Anna walked through the foyer of the Belvidere Imperial as if she owned the majestic hotel. More than a few heads turned as she strode across the marble floors in her Louis Vuitton business suite and Prada high heels. She portrayed the very image of a high-powered female business executive from the States. More than a few of the men wanted to know more about this elusive woman already. The one disconcerting fact about her was the rather intimidating presence of her bodyguard.

As much as Anna wanted to just walk into the hotel and handle her business alone. Lyssa and the rest of the Command staff back on Ram’s Rock put an end to that line of planning. It didn’t matter that she was old enough to be a mother to them all, they weren’t going to let her just go off on her own. Anna found it both endearing and infuriating at the same time. She was after all Anna ‘the Nightingale’ Fonticello, one of the most feared old-world assassins in the last forty years. Even other assassins feared her.

Eddie understood his orders to keep Anna safe. What he was having problems understanding why Anna of all people would need a bodyguard. Yet, like most of the single guys on the island, Anna held a special place in his heart for some crazy reason. She actually cared for him and the other guys. Then there that whole business in Boston. The way she had killed that one man still shocked Eddie when he thought about it. He knew that Lyssa and the other women of the OICA could kill in a ruthless manner, hell it was kind of expected. Yet here was this grandmotherly old lady snapping a man’s neck like it was nothing more than an everyday choir or baking cookies.

“Miss Anna, can I ask why you want to stay here?” Eddie wondered.

“Appearance, Edward. Our endeavors over the next day and a half must hold the absolute appearance of legitimacy.” Anna explain for the young man next to her. “For this to work, truly work, everything must be above broad.”

“I understand that part Miss Anna. What I don’t understand is why we’re staying at this hotel. It’s not secure.” He whispered.

“Oh, we’re very secure here Edward. There is more to this hotel’s reputation than as a trading center. No one would dare to harm us here. This is most likely on of the most secure places in the Caribbean other than Ram’s Rock.” Anna explained with a wistful smile. As they approached the desk Anna stopped him. “From here out let me do all the talking.”

“Yes ma’am.” Eddie didn’t know what was going on but knew to follow the old woman’s led. This was after all, her world.

“Good morning, ma’am. How may we be of service today?” The desk clerk asked.

“I have a reservation. I believe it should be under, Prima International Investments, Anna Fonticello.” Anna told the young woman.

“Yes, Mrs. Fonticello. I have it right here. We have been waiting for your arrival. Everything is just as you requested.” She turned and pulled two keys from the broad behind her. “This is your room key and the other is the key to the trading floor. Please be sure to keep track of the trading floor key. There is a five-hundred-dollar fee for losing one.”

Eddie noticed that the trading floor key was dark blue in color instead of brass. He wondered why the hotel was still using such outdate methods to secure the rooms as actual keys. There had to be more to it than that. His curiosity was about to be proven right.

“Please place your left eye against the scanner ma’am? I need your retinal scan for the security system to recognize your keys.” The desk clerk pointed towards the scanner and handed Eddie his own key. “I need yours as well sir.”

Anna just smiled and did as asked. When Eddie bulked Anna smiled. “No need to worry Edward. It’s merrily a security precaution.”

The wink Anna gave him put Eddie at ease. He followed her example and placed his eye to the scanner. “I must admit ma’am the security is a little higher tech than what I expected.”

The Desk clerk looked over at Eddie. “We here at the Belvidere Imperial have always prided ourselves on the security of our guests, sir. We are always looking for ways to upgrade our security while keeping our traditions. While the keys will unlock the room doors the door itself will not release the magnetic seal without your retinal scan id.”

“So, they can pick the door lock, but it won’t do them any good. Nice.” Eddie smiled. “Will I be granted access to the trading floor as Mrs. Fontecillo’s bodyguard? Or will I need to fill out some kind of paperwork?”

“That key and retinal scan will cover your presence wherever Mrs. Fontecillo is within the hotel proper. We never separate bodyguards from their protectee, sir. That is part of the services we offer here at the Belvidere.” The way that the desk clerk talked put Eddie at ease.

“Thank you, Lisa. Has my registration for the trading floor been placed?” Anna asked quickly. “If not, I’ll need that taken care of immediately.”

“Yes ma’am. It came through with your reservation. You are all set to begin trading the moment the markets open.” Lisa told Anna.

“For all markets? Both national and international.” Anna needed to know.

“Yes, ma’am. Prima International Investments is setup for all markets. You’ll have full access, Mrs. Fontecillo.” Lisa assured Anna.

“Thank you, Lisa. How long do we have until the markets open?” Anna asked.

“It depends on the market ma’am.” Lisa answered.

