An Armageddon Duology (12 page)

[
R
EDACTED
]: Again we remind you that you are under oath, Mr. Savas. You understand that this is not a Federal or Civilian court, that the jurisdiction of this case is considered outside the Constitution and to be part of the armed forces in a service in time of war and public danger?

Mr. SAVAS: I have been made to understand that all too clearly, [REDACTED].

[
R
EDACTED
]: Please answer the question posed. Do you understand the law as it pertains to you in this tribunal?

MR. SAVAS: I forfeit my rights to the 5
^th
Amendment and others. No grand jury or due process. And I can be compelled to be a witness against myself.

[REDACTED]: Counsel may continue the questioning.

C
BD
: Mr. Savas, let's pick up where we left off yesterday, shall we?

MR. SAVAS: Or why don't you go fuck yourself, instead?

C
BD
: Cooperation will save you time and mitigate further inquiry.

MR. SAVAS: Inquiry? Is that the latest term? I thought it was enhanced interrogation.

C
BD
: [Inaudible] Would you please just continue your account from yesterday?

MR. SAVAS: Remind me. My brain is a mush. Isolation for a month, sleep dep. Just staring at gray walls. Messes with your mind. So will near drowning.

C
BD
: The executions.

MR. SAVAS: Right. Jesus, yes. The executions. [Inaudible] Live and HDTV for all to see. Well, as horrible as that all was, it was our first real break.

CBD: How so?

MR. SAVAS: The worm. Angel's spyware reported back. The television hijack was tied directly to it. So, there it was. What we had been pursuing as unrelated cases, the murders, the kidnappings, and the financial meltdown. It was all tied together by the worm. By Anonymous. It was part of the same thing. And it all made sense.

C
BD
: What made sense?

MR. SAVAS: I mean it all fit together. Anonymous had set its eyes on bringing down the world financial system. It was fighting on several fronts from the virus wrecking the markets to the drones killing financial tycoons. The blackmail of congressmen changing laws was another front. It was incredible, really. Amazingly orchestrated. Diabolical genius.

[
R
EDACTED
]: You sound inspired.

MR. SAVAS: You sound like a goddamned Nazi. Inspired? Well, we all had to be. The world had been caught with its pants down and effectively castrated. Anonymous had played us like fools.

C
BD
: And you are so sure it was the hacker group Anonymous? Who was their leader again?

MR. SAVAS: I've told you already, there isn't one Anonymous. There are legions. It's more an idea than an organization. And Fawkes, well, he was the inevitable, the instability that takes over any distributed authority.

[
R
EDACTED
]: Fawkes. This is the one found in your office. That you claim you caught and who single-handedly masterminded the Event?

MR. SAVAS: Yes. It was his worm. His plan. His signal that was to bring it all down once and for all. But I didn't know that then, when he murdered them all.

[
R
EDACTED
]: And that is when you contacted Lopez?

MR. SAVAS: That is correct.

[REDACTED]: Can you tell us why you thought it prudent, let alone legal, to search for and enlist the aid of the nation's most notorious outlaws? Murderers of hundreds, including some of the most important persons in our nation?

MR. SAVAS: Because I knew they weren't murderers. I knew that they had been framed.

[REDACTED]: This is ridiculous. You only reveal your own involvement with these terrorists!

CBD: This is not a trial, [REDACTED]!

[REDACTED]: There isn't going to be a trial.

CBD: This is a deposition and we are instructed to take it. [Inaudible] May I continue? Thank you.

C
BD
: We will ascertain how you knew the pair later. For now, can you tell us please how they got involved?

MR. SAVAS: We had setup a safe house for them.

[REDACTED]: Who is we?

MR. SAVAS: You'll have to waterboard me some more to get near that. Let's just say there are many forces at work here that you don't know about. Forces that believe in this nation. What it used to be, anyway.

C
BD
: Mr. Savas, look. As your counsel I am trying to help you, but you are making that a challenging assignment. Can you help this panel understand why you would bring in two wanted terrorists and murderers?

