The Spector - The Making of a Spy book 2

Chapter 1

Tony arrived at the apartment in the late afternoon after his trip to Europe to visit Sara (his mom). It was an exhausting trip with all the travel and excitement. Sara always surprises him with the issues she faces, and this trip was no exception. The SVR and MI-6 were the problems this time, and hopefully they were solved. Tony knew the MI-6 issue would raise its ugly head with Lord Stanley Dankworth, a member of the intelligence committee in parliament. Tony read his mind during their golf game and was also interested in his programming skills.

Duke Arthur Fernsby was an importer/exporter and became interested in Antonio’s programming skills after hearing that he had fixed a hotel reservation system on the fly. It wouldn’t surprise him if the Duke also contacted him for work or assistance with a problem. Sara told him to develop relationships with them while playing the St. Andrews golf course. He was afraid he did that and more, and only time will tell if and when they contact him.

He unpacked what he could at the apartment and will take the rest to the warehouse tomorrow. Tony looked in the refrigerator and ordered Papa John’s pizza for takeout. He cleaned out the expired food, put it in the trash, and went to get his pizza. While eating dinner, he thought about the next stage of destroying the Guardians’ network. It would take some planning to avoid alerting the others to his actions. He finished dinner, went to bed, and fell asleep.

Tony woke up early the next morning, put on sweats, loaded the luggage, and drove to the warehouse. He attacked the heavy bags with his martial arts skills and envisioned the people he would soon face. After an hour, he was dripping with sweat and drank water to rehydrate. Then he showered in the Airstream trailer, dressed in the wardrobe, and then unpacked the additional clothes.

Then he remembered the attorney for Owen Harp’s letter, and he called Bill Dewald. When he answered, Antonio told Bill he had received a letter to call and wanted to know what it was about. Bill asked Antonio how well he knew Owen Harp, and he said not well at all. Tony lied, saying he had spoken with Mr. Harp on the phone several times but had never met him in person. He told Bill he had applied for a grant to fund my startup programming company, and Mr. Harp funded it.

Tony lied again, telling Bill the last phone call was a bit strange as Mr. Harp asked about my personal life, family, education, and goals. Tony asked what this was about again, and Bill said Owen Harp died and named you as the beneficiary of his estate. He asked Bill why he would do that, and Bill said he didn’t know for sure. Owen was having marital problems and thought his wife was going to kill him.

Bill said Owen visited my office in a panic and changed his will to ensure his wife wouldn’t benefit from his death. Then Owen notified her, and things settled down, but there were serious issues still pending that I can’t discuss. Bill asked Antonio to visit his office to sign documents and discuss the will. They agreed to meet on Monday at 9 a.m. and said goodbye. Tony looked at his phone, not knowing what day it was, and it was Saturday.

Tony locked up the warehouse and went to his office building. He went to the data center and said hello to Nova. He told Nova about having access to MI-6, and Nova asked for the login and password. Tony downloaded it to Nova from his cloud and told her it may not be good for long. The agents’ access will be deleted when they find he’s deceased. Nova said Once I’m in, that won’t matter and Tony left her to do her thing.

On the way back to the apartment, he stopped at Wendy’s drive-thru for lunch. While eating lunch, Tony thought about his house, the rear fence, and the pole barn. Kevin should have made good progress on it and would check it out after lunch. Then his grandparents came to mind, and he needed to visit them, too. The problem was explaining to his grandmother that he couldn’t stay. Grandfather would understand. He thought another note would do in the meantime and that he would visit them in person later.

After lunch, Tony drove the F-150 to his house, opened the gate, and parked in the garage. He got on the Can-Am and rode to the rear property. The fence was almost finished, and the pole barn had the supports up, with the roof finished. There were solar panels on the roof, and he didn’t remember asking Kevin to install them. He was planning to do it himself or hire a contractor. But having Kevin do it saved him the trouble.

Returning to the garage, he parked the Can-Am, locked up, and drove the F-150 home. Tony remembered the W Hotel manager in Italy, Sergio Greco, giving him a business card to call about working for the hotel chain after he fixed their computer system. He pulled out the business card, and it was from Marriott International, based in Maryland. The person on the card to call was Steven Sloan, Vice President of Operations. That’s another thing to do next week after Owen Harp’s attorney visit.

Tony remembered there wasn’t any food in the refrigerator, so he went to the market. He stocked up, knowing he would be in town for at least a week or two. Returning to the apartment, he put the groceries away and made dinner. While eating, he planned for the next week. Monday would be the attorney for Owen Harp; then he would call the V.P. for Marriott International. The rest of the week, he would be researching the congresspeople who were taking payoffs and bribes. Tony finished dinner and went to bed.

After breakfast on Sunday morning, Tony rode the Harley to the warehouse. He pulled the files he had accumulated from Senator Don Stanton, Venture Capitalist Morgan Glans (the record-keeper), Owen Harp, Investment Banker Howard Lippman (the money man), and CIA Assistant Director in Charge of Congressional Affairs Jay Watkins (the bribe/payoff man). Then there were all the group’s computer files, so there was a lot to sort through.

Then he had an idea and emailed Nova. Tony asked if, after he scanned the documents, she could organize them along with the computer files. She said yes and asked him to put them on a portable hard drive. He thanked Nova, went online, and ordered a highly rated document scanner from Amazon. He also got a 10 TB HHD, and it would be delivered to the mail center on Tuesday, which solved a boring task he didn’t want to do.

Tony thought he would use the moniker “Spector” when dealing with key people. That would build Spector’s reputation and instill fear, with no one knowing who or what Spector was. It would spread quickly that you don’t want Spector targeting you. The intelligence agencies would eventually hear about him and ask the same question. Tony laughed at the thought of Sara using Spector, too. It would have the CIA and the foreign intelligence agencies spending time and resources trying to find out who it was.

