Dan Brown Di g i t al F ort re s s
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For my parents… my mentors and heroes A deb t of g rati tu de: to my edi tors at St. M arti n’ s Press, T homas D u nne and the ex c epti onal l y tal ented M el i ssa J ac ob s. T o my ag ents i n N ew Y ork , G eorg e W i eser, O l g a W i eser, and J ak e E l wel l . T o al l those who read and c ontri b u ted to the manu sc ri pt al ong the way. A nd espec i al l y to my wi f e, B l ythe, f or her enthu si asm and pati enc e. A l so… a q u i et thank you to the two f ac el ess ex -N SA c ryptog raphers who made i nv al u ab l e c ontri b u ti ons v i a anonymou s remai l ers. W i thou t them thi s b ook wou l d not hav e b een wri tten. P rol og u e Pl az a de E spañ a Sev i l l e, Spai n 1 1 :0 0 A .M . I t is said that in death, al l thin gs b ec ome c l ear ; En sei Tan kado n ow kn ew it was tr ue. A s he c l utc hed his c hest an d f el l to the gr oun d in pain , he r eal iz ed the hor r or of his mistake. P eopl e appear ed, hov er in g ov er him, tr yin g to hel p. B ut Tan kado did n ot wan t hel p– it was too l ate f or that. Tr emb l in g, he r aised his l ef t han d an d hel d his f in ger s outwar d. L ook at my hand! The f ac es ar oun d him star ed, b ut he c oul d tel l they did n ot un der stan d. O n his f in ger was an en gr av ed gol den r in g. F or an in stan t, the mar kin gs gl immer ed in the A n dal usian sun . En sei Tan kado kn ew it was the l ast l ight he woul d ev er see.
C h ap t e r 1
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They wer e in the smoky moun tain s at their f av or ite b ed-an d-b r eakf ast. D av id was smil in g down at her . “W hat do you say, gor geous? M ar r y me? ” L ookin g up f r om their c an opy b ed, she kn ew he was the on e. F or ev er . A s she star ed in to his deep-gr een eyes, somewher e in the distan c e a deaf en in g b el l b egan to r in g. I t was pul l in g him away. She r eac hed f or him, b ut her ar ms c l utc hed empty air . I t was the soun d of the phon e that f ul l y awoke Susan F l etc her f r om her dr eam. She gasped, sat up in b ed, an d f umb l ed f or the r ec eiv er . “Hel l o? ” “Susan , it’ s D av id. D id I wake you? ” She smil ed, r ol l in g ov er in b ed. “I was j ust dr eamin g of you. C ome ov er an d pl ay.” He l aughed. “I t’ s stil l dar k out.” “M mm.” She moan ed sen suousl y. “Then def i ni tel y c ome ov er an d pl ay. W e c an sl eep in b ef or e we head n or th.” D av id l et out a f r ustr ated sigh. “That’ s why I ’ m c al l in g. I t’ s ab out our tr ip. I ’ v e got to postpon e.” Susan was sudden l y wide awake. “W hat! ” “I ’ m sor r y. I ’ v e got to l eav e town . I ’ l l b e b ac k b y tomor r ow. W e c an head up f ir st thin g in the mor n in g. W e’ l l stil l hav e two days.” “B ut I made r eser v ation s, ” Susan said, hur t. “I got our ol d r oom at Ston e M an or .” “I kn ow, b ut–” “Ton ight was supposed to b e spec i al –to c el eb r ate six mon ths. Y ou do r ememb er we’ r e en gaged, don ’ t you? ” “Susan .” He sighed. “I r eal l y c an ’ t go in to it n ow, they’ v e got a c ar waitin g. I ’ l l c al l you f r om the pl an e an d ex pl ain ev er ythin g.” “Pl ane? ” she r epeated. “W hat’ s goin g on ? W hy woul d the un iv er sity…? ” “I t’ s n ot the un iv er sity. I ’ l l phon e an d ex pl ain l ater . I ’ v e r eal l y got to go; they’ r e c al l in g f or me. I ’ l l b e in touc h. I pr omise.” “D av id! ” she c r ied. “W hat’ s–” B ut it was too l ate. D av id had hun g up. Susan F l etc her l ay awake f or hour s waitin g f or him to c al l b ac k. The phon e n ev er r an g. *** L ater that af ter n oon Susan sat dej ec ted in the tub . She sub mer ged her sel f in the soapy water an d tr ied to f or get Ston e M an or an d the Smoky M oun tain s. W here c ou l d he b e? she won der ed. W hy hasn’ t he c al l ed? G r adual l y the water ar oun d her wen t f r om hot to l ukewar m an d f in al l y to c ol d. She was ab out to get out when her c or dl ess phon e b uz z ed to l if e. Susan b ol ted upr ight, sl oshin g water on the f l oor as she gr appl ed f or the r ec eiv er she’ d l ef t on the sin k. “D av id? ” “I t’ s Str athmor e, ” the v oic e r epl ied. Susan sl umped. “O h.” She was un ab l e to hide her disappoin tmen t. “G ood af ter n oon , C omman der .” “Hopin g f or a youn ger man ? ” The v oic e c huc kl ed. “N o, sir , ” Susan said, emb ar r assed. “I t’ s n ot how it–”
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“Sur e it is.” He l aughed. “D av id B ec ker ’ s a good man . D on ’ t ev er l ose him.” “Than k you, sir .” The c omman der ’ s v oic e tur n ed sudden l y ster n . “Susan , I ’ m c al l in g b ec ause I n eed you in her e. P r on to.” She tr ied to f oc us. “I t’ s Satur day, sir . W e don ’ t usual l y–” “I kn ow, ” he said c al ml y. “I t’ s an emer gen c y.” Susan sat up. E merg enc y? She had n ev er hear d the wor d c r oss C omman der Str athmor e’ s l ips. A n emerg enc y? In C rypto? She c oul dn ’ t imagin e. “Y -yes, sir .” She paused. “I ’ l l b e ther e as soon as I c an .” “M ake it soon er .” Str athmor e hun g up. ***
Susan F l etc her stood wr apped in a towel an d dr ipped on the n eatl y f ol ded c l othes she’ d set out the n ight b ef or e–hikin g shor ts, a sweater f or the c ool moun tain ev en in gs, an d the n ew l in ger ie she’ d b ought f or the n ights. D epr essed, she wen t to her c l oset f or a c l ean b l ouse an d skir t. A n emerg enc y? In C rypto? A s she wen t down stair s, Susan won der ed how the day c oul d get muc h wor se. She was ab out to f in d out.
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Thir ty thousan d f eet ab ov e a dead-c al m oc ean , D av id B ec ker star ed miser ab l y f r om the L ear j et 6 0 ’ s smal l , ov al win dow. He’ d b een tol d the phon e on b oar d was out of or der , an d he’ d n ev er had a c han c e to c al l Susan . “W hat am I doin g her e? ” he gr umb l ed to himsel f . B ut the an swer was simpl e–ther e wer e men to whom you j ust didn ’ t say n o. “M r . B ec ker , ” the l oudspeaker c r ac kl ed. “W e’ l l b e ar r iv in g in hal f an hour .” B ec ker n odded gl oomil y to the in v isib l e v oic e. W onderf u l . He pul l ed the shade an d tr ied to sl eep. B ut he c oul d on l y thin k of her .
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Susan ’ s V ol v o sedan r ol l ed to a stop in the shadow of the ten -f oot-high, b ar b ed C yc l on e f en c e. A youn g guar d pl ac ed his han d on the r oof . “I D , pl ease.” Susan ob l iged an d settl ed in f or the usual hal f -min ute wait. The of f ic er r an her c ar d thr ough a c omputer iz ed sc an n er . F in al l y he l ooked up. “Than k you, M s. F l etc her .” He gav e an imper c eptib l e sign , an d the gate swun g open . Hal f a mil e ahead Susan r epeated the en tir e pr oc edur e at an eq ual l y imposin g el ec tr if ied f en c e. C ome on, g u ys… I’ v e onl y b een throu g h here a mi l l i on ti mes. A s she appr oac hed the f in al c hec kpoin t, a stoc ky sen tr y with two attac k dogs an d a mac hin e gun gl an c ed down at her l ic en se pl ate an d wav ed her thr ough. She f ol l owed C an in e R oad f or an other 2 5 0 yar ds an d pul l ed in to Empl oyee L ot C . U nb el i ev ab l e, she thought. T wenty-si x thou sand empl oyees and a twel v e-b i l l i on-dol l ar b u dg et; you ’ d thi nk they c ou l d mak e i t throu g h the week end wi thou t me. Susan gun n ed the c ar in to her r eser v ed spot an d kil l ed the en gin e. A f ter c r ossin g the l an dsc aped ter r ac e an d en ter in g the main b uil din g, she c l ear ed two mor e in ter n al c hec kpoin ts an d f in al l y ar r iv ed at the win dowl ess tun n el that l ed to the n ew win g. A v oic e-sc an b ooth b l oc ked her en tr y. N A T I O N A L S EC U R I T Y A G EN C Y ( N S A ) C R Y P T O F A C IL IT Y A U T H O R I Z ED P ER S O N N EL O N L Y
The ar med guar d l ooked up. “A f ter n oon , M s. F l etc her .” Susan smil ed tir edl y. “Hi, John .” “D idn ’ t ex pec t you today.” “Y eah, me n either .” She l ean ed towar d the par ab ol ic mic r ophon e. “Susan F l etc her , ” she stated c l ear l y. The c omputer in stan tl y c on f ir med the f r eq uen c y c on c en tr ation s in her v oic e, an d the gate c l ic ked open . She stepped thr ough. *** The guar d admir ed Susan as she b egan her wal k down the c emen t c auseway. He n otic ed that her str on g haz el eyes seemed distan t today, b ut her c heeks had a f l ushed f r eshn ess, an d her shoul der -l en gth, aub ur n hair l ooked n ewl y b l own dr y. Tr ail in g her was the f ain t sc en t of John son ’ s B ab y P owder . His eyes f el l the l en gth of her sl en der tor so–to her white b l ouse with the b r a b ar el y v isib l e b en eath, to her kn ee-l en gth khaki skir t, an d f in al l y to her l egs… Susan F l etc her ’ s l egs. Har d to imagin e they suppor t a 1 7 0 I Q , he mused to himsel f . He star ed af ter her a l on g time. F in al l y he shook his head as she disappear ed in the distan c e. *** A s Susan r eac hed the en d of the tun n el , a c ir c ul ar , v aul tl ike door b l oc ked her way.
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The en or mous l etter s r ead: c r ypto. Sighin g, she pl ac ed her han d in side the r ec essed c ipher b ox an d en ter ed her f iv e-digit P I N . Sec on ds l ater the twel v e-ton sl ab of steel b egan to r ev ol v e. She tr ied to f oc us, b ut her thoughts r eel ed b ac k to him. D av id B ec ker . The on l y man she’ d ev er l ov ed. The youn gest f ul l pr of essor at G eor getown U n iv er sity an d a b r il l ian t f or eign -l an guage spec ial ist, he was pr ac tic al l y a c el eb r ity in the wor l d of ac ademia. B or n with an eidetic memor y an d a l ov e of l an guages, he’ d master ed six A sian dial ec ts as wel l as Span ish, F r en c h, an d I tal ian . His un iv er sity l ec tur es on etymol ogy an d l in guistic s wer e stan din g-r oom on l y, an d he in v ar iab l y stayed l ate to an swer a b ar r age of q uestion s. He spoke with author ity an d en thusiasm, appar en tl y ob l iv ious to the ador in g gaz es of his star -str uc k c oeds. B ec ker was dar k–a r ugged, youthf ul thir ty-f iv e with shar p gr een eyes an d a wit to matc h. His str on g j aw an d taut f eatur es r emin ded Susan of c ar v ed mar b l e. O v er six f eet tal l , B ec ker mov ed ac r oss a sq uash c our t f aster than an y of his c ol l eagues c oul d c ompr ehen d. A f ter soun dl y b eatin g his oppon en t, he woul d c ool of f b y dousin g his head in a dr in kin g f oun tain an d soakin g his tuf t of thic k, b l ac k hair . Then , stil l dr ippin g, he’ d tr eat his oppon en t to a f r uit shake an d a b agel . A s with al l youn g pr of essor s, D av id’ s un iv er sity sal ar y was modest. F r om time to time, when he n eeded to r en ew his sq uash c l ub memb er ship or r estr in g his ol d D un l op with gut, he ear n ed ex tr a mon ey b y doin g tr an sl atin g wor k f or gov er n men t agen c ies in an d ar oun d W ashin gton . I t was on on e of those j ob s that he’ d met Susan . I t was a c r isp mor n in g dur in g f al l b r eak when B ec ker r etur n ed f r om a mor n in g j og to his thr ee-r oom f ac ul ty apar tmen t to f in d his an swer in g mac hin e b l in kin g. He down ed a q uar t of or an ge j uic e as he l isten ed to the pl ayb ac k. The message was l ike man y he r ec eiv ed–a gov er n men t agen c y r eq uestin g his tr an sl atin g ser v ic es f or a f ew hour s l ater that mor n in g. The on l y str an ge thin g was that B ec ker had n ev er hear d of the or gan iz ation . “They’ r e c al l ed the N ation al Sec ur ity A gen c y, ” B ec ker said, c al l in g a f ew of his c ol l eagues f or b ac kgr oun d. The r epl y was al ways the same. “Y ou mean the N ation al Sec ur ity C ou nc i l ? ” B ec ker c hec ked the message. “N o. They said A g enc y. The N SA .” “N ev er hear d of ‘ em.” B ec ker c hec ked the G A O D ir ec tor y, an d it showed n o l istin g either . P uz z l ed, B ec ker c al l ed on e of his ol d sq uash b uddies, an ex -pol itic al an al yst tur n ed r esear c h c l er k at the L ib r ar y of C on gr ess. D av id was shoc ked b y his f r ien d’ s ex pl an ation . A ppar en tl y, n ot on l y did the N SA ex ist, b ut it was c on sider ed on e of the most in f l uen tial gov er n men t or gan iz ation s in the wor l d. I t had b een gather in g gl ob al el ec tr on ic in tel l igen c e data an d pr otec tin g U .S. c l assif ied in f or mation f or ov er hal f a c en tur y. O n l y 3 per c en t of A mer ic an s wer e ev en awar e it ex isted. “N SA , ” his b uddy j oked, “stan ds f or ‘ N o Suc h A gen c y.’ “ W ith a mix tur e of appr ehen sion an d c ur iosity, B ec ker ac c epted the myster ious agen c y’ s of f er . He dr ov e the thir ty-sev en mil es to their eighty-six -ac r e headq uar ter s hidden disc r eetl y in the wooded hil l s of F or t M eade, M ar yl an d. A f ter passin g thr ough en dl ess sec ur ity c hec ks an d b ein g issued a six -hour , hol ogr aphic guest pass, he was esc or ted to a pl ush r esear c h f ac il ity wher e he was tol d he woul d spen d the af ter n oon pr ov idin g “b l in d suppor t” to the C r yptogr aphy D iv ision –an el ite gr oup of mathematic al b r ain iac s kn own as the c ode-b r eaker s. F or the f ir st hour , the c r yptogr apher s seemed un awar e B ec ker was ev en ther e. They hov er ed ar oun d an en or mous tab l e an d spoke a l an guage B ec ker had n ev er hear d. They
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spoke of str eam c ipher s, sel f -dec imated gen er ator s, kn apsac k v ar ian ts, z er o kn owl edge pr otoc ol s, un ic ity poin ts. B ec ker ob ser v ed, l ost. They sc r awl ed symb ol s on gr aph paper , por ed ov er c omputer pr in touts, an d c on tin uousl y r ef er r ed to the j umb l e of tex t on the ov er head pr oj ec tor . JHdj a3 j K HD hmado/ er twtj l w+ j gj 3 2 8 5 j hal sf n HK hhhf af O hhdf gaf / f j 3 7 we ohi9 3 4 5 0 s9 dj f d2 h/ HHr tyF HL f 8 9 3 0 3 9 5 j spj f 2 j 0 8 9 0 I hj 9 8 yhf i0 8 0 ewr t0 3 j oj r 8 4 5 h0 r oq + j t0 eu4 tq ef q e/ / ouj w 0 8 U Y 0 I H0 9 3 4 j tpwf iaj er 0 9 q u4 j r 9 gu iv j P $ duw4 h9 5 pe8 r tugv j w3 p4 e/ ikkc mf f uer hf gv 0 q 3 9 4 ikj r mg+ un hv s9 oer ir k/ 0 9 5 6 y7 u0 poikI O j p9 f 8 7 6 0 q wer q i Ev en tual l y on e of them ex pl ain ed what B ec ker had al r eady sur mised. The sc r amb l ed tex t was a c ode–a “c ipher tex t”–gr oups of n umb er s an d l etter s r epr esen tin g en c r ypted wor ds. The c r yptogr apher s’ j ob was to study the c ode an d ex tr ac t f r om it the or igin al message, or “c l ear tex t.” The N SA had c al l ed B ec ker b ec ause they suspec ted the or igin al message was wr itten in M an dar in C hin ese; he was to tr an sl ate the symb ol s as the c r yptogr apher s dec r ypted them. F or two hour s, B ec ker in ter pr eted an en dl ess str eam of M an dar in symb ol s. B ut eac h time he gav e them a tr an sl ation , the c r yptogr apher s shook their heads in despair . A ppar en tl y the c ode was n ot makin g sen se. Eager to hel p, B ec ker poin ted out that al l the c har ac ter s they’ d shown him had a c ommon tr ait–they wer e al so par t of the K an j i l an guage. I n stan tl y the b ustl e in the r oom f el l sil en t. The man in c har ge, a l an ky c hain -smoker n amed M or an te, tur n ed to B ec ker in disb el ief . “Y ou mean these symb ol s hav e mul tipl e mean in gs? ” B ec ker n odded. He ex pl ain ed that K an j i was a Japan ese wr itin g system b ased on modif ied C hin ese c har ac ter s. He’ d b een giv in g M an dar in tr an sl ation s b ec ause that’ s what they’ d asked f or . “Jesus C hr ist.” M or an te c oughed. “L et’ s tr y the K an j i.” L ike magic , ev er ythin g f el l in to pl ac e. The c r yptogr apher s wer e dul y impr essed, b ut n on ethel ess, they stil l made B ec ker wor k on the c har ac ter s out of seq uen c e. “I t’ s f or your own saf ety, ” M or an te said. “This way, you won ’ t kn ow what you’ r e tr an sl atin g.” B ec ker l aughed. Then he n otic ed n ob ody el se was l aughin g. W hen the c ode f in al l y b r oke, B ec ker had n o idea what dar k sec r ets he’ d hel ped r ev eal , b ut on e thin g was f or c er tain –the N SA took c ode-b r eakin g ser iousl y; the c hec k in B ec ker ’ s poc ket was mor e than an en tir e mon th’ s un iv er sity sal ar y. O n his way b ac k out thr ough the ser ies of sec ur ity c hec k poin ts in the main c or r idor , B ec ker ’ s ex it was b l oc ked b y a guar d han gin g up a phon e. “M r . B ec ker , wait her e, pl ease.” “W hat’ s the pr ob l em? ” B ec ker had n ot ex pec ted the meetin g to take so l on g, an d he was r un n in g l ate f or his stan din g Satur day af ter n oon sq uash matc h. The guar d shr ugged. “Head of C r ypto wan ts a wor d. She’ s on her way out n ow.” “She? ” B ec ker l aughed. He had yet to see a f emal e in side the N SA . “I s that a pr ob l em f or you? ” a woman ’ s v oic e asked f r om b ehin d him. B ec ker tur n ed an d immediatel y f el t himsel f f l ush. He eyed the I D c ar d on the
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woman ’ s b l ouse. The head of the N SA ’ s C r yptogr aphy D iv ision was n ot on l y a woman , b ut an attr ac tiv e woman at that. “N o, ” B ec ker f umb l ed. “I j ust…” “Susan F l etc her .” The woman smil ed, hol din g out her sl en der han d. B ec ker took it. “D av id B ec ker .” “C on gr atul ation s, M r . B ec ker . I hear you did a f in e j ob today. M ight I c hat with you ab out it? ” B ec ker hesitated. “A c tual l y, I ’ m in a b it of a r ush at the momen t.” He hoped spur n in g the wor l d’ s most power f ul in tel l igen c e agen c y wasn ’ t a f ool ish ac t, b ut his sq uash matc h star ted in f or ty-f iv e min utes, an d he had a r eputation to uphol d: D av id B ec ker was n ev er l ate f or sq uash… c l ass mayb e, b ut nev er sq uash. “I ’ l l b e b r ief .” Susan F l etc her smil ed. “R ight this way, pl ease.” Ten min utes l ater , B ec ker was in the N SA ’ s c ommissar y en j oyin g a popov er an d c r an b er r y j uic e with the N SA ’ s l ov el y head c r yptogr apher , Susan F l etc her . I t q uic kl y b ec ame ev iden t to D av id that the thir ty-eight-year -ol d’ s high-r an kin g position at the N SA was n o f l uke–she was on e of the b r ightest women he had ev er met. A s they disc ussed c odes an d c ode-b r eakin g, B ec ker f oun d himsel f str uggl in g to keep up–a n ew an d ex c itin g ex per ien c e f or him. A n hour l ater , af ter B ec ker had ob v iousl y missed his sq uash matc h an d Susan had b l atan tl y ign or ed thr ee pages on the in ter c om, b oth of them had to l augh. Ther e they wer e, two highl y an al ytic al min ds, pr esumab l y immun e to ir r ation al in f atuation s–b ut somehow, whil e they sat ther e disc ussin g l in guistic mor phol ogy an d pseudo–r an dom n umb er gen er ator s, they f el t l ike a c oupl e of teen ager s–ev er ythin g was f ir ewor ks. Susan n ev er did get ar oun d to the r eal r eason she’ d wan ted to speak to D av id B ec ker –to of f er him a tr ial post in their A siatic C r yptogr aphy D iv ision . I t was c l ear f r om the passion with whic h the youn g pr of essor spoke ab out teac hin g that he woul d n ev er l eav e the un iv er sity. Susan dec ided n ot to r uin the mood b y tal kin g b usin ess. She f el t l ike a sc hool gir l al l ov er again ; n othin g was goin g to spoil it. A n d n othin g did. ***
Their c our tship was sl ow an d r oman tic –stol en esc apes when ev er their sc hedul es per mitted, l on g wal ks thr ough the G eor getown c ampus, l ate-n ight c appuc c in os at M er l utti’ s, oc c asion al l ec tur es an d c on c er ts. Susan f oun d her sel f l aughin g mor e than she’ d ev er thought possib l e. I t seemed ther e was n othin g D av id c oul dn ’ t twist in to a j oke. I t was a wel c ome r el ease f r om the in ten sity of her post at the N SA . O n e c r isp, autumn af ter n oon they sat in the b l eac her s watc hin g G eor getown soc c er get pummel ed b y R utger s. “W hat spor t did you say you pl ay? ” Susan teased. “Z uc c hin i? ” B ec ker gr oan ed. “I t’ s c al l ed sq u ash .” She gav e him a dumb l ook. “I t’ s l i k e z uc c hin i, ” he ex pl ain ed, “b ut the c our t’ s smal l er .” Susan pushed him. G eor getown ’ s l ef t win g sen t a c or n er -kic k sail in g out of b oun ds, an d a b oo wen t up f r om the c r owd. The def en semen hur r ied b ac k down f iel d. “How ab out you? ” B ec ker asked. “P l ay an y spor ts? ” “I ’ m a b l ac k b el t in Stair master .”
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B ec ker c r in ged. “I pr ef er spor ts you c an win .” Susan smil ed. “O v er ac hiev er , ar e we? ” G eor getown ’ s star def en seman b l oc ked a pass, an d ther e was a c ommun al c heer in the stan ds. Susan l ean ed ov er an d whisper ed in D av id’ s ear . “D oc tor .” He tur n ed an d eyed her , l ost. “D oc tor , ” she r epeated. “Say the f ir st thin g that c omes to min d.” B ec ker l ooked doub tf ul . “W or d assoc iation s? ” “Stan dar d N SA pr oc edur e. I n eed to kn ow who I ’ m with.” She eyed him ster n l y. “D oc tor .” B ec ker shr ugged. “Seuss.” Susan gav e him a f r own . “O kay, tr y this on e… ‘ kitc hen .’ “ He didn ’ t hesitate. “B edr oom.” Susan ar c hed her eyeb r ows c oyl y. “O kay, how ab out this… ‘ c at.’ “ “G ut, ” B ec ker f ir ed b ac k. “G ut? ” “Y eah. C atgut. Sq uash r ac q uet str in g of c hampion s.” “That’ s pl easan t.” She gr oan ed. “Y our diagn osis? ” B ec ker in q uir ed. Susan thought a min ute. “Y ou’ r e a c hil dish, sex ual l y f r ustr ated sq uash f ien d.” B ec ker shr ugged. “Soun ds ab out r ight.” ***
I t wen t on l ike that f or weeks. O v er desser t at al l -n ight din er s B ec ker woul d ask en dl ess q uestion s. W her e had she l ear n ed mathematic s? How did she en d up at the N SA ? How did she get so c aptiv atin g? Susan b l ushed an d admitted she’ d b een a l ate b l oomer . L an ky an d awkwar d with b r ac es thr ough her l ate teen s, Susan said her A un t C l ar a had on c e tol d her G od’ s apol ogy f or Susan ’ s pl ain n ess was to giv e her b r ain s. A pr ematur e apol ogy, B ec ker thought. Susan ex pl ain ed that her in ter est in c r yptogr aphy had star ted in j un ior high sc hool . The pr esiden t of the c omputer c l ub , a tower in g eighth gr ader n amed F r an k G utman n , typed her a l ov e poem an d en c r ypted it with a n umb er -sub stitution sc heme. Susan b egged to kn ow what it said. F r an k f l ir tatiousl y r ef used. Susan took the c ode home an d stayed up al l n ight with a f l ashl ight un der her c ov er s un til she f igur ed out the sec r et–ev er y n umb er r epr esen ted a l etter . She c ar ef ul l y dec ipher ed the c ode an d watc hed in won der as the seemin gl y r an dom digits tur n ed magic al l y in to b eautif ul poetr y. I n that in stan t, she kn ew she’ d f al l en in l ov e–c odes an d c r yptogr aphy woul d b ec ome her l if e. A l most twen ty year s l ater , af ter gettin g her master ’ s in mathematic s f r om John s Hopkin s an d studyin g n umb er theor y on a f ul l sc hol ar ship f r om M I T, she sub mitted her doc tor al thesis, C ryptog raphi c M ethods, Protoc ol s, and A l g ori thms f or M anu al A ppl i c ati ons. A ppar en tl y her pr of essor was n ot the on l y on e who r ead it; shor tl y af ter war d, Susan r ec eiv ed a phon e c al l an d a pl an e tic ket f r om the N SA . Ev er yon e in c r yptogr aphy kn ew ab out the N SA ; it was home to the b est c r yptogr aphic min ds on the pl an et. Eac h spr in g, as the pr iv ate-sec tor f ir ms desc en ded on the b r ightest n ew min ds in the wor kf or c e an d of f er ed ob sc en e sal ar ies an d stoc k option s,
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the N SA watc hed c ar ef ul l y, sel ec ted their tar gets, an d then simpl y stepped in an d doub l ed the b est stan din g of f er . W hat the N SA wan ted, the N SA b ought. Tr emb l in g with an tic ipation , Susan f l ew to W ashin gton ’ s D ul l es I n ter n ation al A ir por t wher e she was met b y an N SA dr iv er , who whisked her of f to F or t M eade. Ther e wer e f or ty-on e other s who had r ec eiv ed the same phon e c al l that year . A t twen ty-eight, Susan was the youn gest. She was al so the on l y f emal e. The v isit tur n ed out to b e mor e of a pub l ic r el ation s b on an z a an d a b ar r age of in tel l igen c e testin g than an in f or mation al session . I n the week that f ol l owed, Susan an d six other s wher e in v ited b ac k. A l though hesitan t, Susan r etur n ed. The gr oup was immediatel y separ ated. They un der wen t in div idual pol ygr aph tests, b ac kgr oun d sear c hes, han dwr itin g an al yses, an d en dl ess hour s of in ter v iews, in c l udin g taped in q uir ies in to their sex ual or ien tation s an d pr ac tic es. W hen the in ter v iewer asked Susan if she’ d ev er en gaged in sex with an imal s, she al most wal ked out, b ut somehow the myster y c ar r ied her thr ough–the pr ospec t of wor kin g on the c uttin g edge of c ode theor y, en ter in g “The P uz z l e P al ac e, ” an d b ec omin g a memb er of the most sec r etiv e c l ub in the wor l d–the N ation al Sec ur ity A gen c y. B ec ker sat r iv eted b y her stor ies. “They ac tual l y asked you if you’ d had sex with an imal s? ” Susan shr ugged. “P ar t of the r outin e b ac kgr oun d c hec k.” “W el l …” B ec ker f ought of f a gr in . “W hat did you say? ” She kic ked him un der the tab l e. “I tol d them n o! ” Then she added, “A n d un til l ast n ight, it was tr ue.” ***
I n Susan ’ s eyes, D av id was as c l ose to per f ec t as she c oul d imagin e. He on l y had on e un f or tun ate q ual ity; ev er y time they wen t out, he in sisted on pic kin g up the c hec k. Susan hated seein g him l ay down a f ul l day’ s sal ar y on din n er f or two, b ut B ec ker was immov ab l e. Susan l ear n ed n ot to pr otest, b ut it stil l b other ed her . I mak e more money than I k now what to do wi th, she thought. I shou l d b e payi ng . N on ethel ess, Susan dec ided that aside f r om D av id’ s outdated sen se of c hiv al r y, he was ideal . He was c ompassion ate, smar t, f un n y, an d b est of al l , he had a sin c er e in ter est in her wor k. W hether it was dur in g tr ips to the Smithson ian , b ike r ides, or b ur n in g spaghetti in Susan ’ s kitc hen , D av id was per petual l y c ur ious. Susan an swer ed what q uestion s she c oul d an d gav e D av id the gen er al , un c l assif ied ov er v iew of the N ation al Sec ur ity A gen c y. W hat D av id hear d en thr al l ed him. F oun ded b y P r esiden t Tr uman at 1 2 : 0 1 a.m. on N ov emb er 4 , 1 9 5 2 , the N SA had b een the most c l an destin e in tel l igen c e agen c y in the wor l d f or al most f if ty year s. The N SA ’ s sev en -page in c eption doc tr in e l aid out a v er y c on c ise agen da: to pr otec t U .S. gov er n men t c ommun ic ation s an d to in ter c ept the c ommun ic ation s of f or eign power s. The r oof of the N SA ’ s main oper ation s b uil din g was l itter ed with ov er f iv e hun dr ed an ten n as, in c l udin g two l ar ge r adomes that l ooked l ike en or mous gol f b al l s. The b uil din g itsel f was mammoth–ov er two mil l ion sq uar e f eet, twic e the siz e of C I A headq uar ter s. I n side wer e eight mil l ion f eet of tel ephon e wir e an d eighty thousan d sq uar e f eet of per man en tl y seal ed win dows. Susan tol d D av id ab out C O M I N T, the agen c y’ s gl ob al r ec on n aissan c e div ision –a min d-b oggl in g c ol l ec tion of l isten in g posts, satel l ites, spies, an d wir etaps ar oun d the gl ob e. Thousan ds of c ommun iq ué s an d c on v er sation s wer e in ter c epted ev er y day, an d
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they wer e al l sen t to the N SA ’ s an al ysts f or dec r yption . The F B I , C I A , an d U .S. f or eign pol ic y adv isor s al l depen ded on the N SA ’ s in tel l igen c e to make their dec ision s. B ec ker was mesmer iz ed. “A n d c ode-b r eakin g? W her e do you f it in ? ” Susan ex pl ain ed how the in ter c epted tr an smission s of ten or igin ated f r om dan ger ous gov er n men ts, hostil e f ac tion s, an d ter r or ist gr oups, man y of whom wer e in side U .S. b or der s. Their c ommun ic ation s wer e usual l y en c oded f or sec r ec y in c ase they en ded up in the wr on g han ds–whic h, than ks to C O M I N T, they usual l y did. Susan tol d D av id her j ob was to study the c odes, b r eak them b y han d, an d f ur n ish the N SA with the dec ipher ed messages. This was n ot en tir el y tr ue. Susan f el t a pan g of guil t ov er l yin g to her n ew l ov e, b ut she had n o c hoic e. A f ew year s ago it woul d hav e b een ac c ur ate, b ut thin gs had c han ged at the N SA . The whol e wor l d of c r yptogr aphy had c han ged. Susan ’ s n ew duties wer e c l assif ied, ev en to man y in the highest ec hel on s of power . “C odes, ” B ec ker said, f asc in ated. “How do you kn ow wher e to star t? I mean … how do you b r eak them? ” Susan smil ed. “Y ou of al l peopl e shoul d kn ow. I t’ s l ike studyin g a f or eign l an guage. A t f ir st the tex t l ooks l ike gib b er ish, b ut as you l ear n the r ul es def in in g its str uc tur e, you c an star t to ex tr ac t mean in g.” B ec ker n odded, impr essed. He wan ted to kn ow mor e. W ith M er l utti’ s n apkin s an d c on c er t pr ogr ams as her c hal kb oar d, Susan set out to giv e her c har min g n ew pedagogue a min i c our se in c r yptogr aphy. She b egan with Jul ius C aesar ’ s “per f ec t sq uar e” c ipher b ox . C aesar , she ex pl ain ed, was the f ir st c ode-wr iter in histor y. W hen his f oot-messen ger s star ted gettin g amb ushed an d his sec r et c ommun iq ué s stol en , he dev ised a r udimen tar y way to en c r ypt this dir ec tiv es. He r ear r an ged the tex t of his messages suc h that the c or r espon den c e l ooked sen sel ess. O f c our se, it was n ot. Eac h message al ways had a l etter -c oun t that was a per f ec t sq uar e–six teen , twen ty-f iv e, on e hun dr ed–depen din g on how muc h C aesar n eeded to say. He sec r etl y in f or med his of f ic er s that when a r an dom message ar r iv ed, they shoul d tr an sc r ib e the tex t in to a sq uar e gr id. I f they did, an d r ead top-to-b ottom, a sec r et message woul d magic al l y appear . O v er time C aesar ’ s c on c ept of r ear r an gin g tex t was adopted b y other s an d modif ied to b ec ome mor e dif f ic ul t to b r eak. The pin n ac l e of n on c omputer -b ased en c r yption c ame dur in g W or l d W ar I I . The N az is b uil t a b af f l in g en c r yption mac hin e n amed En igma. The dev ic e r esemb l ed an ol d-f ashion ed typewr iter with b r ass in ter l oc kin g r otor s that r ev ol v ed in in tr ic ate ways an d shuf f l ed c l ear tex t in to c on f oun din g ar r ays of seemin gl y sen sel ess c har ac ter gr oupin gs. O n l y b y hav in g an other En igma mac hin e, c al ib r ated the ex ac t same way, c oul d the r ec ipien t b r eak the c ode. B ec ker l isten ed, spel l b oun d. The teac her had b ec ome the studen t. O n e n ight, at a un iv er sity per f or man c e of T he N u tc rac k er, Susan gav e D av id his f ir st b asic c ode to b r eak. He sat thr ough the en tir e in ter mission , pen in han d, puz z l in g ov er the el ev en -l etter message: HL F K Z C V D
L D S
F in al l y, j ust as the l ights dimmed f or the sec on d hal f , he got it. To en c ode, Susan had simpl y r epl ac ed eac h l etter of her message with the l etter pr ec edin g it in the al phab et. To
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dec r ypt the c ode, al l B ec ker had to do was shif t eac h l etter on e spac e f or war d in the al phab et–”A ” b ec ame “B , ” “B ” b ec ame “C , ” an d so on . He q uic kl y shif ted the r emain in g l etter s. He n ev er imagin ed f our l ittl e syl l ab l es c oul d make him so happy: IM
G L A D
W
E M ET
He q uic kl y sc r awl ed his r espon se an d han ded it to her : L D
SN N
Susan r ead it an d b eamed. B ec ker had to l augh; he was thir ty-f iv e year s-ol d, an d his hear t was doin g b ac k f l ips. He’ d n ev er b een so attr ac ted to a woman in his l if e. Her del ic ate Eur opean f eatur es an d sof t b r own eyes r emin ded him of an ad f or Esté e L auder . I f Susan ’ s b ody had b een l an ky an d awkwar d as a teen ager , it sur e wasn ’ t n ow. Somewher e al on g the way, she had dev el oped a wil l owy gr ac e–sl en der an d tal l with f ul l , f ir m b r easts an d a per f ec tl y f l at ab domen . D av id of ten j oked that she was the f ir st swimsuit model he’ d ev er met with a doc tor ate in appl ied mathematic s an d n umb er theor y. A s the mon ths passed, they b oth star ted to suspec t they’ d f oun d somethin g that c oul d l ast a l if etime. They’ d b een together al most two year s when , out of the b l ue, D av id pr oposed to her . I t was on a weeken d tr ip to the Smoky M oun tain s. They wer e l yin g on a b ig c an opy b ed at Ston e M an or . He had n o r in g–he j ust b l ur ted it out. That’ s what she l ov ed ab out him–he was so spon tan eous. She kissed him l on g an d har d. He took her in his ar ms an d sl ipped of f her n ightgown . “I ’ l l take that as a yes, ” he said, an d they made l ov e al l n ight b y the war mth of the f ir e. That magic al ev en in g had b een six mon ths ago–b ef or e D av id’ s un ex pec ted pr omotion to c hair man of the M oder n L an guage D epar tmen t. Their r el ation ship had b een in a down hil l sl ide ev er sin c e.
