Jamal nodded. “We immediately brought it up to the university, who reached out to the FBI.”
“I had no fail-safes in the code, no way of stopping the worm once it was loose,” Abdul said.
Hidaya leaned forward and covered her face as she started crying. “This is all my fault.”
Zaida went over to comfort her.
“It isn’t your fault, sister,” Abdul said. “It’s mine. I created the monster.”
After working his share of cybercrime, Levi had come to believe coding was like a modern alchemy. Everything now was dependent on it, from coffeemakers to fridges to cars. There were low levels of entry to the world of programming; anyone could do it; some failed, some succeeded, and some excelled. It was an open-access kind of thing, like giving magic wands out willy-nilly to people without regard for the danger they could do with their new tool.
Levi bent his head and rubbed his forehead. He didn’t know what the answer was to controlling the genii that was modern coding. Code itself was agnostic. It had no emotions, no loyalty, no inherent ethics. It could be used for good or evil. But when it was taught how to learn, how to improve itself, how to become more than it was when it was created, well, that was another whole realm of holy hell that humans were not ready for. And if terrorists were reverse engineering code, learning its secrets, then they were also learning how to reproduce what it did.
“I believe one of the reasons the worm was so successful at what it does,” Abdul said, looking disgusted, “is because I didn’t take a purely technical approach to it.”
“Meaning?” Levi asked, almost afraid of the answer.
“I’d spent so much time on my computer science class that I’d gotten poor marks in my sociology class. I also had a year-end project in that class. I decided to make the code I’d written do double duty.” He looked around the room. “You see, so many of us in the Muslim community are under extreme scrutiny. We are always considered guilty of being complicit with any violent behavior of radical factions around the world. I wanted my worm’s analysis to show how that wasn’t at all the case. I wanted it to give us our freedom. Hidaya told me about Zaida’s freedom code. This was mine.”
“So that’s why you called it the same thing,” Zaida said.
Abdul nodded. “I worked with my sociology professor to frame out the behavioral profiling that might intrigue intelligence communities even as it exonerated those of us who are innocent.” Abdul sighed. “Both professors gave me top marks for my project. And now look what I’ve done. I’ve broken the world. I’ve put my friends and family in jeopardy. I’ve done the very thing my community was afraid I would do—bring it harm. I can’t…I can’t make this right.”
“The truth is,” Jack said, “the information you inadvertently captured has put us ahead of several bad actors in the war on terrorism. I would expect there might be some type of amnesty the government can offer you, your professors, and the university in exchange for the cooperation you’re providing and the help you’ve given our intelligence communities.”
The room fell into momentary silence as everyone absorbed Abdul’s story.
“Mr. Jones, you’re…a farmer, right?” Jamal said, breaking the silence. He sent the agents in the room a rallying glance. “I think you’re out of your league here. Leave this to the experts. They don’t need you underfoot.”
Levi never let that hit show in his expression. “I am a farmer. And I’m also a concerned citizen. While all of you huddle here in this room talking about safety, I’ll be out there ensuring our safety.”
None of the agents backed Jamal up, which flustered the professor. Levi supposed Lambert had carved a space for him on the team. Whatever the cause, Levi took the latitude offered him. “Tell me about the Facebook posts you’ve been making recently,” he said to Abdul.
“They’re not from me. I’ve been hacked. Even now, I’m locked out of my account.”
“Uh-huh. So who’s been making them?” Levi asked, not convinced.
Abdul gave Jamal a pained look. “There are some kids in my class I don’t get along with. They hate Muslims, people of color, Jews, anyone who’s different from them. I know for a fact they belong to an off-campus group of white nationalists.”
Jamal frowned. “You didn’t tell me this.”
“I didn’t want more drama than I’d already created,” Abdul said. “The worm hit their computers and identified them as Muslim terrorists. Their info was in the worm’s database and I recognized their names.”
“So there’s an error in your profiling code,” Levi said.
“No. Maybe not,” Abdul said. “Not if they were doing a lot of research on Islam or were writing social media posts about hating Muslims or Jews. Or researching and preparing the texts they posted on my Facebook account—all of that would have looked the same to the worm.”
“These kids are terrible,” Hidaya said. “They’ve attacked him, physically several times. Abdul went to the hospital after two of these encounters,” Hidaya said. “They were getting worse, too, before he went to Dr. Abd al-Mukhtar.”
“They wanted me to give them access to the database, but I wouldn’t,” Abdul said. “I said no. I said it over and over. And then they hacked my Facebook and Instagram accounts.”
“These neo-Nazis and the Tahrir al-Sham groups have put out calls summoning their people to get to Fort Collins this week,” Jack said.
Levi frowned. “Why this week?”
“The county fair kicks off Friday,” Jack said.
“Aw, hell. That’s two days from now,” Levi said.
Zaida gasped. “I’ve rented a booth there. I’ll be selling my books and promoting the women’s literacy foundations I’m associated with.” She sent a worried glance toward her parents. “I’m also giving a talk there.”
Shitballs. That was not news Levi wanted to hear. “All right. Let’s lay this out again so we’re all on the same page. Abdul created a worm that Hidaya inadvertently let loose. It crawled through—thousands—of computers?” He looked to Jamal for confirmation.
