CypherGhost

by D S Kane

  —Ann

  Cassie found a seat on one of the waiting-room couches. Once she started wailing she couldn’t stop.

  * * *

  Cassie had forwarded Ann’s message to Avram. After reading the message, Avram sent a text to Judy Hernandez, requesting that she text each sniper with their target’s name and personal details. Each target was assigned a very specific time for death. Every target had to die within minutes of all the others because, otherwise, some would know they were in danger, making it much more difficult to find and kill them. Given the difference in time zones for each corporate CEO, some would die in their sleep, and some while they were tending to their daily routines.

  On their way to the hospital in a taxi, Avram smiled at Jon. “Our heavy lifting is done. When the time comes for the snipers to complete their assassinations, we’ll just count the dead bodies.”

  * * *

  Two days had passed. Avram sat in the United Nations Battle Centre, part of the twenty-seventh floor of the UN Secretariat building on 44th Street on the east side of First Avenue in Manhattan. He watched a wall of display monitors. Ninety-three of the one hundred screens were lit up.

  The slaughter had started about twenty minutes ago. Sixty-three of Cy DeSpain’s co-conspirator CEOs had been murdered so far. Avram watched the progress of the snipers and spotters who sought the remaining thirty.

  The screen he watched right now depicted what Captain Billie-Jo Casselton saw in Tokyo. Casselton was a rail-thin, tall, rangy woman, and Avram had promoted her almost every year since he’d hired her away from her position with the US Army Rangers. He’d met her when she attended the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. She was one of the smartest snipers he had working for him.

  * * *

  Billie-Jo Casselton stood at the roof’s edge and looked down the street. She examined the location and smiled. This will do nicely. She unpacked her M40A3 rifle and peered through the AN/PVS-10 sniper scope, then scanned the building entrance six blocks away, using the rifle’s scope.

  It was nearly midnight, and her target should be arriving at his home soon. She’d specifically picked this place to set up, sixteen stories above the street level, since she’d have an unobstructed view of the target when he left his chauffeured limo after an evening clubbing and drinking. Using her ear bud’s mike, she called Lieutenant Harry Tonsis, her spotter. “Hey, Harry, are you in position yet?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Waiting on his limo.”

  “Good.” There was no wind. Billie-Jo had excellent visibility. She sat cross-legged on the floor. She placed the rifle on a stand, and plugged in the gamepad she held in her right hand. She touched the thruster to move the rifle a tiny fraction of an inch. The scope lined up and then its LED blinked green. Oh, yes. Perfect.

  Using her fingers, she plucked a piece of sushi from the clear plastic takeout container and dipped it in soy sauce and wasabi. It tasted good. She snacked on amaebi, deep-fried shrimp heads, and mirugai for about ten minutes while she waited.

  The long black limo appeared and stopped right in front of the rowhouse’s entrance. The chauffeur left his position within the vehicle, opened the rear door, and bowed. A short older man emerged from the back seat and pulled out a walking cane. Billie-Jo snapped the old man’s photo using the Dragunov scope sight and relayed it to Avram Shimmel. She waited to hear his voice.

  Two seconds passed. “Identity confirmed, Captain Casselton. You are a go.”

  Billy-Jo called Harry using her ear bud’s mike. “Conditions?”

  Harry’s voice came back through her ear bud. “Optimal. Two mph from the east, steady.”

  Billie-Jo smiled. She hit the gamepad’s thruster to adjust for the wind, then tapped the A-button and the kill-sequence started. The scope automatically followed the target for three paces until its programming locked location, direction, and wind, then automatically fired a single round. Billie-Jo watched the target’s head explode. She smiled again, snapped the kill shot of the still standing, headless man, and then selected her final piece of sushi, a crispy salmon-skin piece. She dipped it in soy and wasabi and popped it into her month. Crunchy, she thought, as she rose and packed her sniper’s kit away.

