Page 18 of No Questions Asked

“I guess we’ll find out.”

I took his hand and lifted it to my lips, kissing his amazing hacker fingers. “I guess we will.”

Chapter Ten

Arjun Singh

Bangalore, India

Arjun Singh sat in an expensive leather chair, looking out of the floor-to-ceiling window that provided an expansive view of Bangalore, better known as the Silicon Valley of India. His fingers tapped absently on the arm of the chair as he considered how to handle a problem that wouldn’t go away. It mystified him how this little problem had grown until it now threatened his empire. He hadn’t worked all his life to let a bunch of do-gooders ruin all that he’d built. Not that he was worried it would happen, but the problem had to be dealt with immediately.

The intercom on his desk chimed and Arjun reluctantly tore his gaze away from the bustling city and turned back to his desk. Being the CEO of one of the largest tech companies in India was an honor, but he hadn’t built it by being reactive or passive. Stealing, industrial spying, and hacking were a critical part of the game, and he was an expert at turning the fruits of that labor into exceptional global and financial success.

He leaned across some papers and pressed the button once.

“What is it?”

“I’m sorry to bother you, sir,” his executive assistant said. “But your brother and Mr. Anand are here to see you.”

“Good. Send them in.”

“Yes, sir. Right away.”

Moments later, two men stepped into his office. His brother, Vihaan, was the younger of the two and had thick black hair that curled around his ears. He looked about eighteen years old even though he was nearly twenty-three. Arjun had made him his Director of Security because in the business world, absolute loyalty was a precious commodity. Vihaan adored his older brother and Arjun leveraged it in a way that suited him and his empire.

Vihaan smiled at his brother, but kept it formal, shaking hands and sitting down in one of the visitor chairs. The man accompanying him was only a year older than Vihaan, but tall and thin with a bit of scraggly facial hair on his chin. Arjun preferred clean-cut employees, but he made an exception for Krish Anand due to his brilliance and talent with computers.

He shook hands with Krish and they sat in the chairs on the other side of Vihaan. Arjun wanted an update, so he was pleased he didn’t have to wait to get one.

“Sir, we wanted to let you know our progress on gaining access to Vaccitex’s files,” Krish said, leaning forward, his hands dangling between his knees. “We aren’t there yet, but we’re close. Very close.”

Arjun had designated Krish as the special projects information technology guru in charge of gaining access to their competitor’s research. In other words, Krish was a master hacker.

“Close isn’t good enough,” Arjun said, slightly disappointed. He had faith in Krish, but he needed him to try harder and work faster. Star Pharma needed the details being used for the vaccine so they could replicate it for production and fast. They’d created the production capability, but they needed the process...and soon.

“Sir, it’s only a matter of time. We’ve successfully penetrated their mail server and have full access to all their emails and the test results database, but the process and research information is behind a second firewall that we have not yet breached. I’m certain we can breach it soon, but a speedy approach may not be the best.” He paused, clearly considering how best to explain it to his boss.

Alarm skittered up Arjun’s spine. “Why not?”

Krish leaned back and pressed his long fingers together. “Well, there’s a real possibility that by breaching the second firewall in such a manner, we’ll inadvertently reveal our presence and run the risk of being interrupted while collecting the critical information. Or we could be aggressively tracked. I’m careful, and I’m sure they can’t find us, but I think the best approach at this point is to try repeated subtle attempts to breach the firewall at a level below the threshold they would detect, while also monitoring the emails for a mistake or a way to compromise one of the Vaccitex administrators.”

That was not what Arjun wanted to hear, but he needed all the information before he decided on a definitive course of action. “How much longer will that take?”

“It’s hard to tell, but hopefully within days, but perhaps two weeks at the outside,” Krish said. “This is delicate work.”

Frustration and impatience swept through him, but he kept a calm exterior. He couldn’t afford to rush things at this stage of the game, but time was running out for himself and his investors, and his team needed to know that.

“You have exactly ten days to break through,” Arjun said. “If not, I want the team prepared for a brute force assault on the system. Do I make myself clear?”

Krish swallowed, but to his credit, didn’t flinch. “Yes, sir.”

Arjun turned to his brother. “Vihaan, how are things going with preparations to disrupt the vaccine trials in Brazil? I understand the organized protests have been successful in rattling the executives in the United States and calling their reputation into question.”

“It’s been better than we expected.” His brother sat back in his chair, a satisfied look on his face. “They have spent an inordinate amount of time dealing with the media fallout of the protests and defending their reputation.”

“Good. I want them in disarray. Keep them distracted from the research. Unfortunately, it hasn’t delayed the trials.”

“True, but the penetration of their email has been quite helpful as it has given us key details of their planning and timing. I’ve been working through an intermediary in Brazil to find us some inside assistance in the Amazon region where the trials are expected to occur. I’m happy to report I’ve been successful.”

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