CypherGhost

by D S Kane

  She could hear Ann and Charlette work on their notebooks in the kitchen. Cassie said, “Look, Dr, Sheldorf, I think you might get some help on this from Michael Drapoff. He’s a former Mossad yahol and is also one of my former bodyguards. Call him and see if the Mossad has any intel on the second Bug-Lok’s developer. Good luck.” She terminated the call.

  Ann’s head popped through the doorway. “Two different models. Might also mean two different manufacturers.”

  Cassie nodded. “There’s a signature molecule that the Ness Ziona places in each of its Bug-Lok nanodevices to indicate which features and functions it has, and which batch it was part of. One of my Bug-Loks, the one I self-administered, has such a molecule. The other one has something else. Since the molecule also acts to hold the settings for the nanodevice, all the second device’s molecule has is the unit’s functionality. No batch number, and no other identification information. I’m hoping Drapoff and his friends back in Herzliyya can figure out who else besides the Israelis and the Chinese has the tech knowledge to develop one of their own.”

  Ann stopped smiling. “And then what?”

  Cassie said, “Maybe we’ll see the outer edges of this puzzle. Maybe we’ll know who engineered the events of the last month working behind the scenes. And what their motives are. Something in this morass feels nasty to the nines.”

  Ann beckoned to Cassie and walked back to the kitchen table. She pushed her notebook across the table and pointed to its screen. “Does this help?”

  Cassie read the screen and paged down several times. “Irwin Sadowski? Who the fuck is he? What do you think his ultimate role is?”

  “Not sure yet. But he worked for the late senator who caused the hacker roundup. And it seems he was also working for someone else at the same time, when he was the senator’s chief of staff. I’ve been tracking his cell. Almost every one of his incoming calls is from a blocked sender, and Sadowski never calls them. Over thirty calls during the last two weeks.”

  Cassie nodded, stroking her chin. “I may be able to help. But first, I have another task to complete.” She plucked her cellphone from her pocket and punched in a number.

  “Alice Walker.” The voice Cassie heard was actually Betsy Brown.

  Cassie chuckled. “Please hand the phone to Warren Cho, Alice.”

  “Very funny, Cassie. Are you sure this line is secure?”

  “It’s a burner, and unused until this moment.”

  “Warren here.” This voice was William Wing’s.

  “Have you made any progress on the task I requested?”

  “A bit, but it was like pulling teeth from a chicken.” William paused, and Cassie heard the rustle of paper. “The second unit was manufactured by China’s CSIS, as a batch run for your FBI. The Chinese refused to equip it with a kill module, so the units were only able to listen, see, and report results plus the victim’s location. The reports were directed to a receiver in the Hoover Building in Washington. Oh, and needless to say, a copy of each transmission was also routed to the CSIS. A joint venture made in hell. Can we return home or is there something else we can help with while we’re in Hong Kong?”

  Cassie thought for a while. “Stay where you are. We may need something more done from the Pacific Rim, or something done to a party within the Pacific Rim, and this way you’re already closer to your target area. We may need your contacts within the CSIS. You’re also safer out of the United States.”

  “As you wish. We’ll continue living our covers. At least the dim sum here is outstanding. Bye.”

  Cassie terminated the call and removed the burner’s battery and sim card, crushed them and tossed the scraps into the microwave. When they’d been melted into sludge, she tossed the goop into the trash. She wondered what the Chinese hoped to gain from what they were helping to start.

  CHAPTER 33

  December 8, 7:26 p.m.

  1789 Restaurant, 1226 36th Street NW,

  Washington DC

  Irwin Sadowski was running low on cash and needed a new employer. The shadowy people he was working for had promised him a massive payday, but as yet they had failed to deliver any money at all. So now, he sat at a corner table in the dark restaurant, at his first job interview.

  Once a classic red-brick Federal house nestled in Georgetown, the restaurant was hushed quiet despite being filled. The woman across the table from him looked quite elegant, probably in her early thirties, but she stared at him as if he was one of the fine restaurant’s menu specials. During their phone conversation to set up this meeting, she’d told him her name was Callinda Sampson. She wore a low-necked black dress that exposed the suggestion of her breasts. He caught the glint of the red stones from the necklace spanning her neck.

