Mark Pryor - Cyberian Affair

She took the phone. “You can get the FBI to break into it. Why do you need me?”

“We prefer not to involve the agency.”

Vyper smiled. “The CIA knows how to break in. Why me?”

“You know why. My organization isn’t allowed to do that kind of work inside the US.”

“You want me to break into the phone using the cell service provider. That is illegal, you know.” She opened her laptop and started an encrypted session with a private network. She powered on Sokolov’s phone and studied the screen. “I will do it.”

Once Vyper obtained full access, she searched for key information. “He was smart. Location services are turned off, so I cannot tell you where he has travelled.” She searched for more information. “Sokolov has no contacts, and the internet history is empty. He used the Telegram app to send secure messages, and the ‘self-destruct’ feature is turned on. I cannot tell you what he texted, but I see a pattern. He texts a different number every Friday. I will send the log to you, but I suspect these numbers are temporary.”

Smith’s phone rang, and he answered it. “Yes?… Come on up.” He ended the call. “I had a team go through Sokolov’s house yesterday. We need help with his computer. My team broke into it, but there’s a protected section of the file system we can’t access.”

“You found his house. Did Nassau Telecom give you his cell tracking?”

“The tracking got us close, then our agents identified where he spent his nights.”

A man knocked at the doorway and walked in carrying a computer tower. He set it on the floor, plugged it in, and hooked up the keyboard and mouse.

Smith gave a USB thumb drive to Vyper. “We got this from his safe. Can’t crack the encryption.”

Vyper inserted it into her laptop.

“Aren’t you afraid it could—”

“You think I will make some kind of rookie mistake?” She shook her head, copied the data, removed the thumb drive, and handed it back to Smith. Then she started the code cracking program. “This might take a while.”

The man with Sokolov’s tower spoke to Vyper, “I set it up for remote access. The sign-on—”

“I got it,” said Vyper. She accessed the computer and ran the code cracking program against the restricted files.

Smith nodded at the other man, who stood and left the room.

Vyper looked at the message when her laptop beeped. “The thumb drive data is available. It just looks like a jumble of numbers and letters to me—maybe bank account information. I will send it to you.”

A few minutes later, the restricted files from the tower computer were ready. Vyper browsed through the contents. “This one is interesting—a list of Greek gods, but no explanation. Maybe they are codenames. Apollo and Hermes are highlighted.” She typed a command. “I just sent you the files.”

Nassau, Bahamas

A thousand miles south, Niko stood before his network security class. Fifteen students listened attentively as he spoke. Two men in their early twenties, dressed like they just came from the gym, sat next to each other in the front row. Niko knew their names—Ramon Roberts and Jalen Sawyer—both Blue Koala employees.

A network diagram was projected on the screen at the front of the room. It showed computers, firewalls, private network servers, and Onion routers.

Ramon asked a question. “Onion routers—you mean TOR?”

Niko nodded. “TOR stands for ‘The Onion Router’. It’s the most common way to access the Dark Net.”

Jalen raised his hand. “TOR’s anonymous, right? How’s it work? Some kind of directory?”

“That’s a great question,” said Niko, “but well beyond the scope of this class.”

Jalen scrunched his nose.

“TOR directory structure is a subject best discussed over a beer.” Niko reached for the stack of papers on his desk. “But now it’s time for our red-blue team exercise. Those of you on the red team will attack the networks defended by the blue team.” He described the rules and handed out the assignments.

While the students worked to attack and defend, Niko started the badge reader app Miss Q had given him. If he could move his phone close to Ramon or Jalen, he might be able to copy their Blue Koala access badge. But he had to get within six inches of the card—and it wouldn’t work if they didn’t bring the card to class.

Niko walked among the students during the exercise. He looked over their shoulders, asked questions, and gave advice. Standing between Ramon and Jalen, Niko cupped his phone as he moved his hand low along the back of one chair and then the other. No signal from either back pocket.

Standing next to Jalen, he let his hand swing close to a front pocket. He reached over the man’s shoulder, getting close to his shirt pocket. Nothing he tried returned positive results.

After the red-blue exercise ended, Niko did a wrap-up and dismissed the class.

As the students filed out of the room, Jalen hung back for another question. “Professor Zhora, you mean what you say?”

Niko shrugged his shoulders and smiled. “I said a lot of things, Jalen. And I usually mean what I say.”

“TOR network directories—you tell me more over a beer?”

“Sure thing. I’ve only checked out a few bars since I arrived. You got any place in mind?”

“Me and Ramon go to Club Wahoo. Not jam up. We go Thursdays after work. You play darts?”

Perfect . This would be an ideal opportunity for Niko to copy their badges. “I play darts, but probably not as good as you. When do you guys get off work?”

“We work eight to eight. Always there by eight-thirty.”

“Sounds good, Jalen. See you tomorrow night.”

After class, Niko went back to his apartment. He was confident he could copy Jalen’s badge, but there was a lot more to do. He studied the live videos from inside the Coral datacenter, and he pored over the engineering documents for the center and many of their clients. He launched a network probe to identify the equipment inside each cage. Before going in, he would know more about this center than most of the people who worked there.

In the evening, he called Vyper. “Did they tell you how long you’ve got to stay in the hospital?”

She answered with excitement in her voice. “Tomorrow is my last day here. I am going back to the safe house in Warrenton on Friday.”

“I’m surprised. I thought you’d be there a week.”

“The doctor said something about my immune system. I will be glad to get out of this bed. All my computer equipment is in Warrenton. I want to make a few modifications.”

“I’m glad to see you’re back to normal.” Niko laughed. “Thinking about your computers.”

“Not just my computers. I asked Smith if our military is on high alert. He refused to talk about it. I think he used my software for something having to do with nuclear weapons.”

“I think you’re right. And don’t forget the firmware you gave him. That was definitely for a dangerous weapon. But you know he can’t tell us anything. And worrying about it won’t change a thing.”

“You are keeping something from me. You think you know what is going on. Tell me.”

Niko had a few theories, but he never put it into words until now. “You remember when Smith told us we were working for the CIA? He said we would go on offense.”

“I remember. But I do not think the CIA has done anything offensive. Maybe the Moscow Metro, but nothing since then.”

“The Moscow trains were a small operation,” said Niko. “A response to the Russian attacks on our action centers. When Russia escalated and went after LA’s electrical grid and Rockefeller Petroleum, we did nothing.”

“Why not?”