EPISODE 19: NEEDFUL, NECESSARY THINGS
"There's one more issue I wanted to catch you both up on." Olivia said. She reached for her bag and drew out a set of folders, handing one each to Fitz and Cyrus. "It's nothing more than clouds on the horizon at this point, but it's something I have my people keeping an eye on."
She went on to explain; there's been some deep cover chatter about certain members of the Party were quietly floating the idea of using Fitz's interest in San Collondias to pressure General Ramos into concessions in exchange for our aid.
"How deep?" Cyrus asked, remembering his earlier remark about the current undercurrent of chaos.
"What kind of concessions?" Fitz said, his senses sharpening, a thrill of warning running up his spine.
"It's not clear yet in either case." Olivia said. "But an educated guess says they want exclusive access to certain resources that might benefit the general in the short term, especially on a personal level but play a very detrimental role in the long term on the national."
"Whose educated guess are we talking about?" Cyrus asked. "I hadn't heard any of this yet."
"I expect you will very soon." Olivia told him. "I got the heads-up from Peter Caldwell, actually." Olivia gave Fitz a careful look. "He says he was approached by a low-level aide of the general party apparatus - so he doesn't know precisely who was behind him - at least not yet."
"He said that to your face?" Fitz asked. He'd caught Olivia's look, but didn't react, not knowing how he felt about any information coming from Peter just yet.
"He made a phone call from his private line." Olivia said. "But not before he allowed my team to clean and isolate it - just to be on the safe side."
"Peter trusts you that much?" Fitz asked.
His voice was very careful in its neutrality, Olivia noted. "He should by now - he has - the family has - had us working for them more than once. Our services have always achieved their objectives."
"The Caldwells do have quite the checkered past." Cyrus pointed out. "I don't supposed you're inclined to share any of that, are you?"
Olivia gave him a look; Cyrus was not helping - and he knew it. "My clients know that they have complete discretion from OPA."
Cyrus shrugged. "You can't blame me for asking. I'm sure their cases would make for some very interesting reading."
"Who amongst us doesn't have the same? We all have kill files, Cyrus." She pointed out. "After all, he who is without sin, etc - etc."
"Point taken, Liv." Fitz said. She was right, but so was Cyrus. Fitz still didn't know if he trusted any of the Caldwells, Peter in particular and Cyrus was right to want to want any leverage over them that they could get.
Olivia turned back to him. "Fitz, Peter knows the rules and what to expect - and what I will expect from him going forward. We've talked."
"So now he's our man on the inside?" Fitz asked, not hiding the skepticism in his voice.
"Yes. And no, I haven't forgotten that Caldwells' first loyalties are to the Caldwells, no more than either of you to have. They will act on their own interests and luckily for us, theirs and ours are coinciding quite nicely for the time being."
"Which means…" Cyrus asked.
"Which means that Peter is being as properly uncommitted in his response to these inquiries as he can be - and that's a good thing." Olivia said. "As soon as he knows who's directly behind any firm offer of alliance, we'll know. In the meanwhile, my team will keep his lines and office swept clean on a regular basis. This protects all of us in the long run, gentlemen - try and remember that."
"You think that the amount of security already in place on the Hill is insufficient?" Cyrus asked, even as he frowned at the implications that they weren't.
"You tell me." Olivia said. Security on the Hill was a matter than did come under Cyrus' supervision as Chief of Staff. "I think the question is more about who can and cannot be trusted to play by the rules - and we already know how easily rules can be broken and by whom. So as far as I'm concerned, it can't hurt to talk to your own people to double and triple check your communications security."
"No, it can't hurt." Cyrus was forced to admit.
"I'll have Jake look into it." Fitz said. It was almost inconceivable that his own in-house communications could be either monitored or even breached, but it was clear that certain members of his party had their own agendas going on, so at this point and from now and going forward, anything was probably possible. He has - they all have - learned that the hard way.
At least he had someone he could trust in a position to see to its security. Jake had been in charge of his personal communications security since just before the visit to the Caldwells and now that Fitz thought about it, more than likely he had his own intelligence connections from his previous assignments. "Maybe I'll have him do a little digging on his own and see what he can come up with."
