Red Angel: Book II: Raiders (Red Angel Series 2) (21 page)

"You all have tablets, which I assume are linked to the system. That, by the way, is the usual weak link." I interjected.

"Our tablets have excellent anti-malware software and, in any event, it couldn't get past our firewall," Lopez insisted.

"We hope you're correct, but we've been tasked with inspecting several businesses on New Zheng. Before you protest, it isn't optional. We'll need to collect your tablets and any equipment you have at home capable of connecting to your tablets and the passwords for each device—"

"And what if I refuse?" Mr. Peters asked, smiling. "My equipment at home doesn't belong to the company. That's my personal property. I'm sure the courts will agree."

"There are two UAS officers outside. If you refuse to cooperate with our investigation, which is a UAS investigation under P1A authority, you'll go directly from this building to a ship which will deliver you to the UAS maximum security prison on Eastar." Pannell held up his hand. "Let me assure all of you, we're not interested in your personal life or any questionable activities you may be involved in. Our mandate is to find if any of the businesses we've been assigned have been infested with the malware. Let us do our job, and we’ll be gone by tomorrow."

That didn't make anyone happy, but it did squelch the
I won't cooperate
discussions. We sequestered the group and Kris and I began looking through their tablets. As expected, we didn't find anything suspicious. By the time we had finished, their personal equipment began being delivered, and we started in on that.

"I sure wish Adrian and Rich were here to help," Kris said hours later. "Most of this material isn't even titillating. I'm tired and bored." She rose, stretching and yawning. "Paul, do you think you could find us some food? I know it's late, but maybe food would help me focus, or at least give me something interesting to do."

"Food coming right up," he said as he got on his PCD.

"I have a winner," I said, looking up at the clock on the wall. It was close to midnight.

"Who?" Kris asked.

"Mr. Watts. He didn't even try to clean up his correspondence. Probably thought no one would look at his home tablet or that he would have time to destroy it if necessary."

"That was the last batch of home devices. Want to let the others go?"

"Sure. What if we give each individual their device separately and then give them a story about finding the virus on one of the home devices? Schmidt can tell them tomorrow it was Watts, and that he’s working with us to determine how the malware got on his home equipment."

Over the next two hours, we called in each individual, returned their equipment, and gave them our cover story.

Watts was the last to be called. "Well, did you find the virus?" he asked when he entered. He didn't look nervous, but I could feel his apprehension.

"Yes, it was on your home tablet," Kris said.

My mouth dropped open, until I realized this was an easy way to get him out of the building without a fuss while supporting the story we had been telling everyone.

"Can't be."

"You probably got it while on the Internet. It's very sophisticated software. We're going to need you to help us figure out possible ways the malware could have been introduced."

"Certainly, I would be glad to help," he said after some hesitation during which I could feel his shifting emotions: fear, confusion, and finally relief. "Did it get into Zuno's system?"

"We don't think so, but that will take more time to determine. It's possible," Kris said. I could tell he didn't know what we had found, but whatever it was, he thought it had gotten him off the hook. "We'll need you to accompany us to our cruiser, where we have systems to analyze the virus and to trace possible sites where you might have picked it up. Mr. Schmidt is aware we may need you for a day or two."

"Any way, I can help," he said, but I could feel his apprehension had returned.

While we were leaving, we asked him questions about the type of sites he generally visited, downloads he had made, and other miscellaneous questions, which had the effect of relaxing him. When we reached the ship, he was taken to the brig, and we went to bed.

"What now?" Ruiz asked the next morning after we had finished detailing the events of yesterday.

"We’ll question Mr. Watts about what information he gave the raiders, but we pretty much know the sequence of events that led him to cooperate. His sentence will depend upon his cooperation and how much was coercion and how much greed. Until the stipulated beginning date five days from now, we’ll do nothing about the robbery. The night before that date we need to brief the current guards and put the marines in place. Things need to look normal, both to the outside world and to the employees."

"I think you and Commander Paulus should brief the guards before we enter. You've the P1A authority and may want to evaluate their reaction prior to us arriving," Ruiz said.

I nodded when Kris looked to me. The guards would have to be aware of what was going on so they could ensure everything looked normal.

When everyone left, we had Watts brought in.

"I didn't know the virus was on my tablet," he said as soon as he entered the room and saw us.

