Agent Roman scowled. “Just because you’re popular with your constituency doesn’t mean the opposing party is just as enamored with you. In fact, this is exactly what someone would need to squelch that good feeling and unseat you.”
“I know, but as much as I’ve made my staff keep its collective ear the ground, no one has reported anything about who might be gearing up to challenge me in the upcoming election.”
“What about your position as the chairman of the senate intelligence committee? Would someone be angling to steal that from you?” Agent Miller asked.
“Possibly, but I don’t know who that would be. We’re all pretty good friends—at least all of us on the majority side.”
“If you were gone, who would assume your role as Chairman?” Agent Roman asked.
“Well, let’s see. I guess that would probably be Senator McWilliams.”
“Otto McWilliams, the former CEO of Pantheon Pharmaceutical?” Agent Miller asked.
“That’s the guy, but he wouldn’t be behind this,” Fontenot said.
“Why not?”
“Otto and I went to Harvard together. We’ve been friends forever. I even helped him fund the construction of several research labs in Jacksonville when I was working in the finance sector. Our families have vacationed together before. We are together ideologically as any two senators possibly could be.”
“Yet someone is still pressuring you in an attempt to get either your seat or your power on the committee,” Agent Miller said. “Something isn’t right. You have to be able to admit that much.”
“Of course I can admit that,” Fontenot said as he narrowed his eyes. “But the problem is out there somewhere, not on the senate floor and not in Russia. Someone is trying to force me out, and it isn’t someone I know.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Agent Roman said. “People never cease to disappoint with their backstabbing ways.”
“I’m not that cynical, Agent Roman. I didn’t get to this position in life by thinking the worst about everyone I meet.”
“Perhaps not, but you won’t stay where you are if you don’t.”
Fontenot stood. “I trust I’ve given you both enough information to launch your investigation.”
“We appreciate your time, Senator,” Agent Miller said, offering her hand.
“And I’m grateful for what you do. Just please don’t suggest to anyone that I’ve accused them. I don’t want to have to mend fences once this whole ordeal is over.”
Agent Roman shook hands with Fontenot. “If mending fences is the extent of the fallout from this situation, you’ll be a lucky man. Have a nice evening, Senator.”
Fontenot watched the agents walk away and mulled over Roman’s parting shot. Maybe he was right. Trusting too many people was never a recipe for success in a city like Washington. But so far, the tactic had served Fontenot well.
He wondered how much time he had before they uncovered the truth.
CHAPTER 4
THE NEXT MORNING, HAWK trudged into the Phoenix Foundation offices and slumped into his chair. He had spent most of the evening researching all of Fontenot’s connections and pondering if there was more to the story than the senator let on. Despite nursing a cup of hot tea, he remained groggy and put off by Alex’s chipper morning disposition.
“Would you please stop smiling?” Hawk asked.
Alex, sitting directly across from her husband, chuckled at the request.
“You can’t even see me,” she said. “There are exactly two computer screens between us.”
“Doesn’t matter,” he said. “I know you’re grinning like a Cheshire cat—and it’s grating on my last ever-loving nerve.”
“You only know that because I’m always smiling.”
“That doesn’t matter—it’s still bothering me.”
Alex laughed softly. “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, and it wasn’t me.”
“So, sue me,” Hawk said. “I’m grumpy in the mornings.”
“More like Godzilla meets King Kong.”
Hawk shrugged. “Waking up to your face is always the best part of my day.”
“Your flattery won’t work on me,” Alex said. “I still haven’t forgotten that you said I was taking a shower too loud yesterday morning—and I wasn’t even singing.”
Hawk winced. “I may have blown that out of proportion.”
“May have?”
“Okay, okay. You win. I definitely blew that out of proportion.”
“And?”
“And—I’m—sorry,” Hawk said.
“That sounded more like a question than it did an apology,” Alex said.
He sighed. “Let me try that again. I’m very sorry, dear. I should’ve been more sensitive and loving than I was. Will you forgive me?”
“Now that’s more like it,” she said before focusing on her work again.
“Wait a minute—that’s it?” Hawk asked. “I thought—”
“You thought what? That I was going to drop my work for you and tell you that I think you’re a swell guy? I love you, Brady Hawk, but you can be a pain sometimes.”
Hawk was about to ask her how he could improve when she shrieked. He immediately knew it was the joyful kind as opposed to the horrified shrill noise that emanated from her mouth when she had made an egregious error.
“What?” he asked.
“I think I figured out where these cyber attacks are originating from,” she said. “I’ve been running some algorithms to pinpoint the exact location—and I think I know where it is.”
“And?”
“The Changbai mountain range on the border of North Korea and China,” she said as she peeked around the side of her computer screen. She was wide-eyed and grinning big.
“And you think we’re going there together, don’t you?”
She furrowed her brow. “Why not? It’s not like going into North Korea would be the most dangerous thing we’ve ever done.”
Hawk bobbed his head in agreement. “You have a point, but we have some logistical issues to consider, starting with how we get in and out of the country. It’s much easier with one than two.”
