THE SYNDICATE

 

THE SYNDICATE

IV

Quantico

Five years ago

Carl’s eyes hovered over the acceptance letter from none other than the FBI, a carefully crafted letter that had a USB flash drive embedded inside the envelope. He held it on the palm of his hand with disbelief then inserted it into his computer.

A screen popped up on his screen and a video played.

Congratulations! Through our vigorous and intensified selection process you have been chosen to join the FBI(Quantico) as an elite force of cyber security analysts. Your training will commence immediately. A series of physical, emotional and psychological tasks will be handed on to you. You are not to disclose to anyone this information including your loved ones.

He was gaiety and his excitement quickly turned to resentment; you are not to disclose to anyone this information including your loved ones. The words hit as hard as steel on an anvil. His heart dropped and small precipitation was seen on his head. His parents were his closest attempt to having friends and keeping such a secret weighed on his shoulders.

The sun shone lurid as it rose from the horizon, its beautifully crafted beams crept into Carl’s small room like a slithering snake. It was summer and school was out. Laughter and joy lingered in the air but not for Carl, inside the letter were some hand written questions that he was expected to submit on the coronation day. This was his first test said the letter.

They were a complex mixture of algorithms and high mathematical concepts that Carl never in his five years of studying Computer Science came across. He learnt of a new machine learning programming language known as Dogma which he had to learn as quickly as possible and submit in a fort night.

The task was imperative to his success. He lied to his parents saying that he was working on his new start up project. They brushed it off quite quickly. He later told them he had been accepted at NYU. They were extremely ecstatic.

Now all he had to do was come up with an exit strategy.

Three weeks later

The carefully manicured lawn of the Quantico training ground in West Virginia was meticulously cut. Flowers of dandelion, rosses and lilies bloomed in great furze. Huge trees implanted on the concrete ground stood tall like a foraging giant. The air was chill on this very morning, precipitation and due filled the leaves and the grass as it glistened from a distance.

Cadets were seen jogging in their military attire chanting old military ballads. Their strides filled with precision and scrutiny. There on the entrance of the building stood an African American woman decently dressed in a purple suit. Her hair carefully crafted into a brooch.

She had a stern look on her face that made the recruits feel uncomfortable. Right in the middle of the crowd was Carl eagerly waiting for the briefing from his new “employer”. He was nervous and his hands were trembling, he put his shaking hands inside his pocket hoodie to show no weakness, but his façade betrayed him.

Behind her were two heavily armed officers that towered over them like sentient watchdogs.

“Good morning, cadets! My name is sergeant Mayweather and I am here to take you through the briefing. As you all know this is Quantico, for the next three months you will be tested physically, psychologically, mentally and emotionally. You are not just cyber security nerds. You will…by the end of this training course be fully equipped to join the CIA and the FBI as white hat hackers and agents in the field” said Mayweather with a boom to her voice.

“Right now, your families have been informed that you were accepted into an Ivy League University as a cover up” added the iron lady.

“This is not a drill, you will be fighting to compete the few slots available, failure to comply will lead to direct termination of your residence here in Quantico and you will be shipped back to your homes,” said the sergeant.

“You will learn how to protect yourself, how to fire a gun, basic physical defense tactics and martial arts. By the end of the training program, you will be equipped with the skills to go out into the real world and carry out missions. Have I made myself clear?” she said as silence lingered in the air.

“I said! Have I made myself clear!” she shouted with great velour.

“Yes ma’am!” the recruits said in unison, only to let out a soft hum.

Carl was frightened by the sheer tone of her voice. He fidgeted his carry-on bag and suitcase perversely. An agent passed through the crowd confiscating all gadgets: phones, laptops, mp3 players any electronic device they could get their hands on. He reluctantly gave away his phone and put it in the small bucket.

The sun hung high as they entered the federal building. Inside was huge foyer with a reception desk in the middle. Here, they were issued ID cards, badges and room keys. They were put in pairs for the co-living spaces right outside the building behind the cafeteria.

Carl’s room mate was an American from Pakistan origin who was also gifted as him in computers. They instantly clicked. They were later given a tour of the entire building which was smartly decorated with a minimalist twist. There were no bright colors just bland grey and white silhouettes from the chairs to the wall everything looked perfectly in place like a scene from a movie.

They made there way into the dormitory. The women were on a separate building adjacent to the men separated by an electric fence. He entered his small double bed room and found Khalid already there playing with a baseball.

“So, you are my new roommate” he said laconically

“Yeah” Carl replied.

“Pleasure to meet you” he said reaching out his hand, Carl shaking it firmly.

The two talked about hacker legends like Terry A. Davis, the greatest hacker of all time and his revolutionary TempleOS. They reveled at his mastery of code and syntax. They exchanged notes on various Automated API’s that were currently trending in the market and how to manipulate them.

After what seemed to be a long discussion. They were swooped back into reality. They were going to become cybersecurity agents not only that but qualified agents of the FBI and CIA. This all seemed surreal to Carl and they had not reached the tip of the ice berg.