Antisocial Media (Gray Spear Society Book 11)

by Alex Siegel

  "The questions weren't personal. They were actually pretty random, such as, if you could change the color of the sky, what color would you choose? Or pick two words that rhyme with 'fly.' Would you rather be a frog, a snake, or a bunny? Some were just silly. Do you like chocolate with nuts or nuts with chocolate? I would never give out real information about myself on the internet."

  "Yet, the machine determined you're a latent homosexual."

  He shrugged. "I don't know about that. I think meeting John was just lucky."

  And it destroyed your marriage, Marina thought. Bad luck indeed. She looked at Ipo. His angry expression told her he was thinking the same thing.

  "How much time a day do you spend on Soulfriends?" she asked.

  Mr. Bianchini crossed his arms. "Did you come here to talk about my marriage or social media?"

  "It seems the two are tightly linked. How much time?"

  "A lot. Hours every day."

  Marina examined the phone. The Soulfriends interface seemed fairly intuitive, and the color scheme was simply black and white. She touched a little envelope icon and quickly scrolled down a long list of incoming messages. He had received thousands of messages from a variety of people, and many of the subjects were sexually explicit. Mr. Bianchini had more than one gay lover in his social network.

  "Hey!" he yelled. "That's private!"

  She returned the phone to him. "Can't you see what's going on here? You had a good life until Soulfriends wrecked it."

  "I was living a lie. Soulfriends showed me the truth about myself."

  "Having an affair was still wrong. A lot of men come out of the closet after they're married. There are responsible ways to handle it, ways that don't involve painting a yellow stripe down the middle of your house."

  "You don't understand." He shook his head.

  She narrowed her eyes. "I understand very well. You exposed your secret weakness to a machine and suffered the consequences."

  He stood up. "This is crazy. I have to ask you to leave."

  "Fine by me."

  Marina also stood. She nodded to Ipo, and they left the house together.

  After they reached the sidewalk, she said, "I knew there was a reason I distrusted social media."

  He nodded. "Indeed. Social media is just the kind of thing God's enemies look for. There is so much meaningless, distracting chatter. The whole concept of friendship is perverted into a marketing tool. People tell their deepest secrets to anonymous strangers. These websites are as addictive as a drug but perfectly legal."

  "I have to agree."

  Marina took out her phone and called Min Ho.

  "Ma'am?" the hacker said.

  "Check out a social media site called the Soulfriends Network. They could be our enemy. Have a report by the time we get back."

  "Yes, ma'am."

  * * *

  Marina sat in the passenger seat as Ipo drove the car into the huge, white tent behind headquarters. He parked in the first available spot.

  Marina got out and looked around. "It's a start, but we need a lot more."

  Shiny, new vehicles gleamed under the tent. There was a motorcycle, two sports cars, two four-door sedans, and the minivan they had purchased a few days ago. All still had dealer plates.

  "Including some used, beat up cars," Ipo said. "Ones that won't attract attention. These are too clean."

  "Yes."

  They walked out from under the tent. Marina marveled again at the blue sky and perfect weather. She wondered if she would ever take it for granted.

  She and Ipo entered the headquarters. Hanley and Katie were sparring in the back right corner on the exercise mats, and they had worked up a good sweat. Min Ho and Jia were typing at the computers. Corrie was frowning at the controls of her mass spectrometer as if it were an alien artifact. Imelda was bolting a copper pipe to the ceiling.

  Marina went straight over to Min Ho. Instead of acknowledging her presence, he continued to type at a manic pace. He seemed to be sending an email.

  "What are you doing?" she said.

  "Checking out the Soulfriends Network," he replied without looking at her.

  "Wait, you're actually using the site?"

  "Yes, ma'am." His eyes remained focused on his computer screen.

  "Logout immediately."

  "But..."

  "Immediately!" she yelled in his ear.

  With obvious reluctance, he clicked a few keys, and the window closed. Finally, he turned to her. Her yelling had also grabbed the attention of the other members of the team.

