The Loyal Nine

by Steven Konkoly

  One Monday evening in January of 1766, John Adams was invited by two members of the Loyal Nine—Thomas Crafts, the painter, and George Trott, the jeweler—to spend an evening with them and the rest of the Loyal Nine at a local distillery. Adams wrote:

  I went, and was civilly and respectfully treated, by all Present. We had Punch, Wine, Pipes and Tobacco, Bisquit and Cheese etc… I heard nothing but such Conversation as passes at all Clubs among Gentlemen about the Times. No Plots, no Machinations. They chose a Committee to make Preparations for grand Rejoicings upon the Arrival of the News of a Repeal of the Stamp Act, and I heard afterwards they are to have such Illuminations, Bonfires, Piramids, Obelisks, such grand Exhibitions, and such Fireworks, as were never before seen in America.

  The following February, Adams was again invited by Thomas Crafts to attend the Monday gathering of the Loyal Nine, but this time in his writings he referred to the group as the Sons of Liberty:

  Yesterday I wrote you a few lines, by Dr Tufts, informing you the Sons of Liberty desired your company at Boston … on Monday next, because they want you to write those inscriptions that I mentioned to you when last at Boston; one in favor of Liberty, not forgetting the true-born sons, and another with encomiums on King George, expressive of our loyalty …P.S. Destroy this after reading it.

  On March 18, 1766, the British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act. The Loyal Nine had fulfilled their purpose. The proclamation read:

  In this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, that from and after the first day of May, one thousand seven hundred and sixty-six, the above-mentioned Act, and the several matters and things therein contained, shall be, and is and are hereby repealed and made void to all intents and purposes whatsoever.

  Over the next three years, the Loyal Nine became more commonly known by the moniker the Sons of Liberty. In August 1769, seven of the original nine members attended the largest gathering held by the Sons of Liberty to date. They met at the Liberty Tree and offered several toasts, then they:

  dined with 350 Sons of Liberty at [Lemuel] Robinsons, the Sign of Liberty Tree … We had two Tables laid in the open Field by the Barn, with between 300 and 400 Plates, and an Awing of Sail Cloth overhead, and should have spent a most agreeable Day had not the Rain made some Abatement in our Pleasures. … After Dinner was over and the Toasts drunk… we [sang] the Liberty Song. … This is cultivating the Sensations of Freedom. There was a large Collection of good Company. Otis and Adams are politick, in promoting these Festivals, for they tinge the Minds of the People, they impregnate them with the sentiments of Liberty. They render the People fond of their Leaders in the Cause, and averse and bitter against all opposers.

  According to the Boston Gazette, the forty-fifth and final toast made was Strong Halters, Firm Blocks, and Sharp Axes to all such as deserve either, followed by the discharge of a cannon and three cheers.

  The insurgent activity of the Sons of Liberty continued over the years—some more famous than others, but all leading to a seminal moment. On November 27, 1773, the first of three ships carrying chests of tea arrived in Boston Harbor. Members of the Sons of Liberty met at the Green Dragon Tavern and organized night patrols along the wharf to keep watch of the ships; others organized a series of meetings in the Old South Meetinghouse to discuss whether to confiscate the tea or destroy it. The patrols were in existence for nearly three weeks. Among those on duty one of those nights were three original members of the Loyal Nine—Henry Bass, Thomas Chase, and Benjamin Edes.

  Peter Edes, the son of Benjamin Edes, wrote the following in a letter to his grandson:

  I recollect perfectly well that, in the afternoon preceding … the destruction of the tea, a number of gentlemen met in the parlor of my father’s house, how many I cannot say … I was not admitted into their presence … They remained in the house till dark, I suppose to disguise themselves like Indians, when they left the house and proceeded to the wharves where the vessels lay. After they left the room I went into it, but my father was not there.

  Benjamin Edes and Thomas Chase were two of the faux Indians who left to participate in the Boston Tea Party on the evening of December 16, 1773.