MR. SAVAS: After we put together the bigger picture, when I saw where Anonymous was headed, I knew then what was at stake. So did my team.

C
BD
: And what was at stake, Mr. Savas?

MR. SAVAS: Civilization itself.

C
haos stormed
through New York and the world.

After the feed from Anonymous, network programming returned to something quite different than normal. Broadcasters replayed the carnage over and over, whipping themselves and the public into a frenzy.

At FBI, Savas had steered his people back to work. They would be slogging through the night. Schedules, family,
health
would suffer, but until the crisis could be controlled, he didn’t see any other choice. His phone rang constantly. From his superiors came a barrage of commands. Most of these came from above as the governmental apparatus went into war mode. Contacts and numerous agencies checked in with him, provided small pieces of useless information, and asked for favors of investigation and protection in return. He had nothing to give. His staff was already depleted even before the televised mass assassination.

In the middle of the chaos, he received a message on his private cell. He stared at the number. It made sense. In all that was happening, now was one of the greater periods of danger from a government eating itself, going too far, forgetting its principles. Now would be a time for the Watchmen to call.

The group had formed during the Bush years when some in the FBI and CIA had grown concerned about the powers the executive branch and other governmental agencies had begun to assume under antiterrorism laws. Under the increasingly paranoid Obama administration, they had only redoubled their efforts to exert a more sane response to threats. Indefinite detention and torture were one thing, but secretive decisions for assassination of Americans without trial, endless spying on citizens by governmental organizations—for some of them, it had gone too far. With the national scandal of the Priest and Whore last year, they had finally pooled their meager resources and acted. And thus had Gabriel been created.

“Alice. To what do I owe the pleasure?” His smile faded. “What? Are you sure?
When?
” Savas looked around the floor. “Jesus. What will that mean? How far is the decree?” He nodded scribbling on a notepad. “Understood. Right. Thank you.”

He put the phone away and stared forward, seeing nothing except images of the city in his mind. A New York surrounded by military vehicles.

Savas jumped from his chair and exited his office, finding Cohen on the floor. She was coordinating with several agents on the requests—or rather
demands
—for even more of his staff to be reassigned to protective functions for VIPs. Very soon, they would be running Intel 1 on pure air.

“Everybody listen up,” he said, cutting into the middle of their conversation. “Very serious newsflash. I just got a call in from some sources, reliable ones. The president is going to declare martial law.”

Cohen blinked. “
Martial law?
”

Savas nodded. “Within the hour. In the city for sure, maybe the whole tri-state area. They’re panicking. I guess I understand that, although I don’t know how locking down the city is going to help much. They must know about the worm, and now with additional threats of terrorist bombings and killings, they needed to act. They decided to lock everything down.”

“Anonymous isn’t stuck walking the streets of New York, John!” shouted Cohen. “This won’t achieve anything except to cause a real panic. People are going to start bolting from the city.”

“They won’t be able to.”

“And you know how that’s going to turn out, right?”

“God, I hope not. We can’t let this panic us, too, okay? At the root of this is a core organization, people orchestrating everything. If we can find that core, flush out or corner those people, we can put a stop to this. And for that we need—”

“Here, Commander,” said Lightfoote, panting from a run.

“We need Angel.”

“It’s probably going to be both New York and DC,” said Lightfoote, catching her breath. “I’m intercepting a lot of chatter. People aren’t using secure lines. They’re freaking. They’ve also got a lot of the Cabinet and Congress going underground, presuming continual threats.”

“Word on the Capitol?”

Lightfoote nodded. “You’ve seen the footage on the news. Main entrance and steps are blown to hell and back. Few were hurt at this time of night, but the point sure was made. The building is structurally sound, however. It would take a lot more firepower than these little drones can carry to seriously damage it.”

“And what if they have bigger drones?” asked Cohen.

Angel bit her lip. “Then it could be a lot worse. But the scurrying of governmental staff is creating power vacuums. Basically, we’re moving to a crisis mode unlike anything except during the Cold War. Not even 9/11 approached this. The apparatus is gearing up for siege.”

“This is not going to end well,” muttered Savas. “Update me on the worm.”