"Mr. Watts, get something to drink and have a seat. It's going to be a long day and you should get comfortable," Kris said and I could feel her amusement.

He walked over and poured a cup of coffee, and sat opposite us.

Two guards took up positions behind his chair.

"Mr. Watts, we know you gave the raiders information about Zuno Pharmaceutical." I held up my hand to stop him responding. "We know because the raiders have used the same technique on three other robberies. What happens to you will depend largely on how well you cooperate with us. You can start by telling us how you became involved."

Watts sat silently for several minutes as he debated whether to tell the truth or lie. He finally decided more or less on the truth. "I saw this contest to help the police and answered it ..."

The story followed the others, except he claimed to have refused to cooperate until they threatened to kill his colleagues and eventually him, and he left out the ten million he had been paid. But we learned he had given them the entry codes into the building, and the guards' numbers, positions, and schedules.

"Thank you, Mr. Watts. The good news is you won't be charged as an accessory to murder, since the guards won't be murdered. The bad news is that story won't fly, and you’ll be in prison for a long time."

The night before the target date, I arrived at Zuno Pharmaceutical an hour before closing time with Pannell and two marine guards. We had dressed in civilian clothes and were escorted to Schmidt's conference room, where he had assembled all of the night shift guards. Six men and two women were sitting around the table when we arrived.

"Good evening," Kris said as Pannell closed the door. "We're NIA agents chasing some thieves who have been operating in the UAS. We’ve received a credible tip that says this facility will be robbed sometime over the next week, and we need your cooperation."

"Who?"

"How do you know?"

"When?"

The questions came spilling out.

"We'll answer all your questions, but first you need to understand that everything we ask you to do is under P1A authorization. Our first instruction to you is if you tell anyone we’re on to the robbery, you'll spend the rest of your life in prison. Clear?" Kris looked at each individual and received a nod or mumbled
yes
. "You'll report for duty at your scheduled times but will be replaced by marines."

"Why? We're armed and can handle robbers, especially now that we know they’re coming."

"It's for your protection. These robbers are ex-military, have military grade weapons, and have killed all the guards at each of their previous robberies. Consider yourselves backup if the robbers overcome or get past your replacements." She went on to explain that each evening they would report for duty as normal, lock up the building, and then two hours later be replaced by marines. Each morning, they would replace the marines two hours before shift change and be there to unlock the doors. We'p-md determined that those four hours were safe based on the raiders’ previous robberies. The marines would enter tomorrow in ones and twos in civilian clothes and be given an unused portion of the building to stay.

"What do you think?" Kris asked after the guards left for their duties.

"I just hope the raiders strike soon. I'll bet the Controller has someone watching this facility, so the longer it takes, the more of a chance some well-meaning guard will let something slip."

Ruiz had also rented a house only a few minutes from the facility, were ten more marines were stationed as backup and to ensure that any raiders acting as lookouts or as part of a getaway plan were neutralized.

We continued to monitor the Master Puzzle bulletin board and the WavCom, although we didn't expect or find any suspicious posts.

On the fourth night, we were informed the raiders had struck while the Bacchus was performing its nightly surveillance run, about the time it was on the backside of New Zheng. We requested a debriefing that afternoon.

"You were right," Ruiz said, looking toward Kris and me. "Eight raiders broke into Zuno Pharmaceutical just after two in the morning. They were well armed with military grade weapons and body armor. Civilian guards wouldn't have stood a chance against them. Even though we were prepared, they killed two of my inside men and wounded two more, one seriously. Gunny Guzman said they looked like they were military trained. They also had four raiders outside with their three vehicles."

"I've had word from Captain MacLin. He and his pack had taken up positions at one and three light seconds from the planet and one light second from the Wave entry. They detected a cruiser leaving the planet’s orbit at seven hundred hours and approaching the Wave at fourteen hundred hours," Aguilar said, sounding disgusted at having let the raider ship leave unmolested.

"Colonel Ruiz, the four men outside. Were they all dressed alike?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"We can't be sure, but we assume those that attacked the facility are from the raider's cruiser. However, we suspect the Controller on New Zheng would leave with the raiders on their ship after the robbery. If we're right, he might choose to go with the raiders to the robbery, or he could wait at the shuttle for their return. If he went with them to the robbery, his clothing might be different from the others, since he’s been living on the planet for months." I wondered if it made a difference to our deception.