C h ap t e r 4
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The c r ypto door b eeped on c e, wakin g Susan f r om her depr essin g r ev er ie. The door had r otated past its f ul l y open position an d woul d b e c l osed again in f iv e sec on ds, hav in g made a c ompl ete 3 6 0 -degr ee r otation . Susan gather ed her thoughts an d stepped thr ough the open in g. A c omputer made n ote of her en tr y. A l though she had pr ac tic al l y l iv ed in C r ypto sin c e its c ompl etion thr ee year s ago, the sight of it stil l amaz ed her . The main r oom was an en or mous c ir c ul ar c hamb er that r ose f iv e stor ies. I ts tr an spar en t, domed c eil in g tower ed 1 2 0 f eet at its c en tr al peak. The P l ex igl as c upol a was emb edded with a pol yc ar b on ate mesh–a pr otec tiv e web c apab l e of withstan din g a two-megaton b l ast. The sc r een f il ter ed the sun l ight in to del ic ate l ac ewor k ac r oss the wal l s. Tin y par tic l es of dust dr if ted upwar d in wide un suspec tin g spir al s– c aptiv es of the dome’ s power f ul deion iz in g system. The r oom’ s sl opin g sides ar c hed b r oadl y at the top an d then b ec ame al most v er tic al as they appr oac hed eye l ev el . Then they b ec ame sub tl y tr an sl uc en t an d gr aduated to an opaq ue b l ac k as they r eac hed the f l oor –a shimmer in g ex pan se of pol ished b l ac k til e that shon e with an eer ie l uster , giv in g on e the un settl in g sen sation that the f l oor was tr an spar en t. B l ac k ic e. P ushin g thr ough the c en ter of the f l oor l ike the tip of a c ol ossal tor pedo was the mac hin e f or whic h the dome had b een b uil t. I ts sl eek b l ac k c on tour ar c hed twen ty-thr ee f eet in the air b ef or e pl un gin g b ac k in to the f l oor b el ow. C ur v ed an d smooth, it was as if an en or mous kil l er whal e had b een f r oz en mid b r eac h in a f r igid sea. This was TR A N SL TR , the sin gl e most ex pen siv e piec e of c omputin g eq uipmen t in the wor l d–a mac hin e the N SA swor e did n ot ex ist. L ike an ic eb er g, the mac hin e hid 9 0 per c en t of its mass an d power deep b en eath the sur f ac e. I ts sec r et was l oc ked in a c er amic sil o that wen t six stor ies str aight down –a r oc ketl ike hul l sur r oun ded b y a win din g maz e of c atwal ks, c ab l es, an d hissin g ex haust f r om the f r eon c ool in g system. The power gen er ator s at the b ottom dr on ed in a per petual l ow-f r eq uen c y hum that gav e the ac oustic s in C r ypto a dead, ghostl ike q ual ity. ***
TR A N SL TR , l ike al l gr eat tec hn ol ogic al adv an c emen ts, had b een a c hil d of n ec essity. D ur in g the 1 9 8 0 s, the N SA witn essed a r ev ol ution in tel ec ommun ic ation s that woul d c han ge the wor l d of in tel l igen c e r ec on n aissan c e f or ev er –pub l ic ac c ess to the I n ter n et. M or e spec if ic al l y, the ar r iv al of E-mail . C r imin al s, ter r or ists, an d spies had gr own tir ed of hav in g their phon es tapped an d immediatel y emb r ac ed this n ew mean s of gl ob al c ommun ic ation . E-mail had the sec ur ity of c on v en tion al mail an d the speed of the tel ephon e. Sin c e the tr an sf er s tr av el ed thr ough un der gr oun d f ib er -optic l in es an d wer e n ev er tr an smitted in to the air wav es, they wer e en tir el y in ter c ept-pr oof –at l east that was the per c eption . I n r eal ity, in ter c eptin g E-mail as it z ipped ac r oss the I n ter n et was c hil d’ s pl ay f or the N SA ’ s tec hn o-gur us. The I n ter n et was n ot the n ew home c omputer r ev el ation that most b el iev ed. I t had b een c r eated b y the D epar tmen t of D ef en se thr ee dec ades ear l ier –an en or mous n etwor k of c omputer s design ed to pr ov ide sec ur e gov er n men t c ommun ic ation in the ev en t of n uc l ear war . The eyes an d ear s of the N SA wer e ol d I n ter n et pr os. P eopl e c on duc tin g il l egal b usin ess v ia E-mail q uic kl y l ear n ed their sec r ets wer e n ot as pr iv ate as
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they’ d thought. The F B I , D EA , I R S, an d other U .S. l aw en f or c emen t agen c ies–aided b y the N SA ’ s staf f of wil y hac ker s–en j oyed a tidal wav e of ar r ests an d c on v ic tion s. O f c our se, when the c omputer user s of the wor l d f oun d out the U .S. gov er n men t had open ac c ess to their E-mail c ommun ic ation s, a c r y of outr age wen t up. Ev en pen pal s, usin g E-mail f or n othin g mor e than r ec r eation al c or r espon den c e, f oun d the l ac k of pr iv ac y un settl in g. A c r oss the gl ob e, en tr epr en eur ial pr ogr ammer s b egan wor kin g on a way to keep E-mail mor e sec ur e. They q uic kl y f oun d on e an d pub l ic -key en c r yption was b or n . P ub l ic -key en c r yption was a c on c ept as simpl e as it was b r il l ian t. I t c on sisted of easy-to-use, home-c omputer sof twar e that sc r amb l ed per son al E-mail messages in suc h a way that they wer e total l y un r eadab l e. A user c oul d wr ite a l etter an d r un it thr ough the en c r yption sof twar e, an d the tex t woul d c ome out the other side l ookin g l ike r an dom n on sen se–total l y il l egib l e–a c ode. A n yon e in ter c eptin g the tr an smission f oun d on l y an un r eadab l e gar b l e on the sc r een . The on l y way to un sc r amb l e the message was to en ter the sen der ’ s “pass-key”–a sec r et ser ies of c har ac ter s that f un c tion ed muc h l ike a P I N n umb er at an automatic tel l er . The pass-keys wer e gen er al l y q uite l on g an d c ompl ex ; they c ar r ied al l the in f or mation n ec essar y to in str uc t the en c r yption al gor ithm ex ac tl y what mathematic al oper ation s to f ol l ow tor e-c r eate the or igin al message. A user c oul d n ow sen d E-mail in c on f iden c e. Ev en if the tr an smission was in ter c epted, on l y those who wer e giv en the key c oul d ev er dec ipher it. The N SA f el t the c r un c h immediatel y. The c odes they wer e f ac in g wer e n o l on ger simpl e sub stitution c ipher s c r ac kab l e with pen c il an d gr aph paper –they wer e c omputer -gen er ated hash f un c tion s that empl oyed c haos theor y an d mul tipl e symb ol ic al phab ets to sc r amb l e messages in to seemin gl y hopel ess r an domn ess. A t f ir st, the pass-keys b ein g used wer e shor t en ough f or the N SA ’ s c omputer s to “guess.” I f a desir ed pass-key had ten digits, a c omputer was pr ogr ammed to tr y ev er y possib il ity b etween 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 an d 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 . Soon er or l ater the c omputer hit the c or r ec t seq uen c e. This method of tr ial -an d-er r or guessin g was kn own as “b r ute f or c e attac k.” I t was time-c on sumin g b ut mathematic al l y guar an teed to wor k. A s the wor l d got wise to the power of b r ute-f or c e c ode-b r eakin g, the pass-keys star ted gettin g l on ger an d l on ger . The c omputer time n eeded to “guess” the c or r ec t key gr ew f r om weeks to mon ths an d f in al l y to year s. B y the 1 9 9 0 s, pass-keys wer e ov er f if ty c har ac ter s l on g an d empl oyed the f ul l 2 5 6 -c har ac ter A SC I I al phab et of l etter s, n umb er s, an d symb ol s. The n umb er of dif f er en t possib il ities was in the n eighb or hood of 1 0 1 2 0 –ten with 1 2 0 z er os af ter it. C or r ec tl y guessin g a pass-key was as mathematic al l y un l ikel y as c hoosin g the c or r ec t gr ain of san d f r om a thr ee-mil e b eac h. I t was estimated that a suc c essf ul b r ute-f or c e attac k on a stan dar d six ty-f our -b it key woul d take the N SA ’ s f astest c omputer –the top-sec r et C r ay/ Josephson I I –ov er n in eteen year s to b r eak. B y the time the c omputer guessed the key an d b r oke the c ode, the c on ten ts of the message woul d b e ir r el ev an t. C aught in a v ir tual in tel l igen c e b l ac kout, the N SA passed a top-sec r et dir ec tiv e that was en dor sed b y the P r esiden t of the U n ited States. B uoyed b y f eder al f un ds an d a c ar te b l an c he to do whatev er was n ec essar y to sol v e the pr ob l em, the N SA set out to b uil d the impossib l e: the wor l d’ s f ir st un iv er sal c ode-b r eakin g mac hin e. D espite the opin ion of man y en gin eer s that the n ewl y pr oposed c ode-b r eakin g c omputer was impossib l e to b uil d, the N SA l iv ed b y its motto: Ev er ythin g is possib l e. The impossib l e j ust takes l on ger . F iv e year s, hal f a mil l ion man -hour s, an d $ 1 .9 b il l ion l ater , the N SA pr ov ed it on c e
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again . The l ast of the thr ee mil l ion , stamp-siz e pr oc essor s was han d-sol der ed in pl ac e, the f in al in ter n al pr ogr ammin g was f in ished, an d the c er amic shel l was wel ded shut. TR A N SL TR had b een b or n . A l though the sec r et in ter n al wor kin gs of TR A N SL TR wer e the pr oduc t of man y min ds an d wer e n ot f ul l y un der stood b y an y on e in div idual , its b asic pr in c ipl e was simpl e: M an y han ds make l ight wor k. I ts thr ee mil l ion pr oc essor s woul d al l wor k in par al l el –c oun tin g upwar d at b l in din g speed, tr yin g ev er y n ew per mutation as they wen t. The hope was that ev en c odes with un thin kab l y c ol ossal pass-keys woul d n ot b e saf e f r om TR A N SL TR ’ s ten ac ity. This mul tib il l ion -dol l ar master piec e woul d use the power of par al l el pr oc essin g as wel l as some highl y c l assif ied adv an c es in c l ear tex t assessmen t to guess pass-keys an d b r eak c odes. I t woul d der iv e its power n ot on l y f r om its stagger in g n umb er of pr oc essor s b ut al so f r om n ew adv an c es in q uan tum c omputin g–an emer gin g tec hn ol ogy that al l owed in f or mation to b e stor ed as q uan tum-mec han ic al states r ather than sol el y as b in ar y data. The momen t of tr uth c ame on a b l uster y Thur sday mor n in g in O c tob er . The f ir st l iv e test. D espite un c er tain ty ab out how f ast the mac hin e woul d b e, ther e was on e thin g on whic h the en gin eer s agr eed–if the pr oc essor s al l f un c tion ed in par al l el , TR A N SL TR woul d b e power f ul . The q uestion was how power f ul . The an swer c ame twel v e min utes l ater . Ther e was a stun n ed sil en c e f r om the han df ul in atten dan c e when the pr in tout spr an g to l if e an d del iv er ed the c l ear tex t–the b r oken c ode. TR A N SL TR had j ust l oc ated a six ty-f our -c har ac ter key in a l ittl e ov er ten min utes, al most a mil l ion times f aster than the two dec ades it woul d hav e taken the N SA ’ s sec on d-f astest c omputer . L ed b y the deputy dir ec tor of oper ation s, C omman der Tr ev or J. Str athmor e, the N SA ’ s O f f ic e of P r oduc tion had tr iumphed. TR A N SL TR was a suc c ess. I n the in ter est of keepin g their suc c ess a sec r et, C omman der Str athmor e immediatel y l eaked in f or mation that the pr oj ec t had b een a c ompl ete f ail ur e. A l l the ac tiv ity in the C r ypto win g was supposedl y an attempt to sal v age their $ 2 b il l ion f iasc o. O n l y the N SA el ite kn ew the tr uth–TR A N SL TR was c r ac kin g hun dr eds of c odes ev er y day. W ith wor d on the str eet that c omputer -en c r ypted c odes wer e en tir el y un b r eakab l e– ev en b y the al l -power f ul N SA –the sec r ets pour ed in . D r ug l or ds, ter r or ists, an d emb ez z l er s al ike–wear y of hav in g their c el l ul ar phon e tr an smission s in ter c epted–wer e tur n in g to the ex c itin g n ew medium of en c r ypted E-mail f or in stan tan eous gl ob al c ommun ic ation s. N ev er again woul d they hav e to f ac e a gr an d j ur y an d hear their own v oic e r ol l in g of f tape, pr oof of some l on g-f or gotten c el l ul ar phon e c on v er sation pl uc ked f r om the air b y an N SA satel l ite. I n tel l igen c e gather in g had n ev er b een easier . C odes in ter c epted b y the N SA en ter ed TR A N SL TR as total l y il l egib l e c ipher s an d wer e spit out min utes l ater as per f ec tl y r eadab l e c l ear tex t. N o mor e sec r ets. To make their c har ade of in c ompeten c e c ompl ete, the N SA l ob b ied f ier c el y again st al l n ew c omputer en c r yption sof twar e, in sistin g it c r ippl ed them an d made it impossib l e f or l awmaker s to c atc h an d pr osec ute the c r imin al s. C iv il r ights gr oups r ej oic ed, in sistin g the N SA shoul dn ’ t b e r eadin g their mail an yway. En c r yption sof twar e kept r ol l in g of f the pr esses. The N SA had l ost the b attl e–ex ac tl y as it had pl an n ed. The en tir e el ec tr on ic gl ob al c ommun ity had b een f ool ed… or so it seemed.
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C h ap t e r 5
“W her e is ev er yon e? ” Susan won der ed as she c r ossed the deser ted C r ypto f l oor . Some emerg enc y. A l though most N SA depar tmen ts wer e f ul l y staf f ed sev en days a week, C r ypto was gen er al l y q uiet on Satur days. C r yptogr aphic mathematic ian s wer e b y n atur e high-str un g wor kahol ic s, an d ther e ex isted an un wr itten r ul e that they take Satur days of f ex c ept in emer gen c ies. C ode-b r eaker s wer e too v al uab l e a c ommodity at the N SA to r isk l osin g them to b ur n out. A s Susan tr av er sed the f l oor , TR A N SL TR l oomed to her r ight. The soun d of the gen er ator s eight stor ies b el ow soun ded oddl y omin ous today. Susan n ev er l iked b ein g in C r ypto dur in g of f hour s. I t was l ike b ein g tr apped al on e in a c age with some gr an d, f utur istic b east. She q uic kl y made her way towar d the c omman der ’ s of f ic e. Str athmor e’ s gl ass-wal l ed wor kstation , n ic kn amed “the f ishb owl ” f or its appear an c e when the dr apes wer e open , stood high atop a set of c atwal k stair s on the b ac k wal l of C r ypto. A s Susan c l imb ed the gr ated steps, she gaz ed upwar d at Str athmor e’ s thic k, oak door . I t b or e the N SA seal –a b al d eagl e f ier c el y c l utc hin g an an c ien t skel eton key. B ehin d that door sat on e of the gr eatest men she’ d ev er met. C omman der Str athmor e, the f if ty-six -year -ol d deputy dir ec tor of oper ation s, was l ike a f ather to Susan . He was the on e who’ d hir ed her , an d he was the on e who’ d made the N SA her home. W hen Susan j oin ed the N SA ov er a dec ade ago, Str athmor e was headin g the C r ypto D ev el opmen t D iv ision –a tr ain in g gr oun d f or n ew c r yptogr apher s–n ew mal e c r yptogr apher s. A l though Str athmor e n ev er tol er ated the haz in g of an yon e, he was espec ial l y pr otec tiv e of his sol e f emal e staf f memb er . W hen ac c used of f av or itism, he simpl y r epl ied with the tr uth: Susan F l etc her was on e of the b r ightest youn g r ec r uits he’ d ev er seen , an d he had n o in ten tion of l osin g her to sex ual har assmen t. O n e of the c r yptogr apher s f ool ishl y dec ided to test Str athmor e’ s r esol v e. O n e mor n in g dur in g her f ir st year , Susan dr opped b y the n ew c r yptogr apher s’ l oun ge to get some paper wor k. A s she l ef t, she n otic ed a pic tur e of her sel f on the b ul l etin b oar d. She al most f ain ted in emb ar r assmen t. Ther e she was, r ec l in in g on a b ed an d wear in g on l y pan ties. A s it tur n ed out, on e of the c r yptogr apher s had digital l y sc an n ed a photo f r om a por n ogr aphic magaz in e an d edited Susan ’ s head on to someon e el se’ s b ody. The ef f ec t had b een q uite c on v in c in g. U n f or tun atel y f or the c r yptogr apher r espon sib l e, C omman der Str athmor e did n ot f in d the stun t ev en r emotel y amusin g. Two hour s l ater , a l an dmar k memo wen t out: EM P L O Y EE C A R L A U STI N C O N D U C T.
TER M I N A TED
F O R I N A P P R O P R I A TE
F r om that day on , n ob ody messed with her ; Susan F l etc her was C omman der Str athmor e’ s gol den gir l . B ut Str athmor e’ s youn g c r yptogr apher s wer e n ot the on l y on es who l ear n ed to r espec t him; ear l y in his c ar eer Str athmor e made his pr esen c e kn own to his super ior s b y pr oposin g a n umb er of un or thodox an d highl y suc c essf ul in tel l igen c e oper ation s. A s he mov ed up the r an ks, Tr ev or Str athmor e b ec ame kn own f or his c ogen t, r educ tiv e an al yses
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of highl y c ompl ex situation s. He seemed to hav e an un c an n y ab il ity to see past the mor al per pl ex ities sur r oun din g the N SA ’ s dif f ic ul t dec ision s an d to ac t without r emor se in the in ter est of the c ommon good. Ther e was n o doub t in an yon e’ s min d that Str athmor e l ov ed his c oun tr y. He was kn own to his c ol l eagues as a patr iot an d a v ision ar y… a dec en t man in a wor l d of l ies. I n the year s sin c e Susan ’ s ar r iv al at the N SA , Str athmor e had skyr oc keted f r om head of C r ypto D ev el opmen t to sec on d-in -c omman d of the en tir e N SA . N ow on l y on e man outr an ked C omman der Str athmor e ther e–D ir ec tor L el an d F on tain e, the mythic al ov er l or d of the P uz z l e P al ac e–n ev er seen , oc c asion al l y hear d, an d eter n al l y f ear ed. He an d Str athmor e sel dom saw eye to eye, an d when they met, it was l ike the c l ash of the titan s. F on tain e was a gian t amon g gian ts, b ut Str athmor e didn ’ t seem to c ar e. He ar gued his ideas to the dir ec tor with al l the r estr ain t of an impassion ed b ox er . N ot ev en the P r esiden t of the U n ited States dar ed c hal l en ge F on tain e the way Str athmor e did. O n e n eeded pol itic al immun ity to do that–or , in Str athmor e’ s c ase, pol itic al in dif f er en c e. *** Susan ar r iv ed at the top of the stair s. B ef or e she c oul d kn oc k, Str athmor e’ s el ec tr on ic door l oc k b uz z ed. The door swun g open , an d the c omman der wav ed her in . “Than ks f or c omin g, Susan . I owe you on e.” “N ot at al l .” She smil ed as she sat opposite his desk. Str athmor e was a r an gy, thic k-f l eshed man whose muted f eatur es somehow disguised his har d-n osed ef f ic ien c y an d deman d f or per f ec tion . His gr ay eyes usual l y suggested a c on f iden c e an d disc r etion b or n f r om ex per ien c e, b ut today they l ooked wil d an d un settl ed. “Y ou l ook b eat, ” Susan said. “I ’ v e b een b etter .” Str athmor e sighed. I’ l l say, she thought. Str athmor e l ooked as b ad as Susan had ev er seen him. His thin n in g gr ay hair was dishev el ed, an d ev en in the r oom’ s c r isp air -c on dition in g, his f or ehead was b eaded with sweat. He l ooked l ike he’ d sl ept in his suit. He was sittin g b ehin d a moder n desk with two r ec essed keypads an d a c omputer mon itor at on e en d. I t was str ewn with c omputer pr in touts an d l ooked l ike some sor t of al ien c oc kpit pr opped ther e in the c en ter of his c ur tain ed c hamb er . “Tough week? ” she in q uir ed. Str athmor e shr ugged. “The usual . The EF F ’ s al l ov er me ab out c iv il ian pr iv ac y r ights again .” Susan c huc kl ed. The EF F , or El ec tr on ic s F r on tier F oun dation , was a wor l dwide c oal ition of c omputer user s who had f oun ded a power f ul c iv il l ib er ties c oal ition aimed at suppor tin g f r ee speec h on -l in e an d educ atin g other s to the r eal ities an d dan ger s of l iv in g in an el ec tr on ic wor l d. They wer e c on stan tl y l ob b yin g again st what they c al l ed “the O r wel l ian eav esdr oppin g c apab il ities of gov er n men t agen c ies”–par tic ul ar l y the N SA . The EF F was a per petual thor n in Str athmor e’ s side. “Soun ds l ike b usin ess as usual , ” she said. “So what’ s this b ig emer gen c y you got me out of the tub f or ? ” Str athmor e sat a momen t, ab sen tl y f in ger in g the c omputer tr ac kb al l emb edded in his desktop. A f ter a l on g sil en c e, he c aught Susan ’ s gaz e an d hel d it. “W hat’ s the l on gest
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you’ v e ev er seen TR A N SL TR take to b r eak a c ode? ” The q uestion c aught Susan en tir el y of f guar d. I t seemed mean in gl ess. T hi s i s what he c al l ed me i n f or? “W el l …” She hesitated. “W e hit a C O M I N T in ter c ept a f ew mon ths ago that took ab out an hour , b ut it had a r idic ul ousl y l on g key–ten thousan d b its or somethin g l ike that.” Str athmor e gr un ted. “A n hour , huh? W hat ab out some of the b oun dar y pr ob es we’ v e r un ? ” Susan shr ugged. “W el l , if you in c l ude diagn ostic s, it’ s ob v iousl y l on ger .” “How mu c h l on ger ? ” Susan c oul dn ’ t imagin e what Str athmor e was gettin g at. “W el l , sir , I tr ied an al gor ithm l ast M ar c h with a segmen ted mil l ion -b it key. I l l egal l oopin g f un c tion s, c el l ul ar automata, the wor ks. TR A N SL TR stil l b r oke it.” “How l on g? ” “Thr ee hour s.” Str athmor e ar c hed his eyeb r ows. “Thr ee hour s? That l on g? ” Susan f r own ed, mil dl y of f en ded. Her j ob f or the l ast thr ee year s had b een to f in e-tun e the most sec r et c omputer in the wor l d; most of the pr ogr ammin g that made TR A N SL TR so f ast was her s. A mil l ion -b it key was har dl y a r eal istic sc en ar io. “O kay, ” Str athmor e said. “So ev en in ex tr eme c on dition s, the l on gest a c ode has ev er sur v iv ed in side TR A N SL TR is ab out thr ee hour s? ” Susan n odded. “Y eah. M or e or l ess.” Str athmor e paused as if af r aid to say somethin g he might r egr et. F in al l y he l ooked up. “TR A N SL TR ’ s hit somethin g…” He stopped. Susan waited. “M or e than thr ee hour s? ” Str athmor e n odded. She l ooked un c on c er n ed. “A n ew diagn ostic ? Somethin g f r om the Sys-Sec D epar tmen t? ” Str athmor e shook his head. “I t’ s an outside f il e.” Susan waited f or the pun c h l in e, b ut it n ev er c ame. “A n outside f il e? Y ou’ r e j okin g, r ight? ” “I wish. I q ueued it l ast n ight ar oun d el ev en thir ty. I t hasn ’ t b r oken yet.” Susan ’ s j aw dr opped. She l ooked at her watc h an d then b ac k at Str athmor e. “I t’ s sti l l goin g? O v er f if teen hour s? ” Str athmor e l ean ed f or war d an d r otated his mon itor towar d Susan . The sc r een was b l ac k ex c ept f or a smal l , yel l ow tex t b ox b l in kin g in the middl e. TI M E EL A P SED : 1 5 : 0 9 : 3 3 A W
A I TI N G
K EY : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Susan star ed in amaz emen t. I t appear ed TR A N SL TR had b een wor kin g on on e c ode f or ov er f if teen hour s. She kn ew the c omputer ’ s pr oc essor s audition ed thir ty mil l ion keys per sec on d–on e hun dr ed b il l ion per hour . I f TR A N SL TR was stil l c oun tin g, that mean t the key had to b e en or mous–ov er ten b il l ion digits l on g. I t was ab sol ute in san ity.
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“I t’ s impossib l e! ” she dec l ar ed. “Hav e you c hec ked f or er r or f l ags? M ayb e TR A N SL TR hit a gl itc h an d–” “The r un ’ s c l ean .” “B ut the pass-key must b e huge! ” Str athmor e shook his head. “Stan dar d c ommer c ial al gor ithm. I ’ m guessin g a six ty-f our -b it key.” M ystif ied, Susan l ooked out the win dow at TR A N SL TR b el ow. She kn ew f r om ex per ien c e that it c oul d l oc ate a six ty-f our -b it key in un der ten min utes. “Ther e’ s got to b e some ex pl an ation .” Str athmor e n odded. “Ther e is. Y ou’ r e n ot goin g to l ike it.” Susan l ooked un easy. “I s TR A N SL TR mal f un c tion in g? ” “TR A N SL TR ’ s f in e.” “Hav e we got a v ir us? ” Str athmor e shook his head. “N o v ir us. Just hear me out.” Susan was f l ab b er gasted. TR A N SL TR had n ev er hit a c ode it c oul dn ’ t b r eak in un der an hour . U sual l y the c l ear tex t was del iv er ed to Str athmor e’ s pr in tout modul e within min utes. She gl an c ed at the high-speed pr in ter b ehin d his desk. I t was empty. “Susan , ” Str athmor e said q uietl y. “This is goin g to b e har d to ac c ept at f ir st, b ut j ust l isten a min ute.” He c hewed his l ip. “This c ode that TR A N SL TR ’ s wor kin g on –it’ s un iq ue. I t’ s l ike n othin g we’ v e ev er seen b ef or e.” Str athmor e paused, as if the wor ds wer e har d f or him to say. “This c ode is un b r eakab l e.” Susan star ed at him an d al most l aughed. U nb reak ab l e? W hat was T H A T su pposed to mean? Ther e was n o suc h thin g as an un b r eakab l e c ode–some took l on ger than other s, b ut ev er y c ode was b r eakab l e. I t was mathematic al l y guar an teed that soon er or l ater TR A N SL TR woul d guess the r ight key. “I b eg your par don ? ” “The c ode’ s un b r eakab l e, ” he r epeated f l atl y. U nb reak ab l e? Susan c oul dn ’ t b el iev e the wor d had b een utter ed b y a man with twen ty-sev en year s of c ode an al ysis ex per ien c e. “U n b r eakab l e, sir ? ” she said un easil y. “W hat ab out the B er gof sky P r in c ipl e? ” Susan had l ear n ed ab out the B er gof sky P r in c ipl e ear l y in her c ar eer . I t was a c or n er ston e of b r ute-f or c e tec hn ol ogy. I t was al so Str athmor e’ s in spir ation f or b uil din g TR A N SL TR . The pr in c ipl e c l ear l y stated that if a c omputer tr ied en ough keys, it was mathematic al l y guar an teed to f in d the r ight on e. A c ode’ s sec ur ity was n ot that its pass-key was un f in dab l e b ut r ather that most peopl e didn ’ t hav e the time or eq uipmen t to tr y. Str athmor e shook his head. “This c ode’ s dif f er en t.” “D if f er en t? ” Susan eyed him askan c e. A n un b r eakab l e c ode is a mathematic al impossib il ity! He kn ows that! Str athmor e r an a han d ac r oss his sweaty sc al p. “This c ode is the pr oduc t of a b r an d-n ew en c r yption al gor ithm–on e we’ v e n ev er seen b ef or e.” N ow Susan was ev en mor e doub tf ul . En c r yption al gor ithms wer e j ust mathematic al f or mul as, r ec ipes f or sc r amb l in g tex t in to c ode. M athematic ian s an d pr ogr ammer s c r eated n ew al gor ithms ev er y day. Ther e wer e hun dr eds of them on the mar ket–P G P , D if f ie-Hel l man , Z I P , I D EA , El G amal . TR A N SL TR b r oke al l of their c odes ev er y day, n o pr ob l em. To TR A N SL TR al l c odes l ooked iden tic al , r egar dl ess of whic h al gor ithm wr ote them. “I don ’ t un der stan d, ” she ar gued. “W e’ r e n ot tal kin g ab out r ev er se-en gin eer in g some c ompl ex f un c tion , we’ r e tal kin g b r ute f or c e. P G P , L uc if er , D SA –it doesn ’ t matter . The
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al gor ithm gen er ates a key it thin ks is sec ur e, an d TR A N SL TR keeps guessin g un til it f in ds it.” Str athmor e’ s r epl y had the c on tr ol l ed patien c e of a good teac her . “Y es, Susan , TR A N SL TR wil l al ways f in d the key–ev en if it’ s huge.” He paused a l on g momen t. “U n l ess…” Susan wan ted to speak, b ut it was c l ear Str athmor e was ab out to dr op his b omb . U nl ess what? “U n l ess the c omputer doesn ’ t kn ow when it’ s b r oken the c ode.” Susan al most f el l out of her c hair . “W hat! ” “U n l ess the c omputer guesses the c or r ec t key b ut j ust keeps guessin g b ec ause it doesn ’ t r eal iz e it f oun d the r ight key.” Str athmor e l ooked b l eak. “I thin k this al gor ithm has got a r otatin g c l ear tex t.” Susan gaped. The n otion of a r otatin g c l ear tex t f un c tion was f ir st put f or th in an ob sc ur e, 1 9 8 7 paper b y a Hun gar ian mathematic ian , Josef Har n e. B ec ause b r ute-f or c e c omputer s b r oke c odes b y ex amin in g c l ear tex t f or iden tif iab l e wor d patter n s, Har n e pr oposed an en c r yption al gor ithm that, in addition to en c r yptin g, shif ted dec r ypted c l ear tex t ov er a time v ar ian t. I n theor y, the per petual mutation woul d en sur e that the attac kin g c omputer woul d n ev er l oc ate r ec ogn iz ab l e wor d patter n s an d thus n ev er kn ow when it had f oun d the pr oper key. The c on c ept was somewhat l ike the idea of c ol on iz in g M ar s–f athomab l e on an in tel l ec tual l ev el , b ut, at pr esen t, wel l b eyon d human ab il ity. “W her e did you get this thin g? ” she deman ded. The c omman der ’ s r espon se was sl ow. “A pub l ic sec tor pr ogr ammer wr ote it.” “W hat? ” Susan c ol l apsed b ac k in her c hair . “W e’ v e got the b est pr ogr ammer s in the wor l d down stair s! A l l of us wor kin g together hav e n ev er ev en c ome c l ose to wr itin g a r otatin g c l ear tex t f un c tion . A r e you tr yin g to tel l me some pun k with a P C f igur ed out how to do it? ” Str athmor e l ower ed his v oic e in an appar en t ef f or t to c al m her . “I woul dn ’ t c al l this guy a pun k.” Susan wasn ’ t l isten in g. She was c on v in c ed ther e had to b e some other ex pl an ation : A gl itc h. A v ir us. A n ythin g was mor e l ikel y than an un b r eakab l e c ode. Str athmor e eyed her ster n l y. “O n e of the most b r il l ian t c r yptogr aphic min ds of al l time wr ote this al gor ithm.” Susan was mor e doub tf ul than ev er ; the most b r il l ian t c r yptogr aphic min ds of al l time wer e in her depar tmen t, an d she c er tain l y woul d hav e hear d ab out an al gor ithm l ike this. “W ho? ” she deman ded. “I ’ m sur e you c an guess.” Str athmor e said. “He’ s n ot too f on d of the N SA .” “W el l , that n ar r ows it down ! ” she sn apped sar c astic al l y. “He wor ked on the TR A N SL TR pr oj ec t. He b r oke the r ul es. A l most c aused an in tel l igen c e n ightmar e. I depor ted him.” Susan ’ s f ac e was b l an k on l y an in stan t b ef or e goin g white. “O h my G od…” Str athmor e n odded. “He’ s b een b r aggin g al l year ab out his wor k on a b r ute-f or c e– r esistan t al gor ithm.” “B -b ut…” Susan stammer ed. “I thought he was b l uf f in g. He ac tual l y di d it? ” “He did. The ul timate un b r eakab l e c ode-wr iter .” Susan was sil en t a l on g momen t. “B ut… that mean s…” Str athmor e l ooked her dead in the eye. “Y es. En sei Tan kado j ust made TR A N SL TR
ob sol ete.”
