at any before?”
Jack was a little surprised at how observant Peter was. However, he had planned well and knew exactly what to say.
“Yes, it is. I just moved here last year, from Dallas.” Jack remembered that Peter was a Dallas Cowboy’s fan.
“From Dallas. So, are you a Cowboys fan?” asked Peter.
“Oh yes,” replied Jack, “ever since Troy Aikman started that Superbowl run back in ’93. It one of my best memories as a child, watching him throw those touchdowns. The ball seemed to float in the air when it left his hand.”
“Now you’re talking. Best damn quarterback in the history of the game as far as I’m concerned. I hope we can go one better than last year.”
“Yea. Although we won 11 straight, that was impressive.”
“As long as we don’t do worse. We went through some lean years.”
“Yea, let’s hope not. So, Peter, what line of business are you in?” asked Jack. He had broken the ice with some general questions and now needed to narrow his focus.
“I’m the IT Service Delivery Manager for Tesla Motors.” Peter replied, almost boastfully, his chest puffing out slightly.
Jack had an amazed look on his face “Wow, that’s impressive! Tesla is a big company. How many employees?”
“Just a bit over thirty thousand.”
“Thirty Thousand! Damn!”
“Not all in one place though. Spread out across the US.”
“Still, that’s a lot of users to look after. And you oversee all IT Service Delivery?”
“Yes I do.” Peter’s chest puffed up a bit more.
“How many staff work under you - must be hundreds?”
“No, not nearly as many as that. Only thirty.”
“Thirty staff! I only have three. What’s it like working for such a big company?” Jack had been buttering Peter up. He knew that flattery always made people want to boast about what they did.
“It has its ups and downs. There’s lots of red tape and hoops to jump through if you want to get stuff done, but we do have the latest technology to help. Our CEO wants us to be at the cutting edge of everything we do.”
“That sounds so cool. Maybe you can help me with something?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“I have a client who runs a mobile application development business - small company with only five employees. The problem is his developers keep overwriting the production system with test code. How do you guys manage to keep your development separate from your production.”
“Oh, that’s easy. We have a separate development environment. We used to have that same problem. What we did was put the development server in the server room and set up its own little network. The only way you can get to it is from inside that room. That stopped our problem straight away. If you want to update any software, you have to go into the computer room and copy it physically.”
Jack smiled to himself, he now knew exactly where the development server was. He also knew he needed to get physical access to the server room. Still, he needed more information.
“Thanks. I will pass that onto my client. If he gives me a bonus, I’ll be sure to pass some on.” Jack smiled at Peter.
“No problem. Any other advice I can help you with?” Peter felt good for helping
“Maybe a long shot, but do you guys outsource any IT Services? We are a small company but always looking for more work.”
“Nope I’m afraid not. We do everything internally. The only outsourcing we do is for our backup tapes. We have a company that collects them and keeps them offsite for us.”
“Okay thanks anyway. Would you perhaps mind if I sent you a copy of my resume? If you do have any internal positions I would love to work for Tesla.”
Peter pulled out his wallet and took out a business card, handing it to Jack. “No problem. Here are my details. Send me a copy on Monday morning and I’ll see what I can do.”
“Great thanks Peter,” replied Jack as he took out one of his own business cards and handed it to Peter. “So, what do you think of the violinist?” asked Jack, changing the subject and pointing towards the girl seated on the barstool.
“Very nice,” replied Peter, “and she can play a bit too.” The two of them laughed heartily.
It was well after midnight when Jack got back home. To keep his cover, he had to stick around at the party a bit longer. Jack had tactfully changed the topic and they spoke about anything but IT. After half a dozen beers and just as many tequila’s, Jack made a dash for the exit, bidding Peter farewell as he stumbled off to catch his Uber.
Jack woke up with an aching head and a swirling gut. Beers and tequila were not his friends. He went to the toilet and put his finger down his throat, bringing up the contents of his stomach. The taste in his throat made him heave some more, emptying whatever might have been left behind.