“It had to get visible, and wow, what a beauty.” Cohen arched her eyebrow. “Seriously, Rebecca, this is the Michelangelo of hackers. The damn thing
self-assembled
from thousands of computers around the world on some mysterious signal.”

“Self-assembled?” asked Savas.

“Yes! We thought that it was hiding on various computers. Only
parts
of it were. Like the distributed code I mentioned? I didn’t realize that the
entire worm
was networked. In other words, it doesn’t exist as a single piece of code on
any
computer, but like a neural network that’s the sum of a bunch of minor worms on millions of computers. It’s incredible. Powerful. Unstoppable.”

“Unstoppable?” said Cohen.

“Well,
I
don’t know how to stop it. I don’t think anybody would. It’s unprecedented. It’s a distributed AI that’s taking over the distributed brain we call the internet.”

“But it was activated with the Anonymous broadcast?” asked Savas.

“It
ran
the damn broadcast, John! I tried to get inside the code that activated, but it quickly detected my efforts and erased itself from my computer and shut down the computer’s internet access. Wiped the hard drive. I'm reinstalling from backups.”

“Wouldn’t that cutoff part of itself, if it’s some distributed thing over computers?” asked Cohen.

“Yes, but it’s like killing some of your brain cells by a night of heavy drinking. The brain overall isn’t hurt much by that afterward. And the thing is everywhere from finance to military computers. We can thank God that the nuclear arsenal is still mainly run off five-and-a-quarter inch floppies and machines from the 1970’s. But every other damn thing is infested. We don’t control the digital world, anymore. The worm does.”

Savas felt his head pounding. He needed something concrete, something practical. “Tell me what the threat is.”

Lightfoote looked at him in shock. “John, it can do anything. Write any code, erase data, create data, shut systems down, modulate system function. Turn off the water and lights. Open the Hoover Dam. Drop half the airplanes from the sky. Delete the world’s money supply.
Anything
. What’s the threat? It’s fucking digital Armageddon.”

Cohen turned to Savas. “John, this is too big for us.”

He nodded. “I’ll call in every contact I have at the CIA and NSA with what we have. We’ll run a shadow agency. Meanwhile, let’s see what’s left here.”

“We’re down to the core group and a few extra hands,” said Cohen. “They’ve pulled all the assistant agents and trainees. It’s mostly us. We’re the boutique group. Expendable in this crisis.”

His mind raced. “Let’s break this down into tasks. Overall, we need to provide some kind of quick break into the worm and who is behind it. We’re a small team, a talented team. We can move quickly whereas other agencies will just be reactive. We need to go after the worm first.” He nodded to Lightfoote. “We’ll get JP down with Angel in the basement, and they’ll try to trace the origins of this thing, find out its weaknesses. Rebecca, you, me, and Frank will find everything we can on this Anonymous group. But Intel 1 doesn’t have much firepower right now.”

“We do have an ace-in-the-hole,” said Cohen.

“Yes,” said Savas wearily. He rubbed his hand across his brow. “I’m not sure they’re ready to wade back into things—they’re still radioactive. But we don’t have a choice. Once they defied an entire nation. Maybe now they can help us save it.”

S
ara Houston
, wrapped in a dark coat, trudged across a white field carrying a pile of firewood. The pines behind her circled a small cabin, smoke rising from its chimney, a warm yellow glow spilling through the windows, reflected on the snow crunching under her boots. Clouds of vapor escaped her lips as she marched forward, a serene expression on her face, crisp blue eyes peering outward from a face framed in brown hair.

She climbed onto the porch and dropped the wood into a bin. She ran a gloved finger across the door, tracing the vines that trailed up the wood. The leaves had fallen, and only cordons and trunk remained, hardly more than thin stems. But Houston had planted them only a year ago and was satisfied with the progress.

Dusting off her boots and coat, she opened the door and stepped into the warmth of the small cabin—a single room with bed, table, and miniature kitchen. A sofa beside the window overlooked the porch, and the fireplace crackled loudly on her right, casting red and orange light across her chiseled features. She lowered her hood, chin-length brown hair dancing in a disheveled mess about her face. She smiled at Francisco Lopez walking toward her with a pair of tumblers holding caramel liquid.

