“Ms. Ellis does present a real time problem, but we will have her soon, and it’ll be over. And as far as Alex Luthecker? He’s obsolete.”
Turner began to pace in front of the board members, and he saw several nodding. The Coalition CEO’s presentation skills never failed to squeeze what he wanted from his board.
“However, I will add this—they both still have an important role to play,” Turner continued, looking over the faces of his greedy, small-minded rivals.
He also knew that beyond their fearful nature, they were dangerous, and any misstep with this group of ruthless predators would mean his end at the top of the Coalition food chain.
“I believe that there are no accidents in this universe. And I believe that both Luthecker and the hacker, Nicole Ellis, represent a test for us, for our values and beliefs.” Turner circled the table, walking behind Collin Smith for effect. “Luthecker and Nicole Ellis represent a final test of both our will to see our vision enacted and our ability to convey our beliefs to the people. And in regards to Ms. Ellis and her hacking skills specifically, in our ability to secure the future through the technological developments that will usher in the next era of human development.”
“We’ve all read the reports of what Ellis did to Black Widow and what her program is doing around the world. We need to stop it,” Smith added.
“On that we agree, Collin, and I’m in the process of stopping it. But don’t mourn Black Widow too hard. That program is just the beginning of what Coalition Properties’ new Fortress complex will be capable of. And when our systems destroy PHOEBE and we eradicate Ms. Ellis and Luthecker, along with their followers and the ideals they represent, we will have, in fact, passed our most crucial test as an organization. We will become stronger because of it. But we must not lose sight of what this is—only a test.
“Our beliefs must remain resolute. We cannot succumb to the threat. We have to understand them for exactly what they are—just a simple test and nothing more. And I’ll have you know that we’re already winning. We currently have all their followers in custody.”
“Here? In the Fortress? Are you crazy? You have to let those people go,” Collin said.
“Why?”
“Because we’re not law enforcement for starters. But more importantly, do you remember what happened last time? When we attacked this exact group of people in an L.A. neighborhood with a Black Hawk helicopter? Do you remember how we lost that battle? Do you remember the lawsuits and the enormous payouts we had to make? Do you remember the congressional scrutiny? And how long it took us to recover from that P.R. nightmare? Do you remember nothing? Did you learn nothing?”
Turner felt himself get hot. “Of course I remember, and I’ve adjusted our approach. I’ve added patience and calm. And this time we are working directly with the Coalition-equipped LAPD. Look, this small band of human traffickers is heinous. They bring criminals across the border. They open us up to terrorists. They broke the law. We have proof, and the press campaign will reflect this along with their criminal past. We’ll control the narrative this time, and this is only step one,” Turner answered, before turning to the entire board and trying to get back on message.
“Now, on to what I see is the real test. As you know, we’ve expanded our real estate holdings considerably in Los Angeles,” Turner continued. “Coalition Towers is now Coalition One, which is now part of a larger matrix of buildings in downtown L.A. referred to as the Coalition Fortress. The security and surveillance systems in use to guard the Fortress represent marketable technological breakthroughs that the world has never seen before.
“Combined with our defense systems and weaponry, it is a one hundred percent controlled environment. It is one hundred percent safe, with no room for variables. It is my full belief that at the Fortress, Ms. Ellis and her software design she calls PHOEBE will meet their Waterloo, as will Mr. Luthecker. I believe it is destiny that their threat, perceived or otherwise, ends here.”
“I won’t see this company step on its own dick again,” Smith said. “And as I’ve said all along, I don’t think you treat this situation seriously. How do you know Luthecker won’t see this coming? We’ve never gotten them all in the same place together in the past, how are you going to do it this time? How are you going to get Luthecker, Ellis, and PHOEBE, all in the same place, at the same time, where we can destroy them?”
“I’m working on it. But I’ll get them all here, don’t you worry. Alex Luthecker, Nicole Ellis, and everything that they stand for will meet their rightful end.”
Muranaka collapsed on the couch of her small Santa Monica apartment and closed her eyes. Her meeting with Coalition CEO Glen Turner went better than expected, and she was very happy to be dealing with the CEO directly now.
But the heightened expenditure of energy required to be “on” for the meeting, combined with the anxiety of having to present her case to the head of the company, had left her completely exhausted, in addition to the added apprehension of having the opportunity and assets to pursue exactly what she wanted.
Muranaka had joined Coalition Properties right around the time Nicole Ellis and PHOEBE started being a thorn in the Coalition’s side. Because of the timing, Muranaka had been chasing Nicole Ellis and the rogue hacker’s accomplishments for the entirety of her professional life, and the younger Japanese programmer had resented it. Having her life defined reactively by those who came before her was something she’d been dealing with since birth.
Muranaka grew up as the youngest of three children, the only daughter in a patriarchal Japanese household. To Muranaka’s father, her older brother could do no wrong, while Rika was constantly criticized. No matter how well she did in any endeavor, she would never be good enough. So Rika handled the constant criticism by excelling in everything.