Feeling a lot better Jack went to the kitchen and gulped down a bottle of water, the liquid barely touching his throat. Scuzzy was so upset that he had come home late, that he refused to sleep on the bed and chose the sofa instead. This didn’t bother Jack too much as it saved his big toe a lot of pain and suffering.
Jack sat down on the sofa and gathered his thoughts. Okay so the development server is inside the server room. The server room must be behind that door that Morgan came out of. If I remember correctly there is a keypad, so I would need a code to get inside. Now, where am I going to get the code from? Jack closed his eyes and fell backwards, thinking, plotting his next move.
He walked back to his desk and opened his computer. He flipped through the first few pages of his notes, looking for something he could use. When he found It, it almost jumped out of the page and hit him! Why didn’t I think of this before! Jack went to his electronics cupboard and opened it up, going through the different boxes lying on the shelves until he found the one he wanted. It was a picture frame with a small spy camera in the middle.
It wasn’t too hard for Jack to find a picture to put inside. He searched for electric cars in Google and the first sexy picture of a Tesla that came up he printed and placed inside the frame, making a tiny hole in the centre for the miniature camera lens. He then downloaded the camera app to his phone and connected to the camera, making sure the picture was unobstructed. He tested the ideal distance the camera needed to be from the door to get a clear picture. This was less than thirty feet.
With the spy camera set up and ready to go Jack searched for janitor uniforms. There were hundreds of results but one on a website called My Locker caught his eye. From this website he could order a uniform online and add a customized logo. He checked his notes for the name of the cleaning company, it was Unique Cleaning Services. Jack went to their website and downloaded their logo, resizing it before uploading it to My Locker and adding it to the janitor uniform.
Jack opened the video and compared the uniform in the video with the one he had just created; it was an almost perfect match. He purchased the uniform, making sure he selected the express ‘same day’ delivery option. Now all he had to do was make himself an ID tag and he would be ready to go. He took a snapshot of the janitor from the video and zoomed in on the ID tag.
Not too difficult, Jack thought to himself and went to work creating the tag. He used a simple drawing program to replicate it, making sure he had covered every tiny detail. When he was happy that his copy would pass casual scrutiny, he printed it and used a laminator to seal it in a thick plastic cover.
The uniform arrived shortly after Jack had finished his lunch. He had shared a can of tuna with Scuzzy, although he had mixed his own share of the tuna with a fresh, green, garden salad. Healthy body, healthy mind was one of Jack’s favourite quotes in life. He unpacked the uniform and tried it on in front of the mirror. It was a perfect fit. He punched a hole in the top of the ID tag and used the clip from the conference lanyard to fasten it to his pocket.
A bit too clean, Jack thought as he scrutinized himself in the mirror. He went to the bathroom and sprayed some l
iquid gel onto his hair. He used his fingers to rough up his hair, making it look untidy. That’s better. He put on the black rimmed spectacles he had used previously and did a final check on his disguise, nodding his head with satisfaction at the result.
He waited for a few more hours until well after the sun had gone down. He liked to stay dressed in his disguise as it helped him focus on the role. The biggest challenge he still faced was to get past the guard at the gate. He sat in the dark, head resting against the cushion with his eyes closed, thinking of a plan. Eventually, feeling the need for action, he jumped up from the sofa and walked over to his computer, opening the webpage of Unique Cleaning Services.
He scanned their website looking for something he could use, any titbit of information that would help him get inside Tesla. He read about their services and came across an interesting section: We don’t rely on public transport; our staff are all transported to their place of work by company bus. There was a picture of a bus with a big logo of Unique Cleaning Services on the side. Mmmm, this could work.
Jack looked at the contact numbers on the website, his eyes settling on the last one, the Operations Manager. He dialled the number. The phone hardly rang before it was answered:
“Hernandez!”
“Hello, sorry who am I speaking to?” asked Jack politely.
“Hector Hernandez.”
