by J. C. Fields
“Not very. It did expose a few, uh…” JR hesitated for several heartbeats, “Vulnerabilities I didn’t realize were there.”
Kruger brought the now-finished coffee to his lips. The aroma was pleasant and he took a sip. Smiling, he nodded.
“You’re right, this is good.”
“Told ya.”
“What about those vulnerabilities?”
“Without going into a boring thirty-minute lecture, let’s just say they found a small hole in my firewall. Alexia fixed it. She’s good, Sean.” He turned and looked up at his friend. “Not sure where this relationship with Jimmie is going, but she seems more at peace with herself than when we first brought her here.”
Nodding, Kruger studied the dark liquid in his coffee cup. “Do you trust her?”
JR gave Kruger a slight smile before turning back to his computer. “I only trust three people in the world. One is standing behind me, one is in Washington, D.C., pretending to be a big shot and the other one I married. But, yes, I am starting to trust her.”
“She and Jimmie are going to start looking for land around Stockton Lake.”
JR whipped around to stare up at the FBI agent. “Since when?”
“That’s where they were yesterday when I called him.”
“Huh.”
“That was my response. I hope it works out for them.”
“Let’s hope it does. She’s going to be a huge asset to this company.”
Silence filled the second floor of JR’s building. Kruger leaned against the credenza sipping his coffee while JR worked his magic with the computer. Five minutes passed without the two men speaking. Finally, Kruger asked, “How hard would it be to locate the members of Free America?”
“By locate, what do you mean, country or street address?”
“Both.”
“Country is easy, street address, maybe.” He stopped typing and turned once again to look at Kruger. “What do you have in mind?”
“Directive from the president.”
“Uh-oh. What did I miss during the conference call?”
“The attack on your company was just one of hundreds. Several power grids were attacked, with Boston being the largest. They just got it back up this morning. There were a number of large banks struck. Money was transferred out, but they don’t know how much at the moment. Turbines in Boulder Dam started to overheat, but were manually shut down before too much damage occurred. Air traffic control at Atlanta went haywire and almost caused two airliners to collide mid-air. Pilots prevented it. Need I go on?”
JR shook his head. “What did the president say?”
“He wasn’t happy. The FBI will focus its collective attention on this for the foreseeable future. As will the CIA.”
“What are we supposed to do, sit on our hands?”
Shaking his head, Kruger grinned.
“Nope, we…” He paused. “More precisely, you and Alexia are going to be the spearhead. Find them, JR. Tell us where they are. Once you do, Knoll, Jimmie, Joseph and I will figure out how to stop them.”
“Wouldn’t that be easier for the collective efforts of the FBI and CIA?”
“One would think so, but Roy doesn’t want to wait. He believes you can find them faster.”
Silence fell again between the two men. JR blinked several times as he stared at Kruger. “Hope he isn’t putting too much faith in my abilities.”
“He isn’t. He knows you can do it. So do I.”
***
“How long will you be gone, Jimmie?’
“Don’t know. Week, maybe two.”
Alexia grew quiet as she drove the Range Rover toward the airport.
“I will still be here,” she said, looking straight ahead.
Gibbs smiled and looked over at her. “Were you thinking about leaving?”
She shook her head. “Not what I meant. I know we have not been together for very long, but…” She took a deep breath. “This place, you, everything about being here feels like home to me now.”
He placed a hand on her thigh.
“Yeah, it’s growing on me, too.”
She shot a quick glance at him.
“I want to have children with you, James Gibbs. Do not get yourself killed. Okay?”
Suppressing a smile, Gibbs turned his head to study the passing scenery. An emotion he seldom felt washed over him. A small tear welled in his eye, which he wiped away with the back of his hand. Looking back at her he noticed, not for the first time but with more appreciation, how pretty she was. A simple, honest beauty. He preferred simple and honest.
Once he felt he could speak without his voice catching, he said, “I have no intention of getting myself killed.”
Chapter 42
Springfield, MO / Washington, D.C.
When Alexia returned from dropping Jimmie off at the airport, silence permeated the second-floor cubicle farm. Normally filled with company associates, only JR remained. She quietly sat at her cubicle and booted up her laptop. Busying herself with work unfinished from the day and her back to the opening of the cubicle, she did not hear him lean against the wall.
“Are you okay, Alexia?”
She only nodded her head but did not turn to look at him. The back of her hand brushed a tear from her eye.
“Jimmie will be back.”
“I know.”
Silence again filled the empty room as JR studied the back of her head. Finally, he said, “I need to tell you something.”
She stopped typing, turned, but did not speak as she looked at him. Her eyes were red from crying.
JR continued, “You and I have more in common than you realize.” He paused, but she did not respond. “We both are very capable with a computer. That’s a given. As you know, I also committed a computer hack that got me into serious trouble. Like you, when you escaped from Paris, I had to flee New York City. Now I’m here, as are you.”
She still did not respond.
