Read Online Exposure (Jackson Chase Novella Book 1) by Connor Black - Free Book Online
Authors: Connor Black
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that Slater didn’t know that the Agency was back-filling these data.”
“Could you get a location?”
“That’s what we’ve been working on. I was, ah,” she said hesitating, “trying to go through proper channels, and, Mr. Clark had to give me a little help.”
Clark laughed. “I’ll tell you, the Lieutenant here is smart. But she’s a little too nice. I gave her a hand busting some chops.”
Chen smiled. “Mr. Clark does have a colorful way about him. And it’s effective.”
I was beginning to like this guy.
“So what have you got?” asked Sterba.
“We were able to get the IP address,” Chen continued. “An Internet café by Wat Pho.”
“Which one is that?” asked Sterba. Fair enough. Most of us think of the temples by the various poses of Buddha.
“The one with the reclining Buddha, Joe,” I said.
“Have you sent someone over?” Sterba asked.
Clark nodded. “I’ve had someone on the place since the commander figured it out yesterday. No joy.”
“You guys talk to the owner?” Joe asked.
“No. Don’t think it would help. Place is mostly automated for the computers, and you could go in and out without ever talking to the staff.”
“So it’s a waiting game,” I said.
“Maybe,” Clark said. “More likely he got what he needed and won’t use the card or the café again.”
I looked over at Sterba, and he looked how I felt. Like someone just served us a shit sandwich.
“The commander has been working another angle,” he said, turning the stage over to Chen.
“Mr. Clark explained to me how cover identities are created and used. It occurred to me that there would be unused identities as well.”
“Do you mean identities he was issued that he hadn’t used?” asked Joe.
“Those were already in the net, but same idea,” Chen replied. “I abstracted out one degree.” Seeing the confused look on our faces, she put it into simpler terms.
“Say your own cover IDs were blown,” she said to me. “And Joe is your friend, also in the CIA.”
“I’d say, ‘Hey Joe, do you have an ID without that big, ugly face of yours on it that I could use?’”
Sterba shot me the finger.
Chen carried on, ignoring him. “Exactly. Mr. Clark has been going through all of Slater’s operations since he’s been in Afghanistan. We’ve pulled the names of every agent along with their known cover IDs and added them to the mix.”
“Nice solution,” I said. “No hits yet?”
“Plenty of them,” she said. “But none in Thailand. So by all appearances, they’re being used legitimately. That search query is active, though, just in case. We’ll be pinged if the names pop.”
Clark picked up the conversation. “This morning, I was explaining to the commander that Agency-issued IDs are only part of the search. Us dinosaurs used to have some backups in place,” Clark said.
“You had your own false identities created without the Agency knowing,” I said.
He nodded. “Sad fact is your fears about getting burned can get the best of you, and you begin seeing shadows in every corner. There’s a point that every operative reaches when you know you have to look out for number one. So you purchase some paper and create an identity or two that the watchers at Langley don’t know about.”
Chen continued, “Mr. Clark explained that while readily available, these identities are just that. Passport, credit card good for a short term, and sometimes a social security number. As Mr. Clark explains it, that’s the difference between a legend and an identity. Legends, such as the ones the CIA creates for case officers, have depth and real-world backstops. The phone number on a business card is answered. A search of a university’s database will show name, grades, and even test scores. IDs from the street generally don’t have that depth.”
“But since they’re bought on the streets, they’re still untraceable, right?” I asked.
“Yes,” Chen answered. “For the most
“Could you get a location?”
“That’s what we’ve been working on. I was, ah,” she said hesitating, “trying to go through proper channels, and, Mr. Clark had to give me a little help.”
Clark laughed. “I’ll tell you, the Lieutenant here is smart. But she’s a little too nice. I gave her a hand busting some chops.”
Chen smiled. “Mr. Clark does have a colorful way about him. And it’s effective.”
I was beginning to like this guy.
“So what have you got?” asked Sterba.
“We were able to get the IP address,” Chen continued. “An Internet café by Wat Pho.”
“Which one is that?” asked Sterba. Fair enough. Most of us think of the temples by the various poses of Buddha.
“The one with the reclining Buddha, Joe,” I said.
“Have you sent someone over?” Sterba asked.
Clark nodded. “I’ve had someone on the place since the commander figured it out yesterday. No joy.”
“You guys talk to the owner?” Joe asked.
“No. Don’t think it would help. Place is mostly automated for the computers, and you could go in and out without ever talking to the staff.”
“So it’s a waiting game,” I said.
“Maybe,” Clark said. “More likely he got what he needed and won’t use the card or the café again.”
I looked over at Sterba, and he looked how I felt. Like someone just served us a shit sandwich.
“The commander has been working another angle,” he said, turning the stage over to Chen.
“Mr. Clark explained to me how cover identities are created and used. It occurred to me that there would be unused identities as well.”
“Do you mean identities he was issued that he hadn’t used?” asked Joe.
“Those were already in the net, but same idea,” Chen replied. “I abstracted out one degree.” Seeing the confused look on our faces, she put it into simpler terms.
“Say your own cover IDs were blown,” she said to me. “And Joe is your friend, also in the CIA.”
“I’d say, ‘Hey Joe, do you have an ID without that big, ugly face of yours on it that I could use?’”
Sterba shot me the finger.
Chen carried on, ignoring him. “Exactly. Mr. Clark has been going through all of Slater’s operations since he’s been in Afghanistan. We’ve pulled the names of every agent along with their known cover IDs and added them to the mix.”
“Nice solution,” I said. “No hits yet?”
“Plenty of them,” she said. “But none in Thailand. So by all appearances, they’re being used legitimately. That search query is active, though, just in case. We’ll be pinged if the names pop.”
Clark picked up the conversation. “This morning, I was explaining to the commander that Agency-issued IDs are only part of the search. Us dinosaurs used to have some backups in place,” Clark said.
“You had your own false identities created without the Agency knowing,” I said.
He nodded. “Sad fact is your fears about getting burned can get the best of you, and you begin seeing shadows in every corner. There’s a point that every operative reaches when you know you have to look out for number one. So you purchase some paper and create an identity or two that the watchers at Langley don’t know about.”
Chen continued, “Mr. Clark explained that while readily available, these identities are just that. Passport, credit card good for a short term, and sometimes a social security number. As Mr. Clark explains it, that’s the difference between a legend and an identity. Legends, such as the ones the CIA creates for case officers, have depth and real-world backstops. The phone number on a business card is answered. A search of a university’s database will show name, grades, and even test scores. IDs from the street generally don’t have that depth.”
“But since they’re bought on the streets, they’re still untraceable, right?” I asked.
“Yes,” Chen answered. “For the most
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