Final Act

by Van Fleisher

  At 8:00 a.m. the next morning, his lawyer met with him and guided him through his statement to the FBI. Shortly afterward, he appeared before a judge where he pleaded not guilty, and his lawyer convinced the court, based on his service to the area as a respected business founder, as well as his cooperation with the FBI, to release him on his own recognizance. Vijay was back home before noon, and he could be forgiven if he thought that the U.S. criminal justice system was entirely fair and non-prejudicial.

  Vijay’s joy of being home was quickly dashed as he read the note from Jennifer on the kitchen island.

  “Vijay: Kari and I have gone to visit my parents in California. I admire your desire to do good by helping the FBI. However, it’s clear that their level of loyalty lags far behind yours. I’m concerned about our family’s safety, and until I can be convinced otherwise, Kari and I will stay with my parents.

  Fritz is at the kennel where we got him. You can pick him up whenever you want.

  I’m sorry.

  I love you, Jen”

  Vijay dried his eyes, changed into his running gear, and ran twenty miles. He was calmer when he returned but sadder, too, as the full force of Jennifer and Kari’s absence hit him hard. Adding to this weight was the complete uncertainty of his legal fate.

  ***

  CHAPTER 19 – DOWN & ALONE

  Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Vijay called Alek to tell him he was out of jail and to catch up with whatever was going on. He did not tell him about Jennifer.

  Alek had decided not to tell Vijay about re-connecting the FBI data-feed, but he did tell him about Zoe’s suspension and turning off the mystery feed. Vijay was shaken by Zoe’s suspension, especially in light of the national news of the presidential candidate being killed. He felt responsible for both events.

  Dejectedly, Vijay said he agreed with Alek’s decision. “Given the circumstances, that was a good call. And we can only hope that it will level the playing field, with the FBI and whomever the mystery feed recipients are, both off-line and without Zoe. It may even cause the other side to react and make a mistake.”

  Alek didn’t correct Vijay’s understanding of the situation in that Alek had restored the data feed to the FBI, but he felt very guilty. “I’m watching the system to see if it gets restored, but so far nothing. I’ll keep you posted. And welcome home.”

  Vijay called Zoe on her cell phone and felt even worse when a very sad-voiced Zoe answered. He thanked her for her efforts to make his arrest easier and complimented the Boston agents. Then he asked, “How are you doing? I heard about your suspension, and obviously, I read about the Las Vegas and Chapel Hill shootings. I’m really sorry, Zoe, but I had to turn off the Final Notice data feed.”

  Zoe had been off-line since hearing about Las Vegas. “Chapel Hill?”

  “You didn’t know? The U.S. Secretary of Education, DeVoyd, was killed by a Recipient. It seems the killer was a Democrat and a Professor at UNC, and the government was giving them grief over their Middle Eastern Studies program and wanted a different religious tone. The Professor got her Final Notice and had nothing to lose.”

  Zoe expressed surprise, “The Recipient was a her? That’s a first, isn’t it?”

  “No. The woman in Rome, Georgia.”

  Zoe was slightly out of synch since being suspended, “Hmm. So, no one knew about this one because we can’t use your system.” She was right as the incident took place in the time between Vijay shutting it down and Alek reinstating it, but at the moment, she, too, was unaware that Alek had recently restored the feed.

  “Yeah.”

  Zoe tried to assure Vijay that it wasn’t his fault and that he’d done everything he could to help.

  Both Zoe and Vijay were down and alone, but Vijay’s mood was buoyed somewhat by retrieving Fritz. It even gave him enough optimism to call Jennifer. She was happy to hear from him and glad that his ordeal wasn’t too bad, but she wasn’t ready to return until more was known about who the enemy was and if they were contained.

  ***

  Washington, D.C. Zoe had just finished her call from Vijay when her phone rang again. It was Demi, and while on one level, Zoe was excited to hear from her; on another, she wasn’t looking forward to discussing her current situation.

  Demi was very upbeat and excited about her protection assignment. She was also more clear on her assignment details and told Zoe that she’d be back in four days, and would then have a two-day break. Demi picked up Zoe’s low level of enthusiasm, “Are you OK?”

  Zoe decided to come clean and asked, “How much time do you have?”

  “I have time. What’s going on?”

  Zoe took her through the legal issues stemming from Vijay’s unauthorized access and sharing of information, despite its success, as demonstrated in Des Moines, and the comparative failure in Las Vegas when the system was down. She asked if Demi’s candidate would be carrying a tracking device, and Demi confirmed that she would; then, Zoe realized that it wouldn’t matter – both the candidate and Demi would be at risk without Vijay’s information feed. Zoe explained that without the system, there would be no warning if an attack was imminent. Demi responded by saying that the Service had been protecting people for years without it, so it wasn’t a cause for concern.

  Although Zoe continued to be concerned, the call cheered her up, and they ended the conversation with both of them sincerely expressing their anticipation of seeing each other in four days.

