by Len Marshall
He had not finished his list of compliments before Ajay interrupted, “You forgot charming and gorgeous. Oh Romeo, where for art thou,” he joked. “Sorry, Son, I didn’t mean to mock you,” he added. “I don’t blame you if you’re struggling to express your feelings. Like father, like son,” he thought.
“I was like you in too those early days when I met your mother and I felt something for the first time in my life,” he said. Jacob could see that his father was visualizing moments from his past. “Son, always include me in those things where you feel the most vulnerable so that I can give you some friendly advice,” Ajay added, getting up from his chair. “My only honest advice is always just remember, whatever you say, just make sure that it comes straight from your heart.” He concluded by adding, “That’s what will make it genuine and will help you to attract the people in your life who you really need.”
***
The minute Jenifer set foot in Natalie’s apartment, she heard Natalie say, “Have you seen this?” pointing at the TV where the local newscaster was telling viewers about a raid by the FBI on a building not far from Natalie’s apartment. FBI operatives had recovered five dead bodies including Fu Wang’s. The report told them that all the deceased were killed from close range weapon combat. The FBI had recovered a large cache of digital equipment from the building including computers, laptops, mobile, external storage devices and hard drives. Jenifer eyes were glued to the TV screen while her mind analyzed the possible scenarios which both of them could now face.
She started to assess the potential risks her plan could face in the coming days.
“I think it’s time. We must leave here very soon, it’s no longer safe,” Natalie said almost hysterically. The report on the TV screen was far too overwhelming for her.
“Yes, this time you’re right. All my fears about the danger of working with the Chinese have been proved right today. I think for now you should move to my place and we need to both keep a really low profile.”
“We need to keep a low profile both online and offline if we’re going to escape danger,” Natalie said.
“We should look at this as a positive,” Jenifer said.
“How can any of this possibly be good?” Natalie asked, pointing towards the TV.
“It is good, in that Fu Wang was the only one who knew your face. That means, my friend, he’s the only person who could possibly say that you are Jenifer the hacker. Now he’s dead, that information has gone with him too,” Jenifer explained and Natalie could not disagree.
“I can understand that,” she replied.
“It’s pretty straightforward really,” replied Jenifer “It’s bad because we’ve no idea how much information was recorded about our operation on those computers and laptops that the FBI has recovered. Unfortunately, we’ve not got a clue how much the FBI will know about us in, say, the next two weeks,” Jenifer said.
“For now, at least, we’re in grave danger.” Jenifer looked at Natalie’s face for a few moments then then suddenly took her cell phone from her pocket and smashed it under the heel of her shoe.
Destroying the cell phone and SIM card, she shouted “Grab everything; we’re going to leave here right now. Don’t leave anything behind, not even a toothbrush. Make sure you take everything with you. You can put the rest of the things in some garbage bags, not in the dumpster. When we leave we can burn them or throw them in the Hudson River at the corner of the block. Whatever happens, don’t forget to rub everything clean of any evidence of us having been here.” Jenifer bossed these instructions to Natalie and walked towards the door.
“Where are you going?” Natalie asked.
“I am going to take care of a couple of things to help our survival. You mustn’t worry. I’ll be back in a couple of hours and then I’ll help to clean the place of prints and DNA etc. Start packing first,” Jenifer said as she left Natalie’s apartment. Once outside, she looked carefully down the empty corridor; her sixth sense had warned her about some sort of threat lurking around Natalie’s place. Suddenly, she had a strong feeling that in order to keep herself and Natalie safe she would have to execute the radical exit plan she had in mind. Her hands gripped the steering wheel of her car as she drove to meet one of her old acquaintances.
She thought, rather smugly, desperate circumstances call for desperate measures.
***
Neil was charged by the FBI with various cybercrimes against the state including espionage. All of the charges carried Felony One status for potential enemies of the state or non-state actors. According to the penal code on the treason print out which was handed to Neil to read, if any person or persons, owing allegiance to the United States of America, shall levy war against them, or shall adhere to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States, or elsewhere, and shall be thereof convicted on confession in open court, or on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act of the treason whereof he or they shall stand indicted, such person or persons shall be adjudged guilty of treason against the United States, and shall suffer death.
These serious charges of treason were nothing less than a cataclysmic shock for Neil. He could not believe that this was actually happening to him. The tiniest bit of good news in this whole drama for Neil was that he had finally been given access to a lawyer who had visited Neil in jail and at least heard his side of the story.
Neil told him the same things he had already repeatedly told the FBI investigators. Ajay was also shocked when he knew about the exact charges. Everything on that charge sheet contradicted how Ajay perceived Neil to be in his mind’s eye. He rejected the charges against Neil but still wanted to know the truth behind the attacks. Neil also faced state espionage charges pressed by the FBI through the chief state attorney.