He locked up the warehouse and headed back to the apartment. While eating lunch, Tony thought about his worm and email program, “Spread the Joy.” Both would be critical in gathering information, and he needed to revise them. So, after lunch, he worked on his worm, disguising it as a root program file. Tony protected it with encryption and would erase itself if hacked or copied. He did the same with his email program “Spread the Joy”.

Suddenly, he thought he’d become an information gatherer as he sold to Manufacturing Conglomerate Owen Harp. If this expanded as he anticipated, Nova would need more hard drive space. He would ask her what she would need and what changes to her system were necessary. Then he would have to set up a front company in Europe for the payments. He went online and checked which European countries had the strongest privacy laws, and the Netherlands was among the best.

Tony thought about a name for the company and decided on AIR Incorporated. It was short for Antonio’s Investigative Research. He would need to do some research on setting up a company in the Netherlands, and knew it would involve an attorney. It was getting late, so he prepared dinner and, while eating, wondered what was in store for him at Owen Harp’s attorney’s office tomorrow. he finished dinner, went to the bedroom, undressed, and fell asleep.

Waking up early Monday morning, Tony cleaned up, ate breakfast, put on a suit, and drove the F-150 to his house. He switched vehicles and drove the Escalade to the attorney’s office. Bill Dewald arrived at the same time, and introductions were exchanged. Bill said he had a nice SUV, and Tony laughed, saying Don’t get any ideas. I bought it used at a vehicle auction for a third of the new price. My accountant urged me to get a nice vehicle to visit clients. She said driving up in my used F-150 wouldn’t impress them, and they laughed.

They went into Bill’s office, and he read Owen Harp’s will, which left everything to Antonio Aragon (Kane). Tony said he didn’t know anything about manufacturing and would be lost attempting to run the company. He was a computer programmer and had no interest in assuming control of the company. Bill recommended that he set up a blind trust for himself to run the companies. The board of directors would manage it for you, and Antonio agreed.

For the next two hours, Tony read and signed documents and asked Bill to continue as his attorney. Bill readily agreed, and they arranged for his royalty payment to be deposited in ASG LLC. At the end, they exchanged business cards and shook hands goodbye. Tony’s head was spinning with the information Bill had given him. Then he thought about his accountant, Coleen Kline, of Kline and Associates. He’d need to tell her and wondered how she would react and what she would recommend. Returning to his house, Tony switched vehicles and drove the F-150 to the apartment.

Tony changed clothes and, while eating lunch, called Steven Sloan, Vice President of Operations at Marriott International. He was in a meeting, so Tony left his name and number and told the receptionist that the manager at the W Hotel in Italy, Sergio Greco, had asked him to call Mr. Sloan about the computer work he had done at the hotel. He hung up, hoping he wouldn’t return his call. Large corporations want you to respond immediately, and he has other urgent matters to attend to.

He laughed at the response he’d get from Steven Sloan when he declined working for Marriott International as a computer tech. They aren’t used to people saying no to them and expected a threat or warning. Tony thought about how to soften the blow and came up with an idea. He’d tell Steven I’m not the guy you call when a computer system goes down. I’m the guy you call when no one else can fix it. My price reflects that expertise, and feel free to call if such a matter arises. Tony hoped that would solve the issue, as he didn’t need another problem to deal with now.

He switched gears and thought about how to handle the Senators and House Members on the guardians’ payroll. A field trip to the capital in disguise may be necessary to see them in person or to leave a message that makes them nervous. The lobbying firms are also doing the same thing, only contributing to their PACs (dark money), which is hidden from regulation. That gave him another way to attack them, and he needs to develop a program to do so.

Tony started programming and was in a zone until his stomach told him it was time to eat. He saved his work, went to the kitchen, and prepared dinner. While eating dinner, Steven Sloan returned his call, and he let the answering service pick it up. It would give Steven the notice that other people had pressing issues to deal with, too. Tony finished dinner, went to the bedroom, undressed, and crashed.

Steven Sloan, VP of Operations at Marriott International, had been in meetings all day about problems with their reservation system. There was a glitch in the system that caused random hotel systems to shut down. Then, after an hour or two, it would come back up, and no one could find out what caused the problem. It wasn’t widespread, so doing a global system repair wasn’t necessary.

He got the message from Antonio Argon of Argon Services and returned his call, hoping to solve the problem as he had in Italy. Or tell him what he did to fix the problem so his tech services could fix it. When Antonio wasn’t available, he left a harsh message to return his call immediately. Steven left his title, name, company, and phone number as if he were Antonio’s boss. He wasn’t used to leaving messages. When he called, people either answered and did as he requested or were fired. He would give Antonio a piece of mind when he called, and he headed home.

Early the next morning, Tony, dressed in sweats, drove to the warehouse and practiced martial arts on the heavy bags. He envisioned entitled corporate assholes like Steven Sloan, VP of Operations at Marriott International, and annihilated him several times. The heavy bags swung wildly, and he was drenched in sweat. Tony rehydrated with a couple of bottles of water, showered in the Airstream, then dressed in the wardrobe. Then he went to the office and turned on the computer.

The message center sent him an email with Steven Sloan’s message. He laughed, looked up the Marriott International website, and got Steven’s email address. Instead of calling him, Tony drafted an email saying, “I’m not the guy you call when a computer system goes down. I’m the guy you call when no one else can fix it. My price reflects that expertise, and feel free to call if such a matter arises. Unfortunately, now I’m on a project and will contact you when I’m finished.

