She tilted her head slightly. He never gave her orders, he knew better. It had been one of the conditions they’d agreed on when he recruited her to IDSD, as a civilian who could, in theory, walk away whenever she wanted.
Which was before she became what she was and the responsibility became too great—impossible, in fact—to walk away from.
He was ordering her now, which meant he really was worried about her. So she wasn’t sure how he would take what she was about to tell him. “Yes, well, that might be a bit of a problem,” she finally said. “The keeping away from Agent Pierce part.”
He glared.
“He lives next door to me.”
His jaw dropped.
“I moved, remember? When I came back from Brussels?”
He nodded. IDSD Security was required to approve the address.
“Well, apparently Agent Donovan Pierce lives in the house next to mine.”
“How the hell did they miss that?”
“They probably didn’t. Security would have seen a nice, safe neighborhood with a next-door neighbor who is basically a law enforcement officer. That’s a good thing. In theory.”
“The irony,” he said, and let out a sigh of exasperation.
Lara didn’t need him to tell her what he was thinking. He’d been bugging her to move into an IDSD secure complex, or any secure residential complex of any military or agency of her choosing, for that matter. They would all welcome her, he assured her again and again. But she consistently refused. So, as was the standard procedure for officials of her rank and security clearance, any place she lived in had to be cleared by IDSD’s security division. And they would have loved the fact that a field-trained USFID agent was living right next door to her. Except, it just happened to be this one.
“Frank.” She stood up, came around the desk, and sat on it. “I won’t get involved in the investigation, and I will keep away from Agent Donovan Pierce.”
And she would. Or at least, she would do her best to. The question, they both knew, was if the investigation and Pierce would stay away from her.
“But I want updates,” she added.
He nodded his consent, although he didn’t look entirely convinced. Or less worried.
As soon as the vice admiral left her office, Lara turned to her laptop, which she had placed on her desk. She accessed USFID’s human resources management system and brought up Donovan Pierce’s file. While the mainframe that controlled her office was registered as IDSD’s, the laptop was untraceable, thanks to the security measures installed on it. Her accessing his file would not even be recorded.
His photo was the first thing that came up, his physical features listed beside it. Thirty-six, interestingly young for his position at USFID. But then, at a few months over thirty-one, the same could be said about her. Six feet two. Dark brown hair, nearly black. Thick, she remembered, and cut short. Stylish and kempt, but then she wasn’t surprised. It fit with what she had seen earlier that morning, the way he was dressed, although he seemed casual about it. It came naturally, she thought, and wondered why her analytic thought processes even bothered to go that far. Blue-gray eyes, more blue than gray in the early morning light, she remembered that too. Her gaze moved to the photo. Even now his eyes seemed to bore into hers, even from this, a mere photo on a screen. But this way she could at least study him in leisure. The handsome face. Serious, something in him that would not accept defying. Something that would warn people not to come too close.
She switched to the federal service tab and had a look at his USFID record. His appraisals. Good. They confirmed what she thought, what she’d seen so far in his work. She noted his impressive field background, then skimmed over the no less impressive data in his military service tab. Which explained the confidence in his stance, the evident strength in him, she couldn’t help but recall. Her eyes went to the other tabs and stopped on the personal data tab. She contemplated it thoughtfully.
And then closed his file without opening it.
Chapter Four
Donovan fumed. He stood before White’s desk, his eyes narrowed.
White sighed. “I know, I’m sorry, but this time there’s nothing I can do.”
And that was something USFID’s director was rarely forced to say.
Donovan couldn’t believe it. He was called here as soon as White arrived, to be told that under US Global Intelligence’s orders, backed by the one authority no one in the United States could say no to, he was to suspend all inquiries regarding Oracle. Otherwise, he was allowed to proceed with the investigation as he wished, and US Global Intelligence and IDSD would provide him with all the help he would need, at his request, as would, of course, all the other agencies whose data had been stored in the data center destroyed.
Anything he needed, except Oracle. Now where had he heard that before?
He strode out of White’s office. This day was getting better and better. As he stepped off the elevator on the floor designated for USFID-SIRT, heads came up to look at him, but no one dared ask. Approaching his office, he saw Ben, whom he had designated to head the team assisting him in the investigation, standing beside the door, chatting with a short, heavyset, middle-aged man wearing a spotless IDSD uniform and a bright smile. The eyes that now turned to Donovan, though, were focused and intelligent.
He introduced himself as the IDSD interagency liaison for the investigation, Lieutenant Commander Nathan Walker. As he and Ben followed Donovan into his office and sat down, Nathan, as he insisted they call him, acknowledged that he had seen the investigation materials provided to IDSD the night before and that he would gladly help in any way he could.
“Yes,” Donovan said in a matter-of-fact tone, settling behind his desk and smiling lightly. “I was assured by Vice Admiral Scholes and by Ms. Lara . . .” He faltered, as if trying to recall her name. Beside the liaison, Ben hid a smile.
“Holsworth?” Nathan helped.