“Thank you, Lisa.” Anna turned to Eddie. “Let’s see to our luggage Edward. Then check up on the news.”

As they left lobby Eddie whispered. “Especially the World News.”

“You’re so right Edward. Too right indeed.” Anna told him.

Paris, France

Ryne stepped from her rental car on the fourth story of the six-story parking garage with a propose. The briefcase in her left hand could be mistaken for a high-end attaché. She had spent most of last night scouting for her sniper’s nest. She knew Abrams’ schedule like the back of her hand. In twenty minutes, the man would be leaving The Ministry of the Armies for the Republic of France. It had taken her almost all of her recon last night to find the one spot that no one would expect her to shoot from. The impossible shoot.

Ryne went over the stats for the shot. It was just under the maximum effect range of her rifle to where her target would be exiting the Ministry building. Even if she was using the .458 magnum sabot rounds. From the exit to where the car would be waiting is 45 meters. The walkway area is made of brick pavers. At this time of the day the sun would be behind her nest and wouldn’t come into play for her shoot. The wind would be out of the Northwest pushing between 3 to 4 knots to the Southeast something that wouldn’t affect her shoot. The downward angel of the shot is 39 degrees. This would affect her shoot as she would have to taken in the ark of her round.

Her window of opportunity to take the shoot was less than 3 minutes before her target was safely inside the armored executive limousine. Something that she had only found out about last night. Then there was her actual nest. It was the northeast corner stairwell through a window. A window that was covered by a sheet of 2-inch-thick plexiglass. She would have to drill a hole through the plexiglass before she could even take her shoot. She had a picked up the drill and drill bit she would use last night. Those she had in her purse. She had found the stairwell’s only blind spot during her physical recon of the parking garage last night. It was also the one spot in the entire structure that had an unobstructed view of the target area.

A view of no less than two feet and no more than three feet. Not the narrowest window for a shoot that Ryne ever took, but it was also one that ninety-nine percent of the world’s sniper won’t attempt. Even then that one percent would be having second thoughts about the attempt. There was only one sniper that she knew of for certain that would attempt what she was about to do. Even then that sniper hadn’t been heard of in almost twenty years. There had been rumors and whispered conversations in the backrooms of almost all the dockside bars, and other less than savory hangouts for Organized Criminals. Mostly about the occasional sniper assassinations attributed to the woman. Yet all of those had turned out to have been done by someone else. Normally those hits finally came back to belonging to HER, the Irish Rose. Even those that she never left her signature rose petal with shell casing.

Then again, most people had never heard of the Silver Bullet Ballerina. Even among world class snipers the woman was an enigma. No one knew who she was, where she came from, or where she disappeared to twenty years ago. The one thing that everyone knew was who her last hit was, Jacob Henshaw. The man was a known drug lord who had worked for the Great Lakes Organization. Jacob crossed the line when he intentionally started cutting heroin with cyanide. Jacob had crossed the line into serial killer, and it was the Silver Bullet Ballerina that ended the man’s life in broad daylight right in front of three beat cops. And a whole FBI undercover surveillance team.

Once Ryne was in the stairwell, she moved to the top floor first. Once there she secured the stairwell door from the inside. She moved from floor to floor securing each door for one simple reason. To cover her own ass. Once done Ryne moved back to the third-floor window. It took her less than two minutes to find the window and drill the needed hole. Double checking her watch and the time. The cold smile that crossed her lips was not one that most people see. Those that do, never live to see the sunset. Kneeling down and opening the attaché case Ryne assembled the rifle hidden inside. She knew that her time was running short as she screwed on the silencer. That one piece of kit would give her a few more minutes to escape.

With less than five minutes tell Abrams stepped from the Ministry Building had the rifle fully assembled and loaded. Taking a deep breath Ryne stood up and looked out through her scope. Just as she expected, the corporate limo pulled to a stop in front of the building’s main entrance. “Thirty-seconds to go and Donald Abrams steps out of that door.”

Placing the silencer through the hole she had drilled Ryne lined up for her shoot. Placing her right eye to the 3x70 Leopold rifle scope. With a flip of her thumb she clicked off the safety. At exactly the strike of noon, just as her information said, Donald Abrams stepped through the doors of The Ministry of the Armies. She watched as the six-man protection team surrounded her target. They used a four-two configuration. The two outriders were not her problem. It would be the four near guards that would be her biggest problem. They were right next to her target blocking the line of sight from the four-points-of-the-compass. Her biggest problem would be the man on the ‘North Point’. He was walking directly in front of her target.

