Chapter 52 - Interrogation

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In the Oval Office, President Obama was listening to Vince over the phone.

"One of our FS detachments caught a group of armed men red-handed attempting to hack into Future Tech," Vince explained.

"Did anyone get hurt? Was it here in the States? Have you identified the people involved?" Obama asked seriously.

"No one was hurt. Thank you for the concern, though the enemies got peppered with non-lethal rounds. It happened off the coast of Taiwan at one of our key Data Access Nodes. Most of them were Korean and sent to Kandahar for interrogation." Vince replied.

"We'll talk about that non-lethal ammunition later—smart move to take them to Afghanistan. I'll have CIA operatives assigned in the area to help with the investigation." Obama replied in agreement.

"There's not much investigating to do. We already know Hyundai C&E is behind this. The FS team found a secret underground passage five miles long underneath the building. President Lee offered to build and upgrade Future Tech com stations for a heavily discounted price, and I took the deal in good faith." Vince explained in a soft childish tone.

[Thanks to my future knowledge, I dodged a bullet. No good faith found here.] Vince thought.

"That's a serious accusation, Vince. I'm sorry to hear about your dealings with President Lee; I'll need hard evidence to pursue this. Our alliance with South Korea is utterly essential to our foreign strategy." Obama replied honestly.

"I believe the CIA can persuade the detainees to confess; I trust in my government. Though hypothetically, if Future Tech possesses incriminating information about President Lee's involvement in bribery, tax evasion, and embezzlement, for example. How would you feel about it?" Vince asked vaguely.

[Future Tech did something illegal. I'm sure of it, but information like that is priceless. It wouldn't be challenging to install a new president with it in the right hands.] Obama pondered.

"In this hypothetical situation, I would suggest revealing some information to the CIA operatives for further investigation. But, of course, your law firm will have full support from the White House, and Future Security will receive a $50 billion defense contract. I even have General Douglas here to negotiate the deal." Obama replied with his signature tone.

[Hmm. A puppet South Korean president is worth $50 billion. Fending off Mr. Lee was more profitable than I thought.] Vince pondered.

"Quite generous of you, Mr. President. I'll have Price contact General Douglas regarding the deal. Thank you for your time." Vince said before ending the call.

"Who were you talking to, Mr. President?" the General asked.

"It was Vince Dalton. Write an outline of what the Pentagon needs. I promised him a $50 billion contract; you can get whatever you want." Obama explained.

"That's 10% of our 2013 budget. So what's going on?" General Douglas asked curiously.

"It's a need to know, General. I suggest ordering those AVs. I hear they're perfect for urban battlefields." Obama said before dismissing the General from his office.

[This is going to be a lot of work.] Obama pondered while searching through his political contacts.

In a Dreamliner flying over the Pacific Ocean, Vince was lying down on his king-sized bed.

[I can see why the military-industrial complex makes so much money. The discretionary budget is practically free cash.] Vince thought.

He decided to contact Richard working at the Wall Street branch.

Richard immediately took the call from Vince as soon as his phone rang.

"Vince, what can I do for you?" Richard asked.

"Richard, I suggest shorting the South Korean Won starting tomorrow. Some bad news about Mr. Lee will come to light. Target the Hyundai Group too. Kemp-Jacobs will be suing them soon." Vince instructed before ending the call.

[Something big must've happened.] Richard thought.

He walked out of his office and shouted commands.

"Listen up. We'll be shorting the Won and buying up all of Hyundai's holdings. Set up all your trading tools in preparation for tomorrow." Richard said before working himself.

He called Price to discuss the following steps to be taken.

"Price, leave an evidence trail for the CIA operatives who will be visiting soon. I've struck a deal with the President in exchange for the information. Continue monitoring our assets abroad and contact General Douglas about the $50 billion defense contract." Vince instructed.

Price was surprised to hear how high the value of their work was.

"I'll see it done, Vince. Anthony will contact you about his new invention soon. I hope you don't do anything rash with it." Price replied.

"Thanks for the heads up. Good work out there, Price. You've been a model executive director. I'm glad to have you as an ally." Vince expressed before bidding farewell.

[The young man is too humble.] Price pondered before working on the Pentagon deal.

Vince called Marcia Kemp immediately after his conversation with Price.

Kemp-Jacobs accepted Vince's deal and retained their company name. However, they represented only current clients and mostly served Future Tech.

"Vince, how are you doing?" Marcia asked over the phone.

"I've been well, thank you for asking. Have your South Korean branch prepare a lawsuit against Hyundai C&E. They attempted to steal our corporate secrets and were caught red-handed. Start the suit when you hear news about the incident on tv." Vince instructed.

"Understood, Vince. Do you need anything else?" she asked.

