“How did I do?” He sipped again. “I think we’re off to a pretty good start, if I do say so myself. Shame to kill him, though. Nice body. And he’s hung like a horse, especially for a Russian.”
Scott cursed and walked out of the room.
Patel poured himself some coffee, too. “Okay. I’ll ask. What the hell is zharkoye?”
“It’s Russian,” Hicks said, “for pot roast.”
Patel set the pot back down and brought a hand to his mouth.
Roger wrinkled his nose at him. “It’ll be fine. Don’t be such a pansy.”
Hicks handed Roger a notepad. “Here are some of the questions we want you to ask him. It starts off with basic stuff. Names of the other people in the facility. The nature of what they did there. His boss. Who they interrogated there and why. Then it goes deeper into their operations. Ask him about Tessmer.”
“I’ll do that.” Roger sipped his coffee as he read over the list. “You’ve always had such excellent handwriting for someone who spends his days on a computer. I’ll bet you got an A in penmanship.”
“Just make sure you get an A in interrogation.” Hicks got up to leave. To Patel he said, “You’re sure Rivas was able to ghost this guy’s phone before you smashed it?”
Patel winced as he swallowed whatever had risen in his throat. “That’s why I crushed it in the first place.”
“Good. We need this asshole to give us something I can use when I call his friends.”
Scott came out of the kitchen area. “After what we did to the Vanguard today? No way he talks to you. I’ll bet he’s on a plane halfway around the world by now.”
“It’s worth a shot, isn’t it?” Hicks took his jacket from the back of his chair. “I’m going out for a bit. Text me if you get anything out of the prisoner.” He pointed at Roger. “And don’t kill him until you have to.”
“My interrogation will be the model of decorum.” Roger drained his cup and poured himself another. To Scott and Patel he said, “You boys ought to make some popcorn or nachos. I promise it’ll be a hell of a show.”
Hicks shrugged on his jacket as he stepped into the elevator and keyed it closed. Fucking Roger.
DEMEREST HAD promised to not track the phone he had given him, but Hicks still took precautions. He had removed the battery from the phone, sealed the phone and battery in tin foil, placed each piece in a separate plastic bag, and stowed them in the toilet tanks in the lobby bathrooms of two separate hotels blocks away from the Penthouse. He’d picked lobby bathrooms because it would make him easier to blend in with guests and visitors and tourists looking to use the restroom while they toured the old city.
It may have been overkill, but overkill had kept him alive long enough to know precautions made sense. He could have had Jason ghost the phone remotely, the way Rivas had ghosted the phone from the prisoner. But this was different. He didn’t necessarily want Jason or OMNI tracking what he said to Demerest or vice versa. He still wasn’t sure if OMNI had been compromised by the Vanguard, so best to keep things separate for now. The foil and the water in the toilet tanks should be enough to scramble any tracking devices either component might have. Langley was nothing if not resourceful.
Hicks called Jason on his University handheld as he began retrieving the various components of Demerest’s phone. “I want a report on your diagnostics of OMNI.”
“I’ve run several hundred tests since the attack, of every type you can imagine. I haven’t found anything. No one has even come close to testing the network, much less hack it. We are as secure as we’ve always been. I don’t know how they found out about 23rd Street, but it wasn’t through OMNI.”
It may not have given Hicks answers, but knowing the backbone of the University’s operations was safe gave him peace of mind. He had shut down all University operations right after the attack, meaning all Faculty Members and Assets were idle. No information was going out and none was coming in. It was time to change all that. “Send out the all clear and get everyone back to work. Tell them to report anything suspicious.”
“In our world, sir, everything is suspicious.”
Hicks looked at the phone. Everyone was a comedian. The last Dean hadn’t been treated like this. People spoke to him with a reverence usually reserved for a pope. He decided to ignore it for now. “Have them focus on new threats that don’t fit their current operational outline. New sources that pop up out of the blue. Uncooperative sources that suddenly want to meet. People following them. Things like that. We still don’t know how far the Vanguard can reach, so I want everyone to stay vigilant. And no mention of the Vanguard to anyone, understand? I don’t want our people worried about bogeymen, just their jobs.”