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C h ap t e r 6
23
A l though En sei Tan kado was n ot al iv e dur in g the Sec on d W or l d W ar , he c ar ef ul l y studied ev er ythin g ab out it–par tic ul ar l y ab out its c ul min atin g ev en t, the b l ast in whic h 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 of his c oun tr ymen wher e in c in er ated b y an atomic b omb . Hir oshima, 8 : 1 5 a.m. A ugust 6 , 1 9 4 5 –a v il e ac t of destr uc tion . A sen sel ess displ ay of power b y a c oun tr y that had al r eady won the war . Tan kado had ac c epted al l that. B ut what he c oul d n ev er ac c ept was that the b omb had r ob b ed him of ev er kn owin g his mother . She had died giv in g b ir th to him–c ompl ic ation s b r ought on b y the r adiation poison in g she’ d suf f er ed so man y year s ear l ier . I n 1 9 4 5 , b ef or e En sei was b or n , his mother , l ike man y of her f r ien ds, tr av el ed to Hir oshima to v ol un teer in the b ur n c en ter s. I t was ther e that she b ec ame on e of the hib akusha–the r adiated peopl e. N in eteen year s l ater , at the age of thir ty-six , as she l ay in the del iv er y r oom b l eedin g in ter n al l y, she kn ew she was f in al l y goin g to die. W hat she did n ot kn ow was that death woul d spar e her the f in al hor r or –her on l y c hil d was to b e b or n def or med. En sei’ s f ather n ev er ev en saw his son . B ewil der ed b y the l oss of his wif e an d shamed b y the ar r iv al of what the n ur ses tol d him was an imper f ec t c hil d who pr ob ab l y woul d n ot sur v iv e the n ight, he disappear ed f r om the hospital an d n ev er c ame b ac k. En sei Tan kado was pl ac ed in a f oster home. Ev er y n ight the youn g Tan kado star ed down at the twisted f in ger s hol din g his dar uma wish-dol l an d swor e he’ d hav e r ev en ge–r ev en ge again st the c oun tr y that had stol en his mother an d shamed his f ather in to ab an don in g him. W hat he didn ’ t kn ow was that destin y was ab out to in ter v en e. I n F eb r uar y of En sei’ s twel f th year , a c omputer man uf ac tur er in Tokyo c al l ed his f oster f amil y an d asked if their c r ippl ed c hil d might take par t in a test gr oup f or a n ew keyb oar d they’ d dev el oped f or han dic apped c hil dr en . His f amil y agr eed. A l though En sei Tan kado had n ev er seen a c omputer , it seemed he in stin c tiv el y kn ew how to use it. The c omputer open ed wor l ds he had n ev er imagin ed possib l e. B ef or e l on g it b ec ame his en tir e l if e. A s he got ol der , he gav e c l asses, ear n ed mon ey, an d ev en tual l y ear n ed a sc hol ar ship to D oshisha U n iv er sity. Soon En sei Tan kado was kn own ac r oss Tokyo as f u g u sha k i sai –the c r ippl ed gen ius. Tan kado ev en tual l y r ead ab out P ear l Har b or an d Japan ese war c r imes. His hatr ed of A mer ic a sl owl y f aded. He b ec ame a dev out B uddhist. He f or got his c hil dhood v ow of r ev en ge; f or giv en ess was the on l y path to en l ighten men t. B y the time he was twen ty, En sei Tan kado was somewhat of an un der gr oun d c ul t f igur e amon g pr ogr ammer s. I B M of f er ed him a wor k v isa an d a post in Tex as. Tan kado j umped at the c han c e. Thr ee year s l ater he had l ef t I B M , was l iv in g in N ew Y or k, an d was wr itin g sof twar e on his own . He r ode the n ew wav e of pub l ic -key en c r yption . He wr ote al gor ithms an d made a f or tun e. L ike man y of the top author s of en c r yption al gor ithms, Tan kado was c our ted b y the N SA . The ir on y was n ot l ost on him–the oppor tun ity to wor k in the hear t of the gov er n men t in a c oun tr y he had on c e v owed to hate. He dec ided to go on the in ter v iew. W hatev er doub ts he had disappear ed when he met C omman der Str athmor e. They tal ked f r an kl y ab out Tan kado’ s b ac kgr oun d, the poten tial hostil ity he might f eel towar d the U .S., his pl an s f or the f utur e. Tan kado took a pol ygr aph test an d un der wen t f iv e weeks of r igor ous psyc hol ogic al pr of il es. He passed them al l . His hatr ed had b een r epl ac ed b y his dev otion to B uddha. F our mon ths l ater En sei Tan kado wen t to wor k in the C r yptogr aphy
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D epar tmen t of the N ation al Sec ur ity A gen c y. D espite his l ar ge sal ar y, Tan kado wen t to wor k on an ol d M oped an d ate a b ag l un c h al on e at his desk in stead of j oin in g the r est of the depar tmen t f or pr ime r ib an d v ic hyssoise in the c ommissar y. The other c r yptogr apher s r ev er ed him. He was b r il l ian t–as c r eativ e a pr ogr ammer as an y of them had ev er seen . He was kin d an d hon est, q uiet, an d of impec c ab l e ethic s. M or al in tegr ity was of par amoun t impor tan c e to him. I t was f or this r eason that his dismissal f r om the N SA an d sub seq uen t depor tation had b een suc h a shoc k. ***
Tan kado, l ike the r est of the C r ypto staf f , had b een wor kin g on the TR A N SL TR pr oj ec t with the un der stan din g that if suc c essf ul , it woul d b e used to dec ipher E-mail on l y in c ases pr e-appr ov ed b y the Justic e D epar tmen t. The N SA ’ s use of TR A N SL TR was to b e r egul ated in muc h the same way the F B I n eeded a f eder al c our t or der to in stal l a wir etap. TR A N SL TR was to in c l ude pr ogr ammin g that c al l ed f or passwor ds hel d in esc r ow b y the F eder al R eser v e an d the Justic e D epar tmen t in or der to dec ipher a f il e. This woul d pr ev en t the N SA f r om l isten in g in disc r imin atel y to the per son al c ommun ic ation s of l aw-ab idin g c itiz en s ar oun d the gl ob e. Howev er , when the time c ame to en ter that pr ogr ammin g, the TR A N SL TR staf f was tol d ther e had b een a c han ge of pl an s. B ec ause of the time pr essur es of ten assoc iated with the N SA ’ s an ti-ter r or ist wor k, TR A N SL TR was to b e a f r ee-stan din g dec r yption dev ic e whose day-to-day oper ation woul d b e r egul ated sol el y b y the N SA . En sei Tan kado was outr aged. This mean t the N SA woul d, in ef f ec t, b e ab l e to open ev er yon e’ s mail an d r eseal it without their kn owin g. I t was l ike hav in g a b ug in ev er y phon e in the wor l d. Str athmor e attempted to make Tan kado see TR A N SL TR as a l aw-en f or c emen t dev ic e, b ut it was n o use; Tan kado was adaman t that it c on stituted a gr oss v iol ation of human r ights. He q uit on the spot an d within hour s v iol ated the N SA ’ s c ode of sec r ec y b y tr yin g to c on tac t the El ec tr on ic F r on tier F oun dation . Tan kado stood poised to shoc k the wor l d with his stor y of a sec r et mac hin e c apab l e of ex posin g c omputer user s ar oun d the wor l d to un thin kab l e gov er n men t tr eac her y. The N SA had had n o c hoic e b ut to stop him. Tan kado’ s c aptur e an d depor tation , widel y pub l ic iz ed amon g on -l in e n ewsgr oups, had b een an un f or tun ate pub l ic shamin g. A gain st Str athmor e’ s wishes, the N SA damage-c on tr ol spec ial ists–n er v ous that Tan kado woul d tr y to c on v in c e peopl e of TR A N SL TR ’ s ex isten c e–gen er ated r umor s that destr oyed his c r edib il ity. En sei Tan kado was shun n ed b y the gl ob al c omputer c ommun ity–n ob ody tr usted a c r ippl e ac c used of spyin g, par tic ul ar l y when he was tr yin g to b uy his f r eedom with ab sur d al l egation s ab out a U .S. c ode-b r eakin g mac hin e. The oddest thin g of al l was that Tan kado seemed to un der stan d; it was al l par t of the in tel l igen c e game. He appear ed to har b or n o an ger , on l y r esol v e. A s sec ur ity esc or ted him away, Tan kado spoke his f in al wor ds to Str athmor e with a c hil l in g c al m. “W e al l hav e a r ight to keep sec r ets, ” he’ d said. “Someday I ’ l l see to it we c an .”
C h ap t e r 7
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Susan ’ s min d was r ac in g–E nsei T ank ado wrote a prog ram that c reates u nb reak ab l e c odes! She c oul d b ar el y gr asp the thought. “D igital F or tr ess, ” Str athmor e said. “That’ s what he’ s c al l in g it. I t’ s the ul timate c oun ter in tel l igen c e weapon . I f this pr ogr am hits the mar ket, ev er y thir d gr ader with a modem wil l b e ab l e to sen d c odes the N SA c an ’ t b r eak. O ur in tel l igen c e wil l b e shot.” B ut Susan ’ s thoughts wer e f ar r emov ed f r om the pol itic al impl ic ation s of D igital F or tr ess. She was stil l str uggl in g to c ompr ehen d its ex isten c e. She’ d spen t her l if e b r eakin g c odes, f ir ml y den yin g the ex isten c e of the ul timate c ode. E v ery c ode i s b reak ab l e–the B erg of sk y Pri nc i pl e! She f el t l ike an atheist c omin g f ac e to f ac e with G od. “I f this c ode gets out, ” she whisper ed, “c r yptogr aphy wil l b ec ome a dead sc ien c e.” Str athmor e n odded. “That’ s the l east of our pr ob l ems.” “C an we pay Tan kado of f ? I kn ow he hates us, b ut c an ’ t we of f er him a f ew mil l ion dol l ar s? C on v in c e him n ot to distr ib ute? ” Str athmor e l aughed. “A f ew mil l ion ? D o you kn ow what this thin g is wor th? Ev er y gov er n men t in the wor l d wil l b id top dol l ar . C an you imagin e tel l in g the P r esiden t that we’ r e stil l c ab l e-sn oopin g the I r aq is b ut we c an ’ t r ead the in ter c epts an ymor e? This isn ’ t j ust ab out the N SA , it’ s ab out the en tir e in tel l igen c e c ommun ity. This f ac il ity pr ov ides suppor t f or ev er yon e–the F B I , C I A , D EA ; they’ d al l b e f l yin g b l in d. The dr ug c ar tel s’ shipmen ts woul d b ec ome un tr ac eab l e, maj or c or por ation s c oul d tr an sf er mon ey with n o paper tr ail an d l eav e the I R S out in the c ol d, ter r or ists c oul d c hat in total sec r ec y–it woul d b e c haos.” “The EF F wil l hav e f iel d day, ” Susan said, pal e. “The EF F doesn ’ t hav e the f ir st c l ue ab out what we do her e, ” Str athmor e r ail ed in disgust. “I f they kn ew how man y ter r or ist attac ks we’ v e stopped b ec ause we c an dec r ypt c odes, they’ d c han ge their tun e.” Susan agr eed, b ut she al so kn ew the r eal ities; the EF F woul d n ev er kn ow how impor tan t TR A N SL TR was. TR A N SL TR had hel ped f oil doz en s of attac ks, b ut the in f or mation was highl y c l assif ied an d woul d n ev er b e r el eased. The r ation al e b ehin d the sec r ec y was simpl e: The gov er n men t c oul d n ot af f or d the mass hyster ia c aused b y r ev eal in g the tr uth; n o on e kn ew how the pub l ic woul d r eac t to the n ews that ther e had b een two n uc l ear c l ose c al l s b y f un damen tal ist gr oups on U .S. soil in the l ast year . N uc l ear attac k, howev er , was n ot the on l y thr eat. O n l y l ast mon th TR A N SL TR had thwar ted on e of the most in gen iousl y c on c eiv ed ter r or ist attac ks the N SA had ev er witn essed. A n an ti-gov er n men t or gan iz ation had dev ised a pl an , c ode-n amed Sher wood F or est. I t tar geted the N ew Y or k Stoc k Ex c han ge with the in ten tion of “r edistr ib utin g the weal th.” O v er the c our se of six days, memb er s of the gr oup pl ac ed twen ty-sev en n on ex pl osiv e f l ux pods in the b uil din gs sur r oun din g the Ex c han ge. These dev ic es, when deton ated, c r eate a power f ul b l ast of magn etism. The simul tan eous disc har ge of these c ar ef ul l y pl ac ed pods woul d c r eate a magn etic f iel d so power f ul that al l magn etic media in the Stoc k Ex c han ge woul d b e er ased–c omputer har d dr iv es, massiv e R O M stor age b an ks, tape b ac kups, an d ev en f l oppy disks. A l l r ec or ds of who own ed what woul d disin tegr ate per man en tl y. B ec ause pin poin t timin g was n ec essar y f or simul tan eous deton ation of the dev ic es, the f l ux pods wer e in ter c on n ec ted ov er I n ter n et tel ephon e l in es. D ur in g the two-day c oun tdown , the pods’ in ter n al c l oc ks ex c han ged en dl ess str eams of en c r ypted syn c hr on iz ation data. The N SA in ter c epted the data-pul ses as a n etwor k an omal y b ut
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ign or ed them as a seemin gl y har ml ess ex c han ge of gib b er ish. B ut af ter TR A N SL TR dec r ypted the data str eams, an al ysts immediatel y r ec ogn iz ed the seq uen c e as a n etwor k-syn c hr on iz ed c oun tdown . The pods wer e l oc ated an d r emov ed a f ul l thr ee hour s b ef or e they wer e sc hedul ed to go of f . Susan kn ew that without TR A N SL TR the N SA was hel pl ess again st adv an c ed el ec tr on ic ter r or ism. She eyed the R un -M on itor . I t stil l r ead ov er f if teen hour s. Ev en if Tan kado’ s f il e b r oke r ight n ow, the N SA was sun k. C r ypto woul d b e r el egated to b r eakin g l ess than two c odes a day. Ev en at the pr esen t r ate of 1 5 0 a day, ther e was stil l a b ac kl og of f il es awaitin g dec r yption . ***
“Tan kado c al l ed me l ast mon th, ” Str athmor e said, in ter r uptin g Susan ’ s thoughts. Susan l ooked up. “Tan kado c al l ed you ? ” He n odded. “To war n me.” “W arn you? He hates you.” “He c al l ed to tel l me he was per f ec tin g an al gor ithm that wr ote un b r eakab l e c odes. I didn ’ t b el iev e him.” “B ut why woul d he tel l you ab out it? ” Susan deman ded. “D id he wan t you to b uy it? ” “N o. I t was b l ac kmail .” Thin gs sudden l y b egan f al l in g in to pl ac e f or Susan . “O f c our se, ” she said, amaz ed. “He wan ted you to c l ear his n ame.” “N o, ” Str athmor e f r own ed. “Tan kado wan ted TR A N SL TR .” “TR A N SL TR ? ” “Y es. He or der ed me to go pub l ic an d tel l the wor l d we hav e TR A N SL TR . He said if we admitted we c an r ead pub l ic E-mail , he woul d destr oy D igital F or tr ess.” Susan l ooked doub tf ul . Str athmor e shr ugged. “Either way, it’ s too l ate n ow. He’ s posted a c ompl imen tar y c opy of D igital F or tr ess at his I n ter n et site. Ev er yon e in the wor l d c an down l oad it.” Susan wen t white. “He what! ” “I t’ s a pub l ic ity stun t. N othin g to wor r y ab out. The c opy he posted is en c r ypted. P eopl e c an down l oad it, b ut n ob ody c an open it. I t’ s in gen ious, r eal l y. The sour c e c ode f or D igital F or tr ess has b een en c r ypted, l oc ked shut.” Susan l ooked amaz ed. “O f c our se! So ev er yb ody c an hav e a c opy, b ut n ob ody c an open it.” “Ex ac tl y. Tan kado’ s dan gl in g a c ar r ot.” “Hav e you seen the al gor ithm? ” The c omman der l ooked puz z l ed. “N o, I tol d you it’ s en c r ypted.” Susan l ooked eq ual l y puz z l ed. “B ut we’ v e got TR A N SL TR ; why n ot j ust dec r ypt it? ” B ut when Susan saw Str athmor e’ s f ac e, she r eal iz ed the r ul es had c han ged. “O h my G od.” She gasped, sudden l y un der stan din g. “D igital F or tr ess is en c r ypted with i tsel f ? ” Str athmor e n odded. “B in go.” Susan was amaz ed. The f or mul a f or D igital F or tr ess had b een en c r ypted usin g D igital F or tr ess. Tan kado had posted a pr ic el ess mathematic al r ec ipe, b ut the tex t of the r ec ipe had b een sc r amb l ed. A n d it had used i tsel f to do the sc r amb l in g. “I t’ s B iggl eman ’ s Saf e, ” Susan stammer ed in awe.
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Str athmor e n odded. B iggl eman ’ s Saf e was a hypothetic al c r yptogr aphy sc en ar io in whic h a saf e b uil der wr ote b l uepr in ts f or an un b r eakab l e saf e. He wan ted to keep the b l uepr in ts a sec r et, so he b uil t the saf e an d l oc ked the b l uepr in ts in side. Tan kado had don e the same thin g with D igital F or tr ess. He’ d pr otec ted his b l uepr in ts b y en c r yptin g them with the f or mul a outl in ed in his b l uepr in ts. “A n d the f il e in TR A N SL TR ? ” Susan asked. “I down l oaded it f r om Tan kado’ s I n ter n et site l ike ev er yon e el se. The N SA is n ow the pr oud own er of the D igital F or tr ess al gor ithm; we j ust c an ’ t open it.” Susan mar v el ed at En sei Tan kado’ s in gen uity. W ithout r ev eal in g his al gor ithm, he had pr ov en to the N SA that it was un b r eakab l e. Str athmor e han ded her a n ewspaper c l ippin g. I t was a tr an sl ated b l ur b f r om the N ikkei Shimb un , the Japan ese eq uiv al en t of the W al l Str eet Jour n al , statin g that the Japan ese pr ogr ammer En sei Tan kado had c ompl eted a mathematic al f or mul a he c l aimed c oul d wr ite un b r eakab l e c odes. The f or mul a was c al l ed D igital F or tr ess an d was av ail ab l e f or r ev iew on the I n ter n et. The pr ogr ammer woul d b e auc tion in g it of f to the highest b idder . The c ol umn wen t on to say that al though ther e was en or mous in ter est in Japan , the f ew U .S. sof twar e c ompan ies who had hear d ab out D igital F or tr ess deemed the c l aim pr eposter ous, akin to tur n in g l ead to gol d. The f or mul a, they said, was a hoax an d n ot to b e taken ser iousl y. Susan l ooked up. “A n auc tion ? ” Str athmor e n odded. “R ight n ow ev er y sof twar e c ompan y in Japan has down l oaded an en c r ypted c opy of D igital F or tr ess an d is tr yin g to c r ac k it open . Ev er y sec on d they c an ’ t, the b iddin g pr ic e c l imb s.” “That’ s ab sur d, ” Susan shot b ac k. “A l l the n ew en c r ypted f il es ar e un c r ac kab l e un l ess you hav e TR A N SL TR . D igital F or tr ess c oul d b e n othin g mor e than a gen er ic , pub l ic -domain al gor ithm, an d n on e of these c ompan ies c oul d b r eak it.” “B ut it’ s a b r il l ian t mar ketin g pl oy, ” Str athmor e said. “Thin k ab out it–al l b r an ds of b ul l etpr oof gl ass stop b ul l ets, b ut if a c ompan y dar es you to put a b ul l et thr ough thei rs, sudden l y ev er yb ody’ s tr yin g.” “A n d the Japan ese ac tual l y b el i ev e D igital F or tr ess is dif f er en t? B etter than ev er ythin g el se on the mar ket? ” “Tan kado may hav e b een shun n ed, b ut ev er yb ody kn ows he’ s a gen ius. He’ s pr ac tic al l y a c ul t ic on amon g hac ker s. I f Tan kado says the al gor ithm’ s un b r eakab l e, it’ s un b r eakab l e.” B ut they’ r e al l un b r eakab l e as f ar as the pub l ic kn ows! ” “Y es…” Str athmor e mused. “F or the momen t.” “W hat’ s that supposed to mean ? ” Str athmor e sighed. “Twen ty year s ago n o on e imagin ed we’ d b e b r eakin g twel v e-b it str eam c ipher s. B ut tec hn ol ogy pr ogr essed. I t al ways does. Sof twar e man uf ac tur er s assume at some poin t c omputer s l ike TR A N SL TR wil l ex ist. Tec hn ol ogy is pr ogr essin g ex pon en tial l y, an d ev en tual l y c ur r en t pub l ic -key al gor ithms wil l l ose their sec ur ity. B etter al gor ithms wil l b e n eeded to stay ahead of tomor r ow’ s c omputer s.” “A n d D igital F or tr ess is it? ” “Ex ac tl y. A n al gor ithm that r esists b r ute f or c e wil l n ev er b ec ome ob sol ete, n o matter how power f ul c ode-b r eakin g c omputer s get. I t c oul d b ec ome a wor l d stan dar d ov er n ight.” Susan pul l ed in a l on g b r eath. “G od hel p us, ” she whisper ed. “C an we make a b id? ” Str athmor e shook his head. “Tan kado gav e us our c han c e. He made that c l ear . I t’ s
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too r isky an yway; if we get c aught, we’ r e b asic al l y admittin g that we’ r e af r aid of his al gor ithm. W e’ d b e makin g a pub l ic c on f ession n ot on l y that we hav e TR A N SL TR b ut that D igital F or tr ess is immun e.” “W hat’ s the time f r ame? ” Str athmor e f r own ed. “Tan kado pl an n ed to an n oun c e the highest b idder tomor r ow at n oon .” Susan f el t her stomac h tighten . “Then what? ” “The ar r an gemen t was that he woul d giv e the win n er the pass-key.” “The pass-key? ” “P ar t of the pl oy. Ev er yb ody’ s al r eady got the al gor ithm, so Tan kado’ s auc tion in g of f the pass-key that un l oc ks it.” Susan gr oan ed. “O f c our se.” I t was per f ec t. C l ean an d simpl e. Tan kado had en c r ypted D igital F or tr ess, an d he al on e hel d the pass-key that un l oc ked it. She f oun d it har d to f athom that somewher e out ther e–pr ob ab l y sc r awl ed on a piec e of paper in Tan kado’ s poc ket–ther e was a six ty-f our -c har ac ter pass-key that c oul d en d U .S. in tel l igen c e gather in g f or ev er . Susan sudden l y f el t il l as she imagin ed the sc en ar io. Tan kado woul d giv e his pass-key to the highest b idder , an d that c ompan y woul d un l oc k the D igital F or tr ess f il e. Then it pr ob ab l y woul d emb ed the al gor ithm in a tamper -pr oof c hip, an d within f iv e year s ev er y c omputer woul d c ome pr el oaded with a D igital F or tr ess c hip. N o c ommer c ial man uf ac tur er had ev er dr eamed of c r eatin g an en c r yption c hip b ec ause n or mal en c r yption al gor ithms ev en tual l y b ec ome ob sol ete. B ut D igital F or tr ess woul d n ev er b ec ome ob sol ete; with a r otatin g c l ear tex t f un c tion , n o b r ute-f or c e attac k woul d ev er f in d the r ight key. A n ew digital en c r yption stan dar d. F r om n ow un til f or ev er . Ev er y c ode un b r eakab l e. B an ker s, b r oker s, ter r or ists, spies. O n e wor l d–on e al gor ithm. A n ar c hy. “W hat ar e the option s? ” Susan pr ob ed. She was wel l awar e that desper ate times c al l ed f or desper ate measur es, ev en at the N SA . “W e c an ’ t r emov e him, if that’ s what you’ r e askin g.” I t was ex ac tl y what Susan was askin g. I n her year s with the N SA , Susan had hear d r umor s of its l oose af f il iation s with the most skil l ed assassin s in the wor l d–hir ed han ds b r ought in to do the in tel l igen c e c ommun ity’ s dir ty wor k. Str athmor e shook his head. “Tan kado’ s too smar t to l eav e us an option l ike that.” Susan f el t oddl y r el iev ed. “He’ s pr otec ted? ” “N ot ex ac tl y.” “I n hidin g? ” Str athmor e shr ugged. “Tan kado l ef t Japan . He pl an n ed to c hec k his b ids b y phon e. B ut we kn ow wher e he is.” “A n d you don ’ t pl an to make a mov e? ” “N o. He’ s got in sur an c e. Tan kado gav e a c opy of his pass-key to an an on ymous thir d par ty… in c ase an ythin g happen ed.” O f c ou rse, Susan mar v el ed. A g u ardi an ang el . “A n d I suppose if an ythin g happen s to Tan kado, the myster y man sel l s the key? ” “W or se. A n yon e hits Tan kado, an d his par tn er pub l ishes.” Susan l ooked c on f used. “His par tn er pu b l i shes the key? ” Str athmor e n odded. “P osts it on the I n ter n et, puts it in n ewspaper s, on b il l b oar ds. I n ef f ec t, he g i v es it away.” Susan ’ s eyes widen ed. “F r ee down l oads? ”
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“Ex ac tl y. Tan kado f igur ed if he was dead, he woul dn ’ t n eed the mon ey–why n ot giv e the wor l d a l ittl e f ar ewel l gif t? ” Ther e was a l on g sil en c e. Susan b r eathed deepl y as if to ab sor b the ter r if yin g tr uth. E nsei T ank ado has c reated an u nb reak ab l e al g ori thm. H e’ s hol di ng u s hostag e. She sudden l y stood. Her v oic e was deter min ed. “W e must c on tac t Tan kado! Ther e must b e a way to c on v in c e him n ot to r el ease! W e c an of f er him tr ipl e the highest b id! W e c an c l ear his n ame! A n ythin g! ” “Too l ate, ” Str athmor e said. He took a deep b r eath. “En sei Tan kado was f oun d dead this mor n in g in Sev il l e, Spain .”
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The twin -en gin e L ear j et 6 0 touc hed down on the sc or c hin g r un way. O utside the win dow, the b ar r en l an dsc ape of Spain ’ s l ower ex tr emadur a b l ur r ed an d then sl owed to a c r awl . “M r . B ec ker ? ” a v oic e c r ac kl ed. “W e’ r e her e.” B ec ker stood an d str etc hed. A f ter un l atc hin g the ov er head c ompar tmen t, he r ememb er ed he had n o l uggage. Ther e had b een n o time to pac k. I t didn ’ t matter –he’ d b een pr omised the tr ip woul d b e b r ief , in an d out. A s the en gin es woun d down , the pl an e eased out of the sun an d in to a deser ted han gar opposite the main ter min al . A momen t l ater the pil ot appear ed an d popped the hatc h. B ec ker tossed b ac k the l ast of his c r an b er r y j uic e, put the gl ass on the wet b ar , an d sc ooped up his suit c oat. The pil ot pul l ed a thic k man il a en v el ope f r om his f l ight suit. “I was in str uc ted to giv e you this.” He han ded it to B ec ker . O n the f r on t, sc r awl ed in b l ue pen , wer e the wor ds: K EEP THE C HA N G E. B ec ker thumb ed thr ough the thic k stac k of r eddish b il l s. “W hat the…? ” “L oc al c ur r en c y, ” the pil ot of f er ed f l atl y. “I kn ow what it is, ” B ec ker stammer ed. “B ut it’ s… it’ s too muc h. A l l I n eed is tax i f ar e.” B ec ker did the c on v er sion in his head. “W hat’ s in her e is wor th thou sands of dol l ar s! ” “I hav e my or der s, sir .” The pil ot tur n ed an d hoisted himsel f b ac k in to the c ab in . The door sl id shut b ehin d him. B ec ker star ed up at the pl an e an d then down at the mon ey in his han d. A f ter stan din g a momen t in the empty han gar , he put the en v el ope in his b r east poc ket, shoul der ed his suit c oat, an d headed out ac r oss the r un way. I t was a str an ge b egin n in g. B ec ker pushed it f r om his min d. W ith a l ittl e l uc k he’ d b e b ac k in time to sal v age some of his Ston e M an or tr ip with Susan . I n an d out, he tol d himsel f . I n an d out. Ther e was n o way he c oul d hav e kn own .
