Operation: Austin

Chapter One Part Three- Rescued

The term “investigator” evoked an interesting image in most people’s minds. On TV, there would be a blonde with big boobs named Zelma, sitting at a wooden desk answering the phones for the Gumshoe Detective Agency. The detective, of course, would be some pretty guy who looked like Frank Sinatra. Having been fired from the police force for insubordination, the guy ended up with a PI license, but the police still love him.

That was the cliché. In today’s world, the reality is not so theatrical. The internet, constantly available cell phones, and social media have transformed the investigative aspect of their business into a more nuanced and lucrative endeavor. It also allowed Gary to describe his business as security consulting, a much cooler and less restrictive description. In truth, they did a lot more than just the investigations.

Often, though, his client introductions were mysterious. Yesterday, when an email dropped into his box from needsomehelp@adxec.com, the fact that it was from a temporary account was no surprise, but it did pique his interest. It was not that unusual; it just meant the client did not want others to know about the investigation. After the initial contact, the discovery process began to identify the real issues and determine the cost to the client for the team to resolve them.

The message just said that a mutual friend recommended Gary for some security work.

That’s simple enough. He answered with these instructions. “Get a new cell phone with a different carrier, load the Signal messaging app, and make sure you have a VPN. Then send me a message so that we can talk securely. I will check later for your reply.”

Solving other people’s issues started years ago. After graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in construction management and a master’s in computer science and technology, Gary was hired as a project engineer with a large defense technology company. Eighteen months into his first job, the project manager was fired for having issues with the schedule and quality control. Gary knew the most about the project’s current situation, so after an in-depth interview, their boss appointed him to the management position. When the project finished on time and met the budget, the industry took notice.

Not long afterward, he was hired as a consultant to solve problems on a Defense Department project, and his reputation grew. That led to his being hired by a cybersecurity antivirus company, where he became a TOR and Dark Web expert and fell in love with the world of cyber investigation.

For him, something was addicting about the chase, like a lion stalking a gazelle. Creeping so slowly, he could barely be seen moving, crouching where the prey could not see him; finally, with a rush, he would pounce. It was usually over before his victim knew he was there.

That is what they did, John and he. They hunted, planned, and crept up on bad people, especially those the legal system either could not or would not touch. When they pounced, they destroyed their target and took everything belonging to the criminal. When they were done, they left no evidence of their involvement. After paying themselves very well, they put the rest of the money they plundered into a fund to help the victims they rescued.

Generally, Gary did the stalking; then John and the team did the pouncing, but lately, Gary had been taking a greater participation in the fieldwork. He felt it helped him plan missions better when he understood what they experienced. Additionally, he needed to be there to extract information and plunder the criminal’s accounts.

Business had been good at Booker Security Consulting. He had made millions in fees. Also, through information gained from his clients, he made some good investments along the way. Gary was wealthier than he ever dreamed of being. Through interactions with leading experts, he gained insight into emerging technologies and positioned himself ahead of the curve. Cryptocurrencies are one example; in 2010, he used a bonus from one of his projects to buy 100,000 Bitcoin at 8 cents each.

As it peaked in December 2017, he began unloading them at $17,600 per coin and had liquidated 90,000 by the time they hit the $19,000 range. He had kept 10,000 of his originals and bought back another 50,000 when the price dipped in December. That did not even consider those he had plundered during their operations. Now the price was coming back up, and he felt it would go much further as blockchain technology matured.

He had also invested in other markets. Tech stocks like Apple, sss, Google, and Microsoft performed very well over the previous ten years. He was currently buying positions in blockchain technology companies and in an emerging energy storage solution that promised to change the world.

Even though he no longer had a financial need to work, his name kept getting passed around, and he had a steady stream of clients. Now, he and John could choose projects based on their value, both financially and socially, which is why they did hostage rescue work. When they learned someone was captured, if they could find where they were being held, they put together a mission and brought the victim home. The money they reaped from notorious criminals gave the team almost unlimited resources to carry out extraction missions. They liked knowing that the horrible things they did to bad people had a socially redeeming value, though they could never tell anyone exactly what they did on those missions.

Usually, Gary’s duties were very tedious, but in the end, there was a prize. The moments of intense combat broke up the monotony of constant training and spending days on end, hacking into sites and accounts. It was always more satisfying when there was a damsel to rescue, or they could steal millions of dollars from the bad guys. It was especially rewarding to be able to do both.

That was how Gary met John, working for the internet security company. John had been hired to do some personal security for the CEO. The two men liked each other, and right after that, John landed a job that required some technical work, so he called Gary.

Having the right intel going in can make all the difference in an operation’s success, and Gary was the best in the business at penetrating computer systems and exfiltrating information. He had also proven to be particularly good at strategic planning. They had been together ever since, occasionally working on projects independently of each other, but lately mostly working as a team.

As he drove, reminiscing about their past made the time pass quickly. The early Tuesday traffic in Eastern Washington consisted of a few semi-trucks and the occasional pickup or car taking people to work. Gary hit the Columbia River east of The Dals at about 6:00 a.m. Right on time. The traffic into the Portland Metro was a bit heavier by then, but his GPS said he was still on track to make the flight on time.

Making the run down the winding Columbia River in a smooth car is a fun experience. By that time, the sun was up, and the views were inspiring. Highway 84 had a pretty good surface with enough curves to give Gary an appreciation of how well his aftermarket suspension system handled. Most men his age and income bracket drove European cars. He liked being different and unexpected, and most people did not think that a Cadillac, even a CTS V, would pack 640 horsepower and could go over 200 miles per hour.

Around town or on the farms, he usually drove a ten-year-old Ford F250 4x4. It matched the agricultural theme of Eastern Washington. If he was there in the winter, which he tried not to be, it got him around in the snow on farm errands. It was also what he usually drove when the dog was with him; Jax wasn’t allowed in the sedan. Besides, that car wasn’t going on the road when the weather was cold, so he had the pickup and an Escalade for the snow, especially to run up to Snoqualmie Pass skiing or to jump over the pass to visit his mom if she wasn’t with him at one of his other homes. He tried to stay south in the winter, especially since he considered The Villa on the island of Saint Kitts to be his primary residence. He usually spent at least six months of the year there, unless he came back to Ellensburg to meet with the team for mission training.

He had several thousand acres in the area, made up of separate farms he had purchased over the past few years. It backed up to the hillside of the Yakima Military Training Center, a three-hundred-twenty-seven-thousand-acre Army facility. Working through a holding company, he had been quietly buying farms bordering properties he already owned; the goal was to eventually control two miles between himself and any neighbors.

The farm had thousands of fruit trees, mostly apples, pears, and peaches, as well as a vineyard. There was also a large garden by his house, about an acre in size. That, in addition to the chickens, kept him and his housekeeper in fresh organic food. Most of the farm was leased out to grow hay and alfalfa and to graze range cattle, depending on the irrigated areas.

His trips made it hard to keep it all going, so he hired a farm manager and entered a co-op arrangement with a young couple, Dave and Maria Sanchez, to work the garden. They had a place in town and helped in exchange for a split of the produce. It worked for both parties; the young couple got the land and the use of his gardening equipment. Gary got all the food he needed except for the occasional side of beef, which was part of a deal with a local family who leased some of his land to run range-fed organic stock.