Antisocial Media (Gray Spear Society Book 11)

by Alex Siegel

  "We should've called ahead and made an appointment," Hanley said.

  "That's obvious now, isn't it? But we can't give up. Let's just walk around."

  The three of them strolled around the big building. It was large enough for hundreds of employees, but Hanley couldn't see anybody inside. The windows were tinted and reflective, and in the daylight, they functioned as one-way glass. Huge satellite dishes on the roof caught his eye.

  The back of the building had a more traditional, boxy architecture. There wasn't as much glass as the front, and the walls were white stucco. A nice, little garden with a rose bush hedge was behind the building. Two men who appeared to be from India were chatting and smoking cigarettes there.

  "Hold," Ipo murmured. "Let's watch."

  The men finished their cigarettes after a few minutes. They entered the building through a rear door, but security was just as tight here as in the lobby. Two guards were sitting on chairs on either side of the door. The employees had to show their badges to the guards, swipe the badges past a scanner, and type a code into a keypad before they were allowed in.

  "I've seen weapons laboratories with less security," Hanley said.

  "Keep walking." Ipo glanced at the nearest surveillance camera.

  The team finished their long circuit around the building. There were two more doors, but both had guards. They had to get in the car and drive off because standing in the parking lot would arouse suspicion. Ipo was at the wheel, and he drove a couple of blocks before parking on the side of the road.

  "What do we do now?" Hanley asked.

  Ipo had a sour expression. "We'll have to work a little harder. We could dress as paramedics, steal an ambulance, and pretend to respond to an emergency call."

  "That's a little dramatic, and I'm not convinced it would even work. Unless there is a real emergency, the guards probably won't let us in."

  "Then what do you suggest, Mr. FBI agent?"

  Ipo's angry tone told Hanley there was still bad blood between them. The only solution for Hanley was just being a good teammate. He would have to earn Ipo's respect and forgiveness over time.

  "We need an appointment," Hanley said.

  He took out his phone, pressed the speaker button, and called Min Ho.

  "Sir?" the hacker answered.

  "We're having trouble getting inside," Hanley said. "Give me the name and number of somebody in management so we can call ahead and make an appointment."

  "I don't have access to an employee phone list, but I'll do my best. I'll send you a text when I have something for you."

  "Great. Thanks." Hanley hung up.

  Ipo glared at him. "I'm the senior legionnaire. You should've asked before making that call."

  "Sorry. Old habit. I'll ask next time. Did you have a better idea?"

  Ipo remained silent. He had the stern, intimidating expression of a sumo wrestler squaring off against an opponent.

  A few minutes later, Hanley received a message on his phone.

  "This is good," he said. "Min Ho even provided a cover story."

  Ipo nodded. "Of course. Unlike you, he has experience as a Spear."

  Hanley ignored the slight and called the number in the message. He put the phone into speaker mode.

  "Hello?" a man answered.

  "Is this Mr. Kawasaki?" Hanley said. "I'm Mr. Wallace from Moon Rocket Promotions. I'm calling because we're thinking about placing a lot of ads on the Soulfriends Network."

  "Moon Rocket Promotions? I don't think I've heard..."

  "We happen to be visiting San Jose, and I was hoping we could stop by your office. This could be a million dollar deal. I think we should sit down together and discuss it."

  "You want to see me in person?" Kawasaki sounded surprised and confused.

  "Yes," Hanley said. "Is that a problem?"

  "I conduct all my business over the internet. Clients never come to my office."

  "You can make an exception this time," Hanley said.

  "I don't think so. My management isn't fond of visitors, and I don't understand why it's necessary. We can talk on the phone right now or email proposals back and forth. That's how it's always done."

  "You're sure? There is a lot of money on the table."

  "I close big deals all the time," Kawasaki said, "and I've never actually met a client face-to-face. I don't even wear a suit to work. We live in an age of virtual relationships, and that's what Soulfriends is all about. Frankly, it sounds like you don't understand your own business."

