by Liliana Hart
Impossible, she answered.
There was no delay in their response now. Nothing is impossible. Impossible means your niece will experience your nightmares. We have shown her the video. She seemed suitably horrified. Did you know there was a video?
“Oh God,” Elena said, collapsing onto the couch. “Oh God, oh God. Why?”
Her hands shook as she typed her answer. Surely, they could see reason. I do not have access to the network. My security clearance is low level. Let Marguerite go. Your fight is with me. She is innocent.
There are no innocents in war, and she is no different. But what can you do? You don’t have access to the network. Too bad. She’s lovely.
Her gut knotted into a violent twist of pain. What was she going to do? There was only one option that she could see.
I will try, she said.
Try hard. And while you’re trying, make sure you delete any intel the MacKenzies have collected on us from the hacked files. In the meantime, we’ll get to know Marguerite a little better. We wonder what the stripes of our belts will look like across her back.
Elena growled in fury.
Do not touch her, she demanded. Promise you will not touch her.
Data first.
This will take time.
Then we will take our time with her. Better hurry.
Elena’s head began to spin. She fell to her knees and fumbled to crawl toward the door. She had to get out—to escape.
She got to her feet and stumbled toward the door. Her wrist stung and she realized she must have torn her stitches at some point. Red seeped through the white bandage, but she didn’t care who saw her. Marguerite was innocent, and had to be saved. So Elena gathered her strength, grabbed her ID card, and orientated herself toward headquarters.
Then she ran.
She fumbled for the plastic swipe card that activated the biometric finger and eye scan. It was the only way she could access the tight security in the company’s headquarters. Pressing her forefinger against the shirt’s hem to wipe off as much blood as possible, she jammed her finger onto the crystal blue-colored rectangle. After the third error notice, it activated the retinal scan function.
Elena blinked back tears and sweat before laying her cheek against the pad. Holding her eyelid open as the light flashed across her pupil, she exhaled when she heard the lock deactivation and saw the blinking green light that signaled it was okay to enter the foyer.
From that security point, it was just a matter of using her identification badge to access each interior door. The white plastic rectangle with her photograph and a bar code dangled from a zip cord attached to her shirt. As she began to calm from her sprint across the compound, her mind continued to run scenarios for accessing the data without actually compromising anything.
“It can’t be done,” she muttered.
“What can’t be done?”
She screamed in surprise and her knees buckled. “Brady,” she panted. “What are you doing in here?”
“I’m pretty sure I’m the one who should be asking that question.”
“I work here,” she said hotly, her cheeks burning after being caught. “Which is more than I can say for you.”
“I believe I’ve been on the MacKenzie payroll more than enough to qualify,” he said. “You should know. You worked the boards for several of our missions. And I can take a hint. I probably should’ve taken it a long time ago, but I’ve got a head like a rock. At least that’s what my mama always told me. See you around.”
Chapter Five
Elena threw herself into one of the office chairs. She had to hook a toe beneath the desk to stop it from rolling into the credenza. She felt bad about lying to Brady, but this was family—her family.
Her phone buzzed and she hunched forward, reading the text.
Has it been transmitted?
She checked the security cameras and then latched the door from the inside so there were no more surprises.
There was no way she’d transfer that amount of data over the web. MacKenzie Security’s fail-safe system or the federal government’s classified document transmittal protection service would detect it and shut it down. Within seconds, all fingers would be pointed at her. Besides, she didn’t trust the cartel to release her niece if the data went through anyway.
I’ll send once she’s released, Elena typed.
She instantly regretted it. They weren’t a group to be intimidated or told what to do. In fact, they’d usually counter out of spite. They had no issue with hacking off their own damn nose to spite their crooked face. Honor meant nothing to them.
No
Elena dabbled with the RMS and considered a partial data scrape. Even if she tried to mail it to them, the only portable device small enough to avoid detection was a HyperX flash drive. It only held one terabyte of data, which was a huge amount compared to anything else. Without using a portable hard drive, which would store up to three terabytes, it looked like her options were limited.
Still, even if she could run a data pipeline directly into their mainframe, the issue wasn’t capacity. It was trust, and they simply could not be trusted to release her niece.
There was also the problem of the cartel’s demand that she wipe all of the data seized from them by a team of MacKenzie Security specialists a few years ago. The cartel had been hacked by this crack squad of warriors and geeks. They knew that the MacKenzie’s RMS held very sensitive information detailing their offshore and secret bank accounts, names of public and elected officials on the take, and names of people executed along with the location of their corpses.
The network breach had caused the cartel years of turmoil and millions of dollars in lost revenue. They attempted to backtrack and relocate all of the dead. They transferred billions of dollars, but lost millions to fees and US investigators seizing liquid assets during the transfers. The cartel had even gone as far as killing the key corrupt officials on their list to prevent the American government from interrogating them for intelligence in exchange for leniency.
Elena knew she found herself in over her head, but she had a choice that was simple—save her niece or let her be tortured and possibly killed. It was something she’d have to do on her own. No one, not even Brady, would understand her predicament. It would be the right time to react since everyone was understandably focused on the missing team in Somalia. But how?