He continued, “When I got here, I was by myself for six months before I met Mia, Joseph and Sean. For some reason, and I am thankful for it, they believed in me.” He swept his hand through air. “All of this became a reality because those three individuals cared about me and had faith. Without them, I’d be someplace I don’t care to think about. You have the same opportunity.”
She tilted her head slightly. “How?”
“Because that same group of individuals plus several more believe in you and they care.”
She nodded, studied the floor between them and then returned her attention to JR.
“I only thought Jimmie cared.”
JR smiled. “Yes, Jimmie does care, but Sean, Stephanie, Mia, Joseph, Sandy and I also care. We also believe in you and your abilities. You have the chance of finally having a permanent home here, if you want it.”
He paused, “There is one more thing I need to tell you. When I found out you sold my identity to Orlov, I was furious.”
She nodded, but remained quiet.
“Once I had a chance to think about it, I’m glad you did. Believe it or not, I’ve been paranoid about someone finding out who I really am. I came to the conclusion that it doesn’t matter if people know my past. It’s the past. I have a good life, with a wonderful wife and child. I have friends who care about me and a successful career. Thank you.”
Tears trickled down her cheeks as she stood, walked to him and hugged him. Startled, he limply returned the embrace. It only lasted a few seconds before she disengaged and sat down again.
“I just want Jimmie and I to be together.”
The smile returned to JR. “From what he told me, that shouldn’t be a problem.”
A smile came to her face. “He did?”
“Several times. There is something you need to know about Jimmie.”
She stiffened.
“It’s a good thing, don’t worry.”
She relaxed, “What do I need to know?”
“If you hear any rumors about him being what some people call a
lady’s man, don’t believe them.”
“What is this lady’s man?”
“An American saying. It means someone who dates a lot of girls.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t worry, Jimmie isn’t really like that. Deep inside that tough ex-Navy Seal is just an everyday guy who wants nothing more than to have a normal life to share with someone special.” JR pointed to her. “You’re that special someone.”
She sat a little straighter and a slight smile appeared. “He is not an everyday guy, JR.”
“No, but that’s how he sees himself.”
“I did not realize it.”
“Not too many people do. Now, we have a lot of work to do to help Jimmie and Sandy.”
“What is that?”
“Find where all the members of Free America are located.”
“How?”
“I’ll show you.”
***
President Roy Griffin listened as each person at the table summarized the actions their department had taken since the cyber-attack earlier in the week. Except for a few questions to clarify the sometimes-vanilla responses, he maintained his silence. After the meeting, he asked FBI Director Paul Stumpf, CIA Director Dwight King, NSA Director Admiral Leland Berry, Homeland Security Director Paula Adams and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Bud Nelson to stay behind. After the room was emptied, Joseph sat next to the president across from the five individuals remaining.
Griffin started by turning to Stumpf and asking, “Paul, you said very little. Why?”
“Because, Mr. President, we don’t know a lot right now. I’m not going to point my finger at another department, like some of your Cabinet members just did, when I don’t know where to point my finger. It’s that simple.”
Griffin nodded. “I noticed.” He turned to Admiral Berry. “What is NSA hearing?”
“Lots of chatter and lots of excitement about how successful the attack was.”
“What about CIA, Dwight?”
“HUMINT is starting to come in confirming SIGINT…”
Griffin raised a hand, palm out. “English, please, Dwight.”
“Sorry, sir. Our folks on the ground are starting to get confirmation of what our satellites seem to indicate. The locations of the hackers are spread out over western and eastern Europe, plus there are numerous locations around the Mediterranean Sea.”
“Can you pinpoint any yet?”
“Not with any certainty.”
“I see. When do you think you can pin down their locations?”
“Week, maybe two?”
Frowning, Griffin said. “They could move by then.”
Turning to General Nelson, Griffin asked, “Bud, how soon could you have missions for Special Forces ready if we find the targets?”
“We practice this scenario all the time, sir. Once we know where, we can move quickly.”
The president turned to Joseph.
“You know most of the key players with our allies in Europe,” he said. “Can you coordinate with them once we know where the hackers are?”
“Yes, sir.”
Paula Adams spoke up. “Sir, you act like we already know where they are. Do you know something the rest of us don’t?”
Hesitating, he looked at Joseph who nodded.
“I am going to share something with each of you that goes no further than this room. Understood?’
Everyone nodded.
The president clasped his hands in front of him and laid his arms flat on the conference table.
“After 9/11, this government managed to increase spending, manpower and technology on national security to the point where one agency does not know what the other one is doing. You all saw this in action today. Twenty-two agencies fall under your jurisdiction, Paula. Yet not one of them has any clue how to find these cyber-hackers who are poised to strike again at any minute.”
The room remained quiet. Paula Adams started to say something, then thought better of it. The president gave them a grim smile.
“With all the technology, resources and assets this government possesses, it can’t find these criminals.” He paused for effect and held up one of his hands and made a V with his index and middle fingers. “Two individuals sitting in a second-floor cubicle farm in the middle of the country found them.”
