by D. B. Goodin
I must have offended her.
Nigel finished restoring the laptop. He noticed two system profiles: “Guest” and “FreeBird.” He selected the FreeBird profile. To his surprise, it logged into the graphical user interface without even prompting for a password.
Whoever this FreeBird is, he doesn’t have good security.
Nigel examined the contents of the user’s document folder, and it was blank.
Let’s see how good FreeBird is at hiding data.
Nigel checked the contents of the “Recent” and “PreFetch” folders. They contained information. Nigel examined the PreFetch folder contents first. It contained cryptic-looking file names that Nigel recognized as hashed files; a hash was a way to obscure the actual file name with a random series of alphanumeric values. There were too many of these values to check them manually, so Nigel sent all the file names to a text file. Once he separated all other metadata, he examined the computer for a suitable browser and, to his delight, found the multipoint online remote privacy (MORP) browser.
A hacker or someone who wants to keep their actions hidden must have used this computer.
Nigel launched the MORP browser and went to a security analysis website called MaliciousTotal and uploaded the hashes. A listing of several known hacking tools appeared, including the Belch Suite, an invasive and advanced toolkit so expensive only corporate clients and criminals could afford.
Now to dox this wannabe hacker!
Nigel downloaded another tool to analyze the master file table on the former hacker’s computer. From that he constructed a timeline of when the hacker tools were downloaded, installed, and executed.
Time to check the logs.
Nigel checked the system, security, application, and network logs. About an hour later he found the trail he was looking for. All the traffic generated by the MORP browser was not logged by design, so he relied on other system activity to determine the hacker’s identity. He examined the browser cache on the built-in High Tower OS internet page rendering tool and found what he was looking for: a StickyBin login.
Nigel rechecked the logs on the laptop and found something interesting. The hacker had modified the laptop’s network settings to monitor every network packet that flowed through the system. This meant the hacker would be able to scan each bit or byte as it entered or exited the system. With this information, Nigel would be able to trace every move the hacker made.
A banging noise broke him out of his technical trance. He opened the door and the attractive woman he’d met before was holding out a cell phone.
I’ll look at her eyes, not her chest, Nigel reminded himself.
“Is this what you need?” the woman asked.
“Yes, it is—thank you,” Nigel said as he closed the door.
“Wait,” the woman said as she stopped the door from closing. “When we first met, you showed interest in my body, and now you don’t even look. Am I not attractive?”
Why is she asking me that?
“I’m in the middle of doing some important work for Mr. Chen. That’s all that matters right now,” Nigel said.
The woman forced her way into the room and pushed Nigel to the bed.
“The other boy wanted my body,” she said. “I’m curious why you don’t.”
What other boy? Nigel thought.
“I’m in love with another—”
The woman’s embrace interrupted Nigel. Her passion took hold of his mind and body, and he was under her spell. He wanted her—but he couldn’t stop thinking about Jet. He went stiff and stopped responding to her advances.
“What’s the matter?” she asked.
“What are we doing? I don’t even know your name. I just . . . want Jet to be safe,” Nigel said in a wavering voice.
He didn’t like what he heard.
I’m weak!
Nigel buried his hands into his face, and he lost control of his tears; he couldn’t help it. In an instant, the pain of losing her wounded him. The enormity of it all threatened to crush him. After an endless moment, he opened his hands. He expected the woman to have vanished, but he found her sitting on the bed. Nigel looked into her eyes, and he expected to see resolve; instead, he found compassion. He wasn’t sure, but it looked like his outburst had affected her. Nigel wiped away the tears.
“My name is Blanka. Please forgive me if I had offended you.”
Why is she apologizing to me? This is crazy!
“You have not offended me. I find you attractive, but my heart belongs to another. I’m the one who is sorry,” Nigel said.
Blanka looked at him for a very long time. Nigel wasn’t sure what to make of the situation. She got up and offered a hand. He took it. Her grip was firm, but something shot through his system as he touched her. He couldn’t explain it, but it was just as strong as when he’d first kissed Jet. He stared into her eyes one last time.
Blanka kissed him gently on the lips, then departed.
Chapter 21
Bromwick Hotel, 11:46 p.m.
Freeman’s red phone chirped. It was Dahlia again.
She’s been calling me every hour.
“We need you in the war room.”
Before Freeman could respond, the phone disconnected. Moments later, Freeman entered the conference room where he’d first met the Cabal. He scanned the room for the red-haired girl, but she wasn’t present. He only saw the deranged adults who called themselves the Cabal. To Freeman, it was like an old person’s clubhouse. Dahlia, the woman who hired him, was present with two young apprentices. The middle-aged man known as Mr. Chen, his massive Polynesian-looking bodyguard, was an imposing force. Freeman didn’t want to go up against someone so formidable. The man who looked like a sheik, an old man known as Tage and several other mean-looking men all stared at him like a piece of meat on display.
“Good, you’re here. I need you to give a status on the deployment of the malware,” Dahlia said.
“It’s ready to go,” Freeman replied. “All we need to do is press the ‘go’ button.” He plugged in a wireless communication device that synchronized the enormous conference room monitor and his dashboard, which showed a world map, appeared.
