“It’s all in bits and bytes, not in gold or cash,” said Lightfoote.
“Virtual money that isn’t so virtual.” Savas leaned back in his chair. “And how much money is being stolen?”
A white-haired professor from the computer science group flipped pages on a notepad. “We’ve been following the thing for three days now. There’s no way to know how much was syphoned before that, but our estimates are in the hundreds of millions of dollars.”
“That’s a hell of a lot.”
“Per day.”
A silence filled the room. Savas looked at Lightfoote, who just laughed.
“Does you intern think something is funny, agent Savas?” asked Teller.
Lightfoote spoke for herself. “You idiots. Did you ever stop to think that if it was so easy for you to tear through the world’s firewalls that others couldn’t? Did you stop to think how fragile everything is now, everything online, everything in bytes — money, electricity, nuclear power systems? And now someone is using your own black hat code to leech from an underground financial market that should have been shut down after 2008? You’re like a bunch of fucking twelve year olds wandering around an arms factory and pushing buttons.”
“Your division has been included in this briefing because of your track record, Agent Savas,” said the NSA official, “but the disrespect and frankly treasonous attitude of your staff cannot be tolerated.”
“Are you insane?” asked the Interpol officer. “This is not a US governmental matter only. You aren’t in authority here, whatever God-complex your organization has developed. The lady is right. This is big. This is a disaster!”
“Look, people,” said Savas, standing up. “I’m inclined to agree with that assessment, and I thank you for including us in this briefing. Our team will get to it immediately. Anything we find with we’ll pass your way. But, you may have noticed that we have our plate full right now. Matters of life and death, not just money and taxes. Our resources are stretched to the breaking point.” He turned to the Scot. “This is a big threat. We’ll help, but we’re going put out the fire in our house, first.” He turned to leave.
“We need countermeasures,” said Lightfoote. Eyes turned toward her. “This is something new. Something truly dangerous. You can’t just rely on the software companies to develop and issue patches. There isn’t time.”
“What do you mean there isn’t time?” said Teller.
“I mean that whoever is behind this is not playing for a criminal unit or nation-state. Those groups have long-term ends in mind, stability of the system. You can’t make a living off the system as a criminal if you bring it down.”
“The system, whatever that might be, isn’t going down!” Teller looked incredulous.
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Her green eyes burned. “This is major artery damage. You can’t wait to patch it. The patient will bleed to death. Organ systems will malfunction. You’ve got to go in aggressively and root the damn thing out. If you don’t, at the rates the professor mentions, come November you’re going to have an economic catastrophe on your hands.”
13
A four-by-five panel of giant flat-screen monitors covered a wall in a dark room. News stations spanning the content of the major networks to cable providers flashed a diversity of images. One by one, sound was associated with a given monitor and channel, large speakers on the sides of the array of screens projecting audio, the brightness on the other nineteen monitors dropping dramatically to emphasize the featured screen. Centered before the dizzying display was a lone chair containing a shadowed figure.
“This is Monica Grayford from CNN,” began the short-haired brunette standing before the Capitol building in Washington, DC. “Chaos has swept over the House of Representatives as a rebellion in the GOP threatens to bring the legislative branch to a standstill. Key members of House committees have suddenly switched their votes on multiple issues central to several pressing pieces of legislation. Among them are a host of financial reform bills including raising the marginal tax rate on the wealthiest Americans, legislation to remove corporate tax loop holes, and challenges to overturn the Supreme Court rulings on campaign finance reform and the personhood of corporations. In addition, numerous laws aiming to regulate the internet have found their support shifting dramatically, with numerous Democratic and Republican Congressman now supporting net neutrality and opposing governmental regulation and internet monitoring. For more on this developing story, we go to—”
The screen dimmed and the audio cutoff. A monitor on the upper right brightened, and a panel of men and women on Fox News were yelling at each other across a common table. A stout man in a suit centered in the middle screamed over the group.
“None of these theories makes sense! With elections nearly here, you aren’t going to see members of both parties suddenly reversing their long-held positions on important issues! I think that we need to step back and ask what is really going on here. What back room deals are being made and has the White House been involved to try and throw the results in November into chaos? We all know the polls show that the midterms are not going to go their way, so they have to be involved!”
A woman near the end of the table on the left cut in. “Based on what? Why do you always have to turn everything into a conspiracy of foul play by this administration?”
A black man near the center raised his hands in the air. “This is all speculation at this point. We don’t know what is going on. Neither do the leaders of either party. Until we can get explanations from the members of Congress themselves, all this is just hot air.”
The viewpoint shifted, jumping to a monitor on the lower level in the middle of the array. A heavyset man in a suit with gray hair paced about a television stage, waving his arms and gesticulating. Behind him was an enormous chalkboard, names of important political figures and organizations written and boxed in various locations, numerous arrows studded with short phrases and comments connecting the various names. The commentator was shouting.
“A Democratic Super PAC with ties to a billionaire is suddenly bankrupt? Why? Where did all that money go? A week later, we find one member of Congress after another switching their votes, always in the direction of the liberal agenda. Always decreasing our ability to monitor communications for terrorist activity and attacking the earnings of the job-creating class. Am I the only one seeing this? I mean, could it be more obvious? My fellow Americans, we are poised on the edge of a terrible cliff, where the terrorist sympathizing, Marxist left-wing agenda has put our very freedoms in the crosshairs.” His voice caught, and he wiped his eyes. “There might not be much more time. I don’t know how many times I’ll be allowed to address you when the new world order is imposed. I’ve never said this before, but I’m scared. Scared for America. Scared for the world. Because, in the end, it is we Americans that stand between order and chaos on this planet.”
The image and sound jumped to the upper left of the screens, a dour, bald man centered in the camera before a microphone. A woman’s voice spoke over the images.
“The Russian president has just begun a press conference. This is Russia Today with an exclusive video feed of the event called in response to reported violations of international treaties this week by the US Congress.”
The sound switched to the figure behind the podium. An angry voice speaking in Russian, dimmed beneath the words of a man translating the speech into English.
“…are extremely destabilizing and foolish. We urge party leaders in US House of Representatives to stop extremist wings and put stop to many bills now on floor. We call to United States President to veto laws passing. Russia will not tolerate more US imperialism over regions and resources international law has divided.”