Cipher

by Robert Stohn

  The congested city streets made it difficult to evade the police, but it also made it equally difficult for them to chase him. He looked down at his navigation as he took the alternate route that added at least an twenty more minutes to his journey, but he had no choice. He had to make his way around to the other side of the Bosporus and take the other bridge, then cross back over. He could still hear the sounds of the police sirens as he pushed the gas down and merged onto the highway. He could see the police not too far behind, and he began desperately weaving in and out of lanes, causing multiple accidents enroute.

  He was glad he was in Istanbul and not in the states. The silence in the air was golden to him. There was no helicopter making chase; no air support anywhere to be seen or heard. He pushed the throttle down harder, shifting into the fifth and final gear as he took the taxi to its limits. He continued weaving in and out until he hit the exit and screeched off the ramp and down a steep embankment where a red light awaited him. He slammed on the brakes hard as the taxi tried to stop just in the nick of time. Boris cursed the road and cursed the cars on it. Everyone was in his way.

  His phone rang and he answered it. “Boris, brother, where are you?”

  “I’m coming. These damn cops are still behind me.”

  “Shoot them,” Dmitry yelled.

  “I can’t. I’m driving!” Boris yelled back.

  “Okay, how long? How many minutes? We’ll get the boat ready to leave.”

  “Fifteen minutes. Twenty minutes at the maximum,” Boris barked into the phone.

  “Okay, hurry. We’re waiting.”

  Boris cursed into the phone and then hung up. He screeched through the red light, narrowly missing a head-on collision with a semi-truck. He couldn’t stop. He couldn’t slow down. He shot down the streets following his navigation for what seemed like forever. Finally, he could see the docks. He could see his yacht. It wasn’t far now. He was going to make it. He looked back and didn’t see any cop cars or hear any sirens. He could breath a sigh of relief for now.

  Chapter 16

  Jonathan and Jennifer got lost in the Grand Bazaar. With 5,000 shops and being the largest covered market in the world, it was easy to get lost in there. But they didn’t mind. Had they not had the pressing issues to tend to that included life and death, they would have been perfectly fine leisurely combing the passageways of endless wares in that ancient market. But there were other things to do. They did in fact have much more pressing matters to tend to. But if you looked at their faces, the momentary emotional bliss that they both experienced had nothing to do with Boris Medviek, the cipher drive, or anything else for that matter. It had only to do with each other.

  Something began to happen between those two. Something visceral was occurring. A bond was forming, and it was becoming a strong one at that. They were experiencing a rush of emotions that included fear and anxiety, but also included something else. They both couldn’t describe it, but they could both sense that it was occurring; they knew that it was occurring. It was something that happened so rare in life, that when it did, you just knew it. And each of them knew it. They could feel it. They could sense the vibrational energy coming from one another, and it was powerful. But it also made them feel uneasy. There was a fear that came along with that strong emotional connection that was occuring.

  As they passed one shop after another, various merchants stood in the passageways trying to coax would-be shoppers into purchasing their goods. They called out in English, Spanish, French, Italian, and German. They used whatever language they felt suited that particular passerby. And they were excellent at their trade. They were skilled at spotting the Americans and speaking English to them, or the Italians and speaking Italian to them. It was like watching an artist paint; they were masterful at it. It was inspiring to see and witness first hand for both of them.

  “I’ve always been so amazed at how these merchants just know that you speak English or Italian,” said Jennifer.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Jonathan replied. “How old is this place? It feels ancient?”

  “It’s said that it was constructed in 1461. Five and a half centuries ago,” she said smiling.

  “How do you not get lost in this place?”

  “I know, it’s pretty confusing,” she said.

  “I’ll say so. Don’t you think we should head over to the Aya Sofia?” Jonathan asked.

  “Yes, it’s in this direction. It’s just a 15-minute walk from here,” she cooed.

