by C. R. Daems
* * *
An hour later, Kris and I sat in the conference room with Pannell, Aguilar and his XO, Commander Sprigg, Colonel Ruiz and his gunny, Guzman.
Kris stood. "The raiders are going to make another attempt to rob Zuno Pharmaceutical. We hoped we convinced them we found their ship by accident. Apparently, we did, since they intend to try again. Why not try finding their ship by accident again? Because we believe they would deduce we had broken their coded messages and methodology. That would just cause them to invent another system, and it could be years and many raids before we discovered their base of operations. Instead, we propose ignoring the cruiser but stopping the raid on Zuno Pharmaceutical."
"Won't that also alert the raiders that you understand their system?" Aguilar asked, obviously still reluctant to let the raider cruiser get away.
"There's a risk, but we think it small, since there are many ways that information could have been attained. We understand our approach is controversial, so we pushed it up the chain of command. It's a go with Admiral Bell's approval." Kris stopped to let the side conversations quit. "We would like your help in developing a plan. Here's what needs to be accomplished. First, Commander Paulus and I need to get into Zuno Pharmaceutical unseen and make contact with the person in charge. Then we need to collect all personal communication equipment including those at their homes and examine it. That will enable us to determine the leak. We'll remove that person and set up marine security to engage the raiders when they attempt the robbery."
"Do we know when they’ll attempt the robbery?" Colonel Ruiz asked, a predatory look in his eyes.
"The Master Puzzle publication for this month's edition is tomorrow. Because of our patrols, they have left the date of the raid open—anytime within ten days after the publication date."
"So," Pannell said, "the first order of business is to get you and Commander Paulus into Zuno Pharmaceutical without being noticed …"
The discussions lasted most of the day as various ideas were discussed, and then tentative schedules, manpower, and timing were arranged.
* * *
Using his P1A authority, Pannell got the New Zheng Government to arrange a meeting with Mr. Schmidt, the Director of Zuno Pharmaceutical. Dressed in civilian pantsuits and accompanied by Pannell also in a suit, we entered the lobby of the sprawling two-story brown-cement building. The lobby was open to the second level ceiling's large skylights, which gave the area an outdoor feeling. A semi-circular white-marble counter sat in the middle of the room only a short distance from the entrance. A young woman and an armed security guard stood behind the counter.
"May I help you?" the young woman asked, her voice eager and cheerful.
"Yes, I'm Mr. Clarkson. My colleagues and I have an appointment with Mr. Schmidt," Pannell said, drawing the attention to him.
She turned to her monitor and tapped it a few times and then smiled. "Yes, sir. If you would please wear these visitor badges at all times." She handed Pannell three badges. "The escalator to your right will take you to the second floor, where Mr. Schmidt’s secretary is waiting to escort you to his office." She smiled and pointed to the right side of the lobby.
The guard scanned each of us as we passed.
The escalator made a semi-circle from the middle right of the lobby to the second floor landing at the back of the lobby and then continued round and back down on the left side. The landing was actually two separate platforms for getting off and getting on.
At the top, a young man waited. "Good morning, Mr. Clarkson, ladies. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to Mr. Schmidt."
We followed him down a long hallway with what looked like large office areas to the left and right. At the end, we were led into a circular room with three secretaries and behind them three doors.
"Mary, this is Mr. Clarkson and his colleagues."
"Mr. Schmidt's ready to see you." She rose and opened the door into a spacious office. The back wall was floor to ceiling glass, which looked toward a heavily treed manicured lawn.
A tall gray-haired man rose and came walking around his glass-topped desk, which looked to be a complex monitor, judging from what I could see of the top.
"Mr. Clarkson, ladies, welcome to Zuno Pharmaceutical. Representative Soto indicated you had urgent business that concerns my company. I'm intrigued."
"Mr. Schmidt, I'm Lieutenant Commander Sinclair and my partner is Lieutenant Commander Paulus. We're operating with P1A authority. I don't know if you’ve heard about the raids on Eastar, Stone Ring, or Holy Star?"
"Yes, the robbery of the Art Gallery on Eastar."
"The robberies are being conducted by raiders from one of the other alliances. We've information that Zuno Pharmaceutical will be next."
"I heard they killed all the guards, six or eight I believe."
"Yes, they've never left anyone alive. We believe they're military or ex-military, well armed and informed, and thorough."
"Well informed?"
"Yes, employees provide the information they need to retrieve the highest valued product and be gone within an hour."
"I can't believe—"
"How much is your current inventory worth?"
Schmidt returned to his desk and tapped on it in several places before answering. "In total our finished products are worth in the neighborhood of six hundred million, but it would take a day and a couple of trucks—"
"What could they collect and move in two hours?" Kris interrupted.
Schmidt returned to his desktop, but this time he was there for a long while.
"Four hundred million." He shook his head in disbelief.
"So giving someone ten million for the information is an excellent deal for both the employee and the raiders," Kris said.
Schmidt sat, his eyes wide and face pale in shock. "When?"
