*
An hour later, Apex scrolled through a fact file she had created from trolling through the data gathered at Horizon. 'What makes you so suspicious Julia Davenport?' she thought as she read details on Julia's connections to GCS. 'You are the actual mastermind behind GCS and COSA, and you have stunned us all with your efficiency.' Apex was impressed. She had not considered the Secretary of State to be among the elite who were formulating the implementation of COSA, until Carter told her about the advances she had made. Julia's position conveniently supported all the goals of the project's sponsors. At its core, COSA would be used to track down terrorists, especially across borders. Plus an entire globe under surveillance through a seamless system any global law enforcement agency could access would significantly aid every country's anti-terrorism fight.
Apex considered the implications of her findings. If the driving force behind the rapid implementation of COSA was Julia Davenport, then Apex's newly formed cyber defense team needed to stop her to slow the project down. Or even more lucrative, if they could get rid of her, cut off the head of the snake, the planned project rollout might be halted in its tracks. Apex weighed the possibilities. 'What would it take to remove the Secretary of State from her position and from GCS?'
Davenport's record was extraordinary. As a former Foreign Service officer, she had verifiable credibility among the rank and file, and as a former CEO who ran a successful business her leadership skills were rarely questioned. More striking, she had carved a global network of diplomats, policymakers, business leaders and financial investors who could open every door of influence. If Davenport suddenly disappeared, people would notice, and they would be concerned. The last thing Apex's group needed was attention drawn to physical activities in the real world challenging law enforcement's actions online.
Considering only the range of her previously analyzed options, Apex settled on calling Carter. Having returned to their San Francisco home, she was surprised to have rarely seen him since her arrival. Carter had disappeared into the challenges of his corporation. But Apex, after checking in with her top business lieutenants, retreated to her home office to pry through the Horizon files.
"Hey, I've only got a second," Carter said upon answering her call.
"I thought you wanted me home," Apex chastised him.
"I know, I know. The place has suddenly blown up. What do you need? I've really only got a second."
"I need to ask you about Julia Davenport. How possible would it be to replace her at State?"
"Completely impossible. She has the longest tentacles in Washington. She would basically know your plans before you even finalized the details. If you think that's an idea, forget it."
"My plans? Do you literally mean that?"
"Yeah, she has tech skills, don't underestimate her. She technically knows the type of security she has built on her home and office systems, and she was instrumental in moving the sensor technology to a broader rollout."
"Okay she's an untouchable superwoman."
"Pretty much. Why are you asking about her anyway?"
"I was just looking for a way to slow things down."
"I am telling you this project cannot be slowed down. Davenport made sure all steps are moving forward at rapid speed."
"I'm still looking at other options."
"Well stop looking and focus on the technology as we agreed!"
"Okay, okay, chill out."
"I gotta go, focus all right, focus."
"Yeah, yeah..." Apex quickly disconnected and returned to the files. 'Davenport has to have a weakness,' she immediately thought, while ignoring Carter's warning. 'Our best chance is to uncover a shortcoming.' As she had done an hour earlier for facts about Marco Manuel, Apex sent out a '411' request for information text to independent technologists all over the world, asking if anyone had unpublished details about the life of Julia Davenport.