Chapter 11

The alarm woke us at five thirty. I was actually very rested. As I reached over and hit the snooze button, Suki rolled on top of me and kissed me. "Thank you for a very nice night. I hope you didn't mind my twerp sneaking in."

Niki sat up and displayed she was as naked as Suki. "I'm not a twerp, Mom. In most countries, and even some states, I am not jailbait. I do love the feel of his body on mine. I promise to be good if I sleep with you guys. Kiss me, big guy, and I'll run to get ready for school."

Niki put something on and was out the door. Suki kissed me a few more times and told me, "If Niki hadn't been here I would have loved you up again. Oh well, the trials of being a parent. I'll see you on the patio in a little while, Lover," Suki told me, as she got ready to leave. "So, until Friday and next week;" then I was kissed one more time before Suki ran out the door.

Getting ready only took ten minutes. After straightening the bedcovers, I locked up and headed to the patio. Once again, I joined Steve and Glenda for a private coffee meeting that lasted only five or ten minutes. Steve told me, "Watch the people this morning. It's fun to watch those that take off to go down to the shop or to one of the shops here. Each one will eat and chat before blasting out of here by themselves, or in a lot of cases, with another person who works with them. It's great people watching."

I was dancing around wanting to go to work by seven thirty. Dennis came over and told me, "The men are going to finish your racks up today. The electricians are putting in special surge protection units on the whole building, and they're going to do your computer room a second time so our surge protection is cascaded. There isn't much you're going to be able to do, so kick back while you can."

Little did he know that I had several hundred thousand dollars of equipment to unpack and get ready.

I rode my cart over to the R&D building, that I should call a complex, because of its multiple distinct purposes. Once inside, I gave a quick look in the server room, before coming back to my new office. "Okay," I thought, "I should get a PC up for notes and general internet access." The first box I opened was all software. My mind was seeing a big seventy-two point WTF. I separated the software into groups for each of the computer and network systems I was going to use. Some of the software was foreign to me, but I had been in a rather closed environment for the last several years. Actually, I had focused so much energy and instruction on multi-level techniques, that I wasn't familiar with a lot of the newer commercial software.

I connected my desk PC to the monitor, keyboard, and mouse, and turned it on to see what it may or may not have on it. It was almost instantly on running Windows 7. Just for fun, I checked the resources to discover sixteen gig of RAM. I had to get under the desk to connect the other two monitors and reboot to see if I was lucky enough for Windows 7 to do an auto config of the additional monitors. There was a data jack with a coiled up cable, so I plugged it in and connected to the internet. Once there, I downloaded and installed all of the other versions of internet software. I cued up Mozilla, and it was on almost instantly. If I have internet access, then this PC is not secure and isn't connected to any of the other networks.

My curiosity overcame my reasoning. I bridged about seven times and using a bridge from a major movie studio I had discovered, I went to Texas Tech, Lubbock, to see if they had purged all of my data yet. My logon was gone, so I used a back door and went through the router. I checked the mainframe and looked at the log. All of my work had been copied multiple times. I hope they try to use it so they would know that they still needed me. I had to leave my research software with them, but I left the algorithm that made all my software work tucked in a notes file folder of instructions on how the various pieces of software operated. It says, right in the startup instructions, for the operator to go to the primary operating file and type 'go' at the prompt. That activated everything. No one had downloaded the instruction file yet. I wondered how long it would take before a student found the answer while the pseudo pros were cussing me out.

I looked into my personnel file and noted that several derogatory letters of sanction and discipline had magically appeared. I'll wait a month and fix that. What pissed me off was a letter from the new acting Dean that my PhD was in question, as I may have plagiarized my thesis. Anyone ever reading any of my work would have had multiple books and manuals open to follow my theory and proof. Asshole! I would help him with his future later.

