Cybernation (2001)

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by Clancy, Tom - Net Force 06




  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  PART ONE - The Lines Are Down

  PROLOGUE

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  PART TWO - The Butterfly’s Wings

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  EPILOGUE

  The Bestselling Novels of

  TOM CLANCY

  THE BEAR AND THE DRAGON

  A clash of world powers. President Jack Ryan’s trial by fire.

  “HEART-STOPPING ACTION . . . CLANCY STILL REIGNS.”

  —The Washington Post

  RAINBOW SIX

  John Clark is used to doing the CIA’s dirty work. Now he’s taking on the world. . . .

  “ACTION-PACKED.”

  —The New York Times Book Review

  EXECUTIVE ORDERS

  The most devastating terrorist act in history leaves Jack Ryan as President of the United States. . . .

  “UNDOUBTEDLY CLANCY’S BEST YET.”

  —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

  DEBT OF HONOR

  It begins with the murder of an American woman in the back streets of Tokyo. It ends in war. . . .

  “A SHOCKER CLIMAX SO PLAUSIBLE YOU’LL WONDER WHY IT HASN’T YET HAPPENED.”

  —Entertainment Weekly

  THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER

  The smash bestseller that launched Clancy’s career—the incredible search for a Soviet defector and the nuclear submarine he commands . . .

  “BREATHLESSLY EXCITING.”

  —The Washington Post

  RED STORM RISING

  The ultimate scenario for World War III—the final battle for global control . . .

  “THE ULTIMATE WAR GAME . . . BRILLIANT.”

  —Newsweek

  PATRIOT GAMES

  CIA analyst Jack Ryan stops an assassination—and incurs the wrath of Irish terrorists. . . .

  “A HIGH PITCH OF EXCITEMENT.”

  —The Wall Street Journal

  THE CARDINAL OF THE KREMLIN

  The superpowers race for the ultimate Star Wars missile defense system. . . .

  “CARDINAL EXCITES, ILLUMINATES . . . A REAL PAGE-TURNER.”

  —Los Angeles Daily News

  CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER

  The killing of three U.S. officials in Colombia ignites the American government’s explosive, and top secret, response. . . .

  “A CRACKLING GOOD YARN.”

  —The Washington Post

  THE SUM OF ALL FEARS

  The disappearance of an Israeli nuclear weapon threatens the balance of power in the Middle East—and around the world. . . .

  “CLANCY AT HIS BEST . . . NOT TO BE MISSED.”

  —The Dallas Morning News

  WITHOUT REMORSE

  The Clancy epic fans have been waiting for. His code name is Mr. Clark. And his work for the CIA is brilliant, cold-blooded, and efficient . . . but who is he really?

  “HIGHLY ENTERTAINING.”

  —The Wall Street Journal

  NOVELS BY TOM CLANCY

  The Hunt for Red October

  Red Storm Rising

  Patriot Games

  The Cardinal of the Kremlin

  Clear and Present Danger

  The Sum of All Fears

  Without Remorse

  Debt of Honor

  Executive Orders

  Rainbow Six

  The Bear and the Dragon

  Red Rabbit

  The Teeth of the Tiger

  SSN: Strategies of Submarine Warfare

  NONFICTION

  Submarine: A Guided Tour Inside a Nuclear Warship

  Armored Cav: A Guided Tour of an Armored Cavalry Regiment

  Fighter Wing: A Guided Tour of an Air Force Combat Wing

  Marine: A Guided Tour of a Marine Expeditionary Unit

  Airborne: A Guided Tour of an Airborne Task Force

  Carrier: A Guided Tour of an Aircraft Carrier

  Special Forces: A Guided Tour of U.S. Army Special Forces

  Into the Storm: A Study in Command

  (written with General Fred Franks, Jr., Ret., and Tony Koltz)

  Every Man a Tiger

  (written with General Charles Horner, Ret., and Tony Koltz)

  Shadow Warriors: Inside the Special Forces

  (written with General Carl Stiner, Ret., and Tony Koltz)

  Battle Ready

  (written with General Tony Zinni, Ret., and Tony Koltz)

