Rescind Order

by Natasha Bajema

  “Well, if a hacker can gain control over one of our satellites in a network, they can access other devices in the same satellite network,” Eric said. “And then they could make everything go dark.”

  Morgan’s mouth fell open. “Wait a minute. Are you saying that a hacker could gain access to anything else connected to the Polaris satellite? Including other early warning systems?”

  “In principle, yes,” Eric said.

  Morgan swallowed hard as a new threat picture formed in her head. She wasn’t sure if Anton Vega’s company operated a satellite in HEO. At this point, nothing would surprise her.

  “You talked about hacking a satellite from the ground. But could a hacker access Polaris from another satellite in the same orbit?” Morgan asked, clenching her fists to keep them from trembling.

  What if Anton Vega supplied the resources for these hacks?

  “That’s definitely possible,” Eric said. “Do you know any hackers with access to major resources? What about this Molotov character you mentioned?” He turned to look at Mike, who nodded.

  “We think a hacker that goes by the screenname Nova is working for Molotov, a former FSB Agent,” Mike said, his forehead wrinkled. “And they appear to have access to unlimited resources through Igor Koslov.

  Morgan avoided eye contact. She had a specific scenario in mind—one that conveniently linked several pieces of the puzzle together. But if she was right, it could put her, Jack, and Luis in some hot water.

  A loud beeping from Eric’s terminal startled the group. Morgan jerked her head up and stared at the screen.

  “What’s happening?” Mike asked, his eyes bulging.

  Eric turned to look at the screen, and his mouth fell open. He shook his head in disbelief. “The Polaris satellite is back online. Downlink transmissions have been restored. We’re receiving signals again.”

  Saved by the beep?

  Everyone exhaled sharply.

  “Just like that?” Morgan asked, her forehead creased.

  “Apparently,” Eric said, his jaw still slack.

  “How long will it take to resume sending information to the satellite?” Mike asked.

  “It may be a few hours yet before we can ping the satellite for its status, given the usual signal delays. Odin will have to spend some time running diagnostics and testing Polaris to make sure everything is in working order,” Eric said with a slight smile. “But this is really good news.”

  Maybe.

  Morgan furrowed her brow. “Don’t you think it’s odd that Polaris went offline for a while and just came back on without any prompting?”

  Eric shrugged. “Not really. Polaris must have experienced some sort of malfunction. It must have shut itself down and then restarted. We’ll know for sure after Odin completes the diagnostic tests.”

  “What’s going on here?” a familiar voice boomed behind them, causing Morgan to jump.

  Everyone turned their heads. Grayson marched into the operations center with a tense look on his face and his fists clenched. His steely gaze told her everything she needed to know. Morgan felt her blood run cold.

  I’m not supposed to be here…

  Eric jumped up from his chair. “Sir, the Polaris satellite experienced a brief communications outage, but it’s back online again. Odin’s already running diagnostics to determine the cause.”

  Grayson nodded and then said gruffly, “Dr. Shaw, a word?”

  “Of course, sir,” Morgan said. As she got up out of her chair and passed by him, she caught a whiff of bourbon float by her nose. Following Grayson to the far corner of the room, sweat broke out on her forehead as her mouth ran dry. “Um, sir, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was here. I stopped by to follow up on the Russian connection for the president.”

  Grayson stared down his nose at her, the wire-rimmed glasses near its edge. “Have you talked to your boss recently?”

  Morgan’s eyes widened. “No, not since our meeting at the Oval. Has something happened?”

  Has Burke managed to get me fired?

  Grayson grunted and stuck his hands in his pockets. “Dammit. He was the one who was supposed to tell you.”

  “Tell me what?” Morgan asked, getting another strong smell of liquor. She pulled her head back. “Sir, have you been drinking?” She uttered the question before thinking.

  Grayson’s face turned bright red, and he looked like he might explode. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

  “But, sir, I was just—”

  “Leave. Now.” Grayson pointed to the door. The others gave her strange looks.