  Hanley frowned. "If you feel that way, then I'll take my business elsewhere. Good day." He hung up.

  Ipo snorted. "Your idea isn't working so well." He didn't sound unhappy about it.

  "I never expected it would be this hard to enter a corporate office. What are they doing in there? Building atomic bombs?" Another message from Min Ho appeared on Hanley's phone. "Ah! He sent me a second name. He must've been worried the first one wouldn't work. Let's try this again."

  Hanley called a number from the new message.

  "Hello?" a woman answered this time.

  "Ms. Stack? You're the office manager for Soulfriends, right?"

  "Yes. Who is this?"

  "I'm Don Wallace from Heaven Step Carpets," Hanley said. "We happen to be in the area, and we were hoping to drop by your office and show you some carpet samples."

  "The building is already furnished. We don't need..."

  "Our newest type of carpeting, the Industria Elite, will blow you away. It uses a micro-weave crosshatch that looks great, feels great, and actually energizes employees as they walk. Corporations all across America are buying it as fast as we can make it. You owe it to yourself and Soulfriends to at least look at the samples."

  Ms. Stack paused. "OK. I guess I can spare five minutes to look at carpet."

  "Great. We'll be there in an hour." Hanley checked his watch. "Let's call it noon on the dot."

  "I'll let security know."

  "Wonderful. Bye." He hung up.

  He smiled triumphantly at Ipo.

  Ipo grunted. "That wasn't bad."

  "I thought it was improvisational genius. We have an hour to change our clothes and get some carpet samples."

  Ipo started the car and drove off.

  * * *

  For the second time today, Hanley, Ipo, and Katie got out of their car and stepped onto the asphalt parking lot of Soulfriends corporate headquarters. They had changed into costumes appropriate for salespeople. Hanley was wearing a cheap blue suit, a white shirt, and no tie. Ipo had a tie but no jacket. Katie was wearing a buttoned, brown sweater vest over a yellow shirt, and her polyester slacks shined in the sunlight.

  Hanley still carried his leather briefcase with the network tap hidden inside. Ipo had bulky stacks of carpet samples under his arms. They had come from a real carpet store.

  The team walked swiftly across the parking lot and entered the building.

  Hanley went to the security desk with a confident smile. "I'm Don Wallace from Heaven Step Carpets. We're here to see Ms. Stack, your office manager."

  A security guard in a black uniform checked his computer. "Yes, Mr. Wallace. You have an appointment for noon. May I see some ID from all of you?"

  The three legionnaires handed over fake driver's licenses. Hanley had anticipated this possibility, and his license actually showed the name "Don Wallace." The guard typed the fake names into a computer and returned the cards.

  The team was escorted to a conference room close to the entrance. Hanley kept his eyes open, but he only saw white hallways along the way. The conference room had white walls and black, wooden furniture. The Soulfriends icon was carved into the center of the table. Pictures of adorable children playing games in groups decorated the walls.

  The security guards stepped out of the room, leaving the legionnaires alone.

  Hanley spotted a network port on the wall. He set the briefcase down in front of the port, pulled a wire out from a hidden pocket, and plugged it in. He positi
oned the briefcase to hide the connection.

  They were still alone, so Hanley took out his phone and called Min Ho.

  "Sir?" the hacker said.

  "I plugged in the tap," Hanley said in a hushed voice.

  "Yes, it's sending data, but you're still outside the corporate firewall."

  "What do you mean? We're inside the building."

  "Apparently, you need to get deeper into the building, sir," Min Ho said.

  Hanley clenched his jaw. In retrospect, it was obvious the company wouldn't allow access to the secure network from a conference room used by visitors. He unplugged the network tap and picked up the briefcase.

  "We're screwed," he told Ipo and Katie. "We can't use this port."

  Ipo poked his head out of the room and looked around. Then he came back in and closed the door. "The hallway is guarded. We'll have to take out the guards if we want to go anywhere else in the building. Marina would have to authorize that level of violence, and I doubt she will. We're smarter than that. We should be able to plant a simple bug without attacking civilians along the way."

