by Craig Hurren
They went to the armory room and Jake sent an encrypted text. A moment later, the reply came back, “Two minutes; orange protocol.”
Jake looked up the orange protocol and stood ready to connect with the enigmatic computer genius. Precisely two minutes after the reply, he clicked the mouse and the familiar flickering digits appeared at the top of the screen.
Jake typed, “Sorry to push but is there any progress?”
Characters appeared on the screen in real time, “Data transfer very slow to avoid detection. Only transferred his current project since it is largely on RAM instead of hard disc memory. Other files downloading but will take time.”
“Anything relevant in the current project?”
“Hold onto your hats. The scenario is patchy because it’s incomplete and my systems are still rendering the code into visuals but it looks very much like this hallucination scenario is designed for the Commander in Chief.”
“The President of the United States?!” Alan asked incredulously.
Jake typed the question and the hacker’s reply was, “The one and only.”
“How can you be sure?”
“I’m not but the visuals are showing parts of the White House that very few people have access to.”
“Could be a Secret Service agent?”
“I thought the same until I came across visuals of a hand signing specific documents with the seal of the Office of the President on them.”
“My God – Devlin’s going after the President!” Alan gasped.
“More to the point, it sounds like he’s going to manipulate the President into signing documents. The question is: what is on those documents?”
Jake quickly typed, “Can you make out document content?”
“It hasn’t rendered yet – just the seal and the hand signing.”
Jake rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Devlin is already close to the President through his façade of philanthropic ventures and heavy campaign contributions. His industries are big lobbyists so I don’t understand what else he could hope to achieve with this.”
“Maybe he’s trying to overcome more barriers to his expansion plans?” Alan suggested.
“Maybe but based on how Devlin has been hiding the full extent of his market dominance and corporate structures, why would he need to overcome barriers when he’s simply been circumventing them?”
“I guess we have to wait until Rothstein programs the code for the document contents?”
Jake typed again, “Focus on the written content. Any updates at all – even a few words, let us know immediately.”
“Way ahead of you.”
Jake turned to Alan and spoke, “We need to reexamine all of Matt Lewis’ research and try to find possible reasons for this. Devlin must have an overall plan that’s driving him to this course.”
He ordered his voice activated system to bring up the files and the two men went through them page by page, taking notes as they went and mapping the tendrils that linked different ventures on a whiteboard. Hours passed as they continued examining every detail of the documents until Jake received a text from Equilibrium, “Two minutes – protocol grey.”
They connected and watched as characters appeared on the screen, “Still very patchy but some very disturbing renderings now clear – they have to do with executive authority during military conflict. It looks to me like they’re going to manipulate the president to allow for tactical nuclear strikes in the Middle East and North Korea.”
Alan’s jaw dropped as he turned to Jake in horror. “How is that even possible?!”
Jake’s jaw muscles flexed rhythmically as he processed the information. “He can’t be certain this will work – unless he’s got other plans in motion simultaneously – he knows that such a thing would require Congressional approval among other official processes.”
“Exactly – so how does he think this is going to get him anywhere?”
“I don’t know but I do know that this guy is very devious and capable, and there is nothing he won’t do. We don’t need to know any more than this – we have to stop him. Legitimate options are closing to us at every turn; we need to do this my way.”
Alan’s gut churned at the revelations before them and his morality struggled with the ramifications of Jake’s statement. He desperately wanted to follow the rules but could see that Jake was right about one thing. They needed to fight fire with fire and the rules were hamstringing them but he still couldn’t bring himself to agree to Jake’s methods.
“If you kill Devlin, we are just as bad as him and that defeats the purpose of justice.”
“I disagree. If there are no legitimate means to destroy our enemy and stop this madness, then we must do whatever it takes. I know this is difficult for you but it’s a simple decision for me. What’s more important: your morality or the security of this nation?”
Alan looked thoughtfully into Jake’s eyes. “I know the decision is black and white for you but there may be a better way.”
Jake studied Alan’s face. The detective formed a knowing half smile and Jake listened intently as he began to lay out his idea until suddenly the communication page with Equilibrium began to display more characters, “Jake – I think I have a problem.”
