Cyber Countdown

by Terence Flynn

  Before getting out of the van, everyone put on extra clothing.

  “I can’t believe how cold it is, even with these winter clothes. Have you ever experienced anything like this, Kim?”

  “It was this cold in Tumen at the very northern tip of North Korea. Thankfully, I wasn’t there very long.”

  “I’m already shivering, Kim. Lian and Shen must be used to this.”

  “They’ve probably lived here all their lives. I’m sure they’re used to it. Do you mind if I put my arm around you? It might help.”

  “Sure, but let’s not lose Shen and Lian. They have our tickets, and they both seem to know the area like the back of their hands.”

  As they went to the entrance, Kim overheard some Americans complaining about the price to get into the park, over two hundred dollars. Shen went up to the entrance with four tickets in his hand, and they were immediately let in at what seemed like a VIP entrance. Apparently Shen had some connections. Kim made a mental note that Shen was someone he needed to know better.

  “All those full-size buildings and statues were made from blocks of crystal-clear ice,” Shen said. “They are three to four feet thick and were taken directly from Harbin’s Songhua River.”

  “How are they sculpted and fitted?” Kim asked.

  “With chain saws and hand tools,” Lian said. “Different colored LED lights are used to provide the rainbow of colors. The ice sculptures are buildings and monuments of different architectural types and styles. There are also ice figures, including animals, people, and mythical creatures.”

  “Look over there, Cai. There are slippery dips and ice slides as well as tricycles that people are riding on the ice.”

  “There’s also a miniature train and zip line that would be fun if I weren’t so cold,” Cai responded, in a stammering voice.

  Kim could see that Cai wasn’t adjusting to the cold, and her shivering was getting worse.

  “Shen, Cai is freezing. We need to get her out of this cold.”

  Shen looked at Cai. “Okay, follow me.”

  Shen and Lian led them to a large food tent.

  “You girls sit at that table over there while Kim and I get some hot drinks and snacks.”

  “Hurry, Shen, Cai looks very weak,” Lian said.

  “We’ll be right back, Lian.”

  Kim and Shen returned with hot cocoa, coffee, and hot food, which they all rapidly inhaled.

  “Cai is looking better, but I think we should leave soon, Shen.”

  “Okay, Kim. I’ll call the Shangri La to request the van to pick us up.”

  The van arrived in less than fifteen minutes, and they all jumped in, along with some tourists staying at the hotel. After they arrived, Shen went to the front desk and set up a dinner reservation for four at the hotel’s Shang Palace restaurant.

  Shen pointed to a brightly lit bar in the corner of the lobby and said, “We have about an hour to kill. Let’s go to the Lobby Lounge and get a drink while we wait.”

  As they walked in, Shen was greeted by the bartender. “Shen, Lian, where’ve you been? I haven’t seen you for weeks.”

  “Lian and I needed to study for our final exams, as did my two friends. The usual for me and Lian and whatever my friends want.”

  Cai ordered hot coffee, as did Kim.

  “Do you want anything in it?” the bartender asked.

  Cai smiled. “Do you have any Bailey’s Irish Cream?” she asked.

  “Sure, any particular flavor?”

  “No, just regular, and could you make it with extra whipped cream?”

  “No problem, I’ll even add a cherry to match the color of your beautiful face.”

  Cai smiled. “Thank you,” she said.

  Kim thought for a second. “I’ll change my coffee to an Irish double espresso, if that’s okay?”

  “Sure thing,” the bartender said.

  “How can you afford all this, Shen? Is your family rich?”

  “Actually they are, Kim, but that has nothing to do with me. My father cut me off a while back.”

  “Then how can you afford the car, and everything you paid for tonight?”

  Shen smiled. “I’ve developed a talent that’s in high demand right now. It’s actually a talent that got me into some minor trouble with the authorities and is the reason my family exiled me.”

  “Can I ask what that talent is?”

  “Well, it’s a talent that everyone sitting at this table has and may also have used. I’m getting paid by some very influential people to hack into commercial enterprises in the United States.”

  “Does this have anything to do with why you took us out?”

  “I wasn’t planning on discussing it with you tonight, but since you asked, now is as good a time as ever. Lian is already working with my team and has demonstrated her skills. I’ve observed both you and Cai in class, and clearly you’re both very talented. I just want to know if you’re interested in making some money and if you’ve ever done any hacking before. If you’re not interested, just forget I said anything.”

  Kim decided quickly that it would be best not to show too much enthusiasm, so he let Cai answer first.

  “It’s something I’ve done before, but never for money or on my own behalf,” Cai whispered. “I once hacked into the computers at my secondary school to change a grade for a friend who needed to get accepted to a school she was applying for. I set the hack up so that I had admin privileges, and then after I changed the grade, I embedded a script that changed the grade back after the grade transcripts were sent. The script also removed any evidence of the new admin account and its use and then erased itself.”

  “Did it work?” Shen asked.

  “Absolutely. I’d never do anything like that unless I knew it would work.”

  Kim was seeing a side of Cai that surprised him.

  “Okay, Kim, how about you?”

