The Second Shooter Page 2

  Robert and David headed down the hall in search of the wiring closet. “Hello,” Robert said as he peered into the tiny room.

  “Hi guys,” Paul said as he peeked out from behind the matrix of equipment and wires. “What can I do for you?”

  “We just moved into W308 and wondered how long it would be until we get our network connection,” Robert said.

  “Well I’m doing them in batches of sixteen and I’m still working on the first floor, so it could be a while.” He could tell from the silent response that wasn’t the answer they were hoping for. “But I’ll make you a deal. If you take phones up for 301 to 308 and plug them in, I’ll hook yours up next.”

  “Deal,” Robert and David said in unison.

  * * *

  “The network speed is amazing!” David yelled to his brother. They were part of a team playing an online game called League of Legends and they were easily overpowering their opponents. They continued to play for several more hours until Robert finally said he had to get some sleep as they were now into the wee-hours of the morning.

  “Good night,” David said as he shut the door to his bedroom. He knew he should probably get some sleep as well, but he had one more thing he wanted to do that night.

  He pulled his soccer bag out of the pile of boxes and carefully pulled a black laptop computer from the bottom of it. This laptop looked like a homemade device as it didn’t have any logos or labels identifying the manufacturer. He unplugged his school computer from the network and plugged in the laptop.

  “Please enter your password:” prompted the screen as soon as he turned the laptop on.

  David carefully entered the twenty-four character combination of upper and lower-case letters and numbers of the password. He had finally memorized the limerick his uncle Alan had taught him so he no longer had to have it written down. He remembered the day they had run laps together around the track at his high school when he had promised his uncle he would carry on with his work if anything should happen to him. At the time, he was sure that it was just something from his uncle’s bipolar fantasy world, but it had turned out to be so much more.

  “Welcome, Goliath” appeared on the screen.

  Goliath was his uncle’s code-name in their secret society and it was now David’s code-name. His uncle had died in a mysterious plane crash along with Edward Bronson, the media magnate who had founded the group. The police suspected the plane had been tampered with, but they had never proven anything. Over a year had passed since the plane had been found, so it was doubtful anything further would come of it.

  The secret society was now headed by Simon Westbrook. David didn’t know much about him as he had only met him once, at his uncle’s funeral. Simon had told him he was Edward Bronson’s lawyer and that he would be continuing on his client’s legacy and heading up the group. In reality, the fact that the society existed was no longer that much of a secret. However, no one seemed to know the identities of those in the organization, or how large it was.

  David had been intrigued by the organization and its goals from the first day his uncle had told him about it. It frustrated him that politicians spent more time trying to destroy each other and gain power than they did trying to solve the major issues facing the world. That’s why there weren’t any politicians allowed in the group. The world is full of really smart people – they just had to create a way for all of them to work together. David had always been driven to find a new way to solve things when the old ways failed to work anymore.

  “Retrieve instructions,” David typed into the computer.

  For months, David had not received any communications and he had stopped checking for messages on a daily basis. Now, he only checked about once a week, if that. He was surprised to see a new message on his computer.

  “Please distribute files to all associates for analysis,” the message on the screen said. There appeared to be several hundred files in the list. David had no idea what was in the files, nor was he supposed to know. He was simply the middle-man, the courier responsible for delivering messages to his contacts, six people in total.

  David clicked on a tiny icon that appeared in the lower right portion of his screen. A small door opened on the side of the laptop and a tray slid out. But this was not to load a CD – it was much too small for that. David pulled a small microchip from his soccer bag, placed it onto the tray and pushed it back into the computer.

  “Package created,” appeared on the screen when the copy of the first set of files completed. Because there were so many files, he had to use seven separate microchips to complete the process.

  David knew that he would have to distribute each of the microchips to his contacts. Originally, the chips had been sewn into hems or pockets of clothes, as they were small enough to be easily hidden, but they had expanded the methods of distribution since then. They could also be easily inserted into cell phones, children’s toys or MP3 players without detection. David knew the methods he would use to distribute the microchips to his six contacts. But he had a problem; he had seven microchips and only six contacts.

  “Packages created and ready for distribution to contacts,” he typed into the computer. “Require additional contact to complete distribution.”

  David could see the sun starting to come up and he hadn’t had any sleep yet. He knew he had to be up in a few hours to head to the first soccer tryout, so he threw himself onto his bed and was asleep within seconds.

  * * *

  Robert was awakened by someone knocking on the door of their suite, but it took him a few seconds to recognize his new surroundings. The knock repeated, this time a little louder. When he opened the door, he saw Paul, the telecom guy, standing there holding a bunch of boxes.

  “Good morning,” Paul said. “I was wondering whether you and your brother wanted to make a few quick bucks helping me set up the rest of the phones in the building. I’m way behind and I could sure use some help.”

  Robert was always looking for a way to pick up a few extra dollars. “Sure, I can help, but I think my brother has already headed off for soccer tryouts.” He could see the note from David taped to the back of the door saying he wouldn’t be back until after 2:00 p.m.