"Price will get in touch with you to negotiate a deal with the Pentagon. Just a heads up. Thanks, and talk to you later." Vince stated.

[What's your move, Mr. Lee?] he thought before sleeping for the night.

At the Blue House in Seoul, President Lee was drinking tea during a meeting.

[The team should have gotten back to me already.] Mr. Lee pondered while sipping.

A secretary entered the office and disturbed the conversation.

"President Lee, you need to watch this." the secretary said as she turned on the meeting room's flatscreen TV.

South Korean news reported about the failed hacking attempt on Future Tech's network and the alleged involvement of Hyundai C&E, including evidence in the form of confessions from the two hackers and incriminating documents for everyone to see.

One of the men in the room, Senator Won Hyun, took the opportunity to question the President. He already knew Mr. Lee was guilty because President Obama contacted him before the meeting.

"What's the meaning of this, President Lee? Are you trying to dishonor your seat as President?" Won Hyun asked chidingly.

The other members attending the meeting stood up and started leaving.

"Where are you going? I haven't dismissed the meeting yet." Mr. Lee declared in a harsh tone.

"You have more things to worry about than our meeting. Goodbye." Won Hyun said as he left the meeting room.

[What's going on?!] Mr. Lee pondered while preparing an escape plan.

At the Kandahar branch, a CIA operative took over the interrogation and started using his techniques on the detainees.

The war veterans in the group were able to hold on, but the two hackers' resolve was too brittle and confessed.

The hackers negotiated for a plea deal. They would rat out Mr. Lee and divulge more information if they could stay out of prison.

The CIA operative thought about it for a few minutes and consulted with Price.

"Two of them are willing to confess and plead guilty but want out of prison. What should I offer?" the CIA operative asked Price.

"The two hackers? I'll hire them. With limitations and protections, of course.

[I need more talented hackers, and these guys are professionals. I trust Anthony can set them right.] Price thought.

The CIA operative returned to the dark cells and conveyed the offer.

The two happily agreed, in fear of imprisonment, and spilled the beans.

They were involved in an anonymous hacking ring that operated from the dark web. They, in particular, took contracts from politicians, business people, civilians, anyone who had money to spend and performed their services flawlessly.

The ring had no formal name and was involved in organized crime, corporate espionage, and many other illegal activities.

They explained that modern data network security was a joke for most hacker ring members, and it was the first time anyone got caught.

The ring agreed never to attempt hacking into Future Tech because they employed the most sophisticated cyber defense technology globally. Still, the two were Korean hacker buddies who came across a massive contract worth $500 million and took the risk.

The CIA operative was stunned to learn about such crucial information and decided to investigate further.

The remaining detainees would be sent state-side for trial other than the two hackers who joined Future Security under heavy surveillance.

Hyundai C&E was slapped with a lawsuit locally and internationally. President Obama held a press conference and publicly chastised Mr. Lee. He gave a rousing speech about defending Americans' rights abroad and explained adapting newer ideas to confront the United States' modern challenges.

The public admonishment made the headline news, and local patriots went on social media to share their feelings.

[Big yikes, dude. If you're gonna do something like this, better not get caught.] a Redditor posted.

[What kind of corporation has enough armed guards to secure such a backwater place like a small island?] another Redditor replied.

[Plenty of corporations do, you idiot. Private military contractors are super typical, but they just don't make the news often. Try searching for Constellis Group and G4S. It's more common than you think.] another Redditor added.

Future Tech was famous worldwide for cutting-edge technology, network communications, and manufacturing. Most people owned a Future Tech device or two and were very familiar with the brand.

It was unusual for many to learn a company similar to Apple and AT&T was a formidable force militarily. Of course, everyday folks didn't care much for the war in Afghanistan, but this news involved Future Tech and not Future Security.

Corporations like Vodafone, Nippon T&T, and Deutsche Telekom AG immediately took extra precautions in securing their telecommunication stations.

Many were concerned about two people confessing to being expert contract hackers working with a secret shadow organization.

Stats last time checked:

Future Tech current valuation - $300 billion

15 million BTC (currently trades at $1,000)

$90 Billion cash in Future Tech

21,000+ employees (FT AI, Future Studios, Hive Mind Manufacturing, FT Micro Devices, BitCash, FT VR, Future Tech F1, FT Investments, Future Arms, Future Med, Future Tech Robotics)

20,000+ operators under Future Security

Personal Vehicles: Klassen Phantom, Agera R, Agera SFV, Boeing Luxury 787 Dreamliner

Five company collaborators (Epic, Koenegisegg, SpaceX, Tesla, Hyundai C&E)

Dozens of investments under Future Tech Holdings (i..e., Instagram)

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