Page 24 of Code Name: Tank
“He’s been thinking about it more, and he says this sequence reminds him of something he’s seen before,” Alice said. “He thinks we’re only seeing the beginning. And he’s getting more suspicious that the authorization patterns don’t match typical external hacking. Says it feels like insider knowledge.”
The jet lifted off smoothly, carrying us toward DC. Below us, the Adirondack wilderness gave way to farmland and small towns, looking deceptively peaceful from thirty thousand feet.
“Alice, do you know if he had help from other agencies?”
She was quiet for a moment. “I don’t. Why do you ask?”
“Because someone from my past has been reaching out. Someone who claims to know about this specific threat.”
“Someone you trust?”
“Someone I used to trust. Before he chose his own safety over our mission and left me to face the fallout alone. It was before I, you know, came to work for you.” I sighed. “Sorry, not really something I want to talk about. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
Alice reached across the aisle and squeezed my hand. “I understand.”
The simple gesture caught me off guard.
“Thank you,” I said.
“You know,” Alice said, “I had a hard time trusting anyone when I first started working with Admiral. I was definitely the lone-wolf type.”
I looked at her, surprised by the personal revelation. “What changed?”
“Time. And realizing that some people are worth the risk.” She smiled softly. “Tank strikes me as one of those people.”
I nodded once but didn’t respond. My feelings were too conflicted to know where to begin.
As we startedour descent into Reagan National, I checked my phone one more time. No new messages from Flint, but the quiet felt ominous.
The SUV that met us at the airport was government issue, complete with a driver who checked our credentials twice. The drive to Langley took forty minutes through DC traffic, giving me time to mentally prepare.
“Nervous?” Alice asked as we passed through the first security checkpoint.
“Focused,” I replied, though my hands were damp as I handed over my visitor badge.
CIA headquarters looked exactly as I remembered—imposing concrete and glass designed to project power and secrecy. As we moved through the main entrance, past the memorial wall and agency seal, I felt the weight of my former life pressing down on me.
The wall held names I recognized, colleagues who’d died in operations I’d been part of. For a moment, I could almost see Flint standing beside me during our first visit here as partners, both of us young and convinced we could change the world.
Director McTiernan met us in the lobby, which told me how much attention this threat was getting.
“Dragon. Alice.” His handshake was firm, his expression as serious as usual. I wasn’t sure I remembered ever seeing the guy smile. “Let’s talk.”
He led us through corridors to a secure conference room deep in the building’s interior. No windows, reinforced walls,and the hum of electronic countermeasures. This was where major threats were discussed.
“Tell me what’s happening,” McTiernan said as soon as the door shut behind us.
I connected my laptop to the room’s display and pulled up the latest reports. “Sir, coordinated financial thefts at three defense contractors—Titan Defense, Apex Aerospace, and Potomac Strategic Industries. Initially, we thought we were dealing with foreign hackers.”
His expression darkened. “The level of sophistication suggests foreign involvement, but tell me about the execution.”
“That’s what we thought too,” Alice said. “But now, we have reason to believe that might be misdirection.”
I pulled up the financial patterns. “We need your assessment—does this look like genuine foreign hacker activity, or is someone trying to make it appear that way?”
Money leaned forward, examining the screen intently. “Show me the specifics.”
I walked him through our key findings—the coordinated timing, the systematic patterns, the irregularities our consultant had flagged. “The authorization codes used were legitimate, not bypassed or hacked. Someone with proper access executed these transfers.”