  For a period of ten years following the formation of the Loyal Nine, tensions between the British government and the colonists grew. As pressures built in America, chapters of the Sons of Liberty were formed all over the Thirteen Colonies, especially throughout New England, Virginia, and the Carolinas.

  As the Sons of Liberty grew, so did their desire to adopt their own heraldry. Heraldry was used throughout history as a means to express a group’s pride and loyalty. In 1767, the Sons of Liberty adopted a five red and four white vertical-striped flag as the group’s formal standard. It became known as the Rebellious Flag and the nine stripes paid tribute to the Loyal Nine.

  The leaders of the revolt, the Sons of Liberty, were faced with a chance to fundamentally change the course of America. They faced a choice—continue to live under tyranny or choose freedom. They chose freedom. By 1775, their opportunity became reality and the war for independence began. But the seeds of freedom were planted by nine brave Bostonians who had a vision and the courage to stand by their convictions—the Loyal Nine.

  Teaser Chapters for CONSPIRACY GAMES (Book 2)

  Chapter 1

  May 8, 2016

  3:07 p.m.

  American Airlines Flight 129

  33,000 Feet

  Near St. Louis, Missouri

  “Good afternoon from the flight deck. This is Captain Randy Gray, and it is my honor to pilot our American Airlines Boeing 757 into Washington Dulles this afternoon. We have reached our cruising altitude of thirty-three thousand feet, after averting the initial turbulence caused by the area of weather north of the Dallas–Fort Worth metro area. With a little help from a tailwind, we should arrive on time at Washington Dulles International by two o’clock local time,” said Gray. “I will be turning off the Fasten Seat Belt signs to allow you free access to our newly enhanced cabin. Our flight attendants will begin cabin service shortly. As always, we thank you for flying American Airlines.”

  Gray began his career as a pilot in 1989 with Command Airways, a small regional carrier based in upstate New York. Initially checked out on the ATR 42, a Czech-made plane, Gray continued his training and became a highly respected pilot within the American Airlines ranks. The flight to Washington Dulles was routine. He shared the cockpit with First Officer William Applegate and his longtime friend Stacy Bird, a Frontier Air captain deadheading to D.C. after a hunting trip in West Texas.

  “Bill, Stacy and I would like to say hello to a friend in first class. Would you mind taking over for a bit?” asked Gray.

  Applegate had flown right seat with Gray in the past and had earned Gray’s confidence.

  “Absolutely, fellows, go ahead. She’s flyin’ herself anyway,” said Applegate.

  Gray and Bird unbuckled their harnesses and took a quick glance at the controls to confirm everything was in order. He and Bird slipped into the galley through the secured cockpit door, which automatically locked behind them.

  “Hi, guys,” said Karen Mosely, the chief flight attendant. “May I get you boys anything?”

  “I don’t think so, Karen, but thanks,” said Gray. “We’re gonna holler at 3B for a minute before we descend into Dulles.”

  Captains Gray and Bird strolled down the aisle behind her to greet a former Air Force buddy—when the aircraft took a sudden lurch upward. He grabbed the headrests of the seats on both sides of the aisle and ducked to look out the windows—clear blue skies. The plane quickly corrected, steadying for a moment before nosing downward into a steep descent. Gasps and screams erupted throughout the cabin.

  “Is your FO okay?” asked Bird.

  Gray knew what he meant by this question. Since the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Flight 370 and the deliberate crash of Germanwings Flight 9525, every pilot looked at the members of their crew with a different set of eyes. He lock
ed eyes with Bird, both of them sharing the same thought. If they’d hit turbulence, why didn’t Applegate activate the Fasten Seat Belt signs?

  “Back to the cockpit,” he said, edging by Captain Bird.

  Gray reached the intercom console next to the cockpit access door and pressed the pound key, praying for Applegate to respond.

  Chapter 2

  May 8, 2016

  3:07 p.m.

