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| Stacie at Starbucks Store No. 1 |
STARBUCKS AT CIA HQ IN LANGLEY
The Starbucks at the CIA headquarters is not
allowed to take names for orders. It's not "business as usual"
for the Starbucks franchise housed inside the CIA headquarters in Langley, VA.
This particular chain, code-named "Store Number 1", operates much
differently than their other 12,000+ stores in the U.S.- not surprising when it
must accommodate clandestine spymasters working for the most powerful spy
organization in the world.
Servers do not
ask for the customer's name (which they normally write on the coffee cup to
expedite things), for undercover agents grow uncomfortable when someone
asks for it. They can't give the Starbucks' server their a.k.a. handles
either, for that nom de plume, if discovered by the wrong people, could end up
getting them, or an overseas asset they recruited, killed. Even the receipts
the baristas hand back have "Store Number 1" cryptically printed on
them.
Each maître d'
goes through a robust interview and background check before they
are even told that they will be working at the CIA Starbucks. There are
nine baristas working there and whenever they leave their work area, a CIA
"minder" escorts them. All are regularly briefed about security risks
and must report if someone seems overly interested in where they work or asks
too many questions about their employment. They can't even blow their own horns
about working inside the CIA at nightclubs or parties and, if asked, can only
tell friends, family members and acquaintances that they
“work in a federal building”.
And what about
the wonderful Starbucks Awards program with those loyalty deals? It would be
great to offer America's spy force this great program where they can get free
drink and food rewards, custom offers, early access to new Starbuck products
and make easy payments with their mobile app. Well, the program is absent at
Store Number 1, for CIA clandestine operatives could be potentially exposed if
the data on their loyalty cards fell into the wrong hands.
Yes, Store
Number 1 is a cloak-and-dagger Starbucks operation. It is also one of their
busiest, for the customers remain captive, all day long. The intelligence
analysts, undercover operatives and case officers, economists, engineers,
geographers and cartographers who work on the CIA's highly secured campus are
not permitted to leave the "office" and go downtown for a coffee
break in the middle of the day. The caffeine-addicted staff flocks to
"stealthy Starbucks", as they code named it, for a respite from gathering
intelligence, planning covert operations, and preparing the Presidential Daily
Brief (PDB) that provides the president of the United States with
up-to-the-minute intelligence on sensitive international situations.
Those working at the
CIA need and deserve a break from their windowless cubicles to sip
an Espresso with bittersweet mocha sauce and steamed milk topped with
whipped cream while munching on a buttery muffin stuffed with seasonal
blueberries, yogurt, and honey. Hopefully, they can unwind at Store Number
1 and return refreshed to their duties. After all, if they don't remain
attentive and vigilant for hours on end as they pour through classified
documents...people could end up in harm’s way.
In both
the PENUMBRA DATABASE and MISSION OF VENGEANCE spy thrillers, this unique
Starbucks is used for scene locations. Here’s a snippet from the PENUMBRA
DATABASE:
“Store
Number X" was a cloak-and-dagger Starbucks operation and one of their busiest,
for the customers remain captive. The Engineer and math geniuses, computer science
geeks, cryptanalysis masterminds, intelligence and language analysis whiz kids,
and black, white, and grey-hat hacker brains couldn’t leave the premises during
working hours. They sat around Stacie- some remained silent, others talked in hushed
voices.
She
looked around and sipped her coffee, beginning to feel a slight caffeine buzz. They look like groups of football teams in a
huddle, making up the next game plan. No wonder the NSA brass doesn't let this crowd
go downtown for a coffee break or for lunch. A "stealthy Starbucks" is
the only thing appropriate for them...and me too, I guess.
In five minutes, her cup of Caramel
Macchato was empty. Stacey considered downing another one. The caffeine buzz
rejuvenated her tired body and refreshed her mind, which was overwhelmed by innumerable
bits of information-ties that her supercomputer’s ECHELON Dictionary program connected
from the Nassau-Abaco sector.
She
was about to have the barista refill her cup when her pager buzzed in consecutive
two-second intervals. It meant that ECHELON got a hit on something...a very significant
one. Stacey almost collided with a cryptologist who was sauntering into “Store No.
X" as she hustled back upstairs to her workstation. End of Snippet
Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO), enjoys writing about the U.S. Intelligence Community, and relishes traveling to the Florida Keys and Key West, the Bahamas and Caribbean. He combines both passions in his CoreyPearson- CIA Spymaster series. Check out his latest spy thriller: MISSION OF VENGEANCE
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