her and Vijay for conspiracy to commit a crime, and a cyber-crime. But now she had another of her concerns to deal with; Demi.
Zoe had planned to spend the night at Demi’s, and it was Zoe’s turn to either cook or bring home carry out food. That was a no-brainer for Zoe. Ten out of ten nights, she opted for carry-out, and tonight was not an exception. She decided on Indian food and stopped by RASA, a hip Indian restaurant in southwest D.C., that was one of their favorites. They both loved their salad, called “Sexy and I Know It,” and the equally quirky “Tikka Chance On Me” chicken tikka. But Zoe’s enthusiasm for the food was tempered by her need and fear of a confrontation with Demi.
***
Quincy, Massachusetts. Alek and Ninad had wrapped up the data streaming details, and Alek was tweaking a couple of things when something within the VitalTech system caught his attention. He called Ninad back and asked him to verify that the original data feed was still not being received. Ninad checked and confirmed that was the case.
Alek’s next call was to Vijay. “Vijay, everything’s good to go with Ninad, and the new data feed is now live, but I spotted something that puzzled me.” Vijay waited for what came next. “I found another live outbound data feed, almost identical in content to what was previously being sent to the FBI. It was very cleverly masked by the disabled FBI link. That’s why I missed it earlier. The destination of the new live feed is obscured.”
Vijay asked, “Could it be that the FBI link was restored?”
“No. I called Ninad back, and he confirmed that their link remains dead.”
“What’s your take? Could it be an internal link to a VitalTech department or person?” Vijay was trolling through possibilities.
“I don’t think so. It seems to be set up to exit the VitalTech system. I’ll keep digging.”
“You said ‘almost identical in content’?”
“Yes. The newer feed includes GPS coordinates.”
***
Washington, D.C. Zoe opened the door to Demi’s flat. The flat seemed darker than usual, and the sensual aroma wafting from a dozen candles won the contest with the savory Indian food. She looked up as she returned the key to her purse and noticed a lot of flickering candles and a big bouquet. Demi heard her enter and, with a big smile, announced, “Happy one-month anniversary!” Zoe put the bag of food on the counter and accepted an inviting kiss. They embraced, and two hours later, ate their room temperature meal.
Just before they returned to bed for the night, Zoe’s phone rang. It was Vijay, and Zoe answered in her very good mood voice, “Hi!”
Vijay asked, “Are you alone?”
“I can be.” She went into the bedroom and closed the door. “OK. I’m alone.”
Vijay explained that Alek had found what appeared to be a second outbound data feed, but so far, he didn’t know where it went. “You mentioned the Russian-Italian shootings, and maybe this is how they’re finding their killers. The fake FBI agents might have hacked into the system.”
Zoe was puzzled about why Vijay thought that a hack occurred then, and he explained, “They threatened to take Alek’s computer away unless he allowed them to have a look while they were there.”
Zoe’s mind was spinning. “I agree. I think you’ve been hacked, or actually, VitalTech has. Finding one, or even two Final Notice recipients might be lucky, but five?”
Vijay added flatly, “The new feed contains GPS coordinates.”
“Damn! I met with Hawke today, and I had to come clean about our cooperat
ion. He understands and is checking out whether we may be able to demand the data from VitalTech in the interest of national security. The murder the other night will add weight to the request, and he also bought the idea of GPS trackers for the potential targets.”
Vijay interjected, “Getting the data directly from VitalTech will help, but we’ll have a wrinkle with supplying the behavioral info. VitalTech doesn’t know anything about that.”
Zoe thought about that for a few seconds and replied, “OK. Let’s see where it goes first and keep me posted regarding the unknown data feed. Your new data feed is coming through, and Ninad already has it up and fully integrated. We’ll start pushing it out tomorrow to a couple of test groups within the Bureau for feedback before we roll it out wider. Thank you very much, Vijay. This is a game-changer for us.”
“You’re welcome, Zoe. Maybe you can bring me Indian takeaway when I’m in prison.”