There was a collective gasp at the president’s words. Then questions came from everyone but Paul Stumpf. He realized who Griffin referred to. The president turned his attention to Nelson.
“We will have locations pinpointed for you by midday tomorrow, General, so have your teams ready. Joseph will travel to NATO as soon as this meeting concludes to coordinate the strikes on locations in Europe. The United States will take care of the hackers in Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. We all have a lot to do. Thank you for your attendance this morning.”
The room emptied except for Paul Stumpf and Joseph.
Smiling, the Director of the FBI said, “Sean’s team?”
Griffin nodded. “They know the location of three hackers within the USA. I need the FBI to silence them before they can alert the others.”
“Consider it done, sir.”
Stumpf left the room and Griffin turned to Joseph.
“You have a lot of work to do,” he observed.
“Comes with the job, sir.”
“Yeah. Now I have to have tea and crumpets with the new ambassador from England.” He paused. “Joseph, what the hell are crumpets?”
***
Sandy Knoll watched the darkened house in an economically-depressed part of St. Paul, Minnesota, from the front seat of a fifteen-year-old Cadillac Escalade.
Kruger sat in the seat next to him. “Thought you only drove Denalis?”
“I do, but one has to sacrifice at times for the team. Besides, this doesn’t stick out in this neighborhood.”
Kruger chuckled. “I suppose not.” He glanced at his watch, fifteen minutes past 3. “Is Jimmie in place?”
Knoll nodded. “We’ll join him when they’re ready. He has a tech guy checking with a snake camera. They’re making sure no one’s awake in the house.”
A quick flash and then two longer flashes appeared from the porch of the house. Knoll made sure the overhead light was off and turned to Kruger. “Show time.”
Kruger stepped out of the Cadillac and flipped a black hood attached to his jacket over his head. With his head down, he shuffled across the street to the darkened porch, Knoll following behind him. Once on the porch, his Glock appeared in his right hand and he flipped the hood back. He stared into the eyes of Jimmie Gibbs who was dressed in FBI assault gear.
The slender ex-Seal gave them a slight smile and in a low voice said, “You two ready?”
Both Knoll and Kruger nodded and lowered their night vision goggles.
He spoke into a microphone attached to his helmet. “On three. One… two… three…”
A muffled pop could be heard as directional-shape charges disintegrated the front door hinges. Two FBI rapid response agents rushed into the room, guns at ready. At the same time, a similar sized team at the back door breached it in the same manner. With Kruger, Knoll and Gibbs, seven FBI agents quickly swept into the structure, clearing rooms as they worked their way through the home.
Kruger swept his assigned area and came upon a dark room with a blinking light next to the window. A shadowy figure, visible in the green hue of the NVG, hunched over a laptop and frantically typed a message.
“FBI,” Kruger yelled. “Hands on your head.”
The figure took a brief glance at Kruger but did not stop typing. Without hesitation, Kruger raised his Glock and pulled the trigger.
Chapter 43
St. Paul, MN / Washington, D.C.
Knoll and Gibbs watched as the suspect, now in flex cuffs, was escorted to an FBI tactical van and driven away.
Kruger remained in the room with the laptop and consulted with JR on his cell phone. “So, what am I looking for?”
“I wish you
hadn’t shot the WiFi router,” JR complained. “It would be so much easier for me to see if any emails got out.”
“Sorry, I lost my head and panicked.”
JR chuckled. “I’m sure that wasn’t the case. What kind of email program is he using?”
“Looks like Gmail.”
“Looks like?”
“Damn it, JR, it’s Gmail, okay?”
“Figures. Easy to set up multiple accounts without a lot of effort. Go to the sent folder.”
“I’m there.”
“When was the last email sent? It will be on the far right side.”
“Looks like seven-thirteen last night.”
“Good, he didn’t get an email out. Now, check the draft folder.”
“I don’t see one.”
“Is there a down arrow with the word ‘More’ next to it?”
“Yes.”
“Click on the arrow.”
“Got, it. Okay, found it. There’s the beginning of an email.”
“Any information about the raid?”
“Looks like he only managed to start filling out who he was sending to.”
“Good, that will give us emails we can trace. Anything in the subject line?”
“No.”
“Okay, check the time stamp on the far right.”
“Same time as our raid.”
“He didn’t get a message out, Sean. You guys are good to go. Get that laptop to me as quick as possible. No telling what we will find on it.”
The call ended.
Knoll leaned against the door jamb and asked, “What’s the verdict?”
Kruger glanced over his shoulder at the big man and smiled. “Nothing got out. It’s still in the email draft folder.”
“Smart, shooting the WiFi router.”
“Lucky shot.”
“You weren’t trying to hit him?”
Kruger shook his head. “Nah…” He stood and faced Knoll. “How would you feel if you were typing an email and someone shot you?”
Knoll chuckled. “It’d suck.”