  * * *

  After watching Captain Casselton at work from twelve thousand miles away, Avram looked to the center screen, which displayed the results of the overall mission. Eighty-seven of the ninety-three CEO’s were now dead. Three had survived the first attempt but a second attempt was now in progress. Twenty minutes later, only one was left alive and on the run when Avram called an end to the killing.

  * * *

  In a business suit and tie covered by his Burberry trenchcoat, Jon Sommers walked in the bright sunshine of the Pentagon’s parking lot toward the side exit the admiral would use to get to his car. The snow on the ground was crunchy. His brown fedora was pulled down to obscure much of his face. The cams in the parking lot would have a difficult job recording his face well enough for the software to determine his identity.

  The admiral’s chauffeur, a major, waited fifty feet away, ready to open the black Suburban’s rear door.

  When he saw the admiral, Jon approached through the shade of trees lining the row of cars. He waved to the admiral and said, “Sir! I’m with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force. I need a word.”

  The admiral bore a surprised look on his face. He stopped and turned to the major, whose face Jon recognized from the hack Ann and the CypherGhost had completed on his file. This was the man who had accompanied the admiral to the meeting DeSpain had with the Joint Chiefs at the Pentagon. “Wait here.” The admiral frowned. “United Nations, you say?”

  Jon nodded. “Yessir. I just need a moment, please. I’m here on behalf of the Secretary-General.”

  The admiral closed the distance to Jon. “”What’s this about? And why didn’t you make an appointment?”

  Jon turned away slightly, causing the admiral to do the same. Now, no one nearby would be able to hear them. He lowered the volume of his voice. “For your safety, this meeting is a courtesy. It has come to attention of the Secretary-General that Cy DeSpain approached you, about a week before his untimely death. We have reviewed the notes he left behind. He tried recruiting you for a desperate military takeover of the United States: a coup d’état, and you declined. We want to thank you for that. The United Nations depends on the United States for its ability to support world peace. If anyone should approach you about implementing DeSpain’s plan, please immediately inform us.”

  The admiral’s jaw dropped slightly. “I see.”

  Jon nodded. “Could you inform the remaining members of the Joint Chiefs that we will need their acknowledgement and agreement that they will also inform us if any further approach occurs?”

  The admiral stepped away. His eyebrows arched. “You want me to…”

  Jon nodded. “It would be in the best interests of each of you.”

  “Why should I do what you want?”

  Jon pulled his cell from his pocket and showed him a video of the meeting the Joint Chiefs had had with Cy DeSpain. “DeSpain recorded that meeting. Is this proof enough?”

  The admiral shrugged, but Jon could see the defeat reflected in his eyes.

  Jon stared back into the eyes of the admiral. “If DeSpain’s plan were to go forward, the entire might of every other nation would be called upon to stop the coup. I know you understand what that would mean. It would be a bloody mess. A civil war in the United States, to say the least. Can you do as I’ve requested? Please send a text message to this number with the single word YES. Have the other Joint Chiefs signify their agreement by doing the same.” Jon handed the admiral a business card with just the name and the phone number of the Swiftshadow Group, Inc.

  The admiral cringed slightly, then shrugged. “I’ll consider your request.”

  Jon nodded. “This meeting never happened.”

  By the end of the next day, Avram had received a text message from each of the Jo
int Chiefs, affirming their lack of interest in furthering DeSpain’s plans. Whether it was true or not, they’d now been called on their knowledge of DeSpain’s plan, and on not having informed the President after DeSpain approached them. Their loyalty had already been called into question.

  Within two days after Jon met with the admiral, three had retired from the military and another had simply resigned.

  * * *

  Four days had passed since Ann and the CypherGhost had fought. Ann remained unconscious and Cassie worried. Cassie couldn’t sleep and had cried so much her eyes hurt. She sat in Ann’s private room with Lee. Lee held her hand, sitting next to her.

  “Don’t worry, Cassie. I’m sure she’ll recover.”

  “Maybe. Maybe. But so far, the doctors don’t know why she’s still unconscious. And even if she wakes, look at her hands! They’re bandaged and scorched. The doctors say they’ll be scarred. They aren’t even sure if she’ll ever be able to use them again.”