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Systems sec ur ity tec hn ic ian P hil C har tr ukian had on l y in ten ded to b e in side C r ypto a min ute–j ust l on g en ough to gr ab some paper wor k he’ d f or gotten the day b ef or e. B ut it was n ot to b e. A f ter makin g his way ac r oss the C r ypto f l oor an d steppin g in to the Sys-Sec l ab , he immediatel y kn ew somethin g was n ot r ight. The c omputer ter min al that per petual l y mon itor ed TR A N SL TR ’ s in ter n al wor kin gs was un man n ed an d the mon itor was switc hed of f . C har tr ukian c al l ed out, “Hel l o? ” Ther e was n o r epl y. The l ab was spotl ess–as if n o on e had b een ther e f or hour s. A l though C har tr ukian was on l y twen ty-thr ee an d r el ativ el y n ew to the Sys-Sec sq uad, he’ d b een tr ain ed wel l , an d he kn ew the dr il l : Ther e was al ways a Sys-Sec on duty in C r ypto… espec ial l y on Satur days when n o c r yptogr apher s wer e ar oun d. He immediatel y power ed up the mon itor an d tur n ed to the duty b oar d on the wal l . “W ho’ s on watc h? ” he deman ded al oud, sc an n in g the l ist of n ames. A c c or din g to the sc hedul e, a youn g r ookie n amed Seiden b er g was supposed to hav e star ted a doub l e shif t at midn ight the n ight b ef or e. C har tr ukian gl an c ed ar oun d the empty l ab an d f r own ed. “So wher e the hel l is he? ” A s he watc hed the mon itor power up, C har tr ukian won der ed if Str athmor e kn ew the Sys-Sec l ab was un man n ed. He had n otic ed on his way in that the c ur tain s of Str athmor e’ s wor kstation wer e c l osed, whic h mean t the b oss was in –n ot at al l un c ommon f or a Satur day; Str athmor e, despite r eq uestin g his c r yptogr apher s take Satur days of f , seemed to wor k 3 6 5 days a year . Ther e was on e thin g C har tr ukian kn ew f or c er tain –if Str athmor e f oun d out the Sys-Sec l ab was un man n ed, it woul d c ost the ab sen t r ookie his j ob . C har tr ukian eyed the phon e, won der in g if he shoul d c al l the youn g tec hie an d b ail him out; ther e was an un spoken r ul e amon g Sys-Sec that they woul d watc h eac h other ’ s b ac ks. I n C r ypto, Sys-Sec s wer e sec on d-c l ass c itiz en s, c on stan tl y at odds with the l or ds of the man or . I t was n o sec r et that the c r yptogr apher s r ul ed this mul tib il l ion -dol l ar r oost; Sys-Sec s wer e tol er ated on l y b ec ause they kept the toys r un n in g smoothl y. C har tr ukian made his dec ision . He gr ab b ed the phon e. B ut the r ec eiv er n ev er r eac hed his ear . He stopped shor t, his eyes tr an sf ix ed on the mon itor n ow c omin g in to f oc us b ef or e him. A s if in sl ow motion , he set down the phon e an d star ed in open -mouthed won der . I n eight mon ths as a Sys-Sec , P hil C har tr ukian had n ev er seen TR A N SL TR ’ s R un -M on itor post an ythin g other than a doub l e z er o in the hou rs f iel d. Today was a f ir st. TI M E EL A P SED : 1 5 : 1 7 : 2 1 “F if teen hour s an d sev en teen min utes? ” he c hoked. “I mpossib l e! ” He r eb ooted the sc r een , pr ayin g it hadn ’ t r ef r eshed pr oper l y. B ut when the mon itor c ame b ac k to l if e, it l ooked the same. C har tr ukian f el t a c hil l . C r ypto’ s Sys-Sec s had on l y on e r espon sib il ity: K eep TR A N SL TR “c l ean ”–v ir us f r ee. C har tr ukian kn ew that a f if teen -hour r un c oul d on l y mean on e thin g–in f ec tion . A n
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impur e f il e had gotten in side TR A N SL TR an d was c or r uptin g the pr ogr ammin g. I n stan tl y his tr ain in g kic ked in ; it n o l on ger matter ed that the Sys-Sec l ab had b een un man n ed or the mon itor s switc hed of f . He f oc used on the matter at han d–TR A N SL TR . He immediatel y c al l ed up a l og of al l the f il es that had en ter ed TR A N SL TR in the l ast f or ty-eight hour s. He b egan sc an n in g the l ist. D id an in f ec ted f il e get thr ough? he won der ed. C oul d the sec ur ity f il ter s hav e missed somethin g? A s a pr ec aution , ev er y f il e en ter in g TR A N SL TR had to pass thr ough what was kn own as G aun tl et–a ser ies of power f ul c ir c uit-l ev el gateways, pac ket f il ter s, an d disin f ec tan t pr ogr ams that sc an n ed in b oun d f il es f or c omputer v ir uses an d poten tial l y dan ger ous sub r outin es. F il es c on tain in g pr ogr ammin g “un kn own ” to G aun tl et wer e immediatel y r ej ec ted. They had to b e c hec ked b y han d. O c c asion al l y G aun tl et r ej ec ted en tir el y har ml ess f il es on the b asis that they c on tain ed pr ogr ammin g the f il ter s had n ev er seen b ef or e. I n that c ase, the Sys-Sec s did a sc r upul ous man ual in spec tion , an d on l y then , on c on f ir mation that the f il e was c l ean , did they b ypass G aun tl et’ s f il ter s an d sen d the f il e in to TR A N SL TR . C omputer v ir uses wer e as v ar ied as b ac ter ial v ir uses. L ike their physiol ogic al c oun ter par ts, c omputer v ir uses had on e goal –to attac h themsel v es to a host system an d r epl ic ate. I n this c ase, the host was TR A N SL TR . C har tr ukian was amaz ed the N SA hadn ’ t had pr ob l ems with v ir uses b ef or e. G aun tl et was a poten t sen tr y, b ut stil l , the N SA was a b ottom f eeder , suc kin g in massiv e amoun ts of digital in f or mation f r om systems al l ov er the wor l d. Sn oopin g data was a l ot l ike hav in g in disc r imin ate sex –pr otec tion or n o pr otec tion , soon er or l ater you c aught somethin g. C har tr ukian f in ished ex amin in g the f il e l ist b ef or e him. He was n ow mor e puz z l ed than b ef or e. Ev er y f il e c hec ked out. G aun tl et had seen n othin g out of the or din ar y, whic h mean t the f il e in TR A N SL TR was total l y c l ean . “So what the hel l ’ s takin g so l on g? ” he deman ded of the empty r oom. C har tr ukian f el t himsel f b r eak a sweat. He won der ed if he shoul d go distur b Str athmor e with the n ews. “A v ir us pr ob e, ” C har tr ukian said f ir ml y, tr yin g to c al m himsel f down . “I shoul d r un a v ir us pr ob e.” C har tr ukian kn ew that a v ir us pr ob e woul d b e the f ir st thin g Str athmor e woul d r eq uest an yway. G l an c in g out at the deser ted C r ypto f l oor , C har tr ukian made his dec ision . He l oaded the v ir al pr ob e sof twar e an d l aun c hed it. The r un woul d take ab out f if teen min utes. “C ome b ac k c l ean , ” he whisper ed. “Sq ueaky c l ean . Tel l D addy it’ s n othin g.” B ut C har tr ukian sen sed it was not “n othin g.” I n stin c t tol d him somethin g v er y un usual was goin g on in side the gr eat dec odin g b east.
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“En sei Tan kado is dead? ” Susan f el t a wav e of n ausea. “Y ou kil l ed him? I thought you said–” “W e didn ’ t touc h him, ” Str athmor e assur ed her . “He died of a hear t attac k. C O M I N T phon ed ear l y this mor n in g. Their c omputer f l agged Tan kado’ s n ame in a Sev il l e pol ic e l og thr ough I n ter pol .” “Hear t attac k? ” Susan l ooked doub tf ul . “He was thir ty year s ol d.” “Thir ty-two, ” Str athmor e c or r ec ted. “He had a c on gen ital hear t def ec t.” “I ’ d n ev er hear d that.” “Tur n ed up in his N SA physic al . N ot somethin g he b r agged ab out.” Susan was hav in g tr oub l e ac c eptin g the ser en dipity of the timin g. “A def ec tiv e hear t c oul d kil l him–j ust l ike that? ” I t seemed too c on v en ien t. Str athmor e shr ugged. “W eak hear t… c omb in e it with the heat of Spain . Thr ow in the str ess of b l ac kmail in g the N SA ….” Susan was sil en t a momen t. Ev en c on sider in g the c on dition s, she f el t a pan g of l oss at the passin g of suc h a b r il l ian t f el l ow c r yptogr apher . Str athmor e’ s gr av el l y v oic e in ter r upted her thoughts. “The on l y sil v er l in in g on this whol e f iasc o is that Tan kado was tr av el in g al on e. C han c es ar e good his par tn er doesn ’ t kn ow yet he’ s dead. The Span ish author ities said they’ d c on tain the in f or mation f or as l on g as possib l e. W e on l y got the c al l b ec ause C O M I N T was on the b al l .” Str athmor e eyed Susan c l osel y. “I ’ v e got to f in d the par tn er b ef or e he f in ds out Tan kado’ s dead. That’ s why I c al l ed you in . I n eed your hel p.” Susan was c on f used. I t seemed to her that En sei Tan kado’ s timel y demise had sol v ed their en tir e pr ob l em. “C omman der , ” she ar gued, “if the author ities ar e sayin g he died of a hear t attac k, we’ r e of f the hook; his par tn er wil l kn ow the N SA is n ot r espon sib l e.” “N ot r espon sib l e? ” Str athmor e’ s eyes widen ed in disb el ief . “Someb ody b l ac kmail s the N SA an d tur n s up dead a f ew days l ater –an d we’ r e not responsi b l e? I ’ d b et b ig mon ey Tan kado’ s myster y f r ien d won ’ t see it that way. W hatev er happen ed, we l ook guil ty as hel l . I t c oul d easil y hav e b een poison , a r igged autopsy, an y n umb er of thin gs.” Str athmor e paused. “W hat was your f ir st r eac tion when I tol d you Tan kado was dead? ” She f r own ed. “I thought the N SA had kil l ed him.” “Ex ac tl y. I f the N SA c an put f iv e R hyol ite satel l ites in geosyn c hr on ous or b it ov er the M ideast, I thin k it’ s saf e to assume we hav e the r esour c es to pay of f a f ew Span ish pol ic emen .” The c omman der had made his poin t. Susan ex hal ed. E nsei T ank ado i s dead. T he N SA wi l l b e b l amed. “C an we f in d his par tn er in time? ” “I thin k so. W e’ v e got a good l ead. Tan kado made n umer ous pub l ic an n oun c emen ts that he was wor kin g with a par tn er . I thin k he hoped it woul d disc our age sof twar e f ir ms f r om doin g him an y har m or tr yin g to steal his key. He thr eaten ed that if ther e was an y f oul pl ay, his par tn er woul d pub l ish the key, an d al l f ir ms woul d sudden l y f in d themsel v es in c ompetition with f r ee sof twar e.” “C l ev er .” Susan n odded. Str athmor e wen t on . “A f ew times, in pub l ic , Tan kado r ef er r ed to his par tn er b y n ame. He c al l ed him N or th D akota.” “N or th D akota? O b v iousl y an al ias of some sor t.” “Y es, b ut as a pr ec aution I r an an I n ter n et in q uir y usin g N or th D akota as a sear c h str in g. I didn ’ t thin k I ’ d f in d an ythin g, b ut I tur n ed up an E-mail ac c oun t.” Str athmor e
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paused. “O f c our se I assumed it wasn ’ t the N or th D akota we wer e l ookin g f or , b ut I sear c hed the ac c oun t j ust to b e sur e. I magin e my shoc k when I f oun d the ac c oun t was f ul l of E-mail f r om En sei Tan kado.” Str athmor e r aised his eyeb r ows. “A n d the messages wer e f ul l of r ef er en c es to D igital F or tr ess an d Tan kado’ s pl an s to b l ac kmail the N SA .” Susan gav e Str athmor e a skeptic al l ook. She was amaz ed the c omman der was l ettin g himsel f b e pl ayed with so easil y. “C omman der , ” she ar gued, “Tan kado kn ows f ul l wel l the N SA c an sn oop E-mail f r om the I n ter n et; he woul d nev er use E-mail to sen d sec r et in f or mation . I t’ s a tr ap. En sei Tan kado g av e you N or th D akota. He k new you’ d r un a sear c h. W hatev er in f or mation he’ s sen din g, he wanted you to f in d–it’ s a f al se tr ail .” “G ood in stin c t, ” Str athmor e f ir ed b ac k, “ex c ept f or a c oupl e of thin gs. I c oul dn ’ t f in d an ythin g un der N or th D akota, so I tweaked the sear c h str in g. The ac c oun t I f oun d was un der a v ar iation –N D A K O TA .” Susan shook her head. “R un n in g per mutation s is stan dar d pr oc edur e. Tan kado kn ew you’ d tr y v ar iation s un til you hit somethin g. N D A K O TA ’ s f ar too easy an al ter ation .” “P er haps, ” Str athmor e said, sc r ib b l in g wor ds on apiec e of paper an d han din g it to Susan . “B ut l ook at this.” Susan r ead the paper . She sudden l y un der stood the C omman der ’ s thin kin g. O n the paper was N or th D akota’ s E-mail addr ess. N D A K O TA @ ar a.an on .or g I t was the l etter s A R A in the addr ess that had c aught Susan ’ s eye. A R A stood f or A mer ic an R email er s A n on ymous, a wel l -kn own an on ymous ser v er . A n on ymous ser v er s wer e popul ar amon g I n ter n et user s who wan ted to keep their iden tities sec r et. F or a f ee, these c ompan ies pr otec ted an E-mail er ’ s pr iv ac y b y ac tin g as a middl eman f or el ec tr on ic mail . I t was l ike hav in g a n umb er ed post of f ic e b ox –a user c oul d sen d an d r ec eiv e mail without ev er r ev eal in g his tr ue addr ess or n ame. The c ompan y r ec eiv ed E-mail addr essed to al iases an d then f or war ded it to the c l ien t’ s r eal ac c oun t. The r email in g c ompan y was b oun d b y c on tr ac t n ev er to r ev eal the iden tity or l oc ation of its r eal user s. “I t’ s n ot pr oof , ” Str athmor e said. “B ut it’ s pr etty suspic ious.” Susan n odded, sudden l y mor e c on v in c ed. “So you’ r e sayin g Tan kado didn ’ t c ar e if an yb ody sear c hed f or N or th D akota b ec ause his iden tity an d l oc ation ar e pr otec ted b y A R A .” “Ex ac tl y.” Susan sc hemed f or a momen t. “A R A ser v ic es main l y U .S. ac c oun ts. Y ou thin k N or th D akota might b e ov er her e somewher e? ” Str athmor e shr ugged. “C oul d b e. W ith an A mer ic an par tn er , Tan kado c oul d keep the two pass-keys separ ated geogr aphic al l y. M ight b e a smar t mov e.” Susan c on sider ed it. She doub ted Tan kado woul d hav e shar ed his pass-key with an yon e ex c ept a v er y c l ose f r ien d, an d as she r ec al l ed, En sei Tan kado didn ’ t hav e man y f r ien ds in the States. “N or th D akota, ” she mused, her c r yptol ogic al min d mul l in g ov er the possib l e mean in gs of the al ias. “W hat does his E-mail to Tan kado soun d l ike? ” “N o idea. C O M I N T on l y c aught Tan kado’ s outb oun d. A t this poin t al l we hav e on
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N or th D akota is an an on ymous addr ess.” Susan thought a min ute. “A n y c han c e it’ s a dec oy? ” Str athmor e r aised an eyeb r ow. “How so? ” “Tan kado c oul d b e sen din g b ogus E-mail to a dead ac c oun t in hopes we’ d sn oop it. W e’ d thin k he’ s pr otec ted, an d he’ d n ev er hav e to r isk shar in g his pass-key. He c oul d b e wor kin g al on e.” Str athmor e c huc kl ed, impr essed. “Tr ic ky idea, ex c ept f or on e thin g. He’ s n ot usin g an y of his usual home or b usin ess I n ter n et ac c oun ts. He’ s b een dr oppin g b y D oshisha U n iv er sity an d l oggin g on to their main f r ame. A ppar en tl y he’ s got an ac c oun t ther e that he’ s man aged to keep sec r et. I t’ s a v er y wel l -hidden ac c oun t, an d I f oun d it on l y b y c han c e.” Str athmor e paused. “So… if Tan kado wan ted us to sn oop his mail , why woul d he use a sec r et ac c oun t? ” Susan c on templ ated the q uestion . “M ayb e he used a sec r et ac c oun t so you woul dn ’ t suspec t a pl oy? M ayb e Tan kado hid the ac c oun t j ust deep en ough that you’ d stumb l e on to it an d thin k you got l uc ky. I t giv es his E-mail c r edib il ity.” Str athmor e c huc kl ed. “Y ou shoul d hav e b een a f iel d agen t. The idea’ s a good on e. U n f or tun atel y, ev er y l etter Tan kado sen ds gets a r espon se. Tan kado wr ites, his par tn er r espon ds.” Susan f r own ed. “F air en ough. So, you’ r e sayin g N or th D akota’ s f or r eal .” “A f r aid so. A n d we’ v e got to f in d him. A n d q u i etl y. I f he c atc hes win d that we’ r e on to him, it’ s al l ov er .” Susan n ow kn ew ex ac tl y why Str athmor e had c al l ed her in . “L et me guess, ” she said. “Y ou wan t me to sn oop A R A ’ s sec ur e datab ase an d f in d N or th D akota’ s r eal iden tity? ” Str athmor e gav e her a tight smil e. “M s. F l etc her , you r ead my min d.” W hen it c ame to disc r eet I n ter n et sear c hes, Susan F l etc her was the woman f or the j ob . A year ago, a sen ior W hite House of f ic ial had b een r ec eiv in g E-mail thr eats f r om someon e with an an on ymous E-mail addr ess. The N SA had b een asked to l oc ate the in div idual . A l though the N SA had the c l out to deman d the r email in g c ompan y r ev eal the user ’ s iden tity, it opted f or a mor e sub tl e method–a “tr ac er .” Susan had c r eated, in ef f ec t, a dir ec tion al b eac on disguised as a piec e of E-mail . She c oul d sen d it to the user ’ s phon y addr ess, an d the r email in g c ompan y, per f or min g the duty f or whic h it had b een c on tr ac ted, woul d f or war d it to the user ’ s r eal addr ess. O n c e ther e, the pr ogr am woul d r ec or d its I n ter n et l oc ation an d sen d wor d b ac k to the N SA . Then the pr ogr am woul d disin tegr ate without a tr ac e. F r om that day on , as f ar as the N SA was c on c er n ed, an on ymous r email er s wer e n othin g mor e than a min or an n oyan c e. “C an you f in d him? ” Str athmor e asked. “Sur e. W hy did you wait so l on g to c al l me? ” “A c tual l y”–he f r own ed–”I hadn ’ t pl an n ed on c al l in g you at al l . I didn ’ t wan t an yon e el se in the l oop. I tr ied to sen d a c opy of your tr ac er mysel f , b ut you wr ote the damn thin g in on e of those n ew hyb r id l an guages; I c oul dn ’ t get it to wor k. I t kept r etur n in g n on sen sic al data. I f in al l y had to b ite the b ul l et an d b r in g you in .” Susan c huc kl ed. Str athmor e was a b r il l ian t c r yptogr aphic pr ogr ammer , b ut his r eper toir e was l imited pr imar il y to al gor ithmic wor k; the n uts an d b ol ts of l ess l of ty “sec ul ar ” pr ogr ammin g of ten esc aped him. W hat was mor e, Susan had wr itten her tr ac er in a n ew, c r ossb r eed pr ogr ammin g l an guage c al l ed L I M B O ; it was un der stan dab l e that Str athmor e had en c oun ter ed pr ob l ems. “I ’ l l take c ar e of it.” She smil ed, tur n in g to l eav e. “I ’ l l b e at my ter min al .” “A n y idea on a time f r ame? ”
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Susan paused. “W el l … it depen ds on how ef f ic ien tl y A R A f or war ds their mail . I f he’ s her e in the States an d uses somethin g l ike A O L or C ompuser v e, I ’ l l sn oop his c r edit c ar d an d get a b il l in g addr ess within the hour . I f he’ s with a un iv er sity or c or por ation , it’ l l take a l ittl e l on ger .” She smil ed un easil y. “A f ter that, the r est is up to you.” Susan kn ew that “the r est” woul d b e an N SA str ike team, c uttin g power to the guy’ s house an d c r ashin g thr ough his win dows with stun gun s. The team woul d pr ob ab l y thin k it was on a dr ug b ust. Str athmor e woul d un doub tedl y str ide thr ough the r ub b l e himsel f an d l oc ate the six ty-f our -c har ac ter pass-key. Then he woul d destr oy it. D igital F or tr ess woul d l an guish f or ev er on the I n ter n et, l oc ked f or al l eter n ity. “Sen d the tr ac er c ar ef ul l y, ” Str athmor e ur ged. “I f N or th D akota sees we’ r e on to him, he’ l l pan ic , an d I ’ l l n ev er get a team ther e b ef or e he disappear s with the key.” “Hit an d r un , ” she assur ed. “The momen t this thin g f in ds his ac c oun t, it’ l l dissol v e. He’ l l n ev er kn ow we wer e ther e.” The c omman der n odded tir edl y. “Than ks.” Susan gav e him a sof t smil e. She was al ways amaz ed how ev en in the f ac e of disaster Str athmor e c oul d muster a q uiet c al m. She was c on v in c ed it was this ab il ity that had def in ed his c ar eer an d l if ted him to the upper ec hel on s of power . A s Susan headed f or the door , she took a l on g l ook down at TR A N SL TR . The ex isten c e of an un b r eakab l e al gor ithm was a c on c ept she was stil l str uggl in g to gr asp. She pr ayed they’ d f in d N or th D akota in time. “M ake it q uic k, ” Str athmor e c al l ed, “an d you’ l l b e in the Smoky M oun tain s b y n ightf al l .” Susan f r oz e in her tr ac ks. She kn ew she had n ev er men tion ed her tr ip to Str athmor e. She wheel ed. Is the N SA tappi ng my phone? Str athmor e smil ed guil til y. “D av id tol d me ab out your tr ip this mor n in g. He said you’ d b e pr etty tic ked ab out postpon in g it.” Susan was l ost. “Y ou tal ked to D av id this morni ng ? ” “O f c our se.” Str athmor e seemed puz z l ed b y Susan ’ s r eac tion . “I had to b r ief him.” “B r ief him? ” she deman ded. “F or what? ” “F or his tr ip. I sen t D av id to Spain .”
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Spain . I sent D av i d to Spai n. The c omman der ’ s wor ds stun g. “D av id’ s in Spain ? ” Susan was in c r edul ous. “Y ou sen t him to Spain ? ” Her ton e tur n ed an gr y. “W hy? ” Str athmor e l ooked dumb f oun ded. He was appar en tl y n ot ac c ustomed to b ein g yel l ed at, ev en b y his head c r yptogr apher . He gav e Susan a c on f used l ook. She was f l ex ed l ike a mother tiger def en din g her c ub . “Susan , ” he said. “Y ou spoke to him, didn ’ t you? D av id di d ex pl ain ? ” She was too shoc ked to speak. Spain ? That’ s why D av id postpon ed our Ston e M an or tr ip? “I sen t a c ar f or him this mor n in g. He said he was goin g to c al l you b ef or e he l ef t. I ’ m sor r y. I thought–” “W hy woul d you sen d D av id to Spain ? ” Str athmor e paused an d gav e her an ob v ious l ook. “To get the other pass-key.” “W hat other pass-key? ” “Tan kado’ s c opy.” Susan was l ost. “W hat ar e you tal kin g ab out? ” Str athmor e sighed. “Tan kado sur el y woul d hav e had a c opy of the pass-key on him when he died. I sur e as hel l didn ’ t wan t it f l oatin g ar oun d the Sev il l e mor gue.” “So you sen t D av id B ec ker ? ” Susan was b eyon d shoc k. N othin g was makin g sen se. “D av id doesn ’ t ev en wor k f or you! ” Str athmor e l ooked star tl ed. N o on e ev er spoke to the deputy dir ec tor of the N SA that way. “Susan , ” he said, keepin g his c ool , “that’ s the poin t. I n eeded–” The tiger l ashed out. “Y ou’ v e got twen ty thousan d empl oyees at your c omman d! W hat giv es you the r ight to sen d my f ian c é ? ” “I n eeded a c iv il ian c our ier , someon e total l y r emov ed f r om gov er n men t. I f I wen t thr ough r egul ar c han n el s an d someon e c aught win d–” “A n d D av id B ec ker is the on l y c iv il ian you kn ow? ” “N o! D av id B ec ker is not the on l y c iv il ian I kn ow! B ut at six this mor n in g, thin gs wer e happen in g q uic kl y! D av id speaks the l an guage, he’ s smar t, I tr ust him, an d I thought I ’ d do him a f av or ! ” “A f av or ? ” Susan sputter ed. “Sen din g him to Spain is a f av or ? ” “Y es! I ’ m payin g him ten thousan d f or on e day’ s wor k. He’ l l pic k up Tan kado’ s b el on gin gs, an d he’ l l f l y home. That’ s a f av or ! ” Susan f el l sil en t. She un der stood. I t was al l ab out mon ey. Her thoughts wheel ed b ac k f iv e mon ths to the n ight the pr esiden t of G eor getown U n iv er sity had of f er ed D av id a pr omotion to the l an guage depar tmen t c hair . The pr esiden t had war n ed him that his teac hin g hour s woul d b e c ut b ac k an d that ther e woul d b e in c r eased paper wor k, b ut ther e was al so a sub stan tial r aise in sal ar y. Susan had wan ted to c r y out D av i d, don’ t do i t! Y ou ’ l l b e mi serab l e. W e hav e pl enty of money–who c ares whi c h one of u s earns i t? B ut it was n ot her pl ac e. I n the en d, she stood b y his dec ision to ac c ept. A s they f el l asl eep that n ight, Susan tr ied to b e happy f or him, b ut somethin g in side kept tel l in g her it woul d b e a disaster . She’ d b een r ight–b ut she’ d n ev er c oun ted on b ein g so r ight. “Y ou paid him ten thousan d dol l ar s? ” she deman ded. “That’ s a dir ty tr ic k! ” Str athmor e was f umin g n ow. “Tr ic k? I t wasn ’ t an y goddamn tr ic k! I didn ’ t ev en tel l him ab out the mon ey. I asked him as a per son al f av or . He agr eed to go.”
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“O f c our se he agr eed! Y ou’ r e my b oss! Y ou’ r e the deputy dir ec tor of the N SA ! He c oul dn ’ t say n o! ” “Y ou’ r e r ight, ” Str athmor e sn apped. “W hic h is why I c al l ed him. I didn ’ t hav e the l ux ur y of –” “D oes the dir ec tor kn ow you sen t a c iv il ian ? ” “Susan , ” Str athmor e said, his patien c e ob v iousl y wear in g thin , “the dir ec tor is n ot in v ol v ed. He kn ows n othin g ab out this.” Susan star ed at Str athmor e in disb el ief . I t was as if she n o l on ger kn ew the man she was tal kin g to. He had sen t her f ian c é –a teac her –on an N SA mission an d then f ail ed to n otif y the dir ec tor ab out the b iggest c r isis in the histor y of the or gan iz ation . “L el an d F on tain e hasn’ t b een n otif ied? ” Str athmor e had r eac hed the en d of his r ope. He ex pl oded. “Susan , n ow l isten her e! I c al l ed you in her e b ec ause I n eed an al l y, n ot an in q uir y! I ’ v e had on e hel l of mor n in g. I down l oaded Tan kado’ s f il e l ast n ight an d sat her e b y the output pr in ter f or hour s pr ayin g TR A N SL TR c oul d b r eak it. A t dawn I swal l owed my pr ide an d dial ed the dir ec tor –an d l et me tel l you, that was a c on v er sation I was real l y l ookin g f or war d to. G ood mor n in g, sir . I ’ m sor r y to wake you. W hy am I c al l in g? I j ust f oun d out TR A N SL TR is ob sol ete. I t’ s b ec ause of an al gor ithm my en tir e top-dol l ar C r ypto team c oul dn ’ t c ome c l ose to wr itin g! ” Str athmor e sl ammed his f ist on the desk. Susan stood f r oz en . She didn ’ t make a soun d. I n ten year s, she had seen Str athmor e l ose his c ool on l y a han df ul of times, an d n ev er on c e with her . Ten sec on ds l ater n either on e of them had spoken . F in al l y Str athmor e sat b ac k down , an d Susan c oul d hear his b r eathin g sl owin g to n or mal . W hen he f in al l y spoke, his v oic e was eer il y c al m an d c on tr ol l ed. “U n f or tun atel y, ” Str athmor e said q uietl y, “it tur n s out the dir ec tor is in South A mer ic a meetin g with the P r esiden t of C ol omb ia. B ec ause ther e’ s ab sol utel y n othin g he c oul d do f r om down ther e, I had two option s–r eq uest he c ut his meetin g shor t an d r etur n , or han dl e this mysel f .” Ther e was al on g sil en c e. Str athmor e f in al l y l ooked up, an d his tir ed eyes met Susan ’ s. His ex pr ession sof ten ed immediatel y. “Susan , I ’ m sor r y. I ’ m ex hausted. This is a n ightmar e c ome tr ue. I kn ow you’ r e upset ab out D av id. I didn ’ t mean f or you to f in d out this way. I thought you kn ew.” Susan f el t a wav e of guil t. “I ov er r eac ted. I ’ m sor r y. D av id is a good c hoic e.” Str athmor e n odded ab sen tl y. “He’ l l b e b ac k ton ight.” Susan thought ab out ev er ythin g the c omman der was goin g thr ough–the pr essur e of ov er seein g TR A N SL TR , the en dl ess hour s an d meetin gs. I t was r umor ed his wif e of thir ty year s was l eav in g him. Then on top of it, ther e was D igital F or tr ess–the b iggest in tel l igen c e thr eat in the histor y of the N SA , an d the poor guy was f l yin g sol o. N o won der he l ooked ab out to c r ac k. “C on sider in g the c ir c umstan c es, ” Susan said, “I thin k you shoul d pr ob ab l y c al l the dir ec tor .” Str athmor e shook his head, a b ead of sweat dr ippin g on his desk. “I ’ m n ot ab out to c ompr omise the dir ec tor ’ s saf ety or r isk a l eak b y c on tac tin g him ab out a maj or c r isis he c an do n othin g ab out.” Susan kn ew he was r ight. Ev en in momen ts l ike these, Str athmor e was c l ear -headed. “Hav e you c on sider ed c al l in g the P r esiden t? ” Str athmor e n odded. “Y es. I ’ v e dec ided again st it.” Susan had f igur ed as muc h. Sen ior N SA of f ic ial s had the r ight to han dl e v er if iab l e in tel l igen c e emer gen c ies without ex ec utiv e kn owl edge. The N SA was the on l y U .S.
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in tel l igen c e or gan iz ation that en j oyed total immun ity f r om f eder al ac c oun tab il ity of an y sor t. Str athmor e of ten av ail ed himsel f of this r ight; he pr ef er r ed to wor k his magic in isol ation . “C omman der , ” she ar gued, “this is too b ig to b e han dl ed al on e. Y ou’ v e got to l et someb ody el se in on it.” “Susan , the ex isten c e of D igital F or tr ess has maj or impl ic ation s f or the f utur e of this or gan iz ation . I hav e n o in ten tion of in f or min g the P r esiden t b ehin d the dir ec tor ’ s b ac k. W e hav e a c r isis, an d I ’ m han dl in g it.” He eyed her thoughtf ul l y. “I am the deputy dir ec tor of oper ation s.” A wear y smil e c r ept ac r oss his f ac e. “A n d b esides, I ’ m n ot al on e. I ’ v e got Susan F l etc her on my team.” I n that in stan t, Susan r eal iz ed what she r espec ted so muc h ab out Tr ev or Str athmor e. F or ten year s, thr ough thic k an d thin , he had al ways l ed the way f or her . Steadf ast. U n wav er in g. I t was his dedic ation that amaz ed her –his un shakab l e al l egian c e to his pr in c ipl es, his c oun tr y, an d his ideal s. C ome what may, C omman der Tr ev or Str athmor e was a guidin g l ight in a wor l d of impossib l e dec ision s. “Y ou are on my team, ar en ’ t you? ” he asked. Susan smil ed. “Y es, sir , I am. O n e hun dr ed per c en t.” “G ood. N ow c an we get b ac k to wor k? ”
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D av id B ec ker had b een to f un er al s an d seen dead b odies b ef or e, b ut ther e was somethin g par tic ul ar l y un n er v in g ab out this on e. I t was n ot an immac ul atel y gr oomed c or pse r estin g in a sil k-l in ed c of f in . This b ody had b een str ipped n aked an d dumped un c er emon iousl y on an al umin um tab l e. The eyes had n ot yet f oun d their v ac an t, l if el ess gaz e. I n stead they wer e twisted upwar d towar d the c eil in g in an eer ie f r eez e-f r ame of ter r or an d r egr et. “¿ D ó n de está n sus ef ec tos? ” B ec ker asked in f l uen t C astil l ian Span ish. “W her e ar e his b el on gin gs? ” “A l l í , ” r epl ied the yel l ow-toothed l ieuten an t. He poin ted to a c oun ter of c l othin g an d other per son al items. “¿ Es todo? I s that al l ? ” “Sí .” B ec ker asked f or a c ar db oar d b ox . The l ieuten an t hur r ied of f to f in d on e. I t was Satur day ev en in g, an d the Sev il l e mor gue was tec hn ic al l y c l osed. The youn g l ieuten an t had l et B ec ker in un der dir ec t or der s f r om the head of the Sev il l e G uar dia–it seemed the v isitin g A mer ic an had power f ul f r ien ds. B ec ker eyed the pil e of c l othes. Ther e was a passpor t, wal l et, an d gl asses stuf f ed in on e of the shoes. Ther e was al so a smal l duf f el the G uar dia had taken f r om the man ’ s hotel . B ec ker ’ s dir ec tion s wer e c l ear : Touc h n othin g. R ead n othin g. Just b r in g it al l b ac k. Ev er ythin g. D on ’ t miss an ythin g. B ec ker sur v eyed the pil e an d f r own ed. W hat c oul d the N SA possib l y wan t with this j un k? The l ieuten an t r etur n ed with a smal l b ox , an d B ec ker b egan puttin g the c l othes in side. The of f ic er poked at the c adav er ’ s l eg. “¿ Q uien es? W ho is he? ” “N o idea.” “L ooks C hin ese.” J apanese, B ec ker thought. “P oor b astar d. Hear t attac k, huh? ” B ec ker n odded ab sen tl y. “That’ s what they tol d me.” The l ieuten an t sighed an d shook his head sympathetic al l y. “The Sev il l e sun c an b e c r uel . B e c ar ef ul out ther e tomor r ow.” “Than ks, ” B ec ker said. “B ut I ’ m headed home.” The of f ic er l ooked shoc ked. “Y ou j ust got her e! ” “I kn ow, b ut the guy payin g my air f ar e is waitin g f or these items.” The l ieuten an t l ooked of f en ded in the way on l y a Span iar d c an b e of f en ded. “Y ou mean you’ r e n ot goin g to ex peri enc e Sev il l e? ” “I was her e year s ago. B eautif ul c ity. I ’ d l ov e to stay.” “So you’ v e seen L a G ir al da? ” B ec ker n odded. He’ d n ev er ac tual l y c l imb ed the an c ien t M oor ish tower , b ut he’ d seen it. “How ab out the A l c az ar ? ” B ec ker n odded again , r ememb er in g the n ight he’ d hear d P ac ode L uc ia pl ay guitar in the c our tyar d–F l amen c o un der the star s in a f if teen th-c en tur y f or tr ess. He wished he’ d kn own Susan b ac k then . “A n d of c our se ther e’ s C hr istopher C ol umb us.” The of f ic er b eamed. “He’ s b ur ied in
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our c athedr al .” B ec ker l ooked up. “R eal l y? I thought C ol umb us was b ur ied in the D omin ic an R epub l ic .” “Hel l n o! W ho star ts these r umor s? C ol umb us’ s b ody is her e in Spain ! I thought you said you wen t to c ol l ege.” B ec ker shr ugged. “I must hav e missed that day.” “The Span ish c hur c h is v er y pr oud to own his r el ic s.” T he Spani sh c hu rc h. B ec ker kn ew her e was on l y on e c hur c h in Spain –the R oman C athol ic c hur c h. C athol ic ism was b igger her e than in V atic an C ity. “W e don ’ t, of c our se, hav e his en tir e b ody, ” the l ieuten an t added. “Sol o el esc r oto.” B ec ker stopped pac kin g an d star ed at the l ieuten an t. Sol o el esc roto? He f ought of f a gr in . “Just his sc r otum? ” The of f ic er n odded pr oudl y. “Y es. W hen the c hur c h ob tain s the r emain s of a gr eat man , they sain t him an d spr ead the r el ic s to dif f er en t c athedr al s so ev er yon e c an en j oy their spl en dor .” “A n d you got the…” B ec ker stif l ed a l augh. “O ye! I t’ s a pr etty impor tan t par t! ” the of f ic er def en ded. “I t’ s n ot l ike we got a r ib or a kn uc kl e l ike those c hur c hes in G al ic ia! Y ou shoul d r eal l y stay an d see it.” B ec ker n odded pol itel y. “M ayb e I ’ l l dr op in on my way out of town .” “M al a suer te.” The of f ic er sighed. “B ad l uc k. The c athedr al ’ s c l osed til l sun r ise mass.” “A n other time then .” B ec ker smil ed, hoistin g the b ox . “I shoul d pr ob ab l y get goin g. M y f l ight’ s waitin g. “He made a f in al gl an c e ar oun d the r oom. “Y ou wan t a r ide to the air por t? ” the of f ic er asked. “I ’ v e got a M oto G uz z i out f r on t.” “N o than ks. I ’ l l c atc h a c ab .” B ec ker had dr iv en a motor c yc l e on c e in c ol l ege an d n ear l y kil l ed himsel f on it. He had n o in ten tion of gettin g on on e again , r egar dl ess of who was dr iv in g. “W hatev er you say, ” the of f ic er said, headin g f or the door . “I ’ l l get the l ights.” B ec ker tuc ked the b ox un der his ar m. H av e I g ot ev erythi ng ? He took a l ast l ook at the b ody on the tab l e. The f igur e was star k n aked, f ac e up un der f l uor esc en t l ights, c l ear l y hidin g n othin g. B ec ker f oun d his eyes dr awn again to the str an gel y def or med han ds. He gaz ed a min ute, f oc usin g mor e in ten tl y. The of f ic er kil l ed the l ights, an d the r oom wen t dar k. “Hol d on , ” B ec ker said. “Tur n those b ac k on .” The l ights f l ic ker ed b ac k on . B ec ker set his b ox on the f l oor wal ked ov er to the c or pse. He l ean ed down an d sq uin ted at the man ’ s l ef t han d. The of f ic er f ol l owed B ec ker ’ s gaz e. “P r etty ugl y, huh? ” B ut the def or mity was n ot what had c aught B ec ker ’ s eye. He’ d seen somethin g el se. He tur n ed to the of f ic er . “Y ou’ r e sur e ev er ythin g’ s in this b ox ? ” The of f ic er n odded. “Y eah. That’ s it.” B ec ker stood f or momen t with his han ds on his hips. Then he pic ked up the b ox , c ar r ied it b ac k ov er to the c oun ter , an d dumped it out. C ar ef ul l y, piec e b y piec e, he shook out the c l othin g. Then he emptied the shoes an d tapped them as if tr yin g to r emov e a peb b l e. A f ter goin g ov er ev er ythin g a sec on d time, he stepped b ac k an d f r own ed. “P r ob l em? ” asked the l ieuten an t. “Y eah, ” B ec ker said. “W e’ r e missin g somethin g.”
