“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?”
“I think the White House is afraid to escalate. I think the CIA is planning a major response—something that threatens their nukes—and Russia may have found out.”
“You think they used my software against Russia’s nuclear weapons?”
“Maybe. I think the CIA is prepared to unleash their attack—whatever it is—as soon as they receive government approval. If the Russian attack against Calvert Cliffs can’t be stopped, I believe the White House would approve the CIA plan.”
Vyper was silent. She often did this during moments of stress. Niko could visualize her hands flapping, her head rocking.
While he waited, Niko ran a search for rumors posted on Russian-speaking websites frequented by ex-military.
Finally, Vyper spoke in a soft voice. “If the US suspected the software used for our own nuclear weapons to be under attack, we would take them offline immediately. Then we would rebuild the systems from scratch—using backup software known not to be infected.”
Niko thought it through a few steps further. “If the Russian response was the same, their weapons would be useless until everything was rebuilt. They would feel vulnerable to attack from us. If they went on high alert, we would know—that could explain why we went to DEFCON 3.”
“I have a bad feeling,” said Vyper. “If the CIA managed to slip my firmware into the Russians’ backup library, their technicians might load my version in response to the cyber threat. It could be loaded on some of their missiles.”
Niko spotted something in the responses from the web search he kicked off earlier. “Someone on a Russian site mentioned KILROY.” He typed in a few more commands. “They’re asking others on the site if they know who KILROY is. They say KILROY hacked into their systems.”
Chapter 30
Final Preparation
Nassau, Bahamas
On Thursday night at 8:30, Niko walked along a narrow cobblestone street in downtown Nassau. Shops and bars on both sides were covered with posters and graffiti. Up ahead, he spotted a wooden sign with a smiling cartoon fish on a spear—his destination, Club Wahoo.