Waiting
She slapped the cell phone screen down. Those pricks were now toying with her. It was a tactic she’d been taught by the security specialists to create an emotional reaction to their stimuli. She wouldn’t fall for it, but she couldn’t allow the cartel to think she was weak or defiant. Negotiations for the life of another were often wrought with small doses of logic and huge gambles on intuition.
Network too tight. Data too big to send
She tapped her fingernails against the tabletop and prayed her gamble paid off.
Bullshit
“Dammit,” she said. “I guess that means we’re going for the exchange.”
The communications center was starting to feel like a box. The walls seemed to move inward the longer she was in the room, and she felt like she was suffocating. She’d been quiet and distant all morning, and even Willa’s bubbly personality couldn’t break her out of the funk. There was plenty of work to do so they didn’t have to communicate or cross paths.
“Take five,” she told Willa once the confinement had become unbearable.
Willa shrugged. “Whatever you say, boss. I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me what diced you up? Were you in some kind of accident?”
“Yeah,” Elena said. “An accident. I cut myself shaving. I’m fine.”
“Funny,” Willa said. “You look like you need to be flat on your back, watching soap operas for a couple of days with one of those big ice packs on your face. Let me know if you need some relief.” She looked at the clock and swore. “I’ve got to hurry. The SEALs usually take a run around the lake with their shirts off
about this time.”
“Take twenty,” Elena said.
“Now you’re talking.” Willa waved and headed out to watch the SEALs.
Elena switched screen number three to a heads’ up display that fed the entrance cameras into her view. There’d be no way she could afford to allow Brady to sneak up on her. For what she was about to begin, even Willa had to be guarded against.
She set to work creating a false data set. While it would initially appear legitimate, once inspected, the one terabyte flash drive would instead inject an unstoppable, killer Trojan virus into the cartel’s information network. Within a matter of hours, the flash drive’s program would transfer all new data compiled by the cartel to the MacKenzie and United States Department of Justice’s shared security portal. It would effectively shut them down.
The virus, known as a cannibal virus, had been discovered during an operation in Tehran a year ago, and it was so potent that Declan felt it best contained on a separate, secure server within the vaults at MacKenzie Security headquarters. The computer attacking program would not only launch an external feed of data to a receiving source, but as it processed that data from within its host network, it permanently destroyed everything it touched.
Elena knew the consequence would be her death, but once Marguerite was safe inside the United States, she didn’t care what they did to her. She even considered concealing a suicide pill just to screw the cartel out of the satisfaction of killing her.
She clicked away on computer keys and swiped furiously at touch screens to scroll through millions of bytes of data. It was vital she replicate the exact ones to fool the cartel into believing her source codes were legitimate. She knew they’d never accept the flash drive and waltz it into their mainframe’s CPU. They’d demand a sample. That was when she’d secure Marguerite’s release. The timing would have to be perfect.
Elena dialed down to the airfield controller’s office. She told them she’d be there within the half hour. She quickly transferred her contrived data onto a disposable flash drive before combining it with the cannibal virus on the separate computer server in the technology vault in the HQ’s basement. She knew accessing the vault would leave an audit trail, but she wasn’t concerned. By the time anyone discovered her breach, she’d be gone—and possibly dead.
The lethal data concoction would take about two hours to process, so she’d head over to the airport hangar. Once there, she’d snatch a transport to Cancun. Like the vault access, her audit trail would be detected through the flight plan, but by then, she’d be on the ground and moving.
Elena took a golf cart to the opposite side of the compound to the private hangars and runway that housed millions of dollars of aviation equipment and aircraft. There were three large metal hangars, but one of the planes sat just outside of it.
She recognized Mira Black even from a distance. There weren’t many six-foot-tall Norwegian female fighter pilots. Her white-blonde hair was braided down her back, and she somehow managed to make the shapeless coveralls look very shapely.
“Damn, girl. What the hell happened to you?” Mira asked.
“Just another day at the office,” Elena said.
“I didn’t have days at the office like that when I was flying missions with the Marines,” Mira shot back.
“I’m fine,” Elena assured her. “It looks a lot worse than it is.”
“Good, because it looks pretty bad. So what can I do for you besides call a medic?”
“Before I say anything, I need to know I can trust you.”
Mira looked surprised. Elena didn’t make it a practice of confiding in anyone, and Mira must’ve known it by the look on her face. She tried not to feel guilty for playing on those emotions.
“You can trust me,” Mira said. “What is it?”
“I need a quick trip to Cancun. I have business there that will only take a day or two, tops.”
“Business?” Mira asked, brows raised. “I didn’t get a memo about any upcoming business trips. You know I’ve got to complete a detailed flight plan. What kind of business? There’s nothing on my schedule except a recreational skydive later on today.”