She smiled as Abrams made the biggest mistake of his life. It would also be the last one he ever made. Abrams pushed his way passed the lead guard in a rush to reach his car. That was all that Ryne needed. With a steady squeeze of the trigger Ryne fired the shoot. The round left the end of the barrel at 1,900 ft per second. It was a 280 grain SABO round carried the 11-caliber needle core penetrator that would end Abrams life. At just over 150 feet from the end of the muzzle the SABO split into four separate parts. There was the three outer petals and one inner penetrator. When Ryne asked for an exotic round the Müller brothers had truly delivered. They had taken the idea of a tank’s main gun APFSDS and shrank it down to a usable rifle round.

At just over 400 yards the penetrator stroke home. The high-density fin stabilized needle punched through the forehead of Donald Abrams just above and between the man’s eyes. The downward angle path of the round carried on through until it exited out the base of Donald’s skull. While the round’s size wasn’t massive, its effects were far out of proportion to it. The kinetic shockwave of the round traveling through the man’s head was massive. Even if Abrams had survived the round’s destruction of his frontal cortex and severing of his spinal cord, he would never survive the total capillary destruction of his brain. Donald Abrams was dead before he hit the ground.

With a speed born of skill, and hours of practice, Ryne had her rifle broken down in seconds. Once she had the rifle broken down Ryne picked up the spent shell casing. She placed the casing and an Irish Rose on the window seal. After leaving her calling card behind Ryne head for the first-floor exit. Even as she was exiting the first-floor parking area she had no idea of just how far reaching her actions would have an impact. Once outside the garage Ryne waved at a passing taxicab. She smiled as the cab pulled over for her.

As the cab pulled away from curb the first alarms were being raised. Ryne smiled slightly to herself. Four blocks away the cab passed the first police car racing towards the Ministry building. The driver looked into the rearview mirror at his passenger. “I wonder what that is all about?”

“I don’t have any idea, sir.” Ryne feigned innocence then showed a thoughtful look for the man. “Excuse sir, but isn’t the Ministry of the Armies back that way? Could all this excitement be over something that happened there?”

The old man huffed. “I wouldn’t doubt it, young lady. I just hope that if it is that reason. Then one of those worthless warmongering generals is who got hurt and not some innocent civilian.”

“I’m sure that it is nothing like that sir. Mostly some person tripped and fell hurt themselves and the police are just acting to keep the area clear of nosey on-lookers.” Ryne downplayed what she knew to be the truth. No need to fuel the rumors just yet. Besides the news outlets will take care of that shortly. Then she smiled as an idea formed in her head. “Though from what I’ve heard at work there is an American war-profiteer visiting the Ministry.”

The chuckle that came from the driver let Ryne know that her joke would take root and spread among the conspiracy theorists. “Now where would a nice young lady like you work to hear such a vile thing? Though I wouldn’t put it pass an American to be trying to pad their pocket off the War on Terror. I can’t wait to tell my comrades down at the pub.”

It was just as Ryne thought. The old man would feed into the conspiracy theories that would soon run rampant. All thanks to a simple rumor placed in the ear of a veteran of the military.

State Department Headquarters, Washington D.C.

Department Head of the French Desk, Mark Sanders could not believe reports coming across his desk. Two hours ago, former Ambassador and current CEO of Global World Transit, Donald Abrams was assassinated. They had been receiving reports of death threats against the man for days, yet until now, there had been no credible intel behind them. Even the ones coming out of Ireland had had no real or true foundation behind them. That was what his top analysts had been telling him for the last few days.

But he was now forced to accept the fact they were wrong. Then there was the very nasty fact that GWT held a such a large portion of subcontracts for the transport of military supplies. There were reports of those transports being targeted by terrorists. As he sat there thinking about the implications of those threats, he was planning his response. There really was only one way to handle the situation and he was loth to use it.

“Um… sir. I have another set of reports that I think you need to read.” His aid told Mark as he walked through his office door. “Sir, they’re not good.”

“Save me the time and just tell me, Dave. Just how big a cluster fuck do we have on our hands?” Mark told the man bluntly.

“We got a Cat five shit hurricane with sustained winds of ‘Oh fuck me!’ with gusts of over ‘Where the fuck did that come from?’. If have of these reports are true, then more than half of the GWT fleet is headed for Davey Jones’ locker. Sir, if we don’t do something fast, we’re going to be the ones to catch hell in a major way.” Dave informed his boss.

“Shit! Can this day getting any fucking better?” Mark snarled.

“SIR! MISTER SANDERS TURN ON FFN!” One of his other aids screamed.

Mark didn’t even think twice and did as the aid screamed. “Ah, shit. We just jumped to fuck me sideways in a back alley with a steal dildo.”

