The Kill Zone (25 page)
Authors: David Hagberg
“That's why I asked you to bring a laptop. If you're compromised, you'll burn one hard disk, nothing more.”
“If he suspects it was me, do you know the kind of trouble he could make?” Kur
ek practically shouted.
ek practically shouted.“Goddammit, this is important. Lives are at stake.”
“Yeah, mine.” Kur
ek said. He inserted the floppy disk, brought up the screen, then linked with Yemm's encrypted cell phone.
ek said. He inserted the floppy disk, brought up the screen, then linked with Yemm's encrypted cell phone.As soon as the call went through, the CIA's logo came up. Using prompts provided by the data on the floppy disk, Kur
ek got into the Agency's mainframe,
and then into the Special Operations territory that Rencke had staked out as his own.
ek got into the Agency's mainframe,and then into the Special Operations territory that Rencke had staked out as his own.
Zimmerman had prepared the disk for Yemm, and when he'd handed it over, he shook his head. “I don't even want to know why you want this,” he said. “As a matter of fact, I'll deny having anything to do with it.”
“Fair enough,” Yemm said.
A skull and crossbones appeared on the screen against a lavender backdrop. The skull grinned and began to laugh.
“You have ten seconds to get through the first barrier,” Yemm said,
Kur
ek brought up the first series of encryption busters, his fingers flying over the keys as he tried one after the other. Lines of data flashed across the screen.
ek brought up the first series of encryption busters, his fingers flying over the keys as he tried one after the other. Lines of data flashed across the screen.The skull's grin broadened, but suddenly fragmented and flew off the edges of the screen. As the Directorate of Operations, Special Operations, screen came up, a faint voice in the background whispered: “Ah, shit.”
“We're in,” Yemm said.
“Not for sure, Richard. This could be a trap. I know Otto.”
“We're looking for an operation called Spotlight.”
Kur
ek brought up a menu window, and under operations, entered: SPOTLIGHT.
ek brought up a menu window, and under operations, entered: SPOTLIGHT.Nothing happened.
Kur
ek tried to back out of the window, but none of his keys worked. However, the cursor was still flashing after the last T in SPOTLIGHT. He backtracked, and the letters began to disappear one at a time.
ek tried to back out of the window, but none of his keys worked. However, the cursor was still flashing after the last T in SPOTLIGHT. He backtracked, and the letters began to disappear one at a time.His keyboard hung up again at the letter I. Nothing he tried worked.
He said something in Polish that Yemm didn't understand, and reached to break the phone link to the computer.
Otto Rencke's image came up on the screen first. “Bad dog,” he said, waving his finger. “Bad, bad dog.” He glanced at something off camera and smiled. “But I know who youâ” The screen went blank, and Rencke's voice cut off.
Kur
ek sat back.
ek sat back.“Were you too late?”
Kur
ek shook his head. “I won't know until he gets back.” His eyes narrowed. “You better talk to him, Richard.”
ek shook his head. “I won't know until he gets back.” His eyes narrowed. “You better talk to him, Richard.”“I'll do that,” Yemm said. He held out his hand for the floppy disk, which Kur
ek retrieved from the computer.
ek retrieved from the computer.“You can throw it away,” he said. “I think that you will find it's been completely erased.”
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As Yemm pulled out of the parking lot he got an urgent call from his office. The Aurora was inbound to Andrews Air Force Base and would touch down within the half hour. It was unknown if Rencke was aboard, but it was the same plane he'd commandeered to take him to France.
He had to fight traffic four blocks over to the I-95 ramp, and then from there to the Beltway East, where he was able to make good time.
Otto knew that someone would come snooping into in computer files, and he had been ready for it. Maybe McGarvey would finally see what a few people on the seventh floorâmost notably Dick Adkins and the deputy director of Intelligence Tommy Doyleâhad been trying to tell him all along. Otto was a wild card, impossible to control. With the simple flick of his fingers across his keyboard he could crash the CIA's entire computer system. He had designed it that way. He had even bragged about it. But nobody took him seriously, or nobody cared, because the system worked. And, Otto was a personal friend of the boss's.
Now the situation was totally out of hand. Kur
ek would be insulated because the call to the computer mainframe would be traced to Yemm's cell phone. But what Otto was going to do when he found out that someone from
inside
the Company was messing with his computers was anyone's guess.
ek would be insulated because the call to the computer mainframe would be traced to Yemm's cell phone. But what Otto was going to do when he found out that someone frominside
the Company was messing with his computers was anyone's guess.
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