  Irwin tried to keep his interest off her breasts. Having lived paycheck to paycheck in expensive Washington DC, he’d need money soon, and since his last employer had self-terminated, he had no reference to recommend him. He didn’t expect many job offers. So, when the woman’s secretary called him for the appointment, he eagerly accepted without asking himself too many questions. At worst, this would be a delicious meal, and he knew her company would be paying for it.

  The waiter delivered their appetizers. Sadowski sliced a piece of foie gras torchon and placed it in his mouth, savoring its delectable flavor. Callinda sipped a spoonful of her roasted chestnut soup and smiled as she swallowed. “I know the senator had a staff of nearly twenty, but at the Swiftshadow Consulting Group, we have just one opening. You might fit the bill better than your fellow staff members. Do you know what we do at the consulting group?”

  Sadowski had had limited time to perform some research. “Uh, I believe you are a security company.”

  The woman nodded. She had placed her left arm so her wrist was at the table’s edge, revealing her Samsung Galaxy Gear watch. “Yes, yes. We have a contract with the United Nations. I believe you were the senator’s ‘go to’ person. Can you give me some idea of the kinds of tasks you performed for her?”

  Sadowski wondered how much to divulge. His side job for the people he’d never even met was definitely not something he could ever divulge. “Anything the senator wanted or needed, she came to me first.”

  The woman was silent. She nodded once and stared at him, making him feel like an insect being watched by a human who might kill it at any moment. The silence made him more and more uncomfortable. “I handled situations she never wanted brought to light. Can’t talk about them. But I think my ability to remain silent is a useful characteristic.”

  “I’m sorry, but keeping secrets isn’t good enough, you see. Impossible to determine what skills you can use for us if you won’t give me examples. Concrete examples. So, is this job opening I have of any interest to you? Any interest at all?” She reached for her purse and raised her hand to signal the waiter.

  “Wait. Okay, I can give you an example. I received phone calls from supporters of the senator. My job was to fulfill their requests. Some wanted jobs. Some wanted to fix problems with their health insurance. Some were businessmen needing contracts or looking for influence.”

  “So, you were just a shill for the senator?”

  Sadowski felt the interview slipping away. “Well, some of the things I did were important.” He paused.

  Callinda tilted her head. “Like?”

  “One caller never used his name, ever. Used a voice modifier, so I’m not sure of even the person’s gender. But the caller has a project, which the senator screwed up. You know about the hackers who were arrested? Well, the senator was doing it at this caller’s bidding. There were to be four phases of this project. The hacker arrests were phase two, and that’s when I was put on the project. I was told to act as the liaison between the caller and the senator. Even after the screw-up and the senator’s suicide, the caller is still going all out into phase three.”

  “Tell me about phase three.”

  “If I tell you about secrets that are part of my job to keep, why would you trust me to keep
yours?”

  The woman smiled. “Congrats. You passed my test.”

  Sadowski’s mouth formed an “oh.” He remained silent in thought.

  She moved closer, her head nearly halfway to his. “For this position, you’d be my personal assistant. So, yes, I need to know I can trust you with my secrets. But I also need to know you’ve handled security before. Not kinetic security, but secrets in general. So, what is ‘phase three’ and when is it happening?”

  Sadowski felt the squeeze. If he told her, she’d know he could be broken. But if he didn’t tell her, how could she know he’d actually been involved with these types of arrangements before? Either way, he was damned. “Look, I want to cooperate. But you see the problem I face?”

  “I do. Which is it to be? I have a job opening to fill. When this meal is over, I’ll either know you have the skills, or I’ll know you can keep confidences. You’ll have to pick one or the other. Guess which one is more important to me? Your skills or your personality?”

  He licked his lips. He was desperate to earn her trust. But he needed this job. “How else can I demonstrate my skills?”

  She shook her head. “Phase three.”