  They walked through more passageways, each one connecting to another meandering route with hundreds upon hundreds of shops. Eventually, she led them towards the exit and they reemerged out into the city and traversed through the various little roads and staircases that led them towards the blue mosque, Aya Sophia. Agents Jenkins and Steiner were waiting for them outside of the entrance to the mosque. The agents immediately recognized the pair.

  “Hi Jonathan, Dr. Cobalt,” Jenkins said.

  Steiner chimed in with a “Hello” as well.

  “I’m Special Agent Jenkins, and this is Special Agent Steiner. I can’t tell you how happy we are to have tracked the two of you down,” Jenkins said.

  They walked towards a seating area outside the Aya Sophia, near a small group of outdoor eateries where they all sat down on low-slung benches. The area was a hotbed for tourists, and people milled about in masses, making the area much more crowded due to the peak travel season.

  “It’s nice to meet you guys,” Jonathan said.

  “Hi,” Jennifer said.

  “I assume that you know why we’re here?” asked Jenkins.

  “Yes. I think so,” Jennifer said while Jonathan looked on. She gave him a nervous glance.

  “Mr. Grace, what’s your connection with all of this? How did you come to meet Dr. Cobalt?” asked Steiner.

  Jonathan looked at Jennifer and wasn’t sure how to respond. He didn’t want to let on that he was working for the Italians, but he also didn’t want to leave information out that could cost him his life, or Jennifer her life.

  “I’m here searching for something with her help. The cipher drive,” Jonathan replied. It was as close to the truth as possible.

  “But it’s clear you two don’t know each other before your meeting here in Istanbul,” Jenkins said. She wasn’t asking, she was just saying.

  “Yes,” Jonathan said. “That’s correct. We met here, in Istanbul.”

  “Who sent you?” Steiner asked.

  Jonathan felt like he was being grilled. “Tell them,” Jennifer said. “They’re on our side.”

  “The Italians,” Jonathan said.

  Jenkins and Steiner both looked at each other as if that statement puzzled them. “The Italians?” they asked in unison.

  “Yeah, the Italians,” Jonathan replied.

  “Which Italians?” Jenkins asked.

  “Why does it matter? I’m here, aren’t I?” Jonathan asked. “I’m talking to you. I’m cooperating with you,” he added.

  “Look. We’re not here to judge you or persecute you. We’re here for one reason and one reason only: to catch Medviek. If you can’t be upfront and honest with us, it’s going to be that much harder to get this whole thing sorted out,” Jenkins said. She was an expert negotiator.

  Jennifer nudged Jonathan with her elbow, as if to tell him to let them know everything. It was their lives on the line. “Don Cicerone sent me.”

  The two agents looked at each other again with incredulity. “This just gets more and more twisted by the moment, doesn’t it?” asked Steiner, speaking to Jenkins.

  “Okay. Look, we’ll get back to that part later,” Jenkins said. “First off, I need you to tell me everything you know about the cipher drive you’re after. I need to know everything. We need to find out what our exposure is here. This is looking like it’s much worse than initially expected.” She looked at Jennifer this time. “Dr. Cobalt, can you fill me in on the blanks here?”

  “Yes,” Jennifer said. �
�The cipher drive contains advanced cipher algorithms that I created. I was contracted by a lab in Arlington, Virginia called Advanced Biogenics.”

  “Okay, I think we know about your employment history there. But what type of ciphers specifically are these?” asked Jenkins, looking on with concern as if she was just about to hear some earth-shattering information.

  “The kind of ciphers that can crack any RSA key, or any security on the Web for that matter. The ciphers are based on an advanced algorithm that I created. Traditionally, brute force algorithms work in one string where a device sends repeated attempts to in a relatively linear and consecutive manner, to hack a portal or a server. My ciphers are different. I was able to come up with an algorithm that sits on a very different type of chipset. This chipset is much more advanced and acts more like a human brain.”

  “How so?” asked Jenkins.