He once again found himself slipping to the bottom of that self-pitying pit of hopelessness and the hope of freedom he had visualized as a small ray of light far away began to diminish once again. His belief in the Universal Law of Attraction withered with that dim light.
Neil had not stopped thinking about Clarke but he was still unable to consider her as the one responsible for his detention. He was hopeful that, once the charges were filed against him, she would come to visit him but she had not shown up so far despite it being four days since he had been formally charged by the FBI.
His parents had also come to the US as soon as they were informed about their son’s predicament. Thankfully, Ajay had comforted them and told them that personally, he had no doubt of their son’s innocence and that he truly was not involved in any kind of cybercrime. As soon as they could help identify the real culprits, Neil would be released.
***
In the offices of Waverley Davis, Ajay and Jacob chatted. “You look really tense, Dad, what’s up?”
“It’s Neil,” Ajay said.
“He’s been charged, hasn’t he?” Jacob asked. He had guessed correctly. Neil had been accused of treason.
“You always say that we must allow the law to take its own path so I think we must wait and see.”
“Yes, well I’m thinking about doing some digging at our own end,” Ajay said determinedly.
Well, every investigation of ours has led us to him so far and he has no answer or explanation. He could also be completely innocent and not know anything about it thought Jacob. “He’s my friend Dad, I’m not liking it a bit that he’s facing this crisis all by himself either. But now he’s in custody that’s the way it is. We’ll have to wait to see how he pleads in court.”
***
James, one of the investigation officers for the FBI, was sent to search an apartment in downtown New York. He reported back to the team briefing later. “There’s no one there. The apartment is empty. Cleaned. Whoever was there left after removing every trace of ever having been there,” James reported back to HQ in his field report from Natalie’s apar
tment.
They, the FBI, were on Natalie’s tail after forensics were able to isolate the transmit/receive unit which had led James and his squad there. “Yes sir. We’ve recovered it. It was planted under the top of the computer table top,” James reported to Christopher’s briefing about the hidden transmitter which his team had just recovered.
James was originally tasked with following the signal frequency of that transmitter and to identify anyone entering or leaving the apartment. James had previously followed the signal to the door of Natalie’s apartment inside the residential building. Initially, he didn’t realize that the apartment had been abandoned by its inhabitants.
One undercover operative, disguised as a mail delivery man, was also in place near Natalie’s apartment to keep an eye on anyone entering or leaving the apartment. When they hadn’t seen any activity for more than an hour, James instructed his undercover operative to peek into the apartment using the digital equipment that the FBI used for such operations. They inserted a small camera below the main door to look for any sign of life inside but what they saw was an absolutely empty apartment.
They forced entry and tried to find any traces of finger prints but James was stunned to see that the apartment was thoroughly cleansed and whoever had been there had gone to extraordinary lengths to get rid of every single finger print. Not the behavior of a normal person. They must be very alert, methodical and savvy of the FBI’s operational procedures. They had vast knowledge of such exit procedures. Such a person could not be completely innocent. Despite being on the other side of the law, James was impressed. He had never ever seen anything like this before.
However, he did have one major concern. “What’s the point of leaving a transmitter behind?” James asked Christopher once he got back to office.
“They didn’t leave it. It was planted there to spy on whoever was there. That reminds me of that saying, set a thief to catch a thief. That appears to be what’s happened in that apartment. And we know this for a fact, people like that are seldom innocent,” Christopher said.
***
Natalie had now moved into Jenifer’s apartment which was located only four blocks away from her own. Jenifer had decided to disappear once again after helping Natalie to move into her place. Together, they had moved all of Natalie’s clothes, her computer and the rest of her belongings.
Jenifer was trying to understand the possible circumstances which had led to the deaths of Fu Wang and the other Chinese operatives. She had a strong feeling that they both could have avoided this whole situation had she informed the authorities or the Waverley Davis management about the proposed plan right from the start.
Natalie, sitting in the apartment, began thinking about Neil once again. Suddenly, she imagined Neil receiving the death sentence as punishment for his crimes. “My God,” she thought. Her mind swirled about their current predicament. She waited for Jenifer and after few minutes turned on the TV and flicked through the channels.
Her finger stopped at a news channel where Neil’s image appeared in the main news bulletin. She was devastated when she learned the nature of his charges and the consequence of him paying such a high price for someone else’s crimes.
***
Jacob was once again on a dinner date with Jenifer. They made their choices after contemplating the lengthy menu. Sitting opposite, they stared at each other and touched hands as they chatted. She had not made any attempt to hack Jacob’s phone despite having had many chances to do just that. When he visited the restroom a couple of times, he had left his mobile on the table with Jenifer. She would stare at it but she never once picked it up. Why she was behaving like this, even she had no idea. Somehow her feelings, when she was with Jacob, were different from how she felt when she was with Neil. She had also started to like his style of talking and dressing and his caring nature and, most importantly, his very passionate eyes.