  “At least the doctors didn’t need to amputate them.” Lee turned away.

  Cassie sighed. “What’s the status Avram’s mission to stop DeSpain’s coup?”

  Lee shrugged. “It was a tough mission, but Avram and Jon completed it. They’ve been busy with cleanup since the final piece was completed.”

  “Thanks for the news. I’ve been out of it since Ann, since Ann’s…” she broke down again, sobbing.

  Lee grasped her hand again. “Have some hope, babe. Have some patience.”

  * * *

  Ann could feel each person in the room as if she were inside them. She heard what they said, and she could sense their thoughts before they spoke. But she wasn’t conscious, and couldn’t tell if this was just some elaborate dream. She could sense the green walls of her hospital room. Cassie sat across from her bed, crying. Ann wanted so much to comfort her mom. She reached out with her mind, but “it” was no longer working.

  No matter. She would just have try harder to push herself into consciousness.

  She tried to open her eyes. Nothing worked. So she kept trying. It took a few more attempts, but she was able to force her eyes open, just a bit. The walls weren’t green. They were taupe. She smiled.

  Cassie said, “Ohmigod. You’re awake!”

  Ann’s hands felt stiff. She couldn’t move her fingers, so she looked at her hands. Her hands were covered with scar tissue. That, and the bandages covering her fingers, were making her hands stiff. She tried to bend her fingers and found she could, but just a little.

  Cassie yelled at Ann. “What were you thinking, going after that rogue hacker all by yourself? It was too dangerous!”

  Ann smiled and forced her fingers to give Cassie the middle finger salute. Her lips felt like plastic as she tried to form words. “I just played my part, Mom. But I do love you and Dad.” Her voice was slurred. Maybe some damage here.

  Cassie rushed Ann and gave her a hug. “Well, I’m so glad you are going to be okay.”

  Her hands behind Cassie’s back as her mom hugged her, Ann felt her fingers grow hot. She moved her hand to where she could see it. Her fingers were white hot but she felt no pain. What the fuck? She calmed herself and the glow emanating from her fingers disappeared.

  Ann wondered what would happen if she told anyone, even her mom, what she’d become. I will tell no one. I don’t even know if I could repeat what I’ve done. So, now, this remains my most closely guarded secret, even more than my hack of the Russians last year. But now, I’m not just a hacker anymore.

  Ann hugged Cassie.

  Glossary A

  AFI. Intelligence branch of the Israeli Air Force.

  air-gapped. A computer with no external connections to WiFi or CAT5 connections is referred to as “air-gapped.”

  aleph. Lead kidon, the assassin leading an execution mission for the Mossad.

  Aman. Intelligence branch of the IDF (Israeli Military Intelligence).

  asset. A civilian in a foreign country who claims to have valuable contacts or information useful to a case officer. The primary objective of most case officers is to develop in-country assets.

  ayin. Tracker (surveillance) for the Mossad.

  backstopping. Fake identification papers.

  bat leveyha. Female agent for the Mossad.

  better world, send to a. Euphemism for murdering an enemy agent.

  blind dating. Meeting place chosen by an agent to meet his or her handler.

  bodel. Courier for the Mossad.

  BP. Israeli paramilitary Border Patrol.

  Bug-Lok. Also called DeathByte, the device is a nanobug that can be ingested or injected into a subject. Bug-Lok was developed by the Ness Ziona in Herzliyya on contract with Gilbert Greenfield’s intelligence service. When ingested or injected, the nanobug then finds its way to the medulla oblongata of the subject and attaches itself to the neural bundles that carry visual and auditory signals into the subject’s brain. The nanobug transmits these signals to the nearest local area network (LAN) and from there onto the handler who gathers video and audio of the subject’s activities, in addition to the subject’s GPS location. Bug-Lok can be fitted with a tiny concentrated ricin dose to kill the subject, activated by a remote when the handler no longer needs the subject. NOTE: When I first crafted the features and functions of this device, it was pure fiction, but was based on several devices then in development. I have recently been told that a device similar to this has since been specified and may have completed its development.

  burn notice. A termination notice for an official operative or an NOC; the burned spy has his or her bank accounts confiscated and identity documents redacted, and, in extreme cases, is subject to a terminate-on-sight order.