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Tokugen N umataka stood in his pl ush, pen thouse of f ic e an d gaz ed out at the Tokyo skyl in e. His empl oyees an d c ompetitor s kn ew him a sak u ta same –the deadl y shar k. F or thr ee dec ade she’ d outguessed, outb id, an d out adv er tised al l the Japan ese c ompetition ; n ow he was on the b r in k of b ec omin g a gian t in the wor l d mar ket as wel l . He was ab out to c l ose the b iggest deal of his l if e–a deal that woul d make his N umatec h C or p. the M ic r osof t of the f utur e. His b l ood was al iv e with the c ool r ush of adr en al in e. B usin ess was war –an d war was ex c itin g. A l though Tokugen N umataka had b een suspic ious when the c al l had c ome thr ee days ago, he n ow kn ew the tr uth. He was b l essed with myou ri –good f or tun e. The gods had c hosen him. *** “I hav e a c opy of the D igital F or tr ess pass-key, ” the A mer ic an ac c en t had said. “W oul d you l ike to b uy it? ” N umataka had al most l aughed al oud. He kn ew it was a pl oy. N umatec h C or p. had b id gen er ousl y f or En sei Tan kado’ s n ew al gor ithm, an d n ow on e of N umatec h’ s c ompetitor s was pl ayin g games, tr yin g to f in d out the amoun t of the b id. “Y ou hav e the pass-key? ” N umataka f eign ed in ter est. “I do. M y n ame is N or th D akota.” N umataka stif l ed a l augh. Ev er yon e kn ew ab out N or th D akota. Tan kado had tol d the pr ess ab out his sec r et par tn er . I t had b een a wise mov e on Tan kado’ s par t to hav e a par tn er ; ev en in Japan , b usin ess pr ac tic es had b ec ome dishon or ab l e. En sei Tan kado was n ot saf e. B ut on e f al se mov e b y an ov er eager f ir m, an d the pass-key woul d b e pub l ished; ev er y sof twar e f ir m on the mar ket woul d suf f er . N umataka took a l on g pul l on his U mami c igar an d pl ayed al on g with the c al l er ’ s pathetic c har ade. “So you’ r e sel l in g your pass-key? I n ter estin g. How does En sei Tan kado f eel ab out this? ” “I hav e n o al l egian c e to M r . Tan kado. M r . Tan kado was f ool ish to tr ust me. The pass-key is wor th hun dr eds of times what he is payin g me to han dl e it f or him.” “I ’ m sor r y, ” N umataka said. “Y our pass-key al on e is wor th n othin g to me. W hen Tan kado f in ds out what you’ v e don e, he wil l simpl y pub l ish his c opy, an d the mar ket wil l b e f l ooded.” “Y ou wil l r ec eiv e b oth pass-keys, ” the v oic e said. “M r . Tan kado’ s and min e.” N umataka c ov er ed the r ec eiv er an d l aughed al oud. He c oul dn ’ t hel p askin g. “How muc h ar e you askin g f or b oth keys? ” “Twen ty mil l ion U .S. dol l ar s.” Twen ty mil l ion was al most ex ac tl y what N umataka had b id. “Twen ty mil l ion ? ” He gasped in moc k hor r or . “That’ s outr ageous! ” “I ’ v e seen the al gor ithm. I assur e you it’ s wel l wor th it.” N o shi t, thought N umataka. It’ s worth ten ti mes that. “U n f or tun atel y, ” he said, tir in g of the game, “we b oth kn ow M r . Tan kado woul d n ev er stan d f or this. Thin k of the l egal r eper c ussion s.” The c al l er paused omin ousl y. “W hat if M r . Tan kado wer e n o l on ger a f ac tor ? ” N umataka wan ted to l augh, b ut he n oted an odd deter min ation in the v oic e. “I f
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Tan kado wer e n o l on ger a f ac tor ? ” N umataka c on sider ed it. “Then you an d I woul d hav e a deal .” “I ’ l l b e in touc h, ” the v oic e said. The l in e wen t dead.
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B ec ker gaz ed down at the c adav er . Ev en hour s af ter death, the A sian ’ s f ac e r adiated with a pin kish gl ow of a r ec en t sun b ur n . The r est of him was a pal e yel l ow–al l ex c ept the smal l ar ea of pur pl ish b r uisin g dir ec tl y ov er his hear t. P r ob ab l y f r om the C P R , B ec ker mused. Too b ad it didn ’ t wor k. He wen t b ac k to studyin g the c adav er ’ s han ds. They wer e l ike n othin g B ec ker had ev er seen . Eac h han d had on l y thr ee digits, an d they wer e twisted an d askew. The disf igur emen t, howev er , was n ot what B ec ker was l ookin g at. “W el l , I ’ l l b e.” The l ieuten an t gr un ted f r om ac r oss the r oom. “He’ s Japan ese, n ot C hin ese.” B ec ker l ooked up. The of f ic er was thumb in g thr ough the dead man ’ s passpor t. “I ’ d r ather you didn ’ t l ook at that, ” B ec ker r eq uested. T ou c h nothi ng . R ead nothi ng . “En sei Tan kado… b or n Jan uar y–” “P l ease, ” B ec ker said pol itel y. “P ut it b ac k.” The of f ic er star ed at the passpor t a momen t l on ger an d then tossed it b ac k on the pil e. “This guy’ s got a c l ass-3 v isa. He c oul d hav e stayed her e f or year s.” B ec ker poked at the v ic tim’ s han d with a pen . “M ayb e he l iv ed her e.” “N ope. D ate of en tr y was l ast week.” “M ayb e he was mov i ng her e, ” B ec ker of f er ed c ur tl y. “Y eah, mayb e. C r ummy f ir st week. Sun str oke an d a hear t attac k. P oor b astar d.” B ec ker ign or ed the of f ic er an d studied the han d. “Y ou’ r e positiv e he wasn ’ t wear in g an y j ewel r y when he died? ” The of f ic er l ooked up, star tl ed. “Jewel r y? ” “Y eah. Take a l ook at this.” The of f ic er c r ossed the r oom. The skin on Tan kado’ s l ef t han d showed tr ac es of sun b ur n , ev er ywher e ex c ept a n ar r ow b an d of f l esh ar oun d the smal l est f in ger . B ec ker poin ted to the str ip of pal e f l esh. “See how this isn ’ t sun b ur n ed her e? L ooks l ike he was wear in g a r in g.” The of f ic er seemed sur pr ised. “A ri ng ? ” His v oic e soun ded sudden l y per pl ex ed. He studied the c or pse’ s f in ger . Then he f l ushed sheepishl y. “M y G od.” He c huc kl ed. “The stor y was tru e? ” B ec ker had a sudden sin kin g f eel in g. “I b eg your par don ? ” The of f ic er shook his head in disb el ief . “I woul d hav e men tion ed it b ef or e… b ut I thought the guy was n uts.” B ec ker was n ot smil in g. “W hat guy? ” “The guy who phon ed in the emer gen c y. Some C an adian tour ist. K ept tal kin g ab out a r in g. B ab b l in g in the wor st damn Span ish I ev er hear d.” “He said M r . Tan kado was wear in g a ri ng ? ” The of f ic er n odded. He pul l ed out a D uc ado c igar ette, eyed the n o f umar sign , an d l it up an yway. “G uess I shoul d hav e said somethin g, b ut the guy soun ded total l y l oc o.” B ec ker f r own ed. Str athmor e’ s wor ds ec hoed in his ear s. I wan t ev er ythin g En sei Tan kado had with him. Ev er ythin g. L eav e n othin g. N ot ev en a tin y sc r ap of paper . “W her e is the r in g n ow? ” B ec ker asked. The of f ic er took a puf f . “L on g stor y.” Somethin g tol d B ec ker this was not good n ews. “Tel l me an yway.”
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Susan F l etc her sat at her c omputer ter min al in side N ode 3 . N ode 3 was the c r yptogr apher s’ pr iv ate, soun dpr oof ed c hamb er j ust of f the main f l oor . A two-in c h sheet of c ur v ed on e-way gl ass gav e the c r yptogr apher s a pan or ama of the C r ypto f l oor whil e pr ohib itin g an yon e el se f r om seein g in side. A t the b ac k of the ex pan siv e N ode 3 c hamb er , twel v e ter min al s sat in a per f ec t c ir c l e. The an n ul ar ar r an gemen t was in ten ded to en c our age in tel l ec tual ex c han ge b etween c r yptogr apher s, to r emin d them they wer e par t of a l ar ger team–somethin g l ike a c ode-b r eaker ’ s K n ights of the R oun d Tab l e. I r on ic al l y, sec r ets wer e f r own ed on in side N ode 3 . N ic kn amed the P l aypen , N ode 3 had n on e of the ster il e f eel of the r est of C r ypto. I t was design ed to f eel l ike home–pl ush c ar pets, high-tec h soun d system, f ul l y stoc ked f r idge, kitc hen ette, a N er f b asketb al l hoop. The N SA had a phil osophy ab out C r ypto: D on ’ t dr op a c oupl e b il l ion b uc ks in to a c ode-b r eakin g c omputer without en tic in g the b est of the b est to stic k ar oun d an d use it. Susan sl ipped out of her Sal v ator e F er r agamo f l ats an d dug her stoc kin ged toes in to the thic k pil e c ar pet. W el l -paid gov er n men t empl oyees wer e en c our aged to r ef r ain f r om l av ish displ ays of per son al weal th. I t was usual l y n o pr ob l em f or Susan –she was per f ec tl y happy with her modest dupl ex , V ol v o sedan , an d c on ser v ativ e war dr ob e. B ut shoes wer e an other matter . Ev en when Susan was in c ol l ege, she’ d b udgeted f or the b est. Y ou c an ’ t j ump f or the star s if your f eet hur t, her aun t had on c e tol d her . A n d when you get wher e you’ r e goin g, you dar n wel l b etter l ook gr eat! Susan al l owed her sel f a l ux ur ious str etc h an d then settl ed down to b usin ess. She pul l ed up her tr ac er an d pr epar ed to c on f igur e it. She gl an c ed at the E-mail addr ess Str athmor e had giv en her . N D A K O TA @ ar a.an on .or g The man c al l in g himsel f N or th D akota had an an on ymous ac c oun t, b ut Susan kn ew it woul d n ot r emain an on ymous f or l on g. The tr ac er woul d pass thr ough A R A , get f or war ded to N or th D akota, an d then sen d in f or mation b ac k c on tain in g the man ’ s r eal I n ter n et addr ess. I f al l wen t wel l , it woul d l oc ate N or th D akota soon , an d Str athmor e c oul d c on f isc ate the pass-key. That woul d l eav e on l y D av id. W hen he f oun d Tan kado’ s c opy, b oth pass-keys c oul d b e destr oyed; Tan kado’ s l ittl e time b omb woul d b e har ml ess, a deadl y ex pl osiv e without a deton ator . Susan doub l e-c hec ked the addr ess on the sheet in f r on t of her an d en ter ed the in f or mation in the c or r ec t data f iel d. She c huc kl ed that Str athmor e had en c oun ter ed dif f ic ul ty sen din g the tr ac er himsel f . A ppar en tl y he’ d sen t it twic e, b oth times r ec eiv in g Tan kado’ s addr ess b ac k r ather than N or th D akota’ s. I t was a simpl e mistake, Susan thought; Str athmor e had pr ob ab l y in ter c han ged the data f iel ds, an d the tr ac er had sear c hed f or the wr on g ac c oun t. Susan f in ished c on f igur in g her tr ac er an d q ueued it f or r el ease. Then she hit r etur n . The c omputer b eeped on c e.
46 TR A C ER SEN T. N ow c ame the waitin g game. Susan ex hal ed. She f el t guil ty f or hav in g b een har d on the c omman der . I f ther e was an yon e q ual if ied to han dl e this thr eat sin gl e-han ded, it was Tr ev or Str athmor e. He had an un c an n y way of gettin g the b est of al l those who c hal l en ged him. Six mon ths ago, when the EF F b r oke a stor y that an N SA sub mar in e was sn oopin g un der water tel ephon e c ab l es, Str athmor e c al ml y l eaked a c on f l ic tin g stor y that the sub mar in e was ac tual l y il l egal l y b ur yin g tox ic waste. The EF F an d the oc ean ic en v ir on men tal ists spen t so muc h time b ic ker in g ov er whic h v er sion was tr ue, the media ev en tual l y tir ed of the stor y an d mov ed on . Ev er y mov e Str athmor e made was metic ul ousl y pl an n ed. He depen ded heav il y on his c omputer when dev isin g an d r ev isin g his pl an s. L ike man y N SA empl oyees, Str athmor e used N SA -dev el oped sof twar e c al l ed B r ain Stor m–a r isk-f r ee way to c ar r y out “what-if ” sc en ar ios in the saf ety of a c omputer . B r ain Stor m was an ar tif ic ial in tel l igen c e ex per imen t desc r ib ed b y its dev el oper s as a C ause & Ef f ec t Simul ator . I t or igin al l y had b een in ten ded f or use in pol itic al c ampaign s as a way to c r eate r eal -time model s of a giv en “pol itic al en v ir on men t.” F ed b y en or mous amoun ts of data, the pr ogr am c r eated a r el ation ar y web –a hypothesiz ed model of in ter ac tion b etween pol itic al v ar iab l es, in c l udin g c ur r en t pr omin en t f igur es, their staf f s, their per son al ties to eac h other , hot issues, in div idual s’ motiv ation s weighted b y v ar iab l es l ike sex , ethn ic ity, mon ey, an d power . The user c oul d then en ter an y hypothetic al ev en t an d B r ain Stor m woul d pr edic t the ev en t’ s ef f ec t on “the en v ir on men t.” C omman der Str athmor e wor ked r el igiousl y with B r ain Stor m–n ot f or pol itic al pur poses, b ut as a TF M dev ic e; Time-L in e, F l owc har t, & M appin g sof twar e was a power f ul tool f or outl in in g c ompl ex str ategies an d pr edic tin g weakn esses. Susan suspec ted ther e wer e sc hemes hidden in Str athmor e’ s c omputer that someday woul d c han ge the wor l d. Y es, Susan thought, I was too har d on him. Her thoughts wer e j ar r ed b y the hiss of the N ode 3 door s. Str athmor e b ur st in . “Susan , ” he said. “D av id j ust c al l ed. Ther e’ s b een a setb ac k.”
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“A r in g? ” Susan l ooked doub tf ul . “Tan kado’ s missin g a r in g? ” “Y es. W e’ r e l uc ky D av id c aught it. I t was a r eal heads-up pl ay.” “B ut you’ r e af ter a pass-key, n ot j ewel r y.” “I kn ow, ” Str athmor e said, “b ut I thin k they might b e on e an d the same.” Susan l ooked l ost. “I t’ s a l on g stor y.” She motion ed to the tr ac er on her sc r een . “I ’ m n ot goin g an ywher e.” Str athmor e sighed heav il y an d b egan pac in g. “A ppar en tl y, ther e wer e witn esses to Tan kado’ s death. A c c or din g to the of f ic er at the mor gue, a C an adian tour ist c al l ed the G uar dia this mor n in g in a pan ic –he said a Japan ese man was hav in g a hear t attac k in the par k. W hen the of f ic er ar r iv ed, he f oun d Tan kado dead an d the C an adian ther e with him, so he r adioed the par amedic s. W hil e the par amedic s took Tan kado’ s b ody to the mor gue, the of f ic er tr ied to get the C an adian to tel l him what happen ed. A l l the ol d guy did was b ab b l e ab out some r in g Tan kado had giv en away r ight b ef or e he died.” Susan eyed him skeptic al l y. “Tan kado g av e away a r in g? ” “Y eah. A ppar en tl y he f or c ed it in this ol d guy’ s f ac e–l ike he was b eggin g him to take it. Soun ds l ike the ol d guy got a c l ose l ook at it.” Str athmor e stopped pac in g an d tur n ed. “He said the r in g was en gr av ed–with some sor t of l etter in g.” “L etter in g? ” “Y es, an d ac c or din g to him, it wasn ’ t En gl ish.” Str athmor e r aised his eyeb r ows ex pec tan tl y. “Japan ese? ” Str athmor e shook his head. “M y f ir st thought too. B ut get this–the C an adian c ompl ain ed that the l etter s didn ’ t spel l an ythin g. Japan ese c har ac ter s c oul d n ev er b e c on f used with our R oman l etter in g. He said the en gr av in g l ooked l ike a c at had gotten l oose on a typewr iter .” Susan l aughed. “C omman der , you don ’ t r eal l y thin k–” Str athmor e c ut her of f . “Susan , it’ s c r ystal c l ear . Tan kado en gr av ed the D igital F or tr ess pass-key on his r in g. G ol d is dur ab l e. W hether he’ s sl eepin g, shower in g, eatin g– the pass-key woul d al ways b e with him, r eady at a momen t’ s n otic e f or in stan t pub l ic ation .” Susan l ooked dub ious. “O n his f in ger ? I n the open l ike that? ” “W hy n ot? Spain isn ’ t ex ac tl y the en c r yption c apital of the wor l d. N ob ody woul d hav e an y idea what the l etter s mean t. B esides, if the key is a stan dar d six ty-f our -b it–ev en in b r oad dayl ight, n ob ody c oul d possib l y r ead an d memor iz e al l six ty-f our c har ac ter s.” Susan l ooked per pl ex ed. “A n d Tan kado gav e this r in g to a total str an ger momen ts b ef or e he died? W hy? ” Str athmor e’ s gaz e n ar r owed. “W hy do you thin k? ” I t took Susan on l y a momen t b ef or e it c l ic ked. Her eyes widen ed. Str athmor e n odded. “Tan kado was tr yin g to get r id of it. He thought we’ d kil l ed him. He f el t himsel f dyin g an d l ogic al l y assumed we wer e r espon sib l e. The timin g was too c oin c iden tal . He f igur ed we’ d gotten to him, poison or somethin g, a sl ow-ac tin g c ar diac ar r estor . He kn ew the on l y way we’ d dar e kil l him is if we’ d f oun d N or th D akota.” Susan f el t a c hil l . “O f c our se, ” she whisper ed. “Tan kado thought that we n eutr al iz ed his in sur an c e pol ic y so we c oul d r emov e hi m too.” I t was al l c omin g c l ear to Susan . The timin g of the hear t attac k was so f or tun ate f or
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the N SA that Tan kado had assumed the N SA was r espon sib l e. His f in al in stin c t was r ev en ge. En sei gav e away his r in g as a l ast-ditc h ef f or t to pub l ish the pass-key. N ow, in c r edib l y, some un suspec tin g C an adian tour ist hel d the key to the most power f ul en c r yption al gor ithm in histor y. Susan suc ked in a deep b r eath an d asked the in ev itab l e q uestion . “So wher e is the C an adian n ow? ” Str athmor e f r own ed. “That’ s the pr ob l em.” “The of f ic er doesn ’ t kn ow wher e he is? ” “N o. The C an adian ’ s stor y was so ab sur d that the of f ic er f igur ed he was either in shoc k or sen il e. So he put the ol d guy on the b ac k of his motor c yc l e to take him b ac k to his hotel . B ut the C an adian didn ’ t kn ow en ough to han g on ; he f el l of f b ef or e they’ d gon e thr ee f eet–c r ac ked his head an d b r oke his wr ist.” “W hat! ” Susan c hoked. “The of f ic er wan ted to take him to a hospital , b ut the C an adian was f ur ious–said he’ d wal k b ac k to C an ada b ef or e he’ d get on the motor c yc l e again . So al l the of f ic er c oul d do was wal k him to a smal l pub l ic c l in ic n ear the par k. He l ef t him ther e to get c hec ked out.” Susan f r own ed. “I assume ther e’ s n o n eed to ask wher e D av id is headed.”
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D av id B ec ker stepped out on to the sc or c hin g til e c on c our se of P l az a de Españ a. B ef or e him, El A yun ta mien to–the an c ien t c ity c oun c il b uil din g–r ose f r om the tr ees on a thr ee-ac r e b ed of b l ue an d white az ul ej o til es. I ts A r ab ic spir es an d c ar v ed f ac ade gav e the impr ession it had b een in ten ded mor e as a pal ac e than a pub l ic of f ic e. D espite its histor y of mil itar y c oups, f ir es, an d pub l ic han gin gs, most tour ists v isited b ec ause the l oc al b r oc hur es pl ugged it as the En gl ish mil itar y headq uar ter s in the f il m L awrenc e of A rab i a . I t had b een f ar c heaper f or C ol umb ia P ic tur es to f il m in Spain than in Egypt, an d the M oor ish in f l uen c e on Sev il l e’ s ar c hitec tur e was en ough to c on v in c e mov iegoer s they wer e l ookin g at C air o. B ec ker r eset his Seiko f or l oc al time: 9 : 1 0 p.m.–stil l af ter n oon b y l oc al stan dar ds; a pr oper Span iar d n ev er ate din n er b ef or e sun set, an d the l az y A n dal usian sun sel dom sur r en der ed the skies b ef or e ten . Ev en in the ear l y-ev en in g heat, B ec ker f oun d himsel f wal kin g ac r oss the par k at a b r isk c l ip. Str athmor e’ s ton e had soun ded a l ot mor e ur gen t this time than it had that mor n in g. His n ew or der s l ef t n o r oom f or misin ter pr etation : F in d the C an adian , get the r in g. D o whatev er is n ec essar y, j ust get that r in g. B ec ker won der ed what c oul d possib l y b e so impor tan t ab out a r in g with l etter in g al l ov er it. Str athmor e hadn ’ t of f er ed, an d B ec ker hadn ’ t asked. N SA , he thought. N ev er Say A nythi ng . ***
O n the other side of A v en ida I sab el a C ató l ic a, the c l in ic was c l ear l y v isib l e–the un iv er sal symb ol of a r ed c r oss in a white c ir c l e pain ted on the r oof . The G uar dia of f ic er had dr opped the C an adian of f hour s ago. B r oken wr ist, b umped head–n o doub t the patien t had b een tr eated an d disc har ged b y n ow. B ec ker j ust hoped the c l in ic had disc har ge in f or mation –a l oc al hotel or phon e n umb er wher e the man c oul d b e r eac hed. W ith a l ittl e l uc k, B ec ker f igur ed he c oul d f in d the C an adian , get the r in g, an d b e on his way home without an y mor e c ompl ic ation s. Str athmor e had tol d B ec ker , “U se the ten thousan d c ash to b uy the r in g if you hav e to. I ’ l l r eimb ur se you.” “That’ s n ot n ec essar y, ” B ec ker had r epl ied. He’ d in ten ded to r etur n the mon ey an yway. He hadn ’ t gon e to Spain f or mon ey, he’ d gon e f or Susan . C omman der Tr ev or Str athmor e was Susan ’ s men tor an d guar dian . Susan owed him a l ot; a on e-day er r an d was the l east B ec ker c oul d do. U n f or tun atel y, thin gs this mor n in g hadn ’ t gon e q uite as B ec ker had pl an n ed. He’ d hoped to c al l Susan f r om the pl an e an d ex pl ain ev er ythin g. He c on sider ed hav in g the pil ot r adio Str athmor e so he c oul d pass al on g a message b ut was hesitan t to in v ol v e the deputy dir ec tor in his r oman tic pr ob l ems. Thr ee times B ec ker had tr ied to c al l Susan himsel f –f ir st f r om a def un c t c el l ul ar on b oar d the j et, n ex t f r om a pay phon e at the air por t, then again f r om the mor gue. Susan was n ot in . D av id won der ed wher e she c oul d b e. He’ d gotten her an swer in g mac hin e b ut had n ot l ef t a message; what he wan ted to say was n ot a message f or an an swer in g mac hin e. A s he appr oac hed the r oad, he spotted a phon e b ooth n ear the par k en tr an c e. He j ogged ov er , sn atc hed up the r ec eiv er , an d used his phon e c ar d to pl ac e the c al l . Ther e was
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a l on g pause as the n umb er c on n ec ted. F in al l y it b egan to r in g. C ome on . B e ther e. A f ter f iv e r in gs the c al l c on n ec ted. “Hi. This is Susan F l etc her . Sor r y I ’ m n ot in r ight n ow, b ut if you l eav e your n ame…” B ec ker l isten ed to the message. W here i s she? B y n ow Susan woul d b e pan ic ked. He won der ed if mayb e she’ d gon e to Ston e M an or without him. Ther e was a b eep. “Hi. I t’ s D av id.” He paused, un sur e what to say. O n e of the thin gs he hated ab out an swer in g mac hin es was that if you stopped to thin k, they c ut you of f . “Sor r y I didn ’ t c al l , ” he b l ur ted j ust in time. He won der ed if he shoul d tel l her what was goin g on . He thought b etter of it. “C al l C omman der Str athmor e. He’ l l ex pl ain ev er ythin g.” B ec ker ’ s hear t was poun din g. T hi s i s ab su rd, he thought. “I l ov e you, ” he added q uic kl y an d hun g up. B ec ker waited f or some tr af f ic to pass on A v en ida B or b ol l a. He thought ab out how Susan un doub tedl y woul d hav e assumed the wor st; it was un l ike him n ot to c al l when he’ d pr omised to. B ec ker stepped out on to the f our -l an e b oul ev ar d. “I n an d out, ” he whisper ed to himsel f . “I n an d out.” He was too pr eoc c upied to see the man in wir e-r im gl asses watc hin g f r om ac r oss the str eet.
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Stan din g b ef or e the huge pl ate-gl ass win dow in his Tokyo skyr ise, N umataka took a l on g pul l on his c igar an d smil ed to himsel f . He c oul d sc ar c el y b el iev e his good f or tun e. He had spoken to the A mer ic an again , an d if al l was goin g ac c or din g to the timetab l e, En sei Tan kado had b een el imin ated b y n ow, an d his c opy of the pass-key had b een c on f isc ated. I t was ir on ic , N umataka thought, that he himsel f woul d en d up with En sei Tan kado’ s pass-key. Tokugen N umataka had met Tan kado on c e man y year s ago. The youn g pr ogr ammer had c ome to N umatec h C or p. f r esh out of c ol l ege, sear c hin g f or a j ob . N umataka had den ied him. Ther e was n o q uestion that Tan kado was b r il l ian t, b ut at the time ther e wer e other c on sider ation s. A l though Japan was c han gin g, N umataka had b een tr ain ed in the ol d sc hool ; he l iv ed b y the c ode of men b oko–hon or an d f ac e. I mper f ec tion was n ot to b e tol er ated. I f he hir ed a c r ippl e, he woul d b r in g shame on his c ompan y. He had disposed of Tan kado’ s r é sumé without a gl an c e. N umataka c hec ked his watc h again . The A mer ic an , N or th D akota, shoul d hav e c al l ed b y n ow. N umataka f el t a tin ge of n er v ousn ess. He hoped n othin g was wr on g. I f the pass-keys wer e as good as pr omised, they woul d un l oc k the most sought-af ter pr oduc t of the c omputer age–a total l y in v ul n er ab l e digital en c r yption al gor ithm. N umataka c oul d emb ed the al gor ithm in tamper -pr oof , spr ay-seal ed V SL I c hips an d mass mar ket them to wor l d c omputer man uf ac tur er s, gov er n men ts, in dustr ies, an d per haps, ev en the dar ker mar kets… the b l ac k mar ket of wor l d ter r or ists. N umataka smil ed. I t appear ed, as usual , that he had f oun d f av or with the shic higosan –the sev en deities of good l uc k. N umatec h C or p. was ab out to c on tr ol the on l y c opy of D igital F or tr ess that woul d ev er ex ist. Twen ty mil l ion dol l ar s was a l ot of mon ey– b ut c on sider in g the pr oduc t, it was the steal of the c en tur y.
