Trades were set up by Mark to only be done with foreign currencies that were also subject to the fluctuating exchange rates, further masking detection. Monies from the process were then diverted through multiple foreign accounts before winding up in a series of accounts known only to Mark.
If he was successful, by the time he was done he would be able to retreat with a few million dollars. Not enough to warrant the Circle chasing him down but enough to keep his family safe on a Montana ranch near the Canadian border. He was starting to see how it all might even come together by the fall. The money was already stockpiled for the most part but he was making sure he’d found the right piece of property. There would only be one chance to get it right. Everything was lining up perfectly.
“Please, I hope so,” he whispered.
It was easy to get around Management’s detection system. It turned out that they had been right about him all along. He was naturally gifted when it came to the cyber world and he used the inherent weaknesses of technology to his advantage. His growing portfolio spread out over several banks continued to go unnoticed by everyone.
Mark stood in his quiet kitchen and watched the daily message come up on his iPhone. The sun was just cresting the suburban rooftops visible from his kitchen window. Everyone in his household was still asleep.
His day always started early with a wakeup call from a distant numbers station. This morning’s transmission began with Article I, Section 4.
‘The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof.’
It was a warning from an unseen Circle cell. Security had been breached and the Management was aware of an opportunity. The message was brief.
‘Protect Robert, begin Kirchenfenster operation’, was the entire message. So the upper cells knew the two men had made contact. But why was Robert so important?
“Hello, Robert? This is Mark. You still need a ride to the boys’ soccer game?”
They had run into each other two more times since the initial gathering around the coffee cart just one week ago. Once in the hallways of the Federal Reserve and once back down on the plaza. Robert had let loose just enough information to give Mark something to work with if he ever needed an excuse to meet. That was basic training.
“Great, pick you up in an hour.”
Mark set to work on the other half of the message, the Kirchenfenster operation or Stained Glass Operation. Certain top members of the Circle had German roots that went very deep. It was an old plan meant to create mistrust and misinformation and was much more effective than outright aggression. Those who keep secrets and lie as a matter of habit tend to worry too much about who else is lying and when they detect a flaw, they start to question everything and make mistakes. It was a far more effective method to bring down an enemy than bombs or guns.
Mark had no way of knowing how many others were responding to the same message. No one was ever told who received the same OTP or whose iPhones weren’t just phones. It wasn’t the first time he’d been asked to create confusion but there was an added urgency. He picked up the land line and dialed.
“Hello Fred? How are you? Hope I didn’t wake you. Just wanted to check on you. Everything okay?”
Mark was using Fred as bait. He knew Fred was a weak link and calling him at an irregular time would only make him worry more, become more conspicuous. A land line made it easier for eavesdroppers to more easily listen in, making the rest a lot simpler. It wasn’t fair to Fred but some people are only pawns, thought Mark. Fred had never accepted that death was a possibility and it made him more of a target, not less. Mark was well aware, though that he was just a more arrogant but equally as helpless player, at least for now.
“Okay, well, see you on Monday. Let’s get coffee.”
He hung up before Fred had a chance to vent. That would make him more likely to talk to his wife, make a mistake and continue to be overheard. But Fred didn’t know anything of value. All he could do was speculate about what was going wrong within the Circle and inadvertently plants seeds of mistrust in anyone who was listening.
Step one was done. Step two was a quick search on Google for information about Cardinal Group, the largest credit card company in America and their layoffs in early 2001. He found the article he was searching for and called it up, clicking on ‘recommend’, just as he had been directed. It was a small column that predicted a decline in the stock without giving too many details that pointed out it was from nearly ten years ago. Management would soon wonder who was targeting one of their giant cash cows and start to look for answers, misdirecting them away from Circle operations.
The third step required a little funding but that would have to wait for Monday. He gathered up the kids and headed out to pick up Robert and his boys.
“Hello,” he called out. The boys came running happily toward the minivan, piling into the back. Robert got in front, reminding his kids to buckle up and quiet down a little.