"We don't know exactly, but within a week or so. What we need to do now is to identify the person who gave the raiders the information. We want you to sit and think about what you just did to identify those products worth four hundred million and then think about who would have access to that information."
Schmidt had coffee brought in and then spent the next hour deciding the records that would provide the information and then who had the authority to access those files. When he finally looked up he looked tired. "I have five names, but I can't believe any of them would ... betray the company."
"It'll be easy to prove. Are all five individuals at work today?" Kris asked. When Schmidt nodded, she continued. "Set up a meeting with them in your conference room. Say Representative Soto has informed you of some new requirements under consideration that may impact the company."
Schmidt immediately typed on the desktop for several minutes, arranging the meeting. Finally, he looked up. "It's set, in an hour."
"Now we need home addresses for you and the five individuals."
Schmidt looked up in shock and I could feel anger, but it quickly left and he nodded in understanding.
"We need to keep the real reason a secret," I said. "So I'm going to say that some software hackers have inserted malware into several major companies’ systems, as our excuse for examining their equipment."
* * *
Three women and two men were waiting when we entered the conference room an hour later.
"This is Mr. Clarkson and his associates, Miss Katlin and Miss Anders," he said, nodding to each of us in turn. "My staff includes Mrs. Tarcell, who is in charge of drug development, Mr. Peters, who is in charge of drug production, Mrs. Lopez, who is in charge of scheduling, Mr. Watts, who is in charge of operations, and Miss Becker, who is the director of our data systems," he said, going around the table from left to right. "I'll let Mr. Clarkson explain why they're here."
"Thank you, Mr. Schmidt. I apologize for the secrecy, but the problem potentially impacts every major industry in the UAS," Pannell said, then looked to Kris. "I'll let Katlin give you the details.
"Thank you, Mr. Clarkson." Kris stepped forward and I could f
eel her amusement. "Some very clever people have developed malware to infiltrate a company's systems and over time build a profile of the company's assets, schedules, and security. They've successfully used this information to subsequently rob the company—"
"That's impossible. I would know if malware had infected our system. Besides, it's a closed system, so it would be impossible for them to get their malware on it," Miss. Lopez said, shaking her head. She was a large middle-aged woman, and her bulldog expression said that was the end of the discussion.
"You all have tablets, which I assume are linked to the system. That, by the way, is the usual weak link." I interjected.
"Our tablets have excellent anti-malware software and, in any event, it couldn't get past our firewall," Lopez insisted.
"We hope you're correct, but we've been tasked with inspecting several businesses on New Zheng. Before you protest, it isn't optional. We'll need to collect your tablets and any equipment you have at home capable of connecting to your tablets and the passwords for each device—"
"And what if I refuse?" Mr. Peters asked, smiling. "My equipment at home doesn't belong to the company. That's my personal property. I'm sure the courts will agree."
"There are two UAS officers outside. If you refuse to cooperate with our investigation, which is a UAS investigation under P1A authority, you'll go directly from this building to a ship which will deliver you to the UAS maximum security prison on Eastar." Pannell held up his hand. "Let me assure all of you, we're not interested in your personal life or any questionable activities you may be involved in. Our mandate is to find if any of the businesses we've been assigned have been infested with the malware. Let us do our job, and we’ll be gone by tomorrow."
That didn't make anyone happy, but it did squelch the I won't cooperate discussions. We sequestered the group and Kris and I began looking through their tablets. As expected, we didn't find anything suspicious. By the time we had finished, their personal equipment began being delivered, and we started in on that.
"I sure wish Adrian and Rich were here to help," Kris said hours later. "Most of this material isn't even titillating. I'm tired and bored." She rose, stretching and yawning. "Paul, do you think you could find us some food? I know it's late, but maybe food would help me focus, or at least give me something interesting to do."
"Food coming right up," he said as he got on his PCD.
"I have a winner," I said, looking up at the clock on the wall. It was close to midnight.
"Who?" Kris asked.
"Mr. Watts. He didn't even try to clean up his correspondence. Probably thought no one would look at his home tablet or that he would have time to destroy it if necessary."
"That was the last batch of home devices. Want to let the others go?"
"Sure. What if we give each individual their device separately and then give them a story about finding the virus on one of the home devices? Schmidt can tell them tomorrow it was Watts, and that he’s working with us to determine how the malware got on his home equipment."
* * *
Over the next two hours, we called in each individual, returned their equipment, and gave them our cover story.
Watts was the last to be called. "Well, did you find the virus?" he asked when he entered. He didn't look nervous, but I could feel his apprehension.
"Yes, it was on your home tablet," Kris said.
My mouth dropped open, until I realized this was an easy way to get him out of the building without a fuss while supporting the story we had been telling everyone.
"Can't be."
"You probably got it while on the Internet. It's very sophisticated software. We're going to need you to help us figure out possible ways the malware could have been introduced."
"Certainly, I would be glad to help," he said after some hesitation during which I could feel his shifting emotions: fear, confusion, and finally relief. "Did it get into Zuno's system?"
