Zero Day

by Jan Thompson

  “And she’s still after me.”

  “One wonders why,” Yona finally spoke. She didn’t want to sound ignorant.

  “I’m sure she found out that I put the kill switch in MedusaNet. However, I don’t know who put it into Cayson’s head. It can’t be Neon because he’s dead. Maybe his Mossad handler found someone else. Who could have done it?”

  “Ulysses?” Dario guessed. “The grandmaster hacker himself.”

  Kelvin shook his head. “I’m not sure. The entire time I was in Prague and while I was working remotely, Aspasia never mentioned Ulysses.”

  “She did the day she activated Cayson’s implant at the convention,” Leland said.

  “Did she? Maybe they had a falling-out?”

  Chapter 9

  Almost three hours after they began driving slowly south, they arrived in Český Krumlov, a city still within the country of the Czech Republic. Kelvin had no idea why this city was chosen, but he only asked for a bed to sleep in.

  And slept, he did, like a baby.

  By the time he woke up, brushed his teeth, showered, and lost all sense of time of day, he wandered downstairs and found the other three people congregating in the living room.

  Behind the couches and armchairs, a slither of light came in through the windows.

  “What time is it?” Kelvin asked.

  “We already had dinner.”

  “Dinner?” Kelvin was surprised. “I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in a very long time.”

  “You slept all day.” Leland pointed to a hallway. “There’s plenty of ham and cheese in the fridge. You can make yourself a sandwich if you want.”

  “I’m assuming there’s bread.”

  “You assumed correctly. No pita or tortilla. It’s wheat, but nobody’s sure if it’s organic. It was already in the fridge when we got here this morning—last night.”

  “Who put it in there?”

  “Probably Slash2Hack.” It didn’t seem to bother Leland that she disclosed the name of one of her hacker friends who had been helping them with the case.

  “Do I know her?” Kelvin asked.

  “Him. And no, you don’t. He changes names every few months.”

  Kelvin looked around. No place to sit in the small living room.

  Yona stood up and limped out of the living room. Kelvin followed her.

  “I’m not going to the kitchen,” Yona said.

  “A minute of your time?”

  Yona seemed to mull over it. She nodded. “We can go to the kitchen if you need to make a sandwich.”

  “Is there soup?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What did you eat?”

  “I didn’t. I had a baked potato for lunch.”

  “Show me where the kitchen is, and I’ll make you a sandwich,” Kelvin offered.

  “Sure. Just don’t put poison in it.” Yona laughed.

  Why is she like that?

  Kelvin didn’t remember much about their meeting four years ago. Yona had been an observer, shadowing her mentor, Issachar.

  Sometimes he wondered if Issachar was Neon’s handler. Neon’s killer was never found, as far as Kelvin was concerned.

  Kelvin followed Yona down a narrow hallway. To one side was a row of arches, some of which led to another sitting area and a courtyard.

  The kitchen was also small, but it had been updated some time ago.

  “Ham and cheese?” Kelvin washed his hands.

  “Anything. Shall I toast the bread?” Yona asked.

  They spent at least ten minutes looking for a toaster. When they found it, it was unusable. Rusty inside and gunky, like someone had put different types of stuff in it.

  Kelvin had to wash his hands again.

  Yona sat on a barstool, amused.

  Kelvin found a frying pan, melted butter in it, and toasted several slices of bread.

  “I want to apologize,” Kelvin said, flipping bread. He turned down the stove. “If there’s anything I can do to help you, let me know.”

  “I’m looking for Issachar’s killer.”

  “First, I have to know who Issachar was.”

  Yona explained who he was, but all Kelvin could hear was her voice. It was soft, calm, unhurried, and had a tinge of accent to it.

  “Don’t you think that you could have more resources in hand if you stayed in Mossad?” Kelvin asked.

  “They’ve stopped all investigations.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. Other murders are more pressing, I suppose. We have many cold cases.”

  Yona cut the ham in thick slices. She didn’t ask Kelvin if he wanted thin slices instead. She just cut it the way she wanted and handed it to him.

