Page 115 of Jonas

“Cryptosystems are nothing more than protecting information using a set of rules and encoding the information into an unreadable format. Like the standard AES, an advanced encryption standard that is widely used. That’s an easy algorithm—one used for the key generation, one for the encryption, and another for the decryption. We have different cryptosystems for different levels of security.”

“Encryption, got it,” Easton supplied.

“I work with type 1 products,” Penny went on. “This encryption is used for our most top-secret documents, which Operation Freebird should’ve fallen under. So should’ve about a hundred other documents I found that had the type 1 encryption stripped, and basic asymmetric encryption was in its place.”

“Holy fucking shit,” Kira seethed.

Penny’s face visibly paled.

“There’s been a total system failure at the National Security Agency. Let that sink in for a second. No alarm bells. No red flags. The only way for the encryption to be changed is to have access to our top-secret algorithms and the parameters and rules set for that type of system.”

“Who has access to this information?”

“To all of it? No one in my department. The network is compartmentalized. Each person has a task in the chain. Once the algo is set, there are three of us who go in and check to make sure the system is secure.”

“She tries to break the encryption,” Kira interrupted. “And since she has insider knowledge of how the process works, it should be easier for her to break it than some other hacker. She’ll also have specialized computers and programs to attack the algorithm. If she can’t break it, the system will be deemed secure.”

“Correct. I also check old systems to see if I can break the chain. And that’s what I did this morning and found top-secret documents were unprotected and wide open. Not just Freebird, but also the locations of missile silos in the US, and not just the ones in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, and North Dakota. Our top-secret sites are open for our enemies to find. There were also documents on a new missile defense system the Army is testing and strategic locations for our carriers if the US was ever attacked. You name it, it’s available.”

We weren’t fucked. We were so fucked it’d take an act of God to get us unfucked.

“Does anyone have access to these systems as a whole? Where are they backed up? I’m assuming this data takes up an enormous amount of space,” Zane inquired.

“The only person who has access to our type 1 protocols is the Secretary of Defense.”

I didn’t have to hear the collective breath every occupant in the room took. I could feel it.

“Say that again,” Zane whispered, the sound so menacing it made me brace for the sure to come explosion.

“The Secretary of Defense,” Penny repeated slowly.

I saw Zane’s hand shake as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. His movements were deceptively slow, each one measured—as if he moved too fast, he’d fly apart.

Never had I seen Zane Lewis rattled.

He set his phone on the table once the call he made started to ring.

“Do you have anything new?” Trent Graham asked.

“Yeah, Mr. President, I just learned that national security as a whole no longer exists. And I only have one slice of the pie. I’d safely bet that your Department of Defense is fucked. That every goddamn secret that was housed at the Pentagon is no longer a secret.”

“What exactly are you saying, Zane?”

“Penny Cox, meet the President of the United States. Please explain to him what you just told us.”

“Um. Hi. President Graham. I…um.”

“Penny,” Nebraska called. “Deep breath. Just pretend he’s a nobody and tell him what you just told us.”

Penny’s eyes bugged out, but she nodded.

After a few deep breaths, she started again. This time with conviction. The story was no less frightening hearing it a second time. The Chinese had found a way to get their hands on classified intel. And they didn’t have to threaten, kill, or expend all that much effort to do it.

“Thank you, Miss Cox. I appreciate you coming forward. Zane, a word with your team in private.”

Well, it was safe to say POTUS was vibrating with anger, and I didn’t need to have eyes on the man to know. His voice clearly broadcasted his fury.

“Cash, take Penny upstairs.”