“150 thousand starting out. Just to do network security work. Lot of money for something that’s not that hard. Seems awful generous.”
“Told you that degree would do you some good.”
“Yeah, only about a thousand times. She said if a team calls, I can go, just like that.”
“That is kind of her.”
“Why me, though? Got to be other guys more qualified, or with experience.”
“Don’t know son, but when a blessing comes along, it’s best to just accept it, and thank the Lord he chose to send it your way.”
“I thought football was a blessing.”
“It was, son. The way you played it was. You brought a lot of joy to a lot of people. And it gave you an education. Lord knows I didn’t have the money at the time. Sometimes when God’s providin’ for you, you don’t always see how at the time. Call that kind lady back and take the offer, or just show up there. Office is up north of town a bit. I can drive you up there if you’re not up to it.”
“I think I can manage driving. It’s my left knee, Mom.”
“You’ll want to dress nice goin’ up there. Put on a nice suit.”
“I know, mom. I’ll wear the one I was gonna wear for draft day.”
4
Jenny arrived early the next morning to find Ahmed already there. She walked in the door and said, “You’re here early. You don’t have to be here until…”
Then she saw Ahmed kneeling on a prayer rug, facing east.
“Oh, excuse me. Carry on.”
She sat down at her desk and went through her calendar. She had a proposal to get back to that real estate office on the east side, but Ahmed was on top of that and was going to get that to her this morning. She was going to another client’s office at 3:00 and had a conference call scheduled for 1:00. Pretty slow day overall. Maybe a good day to introduce Ahmed to some expanded duties. Maybe, or maybe she should wait another few days to see how he was shaping up. So far, he was the model employee, intelligent and respectful. She looked out to see him fold his prayer rug and log in to his computer. Thirty seconds later her email chimed and the report he had finished was there in her inbox. She glanced at it, fired off a quick reply, and looked toward the front door as she heard it open.
In walked a tall, athletic, black man in a dark blue suit. He looked slightly nervous and walked with a barely noticeable limp. She got up from her desk and went out to greet him.
“Hi, you must be Casey. I wasn’t expecting to see you this morning. What a pleasant surprise.”
“Hi…Mrs. Grant…I’m Casey Reddick…see if your offer’s still good.”
“Please, call me Jenny. First name basis around here. Come on into my office.”
She showed him to the couch rather than the chair and offered a small ottoman.
“If you need to prop your leg up. How is it feeling?”
“Little sore, ma’am…Jenny. Skipped the meds so I could drive out here.”
“I might have some Aleve in my desk here if you’d like one. Might be better than nothing.”
“Thank you, ma’am…”
“Just first names around here Casey, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am…Jenny…gonna take some gettin’ used to.”
“I can see that. Well, Casey, no need to be so nervous. I won’t bite.”
“I’ve been thinkin’ about your offer, thinkin’ a lot. I’d be interested.”
“Well, you could have just called me back this morning.”
“Mama thought comin’ would be good.”
“You have a smart mother. She must be proud.”
“I got the best mama around. She never went to school, smarter than a lot of folks who did.”
“She did a fine job raising you. I can see that.”
“I was thinkin’. Why did you pick me? You could have advertised the position, had resumes from all over, lots of people more qualified.”
“Call it a hunch. I don’t know. My husband’s a big Buckeye fan, more than a fan maybe. He puts the fanatic in fan.”
“You offerin’ me a job because I played there?”
“No, not really. I don’t know how to explain. You’ll pardon me if I say that I’m not much into that sport. It’s not what we call football where I’m from. Before Earl and I married, if I wanted to spend any time with him on the weekend, I’d better get used to watching football, so there I was. Buckeyes on Saturday and Bengals on Sunday.”
“You don’t like football and you watched it with him anyway? I ever get married, I want a girl like that.”
“A fine young man like you should have them knocking your door down. That’s how it is. You’ll do some things she likes and she’ll do some things you like and somehow you make it work.”
“Like shopping. I go with mama sometimes, but it’s boring, except the time she bought me this suit.”
She saw that he was close to choking up.
“She…it was during the season…we had a bye week, no game that weekend. She came up to Columbus and showed up at my dorm. Told me we were goin’ shopping. My teammates laughed at me, but I went with her. She bought me this suit that day. Took me where they measured me and everything. It’s not a cheap suit. Said when I went to Philly for draft day, I had to look nice. No son of hers was gonna make her look bad by lookin’ shabby on TV. Keisha called that night, said mama took extra shifts for a month to pay for it. That’s mama, always doin’ for others and never a thing for herself. I was gonna get her a nice house.”
“She sounds like an incredible lady.”
“Wouldn’t be anywhere without her. So why me?”
“Oh, where was I? Well Casey, every Saturday I was at Earl’s house watching you play. I wanted to impress Earl, show him that I knew something, so I paid attention and even watched ESPN with him. I heard the things they said about you and I saw you on the field with your teammates. I heard what your coach said about you. He said you made everyone around you better. I heard your teammates say that they played better because of you, because they saw your confidence and it made them more confident.