  “What was my boss supposed to tell me?” Morgan asked.

  Grayson glared at her, following close on her heels. “You’ll have to ask him.” Then he grabbed her arm, pinching hard, and began leading her out of the operations center.

  “Sir, what’s going on?” Morgan asked, struggling to break free of his grip.

  “Talk to your boss,” he said, his eyes going hard and cold. He clamped his jaw shut and refused to look at her as he dragged her out of the suite and left her outside in the lobby, completely bewildered and utterly shaken.

  What just happened?

  41

  Test and Evaluation

  GRACE

  1425

  National Military Command Center

  The Pentagon

  Arlington, Virginia

  Grace watched the last move of the simulation play out on the massive video screen at the front of the auditorium-style room in the National Military Command Center. She tried to breathe normally but couldn’t stop thinking about everything she knew. Glancing over her shoulder, she glimpsed Arjun sitting one row up next to Captain Dietz. They looked a bit too cozy for her comfort, and it made her wonder whether she’d done the right thing.

  Arjun better hold up his part of the deal.

  She surveyed the star-studded room and shuddered at the chaos that might have ensued if she’d reported Arjun. Her career might have likely unraveled in that single moment.

  The room was packed to the brim with senior military officers and policymakers, including Chairman Waller, SecDef Burke, director of the Joint Staff General Hawkins, the vice chairman, and the entire senior leadership of the J6 Cyber Directorate and the J3 Operations Directorate. The Commanders of the U.S. Strategic Forces Command, Global Strike Command, and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) also participated in the test and evaluation over secure video conference.

  Surrounded by so many powerful men, Grace realized how little influence she held and how few allies she had. One by one, she studied their relaxed faces and postures, and with each, her frown deepened. They all looked eager to celebrate another victory, as if the success of the test was a foregone conclusion. Even though the exact details of the test were classified as Top Secret, the event was rather high-profile. If ARC’s test were to be cancelled for any reason, the press would have a field day. And Congress would be up in arms about the Department of Defense not fulfilling its legislative requirement.

  She swallowed hard, thinking of how close she’d come to turning it all upside down. Every time Grace ran through the cancellation scenario in her head, she ended up becoming the unfortunate patsy blamed for ARC’s dismal failure. She probably wouldn’t have even gotten the chance to convince anyone about ARC’s problems before she was booted out of the room, relieved of her duty assignment, and reassigned out of the Pentagon to somewhere extremely remote and unimportant—the worst sort of dead end for her military career. No one at the senior level would ever be held accountable, and life would carry on much as it had before. Except for hers.

  No, I did the right thing.

  Colonel Martinez stood at the podium to narrate the automated simulation, but mostly to make sure the A/V system functioned properly. The large meeting space was used to support the National Command Authority and was officially called the Emergency Conference Room. But most Pentagon insiders fondly called it the war room, invoking scenes from
the classic film Dr. Strangelove. In the past, Emergency Action Messages would be sent to U.S. nuclear forces from the war room to give the launch order during a nuclear crisis. The room now hosted one of several servers for the ARC system that were scattered across the country. Although the room sounded impressive to outsiders, it didn’t look much different than the typical conference room at the Pentagon.

  At the base of the stage, there stood a long table with a bank of built-in computers manned by operations officers, each of whom monitored the reactions of the ARC system in real time. The test and evaluation process involved taking ARC offline, inputting data about a potential nuclear conflict, and running the simulation to see how the ARC system would perform.

  Grace took a few short breaths. She just needed to get through the test. Then she could ask Colonel Martinez and Morgan for help navigating the minefield for disclosing the truth about ARC. Unlike Grace, her friends held influential positions and could use their personal relationships to persuade their bosses to do the right thing about the ARC system.

  This will be better handled behind the scenes.

  “And that’s a wrap,” Martinez said over the microphone, causing Grace to exhale sharply. “The escalating threat of nuclear war has forced the U.S. and China to the negotiating table where both countries have agreed to a new set of measures to protect the stealth of submarines.”

