Cyber Countdown

by Terence Flynn

  “These phones sure have gotten smaller, Terry. The ones we had when I was a SEAL were a lot bigger.”

  “What’s in the envelope, James? It must be important if it came by military jet courtesy of the White House.”

  “It’s a network worm and some support software, Don. Kim will use it to disable the North Korean submarines when he goes back. I think it’s worth a try. Kim also thinks there’s a possibility of including the admiral in the escape.”

  “I did the calculations, and the additional weight shouldn’t be a problem,” Rick said. “Kim says he’s healthy enough to make the trip.”

  That caught Don and Terry’s attention. After viewing the additional weight estimates, they thought it was possible.

  “We’ll run this by the SEALs and get back to you,” Don said. “I also need to contact the navy so they can determine the exact coordinates for the rendezvous with the mini-sub.”

  James called Kim after Don and Terry left.

  “Hi, Kim. When will you be back from the symposium?”

  “We should be back by four.”

  “Good. Rick, and I have a few presents for you. I also want you to install the program you’re using to monitor George’s and Nadya’s emails on my laptop.”

  “That’ll only take a few minutes. Cai wants to know if you and Rick want to join us for dinner tonight.”

  “That sounds great. See you later.”

  “Looks like we’re having dinner with Kim and Cai tonight, Rick. Speaking of dinner, how was your dinner with Dimitri?”

  “We ended up following George to the Ratskeller restaurant where he met this guy who cursed him out. Astrid was also there.”

  “Who has the balls to curse George out?”

  “Dimitri sent all the pictures to me. They’re on my phone. Here, look for yourself.”

  James looked at the photos.

  “That’s Chris Hoffman, Rick. What the hell is he doing in Munich with George and Astrid?”

  “Didn’t you say that he called Tom and was taking leave due to a family emergency?”

  “Yeah, I did. Tom said it involved Chris’s father.”

  “How old is Chris?”

  “Thirty-two. Why do you ask?”

  “Dimitri followed George to a gravesite the first day he was here. Here’s the picture of the gravesite. Look at the name on the tombstone.”

  “Christina Hoffman? Do you think she was related to Chris?”

  “Make it larger so you can see the date she died.”

  “Thirty-one years ago. It could be Chris’s mother.”

  “The assistant director also sent me some pictures of George from when he was in his thirties standing next to his girlfriend, Christina Hoffman. Take a look.”

  “Oh my God. George could be Chris’s father.”

  “I’m certain of it. You said he’d taken leave due to a family emergency involving his father. That explains why he’s in Munich, James.”

  “I’d like to talk to him to find out why meeting George was such a family emergency. Maybe he found out about what George did to VSI, and that’s why he was so angry.”

  “Maybe he has evidence. Dimitri has a car, and we know where Chris is.”

  “Okay, but we need to get your boss’s permission.”

  “I just texted her.”

  “Your phone is dinging. What’d she say?”

  “She said yes and is notifying Dimitri to coordinate with me.”

  Five minutes later, Rick got a phone call.

  “Hi, Dimitri. I assume the director called you.”

  “Yes, she said the man in the Porsche was Chris Hoffman, and he’s the VSI CTO.”

  “That’s true. He used to work for James when he was the VSI CEO.”

  “I didn’t know that. Let’s meet at seven tomorrow morning. On the way to the house, I’ll tell you and James something about George Solomon that you may not know.”

  Kim arrived at Rick’s suite with his laptop. James gave him the package with the worm, and he downloaded the software files onto his laptop. They went through the files together and James answered Kim’s questions, including those on the integration of the targeting information and the trigger. James was very impressed with Kim’s skills and how fast he picked up on the technology. He knew Kim could succeed as long as he had the information he needed on the North Korean submarine navigation and communication systems and got access to their servers.

  After completing his work on the worm, Kim inserted a flash drive into James’s laptop and loaded the same software he’d loaded on Cai’s laptop. He gave James a one-minute tutorial on how it was used and its capabilities, but it was unnecessary because James was familiar with the concept.

  “Thanks for the software, Kim. Have you seen any interesting emails on any of the accounts you’ve been monitoring?”

  “I’m not sure. There were several emails yesterday involving George, his attorney, and someone who claimed that George owed them money due to some large stock transactions. I don’t understand it. Do you think it’s important?”

  “It might be. Can you find it for me?”

  “Sure, here it is.”

  James read the emails.

  “Look at this email, Rick. It says George put a hold on this person’s trading accounts. He’s threatening George unless he removes the hold. George responded by claiming the trades were illegal because they were based on insider knowledge of the stock market crash. What do you make of it?”

  “It looks like someone was using George’s firm for insider trading, and he caught them.”

  “It looks that way to me, too. Maybe George wasn’t in it for the money.”

  “Maybe not, but I don’t believe he’s going to win any humanitarian of the year awards. Before I forget, your new satellite phone and night vision binoculars are on the kitchen table, Kim.”

  “Thanks, Rick. Are there instructions?”

