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  “Yeah, we’re quite a crew. I sure hope we’re smart enough to deal with whatever’s facing us now.”

  Hank raises his pointer to get everyone’s attention and says, “Okay team, how are these bastards gaining access to our communication networks and how do we put a stop to it?” Before he can get another word out, his cell rings. “Hello. Aldridge here.” For the next couple of minutes he utters not a word, but his facial expression has become quite grim. He closes his cell and clues everyone in on what the call was all about.

  “During our break, I began to contact everyone I know that I can trust in positions to know what is going on in government agencies at the local, state and Federal levels, in the news media, in the military, to obtain their willingness to play a part in our intelligence gathering process so we can keep abreast of the latest developments in this unfolding dilemma and perhaps be able to anticipate what our enemy might pull next.

  “That was my contact in the North Carolina Governor’s office informing me that for some unknown reason all of the computer systems of the banks in Charlotte just crashed as well as their offsite backup systems and the operating systems of the Federal Reserve Bank in Richmond, VA. The banks’ computer experts are completely baffled as to what caused the collapse. Why doesn’t that surprised me?”

  After pausing a moment, he continues with, “Okay, we just learned something we didn’t know before. The enemy is aiming to attack us on many fronts, not just one. To do this, he must have the required resources strategically placed to inflict the desired damage. To employ these kinds of tactics, the brains behind these maneuvers must not be concerned about spreading their resources too thin or exposing them to elimination. So, how can we use this information to our advantage? Let’s have at it.”

  Ashok Patel is the first to speak up. “It seems apparent to me that, because of the scope of the corruption of the systems involved so far, satellite signals are being selectively jammed in conjunction with selected hacking into pertinent computer systems. Because of the highly sophisticated security systems available today, to get around them would require a lot of money and a lot of brains to purchase the equipment required to infiltrate and monitor these systems and to use it effectively.”

  Joel asks, “How can we determine which satellites are involved?’

  “The last time I checked the best estimates indicated that there were 957 operating satellites in orbit at different altitudes around the Earth. 436 were owned by the United States, 100 by the Russians and 69 by the Chinese, the remaining being owned by other nations. Of the 436 owned by the U. S., approximately 335 are for non-military use, 75 for military use and 26 for mixed use. Since the United States seems to be the only one under attack at the moment, it would be appropriate to focus on the 436 the U. S. owns and, for now, the 335 used for non-military purposes.

  “Some satellites are placed in geostationary orbit which means that they are traveling at the same speed of rotation as the Earth, so they remain in the same position relative to a spot on the ground. Others move at different rates of speed relative to the Earth. The altitude of the orbit and a satellite’s relative speed is determined by the intended use of the satellite and available operational funds.

  “Communication satellites are used in the transmission of telephone, television, commercial radio, amateur radio and internet signals and are structured to meet specific needs. These satellites are usually composed of five subsystems; a communication payload subsystem, normally consisting of transponders, antenna and switching systems; engines used to bring the satellite to its desired orbit; a station keeping tracking and stabilization subsystem used to keep the satellite in the right orbit with its antennas pointed in the right direction; a power subsystem pointed towards the sun containing a solar cell and batteries that maintain power during a solar eclipse; and a command and control subsystem which maintains communications with ground control stations. The ground control earth stations monitor a satellite’s performance and control its functionality during various phases of its life-cycle.

  “A good place to start would be to find out what satellite or satellites were in the areas involved, eliminating the ones not involving television or radio transmissions. This is public knowledge and should be easy to find. The next step should be to run trouble shooting procedures to find out what satellite and subsystem or subsystems are being adversely affected and how. The third and final step would be to develop a shielding mechanism and/or electronic filter system to deal with whatever is causing the dysfunction. Saying this is simple. Doing it is going to be a real challenge.

  “I apologize for the lengthy answer, but I think it’s helpful to put the situation in proper perspective.”

  “No apology needed, Ashok. Joel, you look like you have a follow up question.”

  “I do, Hank, but I’ll hold off until we get down to the nitty-gritty.”

  Collette Cummings joins in with, “Addressing the why part of your second priority, my initial reaction to all of this is that it is probably politically motivated. In my mind, three reasons stand out. The first, only the United States has been targeted. There have been no indications that any other country has had to deal with these kinds of problems. The second, if the desire for money or revenge is the catalyst for these onslaughts, someone would have made contact with somebody by now to make demands or to inform. The third, only a political motive could engender such a broad and sophisticated game plan.”

  Hank is nodding his head in agreement with her comments. “That makes sense to me.

  “Perry, Kirk, are either of you aware of anyone whose record or reputation indicates that they might have the knowledge, the wherewithal and the inclination to get involved in something like this? Someone who would be politically motivated and have no qualms about breaking the law to wreak the kind of havoc we’re experiencing?”