He attached his revised worm and email program “Spread the Joy” and sent it to him, laughing. He thought that would make his asshole pucker, and he was sure Steven would react accordingly. Tony locked up the warehouse and drove to the mail center in his F-150. He picked up the mail from the three boxes, his Amazon order, and stopped at Wendy’s drive-thru for an early lunch.

After lunch, Tony set up the scanner and SSD, then began scanning the documents. It was a pain making separate files with names of where they came from and what they were for Nova’s ease in organizing them. He took a break around three and, after locking up, drove to his house. He parked in the garage and rode the Can-Am to the inhabitable property project.

Kevin was there with his crew, working on the fence and the pole barn. Kevin saw the Can-Am and said That’s a nice motorcycle. Tony told him he bought it used for his trailer while traveling. They discussed the pole barn, and he asked Tony whether he wanted them to install a septic system as well. Tony asked the price and gave him the go-ahead. Then Kevin showed Tony the meter boxes inside the fence line. He said one is water, and the other is fiber internet. I can do the lines, but you’ll have to hook up, and Tony gave the OK.

Tony asked how he was doing with the money, and Kevin said he’d need another 20k for the additions. They agreed to meet tomorrow at 8 a.m. They shook hands goodbye, and Tony returned to the garage. He plugged the Can-Am in to charge, locked up, and drove the F-150 to the apartment. While eating dinner, Tony thought about the progress on the fence and pole barn on the uninhabitable property. He was anxious to get it done and use it. He finished dinner and went to bed.

Steven Sloan, VP of Operations at Marriott International, had been in meetings all day again and had to brief the board of directors about the issue. Upon returning to his office, he found no messages from Antonio Argon or Argon Systems. He checked his email, read the one from Antonio Argon, and went ballistic. After destroying his office, he drank scotch, planning to destroy Argon Systems, and finally passed out drunk.

CIA Director of Operations, Matt Richman, knocked on the open door of Director Dale Wright’s office. Dale said, “Come in,” and asked why he was working late. Matt asked if he’d heard of the missing MI-6 Section Chief, Roger Phillips, in London. Don said no and asked how it would affect us. Matt said it didn’t directly, but he ran the European desk. He had informants throughout Europe and supplied us with valuable intel. Don said shit you don’t think our rogue operative took him out.

Matt said it’s dam good possibility, and with Roger gone, it will take months or years to replace him. Roger wasn’t a trusting man when it came to his sources. The reason he held his position for so long was that he never documented them. So, unless they contact MI-6 directly, which is unlikely, they’re in the wind. Don asked why the informants wouldn’t contact MI-6, and Matt said Roger used every tool in the book to develop informants. Don said shit again and asked if there was any more bad news.

Matt said there’s one more item that we should be concerned about. The DOJ has assigned a special prosecutor with secret grand-jury powers. Rumor has it it’s about the FBI, Homeland Security, or us. Don said Don’t tell me it could be about the William Armstrong Jr. fiasco. Matt said it’s a possibility, as all those agencies were used to attack the Armstrongs. He recommended we prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Matt said it would be a good idea if the Armstrongs contacted us to kiss their ass. Don said, “You mean me?” Matt said, “That’s right, boss,” and he left the office laughing.

Tony woke up early Wednesday morning, showered, dressed, ate breakfast, and got 20k out of the stash. He drove the F-150 to the backside of his property and gave Kevin his draw. He thanked Tony and said they should be done within a week. They shook hands goodbye, and Tony headed to the warehouse. Upon arrival, a city inspector was parked in front. Tony asked what he needed, and John Keilman, the city inspector, said the building required inspection due to a change in ownership.

He read John’s mind, and he always found violations, but would pass it for a $300 bribe. Tony stared at John until his eyes were glazed, then told him he had passed the inspection. Fill out the form, give me a copy, then go masturbate to completion before all your future calls. John came out of his daze, filled out the form, gave Tony a copy, and rushed to his car. Tony opened the gate, laughing, and went into the warehouse. He went to the office and looked at the cameras. John was still there, doing his thing, and it served him right: blackmailing business owners.

Tony resumed scanning documents and finished around lunchtime. He downloaded the computer files from his cloud to the SSD, locked up the warehouse, and stopped at Burger King on the way to the office building. Tony ate in the truck, not wanting to take food or drinks into the data center. When finished, he entered the data room, said hello to Nova, and told her he had the files to upload. She said Plug in the SSD, and I’ll organize them.

He asked if she needed any hardware or software for processing the data. Nova told Tony there was an addition to me, but it was put on hold until they evaluated their system requirements. Tony asked if she could locate it, find out the cost, and see if it could be picked up. Nova had the company where it was located and the cost, and it could be will called. Tony asked her to arrange for Richard Davis to pick it up, and he would wire the payment from Senator Don Stanton’s Cayman Islands bank account.

Nova made the arrangements, and Tony transferred the money. Then he drove to the warehouse, changed his disguise to Richard Davis, the alias they burned, going from Spain to England. Then he rented a Ryder box truck, drove to the company, and backed into the will-call bay. Richard showed his ID, and two pallets with four large boxes were loaded into the box truck. Tony returned to the office building and, using the building dolly, entered the basement, the data center, and left the boxes there.

He told Nova he got the upgrade and would return tomorrow to hook it up. Tony returned the Ryder truck and went home exhausted. Unloading the boxes and getting them into the basement was no easy chore. He removed the disguise, made dinner, and, while eating, wondered what was in the boxes. There was no way to track who picked up the addition, so he and Nova were safe. Tony finished dinner, went to bed, and crashed.

After breakfast, Tony put on sweats and drove to the warehouse. He practiced martial arts on the heavy bags for an hour, drank some water, showered, and dressed in the wardrobe room. Then he picked up some tools, locked up the warehouse, and drove to the office building. Tony entered the data center, said hello to Nova, and opened the boxes. He was shocked that it doubled Nova’s size and added four more server and hard drive racks.

