Lose The Laptop Challenge

Ending It All” (The Finale & Part 4)

Catch up on Part 1 of “The Mobile Spy” here, Part 2 here and Part 3 here.

He slept most of the way. He hadn't realized how running on adrenaline had made him so incredibly tired. He only woke a few times to have his ticket checked and to peer out the window to identify his surroundings. But after each check, he slipped back into a deep slumber.

After about five hours of sleep, lulled by the gentle rocking of the train, he snapped awake, refreshed and rejuvenated. He was about an hour away from his final destination, a sleepy lake-side town in the Italian mountains. He knew the area like the back of his hand. The small villa had been purchased many years ago and had been cared for by a local who had been paid from an anonymous fund. It would be his family's sanctuary and the start of his new life.

He thought back to the events of the past 24 hours, double checking every possible angle of his escape. By the time the agents caught the vagrant in the cab, they would realize that they had been tricked and that the trail would be cold. The safe house had been thoroughly burned. He knew this because of how he had set up the rooms. Each room had areas that were meant to act as tinder, from the old, dry and dusty curtains to the yellowing newspapers stacked in careful piles around the flat. He had lost the laptop by completely destroying its internal hard drive and burning it beyond recovery. The data had been transferred from his cell phone to the laptop and then off to a secure site. All of the checks were in the appropriate boxes. Through a stroke of luck, Mark Z, the man he had bought the data from, was dead. And for all intents and purposes, any connections to Mark, the data and him were long erased.

The man got up from his seat and walked to the WC at the end of the train car. Once the bathroom door was locked behind him, he took out his wallet and began removing all of the credit cards and IDs. He set to work folding and ripping up the items of his past lives, flushing pieces of the documents down the toilet as the train raced through empty pastures and hillsides. When the last piece had been disposed of, he breathed a sigh of relief and headed back to his seat.

The train slowed as it approached a non-descript station. It was simple, just a room with some benches and a closed ticket window. He did notice a change since the last time he was there, on the roof was a multi-directional antenna. He glanced at his HTC Tilt 2 and saw that it actually had signal strength. Ah, technology progress had even spread its fingers up to the rural Italian mountainside.

But it really didn't matter to him. After being connected in so many different ways, he was finally going to be able to fully drop off the grid. It was a moment he was looking forward to for a long time. 

The train screeched to a stop. There was a short toot of the steam whistle and he hopped off of the car. To the casual observer, nothing would have seemed out of the ordinary, just a man getting off of the train. The only slightly odd things were the spring in his step and the fact that he didn't have any baggage with him. With another blast from the whistle, the train jerked for a second and then started pulling away from the station. 

He stood alone on the platform and watched the train curve round the bend and into one of many long dark tunnels along the route. The clanging of the wheels on the metal tracks faded into the distance until there was nothing left but the soft wind whistling through the trees. He stood for a few more minutes, fully absorbing the tranquility and silence of the moment.

"Daddy!"

The quiet was broken by a familiar and excited voice. The shadows revealed two figures, the smaller of which came bounding out into the brilliant sunlight. Little arms suddenly crushed the man’s leg and the man bent down to effortlessly scoop the child off of the ground. With his boy wrapped around his arms and chest, the man walked toward the other figure.

He bent forward and kissed his wife. She smiled, looking deep into his eyes.

"You're finally here," she exclaimed.

"Yes," he replied. 

"What did you bring me?" the boy inquired.

The man's heart sunk as he thought back to the stuffed animal sitting in the store several hours in his past, paid for, yet abandoned. He thought for a moment and reached into his pocket. He pulled out his cellphone, carefully popped out the battery and removed the SIM card. He dropped the SIM to the cement and then with his right foot, brought his heel down hard upon it. After grinding it a few times, he kicked what remained out onto the tracks.

"I got you this," he said as he handed his cell phone to his boy. "I won't be needing it any more." 

"Oh wow! Thanks Daddy!" his boy bubbled. 

The family walked slowly off of the platform and down the dusty road. 

"Where's your laptop?" she asked casually.

"I lost it," he replied and never gave it another thought.

THE END

About this article: This post is the FOURTH and FINAL installment of an on-going series for the AT&T Lose the Laptop Challenge. See the FIRST installment here, the SECOND installment here and the THIRD installment here. This is the FINAL month and we are all “gunning” for the GRAND PRIZE of $5000. Remember to VOTE(for me, especially). By voting, you too can win $5000. There were 3 subjects during the previous 3 months: Travel, Social and Shopping. Please take a look at my previous posts. Over the next few weeks, I will be tying it all together so I hope that you will follow the progress and adventures of the hero.

