Life Blood's Vengeance

Technologies Answers

I firmly suggested my mother leave after our planning session and had Samuel distract her with a pithy argument as I checked the time. It was now 8:30 and Maman was safely away on her way back to the estate, I was fully healed from last nights events and now I had to prepare to work another full day with no sleep the night before. I must say I have a very enjoyable life at the moment. I think back to the rest of the conversation we had that nailed down the details of our soon to be victory instead of the events of the day that needed my attention.

I appreciate the answers technology was able to give me for our plan in protecting others while surveying my target during the Children’s Hospital event that we would be hosting at our location within the next six weeks. Not only would I be able to watch our guests, but I had also decided to hire a videographer to capture the event so I could receive permission to photograph anyone. Anyone who wanted to attend had to agree in writing before they entered the event. Including a photo id and their name.

Better yet I was able to find an old black and white photo of Michell/ Kral Wolff from his days serving in the German military. All staff working the event were to look for a similar looking gentlemen. If I truly knew him he would not miss such an opportunity to achieve his end goal to capture me yet again, this would be his best opportunity to his knowledge. However, I would be secure on my floor and temporary sleeping quarters as I could be. I would also be watched and protected well during the event by my company staff.

Sadly I can't simply notify the authorities as they would not believe a 23 year old looking man in reality was the supposedly very old or at least long dead SS officer Kral Wolff. They would question my validity and not take me seriously and if they did they would question how he was alive. His mere existence and capture by the US government would expose our species to much danger. I will have my vengeance regardless. I would also capture the images of his last moments of freedom and keep them for all time as a memory of our victory. Sadly capturing anything else like his torture and death would be incriminating evidence leading to a possible conviction in a murder trial.

The event was to be held soon, but I had another headache to deal with first. My cyber security teams failure to protect the information I trusted them with. They might be better at these new technologies than my ancient age, however I still learned coding and basic system operations in the 1990’s. Enough to understand that failure to update the firewall with new threat information we knew existed was not a sign of great IT management.

I would be meeting with my IT Director and after that a larger meeting with the IT Director, my business attorney, the board of the company and Lucy who would be taking notes. That being said I was seriously aggravated and must calm myself before I met with Jackson Timberman in a little under 30 minutes. I understand we all make mistakes, but this was a major issue and now I must inform everyone of Jackson’s mistakes and then find out how much information was taken as a full investigation would commence on the depth of the information taken.

Lord grant me patience! I am sitting at my desk as Lucy prepares the board room for the larger meeting. I breathe deeply and put my head in my hands. I stare at the preliminary report given to me by Jackson and I can see right through it. Some of the lower level blood research was compromised, sales information to all of our clients, all of the account information that links us with our 15 chosen charities including children’s programs as well as ALL of my personal information. The good news is that the companies financial information and accounts were not taken nor was the higher level classified research or the vaccines we were working on.

Someone made this personal and even taking what they did was going to be a huge issue for us as most of our clients were hospitals and major medial centers. We have to contain this, but paying the 10 million was not a good option either as there was no promise we would retain the security of the information they had taken.

If we paid, they could still sell the information to the highest bidder or use the information themselves. If only I could track the person and bring them back like the good old times and torture them…

Wait, that idea might have merit. If I could track them down and bring them here I would secure the information. I get on the phone quickly and it rings through. Thankfully he picks up on the first ring, “Samuel, are you on the way home.”

I almost hear him roll my eyes at the stupid question, “Yes, we just left.” He continues in the most condensing way, “Do you need me to come back. I am at your command.” This is usually how he speaks to my mother. He was once the Duke of Normandy so I guess he just has to have condescension down to an art form.

I let a moment of silence pass wait for him to sigh, “What is it! Your mother is annoying me again.” I hear her start ranting in French and can imagine her gesturing with her hands.

I giggle in return, some how this man can always make me laugh and his wit is truly unmatched. “I need you to contact your old military friend in Russia. I need his assistance with a technology matter quite quickly. Can you make the connection with his son for me? He still works in Russian Intelligence correct?” He pauses and I can tell he wants to ask why without tipping my mother that something is wrong or not as it should be.

“Yes, I will make the contact. His son can be difficult, but I will get you a date with him. I heard through the grape vine that he was working in DC at the moment. However, his father passed on a few years ago.” Translation he wants to know more before he makes the connection due to trust issues. He would be coming with me. Weather I liked it or not he would be there to make sure that this son was not difficult with me. I heard my mom squeal in excitement at the mention of a date with a man. She would be nagging me non-stop to learn more about my meeting with Shrimiski’s son.

