The End Game (A Brit in the FBI 3)

“Sir, we have a problem. Someone has hacked into our flight computer. They have taken over the controls and engaged the autoland.”

“Well, take it back from them.”

“I can’t, sir. There’s a bug in the system of some kind. When we uploaded the new software for the electrical issues, we also uploaded a worm embedded inside the software. I don’t know how it happened, but we can’t get into it to change course, heading, altitude, nothing. Someone outside is flying the plane now. Sir, I’m sorry.”

The plane executed another hard turn. Bradley could hear people running. The door from the communications room burst open, smashing back into the wall and hurling his chief of staff, Ellen Star, nearly into his lap. She grabbed his arms. “Sir, we’re being attacked! We’re under attack!”

Bradley steadied her. “It will be all right, Ellen.” The plane rattled and heaved and he pulled her to his side and held her tight. “We’ll be just fine, you’ll see.”

And he said into the intercom, “Get this plane under control immediately, Colonel Moore. That’s an order.”

The down angle of the plane’s nose shifted suddenly, and they began to lose altitude. Star screamed. He heard shouts, calls, screams throughout the plane, and then thumps and bangs as luggage fell and people toppled.

Moore said, his voice still calm, “Sir, I regret to tell you that we have no control of the plane. Repeat, we have no control. You’re going to want to put on your life vest, sir. We’re going down.”

71

KING TO F1

George Washington University Hospital

Nicholas watched, helpless. The glide slope of the plane had changed dramatically. The horizon shifted hard, and he realized what was happening. No, he couldn’t let the plane go down, couldn’t. He had to do something. Adrenaline burst through him, and there was Mike beside him, asking, “So it was Matthew’s job to assassinate the president. What exactly is happening, Nicholas?”

“Someone has control of the autoland. I don’t know if they’re trying to land the plane somewhere, or crash it into the ocean. We need to find a way to override the system, but this bastard has shut down all the electronic controls. I don’t know how to stop it.”

She said, all calm certainty, “Yes, you do, Nicholas. What do you need to do first?”

He looked up at Mike. “I need to find a route in through their wireless system before the plane lands or crashes. From the heading, it’s the latter, and I have about two minutes before it’s in the water.”

She cleared the space, waving people back, then came back, hunkered down beside him, saw the fierce concentration. “Tell me what you need.”

And it hit him. “I need secure comms with the plane. Get me through, Mike. Now. They’ll need to be ready to take over if I can dismantle the attack.”

He closed his eyes in a brief prayer. Seventy-eight souls were in the palm of his hand.

Mike didn’t hesitate, she pulled out the private card and called the vice president directly.

Callan answered, “Agent Caine, what’s going on there—”

“Ma’am, we need immediate access to Air Force One. It’s being attacked. Audio, cell, radio. Anything we can get, and we need it right now.”

Callan said, “Hold.” The phone went quiet. Ten long seconds later, she came back on. “You’re being patched through.”

Mike put the phone on speaker, set it by Nicholas’s left hand.

“This is Special Operations Command, Captain Reynolds here. Who am I talking to?”

“Agent Nicholas Drummond, FBI. Air Force One has been compromised. I need to overtake their flight controls.”

“Can’t be done.”

“Someone already has done it, mate. Did you alter the software for the controls in the last thirty days?”

Silence, the man disappeared for a minute. “Come on, come on,” Nicholas said under his breath, typing hard and fast on the computer. Mike watched code stream from his fingers onto the screen like he was something from the Matrix.

Captain Reynolds came back. “Yes, about ten minutes ago, in flight. They had an electrical issue, we pushed an update to get them back online.”

“We need to push a new update. The one they pushed in was compromised.”