HTD says: If you liked the story, please VOTE for me! Re-read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 as well! What do you think? Was it what you expected?

“The Final Purchase” (Part 3)

Catch up on Part 1 of “The Mobile Spy” here and Part 2 here.

He enjoyed the obscurity that the shadows of the train station provided him. He easily slipped between alcoves and doorways, at times jumping into the moving crowds. Everything was falling in place the way that he had planned and he was in the final stretch. Only, he hadn't planned on them catching up with him so quickly.

The file had been transferred, he had "lost the laptop", the safe house thoroughly destroyed, and with an unplanned stroke of luck, the provider of the data had been killed in the process, thus closing the loop and erasing almost all chances of his personal mission failing. But he wasn't out of the woods yet as four pairs of agents were combing the train station with orders of shoot him on sight.

But he still had a few tricks up his sleeve. He initiated a plan that was so over used that nobody tried it any more. He hoped that the mere obviousness of it would act to his advantage and people would simply think he was panicking.

Pulling the HTC Tilt 2 from his pocket again, he did a quick search for a local taxi service. After finding the phone number, he quickly dialed it. Slipping casually into the local dialect, he spoke a few sentences and gave the company a credit card number, one that was not entirely off the radar. His view from the shadowed alcove gave him a clear look at the front entrance and within a minute or two, he saw the cab pull up.

"Want to make some quick money?" he asked the vagrant who shared the alcove. He peeled off some bills from a thick wad in his pocket. The bum's eyes lit up, putting down the tattered cup he was using to collect change from passers-by. He quickly emptied the pockets of his jacket and helped the vagrant put it on. Not a perfect fit but good enough. He whispered some instructions to the vagrant who nodded as the money changed hands.

The timing was perfect. The cab was waiting by the time the 4 pairs of agents' earpieces started crackling with electronic information. The vagrant had started walking at a brisk pace toward the front entrance as the agents received the confirmation that the target had just made a credit card transaction for a cab at the train station. By the time the vagrant was 50 feet from the door, he was running as quickly as his tired legs could carry him.

The agents started sprinting after him, clearly outlining their locations around the station. They were falling for the oldest trick in the book. The vagrant got through the front door and into the waiting cab much faster than expected. He watched the chase unfolded before his eyes. The cab door slammed and the taxi screeched away from the curb. Seconds later, two large SUVs pulled up at the front entrance and the eight agents jumped in. The SUVs sped off, leaving behind a smell of burnt rubber.

He waited a few more seconds in the darkened alcove and then headed toward a local shop within the train station. 

Once hidden in the aisles of the shop, careful not to have his back to the door, he perused the contents of the shelves. Perched near the cash register was a small stuffed animal. It was perfect. He scooped it up and placed it down next to the register. The sales person smiled.

"Last minute purchase?" she asked.

He squeezed out a grin and handed over a bill, but suddenly he panicked. MINUTE! He glanced at his watch. Time had passed too quickly and the unplanned distraction scheme had thoroughly messed up his timetable. He sprinted out of the store and down to the platform of the departing train. 

As he hopped on the last car, he glanced back over his shoulder. No one was following him. He made his way to his seat and slumped down. Apart from his cell phone, he was empty handed.

The stuffed animal sat back at the cashier, abandoned.

TO BE CONTINUED

About this article: This post is the THIRD installment of an on-going series for the AT&T Lose the Laptop Challenge. See the FIRST installment here and the SECOND installment here. This is the FINAL month and we are all “gunning” for the GRAND PRIZE of $5000. Remember to VOTE (for me, especially). By voting, you too can win $5000. There were 3 subjects during the previous 3 months: Travel, Social and Shopping. Please take a look at my previous posts. Over the next few weeks, I will be tying it all together so I hope that you will follow the progress and adventures of the hero.

HTD says: What do you think will happen? Re-read Part 1 and Part 2 as well! Check next week for THE FINALE (Part 4) of The Mobile Spy.

Cypher, Location & Discovery (Part 2)

Catch up on Part 1 of “The Mobile Spy” here.

He wondered how the hell they had found him. It must have been his business contact, Mark Z. He should never have trusted Mark. He should have known better. There is something about information exchange that is just inherently risky, especially with information of this caliber. 

They had met through a mutual acquaintance at the Austrian embassy. Mark had a huge list of contacts, along with all of their personal, contact, photos and location information. The list was for sale to the highest bidder. From agency contacts to double agents and their family members, this was THE list of lists.

