Cyber Countdown

by Terence Flynn

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Published by River Grove Books

  Austin, TX

  www.rivergrovebooks.com

  Copyright ©2018 Terence Flyntz

  All rights reserved.

  Thank you for purchasing an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright law. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the copyright holder.

  Distributed by River Grove Books

  Design and composition by Greenleaf Book Group

  Cover design by Greenleaf Book Group

  Cover images ©iStockphoto.com/JosephJacobs.

  ©Snaprender; ©13Imagery; ©u3d. Used under license from Shutterstock.com

  Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data is available.

  Print ISBN: 978-1-63299-160-7

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-63299-161-4

  First Edition

  For Mom, Dad, JoAnn, Tom, Barbara,

  Joey, Michelle, John, James, and Jordan.

  When written in Chinese, the word “crisis” is

  composed of two characters. One represents danger

  and the other represents opportunity.

  —JOHN F. KENNEDY

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  My wife, JoAnn, for her love, patience, and trust;

  My children, Joey, Michelle, and John, for being there;

  Mercy and Jeanne for their patient editing and instruction.

  1

  Dimitri Vasin observed the expensive houses and their glittering Christmas lights and decorations outside his parked SUV. With temperatures in the mid-seventies, it seemed more like September than early December. This winter was predicted to be the warmest for the DC area in years. In Grozny, Chechnya, where Dimitri was born and had grown up, he’d never experienced winters this warm. The climatologists claimed that the earth was warming and was doomed. He thought they might be right, but not because of the weather.

  Christmas was a time of year that Dimitri had loved while growing up in Grozny, but now dreaded. While most Americans celebrated the season and looked forward to being with family and the gifts they’d get, Dimitri was reminded of what he’d lost. His family and many friends had been slaughtered during the Second Chechen War, in the winter of 1999.

  Dimitri had come from a prominent Russian family, was well educated, and had been on his way toward becoming a surgeon. The outbreak of war had changed all that. Instead, he left medical school and learned a new trade when he joined the local Christian militia that fought alongside the Russian Army. They taught him how to kill easily, stealthily, and savagely when necessary.

  The horrible death and savagery that Dimitri witnessed and experienced during the war changed him. He began to think of his life as a Greek tragedy in which dire circumstances reshape the lives of characters who inevitably suffer a brutal death in the final act. Tragedy seemed inevitable for Russians like him, who were born Christians in a Muslim Chechen Republic that was governed by an agnostic Russian empire. Dimitri remembered the words of a professor of Greek literature that he found prophetic: Life is a tragedy and death is the final act.

  Like many other Russian Chechens, Dimitri decided to utilize his new skills after the war ended. There were governments and criminal organizations that would pay well for his talent. It was also much easier than saving lives and was a bigger growth industry than medicine. He thought it was an indictment of the human condition that a highly trained soldier like him was often more valuable than a skilled surgeon.

  The US government and those in Europe had been his best clients, and they paid well for his services, but not as well as the “Big Man” he’d worked for over the past three years. Dimitri had never met the Big Man, as his representatives called him. This made him feel vulnerable, but he accepted it as a tradeoff, since his current position was much more lucrative with fewer hours and less risk than the work he’d performed for his government clients. He also didn’t need to worry about changes in management and available opportunities with each new government.

  The arrival of the red Jaguar interrupted his thoughts.

  “Time to go to work,” Dimitri growled to Chin, his young Chinese cohort sitting in the passenger seat. “There’s his car, right on schedule.”

  “Wow, you didn’t say he drove a Jaguar convertible,” Chin replied. “Can I have it after we’re done?”

  “We’ll see. Looks like he’s alone. Look to see which lights go on after he goes in.”

  “Okay, but do I get to do the wet work?”

  Chin had only been in the country a short time and was already using American crime movie slang. Ah, the pervasive evils of Western culture, Dimitri thought.

  “There’s no wet work on this job,” he said. “We’re just here to question him and to take some of his things.”

  “What things?”

  “That’s not your concern. Just do your job.”

  Dimitri preferred working alone, but this Chinese punk was a necessity for this job. Not for the reasons the psychopath sitting next to him anticipated, however. One of the reasons Dimitri had selected Chin for this job was because he had a reputation for performing burglaries without leaving clues.

  The Big Man’s representative had made it clear that the target was high profile. Dimitri understood what that meant. The job had to be done right, without leaving any clues behind other than the ones Dimitri wanted to leave.

  “He’s been in there a while, Dimitri. It looks like the only lights that are lit are on the first floor.”

  “Okay, put on your ski mask and go through the trees on the right to get to the back of the house,” Dimitri directed. “There’s a sliding glass door near the pool that you can jimmy. Remember, disable the alarm on the back door first, and then enter and disable the target. Don’t harm him. I need to talk with him. I’ll follow when you signal everything’s okay.”

  “Don’t worry, no one will see me. There are no other houses nearby, and the trees will hide me from anyone driving down the street. I’ve done this lots of times.”

