The Ultimate Revenge

by Sally Fernandez

  “Your observation is correct. But what they are not emphasizing is that the road to redistribution of wealth means the sacrifice of our national sovereignty as a country over our land, oceans, and our atmosphere. Part of this transformation is to forfeit many of our individual rights. As you are aware there have been a number of erosions of our sovereignty, deftly handed to the UN without consulting our electorate, and with virtually no transparency.” The president hesitated once again, as he heaved a sigh.

  Noble took note of his intensity, but continued to absorb his words with great interest.

  “The devious methods that cloak the issue of global governance are my primary concern. The push for a new world economic order is already underway. My responsibility is to protect the sovereignty of our nation. While it is not my wish, if global governance is our destiny, the implementers of the Covenant must be transparent about their strategy and intent. They are playing a bait and switch game with the American citizens, without giving them a say in the process—if renewable energy is a cornerstone it should be evolutionary, not revolutionary.” The president paused. Then for the first time, he spoke fervently, “In no case should it be controlled by a few wealthy power brokers who seem to profit at every turn!”

  Noble fretted, “So, if they achieve the goal of the Covenant the United Nations becomes the governing body of the world. A frightful thought when you consider the example of Europe’s inability to unite fully since the Treaty of Rome in 1952. What hope is there for a new world order?”

  “I concur. They have done nothing for Tibet, by way of another example. The despotic nations that have chaired the Human Rights Commission would be laughable, if not so serious. And God forbid we find ourselves forced to go to war again to protect our country—and Cameroon has the deciding vote,” the president added.

  Taking into account the magnitude of their actions, both the president and Noble managed a smile. They chatted about the U.N. resolution to support the invasion of Iraq and the absurdity that the vote rested on a tiny country on the African coast. They also discussed the time in 2013 when China and Russia, allies of Syria, consistently vetoed any resolution, as the Syrian President Assad continued to gas his citizens.

  “When they finally passed a resolution to remove the gas, there was no enforcement mechanism,” the president alleged.

  “These are sad examples of the decisions that have come out of the U.N. Security Council,” Noble observed.

  “The implications only get worse.” The president expounded, “For a very long time, various activities have been underway at the U.N. to promote the outcome of global governance. But in recent history the momentum has accelerated.”

  The president explained that in 1995, a U.N. Commission on Global Governance was established and at one of the conferences on disarmament, a report incorporated a worldwide objective to control all firearms.

  “I recall in 2012, when then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta testified at a committee hearing, and stated that the U.N. and NATO should have supreme authority over the actions of the U.S. military,” Noble observed. Then he acknowledged, “There appears to be a pattern that connects back to the United Nations.”

  “Worse yet, the connivers would have us lose our permanent seat at the U.N. Security Council. Through a reorganization plan already sanctioned by the U.N. Commission on Global Governance, it would castrate the United States of its position of power. It would be the coup de grâce for the U.S.’s influence internationally.”

  Noble cocked his head, confused by the president’s last statement. “Sir, how is that really possible?”

  “One of the major reform efforts that came out of the U.N. Commission on Global Governance was to remove the five permanent members and replace them with two from industrial countries and three from the larger developing countries. Currently, we pay twenty-two percent of the U.N. budget in annual dues. The second largest contributor is Japan, paying ten-point-eight percent. There was no mention of a reduction in dues for the U.S.”

  “This will fundamentally transform America!” Noble exclaimed.

  “One sidebar you may find interesting. The OIC—the Organization of Islamic Cooperation—is a collective voice of fifty-six member states and the Palestinian authority. This coalition is comprised of twenty-three member nations represented within the U.N. and twenty-four additional nations with an Islamic population of over fifty percent, not including Iran. They are the largest international organization outside the U.N., but operate somewhat within the confines of the United Nations. OIC’s Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu stated, ‘I think there should be a seat for OIC in the Security Council.’ He makes his case for being the largest collective voice of the Muslim world, while other nations are also jockeying for a seat on the council.

  “I can only imagine some of the countries that may hold our fate?”

  The president added to Noble’s concerns. “What frightens me the most is how they are attempting to accomplish their goal. The Godfather has verbally stated that he does not believe in global governance. He has even said that it is not feasible. However, he was not only the architect of Agenda 21, he was also involved in writing the final report for the U.N. Commission on Global Governance, and he is a patron of IUCN, the organization that drafted the Covenant. He is the same man who was quoted saying, ‘Frankly, we may get to the point where the only way of saving the world will be for industrial civilization to collapse.’”

  Noble’s intensity rose again. “That’s the connection! Simon and the Godfather! They both strive for the destruction of western values, albeit from different perspectives and dissimilar goals—however, the result would be the same. Mr. President, your insights have been extremely helpful.”

  Noble paused to absorb the gravity of his revelation.

  The president took note.