  Energized by her call with Demi, Zoe summoned up her questions of the night before and decided to call the Boston office, despite her suspension, and have them send Panova’s photo to Des Moines. The Special Agent in Charge wasn’t aware of Zoe’s suspension and said he’d send the photo off. He also asked her if she’d received the photo that they’d sent her earlier.

  She asked when it was sent, and he told her, “This morning. It was passed to us from the Boston Police, and it seems to be a link to the gang killings up here.” He read the transcript that Tony Vinzano had supplied and said that the photo was of a local, small-time Russian gang member, Vik Vasin. It seems that Vasin offered to pay this kid’s father $50,000 to kill someone. As it turns out, the father appears to have murdered an Italian gang member but was then killed by the victim or someone else. The money was never paid.

  Zoe was pacing back and forth, seething at the bit to get into this. She asked the agent to send the photo and transcript to her phone as she was away from her office, and she waited impatiently for the message. Two minutes later, her phone pinged with a message receipt.

  Zoe didn’t know if she’d recognize the guy who clubbed her that night in D.C., but when she opened the photo, she was absolutely certain it was him, Vik Vasin.

  Excited by this discovery and eager to get back to work, she briefly thought about what she would say and immediately speed-dialed her boss. He picked up.

  Before he could say a word, she blurted, “Deputy Director, I appreciate that it will take some time to complete the investigation into the illegal data, but I have just received some critical information that may lead us to the heart of who is behind the killings, and attempts and I would like to follow up on it.”

  Hawke interrupted, formally, “Agent Brouet, you are quite correct that the investigation will take some time, and you will remain suspended until then.”

  “Deputy Director, with all respect, the system we utilized saved a candidate’s life in Des Moines,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady, “and without the system, we lost two lives in Las Vegas and Chapel Hill.”

  Hawke interrupted, “Those were both Final Notice related?”

  Zoe continued even more forcefully, “Yes, sir, and if we knowingly abandon a system that saves lives and stick our heads in the sand while an investigation grinds on and the killings continue, that’s a real crime. And I won’t be part of it. Either we figure out a way to use the system and let me stop the people responsible, or I’ll tender my resignation with immediate effect.”

  After
a long period of silence, and painfully long for Zoe, Hawke replied, “OK. You win, for now. But we better act quickly. How soon can you get here?”

  ***

  CHAPTER 20 – AGENT DOWN

  Quincy, Massachusetts. Alek Belikov was watching his screen with the same stillness and intensity as a nature lover admiring a rare bird or animal – holding his breath so as not to interrupt the activity. He was so intent on watching that it took a while for him to realize that the operation was being carried out from within VitalTech.

  The process took less than ten minutes, and it created a new feed, almost identical to the mystery version that he’d deleted earlier, but this time there was a clue about the destination of the feed, as well as a couple of strings that appeared to be commands that could be actioned externally. He’d need to dig further to understand what they were, but first, he needed to call Vijay.

  ***

  Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Alek’s call boosted Vijay’s spirits enormously. It was the first good news he’d had in a while. They discussed the next steps and agreed that the FBI should be informed as they may have the tools, and the authority, to search the location in more detail. Alek had quickly identified Washington, D.C., 20007 as the location, but that was still a big area. He heard Vijay typing and then ask, “Guess what zip code the Russian Embassy is in?”

  “Holy shit!” was Alek’s rather crude reply.

  Vijay knew he needed to call Zoe, despite her status. “Let me talk with Zoe, and in the meantime, look for breadcrumbs in that hack.”

  ***

  Washington, D.C. Zoe answered in a much more upbeat way than when they last spoke. She’d been reinstated, and they had a lead on the guy who clubbed her and was behind at least one of the gang murders by Final Notice Recipients.

  Vijay shared his news about the mystery feed that Alek had found, along with the fact that the data was being sent to the same D.C. zip code as the Russian Embassy.

  Zoe asked if she could have someone from her cybercrime unit contact Alek, and she thanked Vijay for re-establishing the data feed.

  Vijay was puzzled. “What do you mean? I didn’t re-establish it.”

  “Ninad told me that he’d spoken with Alek and that it was up and running. It was down for a short while, which was why we were blindsided in Las Vegas and Chapel Hill.”

  Vijay smiled when he realized what had happened. “The thanks go to Alek. He took the risk and re-established it and didn’t even tell me … to protect me.”

  Zoe was thinking ahead and out loud, “So, whoever is on the receiving end of the new data feed has the same information we do.”

  Vijay cut in, “Except for the behavioral probability aspects and the locations of your field law enforcement personnel.”

  Zoe said, “Hopefully. But Vik Vasin, the guy involved with the gang killings, was waiting for me. Was that just luck, my VT2, or did someone alert them?” Zoe’s mind flipped back briefly to that night and Demi’s twisted ankle, and then a light clicked on in her mind.

  Zoe tried to contain herself as she described her new understanding of the situation. “Vik Vasin was involved with both the Boston gang killings and the D.C. Supreme Court justice. He was tailing Connelly and heard me shout out! Could he also be involved with the incidents in Des Moines, Las Vegas, and Chapel Hill?”