“From Unique Cleaning Services?”
“Yes, who am I speaking to?”
“It’s Mark Solomon, I’m calling from Tesla Motors.”
“From Tesla? I’ve never heard of you. I always deal with Tony, Tony Sparks.”
Jack had to think fast. “I just started, It’s my first day today.”
“Okay, so what I can do for you?”
“I’m really sorry to bother you but nobody has arrived for the evening shift.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“The evening shift, nobody has arrived yet.”
“Of course not! It’s only 8 o’clock and they are only supposed to be there at 10.”
“At 10? Oh hell, I was told they were supposed to be here at 8. I think somebody is playing the fool with me, first day and all.”
Hector mumbled something unintelligible into the mouthpiece.
“Sorry to bother you Hector, won’t happen again. By…” Hector cut the call off. He wasn’t a man of many words and didn’t particularly enjoy people wasting his time.
The evening shift started at 10 o’clock so Jack would need to be at Unique Cleaning Services at around 9 to catch the bus. He looked at his watch; he had an hour to get there. Jack double timed it down the stairs and into his car, speeding off towards their offices. It took him a lot less time than he anticipated and he had to wait in his car for twenty minutes. He didn’t mind the wait as it allowed him some time to observe what was going on.
Jack saw a bus pull up and noticed that it was the same one that was on the website. About thirty staff stepped off and went inside the building. This must be the bus going to Tesla. Its the only one here. Jack got out of his car and walked casually across to the bus. The driver had his clipboard out and was marking some items off.
“Evening.” Jack greeted the driver who looked up at him.
“Howdy.”
“Is this bus going to Tesla?”
“It sure is, leaving in ten minutes.”
“Great. It’s my first day, I just wanted to be sure.”
“Oh, welcome aboard. I’m Chuck by the way.”
“Hi Chuck, I’m Andy.” Jack held out his hand.
Jack made his way to the back of the bus and tucked himself in the far corner, partially hidden by the shadows. As he sat down he felt something underneath his bum. He put his hand down and pulled out a cap. He held it up to the light, and to his delight, saw it was a UCS hat. He pulled the cap over his head and pulled the front down just above his eye line. He dipped his head, pretending he was asleep. The bus started to fill up slowly with workers. They were not in a very talkative mood and most of them sat still, facing forward.
Without asking if everybody was on board, the driver closed the doors and began driving off. Jack lifted his head and looked out of the window as they pulled away. It was a thirty-minute drive to the Tesla offices, which was done in almost complete silence. This suited Jack as he wanted to keep as low a profile as possible. He didn’t blame them though, working these hours was the pits.
The bus paused briefly at the entrance and the driver opened the door. The security guard stepped inside and had a look around. Jack sunk back into the corner and tucked his head away, peering at the guard out of the corner of his eye. The guard looked around before nodding his head at the driver and getting off. The driver closed the door and drove around the building to an entrance at the back.
Chuck opened the doors and everyone started to disembark. Jack waited for them all to leave before he stood up and made his way off the bus, thanking Chuck as he got off. He walked through the door at the back of the building and down a long passage. There were locker rooms ahead. Jack walked into the men’s one. There were only five other men, the rest of the staff were all women. Jack looked around at the steel lockers that formed a ring around the room. Each one had a strip of tape on the top with a name written in permanent marker. The men had gone to their lockers and opened them up, placing their private belongings inside.
Jack was looking around for an open locker when a name that looked familiar caught his eye, Jim Rawlins. Why does that name sound so familiar? As the thought entered his mind he remembered. It was the name of the janitor he had recorded in the video. He reached into his pocket and removed his lock pick, the one piece of equipment he never left home without. Jack turned his back to shield himself and got to work on picking the lock. This wasn’t a skill that he was born with and he had had to practice hard to perfect it. Luckily this lock was a cheap one and easy to pick. Within seconds he heard the faint click as the last pin inside the lock fell into place.
