Cyber Kittens and Cowboys (8 page)

Preston leans into Larry. “Code ‘Warrior’ to
CIA.” Larry stands, swiftly & walks, quietly out door while
dialing numbers on cell. Code “Warrior” means Preston will find the
problem and eliminate it then report his actions to the CIA.

Geneva narrates, lonely. “To update everyone,
Pamela is presumed to be labeled as ‘rouge Retriever’ as well as
current thief of stolen co-workers items, cell phone and pocketbook
unless proven otherwise. At this moment, Ilenn is tracing the
cell’s IP address for phone number 205-555-5838 to find Pamela’s
true whereabouts so…” Snake sounds, loudly. “….we can ask, nicely
her intentions.”

Ilenn talks, loudly & points, rudely.
“Hey, look at this. I’m getting some kind of error pop up from the
system tray. System Error states….”

Larry leans, heavily into terminal &
details, fully. “Enable IPv4 address conflict detection.”

“There’s one IP address working two different
systems.” Arthur clarifies, academically.

“IP address conflict occurs when two devices,
could be laptops, printers, routers, firewalls…in this case.” He
scratches forehead. “…cell phone or whatever is accessing same IP
address on same broadcast domain.” Stockton adds,
educationally.

Preston leans, backwardly into chair with
finger pads on chin & ponders, intellectually. “Hmm! She
created her own path with same IP address to bombard the cell phone
system, disguising her location.”

“She’s smart.” Arthur comments, loudly then
nods, once to Preston.

“Very resourceful? Did ya teach her that
maneuver, Geneva?” Larry inquires, curtly.

“Definitely not!” Stockton answers, surly in
place of Geneva. “These…are illegal hacker’s touches.”

“Agreed, what do we do, now, Preston?” Geneva
nods, once then turns, directly to Preston.

“Arthur, do your thing with ARP. See, if you
can clear the conflict and find the right channel.” Preston
commands, authoritatively. “Then, maybe we can find some right
answers.”

Sure, boss.” Arthur stands, swiftly &
moves to Ilenn, his girl. “Hey, sweetheart, let me sit there I need
full keyboard access.” Ilenn stands, swiftly & pats, tenderly
Arthur’s shoulders. He smiles, sweetly at his girl then Arthur
shuffles plasma screen and keyboard on edge of desk for all Cyber
cowboys & kittens viewing pleasure. Chairs scoot, nosily around
Arthur. He clicks, musically finger pads over entire area of key
boards as weird symbols and half-English sentences form and display
within eyeballs.

“ARP?” Ilenn inquires, curiously.

Larry answers, academically. “Address
Resolution Protocol cleans out that rouge IP address then clearly
identifies path to source.”

“My cell phone.” Lacy fills, completely.
“That’s the source, my cell.”

“We understand Lacy.” Geneva remarks,
motherly then smiles, wildly eye burning Preston. Preston eye burns
screen.

Arthur starts, slowly. “She has transmitted
original cell phone of 205-555-5838. Is that your cell, Lacy?”

“Yes.” Lacy nods, once.

Arthur details, fully. “To second mobile
number 92-42-6315847. That’s a Pakistan telephone code then it
flips into incoming call of 205-555-4859, here in Bama then
outgoing call of 305-555-8953. That’s in Florida.”

Preston shakes, sideways black skull &
ponders, intellectually. “Forget tracking cell phones, Pamela
obviously pinged off the original cell number to different routers
but still used the one singular IP address. So, track the IP
address and see what ya get, Arthur?”

“Sure, boss!” Arthur types, viciously on keys
then pauses, dramatically. “This is weird, Preston.”

“What’s weird? What have you found?” Geneva
leans, heavily into Arthur’s space & eye burns screen using her
quick intellect to chase down Pamela, hopefully before Preston’s
reaches her first.

Arthur shakes, sideways bald skull with
amazement. “Appears payments of monies….under this IP address…”

“God! She robbed me…twice.” Ilenn shouts,
ferociously.

“At 9:48 am to Ilenn…” Arthur dumps,
correctly.

“Not me. She used my driver’s license from my
stolen wallet to get that money. I’m not involved with Pamela or
her crimes.” Ilenn voices, frustratedly in high soprano
clarinet.