  "We don't stick our hand in the lion's mouth to see if it will get bitten off," Marina said angrily. "Don't use the Soulfriends Network again. If I catch you at it, I'll kill you."

  Min Ho blanched. "Yes, ma'am."

  "Let me be even more explicit. You won't be the first assistant who fell from grace and died at the hands of his own commander. If temptation strikes again, I want you to remember three things. First, the Lord's anger will rain down on you like burning pitch. Second, you'll be throwing away a life full of dreams and achievements." She drew a long knife from her sleeve. "And third, I'll slit your throat from ear to ear." She touched the sharp point of the blade to his neck. "Members of the Gray Spear Society live at the edge of a black abyss. You almost fell into it today. Will you remember?"

  "For the rest of my life, ma'am." He swallowed.

  She put her knife away. "Excellent." She turned to the others in the room. "Everybody, get over here. We finally have a lead."

  The rest of the team gathered around Marina. She explained what had happened at the Bianchini's residence.

  After she was done, Min Ho added, "I did some research on Soulfriends, ma'am."

  "Before you fell prey to its charms?" Marina raised her eyebrows.

  "The site seemed harmless. The psychological profile had a lot of questions, but none of them were personal. Some were just silly and fun. I didn't use my real name."

  "But you answered truthfully otherwise?"

  He grimaced. "I didn't see how it could hurt."

  She shook her head in dismay. "We never tell the truth! You know that. I'm very disappointed."

  He looked down.

  "What did you discover in your research?" Marina said.

  "The growth of the Soulfriends Network exactly matches the growth of domestic violence and divorce. The site has over a million users now. If they're not linked, then it's a huge coincidence."

  "Where is it based?"

  "San Jose." Min Ho typed on his computer, and a picture of a building appeared. "That's the corporate headquarters."

  She leaned in for a closer look. It was four stories tall, and blue glass covered the entire façade. The walls curved organically instead of forming the usual boxes and straight lines. A big parking lot surrounded the building, and it was full of cars. An abundance of lush trees broke up the expanse of asphalt and made the place seem less sterile.

  "Who owns it?" Marina said.

  "That's where things get a little murky. The website lists a man named William Terman as the founder, president, and CEO, but I can't independently verify that fact. Getting solid information about Soulfriends has been difficult."

  "Can't you just look up their financial statements?"

  Min Ho shook his head. "No, ma'am. It's a private company. There are no public disclosure requirements. Only the owners know what's really going on, and I can't even figure out who they are."

  Corrie stepped forward and said, "This doesn't make sense to me. We're investigating a social media company?"

  The scientist was wearing a white lab coat which was stained yellow in a few spots. Protective goggles covered her dark brown eyes.

  "What's wrong with that?" Marina said.

  "There must be a hundred companies just like it in Silicon Valley, ma'am. It's hard to believe some dark, supernatural secret is hiding inside this one. The whole idea seems paranoid and goofy, to be honest. An environmental cause is a much more likely explana
tion for the phenomenon."

  "Feel free to test that theory with your lab equipment. We gave you plenty of samples to analyze. In the meantime, the rest of us are going after Soulfriends. More than a decade of experience with fighting God's enemies tells me I'll find a dark, supernatural secret there." Marina turned back to Min Ho. "Hack into their computers. Get the truth."

  "Yes, ma'am," Min Ho said. "I just need a little time. They have tight security."

  "Jia, help him, and keep an eye on him."

  "Yes, ma'am," Jia said.

  Marina turned to Hanley who was still flushed from working out with Katie. "Let's go a few rounds, you and me. I need the exercise."

  "Yes, ma'am." He flinched a little.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Hanley looked across the exercise mats at Marina and saw a study in contrasts. On one hand, she was a beautiful woman. Her strawberry blonde hair was silky and thick. Pale, freckled skin gave her a youthful, mischievous appearance. Her eyes were an unusual green which reminded him of jade. She had the flexible, muscular body of a professional dancer. Men were naturally drawn to her, and women were naturally jealous.

