by K W Frost
“Red Dragons”
A Simon Child Adventure
By K W Frost
I would like to thank Kimberley, Poppy and Donna for their help in producing this book.
This is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, and incidents are products of the authors mind. Any resemblance to people living or dead is purely coincidental. Some places are real to give the story context and no offence to people living in those places is intended.
Copy write © 2019 by KW Frost
All rights reserved including the right to reproduce in part or whole in any form. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted without the permission of the author.
Enjoy
KW Frost.
Prelude
Three months previously.
Tenji Seiki was worried and he knew exactly what it was that worried him.
A typical Japanese worker, Seiki was of average height and medium build, with dark, well-trimmed hair. His hairless face was unlined, making him appear younger than his twenty-six years. Dressed in a neat business suit he looked like thousands of his contemporaries. The one difference was that Seiki was a genius; intuitively bright, he thought in different patterns to most people.
That morning, Seiki had arrived at work at his normal time of 6.30am and had taken his place at his workstation. Plugging in his laptop, he logged into the internal intranet and then called up his current project. Seiki worked in the experimental division of the Kang corporations technical department, situated in a high-rise office in down town Hong Kong.
His current project was the use of a specialised computer programme that had a fluctuating frequency pickup, which could store and sort thousands of bits of data at the same time. He was one of a select dozen working on the project. His maximum-security clearance meant that he had access to all the information on the project.
Seiki was nervous.
He had stumbled upon a computer file while he was working late last night. Working all hours was more the norm than unusual, however he had let his natural curiosity get the better of him when he had tried his latest computer application. To test the programme he had run it through the company’s main computer and all linked PCs. His application worked perfectly. What did surprise him though was that after ten minutes of scanning his computer beeped, flashing up a warning that he had been denied access to a file.
Looking closely, Seiki’s fingers flew over the keyboard, reactivating his clearances. He was still denied access. Taking this as a personal challenge, he spent the rest of the night trying to break into the file. It was 5am before he finally had some small measure of success and downloaded the restricted file onto his personal laptop. The file remained locked.
Seiki slept for a few hours then reported to work, starting his normal ten-hour day.
It was mid-morning when he was called into his supervisor’s office. With a feeling of apprehension he approached the glass-walled office at the end of the corridor. His apprehension increased when he saw who sat in the chair usually occupied by Aki Sujusaka, the director of the corporate computer division. Seiki wasn’t worried about Sujusaka, but the other man certainly inspired fear. Kioki was a huge specimen of a man — an ex-sumo wrestler. Unscrupulous. It was rumoured that he had killed five men. Kioki was also highly intelligent and seemed to have a sixth sense about business and the reading of men. Kioki was the right-hand man and advisor to the chairman.
Sujusaka stood behind Kioki in the office, pointing at the computer screen in front of them. Noticing Seiki approaching the door, Sujusaka gestured for him to come in. Closing the door quietly behind him Seiki turned to face the two men.
‘Thank you Tenji,’ said Sujusaka, who was always pleasant to his workers. He knew that he worked with highly intelligent, motivated people who sometimes bordered on the extreme edge of sanity.
‘Please sit down, I’d like a update on the progress of the oscillating frequency data download programme.’
Kioki looked up into the eyes of Seiki; his exterior was calm and impassive, measuring the man stood in front of him.
Seiki sat down on the shiny plastic chair facing the desk. He looked directly at Sujusaka, avoiding Kioki’s unwavering stare.
‘I have made some definite progress last week,’ said Seiki. ‘I think that the programme should be ready by the end of this week.’
‘Good, good, this is important work and needs to be completed as soon as possible.’ Sujusaka glanced at Kioki before he added, ‘Is there is anything that you need?’
‘No, no, I have everything I need,’ replied Seiki, quickly.
‘If you do finish or there’s something you need, please let me know immediately.’
‘Thank you, Mr Sujusaka, but all that’s required now is for me to tidy up and test the programme. I wish to give you a successful, fully functional programme.’
Seiko didn’t add that he had already tested the programme last night.
‘You can have this finished by the end of the week?’ asked Kioki, his voice strangely high-pitched for such a big man. His small eyes burned into Seiki.
Turning towards Kioki, Seiki forced a smile.
‘Yes, Sir, I am confident. I will finish the programme this week and have it ready for use by next week.’
‘Good. As Sujusaka has said, this is vital work.’ Kioki paused, leaning back and gazing thoughtfully at ceiling for a moment. ‘And what do you think this program could be used for?’
‘It’s not my job to think of the applications, just to construct the programmes,’ replied Seiki, neutrally.
‘Oh come on, Seiki. You must have some ideas,’ said Kioki, in a surprisingly jovial manner. He scanned Seiki’s face, looking for reactions.
‘Mr Kioki, I’ve worked on this programme for over a year now. I’ve only seen a small part of the total product. Only knowing the part I’ve been working on, its application could be wide and varied, so I wouldn’t and didn’t speculate on their final application.’
