Lady Death

arrogance, as he had been. The blond-haired IT chief looked thick in the middle. He tried to hide his gut with large shirts but with little success.
“Can you explain that in German?”
Dassler said, “Somebody is trying to infiltrate our computer systems.”
Schrader shrugged. “Usual competitors looking for a weakness. What’s the problem?”
“It’s not usual at all, Mr. Schrader. I’m talking about government hackers. They’re coming at us hard. They’ll get through eventually.”
“Move the sensitive data off our systems.”
“In progress. I only hope we’ll have it cleared off before they get through.”
“It’s a certainty?”
“Yes.”
“Why is BND looking at my company?”
The BND. Bundesnachrichtendienst. German Federal Intelligence Service. The largest component of German intelligence.
Dassler’s already pale skin lost a little more color. “I think it’s the Americans, Mr. Schrader.”
Hugo Schrader betrayed no reaction except to blink.
“Why?”
“I have no idea.”
“Thank you for telling me, Phillip. Excuse me while I call Mr. Speidel.”
Dassler nodded and left the office. He closed the door quietly behind him.
Schrader didn’t pick up his desk phone. He now considered it tapped. He wasn’t sure he should use his cell phone, but he knew how to make a call seem innocent while communicating critical information.
He selected a name from his contact list and plugged in a Bluetooth earpiece.
Two rings. Then: “Yes, Mr. Schrader?”
Sebastian Speidel was almost as efficient as Schrader. Hugo also liked that his initials spelled out S.S. A novelty, but an appropriate one.
“See me at my office. Most important.”
“Something wrong?”
“Get here as soon as possible.” Schrader cut off the call before Speidel asked more questions. He might be efficient, but he had a habit of gathering all available information before taking action. Schrader was trying to break him of the habit.
While he waited, he told his secretary to cancel his afternoon meetings. He turned his chair to look out at the river. His mind raced while his face remained impassive.
What were the Americans up to?
What did the hacking attempt have to do with Tanya’s visit to the United States?
Within thirty minutes Schrader’s secretary announced Speidel’s arrival. The office door swung open. Speidel wore a gray suit and black tie to match his black-framed glasses. Another blond, hair slicked back, straight jawline and prominent chin. “I’m here, Mr. Schrader.”
“Somebody is trying to hack our computers, and Dassler thinks it’s the Americans.”
“I was afraid of such a thing.”
“Sit down and tell me why.”
Speidel took a chair and crossed his legs. “Francesca Sloan may have been killed.”
“May?”
“I’ve yet to confirm. I’m only hearing chatter at this time.”
“Once again you’re waiting too long to give me information I need, Sebastian.”
Speidel shrugged off the comment. “I’m not going to pass along gossip, sir.”
Like Dassler, Sebastian Speidel did double-duty at Schrader Venture Capital. Dassler worked in cyberspace to keep Schrader’s subversive activities from prying eyes. Speidel took the physical roll of enforcer, fixer, and intelligence chief.
“Tell me what you’ve learned,” Schrader said.
“I’m hearing she was killed in a drone strike in Syria around the same time as Tanya was in the United States.”
“What’s the connection?”
“I’m not sure. The Americans are undercover in Syria looking for terrorists. They may have gotten lucky. Tanya is safe in Paris, after all.”
Schrader nodded. He watched Speidel’s face. The younger man’s eyes and the shift in his sitting position suggested he had more to say. “What are you holding back?”
“I’m afraid Tanya didn’t tell you the truth about her mission in the US. She may have compromised us.”
Schrader’s voice rose. “How?”
“There was a break-out in the detention center where Omar Talman was being held. A helicopter collected him. Who else but Tanya would attempt a rescue?”
“She might.”
“Which means she wasn’t only coordinating Operation Triangle. She may not have been coordinating at all. You’ll remember, sir, I was against her visit to begin with. There was no reason for her to go.”
“But my daughter is as stubborn as her mother,” Schrader said.
“You need to talk to her before she reaches the island. Before the Americans unravel Operation Triangle and your activities along with it.”
Schrader took a deep breath and let it out. “You’re young, Sebastian. Back in the old days, we’d sweat out news like this, two or three times a week.”
“I have told you everything I’m working on currently.”
“Of course. Come back when you have more. I’m particularly interested in why our systems are being probed.”
Speidel nodded sharply, rose from the chair, and exited the office.
Schrader turned to look out the window again, but the view didn’t register.
When he was the age of Dassler and Speidel, he’d been in the Red Army Faction. Some called it the Baader-Meinhof Gang, but the group had never accepted the name as official. They weren’t a gang. They were the vanguard of a new revolution to overthrow a corrupt system of government. His old comrades were dead. He was the only one left.
Schrader had decided to use capitalism in order to subvert capitalism. Revolutions weren’t free. He used his wealth to fund what western intelligence might call “terrorist cells”. He had no such derogatory view of them. They were freedom fighters. Young people eager for change.
Western ideology represented oppression of the poor and the promotion of the rich. He saw how much money his clients reaped. The successful ones paid back the investment and kept more for themselves while paying employees a pittance and expecting undying loyalty in return.
He imagined a world where everybody existed on a level field, with no more and no less than anybody else. But Schrader had learned long ago only the point of a gun brought about such a society. Far too many would resist a normal change of government, and the slow drip approach didn’t appeal to him either. No matter which route he chose to implement the vision, the rich and powerful would fight back. But they didn’t care who died in the process. They’d sacrifice as many pawns as necessary.
Society had to be broke before they could accomplish any significant rebuilding. Breaking down society required guns and bombs and a willing group to use them as designed.