  Dimitri waited about ten minutes until the lights turned on and off three times: Chin’s signal. He put on a pair of custom-made latex gloves and his ski mask, and he unsheathed his Russian combat knife as he walked through the trees to the back of the house. Entering through the back door, he went down the hall toward the living room. From the display cases that lined the hall, Dimitri could see that the occupants of the house had a taste for Chinese art and antiquities. They were beautiful, but he didn’t believe they were real. Genuine antiques would require a better alarm system than the house appeared to have.

  When he entered the living room, Dimitri found their target sitting in a leather lounger with his hands tied and a gag in his mouth. Chin was sitting across from the target on a matching leather couch, smoking one of the target’s expensive cigars. What an idiot, he thought, but a useful one, as Lenin would say.

  “Untie him and take the gag out of his mouth,” Dimitri growled. “Hurt him if he screams or tries to escape.” He could see his captive’s eyes widen, so he knew his words had the intended impact.

  “Where’s your safe? Tell me and you won’t get hurt.”

  “In the master bedroom upstairs.”

  “Show me,” Dimitri ordered as he pulled the man to his feet.

  Dimitri followed his captive up the stairs. As they entered the master bedroom, Dimitri looked around and said
, “Where is it?”

  “Under the carpet. It’s built into the floor.”

  “Open it.”

  The man removed the carpet and the floor panel above the safe and then walked toward the phone on the end table next to the bed.

  “Don’t touch the phone,” Dimitri warned.

  “The phone’s keypad is the mechanism for opening the safe. I need to enter the pass code and then correctly respond to an audio challenge.”

  “Okay, go ahead,” Dimitri said. “But if the safe doesn’t open or there’s an alarm, I’ll shoot you. Is that clear?”

  He nodded and entered a nine digit number, and then responded to the audio challenge question with a verbal pass phrase. The red light on the safe turned green as the lock unlatched.

  “Stand back,” Dimitri said. “I’ll open the safe.”

  Dimitri opened the safe and found a large amount of cash, some legal papers, and some technical documents, which he quickly viewed.

  “What’s in the documents, Philip?”

  “How do you know my name?” asked his captive, Philip Wu, with a surprised look on his face.

  “I’ll say it just one more time,” Dimitri warned. “What’s in the documents?”

  “They describe a research project my company is involved in. A plan to enhance cybersecurity for our customers.”

  “Is any of this information classified?”

  “No,” Philip said. “My company doesn’t sell its products to the federal government, only businesses.”

  “That’s good, because I wouldn’t want to break the law,” Dimitri said with a laugh. “Tell me—does any of this relate to Project Backfire?”

  Philip Wu flinched and nervously said, “I’ve never heard of that project.”

  “I know that’s not true, Philip. Now tell me, does this research project relate to Project Backfire? If you don’t tell me, I’ll get my answers from your colleagues and family.”

  “My colleagues and family know nothing and my research isn’t related to any government project. You should know that my company doesn’t sell its products to the government, since you seem well informed.”

  “I’m very well informed, Philip. Now tell me where I can find the documents that describe Backfire. If they’re not in these papers, where are they? I don’t have all night.”

  “You’re wasting your time taking those documents.”

  “Then why don’t you tell me what the goal for Backfire is.”

  “Project Backfire is very technical. I doubt you’d understand.”

  “Just keep it at a layman’s level, so even I can comprehend it,” Dimitri said with contempt.

  “I’m sorry. I meant no offense,” Philip replied.

  “None taken. Answer my question.”

  “We’re implementing a new technology that will make our cybersecurity systems more adaptive to new threats.”

  “How are you doing that?” Dimitri asked.

  “We’re using artificial intelligence. The exact mechanism is very complex.”

  Dimitri considered his options and decided there was nothing of use that could be gained from Philip Wu without the necessary technical knowledge, which he didn’t have.

  “Okay, but I think I’ll take these technical documents anyway. Put the cash and papers back in the safe and we’ll go see how my little friend is doing. He really likes your cigars.”

  When they got downstairs, Philip Wu took his seat across from Chin, who was lighting another cigar. Dimitri almost laughed at the sight of Chin attempting to light the cigar without setting his ski mask and face on fire.

  “These are really good cigars. Are you sure you don’t want one?” Chin asked.

  “No thanks, our masks are flammable, and I like my face the way it is. I have a few more questions for Philip, and then we can leave with some of his things.”

  “Philip? Is that his name? What things are you talking about?”

  Dimitri gave Chin a long and silent stare, and he immediately stopped talking. He then turned to Philip Wu and asked, “Do you have a PC or laptop or any portable data storage devices in the house, Philip?”

  “My laptop’s in my briefcase by the hallway entrance, but there’s no information on it about Backfire.”

  “I warn you, don’t lie to me,” Dimitri said. “I know that you sometimes keep confidential information on important projects at this residence.”

  “Who told you that? I’m afraid you’ve been misinformed.”

  “Our information is from a reliable source.”

  “What source?” Philip asked.

  “If I told you that, my friend here would have to kill you,” Dimitri said flatly. “I really don’t want to do that. You’re a brilliant man who’s done a lot of great things, and I admire you and your success.”