  “Yes, I’ve done some hacking. It was part of my work and it wasn’t illegal. That’s all I can say.”

  “Then my next question is, are any of you interested in learning more about what Lian and I are doing? Remember, if you say yes, there’s no turning back. Also, be aware that what we’re doing isn’t something that the Chinese authorities are against. They simply look the other way as long as no one gets caught and it doesn’t harm China. The Americans are doing the same thing to the Chinese. I’m sure they’re also doing it to North Korea, Kim.”

  “I know they are,” Kim said.

  Their drinks came and everyone stopped talking. The bartender asked if there was anything else, and they all said “no” in unison.

  When their dinner reservation was called, they all walked over to the restaurant in dead silence. Everyone was considering the change in their relationship from classmates to fellow conspirators against the most powerful country on the planet. After they sat down and ordered their meals, Cai asked the first question.

  “Would we only be hacking into private businesses and not into American government systems?”

  “Yes,” Shen said. “The goal is to obtain financial information, trade secrets, and intellectual property. We won’t be stealing money or interrupting business operations in any way. There’s no national security interest at all, since our attacks will not target the US government or the companies that support their government.”

  “Who’s funding this effort, Shen?”

  “I don’t know, Kim. Nor do I want to. Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you until after I know if you’re in or out. There’s one other requirement. All individuals must have a valid passport that I’ll need to make a copy of, for identification purposes. I was told that it was to ensure none of you are Americans, which I assume you’re not.”

  Kim and Cai both laughed. “That’s not a problem. I just hope the Chinese government is okay with it,” Cai said.

  Lian quickly responded. “I wouldn’t be doing this if there was a possibility of being prosecuted by the Chinese government. After all, they do it to other co
untries and foreign businesses. I look at it as legal free enterprise, since we’re just supporting Chinese industry against competing American interests while being paid for our efforts as capitalists.”

  “Mao would either be rolling in his grave or laughing if he knew that we were using Eastern capitalism to attack the Western capitalists,” Cai said, as they all laughed.

  Even Kim saw the irony and said he was in, followed by Cai.

  4

  George Solomon was livid, although no one except Nadya Murin, his longtime assistant, could tell.

  “The senate majority leader is going to ruin everything I’ve been working for, Nadya. That fat bastard’s bill will never pass; and even if it did, the president would veto it. He’s just doing it to get re-elected and is wasting time that the country doesn’t have.”

  “You need to calm down, George. This meeting today with Barbara Chang is crucial to passing the foreign cyber-attack bill you’ve been trying to get approved for the past eleven months.”

  “You’d think the millions of dollars I’ve spent in getting politicians elected, including the president, would guarantee it. I need this legislation, Nadya, and so does the country. We need to punish those foreign bastards for hacking into American businesses.”

  “I know, George, but the president is worried about the backlash from what the press is calling ‘draconian penalties’ in the senate version of the bill. It would have a major impact on the Chinese, who have had their lobbyists working overtime to kill it.”

  “Yes, and if the senate version does pass, the Chinese could also respond by using their military to threaten our Far East allies. It’s the reason I’m meeting with Barbara Chang, as distasteful as that is for me. I need to derail the senate majority leader’s efforts to pass his bill.”

  “His bill will never pass in the house, George. Even if it did, the president would never sign it.”

  “I know that, Nadya, but its passage in the senate would delay passage of any bill until the next session of Congress, which works against my plans. I also hate kissing Barbara Chang’s ass and she knows it. She would prefer that no bill is passed. At least the president is on our side. He realizes that most American voters believe the Chinese are skinning us. That’s why he made the bill a campaign promise.”

  “You need to be calm and polite when you talk with Barbara about the bill. The two of you clashed frequently when she was the CEO of that large technology conglomerate.”

  “She’s an extremely smart businesswoman, but I won more of those battles than I lost, Nadya. It was that stupid business magazine that nicknamed her the ‘Dragon Lady.’ Her staff claimed I gave her that name and that it was racist. We both know it isn’t true.”

  “I know, George. The name was created by a reporter she knew.”

  “Probably at her request. Barbara fools a lot of adversaries, since she is petite, and that cute round face and smile make her look completely innocent and unassuming. I know better, as do many of her victims.”

  “I worked with her once on a charity fundraiser. She’s a lot like you, George. Very innovative, with an ability to quickly analyze a situation and implement a winning strategy. Unfortunately, she also has a long memory and will never forgive you for trying to convince the president not to select her as his chief of staff.”

  “Yes, that was a mistake. She kept me away from the president for almost a year after the election. I’ve always hated her holier-than-thou attitude because she ran successful businesses, while I merely bought and sold them. She thinks that puts her on a higher ethical plane.”

  “You need to forget all that when you meet her. The problem isn’t her. It’s Senator Thompson and that onerous legislation he’s trying to push through the senate.”

  “I never thought he’d get anywhere with his bill, but he’s surprised me, Nadya. His constituents love it, and so do many of the voters around the country. He’s just using it to curry favor for his upcoming election.”

  “It could work, George. His bashing of the Chinese has erased the accusations against him of marital infidelity, drunkenness, and allegations of influence peddling. His arm-twisting in the senate seems to have gotten him the votes he needs.”

