Chapter 276: Ripples (2)
"What did your contact inside SES have to say about it?" asked Luciano.
"He said his people were just as blindsided as we were. All the people were let go on the same day, and there wasn’t even a hint of an investigation. And none of the people were given a reason, just handed a fat severance package and shown the door."
"That is... disturbing," said Luciano.
"Very," said the man in the navy blue suit. "I’m having trouble imagining how they could have known who was dirty."
"Do you have any clues, Durante?" asked Luciano.
"None. Not one damn clue. Our mole wasn’t just blindsided; he got whiplash. They had just confirmed he was being promoted. Then, the very same day, a pack of lawyers invaded his office and explained in unequivocal terms that they were exercising the no-contest-dismissal clause of his employment contract."
"Maybe someone tipped them off?" asked the man in the navy blue suit.
"That seems like the only plausible explanation," said Durante. "But that still leaves the question. Who?"
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The assistant director of the Federation External Security Service in charge of covert assets was just finishing the last touches on a boring but necessary report when a small box on his desk buzzed.
He pushed a button on the box and said, "What is it, Nina?"
"Sir, Alvin from the Albion division is here to see you."
"Alright, let him in," replied the assistant director.
Alvin entered and approached the assistant director’s desk.
"Sir, an interesting development came across my desk, and I thought it important enough to bring it to your attention immediately."
"Alright, Alvin. I know you are not in the habit of wasting my time. What is it?"
"Our asset embedded in Castle Group was summarily dismissed."
"Fired?"
"No sir. They exercised the ’just go away’ clause in his employment contract. He cannot contest it, and they had to give him a hefty severance package to make it happen. Worse, they gave him no reason, not even an excuse. Just, here’s your money, there’s the door."
"Do you think he did something to trigger this response from them?"
"That’s the thing. He didn’t. And he wasn’t the only one to be shown the door. In a single day, they released over two dozen people, four of whom were high-level executives. And one of those four is a person we suspected was an SES agent."
"And did our agent have any clue this was going to happen?"
"No, sir. None. Our agent was completely blindsided. He said that one of the four executives had even been tapped for a promotion. Something happened, sir. We don’t have any clue how Castle Group was able to finger our agent, and likely the SES agent. Our best guess is someone tipped them off."
"What about the other two executives who were shown the door? Do we have any suspicions about either of them?" asked the assistant director.
"They weren’t even on our radar until this event. We looked into them, and there are some indications that they might have been agents for unknown organizations. But the evidence is scant at best."
"So, somehow Castle Groups obtained convincing evidence that four of their executives are less than loyal and dropped them all on the same day, along with a few dozen other lower-level employees. That suggests a degree of capability and sophistication that is..."
The director paused, then continued with some unwillingness, "beyond our own. This is truly disturbing, Alvin."
"Yes, sir. It is."
"Who else knows about this?"
"You, me, our Castle Group agent, and two of my analysts."
"Alright, keep it that way. This is now a code-word project."
The assistant director typed on a light orange keyboard for a few moments, then said, "The project code name is GREEN BADGER. See what else you can learn. I’ll reach out to our friends in the SES and see if they have anything they are willing to share."
"Yes, sir," said Alvin, then left the assistant director’s office.
The assistant director turned to a bulky phone on his desk, picked up the receiver, and pressed a button.
After a few clicks and hums, the call connected, and a voice said, "Going secure in three, two, one"
The assistant director turned a key on the phone. Modem noises emitted from the handset receiver before settling into a faint electronic hiss.
"It’s been a while, Walter," said the voice on the other end.
"It has, Quin. It has," said the assistant director. "I won’t waste your time with idle chit-chat. I’m calling to ask if you know anything about the recent sacking of Allen Cullen from Castle Group."
The man on the other end chuckled darkly. "I could ask you the same about Oliver Danforth, also sacked from Castle Group. Also on the same day."
The assistant director sighed. "You’ve got fuck-all and are just as in the dark as we are," he said bluntly.
"Yes, fuck-all and it’s got us nervous. All I can tell you with any certainty is that we have confirmation that one of the remaining two canned executives was also a plant from another organization. Sorry, I can’t tell you which one."
"That’s alright, Quin. It’s probably safe to assume that all four executives and quite possibly many of the other employees who were canned that day were in some way compromised. I’m thinking about sending this up the chain and asking for permission to start a joint project. Would I be wasting my time?"
"No, Walter, you would not. If you work fast, you might just make it to your director’s office before our request for cooperation arrives."
"Right. Thanks for the heads up, gotta go."
The assistant director hung up and dashed out of his office. It wouldn’t reflect poorly on him if the Saxon request for cooperation arrived ahead of him, but it would be better if he arrived first.
When the assistant director arrived outside the director’s office, he spoke to the director’s secretary.
"Jane, is he in?"
"He is, sir. Just a moment."
She pushed a button. A moment later a voice asked, "What is it, Jane?"
"Assistant director Miller is here to see you, sir."
"Send him in."
Walter walked past Jane and entered the director’s office. But before he could speak, a bulky phone on the director’s desk rang.
The director picked up, paused, turned a key on the bulky phone, waited some more, then said, "Director Tailor, to what do I owe the honor of your call?"
After listening for a few moments, the director put his hand over the speaker of the handset, looked at Walker and said, "Castle Group?"
The assistant director nodded.
The director pointed at a chair in front of his desk and said, "Have a seat."
As Walter sat, the director said, "Director Tailor, my assistant director just walked into my office, ready to share his concerns about the very issue you just raised. I believe cooperation on this matter is warranted."