Earl just knows football. He saw you on the field and he would rave about your abilities, but I saw your abilities, too. I saw abilities that you will always have long after you quit playing football. You are a natural leader. You lead by example and others want to follow you because they see who you are. You make everyone around you better. You face adversity and you don’t flinch. You remain calm, assess the situation, and do what needs to be done. Those are qualities that translate well to any area of life.”
“You saw all that watchin’ me play? Still, gotta be people more qualified.”
“Young man, I’m not looking for the most qualified people. I’m looking for the right people. Too many people judging everyone by what’s on a piece of paper. I don’t care what’s on the piece of paper. I care what you have inside, and you have what I’m looking for. It’s that simple. My husband never stepped foot inside a college and he’s the best man I’ve ever met. So, the answer is yes. The offer still stands. You can start right now if you want.”
“I’d like that very much.”
“Good, when you feel up to walking, I’ll show you around and you can meet your co-worker.”
“Just one co-worker?”
“For now. There will be more soon enough.”
They walked over to Ahmed’s workstation.
“This is Ahmed Raza,” Jenny said, “He’s kind of new still, but he’s sharp like you. Ahmed, this is…”
“Casey Reddick, I’d recognize you anywhere,” Ahmed said as he stuck out his hand, “Last time I saw you was from the stands when you were destroying my Bearcats. Pleased to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too. I guess we’ll be working together.”
Jenny showed him around the entire office—the workstations, break room, restrooms, and a fully equipped fitness area.
“What kind of office has a pool and a basketball court?”
“An office
that wants to provide employees with a first- class work environment. The facilities are available around the clock.”
“I wish I would have brought some gym clothes. Doc gave me some exercises I can do to help my knee.”
“Earl is coming by for lunch. I’ll have him bring some things. He’s about your height. In the meantime, you can pull up a chair with Ahmed and watch him for a bit. I have a couple calls to make and then I’ll get you set up at a desk.”
Casey rolled a chair to Ahmed’s workstation and draped his jacket over the wall.
“So, Ahmed, what’s it like working here?”
“Simple stuff really. There are only six customers so far. Basic network security. We look at their network and advise them. You come up with the best solution within the company’s budget and you write up the recommendations and send them to Jenny. Any geek could do this, for a lot less money too.”
“She paying you a lot, too? I’ve never had a job before. Do people talk about their pay at work?”
“First job for me, too. My parents sent me here and paid for everything. Just got out of school and Jenny contacted me and made me an offer. Lot more money than most people get for this kind of work. And look at this place. Jenny’s got some cash.”
“So, you gettin’ paid a lot too?”
“More than I expected coming right out of college. How about you?”
“No complaints. Where you from by the way?”
“Saudi Arabia.”
“I knew some guys at OSU from there. Their English wasn’t as good as yours.”
“My father studied in England. I grew up speaking it.”
“That’s cool. So, you’re a Muslim?” Casey asked, pointing at the folded- up prayer rug.
“Yes. Don’t worry, I’m not going to cut your head off.”
“That’s a good thing. I rather like it attached.”
“You know what? My country has too many of the sort that would want to cut your head off. I’m never going back there, never. My father doesn’t understand. I met a lot of good Christian guys at UC. You a Christian?”
“Yeah, Mama didn't give me any choice when I was young, but I believe it myself, now.”
“That’s good. So, you don’t have a problem working with a Muslim?”
“Nah. Make you a deal. You don’t cut my head off and I won’t invite you to a potluck.”
“Sounds good, man. You don’t sound too PC for a black guy.”
“Don’t like all that stuff. People want to divide us all the time. Call me African-American, you Arab-American, on down the line. Why can’t we just all be Americans and leave it at that?”
“Amen, except I’m not an American yet. Got a new Visa when Jenny hired me. Going to get my green card as soon as I can. I’m going to become an American.”
“You know, this company is resembling the beginning of a dumb joke.”
“What do you mean?”
“A black guy, and Arab, and an Englishwoman walk into a bar…”
“Ha ha ha. Wait, what’s that?”
He pointed across the room to the break room where a vending machine was moving across the wall on its own. They both watched as a hidden elevator door opened and Nathan and Phoebe walked out and headed toward Jenny’s office. The vending machine then slid back into place, hiding the elevator door.
“Did I just see that? Who are they?” Casey asked.
“Don’t know. I’ve never seen them. I didn’t know this place had any other levels. Has to be a basement.”
Nathan and Phoebe spoke with Jenny for a few minutes, then moved a bookcase in her office aside and entered another elevator there.
“Man, that’s weird. There’s another level with other people working. What do you say we go ask her about it?”
“You sure about that?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Casey and Ahmed walked over to Jenny’s office, unsure of what to say. She saw them standing outside her door and motioned for them to come in.