“Consider it done,” Jason said. “In the meantime, Tali and Mike are uploading a hell of a lot of information to OMNI from that laptop they captured. Some of it had tracking software we were able to sponge out before we got it, but it’s a gold mine. Account numbers, amounts, company names, assets. I’m sure the Vanguard has already begun changing a lot of the information, but Langley should still be able to trace some of it.”
Hicks was glad he didn’t just dislocate those cords. “Are you seeing anything about Vanguard leadership? Names and addresses?”
“Maybe,” Jason said, “but the amount of data they’re uploading is giving OMNI a run for her money. She’s only begun processing one percent of it and there’s a lot more of it on the way. Every byte of it has been encrypted. It’s a massive amount of information and the encryption doesn’t make it any easier. She’s a powerful system, but even the most powerful system has limits.”
Hicks didn’t know when Jason had begun referring to OMNI as a female. He had also never thought of the system having limits, but he supposed it did. He hadn’t thought of a lot of things until a few days ago. “Of the one percent she’s analyzing, what is she looking at?”
“Vanguard money flowing out of Asia to all parts of the world, including your bank in Berlin. Hong Kong seems to be a hub for deposits and disbursements. Analysis of the few emails she’s analyzed shows the Vanguard has two equal arms. The Chinese run the financial aspects while the Russians do the grunt work. Selling weapons, moving the cash, kicking in doors when necessary.”
Hicks knew that fit with their Communist ethos. “From each according to their abilities, right? What about that phone Rivas was able to ghost from the prisoner Patel grabbed on the street? Is that still active?”
After a few clicks, Jason said, “It looks like a burner phone, but it’s still active. I’ll send it over to you now. It’ll appear as a ‘V’ icon on your device. You’re not thinking of calling him, are you?”
“I’ve got to update our friend at the Barnyard first. After that, I’ll call the Vanguard number through one of our Operators. I’ll feel better talking to him knowing our people are bouncing the signal around the world.”
“I’ll make sure they’re ready for your call,” Jason said. “Bouncing the signal effectively will take some minor setting up. Wait.” He paused for a few seconds, then said, “I just got a text from Tali. She said she and Rivas should be done with the upload within the hour. You can tell Demerest he can have the laptop by late afternoon if he wants it.”
“I’ll mention it to him. Anything else?”
“I see Roger has begun his interrogation of the prisoner.”
Hicks had forgotten Jason could watch the feed from the Penthouse via OMNI. “I left before he got started. Is he having any luck?”
“That would depend on your definition of luck. He seems to have made use of the battery. Let’s just say I’m not going to be having steak for a while.”
That wasn’t good news. The odds of him extracting anything useful from the man before he called Tessmer dropped with every charge. “Thanks for the visual. I’ll call back after I talk with Demerest.”
HICKS RETRIEVED the phone’s components from both restrooms. He had been looking for people eyeing the lobby of each hotel. Errant glances that las
ted a split-second too long. People working too hard to be casual. Demerest already knew what he looked like, and if he had been tracing the phone components, whoever was watching them knew it, too.
He spotted a few likely suspects, but no obvious Farmhands.
He took his time as he walked to Waldeck Park on Jakobstrasse, checking his flanks and his rear for anyone who might be following on foot or in a car. Technology had reduced the need for old-school tail jobs, but it still paid to be vigilant.
He found a bench deep within the park, one that gave him good views of anyone approaching the area. He waited for a few moments to see if anyone was paying particular attention to him. No one was, so he re-assembled the phone.
Forty-eight hours of the seventy-two-hour head start Demerest had given him were already gone. He didn’t like the idea of calling in like a goddamned rookie, but Demerest was too important an ally to blow off.