"Maybe he should coordinate something with your guy?" Cyrus asked Olivia.
Olivia was surprised at the unpleasant little jolt in her gut that shot through her at the mention of Jake's name. Just as quickly, she was reminded of Harrison's observation about Jake and Shireen's last meeting - one that had ended in a definite stage of disagreement.
Meanwhile, Shireen had been spending a lot of time around OPA lately in a combination of work and play. Not surprisingly, considering her own position in the top-secret levels of the Pentagon, she and Huck had hit it off on a professional level, while at the same time, Shireen and Quinn were well on their way to developing a friendship on their own.
Bringing Jake into this might become something to worry about, but then Olivia told herself that Jake's new duties as one of Fitz's chief in-house communications officers should keep him busy enough to keep him mostly out of Shireen's way. In need of a quick solution, she decided that she'd have Harrison keep an eye on the situation to make sure that everything proceeded smoothly. Shireen's capabilities were very much needed at this time and Jake was just going to have to learn how to - as Harrison would say - put the personal to the left.
"That might not be a bad idea." Olivia set her mind back to the current conversation; one way or another Jake would be handled. Shireen's position made her the more valued of the two and she would act on that, but only if it became necessary. "I'll want permission for my people to go further with their back-track surveillance if its necessary."
When Fitz nodded a yes, Olivia reached for her phone.
Harrison walked into OPA's kitchen space to find Quinn and Shireen drinking bottled water while discussing their latest project. At least that's what he assumed, because honestly, he barely understood the techy terms they were tossing back and forth at one another.
Not that it mattered much except for the fact that Shireen was here. Harrison was glad that he'd managed to find reasons for Shireen to come around the office more often, especially after work. In light of their past and ongoing conversations over countless cups of coffee and even the occasional cocktail, it was good, Harrison had decided, to keep her from falling into a work to home to work cycle that wouldn't have done her any good at all.
Quinn led the way back to Huck's office space, chattering all the way about what they were going to do and how they were going to do it and to Harrison, it still didn't make much sense. He caught something about sieves and pin-point nodes but in computerese - he still didn't know what she was talking about.
Shireen saw that from the expression on his face and laughed. "You did want to be here." She reminded him.
"Remind me why again?" Harrison asked.
"The sparkling conversation and the company, no doubt."
"No doubt." He said, flashing her a grin. He gestured with one hand before her. "After you, Madam mad genius."
"I'd say it takes one to know what, but we both know better…" Shireen laughed at him as they walked into Huck's office space.
As it always seemed to Harrison, they entered into another world, where the air was lit by clusters and strands of multi-hued lights, blues and greens dominating the room, the open spaces cluttered with cables that led to wall mounted monitors the size of medium flat screen televisions.
Three office chairs on wheels were set in front of certain monitors, with the others within easy scrolling reach. Quinn took her seat at one of them, leaving the last for Shireen.
Huck was hanging up his phone as they walked in. "Olivia just gave us the go-ahead."
"It's a go." Quinn said. She was more than eager to get to the work at hand."Although why we bothered to ask -"
"It's always nice to get permission -" Huck told her.
"For something you were going to do anyway?" Harrison said before Huck could finish.
"Not exactly." Huck said.
"Yes, exactly." Shireen said with a grin.
"Absolutely exactly." Harrison joined in.
"Why are you here again?" Huck asked Harrison. "Maybe you should have gone with Abby."
Abby had passed by Huck's office a little earlier as they had been setting up their project, stuck her head in the door long enough to take a look around and had noped herself right back out the door with a 'this is obviously a need to know super-spy scenario and she did not need to know this - thank you very much.' comment.
Harrison held up both hands in a surrender gesture. "I'm here just as an interested observer, man."
"Then can you just observe?" Huck asked.
"In other words, Harrison, Huck means for you to stay in your lane." Quinn said.
"Consider me there." Harrison said. He watched as Quinn and Shireen exchanged another conspiratorial look and a grin, thinking to himself that it was worth the verbal hit to see her smiling so much. "I'm a man that knows his limits."
"Now that's an interesting fact to keep in mind." Shireen murmured just loud enough for him to hear. Harrison ignored Quinn as she shot them both an interested look before she turned to her own monitor.