Arthur reads, loudly. “MoneyGram receipt
number 8070047919083800574 from account number 35215359…I recognize
those beginning digits.”

Preston remarks, quickly. “That’s one of many
Federal bank accounts. How much did she steal?”

“1000 and 2000, 3000 total from the
government.” Arthur calculates, swiftly.

“That’s the Cyber Crimes’s working expense
account, she steal from me.” Geneva repeats, uselessly.

“Where were the monies delivered, Arthur?”
Preston inquires, curiously.

“And don’t say in Pakistan, we all ain’t dumb
hillbillies.” Geneva comments, nasty.

Arthur remarks, pointedly. “IP address
66.90.74.225. That’s FDC servers.net in Chicago, Illinois, not
here.”

“Pamela’s in Illinois?” Lacy questions,
purposefully.

Arthur shakes, sideways bald skull &
answers, honestly. “No, she bounces the IP link around the US sooo…
we can’t track her. Your Cyber kitten’s really good, Preston.”
Arthur is the only person on Earth that knows Preston and Pamela
are dating, secretively but that remark might just raise some hairy
eyebrows. Preston eye burns Geneva. Geneva smiles, wickedly. She
knows, now.

Stockton observes, academically &
comments, confusingly. “IP address is 82.114.158.11 in Russia;
118.107.140.138 in Australia; 203.81.224.201 in Pakistan. I give
up! The signal’s all over Earth bouncing worse than Bama hail.”

Preston orders, commandingly trying to figure
out how to find and stop Pamela from getting into any more illegal
trouble. He’s going to personally interrogate her without anyone
present. Her actions do not make any sense since he has gotten to
know her very well over the last two weeks. “Arthur, forget the IP
address, concentrate on GPS of original IP address from Lacy’s
cell. That might give us fresh leads.”

Geneva barks, loudly. “We don’t need any more
tattle-tail leads, Preston we need the location, one single
location of one rouge warrior, Pamela.”

Arthur read, loudly. “Here, using GPS, I got
Gramin Rhino 120, Sr No. 415148192, GPS in Pakistan, then
shifts...”

Geneva yells, ferociously. “Not right, does
your Cowboy really knows what he’s doing, Preston? ‘Cause she ain’t
left Birmingham, I can deduct that.”

Arthur compliments, freely & neck snaps
at Preston. “Man, your kitten’s damn good, Preston. She’s
brilliant. GPS rolls into…?”

Ring! Ring!
Geneva hollers, loudly
into her work cell phone. “What?” She pauses, dramatically &
listens, carefully. “Repeat that address. Birmingham University
Computer Center on 10th Avenue and 14th Street. Thank you.”

“Burn U?” Stockton ease drops, purposefully
& frowns, ugly.

Geneva stands, swiftly & explains, fully.
“Cyber Crimes has located Pamela’s active professional work ID
inside computer center. She’s there stealing more of my money.”

“It’s the government’s money, Geneva.” Arthur
reminds, loudly.

“Head up and out!” Preston stands, swiftly
and gallops, quickly out archway.

Time: 11:20 am. Burn U Breakfast Bar. 11th
Avenue & 19th Street.

Pamela strolls, comfortably in used white
sneakers from Swap Shop flowing down street from public library to
student campus owned restaurant serving cheap food & free Wi-Fi
as she wears black & green backpack, baggie dark jeans, white
large cotton T-shirt with Birmingham U & finally sleeveless
vividly colorful green, red & blue diamond-geometric shaped
silk vest.

State College has many amenities for poor
jobless students. One such place on the Birmingham University
campus is Burn U Swap Shop where a student can swap, freely or for
small monetary fee any object but sex acts for another item located
within walls of tiny store where Pamela has exchanged her own
prettily pink sleeveless blouse & short circular skirt for new
disguise deceiving onlookers as studiously college student.

Another second amenity for poor students
include the local Public Library which Pamela has chosen to perform
her second illegal deed, stealing library’s laptop by assigning it
to using Ilenn’s Public Library card.