  A loud round of applause rose from the auditorium as everyone got up and gave each other handshakes and nodding smiles. Grace watched as Arjun followed Captain Dietz down the aisle toward the front of the room where the SecDef and the chairman were chatting. Grace walked down the aisle toward Martinez, who was tidying up a stack of papers on the podium.

  Captain Dietz leaned over to Burke and whispered a few words, which caused the SecDef to break into a broad smile.

  Well, they seem friendly.

  Grace raised an eyebrow as Burke clapped Arjun on the back. Captain Dietz stood next to Arjun, beaming proudly. She slowed her pace toward the front of the room, straining her ears to eavesdrop on the conversation.

  “How does it feel? Working for a company that strives to make our country safer?” Burke said to Arjun who shook his hand and gave him an embarrassed smile.

  “Thank you, sir.” Arjun grinned from ear to ear. “It’s an honor to work on such an important project.”

  Ugh. He’s practically gushing.

  Grace’s stomach lurched. A sour taste entered her mouth with fears that she’d been played by Arjun. She approached the podium as Chairman Waller stepped forward to shake Arjun’s hand and smiled warmly. “A job well done,” he said.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” Arjun said, a grin spreading across his face.

  “Likewise,” Waller said, his face breaking into a wide smile. “Your boss called me right before the test.”

  “Oh really?” Arjun’s face paled slightly when he spotted Grace watching him.

  “Mr. Warren invited me and my wife to his annual Labor Day party on the Chesapeake Bay. Please thank him for the kind invitation. It will be such a treat for Linda to go for a ride on their yacht with the ladies while us men enjoy the good life, partaking in the finest bourbon and cigars. I expect you’ll be there?”

  Arjun nodded slowly, not breaking eye contact with Grace. She wanted to hit herself in the forehead.

  Of course. Centoreum Tech is in bed with Pentagon leadership.

  As bile rose up the back of her throat, Grace thought she was going to be sick. The world spun around her. Suddenly, everything was clear to her. Arjun’s magical touch with Pentagon leadership had nothing to do with his superior argumentation or even his gender. It had to do with the fact that his CEO was tight with the SecDef. And soon he’d be buddy-buddy with the chairman as well. Her hopes of warning them about the ARC system were sinking fast.

  Grace pressed her lips together, and she turned to look at Martinez, who gave her a grim smile.

  “Oh, you didn’t know about that?” Martinez asked, pointing to Burke and then to Arjun. Not only had the colonel seen her coming, he’d apparently witnessed her reaction and read her thoughts.

  Grace sighed dejectedly, feeling the energy drain from her limbs. “No, but it explains an awful lot. Too much, actually.” Guilt rose in her chest for not telling Martinez about her most recent findings. She’d wanted to inform him before the test but worried that he might have the same impulse to cancel it.

  Martinez gave her another smile. “Chin up, Grace. It’s all part of the politics game. If you want to win, you’ve just got to learn how to play.”

  And what if I don’t play the game? Then I lose?

  Suddenly, Martinez shifted his attention away from her, his eyes widening. “Sir, is there something I can help you with?” he asked.

  Grace turned to see Admiral Waller on the approach, with Burke and Hawkins tailing behind him. She gulped.

  Admiral Waller cleared his throat. “I just learned the president requested we debrief her on the ARC test. She’s moved up the timeline for the meeting—”

  “Wasn’t Tolley supposed to have lunch with the Chinese ambassador to clear up this whole mess with China?” Burke interrupted with a smirk. “I guess it didn’t go as planned.” He chuckled, but no one joined him.

  Admiral Waller frowned and looked at Martinez. “Anyway, we’ll need to head over to the White House at 1500. Can you call the motor pool?”

  “Of course, sir,” Martinez said. He looked at the chairman, who remained silent for a moment. “Something on your mind, sir?”