“Millions,” Jamal said.
“Millions of computers,” Levi continued. “It’s identified some local and some international groups of interest. We have confirmation that Tahrir al-Sham has activated some of its cells here in the U.S. And, Jamal has twice tried to take Zaida.”
“For her own well-being,” Jamal interjected. “I wanted her here with us, safe.”
Levi gave him a hard look. “Let’s give you the benefit of the doubt. Tahrir al-Sham has tried for her once. Abdul has made enemies of some seriously bad actors. As has Zaida, since she’s record number one in the worm’s database. Now we have the impending threat of some unknown activity, perhaps in retaliation for the worm, that’s due to happen during the county fair.” He looked at the special agent. “That sound like a fair summary?”
“Yup,” Jack said. “If we’re going to stop this, we have to figure out what they have planned for the fair, and who’s doing what.”
Rayna grasped her daughter’s hand. “This is unacceptable. You are in so much danger. You need to cancel your appearances at the fair.”
Zaida sent Levi an intense look. “Should I?”
“Possibly.” Levi nodded. “The whole fair may have to be canceled. But we still have time to take this op down. Going into hiding is not gonna stop this ball from rolling right into the fair. For one, terrorists are looking for any gathering of U.S. citizens where their impact can be the greatest. To that end, they’ve already been triggered.”
“That’s not all that’s happening at the fair,” Jamal said. “Some of my students are running a fundraiser booth for the robotics lab.”
“It’s a drone rental booth,” Abdul said. “There was a sign-up sheet the last month of classes. When those skinheads saw that my friends and I had volunteered to run the booth, they said they didn’t want to have anything to do with us, that we tainted everything.”
Levi frowned. “You think the ski
nheads know the Tahrir al-Sham cells have been called up? Could they be working together? Or plotting independently of each other?”
“Great question,” Jack said. “Did these white nationalists in your class ever actually get in to your database?” Levi asked Abdul. “You’d said they were roughing you up for access…”
“They did, last week,” Jamal said.
“But I have code that they haven’t cracked prohibiting edits to the database,” Abdul said. “All they did was read it. Maybe copy it.”
“In fact,” Jamal said, “the code that tracks who hacks his worm was put in place to help focus attention on which of the terrorist groups the worm identified who were the most technologically savvy. These are especially dangerous bad actors. They’re the groups who have the skill to hack things like our power grids, banks, medical systems, and other high profile targets.”
“So, if these two groups aren’t working together, are we looking at a battle at the fair?” Levi asked. “A rumble between the Tahrir al-Sham and these neo-Nazis? Or are the white nationalists setting themselves up to protect the fair to curry favorable public sentiment?”
Jack scoffed at that. “Since when have white supremacists protected anything but their own twisted beliefs? No, I’m sure they want to spread their terror as badly as Tahrir al-Sham does. And if they can take out Zaida and Abdul in the same op, even better.”
“We know that Tahrir al-Sham operatives are in town. Have we seen an influx of the white nationalists?” Levi asked.
Jack nodded. “We’ve been getting reports from the sheriff’s office that a larger number than usual are coming in. They’re keeping a low profile, however.”
“Have there been permits pulled for a protest or anything during the fair?” Levi asked.
“No,” Jack said.
Levi lifted his hands. “Right. We got two days to figure this out. We need to work together. I’ll share any info I discover. I expect the same courtesy from you.”
“Agreed,” Jack said.
“And I want Zaida’s info removed from the worm’s database,” Levi said to Abdul. “You left the door open to the server. Every time one of our enemies decides to investigate who’s looking at them, they’re going to see her info as ground zero, keeping her a target for a whole bunch of bad guys.” Levi looked at the agents. “In fact, by now I’m sure you’ve investigated everyone the worm reported. Take out all the innocent civilians. I don’t care if you make shit up to replace it, or just leave the bad guys in there and let them fight it out, but get the civilians out of there fast.”
“I will, Mr. Jones,” Abdul said.
Levi straightened. “Great. We’re outta here.”
“No,” Jamal said. “Go get Zaida’s things from your car.”
Zaida stood, as did her parents. She gave them both a hug and a kiss. “I’m not staying, Jamal,” she announced.
“Of course, you’re staying with us, daughter,” her father said, a stern expression on his face. “You will be safer here.”
“It was my computer that started all of this. I need to help resolve it.”
“That is a foolish excuse to throw yourself into danger,” her mother said. “Leave this to the experts.”
“Zaida,” Jamal said, gripping her arm, “you are not leaving this suite.”
Levi read the panic on her face. Until he saw that, he’d been inclined to make her stay. “Actually, she has to come with me. If the bad guys watching her don’t see her do at least some of her normal routine, they’ll know something’s up. We can’t risk throwing them off. Not yet, anyway.”
Zaida pulled free of Jamal and her parents and moved to stand beside Levi.