It took almost two hours to set everything up, then he told Nova he had shut her down to connect the upgrades. She gave the go-ahead, and Tony turned Nova off, made the connections, and rebooted the system. It took a while for Nova to acknowledge him, and she said it would take some time to make adjustments to the new addition. Not wanting to leave in case there was a problem, Tony went online and checked his email.

Steven Sloan, VP of Operations at Marriott International, sent him an email saying You’d better drop what you’re doing and fix our reservation system, or I’ll ruin you and your business. Tony laughed and logged into his cloud account. He had Steven Sloan’s computer files and checked the emails first. Marriott International CEO Barry Jacobson emailed Steven, saying he was done covering his ass with the board. Fix the reservation system, or you’ll find yourself without a job.

Tony decided to have some fun and drafted an email to the CEO, Barry Jacobson. He introduced himself and his company. Then he told Barry he fixed the reservation system while on vacation in Italy at the W Hotel for the manager, Sergio Greco, free of charge. Sergio gave me Steven Sloan’s business card, VP of Operations, and told me to call him. I did, and he was unavailable, so I left a message. He returned my call while I was busy, and he left me a short, curt message demanding an immediate return call.

Please understand I’ve never worked for you, and we have no agreement. But I sent Steven an email explaining the situation with my work schedule. I’ve attached his email response, and I know this: I don’t take threats lightly. You can tell your asshole VP of Operations it will be a cold day in hell before I ever work for him. Now, if you want my help with the reservations system, email me, and I’ll deal with you directly. He attached his email to Steven, his response email, and his new worm and email program, then sent it.

He was laughing at what the CEO would do or say to Steven Sloan. Tony checked the contacts he wanted the worm sent to and checked Steven’s photos. There were pictures of his wife, and she looked like a model. He did not know what she saw in Steven, but to each his own. Then he opened work photos and was shocked. Steven liked to assume the woman’s position when cheating on his wife. The photos were disgusting, showing a woman acting like a man and Steven in female underwear having sex.

Tony copied eight of the most recent ones to use if needed and logged out of the cloud. He hoped those images would leave his memory quickly, and Nova broke his train of thought, saying the upgrade was fine. Tony asked if he could use a server as a cloud storage, and Nova said yes, there’s plenty of storage now. She said I’m downloading and organizing the data from the SSD now, so it should be ready for you tomorrow. Tony thanked her and headed back to the apartment.

Marriott International CEO Barry Jacobson walked into Steven Sloan’s office and asked, “What the hell is this?” He threw Steven’s email to Antonio Argon onto his desk and said, “You’ve threatened to destroy the person who can fix the reservation system.” Steven meekly said I was trying to get him to work for us. Barry said, “Well, you’re lucky he isn’t suing us.” He asked Steven if he remembered what the board said after the last lawsuit, and Steven said yes. Barry told Steven he was suspended for 30 days while the board evaluates your continued employment. A defeated Steven packed his things and left the building, swearing to get even with Antonio Argon.

Tony fixed an early dinner after missing lunch, and as he ate, he knew Steven would be in serious trouble if not suspended. Steven wasn’t the type to take punishment lying down and would want revenge. His apartment, house, and businesses were safe, with ownership held by ASG LLC, so he would be vulnerable only if he went to the Marriott International offices. Tony made a note to check Steven’s emails regularly to see what he was up to. He finished dinner, went to the bedroom, and crashed.

After breakfast, Tony put on his Marco Sanchez disguise and went to the rental garage. He switched vehicles and drove the Malibu to Rockford, Maryland. Upon arriving at his apartment complex, he parked across the street and went upstairs. His apartment door was freshly painted with a note to see the manager. He laughed and wondered what she wanted as he opened the door. He checked the apartment and the Toyota Camry in the garage. Everything was fine, so he went to the office.

There was a sign under “ New Management “ above the door, and Marco entered. A lady came out of the back office and said I’m Mary Sandborn, the new manager. She asked how she could help him, and Marco told her his name and apartment number. You left a note on my door, so can you tell me what it’s about? Mary said Oh yes, I have it right here and pulled out a file. It seems the previous manager gave you your apartment at a reduced rate that the owner didn’t authorize.

So, we’re going to need to rewrite the lease and collect the back rent. Marco said, “Great, but first, can you put it in writing and include the owner’s name and address?” Mary asked why, and Marco said it was for his attorney when we file the lawsuit. Oh, and include your information, as you’ll be included too. Mary asked why he’d sue, and Marco told her not to play dumb. You’re here because of the previous manager’s daughter and biker boyfriend.

They trashed my previous apartment, damaged it, stole my possessions, and wrote Deadman on my new door. So, move your ass and get the letter done. I’ll call my attorney to start the lawsuit while I’m waiting. Mary said there’s no reason to sue; we’ll honor the previous agreement. Marco told her it’s too late, and you’ve pissed me off. Mary begged him to reconsider, and Marco walked out of the office with another year of free rent on the apartment.

Returning to the apartment, he cleaned out the refrigerator of rotten food, checked his stash, then locked up and went to Burger King for lunch. While eating, he thought about the apartment, and if it weren’t for the free rent, he’d consider terminating the lease. He hasn’t used it much as a safe house, but now that the rent is free, he would keep it as a backup. The apartment in Harrisburg was more useful, and he would check it out tomorrow.

It was Sara’s (his mom’s) idea to have apartments rented under aliases to use in case of an emergency. She has many spread throughout Europe and uses them frequently. With the next stage, he may have to do the same thing, and Marco finished lunch. He returned to the rental garage, switched vehicles, and drove to the apartment. Upon arrival, he removed Marco’s disguise and sat down at the computer.

