In the back of her mind, Rika Muranaka had always harbored doubts about the Coalition. But she had resigned herself to the reality that they were simply too powerful to be confronted, and that this was the world that she lived in today.
She knew that it was right here, right now, that she had to make a decision that would completely alter the course of her life. Deep in the back of her mind, she had always known that her life would somehow come to this. But not like this. And certainly not this fast.
She looked at the thumb drive in her hand. The meeting with Turner had changed things. She would not have time to give it to Alex Luthecker. She would have to set PHOEBE loose on the Coalition Fortress security systems herself.
She knew that once she plugged the device into the Coalition Fortress systems, all hell would break loose, and it would be traced back to her in minutes if not seconds, no matter what protocols she tried to put in place to contain PHOEBE. And she would need every one of those minutes before detection to get to Alex Luthecker.
She decided that this would be the plan. Her gut instincts told her that Luthecker was the key, and it wouldn’t take much to determine where they were holding him. Electronic logs and records were easy enough for someone with her skill set to access. She already knew which building held him—building four, which housed Coalition Assurance.
Muranaka had only visited that building once before, as part of a tour when she was first hired. It required top-level security clearance and was filled with some of the scariest looking men and women she’d ever come across. But Muranaka already knew she was going to risk it.
She was going to unleash PHOEBE on the Fortress, but in a contained way, not in hopes for the victory that Ellis had in mind, but in hopes that both systems would cancel each other out.
In Muranaka’s mind, both PHOEBE and rival Coalition Fortress cyber ability presented real threats to global security, and therefore both needed to be destroyed.
Muranaka made up her mind that she would be the one to do it. And while PHOEBE and Coalition cyber security cancelled each other out, she would face the mythical enemy of the Coalition, Alex Luthecker.
She would see if he was truly capable of all that was rumored. And she couldn’t deny that the thought of it was exhilarating. She carefully opened the door to the restroom and exited into the hallway.
31
Incoming
“What do you mean, you cannot stop it?” Vladimir Dimitrov asked his Executive Officer.
“Our launch control sequence. It has been hacked by an outside source,” the sub’s XO replied.
“Who could do such a thing? The Americans?”
“Unknown.”
“But how is it even possible? At this depth?”
“My only guess, sir, is that it happened during our last radio transmission to the surface.”
“But all of our communication is encrypted. And to infect our systems with a virus over radio transmission, that technology does not even exist.”
“Arguing how it happened is moot at this point, sir. It happened. Right now we must concentrate on finding a way to stop it.”
“How much time?”
“Thirty-nine minutes, sir. Whomever set the clock gave us a small window. They must want something.”
“What?”
“Unknown, sir. There has been no instruction or guidance, no contact from anyone. We have no idea who has done this. Should we contact Mr. Barbolin? The Russian President?” The XO asked.
Dimitrov wavered. If the launch sequence could not be stopped, nuclear war was coming, and his next decision could literally decide the fate of human existence. Ivan “the Barbarian” Barbolin technically owned the OПOРA so technically he should be the one contacted first. But that did not follow normal chain of command.
Normal chain of command required contacting the Russian Navy, which had been at least partially privatized, which meant its motives were no longer solely the safety and security of the Russian state. As far as Dimitrov could recall, a private citizen had never owned a weapon of such immense destructive power.
Dimitrov had never met the Barbarian, but he had heard stories of the man’s quick temper and extreme brutality. And along with the navy’s compromised purpose, the Russian President had sold out his country by his transactions with the Barbarian, so the president could not be trusted.
In the end, it was the Barbarian’s reputation, combined with his complete lack of experience in all things military, that informed Dimitrov’s decision.
“No. We must warn the Americans. We must seek their help.”
“This is what you Americans call a suicide mission,” Masha said as she looked out over the Coalition Fortress complex of buildings.
She, along with Chris, Yaw, Camilla, Nikki, and Joey Nugyen stood in an unoccupied two-bedroom unit of the 14th floor of a rundown apartment building. It was located near the 10 freeway on the far edge of downtown Los Angeles.
“That may be,” Yaw answered as he looked at the Fortress complex from the window, “but I think it’s gonna go down different than that. I think the Coalition is in for a big surprise.”
“I hope that you’re right,” Masha said.
“So what is the plan again?” Chris asked Nikki.
“At 5 p.m., Rika’s going to plug PHOEBE into their system. If PHOEBE does what she’s always done for us, she’ll shut down all cameras and surveillance and open all doors that are locked electronically, allowing us to move freely once inside.
“At the same time, Winn’s old friends will create a disturbance outside the northeast Coalition Fortress entrance gate that LAPD Officers Dino Rodriguez and Ellen Levy respond to. They’ll block off the streets, and get the Fortress guards involved.
“With the surveillance systems down and the guards distracted, that’ll be our opening to get inside the Fortress.”
“Once we’re inside, then what?” Chris asked.
“You guys find Alex and get him out as quickly as you can. I’ll find Rika Muranaka and get her out of there before she’s taken into custody for her actions. PHOEBE should be in control of their entire surveillance and security systems at that point. She’ll carve a path out for you guys. Once you’re all out, I’ll reprogram PHOEBE to take care of the Coalition.”