The talking heads for FFN were already carrying the news of Abrams’ death. Even worse they were speculating Abrams’ involvement with International drug smugglers, illegal arms dealers, and white slavers. As the bubbleheaded bleach blonde ran her mouth a ticker scrolled across the bottom of the screen. With each passing recap the stock price for GWT fell a few more points. Within the ten minutes the stocks of GWT Had fallen from 39.50 a share to 26.30 and the price was still falling.

“No offence sir, but so what if the stock falls?” Dave asked his Supervisor.

“If that stock keeps falling the company will go bankrupt. It goes bankrupt we got a fucking mess on our hands. I should say our MILITARY will have a mess on their hands. Get me the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dave. We need to get ahead of this debacle now.” Mark ordered his aid.

“Yes sir. What should I tell him?” Dave asked.

“That I want a full meeting in two hours. The topic will be ‘I told you so.” Mark snarled as he started going over the rest of the reports.

Inner ring of the Pentagon, Washington D.C.

The Chief of the Navy, Admiral Chester More couldn’t believe what he was being ordered to do. He looked at his aid holding up the orders in his hands. “Please, tell me that this is a mother fucking joke Commander?”

“No sir. Those orders came through proper channels. Straight from the Secretary of the Defense. We are to use ALL available assets to secure any and all Global World Transit currently outside of US territorial waters.” Admiral More couldn’t believe his ears. Everything that his aid just told him while will within the purview of the Navy, left a bad taste in his mouth.

More just sighed. “Get me deployment status lists. No, strike that. Just pass on the order to the ships that we have currently deployed and get the rest of the surface fleet deployed.”

“Aye, aye, sir.” The aid turned and ran from the room.

“This is going to play worse than a bad sequel from the sixties on a late-night Saturday movie rerun.” Admiral More looked down at his desktop. “The press is going to have fucking field day with this. They’re going to spin it like Big Brother over stepping and interfering with free trade.”

“That maybe sir. But like that old saying goes. ‘Ours is not to reason way, but to do or die.’ We are soldiers, sailors, and marines, sir. We have a chain of command that we must follow. Even you, sir. Yes, we have the right to disobey an unlawful order, but those orders are well within the law. They may be distasteful, but their legal.” The young Commander said as he reentered the office.

“God damn it, Hopkins. Don’t you think I know that? It’s how this whole mess is going to play out in the eyes of the public that concerns me.” More snapped. “Don’t you get it? No matter how, or why we do this, the Navy will still come off as the bad guys.”

“I understand, sir. But it is the system that we serve.” Hopkins got a very faraway look in his eyes. “Sir, my father once told me something about our government and the military. Its something that I’ve carried with me to this very day. I think you could use it now.”

“Okay Hopkins. What is this great pearl of wisdom?” More asked his aid.

“The United States has been an experiment in Democracy for over two-hundred years. At its core it has been a government of the people by the people for the people. But during all that time it has been protected by a Dictatorship. We, the military are that Dictatorship. Today’s military man may be a volunteer sir, but we all surrender certain rights to protect the rights of others. We may not like some of our orders and how we get portrayed in the press at times, but that is what we ALL signed up for. Enlisted and Officer alike sir. To quote a favorite TV show of mine, sometimes the bad guys are the best good guys.”

More chuckled at Hopkins’ quote. He knew exactly what show Hopkins was referring to. Mostly because he too like the show and wished that it hadn’t been canceled. He also knew that Hopkins’ father was a student of history. Because that piece of advice was taken straight from a speech by one of America’s greatest social commentators.

“Thanks for reminding me of our place the bigger picture, Commander Hopkins. Let’s get those orders carried out.” More told the man.

“Aye, aye sir.” With that Commander Hopkins left Admiral More’s office.

Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Management, Office of Homeland Security, Washington D.C.

At the same time that Admiral More was giving out his orders the current Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Management, Samuel Case was just receiving his orders. Looking up at his aid holding the almost exact same orders. “Who the fuck sent down these orders Andy? Did you even think to verify the damned things?”

“Trust me sir. When those orders came in, I went downstairs and doubled checked them myself.” Andy held up his hands in defeat. “Shit, sir. I triple checked them. The Secretary of Homeland Security issued those orders personally sir. We are to use all assets to secure all Global World Transit property within the US on the grounds of National Security. The reason is for criminal and traitorous actions against the people of the United States.”

“Just how bad did our friends over at GWT fuck up?” Case demanded.

“All I know sir is what is on those orders. From what our buddies over at the Federal Bureau of Idiots will tell us. These charges are just the beginning. They’ve already secured GWT’s CEO’s wife and oldest child. What they found on the home computer was sickening. They’re saying this could be just as bad as that whole Vasco mess a few years ago.” Andy told his boss.