  Perry responds with, “No one comes to mind at the moment. I’ve encountered some pretty smart, well-heeled characters in my role as a prosecutor, but no one capable of pulling off something of this magnitude.”

  Kirk adds, “Me either. I’m thinking that the people behind this are extremely wealthy and highly intelligent, not the kind of people you’re apt to find in the common criminal element of our society and definitely not the kind to want to get their hands dirty if dirty work needs to be done. Bearing this in mind, it might pay off if I keep my ear to the ground and touch base with some of the contacts I had when I was in law enforcement. I knew a lot of detectives and police chiefs. If one of their wayward citizens was to be recruited for some unsavory task and it came to light, our getting wind of this in a timely fashion could open some doors for us.”

  “I like it, Kirk. Do it.”

  Once again, Hank’s cell phone sounds off. “It’s Paul Wesley. Hi Paul. I’m in a meeting with the rest of my team. I’m going to put you on the speaker. There’s nothing that you might say to me that they can’t hear.”

  “Hello everyone. I’m calling to let you know that everything’s back to normal on the West Coast. Don’t know why. Just is. The tech guys are still in the dark as to what caused the interruptions, but they’re continuing their investigations. Fortunately, there have been no adverse effects resulting from the breakdowns. Except for a lot of inconvenience, no serious harm was done.”

  “Well, that’s good news, Paul. Let me know if the techs come up with any answers. We’re launching our own investigation into the causes, gratis to the powers that be. I have a very uneasy feeling about all of this and I don’t think we’ve seen the last of the situation. Bye for now.”

  Barbara says, “I wonder what’s going on in North Carolina and Virginia right now. It will be interesting to see if their problems go away as well.”

  Nodding his head Hank says, “I think there’s a good chance of that happening. The sudden occurrence of major regional breakdowns in selective communication systems without a clue as to how they were accomplished and then the just as sudden cessation of those breakdowns
indicates that we are being deliberately toyed with, manipulated into thinking that we are at the mercy of whoever is at the bottom of all this for as yet some unknown purpose.

  “Sal, plug into your news media network and open up as many channels of communication as you can to keep us informed if they are contacted by anyone making threats or demands connected with what has happened so far. Hopefully, the media will work with us on the timing of their going public with any communication they may receive. I don’t, however, have very high hopes in that regard.”

  “Will do, Hank, but with the technological knowledge these people apparently have I doubt that they will use the print media to send a message. However, the print media has sources that have their fingers in all sorts of pies. After all these years, it still amazes me when they uncover leads that no one knew existed. I think I should spend most of my time though talking with the broadcast media. I strongly believe that this is where any communication will take place.”

  “Okay. Go with your instinct.”

  Turning to Sandy, Hank says, “Did you get all that?”

  “Got it.”

  “Alright. Barbara, do you think your outfit could uncover anything that could be useful to us? You’ve been involved in quite a few high profile political and financial cases and have extensive knowledge of a lot of people in those arenas. Collette, with your political background you have the potential to make a significant contribution to Barbara’s efforts. How about the two of you teaming up to see what you can come up with?”

  Barbara and Collette look at each other, smile and then vigorously nod their heads with Barbara saying, “Yeah, I think we might be able to shake something out of the trees.”

  “Good. Perry, I know you’re working on a lot of other things, but I want you to keep yourself available in case we need some legal muscle if any prospects appear on the horizon.

  “Allison, Tania, right now there’s nothing for you ladies to do. Concentrate on your present work load for now, but as this situation unfolds I’m pretty sure we are going to need your expertise.

  “Joel, do you have anything to add? Do you want to ask your follow up question now?”

  “Yes to both questions, Hank. To begin with, my plane and I are at anyone’s disposal who needs to get somewhere fast to pursue a lead.

  “Next, I’ve been thinking that the kind of wealth and intelligence needed to implement such a grandiose scheme has to be highly unusual. I’d like to focus my energies on the upper echelon of our financial sector to see if any, to use one of Kirk’s old phrases, ‘people of interest’ pop up. Tania, you could do the same thing in the manufacturing area. I think we should concentrate on identifying the most successful players in these areas, the top level tycoons if you will, and look for any unusual political philosophies, statements, or activities associated with them. I think our efforts would be an ideal supplement to what Barbara and Collette will be doing. They’ll be zeroing in on those people they know and have had dealings with and we will be looking at a broader spectrum of possibilities. Of course, we’ll have to keep each other in the loop.