“What is it?”
They waited for a reply but nothing came. Jake typed again, “What’s wrong?”
Almost a minute passed before a reply came, “Remember all those years ago when you tried to find me? It looks like you’re going to get your wish.”
“What do you mean?”
“Someone is breaching my perimeter. My security system shows multiple intrusion points. I have measures in place but they won’t last forever and it’s not like I can call 911. You’re my only chance Jake.”
Jake’s face drained of blood. He had been unable to locate Equilibrium with all the CIA’s resources behind him, yet he was now being told that someone had done the seemingly impossible.
“How can that be? Do you know who they are?”
“I don’t know who they are. I can only assume Rothstein’s system was designed to detect the minutest of CPU usage and he found my device then traced the feed back to me. It would take someone of his caliber to follow the path as it’s covered by a fluctuating source code - but I was overconfident that my invention would go unnoticed so to save time; I only used a standard trace prevention technique. I should have coded it through the trace-proof system we use for communication. A foolish mistake and now it looks like I’m going to pay for it.”
“Can’t you get out? Escape plan? Weapons?”
“My facility is so well secured that there is only one emergency exit but as you know, any escape route offers vulnerabilities. They have already discovered my one way out and neutralized it – now I’m trapped and I don’t know how long it will take them to get to me. I have one handgun – not enough to fend off multiple intruders. I need you – here’s the address.”
Jake stood in silence continuing to watch the screen until the very location that he’d so fervently sought years before, was now voluntarily given by his former quarry. He felt a degree of disillusionment as the legendarily elusive hacker typed an address near the Apple Warehouse District of New York on the screen. It was almost as though a respected mentor had failed him. His mind drew a comparison to the emotions evoked by his brother’s death and how it was caused by the poor judgment of his superiors. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind and he had to be certain it wasn’t a trap.
“How do I know this is really you?”
“Is Beach with you?
“Yes – why?”
“Don’t let him see the screen.”
Alan looked at Jake and nodded. He walked around to stand behind the terminal and watched Jake’s brow furrow into a deep frown as he read what Equilibrium typed. The message obviously convinced Jake because he looked up from the screen and said tersely, “It’s not a trap. I have to go – now!”
“What about my plan?” Alan asked.<
br />
“I heard enough to agree to it and I haven’t got time to argue anyway. You go ahead and set it up. I have to try to save Equilibrium – I owe him that much.”
Alan watched as Jake quickly pulled on a thin gold tinged vest and covered it with a black turtle neck shirt then donned a double-sided harness, checked and loaded his two Heckler & Koch MP7A1 submachine guns and slid them into the holsters. He grabbed six spare clips and pushed them into the nylon webbing pockets of his harness then clamped a Special Forces dagger onto his belt and shoved a Microtech Automatic knife into his pants pocket. Finally, he mounted an ankle holster on his left leg and slid a Ruger LCP Coyote compact semiautomatic into it. Jake looked up to see Alan staring at him in amazement. He gave the detective a quick nod and started for the door.
“How do I get out of here while you’re gone?” Alan stopped him.
“You don’t. Use this disposable phone to make your call.” He tossed the phone to Alan then continued, “If I’m not back tonight, the mission is a bust and the only hope you’ll have is Walker. But don’t call him unless you’re sure I’m not coming back.”
The finality in Jake’s voice concerned the detective. He knew that if Jake didn’t return it was because the odds were too overwhelmingly against him and if they could defeat Jake, he would have no chance against them whatsoever. He decided it was best not to think of the alternative and said, “I’ll see you tonight.”
Jake gave him a half smile and disappeared through the door.
Alan watched him leave then picked up the disposable phone and dialed.
“Blue Sky Biotech – how may I direct your call?”
“Professor Linus Gelling please.”