He opened the locker and looked around. Nobody was watching him; they were all getting themselves ready. Jack started going through the contents of the locker. There was a hair comb, some gel, a can of deodorant, a razor blade, a towel and a wallet. Jack picked up the wallet and opened it. There was some cash and lots of cards. One card that was slightly thicker than the others stood out. Jack pulled it out. It was plain white without pictures or writing. He turned it around in his hand, examining it before putting it into his back pocket.
There was nothing else of interest and Jack put the wallet back and closed the locker, snapping the lock closed again. He picked up a bucket and mop and walked back into the passage. He wasn’t sure where to go next so he walked slowly down the passage, looking around as he did so. He saw another door at the end of the passage and moved slowly towards it. As he got there he noticed that it needed a security tag to open it. Jack reached into his back pocket and pulled out the white card, placing it over the sensor next to the door. There was a loud beep before the small light above the sensor turned green and Jack saw the door click open.
He wanted to kick himself. He had forgotten about the security. It was pure luck that he had found a security tag in the wallet. Jim must have left his wallet behind by mistake. As I always said, you make your own luck Jacko, he thought to himself. Jack had always managed to find a way, by hook or by crook. People called him lucky, he called it being resourceful.
Jack walked through the door and into another passage. This one was a lot wider and there were lots of doors on either side. Positioned next to the ceiling were security cameras covering every angle. Jack started mopping the floor. He hated security cameras. One never knew if there was someone on the other end watching. For all Jack knew there might be nobody there and he was wasting his time cleaning – not an activity he enjoyed. He wasn’t going to take any chances though and worked on the assumption that somebody was watching his every move.
It took Jack thirty minutes to work his way
down the passage, making sure he mopped every square inch of the passage. He peeked into each office as he passed, looking for anything of interest. He came to the end of the passage and opened the door, stepping into another passage. Hell no! Jack cursed to himself at the sight of another long passage and started to mop again.
This passage took slightly longer than the first one and Jack’s arms began aching as he wasn’t used to this type of manual labour. Although he had to rest every few minutes to stop his muscles from cramping, he had to carry on though as the cameras were watching. The sweat was starting to trickle down his forehead as he dipped the mop in the bucket, squeezed off all the excess water and finished the last patch.
Jack left his mop and bucket and walked through the passage door. He wanted to see what was behind it before he had to do another session of hard labour. He recognised the passage instantly, it was the passage that Angela had led him down towards the IT offices. He walked down the passage with purpose; if anybody was watching he wanted them to think that he was going somewhere.
He walked up to the door, praying that his key would have the correct permissions to unlock it. His prayers were answered and the door opened instantly with a tiny clicking sound. Jack eased the door open and walked straight to a trash bin that was located next to a photocopying machine. He took a garbage bag out of his pocket and started emptying the contents of the trash bin into the bag. At the same time, he was slyly looking around, getting his bearings.
Opposite Jack was the door that Morgan had come out of, the door that opened into the server room. He contemplated walking across and trying the door, to see if, by some miracle, it might be open. No short cuts Jack, he reminded himself and dismissed the thought. Jack looked above the photocopier to a picture hanging on the wall with the words Think before printing – Please consider the environment. Save Paper. Save Trees.
The picture with the embedded camera that Jack had stuffed under his uniform was biting into his skin, making it almost unbearably uncomfortable. He looked at the dome camera that was fitted to the ceiling in the corner of the office and turned his back on it, shielding himself. He picked up the trash bin and at the same time opened his shirt and scooped out the picture, placing it inside the bin. He removed a cloth from his pocket and started wiping down the photocopier. He lifted the top of the copier and accidentally knocked the picture off the wall. The picture landed on the carpet next to the trash bin. Jack leant down and picked up his picture that was inside the trash bin and put it in the place of the one he had just knocked off.
Bending over, he picked up the picture from the floor and placed it inside the garbage bag. Still shielding himself from the camera, he took out his phone and opened the camera application. The video feed came up almost