9. Nine
Days later, we are still reeling from the breach into our servers and hackers getting access to Pegasus, along with other sensitive company information. We have been working longer hours than usual, doing top-to-bottom sweeps to ensure nothing else was collected from the attack, but the damage was done. What they did get into was enough.
We lost deals immediately. The Rosenthall deal was dead as soon as the news broke about the breach because our credibility and the security the project needs were undermined. Acquiring Rosenthall would have given us the manufacturing capacities needed to produce the Pegasus project at scale. Now, we have to see if there is any use in following through with a plan that has been leaked to the highest bidder on the dark web.
I know it would be worthless for the team running Pegasus to file patents on plans that are in the hands of our competitors and they’re scrambling to change the manufacturing timelines to try to beat others to market. If that can’t happen, they’ll be looking for how they can alter intrinsic portions of the current process, but what we have taken years to achieve, and it won’t be replaced overnight.
And now we have to deal with having Octavius Rex integrating himself into the Olympus architecture after calling him in to help with the breach.
“You three look like shit,” Rex says when he enters our conference room and sees all three of us waiting for him.
“We didn’t ask you here for your opinions on our appearances, Rex,” Hayes says, impatiently waving him in.
“But it still bears saying, because I enjoy it when you smug fuckers look down. Grant me my small victories when life has been so unfair to me,” he replies with mock humility, making himself comfortable across the table from Hayes. They were close friends through business school, and a few years after, until we decided to buy out his father’s company and strip him of the legacy he was set to take over. That sort of kills a friendship in its tracks. Now, they’re begrudging allies when necessary, at best.
“Tell us what you know about the cyber attack,” Payton says, diving right in. Dark circles rest under his eyes from the long hours he’s been pulling, and his temper is more volatile than usual, for valid reasons. He feels personally responsible for this breach since it was his system that failed.
“I heard you were unlucky enough to be targeted, and the hackers stole some pretty important details for an up-and-coming project. Weren’t you just interviewed in Forbes about the engine plans, Zander?” he says, looking my way with a glint of mischief in his eyes.
“Among other things, it was one of the topics that came up,” I say, staying neutral until I know what he is insinuating.
“Well, it does seem particularly interesting that the article came out the same day you got hacked.” Rex leans back in his chair and steeples his fingers. “Correlation or causation?”
“Bad timing and some determined group of assholes,” I respond. There’s no way that my interview would have spurred a cyber attack from our enemies in that quick of a time frame. This had to be in the works way before the article came out. The Pegasus project wasn’t secret, but how we’re managing to produce the results that would set us apart from other clean energy engines was.
Rex tips his head back and forth, weighing my words. “I may have heard something that leads me to believe the article was the catalyst, if not the cause. You remember Andreas Donovan, CEO of Donner Investments?”
I nod and make a motion for him to continue. Rex likes to draw things out, and I’m not feeling the most patient at the moment.
“He has a son, Archer, who is making quite the name for himself in the tech world. I guess he didn’t want to go into finance after dear old dad lost his company to Olympus and watched you burn it to the ground.”
“Get to the point, Rex,” Hayes says, sounding bored and irritated. Not a good combination from my eldest brother, since it’s likely to turn him into a vindictive asshole just for sport.
“Archer is a software developer and coder, and if what I heard is correct, likes to dabble in breaking and entering of the cyber variety to steal trade secrets and wreak havoc for funsies.”
“Some punk kid went to all that trouble to hack into our system, went through every precaution we had, just for fun?” Payton repeats slowly. His face is a mask of indifference, but I can hear the underlying rage.
It actually seems like something Payton himself would have done when he was younger. From his tone, it doesn”t sound like he appreciates the idea when the shoe is on the other foot. His usual shit-stirring attitude is markedly missing, and Rex doesn’t even realize what he is walking into by delivering this information now. While Payton may be the most genial, golden retriever type of the three of us, we’re all cut from the same cloth, and he’s fully capable of the ruthlessness Hayes is normally tasked with.
“I’ve heard a rumor he’s developed some sort of program called Achilles that runs multi-faceted assaults on servers looking for specific weak points with high-value targets as the end-point. I don”t know all the details; it goes over my head, but sounds a lot like what you experienced. He probably had a backer wanting something from the effort. As far as I’m aware, he’s kind of a hacker for hire and takes jobs that interest him enough. I’m sure getting back at the people that not only ruined his father’s company but also sent him to prison would be enough incentive to take on your firewalls and cyber protections.”
I scrutinize Rex as he leans back in his chair. He’s playing it cool, but I can see there’s an undercurrent of fear running beneath his placid surface. Maybe he came across this information from another sensitive source that, if revealed, could potentially put his life at risk once again. I’d be hesitant to give up the details if that were the case, as well.
“This explains his signature,” Payton says under his breath, and we all look at him for an explanation. “His digital signature on the code he ran to get into our system?” When we look at him blankly, he continues. “Our digital forensics identified his signature from the code used and ran it through our database of attack signatures. He included a clever illusion to a bow and arrow in the code, because, Archer.”
“You can positively identify him as the culprit for this attack?” Hayes asks, cracking his knuckles and looking like he’s ready to pull the kid out of whatever hole he’s hiding in so he can personally deliver the ass-kicking he deserves.
“Not exactly. I can identify it against other attacks, but there is no clear indication that Archer Donovan is the hacker, since this particular signature belongs to a hacker who hasn’t been caught and identified.” Payton’s explanation makes sense, but it doesn”t seem to stop Hayes from planning all the ways he will be making Archer pay for his alleged crimes.
“If you want my two cents on this situation, I’ll give it to you,” Rex says, like we’re not all fuming around the table. “A competitor likely saw your article and hired someone with Archer’s skill set to break into your network and steal the plans for Pegasus so they could get a jump on you. Do I have solid evidence that it was Archer who facilitated the breach, or know who would have hired him? No, I don’t. All I can say is this theory fits what I know of both Archer Donovan and the rest of the group I was partnered with.”
We need more than a theory to go on. “We didn’t ask you here for conjecture, Rex. We wanted your insider information,” I reply, flattening my hands on the table and staring at his smug face.
Rex holds up his hands in a shrug. “I’m no longer a part of the inner circle, so you can’t blame me for not knowing exactly what’s going on. It’s not like I have another thumb drive for you to use to take down your enemies. I only had one shot at that. Now I’ve been kicked out of the boys’ club for not being thrown in prison with the main three for my part in what they had planned last year.”
I shake my head, knowing it’s futile to ask for more information he won’t be able to provide. “Fine. This at least gives us a jumping-off point. Thanks for your time.”
“Is this a good time to bring up that you owe me now?” Rex says, crossing his ankle over a knee. “That board position is looking real comfy right now and I have some extra time on my hands.”
“Fuck off, Rex,” all three of us say at once.