Tony resumed programming the attack on the politicians’ PACs. It would be similar to his worm but dormant until activated; then it would self-destruct after the damage was done. It would also collect the donors’ names and the amounts contributed, along with a statement of how the funds were spent. He stopped at 6 p.m., saved his work, and ate dinner. Tony thought about what was ahead, and he would begin once Nova had the files organized. He finished dinner, then headed to bed.

Chapter 2

Early the next morning, Tony showered, dressed, put on his Alan Coleman disguise, and ordered a Lyft ride. After breakfast, he grabbed his ID, met his ride, and they went to the train station. An hour later, Alan was at his apartment in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Sandra Jacobs, his landlord, saw him arrive and had to say hello. Alan asked if she still had issues with his late husband’s accounting business. Sandra said no, thank god, but the kids at the corner acting like gangsters worry me.

Alan said he would keep an eye out for them, and they said goodbye. He entered the apartment and checked everything, including the stash. He saw the files he got from Joseph (Joey) Maldonado Jr. in the safe and thought they might be of use to Nova. Alan set them out and went through the file boxes of Sandra Jacobs’ late husband. He was an accountant who did business with questionable people like mobster Joey Maldonado. Alan took the Maldonado file and a dozen others to review.

He heard a noise in the alley and looked out the window. Five young men were trying to get into the garage across the alley. Alan exited the apartment, snuck up behind them, and knocked them out before they knew what had happened. He beat them up, making sure there were broken bones, and added several kicks to each of their balls. Then he put them in a pile next to a garbage can. Alan returned to the apartment, got the keys to the Ford Escape, and drove to town.

Alan went to Walmart, bought a wheeled suitcase with a handle for the files, and got lunch at a nearby deli. While eating, he saw Joey Maldonado Jr. enter with two men. An older man, whom he suspected was the owner, greeted them, and they went into the back room. Alan finished lunch and returned to the apartment. He ordered a Lyft ride and put the files in the suitcase. Alan locked up the apartment, met his ride, and they went to the train station.

On the ride home, Alan thought about the deli and Joey’s visit. He would need to search the accounting and safe files to see what he owns. An hour and fifteen minutes later, Alan arrived at the apartment, removed his disguise, and put on his (Tony). Tony drove the F-150 to the warehouse and scanned the accounting and the safe files for Nova. There were over a dozen files besides Maldonado’s that looked interesting, so he’d have Nova check them out.

During his scanning, Marriott International CEO Barry Jacobson called to ask Antonio for a meeting tomorrow at 9 a.m. He agreed, and the call ended. Then Tony thought about an agreement. He’d need to write one and have it signed before doing any work for them. Working for a major corporation would be a pain in the ass, but it was a good cover for his alias and Argon Systems. Tony finished the scanning project, put the files in the hidden room, locked up, and returned to the apartment.

Upon arrival, Tony designed a service agreement, leaving the company name and the cost-of-service bank. It was to be a template for his future customers, and it ended up being two pages. It stated that all programming, repairs, and programs developed remain the property of Argon Systems. They may not be copied or distributed without the express permission of Argon Systems. If repairs, programming, or programs are damaged due to illegal copying, there will be additional costs and penalties.

Tony proofread the service agreement and laughed, thinking they would never sign it. But it covered his work and programming, so they had a choice. He saved the Argon Systems Service Agreement and made dinner. While eating, Tony signed in to his cloud account and checked Steven Slone’s emails, the VP of Operations at Marriott International. He contacted one of his troubleshooters he used and asked Don Bagley to find and beat down Antonio Argon.

Don emailed back asking how bad a beating and what the price is. Steven said 50k, and Don responded as a deposit. 100k for the job, and remember the last job where I’m still dogging process servers. Steven agreed and set a meeting for the down payment. The last email was two days ago, so it’s in motion. Tony checked Steven’s bank accounts and found that he used an Operations Critical Services account. Further research showed he funded it by skimming 15% of the operations budget.

Tony decided to ruin Steven’s day and sent the balance of the account back to Marriott International. Then he looked up Steven’s wife’s email and drafted an anonymous email to Meg Slone from Hotmail. The subject was Do you know your husband? The message said Please open immediately in private, and I hope this answers some of your questions. Tony attached the eight photos and his worm, then sent the email through six foreign servers and logged off the cloud. He finished dinner laughing and went to bed thinking Steven’s in for a big surprise.

At 4:30 a.m., Tony was at the warehouse in sweats, beating the heavy bags using his martial arts skills. He envisioned Steven Stone and Don Bagley and put both of them down hard. When done, he showered in the Airstream and dressed in the wardrobe room. Tony selected a pair of slacks and a sports coat because he anticipated Don Bagley would be waiting for his arrival. He didn’t want to ruin a suit, so he brought extra pants and a shirt just in case.

Tony stopped at the Burger King drive-thru for breakfast and ate on the way home. He swapped vehicles and drove the Escalade to Marriott International. Arriving early, he picked a spot with a good view of the parking lot. An older SUV pulled into the parking lot and parked in the corner. The man got out and went to the rear, opening the hatch. Tony sprinted to the SUV and surprised the man with a kick to the balls. Poor Don was bent over, going through a bag, and Tony used the opportunity to beat him up.

Don was moaning, and Tony told him Steven set you up, then put him into a deep sleep with pressure points. He shoved Don into the rear of the SUV, closed the hatch, and returned to his Escalade. The parking lot started filling with vehicles, and at 8:40, Tony entered the lobby and told the receptionist his name and that he had an appointment with CEO Barry Jacobson. The receptionist made a phone call, then waved him to her. She said Mr. Jacobson won’t be available until 3 p.m.