"They were all the same ... but someone did mention a car leaving the area as my team prepared to leave after having been notified the raid had begun."

"Probably the Controller," Kris said almost to herself. "Although also a raider, he probably wouldn't be part of the raiding team, just there to guide them to the facility and observe the results for future operations. I would have preferred it if they didn't know marines were waiting for them, but I'm not sure it matters. Time will tell whether it worked or not."

We were transferred to the Vulcan the next day and escorted to MacLin's office.

"Well, ladies, where would you like to go?" MacLin asked after we had fetched something to drink and sat. "Captain Aguilar was upset with you for letting that raider's cruiser escape."

"A bird in the hand versus two in the bush dilemma," I said.

"We captains tend to be a bird in the hand group, while admirals are more birds in the bush commanders. Each has its time and place," MacLin said and took a sip of his coffee.

"The two in the bush are always a gamble." Red chose to emerge just then and to lie on my shoulder. "But even if we lose the cruiser, it’s a small loss in the scheme of things."

MacLin laughed. "The raiders have good reason for wanting you and Sinclair dead. You’re in their heads playing with their minds."

"Back to Oxax, Captain. We need to see if they continue with the same communication system or they change, and we won't know that until they identify a new target."

As it was early when we arrived at the Oxax space station, Stauffer asked us to stop at the office before leaving for home. We arrived around ten hundred hours and found Adrian and Rich in the conference room with Stauffer.

"Good morning, ladies. You deserve time off after your latest adventure, but I wanted an update before you go. Rawls will want to know where we stand," Stauffer said when we entered the room.

"As you probably know, there was nothing salvageable on the destroyed cruiser." Kris paused and waited for Stauffer to nod. "The marines stopped the raid on Zuno Pharmaceutical. They killed twelve raiders, but one may have escaped. Someone was seen leaving as soon as the firefight began. That might have been the Controller. If so, he knows it was a trap. The question is whether he concludes we discovered Zuno Pharmaceutical was the target by deciphering the puzzle or by some other method. And that we won't know until the next winner or raid."

"Given they don't conclude we’ve deciphered their puzzle code, any ideas on how we stop them?" Stauffer asked.

Kris shrugged. "I think we should continue to identify the UAS and foreign merchants supporting the raiders. Even if that information doesn't lead us to eliminating the raider cruisers, it gives us the ability to close down their operations for years. It might even encourage them to give up operations in the UAS."

After Stauffer left, Adrian was first to speak. "What would you like Rich and I to work on while you take your two weeks off?"

"We need to identify the Controllers. Kris is right. Arresting the merchants would certainly disrupt their operation, but if the Controllers aren't caught, they would be back in business before long. I suspect the Controllers are the ones who organize all of the raiders’ activities."

"Rich and I will work on it," Adrian grinned. "And I'll send you any data I collect in case you get bored sitting around doing nothing."

"I won't be bored. I'll be trying to find the father of my future children. I've got to hurry before Anna gets us another assignment on those space submarines she and Red love."

"I'm just trying to help keep you on the fast track to Commodore. You got another battle ribbon in New Zheng."

"What are you going to do today, Daughter?" Alexa asked as she got ready to leave for work. "I thought next week I had take a few days off and we could have some mother-daughter time—shop, eat out, and maybe go to the theater."

"I would love that. I thought I would visit one of the firing ranges and practice." I immediately regretted saying that when I saw Alexa's smile disappear. I had caused her enough pain without reminding her people were hunting me.

She hugged me. "That's an excellent idea. Until you catch the raiders, you have to assume there could ... will be more attempts on your life, so you need to take reasonable precautions. Your marine security guard is a good start." She paused and smiled, although her eyes looked sad. "Being able to defend yourself in an emergency is not only smart but makes your mother feel less nervous." She kissed me on the forehead and left.

I decided to go to the Navy Academy, and notified my security. As a graduate, I had no trouble gaining entrance to the base or the firing range. I was surprised to find Pannell there when I arrived.

"Good morning, Anna," he said, as I was in civilian clothes. "I thought I would watch. Anything specific you want to work on?"

