EXFIL by Anthony Patton (best book reader txt) 📕

“I’ll catch up with you later,” she said to her friends and greeted me with a hug and kiss on the cheek. “I heard you might be working here.”

“Do you have a minute?” I asked.

“Of course,” she said and gestured to the cafeteria, where we approached the coffee kiosk and ordered a black coffee and a latte.

“It’s good to see you,” she said as the barista got busy. “First day?”

“I got a job offer today,” I said. “I like the money in the private sector, but I’ll probably take the teaching position at West Point.”

The barista set the two coffees on the counter. I reached for my wallet.

“It’s free,” Anna whispered, grabbed the latte, and led the way to an open table. I set two dollars in the tip jar and followed her.

“How long have you been working for Bartfield?” I asked, and regretted my tone.

“Colonel Reed,” she said and folded her arms, “I’m sorry about how things played out, but we’re both professionals and know it was the only way. Besides, things worked out for you, whether here or at West Point.”

She was right. It was sentimental of me to judge her role in the operation, including the seduction, as if I wouldn’t have done the same thing to her for national security.

The best explanation for my response was that I had lingering feelings for her.

“What do you mean the only way?” I countered, unable to resist.

She tilted her head, as if I hadn’t received the memo. “My original plan was to work for CIA,” she said. “After the Chinese pitched me, I reported it and agreed to work as a double agent. We knew the Chinese wanted access to the Pentagon computer system, so the plan was to give me access to the most sensitive programs. I was supposed to do what you did.”

I nodded. “And then?”

“And then?” she said, yet more confident I hadn’t received the memo. “We found out the Chinese were using the polygraph to vet their sources, so they gave me a secret clearance to limit my access while we steered the operation toward you.” She sipped her latte. “They told me you had special training or something to defeat the polygraph.”

I could only smile when I realized she had no idea that I hadn’t received the memo. They told her I could beat the polygraph because I had special training, but the truth was I was actually betraying my country. I opted to not disabuse her of her interpretation. “I overheard your farewell event. Sounds like you were involved in the software for the Chinese cyber operation and the cloud program at the Pentagon, which was just approved by Congress.”

She nodded and sipped her latte.

“I hear the cloud program finally received emergency funding after China’s last cyberattack, which we facilitated.”

Anna looked around, losing patience with my moralism. “Look, Colonel Reed, I wasn’t briefed on all the details, so there’s no need to resort to conspiracy theories. Our counterattack on the China cyber program will justify everything we’ve done.”

“It’s not a conspiracy theory,” I said, convinced that playing the conspiracy theory card should be added to the list of informal logical fallacies. “We gave the Chinese access to our computer systems. You and I saw this firsthand.”

She took a deep breath and rolled her eyes. “Colonel Reed, the old system was a complete disaster, trust me. It was being hacked from all directions, not only by China. Congress was unwilling to fix the problem because there were too many special interests holding up the funding. We might have sacrificed something in the process, but we’re in a better position now to stop future hacks and destroy the Chinese cyber program, all because of Mr. Bartfield.”

I had to admit she was right. “We have a lot to be proud of. Hey, good luck at CIA.”

The last comment appeased her. I gave her a kiss on the cheek as we embraced. I had no idea what she felt for me, but I avoided saying anything stupid.

TWENTY-NINE

Anyone with experience in running military operations knows that after months of planning and practice, there’s a magical moment when everything comes alive.

Soldiers who on the first day struggle to follow instructions, like musicians reading sheet music for the first time, mysteriously transform into a symphony and play with intuition and muscle memory, no longer thinking about the individual notes. The music takes on a life of its own. The soldiers are there for the ride, ready to be replaced if necessary.

Such was the case with the plan to launch the cyberattack on China, which was run out of Cyber Command headquarters. I’m not a computer technician and don’t understand the nuts and bolts, but they looked like members of an elite orchestra tuning instruments as they turned on their computers, initiated the computer programs, and connected to VPNs in a conference room set aside for the operation. A somber yet optimistic air filled the room.

Few spoke, but each player knew his or her role. In my combat experience, this time was usually spent loading weapons and conducting radio checks, but the fine soldiers in this room were about to put lead on the enemy in a way that I could only admire.

The good news was the Chinese took the bait. After the second Trojan horse was loaded onto their computers, the two programs linked up and generated an additional code completely undetected, which worked its way through as many computer systems as possible in the Chinese government, limited only by the types of security measures and firewalls the Chinese had installed. According to our technicians, they were pleased with the results, which poured in steadily.

My understanding was that a few important computer systems would be hit as a proportional response for the mainstream media to report, thus leaving the door open for future attacks if the need should arise. In addition, our ongoing ability to monitor their activities would result in intelligence collection for the foreseeable