The Wi-Fi Trap
1593 Words
The data center was in the basement of a London office building.
Marcus stood across the street, rain dripping from the awning of a closed newsagent. Claire was beside him. Damian was at the rear entrance. Nikolai was in a van down the block, monitoring.
“The code is embedded in the public Wi-Fi signal,” Nikolai said through the earpiece. “Anyone who connects loses their memories within minutes.”
“How do we stop it?” Marcus asked.
“You need to access the main server. Delete the code. Elena sent a program that will scrub it from the network.”
“And the people running it?”
“There are three. Armed. Expect resistance.”
Marcus looked at Claire. “Let's go.”
---
The service entrance was a steel door with a keypad.
Marcus used the bypass device. The lock clicked.
Inside, the basement was a maze of cables and cooling units. The data center was in the center of the room—a glass-walled room filled with servers.
A man sat at a console inside. He looked up as Marcus approached.
“You're not supposed to be here.”
“I'm not supposed to be anywhere.”
Marcus raised his Sig. “Step away from the console.”
The man raised his hands.
Claire moved to the servers. She plugged in Elena's device. “Copying the code now.”
“How long?”
“Five minutes.”
The door on the other side of the glass room opened. Two more men. Armed.
---
Damian fired through the glass. It shattered.
One man fell. The other returned fire.
Marcus pulled Claire behind a server rack. “How much longer?”
“Three minutes!”
The remaining guard advanced.
Marcus fired. The guard fell.
“Got it!” Claire pulled the device.
They ran.
---
Outside, Nikolai had the engine running.
They jumped in. The van screeched away.
Marcus looked back at the building. No pursuit.
“Elena has the code?”
“She has it. She can create a counter-measure.”
“And the broadcast?”
“Disabled. The server is wiped.”
Marcus leaned back. “Another one down.”
“Thirty-seven to go.”
---
They flew back to the cabin.
Margaret was waiting on the porch.
“London?”
“The data center is shut down. The code is with Elena.”
“Good. One more.”
Marcus sat on the porch step. “How many of these people are there?”
“The list has forty-three names. We've stopped seven facilities. That leaves thirty-six people still active.”
“And the facilities they're using?”
“Dozens. But we're finding them.”
---
That night, Marcus sat on the porch.
The stars were bright. The woods were quiet.
Claire brought him coffee.
“You're thinking about the next target.”
“I'm thinking about how many there are. How long it will take.”
“We have time.”
“Do we?”
She sat beside him. “We have to.”
---
His phone buzzed.
A message from Nikolai.
“The network has identified the next target. A facility in Germany. They're building a code that can be transmitted through smart home devices. Alexa. Google Home. Anything with a microphone.”
Marcus typed back: “Where in Germany?”
“Berlin. A tech startup that's a front for the consortium.”
“When?”
“They're planning a test in four days. You need to stop them before then.”
Marcus put the phone away.
Claire looked at him. “Germany?”
“Germany.”
---
They left the next morning.
Private plane. Marcus, Claire, Damian, and Nikolai.
Berlin was gray and cold.
The startup was in a modern glass building in the tech district. Nikolai had arranged for a contact inside—a programmer named Hans who had seen the code.
They met in a park. Hans was nervous.
“The code is in the firmware. Every device they ship has it embedded. When they activate it, millions of homes will become weapons.”
“How do we stop it?” Marcus asked.
“You need to get into the server room. Delete the master file. I have the access code.”
Marcus took the code. “Where's the server room?”
“Basement. Third door on the left.”
---
They approached the building at midnight.
The lobby was empty. A security guard dozed at the desk.
Marcus slipped past. The stairs. The basement.
The server room door was locked. Keypad.
Marcus entered the code.
Inside, rows of servers. Blinking lights.
Claire plugged in Elena's device. “Copying.”
“How long?”
“Ten minutes.”
The door opened.
Guards. Armed.
Damian fired. Claire fired.
Marcus grabbed the device. “Time?”
