Free The Last Line by Anthony Shaffer

starts sending copies of itself phone to phone. Doesn’t need cell towers. Doesn’t even need the phone to be switched on. It jumps from phone to phone to phone all by itself—and periodically it uploads to a satellite, which zaps it back to you.”
    â€œPretty soon,” Procario told them, “you build up a map of phone connections. Even if the opposition is doing onetime use with call cards, it keeps track of the phone. If they throw the phone away and get a new one, the system is redundant enough to fill in the gap as soon as the new phone comes online.”
    â€œRight.” Teller nodded. “And the best part? Every cell phone on the network has the potential to become a bug.”
    â€œThe phone doesn’t need to be on?”
    â€œNope. The phone has a microphone, and the virus operates on very low levels of power. You activate a target’s phone from here, and it starts transmitting conversations from the guy’s pocket.”
    â€œI’d heard the NSA could listen in through telephones,” Wentworth said, thoughtful. “Pick up on key words and relay conversations automatically, even when the phone is off.”
    Teller nodded. “They’ve been doing that for a while, though there are legal issues to using it inside the United States, of course. Cellmap, though, is a lot more flexible, and it puts active bugs in the pockets of everyone in the target network. Doesn’t take long, either. A few seconds, even allowing for satellite transmission time.”
    â€œIncredible.”
    â€œSo we need to get someone down to Mexico,” Chavez said, “have them find a phone and plant the virus.”
    â€œWhy can’t we plant the virus from here?” Wentworth wanted to know. “We could give El Chapo a call and infect his phone from here.”
    â€œUh-uh,” Teller said, shaking his head. “Doesn’t work that way. You have to use a special install program to shoehorn the virus into the phone’s memory, and we can’t do that long distance. Yet. ”
    Chavez looked at Wentworth. “Sounds like a good way to learn if Los Zetas are working with Sinaloa,” he said.
    â€œI was thinking that,” Wentworth replied. He looked at Teller. “How would you two like to take a little all-expense paid trip south of the border?”
    Teller’s eyebrows arched up his forehead. “Us? Why?”
    â€œBecause sending someone who understands the tech is better than trying to teach someone down there from up here. And because, like we said, we don’t happen to have any assets in Mexico right now. And you have a reputation for … unconventional thinking.”
    Procario chuckled. “It’ll take you off the McDee’s radar for a while, Chris.”
    â€œThere is that.” He looked at Wentworth. “What would our org chart look like?”
    â€œYou’ll work for Dave here,” he said, nodding at Larson. “You’ll be with WINPAC, under the Directorate of Intelligence. Or…” He hesitated. “What do you think, Dave. Maybe S&T instead?”
    S&T was the Directorate of Science and Technology, which included the Agency’s research and development branch.
    â€œNo,” Larson said firmly, shaking his head. “Absolutely not. That would put them under Colbert, and he would want to be in on the new toy. All the way in, and he wouldn’t want to deploy until we owned it. We need boots on the ground down there now . Anyway, I’d rather keep them in my stable.”
    â€œFair enough.” Chavez grinned at Teller. “So, you cowboys up for this?”
    Teller grinned. “Does this mean you’re recruiting us?”
    A shrug. “Only if you want me to.”
    â€œI’ll let you know after MacDonald’s IG witch hunt is over.”
    â€œJesus,” Wentworth said. “You have an inspector general on your ass?”
    Teller grinned.