"We don't think so, but that will take more time to determine. It's possible," Kris said. I could tell he didn't know what we had found, but whatever it was, he thought it had gotten him off the hook. "We'll need you to accompany us to our cruiser, where we have systems to analyze the virus and to trace possible sites where you might have picked it up. Mr. Schmidt is aware we may need you for a day or two."
"Any way, I can help," he said, but I could feel his apprehension had returned.
While we were leaving, we asked him questions about the type of sites he generally visited, downloads he had made, and other miscellaneous questions, which had the effect of relaxing him. When we reached the ship, he was taken to the brig, and we went to bed.
* * *
"What now?" Ruiz asked the next morning after we had finished detailing the events of yesterday.
"We’ll question Mr. Watts about what information he gave the raiders, but we pretty much know the sequence of events that led him to cooperate. His sentence will depend upon his cooperation and how much was coercion and how much greed. Until the stipulated beginning date five days from now, we’ll do nothing about the robbery. The night before that date we need to brief the current guards and put the marines in place. Things need to look normal, both to the outside world and to the employees."
"I think you and Commander Paulus should brief the guards before we enter. You've the P1A authority and may want to evaluate their reaction prior to us arriving," Ruiz said.
I nodded when Kris looked to me. The guards would have to be aware of what was going on so they could ensure everything looked normal.
When everyone left, we had Watts brought in.
"I didn't know the virus was on my tablet," he said as soon as he entered the room and saw us.
"Mr. Watts, get something to drink and have a seat. It's going to be a long day and you should get comfortable," Kris said and I could feel her amusement.
He walked over and poured a cup of coffee, and sat opposite us.
Two guards took up positions behind his chair.
"Mr. Watts, we know you gave the raiders information about Zuno Pharmaceutical." I held up my hand to stop him responding. "We know because the raiders have used the same technique on three other robberies. What happens to you will depend largely on how well you cooperate with us. You can start by telling us how you became involved."
Watts sat silently for several minutes as he debated whether to tell the truth or lie. He finally decided more or less on the truth. "I saw this contest to help the police and answered it ..."
The story followed the others, except he claimed to have refused to cooperate until they threatened to kill his colleagues and eventually him, and he left out the ten million he had been paid. But we learned he had given them the entry codes into the building, and the guards' numbers, positions, and schedules.
"Thank you, Mr. Watts. The good news is you won't be charged as an accessory to murder, since the guards won't be murdered. The bad news is that story won't fly, and you’ll be in prison for a long time."
* * *
The night before the target date, I arrived at Zuno Pharmaceutical an hour before closing time with Pannell and two marine guards. We had dressed in civilian clothes and were escorted to Schmidt's conference room, where he had assembled all of the night shift guards. Six men and two women were sitting around the table when we arrived.
"Good evening," Kris said as Pannell closed the door. "We're NIA agents chasing some thieves who have been operating in the UAS. We’ve received a credible tip that says this facility will be robbed sometime over the next week, and we need your cooperation."
"Who?"
"How do you know?"
"When?"
The questions came spilling out.
"We'll answer all your questions, but first you need to understand that everything we ask you to do is under P1A authorization. Our first instruction to you is if you tell anyone we’re on to the robbery, you'll spend the rest of your life in prison. Clear?" Kris looked at each individual and received a nod or mumbled
yes. "You'll report for duty at your scheduled times but will be replaced by marines."
"Why? We're armed and can handle robbers, especially now that we know they’re coming."
"It's for your protection. These robbers are ex-military, have military grade weapons, and have killed all the guards at each of their previous robberies. Consider yourselves backup if the robbers overcome or get past your replacements." She went on to explain that each evening they would report for duty as normal, lock up the building, and then two hours later be replaced by marines. Each morning, they would replace the marines two hours before shift change and be there to unlock the doors. We'p-md determined that those four hours were safe based on the raiders’ previous robberies. The marines would enter tomorrow in ones and twos in civilian clothes and be given an unused portion of the building to stay.
"What do you think?" Kris asked after the guards left for their duties.
"I just hope the raiders strike soon. I'll bet the Controller has someone watching this facility, so the longer it takes, the more of a chance some well-meaning guard will let something slip."
* * *
Ruiz had also rented a house only a few minutes from the facility, were ten more marines were stationed as backup and to ensure that any raiders acting as lookouts or as part of a getaway plan were neutralized.
We continued to monitor the Master Puzzle bulletin board and the WavCom, although we didn't expect or find any suspicious posts.
On the fourth night, we were informed the raiders had struck while the Bacchus was performing its nightly surveillance run, about the time it was on the backside of New Zheng. We requested a debriefing that afternoon.
"You were right," Ruiz said, looking toward Kris and me. "Eight raiders broke into Zuno Pharmaceutical just after two in the morning. They were well armed with military grade weapons and body armor. Civilian guards wouldn't have stood a chance against them. Even though we were prepared, they killed two of my inside men and wounded two more, one seriously. Gunny Guzman said they looked like they were military trained. They also had four raiders outside with their three vehicles."
