The Gillespie Five (A Political / Conspiracy Novel) - Book 1 (42) (22 page)

Chapter Forty-Four

Jane waited until after midnight to try and reach Alex’s contacts as he had told her that they most likely would not be online before then.  As instructed, she was careful not to log on to any of the chatrooms she normally hung out in, or anything else that might show her as online.  She then located the chatroom Alex had mentioned.  No.  Channel, Alex had called it.  Or was it chatroom?  She couldn’t remember.

When the chatroom came up, she typed in the userid and password he had given her, which logged her in as gr@yg@nd01f, and then waited to see if anyone pinged her.  As the posts flew by, her eyes widened in shock.   There were things being said and posted she would have thought were illegal.  Several minutes passed as she tried to ignore these increasingly graphic posts.  When ten and then fifteen minutes passed with no response, Jane typed in what Alex had given her, word for word.  Then, she continued to wait.  Lurk.  He had called it lurking.  

More conversations flew by, now accompanied by what she considered very inappropriate pictures.  Minutes passed.  Then minutes more without any response.  And then, finally, one came.

who the fuck r u? 

< gr@yg@nd01f > who am I supposed to be?

not fucking GG, you think we're fucking newbs? hey fags we got ourselves a feddie trying to play in our sandbox.

The next series of comments flew by too fast for her to read.  She tried to reply but could not think of an appropriate response.  The next thing she knew, she was booted out.

Alex had told her this might happen.   When it did she was to wait and then sign back in as another user and try to get an invite into a private chat called #HGTTG.

When he had first given her this acronym, she'd asked, "Homes and Gardens?"

He'd laughed a bit and told her, "No.  Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy."

She'd stared at him blankly.

"42?"

She shook her head and he laughed again. 

"Okay, never mind.  Just trust me on this."

While she waited she decided to Google ‘42’.  When the search brought up too many hits, she tried searching Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.  Clicking on the Wiki link she began to read.  She was halfway through the description of the very strange book and movie when she remembered she had to sign back on, this time as qu3st3r. 

Requesting the private chat, Jane waited once more, watching the comments scrolling by and wondering how Alex could read this stuff all day long.  When pictures of nude girls and people engaged in sexual acts that seemed to defy the basic laws of physics - and taste - began to appear, she switched tabs back to the Wiki page and finished reading the article. 

A dinging sound let her know that she had received a response.

who are u?

a friend of gr@yg@nd0lfs

don't listen man. Its probs that feddie again.

no doubt. what the fuck u done with GG?

More comments followed and Jane was sure she was going to get kicked off again.  Quickly she typed in another comment Alex had given her and waited.

When they booted her this time, she logged right back on as qu3st3r and typed Alex's message again.  More comments followed about feddies and what they could go do with themselves and, just in case she didn't understand the terminology, they posted pictures to illustrate.  Patiently, she waited, not responding, and praying that this would work.

An hour passed.  The comments had long turned away from her, though she noticed several of the users had dropped off after making comments about feddies, moral fags and other words she couldn't decipher.  But she wasn't booted off again. 

While she waited, she purchased and downloaded the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ebook and began to read.  Somewhere around chapter ten, she received a ding.

Glancing at the chatroom, she noticed a private invite for the room #HGTTG.  Heart racing, she accepted it.

GG is gone.  Who r u and where is he?

I'm not supposed to talk to anyone but µβ.

who told you about µβ?

GG.  I,

She hesitated not sure what she could and couldn't say.  This person wasn't µβ.

u?

I know where GG is and he needs help.

Several seconds past and Jane waited to get booted again.  Finally another user appeared.

where is he?

I'm only supposed to talk to µβ. 

She typed the third message Alex had given her.  He said that if she were talking with the right people they would give back the correct response.

u stupid newb.  u didn't even go through an anonymizer.

I don't know what you're talking about.  I logged in exactly the way he told me.

ok qu3st3r so who are you really?

Jane’s fingers froze over the keyboard, heart racing.  What was she supposed to say?  I'm working with the feds just like you thought, and I'm responsible for their interrogations? 

helloooo newfag. U got an answer?

I'm a friend.  On the inside.

Nothing for several minutes and then:

<µβ> Where is he?

Finally
, she thought, but hoped he didn't boot her out for the response she had to give.

I can't tell you that. 

<µβ> Is this related to Gillespie?

and that faggot Barret?

Yes.

<µβ> who else do they have?

She debated for several minutes and then decided this might give her away to Barrett.

Giving that away would alert the people I work with.

Several more minutes past.

<µβ> We'll be in contact.

Abruptly, she found herself booted.  Jane stared at her screen for a few minutes, unsure if she had been successful.  Finally, deciding there was nothing else she could do for now, she headed for bed.  Hopefully they would contact her again soon.

