Alain was awoken at six in the morning by his phone chiming on the nightstand next to his bed. Rolling over, he groaned and pulled the phone off the charger. Holding it in front of his face, he saw Rose was calling, pressed answer, and placed it to his ear.
"What's going on?" Alain asked, wondering why he was getting a call three hours from when he was expected to show up.
"Turn on the news, any network," Rose said.
Alain rolled up, placing his feet on the floor and preceded to walk out of his room and into the living room. Picking up his remote he turned on the television which was presenting a soap opera. Switching it to a news channel, he listened as two anchors discussed a recent even, the scrolling bar saying 'White Hat: Criminal or Hero'.
"Was this group known prior to this data dumb?" One anchor asked a man described as a cyber security expert.
"As far as I know, this is a new emerging group," the expert responded.
"What is the significance of the name?"
"Scipio I imagine references the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage. The Scipio they allude to is most likely Africanus, who defeated Hannibal. The only thing the revealed entities share is contracts with security firm Fabius Security. Fabius also a reference to the same war…"
"You watching?" Rose asked.
"Yeah," Alain answered and sat down in his chair.
"Fabius already announced it was likely an internal leak, so we're not getting sued at least," Rose said, Alain placing his palm in his face and rubbing.
"What's the damage?" Alain asked.
"Most of those contracts are shell companies of some pretty nasty groups. One was even the façade for the Pakistani ISI. They encrypted their messages of providing material aid to insurgent groups linked to attacks in India and Afghanistan, so this just went full international incident."
"Arrests?" Alain asked.
"INTERPOL is pressuring governments, but it's all up to those countries if they want to pursue prosecution," Rose explained.
"I'll call you back, give me a minute to wake up and get dressed," Alain said, and hung up after her reply.
Alain stepped out of the elevator and into the lab seeing the group all waiting for him as he stepped in. Jeremie couldn't help but smirk, and didn't drop it even with Alain's hard gaze. The others looked away, but Jeremie kept smiling.
"I would advise you to drop that smile," Alain said, Jeremie smiling wider.
"We just kicked their teeth in, why not smile," Jeremie said.
"They still have Aelita. Scipio? You think they won't know who that was?" Alain asked.
"Kind of the point…" Jeremie started.
"…Two weeks ago these people killed six police officers and nearly me. They sell weapons to terrorists and develop technologies to some of the world's most unstable regimes. Regimes with the inclination to use that technology, and your plan is to provoke them?" Alain said, Jeremie crossing his arms.
"They won't hurt her…"
"…You have not met this woman. The woman who threw her husband to the wolves without a moment's hesitation. The same woman who to your own observation is constantly surrounded by the ghosts of special operations soldiers. The same person who is likely a high ranking member of a global criminal enterprise, who have displayed swift, efficient, and brutal retribution against anyone who attempts to reveal them."
Jeremie smile finally dropped, but his expression remained neutral.
"I'm done playing passive. This ends now," Jeremie said.
"It will, probably not the way you want it to," Alain said before turning around and stepping back into the elevator.
Alain sat in the task force office, watching the news as the media read the official press release from Fabius. Senior executives were already getting thrown under the bus, and for just the briefest of moments, he saw Lowell being taken away in handcuffs as well.
"Her contingency was sacrificing him," Alain said aloud before making a few calls to find out where he was being held. INTERPOL had arranged for him to be extradited to France where he was still a legal citizen, holding him in Lyon.
Lowell arrived at the end of the day, being placed in an interrogation room before he even saw a cell. His wrists were free, him rubbing them as the door opened and Alain sat across from him.
"Who are you?" Lowell asked.
"Inspector Alain Beaumont. I imagine you know who I am already," Alain said, Lowell playing dumb, "Of course you don't."
"I'd like a phone call," Lowell demanded.
"You're not incarcerated yet, technically I don't need to give you anything until you're actually in official custody. Plus you're being charged with an accessory to terrorism, so I doubt you'd be getting a phone call anyway. Who are you going to call anyway? The wife who just threw you out without a moment's thought?"
"This is a misunderstanding," Lowell said.
"Computer forensics identifies the encryptions used were not only from Fabius, but your product in particular."
"To identify that, you'd need to break the encryption first. Seeing how I doubt you've done that in less than forty-eight hours, don't take me for a fool," Lowell said, Alain trying to figure out where to go after a failed bluff.
"You're not the first husband she's done this to. Ever consider that?" Alain asked.
"She's my wife in name only. Waldo was stupid enough to believe she actually loved him, but we have a mutual beneficial relationship that worked best under the guise of a marriage," Lowell said, crossing his arms and leaning into his seat, "I'm not saying another word to you."