  “Okay, so in the human brain you know that there are billions of neurons. Each of these neurons – or nerve cells – is connected to other neurons by axons, which are the nerve fibers. The axons occur in synapses, the places where electrical impulses send signals from one neuron to another. These neurons are grouped in the brain based upon what function they serve, which is why we have so many of them,” Jennifer said.

  The three looked on as Jennifer spoke, seemingly confused by the conversation that was going way over all of their heads. “So,” she continued, “In this chipset there are thousands of processors that act like the neurons, thousands of equivalent memory modules that act as the axons, and tens of thousands of synapses, which act as the communication between the processors and memory units. It’s because of this chipset that my advanced algorithms are much more highly effective because it’s a multi-pronged attack, and not a lateral attack that would exist in traditional methods. It’s that chipset, combined with the algorithms, that make this cipher drive highly lethal.”

  “When you say highly lethal, what are we talking about exactly?” asked Steiner.

  “It’s advanced enough to crack a 2048-bit RSA key in under 30 minutes,” Jennifer said.

  “That’s impossible,” Jenkins said.

  “Not impossible. Very possible. In fact, very much so a reality,” Jennifer cooed confidently.

  “But present-day technology couldn’t even hack a 1024-bit RSA key in under 7 months with some of the strongest computing power,” Steiner said.

  “I know,” Jennifer said. “I know that.”

  The two agents looked at each other again with more incredulity. They couldn’t’ believe what they were hearing. It was much worse than they had initially expected. “We have to get that cipher drive,” Steiner said. “We believe that Medviek has accessed some critical databases from around the world. He has a list that we need to get back before it’s too late.”

  “What list?” asked Jonathan.

  “We can’t divulge that information to you, but we’re on the same side here. We need that cipher drive,” Jenkins said.

  “Yes, I agree,” Jonathan replied. Jennifer looked at him afterwards as if to say that it was a stupid thing to say. She knew that his motivation for the cipher drive was money related. She knew that it was the only reason why he was there. Yet, she somehow found herself being attracted to him. There was something about his damaged past that drew her in. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She didn’t know exactly what it was, but there was a spark there, something that seldom ever happened for her so she took very clear notice of it.

  “So what’s the plan?” Jennifer asked.

  “Well, you have to understand that we’re dealing with someone who’s extremely sophisticated,” Steiner said. He whipped out his laptop and started leafing through photos of Medviek. “This is Boris Medviek here. He’s the head of a Russian crime syndicate with very deep pockets. He’s very well connected and highly intelligent. He’s also a master of disguise,” he said as he showed different pictures of Medviek that looked like entirely different people.

  “But that doesn’t even look like the same person,” Jonathan said.

  “Yes, we’re well aware. His disguises allow him to slip through most places completely undetected,” Jenkins said. The pair of agents made a great team. They fed off one another, one speaking first, then the other speaking next.

  “So how do we find him?” Jennifer asked.

  “Well, that part won’t be that difficult. We’re aware that his yacht is here in the area. In fact, it was parked in the harbor this morning. Presently, it’s on the other side of the Bosporus. And, even though he’s very cleverly shielded the true owner of the yacht through a Panamanian Bearer Shares Company, we’ve been able to track the ownership to him through a series of methods that I can’t discuss with you all,” Steiner said.

  “What about the guy who shot me?” Jennifer asked. “What about that scum bag who shot at us, and almost killed us both, twice? What’s being done about him?” Her faced turn red with anger as she was speaking. The thought of replaying those events in her mind infuriated her. She was angry that she was now the target of an obvious hit put out on her.

  “That’s Viktor Petrekov. He works for Medviek,” Jenkins said.

  “I don’t understand why these people are after me. I don’t understand why I’m the source of all of this. I didn’t do anything aside from working on a project that I was contracted to do,” Jennifer said.

  “Yes, but you have the knowledge to recreate that. I think that’s what they’re afraid of,” Steiner said.