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“W hat if someon e el se is l ookin g f or the r in g? ” Susan asked, sudden l y n er v ous. “C oul d D av id b e in dan ger ? ” Str athmor e shook his head. “N ob ody el se kn ows the r in g ex ists. That’ s why I sen t D av id. I wan ted to keep it that way. C ur ious spooks don ’ t usual l y tail Span ish teac her s.” “He’ s a pr of essor , ” Susan c or r ec ted, immediatel y r egr ettin g the c l ar if ic ation . Ev er y n ow an d again Susan got the f eel in g D av id wasn ’ t good en ough f or the c omman der , that he thought somehow she c oul d do b etter than a sc hool teac her . “C omman der , ” she said, mov in g on , “if you b r ief ed D av id b y c ar phon e this mor n in g, someon e c oul d hav e in ter c epted the–” “O n e-in -a-mil l ion shot, ” Str athmor e in ter r upted, his ton e r eassur in g. “A n y eav esdr opper had to b e in the immediate v ic in ity an d kn ow ex ac tl y what to l isten f or .” He put his han d on her shoul der . “I woul d n ev er hav e sen t D av id if I thought it was dan ger ous.” He smil ed. “Tr ust me. A n y sign of tr oub l e, an d I ’ l l sen d in the pr os.” Str athmor e’ s wor ds wer e pun c tuated b y the sudden soun d of someon e poun din g on the N ode 3 gl ass. Susan an d Str athmor e tur n ed. Sys-Sec P hil C har tr ukian had his f ac e pr essed again st the pan e an d was poun din g f ier c el y, str ain in g to see thr ough. W hatev er he was ex c itedl y mouthin g was n ot audib l e thr ough the soun dpr oof ed gl ass. He l ooked l ike he’ d seen a ghost. “W hat the hel l is C har tr ukian doin g her e? ” Str athmor e gr owl ed. “He’ s n ot on duty today.” “L ooks l ike tr oub l e, ” Susan said. “He pr ob ab l y saw the R un -M on itor .” “G oddamn it! ” the c omman der hissed. “I spec if ic al l y c al l ed the sc hedul ed Sys-Sec l ast n ight an d tol d him n ot to c ome in ! ” Susan was n ot sur pr ised. C an c el in g a Sys-Sec duty was ir r egul ar , b ut Str athmor e un doub tedl y had wan ted pr iv ac y in the dome. The l ast thin g he n eeded was some par an oid Sys-Sec b l owin g the l id of f D igital F or tr ess. “W e b etter ab or t TR A N SL TR , ” Susan said. “W e c an r eset the R un -M on itor an d tel l P hil he was seein g thin gs.” Str athmor e appear ed to c on sider it, then shook his head. “N ot yet. TR A N SL TR is f if teen hour s in to this attac k. I wan t to r un it a f ul l twen ty-f our –j ust to b e sur e.” This made sen se to Susan . D igital F or tr ess was the f ir st ev er use of a r otatin g c l ear tex t f un c tion . M ayb e Tan kado had ov er l ooked somethin g; mayb e TR A N SL TR woul d b r eak it af ter twen ty-f our hour s. Somehow Susan doub ted it. “TR A N SL TR keeps r un n in g, ” Str athmor e r esol v ed. “I n eed to kn ow f or sur e this al gor ithm is un touc hab l e.” C har tr ukian c on tin ued poun din g on the pan e. “Her e goes n othin g.” Str athmor e gr oan ed. “B ac k me up.” The c omman der took a deep b r eath an d then str ode to the sl idin g gl ass door s. The pr essur e pl ate on the f l oor ac tiv ated, an d the door s hissed open . C har tr ukian pr ac tic al l y f el l in to the r oom. “C omman der , sir . I … I ’ m sor r y to b other you, b ut the R un -M on itor … I r an a v ir us pr ob e an d–” “P hil , P hil , P hil , ” the c omman der gushed pl easan tl y as he put a r eassur in g han d on C har tr ukian ’ s shoul der . “Sl ow down . W hat seems to b e the pr ob l em? ” F r om the easygoin g ton e in Str athmor e’ s v oic e, n ob ody woul d ev er hav e guessed his wor l d was f al l in g in ar oun d him. He stepped aside an d usher ed C har tr ukian in to the sac r ed wal l s of N ode 3 . The Sys-Sec stepped ov er the thr eshol d hesitan tl y, l ike a
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wel l -tr ain ed dog that kn ew b etter . F r om the puz z l ed l ook on C har tr ukian ’ s f ac e, it was ob v ious he’ d n ev er seen the in side of this pl ac e. W hatev er had b een the sour c e of his pan ic was momen tar il y f or gotten . He sur v eyed the pl ush in ter ior , the l in e of pr iv ate ter min al s, the c ouc hes, the b ookshel v es, the sof t l ightin g. W hen his gaz e f el l on the r eign in g q ueen of C r ypto, Susan F l etc her , he q uic kl y l ooked away. Susan in timidated the hel l out of him. Her min d wor ked on a dif f er en t pl an e. She was un settl in gl y b eautif ul , an d his wor ds al ways seemed to get j umb l ed ar oun d her . Susan ’ s un assumin g air made it ev en wor se. “W hat seems to b e the pr ob l em, P hil ? ” Str athmor e said, open in g the r ef r iger ator . “D r in k? ” “N o, ah–n o, than k you, sir .” He seemed ton gue-tied, n ot sur e he was tr ul y wel c ome. “Sir … I thin k ther e’ s a pr ob l em with TR A N SL TR .” Str athmor e c l osed the r ef r iger ator an d l ooked at C har tr ukian c asual l y. “Y ou mean the R un -M on itor ? ” C har tr ukian l ooked shoc ked. “Y ou mean you’ v e seen it? ” “Sur e. I t’ s r un n in g at ab out six teen hour s, if I ’ m n ot mistaken .” C har tr ukian seemed puz z l ed. “Y es, sir , six teen hour s. B ut that’ s n ot al l , sir . I r an a v ir us pr ob e, an d it’ s tur n in g up some pr etty str an ge stuf f .” “R eal l y? ” Str athmor e seemed un c on c er n ed. “W hat kin d of stuf f ? ” Susan watc hed, impr essed with the c omman der ’ s per f or man c e. C har tr ukian stumb l ed on . “TR A N SL TR ’ s pr oc essin g somethin g v er y adv an c ed. The f il ter s hav e n ev er seen an ythin g l ike it. I ’ m af r aid TR A N SL TR may hav e some sor t of v ir us.” “A v ir us? ” Str athmor e c huc kl ed with j ust a hin t of c on desc en sion . “P hil , I appr ec iate your c on c er n , I r eal l y do. B ut M s. F l etc her an d I ar e r un n in g a n ew diagn ostic , some v er y adv an c ed stuf f . I woul d hav e al er ted you to it, b ut I wasn ’ t awar e you wer e on duty today.” The Sys-Sec did his b est to c ov er gr ac ef ul l y. “I switc hed with the n ew guy. I took his weeken d shif t.” Str athmor e’ s eyes n ar r owed. “That’ s odd. I spoke to him l ast n ight. I tol d him n ot to c ome in . He said n othin g ab out switc hin g shif ts.” C har tr ukian f el t a kn ot r ise in his thr oat. Ther e was a ten se sil en c e. “W el l .” Str athmor e f in al l y sighed. “Soun ds l ike an un f or tun ate mix -up.” He put a han d on the Sys-Sec ’ s shoul der an d l ed him towar d the door . “The good n ews is you don ’ t hav e to stay. M s. F l etc her an d I wil l b e her e al l day. W e’ l l hol d the f or t. Y ou j ust en j oy your weeken d.” C har tr ukian was hesitan t. “C omman der , I r eal l y thin k we shoul d c hec k the–” “P hil , ” Str athmor e r epeated a l ittl e mor e ster n l y, “TR A N SL TR is f in e. I f your pr ob e saw somethin g str an ge, it’ s b ec ause we put it ther e. N ow if you don ’ t min d…” Str athmor e tr ail ed of f , an d the Sys-Sec un der stood. His time was up. ***
“A diagn ostic , my ass! ” C har tr ukian mutter ed as he f umed b ac k in to the Sys-Sec l ab . hat kin d of l oopin g f un c tion keeps thr ee mil l ion pr oc essor s b usy f or six teen hour s? ” C har tr ukian won der ed if he shoul d c al l the Sys-Sec super v isor . G oddamn c ryptog raphers, he thought. T hey j u st don’ t u nderstand sec u ri ty! “W
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The oath C har tr ukian had taken when he j oin ed Sys-Sec b egan r un n in g thr ough his head. He had swor n to use his ex per tise, tr ain in g, an d in stin c t to pr otec t the N SA ’ s mul tib il l ion -dol l ar in v estmen t. “I n stin c t, ” he said def ian tl y. I t doesn ’ t take a psyc hic to kn ow this isn ’ t an y goddamn diagn ostic ! D ef ian tl y, C har tr ukian str ode ov er to the ter min al an d f ir ed up TR A N SL TR ’ s c ompl ete ar r ay of system assessmen t sof twar e. “Y our b ab y’ s in tr oub l e, C omman der , ” he gr umb l ed. “Y ou don ’ t tr ust in stin c t? I ’ l l get you pr oof ! ”
C h ap t e r 2 0
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L a C l í n ic a de Sal ud P ú b l ic a was ac tual l y a c on v er ted el emen tar y sc hool an d didn ’ t muc h r esemb l e a hospital at al l . I t was a l on g, on e-stor y b r ic k b uil din g with huge win dows an d a r usted swin g set out b ac k. B ec ker headed up the c r umb l in g steps. I n side, it was dar k an d n oisy. The waitin g r oom was a l in e of f ol din g metal c hair s that r an the en tir e l en gth of a l on g n ar r ow c or r idor . A c ar db oar d sign on a sawhor se r ead of ic in a with an ar r ow poin tin g down the hal l . B ec ker wal ked the diml y l it c or r idor . I t was l ike some sor t of eer ie set c on j ur ed up f or a Hol l ywood hor r or f l ic k. The air smel l ed of ur in e. The l ights at the f ar en d wer e b l own out, an d the l ast f or ty or f if ty f eet r ev eal ed n othin g b ut muted sil houettes. A b l eedin g woman … a youn g c oupl e c r yin g… a l ittl e gir l pr ayin g… B ec ker r eac hed the en d of the dar ken ed hal l . The door to his l ef t was sl ightl y aj ar , an d he pushed it open . I t was en tir el y empty ex c ept f or an ol d, wither ed woman n aked on a c ot str uggl in g with her b edpan . L ov el y. B ec ker gr oan ed. He c l osed the door . W her e the hel l is the of f ic e? A r oun d a smal l dog-l eg in the hal l , B ec ker hear d v oic es. He f ol l owed the soun d an d ar r iv ed at a tr an sl uc en t gl ass door that soun ded as if a b r awl wer e goin g on b ehin d it. R el uc tan tl y, B ec ker pushed the door open . The of f ic e. M ayhem. Just as he’ d f ear ed. The l in e was ab out ten peopl e deep, ev er yon e pushin g an d shoutin g. Spain was n ot kn own f or its ef f ic ien c y, an d B ec ker kn ew he c oul d b e ther e al l n ight waitin g f or disc har ge in f o on the C an adian . Ther e was on l y on e sec r etar y b ehin d the desk, an d she was f en din g of f disgr un tl ed patien ts. B ec ker stood in the door way a momen t an d pon der ed his option s. Ther e was a b etter way. “C on per miso! ” an or der l y shouted. A f ast-r ol l in g gur n ey sail ed b y. B ec ker spun out of the way an d c al l ed af ter the or der l y. “¿ D ó n de está el tel é f on o? ” W ithout b r eakin g str ide, the man poin ted to a set of doub l e door s an d disappear ed ar oun d the c or n er . B ec ker wal ked ov er to the door s an d pushed his way thr ough. The r oom b ef or e him was en or mous–an ol d gymn asium. The f l oor was a pal e gr een an d seemed to swim in an d out of f oc us un der the hum of the f l uor esc en t l ights. O n the wal l , a b asketb al l hoop hun g l impl y f r om its b ac kb oar d. Sc atter ed ac r oss the f l oor wer e a f ew doz en patien ts on l ow c ots. I n the f ar c or n er , j ust b en eath a b ur n ed-out sc or eb oar d, was an ol d pay phon e. B ec ker hoped it wor ked. A s he str ode ac r oss the f l oor , he f umb l ed in his poc ket f or a c oin . He f oun d 7 5 pesetas in c in c o-dur os c oin s, c han ge f r om the tax i–j ust en ough f or two l oc al c al l s. He smil ed pol itel y to an ex itin g n ur se an d made his way to the phon e. Sc oopin g up the r ec eiv er , B ec ker dial ed D ir ec tor y A ssistan c e. Thir ty sec on ds l ater he had the n umb er f or the c l in ic ’ s main of f ic e. R egar dl ess of the c oun tr y, it seemed ther e was on e un iv er sal tr uth when it c ame to of f ic es: N ob ody c oul d stan d the soun d of an un an swer ed phon e. I t didn ’ t matter how man y c ustomer s wer e waitin g to b e hel ped, the sec r etar y woul d al ways dr op what she was doin g to pic k up the phon e. B ec ker pun c hed the six -digit ex c han ge. I n a momen t he’ d hav e the c l in ic ’ s of f ic e. Ther e woul d un doub tedl y b e on l y on e C an adian admitted today with a b r oken wr ist an d a c on c ussion ; his f il e woul d b e easy to f in d. B ec ker kn ew the of f ic e woul d b e hesitan t to giv e out the man ’ s n ame an d disc har ge addr ess to a total str an ger , b ut he had a pl an . The phon e b egan to r in g. B ec ker guessed f iv e r in gs was al l it woul d take. I t took n in eteen . “C l í n ic a de Sal ud P ú b l ic a, ” b ar ked the f r an tic sec r etar y.
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B ec ker spoke in Span ish with a thic k F r an c o-A mer ic an ac c en t. “This is D av id B ec ker . I ’ m with the C an adian Emb assy. O n e of our c itiz en s was tr eated b y you today. I ’ d l ike his in f or mation suc h that the emb assy c an ar r an ge to pay his f ees.” “F in e, ” the woman said. “I ’ l l sen d it to the emb assy on M on day.” “A c tual l y, ” B ec ker pr essed, “it’ s impor tan t I get it immediatel y.” “I mpossib l e, ” the woman sn apped. “W e’ r e v er y b usy.” B ec ker soun ded as of f ic ial as possib l e. “I t is an ur gen t matter . The man had a b r oken wr ist an d a head in j ur y. He was tr eated sometime this mor n in g. His f il e shoul d b e r ight on top.” B ec ker thic ken ed the ac c en t in his Span ish–j ust c l ear en ough to c on v ey his n eeds, j ust c on f usin g en ough to b e ex asper atin g. P eopl e had a way of b en din g the r ul es when they wer e ex asper ated. I n stead of b en din g the r ul es, howev er , the woman c ur sed sel f -impor tan t N or th A mer ic an s an d sl ammed down the phon e. B ec ker f r own ed an d hun g up. Str ikeout. The thought of waitin g hour s in l in e didn ’ t thr il l him; the c l oc k was tic kin g–the ol d C an adian c oul d b e an ywher e b y n ow. M ayb e he had dec ided to go b ac k to C an ada. M ayb e he woul d sel l the r in g. B ec ker didn ’ t hav e hour s to wait in l in e. W ith r en ewed deter min ation , B ec ker sn atc hed up the r ec eiv er an d r edial ed. He pr essed the phon e to his ear an d l ean ed b ac k again st the wal l . I t b egan to r in g. B ec ker gaz ed out in to the r oom. O n e r in g… two r in gs… thr ee– A sudden sur ge of adr en al in e c our sed thr ough his b ody. B ec ker wheel ed an d sl ammed the r ec eiv er b ac k down in to its c r adl e. Then he tur n ed an d star ed b ac k in to the r oom in stun n ed sil en c e. Ther e on a c ot, dir ec tl y in f r on t of him, pr opped up on a pil e of ol d pil l ows, l ay an el der l y man with a c l ean white c ast on his r ight wr ist.
C h ap t e r 2 1
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The A mer ic an on Tokugen N umataka’ s pr iv ate l in e soun ded an x ious. “M r . N umataka–I on l y hav e a momen t.” “F in e. I tr ust you hav e b oth pass-keys.” “Ther e wil l b e a smal l del ay, ” the A mer ic an an swer ed. “U n ac c eptab l e, ” N umataka hissed. “Y ou said I woul d hav e them b y the en d of today! ” “Ther e is on e l oose en d.” “I s Tan kado dead? ” “Y es, ” the v oic e said. “M y man kil l ed M r . Tan kado, b ut he f ail ed to get the pass-key. Tan kado gav e it away b ef or e he died. To a tour ist.” “O utr ageous! ” N umataka b el l owed. “Then how c an you pr omise me ex c l usiv e–” “R el ax , ” the A mer ic an soothed. “Y ou wil l hav e ex c l usiv e r ights. That is my guar an tee. A s soon as the missin g pass-key is f oun d, D igital F or tr ess wil l b e your s.” “B ut the pass-key c oul d b e c opied! ” “A n yon e who has seen the key wil l b e el imin ated.” Ther e was a l on g sil en c e. F in al l y N umataka spoke. “W her e is the key n ow? ” “A l l you n eed to kn ow is that it wi l l b e f oun d.” “How c an you b e so c er tain ? ” “B ec ause I am n ot the on l y on e l ookin g f or it. A mer ic an I n tel l igen c e has c aught win d of the missin g key. F or ob v ious r eason s they woul d l ike to pr ev en t the r el ease of D igital F or tr ess. They hav e sen t a man to l oc ate the key. His n ame is D av id B ec ker .” “How do you kn ow this? ” “That is ir r el ev an t.” N umataka paused. “A n d if M r . B ec ker l oc ates the key? ” “M y man wil l take it f r om him.” “A n d af ter that? ” “Y ou n eedn ’ t b e c on c er n ed, ” the A mer ic an said c ol dl y. “W hen M r . B ec ker f in ds the key, he wil l b e pr oper l y r ewar ded.”
C h ap t e r 2 2
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D av id B ec ker str ode ov er an d star ed down at the ol d man asl eep on the c ot. The man ’ s r ight wr ist was wr apped in a c ast. He was b etween six ty an d sev en ty year s ol d. His sn ow-white hair was par ted n eatl y to the side, an d in the c en ter of his f or ehead was a deep pur pl e wel t that spr ead down in to his r ight eye. A l i ttl e b u mp? he thought, r ec al l in g the l ieuten an t’ s wor ds. B ec ker c hec ked the man ’ s f in ger s. Ther e was n o gol d r in g an ywher e. B ec ker r eac hed down an d touc hed the man ’ s ar m. “Sir ? ” He shook him l ightl y. “Ex c use me… sir ? ” The man didn ’ t mov e. B ec ker tr ied again , a l ittl e l ouder . “Sir ? ” The man stir r ed. “Q u’ est-c e… q uel l e heur e est–” He sl owl y open ed his eyes an d f oc used on B ec ker . He sc owl ed at hav in g b een distur b ed. “Q u’ est-c e-q ue v ous v oul ez ? ” Y es, B ec ker thought, a Frenc h C anadi an! B ec ker smil ed down at him. “D o you hav e a momen t? ” A l though B ec ker ’ s F r en c h was per f ec t, he spoke in what he hoped woul d b e the man ’ s weaker l an guage, En gl ish. C on v in c in g a total str an ger to han d ov er a gol d r in g might b e a l ittl e tr ic ky; B ec ker f igur ed he c oul d use an y edge he c oul d get. Ther e was a l on g sil en c e as the man got his b ear in gs. He sur v eyed his sur r oun din gs an d l if ted a l on g f in ger to smooth his l imp white mustac he. F in al l y he spoke. “W hat do you wan t? ” His En gl ish c ar r ied a thin , n asal ac c en t. “Sir , ” B ec ker said, ov er pr on oun c in g his wor ds as if speakin g to a deaf per son , “I n eed to ask you a f ew q uestion s.” The man gl ar ed up at him with a str an ge l ook on his f ac e. “D o you hav e some sor t of pr ob l em? ” B ec ker f r own ed; the man ’ s En gl ish was impec c ab l e. He immediatel y l ost the c on desc en din g ton e. “I ’ m sor r y to b other you, sir , b ut wer e you b y an y c han c e at the P l az a de Españ a today? ” The ol d man ’ s eyes n ar r owed. “A r e you f r om the C ity C oun c il ? ” “N o, ac tual l y I ’ m–” “B ur eau of Tour ism? ” “N o, I ’ m–” “L ook, I kn ow why you’ r e her e! ” The ol d man str uggl ed to sit up. “I ’ m n ot goin g to b e in timidated! I f I ’ v e said it on c e, I ’ v e said it a thousan d times–P ier r e C l ouc har de wr ites the wor l d the way he l i v es the wor l d. Some of your c or por ate guideb ooks might sweep this un der the tab l e f or a f r ee n ight on the town , b ut the M ontreal T i mes is not f or hir e! I r ef use! ” “I ’ m sor r y, sir . I don ’ t thin k you un der –” “M er de al or s! I un der stan d per f ec tl y! ” He wagged a b on y f in ger at B ec ker , an d his v oic e ec hoed thr ough the gymn asium. “Y ou’ r e n ot the f ir st! They tr ied the same thin g at the M oul in R ouge, B r own ’ s P al ac e, an d the G ol f ign o in L agos! B ut what wen t to pr ess? The tr uth! The wor st W el l in gton I ’ v e ev er eaten ! The f il thiest tub I ’ v e ev er seen ! A n d the r oc kiest b eac h I ’ v e ev er wal ked! M y r eader s ex pec t n o l ess! ” P atien ts on n ear b y c ots b egan sittin g up to see what was goin g on . B ec ker l ooked ar oun d n er v ousl y f or a n ur se. The l ast thin g he n eeded was to get kic ked out. C l ouc har de was r agin g. “That miser ab l e ex c use f or a pol ic e of f ic er wor ks f or you r c ity! He made me get on his motor c yc l e! L ook at me! ” He tr ied to l if t his wr ist. “N ow who’ s goin g to wr ite my c ol umn ? ”
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“Sir , I –” “I ’ v e n ev er b een so un c omf or tab l e in my f or ty-thr ee year s of tr av el ! L ook at this pl ac e! Y ou kn ow, my c ol umn is syn dic ated in ov er –” “Sir ! ” B ec ker hel d up b oth han ds ur gen tl y sign al in g tr uc e. “I ’ m n ot in ter ested in your c ol umn ; I ’ m f r om the C an adian C on sul ate. I ’ m her e to make sur e you’ r e okay! ” Sudden l y ther e was a dead q uiet in the gymn asium. The ol d man l ooked up f r om his b ed an d eyed the in tr uder suspic iousl y. B ec ker v en tur ed on in al most a whisper . “I ’ m her e to see if ther e’ s an ythin g I c an do to hel p.” L i k e b ri ng you a c ou pl e of V al i u m. A f ter a l on g pause, the C an adian spoke. “The c on sul ate? ” His ton e sof ten ed c on sider ab l y. B ec ker n odded. “So, you’ r e not her e ab out my c ol umn ? ” “N o, sir .” I t was as if a gian t b ub b l e had b ur st f or P ier r e C l ouc har de. He settl ed sl owl y b ac k down on to his moun d of pil l ows. He l ooked hear tb r oken . “I thought you wer e f r om the c ity… tr yin g to get me to…” He f aded of f an d then l ooked up. “I f it’ s n ot ab out my c ol umn , then why are you her e? ” I t was a good q uestion , B ec ker thought, pic tur in g the Smoky M oun tain s. “Just an in f or mal dipl omatic c our tesy, ” he l ied. The man l ooked sur pr ised. “A dipl omatic c our tesy? ” “Y es, sir . A s I ’ m sur e a man of your statur e is wel l awar e, the C an adian gov er n men t wor ks har d to pr otec t its c oun tr ymen f r om the in dign ities suf f er ed in these, er –shal l we say–l ess ref i ned c oun tr ies.” C l ouc har de’ s thin l ips par ted in a kn owin g smil e. “B ut of c our se… how pl easan t.” “Y ou are a C an adian c itiz en , ar en ’ t you? ” “Y es, of c our se. How sil l y of me. P l ease f or giv e me. Someon e in my position is of ten appr oac hed with… wel l … you un der stan d.” “Y es, M r . C l ouc har de, I c er tain l y do. The pr ic e on e pays f or c el eb r ity.” “I n deed.” C l ouc har de l et out a tr agic sigh. He was an un wil l in g mar tyr tol er atin g the masses. “C an you b el iev e this hideous pl ac e? ” He r ol l ed his eyes at the b iz ar r e sur r oun din gs. “I t’ s a moc ker y. A n d they’ v e dec ided to keep me ov er n ight.” B ec ker l ooked ar oun d. “I kn ow. I t’ s ter r ib l e. I ’ m sor r y it took me so l on g to get her e.” C l ouc har de l ooked c on f used. “I wasn ’ t ev en awar e you wer e c omin g.” B ec ker c han ged the sub j ec t. “L ooks l ike a n asty b ump on your head. D oes it hur t? ” “N o, n ot r eal l y. I took a spil l this mor n in g–the pr ic e on e pays f or b ein g a good Samar itan . The wr ist is the thin g that’ s hur tin g me. Stupid G uar dia. I mean , r eal l y! P uttin g a man of my age on a motor c yc l e. I t’ s r epr ehen sib l e.” “I s ther e an ythin g I c an get f or you? ” C l ouc har de thought a momen t, en j oyin g the atten tion . “W el l , ac tual l y…” He str etc hed his n ec k an d til ted his head l ef t an d r ight. “I c ou l d use an other pil l ow if it’ s n ot too muc h tr oub l e.” “N ot at al l .” B ec ker gr ab b ed a pil l ow of f a n ear b y c ot an d hel ped C l ouc har de get c omf or tab l e. The ol d man sighed c on ten tedl y. “M uc h b etter … than k you.” “P as du tout, ” B ec ker r epl ied. “A h! ” The man smil ed war ml y. “So you do speak the l an guage of the c iv il iz ed wor l d.”
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“That’ s ab out the ex ten t of it, ” B ec ker said sheepishl y. “N ot a pr ob l em, ” C l ouc har de dec l ar ed pr oudl y. “M y c ol umn is syn dic ated in the U .S.; my En gl ish is f ir st r ate.” “So I ’ v e hear d.” B ec ker smil ed. He sat down on the edge of C l ouc har de’ s c ot. “N ow, if you don ’ t min d my askin g, M r . C l ouc har de, why woul d a man suc h as your sel f c ome to a pl ac e l ike thi s? Ther e ar e f ar b etter hospital s in Sev il l e.” C l ouc har de l ooked an gr y. “That pol ic e of f ic er … he b uc ked me of f his motor c yc l e an d then l ef t me b l eedin g in the str eet l ike a stuc k pig. I had to wal k ov er her e.” “He didn ’ t of f er to take you to a b etter f ac il ity? ” “O n that godawf ul b ike of his? N o than ks! ” “W hat ex ac tl y happen ed this mor n in g? ” “I tol d it al l to the l ieuten an t.” “I ’ v e spoken to the of f ic er an d–” “I hope you r epr iman ded him! ” C l ouc har de in ter r upted. B ec ker n odded. “I n the sev er est ter ms. M y of f ic e wil l b e f ol l owin g up.” “I shoul d hope so.” “M on sieur C l ouc har de.” B ec ker smil ed, pul l in g a pen out of his j ac ket poc ket. “I ’ d l ike to make a f or mal c ompl ain t to the c ity. W oul d you hel p? A man of your r eputation woul d b e a v al uab l e witn ess.” C l ouc har de l ooked b uoyed b y the pr ospec t of b ein g q uoted. He sat up. “W hy, yes… of c our se. I t woul d b e my pl easur e.” B ec ker took out a smal l n ote pad an d l ooked up. “O kay, l et’ s star t with this mor n in g. Tel l me ab out the ac c iden t.” The ol d man sighed. “I t was sad r eal l y. The poor A sian f el l ow j ust c ol l apsed. I tr ied to hel p him–b ut it was n o use.” “Y ou gav e him C P R ? ” C l ouc har de l ooked ashamed. “I ’ m af r aid I don ’ t kn ow how. I c al l ed an amb ul an c e.” B ec ker r ememb er ed the b l uish b r uises on Tan kado’ s c hest. “D id the par amedic s admin ister C P R ? ” “Heav en s, n o! ” C l ouc har de l aughed. “N o r eason to whip a dead hor se–the f el l ow was l on g gon e b y the time the amb ul an c e got ther e. They c hec ked his pul se an d c ar ted him of f , l eav in g me with that hor r if ic pol ic eman .” T hat’ s strang e, B ec ker thought, won der in g wher e the b r uise had c ome f r om. He pushed it f r om his min d an d got to the matter at han d. “W hat ab out the r in g? ” he said as n on c hal an tl y as possib l e. C l ouc har de l ooked sur pr ised. “The l ieuten an t tol d you ab out the r in g? ” “Y es, he did.” C l ouc har de seemed amaz ed. “R eal l y? I didn ’ t thin k he b el iev ed my stor y. He was so r ude–as if he thought I wer e l yin g. B ut my stor y was ac c ur ate, of c our se. I pr ide mysel f on ac c ur ac y.” “W her e is the r in g? ” B ec ker pr essed. C l ouc har de didn ’ t seem to hear . He was gl assy-eyed, star in g in to spac e. “Str an ge piec e r eal l y, al l those l etter s–l ooked l ike n o l an guage I ’ d ev er seen .” “Japan ese, mayb e? ” B ec ker of f er ed. “D ef in itel y n ot.” “So you got a good l ook at it? ” “Heav en s, yes! W hen I kn el t down to hel p, the man kept pushin g his f in ger s in my f ac e. He wan ted to giv e me the r in g. I t was most b iz ar r e, hor r ib l e r eal l y–his han ds wer e
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q uite dr eadf ul .” “A n d that’ s when you took the r in g? ” C l ouc har de wen t wide-eyed. “That’ s what the of f ic er tol d you! That I took the r in g? ” B ec ker shif ted un easil y. C l ouc har de ex pl oded. “I kn ew he wasn ’ t l isten in g! That’ s how r umor s get star ted! I tol d him the Jap f el l ow gav e away the r in g–b ut n ot to me! Ther e’ s n o way I woul d take an ythin g f r om a dyin g man ! M y heav en s! The thought of it! ” B ec ker sen sed tr oub l e. “So you don ’ t hav e the r in g? ” “Heav en s, n o! ” A dul l ac he c r ept thr ough the pit of his stomac h. “Then who has it? ” C l ouc har de gl ar ed at B ec ker in dign an tl y. “The G er man ! The G er man has it! ” B ec ker f el t l ike the f l oor had b een pul l ed out f r om un der him. “G er man ? W hat G er man ? ” “The G er man in the par k! I tol d the of f ic er ab out him! I r ef used the r in g b ut the f asc ist swin e ac c epted it! ” B ec ker set down his pen an d paper . The c har ade was ov er . This was tr oub l e. “So a G erman has the r in g? ” “I n deed.” “W her e did he go? ” “N o idea. I r an to c al l the pol ic e. W hen I got b ac k, he was gon e.” “D o you kn ow who he was? ” “Some tour ist.” “A r e you sur e? ” “M y l if e is tour ists, ” C l ouc har de sn apped. “I kn ow on e when I see on e. He an d his l ady f r ien d wer e out str ol l in g the par k.” B ec ker was mor e an d mor e c on f used ev er y momen t. “L ady f r ien d? Ther e was someb ody wi th the G er man ? ” C l ouc har de n odded. “A n esc or t. G or geous r edhead. M on D ieu! B eautif ul .” “A n esc or t? ” B ec ker was stun n ed. “A s in … a pr ostitute? ” C l ouc har de gr imac ed. “Y es, if you must use the v ul gar ter m.” “B ut… the of f ic er said n othin g ab out–” “O f c our se n ot! I n ev er men tion ed the esc or t.” C l ouc har de dismissed B ec ker with a patr on iz in g wav e of his good han d. “They ar en ’ t c r imin al s–it’ s ab sur d that they’ r e har assed l ike c ommon thiev es.” B ec ker was stil l in a mil d state of shoc k. “W as ther e an yon e el se ther e? ” “N o, j ust the thr ee of us. I t was hot.” “A n d you’ r e positiv e the woman was a pr ostitute? ” “A b sol utel y. N o woman that b eautif ul woul d b e with a man l ike that un l ess she wer e wel l paid! M on D ieu! He was f at, f at, f at! A l oudmouthed, ov er weight, ob n ox ious G er man ! ” C l ouc har de win c ed momen tar il y as he shif ted his weight, b ut he ign or ed the pain an d pl owed on . “This man was a b east–thr ee hun dr ed poun ds at l east. He l oc ked on to that poor dear l ike she was ab out to r un away–n ot that I ’ d b l ame her . I mean r eal l y! Han ds al l ov er her . B r agged that he had her al l weeken d f or thr ee hun dr ed dol l ar s! H e’ s the on e who shoul d hav e dr opped dead, n ot that poor A sian f el l ow.” C l ouc har de c ame up f or air , an d B ec ker j umped in . “D id you get his n ame? ” C l ouc har de thought f or a momen t an d then shook his head. “N o idea.” He win c ed in pain again an d settl ed sl owl y b ac k in to his pil l ows.
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B ec ker sighed. The r in g had j ust ev apor ated b ef or e his eyes. C omman der Str athmor e was n ot goin g to b e happy. C l ouc har de dab b ed at his f or ehead. His b ur st of en thusiasm had taken its tol l . He sudden l y l ooked il l . B ec ker tr ied an other appr oac h. “M r . C l ouc har de, I ’ d l ike to get a statemen t f r om the G er man an d his esc or t as wel l . D o you hav e an y idea wher e they’ r e stayin g? ” C l ouc har de c l osed his eyes, his str en gth f adin g. His b r eathin g gr ew shal l ow. “A n ythin g at al l ? ” B ec ker pr essed. “The esc or t’ s n ame? Ther e was a l on g sil en c e. C l ouc har de r ub b ed his r ight templ e. He was sudden l y l ookin g pal e. “W el l … ah… n o. I don ’ t b el iev e…” His v oic e was shaky. B ec ker l ean ed towar d him. “A r e you al l r ight? ” C l ouc har de n odded l ightl y. “Y es, f in e… j ust a l ittl e… the ex c itemen t mayb e…” He tr ail ed of f . “Thin k, M r . C l ouc har de.” B ec ker ur ged q uietl y. “I t’ s impor tan t.” C l ouc har de win c ed. “I don ’ t kn ow… the woman … the man kept c al l in g her …” He c l osed his eyes an d gr oan ed. “W hat was her n ame? ” “I r eal l y don ’ t r ec al l …” C l ouc har de was f adin g f ast. “Thin k.” B ec ker pr odded. “I t’ s impor tan t that the c on sul ar f il e b e as c ompl ete as possib l e. I ’ l l n eed to suppor t your stor y with statemen ts f r om the other witn esses. A n y in f or mation you c an giv e me to hel p l oc ate them…” B ut C l ouc har de was n ot l isten in g. He was dab b in g his f or ehead with the sheet. “I ’ m sor r y… per haps tomor r ow…” He l ooked n auseated. “M r . C l ouc har de, it’ s impor tan t you r ememb er this now. ” B ec ker sudden l y r eal iz ed he was speakin g too l oudl y. P eopl e on n ear b y c ots wer e stil l sittin g up watc hin g what was goin g on . O n the f ar side of the r oom a n ur se appear ed thr ough the doub l e door s an d str ode b r iskl y towar d them. “A n ythin g at al l , ” B ec ker pr essed ur gen tl y. “The G er man c al l ed the woman –” B ec ker l ightl y shook C l ouc har de, tr yin g to b r in g him b ac k. C l ouc har de’ s eyes f l ic ker ed momen tar il y. “Her n ame…” Stay with me, ol d f el l a… “D ew…” C l ouc har de’ s eyes c l osed again . The n ur se was c l osin g in . She l ooked f ur ious. “D ew? ” B ec ker shook C l ouc har de’ s ar m. The ol d man gr oan ed. “He c al l ed her …” C l ouc har de was mumb l in g n ow, b ar el y audib l e. The n ur se was l ess than ten f eet away yel l in g at B ec ker in an gr y Span ish. B ec ker hear d n othin g. His eyes wer e f ix ed on the ol d man ’ s l ips. He shook C l ouc har de on e l ast time as the n ur se b or e down on him. The n ur se gr ab b ed D av id B ec ker ’ s shoul der . She pul l ed him to his f eet j ust as C l ouc har de’ s l ips par ted. The sin gl e wor d l eav in g the ol d man ’ s mouth was n ot ac tual l y spoken . I t was sof tl y sighed–l ike a distan t sen sual r ememb r an c e. “D ewdr op…” The sc ol din g gr asp yan ked B ec ker away. D ewdrop? B ec ker won der ed. W hat the hel l k i nd of name i s D ewdrop? He spun away f r om the n ur se an d tur n ed on e l ast time to C l ouc har de. “D ewdr op? A r e you su re? ” B ut P ier r e C l ouc har de was f ast asl eep.
