Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
Lexi
“Gwen, can I borrow your phone?” I asked.
Gwen set down the bottle of water she was drinking and handed it over. I pulled up Angel’s number and pushed the call button. She answered on the first ring.
“Yo, what’s up, Gwen?”
“It’s Lexi. You busy?”
“Why are you using Gwen’s phone?”
“It’s a long story,” I said. “But my question remains, are you busy?”
She snorted. “I’m a hacker, not to mention a student. I’m always busy. But for you, I’m available 24-7.”
“Good, because I need a favor,” I said, keeping my voice even. “And I need you to say no if this crosses a line.”
There was a pause. “That’s not how you usually open conversations.”
“It’s not,” I said. “But this is an important ask. Regardless of whether you say yes or no to this, it must stay quiet. No screenshots. No bragging. No telling anyone, not even people you trust.”
Angel snorted softly. “You just described my entire personality. I’m in.”
I chuckled despite myself. “Wait until I tell you what the job is.”
“Fine. What’s the job?”
“After I access a back door I created in a private security system, I’d like you to help me monitor real-time access and keep the cameras in a loop or frozen. I may also need to call on you and that fancy AI software, too.”
“Cool. For what? An altered camera video?”
“Potentially,” I said and then corrected myself. “Probably.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be partying with Gwen at her bachelorette party in Atlantic City?” she asked.
“I am. I was. We are.” I sighed. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Something came up and we’re dealing with it.”
“Whatever you say. So, what will you be doing while I’m monitoring the security and the cameras?”
“As things go down, I’ll be busy with the door alarms and guide duties for someone who will be on the inside,” I explained. “I’ll need you to help with reconstructing logs and time stamps and make it look like nothing happened.”
“Easy. You going to give me something actually difficult?”
“Let’s just see how you do with this assignment, Einstein. But if it’s that easy for you, I’ll give you another assignment you’ll really enjoy.”
Now she laughed. “Fair enough. What exactly are we doing, if you’re able to tell me? It sounds super intriguing. Just please tell me that whoever you are guiding inside this facility is not my sister.”
“It’s not Gwen,” I promised. “But I’ll give you the general overview of what is going on.” I gave her the short version of Tango Bio, the CIA’s illegal animal research, the potential Middle Eastern angle, and a very smart golden retriever who was likely in significant and immediate danger.
“Wow, Lexi, you really do have all the fun,” she said. “I wish I could have come on that girls’ trip with you.”
I blinked. “Did you just say fun?”
“Yes. Excitement, fun, pulse-pounding stakes. You’re always creating great reasons for a clever hack. At least this time I’m in on the fun by extension. You know you really didn’t even have to ask me. I’m always in.”
I smiled slowly. Ha! I was having fun, as noted by an objective source. That had to count for something in the girl-guy wager, even if I lost some points because I used my laptop.
“Thanks, Angel. But first, I need to access my back door into that security system. You got some time right now to help?”
“Oh, heck yes.”
“Okay. I’m sending over the layout of the facility.
It has an access-controlled gate with a proximity card entry system.
The cameras, external and internal, are a Supra Vision manufacture.
I am not sure of the models, but I think they all have about the same resolution.
The external cameras are pan, tilt, zoom.
Internally, they only have door position sensors and magnetic switches on the windows.
No infrared or motion sensors, which makes sense because of the animals.
So, it should be pretty basic. Many of the doors are opened with either proximity cards or keypads.
I will need you to open those doors when I tell you.
They are all set to be opened remotely from the security center.
When we take control there, you should be able to use their own system.
I don’t know if the security system is monitored at night by an actual guard, but if so, you’ll have to stay ahead of us by looping the cameras to hide our progress. Can you handle that?”
“Is my first name Angel?” she quipped. “Of course I can handle that. But how do you intend to access their network?”
“I already went in through their Wi-Fi connection to their security cameras. The Supra Vision setup was almost identical to the Chinese compound in the Cook Islands. So, it was a familiar and easy hack. Their internet security was much more robust.”
“How are you getting to their Wi-Fi from your hotel?”
“I left my phone, logged into the Wi-Fi, with a spare battery pack hidden near the lab’s parking lot. Now I just have to connect to my phone to reach the back door. When we do the actual penetration, I’ll have my laptop and more bandwidth.”
She whistled. “Idiots. They lock the front door and leave the rear door open. So typical.”
“If they were smarter, our job would be a lot harder.”
We hung up and I mailed her the encrypted packet I’d already assembled, which showed our planned route of entry and what I had found out about the security system.
It wasn’t too long until she was back, pinging my laptop.
I connected to my phone and then to the back door in Tango Bio’s Wi-Fi security server.
When she was done, I called and let her take the lead on the hack as we fully explored their security network and mapped out all the systems and sensors.