  “Yes, but without the chipset it means nothing. The reason why that cipher drive works is because it’s sitting on that chipset,” Jennifer said with an almost matter-of-fact look on her face.

  “Well, they want you for what’s up there then,” Jenkins said pointing to Jennifer’s head.

  “Wanted for your brains,” Jonathan said. He was trying to make light of the situation but no one laughed at his attempt at a joke.

  “Well, so what are we going to do then?” Jonathan asked. “How do we get the cipher drive back, catch Medviek, and stop Petrekov from trying to kill us?”

  Jenkins looked at the group. She was sure of the plan they had hatched, and she looked at the pair in the eyes, back and forth, as she explained in detail, just how they were going to go about it. “We do have a plan,” she said. “This is what we’re going to do…”

  Chapter 17

  Boris Medviek climbed back onto his yacht after a lengthy battle to evade the Turkish police. But, he also returned to the glistening superyacht after having accomplished precisely what he had sought out to accomplish. He had the list. Not only did he have the list, but he still had the cipher drive. No one could take that away from him. No one else in the world held the power that he did as long as that cipher drive was in his possession. He could infiltrate any database, private or public, in the whole world. He could take what he wanted from whom he wanted and no one could stop him. However, there was one thing that he still didn’t have. There was one piece to the puzzle that still wasn’t solved – the doctor.

  When he arrived back on his yacht, his brother Dmitry greeted him like any other self-respecting Russian would: with a bottle of vodka. Dmitry poured two glasses of the triple-distilled and perfectly aged elixir, into two ice-filled glasses. When he was finished, he handed the other glass to Boris and raised his own glass to meet his.

  “Ura,” Dmitry said, which meant cheers in Russian.

  “What are you celebrating about?” Boris asked.

  “We have the list now, right brother? We can celebrate now. The money will be ours very soon,” he said.

  “I have the list, but I don’t have the doctor. I want you to call Viktor. I want you to call him, then I want you to put me on the phone with him,” Boris barked.

  Dmitry walked over to grab his phone and returned to the wet bar at the stern of the boat where he had fixed his brother a drink. The shiny chrome and white marble finish of the bar glistened in the sun. But as Boris swiveled around the black leather
barstool at the front of the bar, and his brother stood behind it, he shook his head. Dmitry dialed the number and handed the phone to Boris.

  “Da?” said the voice on the other end.

  “Viktor?” asked Boris.

  “Da? Boris?”

  “Yes.”

  “Hello boss,” Viktor said.

  “Hello? You idiot!” Boris yelled into the phone. “You greet me with hello? You are worthless! I pay you for a job and you can’t even finish it!”

  “I’m sorry. Really, I’m sorry. I will make it right.”

  “Where are you?” Boris barked the question into the phone.

  “I’m here. I’ve located them. I am following them right now,” Viktor said into the phone. Boris could hear the man breathing heavily. He knew that he was in a panic.

  “Where are they?”

  “They’re in a car, on the other side of the Bosporus,” Viktor said.

  “Where are they going?”

  “I don’t know boss but I’m following them. They’re with two others. What should I do?” he asked.

  “Don’t do anything!” Boris yelled back. “Don’t do a single damn thing you idiot! You’ll just screw it up again!”

  “I won’t. I’ll make it right. I promise,” Viktor said in his most apologetic tone.

  “Listen,” Boris yelled into the phone, “All I want from you is to trail them. Follow them and let me know where they’re going. When they stop, I want to know where they stop. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, boss. Loud and clear,” Viktor said.

  Boris clicked the phone shut and stared at his brother, shaking his head again. He held the highball glass and jingled the ice cubes around by shaking the glass back and forth in his hand, and then he took one last swig of the vodka, polishing it off.

  “What?” Dmitry asked. “What did he say?”

  “Where did you find this idiot?” Boris asked. “He’s following them. At least the idiot found them again. They can’t be too smart if Viktor keeps finding them.”