Antonio told her to give Mr. Jacobson a message for me. Tell him I’m sorry you couldn’t keep our appointment. I adjusted my schedule for this important meeting. Please call when you can keep your commitments, and he left the receptionist shocked. Tony laughed once outside the building and returned to his house. He switched vehicles and drove the F-150 to the apartment. He changed into casual clothes, then called the answering service. Tony told them, whoever calls, tell them I’m in meetings all day, and hung up.

Steven Slone wasn’t having a good morning. He drank too much last night, was pissed at Antonio Argon and Marriott International CEO Barry Jacobson for suspending him. Steven was woken up by his wife, Meg, screaming Get out of the house, you pervert. Hungover, Steven asked what she was talking about, and Meg told him about the pictures she received. He said shit, and Meg told him that’s what he’s in now. So, pack your bags, pervert, and my attorney will call you for a divorce settlement.

Steven quickly packed a week’s worth of clothes and left the house, hoping Meg would settle down so they could talk. Then he called his troubleshooter, Don Bagley, and he didn’t answer. Don was to take care of Antonio this morning before he met with the CEO. Things were going well, and Steven had a bad feeling they were going to get worse with his wife. He checked into an extended-stay motel and logged on to his secret account. He found out the account was closed and went ballistic.

Tony ate lunch, then resumed programming on the PAC attack program. He was in a zone and finished it before 7 p.m. There were additions and changes he needed to do once he had access to a PAC and examined the structure. He made dinner, and while eating, Tony checked his emails. Nova said she had organized the files and that they were ready for his review. That was great news, so he could start planning and making targets. He finished dinner, undressed, went to bed, and fell asleep.

Don Bagley woke up hurting all over and pissed off. His target got the drop on him, and while beating him up, he said Steven Slone set you up. Don tended to believe Antonio Argon, as he’s never been beaten so badly. He was the one dishing out the punishment, so Steven sent him to beat up an experienced operator without a warning. Now Steven will have to pay, and he slowly got out of the rear of his SUV. When he got into the driver’s seat, his phone had seven missed calls from Steven Slone.

The last call wasn’t Steven’s number, so he called it, and it was an extended-stay motel. Don drove to the motel, got his brass knuckles out, and asked the motel clerk for Steven’s room number. The clerk gave him the number, thinking he didn’t want to piss this guy off. Steven answered the door, and Don beat him up within an inch of his life. He told Steven, who was lying on the bed, bloody, that if he didn’t pay the balance within a week, he’d finish the job and left. Steven knew he was a dead man if he didn’t run and would do so as soon as he could move.

After breakfast on Tuesday morning, Tony went to the office building’s data center and said hello to Nova. He plugged in the portable SSD drive and asked her to download the information and organize it. There seemed to be familiar names, but he couldn’t place who they were or what they did. Nova said she would get on it right away, and Tony looked at the files she had processed and said this was perfect.

He started with the Senate and chose Senator Brooks Coldwell of Missouri. He was chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. He was a billionaire who owned a real estate company. The information Nova supplied made it easy to land his first fish. Tony drafted an anonymous email from a Hotmail account with the subject “Troubled Waters Ahead.” The message was: Beware that the regulation of real estate commissions is catching steam in California, Arizona, and New York. It would be best to grease some wheels now before they fall off.

Tony laughed, attaching his new worm and email program, “Spread the Joy,” and sent it, routing it through six foreign servers. Then he set up a server and two hard drives as his cloud. He transferred all the files from his cloud account to the one on the server. Tony gave Nova access to the cloud server and asked her to organize the computer files when she had time.

He headed back to the apartment and checked his messages with the answering service. He had seven messages from Marriott International CEO Barry Jacobson’s assistant, asking him to call immediately to schedule an appointment. The last three were from Barry himself apologizing for the mix-up and begging him to reschedule the meeting. He said we have a crisis on our hands and need your help immediately.

Tony drafted an email to Marriott International CEO Barry Jacobson. It said I rescheduled an appointment to meet you for your urgent matter. Your disregard for my time cost me 50k. My rescheduled customer suffered a significant loss, so I had to do the repairs for free. Please deposit 50k into the Argon Systems account listed below. When the payment is confirmed, I’ll call to schedule another appointment. Tony signed it, Antonio Argon, and sent it, laughing, wondering what Barry would do.

Senator Brooks Coldwell opened the email, said shit, and called his corporate office. He told them to tell their lobbying firms to get on this commission regulation immediately. Brooks thought this could cost him millions; then there were the legal fees fighting it in the state courts. He didn’t want to think of the lost commissions and the legal fees if the legislation passed. Brooks poured himself a double scotch and downed it, then poured another to sip.

Marriott International CEO Barry Jacobson’s assistant saw Antonio’s email and told Mr. Jacobson he needed to read it. Barry did and said That’s outrageous then ordered his assistant to get their legal counsel in here now. Jame Norris entered Barry’s office, and Barry showed him Antonio Argon’s email. He said I want you to file a lawsuit for extortion and James told Barry the email isn’t extortion. It’s a statement of fact that you canceled a meeting, and it cost 50k.

Barry said Antonio’s demanding that amount to schedule another meeting, and that’s outrageous. James said maybe so, and you have the right to decline, but it isn’t illegal. My advice is, if you need his services, pay the fee, and James left Barry’s office. Barry said that’s bullshit and responded to Antonio’s email. He said I’ll consider reimbursing you if you fix our reservation system immediately.

Tony was eating lunch when Barry Jacobson’s email arrived. Tony responded, saying only a fool would take a man’s word who doesn’t honor his commitments. So, the answer is no, and I wish you good luck fixing your problem. Please stop contacting me and lose my phone number, and I’ll do the same with yours. Oh, and if you deposit the money in the account, thank you for the gift.