She opens, quietly door & selects window
table overlooking intersection of traffic flow and people while
eating her delicious cinnamon roll and steamy hot chocolate. Air
condition works overtime cooling customers inside eatery. She
accesses, slowly searching Net for the term “boa.”

Her awesome home-made binary translator has
uncovered hidden CIA information, memorizing all those words and
numbers since she’s smart or just more determined.

TAG 03299110456 Slanton Ashley IT
101991162238 Slanton Thurston BOA

Hopefully, she has provided enough of Cyber
space bread crumbs without being tracked by Geneva’s doggies for
Preston to follow her sketchy leads. He’s smart, smarter than
Geneva.

Geneva’s hiding something evil and her direct
assault upon a legitimate government website proves it beyond any
dark shadowed doubt. That assault has gotten Pamela in deep brown
puppy poopy. But she’s got brains, too.

She has left Preston a birthday present for
his in-depth personal snooping while her only clue to solving her
problem is the word “BOA.” That’s not the only clue. There are the
proper names of Ashley and Thurston Slanton, kin folks or married
couple. She can’t access their names using the laptop, either.

Public city libraries electronic routers use
Federal Government channels, too. This stolen laptop will start
beeping its distress to its master in about 25 minutes when library
air waves connects remote router realizes time limit is used and
then librarian can’t find Ilenn inside the building.

Pamela has 30 minutes to lounge, casually as
she watches, closely Geneva’s next move. She sips, carefully hot
beverage & gawks, studiously traffic intersection. She neck
snaps to laptop & types, slowly the word “BOA.” The usual
references appear, quickly.

Boa Constrictor is large solitary snake from
Central and South American rainforests, savannas and other
places.

Pamela wonders, thoughtfully if the code name
is foreign national working for the CIA since this snake lives
outside the US.

“Korean actress nicknamed boa for ‘beat of
angel’.” She shakes, sideways black skull. That’s too remote that
Koreans are working for or with the CIA here in Birmingham.

Pamela doesn’t official know if that CIA
reference is located exclusively in Birmingham but Geneva does live
and work in the area as far as Pamela remembers Geneva has never
worked any place else in the past two years. Pamela likes to listen
to gossip, also. Lacy has big plump lips which needs to be stapled,
sometimes.

She reads, loudly next entry. “Boa, cheap
quality feathers.” She pauses, dramatically. “Boas are extra pretty
flamboyant accessories over evening gowns and sparkling
clothing.”

Could that ‘boa’ be slanted toward a female
agent rather than male? Good question? Could the agent be Geneva in
disguise or in deep cover? Better question?

Pamela scans, carefully more googles under
‘boa.’ She whispers, softly. “BOA, Baja Outdoor Activities of sea
kayaking, snorkeling, forest camping and whale watching for
outfitters of expeditions.” Reference presents male perspective
term for BOA, not female. Females don’t engage in multiple sports
like guys.

She types, swiftly the coupled words: CIA
BOA. It returns, quickly. “Boa Nova by CIA, musical group from
Spain.” She shakes, sideways skull. “No, too far out.” She giggles,
lightly then pursues more searches on laptop.

Time: 11:13 am. Federal Building. parking
garage.

Preston holds, vertically finger pads in air.
“Three cars.”

Geneva whines, baby-tonish as Preston shoves,
violently her body from his FBI car with painted green logo. She
poses, granite-like with folded fists on thick waist. “Why three
separate cars, Preston? I wanna ride with you. We’re heading to the
same spot, computer center.”

Preston barks, commandingly & holds,
tightly car door touching steering wheel. “Cause, I’m boss,
Geneva.” He neck snaps to him & orders, authoritatively.
“Larry, take your separate car around the block, flash your badge
and find out where Pamela received the three grand, probably at a
Western Union station, close-by.”

“Those are located at Kangaroo Stores,
state-wide.” Arthur stands on passenger side of Preston’s car &
details, fully.

Preston orders to Larry. “Go to the first
convenience Kangaroo, see if she picked up any loot. If not, just
keep searching. We’ll be at computer center scouting and chicken
scratching the area for her clues and her person.” Larry nods, once
than pivots, soldierly following orders.

“I have announced very loudly and studiously
Pamela’s not there.” Geneva talks, loudly & stands taller and
meaner.