She graduated at the top of her class, which led to having her pick of multiple jobs and being able to negotiate a starting salary far higher than either of her older brother’s had out of graduate school. She worked longer hours than her colleagues. She’d had a hand in developing Black Widow. In every metric, Muranaka was winning. But no matter what she did, someone always overshadowed her accomplishments. She was at the top of her game, yet she always felt like she was losing.
At home, it was to her less competent older brothers. In the field, it was to Nicole Ellis and her program PHOEBE. With her long hours, her personal life was nonexistent. With family, with profession, Muranaka couldn’t win. It was particularly frustrating because she felt she was destined for so much more in life.
But with the current crisis, Muranaka thought she could break free from this pattern. Perhaps by helping bring the world’s most notorious hacker and her criminal conman Alex Luthecker to justice, Muranaka could finally step free from the shadows. Perhaps when it was Rika Muranaka, not Nicole Ellis who made the headlines, Muranaka would finally find the validation she deserved.
Muranaka decided that this would be the goal. She would work extra hard to find Ellis, not just crack Ellis’ program. And she had extra tools at her disposal now. She had Glen Turner’s favor at the moment, and she would capitalize on all of it.
Invigorated by the possibilities, Muranaka got up from the couch, sat at the kitchen table, and opened her laptop. She found that she had several email reminders waiting for her, a handful that were not work related, and she decided to take care of those first. She recognized two of the emails, one from St Jude’s Cancer Center for kids and another from the Humane Society.
Muranaka, a single woman who was well paid but not necessarily materialistic, didn’t spend her money on many things beyond clothes and dinners out. She had always spent the bulk of her disposable income on two things—vacations to remote locations and causes she believed in. The first item was months away, but in her email were monthly reminder alerts for charitable donations to her two favorite causes—St. Jude’s Cancer Center for kids, and the Humane Society for animals.
For Muranaka, children and animals were des
erving of help, but human adults were more suspect. Donating to these two organizations made Muranaka feel like she was making the world a better place, at least in some small way, particularly when life at work was overwhelming. She quickly donated five hundred dollars to each via PayPal and felt satisfied. Now back to the task at hand, dealing with PHOEBE and Nicole Ellis.
Muranaka quickly logged onto Tor, her deep web search engine, and began her pursuit of PHOEBE one more time. She would search all night if she had to, she told herself. And when she was done, PHOEBE and Nicole Ellis would never know what hit them.
16
In Custody
“They’re being held at Metro downtown. In isolation. No one can get near them. Homeland’s taken over. They are all under guard, waiting for the Feds to arrive,” Dino Rodriguez said to Alex and Nikki.
“They’re being held as persons of interest, suspected of planning terrorist acts,” added Officer Ellen Levy. “It doesn’t look good for any of them.”
Levy stuck out her hand to Alex. “I’m Ellen Levy. I’ve heard all about you, and it’s an honor to meet you. I just wish it was under better circumstances.”
Alex shook her hand, followed by Nikki. Then Alex set his eyes on Levy. They studied her with the REM-like intensity and movement that Alex had become known for.
“What the hell…?” Levy reacted, while simultaneously taking a step back. Her instincts and training had her hand moving automatically to her sidearm.
Then, nearly as soon as it started, Alex’s eye movement stopped. He looked at Levy.
“You will help many,” Alex said.
Levy stood speechless. A feeling came across her that was indescribable, something that she had never experienced before. It was unnerving, as if in an instant, Alex had looked deep into her soul. Yet at the same time, there was a sense of reassurance. That being right here, right now, was exactly where she was supposed to be. As near to a sense of destiny as one could experience was how she evaluated the feeling.
A hand on her shoulder interrupted her thoughts.
“Yeah, he does that,” Rodriguez said to her.
“We have to decide what to do,” Alex interrupted. “If they stay in custody, they die.”
“They’re out of our reach. I’m sorry,” Rodriguez said.
“Can we save them?” Nikki asked. “If we find a way to get them out, will they live?”
“It’s possible. All I can say is the end is coming, but I don’t see it with our friends dying in prison,” Alex said
“What does that mean?” Rodriguez asked.
“All I know is that either the Coalition or we as a group, and our efforts, will come to an end. Soon.”
Everyone stood in silence for a moment.
“We can’t use PHOEBE to help us,” Nikki explained.
Everyone looked at her.
“Not right now. There’s some…coding problems. I have to work them out,” Nikki continued. She didn’t dare look at Alex.
“If you guys pop back up on the grid, it’s over,” Rodriguez added. “They’ll nab you in a second, and I won’t be able to protect you.”
“I think she’ll still protect us. It’s just…there’s some problems with any new commands.”
“Problems?” Alex asked.
“She’s not responding.”
“How can you be sure she’ll protect you then?” Rodriguez asked.
The officer didn’t know much about PHOEBE, other than it was the software program that kept Luthecker and his friends hidden.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be okay,” Alex said. “We’ll have to look to other ways to stay in the shadows.”
Alex turned back to Rodriguez. “The others. The soldiers that I asked for. Are they ready?”
“There aren’t any soldiers. There hasn’t been any time. I’m sorry.”