  “Well, beggars can’t be choosers. I’ll be working down in the wiring closet and I’ll tell you what I need done using this,” Paul said as he handed Robert a two-way radio. “But basically, I need you to grab phones from the manager’s office and install them in each room on the second, third and fourth floors and then verify that they’re working. It will save me from running back and forth from the wiring closet.”

  “Sounds pretty simple,” Robert said.

  They spent the next few hours installing the phones and most worked without any problems. However, they started encountering problems after the first sixty-four had been installed. Robert knew the problem was serious when he saw Paul looking in the manual. He knew referring to the documentation was usually the last resort for techies.

  “Okay, I think I’ve figured it out,” Paul said. “I have to bridge the two network cabinets, but that means I’m going to have to push out a software update to each of the phones we’ve already installed.”

  “Will that take long?” Robert asked.

  “Not long at all, but I’d suggest you disconnect your computers from the network while I do it. It shouldn’t cause any problems, but I’d hate to corrupt anything on your computer by accident.”

  Robert headed back to his room to disconnect his computer from the network. He was going to do the same for David’s computer, but was surprised to find that David had locked his room before heading out.

  “My computer is unplugged, but my brother’s is still connected and his room is locked,” Robert said into the two-way radio.

  “Ooh, that makes me nervous,” Paul replied. “Can you back-up your brother’s files before I push out the update?”

  Robert plugged his computer back in and was pleased to see that he could access David’s comput
er over the network. As a techie, Robert knew how important it was to make regular backups. He also knew it had been over a month since he had backed up his own data, so this was a timely reminder. He plugged a portable drive into the USB port of his computer and started copying everything from both his and David’s computer onto the portable drive.

  “It says it should take almost an hour to do the backup,” Robert said into the walkie-talkie.

  “No problem,” Paul said. “It’s time for lunch anyway. Care to join me?”

  Paul showed up at Robert’s room a few minutes later with a huge lunch-kit. “My wife always makes enough to feed an army when I head off to do one of these installs. I keep trying to tell her I can just grab something close by, but she won’t hear of it. Help yourself – there’s more than enough.”

  They talked as they ate and Paul found that Robert reminded him of his own son – smart, full of dreams. If all kids were like them, the future was in good hands.

  Robert watched as the data was copied onto the portable drive and was surprised at how much there was. After it was completed, he unplugged the portable drive and put it into his backpack. He made a mental note to store the backup in his locker the next time he went to the university.

  * * *

  David arrived back from soccer tryouts a few hours later. Things hadn’t gone well. His lack of sleep the night before meant he hadn’t been particularly sharp. As he unlocked his door, he was alarmed to see that he had neglected to put away his laptop before leaving that morning, more evidence that he wasn’t firing on all cylinders. He wiggled the mouse which caused the screen to come to life and saw that he had a new message.

  “Distribute the packages to your six contacts,” the message on the screen said. “Someone will contact you to get the seventh.”

  He shut down the laptop and hid it back inside the secret compartment of his soccer bag. He wondered who would be contacting him.

  *** Chapter 4 ***

  Laura’s condo was on the north side of Chicago and initially it had taken Henry quite a while to figure out the colour-coded system used by the Chicago transit system. But now that he was more familiar with it, he found it a much easier way to get around the city. He glanced at the transit map above the door and could see that the Clark/Division stop was next.

  It was a beautiful day in Chicago and it wouldn’t take him long to walk the rest of the way to Laura’s condo. He had taken the first flight out from Toronto that morning and with the one-hour time difference between the cities, he was confident he would surprise Laura before she headed into work.

  But as he approached Laura’s building, he was the one taken by surprise. Todd, Laura’s old boyfriend, emerged from the building and got into his car in one of the visitor’s parking spots. Henry had met Todd before. Laura had told him all about Todd and how they had lived together for almost six years, but that now they were just friends who were focused on their respective careers. Todd worked for the FBI and looked like he should be the poster-boy to recruit people to join their force. He was about eight years younger than Henry, about the same age as Laura, and obviously in very good shape. Henry suddenly felt very old as he slowly continued his walk toward Laura’s building. When he got to the entrance, he just stood there wondering if he should buzz her unit or simply turn around and head back home. His decision was made for him when one of the tenants entering the building held the door open for him.

  “Thanks,” Henry said.

  “I haven’t seen you for a while,” the tenant said. He had recognized Henry from one of his previous visits to see Laura. “Been doing some travelling?”

  “I’ve been in Toronto for a few weeks. This is actually my girlfriend’s place.”

  “Nice,” the tenant said, whatever that meant. “Have a good day,” he said as he got off the elevator.

  Henry rode up to the tenth floor, but paused before entering Laura’s condo. She had given him a key to her place several months ago but he always felt a little weird about using it. He paused outside her door, but finally decided to give it three soft knocks.

