The three men settled into the back seat of the big limousine and moved quickly to cover the short distance to the headquarters building of the United States Cyber Command some three blocks away.
While the NSA command center building was towering and intimidating, the Cyber Command office, was just two stories. It appeared as just another one of the many tan and grey office buildings that littered the suburban landscape in and around the nation’s capitol in Southern Maryland. The car rolled out quietly from the underground garage towards its destination picking up speed.
“Listen up, Garrison,” said Holmes. “Protocol now requires us to show any data threats, Level Five and above to those cowboys at Cyber Command. I don’t like it and never have, but they’ll learn that the gravy train doesn’t always run on time. I’m required to bring you since you are the author of this report. So, just stand there, nod your head if you’re asked a question, but whatever you do, don’t open your mouth. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, Mr. Director.”
“OK, we’re almost there, just remember what I told you. Lips zipped. Got it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Oh, and by the way, where on earth did you get that tie?”
“My girlfriend bought it for me for my birthday, sir,” he said with a smile.
“It’s atrocious looking.” The director looked to the security guard who accompanied them on their trip and just rolled his eyes.
“Showtime,” he said as the car pulled to a stop in front of a small nondescript office building. It was still within sight of the NSA building they had just left.
They paused to show their ID badges to the waiting security officials, when a tall distinguished-looking man, with sharply chiseled facial features and short cropped hair, marine style, walked from a nearby elevator. He sported a bushy, unkempt handlebar mustache, wearing a tan suit coat, white shirt, and… a bright purple tie. It was identical to Luke’s tie.
“Good morning, Director Holmes. Follow me, sir. I’m Matt Rowe, Deputy Director of United States Cyber Command. Director Jackson is expecting you. We will join him in the executive conference room.” They pinned on their visitor badges and watched the elevator door close behind them. He turned to Luke, “You must be Garrison.”
“Yes, sir,” Luke said with a smile as Rowe shook his hand.
“I’ve been hearing good things about you and your work Luke.”
“Thank you, sir. I try.”
“Well, keep it up. We need good people like you in our line of work,” he said with a grin before turning to a red-faced Holmes. “Careful Jimmy, we may try to steal your star here if you’re not careful.” Rowe lean close and whispered, “Nice tie. Birthday gift?”
“Yes sir, from my fiancée.”
The elevator doors opened, and they were greeted by a tall shapely, well dressed woman with short black hair pulled back behind her ears. She smiled and motioned them down the hallway.
“Good morning, gentlemen, the director is waiting for you in the conference room. Please follow me.”
The glass meeting room at the end of the lush green-carpeted passage had a long cherry conference table with row upon row of black and chrome leather chairs beside it. A picture of the current president adorned one wall at the end of the long table and a large Andy Warhol original print hung on the other wall.
Jack Jackson, the director of the America’s newest agency, was a forgettable sort of man, of average height, average weight, thinning hair but eyes that went from inquisitive and kind to piercing and dark. He turned those keen eyes on Luke, who felt them studying his every move as he walked to his chair and sat down. The stare burrowed through him like a hot blowtorch until the Director was satisfied with his evaluation. Luke saw the computer mind spinning and whirling as it processed the information it had retrieved on him. The young techie dared not look away. Finally, Jackson was done his examination and spoke in a slow but measured voice.
“How did you come across this information, Mr. Garrison?” he asked, coming directly to the point, asking now with inquisitive eyes while ignoring everyone else in the room.
Luke wanted to answer this man in the same manner as the question was asked, direct and to the point but remembering what his boss had said in the car earlier.
“I… I,” he stammered. He swallowed, the hell with it, he thought, “I responded to a Signal Alert on my monitoring computer, sir. It’s one I had set it up a few months ago.”
“And then the computers told you all of this?”
“No sir, not at first. So I just kept asking questions until I got the answers I wanted.”
The director laughed and suddenly became animated as he looked around the room before saying, “Damn, now that’s what I like to hear. Somebody showing some goddamn initiative around here and has some curiosity. You need to come to work for us, Luke,” he proffered with his imploring eyes.
Holmes coughed and interrupted, “Well, Jack, he has been with us for over seven years and has a shining career path with our agency. Besides we’re all on the same team. Right?” interjected his now fuming boss.
Jackson ignored him, his gaze still locked on Luke. “What do you make of this report Luke?”
“I don’t know yet at this point, Mr. Director. But I don’t like it. I plan to continue to monitor the activity and see if I can find out what the hell is going on, sir.”
“Good. Copy me directly on any further activity you may find. I mean anything and everything. Do you understand me, son?”
“Yes, sir.”
“We have to put a stop to whoever is doing this before they start shutting down computers everywhere. People will die. Luke, do you have any idea where this DDB came from? Or what the target was or if it connected?”
“No, sir, I don’t. I’m still working on it. But it appears to be coming from two separate locations. The quantum handshake is coming from one location, and the DDB is coming from somewhere else.”
“Stay on it, Luke. I’m going to assign a liaison and a team of analysts to work with you to see what else we can find out. Thank you, gentlemen, for coming here today and bringing this information to my attention.” He smiled and continued, “Luke, I’m going to ask Matt, my second in command, to give you the cook’s tour of our little workshop here while I have a private conversation with your director for a few minutes. Very nice to meet you, Luke,” he said and rose to shake his hand. “Think about what I said today. Good to meet you.”
Luke’s mind was still spinning from all the wonderful things he had seen during his tour when he returned to cubicle office. His shift was over, and it was time to go home. He was tired and grabbed his car keys and his knapsack from the floor. Way to keep your mouth shut, dummy. Time to go home and get some sleep. It’s been a long day. It was then he noticed an alert on his computer screen flashing:
DANGER! DANGER!
DDB Incidence Alert!
DDB activity—handshake 8:30 A.M. Zulu time