Palm Sunday

by William R. Vitanyi Jr.

  When Kayoko and the others emerged onto the street, the bright sunshine was dazzling. The glare reflected off of the concrete sidewalk and buildings, and it took a moment for them to get their bearings.

  Slocum saw a pay phone on the opposite side of the street. “There. Let’s go.”

  Not wanting to attract attention, they walked slowly towards the telephone kiosk. When they got there Stanley picked up the receiver from one of the phones.

  “Who’s got change?” he asked.

  Kayoko held out three quarters. He quickly dropped the coins into the slot and placed a call to Katherine.

  “Stanley! Where are you?”

  “Katherine, listen. There’s no time for details. I’m going to put someone on the phone that will give you directions. You have to come get us as fast as you can, but try not to attract attention. This is a matter of life and death.”

  Kayoko accepted the phone. “Hello, Katherine?”

  “Yes.”

  “Listen carefully.” Kayoko gave a quick description of how to find them. She finished by telling her to just keep cruising past until they made a run for the car.

  “Okay. Can I talk to Stanley again?”

  Stanley took the phone. “It’s me again.”

  “Is everything okay? Is Bobby with you?”

  “Everything will be fine once you get here. Bobby is with me.”

  “Thank God. Should I bring the palmtop?”

  Stanley thought about it. “No. Hide it somewhere. We’ll go back for it when we’re in the clear.” He said goodbye and hung up.

  Slocum indicated the throng of lunchtime workers. “We can blend in easily enough, but I think we should separate until Katherine shows.”

  Kayoko looked around for any sign of Pampas and his goons. “Agreed,” she said.

  Slocum gestured towards Stanley. “You and Bobby can sit over by that restaurant.” He indicated a dining establishment with a nearby bench, both partially obscured by a low hanging tree. “Me and Kayoko will stay here, near the phones.”

  With a bevy of agents scouring the streets, they awaited the arrival of Katherine.

  ***

  Pampas had been in a bad mood following his meeting with Mason, but now he was beyond control. Even Mason was calm in comparison. The security chief’s first thought, once Kayoko had been identified as the inside source of help, was to stake out her car. He was certain they would make a run for it. After he sat watching it for nearly ten minutes with no sign of the escapees, he picked up the radio on the seat next to him.

  “Check in.” The speaker hissed once as he released the transmit button.

  “Team one, no sign of them.”

  “Team two, in position in the parapet overlooking the street on the north side; lots of pedestrians. No sign of the target. Over.”

  “Team three, we’ve got nothing. Do you want us to extend the radius?”

  “Negative,” said Pampas. “We have people in vehicles for that. Maintain current search patterns.”

  The rest of the two-man security teams checked in, none reporting any success. Pampas looked around at the numerous buildings. Slocum, he knew, was a shrewd operator. He was an implementer. These folks were trusted with the most difficult assignments exactly because of their cunning. Finding him and his friends would be no small feat. He looked at his watch. Almost twelve forty. Soon the lunchtime crowd would begin to thin, and if their quarry didn’t slip through the cracks, he’d have them. He thought of Kayoko; she’d played him for a fool. Once he got them back she would regret crossing him.

  ***

  Katherine made good time for the first three minutes, and then she hit the first light. She had taken a few minutes to hide the palmtop before setting out, as Stanley had instructed her, but now the noon traffic was slowing her down. Her lane had come to a complete standstill because some fool had pulled into the middle of the intersection as the light turned red, causing gridlock. Now no one could move. Katherine looked desperately to her left for a way around, but it was blocked. On the right was the sidewalk. Several car lengths ahead she could see an alley. Without hesitation, she spun the wheel to the right, gunned her engine, and pulled onto the sidewalk. It was empty, and except for knocking down an awning, she made the alley without trouble.