“What does that mean? Are you really going to have PHOEBE wipe out the Coalition?” Chris asked.
“I’m going to make them accountable for who they really are. Every theft, every lie, every murder, and every culprit behind all their crimes will be exposed to the entire world. The Coalition itself will be forced to confront its choices and pay the price.
“But make no mistake, the Coalition consists of people, and it’s the individuals that make up the institution who will be forced to face their role in all this. They’ll be held accountable for what they’ve really done in front of the whole world.”
“In other words, it’s like they get a face to face with Alex, but it’s the entire Coalition, at the same time, and on a massive scale, for the whole world to see,” Yaw added.
“Something along those lines.”
“Alex would be proud.”
“I did learn from the best.”
“Sounds good to me,” Chris added. He swung his aluminum Kali sticks for emphasis.
“Alex ain’t gonna let it go down like that,” Camilla said.
“What do you mean?” Nikki asked.
“He ain’t gonna let us spring him and then leave you behind.”
“If this goes right, I won’t be far behind you. When we’re done, we’ll meet at the downtown Metro station, and go back to Terminal Island together.”
“If nothing goes wrong,” Joey Nugyen added.
“We’ll be fine.”
“Suicide mission,” Masha reaffirmed, but this time as a declarative. “But what the hell. I’m ready,” she added.
Nikki looked out the 14th floor window at the buildings that made up the Coalition Fortress. As the sun set on the city of Los Angel
es, the red orange haze provided an ominous backdrop to the angular horizon.
“I want you all to remember, you have to get Alex out. He’s all that matters moving forward. He is the key to everything, not me,” Nikki added. She looked back over her friends for their reaction.
“I think he’d say the same thing about you,” Yaw replied.
“An argument for a different time. Just get him the hell out of there, and don’t worry about me.”
Glen Turner poured himself a shot of bourbon, lifted the glass tumbler to his lips, and swallowed the liquid in one gulp.
He grimaced as the alcohol burned the back of his throat. His stomach churned, and not just from the bourbon. He was dealing with an apocalypse-level hacker in Nicole Ellis, he had been played by his Russian rival Ivan “the Barbarian” Barbolin, and he couldn’t help but suspect that the one man he wished would just go away, Alex Luthecker, was somehow behind it all.
The search for Ivan Barbolin’s nuclear submarine had proven fruitless so far, and Turner had to admit that, even with Coalition war machines and surveillance technology searching the Pacific, the odds were against him locating the vessel the longer the search took.
There was always the option of causing an international incident by moving Coalition backed U.S. Navy nuclear subs within striking range of Russia and putting it out on the world stage for all to see, but that would not get Turner any closer to his goal—to get back to running the world’s largest corporate superpower, without the needless distractions and petty brinksmanship, all seemingly caused by one man currently being held in a Coalition prison cell.
Turner had been steadfast in his refusal to be caught in the same trap as his two predecessors, Richard Brown and James Howe, in dealing with someone who held no real power like Alex Luthecker. Yet here he was.
Turner was baffled by everyone’s fascination and obsession with the con man-soothsayer, but no matter how much he tried to avoid dealing with Luthecker, it had proven inevitable for Turner, and now the Coalition leader feared it would cost him his chairmanship.
The Coalition CEO would think nothing of getting it over with and killing the young man, but he couldn’t because of the cyber-crises Luthecker’s girlfriend, of all people, had created for him. He needed Luthecker alive for leverage against the terrorist hacker Ellis.
But once the cyber threat presented by PHOEBE was gone, Turner would have them all killed—Luthecker, Ellis, the Barbarian, and perhaps all of Luthecker’s friends.
Turner felt that events had conspired against him ever since he took over as the Coalition leader, and he couldn’t catch a break. And normally reliable, if not adversarial, business partner Ivan Barbolin’s obsession with Luthecker only added to the problem, and that was in addition to the extinction-obsessed scientist Mark Kirby’s constant annoyance.
“Shit,” Turner said to himself.
In the mad scramble after the revelation of Ivan’s nuclear threat, he had completely forgotten about Mark Kirby. He stepped away from the bar in his office and hit the speakerphone line to his executive assistant.
“Find Mark Kirby, and get him in here,” Turner screamed.
“Actually, he’s just arrived, sir, and he says he needs to see you.”
“I think you should talk to him,” Kirby said to the Coalition CEO.
“Why?”
“Well, you might be able to find out where that Russian sub is, for starters.”
“I don’t think he has that kind of knowledge.”
“Well he ripped apart that Russian oligarch pretty good, and he knew about the sub then. He could give you insight into a lot of things that have been bothering you, I’ll bet. And maybe give you a few solutions while he’s at it.”
“If I want that, I’ll talk to a shrink. But what’s your angle? Why are you suggesting this? Did he convert you? Are you a believer now?”
Kirby eyed the bar. “Can I get a drink?”
Turner gave Kirby a brief wave in the affirmative.
