Cyber Countdown

by Terence Flynn

  “I think Rick and I should also be there, Barbara.”

  “I agree, and if Rick checks his email, he’ll see that Shelly has already booked both of you on a flight to Munich tomorrow, with my approval. You’ll also be accompanied by Dimitri, who’s assigned to monitor George in case he tries to defect. Goodnight, James. Have a good flight.”

  Ten minutes later, James got a call from Rick.

  “Hey James, did you hear the news? We’re flying to Munich tomorrow.”

  “Barbara just told me. She said that Dimitri was also going to keep a close eye on George in case he tries to flee. I don’t believe he’d do that, but I could see where it might be a problem, since he’s not a US citizen.”

  “That’s exactly why it’s a problem. I’ve been given specific orders by the director to prevent that no matter what. I hope you understand what that means, James.”

  “I do, I just hope it doesn’t come to that. It could get bloody, since George generally travels with bodyguards.”

  “I think I can handle it. I’ve been granted a right to carry weapons in Germany by the attorney general and the German government. I’m pretty certain George’s bodyguards won’t be armed.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it, Rick. George is nothing if not resourceful. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  James was packing for the trip when his phone rang. It was JoAnn.

  “Hi, baby. I’m packing for a trip to Munich tomorrow. Rick’s coming with me. Where are you?”

  “I’m at home. A woman called me on my personal cell phone about ten minutes ago. She said I needed to tell my boyfriend to back off or there’d be serious consequences. I’m worried, James.”

  James was upset, but he composed himself. “Don’t worry about me. I’m traveling to Munich with Rick, so I’ll be fine. Did you report the threat to the Capitol police? Maybe they can identify the caller.”

  “I did, but they said it was untraceable.”

  “I’ll call Rick and see if the FBI can provide some protection for you while I’m gone. I’d like you to come over and spend the night.”

  “Okay, I’ll be there in an hour. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, baby.”

  James called Rick and told him about the threat.

  “Don’t worry, James. I’ll call the director and tell her what happened. JoAnn’s a senator and you’re a friend of the president. I’m sure she’ll provide protection. I’ll also ask Allison to watch over her until we get back.”

  “Thanks, but I wouldn’t want to put Allison in danger.”

  “I don’t think it’s a problem. Allison is a really good shot and has her own arsenal. I pity anyone who goes after her.”

  23

  Kim and Cai were meeting for lunch at HIT after their contact and communication with James.

  “When are you going to tell Shen and Lian about our contact with Mr. Jordan, Kim?”

  “Tonight. But I can’t tell them anything about the attack on the US fleet. Even you shouldn’t know.”

  “Don’t worry, Kim. I won’t say anything. I really don’t know much anyway.”

  “Let’s keep it that way. It’s safer. I’m meeting with Shen and Lian at my apartment at six. Shen’s bringing the USB drive with our collected data that was meant for Flaherty and the two USB drives with the malware.”

  “I’d like to be there also, Kim.”

  “That would be good. Maybe you can cheer up Lian. Shen says she’s very unhappy about what was in those emails we hacked.”

  When they all met that evening, Shen handed Kim two USB drives as he entered Kim’s apartment.

  “Where’s the third USB drive, Shen?”

  “It’s in a safe deposit box in Harbin. I gave you the USB drive with our downloaded data and one of the USB drives with the malware. How long do you think it’ll take before the government identifies who’s responsible for the attacks in China?”

  “I don’t know. It was a sophisticated attack, so it could take a long time. The exact source of the attack might never be discovered. It also may not matter, since I have some really good news. Where’s Lian?”

  “Lian’s in the car. She doesn’t feel well.”

  “You should get her, Shen. She needs to hear this news.”

  “Okay, I’ll be right back.”

  Kim and Cai were shocked when they saw Lian. It looked as if she hadn’t slept or eaten in a week.

  “Kim says he has good news, Lian. Maybe it will cheer you up.”

  “What is it?” Lian asked.

  “I found someone in the US government who’s going to help.”

  “How’d you do that?”

  “I used the software I installed on Flaherty’s laptop to find an email address for a high-ranking official in the US government. He reports directly to the president and is an expert in cybersecurity. I told him of our situation and he sent an email saying he would help us.”

  Shen looked at Kim as if he was crazy.

  “Are you sure he’s who he says he is?”

  “I’m certain of it. His name is James Jordan, and he was the CEO of VSI. He’s now the US government’s Chief Information Officer and reports directly to President Joseph Meredith.”

  “How do you know that this person is really James Jordan? The account might’ve been hacked.”

  “I sent my first email to his VSI account and he responded from his White House account. I don’t believe a White House email account can be easily hacked. Do you, Shen?”

  “No, probably not. When do you think we’ll know if it worked?”

  “I’m not sure, but I made it clear that the situation was urgent. He said he was going to meet with some people in the US government who would help us.”

  “How?”

  “I think they’ll provide us a way to get out of China.”

  Lian began to tremble. “I wish everyone would just forget about this so we can continue with our lives the way things were before the project.”

  “I doubt that’ll happen, Lian,” Shen said. “We may have to leave China, at least for a while.”