Their meeting had been coordinated cryptically though a mutual Yugoslavian contact. The "list" was a subset of Mark Z's master list, but this was the cream of the crop, and well worth the $5 million. To have obtained all of the contact information, photos and history of the upper echelon of world spies was a complete faux pas. This was going to be his last big transaction. Once the information and money changed hands, he was going to be in the final stretch and could drop out of the crazy, unpredictable life he was living.

He missed his wife and boy. Recently, he had been thinking of them more often. He wanted out and this deal was going to be his way out. He would know more about every person in every agency around the world than they knew about their own employees. With that type of information and leverage, he and his family would be guaranteed a protected life.

“R U there" popped the message on his laptop. It was from Mark Z, the Austrian agent. "Y" was his quick reply. They kept their correspondences short so that the bits would get lost in the huge data stream. He pulled up the social map and saw that the agent was writing near-by. 

"GR8" came the reply from Mark - Great

"N2 M121" he wrote - Need to meet 1 on 1

"K" was the response from the Austrian.

"$ redi" he wrote back - Money is ready.

"WRU@" wrote the Austrian - Where are you at?

He posted his location.

"LTL & GmobL" - Lose the Laptop and go mobile was the response from Mark.

The HTC Tilt2 slid quietly out of his pocket. He fired up the agency-installed covert locator app that instantly triangulated his location. The message stream encryption indicator turned from red to green, ensuring that the conversation couldn't be monitored. 

Using cell phones was now the preferred method compared to laptops, which frequently were compromised due to malware, keyloggers and other trojans. Most agencies around the world had moved to smart phones to ensure portability, reliability and mobility in general. 

He quickly located the Austrian on the mobile maps. He was nearby. 

"Your laptop has been cracked," texted the Austrian. "It's on the grid. You had just one too many check-ins."

"Crap" he texted back. He knew the drill. Once the laptop was compromised, it became a liability and had to be left behind. But, he wasn't quite finished with it.

"It's ok, I can still send you the file," wrote the Austrian. "Do you have the funds?"

"Of course," he wrote back. This was his ticket out, his insurance policy for a life without looking over his shoulder, a life of relative normalcy. Over the years, he had quietly been stashing money from various covert assignments. This year marked the point when he finally had enough saved away and he could use it to “buy” his way out. 

Mark Z texted, "Ok, please start the wire transfer. I will begin sending you the file. But let’s do this quickly, I may have been followed. Meet at the same place?"

"Yes, I will hand you the account information once we meet," he wrote. The geo-locater showed that Mark Z, was at the cafe, just around the corner from the safe house.

They both sat at the pre-defined tables, back to back and covering each others' blind spots. The progress bar on his cell phone showed the transfer at 99%. He pulled the thumb drive out of his pocket and turned slightly in his chair. The Austrian did the same, handing him a sheet of paper with the password for the encrypted file. At 100%, the items changed hands. 

He plugged in the password into the HTC and watched the names and confidential personal information materialize on the screen. The Austrian tapped on his cellphone and smiled as he accessed the bank account. Everything looked to be in order.

Suddenly a car screeched around the corner. The Austrian's eyes widened. He stood up quickly and sprinted out of the cafe. As Mark Z. ran down the street, the man calmly took a sip from his espresso.

The pops came in rapid succession and the Austrian pitched forward into the street, not feeling anything by the time his body crumpled into the gutter. The car barely slowed as a face peered through the darkened window and then screeched down the street and around the corner.

The man carefully unfolded a bill from his wallet, left it on the table, and then quietly walked in the opposite direction from the quickly forming crowd. He pulled out his cellphone and initiated the file transfer, wirelessly moving his precious data back to the laptop at the safe house. Once the transfer was complete, he headed to the safe house. He had to lose the laptop and move on.

TO BE CONTINUED

About this article: This post is the SECOND installment of an on-going series for the AT&T Lose the Laptop Challenge. See the FIRST installment here. This is the FINAL month and we are all “gunning” for the GRAND PRIZE of $5000. Remember to VOTE (for me, especially). By voting, you too can win $5000. There were 3 subjects during the previous 3 months: Travel, Socialand Shopping. Please take a look at my previous posts. Over the next few weeks, I will be tying it all together so I hope that you will follow the progress and adventures of the hero.

HTD says: Biting your nails yet? Re-read Part 1 too! Check next week for Part 3 of The Mobile Spy.