Moving cautiously, we spent the rest of the afternoon across distance and bandwidth, disabling Tango Bio’s security layer by layer, leaving only a shell operating to deceive an observer.
Angel worked remotely from her dorm at UTOP, the Underage Training Operative Program, where she was currently studying, nestled in with multiple monitors and questionable snacks.
I worked from the comfort of the casino penthouse, mentoring her with everything she needed to know about hacking into a security system.
“Interesting…they’re using a hybrid system,” Angel said at one point. “Commercial cameras, some proprietary firmware. Standard software installation with lazy customization. Someone paid for ‘secure’ and assumed that meant ‘invincible.’”
“Those kinds of assumptions will keep you gainfully employed once you graduate,” I said, my own fingers flying over the keyboard.
“I’m counting on it,” Angel said.
Once we finally had complete control of their system, I took the lead again, guiding her as we practiced the route Barbie would follow. When I felt like she had a good handle on things, I sat back in my chair, stretching my hands above my head.
“OMG, Lexi. That was freaking fun,” Angel declared. “Let’s do that again soon.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” I said. “This is a mission, not a party. We’ve still got a lot of work to do.”
“Copy that,” she said, but I could hear the high in her voice from the hack, because I knew it well myself.
We continued our work, capturing screenshots from every camera so that we would be able to create loops to blind any observers to our activities.
This included static images of an empty gate and entranceway, empty corridors, closed doors, and a quiet lab.
We created a frozen version of normal and saved it so it could be deployed instantly to mask our presence.
We carefully searched for any logs that might track activity and prepared some scripts to rewrite on the fly to delete any of our movements.
“If someone’s actively watching a live feed, they may notice,” Angel warned. “But if they’re relying on alerts? Whoever is inside will be invisible.”
“That’s the plan,” I said. “Now, go get some dinner and I’ll call you back when I’m finished with the last few double checks. And then I’ll fill you in on the special assignment I have for you.”
“Promises, promises,” Angel said as she logged off.
I started moving from Tango Bio’s security system server into their internal network server.
I moved slowly. It would be tragic if I set off an alert here after we’d worked so hard to compromise their security system.
I searched for financial records, testing protocols and records, and any information about Ginger.
There was a lot of information to sift through, so I didn’t take the time to read anything. I just swooped up the interesting information and parked it on my laptop and in my encrypted cloud account for future review.
Minutes stretched into an hour and a bit longer until I finished. My shoulders were tight as I called Angel back on my cell.
“Did you get some dinner?” I asked.
“If you consider the food here at UTOP food,” she said. “Mystery meat drowned in gravy and some rubbery green beans on the side. The apple pie and ice cream hit the spot, though.”
My stomach growled just thinking about it. Luckily, I heard Gwen and Basia discussing what to order for dinner from room service.
“Well, the system is wide-open,” I said. “Here’s the IP address of their security server. Can you meet me there?” I sent her instructions and she fell quiet as she followed them, but I could hear the click of the keys over the line.
“Okay, I’m there,” she finally said. “Hello, I see you. Hey, good news. No notice of any alerts.” Angel’s voice came through, sharper now.
“Nope. We’re as invisible as ghosts.”
She chuckled. “Man, when I grow up, I want to be you. Oooh, you’re threading the needle. How did you create the original back door?”
“I found a permissions mismatch, small and buried. It appears to be a forgotten administrative service account tied to an old vendor update. Just what the doctor ordered. There are several things I usually look for, but if I can find one of those, it’s easy.”
“Nice piece of work,” Angel said admiringly. “Now what? What can I do?”
“I just wanted to show you where the back door was, in case I have problems from the field, so you could take over completely.”
“Got it. When will things be going down?”
“It’ll be tonight, probably somewhere between two and three in the morning. You’re still available?”
“Oooh. Middle-of-the-night hijinks. I like it. Of course I’m free. And since I’ve finished all my homework, I’m in a good spot. I’ll get everything ready on my end, which means late-night snacks, drinks, and an extra monitor. I’ll be awaiting your call this evening.”
“You don’t have to stay up,” I said. “Go to sleep, but keep your phone nearby so you can hear it when I call.”
“Don’t worry about me, Lexi. I’m a night owl.”
“Good. Well, as promised, here’s your special assignment: I want you to log into security camera A12 and do the following.” I proceeded to spell out exactly what I wanted. She would have hours to work on my pet project, but I doubted it would take her that long.
She had already started by the time she clicked off. Leaning back, I stretched my arms over my head. I was hungry. I was tired. I desperately needed a nap.
But somewhere less than an hour away, a lab was preparing for a demonstration that might decide Ginger’s fate, and possibly a lot more than that. Sleep could wait.
I pulled my laptop back toward me and started typing again. Tonight, we weren’t just hacking a system. We were declaring war against Tango Bio Research Solutions, and it was a war I didn’t intend to lose.