“Five minutes!”
The guards kept coming.
Marcus fired until his magazine was empty. Reloaded. Fired again.
“Got it!”
They ran.
---
The police arrived an hour later.
The startup was shut down. The firmware was recalled. The devices were patched.
Marcus stood outside, watching the sunrise.
Claire was beside him. “Another one down.”
“Thirty-six to go.”
“We'll get there.”
---
They flew back to the cabin.
Margaret was waiting on the porch.
“Germany?”
“The startup is closed. The code is with Elena.”
“Good. One more.”
Marcus sat on the porch step. “How many more facilities?”
“Dozens. But we're making progress.”
“Are we?”
Margaret looked at him. “We have to be.”
---
That night, Marcus sat on the porch.
The stars were bright. The woods were quiet.
Claire brought him coffee.
“You're thinking about Hans.”
“I'm thinking about how many people are willing to betray their employers. Their colleagues. Their country.”
“He did the right thing.”
“He did. But he'll pay for it.”
She sat beside him. “We'll protect him.”
---
His phone buzzed.
A message from Nikolai.
“The network has identified the next target. A facility in Brazil. They're building a code that can be transmitted through ATMs. Anyone who uses a card will be affected.”
Marcus typed back: “Where in Brazil?”
“Sao Paulo. A bank that's a front for the consortium.”
“When?”
“They're planning a test in two days. You need to stop them before then.”
Marcus put the phone away.
Claire looked at him. “Brazil?”
“Brazil.”
---
They left the next day.
Private plane. Marcus, Claire, Damian, and Nikolai.
Sao Paulo was hot and crowded.
The bank was in the financial district. Nikolai had arranged for a contact inside—a teller named Maria who had seen the code.
They met in a café. Maria was scared.
“The code is in the ATM software. Every transaction triggers an update. Within days, millions of people will be affected.”
“How do we stop it?” Marcus asked.
“You need to get into the main server room. Delete the master file. I have the access code.”
Marcus took the code. “Where's the server room?”
“Basement. The door is marked 'Electrical.' ”
---
They approached the bank at midnight.
The lobby was empty. A security guard patrolled.
Marcus waited. The guard passed. He moved to the stairs.
The basement was dark. The server room door was locked.
Keypad. Marcus entered the code.
Inside, rows of servers. Blinking lights.
Claire plugged in Elena's device. “Copying.”
“How long?”
“Ten minutes.”
The door opened.
Guards. Armed.
Damian fired. Claire fired.
Marcus grabbed the device. “Time?”
“Five minutes!”
The guards kept coming.
Marcus fired until his magazine was empty. Reloaded. Fired again.
“Got it!”
They ran.
---
The police arrived an hour later.
The bank was shut down. The ATM software was patched.
Marcus stood outside, watching the sunrise.
Claire was beside him. “Another one down.”
“Thirty-five to go.”
“We'll get there.”
---
They flew back to the cabin.
Margaret was waiting on the porch.
“Brazil?”
“The bank is closed. The code is with Elena.”
“Good. One more.”
Marcus sat on the porch step. “How many more?”
“Too many. But we have time.”
“Do we?”
Margaret looked at him. “We have to.”
---
That night, Marcus sat on the porch.
The stars were bright. The woods were quiet.
Claire brought him coffee.
“You're thinking about Maria.”
“I'm thinking about how many people are willing to risk everything to do the right thing.”
“She was brave.”
“She was. And she'll have to disappear.”
She sat beside him. “We'll help her.”
---
His phone buzzed.
A message from Nikolai.
“The network has identified the next target. A facility in South Africa. They're building a code that can be transmitted through car navigation systems. Anyone who uses GPS will be affected.”
Marcus typed back: “Where in South Africa?”
“Johannesburg. A car manufacturer that's a front for the consortium.”
“When?”
“They're planning a test in three days. You need to stop them before then.”
Marcus put the phone away.
Claire looked at him. “South Africa?”
“South Africa.”
- Writer
