Firewall (The Firewall Spies Book 1)

by Andrew Watts

  The men flipped Nader’s now-lifeless body onto his back. One of them took off his backpack and removed a small bag, unzipping it.

  “What is that? What are they doing?” Erika asked through her tears.

  “I think it’s a surgical blade.”

  One of the gunmen walked over to Nader’s face and began cutting out his right eye. Erika vomited on the floor. The lead gunman was staring at Pace as his subordinates conducted their gruesome surgery. Pace could feel his heart pounding.

  The surgeon removed the eyeball and held it up for all to see. The lead gunman nodded approval and said something. The second man walked the eyeball over to the retinal scanner and held it appropriately for the system to analyze it. A green glow, a beep, and the door unlocked with a hiss.

  Pace and the others shuffled back to the far side of the conference room, huddling in the corner.

  The lead gunman walked into the room, pulling down his face mask. He had a square jaw. Mid-thirties. An incredibly deadly look in his eyes. The look of a man who killed people for a living.

  “What do you want?” asked Pace.

  The gunman motioned with his silenced pistol. “Would you each take a seat, please?”

  The second gunman walked into the room behind the first. He was holding the surgical knife.

  Ava sat in the passenger seat of a small sedan. The car drove as fast as possible without drawing attention, winding through the hilly streets of San Francisco. Ava had never met the driver. One of Mossad’s, she was sure. He offered no conversation, but she knew he was a pro. He knew where to take her, and not to speak. And little else about her, in case he was questioned.

  Ava kept looking behind them for any sign of a tail, but nothing stuck out. Seventeen minutes after she had fled the Pax AI headquarters, the vehicle pulled into a warehouse, the garage door shutting behind them.

  Ava had already changed her clothes in the vehicle and tied her hair in a bun. The man handed her an umbrella and a backpack, which she took. Ava walked two hundred yards through an area of the building devoid of security cameras, then left the building, opening the umbrella to cover her as she transited outside to the next warehouse. She tossed the umbrella once inside that one. No drone footage or satellite imagery would confirm her identity. She ended her walk in the back of another vehicle that waited in a similar small garage, half a mile from the first. A second driver started the new car and drove her to a private airport, where she boarded a jet chartered by a Mossad shell company.

  Within minutes, Ava was airborne, headed for Mexico City. Once there, she switched to a new private jet, owned by a different shell company. Again, she was airborne within minutes, this time heading east over the Atlantic.

  Ava Klein was gone.

  31

  Two days later

  BREAKING NEWS

  Trinity has claimed credit for the break-in and violence at the Pax AI headquarters this week. While they have disavowed being involved in the killing of Russian diplomat Marisha Stepanova, online Trinity message boards have a lot of theories connecting her with the group. The US State Department and the CIA have yet to comment on rumors that Stepanova was part of Russian Intelligence. Nor have US authorities said if there is any connection between Stepanova’s murder by an AI-controlled machine gun, fired from an autonomous vehicle, and the break-in and violence at the Pax AI headquarters. San Francisco Police and the FBI have been on high alert in the city and are urging citizens to contact the hotline if they have any information on the three men involved.

  When Colt walked into the interrogation room at the FBI’s San Francisco field office, his first observation was that Jeff Kim looked like he’d aged ten years. Some of the news reports were calling the killers AI terrorists. Other news sites claimed there was a connection to Russia, citing the fact that a Russian diplomat was killed in spectacular fashion around the same time.

  Kim’s leadership position had been called into question by the board of directors. Ava, one of his senior executives and few personal confidants, was missing, with rumors swirling about her being part of an international conspiracy. Nader, three security guards, and the receptionist were dead.

  Pace and two of his executives were so psychologically shaken they didn’t want to speak with him. But they spoke to the FBI, describing the three men who entered the fourth-floor conference room as cold and brutal. The gunmen had known what to ask for and how to get it, using a window of connectivity between The Facility and the Pax AI headquarters to access some of Kim’s most closely guarded intellectual property.

  Jeff Kim sat next to his lead attorney. He wrinkled his eyebrows as Colt entered, and then whispered something to his lawyer.

  The lawyer nodded slowly and then said, “Who’s this?”

  “Mr. McShane is working with us,” Special Agent Rinaldi answered.

  Kim whispered something in the lawyer’s ear. “My client informs me that he was working on behalf of Pax AI’s investors. Is that right?”

  “I’ll remind you that the US government was one of those investors. And that your client has signed multiple agreements with the federal government.”

  “Special Agent Rinaldi, I hope for your sake you have all your paperwork in order, because if not . . .”

  “It is.”

  “. . . if not, we’re going to have quite the reckoning in court. We will seek damages for violation of Mr. Kim’s Fourth Amendment rights and make sure it’s plastered on every news show from here to—”

  “Mr. Kim’s rights were not violated,” said Wilcox from a chair in the corner of the room. “And if they were, we’ll pay damages. But it is in everyone’s best interest to focus on the real perpetrators here. We want to find out who did this. I do not recommend going after the government for trying to catch them.”

  Kim again whispered to his lawyer, who this time remained quiet. Kim said, “What can I do to help?”