  Garbage cans lined the sides of the alley as she sped towards the next street, and she hit two of them. Katherine slowed when she came to the end of the alley, which opened onto a one-way street, heading away from her destination. She took a deep breath and turned onto the street, going the wrong way. She drove for a block against traffic, reached the road she was looking for, and turned sharply around the corner. She muttered under her breath that Stanley had better appreciate this. Now within five blocks of where Kayoko had told her to go, she slowed her pace and started what she considered her final approach.

  As she drew nearer to the center of the city, the crowds of pedestrians thickened. It was getting close to the end of lunch, so she expected that soon the throng would dissipate. As she cruised along the main drag, she recognized several buildings from earlier, less stressful visits. She even saw a restaurant that she had once eaten in, and as she looked at it was astonished to see Stanley and Bobby sitting on a bench outside.

  She slammed the brakes reflexively, and the car behind her banged into her bumper. Katherine lurched forward, but was going so slow that her air bag did not even deploy. Stanley and Bobby looked up at the sound of the collision, as the man in the car in back of Katherine got out and started making a fuss. He walked up to her door as she stepped out.

  “Look what you did to my car, lady!”

  “What I did? You were behind me. You’re supposed to leave room.”

  From several stories above, a man with binoculars surveyed the situation. “Team two to Pampas. We’ve got some commotion down on the street. Looks like a fender bender.”

  “Copy,” said Pampas. “Anything else?”

  “Negative, it’s just…” Suddenly he saw Stanley and Bobby emerge from the shadows, approaching the front car. “Target sighted! The father and his son have just walked up to the scene of the accident on the north side of the building.”

  “Copy,” said Pampas. “All foot patrols, cordon off the block. Vehicles stand by.”

  The agents acknowledged the orders and started to move into position. Pampas gunned his engine and raced towards the exit of the parking lot.

  ***

  As soon as Slocum saw Stanley and Bobby walk up to the car he knew it was trouble. He grabbed Kayoko’s arm and started running. “Come on!”

  They raced to the scene of the accident where the man from the rear vehicle was still ranting. He had his cell phone out and was about to call the police when Slocum showed up.

  “Hey, buddy!”

  The man looked at Slocum suspiciously. “Yeah, what do you want?”

  “I saw the whole thing. It was her fault, you need a witness?”

  The man relaxed measurably, even smiled slightly. “Sure. You saw it. Dumb broad was going…”

  He never saw what hit him, as Slocum quickly stepped in and drove his open palm into the man’s jaw, snapping his head back and knocking him out cold. He caught hold of him and gently lowered him to the ground, then ran to Katherine’s car.

  “Get in. Hurry! They’ll be here any second.” Slocum opened the door and got behind the wheel. The others quickly piled in, and within moments they had put a block behind them.

  Kayoko looked nervously out the back window. “You think they’ll be on us so quickly?”

  “Undoubtedly,” said Slocum. “Which is why we have to get out of here. Now.” He glanced at her in the rearview mirror, and carefully changed lanes, trying to blend in with the flow of traffic. The number of cars on the road was decreasing rapidly, leaving them more and more exposed, but after a couple minutes passed with no sign of pursuit, Slocum started to relax.

  “I think we’re okay. They’ll probably focus on the area around the agency unti
l…”

  “Look out!”

  Bobby’s shouted warning was a moment too late, as a dark sedan appeared out of nowhere and slammed into the driver’s side of the car, forcing them onto the sidewalk. It was all Slocum could do to maintain control, as they careened wildly from side to side, narrowly missing a parked truck. Slocum skillfully guided the car back onto the street.

  “Here he comes again!” shouted Kayoko.

  Slocum gunned the engine, and would have sped clear, but a pedestrian stepped down from the curb, causing Slocum to instinctively cut the wheel in the opposite direction. The car following them slammed into their rear quarter, forcing them to fishtail and spin wildly out of control. Katherine screamed as they slammed into the side of an abandoned bakery. With a sickening crunch the car wobbled to a halt, the fender and hood partially crumpled.