“What are the orange dots on the map?” Mr. Chen asked.
“These are the malware distribution hubs. They will send commands to the dormant machines,” Freeman explained.
“How many of those do we have?” Mr. Tage asked.
Freeman pressed another key on his laptop and the screen filled with red dots. There were so many that the entire map was red.
“Wow, it will affect everything!” Gratzano said.
“All industries will be affected in some way. Businesses won’t be able to function without their computers. Many will consider this the start of a cyber war,” Freeman said.
“Can you explain to the group what will happen once the malware detonates on the machine?” Dahlia asked.
“When an infected machine receives my encoded message and decodes it, first it will check for updates. Then, unless the update contains other instructions, the computer will remove all data and system files. The system will be useless after that,” Freeman said.
“Then we need all agents in place before this detonates,” Mr. Chen said.
“Vedrana and Eva are in position and awaiting further instruction,” Dahlia said.
“Good. What about the cyborgs?” Mr. Chen asked.
“They are awaiting instructions. We have them outside the Ohio Valley,” Dr. Ash said.
“Are you sure the Ohio Valley Nuclear Reactor will be offline?” Solomon asked.
“Yes. Vedrana was able to coerce an employee into inserting an infected flash drive. Now we own all systems within the Ohio Valley Nuclear Reactor,” Dahlia said.
Mr. Chen rubbed his hands together. “Excellent!”
“When do we launch?” Freeman asked to no one in particular.
“Soon. We will monitor local and international news from this room,” Mr. Chen said.
Nigel examined the
phone Blanka had given him. A message telling him no SIM card was present mocked him.
I need to get out of here! Let’s see what’s on this phone, anyway.
The phone was unlocked, and there were only a few apps on the phone. It ran a mobile version of HTOS. He checked the apps inventory, and two authenticator apps were installed on the phone, but nothing else seemed to work.
Time to root this phone.
As Nigel hooked the phone to the computer to start the process known as rooting, his thoughts drifted toward Blanka.
Was she playing games with me, or was that real?
He stared at the boot screen as he loaded the hijacked operating system. Instead of the usual happy robot, the phone showed several lines of text as it booted. It looked like a computer screen, except on a much smaller scale. He typed some commands, and then after a brief moment, the display changed from the text display to an enormous icon of a cable. From his computer Nigel loaded a transfer program that allowed him to manually copy programs. He transferred a text messaging app designed by Pretzelverse to let players communicate with others when not logged into the game. Nigel had found a way to exploit the program to let him talk to his friends without a game channel. He connected the phone to the hotel Wi-Fi. During his reconnaissance of the Bromwick’s Wi-Fi network, he realized the hotel’s Wi-Fi blocked most communications ports at a firewall level. But he had modified the Pretzelverse chat app to use nonstandard ports last year when he was in fear for his life from a hacker group known as the Collective.
Time to see if Milo still has the app on his phone.
He dialed, and after a few rings, Milo picked up.
“Hello? Nige?”
“Hey, Milo. I wasn’t sure if you still had this app on your phone.”
“Well, I sort of forgot about it. If it wasn’t linked to the contact I had for you, I probably would not have picked up. How is Jet?”
Nigel’s mouth went dry. He tried to speak, but his lips wouldn’t obey.
“She’s—we’re in trouble,” Nigel croaked.
“Okay, Nige, slow down, let’s talk this through. Maybe I can help or call the police for you.”
“No—no police, not yet.”
“Okay, just let me know how I can help then.”
Nigel filled Milo in on most of the events since they’d spoken a few days ago. Milo was silent. He let his friend finish.
“What can I do to help?” Milo asked.
“I don’t know what Chen has planned, but it’s something big. He has some kid leading a cyberattack. But based on what I’ve seen, he couldn’t hack his way out of a paper sack. If that kid messes things up, there’s a chance it could disrupt cellular and other phone services. Do you still have your ham radio equipment?”
“You bet! I would never give that stuff away.”
“Get it ready, we might need—”
The door to Nigel’s room opened, and Nigel disconnected the line. It was Blanka.
Why did she barge in like that?
She made sure the hallway was clear, then closed the door. She stood there for a long moment with her back to him. Nigel hid the phone in his pants pocket. Blanka turned, then looked toward the ceiling. She jumped on the bed, then yanked something out of the wall just above the bed. She tossed it aside, then looked around the room. Nigel picked up the device she’d discarded; it was a small spy camera.
My room is bugged?
Nigel shot Blanka a glance. She put a finger over her lips to show silence. Nigel took her lead and waited for her to finish ransacking the room. She wedged a chair under the door handle.
“What’s wrong?” Nigel asked.
“I’ve disabled this room’s eyes and ears for now. Mr. Chen wanted me to convince you to work with these Dark Angels. I don’t know who they are, but I have a bad feeling about this.”
That’s the group Milo wanted me to look into.
“I’ve heard of them,” Nigel replied.
“Mr. Chen seems like the type of man who plans for the unexpected. I just wanted to warn you before you get forced into something,” she said.
Nigel was about to respond when a banging at the door interrupted his train of thought.
Blanka unzipped the top of her leather outfit, revealing even more cleavage.
