Page 10 of Code Name: Atticus
“They disappear,” Kodiak stated flatly. “These aren’t street criminals who panic when threatened. They have the resources to vanish completely if they detect law enforcement interest.”
“So no pressure.”
Brenna’s face turned serious. “This is a one-shot op. If we’re blown tomorrow night, the entire network will shut down and I’ll lose my only chance to prosecute them.”
“Which is why we’ve established multiple contingency plans,” Tank assured us. “If you need to abort, if you’re compromised, or if you discover immediate threats to other targets, we have extraction and evidence preservation procedures in place.”
“What about when they try to phish us?” I asked.
“You’ll need to appear to fall for the attacks while actually providing us with access to their systems,” said Alice. “It’s a delicate balance—seem vulnerable enough to encourage them,but not so careless that they believe you’re feeding them false information.”
“We’ll have cybersecurity specialists monitoring your devices around the clock,” Dragon added. “We’ll help you respond in ways that encourage their continued interest while protecting actual classified information.”
Brenna scanned the team. “Anything else?”
Alice highlighted recent surveillance photos. “We’ve identified three additional couples who will be at tomorrow’s event who we suspect are already working with the network. Watching their behavior and interactions will give you models for how successful recruits operate within these social settings.”
Brenna waited for questions. None came. “Then, we’re set. Thank you all for your support on this.”
“I’m heading to JFK now. I’ll arrive in San Fran by seventeen hundred,” Kodiak announced.
“Gotcha.”
“I’m staying in the city so we won’t bump into each other,” he muttered, looking at me with a glint in his eye.
“Copy that,” I responded
“Atticus, a private word?” Admiral requested.
The rest of the team signed off their individual connections, and Brenna left the room and went upstairs, leaving Admiral and me alone.
“What’s your comfort level with this assignment?”
“Ready to proceed. The briefing clarified several important considerations about their methodologies.”
“Is there anything about the personal dynamics between you and Brenna that might affect mission success?”
“They might actually enhance our cover authenticity,” I offered carefully. “Genuine attraction is difficult to fake convincingly.”
He raised a brow. “As long as you can maintain focus when the situation requires it, I’ll let your last statement go. The people buying what these tech guys are selling are dangerous, not social dilettantes. If they sense deception, they won’t just ghost. They’ll act to eliminate perceived threats.”
“Copy that. Anything else you wanted to talk about?”
“Just remember that sometimes the most dangerous moment in an undercover operation is when you start to believe your own cover story.”
Once he signed off, I sat, processing what I’d learned in the briefing and the risks we’d be facing. This wasn’t just about infiltrating social events and gathering evidence. We were up against professionals who killed people to protect their criminal enterprise. I closed my laptop and went upstairs to look for Brenna.
“That was thorough,” she said when I walked into the bedroom.
“Intense,” I agreed. “Not unlike K19’s typical approach.”
“Which means we need to be absolutely convincing at this mixer,” she said, closing her laptop. “No room for hesitation or uncertainty.”
“We could spend the rest of today preparing,” I suggested. “Cover story rehearsal, behavioral synchronization, contingency planning.”
“Agreed.” Her tone was professional, but something flickered in her eyes. “Where should we start?”
“Do you want to do this here or take it downstairs?”
