their dreams left behind. They both needed to live in the present and prepare for the struggle ahead. Circumstances dictated their lives now. They needed to get used to it.
Gerrit turned to Alena. “Just one more question.”
She nodded.
“How did you know the lab code here? You knew right where to go and which codes to press.”
“This was our base of operations when I was turned loose on your folks. Back then, this was just a training and housing facility. It wasn’t until I saw Willy’s site plans that I knew where we were headed. Once I got here, I took a chance that Kane left the same codes in place. I was right.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I knew that everything would have to come out. We just did not have the time to stand around and dredge up my past.”
He nodded, turning as the helicopter approached. “Someone knew we were coming and alerted Kane. I know it wasn’t you. So that leaves us with a big problem.”
“I’ve been wondering the same thing, Gerrit. Who turned us in?”
Chapter 67
Gerrit and Alena waited for the chopper to set down before approaching the aircraft. As soon as it came to rest, Beck Malloy and Jack Thompson emerged. They crouched down until they cleared the rotors and then dashed to where he and Alena stood waiting.
The colonel was the first to reach them. “Good work, Marine. You too, Alena. You cut the head off this operation before it could cause further damage.”
Gerrit watched Willy running across the clearing in their direction. “I don’t know how much damage we did, Colonel. Project Megiddo is still in place.”
Willy, out of breath, reached them at about the same time Beck walked up. “I heard what you said about Megiddo, Mr. G.” His nickname for Gerrit made Jack scowl, but the colonel seemed to keep his thoughts to himself. “I ran a data systems check just before you guys started WWIII.”
Beck interjected. “Did it take, Willy? Tell me you got inside.”
Nodding, Willy turned to Gerrit. “Remember how I had you upload their files in Albuquerque?”
Gerrit nodded.
“Well, as you know, I left a surprise present for them, thanks to you, Mr. G.”
Gerrit smiled. “I meant to ask you about that, Willy, but everything was happening so fast. What kind of mischief did you get me involved in?”
“Since you guys were already going into their system, I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone. Joe and I created a certain kind of computer program that buries itself inside their system.”
Gerrit was incredulous. “You infected their programs?”
“I didn’t infect anything. I just expanded their program without their knowing it. See, I thought that whoever ran that lab would want to back up their system somewhere other than the site you guys hit. Just in case something like that did happen.”
Willy seemed to be waiting for compliments from the others. None were forthcoming, so he continued. “Wherever they transfer their programs or search other sites-in this case, here in the state of Washington-they unknowingly carry my program. I’m calling it the Daemon Files.”
Gerrit scoffed. “You didn’t come up with that term, Willy. A daemon program is a computer term that’s been around for ages.”
“I didn’t say I came up with the term.” Willy looked miffed. “I’m just using it to describe this program Joe and I developed.” Willy’s excitement grew the more he talked. “As I was saying my little daemon program has a twist. It will sit out in the weeds, so to speak, staying dormant and undetected among the program’s codes until conditions change in the Megiddo computer processes or we want daemon to come out to play. Then my computer friend kicks in, automatically sending us information on how the Megiddo program is being used or giving it messages we want them to have-unknowingly.”
“You mean like a spy telling us what the enemy’s up to?”
“You got it, Mr. G. And the beauty of this daemon is that I can trigger a change or a redirection in their program whenever I choose. It gives me remote access and control.”
“Give me an example.”
“Better yet, I’ll just show you. Let’s step into the lab’s lobby-what’s left of it after you two got through-and let me get set up.”
Willy led them through the doorway, pausing for a moment until he saw a reception desk a few yards away. He plopped his laptop on the counter and powered up. “I am going to access their program and monitor any traffic they may have initiated since you hit this place.”
Gerrit glanced at the screen. “The lab in Albuquerque is down. Kane and Collette are dead. Who do you think might be communicating right now? And with whom?”
Willy glanced up. “I’m sure they have more labs than the ones we know about. And we know Kane was just one of the cogs in a bigger wheel.”
“That makes sense.” Gerrit nodded, thinking of the events over the last few days. “So what do you hope to show us now?”
“One of the cool things about this Megiddo program is that it monitors not only its identified enemies, but its own people. For example, I can access Megiddo and check on who Kane came in contact with-by computer and cell phone-before you showed up here. Check out these links.”
Gerrit and the others gathered around, trying to decipher what the program spit back. “What is this here, Willy?” He pointed to a date and time-stamped entry just before Kane knew they were near the lab.
Willy clicked on the link and expanded the field so they could read the code. “Someone in the D.C. area contacted Kane through their encrypted program. Unfortunately for them, Megiddo knows how to unscramble this. Here is the cell phone tower the phone used to bounce its signal our way.”
Beck placed a hand on Gerrit’s shoulder. “If we can get that cell phone number, maybe we can track down who used it.”
“Look at this.” Willy leaned over the computer and clicked on another link. “Hours before you guys hit this place, Kane called this number somewhere in the Seattle area.” He minimized that screen, opening up another showing the unidentified Seattle number and calls sent and received from that phone. “And then just a while ago, that same Seattle number received a call from the person in D.C. who had been in contact with Kane.”
“Get the cell numbers and tower locations as quick as you can, Willy. I will have my people run this down. We should be able to know who is using both those phones.” For the first time since they landed, Beck sounded excited.
Willy started to shut down the program, but Gerrit stopped him. “Do one more thing for me. Take that Seattle number and check its call history. Can you retrieve data going back a few years?”
“Sure, Mr. G. If it was stored, I can retrieve it. What are you looking for?”
Gerrit swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. He recognized the phone number in Seattle. “Check around the time my folks were killed. Then check that same phone used around the time my houseboat blew up and Mark Taylor and Marilynn were killed.”
Willy bent over the laptop, his fingers flying over the keys. “Like I said, this Megiddo program is sweet, but my daemon program is all aces. I’ve narrowed the scope by date and time. Here, on one screen I’ll summarize these calls around the time your folks…” Willy stopped, looking up at Gerrit. “Sorry, Mr. G.”
“No problem, Willy. Just isolate both time periods and let me take a look at what you come up with.”
Willy finished setting up the screens and stepped away, allowing Gerrit access to the keyboard. “Here you go.”
Beck moved back as Alena moved closer, her body brushing against his. “Can I see, Gerrit?”
He glanced up and saw her face, taut and determined. “Sure, come in closer if you like.”
She leaned over his shoulder. “Thanks. I need to know almost as much as you.”