C h ap t e r 2 3
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Susan sat al on e in the pl ush sur r oun din gs of N ode 3 . She n ur sed a l emon mist her b tea an d awaited the r etur n of her tr ac er . A s sen ior c r yptogr apher , Susan en j oyed the ter min al with the b est v iew. I t was on the b ac k side of the r in g of c omputer s an d f ac ed the C r ypto f l oor . F r om this spot, Susan c oul d ov er see al l of N ode 3 . She c oul d al so see, on the other side of the on e-way gl ass, TR A N SL TR stan din g dead-c en ter of the C r ypto f l oor . Susan c hec ked the c l oc k. She had b een waitin g al most an hour . A mer ic an R email er s A n on ymous was appar en tl y takin g their time f or war din g N or th D akota’ s mail . She sighed heav il y. D espite her ef f or ts to f or get her mor n in g c on v er sation with D av id, the wor ds pl ayed ov er an d ov er in her head. She kn ew she’ d b een har d on him. She pr ayed he was okay in Spain . Her thoughts wer e j ar r ed b y the l oud hiss of the gl ass door s. She l ooked up an d gr oan ed. C r yptogr apher G r eg Hal e stood in the open in g. G r eg Hal e was tal l an d musc ul ar with thic k b l on d hair an d a deep c l ef t c hin . He was l oud, thic k-f l eshed, an d per petual l y ov er dr essed. His f el l ow c r yptogr apher s had n ic kn amed him “Hal ite”–af ter the min er al . Hal e had al ways assumed it r ef er r ed to some r ar e gem–par al l el in g his un r iv al ed in tel l ec t an d r oc k-har d physiq ue. Had his ego per mitted him to c on sul t an en c yc l opedia, he woul d hav e disc ov er ed it was n othin g mor e than the sal ty r esidue l ef t b ehin d when oc ean s dr ied up. L ike al l N SA c r yptogr apher s, Hal e made a sol id sal ar y. Howev er , he had a har d time keepin g that f ac t to himsel f . He dr ov e a white L otus with a moon r oof an d a deaf en in g sub woof er system. He was a gadget j un kie, an d his c ar was his showpiec e; he’ d in stal l ed a gl ob al position in g c omputer system, v oic e-ac tiv ated door l oc ks, a f iv e-poin t r adar j ammer , an d a c el l ul ar f ax / phon e so he’ d n ev er b e out of touc h with his message ser v ic es. His v an ity pl ate r ead megab yte an d was f r amed in v iol et n eon . G r eg Hal e had b een r esc ued f r om a c hil dhood of petty c r ime b y the U .S. M ar in e C or ps. I t was ther e that he’ d l ear n ed ab out c omputer s. He was on e of the b est pr ogr ammer s the M ar in es had ev er seen , wel l on his way to a distin guished mil itar y c ar eer . B ut two days b ef or e the c ompl etion of his thir d tour of duty, his f utur e sudden l y c han ged. Hal e ac c iden tal l y kil l ed a f el l ow M ar in e in a dr un ken b r awl . The K or ean ar t of sel f -def en se, Tae kwon do, pr ov ed mor e deadl y than def en siv e. He was pr omptl y r el iev ed of his duty. A f ter ser v in g a b r ief pr ison ter m, Hal ite b egan l ookin g f or wor k in the pr iv ate sec tor as a pr ogr ammer . He was al ways up f r on t ab out the in c iden t in the mar in es, an d he c our ted pr ospec tiv e empl oyer s b y of f er in g a mon th’ s wor k without pay to pr ov e his wor th. He had n o shor tage of taker s, an d on c e they f oun d out what he c oul d do with a c omputer , they n ev er wan ted to l et him go. A s his c omputer ex per tise gr ew, Hal e b egan makin g I n ter n et c on n ec tion s al l ov er the wor l d. He was on e of the n ew b r eed of c yb er f r eaks with E-mail f r ien ds in ev er y n ation , mov in g in an d out of seedy el ec tr on ic b ul l etin b oar ds an d Eur opean c hat gr oups. He’ d b een f ir ed b y two dif f er en t empl oyer s f or usin g their b usin ess ac c oun ts to upl oad por n ogr aphic photos to some of his f r ien ds. ***
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“W hat ar e you doin g her e? ” Hal e deman ded, stoppin g in the door way an d star in g at Susan . He’ d ob v iousl y ex pec ted to hav e N ode 3 to himsel f today. Susan f or c ed her sel f to stay c ool . “I t’ s Satur day, G r eg. I c oul d ask you the same q uestion .” B ut Susan kn ew what Hal e was doin g ther e. He was the c on summate c omputer addic t. D espite the Satur day r ul e, he of ten sl ipped in to C r ypto on weeken ds to use the N SA ’ s un r iv al l ed c omputin g power to r un n ew pr ogr ams he was wor kin g on . “Just wan ted to r e-tweak a f ew l in es an d c hec k my E-mail , ” Hal e said. He eyed her c ur iousl y. “W hat was it you said you ’ r e doin g her e? ” “I didn ’ t, ” Susan r epl ied. Hal e ar c hed a sur pr ised eyeb r ow. “N o r eason to b e c oy. W e hav e n o sec r ets her e in N ode 3 , r ememb er ? A l l f or on e an d on e f or al l .” Susan sipped her l emon mist an d ign or ed him. Hal e shr ugged an d str ode towar d the N ode 3 pan tr y. The pan tr y was al ways his f ir st stop. A s Hal e c r ossed the r oom, he sighed heav il y an d made a poin t of ogl in g Susan ’ s l egs str etc hed out b en eath her ter min al . Susan , without l ookin g up, r etr ac ted her l egs an d kept wor kin g. Hal e smir ked. Susan had gotten used to Hal e hittin g on her . His f av or ite l in e was somethin g ab out in ter f ac in g to c hec k the c ompatib il ity of their har dwar e. I t tur n ed Susan ’ s stomac h. She was too pr oud to c ompl ain to Str athmor e ab out Hal e; it was f ar easier j ust to ign or e him. Hal e appr oac hed the N ode 3 pan tr y an d pul l ed open the l attic e door s l ike a b ul l . He sl id a Tupper war e c on tain er of tof u out of the f r idge an d popped a f ew piec es of the gel atin ous white sub stan c e in his mouth. Then he l ean ed on the stov e an d smoothed his gr ay B el l v ien n e sl ac ks an d wel l -star c hed shir t. “Y ou gon n a b e her e l on g? ” “A l l n ight, ” Susan said f l atl y. “Hmm…” Hal ite c ooed with his mouth f ul l . “A c oz y Satur day in the P l aypen , j ust the two of us.” “Just the three of us, ” Susan in ter j ec ted. “C omman der Str athmor e’ s upstair s. Y ou might wan t to disappear b ef or e he sees you.” Hal e shr ugged. “He doesn ’ t seem to min d you her e. He must r eal l y en j oy your c ompan y.” Susan f or c ed her sel f to keep sil en t. Hal e c huc kl ed to himsel f an d put away his tof u. Then he gr ab b ed a q uar t of v ir gin ol iv e oil an d took a f ew swigs. He was a heal th f ien d an d c l aimed ol iv e oil c l ean ed out his l ower in testin e. W hen he wasn ’ t pushin g c ar r ot j uic e on the r est of the staf f , he was pr eac hin g the v ir tues of high c ol on ic s. Hal e r epl ac ed the ol iv e oil an d wen t to down his c omputer dir ec tl y opposite Susan . Ev en ac r oss the wide r in g of ter min al s, Susan c oul d smel l his c ol ogn e. She c r in kl ed her n ose. “N ic e c ol ogn e, G r eg. U se the en tir e b ottl e? Hal e f l ic ked on his ter min al . “O n l y f or you, dear .” A s he sat ther e waitin g f or his ter min al to war m up, Susan had a sudden un settl in g thought. W hat if Hal e ac c essed TR A N SL TR ’ s R un -M on itor ? Ther e was n o l ogic al r eason why he woul d, b ut n on ethel ess Susan kn ew he woul d n ev er f al l f or some hal f -b aked stor y ab out a diagn ostic that stumped TR A N SL TR f or six teen hour s. Hal e woul d deman d to kn ow the tr uth. The tr uth was somethin g Susan had n o in ten tion of tel l in g him. She did n ot tr ust G r eg Hal e. He was n ot N SA mater ial . Susan had b een again st hir in g him in the f ir st pl ac e, b ut the N SA had had n o c hoic e. Hal e had b een the pr oduc t of damage c on tr ol . The Skipj ac k f iasc o. F our year s ago, in an ef f or t to c r eate a sin gl e, pub l ic -key en c r yption stan dar d,
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C on gr ess c har ged the n ation ’ s b est mathematic ian s, those at the N SA , to wr ite a n ew super al gor ithm. The pl an was f or C on gr ess to pass l egisl ation that made the n ew al gor ithm the n ation ’ s stan dar d, thus al l ev iatin g the in c ompatib il ities n ow suf f er ed b y c or por ation s that used dif f er en t al gor ithms. O f c our se, askin g the N SA to l en d a han d in impr ov in g pub l ic -key en c r yption was somewhat akin to askin g a c on demn ed man to b uil d his own c of f in . TR A N SL TR had n ot yet b een c on c eiv ed, an d an en c r yption stan dar d woul d on l y hel p to pr ol if er ate the use of c ode-wr itin g an d make the N SA ’ s al r eady dif f ic ul t j ob that muc h har der . The EF F un der stood this c on f l ic t of in ter est an d l ob b ied v ehemen tl y that the N SA might c r eate an al gor ithm of poor q ual ity–somethin g it c oul d b r eak. To appease these f ear s, C on gr ess an n oun c ed that when the N SA ’ s al gor ithm was f in ished, the f or mul a woul d b e pub l ished f or ex amin ation b y the wor l d’ s mathematic ian s to en sur e its q ual ity. R el uc tan tl y, the N SA ’ s C r ypto team, l ed b y C omman der Str athmor e, c r eated an al gor ithm they c hr isten ed Skipj ac k. Skipj ac k was pr esen ted to C on gr ess f or their appr ov al . M athematic ian s f r om al l ov er the wor l d tested Skipj ac k an d wer e un an imousl y impr essed. They r epor ted that it was a str on g, un tain ted al gor ithm an d woul d make a super b en c r yption stan dar d. B ut thr ee days b ef or e C on gr ess was to v ote their c er tain appr ov al of Skipj ac k, a youn g pr ogr ammer f r om B el l L ab or ator ies, G r eg Hal e, shoc ked the wor l d b y an n oun c in g he’ d f oun d a b ac k door hidden in the al gor ithm. The b ac k door c on sisted of a f ew l in es of c un n in g pr ogr ammin g that C omman der Str athmor e had in ser ted in to the al gor ithm. I t had b een added in so shr ewd a way that n ob ody, ex c ept G r eg Hal e, had seen it. Str athmor e’ s c ov er t addition , in ef f ec t, mean t that an y c ode wr itten b y Skipj ac k c oul d b e dec r ypted v ia a sec r et passwor d kn own on l y to the N SA . Str athmor e had c ome within in c hes of tur n in g the n ation ’ s pr oposed en c r yption stan dar d in to the b iggest in tel l igen c e c oup the N SA had ev er seen ; the N SA woul d hav e hel d the master key to ev er y c ode wr itten in A mer ic a. The c omputer -sav v y pub l ic was outr aged. The EF F desc en ded on the sc an dal l ike v ul tur es, r ippin g C on gr ess to shr eds f or their n aï v eté an d pr oc l aimin g the N SA the b iggest thr eat to the f r ee wor l d sin c e Hitl er . The en c r yption stan dar d was dead. I t had c ome as l ittl e sur pr ise when the N SA hir ed G r eg Hal e two days l ater . Str athmor e f el t it was b etter to hav e him on the in side wor kin g f or the N SA than on the outside wor kin g again st it. Str athmor e f ac ed the Skipj ac k sc an dal head-on . He def en ded his ac tion s v ehemen tl y to C on gr ess. He ar gued that the pub l ic ’ s c r av in g f or pr iv ac y woul d c ome b ac k to haun t them. He in sisted the pub l ic n eeded someon e to watc h ov er them; the pub l ic n eeded the N SA to b r eak c odes in or der to keep the peac e. G r oups l ike the EF F f el t dif f er en tl y. A n d they’ d b een f ightin g him ev er sin c e.
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D av id B ec ker stood in a phon e b ooth ac r oss the str eet f r om L a C l í n ic a de Sal ud P ú b l ic a; he’ d j ust b een ej ec ted f or har assin g patien t n umb er 1 0 4 , M on sieur C l ouc har de. Thin gs wer e sudden l y mor e c ompl ic ated than he’ d an tic ipated. His l ittl e f av or to Str athmor e–pic kin g up some per son al b el on gin gs–had tur n ed in to a sc av en ger hun t f or some b iz ar r e r in g. He’ d j ust c al l ed Str athmor e an d tol d him ab out the G er man tour ist. The n ews had n ot b een r ec eiv ed wel l . A f ter deman din g the spec if ic s, Str athmor e had f al l en sil en t f or a l on g time. “D av id, ” he had f in al l y said v er y gr av el y, “f in din g that r in g is a matter of n ation al sec ur ity. I ’ m l eav in g it in your han ds. D on ’ t f ail me.” The phon e had gon e dead. D av id stood in the phon e b ooth an d sighed. He pic ked up the tatter ed G uí a Tel ef ó n ic a an d b egan sc an n in g the yel l ow pages. “Her e goes n othin g, ” he mutter ed to himsel f . Ther e wer e on l y thr ee l istin gs f or Esc or t Ser v ic es in the dir ec tor y, an d he didn ’ t hav e muc h to go on . A l l he kn ew was that the G er man ’ s date had r ed hair , whic h c on v en ien tl y was r ar e in Spain . The del ir ious C l ouc har de had r ec al l ed the esc or t’ s n ame as D ewdr op. B ec ker c r in ged–D ewdr op? I t soun ded mor e l ike a c ow than a b eautif ul gir l . N ot a good C athol ic n ame at al l ; C l ouc har de must hav e b een mistaken . B ec ker dial ed the f ir st n umb er . ***
“Ser v ic io Soc ial de Sev il l a, ” a pl easan t f emal e v oic e an swer ed. B ec ker af f ec ted his Span ish with a thic k G er man ac c en t. “Hol a, ¿ hab l as A l eman ? ” “N o. B ut I speak En gl ish” c ame the r epl y. B ec ker c on tin ued in b r oken En gl ish. “Than k you. I won der in g if you to hel p me? ” “How c an we b e of ser v ic e? ” The woman spoke sl owl y in an ef f or t to aid her poten tial c l ien t. “P er haps you woul d l ike an esc or t? ” “Y es, pl ease. Today my b r other , K l aus, he has gir l , v er y b eautif ul . R ed hair . I wan t same. F or tomor r ow, pl ease.” “Y our b r other K l aus c omes her e? ” The v oic e was sudden l y ef f er v esc en t, l ike they wer e ol d f r ien ds. “Y es. He v er y f at. Y ou r ememb er him, n o? ” “He was her e today, you say? ” B ec ker c oul d hear her c hec kin g the b ooks. Ther e woul d b e n o K l aus l isted, b ut B ec ker f igur ed c l ien ts sel dom used their r eal n ames. “Hmm, I ’ m sor r y, ” she apol ogiz ed. “I don ’ t see him her e. W hat was the gir l ’ s n ame your b r other was with? ” “Had r ed hair , ” B ec ker said, av oidin g the q uestion . “R ed hair ? ” she r epeated. Ther e was a pause. “This is Ser v ic io Soc ial de Sev il l a. A r e you sur e your b r other c omes her e? ” “Sur e, yes.” “Señ or , we hav e n o r edheads. W e hav e on l y pur e A n dal usian b eauties.” “R ed hair , ” B ec ker r epeated, f eel in g stupid. “I ’ m sor r y, we hav e n o r edheads at al l , b ut if you–” “N ame is D ewdr op, ” B ec ker b l ur ted, f eel in g ev en stupider .
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The r idic ul ous n ame appar en tl y mean t n othin g to the woman . She apol ogiz ed, suggested B ec ker was c on f usin g her with an other agen c y, an d pol itel y hun g up. Str ike on e. ***
B ec ker f r own ed an d dial ed the n ex t n umb er . I t c on n ec ted immediatel y. “B uen as n oc hes, M uj er es Españ a. M ay I hel p you? ” B ec ker l aun c hed in to his same spiel , a G er man tour ist who was wil l in g to pay top dol l ar f or the r ed-hair ed gir l who was out with his b r other today. This time the r espon se was in pol ite G er man , b ut again n o r edheads. “K ein e R otkö pf e, I ’ m sor r y.” The woman hun g up. Str ike two. B ec ker l ooked down at the phon e b ook. Ther e was on l y on e n umb er l ef t. The en d of the r ope al r eady. He dial ed. *** “Esc or tes B el é n , ” a man an swer ed in a v er y sl ic k ton e. A gain B ec ker tol d his stor y. “Sí , sí , señ or . M y n ame is Señ or R ol dá n . I woul d b e pl eased to hel p. W e hav e two r edheads. L ov el y gir l s.” B ec ker ’ s hear t l eapt. “V er y b eautif ul ? ” he r epeated in his G er man ac c en t. “R ed hair ? ” “Y es, what is your b r other ’ s n ame? I wil l tel l you who was his esc or t today. A n d we c an sen d her to you tomor r ow.” “K l aus Sc hmidt.” B ec ker b l ur ted a n ame r ec al l ed f r om an ol d tex tb ook. A l on g pause. “W el l , sir … I don ’ t see a K l aus Sc hmidt on our r egistr y, b ut per haps your b r other c hose to b e disc r eet–per haps a wif e at home? ” He l aughed in appr opr iatel y. “Y es, K l aus mar r ied. B ut he v er y f at. His wif e n o l ie with him.” B ec ker r ol l ed his eyes at himsel f r ef l ec ted in the b ooth. If Su san c ou l d hear me now, he thought. “I f at an d l on el y too. I wan t l ie with her . P ay l ots of mon ey.” B ec ker was giv in g an impr essiv e per f or man c e, b ut he’ d gon e too f ar . P r ostitution was il l egal in Spain , an d Señ or R ol dá n was a c ar ef ul man . He’ d b een b ur n ed b ef or e b y G uar dia of f ic ial s posin g as eager tour ists. I want l i e wi th her. R ol dá n kn ew it was a setup. I f he said yes, he woul d b e heav il y f in ed an d, as al ways, f or c ed to pr ov ide on e of his most tal en ted esc or ts to the pol ic e c ommission er f r ee of c har ge f or an en tir e weeken d. W hen R ol dá n spoke, his v oic e n ot q uite as f r ien dl y. “Sir , this is Esc or tes B el é n . M ay I ask who’ s c al l in g? ” “A ah… Sigmun d Sc hmidt, ” B ec ker in v en ted weakl y. “W her e did you get our n umb er ? ” “L a G uí a Tel ef ó n ic a–yel l ow pages.” “Y es, sir , that’ s b ec ause we ar e an esc or t ser v ic e.” “Y es. I wan t esc or t.” B ec ker sen sed somethin g was wr on g. “Sir , Esc or tes B el é n is a ser v ic e pr ov idin g esc or ts to b usin essmen f or l un c heon s an d din n er s. This is why we ar e l isted in the phon e b ook. W hat we do is l egal . W hat you ar e
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l ookin g f or is a prosti tu te. ” The wor d sl id of f his ton gue l ike a v il e disease. “B ut my b r other …” “Sir , if your b r other spen t the day kissin g a gir l in the par k, she was n ot on e of our s. W e hav e str ic t r egul ation s ab out c l ien t-esc or t c on tac t.” “B ut…” “Y ou hav e us c on f used with someon e el se. W e on l y hav e two r edheads, I n mac ul ada an d R oc í o, an d n either woul d al l ow a man to sl eep with them f or mon ey. That is c al l ed pr ostitution , an d it is il l egal in Spain . G ood n ight, sir .” “B ut–” C L IC K . B ec ker swor e un der his b r eath an d dr opped the phon e b ac k in to its c r adl e. Str ike thr ee. He was c er tain C l ouc har de had said the G er man had hir ed the gir l f or the en tir e weeken d. ***
B ec ker stepped out of the phon e b ooth at the in ter sec tion of C al l e Sal ado an d A v en ida A sun c ió n . D espite the tr af f ic , the sweet sc en t of Sev il l e or an ges hun g al l ar oun d him. I t was twil ight–the most r oman tic hour . He thought of Susan . Str athmor e’ s wor ds in v aded his min d: Fi nd the ri ng . B ec ker f l opped miser ab l y on a b en c h an d pon der ed his n ex t mov e. W hat mov e?
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I n side the C l í n ic a de Sal ud P ú b l ic a, v isitin g hour s wer e ov er . The gymn asium l ights had b een tur n ed out. P ier r e C l ouc har de was f ast asl eep. He did n ot see the f igur e hun c hed ov er him. The n eedl e of a stol en syr in ge gl in ted in the dar k. Then it disappear ed in to the I V tub e j ust ab ov e C l ouc har de’ s wr ist. The hypoder mic c on tain ed 3 0 c c of c l ean in g f l uid stol en f r om a j an itor ’ s c ar t. W ith gr eat f or c e, a str on g thumb r ammed the pl un ger down an d f or c ed the b l uish l iq uid in to the ol d man ’ s v ein s. C l ouc har de was awake on l y f or a f ew sec on ds. He might hav e sc r eamed in pain had a str on g han d n ot b een c l amped ac r oss his mouth. He l ay tr apped on his c ot, pin n ed b en eath a seemin gl y immov ab l e weight. He c oul d f eel the poc ket of f ir e sear in g its way up his ar m. Ther e was an ex c r uc iatin g pain tr av el in g thr ough his ar mpit, his c hest, an d then , l ike a mil l ion shatter in g piec es of gl ass, it hit his b r ain . C l ouc har de saw a b r il l ian t f l ash of l ight… an d then n othin g. The v isitor r el eased his gr ip an d peer ed thr ough the dar kn ess at the n ame on the medic al c har t. Then he sl ipped sil en tl y out. O n the str eet, the man in wir e-r im gl asses r eac hed to a tin y dev ic e attac hed to his b el t. The r ec tan gul ar pac k was ab out the siz e of a c r edit c ar d. I t was a pr ototype of the n ew M on oc l e c omputer . D ev el oped b y the U .S. N av y to hel p tec hn ic ian s r ec or d b atter y v ol tages in c r amped q uar ter s on sub mar in es, the min iatur e c omputer pac ked a c el l ul ar modem an d the n ewest adv an c es in mic r o tec hn ol ogy. I ts v isual mon itor was a tr an spar en t l iq uid c r ystal displ ay, moun ted in the l ef t l en s of a pair of eyegl asses. The M on oc l e r ef l ec ted a whol e n ew age in per son al c omputin g; the user c oul d n ow l ook throu g h his data an d stil l in ter ac t with the wor l d ar oun d him. The M on oc l e’ s r eal c oup, though, was n ot its min iatur e displ ay b ut r ather its data en tr y system. A user en ter ed in f or mation v ia tin y c on tac ts f ix ed to his f in ger tips; touc hin g the c on tac ts together in seq uen c e mimic ked a shor than d simil ar to c our t sten ogr aphy. The c omputer woul d then tr an sl ate the shor than d in to En gl ish. The kil l er pr essed a tin y switc h, an d his gl asses f l ic ker ed to l if e. His han ds in c on spic uousl y at his sides, he b egan touc hin g dif f er en t f in ger tips together in r apid suc c ession . A message appear ed b ef or e his eyes. SU B JEC T: P . C L O U C HA R D E–TER M I N A TED He smil ed. Tr an smittin g n otif ic ation of kil l s was par t of his assign men t. B ut in c l udin g v ic tim’ s n ames… that, to the man in the wir e-r im gl asses, was el egan c e. His f in ger s f l ashed again , an d his c el l ul ar modem ac tiv ated. M ESSA G E SEN T
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Sittin g on the b en c h ac r oss f r om the pub l ic c l in ic , B ec ker won der ed what he was supposed to do n ow. His c al l s to the esc or t agen c ies had tur n ed up n othin g. The c omman der , un easy ab out c ommun ic ation ov er un sec ur ed pub l ic phon es, had asked D av id n ot to c al l again un til he had the r in g. B ec ker c on sider ed goin g to the l oc al pol ic e f or hel p–mayb e they had a r ec or d of a r ed-headed hooker –b ut Str athmor e had giv en str ic t or der s ab out that too. Y ou are i nv i si b l e. N o one i s to k now thi s ri ng ex i sts. B ec ker won der ed if he was supposed to wan der the dr ugged-out distr ic t of Tr ian a in sear c h of this myster y woman . O r mayb e he was supposed to c hec k al l the r estaur an ts f or an ob ese G er man . Ev er ythin g seemed l ike a waste of time. Str athmor e’ s wor ds kept c omin g b ac k: I t’ s a matter of n ation al sec ur ity… you must f in d that r in g. A v oic e in the b ac k of B ec ker ’ s head tol d him he’ d missed somethin g–somethin g c r uc ial –b ut f or the l if e of him, he c oul dn ’ t thin k what it woul d b e. I’ m a teac her, not a damned sec ret ag ent! He was b egin n in g to won der why Str athmor e hadn ’ t sen t a pr of ession al . B ec ker stood up an d wal ked aiml essl y down C al l e D el ic ias pon der in g his option s. The c ob b l eston e sidewal k b l ur r ed b en eath his gaz e. N ight was f al l in g f ast. D ewdr op. Ther e was somethin g ab out that ab sur d n ame that n agged at the b ac k of his min d. D ewdrop. The sl ic k v oic e of Señ or R ol dá n at Esc or tes B el é n was on en dl ess l oop in his head. “W e onl y hav e two redheads… T wo redheads, Inmac u l ada and R oc í o… R oc í o… R oc í o…” B ec ker stopped shor t. He sudden l y kn ew. A nd I c al l mysel f a l ang u ag e spec i al i st? He c oul dn ’ t b el iev e he’ d missed it. R oc í o was on e of the most popul ar gir l ’ s n ames in Spain . I t c ar r ied al l the r ight impl ic ation s f or a youn g C athol ic gir l –pur ity, v ir gin ity, n atur al b eauty. The c on n otation s of pur ity al l stemmed f r om the n ame’ s l iter al mean in g–D rop of D ew! The ol d C an adian ’ s v oic e r an g in B ec ker ’ s ear s. D ewdrop. R oc í o had tr an sl ated her n ame to the on l y l an guage she an d her c l ien t had in c ommon –En gl ish. Ex c ited, B ec ker hur r ied of f to f in d a phon e. A c r oss the str eet, a man in wir e-r im gl asses f ol l owed j ust out of sight.
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O n the C r ypto f l oor , the shadows wer e gr owin g l on g an d f ain t. O v er head, the automatic l ightin g gr adual l y in c r eased to c ompen sate. Susan was stil l at her ter min al sil en tl y awaitin g n ews f r om her tr ac er . I t was takin g l on ger than ex pec ted. Her min d had b een wan der in g–missin g D av id an d wil l in g G r eg Hal e to go home. A l though Hal e hadn ’ t b udged, than kf ul l y he’ d b een sil en t, en gr ossed in whatev er he was doin g at his ter min al . Susan c oul dn ’ t c ar e l ess what Hal e was doin g, as l on g as he didn ’ t ac c ess the R un -M on itor . He ob v iousl y hadn ’ t–six teen hour s woul d hav e b r ought an audib l e yel p of disb el ief . Susan was sippin g her thir d c up of tea when it f in al l y happen ed–her ter min al b eeped on c e. Her pul se q uic ken ed. A f l ashin g en v el ope ic on appear ed on her mon itor an n oun c in g the ar r iv al of E-mail . Susan shot a q uic k gl an c e towar d Hal e. He was ab sor b ed in his wor k. She hel d her b r eath an d doub l e-c l ic ked the en v el ope. “N or th D akota, ” she whisper ed to her sel f . “L et’ s see who you ar e.” W hen the E-mail open ed, it was a sin gl e l in e. Susan r ead it. A n d then she r ead it again . D I N N ER A T A L F R ED O ’ S? 8 P M ? A c r oss the r oom, Hal e muf f l ed a c huc kl e. Susan c hec ked the message header . F R O M : G HA L E@ c r ypto.n sa.gov Susan f el t a sur ge of an ger b ut f ought it of f . She del eted the message. “V er y matur e, G r eg.” “They make a gr eat c ar pac c io.” Hal e smil ed. “W hat do you say? A f ter war d we c oul d–” “F or get it.” “Sn ob .” Hal e sighed an d tur n ed b ac k to his ter min al . That was str ike eighty-n in e with Susan F l etc her . The b r il l ian t f emal e c r yptogr apher was a c on stan t f r ustr ation to him. Hal e had of ten f an tasiz ed ab out hav in g sex with her –pin n in g her again st TR A N SL TR ’ s c ur v ed hul l an d takin g her r ight ther e again st the war m b l ac k til e. B ut Susan woul d hav e n othin g to do with him. I n Hal e’ s min d, what made thin gs wor se was that she was in l ov e with some un iv er sity teac her who sl av ed f or hour s on en d f or pean uts. I t woul d b e a pity f or Susan to dil ute her super ior gen e pool pr oc r eatin g with some geek–par tic ul ar l y when she c oul d hav e G r eg. W e’ d hav e perf ec t c hi l dren, he thought. “W hat ar e you wor kin g on ? ” Hal e asked, tr yin g a dif f er en t appr oac h. Susan said n othin g. “Some team pl ayer you ar e. Sur e I c an ’ t hav e a peek? ” Hal e stood an d star ted mov in g ar oun d the c ir c l e of ter min al s towar d her . Susan sen sed that Hal e’ s c ur iosity had the poten tial to c ause some ser ious pr ob l ems today. She made a sn ap dec ision . “I t’ s a diagn ostic , ” she of f er ed, f al l in g b ac k on the c omman der ’ s l ie.
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Hal e stopped in his tr ac ks. “D iagn ostic ? ” He soun ded doub tf ul . “Y ou’ r e spen din g Satur day r un n in g a diagn ostic in stead of pl ayin g with the pr of ? ” “His n ame is D av id.” “W hatev er .” Susan gl ar ed at him. “Hav en ’ t you got an ythin g b etter to do? ” “A r e you tr yin g to get r id of me? ” Hal e pouted. “A c tual l y, yes.” “G ee, Sue, I ’ m hur t.” Susan F l etc her ’ s eyes n ar r owed. She hated b ein g c al l ed Sue. She had n othin g again st the n ic kn ame, b ut Hal e was the on l y on e who’ d ev er used it. “W hy don ’ t I hel p you? ” Hal e of f er ed. He was sudden l y c ir c l in g towar d her again . “I ’ m gr eat with diagn ostic s. B esides, I ’ m dyin g to see what diagn ostic c oul d make the mighty Susan F l etc her c ome to wor k on a Satur day.” Susan f el t a sur ge of adr en al in e. She gl an c ed down at the tr ac er on her sc r een . She kn ew she c oul dn ’ t l et Hal e see it–he’ d hav e too man y q uestion s. “I ’ v e got it c ov er ed, G r eg, ” she said. B ut Hal e kept c omin g. A s he c ir c l ed towar d her ter min al , Susan kn ew she had to ac t f ast. Hal e was on l y a f ew yar ds away when she made her mov e. She stood to meet his tower in g f r ame, b l oc kin g his way. His c ol ogn e was ov er power in g. She l ooked him str aight in the eye. “I said n o.” Hal e c oc ked his head, appar en tl y in tr igued b y her odd displ ay of sec r ec y. He pl ayf ul l y stepped c l oser . G r eg Hal e was n ot r eady f or what happen ed n ex t. W ith un wav er in g c ool , Susan pr essed a sin gl e in dex f in ger again st his r oc k-har d c hest, stoppin g his f or war d motion . Hal e hal ted an d stepped b ac k in shoc k. A ppar en tl y Susan F l etc her was ser ious; she had nev er touc hed him b ef or e, ev er . I t wasn ’ t q uite what Hal e had had in min d f or their f ir st c on tac t, b ut it was a star t. He gav e her a l on g puz z l ed l ook an d sl owl y r etur n ed to his ter min al . A s he sat b ac k down , on e thin g b ec ame per f ec tl y c l ear : The l ov el y Susan F l etc her was wor kin g on somethin g impor tan t, an d it sur e as hel l wasn ’ t an y diagn ostic .