Chapter Forty-Five

Greg Barrett raised a glass to toast Gillespie’s nomination as the GOP’s presidential candidate with the hundred or so other people that occupied the senator's home that night.  Barrett was also celebrating the nice little deposit he'd received the night before.

He watched as the senator made his way through the congratulatory crowd.  His handshakes and back slaps seemed hardy, and his smiles and laughs genuine.  Barrett supposed he could be congenial as well with the first win in the presidential campaign.  And it didn’t hurt that his poll numbers had climbed.  But the man seemed to exude a genuine goodwill attitude as he made his way across the room.  By the time he stood in front of Barrett, he found himself returning the wide grin.

"Agent Barrett." 

The back slap almost sent him to his knees, wiping the smile from his face.  Biting back the sudden spike of irritability, Barrett forced the smile back to his face. 

"Senator!  Congratulations."

Gillespie barked a laugh.  "Well thank you.  Of course we both know what a key player you have been in all this."

"Thank you, sir."

Gillespie smiled, turning to accept a few more congratulations, before turning back to whisper, "Any issue about our detainees beyond that press conference and the police inquiries?  Are we going to have to release the names?"

"Eventually, sir.  But not yet.  We expected some noise of course, but the laws have been checked and double checked.  We have the right to continue to hold them until we have determined the full extent of their threat to the security of this nation." 

Barrett couldn't help but smile at the thought.  To finally have the power and backing to take these scumbags off the street was an unbelievable feeling. 

You mean the innocent ones?

He forced his smile wider, ignoring the annoying voice in his head. 

They had enough evidence
, he told himself again. 
More than enough
. 

He stated as much to Gillespie.

"Good to hear it.  Good to hear it."  Gillespie shook another hand, nodded at Barrett and plunged back into the crowd. 

Relieved, Barrett downed his drink and made his way to the front door.  His phone began to ring as he stepped out of the room, heading down the hall.

"Barrett."

"Did you like the little surprise you received?"

Thinking of the amount of money he had received trumped his irritation at the caller.  He wanted to ask,
'What do you want now?'
Instead he replied with, "Yes, indeed I did."

"Good.  But you do know it is just beginning, right?"

Once more he tried to place the slight accent that wove in and out of the man's words, but failed.  "Yes.  And we'll be ready." 

Barrett wondered again how hard it would be to track the people down he talked to regularly, if he really tried.  So far, he didn't even have a name and the deposits covered too many tracks.  But then, why would he want to bite the hand that fed him?

"Good.   You've done very well."

"Thank you."

"You'll find a nice little extra surprise outside the senator's front door.  We hope you enjoy it."

The caller hung up before he could reply.  Perplexed, Barrett continued down the hall and out the door.  He had long ago given up on figuring out how they always seemed to know where he was.

The first thing he noticed as the door opened, was the brunette in a driver's cap and very tight uniform.  Behind her stretched a very expensive, black limo. 

When she saw him, she smiled, walking to the rear door of the vehicle.  "Good evening, sir."

She had a husky bedroom voice.  As she opened the door, he found two more equally enticing beauties waiting for him.   He smiled at the three of them as he stepped inside.

This job
definitely
had its perks.

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Yuri smiled as he pushed his hands in his pockets and walked back into the senator's house.  Americans were so easy to manipulate.  He was going to enjoy deflating the pompous fool’s ego soon. 

His thoughts turned to the call he’d had with the FBI Director earlier.  With his obscene demands still ringing in his ears, Yuri walked toward Gillespie to offer his congratulations.  As Gillespie began spouting some nonsense Yuri didn’t bother to listen to, he thought about when and how he’d have to take care of the director.  He really hated it when his pawns, bought and paid for, suddenly began to think they were more than pieces to be used at his discretion.

Chapter Forty-Six

It had taken a little longer to launch the first attacks than µβ had originally planned.  Normally, getting something this simple off the ground took a few hours, a day tops if they were trying to coordinate it.  But a few unexpected kinks and protests about who was doing what, and how, had delayed things.  Now, finally, the first in a series of attacks was ready to launch and Michael couldn't be happier.

Especially since his mom had actually bought his story of being too sick to go to school for the last several days, but not sick enough to go to the doctor.  She had been too tired from working two jobs to raise much of a protest.

Michael sat back as he watched the finalized plans scroll by in the private chat, a large smile plastered on his face.  The first attack of three in Plan A would come early in the morning, EST time, and on the same day as one of the first presidential debates.   

It was simple, and fairly lame, but µβ seemed to think it would be a good start.

As the clock ticked the final minutes off, Michael initiated the program that would launch the attack and ensure it got picked up by as many social media channels as possible, and then sat back and waited.