  The Hack House

  Binney Street

  East Cambridge, Massachusetts

  Andrew Lau stared intently at the iMac monitor array as Leonid Malvalaha deftly navigated the mouse. Malvalaha and Lau’s other longtime graduate assistant, Anna Fakhri, had continued in the new endeavor, despite the risk of criminal prosecution.

  Through the process of pen testing, Lau identified zero-day vulnerabilities in a computer network and took advantage of the security holes before the network’s IT department could find a solution. Once the vulnerability window was identified, the zero-day attack inserted malware into the system. The Game, as Lau called it, required the attacked entity to pay a ransom in exchange for a patch to their security. Prior to today, their hacks didn’t directly risk lives, though their activities on behalf of the Las Vegas union had no doubt resulted in deaths. They had been more selective after Las Vegas, until now.

  “Malvalaha, run us through the hack,” said Lau.

  Lau’s core group consisted of Malvalaha, Fakhri and newcomer Herm Walthaus, who had proven himself by creating a cascading blackout of the Las Vegas power grid—no small feat.

  “We’re monitoring American Airlines Flight 129, which departed Dallas around forty-five minutes ago,” stated Malvalaha.

  His desk resembled the cockpit of a sophisticated aircraft, with six flat-panel monitors at his disposal. He pointed to the screen that displayed FlightAware, an online tool providing up-to-the-second statistics on any airline flight.

  “Flight 129 is currently over St. Louis and has adjusted its flight path directly to Washington Dulles airport. The aircraft is a Boeing 757-200, flying at approximately four hundred eighty knots, or five hundred and fifty miles per hour. Altitude thirty-three thousand feet.”

  “Tell us what your research has shown,” said Lau.

  Fakhri addressed her former professor, now hacking partner. “Since 9/11, there have been conspiracy theories surrounding the commandeering of the four aircraft by the terrorists,” said Fakhri. “One such theory is the aircraft was part of a false-flag attack initiated by the government. As the theory goes, based upon 2001 technology, NORAD—the North American Aerospace Defense Command—took control of the planes and purposefully crashed them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The most prevalent reason cited for the false-flag operation is that the government wanted to justify initiating a war in the Middle East.”

  “For our purposes, we’re not interested in the false-flag theories,” said Malvalaha. “We focused on the concept of the remote takeover of a commercial aircraft. The technology exists, and it has, in fact, been used by the military in the past. Today, we will hack the aircraft via the flight management system, and make ourselves known.”

  “My father is a pilot for the 757-200 airframe,” said Walthaus. “We always had sophisticated flight simulators in our home growing up, and naturally they provided more entertainment for me than a PlayStation. I’ve never physically flown an aircraft, but I am an expert on the flight sim.”

  “I thought the FAA disproved the theories surrounding remote access of the onboard computers,” said Lau.

  “True to an extent,” said Fakhri. “A security consultant from Germany claimed to have hacked an aircraft using an Android telephone application. Later, one of his peers accessed the aircraft’s network by connecting through the in-flight entertainment system. He then used a modified version of Vortex software to compromise the cockpit’s system.”

  “When pressed for a response, the FAA was selective in its choice of words,” said Malvalaha. “They equivocated using the phrases described technique and using the technology the consultant has claimed.”

  Lau laughed after this statement.

  “The government has a lot of experience with misdirection,” said Lau. “Our most sophisticated operations were panned as impossible by the experts and their friends in the media—even after we successfully accomplished them!”

  “When researching this online, we discovered that American Airlines and Boeing launched a Bug Bounty program, offering a million free air-miles to the good guys—the white-hat hackers,” said Walthaus. “These ethical and conscientious hackers shared their findings online. We took their findings as a starting point, and found the vulnerability window we were looking for.”

  “Continue,” said Lau.

  If Lau could publish his work, he would surely win the Carnegie Foundation award as Professor of the Year. Then again, he might be teaching second grade math to his fellow inmates.

  “We’re going to use the government’s safeguard technology against them in two steps,” said Malvalaha.

