Forever Yours
28
The Asset
HENRY STARED at his coffee cup silently as the Colonel’s words sank in. He’d responded to a real threat, but his response had nearly caused a war. The cyber world bleeding over into the real world. All they’d need is for the president to start tweeting about it.
“I thought you would understand why we are concerned,” Schwartz said. “We provided the Chinese with the code for the viruses that caused their shutdown, compliments of your department head. They are reverse engineering them in order to develop a vaccine, so to speak, against ever being infected again. We’ve provided samples to all the major security software companies for the same purpose. That is not what brings me to your door.”
Henry nodded, unwilling to volunteer any information that could incriminate him. He calmed his nerves and looked at the Colonel, ignoring the captain, who had removed her hat and let her hair fall to her shoulders. He couldn’t afford to be distracted at this point. The colonel smiled.
“During our visit to the university yesterday, we discovered—or rather Captain Bernard discovered—that certain classmates of yours had once launched a hack attack against your company server to see if they could get through your defenses. Your company: Open Cloak Design. I like that name. The informant said you had managed to trace them through several proxy servers and immediately and without warning, corrupt their computers.”
“I don’t see what the big deal was,” Captain Bernard said. “We’ve been talking for twenty minutes and I’ve got full access to the server.”
“I’d thank you to leave our corporate development and testing alone,” Henry said.
“There’s nothing here of interest,” Bernard said. “A nice search engine being tested and a released computer optimization utility. The computer is as clean as every other computer we’ve tested.”
“We run our own optimization software on our computers and many people have reported improved performance for their computers based on our studies,” Henry said. “You should try it.”
“Obviously, we aren’t directly interested in either of those applications, though I suspect if we truly dissected the Open Cloak Optimization, we’d discover some of the same code that was used to erase the disks of our Chinese attackers,” Schwartz laughed.
“What is it you are after?” Henry asked.
“I want… The United States Army wants a copy of the code you used to track through eight levels of proxy servers and then wipe out every computer even remotely connected to the attackers.”
“There’s no such code on his server,” the captain insisted.
“Of course not. Would you leave something capable of so much destruction lying around where a child might play with it?” Schwartz asked, turning on the captain.
She scowled and color rose in her cheeks. She closed her laptop.
“Henry, you are a unique individual and I’m very interested in your company and software. Interested enough to invest in it,” Schwartz said.
“I didn’t know the army invests in companies,” Henry said. “I would have to decline.”
“Yeah, I know. But there are ways we can probably satisfy both of our needs. As I said, I want a copy of the two pieces of the puzzle: the tracing software and the counterattack software. In return, I am prepared on behalf of my agency to do two things. I will make a deposit in your account of twenty-five million tax-free dollars. And I will keep the rest of Washington’s alphabet soup off your computers.”
Henry contemplated both offers. If that was really all, he could hardly refuse. It was a lot better than ending up in a prison in El Salvador. As if on cue, his doorbell rang. He caught his breath. Colonel Schwartz raised an eyebrow. Henry should have consulted with his partners, but instead he nodded at the Colonel.
“Allow me,” Schwartz said, standing from the table.
He put his hat on and Bernard hastily tucked her hair up under her own military cover. They went to the door and opened it. Four men stood there and demanded entrance for the FBI.
“This is a project for the Pentagon’s Department of Cyber Resilience,” Schwartz said. “Per 1998 Presidential directive PD-63, expanded under Homeland Security Presidential Directive HSPD-7 of 2003, for Critical Infrastructure Identification, Prioritization, and Protection, you do not have authority to infringe on an operation of the United States Army engaged in activities critical to national defense against cyber intrusion. You are hereby directed to leave the premises, cease all investigation either personal or electronic regarding the attack on US cyber installations responded to by the US Army, and remove all surveillance of Henry Pascal, Open Cloak Design, and its employees, officers, and shareholders.”
Henry held his breath. Schwartz had poured that all out as if he were reading an order from the supreme court. Henry wasn’t positive how legal that whole line was, but apparently the FBI agents weren’t knowledgeable enough to contradict Schwartz, standing in the doorway. Schwartz handed his card to the lead agent and they left. He closed and locked the door.
“I’d get the code functioning on your server again to defend against future attacks. These guys seldom take no for an answer, though they will be too cowed to raise a fuss if they are rejected in the act of hacking,” Schwartz said.
“The code is stored offsite,” Henry said.
“That was smart. Why don’t the three of us go out for lunch and you can retrieve it while we’re out.”