Alex looked away for several seconds before turning back to Rodriguez. “I need you to do me a small favor.”
“Sure. If I can.”
“I need you to pay respects to my deceased mentor.”
Rodriguez tilted his head in confusion.
“It would mean a lot to me,” Luthecker added.
“Okay. If that’s what you want.” Rodriguez nodded before looking away.
He had never doubted Alex Luthecker before. But now the leader of this small band seemed to be speaking in existential parables that weren’t based on any reality the young officer could see. And now Luthecker wanted him to visit a grave. It gave Rodriguez pause. He decided that it was time to leave. He turned to Officer Levy.
“Let’s go,” he said to her before they exited the small apartment, leaving Alex and Nikki.
“We can’t have some sort of armed insurrection, Alex,” Nikki said after the two officers had left.
“It won’t be violent. I hope.”
“Be honest with me—how much can you see? Can you tell what’s really going to happen?”
“What’s meant to happen will happen whether I can see it or not. But more important than that, is Kunchin’s prophecy regarding you beginning to unfold? Is this what’s happening with PHOEBE?”
“I think she’s beginning to act out on her own. The consequences could be devastating. And I mean end of times devastating.”
“She needs to be guided.”
“I’ve been trying. I go to log in and my passwords don’t work. Back door access will take time, time we don’t have, and that’s not a guarantee. We’re on our own here until I can figure out what to do.”
A small voice called out. “Alex…?”
Both Alex and Nikki turned to the sound of the voice.
Maria stood in the bedroom doorway. “Is it time to go?”
Alex smiled, then walked over to Maria, and put his hand on her shoulder. “Yes. It is.”
“I want to go with you.”
“Not this time, Maria. But soon. For now, I need you to stay with Camilla where you will be safe.”
“Many will die,” Maria said as she hugged Alex.
Nikki’s heart raced. If Maria was in any way like Alex—like he claimed—her prophecy would come true. Someone in the family would die in the coming conflict, maybe.
“It’s possible,” Alex replied to Maria, his voice soft. “That is often the way of things. But what you see is not always set. There is room for change if people are willing and you help them to see. In time, I will show you how. But in the meantime, you will be safe. That I promise.”
A hard knock on the door interrupted. Nikki immediately grabbed her Kali sticks.
Alex took the Kali sticks from Nikki and motioned for both Maria and Nikki to stand behind him.
He carefully approached the door and looked through the peephole—a nervous looking bald man stood outside, his eyes constantly scanning the hallway. Alex noted that he was not armed, and his movements were not those of a man trained to threaten others. Alex put the chain on the door and opened it three inches.
“Alex Luthecker?” Mark Kirby asked.
“Who’s asking?”
“I’ve been trying to contact you. I know who you are, and I know what you can do. I’m not exactly sure what you can tell about who I am and why I’m here by simply looking at me. It’s probably everything, but I’m going to say it anyway—I can help you. But more important than that, I need your help—to save the world.”
Yaw sat on his aluminum prison bunk, legs crossed and back straight. He tried to focus on his meditative mantra. He tried to push aside the anger he felt at himself for not seeing the danger during the rescue attempt. He should have been able to see the events before they began to unfold like Alex had taught him. He was mad at himself for letting down the refugees. He was mad at himself for letting down his friends.
Unable to concentrate any longer, Yaw slowly opened his eyes and looked around his cell. It was enclosed concrete, eight feet by eight feet square, with a metal cot, toilet, and sink. The door, also metal, had a solitary food slot. A flickering halogen bulb above provided the on
ly illumination.
There was palpable dampness in the air, humidity that made the skin feel sticky. This clamminess also gave a musty, heavy feel to the atmosphere that—when combined with the relentless smell of the previous inmates’ sweat, blood, and urine—rendered the air almost unbreathable.
It was also dead silent. That was perhaps the most disturbing part to Yaw. The complete lack of sound was disorienting—added to the fact that there was no sense of day or night. Isolation was considered torture in nearly every corner of the world, and Yaw knew he would have to rely on his training to keep sane.
He closed his eyes, sat up straight, with his legs crossed in front of him, and focused on his meditation again. He chanted louder this time, the Buddhist mantra Alex taught him as a way to quiet his thoughts echoing off the concrete walls.
The sound of a bolt sliding back on his cell door caused him to open his eyes.
“Just give us a full run down on your operations, and we’ll set you free,” the man in the suit and badge said.
Yaw studied the man who sat across from him at the steel table for several seconds. He was white, soft featured, with perfect black hair. His hands were smooth. He had neither the build nor the mannerisms of a field agent. He was a pencil pusher. A negotiator.
Yaw looked to the one-way mirror and had a strong inclination about the type of person who would be on the other side. Behind that one-way was the harder elements of Coalition Assurance. The ones trained in the art of brutality.
Yaw understood that if the man sitting across from him did not get what he wanted, the next man to interrogate him might not leave him alive. Yaw looked at his wrist chained to the table, before looking back to the Coalition agent.
Revolution: Luthecker, #3 Page 13