  “They’re in the box. Where do you and Cai want to go to dinner?”

  “One of the students at the symposium told us about a place that had great Cantonese food. I’d like to try it.”

  “Sounds great. Do you have the address?”

  “Yes, it’s not far. I’ll call Cai to meet us in the lobby.”

  “Okay, I’ll call for a taxi.”

  After finishing some excellent Chinese food, Kim asked about the best technical schools in America and whether James and Rick thought he and Cai could get accepted at one.

  “Since George is picking up the bill, I’d think you’d have your choice. There are a lot of great schools in America, but if you want one that specializes in cybersecurity, I think Carnegie Mellon, MIT, University of Maryland, USC, and George Mason have some of the best programs. Just tour the country to find the area and school you like the best. As I said, it’s on George’s tab.”

  At the end of the evening, the waitress bought them all a small glass of mint schnapps courtesy of the restaurant. It was a great evening, even though James knew there was no guarantee that they’d be able to repeat it. Kim was definitely going in harm’s way. They returned to the hotel and said goodbye.

  As Rick shook Kim’s hand, he said, “Good luck, Commander. As we used to say in the SEALs, the only easy day was yesterday.”

  Kim wasn’t sure what that meant, but he knew his life was about to get a lot more dangerous.

  The next morning, James and Rick met Dimitri in the lobby, and as they drove out of the city, James said, “Okay, Dimitri, what do you know about George that I don’t?”

  “Christine Hoffman drowned in Lake Starnberg thirty-two years ago under mysterious circumstances. I also know that George was there when Christine died and that the police questioned him about her death.”

  “Are you implying that George was responsible for her death?”

  “I’m not sure, James. I do believe someone was covering for him.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “His name was the only one left out of the newspaper article. The
article said there was no evidence that it was anything other than an accident.”

  “Do you also believe that George could hire someone to kill for him?”

  “Yes, I do. And I don’t just believe it, I know it.”

  Dimitri pointed to Chris’s house.

  “It looks like he’s home. His Porsche is still in the driveway.”

  Dimitri drove the SUV up the driveway and parked it behind the Porsche. They got out and walked toward the house, but Dimitri stood farther back so he had a clear view of the entrance and the windows at each of the three levels. Dimitri saw a curtain on one of the windows move. He knew they’d been seen.

  The door opened, and a very muscular young man stood in the doorway.

  “Was wollen sie?” the man said.

  “He wants to know what you want,” Dimitri said.

  The man then said in English, “Who are you looking for?”

  “Christopher Hoffman.”

  The man turned and yelled, “Chris, there’s some people here that want to talk to you.”

  James heard Chris Hoffman’s voice.

  “Tell them to wait until I find my clothes. Do you remember where I took them off?”

  About five minutes later a very hungover Chris Hoffman came to the door wearing a bathrobe and said with a shocked look on his face, “James, this is a surprise. How’d you find me?”

  Chris invited them in, but Dimitri decided to wait outside.

  “Chris, I know that George Solomon is your father and that you had a big fight with him the other day. Can you tell me how it relates to the family matter you cited for your leave?”

  “It’s a very personal issue, James. Why do you want to know?”

  “George is suspected of criminal activity that involves VSI, and I want to know if you know anything about it.”

  “No, nothing like that, although I hope you nail the bastard.”

  Then Chris started to laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” James asked.

  “Biologically, George isn’t the bastard, I am. In fact, he was responsible for making me one by not marrying my mother before he let her die.”

  “I’m sorry, Chris. Is that what your argument was about?”

  “No, we don’t talk about that anymore. As you might’ve guessed, Klaus here is more than a friend. George has never accepted me as gay and is trying to bribe me into being straight.”

  “I’m sorry. I had no intention of intruding into your personal life.”

  “That’s okay. Is there anything else you want to ask?”

  “Yes. Do you have any idea where Theresa is?”

  “No, I don’t, James. All I know is that she’s on vacation. She notified Tom and me by email, which I thought was strange. I knew she was unhappy at VSI. You did, too, James.”

  “She hasn’t answered any calls or emails. Tom told me you were fighting with her over access to the lab.”

  “Yes, but that’s no big deal. We were always fighting over resources. I needed the lab for design, and she always had some emergency with product support. She seemed really stressed about some patch she was working on.”

  “Thanks for your help, Chris. You have a beautiful house.”

  “Yeah, I inherited it from my mother’s family. It’s a lot more than I’ll ever see from George.”

  “See you back at work.”

  “I’ll be back in a few days. Oh, if you see George, tell him I said to go screw himself.”

  They left and Dimitri drove them to the Hotel Konigshof. James went to the front desk and said, “Please call George Solomon’s suite and let him know James Jordan is in the lobby and I’d like to meet with him.” The desk clerk made the call, and after talking on the phone for a few seconds, told James he was invited up to George’s suite.

  James took the elevator, while Rick and Dimitri stayed in the lobby. He knocked on the door and was let in and frisked by one of George’s bodyguards, who then led him to the living room area. George was there drinking coffee while reading a newspaper.