  “Tread easy, Noble. You are making a giant, deductive leap. All of what we have discussed has not been proven,” the president cautioned. Although he was confident that Noble understood the gravity of his observations, there was nothing more to add. He glanced at his watch and then asked a final question, “Do you need more resources?”

  “Sir, we’re fine for now. Confidentiality is of the essence. Max and I are pouring through the evidence looking for a clue on how to deconstruct and stop Simon’s ultimate plot. I have Agent Burke and his men following Simon’s trail and Major Stanton and his B Team are still gathering vital information from the detainees. Admittedly, we are stretched to the limit, but we can manage. By the way, both Stanton and Burke agreed to their new assignments, but I’d like to keep them on the case until we corral Simon, or at a minimum foil his scheme.”

  “Of course—and thank you Noble. I understand your reasoning for wanting to bring them to Washington.”

  “Thank you, sir. I’ll keep you informed of any pertinent events.”

  “Be careful,” the president warned again, with added concern. On a lighter note, he admitted, “There are days I feel like the captain of the Titanic.”

  “And the Covenant was the iceberg you didn’t see coming?”

  “What is frightening is that I did see it. Conrad Black, a foreign observer from the U.K. saw it as well. He has been quoted saying that, ‘Not since the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, and before that the fall of France in 1940, has there been so swift an erosion of the world influence of a Great Power as we are witnessing with the United States.’”

  “Sir, one might conclude that the Syrian uprising was a giant step to move us closer to global governance when the former president transferred the decision making to the Russian leader and to the U.N.”

  “You are alarmingly correct. It certainly set the stage for world governance to fall under the U.N. aegis. Nevertheless, I am mindful of my responsibility to stay positive for the sake of the American people. We are a resilient country and we shall survive—in spite of the United Nations.”

  After a solemn pause, the president stood up.

&
nbsp; Noble followed suit. He offered a cordial smile as he shook the president’s hand and made a hasty retreat.

  18

  THE MOLE COMES CLEAN

  The man stood and saluted from behind the desk, “Welcome back, Max.”

  During Operation Nomis, Max insisted the military officers address her informally. She never was comfortable with the stodgy deputy director title and used it sparingly as a source of intimidation. It also put the uniforms at ease around her. “Thanks, Sergeant.” She returned his smile and then asked, “The prisoner?”

  “Second door on the left. Major Stanton is with him now.”

  Max turned and quickly headed down the corridor. As she opened the door, she observed Stanton standing in the corner of the room. She nodded in his direction maintaining her stern demeanor and then she glowered at the mole. Without delay, she opened her briefcase and retrieved a large stack of papers. She slapped the top three sheets of paper in a row in front of the prisoner. They were photocopies of ID badges.

  Stanton was impressed. Nice touch, he thought, as he looked at the daunting stack of papers. But he knew this was her show and his role was to be an observer.

  Max pointed her right index finger emphatically at the first photo. “This is you entering the control center in Birmingham, Alabama on the seventh of November, three days after a security breach was reported.” She used her left hand to brace herself as she leaned over the surface of the table and towered over the prisoner. Pushing her index finger onto the next photo on the table, she stated, “This is you entering the control center in Taylor, Texas on the ninth of January, again three days after a breach.” Moving her finger to the final photo, she maintained her directness. “This is one of your colleagues entering the control center in Folsom, California, on the tenth of March, coincidently, three days after a breach.” She then plumped down in her chair, startling the mole. As she gave him a moment to digest the photos, she prepared herself to record some notes on her tablet.

  The mole stared eyelevel at Max and responded, “And your point is?”

  He is not going to make it easy for you Max, Stanton thought as he smiled inwardly.

  “We know you were a classmate of Simon Hall at Harvard, between the years of 1995 to 1997. We already have proof that Simon hacked each facility I mentioned causing the security breaches intentionally, so your department head at the National Cyber Security Division would assign someone to investigate.”

  On the face of it, the mole was impressed that Deputy Director Ford had made the connection. But he also knew another classmate of his was her boss and the head of the SIA.

  “What was your role?” Max probed in a raised voice.

  “I refuse to answer your silly questions. I have rights; I want to speak to a lawyer,” the mole demanded.

  “Wrong answer. In accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act, we have the right to hold you indefinitely in a military prison, if we suspect you’ve committed terrorist acts against the U.S…”

  The mole attempted to interrupt.

  Max shot her hand in the air to restrain his words and then completed her statement. “…even if you are an American citizen.”

  The mole sank into his chair. His expression changed ever so slightly displaying some concern. “I was to enter each facility, identify the program that contained the failsafe code and send a snapshot to the cloud…”

  Max cut him off. “The cloud you set up in the encampment when you established the VPN?”

  “Yes. I executed a program that downloaded Simon’s backdoor code. It was designed to attach itself to the facility’s operating code.” He looked down and fidgeted for the first time. Making no eye contact, he muttered, “When I was finished, I reported to the director that it was just a blip in the system and everything checked out.”