The light showed the breadth of him, muscles filling out a black sweater, short and curled black hair and a dark beard masking much of his face. His features were a sharp contrast to hers, his skin a rich copper, features Aztec. He held a glass toward Houston and smiled back at her. She brought the drink to her lips.

“Mmmmm, Francisco,” she said, downing a quarter of the two inches in the tumbler. “Cask strength?” He nodded. “Nice and warm. That shed is going to get further and further away as the winter comes.”

Lopez grunted. “I think we’ll spend a lot of time just clearing a path to it. I didn’t realize the snows came so early here. The mountains in Alabama weren’t all that high or cold.”

“How’s the buck?” she said, walking into the small kitchen. “Biggest one we’ve bagged. You’ve got your work cut out for you to top that one.”

“You’re one competitive girl, Sara,” he said, laughing and shaking his head. “But he’s coming along well. Should be dinner for two weeks with the last veggie run.”

She nodded. “Runs are going to get harder with the weather. We need a strategy for supplies. I don’t think the Outback can handle what might be coming on these lousy roads. Next trip into town we need to make sure we have enough fuel for the generator.”

“By then we’ll have natural refrigeration and drain less power. We can fill the shelter with things. We’re remote, Sara, but not that remote.”

Houston placed her tumbler on the table and walked up to Lopez, draping her arms around his neck. “I’m getting used to a certain rustic luxury up here, Francisco. Nothing ruins rustic luxury like a few weeks of rationing.”

They kissed. Houston wasn’t sure what felt warmer, his lips or the whiskey. As his hands moved over her waist, she realized that both could spin her head around in the most delicious ways.

A device buzzed from a table beside the sofa.

Both Lopez and Houston turned quickly to the sound, the warmth draining from their faces, softer expressions replaced with intense eyes and set jaws.

Lopez rumbled deeply. “My guess is that it’s for you.”

Houston smirked and walked toward the landline. It looked like a receptionist’s business phone, rows of buttons and an LCD display glowing back at her. The phone cable ran through a black box with a pair of lights. The red light glowed. “They sure know how to ruin a girl’s evening.”

Lopez downed the rest of this whiskey and followed her to the phone, ignoring the device and staring out the window. He seemed to focus on objects thousands of miles away.

“Mary here,” said Houston, using the false identities they had been given. “Gabriel’s fine.” She pushed a button and the device went to speaker. A woman’s voice spoke from the other end.

“It is said: ‘Do not meddle in the affairs of Wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.’”

Houston replied. “And it is also said, ‘Go not to the elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes.’” She watched a series of numbers changing across the LCD. They locked in a particular sequence, and she continued. “Handshake completed. Hi, Rebecca.”

“Hello, Sara,” said Cohen, her voice strained.

“This isn’t going to be a good call, is it? Are we blown?”

“No. Nothing like that. Something much worse.”

Lopez turned his head and met Houston’s eyes. His voice was curt. “What’s going on?”

There was a sigh and long pause on the line. “Be glad you’re in the mountains. Down here, it’s chaos. Short story is that there seems to be a hacker group called Anonymous that has suddenly mutated into a full-bore terrorist group. Attacks have ripped through the virtual world and bombings and assassinations in the real world.”

Houston crossed her arms over her chest. “What’s that got to do with us?”

“Sara, this is a national security threat. We’ve had major figures in business and finance and in the US Congress blown up or gunned down in the last week. At the same time, some kind of Armageddon worm has been secretly eating its way through world networks, siphoning off huge sums of money, controlling international media, and insinuating itself on every computer from academia to the Pentagon. It’s already caused havoc and we’re pretty sure it’s just getting warmed up.”

Lopez leaned over toward the phone. “That doesn’t answer the question. Why on earth are you calling us? What could we do? If we show our faces down there, we’ll just end up in a cell. More likely just dead.”

“The President has declared a state of martial law in New York and Washington.”