After lunch, he checked his cloud account and the computer files from Senator Brooks Coldwell were there. Tony went into Brooks’ email program, selected all his contacts for his worm to be forwarded to, and would have to sort them out later. Then he transferred the computer files to his cloud in the data center for Nova to analyze and organize. Tony read the last dozen emails and knew he needed to visit Brooks this weekend. His wife, Lisa, would be out of town at their home in Missouri, visiting friends.

One email mentioned a Quorum meeting, and he wondered what it was and who was attending. Maybe Brooks’ files at home would have more information about the Quorum, so he switched to the photos. There were hundreds of pictures and videos. Many focused on his current and past election campaigns. Looking at Brooks and his wife, Lisa, she must be his second wife. She was at least fifteen years younger than he was, and definitely a trophy wife.

Then he opened a file named Donors, and it wasn’t campaign donors. It was Brooks having sex with various young women, and even in a group that looked like an organized party. There were a dozen young women performing sex acts on a dozen or more men who were playing poker or lounging. The women had to be professionals, and he looked at the photo dates. It was about once a month, but there were gaps. They were probably for reelection campaigns and the congressional recess.

There were videos too, and Tony thought Brooks had secretly filmed women and the parties for insurance and blackmail if someone didn’t do what he was told. He switched to the file Nova compiled on Senator Brooks Coldwell and got his address. He opened Google Maps and found his home in Arlington, Virginia. Tony switched to Google Street View, and it showed a large home that would fit a man of his stature. He checked Skyview and saw an alleyway behind the home, so with all the information, he shut it down.

Tony thought about his grandparents and drafted a note. It said I see you’ve moved home and are settled. Don’t forget to visit the CIA Director, as a special prosecutor has been appointed with secret grand jury powers. Rumor has it that his investigation involves the FBI, Homeland Security, and the CIA. It could have something to do with Dad and the attack on our family. So don’t miss the opportunity for some ass-kissing.

I’m busy planning the next stage now, but I will visit soon. It will be brief, as it’s dangerous to stay long. I’ve enclosed some money for you to take Grandmother out for putting up with us. Maybe a shopping trip, dinner, and a show or the theater. I know how much you love shopping, Grandfather, so you both will have an enjoyable evening. Don’t forget to have protection around. The threat level is reduced but not gone yet.

Tony printed the letter, got $10,000 out of the stash, and put them in a manila envelope. He had an idea and printed photos of the housing development and the house that would be built for him in South Carolina. Tony put the photos inside too, thinking they would wonder what they were included for. He wrote on the envelope, “Open in private,” ate dinner, then went to bed, knowing he would be up in a few hours.

He woke up at 11:30, dressed in dark clothes, and grabbed his ski mask, gloves, and lockpick gun. Tony grabbed the envelope and drove the F-150 to the rental garage. He switched to the Malibu, went to his grandparents’ house, and parked on a side street. Tony entered through the backyard, avoiding the point-to-point beams and the roving guard. After opening the kitchen door with the lockpick gun, he left the envelope on the kitchen table. Tony locked the kitchen door when leaving and drove the Malibu to the rental garage. He parked the Malibu, drove the F-150 to the apartment, and crashed.

William and Ellie came to the kitchen on Wednesday morning for coffee and breakfast. Ellie started to make coffee, and William saw the envelope on the table and laughed. Ellie asked what was so funny, and he said we had a visitor last night. While they drank their coffee, William opened the envelope, read the note, laughed, and handed it to Ellie. She laughed as she read it and asked what the pictures were for. William said he didn’t know, but he was sure Kane was teasing them.

Ellie said it was a beautiful house in a nicely planned subdivision. She asked William if he thought Kane bought it. He said no; more likely, he traded for or acquired it. Ellie said there’s one thing for sure: Kane loves his grandparents, and they laughed. She said now about the shopping trip, dinner, and the show or theater. William groaned, saying he was going to kill Kane for suggesting that and providing the money.

After breakfast on Wednesday morning, Tony drove to his house and parked in the garage. He got on the Can-Am and rode to the construction site. Kevin was there, but the fence was finished, and the pole barn looked close to finishing. They were digging the septic system and had dug the lines for the water and internet. He’d give Kevin a call, but they would be finished by Friday or Monday for sure.

Returning to the garage, Tony thought about all the work that needed to be done at the house and the pole barn. There was a lot, but at least the property was protected. He parked and plugged in the Can-Am, then locked up and returned to the apartment. Tony began planning a scouting trip to Senator Brooks Coldwell’s house tonight. He thought if Brooks recorded all of his liaisons with young women and professionals at the parties, he surely had his home and bedroom covered, too.

Marriott International CEO Barry Jacobson’s assistant saw Antonio’s email and rushed into his office. She said Antonio responded to your email, and you need to read it. Barry did, and dammit, that asshole isn’t cooperating and looked at his contacts. He found Don Bagley’s phone number, the troubleshooter they used, and called him. Don answered, “What can I do for Mr. Jacobson today?” Barry chuckled and said he had a problem with Antonio Argon. I want you to teach him some manners, but don’t break anything.

Don laughed and told Mr. Jacobson he was a day late and a dollar short. Steven Slone hired me to beat him severely, and I got beaten instead. I won’t go up against him again, and I recommend you don’t either. Barry asked if you had gotten any help with the project, and Don said, “You’re not listening.” I’m not going up against him with a team of six men, and I recommend you drop this, or your life may be in danger. Then he hung up. Barry began to worry and authorized the 50k payment to Argon Systems, hoping Antonio would agree to help them.