  “Why were you always sent in three days after the breach?”

  “Typical protocol. The DOE received a call the day after the breach. I assume because they tried to resolve it themselves. Then the DOE called Homeland Security and they sent the request to us. It took us a day to get out there. No big mystery.”

  Max was not a hundred percent sure. “How could you or Simon be assured that the local techie couldn’t resolve the issue in-house?”

  “Typically, a hacker would weaken the Internet protocol, the IP, creating a distributed denial-of-service, or D-Dos to disrupt the website and to establish the means to disrupt the system at a future date. It would leave the facility vulnerable to an attack.”

  “So why couldn’t the techie identify the D-Dos attack? It’s pretty standard hacking code.”

  The mole, seemingly impressed with Max’s Internet acumen, bolstered, “There’s nothing standard about Simon’s code. I’ve never seen anything like it. The local techie would never be able to detect it and naturally would be forced to call us.”

  “Why didn’t Simon hack the system and place the code there himself?”

  “The security’s tight and he needed more time to modify the failsafe code. It’s different for each facility. Later, he would use the backdoor and replace the code without raising any red flags.”

  “Why the failsafe code?”

  The mole casually added, “The failsafe code is designed to reallocate power from a healthy grid to one that is experiencing a power outage. It happens at warp speed and the power is restored immediately. Without that capability you’d have a blackout.”

  “What exactly was he modifying?” Max asked.

  “The code! He would trigger an override of the failsafe code on a programmed date,” he paused, “causing the entire grid to shut down.”

  “What date?”

  Max unnerved him with her aggressive tone. “I don’t know! I never saw the modified code!”

  “Why are there months between breaches?”

  “As I said, he needed more time; each facility’s code was different. And he didn’t want to raise suspicion.”

  “You were captured on the thirty-first of January, so your colleague had to go to Folsom in your place. How many of Simon’s moles are working at the National Cyber Security Division?”

  “Only me!”

  “How can you be sure?”

  The mole pointed to the picture with the photo of his colleague. “I’m positive this guy knows nothing. How long was he at the facility testing the system?”

  Max was surprised at the question, although she sensed he did not expect a response.

  “I was there for less than an hour. It would usually take me that long to locate the failsafe program. Each facility had a different program name. Basically, I was in and out as instructed.”

  Max had learned from the directors at each facility that the mole was accurate about his timing. She also knew that the techie sent to Folsom was there for over four hours. She concluded that Simon had to have been hacking Folsom from outside the facility, keeping the system down for close to an hour and piggybacking on the techie’s time. Thus far, the mole seemed to be forthcoming.

  “How could you be sure you’d be given the assignment when the security breach was reported?

  “I knew the dates Simon would hack. I passed along my other assignments to my colleagues to ensure I’d be available on the key dates.”

  “Which other control centers are to be hacked?

  “I was assigned only two other centers, one in Minnesota and one in Indiana.”

  “You mean at Carmel and St. Paul.”

  “Yes, they run parallel, operating the same grid, but their failsafe codes are different.”

  “When is Simon scheduled to hack the system to cause the next security breach?”

  “It’s scheduled for May ninth in St. Paul.

  “There’s one other grid you didn’t mention,” she challenged.

  “That’s all I was assigned to do!”

  Max remained silent. She sensed that he was about to come clean.

  Stanton wondered why she did not push harder as he thought, its perfect t
iming. You have him on the defensive.

  “Simon…” the mole began to say.

  “Simon what?” she pressed.

  “He planned on handling the last one himself.”

  “Which one?” Max sounded gruffer with each question.

  The mole shifted in his chair with each answer.

  Stanton tightened his jaw, resisting his urge to be part of the interrogation.

  “Mississauga!”

  “Beautiful! That puts him over the border, in a country that won’t extradite for capital crimes,” Stanton volunteered without invitation.

  Max glared at Stanton for an instant, then picked up where she had left off. “So that will leave you here to take the rap.” She frowned. “When is he scheduled to hack the system?”

  “July fifth.”

  “Not the fourth?” Which seemed logical in her mind.

  “No. The fifth.”

  “Are there any other grids? Any others Simon has talked about?”

  “None! Just the five.”

  Based on the grids that she discovered in the encampment, she was confident he had told the truth. Nevertheless, there were still a few questions that plagued her. “How did you pass security with the code? The procedure at all facilities is to turn over all electronic equipment, briefcases, et cetera. You’re only allowed to enter basically with your knowledge.” Max noticed Stanton was also curious for an answer.

  After a slight hesitation, the mole revealed, “My wristwatch.”

  “Your watch?”

  “The watch contains a Quick Response, or QR code, a mosaic square that functions similar to a bar code. I used the reader on the touchpad to scan the code. Simon programmed the QR code to first embed the backdoor code into the systems operating program, and then to access the cloud. I would locate the failsafe code within the operating system and upload a copy of the code to the cloud,” the mole stated matter-of-factly.