Jenifer had been quiet since they had arrived. Jacob had asked her why but she persuaded him that everything was fine and she was just a little tired due to extra workload. She told Jacob that one of her friends had come to live with her for the next few days.
“The meal and the evening have been so perfect,” he commented and continued “I could not have asked for anything better, beautiful food, superb wine and most importantly your company,” he said. Just then she stood as if to leave.
“Do excuse me, I have to go to the restroom,” she said. On reaching the ladies’ powder room, she locked herself in one of the cubicles and put her head into her hands. She sighed and realized from Jacob’s kind words what kind of feelings he had for her and what she had done to make him feel that way. Thinking things through, from what Jacob had told her a few days earlier, she already knew that Neil was Jacob’s best friend and what had happened to him. Sitting there in that darkened room, she acknowledged that she was developing a keen fondness for Jacob too. She felt that maybe she was deceiving him even though that was what she had originally intended at the beginning.
“Oh my God, what should I do?” she asked herself, “What have you done to me, Jacob?” The feeling that arose became the seed of love. Hitherto undeclared and unseen, hidden deep in her heart she could now feel it very clearly even though they had not declared their love. She sensed that Jacob was going to say those three magical words anytime and although her inner self became more unsettled by the possibility this was exactly what she wanted to happen sooner rather than later. That concealed seed of love was growing, as the mask of that indifferent sociopath called Jenifer started to be shed.
Her subconscious mind was being rewired for a change and the change in prospect disturbed her to such an extent she had gone to the restroom to seek refuge. However, the seed of change was becoming more permanent. The moment of truth was drawing near. It was nearly before her and she needed to make a difficult decision. She could pray for Neil’s conviction and stay with Jacob. She had to decide whether to keep this secret safe or come clean about her role in the entire situation and leave her fate in Jacob’s hands. She could not live with this duality when she was falling for someone. She returned to the restaurant and Jacob saw her coming back, she was looking very relieved. After exchanging goodbyes, they both left the restaurant.
Jenifer had made her decision.
Chapter Eleven
There is no man living who isn’t capable of doing more than he thinks he can do.
Henry Ford
There were four participants at the meeting taking place in a private room of a club with invitation only membership. The club’s biggest service promise was total privacy and secrecy for all its membership. The club played host to very selective guests who came from all over the world to negotiate secret deals, sometimes even among apparent enemies if both could agree on the same agenda and goals. Others would meet and just pretend to be allies to ensure that they could keep their enemies closer, just to keep an eye on them. This meeting was a similar one as, here too, the participants had come from different worlds which, according to the daily news bulletins on TV, were described as being hostile towards each other.
Most senior among the participants was an aged former European banker and visionary business strategist, Ken Fellows. Due to his genuine political and strategic insight he had earned a very strong public and corporate reputation throughout Europe. Many European Union governments would use his advice when making strategic decisions.
He was dressed in a smart crisp two-piece suit and was wearing glasses. The meeting had been convened by the second participant, Francis Juke from the United States. The third guest was Abu Salem from the Emirates whilst the fourth participant was Anton Sergei from the Russian FBS (Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Federatsii), the Russian Secret service.
The meeting began. This was a secret, high-level security brief.
Ken Fellows initiated the meeting by beginning “It seems that the Ame
ricans have not learnt anything from their past mistakes. I’m afraid if they continue to make strategic miscalculations, similar to Iraq and Libya, they could end up ruining stability in Europe again. Just look how their military intervention in the Middle East has created a serious refugee crisis for mainland Europe. The United Kingdom has left the European economic union in a recent referendum due to mass migration as a result of the pending crisis in previous war zones.”
He continued, “The UK consequently cannot control its borders, the result is an exit from the EU to claw back border controls. Many consider this development to be a crisis for the future of the EU. Although I also have my concerns in this regard I think there’s a possibility we can all turn this crisis into an opportunity for a much more stable future. The Americans are still living in the Post-Cold War era but with the power shift from West to East and the resurgence of Russia in the last few years, it has been made abundantly clear that a multi-polar world has emerged which means an international system cannot work with the old political dogmas anymore.”
“So, Mr. Fellows, while I appreciate your remarks about the changing world and the Russian role in it, I’m still not able to see what you proposing here,” Anton Sergei interjected. He continued, “I think Ken Fellows has a proposal for the longer term stability in the world particularly around all the global strategic hotspots.”
Francis Juke added to the debate from the perspective of a mid-level executive in the Waverley Davis Hi-Tech Machine Department. This organization-wide department was responsible for catering for every kind of hi-tech engineering and manufacturing machine maintenance operation across all research divisions. His department was the only one in the entire company with full access to every kind of research machinery installed at Waverley Davis. Maintenance operations were controlled through computer software but these computers were not attached to the Waverley Davis network for security purposes. The network interfaces on these computers were disabled permanently and required admin access to be enabled. New machine procurement would happen on the outcome reports of this department.