Gotcha. “Yes, Ms. Lara Holsworth. I didn’t catch what she does at IDSD. I understand Vice Admiral Scholes is the head of IDSD Missions, and Ms. Holsworth is . . . ?”
“Vice Admiral Scholes is, in addition, the second-in-command of IDSD in the United States, and our assistance in your investigation, which is, of course, of a high importance, will therefore be overseen directly by him,” Nathan said smoothly.
“And Ms. Holsworth?” Ben prodded, following the line Donovan started and feigning entering the information he was hearing in the investigation log he was holding, something that usually prompted people to be more helpful than they meant to.
“Ms. Holsworth just happened to be in the vice admiral’s office at the time of your conversation. She is assigned elsewhere.” Nathan’s tone was pleasant, but there was a finality to his words.
Donovan motioned his investigator to let it go. He needed the lieutenant commander’s cooperation, and alienating him would be a mistake. “I see,” he said in a no less amiable tone. “Be that as it may, I was assured of IDSD’s assistance.”
“Yes, of course. That is why I’m here. I thought we might get things going, see what you need from me,” the seasoned liaison reiterated.
And he was indeed forthcoming. He answered every question either Donovan or Ben had and made sure to note down the information they asked him to obtain. While USFID had access to all US-related sources, which included also access to certain levels of information from other territories in which the United States could exercise extraterritorial jurisdiction, IDSD did not fall under its jurisdiction in any way—in fact, it fell under no country’s jurisdiction—and Donovan’s access to it was highly limited. Which meant that the liaison’s assistance was indispensable. And here, at least, IDSD seemed entirely genuine in its intention to advance the investigation by all means possible.
To Donovan’s question, Nathan answered that like all other government entities that had partnered to construct the five secure data centers that were scattered worldwide, all with identical information stored in them, IDSD kept
in the data storage unit assigned to it in each data center the plans for its facilities, complexes and bases, information about personnel at all ranks, including and exclusively personnel in sensitive positions, and highly confidential details about diplomatic and military operations and missions as well as about its diverse joint ventures with fellow agencies within the alliance. While some of these were also stored in the databases kept by IDSD in its various branches, there was certain information, Nathan emphasized, that was stored exclusively in the data centers due to its sensitivity. He was unable to provide much information about the destroyed data center itself, its structure and its security, but Donovan didn’t need him to. US Global Intelligence was already arranging for the USOMP to provide him with that.
Nathan had fallen silent, and seemed to be deep in thought. The subject at hand was, clearly, close to his heart. “You need to understand,” he said after a lengthy silence, “that other than the obvious for a formal body engaged in both diplomatic and military missions, IDSD’s added sensitivity comes from the fact that as the only truly international entity, it has made possible unprecedented cooperation between regimes, and between military and diplomatic forces worldwide. And perhaps for the first time in human history there are solid indications, a true chance, that this cooperation could one day lead to the resolution of armed conflicts and a major shift to peaceful global synergy that would advance the eradication of that which ails humanity—poverty, ignorance and human rights abuse—and would allow it to invest its resources in progress.”
He barely paused for a breath. “But there are still those who would do all they can to prevent this, both inside and outside the alliance of peaceful nations, an alliance your own country is an important part of. No matter how much humanity advances, there will always be those who value hate, destruction and ego over tolerance and progress.”
Donovan listened without irony. In the past, what the liaison was saying would sound like a fantasy, nothing more than a dream. But the fact was that it was now a real possibility. After the accelerated spread of regional terrorism in the presence of a line of hesitant leaderships in what was until then the world’s stronghold of freedom and democracy, alongside failures that had brought down with resonating finality the major economies and had sent the world into unprecedented uncertainty and dissent, and the wars that were then waged by too many who thought they could now rear their heads and take over their weaker peers on the way to cruel domination, the entire world had been plagued by violence, intolerance, hopelessness and distrust.
And that was when the Internationals rose—people worldwide who decided they would break away from their respective nationalities and create a new one, millions who had succeeded in convincing the International Court to announce a new citizenship, an international one. The way the world was conducting itself, as fragments whose sharp sides were aimed at one another, was simply not working, the Internationals had asserted. They would, they vowed, treat humanity as one, and find a way to unite it. No matter how long it took, they would convince all nations to work together toward a better future for everyone.
People ridiculed them, nations dismissed them, but the Internationals persisted. And they turned out to be as pragmatic as they were patient. Before long they had a governing council, boasted an efficient diplomatic corps and a highly-specialized military force, both under IDSD, and it wasn’t long before they were mediating disputes worldwide. They were increasingly being heeded to and successfully bringing nations together, gradually and sturdily forming a global alliance. Their people had their own passports, and were soon accepted by all allied countries, and could live everywhere. The word International now had a whole new meaning. That had been several decades earlier, and there were now many who had already been born Internationals.
Except that those who chose to remain outside the alliance were increasingly worried they would disappear or be rendered powerless, or simply wanted their way to prevail. And they deemed the continued strengthening of the Internationals, their plans for global unity coming to life, to be a major hindrance. Donovan could see how the theft of information from IDSD’s unit in the data center would worry all the allies, and not only the Internationals and IDSD.