There was a stark simplicity to Sujusaka’s office, with clear glass on two sides and a blue seascape covering the far wall. The desk sat facing the two chairs in the room. Seiki sat facing Kioki, his face blank, hiding his inner turmoil. Kioki turned to Sujusaka.
‘Could you please fetch Mr Khan now.’
‘Certainly, Sir,’ replied Mr Sujusaka before promptly leaving his office. Kioki watched Sujusaka walk away down the corridor for a few seconds before turning to face Seiki again.
‘We may have a problem, Seiki.’
Seiki’s heart flipped.
‘How so, Mr Kioki?’ he replied, keeping his voice steady.
Kioki did not reply to the question but rather ploughed on with his own trail of thought.
‘Seiki, how long have you worked for Kan Industries?’
‘About three years now, Sir.’
‘And have you enjoyed working here?’
‘Yes sir.’
‘You find the work challenging enough for someone of your ability?’
‘Yes, Sir, the work has been very stimulating.’
‘Conditions of employment are satisfactory?’
‘The company has been very good to me.’
‘Good, good, Mr Sujusaka tells me that you are one of our top people, so we wouldn’t want to lose you.’
‘I have been very happy with my employment here, Mr Kioki.’
Seiko had no idea where the conversation was heading but he felt some relief from Kioki’s reassuring manner.
‘Unfortunately, Seiki, I am not an expert with computers and I need to ask some questions, if you could please give me simple explanations,’ said Kioki.
‘Certainly, Sir.’
‘Seiki, we have suspicions that we have a traitor in our midst. On the
file log printout this morning we found that someone had entered a restricted file. Now this file had what we thought to be the most secure, unbreakable coded entry sequence, yet it was accessed last night.’
Kioki paused for a moment, scanning Seiki’s expressionless face again.
‘The computer that was used to enter this file was yours, Seiki. Now how do you explain that?’
Seiki took a controlled deep breath before answering.
‘I cannot explain who, Mr Kioki, but I think I can explain how. Someone has used my computer to conceal their tracks when they accessed the file.’
‘For what purpose?’
‘To prevent identification, of course.’
‘How easy is it to access another individual’s computer?’
‘That depends on the range of access and security measures put in place.’
‘How easy would it be for me to access your computer, out there,’ said Kioki, gesturing out into the brightly lit office area.
Seiki struggled to control his emotions. What did Kioki know? He had only discovered and accessed the hidden programme last night. Seiko composed himself again.
‘We have an intra-linked website covering the whole of this floor. Once you have accessed one computer and input the correct codes, you could access information from any computer.’
‘Could you change, add or delete entries?’
‘Once you have gained entry, and knew the individual security codes for each person working on that site, certainly.’
Kioki looked at Seiki thoughtfully, wondering if he should continue. His superior had already decided that this was the best way to find out the truth, but he still had doubts about the trap about to be set.
‘Let me get this correct, Seiki. You think someone hacked your computer and accessed the restricted file.’
‘That’s the only way that I can see it happening.’
‘So who here knows your access codes?’
‘No one, Mr Kioki, that’s the problem. However, if this person is clever enough to break into your file despite the security measures that were in place, then this person is also clever enough to break my codes as well.’
Kioki stood up and looked out into the room.
‘And who out there is clever enough to do that?’
Seiki paused before answering, not wishing to be too eager to pass blame.
‘Most of my fellow workers are very intelligent people, Mr Kioki. Most would be capable if they tried.’
‘So you have no idea who could be responsible.’
‘I’m afraid not, Mr Kioki.’
‘But you’re a bit of an expert in this field Seiki. Surely you would have sophisticated methods of protecting your work. According to Mr Sujusaka you are one of the best we have here.’
Seiki knew what was on his file; it was the reason that he got this specialist job. It was the reason he was here now.
In the classified section of his file was his conviction of hacking into the United States Strategic Arms Weapons system. It was kept quiet and never made the news, as it wasn’t publicity that the United States government wanted — publicity that its defence security programmes could be accessed.
‘Yes, Mr Kioki, I do have some expertise in this area, but I’m by no means the only one. My work is protected by the best possible measures, but from what you’ve just told me I too could’ve been hacked and my files copied.’
‘Could you check? How would you know?’ asked Kioki.
‘Depending on how good our hacker is and how much time he, or she — please remember that women are equally able to achieve this task — then they may have left a trace.’
‘And if the hacker was an expert and had plenty of time?’
‘Then there will be no trace at all.’
Kioki rubbed his chin, contemplating.
‘And if you, Seiki, wished to enter another computer and download files, could you do so without a trace?’
Seiki looked up at the sharp, clear eyes above him. His heart was hammering in his chest but he kept a blank face.
‘Yes, I could.’
‘Provided you had the time.’