“Thanks, everyone. This helped a lot.” Levi looked at Abdul and his sister. “I’m glad you’re safe.” His gaze took in Zaida’s parents as well. “All of you. Shouldn’t be but a few more days. Stay calm and stay focused. If you think of anything else, let me know. And like I said”—his gaze moved to Jack—“I’ll be keeping you informed.”
Jamal’s dark eyes were blazing. “Where are you going to be?” he asked.
“Around town,” Levi answered. “Your agents have my address, if it’s needed. So do the Hussans.”
Because Levi knew it rankled Jamal, he took Zaida’s hand and drew her toward the door. An agent opened it for them.
She looked up at him when they were in the hall heading toward the elevators. “Thank you for not leaving me there.”
Levi faced her while they waited for the elevator cab. “Look, I don’t want to come between you and Jamal. Or you and the plans your family has for you.”
“There’s nothing between Jamal and me. I’ve made that clear to him, but he isn’t getting the message. And my parents don’t get to decide my future, though they would like to.”
“Okay.” The cab arrived. Levi held the doors back for her. Inside, she reached for his hand. They hadn’t exactly communicated very well since this afternoon. Something had upset her, but Levi was damned if he knew what it was. Maybe things had just gotten hot too fast. He was going to have to be patient and follow her lead. The female psyche was complex; he didn’t have a fucking chance in hell of making sense of it, but if she took comfort in holding his hand, then he’d count that as a mark in his favor.
They got into his Jeep without incident and went about a mile down the street before pulling over in an office complex’s empty parking lot.
“I need to make a call,” Levi said. He took the keys and left the car, moving away about ten feet. Zaida got out and stood at the end of the Jeep, watching him.
He dialed Max. “Go, Levi.”
“You might want to make a copy of the Freedom Code database. It’s about to get corrupted.”
“Already did it.”
“Great. The cult you guys are after is a white supremacist one, right?”
“It is. I’m a little busy with my woman right now. Can we pick this up in the morning?”
“Aw, shit. Sorry. Yeah, I’m out.” Levi dropped the call. Next he dialed Lambert.
“You know what fucking time it is?” Lambert said.
Lambert was on the East Coast, two hours ahead of Colorado. “What, you only work daylight hours, Commander? Go you.”
Lambert sighed. “What do you have?”
Levi updated him with the info he’d gotten at the meeting tonight. “I know your people have had a look at that database. Better grab a copy soon, it’s about to get corrupted. I told them to get Zaida’s info, as well as that belonging to any other regular Joe, out of there, since everyone seems to be helping themselves to that shit. We don’t need civilians becoming targets. If they don’t clean it up, Max will.”
“You’re racking up a big bill with Owen Tremaine.”
“You shoulda hired a hacker for this op, not straight muscle. You know we never went on an op without a full complement of resources. I called in what I needed.”
“Need I remind you you’re a lone operator now?”
“If you’re gonna fucking micromanage me, Commander, you can have the job back. But I’m keeping Zaida.”
“That how it is? You got your head and dick tangled up?”
“No. I learned tonight that we’re looking at trouble not only from the Tahrir al-Sham faction, but also from a local white supremacist group that got spotted by the worm. We suspect something’s going down at the county fair this weekend. Zaida has a booth at the fair and is giving a talk. Abdul, the worm’s creator, is manning a robotics rental booth for the university. They’ll both be targets. I don’t know if the skinheads are buddying up with Tahrir al-Sham, or if they’re both planning independent attacks. I’ll let you know when I figure that out. I couldn’t have gotten this far without Max’s help, so pay Owen’s bill when it comes.”
“Copy that. Keep me in the loop.”
“Roger. I’m out.” He walked back to the Jeep.
Zaida was still standing there, frowning at him. “You’re keeping me?”
“I
’m keeping you outta trouble.” Levi pocketed his phone. “Look. We’re dealing with hackers, some pretty serious ones. My phone’s secure, but my Jeep’s computer and comm systems aren’t. Until we get this issue resolved, let’s not talk about it in the car. Before tonight’s meeting, I didn’t realize what calibre of coders we were dealing with.”
“You think they would hack your car?” Her eyes were wide.
“Sure.” He grinned. His teams had done it in the past. “Anything connected to a network and run by code can be hacked. Easy as shit. Your fridge, your computer, your home security, your TV’s cameras, your remote controllers.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “The cameras on this office building. Even your ereader. Anything. At any time. There’s very little security a good hacker can’t crack.”
They got inside his car and continued down the road, heading toward Levi’s place.
“I hate knowing that,” Zaida said, rubbing her upper arms. “There’s nothing I can do about it, but now I feel like everything is watching me. Like spiders all around me.”
“Good. Because you are being watched. Add to that everything you do online, your social media footprint, your Google searches, your convos with your home assistant devices, the DNA results you bought just for shits and giggles, anything about you that exists digitally, all of it makes for a very rich profile that can be used for or against you, as Abdul’s worm demonstrates.”
“I don’t like that.”
“There are no secrets anymore, that’s for sure.”
14
Though it was late when they got back to his house, Levi busied himself with some maintenance tasks he needed to do for the plants in his greenhouse. He could have put it off, but the work helped him think. And, truthfully, he was a bit of a coward.
Freedom Code Page 14