“Ah shit. Get the Coast Guard moving now. I don’t care where they are, they are broad, secure, and search each GWT ship currently in US waters. I don’t care if they are underway or docked. Next I want Secret Service and US Customs teams raiding each GWT office in every port-of-call that they operate. LOCK those places down Andy. If the press gets in the way throw whoever it is in a fucking cell and lose the damned keys. I don’t care what happens. Those assholes over at the Marshals don’t get their hands on this cookie. Understood?” Case ordered.

“Yes sir. I can have the strike teams rolling in half an hour. We’ll use the Patriot Act to cover for warrants.” Andy was already running as he left his boss’s office. It was time for some pay back.

Andy could see that the Vasco mess still pissed off his boss. Especially with the way that one Federal Marshal had thrown their people off the ship. Then the man turned around and claimed full jurisdiction. The way that all went down was still a black eye for a lot, agents in Homeland Security. The fact that they were operating directly under orders from the Secretary of Homeland Security no one was going to take this bust away from them. Today would be a major feather in his boss’s cap. It would also be a major feather in his own cap.

New York Stock Exchange, 11 Wall Street, New York City, New York

Dan Cutter had been a floor trader for more the twenty years. Never in all that time had he ever seen one stock plunge so rapidly. Especially a Blue-Chip stock like GWT. For 12 decades that company has been a rock in the stock market. Only out preformed by such giants as Hershey, McDonalds, Coke and a few other fortune-five hundred Blue-Chip stock companies. What he and the other traders were seeing shouldn’t be happening.

After five hours he along with the other traders expected the stock to start rebounding. They all expected the other members of GWT’s board of directors to start buying up the excess stocks as they became available. Yet that wasn’t happening. It was if everyone who had any ties to GWT was doing all they could to divest themselves of GWT stocks. Dan watched as the stock fell below 15 dollars a share and hold there for two hours before plunging once more. Only this time the stock kept dropping beyond reason. It wasn’t until the stocks reached 2 dollars a share that someone started buying.

At 5 minutes to closing bell Global World Transit was now mostly owned by a new company. No one knew who this Prima International Investments was, but they did have money. They were also willing to spend it. Every trader that any stocks in GWT were dumping them off on PII. The last registered trade was a 10 dollars per share. Will below what the stock had started the morning. Whoever these people were, they had snatched up 84 percent of all outstanding stocks in GWT. Only one original stockholder still held a majority in the company. Even that wasn’t enough for a seat on the board of directors anymore. Within eight hours the Abrams family no longer held sway or control over the company that been founded by their ancestor Ashley William Abrams in 1872 following the Civil War. A company that had been family owned for almost 150 years was now in the hands of new owners.

Dan turned to his friend and fellow trader, Steve Corns. “Son-of-a-bitch, have you ever seen such a feeding frenzy like this Steve?”

“Only once before, Dan. That whole mess last year with Vasco Inc. Even the way all that shit about dirty deals, white slavery, everything that has been popping up all over the net about Donald Abrams and GWT is the same. Have you seen what the press has been saying about GWT in their reports?” Steve shuddered as he thought about some of the reports.

“I know what you mean buddy. What I want to know is where all that info came from. I mean it’s like the Servers at GWT are dumping straight down to the press servers. Hell, even our guys over in IT are talking about some of the stuff we got dumped on our network.” Dan smirked. “What I can’t figure out is why did Abrams’ wife or son start buying up all those outstanding stocks.”

“If I had to guess Dan. I would say that the police, FBI, or Homeland has them in a secure location. One that doesn’t have access to the outside world in any format. Remember how the stocks started getting shaky a few days ago just because of the rumors that there was a price on Donald Abrams head.” Dan nodded his head yes at Steve’s question. “What nobody knows outside of the guys over in IT is where the rumors started. The real kicker is those rumors were leaked to the rest of the net. Despite everything our guys did to try and control the whole mess.”

“You’re not the only one who wants to know where all that dirt came from, Steve. Meet me in the breakroom in ten minutes.” Dan turned and walked away from his friend heading for the one place that they could talk in privacy.

Ten minutes later Steve found Dan sitting in one of the chairs in the traders’ breakroom. “Okay, Dan. What is so important that you won’t talk about out on the floor? You said something about other people wanting to know about the dirt on all these files showing up in the news.”

“You know that my brother works for the NYPD right?” Steve nodded yes to Dan’s question. “Well, he works in the Cybercrimes and Intelligence division. There have been more than seven events that match the same MO. A massive splash in the news following the death of a real scumbag. But those scumbags always had connections. Like really high-up connections. Connections making them almost untouchable. The real kicker is my brother and his buddies have never been able to find who is behind these leaks. Then there is the rumors that all of these take downs have been done by some kind of black bag operation team on the federal level.”