‘Yes, provided I had the time.’
‘And how long would that be?’
‘Well, it depends on the complexity of the programmes being tampered with.’
‘Please, Seiki, I’m trying to get some sort of timeline here. Let’s assume that this hacker was attacking your personal files — how long would it take you to hack into your computer and leave without a trace?’
‘This really does depend on how good this person is. It’s possible that they worked over a series of days, hiding their movements as they went. But a minimum of three or four hours at least, I would think.’
Seiki thought that he had covered his tracks very well. Given some time to check his files, he could infiltrate another computer and programme software and codes to break into his own, shifting the blame elsewhere. Kioki didn’t seem to have him under suspicion now, and was using his expertise to help solve the hacking.
‘There’s something else that disturbs me,’ stated Kioki.
Seiki, heart pumping rapidly again asked, ‘Yes, what’s that?’
‘Why you, Seiki?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Anyone who works here knows that you would have one of the hardest computers to access, and yet they still choose yours. Why?’
‘Perhaps because of that very reason,’ Seiki responded quickly. ‘Our hacker might like a challenge. A hacker sometimes just sets up a programme to sift through other programmes and files to see which ones are restricted. They then take up the challenge to break the codes. Knowing that my files are heavily protected with access codes probably attracted our hacker in the first place.’
‘Yes, I see what you mean,’ replied Kioki.
He walked back behind the desk and lowered his weight down into the chair. Seiki turned and waited for any further instructions or questions, confident now that he had survived the interview.
‘Just one last question, Seiki, what would happen if you had a heart attack or an accident? Surely there must be some way in which we could access you files?’
‘All staff have their security codes on disc, and those discs are stored in a safe. Only Mr Sujusaka has the key.’
‘He is the only one?’
‘To my knowledge, he is the only one... but you cannot suspect Mr Sujusaka? He is beyond reproach.’
‘Thank you Seiki… could you please check if you have had your files downloaded and also if you can find any trace of our hacker. Contact me personally with your progress,’ said Kioki briskly, ending the interview in a business-like manner.
‘Certainly, Mr Kioki, it will become my top priority.’
Seiki turned and walked out the door. As he made his way back down the corridor to his workstation, he noticed the questioning looks from several co-workers. He wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers as he sat back at his desk. He took out a lolly from his desk drawer and began to suck it slowly, regaining some composure. Seiki knew whom he needed to set up as a scapegoat, and when this happened he might even be up for a promotion.
Seiki had worked all morning on accessing Sujusaka’s own computer. Gradually, he had broken down Sujusaka’s security codes and formulated his plan on how to implant the incriminating data. The tricky part was to predate the entries and then be able to explain why they hadn’t been picked up in the normal daily log that he now knew the company had activated. Hiding his work had been difficult, but by no means impossible.
He was shaken at what he had found out when he activated his laptop in the afternoon. Not connected with any other linkup, he had given in to his curiosity about what was so important in the files and had downloaded and looked through them. He had no concerns about being disturbed as no one in the office had the time for idle chatter. It had taken him another hour to finally crack the codes and read the files. What he read shook him to the core. Never had he dreamed that
the programme he was working on, combined with other programmes and certain specialist pieces of equipment, could be so powerful a weapon. Especially powerful for someone who was capable of using the technology to its full capacity.
Seiki looked around the office nervously, but no one was paying any attention to him, and it was time to start earning the monthly payment that went into his private bank account in America. For three years now he had been paid a generous retainer to keep his loyalty to his adopted country. He had been paid because he was a genius, on the cutting edge of new technological computer innovations. While he had passed on minor programme advances, these new files were dangerous — they could cripple both business and political stability. Power around the world could change and the people who had this power could dictate terms, and terms they would get. Information was power, the more powerful the more dangerous.
Seiki sat and thought carefully, knowing that his life depended on what he did in the next few hours.
Glancing around again, Seiki made sure that no one was watching him. Everyone had their head down, intent on their own work. Downloading the now open files onto a memory stick, he had closed and deleted the files from his laptop’s hard drive. Taking a small bubble wrap package, he placed the computer stick inside and tucked it into his pocket and headed towards to Sagasuki’s office. Knocking quietly, he waited until Sagasuki answered.
‘I’m just off for a quick bite to eat, Mr Sagasuki. Would you like me to get you anything?’
Members of this floor often worked through meal times, so going out for food at odd times was not unusual. Checking with your section head was considered the polite thing to do.
Sagasuki looked up from his desk, his face troubled.
No, thank you, Seiki. I couldn’t eat anything at the present time,’ he answered, honestly.
Nodding his head, Seiki closed the door and then strolled out of the building. Walking towards his favourite noodle shop, Seiki checked to see if he was being followed, stopping several times under the pretence of window-shopping. He used the reflection in the glass to check his back trail each time. Satisfied he was alone, he continued on to the noodle shop.