“If you don’t mind, I need to do some checking to verify your claims. I’d like photos of you along with those I took of your IDs. I’d like to make a call to the Pentagon to ask for your office. And before I retrieve any code, I’d like your signatures on a limited license agreement.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Bernard started.
“No, it’s quite reasonable,” Schwartz contradicted her. “Here’s my card with the number of the Pentagon on it. If you would call directory assistance and ask for the number, you can compare them before you call. Do you have a license agreement we can sign?”
“Upstairs in the office. We can complete the transaction up there and then go retrieve the code.”
“And lunch,” Schwartz said. “Let’s not forget that!”
“I didn’t intend to do that kind of damage,” Henry said. “It’s valuable information.”
After lunch he’d retrieved his backup from the safe deposit box. Then he’d taken Schwartz and Bernard to the office on the fourth floor to install it and create a copy for the US Army.
“The top level is pretty simple. It’s actually buried in the search engine code as well. It simply applies the AI to the task of tracking down information through various paths and proxies. Once we settled in after discovering how wide the attack was on university research facilities, it only took about twenty minutes for the AI to trace the path through the proxies to the source.”
“How many computers did that get you?” Schwartz asked.
“One. It was the ice pick probing the wall of our corporate server. I had no idea about the attacks on all the other servers. I knew there had to be an organized attack, based on the information supplied by Dr. Hendon.”
“Then how did you get everyone else?” Bernard asked. Once she was in their office and settled in a chair, she’d adopted a much more casual attitude. Schwartz was watching everything Henry did and pointed out as she sipped a soda.
“That tech is actually buried in the Open Cloak Optimization software. The way the app works at the moment, it can be installed on only one device when purchased. We know we will want to offer an enterprise version that a corporation can use to deploy across its network. The question is, how widely we allow it—or the corporate IT allows it—to work. That’s actually what’s holding us up at the moment. The AI has a feature I call ‘Degrees of Separation.’ How far from the host do you want to deploy the solution? Zero degrees is the default and only setting on the current app. This computer only. The next would be one degree, which would deploy on all computers directly attached to the host. And so on.”
“Just for curiosity’s sake, how many degrees did you set the counterattack to?” Schwartz asked. Bernard sat up.
“I didn’t really know how far it would go, so I just set it like the movie. Six degrees,” Henry said.
“It’s possible that seven degrees would have plunged the world wide web into darkness,” Schwartz said. “As part of our agreement, allowing you to install it on your server and continue development, we want you to permanently set it to zero. Respond only to the direct attack.”
“I think that’s reasonable for the server. It’s what it’s always been set at. This is the first time I’ve ever set it at anything else.”
“Blessed mother!” Bernard said. “Colonel, we should not leave it in his hands!”
“Captain, in order to prevent it from being in his hands, we’d have to cut his hands off. You heard what he said. The code is not only in the counterattack software, but in the computer optimization software and search engine. I had a feeling that was involved.”
Henry shuddered at the implication. The code was in his head. They’d have to cut that off, too.
“No, we’re sticking to our deal. I think Henry and Open Cloak are going to continue to create valuable tools for the war on cybercrime. We’re not going to inhibit the development. Now, you should head out and change clothes. You should be at the university attending lectures and talking to students. Make sure there is no suggestion among them that points to Open Cloak.”
“Yes, sir.” Bernard snapped to attention. “How long should I plan to stay under cover at the university?”
“I think you told people you were there on a two-month study visa. Get through the first month and we’ll give you a cover to move elsewhere.”
“A month?” She tried to maintain neutrality. “Yes, sir.” She turned crisply and headed down the stairs. There was a bit of a commotion and shortly Chastity appeared at the head of the stairs.
“Who was that?” she demanded immediately. “And who are you?”
Chastity was used to seeing Lisa and Josh on the weekends in the office. Sometimes Leonard and Simon were there, too. But they didn’t casually bring guests into the office and to see an army guy intently looking at the server screen over Henry’s shoulder was a shock—not to mention being nearly knocked down the stairs by a female army person rushing to the front door.
“Chas, this is Colonel Nathan Schwartz, director of the Pentagon’s Department of Cyber Resilience. He’s here to… license some software that I’ve had under development.”
“Something we should all be involved in?” Chastity asked.
“Colonel, Chastity Pappa is one of my partners in Open Cloak and is the head of our administration and human resources,” Henry said.
“Ah! Very nice to meet you, Miss Pappa. Please, let’s all dispense with the formalities now that my assistant has left. I’m Nathan. May I call you Chastity?”