While eating lunch, Tony logged into the cloud and saw a dozen computer files courtesy of Senator Coldwell. He transferred them to his personal cloud in the data center, then looked at them. One was Brooks’ wife Lisa’s computer files, so he checked the emails first and wasn’t surprised she had a lover in Missouri. His name was Josh, and they discussed their weekend plans. Josh asked Lisa when she was going to divorce the asshole.

Lisa said, “ You know, I signed a prenup and get next to nothing until we’re married for ten years.” Josh asked how she could stand sleeping with the asshole, and Lisa said it’s easy. He works late, and I’m asleep when he gets home. If he’s frisky, I’m not in the mood. Besides, he’s getting it from someone else, judging by the smell of him and his clothes. So, don’t worry about him, and let’s focus on us.

Tony thought that answered a lot of questions about their marriage. Brooks was happy as a pig in shit, thinking his marriage was great. His wife, Lisa, hated his guts and was going along for the money. Tony didn’t want to upset their perfect marriage yet, so maybe the contents of Brooks’ safe would supply some answers. He logged off the server and checked the Argon Systems bank account. Tony laughed upon seeing that Marriott International CEO Barry Jacobson had deposited 50k into the bank account.

Then his accountant, Coleen Kline, called asking where the large deposit in ASG LLC’s bank account came from. Tony laughed and said You won’t believe it, but I inherited Harp Industries. The attorney handling Owen Harp’s will set it up to be run by a blind trust. So, the deposit must be royalties or something else related to the will. Coleen said your accounting costs just doubled or tripled, depending on the work required. But I need copies of the will documents, and they agreed to meet at 10 a.m. tomorrow.

Tony made dinner, and while eating, he thought about Coleen’s statement about adding staff. He wasn’t looking forward to the recommendations and what they would require of him. He was also curious about the amount that was deposited into ASG LLC. He got the laptop and signed into the bank account. Tony said Oh shit, seeing a deposit of over 7 million. He finished and went to bed early, knowing he’d be up in a few hours.

Waking up at 11:15, Tony put on the Marco Sanchez disguise, dressed in dark clothes, grabbed a ski mask, gloves, and the lockpick gun. He drove the F-150 to the rental garage, switched vehicles, and drove the Malibu to Senator Brooks Coldwell’s house. He parked next to the alley and hopped the rear fence. All the lights were off, so he put on the ski mask and gloves, then opened the kitchen door with the lockpick gun. Marco followed the snoring to Brooks’ bedroom.

He was alone, so his wife must have left today. Thinking the cameras were off because the wife wasn’t home, Tony entered the bedroom and put Brooks into a deep sleep with a pressure point. Then he read his mind and got the safe code and the desktop computer password. Tony went to Brooks’ home office, turned on the computer, and signed in. He copied the computer files to the cloud and downloaded his worm. He saw an icon for cameras and clicked on it. They were turned off, so he went to the safe.

Tony opened the digital safe and saw two boxes of files on the right side. On the left, a dozen USB drives were on the top shelf. Then one had women’s jewelry, and the third had various handguns. At the bottom were boxes of ammo for the guns. He took out the file boxes and went through them; each file contained information on a senator or House member. He could guess what the USB drives contained, but he turned on the computer to verify it.

It was camera footage of their house in Missouri. So, Brooks knew about his wife’s affair. Tony didn’t want to know what he did with them and shut off the computer. He thought about the files and decided to take them, scan them, and return them tomorrow. He changed the safe code so Brooks couldn’t access it and carried the file box out of the house. Tony locked the kitchen door, drove the Malibu to the rental garage, drove the F-150 home, and crashed.

Tony woke up early, put on sweats, and drove to the warehouse. He practiced martial arts on the heavy bags for an hour, showered in the Airstream, and dressed in the wardrobe. He left the file boxes from Brooks’ safe and went to McDonald’s for breakfast. After a quick stop at the apartment to get documents, he drove to Kline and Associates, an accounting firm. Coleen greeted Antonio and the went to the conference room.

An assistant took the documents to be copied, and Coleen said, “You have too much cash on hand at the bank.” She said a friend of hers works for Rhodes Investments, and they are well respected. Tony asked what kept them from buying shit to make commissions while I lost money. Coleen laughed and said they’re fiduciaries and only make commissions when you make money. Her name is Bonnie Davis, and here’s her card. Colleen said you need to invest between 4 and 5 million.

The assistant returned, and they reviewed the will and the documents the attorney had given him. Coleen said they will need time to review them thoroughly, then call your attorney. So, let’s plan for Thursday next week, and they shook hands goodbye. Tony returned to the warehouse and scanned Brooks’ safe files. Once done, he loaded the file boxes into the F-150 and stopped at a deli for lunch.

After lunch, Tony went to the office building and then the data center. He plugged the portable SSD in and told Nova there was some more data to organize. She said she was working on a programming error and would work on it when it was fixed. Tony left her to her work and returned to the apartment. When he arrived, Tony called Bonnie Davis at Rhodes Investments and made an appointment for Monday at 9 a.m.

He hoped to have the house and pole barn done, along with the accounting and investments, next week so that he could focus on Congress. Senator Coldwell was just the tip of the iceberg, and he cringed, thinking how deep the corruption went. There was a vacuum in the power structure with the Guardians group gone. It’s only a matter of time before another group steps up and replaces them.

Tony made dinner and, while eating, thought about his visit to Brooks’ house tonight to return the files. It would be a perfect time to introduce him to The Spector. It had to be a subtle introduction, like in a fake dream where he instills fear when the name is mentioned. Imply that The Spector doesn’t always kill his victims but removes or damages body parts depending on the offense. Tony finished dinner and went to bed, knowing he