  Lian started to cry.

  “I don’t want to leave my family and friends. Where will we go, Shen?”

  “It won’t be forever; things will return to normal and we’ll be able to come back. Just think of it as a vacation in another country, maybe America. At least we’ll be together and we’ll be free. I love you, Lian.”

  Lian kissed Shen and said, “I love you, too.”

  After Shen and Lian left, Cai hugged Kim.

  “I’m worried, Kim. I’d like you to stay at my apartment tonight. Mei is away on vacation, so we’ll have the place all to ourselves.”

  “Sure, Cai. Let me put a few things together while you call a taxi.”

  The next morning, Kim was awakened by his phone ringing. It was Shen, and he sounded out of breath.

  “Kim, you’ll never guess what happened. I was just informed by HIT that we’ve all been selected to attend the Munich Cybersecurity Symposium. We’re all leaving this afternoon on a chartered flight out of Taiping Airport.”

  “What do you mean by ‘all,’ Shen? Who does it include?”

  “All of the students in the project. I got an email from Flaherty and I just confirmed it with HIT. We’re all going and we’re staying at a really nice hotel in Munich for four days. I’ll see you and Cai at the airport.”

  Kim quickly got dressed and told Cai the news.

  “I’m going to my apartment to pack. I’ll get a taxi to take us to the airport. See you in an hour, Cai.”

  Kim and Cai met Shen and Lian at the airport, and the flight left with all the students on time.

  “I got an email from James Jordan before we left, Cai.”

  “What’d he say?”

  “He’s traveling to Munich with some people from the US government who want to talk with me. He included his cell phone number and said he’d meet us at the symposium.”

  “We saw his picture, so at least we know wh
at he looks like. Did you see Lian before we boarded? The poor thing was crying, and so was Shen.”

  “Yeah, all the students were staring at them,” Kim said.

  “I know, the students think this is a four-day vacation. I wonder what will happen when they find out, Kim.”

  “I don’t know, it could be bad. How do you feel about leaving China?”

  “I’ll miss my parents, but they’ll be able to visit us in America. They’ve often talked about visiting, and they have the money to travel there. Now they’ll have a really good reason.”

  After the plane landed, all the students were taken by bus to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. As they checked in, they were given an itinerary and a schedule for the conference. Kim and Cai were assigned a junior suite, as were Shen and Lian.

  “Do you think the room assignments were based on the grades?” Cai asked.

  “Maybe,” Kim answered. “I’m glad we got As.”

  “Did you see the itinerary? There’s a presentation tomorrow morning by George Solomon.”

  “Yeah, it says all the symposium attendees from the universities in Beijing, Harbin, and Shanghai are required to attend.”

  “I can’t wait to hear what he has to say,” Kim said.

  When they got to their room, Kim tipped the bellhop well and asked if the students from Beijing and Shanghai were staying at the hotel.

  “No sir, the students from Beijing are at the Charles and those from Shanghai are at the Sofitel,” the bellhop said as he left.

  “I think the students from each city were intentionally assigned to different hotels, Cai.”

  “Why would they do that?”

  “Probably to cut down on the opportunity for sharing information before George Solomon’s presentation.”

  “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow what Mr. Solomon is trying to keep secret. I’m really tired, Kim. I was too excited to sleep on the plane, and they had some great movies. I’m going to take a nap.”

  “Okay. I need to check my email and prepare for the meeting with Mr. Jordan tomorrow.”

  Kim set up his laptop and sent an email to James that said they’d arrived in Munich and were staying at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. He then documented the details of the North Korean attack plan, as described by his uncle, and saved it on a jump drive. As the adrenaline from the last few days started to diminish, Kim suddenly felt tired. He delicately got into bed with Cai and took a nap.

  Kim dreamed of his mother singing to him when he was young. When he woke, he realized it was Cai singing in the shower. He decided to join her. After a passionate fifteen minutes, they both got dressed for dinner. Kim watched the TV as Cai was putting on her makeup. He found a horrible news report about the North Korean Navy intercepting and killing hundreds of North Korean refugees attempting to escape in small boats. The newscast said that several such incidents had occurred in the past month due to severe food shortages. It was clear that things were getting increasingly worse and that he’d need to get his family out soon.

  Kim and Cai met Shen and Lian in the main hotel restaurant. Although the food was great, they were virtually silent during the meal. They all felt out of place, and Kim didn’t think it was because of jet lag. Their lives had just changed in the blink of an eye, and they were trying to cope with the uncertainty of their future.

  James, Rick, and Dimitri were notified on the morning of their flight that they needed to meet with an assistant director of the FBI at eleven. They arrived at the assistant director’s office, and he gave them a copy of George’s itinerary and that of the students.

  “You and I are assigned to the same hotel as Kim,” Rick said.

  “Yeah, Dimitri is assigned to the Hotel Konigshof, where George is staying. Let’s listen, the assistant director is explaining the goals of our trip.”

