Running With The Big Dogs: Sybil Norcroft Book Six by Carl Douglass Read Free Book Online Page B

cyber and trading assaults on our financial institutions.”
    “Or what? You will stamp your foot or pound on your U.N. desk to show your anger and frustration? Do you think we are naughty children whom you can make cower with a threat?”
    “No, Sir. I think none of that. I believe you are the ultimate pragmatists and learn effectively from objective demonstrations. I will bid you good-bye, Afonasii Glebovich; and I will await your call.”
    President Willets hung up his end of the line.
    President Tikhondnko shouted a string of obscenities before calming down enough to think rationally.
    “ They cannot afford a war. They have no evidence to use against us on the world stage. They are posturing. If they have something in mind, we will wait to see what it is and act accordingly. Who does that pipsqueak think he is giving the President of All the Russias orders ?”
    President Willets called the DCIA on his secure personal line.
    “This is NI One [The designation of POTUS as the commander-in-chief of the intelligence services as well as of the armed forces of the United States]. Andrew, please initiate the first phase of the cyber intervention.”
    “Yes, Sir. It will be done.”
    Fifteen minutes later, President Tikhondnko received an urgent conference call from Colonel General Yevgeni Mitrokhin, Director of the SVR [Foreign Intelligence Service], Michael Levinovich Ledvinov, Director of the MVD [Ministry of Internal Affairs], and General Ivan Petrovsky-Yugantsev, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
    Gen. Petrovsky-Yugantsev was the spokesman, “Comrade Chairman, we have been the victim of an extremely potent cyber-attack. Our electronic communications systems are all nonfunctional. We are calling you from the Old Veterans Club in central Moscow because our secure official lines do not work. We cannot prove it, but either the Chinese or the Americans are responsible. We are trying to identify which but without success as yet. Shall we launch a counter attack; and if so, at whom?”
    “Do nothing and be patient for now. I am quite certain who did this. Let us wait a bit and learn.”
    Fifteen minutes after that, the lesson was intensified. Every financial apparatchik in Tikhondnko’s administration called the president’s office. The reports were all the same: “We have had a complete melt-down of our computer system.”
    Tikhondnko sighed and arranged for a call on the red phone. To his fury, he was informed that the President of the United States was busy on another call on that line and would he please hold until the president could get back to him.
    “I hold for no man,” Tikhondnko screamed and slammed down his receiver.
    On the other end, the red phone was indeed busy. President Willets was talking to PRC Chairman Liew Bao-Zhi in Beijing.
    “Thank you for taking my call, Mr. Chairman. As you no doubt are already informed, I am calling about a serious matter and wish to ask your further help. My nation is grateful for what you have already done for us. Our problems have escalated and now we have fairly concrete evidence that our financial systems have been compromised—more accurately, attacked—by elements of the Russian Federation, and our stock markets are in free fall. We estimate our losses to be nearly a trillion U.S. dollars, and there is no end in sight. This attack—of course—affects you and your investments in the United States as well. We have taken countermeasures which we believe will be effective, but before we can improve our current condition, we are going to need a massive infusion of cash.”
    “I believe such an amount would be most difficult for us to add to your already extraordinary indebtedness to us, Mr. President. We simply cannot extend further credit, despite my truly genuine desire to help.”
    “I believe we can reach an accommodation, Chairman Liew. What I propose is that you begin the process of transferring funds to our financial