  “I still have a few cards to play. It’s not over yet.”

  George arrived at the White House and was ushered into Barbara Chang’s office. The office always amazed George because it always looked the same. Nothing ever seemed out of place. It was as if it was never really used.

  “So good to see you again, Barbara. You look wonderful, as always.”

  “Thank you, George. I assume you want to discuss the pending foreign cyber-attack legislation.”

  “Yes, I want to make it clear to both you and the president that I don’t support the current senate bill. I believe if we work together, we might be able to get the legislation that we can all support.”

  “The president agrees with the concept of the foreign cyber-attack legislation. I have my doubts that it could be implemented without initiating a trade war with China. However, it would be in the country’s best interests with respect to national defense if the final legislation looks like the house bill instead of the abomination in the senate.”

  “I’m in total agreement, Barbara.”

  “What do you propose, George?”

  “I believe I have some influence with the senate majority leader, and I’d like to approach him about softening his position.”

  Barbara knew what that meant. George either had some dirt he could sling, or he’d make Senator Thompson an offer he couldn’t refuse.

  “You realize that the president and his administration will not be involved in any dealings with the majority leader.”

  “Actually, that’s exactly what I’m requesting, Barbara. I want to make sure that after I have my meeting with Senator Thompson tonight, the president doesn’t provide him any help with the predicament he may find himself in.”

  Barbara knew immediately that George was going to use the stick and not the carrot. She didn’t mind, since Senator Thompson was a buffoon and an embarrassment to the president, the senate, and their political party. Everyone would be happy when he was gone, or at least removed as the majority leader.

  “That’s a deal, George. I’ll inform the president when I meet with him later today. I have to go, as I have a meeting with the Chinese ambassador.”

  “Give the ambassador my regards.”

  Barbara smiled, knowing that George was not and had never been a friend of the Chinese government, and the Chinese were quite aware of that fact.

  George arranged for a meeting in a private conference room at a hotel in northern Virginia. He knew that the hotel he selected was where the senator often had his sexual rendezvous with his aide and would know why George selected it. It would send a message that should make Senator Thompson uncomfortable. George had used that tactic before during difficult negotiations.

  He scheduled the meeting for seven in one of the hotel’s banquet rooms. The senator was known to be a man who lived his life in excess with respect to eating, drinking, and extramarital sex. George decided to let him indulge at least two of his vices by having a high-quality buffet and an open bar set up in the room.

  The majority leader was already in the banquet room when George arrived. He had apparently already tried some of the food and poured himself a drink, as well as another for a very attractive blonde who he introduced to George as his aide, Carla Allen. Senator Thompson turned and gave her a big kiss. “I’ll see you later, dear. I need to take care of some business. Drive carefully.”

  George realized the senator wasn’t intimidated by his reputation, which would make the negotiations much tougher.

  “Good evening, Senator Thompson, I can see you’ve already started without me.” George poured himself a vodka and tonic and sat down across from him. “How’s your wife and family, Senator?”

  “They’re fine, George, and how’s your fiancée? Have you set a date yet?”
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  “No, not yet, but there’s no hurry.”

  “Will she be your third or fourth?”

  George smiled and ignored the question. He decided it was best to just get down to business.

  “Senator, I’m concerned that the proposed foreign cyber-attack legislation in the senate will trigger a trade war between the US and China that would have disastrous consequences for our economy and theirs.”

  Senator Thompson smiled. “Are you here on behalf of the president, or yourself, George?”

  “I’m here on behalf of the American people, including your constituents, Senator.”

  “That would be a first for you, wouldn’t it? After all, the only thing you ever cared about was your own self-interest.”

  “I’m not here to point fingers. I just want to do what’s best for everyone and avoid an ugly confrontation with the Chinese that could get entirely out of hand. Wars have been started over trade and commerce issues like the one we’d be precipitating with your bill. I also don’t believe it’ll help you in your bid for re-election next fall.”

  Senator Thompson laughed at the last comment.

  “Are you kidding, George? Have you seen the political ads I’ve been running in my state? Those Chinese devils have killed my state’s industrial base and have undercut our manufacturing so that it’s less than a third of what it was ten years ago. The actual unemployment rate in my state is over twelve percent and rising. My constituents hate what’s happening to them, and I’m telling them why, every day, twenty-four seven. By the time I’m done, they’ll think the Chinese chairman is Satan himself, and I’m their savior. Look at the polls in my state; they’ve already turned in my favor. Give me one reason why I should stop.”

  “Senator, I can see from your actions earlier with your very attractive aide that you believe you’re shielded from any scandal.”

  The senator smiled with his big, toothy campaign grin.

  “My wife knows about Carla and other past indiscretions. She hasn’t cared about me or what I do for the past ten years, as long as I get re-elected and provide her with a good life, which I have. The people in my state don’t care about sex scandals or political favors as long as I’m working hard for them to improve their lives. The days where those things mattered ended with Bill Clinton. They have little impact as long as the wife and family is supportive and the scandal isn’t too public, and isn’t with the same sex. So I guess you could say I’m somewhat shielded right now.”