  “As for my follow up question, Ashok, in your overview of communication satellites you mentioned that these satellites have a command and control subsystem which maintains communications with ground control stations and the ground control earth stations monitor the satellites’ performance and control their functionality during various phases of their life-cycle. Is it your intention to focus on the ground stations and not the satellites themselves? It seems to me that this would be the most practical way to initiate trouble shooting procedures, but if you go that route there will be access issues and the possibility of Sentry’s involvement becoming public knowledge. Have you thought about that?”

  “No I haven’t, Joel, and that definitely is a problem we’d have to deal with. We could try to surreptitiously hack into the ground stations’ operating systems to conduct our tests, but dodging their monitoring programs could get very hairy.”

  With an appreciative look on his face, Hank looks at Joel and says, “That’s a damn good point. All kinds of bureaucracy will be seeping into every facet of this situation and accomplishing nothing but gumming up the works and getting lots of photo ops and publicity. If we are to do what we are setting out to do, we must avoid it like the plague. Think about it, Ashok, and let me know what you elect to do. Run it by me first before you do anything.

  “Okay. We all know what we have to do. We’ll meet back here in a couple of days, Thursday afternoon at 4:00 p.m., to discuss our progress. Remember, folks, time is of the essence. We don’t know what time schedule our enemy is on, but you can bet the farm it’s a short one.”

  PROLOGUE 3

  -Elizabeth-

  As Sentry’s meeting is ending in Chicago, another just as serious, just as urgent is about to begin in a luxurious suite high atop the Ritz Carlton in Elizabeth, NJ.

  Elizabeth doesn’t get the publicity that other bigger cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles get. It’s not a big tourist attraction. It’s not known for being the home of the rich and famous. Its 125,000 plus population consists of a variety of ethnicities whose medium household income is about $42,000. It’s just your average small American city made up of hard working families trying to make their dreams come true. Its one claim to fame is that it is the largest seaport on the East Coast and one of the largest in the country and it is conveniently located near Newark Airport and major rail transportation.

  Because of its capacity to handle any kind of shipping requirement, it is the home of many importing and exporting operations as well as shipping companies. Ubiquitous Argosies, Inc. is one of those shipping companies. Its CEO, Basil Halkias, a first generation American of Greek ancestry and a billionaire many times over, is renowned all over the world for his business acumen and philanthropic largesse. His 49 year old 5’6” frame carries 150 pounds of flab and he looks like the stereotypical bookkeeper with his beady light blue eyes, steel rimmed glasses and curly light brown hair with streaks of gray beginning to show.

  His reputation, public demeanor and physical appearance, however, belie the fact that an entirely different individual lurks just below the surface. He is a megalomaniac of the highest order, radiating an egotism that makes Bill Riley look like a self-effacing milquetoast. He has an IQ over 140, is completely unscrupulous and utterly convinced that he is America’s savior. He has convinced the other six men he’s meeting with tonight, all highly intelligent men with IQs in the high 120s and 130s, to help him with his plan to convert the U. S. of A into what will be called the USA, the United States Autocracy, ruled by them and those to whom they delegate limited authority. This league of seven men calls themselves The Last Resort.

  Halkias’s co-conspirators in this despotic endeavor have also achieved exceptional success in America’s business theater, accumulating a great deal of wealth, power and prestige.

  James Hollingsworth, a 45 year old commercial real estate developer who thinks Donald Trump walks on water, is extremely brilliant when it comes to analyzing and timing the demand for commercial real estate by all of the major industries. He is always “on”, always looking to impress, to project the image of wealth, power and success. It’s like he’s trying to compensate for his average appearance. At 5’11”, 180 lbs., with his brown Friar Tuck hairdo, washed out light brown eyes and erupting paunch, he definitely doesn’t stand out in a crowd.

  George Palmer, CEO of Pinnacle Pharmaceuticals, a leader in cancer research and through its wholly owned subsidiary, Four Winds Apothecaries, a major distributer of medical supplies to hospitals and families all over the world. At age 50, he keeps his six foot, 190 pound body with its wavy gray hair and blue eyes in good shape by swimming every morning at his men’s club and playing both golf and tennis a couple of times a week.

  Ronald Baltzinger, an interstate railroad and trucking magnate, is at age 63 the oldest of the group. He’s also unimpressive appearance wise. He’s 5’ 9” tall, weighs
170 lbs., has thinning

  gray hair and light gray eyes, but his no nonsense attitude and deep bass voice quickly get your attention when he has something to say. He’s a high stakes gambler and is often seen in the casinos in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Monte Carlo and the like.

  Robert Feldman, owner and CEO of Intricate Information Security Systems, a top echelon company with prices to match, is the youngest of the group. He’s 38 years old, 5’11” tall, weighs over 200 pounds, all of it blubber, but that’s the only thing that’s soft about him. He’s totally ruthless and will do anything to get his way.