Page 9 of Code Name: Tank
“Is it, though? Is it, really?” Atticus grinned. “I bet Dragon’s anti-pineapple. She’s got that whole ‘proper way to do things’ vibe. Probably thinks it would be an affront to Italian culture.”
Despite myself, I found my lips twitching. “You’re ridiculous.”
“I’m a genius. There’s a difference.” He turned back to his screen. “Now, let’s get back to these reports before you start analyzing the way she holds her pen.”
Over the next hour, Atticus and I dove deeper into the data. While he pulled records from other defense contractors, I started working on something that had been nagging at me—the timing.
“Look at this,” I said, pulling up a new report I’d been working on. “The irregularities don’t happen randomly around the incidents. There’s a specific sequence.”
Atticus leaned over to look at my screen. “What kind of sequence?”
“Small amounts start flowing out exactly nine days before each incident becomes public. Not eight days, not ten days. Nine days. Every time.”
“That’s oddly specific.”
“Right? And it’s not the timing alone. The amounts follow a sequence too. It starts small, builds to a peak on day three, then tapers off. Like someone’s following a script.”
Atticus whistled low. “That suggests whoever’s doing this has very specific intelligence about when these incidents will happen.”
“Or they’re controlling them.”
“Speaking of Dragon,” Atticus said suddenly, glancing across the room, where she was working with Alice. “You know she’s probably going to figure out you’re staring soon, right? She’s got that whole situational-awareness thing down.”
I appreciated Atticus’ presence. He was one of the few people who could get away with giving me grief about Dragon, because he did it without malice. During our Air Force days, he’d been the guy who could lighten the mood during the worst situations.
“I’m not staring.”
“Tank, you’re practically boring holes through the back of her head with your eyes. If staring were an Olympic sport, you’d have more gold medals than Michael Phelps.”
Despite myself, I found this funnier than Atticus’ usual commentary. “You’re ridiculous,” I repeated.
“And you’re smitten. At least admit it to yourself.”
Before I could respond, Dragon’s voice carried across the room. “Tank, you should see this.”
I walked over to see Alice had pulled up a series of transaction logs.
“Look at these authorization codes,” Dragon said, pointing to the screen. “They appear legitimate, but they’re being used to authorize transfers that the original requesters never initiated. Someone’s found a way to make theft look like legitimate government transactions.”
“The authorization system breach is just the entry point,” I said, exchanging glances with Atticus. “Look at these transaction patterns—they’re not random.”
“You’re right,” Dragon said, leaning closer to examine the data. “There’s a specific methodology here. Small amounts first, then larger transfers once they confirmed the system wouldn’t flag them.”
Alice looked up from her screen. “I’m seeing something else troubling. The timing gets shorter with each theft.”
“They’re getting more confident,” Dragon said grimly. “Or they’re working under a deadline.”
“We need to map out potential future targets,” I said. “See if we can predict who they’ll hit next.”
Alice pressed a hand to her stomach with a grimace. “I can cross-reference defense contractors with similar vulnerabilities, but this data is making me nauseous—and that’s saying something, given my current condition.”
“Want some more tea?” Dragon offered.
“No. I think I need to call it a day. This pregnancy is kicking my butt.”
“Go rest,” I said. “We can continue this tomorrow.”
After Alice gathered her things and left, Dragon began packing up her materials as well.