  “I’m here to brief you on your mission,” the assistant director said. “There are two primary tasks. The highest priority is the interrogation of Kim, which will be conducted by James and Rick. There will also be intelligence agents present from the Central Intelligence Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency, who will identify themselves at the airport in Munich. They will take you to the International Congress Centre in time for George’s presentation to the students. You will also be provided with photographs of Kim secretly taken by our agents when he checked into his hotel. A separate room has been set up for the meeting with Kim after Solomon’s presentation. Dimitri, you will monitor Solomon and report to Rick regularly on his activities, and immediately if he tries to flee. Good luck.”

  James, Rick, and Dimitri were driven to Dulles Airport in an SUV.

  “I’m glad the director is taking the security threats seriously, James.”

  “What do you mean by that, Rick?”

  “This SUV is armored. It’s the same model they use for the president.”

  “I guess we should all feel honored,” James said, as both Rick and Dimitri laughed.

  The plane landed ahead of schedule in Munich. They were met at the gate by their CIA and DIA contacts, who introduced themselves as Terry and Don. After getting through customs, Terry and Don took them and their luggage to a waiting SUV, where they were given photographs of Kim.

  James and Rick got to the International Congress Centre by 8:30. At 8:40, several small buses pulled up in front of the center, and the Chinese students entered through the front doors.

  “I see him,” Rick said. “He’s the tall guy walking with that gorgeous woman.”

  “I see him also. He kind of walks with a military gait.”

  “Yeah, his eyes are also scanning the room. Definitely a spook.”

  “You think he was an intelligence operative? He’s a hacker, Rick.”

  “He may be a hacker now, but I’d bet a week’s salary that he has intelligence training.”

  James and Rick walked quickly toward Kim, and when they were within two feet of him, James said, “Hi, Kim. I’m James Jordan.”

  Kim turned and smiled. “I’m Kim Kwon-Mu, and this is my friend Cai Chan Li,” he said.

  James thought that Cai was probably more than a friend.

  “This is Rick Tanner, Kim. He works for the FBI. Can we talk for a few minutes?”

  “Sure, let me signal our friends.” Kim waved at Shen and Lian, gesturing that he and Cai would join them inside.

  “Kim, we have a room set up to talk with you after George speaks to the students,” James said. “We need to discuss the North Korean situation.”

  “I’ll tell you what I know, Mr. Jordan, but I’ll also need some help from the US government. I’ll explain after Mr. Solomon’s presentation.”

  “We can only talk with you, Kim. Cai can’t be present, since what we’ll be discussing is very sensitive.”

  Cai nodded and said, “I understand, Kim. I’ll wait for you outside the room.”

  Rick handed Kim a small listening device the size of a cell phone.

  “I’d like you to carry this into the presentation. It will record and transmit George’s presentation.”

  “I’m familiar with the technology. I’ll see you after the presentation, Mr. Jordan.”

  Kim and Cai quickly entered the auditorium after showing their symposium badges. As they found their seats, they saw a tall man with white hair standing at the podium: George Solomon. There was a large screen behind the podium that displayed the words “Welcome Students” in Chinese.

  “Good morning, students. I’m George Solomon, the man who financed your trip to Munich and this symposium.”

  A translation of what he was saying was displayed on the screen behind him. Many of the students started to applaud, but George quickly waved them off.

  “I’m here today to thank you for your efforts and the excellent work you’ve done. All of you should take pride in your accomplishments. You’re here today and for the next several days as an expression of my appreciation. Your trip from China is also intended to remove all of you from danger.”

  The
room suddenly got very quiet. George could see he had everyone’s attention and continued with his presentation.

  “Unfortunately, not everything went as planned. Some members of the Chinese government may erroneously believe that you could be responsible for the attacks on the Chinese government web pages.”

  There was suddenly a lot of conversation among the students, and George asked them to listen to what he needed to tell them. After the room became quiet, George continued.

  “I arranged for this vacation to get you out of China until this matter can be settled. We’re working on a solution and hope for a favorable result. Those who don’t want to return to China will be given full scholarships to any school in Europe or the United States, including all living expenses. After graduation, I will guarantee you jobs with companies I own. No one is prevented from returning to China. If you do want to return, I’ll try to help, but I can’t guarantee I’ll be successful. I’ll need to know what each of you want to do by the end of the symposium.”

  After he was done, George quickly left the stage and walked out the door with his bodyguards, Dimitri following him from a safe distance. As the students left the auditorium, James and Rick saw many emotions. Some were crying, some were stunned, some seemed disaffected, and there were more than a few who were happy.

  “I don’t think George incriminated himself with that speech, Rick.”

  “Yeah, I bet it was put together by his new personal attorney.”

  “Probably; it was cleverly worded so that he admitted no guilt.”

  “It looks like my boss won’t find anything from George that she could use to indict him.”

  Kim and Cai and two other students walked toward James.

  “These are our good friends and classmates, Shen and Lian.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you,” James said. “I’m impressed how well you all speak English.”

  Lian laughed. “The number of Chinese who speak English is three times the number of Americans who speak our language.”

  “We need to go, Kim,” James said.

  “What about Cai?”

  “She can’t go in the room during the briefing, but she can wait outside. There’s snacks and drinks in the room we’re going to. If Cai wants anything, she can ask the guards and they’ll get it for her.”