by L. M. Vila
“Enough whey!” The boy shouted.
He immediately placed all four chair legs back on the ground and slouched in his seat.
“That’s your button?”
Adrian shook his head in seemingly disbelief.
“Teenagers…”
The S.A.C. turned his attention back to the conference receiver.
“Email the photograph to me.”
“Already done boss.”
The image of Roberto’s apparent crush appeared on Adrian’s phone. She could be considered cute for her age but looked pretty average. Some men’s tastes are sometimes too ordinary sometimes. You never can tell what will get a man’s blood pumping. In Roberto’s case, it appeared to be low profile and attainable.
“If you don’t comply with us,” Adrian started.
He turned the phone towards the boy with her bright blonde smile staring back at him.
“I’ll forward your entire rap sheet to her and all of her friends with a picture of you in handcuffs being beaten by your mother with a spatula.”
“That’s your big threat?” Roberto laughed. “I can’t believe you dragged me all the way here for this?”
“You misunderstand me Mr. Simmons,” Adrian smirked. “The FBI doesn’t make threats. Threats are indicative of the potential to harm. We have no wish to harm you or those you love Mr. Simmons, however,” he tapped the conference button again, “When was this photo taken Mark?”
“About twenty minutes ago boss. During a break in between her classes.”
This did not seem to amuse Roberto in the slightest. It did strike a nerve though.
“You wouldn’t touch her. You’re cops. You’re supposed to be good and shit.”
“You’re right Roberto. We are the good guys.”
Adrian pulled himself back from the table and stared off into another direction with his back turned.
There was no way he was actually going to send all of those documents. It was against protocol. Fortunately, he didn’t say it to be threatening but merely open the door for a much bigger and imposing threat. This one he wouldn’t make on his own. This threat was all about implication.
“But we happen to know a lot of bad people. The kind of people that would do a lot of bad things to someone, let’s say, who had been skimming off the top of their accounts to line their own pockets.”
Adrian turned around to face the kid again. His expression was eerily calm.
“That photo you just saw was taken by one of our agents inside of the school. You know how long it would take to get an official U.C. officer in there? He just happened to be passing by. Now imagine how easy it would be for someone who doesn’t like you to do the same thing. You’ve been dealing with some very bad people lately. Some that would pay much more than our agents make in a year just to settle their debts,” Adrian declared.
Each of his words were chosen carefully and he could see they had their desired effect as the young man’s posture and facial expressions changed rapidly.
“I don’t like to be grim here Mr. Simmons but let’s just say the next digital photograph you see of her will probably be devoid of that smile you seem to love so much.”
They got him. The son of bitches got him. Roberto never liked to admit defeat. He may be bested on rare occasions but he lived to fight another day. Taking that knowledge of those minor setbacks enabled him to adapt and overcome his competition. No one has ever gotten the incredible D0c7oR pHr34K to submit. These boys should feel honored.
“Fine, fine,” he pleaded yet still sounding defiant. “But I have terms,” he boldly stated. “First I want protection for me, mi madre, and my school.”
Adrian almost wanted to raise an eyebrow and smirk at the brass this kid had. He decided it was best to belay those thoughts and keep an open mind to these terms posed by the child.
“Given the severity of the situation, that is possible. Next?”
“Second, I want a pass on all of that other bullshit you’ve got on me. Clean slate. I don’t want that following me around when I’m off in college.”
That surprised the S.A.C. to hear.
“You want to go to college?”
“Yea,” he replied, insulted that his words were not taken seriously. “You think I do all this shit for fun? I need cash puerco. My mom can’t be paying some Ivy League tuition on four dollars an hour.”
“Fair enough,” Adrian said. “What else?”
“I want you to write me a letter of recommendation.”
“Me?”
A puzzled Adrian stared back. This had to be the oddest request he had from a criminal on record.
“What would you want me to say?”
“Simple puerco. All you have to do is tell them how awesome I am with computers that you needed my assistance to solve a case and shit.”
The little son of a bitch began to grin that almost made the S.A.C. vomit.
“You know, just like now. I figure a recommendation from the FBI has got to put me at the top of the list for Harvard or M.I.T.”
“You have big aspirations young man,” Adrian complimented hoping he didn’t sound too friendly. “But what makes you think I’ll give you any of this stuff you’re asking for when I’ve got a team of analysts working on deciphering your code this very minute?”
“You called me down here remember? Either you get my help and we both win or I don’t tell you shit as you lock me up and throw away the key. That’s lose-lose. And I bet you don’t want to tell your boss you lost to a sixteen year old kid, do you puerco?”
This kid was brash alright but things went a lot better than Adrian expected. He wasn’t defiant or unruly like some of the other Internet terrorizers he’s had the pleasure of dealing with. Roberto knew exactly what he wanted and was willing to cooperate to get it. The stuff he was asking for was minor anyways. Some of it was even protocol. It’s not like Adrian wouldn’t give him most of these things. It all depended on how much the kid knew and how well he cooperated.
“Before we make a deal I need to know something first. What about us?” Asked the S.A.C. “What do we get?”