  They peppered him with questions. Many were the same ones he’d already been asked.

  Rinaldi said, “Let’s talk about what they stole.”

  “Our AI research data from the Mountain Research Facility. We were running several experiments there. That’s what they took.”

  “And were they able to get what they came for?”

  “Some of it. Not all.”

  Wilcox leaned forward. “Including your AGI research?”

  Kim said, “They were able to access some of that data. But no one can fully run that program without having access to the equipment in our Mountain Research Facility.”

  Rinaldi said, “Mr. Kim, why weren’t you there?”

  Kim nodded. “I was preparing to lead a demonstration of our AI language-prediction algorithm.”

  Agent Rinaldi said, “Did you know this was going to happen?”

  Kim frowned. His lawyer raised his hands. “Come on. We’re cooperating. Please don’t push it.”

  Kim flashed anger. “Of course not. I would never want this to happen. This has ruined my life’s work. And if the wrong people got hold of our technology, it could be dangerous. I want our work to be an agent of good. Not a weapon.”

  “Do you think that’s what the people who stole it will use it for? To create a weapon?”

  “I can only speculate.”

  Rinaldi said, “If they wanted to, what is the worst that could happen?”

  Jeff Kim didn’t blink. “They could take over the world.”

  Rinaldi huffed.

  Wilcox said, “Why don’t you think Ava was involved?”

  Kim turned toward Wilcox. “I worked with Ava for the past two years. I got to know her very well. Her understanding of AI ethics is very good. And her motives have always proven to be altruistic. If she is working for a foreign intelligence organization or a competitor that wished to steal our tech, she could have done this at other times. Or in another, less violent manner. Another thing. She came into work that day. It doesn’t make any sense to me that she would do that and then go on the run.”

>   Colt agreed with Kim on that point. The FBI and CIA had been arguing over Ava’s potential role for the past two days. Colt’s opinion was that she very well could be Israeli Intelligence. But he didn’t think they were the ones responsible for the killings.

  Rinaldi said, “Maybe she was the scout? Making sure the coast was clear before the muscle came in?”

  Kim shook his head. “It’s not logical. And it doesn’t fit with her opinions of the technology. She knows how important it is. And how powerful it can be. Nothing she’s ever said or done would indicate to me she would want anything but the best of outcomes for this moment in our history. She wanted AGI to help mankind.”

  “You sure it wasn’t just an act? Women are good at acting.”

  “So are men,” Kim said, looking at Colt.

  Rinaldi took a breath, and Wilcox tapped him on the shoulder. “Can I speak with you for a moment?”

  Rinaldi nodded and rose. “Let’s take a bathroom break. Anyone need anything? Coffee?”

  Kim’s lawyer glanced at him. “You okay if I run to the restroom?”

  Kim nodded and the lawyer left.

  Alone in the room, Kim turned to Colt. “So what are you? Some type of informant for the FBI?”

  Colt shrugged. “Something like that.” He paused. “Listen, I’m very sorry about all of this.”

  Kim stared toward the wall. “I guess it’s not your fault, is it?” He sighed. “I cared about her. Ava, I mean. I shouldn’t say this, but I’m just as upset by her betrayal as I am about the rest of it, I think. That’s one of the things I’ve realized in the past few years. The success and money are only good if you are surrounded by the right people. People that you enjoy. That you love. As the money rolled in and we were approached by the CIA and many others, I began to realize how powerful our organization would become. We’re still in our infancy when you think about the lifecycle of a business. But we have what no one else in the world does.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Me. I know I sound arrogant, but I’m being realistic. I was given a gift. I’m good at math, and this field comes naturally to me. I’m moderately good at running a company. And together, those things are enough to attract the world’s leading talent. So, they gave me billions of dollars and free rein to create. I thought I was going to build an empire. But we barely got started.”

  “Is that what you want? To create an empire?”

  Kim looked at Colt. “This AI revolution won’t be like the industrial jumps that came before. Especially AGI. No one knows what happens when we flip that switch. If things go well, then yes, we’ll build an empire. Maybe we’ll build a new world order.”

  “And if things don’t go well?”

  Kim put his fingers together and then brought them apart. “Poof.”

  Colt couldn’t tell if he felt angry or afraid. Or both. “That’s a lot of responsibility.”

  Kim shrugged. “If not me, someone else. You know what the difference is between the billionaire entrepreneurs and others with similar gifts?”

  “Hard work?”

  Kim shook his head. “Timing. People like me were in the right place, at the right time, with the right gifts. There are a lot of smart people in the world. Most of them end up old and angry. Maybe that is my path now?”

  “You sound like you think it’s all over. Didn’t you say that the Russians—if that’s who it was—wouldn’t be able to replicate your AI program without the equipment you have at The Facility?”

  “That’s correct.”

  “Then why—”

  “Because it won’t be me.” Kim nodded toward the door. “On the other side of that door, your bosses are speaking with my lawyer. In a moment, they’re going to come in and my lawyer is going to say he needs to speak with me. The CIA will have informed him that for national security reasons, they need to place my company in a black box. They’ll make it completely classified. Controlled by the US government. It will be my own personal hell. Everything I do will be overseen by them. Innovation and creativity stifled. Speed governed by the pace of bureaucracy. We won’t win the AI race like that. And while I will do my part, I won’t be at the helm. Not really.”