  He didn’t care. He lightly browned the ham on the pan, and then slid it on top of a piece of bread. He put a slice of cheese on it, and then slapped another slice of bread on top. He flipped it and waited until the cheese was slightly melted.

  “How many do you want?” Kelvin asked.

  “Let’s start with one. Make yourself one, and then we’ll see if we want more.”

  “Okay.”

  “Would you like something to drink?” Yona opened the refrigerator. “Water, water, everywhere.”

  “Some cold water will be fine.”

  Kelvin dished out Yona’s ham-and-cheese sandwich, cut it in half into two triangles, and placed it in front of Yona.

  She didn’t touch it.

  “You want to split that?” Kelvin asked. “Quality control?”

  Yona chuckled. “Sure. I was thinking that I’m not hungry and I don’t know why.”

  “Anxious about something?” Kelvin placed a napkin near Yona’s plate.

  “About everything, really. Questioning everything.”

  “Do you regret leaving the Mossad to come out here, hunting for ghosts?”

  Yona seemed surprised by the question.

  “You came here to Prague—Czech Republic—to find the person responsible for your mentor’s death, and you think it’s me.”

  Silence across the table.

  Total silence.

  Kelvin figured he had pegged her.

  “We’re investigating all possibilities,” Yona said.

  Kelvin realized she had said we, but decided not to correct her. On the drive here, she had said she no longer worked at Mossad. So who were we exactly?

  “How did you know I was in Prague?” Kelvin asked instead.

  “I followed leads.” Yona still hadn’t touched her sandwich. “What were you doing in Prague?”

  “I was waiting to die.” It was the truth. “Ironically, I’m glad I didn’t die. I wanted you to know, most of all, that I had nothing to do with any deaths in Mossad. Not directly, as far as I know. I mostly work with FSB who also wanted Molyneux.”

  “You worked for everyone, didn’t you? You worked for Binary Systems, but the pay wasn’t good enough. So you moonlighted with Aspasia, ended up working on MedusaNet, regretted doing it, and tried to undo your handiwork.”

  “My team and I succeeded, didn’t we? Only I didn’t know it worked because we installed it on the old MedusaNet, and it was one-sided. Now I know Neon—or someone else—carried through installing the switch.”

  “Someone put it in Cayson’s head.” Leland stood at the door of the kitchen. “I was wondering what’s going on in here.”

  “Yona thinks I had something to do with Issachar’s death.” Kelvin drank some water. “Tell her I have nothing to do with it.”

  Leland placed both hands on the countertop. “I don’t know who fed you the information, but I’ve been in contact with the Mossad, and the trail for Issachar leads toward Molyneux, not Kelvin.”

  “He’s going to jail and you’re taking his side?” Yona got off the barstool. “I’m not hungry. Good night.”

  Kelvin watched Yona go. “She didn’t eat her sandwich, and it’s my fault.”

  “Bad dinner table conversation?” Leland found a piece of plastic wrap for Kelvin to
wrap up the grilled cheese.

  It would probably be soggy the next day, but Kelvin had made it for Yona.

  “It’s my fault,” he kept saying.

  “Normally, I would tell you to stop it already.” Leland watched Kelvin put Yona’s sandwich in the fridge. “But I have to agree with you. Many of these things are your fault.”

  “What didn’t Dario shackle me or something? I shouldn’t be allowed to roam free.”

  “Are you though? Try leaving this house and see what Dario will do to you.” Leland didn’t laugh.

  “I thought you’re my…uh… Am I still employed at Binary Systems?” Kelvin wasn’t sure why he even asked.

  “Technically, you’re AWOL.”

  “Absent without official leave. Great.”

  “And you’re going to help us find the new people behind MedusaNet and make sure that network never resurrects itself.”

  Kelvin put his now-cold sandwich into the microwave. “In exchange for a lighter sentence, I hope.”