He wasn’t surprised when Demerest picked up right away. “You’ve been busy, son.”
“I told you I would be. Thanks for pulling strings to give us time to look through the place. We got some information I think you’ll find useful.”
“I sure as hell hope so,” Demerest said. “Things are becoming more complicated as we speak. Your stunt today raised a lot of eyebrows around here. My German counterparts are asking me a lot of questions I don’t want to answer.”
“Or could, even if you wanted to.”
“I’m trying not to dwell on that part. The man you left behind raised a lot of curiosity. Why the hell didn’t you just kill him?”
“Because the laptops were rigged to be wiped clean if they weren’t undocked properly. I promised I’d let him live if he helped us. He lived up to his end of the bargain, so I lived up to mine.”
“How noble,” Demerest said. “We don’t have the luxury of being noble.”
“And we don’t want to run the risk of being like the Vanguard,” Hicks answered. “Their way of doing things has put them on the defensive. When word gets out we let one of their people live, it’ll create doubt in their ranks. Might save one of my people down the line. I decided it was worth the risk. Is he talking to the German cops?”
“No. He said they’re just accountants and doesn’t know who or why someone would rob the place. He claims he was unconscious the whole time. Said there was an explosion, lots of gunfire, but he didn’t see anything. The safe was empty so my contacts in the German security services are pushing the notion that it was a robbery, but the Berlin cops aren’t stupid. They know someone administered first aid to the man and want to know why. The missing laptop didn’t help, either. Fortunately, they pulled the laptops from the docking stations and wiped the hard drives clean.”
“Good. That makes the third laptop that much more valuable. Give me a contact and I’ll arrange to have it delivered to your people here in Berlin later tonight.”
“After you’ve downloaded the information first, of course. What’s the matter, son? Don’t trust me to share?”
“I don’t trust you any more than you really trust me, remember? That’s why you have people looking for me, isn’t it?”
Demerest’s silence told him everything.
“I thought you said you wouldn’t be tracking the phone.”
“Situational realities changed that arrangement,” Demerest said. “Clever of you to hide the phone and the battery in separate places, but the tin foil was a bit much, don’t you think?”
“I thought you’d live up to our agreement. Makes me wonder if I can trust anything you say.”
“You can trust it, especially now,” Demerest said. “The president has decided to push through my appointment to DNI.”
“Congratulations,” Hicks said.
“Not so fast,” Demerest said. “It comes with a catch. I’ve been tasked with verifying Iran’s involvement in the drone strike on New York before the post becomes official.”
Hicks closed his eyes. “Shit.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” Demerest said. “Things on the international front have gotten worse faster than I expected. Israel has caught wind of Iran’s ownership of the drone that hit New York. Since Russia has close ties with Iran, they’re openly wondering if both countries aren’t making a move against the U.S. and Israel. Someone mentioned it to POTUS directly. I’d move up that seventy-two-hour deadline I gave you, but I don’t think it would do any good.”
“It’s tight enough as it is,” Hicks admitted.
“Tight or not, we’re beyond the point of conjecture and speculation,” Demerest said. “Everything is happening behind closed doors for the moment, but not for much longer. I need to put a face and a name to the Vanguard so I can prevent them from going after Iran for something they didn’t do and triggering a war. The sooner I do that, the bigger help I can be to you. I need a name in the Vanguard, son. I need it now.”
And there it was. The Ask. Hicks was surprised it had taken Demerest this long to get to it. “No.”
“It doesn’t even have to be viable. The name you gave to Tayeb will do. If it was good enough to get him killed, it’ll be good enough to show everyone we’re close to finding the people who really hit us. The longer we wait, the harder it’ll be to avert war with Iran and whatever repercussions that causes.”
“Calm down. Desperation doesn’t look good on you, Carl.”