My family is so protective that sometimes it was almost like they did not think that I could not take care of my own problems, however I will take his protection now as I am over my head with this cyber-attack. “Thank you for getting Catherine excited for no reason. I need to speak with him by next week. Is this able to be done?”

“I will see what his assignment is to see if he can come in person.” I hear steps on the tiles outside my office and Lucy speaking in the background to someone. Looking up I see Jackson walking toward my office and looking none to happy to be coming to this meeting.

I interrupt him quickly, “I have to go my appointment is here. Good luck with Maman.” I hang up the phone and rearrange the files on my desk to make room for the information I at least hope to receive from Jackson. I turn on my office video recording device that is next to the door’s electronic opening button and prepare to get started. I will delete if I need to, but I had a feeling I would need this recording as evidence of Jackson’s performance issues.

This employee is on thin ice with me and I am considering putting the results of this set of meetings on his performance evaluation if I did not fire him out right. I open the doors to my office with a button on my desk. Motioning him to have a seat he hands me four thin files. He looks as tired as I feel and he should be. I see Lucy retrieve a bottle of water and asks me how I am. I glare at him as I know he most probably knows that at the very least my car was heavily damaged. Although I should maybe be more understanding considering what Lucy had mentioned in passing to me this morning. More on this later.

He looked down at the files, “I heard about your car. Do you know who attacked it.” I pulled the top file he had given me and I nod slowly.

“Yes, I do know the culprit and the issue will be dealt with. Just as this one will be. What did you further find and what was the total damage? Also were you able to find the source of the threat at all?” I see the report of the number of files taken as the first document in the top file as well as the type of sensitive information and it takes everything in me not to murder him.

My personal files were targeted according to the records, as well as all my previous identities I used to cover up me never aging as well as my company photograph once they were available. I knew the file well as it’s location was on my personal device with the highest security around it. It showed the same person looking anywhere from twenty to thirty years old in different style clothing with different names. There were 8 identities, many of them married daughters or sons of the original owner a Mr. Goodnight. The time each identity stayed was roughly 6-10 years, but even then the similarities of the photo’s that were available were enough to look suspicious, but not incriminating of my never-aging condition.

Jackson looked nervous as he wrings his hands as he sees the page my eyes were scanning intently. He begins in his most professional diagnostic, almost robotic tone as if we were discussing the parts of a semi-automatic rifle, “You will see in the file that the target was the company at first then was narrowed down to your personal set of information. The first attack uncluded the employment history of every individual in this building. The corruption of the data then focused on the vendor’s and client systems at first through a sales persons e-mail address, from there they found a patching or update flaw in the firewall for less classified information. This allowed the attack to spread to your device. When I took your device to find the extent, I found that the entire devices memory was stolen.” He grimaces as he looks down at my knuckles that have now turned white over the stack of files.

I stay silent allowing him to recover. He swallows, his Adams apple bobbing and the blood vessels in his neck protruding. I stay silent motioning him to continue, I need to know everything that was taken as some of the information was coven related. If some of the communication via email and finances of the coven were taken that might pose a significant threat to everyone at the estate.

He drones on,

“Thankfully once your personal information was taken, which was half way through the data drain of the secure files of the company all activity stopped. The attack was halted immediately, which saved the backup systems, the critical and sensitive research data, major financial records, the entire company’s personnel with the exclusion of this office and the development of new products.” Great, my personal life’s information helped save the company, but that means they stopped when they found valuable information enough that they believed they could use. Best case, they were stopped by force, but I don’t think what was the case. I flip through the rest of the files as he speaks and then when he is finished I close my eyes for a moment.

I ask shortly, “You are saying if the firewall had been patched correctly then the breach would have been contained?” I move my hand to the last file as it is labeled recovery process. He stammers and tries to place blame on his staff, but I had already had Lucy look at the division of work for the IT department. He as the head of IT was responsible for security and infrastructure as well as having the engineering degree to know what should have been done. I continue my interrogation, “Your role is IT security and you were hired because of your experience with protecting networks correct?"

“Yes Ms. Renquist, however I have been working on many of the wi-fi and employee trainings so I had passed off the patching of the security to Joseph. He should have completed the work.”

I ask innocently, “Did you not train Joseph, who happens to be your nephew and when he was hired you claimed he would be a low-level technical man who would be helping with support desk activities?” Honestly I love being a boss as so many underestimates what I know and that they can just lie to me. Not only that some think I a dumb and don’t remember the conversations I had with them. “Would it not have been a better allocation of skills for Joseph to work on the wi-fi issues and training instead of a task he was not suited for. Not only that, but the training reports from several departments claim that you assigned a lot of group work and only conducted a ten-minute presentation that had already been shown to that group two months ago.” Jackson was starting to realize he was being watched far more closely than he previously believed. Would it be mean to also mention I knew he was dating the secretary of the head of finance and that he was recorded encouraging her to steal funds from their supplies budget by her. I would release the information, but only if it came to it.