  Admiral Waller wrinkled his forehead. “Actually, yes. I’m still uncertain about one thing… maybe it’s because I missed the discussion at the pre-brief this morning. Or maybe it’s because the test went off without a hitch. But didn’t you flag something for my attention about a false positive in the ARC system?”

  Grace nearly choked on her own saliva. She gave Arjun a panicked look, but he just shrugged at her before ducking out of sight.

  Is he wimping out on me?

  “Yes, sir.” Martinez turned toward Grace. “It was Major Lim who brought it to my attention. We talked about it at length this morning.” He put his hand on her back and nudged her forward. She took a few reluctant steps toward the chairman and eyed Burke nervously.

  This is not the right time. Not here. Not like this.

  Burke’s eyes narrowed as if he was giving her a warning look.

  Does the SecDef already know?

  “Um, sir… yes, I did ask Colonel Martinez to put it in the read-ahead as a precautionary measure,” Grace said. “But um… since the test was a success, perhaps I overreacted. I’m terribly sorry for the confusion.”

  Martinez’s eyes bulged, and his face reddened.

  “Not a problem, Major,” Admiral Waller said. “It’s always good to be cautious in matters of national security. Colonel, pick me up in thirty minutes?”

  “Yes, sir,” Martinez said, his voice strained.

  Admiral Waller walked up the aisle, Burke and the others following behind him. Without saying a word, Martinez turned on his heel and marched up the aisle after them.

  “Colonel Martinez. Wait! I need to talk to you,” Grace said, running after him. “Wait!”

  If Martinez had heard her calling after him, he certainly didn’t indicate it. Instead, he picked up his pace.

  Crap.

  42

  Wild Theories

  MORGAN

  1445

  The Pentagon

  Arlington, Virginia

  Morgan headed down the hallway toward the elevator to reach the underground floor of the Pentagon where the National Military Command Center was located. That’s where she expected Luis to be holed up without access to his smartphone. If things were running on time, the test and evaluation of the ARC system should have just ended. Hopefully, she could catch Luis before he made it back to his office or disappeared into another Top Secret meeting.

  She pressed the elevator button a few times
and waited for it to arrive. Ever since Grayson tossed her out of the Cyberthreat Intelligence Integration Center, Morgan had been moving about in a daze. Unable to decipher Grayson’s codespeak, she’d called David to get some answers. But her boss didn’t pick up. And, for some reason, the email service on her work phone was down. Morgan had a strange inkling that returning to her office at the White House wasn’t an option. In her mind, that left only one choice—to head over to the Pentagon. She needed to see Luis and follow up with Grace about the ARC system.

  As she waited, her stomach released a long, angry growl. Morgan glanced at her watch again and realized she’d missed lunch. The adrenaline rush from losing communications with a critical early warning satellite followed by a tense interaction with Grayson had caused her to completely forget her hunger. But now, an intense pang of starvation reared its ugly head, making her legs weak and her head dizzy.

  When the elevator door finally opened, Morgan glimpsed Luis with a dark scowl on his handsome face. She smiled at him, warmth filling her chest. But before she got a chance to say anything, he barreled out of the elevator and made a sharp right. Apparently too lost in his own thoughts to recognize her, he began heading down the corridor at an impressive clip.

  “Luis,” Morgan called out after him. “Babe. Stop!”

  He didn’t appear to hear her calling, so she ran after him, dodging several junior officers in the hallway.

  “Colonel Martinez! Sir!” Morgan shouted. “Slow down for a minute.”

  Tilting his head, Luis stopped and turned around slowly to look at her. A half smile crept onto his otherwise cross face as he approached. “Morgan. What on earth are you doing here?”

  Morgan suppressed the moisture forming in her eyes. She didn’t quite know how to respond to what felt like a loaded question. The day had started on the wrong foot and had gone steeply downhill from there. Her instincts had brought her to the Pentagon for some reason. It felt like the place she needed to be. Seeing him standing there confirmed her intuition. She desperately needed to see a friendly face.