“Wait. Are you saying that there is a bunch of gun-toting federal agents walking around taking out prominent business figures? Because that is just too far out there in left field to be true.” Steve couldn’t believe what Dan was telling him. The idea was just too hard to wrap his head around.

“Yeah, well, I’ve been around enough cops to know that they are all suspicious as hell. AND more importantly, they have their own myths and legends. The crazy part about those law enforcement myths and legends. There is more than a little bit of fact behind them.” Dan told his friend.

“I hate to say this, but what you’re saying could explain a few things. Have you noticed that in the last three and half years that more and more companies have been having their dirty laundry aired in public? Bad enough that more than a few CEOs, and CFOs have been forced to stepdown.” Steve looked up from the coffee table at his friend. “It’s almost like, that TV show from a few years ago, you know the one I’m talking about. A small group of thieves, and Con artists taking down the rich and powerful.”

“Don’t even say that outload Steve. Even as a joke. Don’t you remember the panic that show cause amongst the big boys? And that was just a TV show. Just imagine what would happen if they found out that there was a real group of people bringing justice to the rich and powerful. The market would crash harder than what happened in nineteen-twenty-nine.” Dan gave Steve a harsh look. Then both men stood up and looked out at the trading floor.

Steve put their thoughts into words. “Ah, shit. Talk about mass panic.”

Parking garage across from the Peninsula Hotel, New York, New York

Ever sense Maria had returned from the meeting last night Kasey and Kristine had been going long and hard after the GWT mainframes. The only break they took was when Samantha forced them to shutdown their investigation at two in the morning. The girls had come back to the ALOC just after eight that morning. Sense then they have shown no mercy on the GWT mainframes. They were once again living up to their classification as the first ever Gemini Deity Class Cyberwarfare operator. By nine am they had slashed their way through the ICE of the GWT mainframes.

From the moment that the girls left the hotel room they had an adult watching over them. Their first guard was Samantha. Then came Hunter, and finally Bobby. The three parents knew the dangers that their adapted daughters faced when they entered the war of cyberspace. The biggest fear the parents faced when the girls went dancing among the electrons in the either of the Network was them becoming lost in their search. Krystle had been forced to reclassify Kasey over the last few months. Where the older teen had once been a regular hacker, her training with Kristine and Krystle had an unfortunate side effect. Krystle had been forced to place Kasey under a Diver Classification. Now, when the two teens worked together in the ALOC, or TOC they always had a minder. They could still work independently for short periods of time safely but that was no longer the case when they worked together.

They had originally gone to the ALOC to dig further into the background of Sylvia Price and update what they had learned from the woman’s file. When Kimberly informed them that Anna was heading for Grand Cayman in the morning the girls shifted their investigation to GWT. At first, they had problems getting and securing a solid connection to the network for the first three hours of their investigation. It wasn’t until they had moved the ALOC to the rooftop parking area that they finally got a solid network connection. Even then with all the computer power of the ALOC and its connection to Ram’s Rock they had problems getting passed the ICE of the GWT Mainframes.

The reason behind this was twofold. The first was that the GWT mainframe servers had some of the finest network security on the civilian market. While the second was one that is far more common. GWT employing top level computer programmers and hackers as Network Managers and Network Security Officers. It was the human element that had given the teens the hardest obstacle to overcome. Where a computer driven program could react to a cyberattack, they lacked the ability to outthink a human mind. This was where the programmers and hackers came into play. While not truly trained as Cyberwarfare Operators they were still highly qualified in their individual fields. It was these qualifications that had caused the teens grief at first.

Once they were in though there was nothing on the main, secondary, or tertiary servers that the girls couldn’t find. Not even the off-site home and privet servers were left unmolested by the girls. Every dirty nasty little secret was dragged out into the open. Once there those secrets where placed on the net and in the hands of every news organization in the world. It didn’t matter where that news organization was it got a download of files pointing to all the dirty laundry of GWT and its executives. Most especially Donald Abrams and the Abrams family. For Kasey and Kristine, it didn’t matter. They were on a mission to destroy GWT and the wealth that could be used to help that family. It was this need for vengeance against such families that often worried their parents and grandparents.

Even their mentor Krystle worried over the teens’ need for vengeance against families like the Abrams. The one time that Krystle took her concerns to Lyssa and Kimberly the Operations bosses confront the girls. More accurately it was Lyssa who confronted the girls. When Lyssa heard the reasons behind the girls’ need for vengeance, did she back off, but Lyssa did inform their parents and Krystle. It wasn’t long after that, that the new diver guidelines were put into place for both girls.