  “That’s for a judge to decide, but I’m hoping so.” Leland finished the bottled water and asked where the recycling bin was. When there was none, she had no choice but to throw the empty bottle into the trash can. “Meanwhile, we have work to do.”

  “Where, though?”

  “That’s a good question. Tonight we stay here, and then we’ll have to move again.”

  “You know Aspasia will try to find us.”

  Leland nodded. “Dario’s working on it. He’s calling in favors.”

  “Favor from God is what I need right now.”

  “Don’t we all, Kel? Don’t we all?”

  Chapter 10

  Yona had no idea how she went from sleeping in a single bed in the safe house in Český Krumlov to lying down sideways on some cold floor with her ankles and wrists tied up.

  Her sprained ankle was throbbing something fierce. There was nothing she could do to alleviate the pain except pray for relief.

  She had no idea where she was, but she heard airplane propellers whirring and aviation mechanics talking whenever a door opened. They were chatting in Czech, which Yona could identify but not speak.

  She knew it was concrete beneath her because it felt cool under her arm and legs.

  Otherwise she was in utter darkness.

  Was she alone?

  Her gagged mouth prevented her from asking for help.

  She tried to recall what happened, but her mind was blank. She remembered getting upset with Kelvin in the kitchen. She went upstairs to brush her teeth and wash her face.

  She texted Reuel on a secure line.

  He didn’t reply.

  Then she fell asleep fully clothed on top of the comforter, her Sig Sauer in her backpack leaning against the side of the bed.

  Next thing she knew, she woke up here.

  How?

  A large door screeched open. Light filled the giant room, casting shadows. There was a small crowd of people walking toward her.

  Yona was right. This was a hangar, but it was the back end of the hangar, where the mechanics kept spare engines and parts. No wonder she had heard mechanics talking nearby.

  She heard a groan.

  It was Kelvin. He was also tied up and gagged. He rolled to his side. Groaned again.

  Where were the others? Leland? Dario? Were they held elsewhere?

  The crowd parted, and Leland gasped.

  Reuel?

  “Isn’t it always the case that your enemy is the one you least expected?” Reuel hobbled to an armchair that someone brought for him to sit in.

  Kelvin made a face, and Yona wished he hadn’t. It showed that Kelvin was affected by Reuel’s words.

  The elderly man motioned for someone to remove the bandanna around Yona’s mouth.

  “Nothing to say?” Reuel asked.

  “I’ve never considered you my enemy.” Yona chose her words carefully.

  “Why would you say that? You think I’m too old?” Reuel chuckled. “I never pegged you to be the discriminating sort, Yona.”

  Something was wrong. In spite of Reuel’s confession, Yona didn’t believe he was the apex predator.

  She wanted to think that someone like Ulysses might be pulling Reuel’s strings. Ulysses was dead, wasn’t he? Everyone thought so—except Aspasia. That poor thing believed the love of her life was still alive.

  “What do you want from us?” Kelvin asked.

  Totally the wrong question. Yet Yona understood that he was trying to help their situation.

  “You’ll see.” Reuel turned to Yona. “You looked perplexed.”

  “You knew all along where Kelvin was hiding,” Yona said. “Why didn’t you go get him yourself?”

  Reuel shrugged. “We figured it was easier to let you deal with Aspasia.”

  We.

  There it was.

  Yona knew she was right. Reuel wasn’t in charge. Whose mouthpiece was he?

  “What do you want from us?” Yona glanced at Kelvin.

  Reuel didn’t respond. Instead, he motioned for his people to take Kelvin away.

  “Where are you taking him?” Yona asked, half-expecting him to ignore her second question.

  Reuel waited until Kelvin was out of sight. “You and I need to talk.”

  Yona felt as though she was about to explode in words she’d regret later. There was nothing for them talk about if Reuel had taken them here by force. Drugged and all tied up? Those were no signs of friendship.

  “How did we get here?” Yona asked as calmly as possible.

  “I know you’re angry.”

  Don’t show emotions. “How did we get here?”