  "Let's just go," Hanley said with a sigh. "We blew it."

  The legionnaires left the conference room. Ipo explained to the guards that an emergency had called them away, and they couldn't meet Ms. Stack after all.

  The team left the building and hurried across the big parking lot to the car. For the second time today, they drove off in defeat.

  "We need a plan C," Ipo said.

  "I have an idea," Katie said excitedly. "Let's pretend to be inspectors from the fire department. We can perform a surprise fire safety inspection."

  The idea seemed risky to Hanley. There would be too many opportunities to say the wrong thing and get exposed as fakes. Nobody on the team was an expert in fire safety.

  "What if Soulfriends calls the fire department to make sure we're legit?" he said.

  She pursed her lips. "That's a problem. Let's ask Marina for a suggestion. She'll know what to do."

  "Not yet." Ipo shook his head. "It's never a good idea to appear helpless in the eyes of your commander."

  "Why?" Katie said.

  "Because she might decide you're too weak to be a legionnaire, and it's time for you to retire." He made a slashing motion across his throat. "Calling Marina will be our last resort, just as she won't call the legate unless it's absolutely necessary."

  Hanley hadn't considered that aspect, but Ipo was right. The Gray Spear Society had very little tolerance for members who failed to perform their duties. Hanley could easily imagine Marina firing a team member for incompetence, and the only way out of the Society was death.

  "Did your old boss ever kill a member of your team?" he asked.

  Ipo frowned. "Once," he said softly. "He was a legionnaire who should never have been recruited. He wasn't strong enough or smart enough. It reached the point where he was putting the rest of the team at risk. There was only one solution." Ipo sighed deeply.

  Katie's eyes were wide. "I'm not a good fighter. Do you think Marina will kill me?" She bit her lip anxiously.

  "I'm sure she'll give you plenty of time to improve, but if your training stalls, and you're still not where you need to be..." He grimaced. "Don't let that happen. Work as hard as you can."

  She stared out the window with a fearful expression.

  "We still need a plan," Hanley said. "We can figure this out."

  Ipo narrowed his eyes. "Let's go back to the idea I had before. We'll give a mild poison to some of the employees, enough to make them appear ill. The company will call for an ambulance, and we'll respond dressed as paramedics. The operation will be quick."

  "That's dangerous. Too much poison will kill."

  "Obviously, we need to choose the right poison, the right dosage, and the right way to deliver it."

  "And we need an ambulance," Hanley said.

  "I admit this plan is a bit elaborate, but if we do it right, it should work, and nobody will get killed."

  Hanley frowned. He wished he had a better idea, but none were coming to mind. The security guards at Soulfriends wouldn't stop paramedics responding to an emergency call.

  "We'll start by buying costumes," Ipo said. "Then we'll steal an ambulance."

  * * *

  The team walked into Positive Medical Equipment in San Jose. The store wasn't big, but it was very crowded. One aisle had canes, walkers, and wheelchairs. Another aisle held a great assortment of bandages, medical tape, casting materials, and straps. Hanley looked at a wall panel dedicated entirely to needles, and some were frighteningly large. He had no idea there were so many types.

  Ipo led Hanley and Katie to the area where clothing was on display.

  "As long as we're here," Ipo said in a low voice, "we should buy lots of different costumes. We might have to become doctors, nurses, orderlies, surgeons, or whatever. Make sure the costumes fit you. Also, we'll need ancillary items like stethoscopes and thermometers. Grab whatever looks useful."

  Hanley and Katie nodded.

  * * *

  The team was waiting in their car behind the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. The vast size of the hospital impressed Hanley. It was a whole complex consisting of several large buildings which were as tall as six stories. Some had a modern architecture with odd angles and glass walls, while others were plainer and more traditional. Massive construction projects were extending the complex even more. Even though San Jose was a big city, Hanley couldn't believe it needed such a giant hospital.

  An ambulance with flashing lights parked in front of an emergency entrance. Two paramedics quickly extracted a patient on a rolling gurney from the back. It was an old man with an oxygen mask strapped across his mouth. He was rushed into the hospital.