At just after three pm the they launched their final database attack on the GWT servers. In one massive dump the last off Donald Abrams’ dirty secrets played out on the world’s Network. Secrets that drove the board of directors for GWT to dump all of their holdings in the company. Some that the two teens had been watching for over the last four hours. Kasey reached over and picked up the ALOC’s phone. She dialed the number from memory.

“Now.” Was all Kasey said over the phone before hanging up after it was answered. This one word set in motion what would one of the fastest takeovers of any company in the history of the NYSE. Looking over at her younger sister Kasey smiled. “Well it’s all up to Miss Anna, now. Do you think she’ll pull it off Kris? I still have my doubts.”

“She’ll get most of the stocks here on the NYSE, and NASDAQ. AS for the TEG, Shanghai, and the Euronext markets it’s anybody’s guess. I’ve been double checking the listings for GWT stock. Except for those five no other exchange carries the GWT stock.” Kristine told her sister.

Kasey just smirked. “Kristine, my dear sister, have a little faith in the Nightingale. She has been playing this game far longer than any of us have been. Only Nonnina, has playing the game as long as her.”

“True. Hay sis, can I ask you a question?” Kristine asked quietly.

“Yes, I’m going to miss her when she retires, Kris.” Kasey answered already knowing what was going through Kristine’s mind. “It’ll be a sad day when Miss Anna finally retires. The person I feel bad for is Mindy. I think of us all Mindy worries the most about Miss Anna. I mean she is closer to Mindy than all us of in the Black Badges.”

“True. I think that is mostly because of the first few years back on the island. Mindy spent a lot of time in Miss Anna’s care. Especially when Miss Kimberly and Lone Star have training scheduled.” Kristine sighed.

“Time enough later to figure what WE’RE going to do for our cousin later, sis. Right now, we have to finish destroying GWT’s servers.” Kasey told her sister bluntly. As the two teens turned their attention back to the task at hand, they failed to notice that their conversation was overheard.

Setting at the table cleaning his 45 was their father Bobby. He waited until the girls’ attention was once more focused on destroying GWT on the net. Pulling out his phone Hunter sent a text to Sam and Hunter. As he waited Bobby reassembled his 45 and preformed a function check. After reloading his weapon Bobby went to the ALOC’s arms locker and pulled out one of the Tactical Shotguns. He had no sooner sat down than there was a knock on the ALOC’s camper door. Bobby looked up at the security monitor. Seeing the rest of the team Bobby hit the release for the door.

As the team filed in Maria gave Bobby a worried look before looking over at the teens. “What is wrong Robert?”

“Right now, nothing mom. We do have a problem though and it concerns the girls.” He answered her honestly. Making sure that the teens had their headsets on and had tuned out the world. “They’re worried about Mindy after Miss Anna retires. As much as I hate to say this, I believe they have a right to be worried over their little cousin.”

Maria sighed and looked at the rest of her family. “I was afraid of this. By the way they’re not the only ones worried over Anna’s retirement and how it will affect Mindy. Paul, Kimberly, and Lonestar have all asked me to talk with her about postponing her retirement for a few more years.”

“Do you think Miss Anna will be willing to postpone her retirement mom?” Hunter asked nicely.

“She told me that she would think about it, Hunter.” Maria sighed. “In some ways I hope that she doesn’t. She has after all been in the game for as long if not longer than me and Paul. We are not young people anymore. Both time and age are catching up to her. That stabbing she suffered in South Carolina hasn’t gotten any better. Then there is all the other signs of her age that are part of life. Her arthritis is getting to the point that she needs to take a mild pain killer in mornings.”

“Damn. Why hasn’t she said anything? I would never have let her get involved in this case to begin with.” Samantha just bitched. Only to have Maria give her the evil-eye. “What? We all know that you wanted to walk away from this case in the first place. If it hadn’t been for Angelic’s involvement, we would have dumped this shit cake in the FBI’s lap.”

For once Maria just chuckled over Sam’s choice of wording. “True. If it hadn’t been for your cousin’s involvement that is exactly what would have happened. I’m still trying to figure out the Iscariot angle in all this.”

Kasey and Kristine both took off their headsets as they turned in their chairs. Kasey smiled up at their grandmother. “Nonnina, we think that we’ve finally figured that part out.”

“Okay Gemini, report.” Maria told her oldest grandchild while reminding her who was in charge and this was an ongoing investigation.