What really hurt was how petty they always were and now they, or someone, were intentionally attempting to discredit me. Well, keep it up and I may delete that instruction file. Now I needed to cover my tracks. I had put in a neat birddog program that tracked all foreign access, including simple hackers. I was hacking in using one of the most basic forms, but it was still being recorded. I accessed the program, updated my file cracker password, and reset all the counters for this access. I thought I might spend some time in the evening inserting a program that would automatically cover my tracks. I'd have to be careful and check to see if someone else decided to put a tracking or alerting program in.

I was about to leave there when I decided the asshole needed a lesson of some form. Just for fun, I deleted his entire scheduling and appointment file that kept him on track. He will be able to reproduce it, but every time he now saved the file it would delete for him again. Amazing how the instructions to 'file delete' can be substituted for a 'file save'. Good luck finding that, Asshole.

I needed to think of how to reconstruct my personnel file and potentially squash the little turd.

Without some of my personal software, I couldn't log into my Mom's and Dad's computer. If Mom had her PC on in the kitchen, I could just talk to her. I'd get my software and a web cam. I'm surprised there wasn't one.

I checked my other two monitors and found they had decided to work. I was assembling my access PCs that were going to be used to interface with the new Coeus Colossal. What a name for a super computer. Part of the name was neat, as Coeus was the Titan god of intelligence, who presided over the axis of heaven. The Greeks had a mystical and mythological god for everything.

Someone was moving things around in the reception area. I walked in and saw an attractive derriere sticking up, as the person possessing that attractive rear end was bending over trying to fit something under the desk.

I cleared my throat and asked, "May I help you?"

Thump!

"Ow, you made me bump my head. Don't sneak up on someone like that."

Who should rise up, rubbing her head, but Grenaline, Jenny's hot daughter. "Ah, may I ask what you are doing here and what you were doing under the desk?"

Grenaline stood with her hand on one cocked hip and said, "I work here, or at least I'm starting to work here this morning. I work Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, Jeff works Tuesday and Thursday mornings; Donna is handling the afternoons of my days, and Niki is on at one on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We're all interning here. We had to have a background investigation and sign a bunch of non-disclosure documents that said we couldn't tell anyone about what goes on here, or tell any of your secrets. Niki is the only high school student, but she's a whiz kid and will graduate this year. She just turned sixteen, to give you an idea how sharp she is."

"So what field are you studying that you would intern here?"

"I'm studying nursing, but really taking all pre-med courses. I'm going to medical school if money magically appears. If not, I'll be a nurse first, followed by becoming a nurse practitioner, and then I'll finish medical school. I have it planned. Didn't we already talk about this?"

"You did mention you were studying to be a nurse. You didn't say anything about medical school or working here."

"Mom told me to keep my mouth shut about it so you would be surprised. She thought it would be fun for me to watch a grown man drool all over me until you get used to having me around."

"That's funny. I'll have to discuss her opinion of me. I do enjoy viewing attractive ladies, but when I'm working, my goddess is back there in that computer room."

The really striking girl said, "That's what I want to do. I want to be a research physician and use super computers to find new cures for horrible diseases. I'll get there, but it's going to be a while."

"I'm impressed by your resolve, Grenaline, and hope you make it. I'll bet S&S has some scholarships out there for potential physicians just like you."

She looked at me, "They do, but I screwed off during my senior year in high school so my grade point average didn't finish very well. I'm working on fixing it, and I've aced everything so far. I'm doing all of the extra credit work available so I'll be eligible soon."

She was just a normal girl who wanted to achieve something, but had lost sight of that goal for a while. As she sat down and pushed the button on her PC, she said, "Call me 'Gin'. It's a lot easier and faster than Grenaline. Mom thinks my name is really cool as it is French-Canadian. Mom's an "eh" chic from Manitoba. Both sets of grandparents still live up there. Come over sometime and let Mom give you the whole story. She'll tell you that my name is Grenaline Monique Duquesne. The last name is Mom's maiden name, because she wanted me to have her name that she went back to. Dad was killed overseas in the Army, and I really don't remember him that well. Mom will tell you about it one of these days.