“Yeah. Sure. That’s my name,” Chastity said, taken aback by his suave demeanor. “Seriously, Henry, do we need Luke and Isobel?”
“Not yet. They’ll be here Friday and I’ll explain everything then. There’s really no decision to be made. I got the license agreement off your computer and printed it. It’s been signed by Colonel Schwartz and witnessed by Captain Bernard. When we have the funds in progress, I’ll sign the agreement and you can witness my signature. Nathan will need the account to wire funds to.”
Schwartz nodded and Chastity started her computer.
“Uh… Since the software he wants isn’t officially a part of Open Cloak yet, give him the numbers for PRPP LLC. We’ll take care of the patent purchase and such from there.”
“Really?” Chastity asked looking up at him. The significance of money going into PRPP was not lost on her. It would not count as revenue for Open Cloak. But it could affect the partners’ income significantly. Henry just nodded. Chastity printed out the routing number and account number to hand to Schwartz.
“If you will give me a few minutes,” Schwartz said. “May I use the patio?”
“Please do,” Henry said, unlocking the outside door. “Afraid we haven’t gotten out any furniture yet.”
“I’m used to standing,” Schwartz laughed. He went outside and they saw him pull out his cellphone.
“Henry,” Chastity said, wrapping him in a hug. “Are you under duress?”
“No, babe. Not anymore.”
“There’s a sticker above our doorbell that says ‘Property of the United States Army. Official business only.’”
“I’ll check with Nathan to see what that’s about, but I think it’s to keep the FBI, CIA, and probably ICE away from our door.”
“That’s what Lisa was talking about!” Chastity said.
“Lisa?”
“She called me and told me there was a possibility that we’d be investigated by some government agency and she’d left you home alone. I… had an appointment this morning and my phone was off. As soon as I got her message, I rushed over here.”
“Well, I’m glad you got here. It helps to have a witness.”
“Are we going to jail?”
“No. That’s what Colonel Schwartz is here to prevent. You’ve heard about the Chinese attack?”
“By the American terrorists? My God! That was Friday and you and Lisa were so exhausted you fell asleep on my leg. Don’t tell me you were the terrorist!”
“No. It was the other way around. Some bunch of Chinese hackers attacked the university lab and our corporate server. I was the one responsible for defeating the attack. It seems to have kicked over a wasp nest. Nathan is responsible for controlling the damages,” Henry said.
“I get it. And he’s paying you for the… whatever you did.”
“That’s more or less the sum of it.”
The colonel walked back into the office and closed the outside door.
“It’s still a little chilly out there for mid-March. In Washington the cherry blossoms are budding. Another week max. You should come to the nation’s capital to see the most beautiful sight in the world,” he said. He turned directly to Henry. “It’s in motion. You should see it by end of day tomorrow.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“It’s Nathan. I’d buy you both a drink to celebrate, but I don’t think it’s legal,” he said.
Henry and Chastity signed the agreement and she gasped when she saw the amount. Henry handed Schwartz the drive with the code on it.
“You know, the general public doesn’t expect anything from teens and early twenties. What they call Gen Z. They’re so wrapped up in complaining about the new generation not respecting them or canceling things. The average age of an Army recruit is nineteen years and four months. The nation depends on them to defend it from harm. I have no difficulty depending on computer scientists who are twenty years old and show this kind of skill.”
He shoved the drive in a pocket.
“Nathan, I can’t say the day has all been a pleasure, but thank you for coming to our defense,” Henry said, shaking hands with the colonel.
“There were tense moments. Speaking of which, I’d guess things are going to be a little hard on Rebecca at the university. She’s extremely bright and completed her degree while she was still eighteen. PhD at twenty-one. The Army direct commissioned her to first lieutenant and she made captain by twenty-three. If you get to know her a little, she might even have some good suggestions for you,” Nathan said.
“Thank you, sir. I’ll try to be friendly.”
“I see she left the briefcase here for me to carry myself. I wonder if she left the car,” Nathan said as they showed him down the stairs and out the front door. “Oh,” he said, tapping the sticker by the doorbell. “This should be good enough to keep the wolves away for the rest of the week until we get official notices filed. Have a good day.”
They closed the door and sank down on the couch in the living room.
Henry fell asleep with his head on Chastity’s lap after filling her in on a few of the details. When he woke up, he was lying on Lisa.
“Wow! How long have I been asleep?” he asked groggily.