“If you ask me the right questions, maybe I’ll give you the right answers.”
The S.A.C. took some time to ponder the situation. It was a fair deal on paper but gaining results in this method didn’t sit well with Agent Fischer. He’d get this kid to talk and inevitably, he’d probably give him what he needed to feel safe and ensure his future away from a life in crime. However, there’s no way in hell Adrian would allow a compromise. He wouldn’t let the boy for think for one miniscule moment that he won. That was not Adrian’s style.
“You drive a hard bargain young man,” Adrian started. “But I’m afraid you forgot to take something else into account. You see, while I do have the power to give you anything and everything you’ve asked for, I’m not going to do that.”
Roberto scoffed and leaned back in his chair.
“¿Por qué puerco? I thought you needed my help?”
“Oh I’ll get the information I’m looking for, don’t you worry about that. But I’m not going to ask for even trade for it. You’re going to give it to me willingly.”
Laughs erupted in the interrogation room.
“’Esta’s loco Puero,” Roberto said between breaths. “Why the hell would I give you anything now?”
“You seem to forget your situation Mr. Simmons. That is my fault and I do apologize. I made it seem like I actually needed to offer you something in order to get what I want. Please forgive me, however…”
Adrian opened up the laptop next to Roberto. The screen kicked on with a photograph of an older gentleman next to a long list of data.
“I think you know this man. Charles Logan: billionaire, executive estate owner and operator of Utopia Hotel and Casino Inc. We’ve got him on multiple counts of tax fraud, hosting undocumented illegal gambling, life-endangerment, the list goes on but I won’t bore you with the details,” he paused for a moment. “Or maybe I should
. After all, you’re an accessory now.”
“Say what?!” He shouted. “You can’t pin all that stuff to me! I had nothing to do with that shit.”
“Says who?” The S.A.C. smirked. “I’m sure Mr. Logan would love nothing more than a little leniency in his sentencing. You think he’s going to give throwing you under the bus a second thought?”
“Spare me puerco. Whether it’s for sixty days or sixty years, jail is still jail,” he threw his hands up without regard while saying, “I’m fucked either way.”
“You may be right, but that’s not the only thing you should be worried about.”
Adrian turned the laptop and input a new address into the field. This one was only accessible to FBI agents only. Once the results showed up, he turned it back to Roberto and continued.
“You see this? This is a list of all of the Most Wanted fugitives”
The young boy twitched. His throat dried instantaneously. Air ripped through the heavy breaths entering his lungs with incredible haste. Adrian could see it as clear as day. He’d finally found the chink in Roberto’s armor.
“I think you remember the story. It was national news at one point but let me refresh your memory. Back in October of 2010, the FBI started in secret their initiative to catch all of the men and women on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. Teams of agents pooled together in a joint effort to hunt these people down. It was the single greatest operation pulled off in the Bureau’s history.”
Adrian took a deep breath and did his best to not sound too enthusiastic.
“At least, that’s the story we told the press anyways.”
Roberto remained firm but distance. His eyes gazed to the adjacent wall. Looking at the S.A.C. now may show signs of weakness. He had to remain firm. Unfortunately, this was all working according to Adrian’s well thought out plan. While this tactic may not have worked on some older, more experienced hackers, Roberto Simmons was a unique case. Adrian made sure to get as much dirt on the kid as possible and sifting through it this morning revealed a lovely chunk of gold Roberto himself may have even forgotten about.
“What if I told you there was no secret FBI initiative? What if I told you the whole thing was just a massive cover up story to spare the public the real truth of what happened there?”
Posed Adrian.
He quickly slammed both hands on the table and looked Roberto dead in the eyes to ask one last question.
“What if I told you that those ten people, all of the FBI’s Most Wanted fugitives were all caught by one single agent?”
“Get real puerco,” scoffed the boy. “That story’s just a myth. You think I’m going to fall for that shit?”
The boy was almost convinced of that himself. However, this wasn’t followed by his trademark laugh. He tried to brush it off coldly and get the S.A.C. off his back. That didn’t work and Adrian caught him dead to rights. The only thing he had left to do was create a connection between Mr. Simmons and the alleged story. Luckily, Adrian had already prepared to travel down that road.
“I know your type Roberto. Hackers are inquisitive by nature, aren’t they? Those were some pretty intense months. It was all the rage on the Internet for quite some time. A lot of conspiracy theories spreading followed with plenty of dissention amongst the people, your peers specifically, as to what was really going on.”
Adrian reached for a file on the adjacent chair and dropped it on the table. The resounding thud was cold and ominous as was the tone in the room.
“These are all of the IP logs we have from your home during that time. Two hundred unique search terms and over fifty thousand pings daily on the subject,” the S.A.C. smiled. “You must have really wanted that information if you went to the trouble of creating a program to continually search for anything you can find on the matter.”
Roberto didn’t defend his case nor did he care to. He was trying so hard not to let his curiosity get the best of him. Especially if it meant letting that pig-headed suit feel like he’s winning. Given the current scoreboard, it was hard to side with the young man at this point.