  Inside the car, everyone was dazed, except for Slocum, who was slumped over the steering wheel, unconscious.

  Stanley immediately took control of the situation. “Is everyone okay?” He checked Bobby, who seemed fine.

  “I think Slocum is hurt,” said Kayoko. She pulled him back from the wheel, but he was still groggy, a trickle of blood running down his forehead. She looked around for something to wipe the blood with, but all she could find was a piece of Kleenex on the floor. Using this she cleaned the wound as best she could.

  Katherine was shaken up, but otherwise fine. She looked out the side window at a man rapidly approaching their car. “Here comes someone to help.”

  Kayoko looked in the direction she indicated. Half a block away a large man was heading resolutely in their direction. She recognized him at once.

  “Pampas!”

  Chapter Thirteen

  For a moment no one moved. As Kayoko watched Pampas approach, she could see now that he was limping, apparently hurt in the accident. There was no mistaking the look of sheer hatred and determination as he steadily drew closer.

  “Get out! Everyone out, now! He’s going to kill us!”

  She tried her door, but it was jammed, and Pampas was almost upon them. Stanley opened the door on the opposite side, and they quickly filed out. Kayoko had to climb over the seat, and was the last one on the sidewalk, joining the others on the driver’s side of the car. Slocum remained inside, still dazed from the accident. As Kayoko slammed the door, Pampas stumbled against the vehicle, leaning on the trunk for balance.

  He looked at Kayoko, his eyes blazing. “You are going to rue the day.”

  He started around the car, dragging his injured leg behind him. Bobby, eyes wide, turned and ran into a nearby alley.

  “Bobby, wait! Not that way!” yelled Stanley.

  He went after him, and the others followed. They were well into the alley before they realized it was a dead end. Bobby ran to his father, who took his hand as they turned to go back, but Pampas blocked the way, an evil smile on his face. He slowly moved towards them. They were trapped.

  “You thought you could get away from me, did you? I guess you’re not as smart as you figured. This is a nice little box you’ve crawled into.”

  Stanley stepped forward. “I know what you want. There’s no need to hurt these people. I’ve given my word that you can have the palmtop, and I’ll stick to it.”

  For a moment Pampas said nothing, then he laughed. “We don’t need the palmtop. Not now. We’ve got the whole lot of you right here. Once you’re gone, the problem disappears. No sweat.”

  He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a pistol, motioning for them to stand back against the alley wall. When they had complied he took out a small radio, calling for reinforcements. He described their location, but what followed was ominous.

  “Expect several bodies. That’s right, in the alley.” With a brief hiss the transmission ended, and he put the radio away and pointed his weapon at Stanley. “No hard feelings.”

  Stanley’s eyes opened wide, and just as he was going to pull the trigger Pampas realized that they were focused in back of him. He whirled around, too late, as there was a crunch of footsteps and then something slammed into him.

  It was Slocum!

  As they both fell to the ground, the pistol flew through the air and landed at Stanley’s feet. He bent down and gingerly picked it up. Meanwhile, Slocum and Pampas rolled around on the ground, each seeking an advantage. Pampas was by far the more powerful of the two, and was younger by at least ten years. But both were injured, and although he was older, Slocum had skills of his own that were now put to the test.

  Pampas was able to roll Slocum onto his back, and used his leg to pin down one of the implementer’s arms. But Slocum could tell that Pampas was favoring his other leg, and managed to bang a knee into his thigh. Pampas winced, and pressed a forearm into Slocum’s throat, choking him. In desperation, Slocum used his free hand to grab a nearby brick, and slammed it against the bigger man’s head. He had to hit him twice before he fell off, stunned, and then both men slowly staggered to their feet.

  They faced each other, drunk with exhaustion, and Pampas swung a roundhouse at Slocum that was far too slow. He ducked under it, and gathering his last reserve of strength, formed his palm into a v-shaped wedge, and struck Pampas a vicious blow to the throat. The big man went to his knees, clutching at his neck and gasping for air. Slocum kicked him viciously in the head, knocking him out. He backed away and bent over, completely drained.