  But an ugly monster lurked beneath the beauty. Hanley had seen glimpses of the darkness over the last few days, and he was frightened. Marina's life revolved around the theory that extreme violence could solve almost any problem. During his career as a soldier and later as a federal agent, he had certainly met a lot of dangerous people, but she was the pure form. He was very glad they were on the same team.

  "Ready?" she said.

  Like him, she was wearing a white karate uniform and a gray belt. He knew he didn't stand a chance of beating her despite his greater size and strength. He just hoped to make a decent showing this time unlike the last several times.

  "I guess so," he said.

  She attacked. Flying fists and feet came at him like machinegun bullets, and he desperately tried to protect himself from the onslaught. She rolled, flipped, and spun like a demonic gymnast. She seemed to fight as well upside-down as right side up. Her legs bent in ways that should've dislocated her hips, but she just smiled as if it were gentle stretching. He tried to hit back, but she seemed to know what was coming well in advance, and she just twisted out of the way.

  Finally, Hanley backed off. "You're just too good for me."

  Marina straightened up. He was sweating and tired, but she wasn't even breathing hard.

  "You just need a lot of training," she said. "I've worked with much worse cases than you, and they turned out all right eventually. You just have to put in the time. It typically takes a year to turn an ordinary human into a fully trained legionnaire."

  "That's a long boot camp."

  "I expect it will be quicker for you. You already have the core skills and a strong body. It would help if you let God's rage flow through you instead of keeping it bottled up. That's our secret advantage."

  Hanley understood what Marina was talking about. He had a burning sensation in his gut which was like the tingle after a spicy meal. He knew instinctively it was a source of strength, but it frightened him. That feeling was a bridge to a dark power which could turn him into a monster like her.

  "Use it now," she said. "Fight me like it matters."

  "I might hurt you."

  She had a crooked smile on her face. "Go ahead. If you succeed, then I deserve the pain."

  He hesitated.

  She spun and kicked him in the face. The hard blow made him see stars, and he stumbled before he regained his balance. She was so damn fast.

  "Come on!" she yelled. "Hit me!"

  Hanley attacked again, and this time, he allowed himself to get angry. The Lord's rage made his veins burn as if his blood had turned to acid. He wanted to scream in pain and shout for joy at the same time. He had never felt so alive.

  The technique worked even better than he had expected. Marina didn't seem impossible to beat now. He suddenly had the reflexes required to block her kicks and to counter effectively. All the distractions around him faded away, and the pure thrill of battle was better than any drug. They were God's warriors engaged in a ritual dance that had been performed since the dawn of time.

  Hanley landed a punch in Marina's gut that sent her staggering backwards. He had never hit a woman that hard before. Feeling sudden guilt and shame, he backed off.

  "That was good!" she said with a grin. "I'm proud of you. You have a lot of talent."

  He grimaced. "Did I hurt you?"

  "Don't worry about it. That was nothing. Aaron and I beat the crap out of each other. I miss him."

  Her sick smile made him anxious. She really was insane.

  "Enough fun," she said. "Min Ho should have some answers by now."

  Marina walked across headquarters to the computer area, and Hanley followed. He hadn't expressed his thoughts earlier, but he shared Corrie's doubts about Soulfriends being the cause of the trouble. He just couldn't imagine a mere website causing such widespread harm. The internet was full of wildly objectionable content, and it didn't turn men into wife beaters and women into cheating sluts.

  Min Ho had a deep frown on his face as he typed. Jia also didn't look happy, but the expression was adorable on her doll-like features.

  "Any progress?" Marina said.

  "No, ma'am," Min Ho said. "Soulfriends has some kind of custom-built internet firewall. We've never seen anything like it, and we can't get through. The whole company is locked up tight. A real expert designed their network."

  "More of an expert than you?"

  "Maybe. We'll keep pounding away. We'll find a gap in the security eventually."