Jackson seems to look at me strangely, “As I was looking through the recovered information I found some strange information and communication with those at a family estate you seem to own. It appears no one moves, and the spreadsheet of inhabitants have birthdays of more than 100 years ago as well as likes and dislikes. However, there are no death dates.” I pale and want to swear fluidly in French. Damn, why did I keep that document. He looks at me as I start tapping my pen near the recorder. However, if I say anything including swearing I would be confirming the statement he made. Making it evidence tied to the same recording that I now need to incriminate Jackson's threat and incompetence.

“What do you know about this? More importantly does the hacker know? And yet again, were you able to track them to a location.” I don’t look up as I am afraid of what he might know and what I will have to give for his silence if this imbecilic creature was able to recover the information I know to be on my personal device.

“I know that whoever it was, they were in Washington DC and has a lot of experience in hacking. They were able to cover their identity well. As for what I know, I know enough to question your families “health condition” A condition I am willing to share with others if forced to.” My eyes grow cold and I get up from my desk as he grips his chair. He just incriminated himself and committed a terminatable offence, I must also take care of that wagging tongue of his.

He thought he was being brave, but he was being very stupid. I measure my words carefully, speaking softly and quietly, “So what do you plan to question and who do plan to tell if you learn the answers.” Baiting the hook I wait like a master fisherman.

The promise of the answers to his questions might be enough to get him to take my trap.

I raise my eyebrow waiting for him to answer as I look down at my watch. I am impatiently waiting and looking for an excuse to cause a great deal of bloodshed. I knew how to hide a body dead or alive and after the last 36 hours I felt I was justified in releasing some frustration. He looks me directly “I want to question nothing, I promise you. I will tell the authorities though of my suspicions if you fire me.”

Not surprised by his demand, but still infuriated at the blackmail attempt I sat down on the edge of my desk facing him. “It seems we disagree on a few points. Your very job description means you handle sensitive information, making your attempt to use any info you might or might not have on me or the company an unwise choice. Thus all your work over the last five years will be reviewed by a third party. Including why such an important patch was not done on the main firewalls by the only qualified individual.” He sits up further in his seat and looks very annoyed as I insult his performance.

I motion him to continue after his little interrupting cough, “I however have done well in leading the team since I was employed and this is the first major incident. You don’t have enough of a penalty record in my file. I could go to Human Resources and failing that the authorities.” I shake my head and pick up a red file from desk. I had hoped I did not have to use this, but I have been alive enough years to have a few tricks up my sleeve. It is his girlfriend’s statement against him and all of his employee’s complaints of the last six months against him. The unfortunate event that occur to him this morning was of course his girlfriends wise choice to turn him in to me. A heavy reward was given of course. Should I feel bad for him? I don't at the moment.

I hand him the file and he looks confused, “I of course have another copy and HR now has a copy as we speak. Also, this entire conversation has been recorded for my vice president and the board to review during the next meeting.” He turned a lovely color of red as I continued. “That being said the threats you made today regarding the release of my medical condition makes your termination as well as Joseph’s though his choice to work on systems that he was not qualified or authorized to work on a foregone conclusion.” He flips through all the negative reviews including Joseph’s statement that Jackson passes off all the work to others and will often take lunches for several hours and forge his time card.

“No! You can’t. You know nothing. These are all lies!” He gets up from his chair and approaches me threateningly and I smile in return. “I will not be fired by you meddling woman and I will take my revenge!”

I must say he is quite dramatic if a bit boring and predictable in nature, “Mr. Jackson you are fired, and security will escort you to our holding area until the police arrive for attempted embezzling and threating an employer.” I lean in closer to him and whisper softly so they recorder will not pick it up, “Might I suggest you don’t reveal my medical condition, you might be deemed insane.” I back him up as I motion Lucy who has been watching. The great employee she is she has already called security and they are waiting by the door to be let in.

“Ahh I believe my friends are already here,” as I talk to and open the doors manually. “I must get to my next appointment, really it has been a nice chat, “as I pass the guards and let them pass as Jackson stands fuming clenching the red file that incriminated him so nicely. Just goes to show, don’t trust those who are not family with your secrets. Sadly, he was too late to learn those lessons.

However, I do wonder what the board and my lawyer will think of the recording he just made for me though. Isn’t technology wonderful, back when I was a child I would not have had such a great opportunity, even less so if I was dressed as a woman.