  Kayoko ran to his side. “Are you okay?”

  He looked at her and nodded. “I will be. But we better get out of here.” He looked at Stanley. “Give me the gun.”

  Stanley handed it to him, and Slocum removed all the bullets before placing the weapon on the ground near Pampas. The group then headed for the street.

  “He called for backup,” said Kayoko.

  “I know,” said Slocum. “I heard from the end of the alley. Let’s see if Katherine’s car still runs.”

  Slocum was in no shape to drive, so Katherine got behind the wheel. The key was still in the ignition, so she put the transmission in park and tried to start it. After three attempts it roared to life.

  “I don’t now how long it will last, so let’s go,” she said.

  With everyone in the car, Katherine backed away from the sidewalk and pulled onto the street. A few bystanders watched as the damaged car pulled away, but no one followed.

  They had escaped the agency for the second time in one day.

  ***

  Mason was furious that the prisoners had escaped, but he had other things on his mind right now. Pampas would handle the situation on the street.

  “Hey, Chief,” said Norbert, as Mason entered the computer center.

  Mason acknowledged the greeting with a nod. “Are you just about ready?”

  “I was just doing some final checks when you came in,” said Norbert. “I’m going to try to insert it into their system now.”

  Mason nodded his approval. Once Norbert’s program was safely introduced into the FBI data center’s system, all they would have to do was send a signal to activate the code. That’s when their systems would go berserk, providing the necessary cover for the agency to switch over to their new equipment. “Proceed.”

  “You’ll have to log on,” said Norbert. “You told me that you should be the one to activate the program, remember?”

  “Yes, of course.” Mason reached for the keyboard, entering his user name and password at the appropriate prompts. When the system had authenticated his information, he backed away and let Norbert take over.

  Norbert had spent considerable time poking around the data center’s system, being very careful not to linger too long lest he arouse suspicion. In fact, he limited his forays to no more than twenty seconds at a time, enough to glean bits and pieces of information, but insufficient for his link to be traced. It was painstaking work, but he’d had a breakthrough when he found the mother lode–a backup copy of the main router’s configuration file.

  The main router contained information on how data traveli
ng across the Internet should be moved into and out of the center’s network. Norbert already had the capability to introduce his program to an individual computer on the center’s local area network, but the information about the router would enable him to really throw their network operations into a tizzy.

  They would correct the problem, he knew, and probably fairly quickly. But just when they cleaned up the mess, his program would again overwrite the configuration file, putting them right back where they’d started. The cycle would be repeated for five hours, or until they discovered the real problem, whichever came first. Before any of that could happen, though, his program had to be delivered.

  Norbert talked as he worked the keyboard. “I can get through their firewall pretty easily. By watching traffic that gets in I’ve been able to construct bogus data packets with seemingly valid headers. It’s actually good that they have the firewall; gives them a false sense of security.”

  Within seconds he had penetrated the data center’s system and connected to a computer known to belong to one of their programmers. Identifying this node had been another great success. Programmers typically have extensive access privileges, and generally seem to be less careful about security–an odd combination, but fortuitous in this case. The file was copied. The process took less than fifteen seconds.

  Norbert leaned back in his chair with a look of smug satisfaction.

  “Is that it?” asked Mason.

  “That’s it. I just have to sever my connection now, and…” Norbert stared at his monitor in surprise. “Crap.”

  “What? What’s happening?”

  Norbert banged away at the keyboard. “Not sure. I think we’re okay.” He nodded to himself. “Yeah, the operating system hiccupped at the end, but the file was already inside.”

  Mason watched suspiciously as Norbert leaned back again. “Are you sure? Is it ready now?”

  “Not quite. I need the OS to make a call for the dynamic link library file that

  I wrote, which is part of what I just planted. Once that happens, my DLL will replace the original, and then replicate itself across their network.”