“You know my angle. I want all of Coalition Properties resources dedicated to stopping the extinction of humanity,” Kirby said as he made his way to the mini bar. “That’s the only battle left worth fighting.”
“You sold me on your pitch. I’ve already told you that I’ll give you what you need.”
“You threw me a bone in hopes that I’d go away.”
“If you come up with something actionable you get more, if you don’t you fade into obscurity. That’s the way the world works, doctor.”
“The evidence is indisputable, and the solutions are clear. All you really wanted was for me to find Luthecker. Well I found him, and I brought him to you, just like I told you I would. And now I’m telling you that all of this would be a whole lot easier for you if you’d just talk to him.”
“Look—I’ve made it clear that I have no desire to speak with Luthecker.”
“Why not? It’s not like your beliefs can be rattled, right? He couldn’t possibly change the way you think, and Coalition Properties is too big to fail. So what are you afraid of?”
“I’m not afraid. I just don’t buy into the hype. And talking to him just validates him. It’s buying into the hype.”
“You do realize that just entertaining the conversation with me right now means you’ve bought in. You can’t avoid it. Coalition Properties can’t avoid it. It’s the organization’s destiny. That means it’s your destiny. There’s far too much momentum behind that collision to stop it now. Whether you play along or not, he’s playing you already.”
“He’s not playing me. He’s in a cell.”
“You may think he is, but trust me he’s not. The Coalition has held him before and he always got out. And every time he got out, he ghosted you guys, and the Coalition lost big. Maybe you should try and break the pattern. Maybe you should just try talking to him. Otherwise you’ll just lose again.”
“We’re not going to lose. And he’ll get out if and when I say he gets out.”
Kirby shook his head in disbelief at Turner’s response. The man just wasn’t getting it. “Ok, well, then why don’t you just get it over with and kill him then? He’s caused you enough problems, hasn’t he? I mean, what are you waiting for?”
“Coalition Properties does not kill people.”
“Have you forgotten that you’ve threatened to kill me several times already? Or are you so shameless and arrogant that reality means nothing to you people anymore?
“We both know that the Coalition kills people. Its primary business is defense weapons, for god’s sake. What was it, close to thirty thousand children under the age of sixteen died in Iraq? From your weapons?
“You wrap that lethal reality in sophisticated propaganda and then tie it all to national interest to justify all of the killing you do. And we all either buy it or ignore it, and go about our day. We’re all just as guilty as you, but we’re in denial of it.
“It’s no mystery why our species is headed for extinction. We’re making it happen in real time by replacing reality with ideology. But I’ll tell you why you really won’t talk to him. It’s not because you don’t want to buy into the hype. It’s because you’re just beginning to see the level of his impact, and you don’t want to acknowledge it.
“You’re happy with your denial. We all are. And that’s the threat he brings. Removing the ability to deny. And you are desperately afraid of that.”
“I don’t give a shit about him. And there’s nothing he can allegedly do that we won’t be able to do soon through technology, by the way. Coalition technology we own. So I don’t need him.
“I just have a hacking problem right now, and as soon as I have his girlfriend, I’ll leverage his freedom, I’ll leverage his very life so she stops her program from truly ending the world as we know it.
“But make no mistake, after that threat is eliminated, I don’t need either one of them. He’ll be free to go, and you’ll be free to commiserate with him all you like about existential threats while the Coalitio
n handles the real ones,” Turner said, the last part being a lie.
There was no way he was letting Luthecker go. Kirby either, or the Barbarian.
But then out of frustration Turner added, “You know, this guy would be nothing if people would just stop paying attention to him.”
“People say exactly the same thing about ideas,” Kirby shot back. “And history’s shown that ideas are very, very hard to kill.”
“He’s not an idea, he’s just one man. And I thought you wanted a chance at him. So why don’t you speak with him then if you think he’s so profound.”
Kirby searched the bar for a bottle of Perrier. He smiled in victory when he found one.
He opened the bottle and poured himself a glass of the sparkling water. “I have spoken with him. Why do you think I’m here right now?”
“You were not authorized to go in that room.”
“I felt it had to be done. If you weren’t so damn afraid of him, you would have seen that coming. That’s what fear does, by the way. Gives you tunnel vision. When Ivan the oligarch got the jump on you, and you had to, I don’t know, stop a nuclear attack, no one was around to mind the store so to speak, so I took the liberty.”
“What did he say to you?”
“I thought you didn’t care. I thought you said if everyone just ignored him, he’d go away. How’s that working out for you?”
“Are you looking to be handcuffed to a table again?”
“He convinced me that we’re all in this together. And he told me to tell you that you need to talk to him.”
The entry door to Turner’s office burst open, and his executive secretary stepped through.
“I’m in a meeting,” Turner snapped in response. The look on his secretary’s face changed his tone. “What is it?” He asked.
“You have a very urgent phone call.”
“From who?”
“A Captain Vladimir Dimitrov from the Russian sub OПOРA.”
Muranaka sat at her desk and moved to turn on her computer.
Revolution: Luthecker, #3 Page 24