  “Go away. I’m busy and I’m not buying anything,” Laura yelled from inside.

  It wasn’t quite the warm greeting Henry was hoping for. “It’s Henry,” he said through the door.

  “What are you doing here?” she said as she threw open the door. Before Henry could answer, she held up her hand. “Sorry, but I’m on a call,” she whispered to him.

  “Yeah, well tell him I need him to keep digging,” she said to whoever was on the phone. “They’re not going to just hand us this stuff on a platter.” Laura walked back to her desk which was covered with papers and rifled through them until she found what she was looking for.

  Even though she was dressed in just a T-shirt and sweatpants, Henry was once again overwhelmed by her beauty. Laura was a tall, thin brunette who seemed to move with the grace of a dancer. She had the smoothest, softest skin he had ever touched, but it was her blue eyes that Henry loved to watch. They seemed to dance as she thought about what she was going to say next. Laura was an investigative journalist with the Chicago Tribune and she was very good at her job. Her eyes could almost hypnotize a person into revealing everything they knew. Henry had always thought she was way out of his league. Maybe she was.

  “Okay, I should be in the office within the hour,” Laura said as she hung up the phone.

  She turned her attention to Henry. “Sorry, but you caught me at a bad time. I’m trying to make some progress on a story, but I’m just treading water at best. I promised my editor I’d have something for him today, so I’m not sure how much time I’ll have for you.”

  She could see the disappointed look on Henry’s face. “I was just about to step into the shower. Care to join me?”

  “No, it sounds like you’ve got a busy day ahead of you.”

  His response caught Laura by surprise and she immediately sensed something else was bothering him. “I’ll just be a minute and then we can talk.” She started removing her T-shirt and sweatpants as she walked down the hall toward the bathroom. “You know where I am if you change your mind.”

  Henry turned away and headed out onto the balcony. Even though her building was several blocks away, she had a beautiful view of Lake Michigan which was perfectly calm this morning. It was only a few minutes later when Laura joined him on the balcony. Her short, dark hair was still wet, but she flipped it into place with her fingers. Even though she wasn’t wearing any makeup, she still looked like a million bucks.

  “So this was a nice surprise. What prompted you to come to Chicago?”

  “You said you’re working on a big story and couldn’t get up to Toronto, so I thought I’d come here instead.”

  “You’re such a sweetie.” She gave him a hug. “Feeling a bit lonely?”

  “Yeah, the boys moved into their residence at university and the house seems so empty right now.”

  “I’m really busy, but I’m sure I can fit a little time in for you.”

  “So, what’s the big story you’re working on?”

  “The government accidently released a bunch of documents last week and now they’re trying to get them all back. They’re threatening anyone who downloaded them and makes them public with charges of treason or terrorism. They’re using the Patriot Act once again to bully people into submission.”

  They both headed back inside the condo when the coffee maker signaled that the coffee was ready. Laura poured Henry the first cup while she pulled a clean mug from the dishwasher.

  “What’s in the documents?” Henry asked as he sat on the white leather couch and took his first sip of coffee.

  “Nobody knows, and that’s what I’m trying to find out. I’ve already followed up with some of my usual contacts at places like Wikileaks, but they say they don’t know anything.”

  “Don’t they always say that?”

  “Yeah, but this time I think they’re just as confused as I am. If they’ve got something, they don�
��t know what it is yet either.”

  “It’s usually something like the U.S. bombing some place they weren’t supposed to, or caught spying on some other country,” Henry said. “What’s so special about this one?”

  “No one knows. Nobody’s talking. I’ve already called all of my insiders and got nothing.”

  Henry paused and took an extra sip of coffee before asking his next question. “Speaking of insiders, do you ever contact your old boyfriend at the FBI? What was his name again, Todd?”

  Laura let out a heavy sigh. “Ah, there it is,” she said as she put down her coffee mug. “I knew there was something bothering you.”

  She came over and took Henry’s coffee and placed it on the coffee table. Then she straddled him on the couch so she could look directly into his eyes. “You know his name and you saw him here earlier this morning, didn’t you?”

  “Maybe,” Henry said, trying to avoid eye contact.

  She grabbed his face and forced him to look at her. “We’re friends - that’s all. I asked him to pop over to see if he knew anything about the leaked documents, which he didn’t. Now, don’t you feel stupid for thinking what you’ve been thinking?”

  “Yeah, I’m sorry,” Henry said. He felt relieved to hear her explanation. “I’ll make it up to you.”

  “You’re damn right you will,” Laura said as she started taking off her clothes.

  “I thought you said you had to get into the office.”

  “I do, but this won’t take long,” she said as she pushed Henry down on the couch. She was right. She got what she needed and was still in the office within the hour.

  *** Chapter 5 ***

  The building manager stared at the error message on his computer screen. He had no idea what “database connection error” meant or what to do about it.

  “Good morning, Mr. Porter,” David said when he walked into the office a few minutes later.