Chapter 17
The late evening air ripped past Jake’s helmet as he guided his customized BMW R1200 R through the streets of New York on his way to Brooklyn. With instant throttle response, and superb braking and handling, the beast easily answered all demands as Jake broke every road rule on his way to the Brooklyn Naval Yard area. Before leaving his base, he had programmed the address into the dash mounted GPS system and slid a counterfeit license plate into the purpose-built holder. His normal plate was registered under a different name, to a different address but in case the police witnessed his blistering ride and gave chase, he might need to reach around and remove the fake then take a different route. There was no possibility a squad car could even come close to keeping up so the police radio system was the only thing that concerned him and he would not allow his mission to be foiled.
It was less than half a mile to the Holland Tunnel where he flew past cars so fast that one driver thought she’d seen an apparition and another slightly paranoid individual presumed it was some kind of military experiment. Jake kept the machine pointed at Chinatown and was soon blasting through traffic around St. John’s Park on his way to Canal Street. Seconds after passing Church Street, a police siren blared to life behind him and after spotting the pursuers in his mirror, he automatically calculated a maneuver to elude the lone unit. Still a couple of hundred yards in front of them, he threw the bike into a sharp right at Lafayette then turned left going the wrong way into White Street. Dodging oncoming vehicles, he prepared for a sharp left into Centre Street then a quick right into Walker to reemerge onto Canal. Heading to Manhattan Bridge for the sprint across to Flushing Avenue and onto the Apple Warehouse District near the naval yard, he knew the men in the squad car couldn’t have seen his license plate and didn’t bother changing out the fake one. The severely outgunned squad car pulled over on Lafayette several hundred yards back and the driver said to his partner in resignation, “If he wants it that bad, he can have it.” His partner; still amazed at the speed of the bike through New York traffic, just nodded agreement.
Jake was soon near his destination so he pulled the Beemer over fifty yards before the address Equilibrium had sent. He dismounted, kicked out the stand, and pressed the remote alarm button on its key so that the only way it could be stolen was by lifting the five hundred pound beast onto the back of a truck. He checked and cocked his Heckler & Koch automatics then strode toward what resembled an old warehouse.
The large structure was made of red brick and surrounded by a ten foot fence plastered with signs declaring the building unsafe and warning trespassers to keep out for their own safety. It looked, for all intents and purposes, like a stalled development project waiting for funding and demolition approval. To Jake’s trained eye, it was ideal for a secret base of operations. He immediately picked out several high definition security cameras well hidden amongst the damaged eaves, broken lamps and disused electrical connections. The former operative knew someone of Equilibrium’s caliber would have set the place up with secured underground wiring, communication lines and an emergency power generation system. He knew the building was much more than met the eye but not yet sure of the structure and layout, he needed to do some reconnaissance before marching in blindly, guns blazing.
He moved stealthily along the perimeter, quickly gathering and assessing intel to prepare for his breach. Approaching the Southeast corner, he suddenly stopped and crouched. A man in black fatigues was sitting on his haunches peering inward through an opening in the fence. He was armed with an M4 machine gun and holding a small pair of binoculars to his eyes. Jake pulled his Special Forces dagger from its sheath and moved like a giant cat toward the enemy. Taking a leap of faith in the veracity of his associate’s situation, he violently pulled the man’s head backward while sliding the blade cleanly across his left carotid artery and around smoothly onto the right. With his head tilted back and Jake’s hand firmly over his mouth, the hapless watchman was unconscious and well on his way from this world within a few short seconds.
Jake pulled the body behind him with one arm as he entered through the same hole the man was guarding and lay him down between the fence and an old dumpster then continued toward the brick structure. He kept low as his eyes darted about searching for any sign of detection but the intruders had no reason to expect his assault so their focus was purely inward, toward their prey. Seemingly, their only precaution against outside interference had been the single sentry who’d already met his fate, leaving the former Delta Force Specialist able to move unhindered to the outer wall of the building.
