Blood Money by K. J. Janssen

Missouri, where she first co-majored in math and science. During her second year she took several computer classes as electives and was so transfixed by the power and possibilities of computers that she switched her major to Computer Science. The University of Missouri had the perfect curriculum for her to continue in these studies through her under-graduate and graduate school years. During her senior year, Sue met a visiting Nobel co-prize winning software engineer, and she was introduced to the world of software science. She spent all her free time designing and testing codes and learning every new programming language that came along. Susan had a natural gift for software design, and for understanding the logic of the coding. She just couldn’t get enough of the technical side of the science. She brought this enthusiasm with her to graduate school, where her provocative thesis made her one of the most sought after graduates at the University. During her last year alone, she received offers from five blue chip corporations that ranged from $85,000 to $110,000 annually. It was during that time that she came to the attention of the Defense Department, who was recruiting for a program they called “Hide & Seek.” Her interview with Army General Barton Smyth and Colonel Chris Carter took place over two days, and when it concluded she signed a contract to work for the Pentagon. Colonel Carter ended their discussion with the remark, “Susan, we would be honored if you would join us.” Initially the pay was only $70,000 a year, but the pay scale would grow considerably over the course of her career in government service. This was the Susan Harrigan most people knew during her D.C. days.
    There was, however, a mystery side to Susan Harrigan, one that didn’t surface until later on. When recruited by the Defense Department over ten years ago, it wasn’t just to be a part of the Hide & Seek team at the Pentagon. The Defense Department had greater plans for this prodigy. She had, in fact, signed on as an “Intelligence Officer” with a long-term contract. While she was assigned to work under Colonel Carter, she secretly reported to Neil Parsons, the leader of a covert group answering directly to the President. During her tenure with “Hide & Seek,” she was involved with many projects that came directly from the White House. These included spying on drug cartels and tracing money flows from rogue countries like Libya. Her assignments were often tied to work that some of her other team members were working on, so nothing out of the ordinary was apparent to any of them. When the group was broken-up, the Bush administration, in an exceptional non-partisan move, decided to retain her services, and she was assigned to a new group in San Diego. Their goal was to uncover sub-rosa activities on the docks. She set herself up with another agent, Rodney Phillips, using the cover as partners doing consulting for software development. She and Phillips had a strictly business relationship. Sue was too busy exploring new ways to rack codes and infiltrating the computer systems of shipping companies and trade unions to have a normal social life.
    Sue kept current with the latest advances in computing and communications equipment. The San Diego operation soon became one of the most technically up-to-date field offices in the country. The success of the office came to the attention of Dennis Peterson, recently appointed Special Agent in Charge of the Cleveland, Ohio field office of the FBI, and she was recruited to move east to join the FBI. Her new title was Special Agent/Intelligence and Analysis, a newly formed section at the bureau. Sue was to continue to operate undercover. This time, she set up a sham software consulting company in Hudson, Ohio called Cybernetic Solutions. Operating in that capacity, she was instructed when and how much to bid on special projects. Her most recent one for the Ohio State