  He felt like his head was about to explode. He leaned forward across the table, until his mouth was nearly at hers. He whispered. “Okay then. Phase three is a coup d’état.”

  The silence at the table was excruciating for Sadowski.

  The woman tilted her head. “Really? And just how did you intend to manage this little feat?”

  “The senator’s role was management of the government side of the project. Now it’s mine. I don’t have her resources, but from what I’ve been told, she had all the pieces in place. No hackers meant no one could discover the plan, but the senator messed that up. After the senator self-destructed, I was given the combination to her office safe. I found a file she left there. The project’s description is on a thumb drive. It lists a few hundred hired mercenaries. Phase three calls for blowing up the Capitol Building while Congress is in session, and also another bomb delivered to the White House by a short-range ground-to-ground missile. The military would form a government to replace the one we have now.” His felt his brow dripping with his perspiration.

  The woman remained silent for nearly a minute. Then she nodded. “Who else is involved besides the mercs?”

  The waiter brought their second course. Sadowski’s appetite was gone. He looked at the plate of uni and jumbo lump crab fondue now in front of him. Then at the woman. “Are we good?”

  She picked up her fork and ate a piece of her Maine Lobster pappardelle, fennel, Meyer lemon confit, and Pernod. “How was your foie?”

  “What? Did you just hear what I told you? A military coup.”

  She nodded. “So? Our employer is the United Nations. If we’re to work together, it will be regardless of which government rules this country.” She smiled. “I’ll need a copy of the plan. Including all attachments such as the list of mercs. To prove your worth. Do you have it with you?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Where is it?”

  “It’s in my apartment. Twelve blocks away.”

  “Good, good. After dinner we’ll take a walk there together. You’ll give me the thumb drive. Tomorrow I’ll messenger you a job offer letter. For now, let’s eat.” She smiled at him. “This food is too good to go to waste.”

  Callinda Sampson took another bite of the pappardelle. She stared at Irwin with a predatory smile as she chewed her food.

  * * *

  Lily Lee was brooding at the kitchen table when Cassie entered the apartment and removed her trenchcoat. Lily sighed. “Cassie, can we talk for a minute?”

  Cassie smiled and sat. “Sure.”

  “I’ve been thinking about the hackers. You, William, Betsy, and your daughter. I can’t decide whether what you do is good or evil.”

  Cassie remained silent, thinking. “I think it depends on how you see the world. If you think of espionage, hacking falls within the same ethical dilemma. If two groups each claim the higher moral ground, can either be thought of as good or bad?”

  Lily frowned. “But, then, some are doing criminal acts. Stealing people’s identities and money.”

  Cassie shook her head. “Those things are evil acts. But the people may or may not be evil. Mostly, we judge people by their behavior. But some who may never do anything evil have evil beliefs, and just aren’t that easy to provoke. Others may be good and coerced into doing something evil. So, I think it’s a lot more complicated than it seems.”

  Lily tilted her head. “So, hackers might or might not be good people, and might or might not be doing bad things. Just like spies.”

  Cassie nodded. “I worked as a spy for my government for three years, thinking what I was doing was for good, not evil. But then I discovered I’d been set up and what I’d been doing was pure unadulterated evil. So was I good or bad back then?”

  Lily nodded. “It was so simple when I thought Jon was a banker. But he’s changed. Now, he’s a spy. I need to decide if I want to be with him.”

  Cassie suddenly understood why Lily had wanted to speak with her. “Your best bet is to ask yourself how you feel about Jon. Not how you feel about what he does. How do you feel? What do you want to do?”

  Lily shook her head. “Thanks. I have a lot to think about.” She left the table.

  Later that evening, Jon Sommers and Avram Shimmel sat around the table with Cassie, Ann, and Charlette.

  Cassie finished her verbal report of her dinner with Irwin Sadowski. She held up Sadowski’s thumb drive. “What do we do now?”

  Jon shook his head. “There is a small army of mercs in this list. Too many for your mercenary army to go after, one by one.