  Colt looked through the small glass window. Sure enough, he could see Rinaldi and Wilcox speaking with Jeff Kim’s lawyer.

  Colt said, “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure.”

  “How did Kozlov really die?”

  Kim’s face went slack, and suddenly he looked afraid.

  The door opened and in came the lawyer with Wilcox and Agent Rinaldi, who motioned for Colt to leave the room.

  The lawyer said, “Jeff, we need to discuss something in private.”

  Colt’s eyes were on Kim as he left. He never answered the question.

  Outside in the hallway, with the door shut behind them, Wilcox and Rinaldi both had funny expressions on their faces.

  Colt said, “What is it?”

  Wilcox said, “You just got a message from Trinity.”

  32

  The text message went to Colt’s phone, which was monitored by the CIA. They noticed it before he did, as his phone was on silent while he had been speaking to Jeff Kim. The contents of the message were immediately flagged and sent up the chain of command.

  Colt and the counterintelligence team sat around the main table in their safehouse.

  Wilcox said, “Trinity wants the buyers to be ready to travel anywhere in the world within twenty-four hours. They have given each buyer the names of who is to represent them. We expect them to send a travel destination any moment now. Once at the location, Trinity will allow us to evaluate the product and make an offer. Each buyer will have a specific asking price.”

  “Do we know who the other buyers are?” Colt asked.

  Weng said, “No, but we do know that the SVR received an invite. So, there is a pattern.”

  “I’ve received information that the MSS and at least one competitor technology firm have also received invites. So . . . intelligence agencies involved with tech companies, and competitors,” said Wilcox.

  Colt said, “Ed, are we really going along with this? Isn’t this like negotiating with terrorists?”

  Wilcox looked at Rinaldi. “We were given approval at the highest level. The reasoning is that if there is a chance Russia and China could get their hands on this tech, we need to know what they have.”

  The group switched to reviewing the video surveillance of the Pax AI incident.

  “Here,” said Sims. “This is the best section of video we have. Facial recognition software gives each man a ninety percent match to these two.” She pointed to another screen that showed two Russian men. Both former military, now thought to be contractors for a Russian mercenary group. “We don’t have an ID on the third assailant.”

  “Any tattoos?” Colt asked.

  “Not in these videos. All their clothing covered their forearms. It could be the same team that did the Kozlov job in Seattle, but we can’t be sure. And before you ask, we don’t have that level of detail on the two men who got the facial recognition match.”

  Rinaldi said, “Look, the FBI San Francisco office is a zoo right now. Everyone is working on this, and they’ve all got Russian assassination theories. The State Department is pressuring Russia to fess up. But before we embarrass ourselves, let’s be honest. We just don’t know for sure who these guys are, or who they are working for.”

  Sims sighed. “That’s right.”

  Colt watched the video replay of them leaving the building. Walking right into the delivery van they had used as transportation. Then driving to a large distribution center with hundreds of identical vehicles and parking in a video surveillance blind spot, three cameras disabled the evening prior. Over the next few hours, dozens of similar delivery vans left that warehouse. The lead theory was that the team of gunmen had been on one or more of those trucks, then put on another truck or an aircraft. The drivers had all been interviewed, but no one knew anything.
Something would turn up.

  “The NSA confirmed what Jeff Kim said. They got some data, but not all. And they can’t run the program without Pax AI’s equipment,” said Weng.

  Colt said, “And Ava? Was she working with them?”

  “We’ve dug up enough on her to know she almost certainly wasn’t.” Rinaldi typed a few keystrokes into his laptop and spun it around.

  “Here. She was spotted training with the Israeli military eight years ago.”

  “Cute haircut,” said Weng.

  Colt shot her a look.

  Wilcox said, “So this picture shows her training at an Israeli military base. This section of the base is where a lot of their special operations forces train. Ava’s official records say she was in New York at the time. But we think her first time in the city was actually a year later. She went to business school right after finishing her training with Mossad.”

  “So, was she Mossad when I met her? Was that a planned meeting?” Colt asked.

  “We don’t think she was Mossad when you met. It seems more likely she began her training just after.”

  Colt could feel everyone’s eyes on him. “Okay. So she left the Pax AI headquarters in a rush. Right before an assault team hit it. If she’s not working with the assault team, how do you explain that?”

  Wilcox said, “Maybe it was the Russians and Israeli Intelligence had some damn good intel on what they were planning.”

  Colt nodded. “Or . . .”

  “Or maybe Israel hired that team and she is working with them. But it doesn’t make sense that she would show up to work that day. It’s not like she was needed for them to conduct that operation. Hell, we gave her a means to take all of that data.”

  Colt said, “I almost forgot about that. What happened to that? Did she—er, Mossad—get our data collection?”

  “She’s still got the shoes. But we never activated it. So no, they didn’t use our tech to steal Pax AI data. That would really have pissed my boss off,” said Wilcox.