“How you guys doing out there? Is there something you need?”
“Uh…just saw…where’s the elevator go?” Ahmed asked.
“The elevator?”
“Yeah, the one in the break room and the one behind that bookcase,” Casey said.
“Well, I was hoping the next part of your training could wait, but there’s no use in that now. Follow me.”
Jenny pushed a hidden button and the bookcase slid open. She pushed another button and a few seconds later the elevator door opened. They got in and went to the lower level. When they got out, Casey’s jaw dropped and Ahmed just stared about the room in amazement.
“Looks like something at NASA,” Casey said.
“Or something in a spy movie,” said Ahmed
“Before we go any farther,” Jenny said, “I need to make absolutely sure I can trust the two of you to tell no one what you see down here.”
“Uh, I guess,” Casey said.
“You guess? I need to be sure.”
“Yes. Makes sense now.”
“What makes sense?”
“How much you’re payin’ us. Seemed a lot for doing network security. This looks way more high tech.”
“It is way more high tech. Meet Nathan and Phoebe, the people who programmed everything you see here.”
Nathan and Phoebe came forward and shook their hands.
“Wait, you Nathan Callahan?” Casey asked.
“Yeah, how did you know?”
“Big write up about you in PC Gamer. My roommate was a big gamer. I read the article.”
“Oh, forgot about that interview. Got a little side job going here, as you can see. Jenny can tell you all about it.”
“Okay, gentlemen, what is upstairs is a legitimate company, in case you were wondering, but down here is where the real work is done. This is why I built this facility and why the other company exists. There are six hidden elevators that access this area. I’ll show you how to access them, and which ones should be used when other people are in the office who shouldn’t observe you coming and going.” She directed a look at Nathan as she said the last part.
“What exactly is this place?” Ahmed asked.
“You are standing in the most advanced electronic intelligence gathering facility in the United States, and that includes anything at the CIA or the NSA.”
“I told you it was something out of a spy movie,” Ahmed said.
“What about the other work upstairs?” Casey asked.
“You’ll still do that work,” Jenny said,” but men with your qualifications can make short work of that sort of thing. The harder work, the work I’m paying you for, is what you will be doing here.”
“What will we be doing here?”
“I’ll give you a quick overview, and tomorrow we will begin in earnest. The computers down here run a proprietary operating system designed by Nathan and Phoebe. There are dishes and towers hidden in the trees outside. We can tap into any intelligence agency in the world. The small room over there contains the mainframes and servers. The amount of data we receive on a given day is staggering. The mainframe sifts through everything and looks for patterns. We are scanning radical web sites for any hints of activity. We can tap into phone calls, emails, financial records, you name it.”
“Why gather all that data, and what do we have to do with it?”
“Casey, the United States is vulnerable. The government has cut back the intelligence budget and sometimes threats are missed. I have put together the best intelligence gathering system around, but all that data is useless without people to interpret it and make decisions. Computers are only so good. If we pick up intel on a potential threat, then we can dig into everything available on that person. You can get access to his emails, phone calls, or even bank records. Often there will be patterns in financial records that will be a red flag. Our job here is to detect threats and get that information to the proper authorities in time to stop the threat.”
“So, we find out some b
ad guys are gonna attack somewhere and we forward the information?”
“That’s the idea. The CIA or the police have the manpower to act on the information. We don’t have agents in the field. It needs to be given to someone with the ability to act. So, what do you guys say?”
“Sounds exciting,” Casey said, “But, why me?”
“Like I said earlier, you are good at making decisions under pressure.”
“What about me?” Ahmed asked.
“If I can be honest with you, you are excellent with computer systems, but you also happen to speak excellent Arabic. You could save us vital time that would otherwise be spent looking for translators.”
“Sure, count me in. When do we start?”
“I need to attend to some matters with the upstairs business, but you two can stay down here. I’m sure Nathan and Phoebe would be delighted to show you the system and get you set up with your workstations. Then tomorrow, we can get to work.”
5
Islamabad
Tariq Ansari was committing treason. Maybe treason was a strong word, but maybe not. Sheer outright lunacy perhaps. It didn’t matter. A lifetime of service in his country’s government had netted him little and he wasn’t getting any younger. He wanted a nice retirement, deserved a nice retirement. The amount of money about to be wired into his account would see to that. He could go anywhere in the world as soon as his odious task was over. His new identity was already prepared. All that remained was for Al Thi’b to wire the funds and he would vanish.
Al Thi’b watched the headlights of the approaching truck and watched for the pre- arranged signal. The truck’s lights flickered off and back on three times and slowed down to approach the dock. He pulled out a burner, a prepaid cell phone to be used only once and discarded, and dialed Tariq.
“Hello,” Tariq answered in Arabic.
“Your men have arrived right on time. As soon as the device is safely aboard my ship, you shall have your payment.”
“Fifty million American, right?”
Wolf Trap (Casey Reddick Book 1) Page 3