  Avram nodded. “Correct. We’re outnumbered four to one, and all the kinetic moves they are making will be timed to coincide. Once we stop any one of them, it’s likely the others will be notified.”

  Cassie shrugged. “We have a few moves to choose from. When I met with Sadowski, he said he was the gating factor for phase three. And now I have him on a string. He needs a job to pay his bills, and we can offer that.”

  Charlette reached across the table and touched Cassie’s hand. “You can’t trust him. There may be a better way. Ann and I can hack his phone and backtrace his control’s location. Did you get the cell-clone program onto his cell?”

  Cassie frowned, and gently pulled her hand away. “I transmitted it through the Bluetooth link on my Galaxy Gear watch while we ate dinner. Oh, and here’s a copy I made of the thumb drive.” She handed the drive to Charlette. “Also, there may be more intel on this than I could derive. My hacking skills are a bit limited and they are quite rusty.”

  Charlette fondled the thumb drive, rolling it between her fingers for nearly a minute. “I may have a plan all of us can execute. But I’m warning you in advance. It will be brutal.”

  Jon shrugged. “Better than a coup. Right?”

  CHAPTER 34

  December 9, 9:12 a.m.

  Swiftshadow safe house, Washington DC

  Blue sky peeked through the living room window twenty feet away. It was a stark contrast to the new white snow reflecting light off the ground eight floors below. The CypherGhost sat alone at the kitchen table, her eyes unfocused.

  Keeping it to herself, the CypherGhost concentrated an the current version of her plan. “What if’s” crashed through her imagination for nearly an hour. So many things could go wrong, and at least some would. It was impossible for her to guess which parts of the plan might not work. She now understood how Jon Sommers’ mind worked, and wondered how he’d learned to plan operations.

  Ann had told her the Swiftshadow Group’s primary planner was Sommers. When the CypherGhost was finished with a solid draft of her plan, she decided to take it to him to see if it had any really fatal flaws. She sipped coffee while she worked. She’d left Ann alone in bed, snoring. As far as Ann was concerned, the CypherGhost was satisfied that she had
managed to make Ann believe they were friends. Now, with Ann’s trust, she could complete the tasks she had set for herself without worry of discovery.

  She heard muted noise coming from Jon’s bedroom. Finally, done now fucking that Lily beast. When Sommers gets his ass out here, I can run through the plan with him.

  She heard Ann’s bare feet padding against the apartment’s floor. Their bedroom door sprang open, and Ann poked her head out. Ann smiled, rubbing her eyes as she padded into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. The CypherGhost smiled back at her. “Morning, sweetie.”

  “When did you leave the bed?”

  “About 6:30. I’ve completed a draft of the plan. It’s ready for us to review.”

  “You should have Sommers vet it.”

  The comment felt like an insult. It stung. “Why? I’m smart. Isn’t that enough?”

  Ann shrugged. “Don’t think so. Jon has field experience vetting and improving operating plans that he and others devised. Besides, another set of eyes is always helpful.”

  The CypherGhost let the sting settle in. Remember this when the time comes.

  They waited nearly twenty minutes before Jon opened his bedroom door wearing a bathrobe, stretched and yawned on his way to the kitchen. After he poured himself a cup of coffee, he noticed the two young women watching him from the kitchen table. “What?”

  Ann rose and said, “You’re late getting up. Let me know when you’re really awake. We need your help.”

  Jon sipped the coffee as he sat at the table with them. He remained silent, seeming to savor the flavor. After a few seconds, he nodded. “Okay, then. What can I do for you this cold, sunny morning?”

  The CypherGhost pushed her notebook computer across the table. “Please review this.”

  Jon stared at the screen. To the CypherGhost, Jon was totally still. He seemed to be hypnotized by the plan. About ten minutes passed. A few times, his fingers slapped the arrow keys so he could focus on different aspects of the plan. Then Jon rose from the table. “I’ll need to shower while I think about this. Seems practicable for a first draft. But my first piece of feedback is: ‘no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy.’ You haven’t put in enough fall-back alternatives for when things go to shit.” He walked into the bathroom and closed the door.