"I'm surprised it took you that long," Alain said and walked out of the room.
Alain received a text as he walked to his car from the building. Pulling it from his pocket he saw it was from Alberto, asking if they could meet. He replied, asking for where and sat into his car as the addressed ping a moment later. It was a small drive to the location, which was an empty street that he was instructed to pull into, park, and wait.
Within five minutes after parking, Alberto opened the passenger door and told him to drive as he put his seat belt on.
"What is this about sir?" Alain asked, halting at an intersection before crossing.
"I brought you into this under the presumption you are here to help with this investigation. In two weeks, we've gotten further in unmasking them than in six months. This conversation was planned to occur later, but the recent revelations have expedited events," Alberto said.
"What do you mean?"
"Alain, I have a traitor on my task force," Alberto flat out said, Alain turning a corner and continuing to drive.
"Are you accusing me?"
"Far from it. Everyone in the group believes I brought you in for some outside perspective, which is true to a fault. I brought you in, because you're uncompromised," Alberto explained, and Alain realized the intent.
"You want me to investigate the task force," Alain said, and Alberto nodded.
"I had my suspicions, but Hugo confirmed them. He played his hand too open, and revealed too much. His badge was made in house, they knew what the transport route was, and they know how we operate internally. I need you to plug that leak."
"Do you have any suspects yet?" Alain asked.
"I'll leave that to you, I don't want to direct this in anyway. Pull back in," Alberto said, and Alain pulled around the corner and parked his car back into the street. Alberto exited the vehicle and closed the door. Before he left, Alberto leaned into the window.
"Find the traitor."
Jeremie cheered in his room from the knowledge that Lowell had been arrested. Opening his computer he prepared the next dump from more contracts before Yumi entered his room. She sat on his bed, quietly watching for a moment.
"Lowell was arrested," Jeremie said gleefully as he typed.
"I heard. We've done enough," Yumi said, Jeremie turning to her.
"We've kicked them down, this is time to finish it, not leave it to Alain," Jeremie said, fully committed to turning and facing Yumi.
"They might hurt her Jeremie," Yumi said.
"Her mother won't…"
"Why do you keep assuming that she'll have restraint? Did you actually read anything we dug up on these people? What if we're too effective and the people her mom works for attack her and Aelita. There is someone out there right now trying to find you? What if they do?"
"The lab is untraceable," Jeremie said, Yumi sighing and standing up.
"The inspector said this whole thing could blow up on top of us. He's right Jeremie," Yumi said and exited the room.
Jeremie spun his chair and started to type again, before Yumi's words sunk in and he stopped to ponder them.
Anthea sat in her office, her chin cradled in her hands. Her face was frustrated, but slightly impressed. That was a bold move.
"Ma'am," Her guard said from the door, Anthea pushing her palms up and across her face and through her hair.
"I hate having to kill children Julian," Anthea said before standing up and walking to her chairs that she collapsed into, her feet dangling over the arm rest and onto the adjacent chair.
"Can't say I'm particularly fond of it either," Julian said, closing the door and leaning against the back of the chair across from her.
"We need to find them, and soon. Any luck?"
"Their digital signature is masked incredibly well. It's likely from the original system and scanners that Waldo created," Julian said.
"Any spikes in power anywhere? They'd need an incredible amount, that wouldn't go unnoticed."
"No, they have to be on their own grid," Julian explained, Anthea swinging her feet back to the ground.
"Their own grid would have to be the size of a small nuclear reactor?" Anthea said sarcastically, standing up and walking to her window.
"If that's what makes it possible, that's what I'll look for," Julian said, making Anthea have a thought.
"Is it really that simple? There are decommissioned reactors all over France. Some of them are so old and classified, even the government's forgotten of their existence. Let your contact know that to narrow the focus. If the police gets them, we remove all liability from ourselves," Anthea said with a smile.
"We need to have a serious talk about Aelita," Julian said, sitting down in the chair.
"What has she done?"
"It's what she hasn't done, broke. What's the long term plan with her? I understand she is your blood, but I don't see us swaying her," Julian stated as Anthea sat across from him.
"She'll come along. It took me years to see it, to accept the world as it is," Anthea.
"We don't have years, and she's here by force, regardless of how comfortable her accommodations are," Julian said, Anthea leaning into her seat.
"If she proves to be compromising, you have my permission to do what needs to be done. Just ensure me you make it painless."
Julian nodded in reply before calmly leaving Anthea's office. Anthea walked back to her window and peered out into the night sky.
"Almost there. Just a little bit more to go."