  CREATED BY TOM CLANCY

  Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell

  Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Operation Barracuda

  CREATED BY TOM CLANCY AND STEVE PIECZENIK

  Tom Clancy’s Op-Center

  Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: Mirror Image

  Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: Games of State

  Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: Acts of War

  Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: Balance of Power

  Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: State of Siege

  Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: Divide and Conquer

  Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: Line of Control

  Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: Mission of Honor

  Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: Sea of Fire

  Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: Call to Treason

  Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: War of Eagles

  Tom Clancy’s Net Force

  Tom Clancy’s Net Force: Hidden Agendas

  Tom Clancy’s Net Force: Night Moves

  Tom Clancy’s Net Force: Breaking Point

  Tom Clancy’s Net Force: Point of Impact

  Tom Clancy’s Net Force: CyberNation

  Tom Clancy’s Net Force: State of War

  Tom Clancy’s Net Force: Changing of the Guard

  Tom Clancy’s Net Force: Springboard

  Tom Clancy’s Net Force: The Archimedes Effect

  CREATED BY TOM CLANCY AND MARTIN GREENBERG

  Tom Clancy’s Power Plays: Politika

  Tom Clancy’s Power Plays: ruthless.com

  Tom Clancy’s Power Plays: Shadow Watch

  Tom Clancy’s Power Plays: Bio-Strike

  Tom Clancy’s Power Plays: Cold War

  Tom Clancy’s Power Plays: Cutting Edge

  Tom Clancy’s Power Plays: Zero Hour

  Tom Clancy’s Power Plays: Wild Card

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either

  are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and

  any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business

  establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  TOM CLANCY’S NET FORCE®: CYBERNATION

  A Berkley Book / published by arrangement with

  Netco Partners

  PRINTING HIS
TORY

  Berkley edition / November 2001

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright © 2001 by Netco Partners.

  NET FORCE® is a registered trademark of Netco Partners.

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be

  reproduced in any form without permission.

  For information address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  For more information on Steve Pieczenik,

  please visit www.stevepieczenik.com.

  eISBN : 978-1-101-00250-6

  BERKLEY®

  Berkley Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Putnam Inc., 375 Hudson Street,

  New York, New York 10014.

  BERKLEY and the “B” design

  are trademarks belonging to Penguin Putnam Inc.

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  “The issue before us is one of no ordinary character. We are not engaged in a conflict for conquest, or for aggrandizement, or for the settlement of a point of international law. The question for you to decide is, Will you be slaves or will you be independent?”

  —President Jefferson Davis

  Confederate States of America

  Jackson, Mississippi

  December 26, 1862

  PART ONE

  The Lines Are Down

  PROLOGUE

  Friday, December 23, 2012—7:03 A.M.

  Scranton, Pennsylvania

  Cameron Barnes jabbed one finger at the phone’s keyboard, hitting the “O” button over and over.

  “Dammit, what the hell’s wrong! C’mon, C’mon—!”

  From the kitchen, Victoria said, “What?”

  “I’m not talking to you, I’m talking to the stupid phone!”

  Victoria stuck her head through the doorway. “Excuse me?”

  “The phone, the phone is out of order. No dial tone, nothing.”

  “Use your digital.”

  “I already tried that. Same thing.”

  “Maybe your battery is—”

  “No, the battery is not dead, I checked it!”

  “Well, don’t take my head off! It’s not my fault!”

  “I’m sorry. But, look, I have to make this call—if the customer doesn’t hear from us by seven-thirty, we’re screwed. I’m gonna lose my commission!”

  “Use my cell.”

  He started to ask, but she beat him to it. “In my purse.”

  Cam found her purse, pulled the little folding phone out, opened it. He tried voxax first, telling it the name to call, but that didn’t work. Neither did the buttons.

  He was going to lose his commission. Eight hundred bucks. Shit!

  Austin, Texas

  Rocko Jackson stared at his computer screen and cursed. “Son of a bitch! Don’t you do this to me now!”

  In the cubicle next to his, Tim Bonifazio stood and peeped over the short divider.

  “ ’S’up, white boy?”

  “The damned system must be locked up again. I can’t get it to access the net.”

  “Hold on a second, lemme check. It’s probably just your station, you know how the mainframe hates you.”

  Tim disappeared from sight. After a second, Rocko heard, “Uh-oh!”

  “Aha, so the mainframe hates you, too, don’t it?”

  “No, man, it hates everybody. My laptop and wireless modem ain’t working, neither.”

  “So what are you saying, the net is down?” He laughed.

  “That’s what it looks like from here.”

  “I don’t even want to hear that.”

  Silicon Valley, California

  Rachel Todd arrived at the conference room at the same time as Dal Ellner and Narin Brown.

  Rachel said, “What is going on, guys?”

  Both Dal and Narin shook their heads. “Got me,” Narin said. “All I know is nobody can get on the web. Not with hardwired, laptops, digital phones, nothing. Even old man Johns’s virgil isn’t working. It’s like the net just . . . died, or something.”

  “Can’t be,” Dal said.

  “Maybe not, but I know of at least fifteen major ISPs—from local to New York to London to Hong Kong—that are flat out inaccessible.”