“I know you’re heavily invested in this Roberto. Most of your logs and forum posts indicate that you fully believed the story reported was a cover up.”
The boy’s eyes shot wide at that comment. He couldn’t believe they found this stuff on him. Adrian followed with another revelation.
“Please don’t look so surprised. Once we knew what we were looking for, it wasn’t too hard to find. Even easier when you make sure everyone knows your handle, Doctor Freak.”
“Whatever,” he sneered, “Doesn’t make the story true.”
The S.A.C. smile. His sinister grin cascaded a truly horrific presence for the story unfolding at this very moment.
“Oh but it is true Roberto. I know all of the juicy detail too. I even happen to know the agent personally. Hell,” smiled Adrian, “He just so happens to work in this very office.”
“Bullshit!” Shouted the young man while staring directly at the source of condemnation.
His voice cracked. Not a good sign for his defense.
The kid was on the ropes. Perhaps it was time to go for the knockout blow.
“Maybe you’re right Roberto. Maybe I’m making this all up just to try and intimidate you into giving me what I want. Besides, whether or not the agent exists is not the topic at hand.”
Adrian tapped the screen again and zoomed in on the list of names.
“What we’re concerned about is your future. You see, after we’re done here, you’ll be going back home to Florida.”
That received a puzzling look from Roberto but he was intrigued.
“You’re not just going to let me go. You’re not stupid.”
“Stupid? No we are not. But we are going to let you go. I grow tired of these games Roberto. Keeping you in this interrogation room as worn on my patience. So, once you’re back home in Florida, I imagine somehow you’re going to escape our custody.”
“What?”
“Don’t give me that look Roberto. You’re a smart kid. You know what I’m talking about. After evading our team you’re going to go back home or perhaps even into hiding. We’ll search for a few hours but suddenly give up. This will give you more than enough time to figure out a good place to hide.”
Adrian grinned. He had to sell this part or else the effect would be lost.
“And believe me, you’re going to need all of the time you can get your skinny little fingers on.”
Too many thoughts began to swim in Roberto’s mind. None of them had the happy ending he was hoping for. All roads just pointed to the end.
“And you know what happens next?”
The boy was silent. He didn’t even have a drop of saliva in his mouth to swallow.
“Next, your name goes on this list. All of the charges we have against you pale in comparison to everyone else we have on here. We’ll have to bump your name to the top of the list.”
“You can’t do that to me!” He pleaded.
His eyes moistened with each passing breath.
“I’m sure you know by now the reason why our Most Wanted list is no longer public knowledge. That’s because ever since that operation, everyone else who’s appeared on that list has become very unlucky. Most turn themselves in. They don’t know if the stories are true or not but they’d rather not risk it. Some have mysteriously vanished while others committed suicide to spare themselves the pain of being caught.”
Adrian knew he was starting to get to the kid. He was visibly shaken. The metal chair continued to rattle on the tile floor at a rapid pace. Roberto was so lost in thought he didn’t even notice his mental stress had taken on a physical form.
“Unlike you Roberto, the people who end up on that list don’t believe the story of the single agent is bullshit. They believe it’s real.”
Adrian leaned in and whispered in the boy’s ear.
“They’re not wrong either.”
Metal slammed against the ground as Rober
to fell off of his chair. The pain of gravity paled in comparison to the death sentence that was being laid out before him. Roberto didn’t want to believe it. He tried so hard to convince himself it wasn’t true. He was just lying to himself. There were hundreds of files and even a couple of candid photographs on the subject. Roberto knew it was real and he desperately did not want to be on that list.
While the young boy struggled to stand up, Adrian continued.
“That agent must be one bad person to get all of these crooks and criminals to turn themselves in.”
He shot Roberto and mind piercing glare. The boy didn’t even bother sitting down anymore.
“You’d think he’d be celebrated in our organization. I wish I could tell you that were true. Unfortunately, we have to clean our hands of the matter. The agent is a bit of a loose cannon. You see, while we have a lot of data compiled from his arrests. Well, those that lived through the ordeal to be arrested anyways. We just don’t know what exactly happened to all of those bad guys on our old list. The agent won’t talk to us on the matter so, we just let it go.”
Adrian pressed his hand against the wall and leaned in closer. He could see the sweat building on the young boy’s brow. Though it would normally pain him to see such a young kid in this situation, this was a necessary evil to obtain what they needed. It didn’t hurt to throw in a few embellishments, some weren’t that far off the original.
“Though our official position may be different, that agent still gets a lot of support here. The only problem is that he’s kind of a rogue operator. We never know where he is or what he’s up to until the job is already completed. Sometimes he’ll be gone for weeks at a time. He only comes back here when he needs a new target.”
Roberto’s back was firmly pressed against the wall as Adrian moved in closer for the final sell.
“Do you happen to know where that agent is right now Mr. Simmons?”
“What?” Stammered Roberto.
His words were chaotic and broken.
“No.”
Adrian’s tone was filled with scorn.
“Neither do I.”
The boy dropped to the ground. His arms slammed over his head as he pleaded with the S.A.C.