She narrowed her eyes while a faint smile appeared on her lips. “You’ve become far too protective of me these days. It’s like you’re my husband.”
He winked. “Let’s go talk to Blunt about this.”
They trekked down the hall to Blunt’s office. He was on a phone call but waved them inside as soon as he made eye contact. Mouthing an apology, he pointed at the phone and shrugged.
“Are you sure this trip is necessary?” Hawk whispered. “I mean, can’t you just work some of your computer voodoo from here?”
She shook her head. “I’ll explain in a minute.”
Blunt finally ended his call and exhaled. He set his phone down on his desk and then clasped his hands in front of him.
“So, what have you learned so far?” he asked.
Alex scooted forward in her seat. “Bernard Fontenot is in a bad spot—and there are several perpetrators. But we can’t say definitively who’s behind it all.”
“Sounds like you at least have some leads,” Blunt said.
“Well,” she started, “there’s good news and bad news about that. What do you want first?”
“Dealer’s choice.”
“I’ll start with the good news,” she said. “I was able to pinpoint the exact location where the cyber attacks emanated from.”
“Excellent,” Blunt said. “And where exactly is that?”
“That’s sort of the bad news,” she said. “Changbai Mountains on the border of China and North Korea.”
Blunt sighed. “You have to go there, don’t you?”
“Look, my cyber sleuthing can only go so far from here. There are any number of people who could have hired someone in North Korea to administer this assault on the senate’s computer system.”
“Why couldn’t it simply be the North Korean government?” Blunt asked.
Hawk shrugged. “It could be, but that doesn’t make much sense. We haven’t heard any reports about the North Koreans trying to make a move, especially since there’ve been overtures of peace in the region. But there are certainly opportunistic people still there who will continue to operate in a country that gladly turns a blind eye to spying on western world powers.”
“So you’re suggesting these North Korean hackers could be hired by anyone?” Blunt asked.
“Exactly,” Hawk said. “For the right price, I’m sure they could resume their operation.”
“And you’re convinced that’s the case?” Blunt asked.
“If you look at who’s possibly behind all this,” Alex began, “the list of suspects is pretty deep—and the North Koreans aren’t even really on our radar. And while we’re still not certain of the end game, this doesn’t seem like something out of the Pyongyang playbook.”
“But since these attacks are coming from North Korea, we can’t rule them out,” Blunt said.
“No, sir,” Alex said. “I wouldn’t count anyone out at this point. But the intelligence community often rushes to assign blame based on the origin of such an attack, which often seems foolish to me without thoroughly investigating the situation.”
“So, suppose I authorize this mission—how do you intend on extracting this information?” Blunt asked.
“Force, intimidation—I don’t know,” Alex said. “I’m not the expert in such matters, but Hawk is.”
Blunt looked over the top of his glasses at Hawk. “Do you have a plan?”
He nodded. “And it’s two pronged. Destroy the network to halt the attacks and then coerce the leader to tell me who hired him.”
“Those sound more like goals,” Blunt said.
“I can get in and get out—and you won’t get called onto the carpet on my account for starting some international incident,” Hawk said. “You have my word.”
Blunt buried his face in his hands. “Why do I think I’m going to regret granting you two permission to do this?”
“Perhaps you’ve forgotten our stellar record,” Hawk said with a grin.
“I haven’t forgotten all the headaches, that’s for sure,” Blunt said before sighing. “Okay, here’s the deal. I’ll allow you to go, but only Hawk. This mission will be far too dangerous, and I’m certain you can manage from a computer anywhere in the world. You just don’t need to go to North Korea to do it. Understand?”
Hawk and Alex both nodded, giving no argument.
“Good,” Blunt said. “Now you two get going. We’ve got to get to the bottom of this ASAP.”
CHAPTER 5
Osan Air Base
Pyeongtaek, South Korea
AS THE JET’S TIRES BARKED upon touching down on the runway, Hawk pondered the Phoenix Foundation’s tight relationship with the CIA. He had yet to decide if he liked it or not. However, he certainly enjoyed the benefits of traveling abroad when it came to gaining access to most countries. Instead of going through the grueling immigration process with one of his fake passports, Hawk breezed in and out of most locations when landing at a U.S. Air Force base.
Lieutenant Colonel Scott Currant served as the squadron commander at Osan and welcomed Hawk and Alex as they stepped off the plane. Currant ushered them to the special operations room he had set up for the team.
“This mission was supposed to be top secret,” Hawk said as they walked. “Do you have personnel who know about what we’re doing?”
Currant shrugged. “Everything we do here is on a need-to-know basis. We definitely didn’t make any announcement in the base paper, if that’s what you’re worried about. The only people who know your identity and what you’re going to be doing is the pilot we have assigned to take you up for the HALO jump.”
“I guess there are some things we just can’t avoid, can we?” Hawk asked.
“It’s an unfortunate hazard in this business, but I’m sure you’re more accustomed to that kind of danger since you’re with the CIA.”
Hawk preferred to be a ghost when it came to others knowing about what he did. And he felt that way even more so since he married Alex. Their relationship didn’t look like most in the agency—one in the field, one chained to a desk—but he still wasn’t keen on the idea of others knowing his identity, much less his purpose for being there.