“What the fuck?” said Houston. “Are you kidding me? It’s that bad?”

Cohen sounded tense. “They’ve used drones to bomb the Pentagon, Wall Street. They took over the networks to televise the execution of business and political leaders. Military units are already moving into the city. Curfew is in place. So yeah, it’s pretty damn bad.”

Houston shook her head. “How does the world go to hell in a week’s time? You were just here!”

Lopez pressed her. “Look, if what you say is true, then what could we possibly do? Seems better that two hunted fugitives wait it out in hiding. Law enforcement will be looking suspiciously at everyone. That’s some attention we don’t need.”

“Most of our staff has been annexed by Homeland Security and put into bodyguard roles for the powerful. It’s the same all over NYPD and other FBI divisions. All kinds of 9/11 laws are getting dusted off and put into use. HS is calling all the shots. It’s ludicrous!” Cohen barked a laugh. “Right now, all we’ve got is the core of Intel 1: me, John, Angel, JP, and Frank. The other agencies seem paralyzed. We need you. The
country
needs you.”

“The country needs us,” said Lopez. “Would that be the same country that wants us dead? The same government that slandered our names and has us on
your
most wanted list?”

“Francisco, today’s not the day to seek justice for what happened to you. You know there are plenty of good people who deserve our best. Some of those risked their lives so that you and Sara could find a new life up there.”

“And now you want to take that away from us.”

Cohen sighed. “If we don’t stop Anonymous—I don’t know how far they’ll go. I’m
afraid
, Francisco. Soon, there might not even be a country to establish your innocence in!”

“This is crazy,” said Houston.

“I know it is, but aren’t most disasters as they unfold? 9/11? The attack on Mecca with one of our own nukes? Please. You two have unique skills. Highly valuable skills. And you’re ghosts. You have no obligation to the US government or anyone else. You can do what we can’t. Even Anonymous can’t find out who you are. Tools we can use to turn this around.”

“Tools,” said Lopez.

“Dammit, Francisco, you know what I’m saying! You’ve been screwed, yes. But don’t you feel the least bit of obligation to the people of this nation?”

Houston looked painfully toward Lopez, who turned his head away as he spoke. “You know I do. I was a priest once.”

“Then help us! We need everything we can get right now!”

Lopez looked at Houston. He nodded and closed his eyes.

“The activation protocol?” Houston asked.

They could almost hear the relief in Cohen’s voice. “Yes. I’ll rendezvous with you at the specified location. Thank you. Both of you.”

“You're welcome,” said Houston.

“And Sara, make sure you come prepared.”

The light on the phone switched to green and the LCD went blank.

L
opez grabbed
his coat and walked to the door. Houston followed suit and took an LED lantern from the mantle. Together they walked outside and around to the back of the cabin. Lopez approached the cabin wall and knelt down. He brushed away several inches of snow, revealing a set of padlocked doors embedded in the ground. Houston removed the key from a chain around her neck and inserted it into the lock. They pulled together on the doors, the sound of them swinging on their hinges muffled by the deep snow around them.

A short flight of steps ended at the bottom of what appeared to be a surprisingly large wine cellar for a mountain getaway. Houston stepped from behind him and held up the lantern, pressing a button to intensify the light. Sharp shadows were cast across the room. The light spilled over crates and suitcases, canisters and body armor.

Lopez flipped open one case. Dark vestments, black gloves, and masks were folded neatly into sections. Houston ran her fingers over one of the masks and sighed.

“Never thought I’d be wearing these in the States. Never dreamed we’d be activated here.”

“Well, it’ll shoot facial recognition to all hell and back. We have to assume the targets will all be wired with a hundred cameras, and half of them might be governmental for all we know.”

“Blended in better in Islamic countries. That’s where all the action is these days. Or used to be.”

“From Rebecca’s tone, disguise will be the least of our issues. We’ll need something more serious than clothes.”

They both turned to an open wooden box, the top of the crate slightly off position. Houston tossed the lid to the ground and they stared inside. The light of the lantern glinted off black metal.

The interior was filled with guns.