  She furrowed her brow. "I don't like the word 'eventually.' I want answers now. What can I do to speed up this process?"

  "If we placed a network tap behind the firewall, it would let us bypass most of the security. Somebody would have to go into the building and physically connect it though. This can't be done from the outside."

  "Connect it to what?"

  "Any part of the internal network should work," he said.

  She nodded. "Build your network tap. My legionnaires will place it."

  Marina called Ipo and Katie over and explained the assignment to everybody. Hanley already understood what needed to be done. He had actually tapped computer networks before during his years as a Navy Seal. It was common practice when performing espionage. In this case, the target was a civilian company with minimal physical security, and he didn't expect the job to be much of a challenge.

  Marina concluded by saying, "I'll take Katie and Hanley with me."

  "You're going, ma'am?" Ipo raised his eyebrows.

  "Are we going to have this argument again? I'm a trained spy, a master ninja, and an expert at deception. I should lead this operation. I could do it in my sleep."

  "You're a commander in the Gray Spear Society. Sneaking into buildings and planting bugs is beneath you, ma'am. It's a task for underlings like us."

  She glared at him, and Hanley wondered how close she was to striking him. She clearly hated being told what to do. Ipo just looked back at her with a calm, passive expression.

  "Of course," he added, "it's your decision. I will obey your orders."

  Hanley watched Marina. Not so easy leading a team, he thought, is it?

  She snarled. "You're right. You three will go. I'll just hang out here and help Imelda install security cameras." There was deep bitterness in her voice. "Have fun without me."

  * * *

  Hanley got out of the car and looked at the blue glass exterior of the Soulfriends corporate headquarters. A black and white sign showed two hands clasped together, and a halo of little lights surrounded them. The symbol struck him as inappropriately religious for a commercial operation.

  Shiny cars filled the parking lot. It seemed like everything in Silicon Valley looked clean and new. As always, the weather was perfect, and a steady, cool breeze kept the air fresh. Clouds dotted the sky, but there was no threat of a storm.

  "How m
uch does it rain here?" Hanley said.

  "Not much," Ipo said, "and this is the rainy season. We usually get a couple of pretty good storms every year."

  "What's the definition of a pretty good storm?"

  "Enough rain to soak the ground. It never snows, of course. You have to drive to the Sierra Nevada Mountains if you want snow."

  Sunny California, Hanley thought.

  He, Ipo, and Katie walked towards the building. They were dressed in nice but casual clothes. Katie had a black shirt and a white skirt which showed off her pale legs. Ipo had a leather jacket, a green shirt, and jeans. Hanley was the most formally dressed with a white, button-up shirt. He was carrying a leather briefcase with the all-important network tap inside a hidden pocket.

  There seemed to be only one doorway, so they entered there. As soon as they went past the blue glass doors, Hanley knew they had a problem.

  Four security guards in black uniforms sat behind a long desk. To get past them, the team would have to go through a turnstile with a badge scanner. The guards were watching attentively.

  Ipo proceeded forward confidently. He went straight to the desk and said, "We're from Turbobit Network Systems. We have an appointment with your IT director."

  Hanley and Katie stood behind him.

  A security guard looked at a computer screen on the desk. "Do you have the person's name?"

  "I don't." Ipo smiled apologetically.

  The guard looked up. "Then I'm afraid you can't go in. Visitors must have an appointment with a specific person at a specific time, and it has to be in my computer. I don't see any appointments at all."

  "I left my notes back at the office. I can't remember his name."

  "Sorry." The guard shrugged without much sincerity. "Please leave the lobby. Visitors are not permitted to loiter here."

  Now we're loitering? Hanley thought. We just got here.

  The legionnaires turned and left. They continued walking until they were well clear of the building, and they stopped behind a van. Hanley spotted cameras mounted on light poles with sweeping views of the entire parking lot. The team was still under surveillance.

  "This is inconvenient," Ipo said. "We'll have to find another way in."