"Hi, Paul. Yes. I would like to learn to shoot from the waist, if that's practical."

"Why?"

"I just thought since it takes a few more seconds to raise the weapon into a normal shooting position, it would be far faster to make the first couple of shots as soon as you have it out of the holster."

He nodded. "You don't need a gun for that. That would be a waste of ammo." He left me standing with my mouth open as he walked back and talked to the range officer. When he returned, he had a gun-like weapon in his hand. "When you press the trigger mechanism, a laser beam is activated. What I want you to do is draw the weapon, aim, depress the trigger, and then determine where a projectile would have hit had it been a real weapon."

I spent the next two hours under the watchful eyes of Pannell. By the time we quit, I could at least hit the target with the laser beam, if not consistently in the kill zone. I had graduated to targets with the silhouette of a man.

"Tomorrow?" he asked as I got ready to go.

"Yes. Mother says I can expect to be attacked again, and she feels practice is a reasonable precaution."

For the rest of the week, Pannell met me every morning and worked with me using a laser, shards, and pellets. By the end of the week, I could hit the target every time, and most of the time in the general area I intended.

"Your security detail has pronounced you safe to be around," Pannell said, grinning on the last day of the week. "Hopefully, you won't have to draw your weapon, but if you do, I think you’ll hit what you’re aiming at."

"Thank you, Paul. You've been a great help. I've told Mother all you’ve been doing, and she's grateful."

The second week, Mother took off several days and as she proposed, we spent them shopping, eating out, and attending a couple of shows. It was a glorious week and I managed to ignore any thoughts of raiders.

Two days before my vacation time was up, I opened my tablet and scanned the messages from Adrian and Rich. Nothing much had happened. They had been tracking the three UAS and three FPU merchants and reviewing the police investigations of the thugs that had tried to kill us at Nano Technology Industries on Stone Ring and the dead raider bodies at Zeno Pharmaceutical on New Zheng. I spent the last day reviewing the material but could find nothing of significance. We needed a strategy for when the next raid was scheduled, but I didn’t have a clue what that should be.

I left for work right after Alexa did, feeling energized. When I landed at the NIA headquarters’ landing pad, I waited for my two-man security to catch up before proceeding toward the building. As I approached the entrance, I saw six Marine Military Police, MPs, and idly wondered if there was a problem. As I neared the two glass doors, the ranking corporal on my security guard held the door open.

"Ma'am, we'll be in our shuttle until shift change. Let us know if you intend to leave the building." He waited until I had entered. In the lobby, I selected the leftmost of the three checkpoint lanes. After I presented my ID, the guard verified I was authorized to carry a weapon, and I was allowed through. As I passed the guard, I noticed the six MPs entering the far right lane, and another six stood waiting near the elevators.

Red suddenly appeared, hissing as he wrapped around my neck with his head near my ear. Something was wrong—but what? Red continued to hiss as I approached the elevators. When I came even with the door to the stairs, which was ten meters from the elevator where the MPs stood watching me, I yanked the door open and hurriedly stepped inside and raced up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time. I had just reached the half-way landing when I heard two men enter.

"Kill her!" shouted a base voice. "Before she sounds an alarm."

I spun around drawing my multifunctional weapon, thumbed the switch to medium spread, and fired at the scarred face of the tall man as he raised his standard marine Mfw in my direction.

Blood sprayed as several shards tore through flesh. He stumbled backward into the second man.

I didn't wait and sprang toward the second set of stairs leading to the door to the second floor offices. I flung the door open and screamed as I ran down the hallway toward our office area.

"Kris, Adrian, Rich, get your lasers. Raiders dressed as MPs are on their way up." I stopped at the end of the hallway, where I could hide partly shielded by the wall, and waited. "Hurry, they’re seconds behind me."

Just then, the elevator opened and two men came rushing out.

I thumbed a tight beam and fired twice before they could get their bearings. One fell backward dead, and the other screamed as he stumbled back into the elevator.

Just then, the door to the stairs opened and a short stocky man stepped into the hallway with his Mfw on automatic, ripping through the hallway wall and into the open room as his weapon swept from left to right.

Fortunately, I ducked back before the spray reached where I had been standing, partly exposed. I heard others shouting as they entered the hallway and more gunfire erupted, shredding partitions, chairs, and desks in the open room as well as shattering the conference room's glass partition and then the outside windows.