Huck ignored their little exchanged and turned his attention to Quinn. "Also, Olivia said she was caught up in a meeting at the White House and asked if you would check on Annarosa for her and see how she's doing before the evening was done."
"Not a problem." Quinn said. "I'll call her as soon as we're done here."
Her excitement and anticipation danced in her eyes. "Can we get on with what we're doing - now that we have permission for something that we were going to do anyway?"
"So, what exactly are we looking for?" Cyrus asked after Olivia had ended her call. He looked at Fitz and then at Olivia. "Now that we're all on the same page…"
He gave Olivia a meaningful look. "We are on the same page, aren't we?"
"Don't pout, Cyrus, it's not a good look on you." Olivia smiled at him, unable to let the opportunity to tease him go by. "Besides, don't you think that in the unlikely but still quite possible scenario that what we're doing is uncovered that it would be better if everything pointed at my guys rather than yours?"
"You sure about that?" Cyrus asked.
"Plausible deniability - I can spin this into a lesser scandal on my own than if you were seen to be behind it - and plus I trust my guys to get in, out and about unseen and undetected more than I trust yours." Olivia said. "Sorry."
"And are you sure about that?" Cyrus asked again. "And no, for the record, let it be said that you're not sorry at all."
Her smile answered for her and she offered up a question of her own to seal the deal. "Riddle me this, Cy - how are your boys on 6K encryptions?"
His expression answered Olivia's question. They weren't as far along with such calculations as they would like, he began to explain, but he was waiting on a few updated reports and system checks and a million other things that he admittedly didn't quite understand, so…
"I thought so." Olivia said. "From what I understand, Huck and Shireen have been writing scripts in 6K for at least the last six months."
"Fine." Cyrus grumped. "But you know that I hate it when you're right too many times in a row."
"You haven't gotten used to that yet?" Fitz sat back, enjoying the back and forth. "I thought 6K was still on some virtual, digital drawing board still in development and the goal was for a first simulation deployment sometime after the new year?"
"It is, sir." Cyrus admitted. "- timed to coincide the kick-off to your re-election announcement. Brand new day and all that -"
He waved one hand in the air. "From what I understand, it's mainly a matter of the tech boys still working out the stabilization of com-link calculations. Or at least that's the babble-speak that they are feeding me."
Cyrus scowled at Olivia, but of course there was no real bite behind his expression. He was only mildly annoyed that her people knew something that his people didn't. After all, it wasn't the first time that it had happened and he was sure that it would hardly be the last.
He directed his next words at her. "Do you think that my people might have a look at your notes when your people are done playing in NASA's sandbox for the evening?"
"Of course, Cy." Olivia smiled sweetly at him, amusement dancing behind her gaze. "You know that we always share our toys - especially when we're asked nicely."
"Noted, appreciated and consider yourself nicely asked." Cyrus said.
"Crisis averted." Fitz said with a smile before he changed the subject. "Liv, I noticed that you mentioned Annarosa during your call just now, so that reminds me to ask - how is our youngest envoy? Jocelyn said that she seemed to be settling in nicely."
Fitz was still reminded of his own daughter whenever the other young woman was mentioned and hoped she was doing well acclimatizing to her life in DC.
"Susan says the same, so she is, as far as I know. I asked Quinn to check in on her, seeing that they're somewhat close in age, it might go over better than my asking her." Olivia said. She paused as a new thought came to her. "While we're talking about all of this cyber-security, I wonder if we should see to Jocelyn's personal communications hub."
Jocelyn's rank at the NSA had provided her with her own high-level encrypted communications hub in her home office. They had all agreed that it would be perfect to divert some of that resource so that Annarosa could stay in touch with the General with no one outside of their circle knowing.
"It couldn't hurt." Fitz said.
"No, it couldn't. And since Shireen has been working in tandem with OPA lately it shouldn't be an issue if she saw to it - again, keeping it all in-house."
She smiled again at Cyrus. "You might want to borrow her for the same reasons."
"I'll put in a requisition for a consultation as soon as I get back to my office." Cyrus nodded in reluctant agreement.
"Cy…" Olivia and Fitz both spoke at the same time and in the same tone of voice.
"I am not pouting." Cyrus insisted.