  Intertwined in that question was Yona’s other question: Were Leland and Dario doing fine?

  “Let’s just say we fumigated the entire building, put everyone to sleep, and carried you and Kelvin out of your bedrooms.” Reuel seemed pleased that he had made it sound easy.

  Truth be told, a CIA safe house wasn’t that easily penetrable. Details, details. Yona was sure Reuel knew someone on the inside. Who?

  “Just Kelvin and me? You killed the rest of the people in the house?”

  “No need. We only want you and Kelvin.”

  “I appreciate your economy.”

  Reuel bowed his head slightly. “I aim to please.”

  “Why though? I’ve always been a friend to you. Both Issachar and I trusted you.” Suddenly aware of what could have been a possibility, Yona found herself at a loss for words.

  Could Reuel have killed Issachar? Over what?

  “My old friend was always too trusting,” Reuel said. “It’s too bad he taught you the same. If you’d been more cunning…”

  “I wouldn’t be here today, tied up and sitting on the floor like this.”

  Reuel shrugged. “Like I said, we need to talk.”

  There was nothing Yona wanted to talk about with him. She would need more proof, but it was becoming clear to her who the traitor was.

  All this time she had blamed Kelvin based on the evidence that Reuel had fed her.

  Who blew Issachar’s cover? Kelvin.

  Who led to his death? Kelvin.

  Who deserved the blame? Kelvin.

  Who should die for this? Kelvin.

  All lies. Lies!

  “I thought you’re on our side,” Yona said.

  “I’m on my own side.” Reuel smiled.

  Yona prayed for God to forgive her for listening to the wrong people.

  Thank God for Dario and Leland!

  They had stepped in just in time to prevent Yona from making an irreversible mistake.

  A cloud of reasonable doubt hovered over Issachar’s death.

  Yona would have to start all over again with her investigation. At least now she had more evidence, yet not enough. She needed to find out what was really going on.

  “All right. What do you want to talk about?” Yona asked.

  “That’s my girl.”

  Yona grunted. “No, no. Just because I agre
e to talk with you doesn’t mean I’m endorsing everything you do. I don’t know what you do or who you work for. And I don’t think we can have a decent conversation if I’m all tied up like this.”

  Reuel smiled. Motioned for his assistants to take care of Yona. “Bring her all cleaned up to the car. We’re going for a ride.”

  Chapter 11

  Kelvin couldn’t see anything with a black hood over his head. His hands were still tied behind his back. Two people—one on each side of him—led him on a walk longer than a gangplank on a pirate’s ship.

  He heard many doors open and shut. The way some of them echoed told him that they were huge doors. Was he back at the hangar? Or was this a warehouse of some sort attached to the hangar?

  Finally, they pulled the hood off his head. The room was dark, but right in front of him was a shipping container.

  They shoved him into the container and slammed the door behind him.

  Kelvin dropped to his knees. Never had he felt so disappointed with himself. He could go through the entire spectrum of “should not” and he would hit every single one of them.

  “Forgive me, Lord!” He fell over into a fetal position and wept onto the floor.

  He tapped the floor. It sounded almost solid. He knew that beneath it was a concrete floor. No escape that way.

  Above his head, a small lightbulb hung, caged in an aluminum housing—probably to prevent him from hurting himself.

  You think?

  Kelvin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry—but in this case, neither. He was doomed to die, but his only regret was he had dragged Yona into the pit with him.

  “Lord, please keep Yona safe, wherever they’ve taken her.”

  And yet…

  Yet, Kelvin wasn’t overly worried about Yona. She seemed to know Reuel and had some history with him.

  Kelvin had no idea who Reuel was. Or Issachar, for that matter.

  He prayed that Reuel needed them both alive for whatever reason. Maybe long enough for Dario and Dmitri to mount a rescue.

  If they would come at all.

  Truly, only God could rescue them now.

  It was pointless for Kelvin to pray for absolution. He had taken the ten million dollars. He had worked on MedusaNet, even when warning signs were everywhere.