Elena wasn’t sure where she found the will to smile and bluster her way through, but she managed. “Okay, you got me.” She raised her hands in surrender. “I just need a break, and I figured my homeland would help recharge my batteries. Declan has never had a problem with employees using the jet for vacation time, but there’s a two-month request period. I wasn’t planning on time off, but after losing Titus and possibly his crew, I’ve not been the same. I can’t wait the two months. I need to get out of here now.” She averted her gaze.
Mira’s blue eyes turned sympathetic, and she reached out to put a comforting hand on Elena’s shoulder. The kindness made her feel all the more guilty.
“I heard about that,” Mira said. “Tell you what. How about I create a little schedule magic and work up that flight plan? No one really looks at them anyway. When are we leaving?”
Elena checked her watch. “Text me when you’ve filed the flight plan. I’ll be ready to go.”
“Be back here in two hours,” Mira said.
Willa was at the switchboard when Elena returned to the communication center.
“By the size of your grin, I’m guessing you found your SEALs.” Elena tried to sound lighthearted, but she felt sick inside. She didn’t like the lies and deceptions she’d been making up recently.
“Oh, baby, did I ever.” Willa’s laugh was infectious. “I’ve got my eye on the blond one. He’s got these dimples when he smiles…” Her expression went dreamy, and Elena figured she was recalling the smile in question. “He’s also got these little indents just above his hips. Sweet Lord, Holy Jesus,” Willa said, fanning herself.
Elena tried to smile, and she let Willa keep talking. Her time was running out. She had to get into the vault so she could get the data. Her heart hammered in her chest. Despite Willa’s flightiness, she wasn’t stupid. She’d wonder why Elena was in the vault, and more than likely, she’d mention it to someone.
“Has Declan sent the foreign entry and response form yet?” she asked once Willa had wound down.
Willa shrugged, “Not that I’ve seen.”
“He said it was vital so his team could operate without foreign military interference.”
“I’ve got no clue what you’re talking about,” she said. “I’ve got my GED and some community college under my belt, but whatever you just said is way past my understanding.”
“It’s only for those Godforsaken places like Somalia. You know how corrupt stuff gets down there.” Elena tried to sip water from a paper cup but her hand shook so much that it plopped over the edges. “Best not to keep Declan waiting. I’m sure you’ll find it. I need to go lay down. I think my shaving incident is starting to catch up to me.”
Elena turned toward the door.
“Wait,” Willa blurted out.
“I know you’re feeling bad, but I don’t have any idea what I’m looking for. Could you get it? I don’t want to screw anything up.”
Elena breathed a sigh of relief. “Sure, I don’t mind.” Her plastic identification card was in her pocket. “I don’t have my access card with me.” Her palms turned upward.
Willa pulled the zip cord and unlatched the base from her belt loop. “Here, take mine.”
The men’s locker room inside the MacKenzies’ main airfield hangar was styled after a modern-day health club. Showers, hot tubs, and a sauna also made it a favorite hangout for the guys. It was full of testosterone and lighthearted hazing. What else was expected when a pack of alpha males got together for an afternoon of skydiving?
Brady hadn’t been able to relax during his time off. He thought this might help. The nine missing agents were dominating his thoughts. He was also worried about Declan and Shane, who had hurried to South Africa to meet a team of contractors. Rescuing the team of vanished warriors seemed more unlikely as the hours flew by.
�
��Boy, you know Claire is going to blow a gasket when she finds out you’re here.” Brady patted Cooper on his shoulder.
“You kidding me? I’m not going to miss my chance to show a few vacationing Navy SEALs how to jump out of a plane. Y’all will thank me for the lesson.” Cooper laughed.
Brady looked over to the three active-duty SEALs. They chuckled too, though none seemed to believe they’d be outdone by a former Army Ranger. Brady wasn’t so sure. Cooper maintained his skill sets. He’d gotten out of the fast-paced life of undercover work, but his time as sheriff in Surrender hadn’t been all lazy days in the bakery and sitting on the front porch of his office in a rocking chair. The vast openness of Montana lent itself to a lot of drugs, most specifically meth. There were a lot of good hiding places for trailers and makeshift labs, and with big drug operations came big violence and weapons. As sheriff, the entire territory was his to oversee and they’d gotten in some pretty tense situations over the last years.
Riley stepped out of the sauna with just a towel loosely fitted around his waist. Brady held back a chuckle because he knew the mixture of a thrill-seeking archeologist amongst these military studs was going to go over like gas and fire. He just wasn’t sure who’d be which.
“You serve?” Cocker, the youngest of the SEAL team, asked Riley.
“Serve what? Your head on a platter?” Riley asked good naturedly.
It was obvious he knew exactly what Cocker was asking, but Riley lived to be contrary. He’d never been in the military, or law enforcement, for that matter, but he sought risk everywhere he turned. Brady wasn’t even sure if Riley knew how to parachute jump, but he was happy he’d joined the get-together.
“In the military,” Cocker clarified.
“Nah, man,” Riley said. “I’m just a hole digger.”
Cocker scratched his shaved head. “Well, you’ll be buried in a hole if you don’t know what you’re doing up there.”