“What are you doing?” Nigel asked in a low voice.
“Giving them a reason to not be suspicious. Now get on the bed and remove your shirt.”
No sooner than Nigel had finished positioning himself, Blanka opened the door. Mr. Chen entered.
“Forgive the interruption, my dear. May I speak with Mr. Watson, alone?” Mr. Chen said.
Blanka winked at Nigel before leaving. Nigel put on his shirt.
“She is quite the looker, and I know you’re young, but don’t you wish to see your beloved?” Mr. Chen asked.
The question took Nigel off guard. He spoke, but he stumbled on his words.
“Of course I do,” Nigel blurted.
“I have a favor to ask, and then we will reunite you with her.”
“What do you want?”
Mr. Chen smiled. “Thank you for the courtesy of being direct. I shall return the favor. In short, I need your skills.”
Moment of truth, Nige. It’s better to see if he is truly a man of his word.
“To be clear, after I help you, I’ll be set free?” Nigel asked.
“You have my word, and I always keep it,” Mr. Chen replied with a smile.
“What do you need me to do?”
Mr. Chen smiled as he made himself comfortable in Nigel’s desk chair.
“How good are you at hacking the physical security of a data fortress?”
“I’ve been known to get into tight places.”
“If you are as good at breaking in as you are at fixing code, then you shall be reunited with your girlfriend soon.”
“What am I breaking into, and what do you hope to achieve?”
“The details are on this,” Mr. Chen said, handing Nigel a flash drive.
“Hey, as much as I want Jet back, I’m not breaking into some building until I know why,” Nigel said defiantly.
Chen gave Nigel a wary look.
“I don’t have to tell you that data is the lifeblood of our society. We no longer manufacture items—not in any meaningful way. Instead, we manufacture data and allow corporations like the phone companies to resell it to the highest bidder. We have become the product. Jeremiah knew this and wanted to use the data to dox millions, then profit from the ensuing bounties.”
“That makes no sense. Based on the malware I fixed, you are planning something bigger than a data heist.”
“Yes, you are a smart boy. This was to be the latter of a two-pronged attack, but due to changes beyond our control, the plan needed to be altered.”
Nigel pondered this for a long moment. Despite the chaos Chen’s attack would cause, he had to admire its simplicity. The man had gone to great lengths to make this happen, but if it was the only way to get Jet back, he could do it a thousand times over.
“How long do I have to prepare?”
“You have until tomorrow afternoon to review the data and plan of attack.”
Mr. Chen left Nigel to his thoughts.
Nozomi looked out the window of the limo as her unwilling guest squirmed in the opposite seat.
“We will have you out of those bonds if you cooperate, and only if you do,” she said.
Moments later, the limo pulled up to the side entrance of the Bromwick Hotel. Nozomi untied Melissa Mason and removed her gag.
“Remember what happens to your daughter if you don’t accept Mr. Chen’s generous offer.”
Nozomi pulled Melissa out of the limo and urged her into the hotel. The hotel staff got out of her way as she prodded Melissa through the lobby and into the conference room where the Cabal was meeting. Everyone stopped talking as the newcomers approached.
“She’s ready to cooperate,” Nozomi said as she pushed Melissa into the conferen
ce table.
“What happened to your face?” Dr. Ash asked Nozomi. “Come here so I can examine you.”
Nozomi let Dr. Ash examine her.
“Your auto-healing has stopped working,” Dr. Ash said. “I need to find a suitable facility to make the repairs.”
“Don’t bother, I’ve been meaning to pay Dr. Sylvester another visit.”
“Yes, please do it. We can’t have you walking around with half a face.”
Nozomi handed Dr. Ash a vial. “This is that sample you wanted.”
“From Delta-51?”
“Yes. Sorry I couldn’t bring her in.”
“Just take care of yourself, dear, you are my finest creation,” Dr. Ash said as she rested a hand on Nozomi’s damaged face.
“Ms. Mason, welcome to the Bromwick. Please take a seat. Would you like a refreshment?” Chen said.
Melissa shook her head, then picked one of the vacant seats. She gave Dahlia a wary look, as if the Black Heart was preparing to attack. Moments later, Ezekiel placed a folder and pen in front of her. All eyes were on Melissa as she examined and signed all paperwork.
“In the morning, the transaction goes into escrow. As soon as that process finishes, you will be seven billion dollars richer,” Mr. Chen said, smiling.
“When can I see my daughter?” Melissa said.
“Soon, my dear, but while you wait, I suggest you make yourself comfortable in one of the penthouse suites.”
Chapter 22
New York City, October 23rd 1:32 p.m.
Titus Flavia pulled up to the tallest windowless building in Lower Manhattan. He backed his BlueSphere Communications truck onto the ramp that led to the loading bay. He didn’t expect any resistance since the parking permits on the truck were in order, and he didn’t expect the van to be reported stolen for quite some time.
It’s time to get Norris and his team of engineers on the horn. I just hope that commando is worth the money, Titus thought.
“Dark Angels, I’m in position. Set your radios to the encrypted frequency,” Titus said.
“Affirmative. Are the engineering teams in position?” a gruff male voice asked.