  Vijay weighed in, “If this is indeed the Russians, they may also employ social media in their selection process. Right-wingers, if the target is a left-winger, and vice versa if it suits their purposes.”

  Zoe added, “Hmm. What is their purpose? Are they trying to tactically get rid of certain individuals or sow discontent and let the masses rise up against each other?”

  Eighteen-hundred miles apart, she and Vijay both shuddered.

  ***

  Manchester, New Hampshire. Vik Vasin had finished briefing his Final Notice Zombie as much as he could, and he was reasonably confident that this mission was going to be a success. He parked his car a safe distance away from where they would intercept the target so that they wouldn’t get caught up in traffic, and as they began walking, Yuri called. It was brief, as usual, but it prompted Vik to alter his plan.

  He asked the Zombie for his VT2 watch and instructed him to proceed to the target as planned. Ingenuously, Vik told him that he would meet him back at the car after he’d completed his task. Vik then walked away from the target, dropping the watch in a trash can, before circling back around to the target in a 180-degree direction. He wanted to get into a good position to ensure that if the Zombie was in danger of being captured, Vik would be able to silence him. As Vik got closer, he realized that it would be difficult to get a clean shot at the Zombie. He thought quickly, stepped away from the gathering crowd, and called 911.

  ***

  Washington, D.C. Zoe was going full speed ahead, trying to get caught up from her brief, but disruptive, suspension. She checked with the Des Moines field office to see if anyone or any security camera recognized Panova – both negative – and she sent them Vasin’s photo as well.

  She was still in her office when a call came from the Bedford, NH office. A Secret Service agent protecting a presidential candidate had been shot. The identity of the agent was not yet known, but it was a woman. Zoe’s heart seemed to stop and then race ahead, and she felt a strange sense of disorientation and dread. She felt pressure in her chest, and it took an effort to breathe.

  Everything seemed to be in slow motion, and she asked if there was a Bureau agent at the scene. The agent replied that there was, and Zoe was patched through. The Bureau agent at the scene confirmed Zoe’s fear and identified Demi Magray as the Secret Service agent who’d been shot at 7:02 p.m. She was in critical condition and en route to the Elliot Hospital in Manchester.

  Zoe looked at her watch and looked at flight schedules from Reagan Airport to Manchester. On her way to the airport, she called Ninad and asked if he could see anything on his app that would have suggested an attack between 6:55 and 7:05 p.m. He re-wound to 6:55 and saw a Recipient in an orange emotional state, in a stationary position. As he fast-forwarded, he could see the Recipient moving away from the target area and stopping again at 7:03. He reminded Zoe that because the Recipient was moving away from the presidential candidate, it didn’t trigger an alert.

  Just before boarding, she called Vijay to see if he could see anything from the information at his disposal.

  “I do see one Recipient who had been in an elevated state, but he’s stationary. Wait, that was the last reading. There are no readings coming through. The watch is not being worn!”

  ***

  Elliot Hospital, Manchester, New Hampshire. Zoe had managed to call the Bedford Bureau with her arrival time at the Manchester, NH, airport and the resident field agent met her flight.

  When they reached the hospital, there were a good number of local police visible. At reception, Zoe showed her ID and asked about Demi. The receptionist waved to a man standing nearby who immediately came over and asked Zoe about her interest in Agent Magray. Zoe showed her ID, and he relaxed, but he persisted in understanding her interest.

  Zoe couldn’t very well tell the Secret Service Agent that Demi was her girlfriend, so she explained that she was the point person coordinating efforts among the various enforcement authorities to stop specific attacks on presidential candidates.

  The agent was aware of the Final Notice threat and asked, “So was this incident one of those? We never got any advance notice.”

  Zoe told him that she wasn’t sure and asked for details of the shooting. The agent explained that the local police had received a 911 call that someone would be trying to shoot the Presidential candidate at a rally in Manchester. The protection team had been alerted just minutes before a suspect had been spotted in the act of shooting. At the last second, Magray had shielded the candidate, taking the round herself. He was obviously consumed with admiration.

  Zoe asked if Demi had been wearing her bullet-proof vest, and the agent sadly shook his h
ead, “No.” Zoe realized that she had been sidetracked from her inquiry at the front desk and asked about Demi’s condition.

  The agent told her that Demi had been ‘lucky’ in that the bullet went through her chest, missing her heart and lungs. She’s stable now and should be fine.

  Zoe explained, “Agent Magray and I met a while ago to develop the coordination between agencies. Since I’m here, I’d like to say hello if I can, but first, tell me about the shooter. Was he caught?”

  “A local Manchester cop returned fire immediately after Agent Magray was shot, killing him.”

  “Was there anything unusual about the incident or the officer’s return fire?”

  “I was there, and it all happened pretty quickly. I give a lot of credit to the officer for spotting the shooter so fast. At first, we all thought it was the candidate who’d been hit. Agent Magray reacted so quickly after someone saw the shooter.”