It well was after 6 PM. Darkness had set in. The generator-powered floodlights kicked in giving the negotiation compound and command center areas a blinding glare that hurt the eyes.
If it weren’t for Bernie, by then M-Mtek would have mustered-out all the help. Sam would have been at dinner with Peg deciding whether to take the offer to work with the plant closing crews. Instead, he was waiting with cold feet in a rear parking lot for orders from a federal agent he hardly knew about what to do next.
More FUBAR.
Sam noticed Captain Mahoney who intensely listening to a new call on his cell phone, nodding his head occasionally in agreement with the caller. Without disconnecting the call, Captain Jim waved Sam over while holding the phone out in his direction. Sam thought that if this was the go-ahead, why didn’t Agent Dean come back to tell them it was a go.
“Sam, it’s Agent Dean,” Jim said. “He’s got some a new situation on his hands. He wants to talk to you.”
Grabbing the phone, Sam spoke, “Dean. Sam here. What’s up?”
“Well, Sam, command just held a briefing with the hostage team,” Dean started. “They had been suspecting there was something wrong with the network that M-Mtek was supposed to have turned off at 3PM They did it so no one could mess with it before the separation cutoff time at 6PM. The problem is, the entire network appears to be hacked and backed up. No one at any of the M-Mtek facilities can get access to it. Our communications guys think it’s been hacked by someone who really knows what they’re doing. They’re having a hard time tracing where its even hosted from. Bottom line is, do you think Bernie is capable of something like this?”
“Dean, simple answer is ,yes,” Sam answered tersely.
“Crap. I’ll be coming back there with another member of our team who is up on this network stuff. His headset will be tied to a guy at M-Mtek corporate who is our liaison with the executives, there,” Dean explained to Sam. “Don’t tell anyone I said this, Sam, but this is getting messy. Hey, we got a better pair of new socks for you.”
“Tell me about it. Hey, Dean, what color are the socks? Better not be red,” Sam replied. “Lets get this show on the road. I’m freezing. It must be below thirty degrees by now.”
Sam handed the phone back to Captain Jim who closed the circuit. Sam asked him if he could give the ladies a heads up about what was happening with Bernie. Jim agreed. Together they went over to where Peg and Mimi were waiting for someone to tell them what their role was going to be in future negotiations.
Jim briefed them by saying that command thought Bernie had hacked into the M-Mtek corporate communication and operations networks that were supposed to be turned off by 3PM. He also explained that both Sam and Mimi would have a role in the negotiations to try to find out if Bernie hacked into it and why.
At that moment they saw Agent Ramos with his F.B.I. techie appear walking toward them from out of the flood lights. Agent Ramos said to the group, “Hello again, folks. This is Mark Beck form our command center. He knows all about communications technology and computers. Right Mark?”
Mark sheepishly acknowledged Agent Dean’s comment with a wave of his hand to the group.
Dean continued, “Here’s the plan. I’m going to try to get to Bernie through his or Ishaan’s cell phone. Then Sam is going to try to get him to tell us if he has hacked into the M-Mtek network and what he plans to do with it.”
Looking at Sam, Dean continued, “Sam, you’re to make the call on when to bring in Mimi on the conversation, especially if Bernie sounds like he’s become a danger to the hostages or himself. If he asks to speak to her, use your judgment. And, Jim and Sam, sooner or later I’ll have to get back on with him and ask whether he wants to release the other hostages and give himself up. Other that that, nothing serious.”
“Mimi, our agents want access to your home to check it out for any tips we can find about what your husband has in mind with all this. If you give us the keys we promise not to make a mess. Without the keys, I can’t promise you anything,“ Agent Ramos warned Mimi.
“Well, in that case I guess I’ll give you my set of keys,” Mimi complied smartly. “Make sure you lock it when you leave. And while your there, let out the dog.”
Agent Dean muttered, “Yes, the dog. Right, the dog.”
“OK. Sam, Jim, Mimi and Mark, get your headsets on and let’s get this show on the road,” Dean said to the group.
Everyone reestablished their positions at the negotiation wall. It was a typical New England early winter night - damp and cold. F.B.I. crews had set up propane heaters near the negotiation wall and placed a few outdoor plastic chairs by it. Sam settled into one, removed his loafers and pulled the new light-weight wool socks over his red ones.
Agent Ramos look at the five of them with a thumbs up as the command center called Bernie’s cell phone. The team listened to the call switch over to voice mail. Agent Ramos left a message for Bernie he was ready to get down to business with him, imploring him to call.
It had become cold enough to see one’s breath.