  C-6. A more powerful and concentrated form of the C-4 explosive.

  Chinese Security Intelligence Services (CSIS). The Chinese version of the FBI and one of the Chinese government’s many espionage and technical research organizations.

  CHIPS. The Clearinghouse Interface Processing System, used by money-center banks to settle all outstanding transactions between them at the end of their day.

  Collections Department. Intelligence Department abroad.

  cutout. An intermediary, usually an innocent person, either a volunteer or paid by a covert operative to deliver or retrieve something valuable such as a message or a gadget, from a covert operative or an asset.

  DARPA. Defense Department’s agency for advanced research projects, charged with development of weapons systems.

  daylight alert. Highest priority alert.

  DDOS. Distributed denial of service; a brute-force method of bringing down a website, by overloading it with traffic. Rarely used successfully by any except the most desperate and skillful of hackers.

  dry cleaning. Countersurveillance techniques.

  ECHELON. An identity-tracking system developed by contract programmers and used by the United States as its primary terrorism prevention system prior to 9/11. There are currently in excess of forty systems developed since 9/11, used by the NSA to track the identities of US citizens and foreigners.

  EFT. Electronic Funds Transfer, the basic term denoting a non-check payment.

  EMP. Electromagnetic pulse device that unleashes a high-energy discharge that fries all electronic devices within its range.

  exfiltrate. To retrieve an agent from hostile territory.

  Farm, The. A camp in Virginia used to train CIA case officers and the case officers of intelligence services friendly to the United States.

  Fifth Estate. The Fifth Estate is a sociocultural reference to groupings of outlier viewpoints in contemporary society, and is most often associated with bloggers, journalists publishing in non-mainstream media outlets, and the social media. (Wikipedia)

  FISA. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC, also called the FISA Court) was established and authorized under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) to oversee requests for surveillance warrants against suspected foreign intelligence agents insi
de the United States by federal law enforcement agencies.

  Five Eyes. The intelligence alliance of the United States, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

  FSB. The Russian internal security and counterintelligence service, created in 1994 as one of the successor agencies of the Soviet-era KGB.

  false flagging. An operation falsely made to appear mounted by another country.

  fumigate. Sweeping an area for electronic bugs.

  GNU Radio. Developed by Eric Blossom, it is a free and open-source software development toolkit that provides signal-processing blocks to implement software radios. It can be used with readily available low-cost external radio-frequency hardware to create software-defined radios, or without hardware in a simulation-like environment. Prior to his involvement with software radio, Blossom was the co-founder and CTO of Starium, Ltd., where he oversaw the design and development of a line of cryptographic equipment for the commercial marketplace. He is also the founder of an international consulting company called Blossom Research.

  go bag. A lightweight luggage carrier used by covert operatives to carry travel essentials, including emergency clothing, sundries, and weapons and ammunition. When not being used, it is typically stored, fully loaded, near a door or under a window for fast access.

  heth. Logistician for the Mossad.

  honey trap. Sexual entrapment for intelligence purposes.

  IDF. Israel Defense Forces; the Israeli army.

  katsa. Case officer for the Mossad.

  KGB. Soviet Union’s secret police, the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopanosti was established in March 1954 in Moscow and was attached to the Council of Ministers, but operated independently. With over 500,000 employees, it was the largest spy agency in the world.

  Liquid armor, or shear thickening fluid (STF). Developed by the US Army in 2003, STF can stop a .38 caliber bullet, but improved versions can stop anything up to a .50 caliber shell.

  kidon. Operative specializing in assassination for the Mossad. (plural: kidonim.)

  Krav Maga. Israeli martial art developed by Aman and used by IDF and Mossad. Now taught to many of the global spy agencies.