A few hours later he was smiling as the media picked up the attack, quickly shoving the rest of the news, including the upcoming debate, out the door.  One article read: 
FBI Site Hacked.  Anonymous Hackers Protest.  Free the Gillespie Five.

Michael would have preferred something more elaborate, but they had to keep the initial attacks very simple while they began to execute something more intricate and personal.

The article gave a quick description of who Gillespie was and who "the five" referred to – at least generically, as the names had still not been released.  It went on to speculate that the famous hacker group Unified or Anonymous may be responsible. 

Michael laughed at the speculation and moved onto the second part of Plan A.

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Barrett expected the phone call and answered it, immediately assuring Gillespie he had nothing to worry about.  This childish attack had been expected and would soon fizzle out of the media's attention.  He didn't mention to Gillespie that, for a brief minute, he had worried someone from the hacker community was going to try and ruin him again.

As Barrett predicted, interest buzzed for two days but was quickly replaced by some Hollywood crap star, silver spoon, low life drama.  It was nothing.

Two days after the first attack, another attack was launched.  Simultaneous wall posts hit government and business websites around the U.S.

What happened to Due Process?  Free the Gillespie Five!

Since when is it okay to hold American citizens without charges?

The world has the right to know what our government is hiding!

Hackers have rights! Free the Gillespie Five!

This time the news media started to get excited.  Several reporters tried to get the senator to release names, and questions of legality escalated.  Gillespie's office was flooded with calls, which meant that Gillespie was calling him.

Barrett assured him that this too would pass, but Gillespie wasn't so sure.  He debated expediting mirandizing and transfer of the detainees, and sending them to a federal prison to await trial.  Barrett begged him to hold off. 

"What about releasing the names?"

"Not yet, sir.  We need a few more days."

Gillespie reluctantly agreed.  Instead of making an appearance, however, his office posted a statement to the media that all was within the legal boundaries and they were well within their rights under the definition of the Patriot Act to hold and question any persons deemed possible terrorists until they had been able to determine the full depth of threat.

This time, Barrett was a little worried.  But not overly so.  The people he worked for had assured him that everyone involved had security measures in place that would ensure they could not be hacked.

He had just started to calm down when the third attack came.  It went viral.  Thousands of websites around the world were hacked with varying results.  The theme always the same.

Hackers have Rights!  Free the Gillespie Five!

Now the media and the
world
were listening. 

Barrett moved from worried to nervous.

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Michael was elated with the success of all three stages of Plan A.  But, Plan B was a little tougher.

can't get in.  faggots are locked down tighter than a jewz wallet

no luck here either.  never seen security like this

i think they've got some serious help.  no way fucking feddies can lock themselves down like this.  especially no moralfag like Gillespie

you think our friends have been helping?

not that shit again.  there ain't no secret group tryin' to take over the fuckin internet.  'cept the governments and businesses and they're too fuckin stupid to do something that big

µβ exists.  and they we're just fuckin rumors

There was silence for a moment while the group absorbed this.

u think the other rumor is true then? 

<µβ> Yes.  As they say, the rabbit hole goes deeper than you realize.

u really think this is NIL?

<µβ> Possibly.  We've had our other groups working this from all angles.  And, like you said, there is no way they did this on their own. 

Michael read and then reread the statement.  NIL, a group of hackers who supposedly were the electronic foot soldiers for another group that was so secret it didn't even have a name, might actually exist.  More than just rumors.  And the group they worked for?   Rumored to be a supposedly powerful group hidden by mystery, shrouded in speculation and hinted to be aligned with everyone from the aliens to the Illuminati by conspiracy theorists.  The only problem was that no one had been able to really prove they existed.  And now µβ, another group he had once thought only a rumor, was confirming – mostly – that this group not only existed but they may be behind their current problems.

Finally he typed.

what has this feddie sting got to do with them?  who are they? 

<µβ> We don't know. Just a thought, may not be true.  Whoever is helping though has locked G and B down tight.

so what we gonna do then?

<µβ> Plan C.

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Yuri didn't bother to alert the families that it had begun.  Now that the hackers were doing exactly what he had suspected they would, the next phase had kicked in automatically.  Emergency sessions started early Monday morning in Europe, just days after the escalated attacks had begun. 

He turned to the many monitors on his wall, now streaming live feeds from several political houses as the well placed family members expressed outrage at the hacker attacks, emphasizing that it was time to take measures against these and future attacks.  Nothing dramatic.  Yet.  Just new laws and protections to keep the 'innocent' from suffering from such malignant pests.  By the time the U.S. woke up, they would be facing the same barrage of calls to change the laws and stop the hacker threat.   

Chuckling to himself, he knew what he was watching was another phase in a very long running plan.  But it was finally coming together, faster now, thanks to technology.  It was just a matter of time.  And the families already knew this.