“According to Chastity, it’s been about four hours. I took over as your pillow about an hour and a half ago.”
“Thank you. You make a really nice pillow. I guess I won’t need any sleep tonight.”
“Good. Do you need food right now?”
“Um… No, I guess not. I had a really big lunch with Captain Bernard and Colonel Schwartz. I might want something a little later. How about you?”
“I ate with Chastity. You were really out cold.”
“It was an emotionally draining day. First the Army, then the negotiations, and then the FBI showing up at the door and being repelled by the Army. And explaining everything in detail. There are things I still don’t believe happened.”
“Want something else unbelievable?” she asked.
“I think I’m recovered enough. What?”
Lisa didn’t say anything. She caught the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, leaving her topless. Henry caught his breath. He kissed each of her breasts and looked up into her smiling eyes.
“Not in the living room. Follow me.”
Henry scrambled upright and quickly rose to follow topless Lisa up the stairs. She opened the door to her suite and led him directly to the bedroom.
“I’ve known this was coming for a long time now. I didn’t want to rush. But I really want it, Henry. Do you really want me?” she asked.
“I really want you, Lisa.”
“Not because we owe each other or because it’s convenient. Just because we both really want it,” she said, pulling him to her bed.
They stretched out on the unmade bed and Lisa struggled to get Henry out of his shirt. As soon as he was exposed, they went back to kissing and caressing each other. She’d known Henry was thin but firm. She’d gathered that much from their make-out sessions. Seeing him without a shirt and letting her hands explore his chest and back confirmed that his time on the golf course had been enough physical exertion for him to develop some nice musculature.
For Henry’s part, he’d seen Lisa dressed up and knew she was pretty. He’d had his hands inside her clothes just this past weekend and knew she felt spectacular. Seeing and kissing her perfect breasts, though, showed him exactly how beautiful a woman she was.
They kissed and petted, trying not to hurry through the preliminaries, but both eager for the main event. He pushed her jeans down off her hips and kissed his way down with them. When he crossed her mons with his lips, she moaned excitedly. She went straight to work getting him out of his trousers, happy to have his help.
When his erection was exposed, she held it and licked it as he stroked his fingers through her plentiful juices. She reached to the bedside table and retrieved a condom.
“I prepared for this,” she said, opening and applying the prophylactic. “I’ve had these waiting for nearly a month.”
“I’m glad you have them here. I’d hate to have to stop at this point and run upstairs to get one.”
“For what it’s worth, I’d be running right behind you and we’d be doing this in your bed now.”
She pulled him over her and opened her legs to let him between them.
“I want to… taste… and touch…”
“Later. Let me feel you in me. I want to have what I’ve been dreaming about. I promise, we’ll take time to explore and fully appreciate each other. I don’t intend to get out of this bed for a long time. Bring it, lover.”
Henry scarcely needed the guidance she provided as his cock sank slowly into her.
“Oh, geez, Lisa. This is really…”
“Tight? Was that the word you were looking for?” she gasped. “Good lord! It’s been a long time and I don’t think I’ve ever been so full. Take it easy, babe. Just go slow for a while!”
“Any pace you want, Lise. I’m… You’re… It’s… all just so perfect.”
They started slowly, but didn’t stay that way for long. Both were too excited to pace themselves. In minutes, they were both approaching their limit and kissed frantically.
“Yes! Do it. I’m almost there!” Lisa cried.
“I can wait for you. What do you need?”
“Just kiss me some more. Kiss me!”
Henry obliged his new lover and when he felt the contractions in her vagina, he rapidly rose to his own climax as well. They continued to kiss as they came down from their peak.
“You know what?” she asked around their kisses. “I think we’re cutting classes tomorrow.”
They didn’t really sleep much that night. They didn’t bother to dress when they went to the kitchen for late-night food and then scampered back to bed. After a couple of hours of sleep, they went back to the kitchen for coffee and breakfast, then headed back to bed. After having sex again, they finally fell into a deep sleep.
At nearly noon, they heard voices and footsteps on the stairs. The sound went to the office first and then back down to start pounding on Henry’s third-floor suite.
“Henry! Henry!”
“I think someone wants me,” he said sleepily as he kissed Lisa again and rolled out of bed.
The pounding upstairs continued.
“What?” he yelled from Lisa’s door. Footsteps rushed down the stairs and Isobel was followed closely by Luke. Henry stood naked in Lisa’s doorway.
“What the fucking hell?” Isobel shouted.
END PART II
Please feel free to send comments to the author at devon@devonlayne.com.