Arriving at the wall, Jake found a steel door which had been drilled and breached. He flipped out a small, custom made, periscopic mirror from the side of his Heckler & Koch and moved the muzzle into the door frame to get a glimpse of the interior. Seeing no immediate threat through the mirror, he eased his head in until his left eye peered into the dimly lit warehouse for a more thorough assessment then used the mirror to check each side and entered the doorway. There were hushed voices and footsteps in the distance, deep within the facility so he hugged the perimeter and followed their sound. The warehouse presented a maze of hallways and Jake knew immediately that Equilibrium had set the structure up this way to confuse intruders. The walls and doorways were made to look historically authentic but Jake knew the old building’s original purpose could never have been served by such a setup. It was more like assaulting a ship than an open warehouse and close quarter assaults like this were where Jake’s skills and training came to the fore. Years of real life practice dictated his steps as he ducked to check blind corners and whisked through doorways toward his quarry. Jake didn’t yet know the odds against him but he was certain that the element of surprise was on his side and even more certain that his skills in this arena were among the highest in the world.
Rounding one of many corners, another doorway came into view and Jake’s hair bristled as he heard a low voice speaking in a heavy Eastern European accent on the other side. He pushed his gun into its holster and unsheathed his dagger again, not wanting to make enough noise to warn any other intruders unless he had to. By the sound of the muffled conversation, there were only two men through the doorway but he wasn’t certain of their positions so he proceeded with his preferred strategy for such a scenario. His m
irror useless in this situation, he moved to an angle where he could see almost half the view of the other side and knew that the men were both positioned to the right side of the door. He picked up a loose stone from the floor and tossed it down the hallway on the other side and immediately followed it through. The intruders’ reaction times were quick but they were not clever enough and they both turned simultaneously toward the sound of the stone hitting the ground instead of seeking the actual source. The split second their gazes turned to the stone’s point of impact, Jake’s knife flashed through the semi darkness and drove downward into the first man’s neck behind the collarbone, turning to an angle of forty five degrees to enter the trachea below his voice box then immediately retracted, ready to satisfy its appetite once more. A grotesque hiss issued forth from the man’s wound and mouth simultaneously and the second man started to turn as Jake’s arm moved upward and around behind the first guard then continued in a smooth arc directly to the second guard’s throat, where it sliced neatly through his left carotid then circled around to pierce directly into his larynx. It wasn’t the quickest or cleanest way to kill but given the situation, Jake needed to ensure neither man could call out before they died so it was the most effective technique to prevent that possibility.
Jake looked down at the men on the floor, both desperately grasping at their own necks, their eyes bulging in horror as they beheld their nemesis in disbelief. They would expire soon but Jake couldn’t risk that they might squeeze off a warning shot before they passed so his hungry blade returned for more and quickly sliced through both men’s femoral arteries as he pulled their guns away from them. The ugly gurgling from the first intruder subsided quickly and Jake moved on down the hall, following other sounds.
He continued toward his goal, soft soled military boots and stealthy movement concealing his advance, until the sound became clearer after rounding another corner. A doorway came into view and he approached cautiously, his dagger in one hand and a Heckler & Koch in the other. There were multiple voices through the doorway so Jake sheathed his dagger and pulled out the other H&K assault weapon. He readied himself for the expected scene, checked the doorway as far as he dared then burst through silently into a cavernous area with a single concrete structure in the centre of the room. There were four intruders dressed in black assault gear at a solid steel door. One man was facing outward as the other three worked on opening the door. One of the men focusing on the door had a portable welding torch and was cutting the thick steel around the door’s handle while the other two prepared an explosive charge. The one guarding the scene spotted Jake’s looming figure and started to raise his weapon when a single shot rang out from Jake’s gun, piercing the man’s throat. The other three were completely exposed with their weapons lying on the floor as they worked. Jake pulled the trigger to the end of its range on one weapon causing a rapid fire burst to spray across the three intruders then he dropped to his haunches, put one gun on the ground to use the other sniper style, and quickly picked off the exposed parts of their bodies above and below their bullet proof vests. The echo of Jake’s gunfire rang through the chamber as he quickly retrieved his other weapon, pointed both muzzles in front of him and searched the area for more assailants. There was silence and he could see no others so he changed the clip on one weapon and made his way to the steel door to check the bodies. Satisfied he was now alone; he put his ear to the door then suddenly jumped back and to the side, training both guns on the opening. There was an audible clunk then a strange whirring sound and the door loosened from its position. Jake strained to see through the widening crack as his fingers sat ready to squeeze their triggers. The door slowly opened to reveal a silhouette.