“No reason for this to get nasty, but it can get nasty real fast. A lot of people are asking what’s at the bottom of the pile on 23rd Street. I’ve been able to quell their curiosity for now…but if I stop quelling, some people will start looking. Who knows? Maybe your name will come up. Like I said, one name’s as good as any. And you check off a lot of boxes. That gas explosion could just as easily be spun as a homegrown terrorist building a bomb that went bad.”
Hicks sat back on the bench and looked up at the sky. The first stab of a desperate man was always the most dangerous. He had been wondering how long it would take Demerest to threaten him. Now, he knew.
It was time to remind the company man who he was dealing with. “Schneider was the last person to threaten me, Carl. Ask the Mossad how that worked out for him.”
“I’m not Schneider. And I’m also not the one who’s stuck in the middle of Berlin with a bull’s-eye on his back. So I’m changing our arrangement. I promised you seventy-two hours and I’m going to keep it. I’m going to text you the name and number of a contact who will pick up the laptop within the hour. And if my people don’t have that device in their possession by then, or if I don’t get a name from you by tomorrow, your name starts appearing in reports. Understood?”
Hicks gripped the phone tighter. OMNI had already recorded the full conversation of their deal, but that was a gun he could only fire once. It was too early to use that now. Later, maybe, but not now. He was going to give Demerest the laptop anyway, so he decided to give in. “My people will be in touch with your contact to arrange a drop site within the hour.”
“I’m glad you listened to reason, son.”
“My pleasure. Just remember that if you ever threaten me again, I’ll kill you.”
Hicks killed the connection and pulled the battery from the phone. He tossed the battery in a puddle of rainwater off the path. The resulting pop and hiss was music to his ears. The son of a bitch had a tracker in the battery after all. Sometimes, he hated being right. This wasn’t one of those times.
He stood and walked through the park for a bit, casually dumping the phone in the nearest trash bin. It was a nice afternoon and the darkening sky promised a beautiful sunset. He wished he could have enjoyed it, but he didn’t have that luxury.
He kept walking to another area of the park and found another empty bench. He looked for cameras or people watching him, but didn’t find either.
He dug his earpiece out of his pocket and slipped it into his right ear. He pulled out his handheld and saw the V icon on the home screen. He called the University switchboard.
“How may I help you
?” This time the voice belonged to a female University Operator.
“This is Professor Warren,” Hicks said, giving her the all-clear sign. “I was told you’d be expecting my call.”
“Yes, sir. Would you like me to place the call using the new icon on your screen?”
“I would. I’d also like you to stay on the line and speak to me in my earpiece. I want you to try to trace the call. If you get a hit, I need you to tell me about it. If you could get me a location on their phone, even better.”
More clicks on her end. “Yes, sir. Placing the call now.”
He brought the handheld up to his left ear. The call went through. He thought he might get voicemail, but it was picked up at the last moment.
“I take it this is not Henrik,” a man’s voice said in English.
“You take it correctly.”
“Ah, then this must be the man who has been causing me so much trouble.”
Hicks grinned. “The one and only. And who are you?”
“To paraphrase a line from an appropriate piece of great American literature,” the voice said, “call me Tessmer. After all, it’s the name that got us started on this journey, isn’t it?”
Hicks expected to feel some excitement, some relief, at finding the man he had been hunting. His first real link to the Vanguard.
But he felt nothing. Not disappointment. Not joy. Nothing except a chilly wind on his face as he sat alone on a park bench in Berlin. “Tessmer your real name?”
“No more than James Hicks is yours,” Tessmer said, “but it’s a good enough place to start. You’ve been quite busy for a man who’s supposed to be dead. You seem to be immune to missile strikes and airplane disasters.”
“Don’t forget my affinity for breaking and entering.”
“And taking that which does not belong to you,” Tessmer said. His English was nearly flawless, with only a hint of an accent that sounded closer to Dutch than German or even Russian. “No, I haven’t forgotten that. I have no intention of wasting time by fencing with you, so let us get to the heart of the matter. Why don’t we meet face-to-face and talk this out like civilized gentlemen?”
A Conspiracy of Ravens Page 17