  “Come in, James. This is a real surprise. How long have you been in Munich?”

  “Since the symposium started.”

  “If I knew you were going to attend, I would’ve asked you to be one of the speakers.”

  “I’m not here for the symposium. I came to make sure you were following through with your promise to help the Chinese students.”

  “So you’re here to spy on me. Well, what have you discovered?”

  “That you really screwed those Chinese students and took advantage of them to address your own interests. The president has lost all trust in you, Ann Wu detests you, and I’ll never forgive you for the damage you did to VSI. I also know your son Chris Hoffman hates you and claims you’re a homophobe.”

  James could see that his remarks had slowed George down a bit, since he was thinking before he responded.

  “I believe you’re guessing about my relationship with Chris. But since you and I are old friends, I won’t deny it.”

  “I know that Chris is your son from a relationship you had with Christina Hoffman more than thirty-two years ago. I also know that she drowned and that you were questioned but never charged.”

  “I guess you know it all, so why are you here?”

  “I’m here to tell you that I intend to have you voted off the board and to force the confiscation of all your stock via a civil suit for malicious actions against VSI. I’ll also ask for damages.”

  “I won’t fight you, James. I’ll give my stock back to the company and will pay any damages your lawyers reasonably request. My life as an investment banker is over, and I plan to retire and live the good life with Astrid, possibly here in Munich. My lawyers are currently discussing the evidence with the Department of Justice regarding my involvement. They tell me that the government might have enough for an arrest but not enough to support a conviction.”

  “Maybe not, but you’re not going to walk away from this. There are people in the Justice Department who believe you’re responsible for the murders of Philip Wu and Senator Thompson. They’re working very hard to prove it.”

  “I never killed anybody. They’ll never prove it because it isn’t true.”

  “By the way, your son has a message for you. He says to go screw yourself.”

  26

  James and Rick flew back to DC the day after the symposium ended. Both JoAnn and Allison were at the airport to meet them and drive to James’s condo. JoAnn asked how the trip went, and James filled them in on Kim and his girlfriend, Cai. He also told them about his meetings with George and Chris. JoAnn was shocked to learn that Christopher was George’s son.

  “Poor Chris. I’d hate to have George as my father. I’ve been thinking about introducing him to a friend who just went through a bad breakup. I think he and Chris would be good together.”

  “You knew Chris was gay? How’d you know?”

  “Just a feeling, James. I can’t explain it.”

  “I’ve known Chris for almost twelve years and never would have guessed. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Why, would it have made a difference?”

  “No, but I can’t believe I didn’t know. He said his father was a bastard, and I agree. George believes his lawyers will make sure he’ll only get a slap on the wrist. Unfortunately, he may be right.”

  “That’s terrible, but maybe it’s something I can investigate as the chairwoman of the Senate Finance Committee.”

  “I’m sure George would just love that. He’d claim he was being persecuted by the fiancée of the VSI CEO whose failed products were the cause of this entire problem. I don’t think either one of us wants that kind of publicity.”

  “There are also angry investors who physically threatened George,” Rick said. “He put a hold on their investment accounts because of insider trading. Was that a common practice when you worked for him, JoAnn?”

  “Yes, Rick. George never tolerated it when I was there.”

  “What if his
firm profited due to prior knowledge of the attack?”

  “I’m sure it did profit, Rick. But George probably had nothing to do with it. The policy at the firm when I was there was to buy during panic sell-offs. I’m sure his firm made tons of money.”

  “I agree with you, baby. George didn’t do this for the money. He offered to release his stock ownership in VSI and to work out a settlement with me for any damages that his actions may have caused.”

  “Isn’t his offer an admission of guilt, Rick?”

  “Not really, Allison. There’s no proof George was responsible for sabotaging VSI products. He could say he was just helping the company recover from the actions of the Chinese students. I’m certain his attorneys would insert a clause saying that he wasn’t admitting to any guilt by agreeing to help VSI.”

  “So there’s nothing you can do?”

  “No, Allison. The government will have to do something. There are sixty students who know about George’s relationship with the cyber attack on the United States. At some point, that information will surface, and the press will find out. The administration has to get in front of the story and appear as if they want to bring the responsible parties to justice. Otherwise they’ll lose the confidence of the country, and the Chinese government wouldn’t be very happy either.”

  “Rick’s right. This will turn into a political show, and the media will eat it up. Well, at least I’ll have some time with James now that you’re back.”

  “Yeah, about that. It looks like I’ve been activated as a commander in the US Navy at the president’s request. I ship out to Yokosuka to join the crew of the USS Washington in three days. I’m sorry, baby.”

  “What? Why did the president do that? Is this punishment because of VSI?”

  “No, baby, I volunteered. I’m still a commander in the naval reserve, and I wanted to be involved in Kim’s rescue mission. I had to convince the president that my training could be valuable.”

  The first thing George did after flying back to the United States was to meet with Sean Flaherty.

  “Mr. Flaherty, have all the Chinese students identified what they plan to do?”