Currant reviewed all of the equipment in the room to make sure that Alex was comfortable with everything. Expressing confidence that she could handle the operation of the technology, she slapped the table and asked about their quarters.
“I do imagine that you might want to rest up before mission launch tomorrow morning,” Currant said as he led them down the hall. “No one will bother you in these rooms.”
In the east wing of the building, there were about a half dozen hotel-style rooms, all complete with their own kitchenette, stocked pantry, and bathroom. The furniture was modern yet distinctly Asian.
“If you need the cleaning service to come in, let me know,” Currant said. “But we try to keep everyone out of this area to give you privacy as well as for your protection. If you need anything, there’s a card on the table with my mobile number. Feel free to call me at any time, day or night.”
Hawk and Alex both thanked Currant before shutting the door behind him. Once it latched shut, Alex sighed and collapsed onto the couch in a small sitting area adjacent to the bedroom.
“Are we still sure this is the only way to uncover the cyber attackers’ identities?” Hawk asked. “Have you exhausted all other means?”
Alex smiled. “Is someone getting cold feet about his HALO jump tomorrow morning?”
Hawk shook his head. “The jump doesn’t bother me, but you staying in this place does. We already know that Obsidian has agents everywhere. Who’s to say they don’t have any already working for them here at base? I prefer we don’t talk about this at all, not even in the privacy of this room,” Hawk said.
He then put his index finger to his lips before pulling out his pocketknife and removing the cover over the ventilation duct. Reaching inside, he pulled out a small device about the size of a thimble. Without taking any time to study it, he crushed it with his heel against the kitchen floor. Hawk flipped the faucet on high before speaking.
“This is what I’m talking about,” he whispered. “Staying in a random hotel room that nobody suspected we would go to makes me sleep far better at night than being in a place like this that’s obviously wired. Who knows how many other cameras there are in this room.”
“I’ll let you scan the rest of the place while I unpack and get ready,” Alex said.
Hawk scurried around the room and didn’t find any other signs that they were being watched.
“Coast is clear,” he announced once he finished his inspection.
“Permission to speak freely?” Alex asked.
“Permission granted,” Hawk said with a wry grin.
She slapped a manila folder into his chest. “Read and memorize everything in that file before your trip in the morning. It’s full of good information from the CIA about how to navigate through North Korea and what the best way to connect with the locals is. By the way, how’s your Korean?”
“Aju joh-eunhaji,” Hawk said.
“Not very good?” she asked. “Sounds quite good to me.”
“That’s only because I’ve memorized that phrase,” Hawk said. “Get me into a conversation and there’s no telling what I might say.”
“Hopefully that won’t be a problem for you and everyone you encounter speaks at least some English,” Alex said. “It’s the international language of trade—and anyone wishing to deal with Europeans or other powerful people will need to know how to get by with it. If not, use your translator app.”
“That’s convenient,” Hawk said. “I’ll be training my gun on a guy while I use my left thumb to type in English words into my phone.”
“That’s the worst case scenario. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
&nb
sp; “Okay, let’s get some rest,” Hawk said. “My flight is supposed to leave at 4:00 a.m. and pre-check starts at 3:00.”
“Roger that.”
* * *
HAWK WOKE UP a half hour before he needed to be at the hangar. He showered and shaved while preparing himself mentally for the task of parachuting into North Korea. He had performed several HALO jumps before, but he wasn’t fond of them. Hawk never thought much of the idea of leaping from a perfectly good airplane at a height of over 20,000 feet and then waiting until the last possible moment to deploy his chute. No matter how competent one was at executing the jump, there were still inherent risks involved. Leaping out of an airplane over the earth with complete faith in a flimsy apparatus wasn’t exactly the sport of sane men.
After he was finished getting ready to go, he stopped and stared at Alex as she slept peacefully. He had truly found a woman he could share his life with, every last single piece of it—and he could hardly believe it was real. He thought she looked angelic snuggled up in the bed, causing him to briefly consider easing next to her for a few minutes. But there wasn’t time.
He kissed her on the cheek.
“I love you, Alex,” he said. “Talk to you soon.”
She groaned as she rolled over. “Remind me again why we aren’t working corporate jobs like normal people.”
“Because neither of us would last a week in a job like that,” he said. “Now, I’ve gotta get going, but I’ll see you at the rendezvous point.”
Hawk eased out of the room and down the hall toward the exit. As he strode toward the hangar, he tried not to think about what life would be like if they lived like normal people and let some other adrenaline junkies fight the war in the shadows. It was an ideal he dismissed almost as quickly as it came to him.
He’s right. I’d hate corporate America.
Upon arriving at the hangar, the pilot, Capt. John Gamble and his co-pilot, Capt. Wade Bullock, reviewed the flight plan with Hawk and shared when and where he would jump in order to hit the target area in the Changbai mountains.
“We have to be extremely careful and keep our altitude high,” Gamble said. “We must make sure we don’t venture over China and that North Korea doesn’t suspect us as a threat, if they see us at all on their radar.”
Any Means Necessary Page 3