  “This is bad,” Rachel said.

  “Bad? It’s catastrophic! Every hour we’re off-line costs us half a million bucks! In a couple of days, we’ll be in the toilet!”

  “Us and everybody for as far as the eye can see,” Narin said.

  “That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

  Cheyenne Mountain, Wyoming

  “Lieutenant, you want to tell me what the hell is going on?”

  “Unknown, General Harmon, sir. All network operations are snafued.”

  “You mean we are deaf and blind here?”

  “No, sir, we have landlines that still work, we can call in launch codes manually if we have to.”

  “And how do we open the silo doors?”

  “Hand cranks, sir.”

  “Not acceptable, Lieutenant. I want the situation rectified.”

  “Sir, according to landline reports, the problem is nationwide—we can’t fix it from here.”

  “God dammit!”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Dry Wells, North Dakota

  Chief of Police Steve Cotten stared through his window at the icy morning outside. The new power grid had just up and shut down. With the temperature at minus fourteen and the windchill factor pushing minus fifty, the lights, electric heat, and all phone and net service simply stopped.

  The citizens of North Dakota knew how to deal with cold, and usually had enough wood stockpiled for such emergencies. The chief himself had six split cords under a tarp next to his garage, but there were people old enough so that splitting and then hauling in firewood would be a hard chore. Four men had already had fatal heart attacks; two others injured themselves badly enough to require hospitalization. Chief Cotten knew there would be another group unable to heat their homes who were likely to die from hypothermia.

  The chief sighed. It was turning out to be an all around, in the toilet, crappy morning here, oh, yeah.

  On the Gambling Ship Bon Chance Somewhere in the Caribbean

  Alone in his cabin, Jackson Keller slipped the headset up, pulled the earplugs loose, shucked his haptic gloves, and grinned at the holoproj’s test pattern. “Way to go, team,” he said. “Let’s see how they like that!”

  They weren’t gonna like it at all. Jay Gridley especially wasn’t gonna like it.

  He laughed. Ah, this was going to be so much fun!

  1

  Net Force HQ

  Quantico, Virginia

  Alex Michaels, Commander of Net Force, swore softly at the empty computer screen on his desk. He picked up his phone and said, “Jay Gridley.”

  The voxax circuit made the connection, but internal coms were pictureless. The voice on the other end said, “What? I’m kind of busy here!”

  “Jay. What the hell is going on?”

  “Oops. I didn’t check the ID sig, sorry, boss. We got problems.”

  “Really? You think so?”

  “I guess you wouldn’t be calling if you didn’t already know that.”

  “What’s up?”

  “I don’t know. Our main server is off-line, and all wireless external phone lines are bollixed. My virgil’s emergency circuit says there are outages like this everywhere, all over the country.”

  “Great.”

  “I’m trying to run it down, boss.”

  “Don’t let me keep you. Call me back when you get something.”

  Michaels put down the phone. Well, wasn’t this just peachy? A few minutes ago, he’d been patting himself on the back, telling himself how great things were going. Business had been slow, Net Force had been on top of computer crime like never before, even the director had called to congratulate him on how good a job they�
�d been doing. He should have known better than to feel good about this. It was as if while God was having his morning coffee, Michaels had strolled by, full of hubris and proud of himself, and bumped God’s elbow, sloshing hot coffee into His divine lap.

  Oops.

  Here, son, let me show you what goeth before a fall . . .

  He should have known.

  He was paying for it now. Because he knew that whatever the problem was with the net and phones, it was going to be Net Force’s responsibility. No question about it.

  “Sir?” His secretary.

  “Yes?”

  “The director is on the intercom. Line one.”

  Michaels nodded. Of course she was. He sighed and reached for the phone.

  Helsinki, Finland

  Jasmine Chance walked down the hall toward the office Roberto had cleared of furniture and made into a workout space. Music drifted out of Roberto’s makeshift gym, drums and the singsong twang of berimbau, an instrument that looked vaguely like an archery bow strung with a metal wire, and with a gourd attached to one end. Roberto had explained the workings of this device in much greater detail than Chance had ever wanted to know. The instrument was played by hitting the wire with a little stick while rattling a gourd filled with pebbles in the same hand, and the musician could alternate between two notes by touching the wire with a coin or not. Santos liked to have his players use a Krugerrand, gold giving the best tone, so he said. The simple rhythms produced were part and parcel of the acrobatic African/South American martial art of Capoeira that Roberto Santos—a black, Brazilian master of the dance who bore the title of Capoeirista Mestre—practiced for hours every day.

 

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