Cyberspace’s Most Wanted: $2,000,000 Reward
Detective Ramirez checks her watch. It’s three in the morning. She cranes her neck to take in her surrounding once more. Everyone is in place. She glances at Smith and Rodgers but their features are hard and unreadable. No matter, everyone knows the plan, they had gone through it often enough since receiving that anonymous tip with Noize Crank’s location. She wonders if he could have chosen a more obvious location. Ramirez is well acquainted with this part of town. It seems like the majority of cases she works on brings her here.
A movement catches her attention and her hands instinctively move to the gun resting in the holster at her waist. But it was just a cat, rummaging through the heaps of garbage pilled against the south wall of the rapidly deteriorating building.
The abandoned warehouse is the perfect hideout for the slippery Noize Crank and detective Rodgers has his mind on the promotion he expects is in stores for him when he finally gets his hands on the elusive DJ and hacker. He gives the signal for SWAT to storm the building and nods to his colleagues. A nervous excitement builds into him and he mentally rehearses reading his soon-to-be prisoner’s rights. The crackle of his radio interrupts his thoughts.
“The warehouse is secured,” announces the voice on the other end, “the suspect is not in the building.”
“Not again!” Ramirez exclaimed, echoing her colleagues’ thoughts. Smith crushes his cigarette into the asphalt and marches into the building, the other two on his heels.
“How did this happen?” Smith growls to one of the faceless SWAT personnel.
The young uniformed officer is still mumbling his response when his captain addresses the detectives.
“This was found on the scene,” he announces. He hands over an evidence bag, which contains an iPod.
Smith’s been working on this case long enough to get excited at the discovery. Ever since they discovered that Noize Crank was using his DJ gigs to recruit hackers and drove him underground, he has been using encrypted music videos for the purpose. Smith turns over the evidence bag and his hope deflates a little. The iPod is damaged, though this may be something the computer forensics team can work past.
The detectives wrap up their work on the scene and return home for a few hours of much needed sleep while the lab does its work.
It’s barely 10 a.m. the next day and Ramirez is on the treadmill when her phone rings. She checks its display, and changes the treadmill’s settings so she can walk as she answers the phone.
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“Ramirez here.”
“Detective Ramirez? This is Gill from the computer forensics lab. Detective Smith asked that I update all of you with what we found on the iPod.”
“I’m listening.” Ramirez can barely contain her excitement. This is it. The information that will finally allow them to get Noize Crank.
“Well, as suggested by detective Smith, the iPod contains encrypted music videos. We have been able to decipher from the data’s format that we are looking at GPS locations—”
“Perfect,” Ramirez steps off the machine and hurriedly scrounges through the duffel bag sitting next to the machine for a pen and paper, “alright, give them to me.”
“It’s not that simple. As I was saying, the data appears to be a GPS location, however without the digital key, it could take us weeks, maybe even months to decrypt.”
“Damn! What’s Smith’s plan?”
“He’s calling a meeting at 1400.”
“Great.” Ramirez’s voice drips with sarcasm. She hates meetings. They’re a waste of time. All the department heads just tries to one-up each other. Of course, she’d never consider not attending and as such remaining out of the loop. She’s not about to commit career-suicide.
It’s two in the afternoon and Rodgers just makes it to headquarters. Late again. Of course no one will take his other responsibilities into consideration when automatically labeling him the slacker of the group. Babysitters are not always easy to come by at the last minute, especially since the kids have been such brats since his wife just ditched two months back. But personal drama has to stay at home. Rodgers was of that mindset himself back when he led what he’d always thought was the perfect life. As he rushes down the hall, his shoulder grazes with that on a young intern carrying a stack of papers. They hardly touch but it’s enough for him to lose his balance just a little and the cup of coffee he carries splatters up to leave a large brown stain on his white shirt. Why can nothing ever go right for him?
He grabs a tissue from his pocket, and still walking and awkwardly balancing his coffee, he dabs at the stain. Once outside the meeting room, he gives up, takes a deep breath and walks in. Everyone’s attention turns to him.
Smith shakes his head when he takes in Rodgers appearance and continues where he left off, Rodgers would just have to piece together what he’d missed. “—the amount of manpower needed for a project like this to be successful in the amount of time needed is just not feasible.” Having a taste for the dramatic, he slams his fist into the boardroom table before continuing, “We have to remember that time is of the essence here. Our sources tell us that Noize is the head of the organization and we have to cut off the problem at the head.” He slides his index finger across his throat. ”We have to also keep in mind that this group is highly organized and is targeting government agencies. The information being leaked to the public is highly sensitive and damaging.” Another table pounding is added for emphasis.
Ramirez is tired of Smith’s theatrics and Rodger’s obviously faked apathy – who shows up to a meeting late wearing a stained shirt other than someone trying to pretend he is superior to everyone else? She’s tired of this case. ”There’s a simple solution,” she announces to the group. The two technicians look annoyed and Ramirez realizes they think she doesn’t grasp the situation. ”We leak the videos on YouTube and we offer a two million dollar reward to whoever cracks it. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of Crank’s own network would betray him for that type of cash.”
Each member of the assembled group looks at each other for a few minutes while silently considering Ramirez’s suggestion. Once Smith breaks the silence voicing his approval of the plan, everyone starts talking at once, asking questions, offering suggestions, and fine-tuning the plan. Everyone is sick of this case and at this point, the easiest solution seems to be the best one.
* * *
A few hours later, originating from a not so different part of town, an anonymous message begins circulating through the waves and wires of the Internet:
NEWSFLASH
The website www.noizecrank.com is a fake. It’s been put in place by the authorities to stop the freedom of information. All IPs and visits are being tracked for information. Protect your identity and consider staying away from the website. If Noize Crank needs you, you will know…
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