Sam called out to Agent Ramos that maybe he should try Ishaan’s number, to which he responded, “You can give it a try. I’m having bad luck, here. But, if you get him, hand him over to me. I’ll take it on my headset.”
Taking out his phone, Sam speed-dialed Ishaan. After four rings he heard Bernie’s voice, “God damn it, Sam. Why are you calling Ishaan?”
“Because you didn’t pick up your phone just now. Check your voice mail. Look, Bernie, we got to start working this out with you and I need to hook you up with Agent Ramos to get it started. I’m going to flip you over to him, OK?” Sam informed him.
Bernie hesitated in his usual way and said, “What pains in the ass you guys are. Make him call me on my phone, again. It’s all charged up, now. I’m still really pissed-off about the girls. But I’ve been busy down in the bathroom. I need to tell Ramos not to try anything coming in through the bathrooms.”
Dean was listening to Sam’s conversation with his head set and motioned with his hand to cut the conversation while he broke in saying to Bernie, “OK, I’m on. This is Agent Ramos, again. How are the others doing? How are you doing, Bernie?”
“Look, cut the shit, Ramos. They‘re doing ok.” Bernie fired back. “Is my wife there? How’s she doing?”
“Yep. She’s right next to me. You want to ask her for yourself? I’m opening the channel so you can talk to her,” Dean responded.
“Mimi, I’m so sorry I’m putting you through all this, but it had to be done. There’s just so much you can take from the suits,” he told his wife. “It is nice to know that our tax money is being used for top shelf communications networks, though. So, they got you all patched together, I see. I’m impressed they’re on the cutting edge of modern-day wireless communications.”
Sam saw Mimi show a slight smile in one corner of her mouth. Sam figured that ever since he came back from Iraq she had been aware of Bernie’s distrust of government and corporate weenies.
She said back to Bernie, “Bernie, why don’t you come out of that suffocating place you’re in? When’s the last time you took your medicine? We got a new batch of it for you. Tell me what you want. Please! I’m frightened and worried for you.”
“That’s my wife, guys,” Bernie addressed the patched-in listeners. “Always got my back. Always worried about me. About the only one who ever is.”
Bernie continued, “Mimi, I’m actually feeling ok without the meds. Maybe it’s the adrenalin. Thanks, babe. I love you but I think I need to talk with Ramos and Sam right now. Right Ramos? Thanks, honey. Stay strong.”
Bernie heard Agent Ramos click in. Dean started by saying, “Here’s the situation, Bernie. We don’t know what you want. Why are you doing this? Tell us, please.”
“Sam, can you hear me? This guy Ramos wants to know why I’m doing this. Let’s see, now. I interrupt my life to fight in a god-awful desert war for my country only to find out it wasn’t for my country but for Big Oil. Then I come back to work for a medical device tech company only to be shit-canned without due notice so the vultures can make more money using cheap labor from a country other than the one I fought for,” he ripped out to Sam. “That about right, Sam? You’d think a smart guy like Ramos could have figured it out for himself by now.”
Agent Ramos responded, “OK, Bernie. I get it. So what do you think you can do about it setting off a percussion bomb and fire-bombing your car? There has to be a whole bunch of guys who served in Iraq who feel the same way you do and they wouldn’t do that.”
“Sam, you were in Nam. Tell him that was a diversion so I could get things set up in here and around the plant,” Bernie pointed out. “Let’s just say M-Mtek is the fall guy in all this.”
Realizing Bernie was up to no good, Sam asked him, ”What are you up to, Sam. I know you. Why is M-Mtek the fall guy?”
“Why? Because they were stupid enough to give me a chance before 3 PM to copy and mirror all its network architecture and basic data files so that they couldn’t get to them - so I could play a little prank on them,“ Bernie proudly asserted.
Sam saw Agent Dean give him the circular hand signal to keep his conversation going with Bernie. He did so by asking, “Bernie, so what’s the prank. I know you’re not just up there baby sitting for the two boys and Ishaan, now, are you?”
“Oh, nothing more than encrypting M-Mteks entire system, making it inaccessible for them to regain access to it. And, ever since about one o’clock, sending out one of those email viruses on it that spreads to every user including non-employee users,” Bernie confessed. “I’m surprised you haven’t heard about that, yet. Sometimes it takes time for folks to notice it, especially since the plant network was shut down at three. Tell Mimi that’s what I was doing in our home office.”
Agent Ramos motioned to Sam that he wanted in on the conversation. Sam relayed to Bernie that Agent Ramos was going to break in to talk to him.
“Bernie, is that all? Just a hack on M-Mtek’s computer systems? Could have stayed home to do that?” Dean led with.