“We know that Monsignor Delacorte, aka Alfonzo Delicato, is the man in charge of this investigation for the Church. We also know that he is the good Sister’s supervisor, so all intel goes back through him. By being the one in charge of the Church’s investigation the man can control what gets sent up the chain. And what gets lost in the shuffle. Just so he can keep his involvement in the crimes of Abrams, and the others a secret. His biggest secret though is between Delacorte and Abrams. It involves those Novices. Delacorte is the one who is supplying them. We also have the final connection to which Convents that are supplying the girls.”

“Very good Gemini. I only have one question. Did you release that information onto the net with the rest when you decided to destroy GWT this afternoon?” Maria asked them nicely.

“No ma’am. That intel has been withheld. We figured that this was one time that a tactical strike would be better than a full-blown nuking was best.” Kristine answer for them both. “We also kept the intel on Abrams connection to Charles Andrews out of the news dumps.”

“Very good girls. What can you tell us about Anna’s endeavors this afternoon?” Maria asked with a slightly knowing smile. Instead of answering this time both girls blushed. “I’ll take that as you don’t know.”

Bobby chuckled from where he was seated. “I think this time I’ll be the one to answer. After all, one of my jobs is to monitor the news networks. One of which is the Stock market reports. If I understand the reports correctly GWT is now totally under the control of Prima International Investments.”

Kasey and Kristine had not been idle while their father Bobby filled in the others what he knew or understood. Kristine was the one to find the exact percentage of stocks that were now owned by PII. With a smile she turned to her grandmother. “Marshal, if I am reading this correctly Miss Anna has been able to secure eighty-four percent of the outstanding stock for GWT.”

“HOLY SHIT!” Hunter blurted out. At the look from Maria he shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry mom, but even you have to agree that is crazy. There is no way that you could have dreamed of gain that much control.”

Maria gave her family a sly smile. “In a way I expected to grab a little bit more. Not that I will bitch about what we did snatch up. Someone must have picked up on what Anna was doing or the Abrams family wasn’t able to sell off as much of their personal stocks as they hoped.”

“Wait a minute mom. Wouldn’t the Abrams family want to buy up as much as stock as they could have been the way for them to go?” Samantha asked her.

“I have to agree with Samantha, Auntie. If anything, the rest of the family would have wanted to distance themselves from the company and Donald.” Angelic felt that she should voice her own opinion.

Looking around the ALOC at her family Maria could see that they failed to see the importance behind what she had told them. “Please remember that families like the Abrams perception and reputation is everything. If the world sees the head of the family as a criminal, then the rest of the family are criminals. This is the way that almost all those old money families see themselves. There very few that don’t, mostly because of the younger generations. Unlike the Abrams family. The only way they would not have divested themselves of those stocks would be the ones belonging to Abrams wife and son. For that to happen they would have to be somewhere totally cutoff from the world. Like a safehouse.”

Bobby, Hunter, and Samantha looked at each other and smiled. Hunter chuckled as he put their thoughts into words. “Homeland or DOJ. They snatched up the rest of the Abrams family and secured them within hours of Donald’s sudden departure from this world.”

“When did this happen?” Maria asked with a smile.

“About a half hour before the markets opened. After that it was a freefall for the GWT stocks. It wasn’t until an hour before closing that the freefall stopped and the stocks made a rebound.” Bobby told her smiling. “Look’s like Miss Anna timed her purchases just right.”

Maria chuckled. “She always had excellent timing when it came to financial matters. I’m just surprised that she let the stock price to fall so far. I wonder why? I mean in the past she always kept the price at more realistic price before stepping in like she did.”

“I think I know why, ma’am.” Kristine said quietly. At Maria’s nod Kristine continued. “I believe that she let it fall as far as she did for one reason. To drive off the rest of the board of directors.”

Maria started to chuckle. “I have the feeling that she didn’t want to deal with a bunch of crusty old farts at the next board meeting. You all know how she gets with us at times. Just think how she would feel about someone who thinks they know better just because they’ve been there for years. Knowing her as I do there would have been bloodshed from the start.”

“I don’t think so mom. I believe that Anna did what she did for another reason.” Hunter said looking her dead in the eyes. At her nod Hunter gave her his reason in one word. “Vengeance.”

“How so, Hunter?” Maria asked with some concern.

“We all know this whole mess goes back to something that went down after World War Two. Something that revolves around the Iscariot Division and the Nazis. It is something that Abrams got a hold of and used for his own designs. Namely his illegal activities. The biggest of which is the white slavery and those Convents. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that Miss Anna is out to deliver a message to the rest of the world and the Church.”

“And what message would that be Deputy Taugh?” Angelic snarled.

“That no one is above the law. Not even the Church.” Hunter told her bluntly.

-----tbc-----