Whew, this girl can talk. "Grenaline, Gin, I don't know what all you'll be expected to do when the place is up and running, so study your lessons and get used to the place for right now. I'll be in the office unboxing some of the new stuff."

She said, "There's a handbook that I was told to try to memorize. It has all of the duties of support people. S&S says support people are as important as the people they support. Without either half, nothing happens. Call if you need me."

I separated everything in all of the boxes in my offices for the rest of the morning. It was a good thing they had put in so many shelves for me. I was getting concerned as the guy who was supposed to be here to finish the racks had not showed up. At almost noon, I walked next door to find Dennis. He and the guy named 'Hap' were sitting in Dennis' office with grim looks on their faces. Dennis waved me in.

Dennis explained, "I can't believe we were being invaded. If you've done much, stop now. We have to have some electronics detectives come and strip the place. Hap's security company ran a background check on the tech and found out he is some kind of third-rate private detective, with a known history of electronic surveillance. Who knows what's in there. The company has isolated our building as far as data is concerned. We have to clear all of R&D before we can connect to our own system, much less the company's. What have you done so far?"

"I've hooked my desk PC up and checked my old school files so far. I didn't do any security checks on the PC because I didn't have my software with me. I planned on picking it up at lunch time. My Feeny Detective Suite will find anything funny on any PC, and on any network. Let me get my stuff and I'll go through all of the data on your internal system, after that we'll begin on all of the equipment in the office. We'll need someone with a scanner for bugs and cameras before we do anything of value. Can you get me someone with a scanner?"

Hap was smiling even though this was not a smiling situation. "First off, we do federal military work; second, we have a real wheel with the U.S. Marshal's office; and third, one of the people you ate with this morning is the assistant agent in charge of the FBI office here. We'll get a bunch of the best scanners. I've already called."

I nodded my head, happy that the situation had been caught before anything could have happened. "Do you guys know who hired this guy? Do we know who would have known you were hiring someone to handle this for you?"

As he was standing, Dennis answered, "The leak was probably from the computer company or Wes. He's pretty proud of his creation, and doesn't understand how important security is yet."

Hap said, "I want you to be aware of your surroundings and be aware of anything unusual, or anyone you don't recognize. I'll give you a locater. If you push the button, your name and location are displayed in our operations office. We'll have someone standing next to you within a minute. If you push the button because of an unknown individual, make sure you study their features and look around to get any other information about them you can, like license plate numbers, make and model of car, just all the usual stuff."

"Okay, I think I'll lock up and go get lunch. Where and when did you catch the guy?"

Hap gave us what had happened, "Our security investigation people alerted me last night, so we were waiting for him when he showed up here this morning. We will charge him as a person attempting to steal national defense secrets. That will hold him for a long time. The FBI is coming to take him to their lockup. They are sending a truck to take his SUV back and take it apart for evidence."

"Okay, Guys, I'm leaving. Oh yeah, Dennis, thanks for Grenaline a few mornings a week. I'll remember to wear extra tightie whities on those days so I don't embarrass myself."

Dennis laughed and told Hap to be sure to check this chick out.

Gin was getting ready to leave, so I locked everything up and asked if she knew Donna's telephone number. I needed to tell her not to come in. "Grenaline, did you bring the support book in or was it here already?"

"I had it."

Think about this, as it's important, "Do you have anything in your purse that was here before you came, pencil, eraser, pen, anything. There is an external problem and I have to be sure."

"No, the only thing I did was use a little screwdriver. I had to screw in the monitor cable. That's it."

"Do you have class this afternoon?"

She said, "No I have an evening class from six to nine on Mondays."

"Come out with me, and let's talk to Hap."

Hap and Dennis were standing in the foyer where the security guard was. "Hey, Hap, Grenaline may have picked up a bug, but there is no way to know until she's scanned the same as me. What should we do?"