Bernie knew what Dean was getting at and replied, “Funny you should ask that. You’re right. I got the plant facility booby-trapped at key points. I know you’re going to ask me why, so here it is. I want M-Mtek to cancel the shutdown and bring everyone back while the plant is still whole. That’s about it. I figure the national press will get this story and help put the pressure on if they know the deal so M-Mtek can’t renege on it. Actually, I have a bulk message all ready to send out to the media. It’s sort of like Bernie’s Manifesto. Anything else, Agent Ramos?”
Agent Ramos went livid, swearing under his breath like a drunken sailor. He angrily ordered his comm tech, Mack, to get back to the command center to get a handle on Bernie’s new story about what he had done to the M-Mtek networks. He hustled Sam and Jim back to the negotiation trailer where Peg was consoling Mimi who was sobbing on her shoulder.
When Sam, Jim and Dean approached them, Mimi looked up and cried out to them, “I’m so sorry about all this. I feel terrible. I never knew he was so bad off that he’d do something like this.”
“Agent Ramos, how dangerous do you think Bernie is?,” asked Peg.
“Well, let’s put it this way. For the short amount of time available Bernie sure showed he was industrious. He has a lot of things covered for a one man show,” Agent Dean told her. “The girls informed us in their debriefing that he’s got some kind of huge black satchel under the table in the conference room. He’s also got something that looks like it’s an assault rifle under there, too. This is not going to be easy, that I can tell you, Peg.”
Mimi had laid her head back on Peg’s shoulder. Her muffled sobbing was audible along with the hiss of the outside propane heaters in the quiet cold night air.
Agent Ramos, who had separated from the group, paced back and forth in front of the trailer. He was involved in a brisk secure-channel discussion on his head set. Sam caught bits and pieces of his conversation and it sounded like he was getting a briefing about how the media had already received Bernie’s Manifesto.
While still intently listening on his set, Agent Dean started walking toward Sam and Captain Jim. He signed off his circuit with a “later,” looked at them both and said, “Our little fiasco, here, has gone national. And, it’s starting to go viral on the web, too. Command has been told from HQ that they’ll need to hold a briefing to try to give our side of the story. They want minimal involvement on M-MTek’s side of it in the initial releases. I’m going to have to go back to the command center to be a part of it. They have it planned for 9 PM, You and Jim will have to be on stand-by in case we need you. Look, I’ll have some take-out sent in for you. Are you hungry?”
Captain Jim was first to say, “Yes.”
Agent Dean gave his approval to the Captain’s offer to have the police handle the food order.
Sam and Jim were pulled aside by Agent Dean to tell them that, having the media in on it now with so much of Bernie’s side of the story, his new negotiating move might be to get him to release the boys and Ishaan. Or, at least the boys, figuring that Bernie is listening in on the news and the fame he’s getting on the shutdown story line will soften up his stance on keeping hostages.
Agent Dean dropped his head set around his neck, said “later” and jogged briskly off to the command center. Sam watched him wishing he was in that good shape.
Captain Jim began taking orders for an evening takeout dinner. Sam asked him if he could get it at Jimmie’s. Jim said with a grin, “Sure, why not. It’s on the list of our approved diners around here.”
The group crowded into the negotiating trailer to await the outcome of the presser on a computer monitor that was patched into the live feed.
By now, Mimi had composed herself. She sat next to Sam and opened with, “Sam, do you think all Bernie wanted was to get the M-Mtek shutdown story out there as a way to tell the people how brutal it is in the workplace, today?”
“Mimi, he’s never impressed me as being one of those social justice kind of guys. At least not around work, anyway,” Sam told her. “You’d know better than anyone else. Maybe he just hides it well. Then, there‘s the Iraq thing. On that he was more open with me. I could relate to that because most of what he said about it was the same thing I saw in Nam. Other than that, Mimi, I don‘t know what to say.”
“You’re probably right. For the last couple months he’s been joking about how his obit would read. I thought he was having a mid-life crisis, or something. He always included his service in Iraq 1 & 2 as ‘Desert Bullshit 1 & 2.”
“Yeah, that would be your husband. Always on top of the reality of war,” Sam noted. “One thing about him, he marched to his own drum beat. He was so good at what he did around the plant that the bosses had to tolerate his act.”
“What did you order from Jimmie’s, Sam?”, Mimi asked.
“Fish sandwich, special. You?” Sam asked back.
“Super lobster salad. Best one in town,” she said. “I heard Peg ordered one of those pita plates. Look at her over there. She’s napping. Long day for her.”
“Yep,” Sam said. “Long day for us all.”
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American Shutdown by Benjamin F. Campanelli
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