“Come in, Lieutenant.” Vyper moved aside. “I am Lydia, but I prefer the name Vyper.”
Green stepped inside, pulling her bag behind her, as Niko closed the door.
“I’m Adam, but please call me Niko.” He waved his arm toward the dining room. “Have a seat.”
The lieutenant glanced at the table. “Are those the only computers in the house?”
“Yes,” said Vyper. “The FBI confiscated all our equipment. These laptops are brand new.”
Niko offered Green a seat at one of the computers. Vyper sat next to her and Niko sat across the table.
The lieutenant reached into her bag, removing a folder and a USB thumb drive. She opened the folder and handed each of them a document. “This explains the details of what I’m about to tell you. Since you haven’t been convicted—not yet, anyway—you have the right to use computers and access the internet—but there are restrictions.” She paused briefly. “Let me see your phones.”
Vyper and Niko pushed their flip phones across the table to the lieutenant.
Green opened one of them. “Good. You can’t use smart phones. Do you have any more?”
Niko shook his head. “The FBI took the other ones.”
The lieutenant nudged the laptop toward Vyper. “I’m going to install the software required by the court. I understand you’re the computer expert. Please unlock this laptop and sign in as the administrator.”
Vyper complied.
Green inserted her thumb drive into the side of the laptop. “We’ll monitor your activity remotely. We can see all internet activity, email, chat—everything. And you won’t know when we’ll be checking.”
While Green installed the software on both computers, Vyper’s eyes never left the screen.
The lieutenant made a call on her cell phone. “It’s Lieutenant Green. The computers are ready… The internet cables are connected… Okay, turn it on… Good… Just a minute.” She typed a command on one laptop. “Okay.” She typed on the other. “Thanks. We’re all set.” She ended the call.
It happened so quickly, Niko had to ask, “Does this mean we can use the internet now?”
“Yes, but wait until I leave. You’re forbidden to use encryption. You also can’t use any private networks. We’ll monitor every site you visit—and don’t access any dark websites.” Green opened each phone and inspected it. “These must be brand new—no contacts, no calls. Don’t use another phone without contacting us first.”
The lieutenant returned the folder and thumb drive to her bag. “We monitor all calls and internet access from your service providers. If you violate the rules or break any laws, we’ll know.” She stood and grabbed the handle of her roll-behind bag. “A colleague of mine might pay you a surprise visit to inspect your equipment. You won’t be warned in advance.”
Vyper stood. “We will follow the rules. Let me see you out.”
Once Green left, Niko carried the small TV back out to the dining room and watched the surveillance video as the lieutenant’s Taurus pulled away from the house.
Vyper took the socks from the cabinet and sat at the table while she fitted one over her ankle bracelet. She pulled a laptop toward her and started typing.
Niko took a seat next to her and put on the other sock. “You checking out Green’s program?”
“I am familiar with this software. I know what data it collects. If they install any updates, I will know.” Vyper navigated her way through the computer configuration to turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
“What about the camera and microphone. The FBI could turn them on remotely.”
Vyper smiled. “Now you are thinking like I do. I will get my tools.” She went to the garage and returned with a small black case. She sat down and opened it, selecting a metal tool with a thin, flat end that curved a little. She used the tool to separate the top of the laptop screen from the lid. When she laid the screen down, she pointed to a small circuit board. “It is the camera and microphone.”
“Very convenient. Looks like the connector simply slips off.”
“You catch on quickly.” Vyper disconnected the circuit board and pressed the screen back in place. “Can you fix the other laptop? I need something from my emergency kit.”
“Sure.” Niko pried the screen away from the second computer.
Vyper grabbed a screwdriver and walked to the living room where she squatted down in front of an unused wall plug. “This is where I keep my ‘go bag’. She unscrewed and removed the wall plate, and reached inside, retrieving a small electronic device.
“Is that a satellite phone?” Niko asked, as he disconnected the circuit board.
She nodded. “The FBI can monitor our cells as much they want, but they will not be monitoring this.” She reached inside the hole in the wall and retrieved a thumb drive. “And this contains some useful software.”
“Aren’t we taking a chance with the sat phone? Won’t the FBI see the signal?” Niko snapped the back on his laptop.
“Not unless they search for it. Even if they detect a signal, it could be coming from any house nearby—this phone does not send location information.” Vyper reattached the wall plate and stood up.
“The encryption on sat phones is so simple, even I can crack it. All they have to do is unscramble all the calls coming from this area.”
Vyper sat next to Niko. “I know how to make secure calls. But first I will install my software.” She inserted the thumb drive into her laptop and ran the installation software. “Whenever you use the computer, run the cleaner program afterwards. It is probably not necessary, but I do not want to leave any breadcrumbs for the police to follow.”
She opened her toolkit and removed a short telephone cord. “We must to use this for private internet access.” She connected the phone to her laptop and pointed to the screen. “Use this browser to visit forbidden sites.” She dialed a number and waited while tones and warbling sounds came from the computer.
“I haven’t heard modem noises for years. This is like the good old days.”
“It will be slow, but private. I wonder if Mister Bodnar sent us anything.” She logged into an email system. “Nothing yet.”
Niko placed his hand on Vyper’s. “Sweetheart.”
She looked at him and smiled. “You have never called me that before. I like it.”
“It suits you.” He grasped both her hands. “We need to discuss Homeland. If Bodnar doesn’t get them to agree to the deal, we’ll both end up in prison. Even if he does get the deal, we still might go to prison.”
Vyper shook her head. “Bodnar said Homeland would hire us. I thought that meant the FBI would leave us alone.”
“Homeland will expect us to tell them everything we know, and they’ll share the information with the FBI. Do you believe they’ll offer full immunity for everything? We committed bank fraud and stole Sokolov’s money. You stole financial information from Treasury.”
“Bodnar said he would request full immunity.”
Niko shook his head. “Do you trust Homeland or the FBI? I don’t. Even if they promise immunity, nothing is guaranteed until we have it in writing. Even if Bodnar gets them to sign papers, they can claim we lied to them. One lie and we go to prison.”
Vyper’s hands began to flap. She clasped them together and looked up. “We cannot let this happen. Do you have any ideas?”
“We need leverage. You can demonstrate your value—creating software implants the Russians can’t detect, tracking people through the dark net. But I’m not sure that’s enough. We have to show we’ve got power over them.”