Nikita could feel his eyes. Had felt them all morning. She'd been at the computer console in com reviewing profiles. At one point, she'd glanced up and unexpectedly met his eyes, then quickly averted her attention back to the computer screen. She realized he's been watching her, without her knowledge. And now she felt it. It was burning the skin on her necks, singeing the hair on her arms until finally she abruptly pushed back in her chair and rolled over to grab a Twizzler off of Birkoff's desk.
As she gnawed on the end of the Twizzler she looked up into Operations' office and observed him. She watched how he leaned in towards Operations when he spoke. She watched how he used his hands when he talked and how he paced back and forth when he was agitated.
The tall, dark stranger was alluring and appealing. She knew he was part of the upcoming mission but as usual, was not sure if he was one of the good guys or one of the bad guys.
Lost in thought, she almost didn't notice when Michael breezed past her and said, "Briefing in ten minutes."
Nikita slowly looked up at him. "It's about time," she said. "I've been here for hours waiting for this to get going."
"Sorry to interupt your busy schedule," Birkoff quipped.
"Funny Birkoff," Nikita said. "I know you're playing Quake over there on the computer, acting like you're so busy."
"Quake?" Birkoff said. "Man, where have you been Nikita. Don't you know that Unreal rules?!"
The bantering helped to relieve the tension. Nikita knew from a brief conversation she'd had with Madeline earlier that morning that this was a high priority mission. She'd need to be on top of her game. Would need to know the background of the people she'd be dealing with inside out. And be able to play with ease.
"This is a mission unlike any other," Madeline had said. "The people we're dealing with here are an extremely tight group. You'll need to establish yourself quickly and be able to blend in as effortlessly as possible. You'll need to appear as if you were born to it, not just an outsider pretending to fit in. You'll have to assume that you already do."
So Nikita had studied the profiles of the key players. She'd taken it all in and was ready to hear what part the tall, handsome stranger would play.
"We're dealing with a group of highly sophisticated techno-terrorists," Operations said. "They've built a computer virus so volatile that it could literally cripple the world's entire telecommunications network in a matter of minutes."
"This is Preston Gant," Ops said, indicating the dark-haired man Nikita had observed earlier. "Mr. Gant is CEO of World Links, a multinational Fortune 100 corporation that controls more than half of the world's telecommunications satellites."
"World Links is part of a consortium of companies that recently received a priority one e-mail message from a group calling themselves SpiderNet," Operations continued. "They are demanding $1 billion US by the end of this month. If the money is not wired to their account by midnight on the 30th, a computer virus will be unleashed that will corrupt the consortium's computer systems."
"These systems control and monitor geostationary satellite transmissions," Birkoff said. "The virus they've created will result in a total shut down of military, business, environmental, broadcast, internet and telecommunications systems worldwide."
"Have we determined if SpiderNet is working inside one of the corporations?" Michael asked.
"Yes, our government intel tells us that SpiderNet is being run internally," Operations said. "Operatives have infiltrated all 13 consortium companies and have narrowed the source to World Links, which is headquartered in Los Angeles."
"One of our operatives downloaded an encrypted message sent through the World Links mainframe located in Los Angeles," Birkoff said. "We were able to unscramble the message to identify several key players that are located within the World Links hierarchy as the possible source."
"Mr. Gant has agreed to provide his full cooperation," Madeline said. "Our operatives will have complete access to infiltrate the highest echelons of his company to identify the person or persons responsible for producing the virus."
"How do we know that once the money is paid that they won't ask for more or that they'll unleash the virus anyway?" Nikita asked.
"Upon receipt of the $1 billion to a numbered Swiss account, SpiderNet will simultaneously upload a key code that will essentially innoculate the system mainframes against this particular virus," Birkoff said. "It's a rare virus and without the precise key code, we have no way of detecting it or preventing it."
"Our primary target within World Links is this man," Operations said, bringing up the view screen. "Rick Darrow is Vice President of systems."
"Rick was the team leader of the international task force that established the standards and protocols our ground control crews use to send the operating instructions to the satellites' computers," Gant said. "The flight computer is the brains of the satellite and controls the input and output processor. The processor, which is where SpiderNet could potentially plant the virus, directs all the control data that moves to and from the flight computer."
"If these processor power grids are shut down, then fundamental communications services will be wiped out," Birkoff said. "We've run a scan on the consortium's mainframe and the virus is undetectable."
"We do know that this virus is a top file infecting virus," Birkoff said. "It attaches itself to other programs and when the infected file is activated, the virus is activated. The problem is that it's a polymorphic virus, meaning that it can evade detection even after it's unleashed by changing its internal structure or its encryption techniques."
"What we'll be looking for is a directory that shows changes in the length, content or file dates of executable files," Birkoff said. "If we find this directory if the World Links mainframe and it looks clean, but there are other anomalies that indicate that there may be a dummy directory masking the root directory."
"That's what we hope your operatives will be able to determine," Gant said. "Rick Darrow and a few other key members of my staff are the only ones who have access to the mainframe passwords and key codes."
"The system can't be accessed through our network," Birkoff said. "Someone has to go in, find the dummy directory, uncover the root directory and download it so we can scan the root for any executable anomalies."
"The problem is locating the root directory without detection," Birkoff continued. "SpiderNet has an alarm tracking system that sends a signal to the source computer to report a breach. If there is someone on the World Links staff who controls the source computer, they will most likely have some sort of remote, like something as simple as a pager, that will alert them of any system intrusion."
"Nikita and Michael will take team one," Operations said. "You'll be located at World Links headquarters in southern California where you'll go undercover as part of Mr. Gant's millenium management group. Michael, you'll be brought in as a system's specialist to work with the Y2K Task Force. Nikita, you've already started profiling the targets. You'll be monitoring the key players, primarily Rick Darrow, and will serve as back up cover for Michael. Let's move."
As the team stood and began to disburse, Madeline turned to Michael. "Before you leave tonight I want to see you and Nikita in my office," Madeline said.
"Of course," Michael replied.
"Nikita, I'd like you to review the profiles with Preston now so that he can fill you in some detail," Madeline said.
Nikita felt her pulse quicken as she turned to look into those deep blue eyes that had been watching her all morning. As she and Gant turned in unison to walk towards com she didn't notice Michael's quick glance at her and Gant. Nikita didn't notice, but Madeline did.