  Lau turned his Red Sox cap backward—an unconscious signal that it was time to go to work.

  “First, we access the Boeing Uninterruptible Autopilot system,” said Fakhri. “The patent for the system was granted to Boeing in 2006, as a method of taking control of a commercial aircraft away from the pilot or flight crew in the event of a hijacking. The uninterruptible autopilot can be initiated by the pilots via onboard sensors or remotely through government satellite links.”

  “As far as the public knows, no Boeing aircraft has been retrofitted to include this technology, although rumors abound to the contrary,” said Walthaus. “After the disappearance of Malaysia Flight 370, the Prime Minister of Malaysia claimed Boeing or certain government agencies utilized the uninterruptible autopilot to down the aircraft. I’m sure he alluded to the CIA.”

  “An online search supported his theory,” said Fakhri. “We researched the rules issued by the FAA on the Federal Register website and found a Special Condition granted to Boeing for the Model 777 aircraft, allowing the installation of the uninterruptible autopilot software.”

  “But we’re tracking a 757,” said Lau.

  “Yes, we are,” said Walthaus. “The FAA, in its action, authorized Boeing to conduct tests of the new system in six of its 757 aircraft, plus the system was initially designed for the 757. We researched all of the top contractors who work under Boeing’s Defense division. Typically, new technology ends up in the hands of our Defense Department.”

  “We found the company hired to install the system—Alion Science and Technology,” said Fakhri. “Their technology solutions sector manager, Robert Hurt, gave a presentation at a Raytheon trade show last year, which was published online. After some digging, we have the details on the six 757 aircraft participating in the program.”

  “American Airlines Flight 129 is one of them,” said Malvahala.

  Chapter 3

  May 8, 2016

  3:12 p.m.

  American Airlines Flight 129

  33,000 Feet

  Near Evansville, Indiana

  Gray exhaled deeply when the green light on the keypad illuminated. He and Bird quickly entered the cockpit and slammed the door shut.

  “What the hell is going on, Bill!” exclaimed Gray as he climbed into his seat and strapped in. Bird positioned himself in the jump seat. Gray quickly examined the onboard computer monitor and activated the Fasten Seat Belt sign.

  “Talk to me, Billy!”

  “The controls are unresponsive,” muttered Applegate. “We are in a rapid descent, and the controls will not respond to any of my commands.”

  “You have to call a Mayday, Randy,” said Bird.

  Gray looked at the altitude control indicator. They were in a descent, but not an insurmountable one—yet. The altimeter read twenty-four thousand feet.

  “Billy, are you with me?” asked Gray.

  Applegate barely muttered a response.

 
; “Billy, why don’t you trade seats with Captain Bird,” said Gray. “You need a break, and Stacy is an experienced captain. Come on now, let Stacy swap with you.”

  Applegate slowly removed his seat harness and traded seats with Bird, who immediately leaned across the center console.

  “Should I escort him off the flight deck?” asked Bird.

  “He’s just shook up,” said Gray. “Call in the Mayday, and let me figure this out.”

  Bird’s attempt to access the onboard computer proved fruitless. The keyboard was unresponsive.

  “We’re one hundred miles east of St. Louis,” said Gray. “Try SDF.”

  “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, Louisville Tower. American Airlines one-two-niner heavy declaring an emergency,” said Bird. “I say again. Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, Louisville, Kentucky Radar. American Airlines one-two-niner heavy declaring an emergency.”

  “American one-two-niner, this is Louisville Tower. We copy your Mayday,” said Louisville Air Traffic Control. “What is the nature of your emergency?”

  “Louisville Tower, onboard controls are unresponsive. We are under power and in a steady descent now passing twenty-two thousand feet,” said Bird. “All other flight deck functions appear normal.”

  “Roger, American one-two-niner,” said Louisville ATC. “All stations. All stations. Louisville Tower. Mayday situation in progress. Stop transmitting. Repeat. Mayday situation in progress. Stop all transmissions.”