“What power do we have? They are the government.”
Niko thought about the scene from The Godfather. Don Corleone delivered one of the best lines of all times. Make him an offer he can’t refuse.
Vyper raised an eyebrow. “How can you smile at a time like this?”
He opened a laptop and selected the special internet browser. “What kind of dirt can we find on Homeland—or any of the people in charge?”
Chapter 20
Time Bombs
Niko checked the surveillance video—no cars, no people. He typed a command on his laptop to sign onto a private network in the Cayman Islands. It felt good to be anonymous on the internet again.
Vyper sat next to him at the dining room table. “We should look through Marko’s files. He supported Homeland and the CIA for years, and he saved all the dirt he came across.”
“Where’d he store them?”
“Let me do it.” Vyper slid the laptop in front of her, typed in a few commands, and accessed a dark website where she entered a password. “This is where I backed up his data.” She scrolled down a list of directories until she reached one called RAINYDAY. “Marko always told me to prepare for the worst—and he practiced what he preached.” She opened it.
Niko studied the titles of the first page of entries. “Everything looks like CIA stuff. We need something on Homeland.”
Vyper moved onto the second page and paused until they both had time to read through the titles before moving onto the next, and the next.
In the middle of the seventh page, Niko spotted something. “Look at this. Leonard Grimes… he’s the Secretary of Homeland Security. At least he is now.”
Vyper opened the document. “He must have worked in the CIA five years ago.”
Niko skimmed through the pages. “It’s about torturing prisoners in Batman, Turkey. If Secretary Grimes was involved, I’m sure he wouldn’t want his role made public.”
“I thought it was illegal—even in Turkey.”
“You’re right. And the Turkish people would be pissed to learn their government was helping America like this.”
Vyper pushed Niko’s laptop back. “This sounds like the kind of dirt you were looking for. What do we do now?”
“I’ll do some more digging—see how much I can learn about this place and what they did there. I also need to learn more about Grimes’ CIA assignment.”
“What should we do with the information?” Vyper tapped on her keyboard. “I can use my bots to spread the word—inside the US and also in Turkey.”
Niko had the beginnings of a plan, but everything depended upon Bodnar’s negotiations with Homeland. “Can you post something on the Homeland Security web page?”
“They will not like it.” Vyper smiled. “But I can post whatever you want on their public web page and most of the internal pages as well.”
The phone rang and Vyper answered. “Hello, Mister Bodnar… Yes… We will see you shortly.” She hung up. “Bodnar is on the way over—maybe half an hour. He has something to discuss, but he does not want to talk on the phone.”
Niko continued his research while Vyper studied the Homeland web pages. They also tossed around ideas about how to leverage the dirt on Grimes and the CIA.
When Bodnar arrived, Vyper led him to the dining room table. He sat, opened his briefcase, and took out a small manila folder. “Homeland’s interested in hiring both of you, but not without an interview. They weren’t specific about what they want you to do… ‘Need to know,’ I suspect. Since I insisted on tying the job to an immunity deal, they agreed to meet the three of us.”
Vyper held Niko’s hand and looked at their lawyer. “Does this mean we do not go to prison?”
Bodnar wrinkled his forehead. “I believe so, but I haven’t seen the agreement. No one’s signed anything.” He removed a paper from the folder. “When we meet with Homeland, make no mention of Prixster or Sokolov’s missing money.”
“When do we speak with them?” asked Niko. “Where is this place?”
“The interview is tomorrow at two o’clock. They scheduled it for two hours. Homeland won’t hire you directly—or authorize you to enter their offices. You’re actually applying for a job at a company called Crystal Intelligence—near Reagan Airport. But don’t be fooled, everyone in management works for Homeland.”
Even though it sounded like a good deal to Niko, he still had reservations. “What happens if they refuse to give us full immunity? If we turn down their offer, we have no deal—and we risk spending a long time in prison.”
“That’s a legitimate concern. They hold all the cards. I think they realize you didn’t work with the Russians, but they still don’t approve of unsanctioned hacking.”
Niko needed to prepare for the worst, so they had to let Bodnar in on their plan. “Vyper and I’ve discussed ways to mitigate the risk. If the government decides to screw us, we’re prepared to play hardball. To be precise, as far as the government is concerned, I’m the one that’ll play hardball.”
Bodnar raised an eyebrow. “Feel free to run your idea by me. I won’t try to stop you, and I won’t tell the government. I know Marko would want me to help you if I can.”
Niko took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “You said the meeting starts at two o’clock and goes for two hours. We’ll schedule a time bomb to go off at 4:15—releasing compromising information around the world. If the government decides to screw us, I’ll ‘go rogue’ around four o’clock—and you two need to act surprised and worried. On the other hand, Mister Bodnar, if the government decides to give us full immunity, you’ll be able to stop it with a phone call or a text.”
The lawyer leaned forward on the table. “I won’t ask you what the compromising information is, but I don’t see how it’ll make them change their minds.”
Vyper smiled. “There will be more time bombs, each one releasing additional information. The bombs will continue until told to stop.”
Bodnar packed up his papers and set the briefcase on the floor, then he looked each of them in the eye. “Marko had confidence in both of you, so you can count on me.”
They talked through the details of the plan, refining it, and talking contingencies.
The lawyer stood and took his briefcase. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 11:00. We’ll have lunch before the meeting.”
“We’ll be ready.” Niko walked him to the door.
Crystal City, Virginia
The following morning, Niko and Vyper followed Bodnar into a courtyard surrounded by modern high-rise buildings, an unlikely location for the offices of Crystal Intelligence. They headed toward the glass and steel structures on the right. A fast food restaurant and a clothing store flanked a tall set of glass doors below the street address of the building.
Their lawyer held the door as they entered a small lobby with artificial potted trees on either side of a bank of elevators. They rode it up to the tenth floor.
The doors opened to a reception area that looked like the lobby of a fine hotel. They walked past a small unoccupied seating area, and approached a woman standing behind a desk.
She smiled. “May I help you?”
Bodnar nodded and handed her an identification card. “We have an appointment—”
“They’re waiting for you in Conference Room B.” She returned his ID and pressed a button. The door on the right clicked, and Bodnar opened it, waving his arm to encourage Niko and Vyper to enter.
To their left was a double set of oak doors. Ahead was a bland hallway devoid of any pictures or plants, where a tall woman in a dark business suit stepped through a door on the right that displayed the letter B. She offered her hand to each of them. “Mister Bodnar… Mister Zima… Miss Harris.” She waved toward the door. “Please come in.”