  Ipo and Hanley got out of the car. They were already wearing the same type of costumes as the paramedics, and they walked quickly towards the ambulance. Hanley liked the loose fitting outfits which had extra pockets on the shirt and pants legs. It was the sort of thing a soldier might wear.

  Katie remained in the driver's seat of the car, and as soon as the men were out, she drove off. She would meet them at a rendezvous point.

  "I'm feeling bad about stealing an ambulance," Hanley said. "What if somebody needs it?"

  "There are a lot of ambulances around," Ipo said. "It's not like this is the last one. And I'm sure it will be useful to us in the future. We'll keep it under the tent with the other vehicles."

  "Still, we should pay back the ambulance company. Those things are probably very expensive."

  "Just focus on the mission." Ipo climbed into the driver's seat of the ambulance. "Keys are in the ignition. We're ready to go. Get in the back."

  Hanley climbed into the back of the ambulance and closed the door. Equipment and shelves full of medical supplies were mounted on one wall. The other side had a padded bench and a few small windows. He sat on the bench, but there was no seat belt.

  Ipo drove off.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Hanley checked his watch and saw it was almost five in the afternoon. The team had been sitting in the car for an hour, and he was bored and anxious. For him, the worst part of any assignment was waiting for something to happen. He could feel the minutes of his life ticking away uselessly, and he occasionally speculated about how many he had left. Nobody lived forever.

  "You're sure Min Ho will be able to intercept the phone call?" Hanley said.

  "Absolutely," Ipo said. "The Gray Spear Society controls the phone system. We can intercept and trace any call, anywhere in the world."

  And no judicial authorization is required, Hanley thought. As a longtime employee of the federal government, he had grown used to oppressive bureaucracy, regulation, and procedures. The Society had an entirely different approach. He couldn't get used to simply doing his job without filling out forms and writing reports all the time.

  "What if nobody orders Chinese food?" Hanley said.

  "Somebody always orders Chinese food," Ipo said. "Thi
s is Silicon Valley. Engineers work late."

  Katie's phone chirped. She checked it and said, "Finally! It's from Min Ho. I'll get the order."

  She got out of the car. She was wearing a cute outfit suitable for a delivery girl. Her red shirt was snug across her breasts, and her blue shorts exposed most of her thighs. She ran into a nearby store named "Emperor's Best Chinese Restaurant."

  An employee of Soulfriends had ordered the food. Min Ho had intercepted the call and had taken the order.

  "I have to admit," Hanley said, "this plan is working out better than I expected. I'm still a little worried about the drug though."

  A plastic bag of white powder was lying on the seat. After some research and discussion, they had decided to use ordinary sleeping pills as the "poison" for this assignment. The active ingredient, diphenhydramine HCl, was considered safe, and the side effects were mild. The team had purchased pills from a drug store and had pounded them into dust with a hammer.

  "It's very hard to overdose on that stuff," Ipo said. "Relax."

  Hanley frowned. Hiding sedatives in food didn't feel right and was certainly illegal.

  He looked across the street. There was a strip mall on the other side with a tattoo parlor, a nail salon, a convenience store, and a Mexican restaurant. A vagrant was stumbling along the sidewalk in filthy clothes, and he was dragging a shopping cart full of what looked like garbage to Hanley. This wasn't the nicest part of San Jose.

  "What's the worst thing you ever did on a mission?"

  "That's hard to say," Ipo said. "I like to think that everything I've ever done as a Spear was justified, but there are some bad moments that still haunt me. I once had to torture a nine year-old boy for information. Another time I had to throw a pregnant woman off a bridge. These acts were necessary in the big picture, but that doesn't mean I'm proud of them. At the time, it seemed like there was no other way to finish the mission. Millions of lives were at risk. Time was running out. It had to be done, and I was the guy who did it."

  He stared out the window with his usual inscrutable expression.

  This is the dark side of the Society, Hanley thought. I'll have to get used to it.