  “I think you’ll kill me anyway,” said Wu. “I won’t help you, no matter what you do to me.”

  Dimitri walked directly in front of Wu and bent over so they were face to face. He then took out his knife and pressed it into Wu’s neck. Wu didn’t flinch. Dimitri pressed harder until small droplets of Wu’s blood began to appear on the blade. He continued this for more than a minute until Wu said, “I’m ready to die. Just end it.”

  “You know, Philip, I believe you,” Dimitri said. He then turned to Chin and said, “Watch him while I check his briefcase.”

  Dimitri had just started to go through the contents of the briefcase when he heard Chin and Wu speaking loudly in Chinese. Suddenly, he heard a loud thumping, grunts, and then abrupt silence. He ran back to the living room. Chin was straddling Philip Wu’s body while removing his bloody stiletto from under Wu’s rib cage. Blood was surging from the wound. Dimitri kicked Chin in the head so hard that it rolled him off Wu’s body. Chin was gasping for air and Dimitri saw blood flowing from his ear as he ripped off Chin’s ski mask.

  “You idiot, I didn’t tell you to kill him,” Dimitri shouted.

  Chin looked up at Dimitri with tears in his eyes. “Please don’t kick me again, Dimitri,” he cried. “Wu tried to get away, and we were going to have to kill him anyway.”

  Dimitri removed his ski mask and threw it at Chin. “Wu’s death was never part of my plan, and it wasn’t your decision to make. I still needed him to describe what’s in his briefcase. You should’ve just restrained him.”

  “I was angry. He called my mother a prostitute.”

  Dimitri composed himself and remembered why he liked working alone.

  “Take Wu’s car,” he ordered. “I’ll meet you in the parking lot at the marina we passed on the way here. I need time to check the house for the information the client is paying us for.”

  “Can I keep Wu’s Jaguar?” Chin asked hopefully.

  “I doubt Mr. Wu will be needing it,” Dimitri spat. “You made sure of that. I’ll bring some of Mr. Wu’s more valuable things after I’m done here. Take your cigars with you—they could be evidence. When you drive Mr. Wu’s car past the security post, keep your head down. There might be security cameras.”

  “Okay, I know how to do that. How long will you be?”

  “I don’t know. Just stay there until I arrive. Is that clear?”

  “I’m sorry about what happened, Dimitri,” Chin said quietly.

  “Just get out of my sight,” Dimitri replied.

  Once Chin was gone, Dimitri set to work. He searched the entire house, including Wu’s office, for more than two hours, but found nothing of interest. His detailed search of Wu’s briefcase revealed a small laptop computer, a portable USB drive, some personal and legal papers, and Wu’s corporate and government ID badges.

  Well, maybe we’ve found what we are looking for, thought Dimitri.

  Dimitri put the technical documents from the safe into the briefcase and went back to the master bedroom to make sure nothing looked like it had been disturbed. As he entered the bedroom, he noticed that the light on the safe door was red. He remembered the light being green after Philip Wu had closed it earlier. Fro
wning, he opened the safe door and carefully reclosed the door again. The light was green, indicating that the safe was locked. He tried to open the safe door but couldn’t; the safe was indeed locked. Dimitri sat on the bed and watched. After about fifteen minutes, the light turned red again, and the unlocked door opened easily when he tried it. He realized that the safe wouldn’t remain locked and there was probably another sequence of numbers and possibly another vocal challenge question required to lock it. Those were things only Philip Wu knew.

  Very clever, thought Dimitri. Chin had killed Philip Wu; he wondered if Wu had goaded him into it, knowing that the inability to close the safe would provide evidence that it had been breached. Dimitri knew the Big Man might be upset about this, if he knew. He needed to hide his involvement from the authorities. Dimitri closed the safe and covered it with the flooring and carpet so it would look like Wu had just forgotten to lock his safe. He prayed it would work.

  Dimitri also took some small Chinese antiquities from Wu’s display cases and wrapped them carefully in newspaper. He then placed them in a large plastic shopping bag he found in the kitchen and checked the house to make sure he had not left anything behind that could connect him to Wu’s death. Dimitri then left the house with Wu’s briefcase and the shopping bag through the same door he had entered and placed everything in the SUV.

  When Dimitri and Chin had arrived at Wu’s house earlier that afternoon it was sunny, warm, and dry. They had driven the SUV through the woods over rough and hilly terrain to avoid the security gate for the gated community where Wu’s house was located. Now it was raining and the ground was soft from the warm temperatures.

  Dimitri knew the drive out would be treacherous so he drove very slowly until he finally reached the main road. The drive to the marina took another forty minutes. He hoped Chin hadn’t left with his new red toy before he arrived. That would ruin everything.

  Dimitri was relieved when he saw Wu’s red Jaguar. It was the only car in the empty marina parking lot. The lights in the marina were off, and there appeared to be no one nearby. Just to make certain, he used a set of binoculars to observe the parking lot but didn’t see anyone near the Jaguar or, for that matter, anyone in it, either.