“Fact is, the information stolen could be used to foil ongoing efforts to resolve disputes in unstable regions and to empower those living under authoritarian rule, who want to join the alliance.” Nathan stopped and let out a short laugh. “Damn, I really don’t mean to sound so formal. It’s the job, you know. Look, some of the places we operate in aren’t easy, to say the least, and getting people to have enough confidence in us to allow us, all of us, all the allies, to help them—and they do need our help—takes time and is a constant touch and go. Imagine if whoever broke into the data center misuse what they took, in effect intervening in what we do. And there are too many ways they could do that. Hell, IDSD and the alliance’s reliability could be shaken. Perhaps irreparably so. And just think about it, what if this information is used to seek out and harm people critical to our activities? Think where this could lead. IDSD is no different than any other agency in this sense. We too have key personnel who are integral to what we do, and some of these people, whether they’re in the field or not, must remain hidden. We’ve got to ensure their safety.”
Donovan contemplated this. “Why did whoever they are choose to attack the data center here, in the United States? Why not one of the others?”
“Well, for one, only two are common knowledge, if you can call it that. The data center just outside Washington, DC, and the IDSD-based data center in Brussels. The other three serve as critical backups, and as such their locations are not easily known. As for why the United States and not Belgium . . .” He shrugged. “Our intelligence division assumes this might be because while Brussels is the home of our main diplomatic activity, the United States is where our main missions activity is.”
And so, assuming IDSD was in fact the target in the data center break-in, and IDSD was assuming that, Nathan confirmed, whoever did it was probably after something that had to do with IDSD Missions, and they must be found before they proceeded with whatever it was they were planning to do with the information they stole.
“The thing is,” Donovan said, thinking aloud, “it stands to reason that whoever carried out this specific attack was an independent group, not closely, if at all, affiliated with any of the rogue regimes that might oppose your work. A country as such would not likely pull something like this off—something that would most certainly lead to the unforgiving retaliation of the full force of the allies, especially the United States on whose soil the data center was attacked—without taking more than was actually taken. And for anyone who actually wants a war, there are easier and more obvious ways to start one. No, whoever did this was, I’m thinking, an unaffiliated group. And likely a highly sophisticated one that wants to remain hidden until it accomplishes its goals.”
Which again raised the question of what those goals were. And the likelihood that this was an independent group bothered Donovan. It meant that its identity and goals would be more difficult to identify, especially since they were obviously intelligence-wary and didn’t tend to brag about their actions, otherwise something would have been picked up by the allies’ intelligence agencies during the time it must have taken to plan the break-in. And an independent group with the kind of capabilities that allowed it to break into and destroy one of the most secure data centers in the world, meant they had to have substantial resources, money and minds alike.
“There have been attacks on IDSD before, and on Internationals, just like there have been attacks on other nations’ forces, diplomats, or citizens. But there has never been an incident such as this one,” Nathan said. “We’ve already begun looking for possible perpetrators, but from what we can see so far, the existing organizations or militant groups that oppose the alliance or even only IDSD or the Internationals aren’t capable of pulling off something like this. And in any case, like you
say, Agent Pierce, it doesn’t stand to reason that they would go to the lengths of planning such a break-in. They have far easier ways to accomplish what they want.”
“Not to mention noisier ones,” Donovan added. And the fact was that the data center break-in and destruction was a substantial achievement, and yet whoever pulled it off did not advertise it, but rather was keeping it quiet. Which meant, Donovan said, that the break-in itself, an obvious and quite significant embarrassment to the allies, and to the United States in particular, since it took place on its turf, was not the goal. Which, considering the data stolen, pointed to the conclusion that whoever did this was not finished yet and wanted something IDSD had. Badly.
Nathan’s gaze wavered, his eyes moving away from Donovan’s for a moment. A split second only, but it was enough.
IDSD already knew that. And it obviously knew exactly what whoever broke into the data center was after. Oracle came to Donovan’s mind. Anger flared, although he kept it carefully hidden. He didn’t like anyone getting in the way of his investigation, and it seemed that for Oracle, whatever it was, that was what even IDSD itself, the target of the attack, was doing. And Donovan had certainly never encountered an incident where his own peers, US agencies that had an interest in having his investigation proceed fast and without a hitch, stonewalled him so relentlessly on any one piece of information he tried to obtain. What the hell was more important than finding whoever broke into the data center on US soil and then destroyed it with such vengeance? And why were the allies cooperating with IDSD on this?
“Right,” he said with assumed calmness. “Well, my people are also looking at militant groups and past incidents, both through our own resources and through the other agencies that had a stake in the data center. What I need from you are specific IDSD- related incidents that could be linked in some way to this one. Theft of information at high encryption levels, high-profile data. Attacks on your databases, cyber ones but also physical attacks that would require a certain level of sophistication or ones in which a highly potent fire or explosion was involved. And, of course, the perpetrating groups.
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