Firewall by James Swallow

Author:James Swallow [Swallow, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, military thriller, media tie-in
ISBN: 9781839081156
Publisher: Aconyte
Published: 2022-03-01T11:11:07+00:00

Fifteen

T-Tec European Head Office – Lisbon – Portugal

Fisher leaned forward over the server console, his expression stony. Most of what was being talked about over the comm channel went over his head, but he knew enough to understand the reality of the danger.

A technology that could break through any digital firewall in existence was just as lethal in the wrong hands as a rogue biological weapon or a nuclear device – and worse, if Teague’s promises were true, it could be deployed from anywhere in the world with the click of a mouse. It wasn’t the first time Fisher had faced a threat like this – a ghost in the net – and he knew full well what chaos could come in its wake.

For a moment, Fisher put aside his own feelings and tried to place himself in Brody Teague’s expensive, handmade shoes. He’d overheard what Charlie told Sarah about the quantum computer tech being fragile, so that meant it wasn’t something that could be deployed out of a backpack or carted around on a truck. It probably wouldn’t be mobile. It would have to be kept in a protected location, hidden from the world at large.

Is it here? He looked at the building around him, then shook his head, dismissing the idea. Teague’s not stupid. He’s too paranoid to hide his prized technology in plain sight.

Fisher had always thought that most billionaires were one volcano lair away from being a Bond movie villain, and he suspected that the founder of T-Tec was a lot further down that path than most people realized. With this quantum computer in his hands, Teague would have the monopoly on cyber-threats.

“Panther, confirm OPSAT scan status.” Grim’s voice sought his attention.

“Sixty percent complete,” he reported, glancing at the device’s screen. “There’s a lot of ground to cover.”

“We need data on probable locations for Gordian Sword,” she said. Grim was clearly following the same train of thought as Fisher.

He nodded. That was the smart play, find the thing and then call in an airstrike. Problem solved. That would leave Teague at the mercy of those terrorists whose time he had wasted, and they weren’t the forgiving types. But experience told Fisher this wasn’t going be that clear-cut.

“Heads up,” said Charlie, his anxious voice rising. “Something’s happening.”

Without warning, every indicator on the server stacks in the room went bright green, and suddenly Fisher was surrounded by hundreds of flashing firefly lights, blinking wildly.

•••

Teague knew he had them.

He had stood in front of enough crowds and dragged money out of enough marks to recognize the point of tip-over. His audience might have been made up of killers, but they were still human, and still susceptible to a little razzle-dazzle, a little theater.

For the demonstration, he selected two of the participants, the representatives of the Islamic Vanguard and the Kawakiri groups. “I’d like you both to look up the passenger planes currently in transit through Portuguese airspace. Then pick one.”

“Why?” said the Kawakiri envoy.

“Because a terrorist attack has to be terrible.

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