On a whim, I dropped to my knees, then lurched forward into a prone position with my gun and head barely peeking out into the hallway and fired knee-high several times.

Two men stumbled in mid stride as shards ripped through knees and the anterior parts of legs. Seconds later, laser fire came from the far right—my team's office area—as Kris, Adrian, and Rich began firing, scoring direct hits to two of the downed men.

I scrambled back and to my feet. "Hold them, I think Stauffer and Rawls may be in danger," I shouted as I raced to the back stairs along with several others who had been in the area to the left. They were pushing and shoving and heading down to the lobby. Fortunately, I was headed up. As I opened the door to the third floor, I saw two MPs coming out of the elevator at the other end of the hallway. I fired as I ran toward Stauffer's office, hoping to keep them inside the elevator.

They began returning fire just as I entered Stauffer's office.

"Anna ... " Stauffer said, rising from his desk, his eyes darting from me to the hallway.

"Let Rawls know raiders dressed as MPs are in the building and probably hunting her!" I shouted as I peeked out the door and fired a couple shots, hoping to keep them pinned down. Pellets sprayed in my direction, shattering office windows as they neared.

It took Stauffer several seconds before he picked up the phone and dialed. "Tell Rawls there are armed raiders in MP uniforms in the building. She could be a target."

He left the phone off the hook—a good move, since they would be able to hear the gunfire.

"Sir, head for the back stairs. I'll cover you."

He nodded as he checked his gun and joined me at the door.

When I saw he was ready, I nodded and stepped partway out and began firing from my waist at the two men advancing down the hallway, crouching and hugging the wall.

One scrambled into an office; the other I shot in the head. He screamed, dropping his weapon as he spun around crashing into the wall and collapsing.

I shot several times at the doorway to the office where the other man had disappeared, while backing down the hallway to the stairway. Stauffer had the door open, and I slipped inside and began running up. Fortunately, no one was in the stairway. I pulled open the door to the fourth-floor hallway just in time to see three MPs exchanging fire with Rawls’s marine guard, who looked to have been wounded. I sent several shots at the knees of two men who had decided to rush the marine.

The lead man went down, which tripped the second man.

Rawls’s marine and I finished the two with headshots. I heard the elevator close and a ghostly silence descended on the building. Then, just as suddenly, life returned and sobbing and muffled conversations could be heard. I spun around and headed down the stairs three at a time toward the second floor.

When I opened the door, Adrian, Kris, and Rich where kneeling behind desks facing the hallway to the elevators. They looked alive. I took a deep breath in relief as I reached inside my shirt for Red. I laughed as I felt him leave my back and slide to the front and coil around my wrist.

"That was clever, Red." I felt relieved until I saw blood on my arm and hand as I pulled him free. Tears ran down my face as I turned my arms back and forward, looking to see where he had been hit. Then I realized he hadn't—I had. I felt weak and collapsed onto my knees as Kris came sliding next to me.

"She needs a medic. Medic!" she screamed.

"So do you." I choked out a laugh, seeing blood on her jacket and leg, and hugged her in relief—she and the others were alive.

Adrian and Rich joined us a few minutes later. They both looked to have been wounded but appeared functional. We sat there smiling—happy we all had survived.

The medics arrived a short time later and made temporary repairs as they waited for the more seriously wounded to be transported first. We had just been loaded onto stretchers when Pannell and a large group of marines entered the area. He didn't say anything, but I noticed two marines followed each of us as we were wheeled away into the elevator, out the lobby, and into ambulances.

I woke confused, barely sure who I was, where I was, or why. I closed my eyes and tried to focus, listening. People were talking far off, machines humming and beeping. Taking a deep breath, I smelled antiseptics, and I knew I was in a hospital. Slowly the encounter with the raiders breached my foggy mind.

Just then someone squeezed my hand and I opened my eyes.

"Mother ... Sorry," I muttered, feeling guilty at the stress I must have caused her—again.

She wiped a tear from my cheek. "All that matters is you're alive. You had several shards in you which required surgery to remove, but they say you’ll recover fully. I'm adopting your philosophy—enjoy today—and today I've a daughter I love and life is wonderful." She kissed my forehead. "Rest now. You can tell me the gory details later."