Hap was pointing while answering, "Nothing; there's Jan, Sarge, and their electronic forensics people right now. Let's get them to scan both of you out here, then you two go to lunch and stay away until Dennis calls you."

While they did me, Grenaline was able to call Donna and tell her not to come to work. Then Jan went over Grenaline more thoroughly than a horny gynecologist. Jan was finishing up down by Grenaline's foot, when she had Gin lift her foot. Jan took the shoe off, and a small something that I didn't recognize was stuck to the bottom of the shoe. Jan said, "Well, here's bug number one. I'll bet she picked it up sitting at the desk."

Jan bagged and tagged the bug and finished scanning the now scared girl. I was asking Grenaline if she needed a ride back home or to the patio, when a big flatbed truck pulled up. The driver backed up to a Suburban, jumped out, and let the bed down. He was doing everything by the numbers and checked under the truck before moving it. We all heard him bump his head under the truck as he frantically slid out.

"Get out of here; move, take your cars and carts, but move it. Get everybody out of here."

Jan and Sarge were pushing us away from where the Suburban was parked a ways from the building. Grenaline was instantly in my cart, and we were moving away on the way out of there when 'Kaboom'. I drove off the road and into some trees to protect us from any fallout. When nothing fell, I peeked out to see a mass of twisted metal where the Suburban had been. Jan and Sarge were both on the phone, but sirens were already blaring in the distance.

"Grenaline, it's time for lunch and for us to be out of here, let's boogie."

"What was that all about, Sal? What's going on?"

As we headed for the patio, Steve passed us going the other way, with the funny named guy, Ace Heart with him.

"I don't know, Grenaline, but I do know someone was trying to find a way to gain access to data on our products and research. You and I don't need to know about stuff like that. If anyone asks you, you don't know anything. Forget you were scanned."

"I think I want to forget it, Sal. This is nuts."

A lot of people at the patio wanted to know what was going on, and I told them I really didn't know. I'm sure we would hear about it in time. We were exactly on time to be served soup. I ate a good lunch, and afterward thought I might want to go to my place and maybe do a little research. I had a couple of the bills of lading from the boxes in my pocket and knew they were clean, so I told Grenaline I was going home. She rode with me and went to her place as I unlocked mine and went in.

I dug through my software and began loading all of my enhanced-detection software and every snoop tool I had. The shipping company was the manufacturer, so I built a series of bridges and went right through their security in minutes. They didn't have any birddog software, so I was in unnoticed. I followed the order backwards from the dock handler, the packer, the picker, the service order prep person, order processing clerk, and to the salesman. I checked the peg counts of who accessed the file to see who was checking on it. I expected the salesman would follow it, but not the order processing clerk. That person had three hits on the order before it ever came to him or her.

It took a little effort to follow his employee number through personnel. It was a she, and she had only been working at the company for two months. That's not long enough to know how to back check orders before they get to her queue. I pulled all of the info I could get and backed out.

Next was the "Who is" that gives a lot of information. They didn't have anything. I looked her up in the cell phone user lists of all of the local cell phone companies. Nothing showed. I was mad at myself, so I went back through the bridges into the shipping company's personnel file and did an entire copy, including the mercantile report they had pulled, and two photos of her. I made a couple copies of her file and put one on a CD for safe keeping. I went to my box of goodies to get a stick and put a copy of the file on the stick too.

Her mercantile report had the same address and type and model of vehicle. They reported she had rented her apartment two months ago. She had listed several past employers, and I wondered if they ever verified her history. She had two bank accounts which was a little strange. One had a hundred and thirty dollars and showed a bunch of debit card transactions. The other account had a fat twenty thousand in it. Something funny was that another name was on the fat account as a joint user. Banks' security systems are great, but they forget about people who are snoops. I was able to pull the signature cards on each and couldn't think of anything else there that I would need.