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Señ or R ol dá n was sittin g b ehin d his desk at Esc or tes B el é n c on gr atul atin g himsel f f or def tl y sidesteppin g the G uar dia’ s n ewest pathetic attempt to tr ap him. Hav in g an of f ic er f ake a G er man ac c en t an d r eq uest a gir l f or the n ight–it was en tr apmen t; what woul d they thin k of n ex t? The phon e on his desk b uz z ed l oudl y. Señ or R ol dá n sc ooped up the r ec eiv er with a c on f iden t f l air . “B uen as n oc hes, Esc or tes B el é n .” “B uen as n oc hes, ” a man ’ s v oic e said in l ightn in g-f ast Span ish. He soun ded n asal , l ike he had a sl ight c ol d. “I s this a hotel ? ” “N o, sir . W hat n umb er ar e you dial in g? ” Señ or R ol dá n was n ot goin g to f al l f or an y mor e tr ic ks this ev en in g. “3 4 -6 2 -1 0 , ” the v oic e said. R ol dá n f r own ed. The v oic e soun ded v aguel y f amil iar . He tr ied to pl ac e the ac c en t– B ur gos, mayb e? “Y ou’ v e dial ed the c or r ec t n umb er , ” R ol dá n of f er ed c autiousl y, “b ut this is an esc or t ser v ic e.” Ther e was a pause on the l in e. “O h… I see. I ’ m sor r y. Someb ody wr ote down this n umb er ; I thought it was a hotel . I ’ m v isitin g her e, f r om B ur gos. M y apol ogies f or distur b in g you. G ood n igh–” “Espé r e! W ait! ” Señ or R ol dá n c oul dn ’ t hel p himsel f ; he was a sal esman at hear t. W as this a r ef er r al ? A n ew c l ien t f r om up n or th? He wasn ’ t goin g to l et a l ittl e par an oia b l ow a poten tial sal e. “M y f r ien d, ” R ol dá n gushed in to the phon e. “I thought I r ec ogn iz ed a b it of a B ur gos ac c en t on you. I mysel f am f r om V al en c ia. W hat b r in gs you to Sev il l e? ” “I sel l j ewel r y. M aj ó r ic a pear l s.” “M aj ó r ic as, r eeaal l y! Y ou must tr av el q uite a b it.” The v oic e c oughed sic kl y. “W el l , yes, I do.” “I n Sev il l e on b usin ess? ” R ol dá n pr essed. Ther e was n o way in hel l this guy was G uar dia; he was a c ustomer with a c apital C . “L et me guess–a f r ien d gav e you our n umb er ? He tol d you to giv e us a c al l . A m I r ight? ” The v oic e was ob v iousl y emb ar r assed. “W el l , n o, ac tual l y, it’ s n othin g l ike that.” “D on ’ t b e shy, señ or . W e ar e an esc or t ser v ic e, n othin g to b e ashamed of . L ov el y gir l s, din n er dates, that is al l . W ho gav e you our n umb er ? P er haps he is a r egul ar . I c an giv e you a spec ial r ate.” The v oic e b ec ame f l uster ed. “A h… n ob ody ac tual l y g av e me this n umb er . I f oun d it with a passpor t. I ’ m tr yin g to f in d the own er .” R ol dá n ’ s hear t san k. This man was n ot a c ustomer af ter al l . “Y ou f ou nd the n umb er , you say? ” “Y es, I f oun d a man ’ s passpor t in the par k today. Y our n umb er was on a sc r ap of paper in side. I thought per haps it was the man ’ s hotel ; I was hopin g to r etur n his passpor t to him. M y mistake. I ’ l l j ust dr op it of f at a pol ic e station on my way out of –” “P er dó n , ” R ol dá n in ter r upted n er v ousl y. “M ight I suggest a b etter idea? ” R ol dá n pr ided himsel f on disc r etion , an d v isits to the G uar dia had a way of makin g his c ustomer s ex -c ustomer s. “C on sider this, ” he of f er ed. “B ec ause the man with the passpor t had our n umb er , he is most l ikel y a c l ien t her e. P er haps I c oul d sav e you a tr ip to the pol ic e.” The v oic e hesitated. “I don ’ t kn ow. I shoul d pr ob ab l y j ust–” “D o n ot b e too hasty, my f r ien d. I ’ m ashamed to admit that the pol ic e her e in Sev il l e ar e n ot al ways as ef f ic ien t as the pol ic e up n or th. I t c oul d b e days b ef or e this man ’ s
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passpor t is r etur n ed to him. I f you tel l me his n ame, I c oul d see that he gets his passpor t i mmedi atel y. ” “Y es, wel l … I suppose ther e’ s n o har m…” Some paper r ustl ed, an d the v oic e r etur n ed. “I t’ s a G er man n ame. I c an ’ t q uite pr on oun c e it… G usta… G ustaf son ? ” R ol dá n didn ’ t r ec ogn iz e the n ame, b ut he had c l ien ts f r om al l ov er the wor l d. They n ev er l ef t their r eal n ames. “W hat does he l ook l ike–in his photo? P er haps I wil l r ec ogn iz e him.” “W el l …” the v oic e said. “His f ac e is v er y, v er y f at.” R ol dá n immediatel y kn ew. He r ememb er ed the ob ese f ac e wel l . I t was the man with R oc í o. I t was odd, he thought, to hav e two c al l s ab out the G er man in on e n ight. “M r . G ustaf son ? ” R ol dá n f or c ed a c huc kl e. “O f c our se! I kn ow him wel l . I f you b r in g me his passpor t, I ’ l l see he gets it.” “I ’ m down town without a c ar , ” the v oic e in ter r upted. “M ayb e you c oul d c ome to me? ” “A c tual l y, ” R ol dá n hedged, “I c an ’ t l eav e the phon e. B ut it’ s r eal l y n ot that f ar if you–” “I ’ m sor r y, it’ s l ate to b e out wan der in g ab out. Ther e’ s a G uar dia pr ec in c t n ear b y. I ’ l l dr op it ther e, an d when you see M r . G ustaf son , you c an tel l him wher e it is.” “N o, wait! ” R ol dá n c r ied. “The pol ic e r eal l y n eedn ’ t b e in v ol v ed. Y ou said you’ r e down town , r ight? D o you kn ow the A l f on so X I I I Hotel ? I t’ s on e of the c ity’ s f in est.” “Y es, ” the v oic e said. “I kn ow the A l f on so X I I I . I t’ s n ear b y.” “W on der f ul ! M r . G ustaf son is a guest ther e ton ight. He’ s pr ob ab l y ther e n ow.” The v oic e hesitated. “I see. W el l , then … I suppose it woul d b e n o tr oub l e.” “Super b ! He’ s hav in g din n er with on e of our esc or ts in the hotel r estaur an t.” R ol dá n kn ew they wer e pr ob ab l y in b ed b y n ow, b ut he n eeded to b e c ar ef ul n ot to of f en d the c al l er ’ s r ef in ed sen sib il ities. “Just l eav e the passpor t with the c on c ier ge, his n ame is M an uel . Tel l him I sen t you. A sk him to giv e it to R oc í o. R oc í o is M r . G ustaf son ’ s date f or the ev en in g. She wil l see that the passpor t is r etur n ed. Y ou might sl ip your n ame an d addr ess in side–per haps M r . G ustaf son wil l sen d you a l ittl e than k you.” “A f in e idea. The A l f on so X I I I . V er y wel l , I ’ l l take it ov er r ight n ow. Than k you f or your hel p.” ***
D av id B ec ker hun g up the phon e. “A l f on so X I I I .” He c huc kl ed. “Just hav e to kn ow how to ask.” M omen ts l ater a sil en t f igur e f ol l owed B ec ker up C al l e D el ic iasin to the sof tl y settl in g A n dal usian n ight.
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C h ap t e r 2 9
Stil l un n er v ed f r om her en c oun ter with Hal e, Susan gaz ed out thr ough the on e-way gl ass of N ode 3 . The C r ypto f l oor was empty. Hal e was sil en t again , en gr ossed. She wished he woul d l eav e. She won der ed if she shoul d c al l Str athmor e; the c omman der c oul d simpl y kic k Hal e out–af ter al l , it was Satur day. Susan kn ew, howev er , that if Hal e got kic ked out, he woul d immediatel y b ec ome suspic ious. O n c e dismissed, he pr ob ab l y woul d star t c al l in g other c r yptogr apher s askin g what they thought was goin g on . Susan dec ided it was b etter j ust to l et Hal e b e. He woul d l eav e on his own soon en ough. A n u nb reak ab l e al g ori thm. She sighed, her thoughts r etur n in g to D igital F or tr ess. I t amaz ed her that an al gor ithm l ike that c oul d r eal l y b e c r eated–then again , the pr oof was r ight ther e in f r on t of her ; TR A N SL TR appear ed usel ess again st it. Susan thought of Str athmor e, n ob l y b ear in g the weight of this or deal on his shoul der s, doin g what was n ec essar y, stayin g c ool in the f ac e of disaster . Susan sometimes saw D av id in Str athmor e. They had man y of the same q ual ities– ten ac ity, dedic ation , in tel l igen c e. Sometimes Susan thought Str athmor e woul d b e l ost without her ; the pur ity of her l ov e f or c r yptogr aphy seemed to b e an emotion al l if el in e to Str athmor e, l if tin g him f r om the sea of c hur n in g pol itic s an d r emin din g him of his ear l y days as a c ode-b r eaker . Susan r el ied on Str athmor e too; he was her shel ter in a wor l d of power -hun gr y men , n ur tur in g her c ar eer , pr otec tin g her , an d, as he of ten j oked, makin g al l her dr eams c ome tr ue. Ther e was some tr uth to that, she thought. A s un in ten tion al as it may hav e b een , the c omman der was the on e who’ d made the c al l that b r ought D av id B ec ker to the N SA that f atef ul af ter n oon . Her min d r eel ed b ac k to him, an d her eyes f el l in stin c tiv el y to the pul l -sl ide b eside her keyb oar d. Ther e was a smal l f ax taped ther e. The f ax had b een ther e f or sev en mon ths. I t was the on l y c ode Susan F l etc her had yet to b r eak. I t was f r om D av id. She r ead it f or the f iv e-hun dr edth time. P L EA SE A C C EP T THI S HU M B L E F A X M Y L O V EF O R Y O U
ISW
I THO U T W
A X .
He’ d sen t it to her af ter a min or tif f . She’ d b egged him f or mon ths to tel l her what it mean t, b ut he had r ef used. W i thou t wax . I t was D av id’ s r ev en ge. Susan had taught D av id a l ot ab out c ode-b r eakin g, an d to keep him on his toes, she had taken to en c odin g al l of her messages to him with some simpl e en c r yption sc heme. Shoppin g l ists, l ov e n otes–they wer e al l en c r ypted. I t was a game, an d D av id had b ec ome q uite a good c r yptogr apher . Then he’ d dec ided to r etur n the f av or . He’ d star ted sign in g al l his l etter s “W ithout wax , D av id.” Susan had ov er two doz en n otes f r om D av id. They wer e al l sign ed the same way. W i thou t wax . Susan b egged to kn ow the hidden mean in g, b ut D av id wasn ’ t tal kin g. W hen ev er she asked, he simpl y smil ed an d said, “Y ou ’ re the c ode-b r eaker .” The N SA ’ s head c r yptogr apher had tr ied ev er ythin g–sub stitution s, c ipher b ox es, ev en an agr ams. She’ d r un the l etter s “without wax ” thr ough her c omputer an d asked f or
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r ear r an gemen ts of the l etter s in to n ew phr ases. A l l she’ d gotten b ac k was: tax i hut wow. I t appear ed En sei Tan kado was n ot the on l y on e who c oul d wr ite un b r eakab l e c odes. Her thoughts wer e in ter r upted b y the soun d of the pn eumatic door s hissin g open . Str athmor e str ode in . “Susan , an y wor d yet? ” Str athmor e saw G r eg Hal e an d stopped shor t. “W el l , good ev en in g, M r . Hal e.” He f r own ed, his eyes n ar r owin g. “O n a Satur day, n o l ess. To what do we owe the hon or ? ” Hal e smil ed in n oc en tl y. “Just makin g sur e I pul l my weight.” “I see.” Str athmor e gr un ted, appar en tl y weighin g his option s. A f ter a momen t, it seemed he too dec ided n ot to r oc k Hal e’ s b oat. He tur n ed c ool l y to Susan . “M s. F l etc her , c oul d I speak to you f or a momen t? O u tsi de? ” Susan hesitated. “A h… yes, sir .” She shot an un easy gl an c e at her mon itor an d then ac r oss the r oom at G r eg Hal e. “Just a min ute.” W ith a f ew q uic k keystr okes, she pul l ed up a pr ogr am c al l ed Sc r een L oc k. I t was a pr iv ac y util ity. Ev er y ter min al in N ode 3 was eq uipped with it. B ec ause the ter min al s stayed on ar oun d the c l oc k, Sc r een L oc k en ab l ed c r yptogr apher s to l eav e their station s an d kn ow that n ob ody woul d tamper with their f il es. Susan en ter ed her f iv e-c har ac ter pr iv ac y c ode, an d her sc r een wen t b l ac k. I t woul d r emain that way un til she r etur n ed an d typed the pr oper seq uen c e. Then she sl ipped on her shoes an d f ol l owed the c omman der out. ***
“W hat the hel l is he doin g her e? ” Str athmor e deman ded as soon as he an d Susan wer e outside N ode 3 . “His usual , ” Susan r epl ied. “N othin g.” Str athmor e l ooked c on c er n ed. “Has he said an ythin g ab out TR A N SL TR ? ” “N o. B ut if he ac c esses the R un -M on itor an d sees it r egister in g sev en teen hour s, he’ l l hav e somethin g to say al l r ight.” Str athmor e c on sider ed it. “Ther e’ s n o r eason he’ d ac c ess it.” Susan eyed the c omman der . “Y ou wan t to sen d him home? ” “N o. W e’ l l l et him b e.” Str athmor e gl an c ed ov er at the Sys-Sec of f ic e. “Has C har tr ukian l ef t yet? ” “I don ’ t kn ow. I hav en ’ t seen him.” “Jesus.” Str athmor e gr oan ed. “This is a c ir c us.” He r an a han d ac r oss the b ear d stub b l e that had dar ken ed his f ac e ov er the past thir ty-six hour s. “A n y wor d yet on the tr ac er ? I f eel l ike I ’ m sittin g on my han ds up ther e.” “N ot yet. A n y wor d f r om D av id? ” Str athmor e shook his head. “I asked him n ot to c al l me un til he has the r in g.” Susan l ooked sur pr ised. “W hy n ot? W hat if he n eeds hel p? ” Str athmor e shr ugged. “I c an ’ t hel p him f r om her e–he’ s on his own . B esides, I ’ d r ather n ot tal k on un sec ur ed l in es j ust in c ase someon e’ s l isten in g.” Susan ’ s eyes widen ed in c on c er n . “W hat’ s that supposed to mean ? ” Str athmor e immediatel y l ooked apol ogetic . He gav e her a r eassur in g smil e. “D av id’ s f in e. I ’ m j ust b ein g c ar ef ul .”
***
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Thir ty f eet away f r om their c on v er sation , hidden b ehin d the on e-way gl ass of N ode 3 , G r eg Hal e stood at Susan ’ s ter min al . Her sc r een was b l ac k. Hal e gl an c ed out at the c omman der an d Susan . Then he r eac hed f or his wal l et. He ex tr ac ted a smal l in dex c ar d an d r ead it. D oub l e-c hec kin g that Str athmor e an d Susan wer e stil l tal kin g, Hal e c ar ef ul l y typed f iv e keystr okes on Susan ’ s keyb oar d. A sec on d l ater her mon itor spr an g to l if e. “B in go.” He c huc kl ed. Steal in g the N ode 3 pr iv ac y c odes had b een simpl e. I n N ode 3 , ev er y ter min al had an iden tic al detac hab l e keyb oar d. Hal e had simpl y taken his keyb oar d home on e n ight an d in stal l ed a c hip that kept a r ec or d of ev er y keystr oke made on it. Then he had c ome in ear l y, swapped his modif ied keyb oar d f or someon e el se’ s, an d waited. A t the en d of the day, he switc hed b ac k an d v iewed the data r ec or ded b y the c hip. Ev en though ther e wer e mil l ion s of keystr okes to sor t thr ough, f in din g the ac c ess c ode was simpl e; the f ir st thin g a c r yptogr apher did ev er y mor n in g was type the pr iv ac y c ode that un l oc ked his ter min al . This, of c our se, made Hal e’ s j ob ef f or tl ess–the pr iv ac y c ode al ways appear ed as the f ir st f iv e c har ac ter s on the l ist. I t was ir on ic , Hal e thought as he gaz ed at Susan ’ s mon itor . He’ d stol en the pr iv ac y c odes j ust f or kic ks. He was happy n ow he’ d don e it; the pr ogr am on Susan ’ s sc r een l ooked sign if ic an t. Hal e puz z l ed ov er it f or a momen t. I t was wr itten in L I M B O –n ot on e of his spec ial ties. Just b y l ookin g at it, though, Hal e c oul d tel l on e thin g f or c er tain –this was not a diagn ostic . He c oul d make sen se of on l y two wor ds. B ut they wer e en ough. TR A C ER SEA R C HI N G … “Tr ac er ? ” he said al oud. “Sear c hin g f or what? ” Hal e f el t sudden l y un easy. He sat a momen t studyin g Susan ’ s sc r een . Then he made his dec ision . Hal e un der stood en ough ab out the L I M B O pr ogr ammin g l an guage to kn ow that it b or r owed heav il y f r om two other l an guages–C an d P asc al –b oth of whic h he kn ew c ol d. G l an c in g up to c hec k that Str athmor e an d Susan wer e stil l tal kin g outside, Hal e impr ov ised. He en ter ed a f ew modif ied P asc al c omman ds an d hit r etur n . The tr ac er ’ s status win dow r espon ded ex ac tl y as he had hoped. TR A C ER A B O R T? He q uic kl y typed: Y ES A R EY O U A gain he typed: Y ES
SU R E?
A f ter a momen t the c omputer b eeped.
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TR A C ER A B O R TED Hal e smil ed. The ter min al had j ust sen t a message tel l in g Susan ’ s tr ac er to sel f -destr uc t pr ematur el y. W hatev er she was l ookin g f or woul d hav e to wait. M in df ul to l eav e n o ev iden c e, Hal e ex per tl y n av igated his way in to her system ac tiv ity l og an d del eted al l the c omman ds he’ d j ust typed. Then he r een ter ed Susan ’ s pr iv ac y c ode. The mon itor wen t b l ac k. W hen Susan F l etc her r etur n ed to N ode 3 , G r eg Hal e was seated q uietl y at his ter min al .
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A l f on so X I I I was a smal l f our -star hotel set b ac k f r om the P uer ta de Jer ez an d sur r oun ded b y a thic k wr ought-ir on f en c e an d l il ac s. D av id made his way up the mar b l e stair s. A s he r eac hed f or the door , it magic al l y open ed, an d a b el l hop usher ed him in side. “B aggage, señ or ? M ay I hel p you? ” “N o, than ks. I n eed to see the c on c ier ge.” The b el l hop l ooked hur t, as if somethin g in their two-sec on d en c oun ter had n ot b een satisf ac tor y. “P or aq uí , señ or .” He l ed B ec ker in to the l ob b y, poin ted to the c on c ier ge, an d hur r ied of f . The l ob b y was ex q uisite, smal l an d el egan tl y appoin ted. Spain ’ s G ol den A ge had l on g sin c e passed, b ut f or a whil e in the mid-1 6 0 0 s, this smal l n ation had r ul ed the wor l d. The r oom was a pr oud r emin der of that er a–suits of ar mor , mil itar y etc hin gs, an d a displ ay c ase of gol d in gots f r om the N ew W or l d. Hov er in g b ehin d the c oun ter mar ked c on ser j e was a tr im, wel l -gr oomed man smil in g so eager l y that it appear ed he’ d waited his en tir e l if e to b e of assistan c e. “En q ué puedo ser v ir l e, señ or ? How may I ser v e you? ” He spoke with an af f ec ted l isp an d r an his eyes up an d down B ec ker ’ s b ody. B ec ker r espon ded in Span ish. “I n eed to speak to M an uel .” The man ’ s wel l -tan n ed f ac e smil ed ev en wider . “Sí , sí , señ or . I am M an uel . W hat is it you desir e? ” “Señ or R ol dá n at Esc or tes B el é n tol d me you woul d–” The c on c ier ge sil en c ed B ec ker with a wav e an d gl an c ed n er v ousl y ar oun d the l ob b y. “W hy don ’ t you step ov er her e? ” He l ed B ec ker to the en d of the c oun ter . “N ow, ” he c on tin ued, pr ac tic al l y in a whisper . “How may I hel p you? ” B ec ker b egan again , l ower in g his v oic e. “I n eed to speak to on e of his esc or ts whom I b el iev e is din in g her e. Her n ame is R oc í o.” The c on c ier ge l et out his b r eath as though ov er whel med. “A aah, R oc í o–a b eautif ul c r eatur e.” “I n eed to see her immediatel y.” “B ut, señ or , she is with a c l ien t.” B ec ker n odded apol ogetic al l y. “I t’ s impor tan t.” A matter of nati onal sec u ri ty. The c on c ier ge shook his head. “I mpossib l e. P er haps if you l ef t a–” “I t wil l on l y take a momen t. I s she in the din in g r oom? ” The c on c ier ge shook his head. “O ur din in g r oom c l osed hal f an hour ago. I ’ m af r aid R oc í o an d her guest hav e r etir ed f or the ev en in g. I f you’ d l ike to l eav e me a message, I c an giv e it to her in the mor n in g.” He motion ed to the b an k of n umb er ed message b ox es b ehin d him. “I f I c oul d j ust c al l her r oom an d–” “I ’ m sor r y, ” the c on c ier ge said, his pol iten ess ev apor atin g. “The A l f on so X I I I has str ic t pol ic ies r egar din g c l ien t pr iv ac y.” B ec ker had n o in ten tion of waitin g ten hour s f or a f at man an d a pr ostitute to wan der down f or b r eakf ast. “I un der stan d, ” B ec ker said. “Sor r y to b other you.” He tur n ed an d wal ked b ac k in to the l ob b y. He str ode dir ec tl y to a c her r y r ol l -top desk that had c aught his eye on his way in . I t hel d a gen er ous suppl y of A l f on so X I I I postc ar ds an d station er y as wel l as pen s an d en v el opes. B ec ker seal ed a b l an k piec e of paper in an en v el ope an d wr ote on e wor d on the en v el ope.
80 R O C Í O .
Then he wen t b ac k to the c on c ier ge. “I ’ m sor r y to tr oub l e you again , ” B ec ker said appr oac hin g sheepishl y. “I ’ m b ein g a b it of a f ool , I kn ow. I was hopin g to tel l R oc í o per son al l y how muc h I en j oyed our time together the other day. B ut I ’ m l eav in g town ton ight. P er haps I ’ l l j ust l eav e her a n ote af ter al l .” B ec ker l aid the en v el ope on the c oun ter . The c on c ier ge l ooked down at the en v el ope an d c l uc ked sadl y to himsel f . A nother l ov esi c k heterosex u al , he thought. W hat a waste. He l ooked up an d smil ed. “B ut of c our se, M r . …? ” “B uisá n , ” B ec ker said. “M iguel B uisá n .” “O f c our se. I ’ l l b e sur e R oc í o gets this in the mor n in g.” “Than k you.” B ec ker smil ed an d tur n ed to go. The c on c ier ge, af ter disc r eetl y c hec kin g out B ec ker ’ s b ac kside, sc ooped up the en v el ope of f the c oun ter an d tur n ed to the b an k of n umb er ed sl ots on the wal l b ehin d him. Just as the man sl ipped the en v el ope in to on e of the sl ots, B ec ker spun with on e f in al in q uir y. “W her e might I c al l a tax i? ” The c on c ier ge tur n ed f r om the wal l of c ub b yhol es an d an swer ed. B ut B ec ker did n ot hear his r espon se. The timin g had b een per f ec t. The c on c ier ge’ s han d was j ust emer gin g f r om a b ox mar ked Suite 3 0 1 . B ec ker than ked the c on c ier ge an d sl owl y wan der ed of f l ookin g f or the el ev ator . In and ou t, he r epeated to himsel f .
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Susan r etur n ed to N ode 3 . Her c on v er sation with Str athmor e had made her in c r easin gl y an x ious ab out D av id’ s saf ety. Her imagin ation was r un n in g wil d. “So, ” Hal e spouted f r om his ter min al . “W hat did Str athmor e wan t? A r oman tic ev en in g al on e with his head c r yptogr apher ? ” Susan ign or ed the c ommen t an d settl ed in at her ter min al . She typed her pr iv ac y c ode an d the sc r een c ame to l if e. The tr ac er pr ogr am c ame in to v iew; it stil l had n ot r etur n ed an y in f or mation on N or th D akota. D amn , Susan thought. W hat’ s takin g so l on g? “Y ou seem uptight, ” Hal e said in n oc en tl y. “Hav in g tr oub l e with your diagn ostic ? ” “N othin g ser ious, ” she r epl ied. B ut Susan wasn ’ t so sur e. The tr ac er was ov er due. She won der ed if mayb e she’ d made a mistake whil e wr itin g it. She b egan sc an n in g the l on g l in es of L I M B O pr ogr ammin g on her sc r een , sear c hin g f or an ythin g that c oul d b e hol din g thin gs up. Hal e ob ser v ed her smugl y. “Hey, I mean t to ask you, ” he v en tur ed. “W hat do you make of that un b r eakab l e al gor ithm En sei Tan kado said he was wr itin g? ” Susan ’ s stomac h did a f l ip. She l ooked up. “U n b r eakab l e al gor ithm? ” She c aught her sel f . “O h, yeah… I thin k I r ead somethin g ab out that.” “P r etty in c r edib l e c l aim.” “Y eah, ” Susan r epl ied, won der in g why Hal e had sudden l y b r ought it up. “I don ’ t b uy it, though. Ev er yon e kn ows an un b r eakab l e al gor ithm is a mathematic al impossib il ity.” Hal e smil ed. “O h, yeah… the B er gof sky P r in c ipl e.” “A n d c ommon sen se, ” she sn apped. “W ho kn ows…” Hal e sighed dr amatic al l y. “Ther e ar e mor e thin gs in heav en an d ear th than ar e dr eamt of in your phil osophy.” “I b eg your par don ? ” “Shakespear e, ” Hal e of f er ed. “H aml et. ” “R ead a l ot whil e you wer e in j ail ? ” Hal e c huc kl ed. “Ser iousl y, Susan , did you ev er thin k that mayb e it i s possib l e, that mayb e Tan kado r eal l y di d wr ite an un b r eakab l e al gor ithm? ” This c on v er sation was makin g Susan un easy. “W el l , we c oul dn ’ t do it.” “M ayb e Tan kado’ s b etter than we ar e.” “M ayb e.” Susan shr ugged, f eign in g disin ter est. “W e c or r espon ded f or a whil e, ” Hal e of f er ed c asual l y. “Tan kado an d me. D id you kn ow that? ” Susan l ooked up, attemptin g to hide her shoc k. “R eal l y? ” “Y eah. A f ter I un c ov er ed the Skipj ac k al gor ithm, he wr ote me–said we wer e b r other s in the gl ob al f ight f or digital pr iv ac y.” Susan c oul d b ar el y c on tain her disb el ief . H al e k nows T ank ado personal l y! She did her b est to l ook un in ter ested. Hal e wen t on . “He c on gr atul ated me f or pr ov in g that Skipj ac k had a b ac k door – c al l ed it a c oup f or pr iv ac y r ights of c iv il ian s al l ov er the wor l d. Y ou gotta admit, Susan , the b ac kdoor in Skipj ac k was an un der han ded pl ay. R eadin g the wor l d’ s E-mail ? I f you ask me, Str athmor e deserv ed to get c aught.” “G r eg, ” Susan sn apped, f ightin g her an ger , “that b ac k door was so the N SA c oul d dec ode E-mail that thr eaten ed this n ation ’ s sec ur ity.”
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“O h, r eal l y? ” Hal e sighed in n oc en tl y. “A n d sn oopin g the av er age c itiz en was j ust a l uc ky b y-pr oduc t? ” “W e don ’ t sn oop av er age c itiz en s, an d you kn ow it. The F B I c an tap tel ephon es, b ut that doesn ’ t mean they l isten to ev ery c al l that’ s ev er made.” “I f they had the man power , they woul d.” Susan ign or ed the r emar k. “G ov er n men ts shoul d hav e the r ight to gather in f or mation that thr eaten s the c ommon good.” “Jesus C hr ist”–Hal e sighed–”you soun d l ike you’ v e b een b r ain washed b y Str athmor e. Y ou kn ow damn wel l the F B I c an ’ t l isten in when ev er they wan t–they’ v e got to get a war r an t. A spiked en c r yption stan dar d woul d mean the N SA c oul d l isten in to anyone, anyti me, anywhere. ” “Y ou’ r e r ight–as we shou l d b e ab l e to! ” Susan ’ s v oic e was sudden l y har sh. “I f you hadn ’ t un c ov er ed the b ac k door in Skipj ac k, we’ d hav e ac c ess to ev ery c ode we n eed to b r eak, in stead of j ust what TR A N SL TR c an han dl e.” “I f I hadn ’ t f oun d the b ac k door , ” Hal e ar gued, “someon e el se woul d hav e. I sav ed your asses b y un c ov er in g it when I did. C an you imagin e the f al l out if Skipj ac k had b een in c ir c ul ation when the n ews b r oke? ” “Either way, ” Susan shot b ac k, “n ow we’ v e got a par an oid EF F who thin k we put b ac k door s in al l our al gor ithms.” Hal e asked smugl y, “W el l , don ’ t we? ” Susan eyed him c ol dl y. “Hey, ” he said, b ac kin g of f , “the poin t is moot n ow an yway. Y ou b uil t TR A N SL TR . Y ou’ v e got your in stan t in f or mation sour c e. Y ou c an r ead what you wan t, when you wan t– n o q uestion s asked. Y ou win .” “D on ’ t you mean we win ? L ast I hear d, you wor ked f or the N SA .” “N ot f or l on g, ” Hal e c hir ped. “D on ’ t make pr omises.” “I ’ m ser ious. Someday I ’ m gettin g out of her e.” “I ’ l l b e c r ushed.” I n that momen t, Susan f oun d her sel f wan tin g to c ur se Hal e f or ev er ythin g that wasn ’ t goin g r ight. She wan ted to c ur se him f or D igital F or tr ess, f or her tr oub l es with D av id, f or the f ac t that she wasn ’ t in the Smokys–b ut n on e of it was his f aul t. Hal e’ s on l y f aul t was that he was ob n ox ious. Susan n eeded to b e the b igger per son . I t was her r espon sib il ity as head c r yptogr apher to keep the peac e, to educ ate. Hal e was youn g an d n ä iv e. Susan l ooked ov er at him. I t was f r ustr atin g, she thought, that Hal e had the tal en t to b e an asset in C r ypto, b ut he stil l hadn ’ t gr asped the impor tan c e of what the N SA did. “G r eg, ” Susan said, her v oic e q uiet an d c on tr ol l ed, “I ’ m un der a l ot of pr essur e today. I j ust get upset when you tal k ab out the N SA l ike we’ r e some kin d of high-tec h peepin g Tom. This or gan iz ation was f oun ded f or on e pur pose–to pr otec t the sec ur ity of this n ation . That may in v ol v e shakin g a f ew tr ees an d l ookin g f or the b ad appl es f r om time to time. I thin k most c itiz en s woul d gl adl y sac r if ic e some pr iv ac y to kn ow that the b ad guys c an ’ t man euv er un c hec ked.” Hal e said n othin g. “Soon er or l ater , ” Susan ar gued, “the peopl e of this n ation n eed to put their tr ust somewher e. Ther e’ s a l ot of good out ther e–b ut ther e’ s al so a l ot of b ad mix ed in . Someon e has to hav e ac c ess to al l of it an d separ ate the r ight f r om wr on g. That’ s our j ob . That’ s our duty. W hether we l ike it or n ot, ther e is a f r ail gate separ atin g democ r ac y f r om an ar c hy.
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The N SA guar ds that gate.” Hal e n odded thoughtf ul l y. “Q uis c ustodiet ipsos c ustodes? ” Susan l ooked puz z l ed. “I t’ s L atin , ” Hal e said. “F r om Sati res of Juv en al . I t mean s ‘ W ho wil l guar d the guar ds? ’ “ “I don ’ t get it, ” Susan said. “ ‘ W ho wil l guar d the guar ds? ’ “ “Y eah. I f we’ re the guar ds of soc iety, then who wil l watc h u s an d make sur e that we’ re n ot dan ger ous? ” Susan n odded, un sur e how to r espon d. Hal e smil ed. “I t’ s how Tan kado sign ed al l his l etter s to me. I t was his f av or ite sayin g.”
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D av id B ec ker stood in the hal l way outside suite 3 0 1 . He kn ew that somewher e b ehin d the or n atel y c ar v ed door was the r in g. A matter of nati onal sec u ri ty. B ec ker c oul d hear mov emen t in side the r oom. F ain t tal kin g. He kn oc ked. A deep G er man ac c en t c al l ed out. “Ja? ” B ec ker r emain ed sil en t. “Ja? ” The door open ed a c r ac k, an d a r otun d G er man ic f ac e gaz ed down at him. B ec ker smil ed pol itel y. He did n ot kn ow the man ’ s n ame. “D eutsc her , j a? ” he asked. “G er man , r ight? ” The man n odded, un c er tain . B ec ker c on tin ued in per f ec t G er man . “M ay I speak to you a momen t? ” The man l ooked un easy. “W as wil l st du? W hat do you wan t? ” B ec ker r eal iz ed he shoul d hav e r ehear sed this b ef or e b r az en l y kn oc kin g on a str an ger ’ s door . He sear c hed f or the r ight wor ds. “Y ou hav e somethin g I n eed.” These wer e appar en tl y n ot the r ight wor ds. The G er man ’ s eyes n ar r owed. “Ein r in g, ” B ec ker said. “D u hast ein en R in g. Y ou hav e a r in g.” “G o away, ” the G er man gr owl ed. He star ted to c l ose the door . W ithout thin kin g, B ec ker sl id his f oot in to the c r ac k an d j ammed the door open . He immediatel y r egr etted the ac tion . The G er man ’ s eyes wen t wide. “W as tust du? ” he deman ded. “W hat ar e you doin g? ” B ec ker kn ew he was in ov er his head. He gl an c ed n er v ousl y up an d down the hal l . He’ d al r eady b een thr own out of the c l in ic ; he had n o in ten tion of goin g two f or two. “N imm dein en F uß weg! ” the G er man b el l owed. “R emov e your f oot! ” B ec ker sc an n ed the man ’ s pudgy f in ger s f or a r in g. N othin g. I’ m so c l ose, he thought. “Ein R in g! ” B ec ker r epeated as the door sl ammed shut. ***
D av id B ec ker stood a l on g momen t in the wel l -f ur n ished hal l way. A r epl ic a of a Sal v ador D al i hun g n ear b y. “F ittin g.” B ec ker gr oan ed. Su rreal i sm. I’ m trapped i n an ab su rd dream. He’ d woken up that mor n in g in his own b ed b ut had somehow en ded up in Spain b r eakin g in to a str an ger ’ s hotel r oom on a q uest f or some magic al r in g. Str athmor e’ s ster n v oic e pul l ed him b ac k to r eal ity: Y ou mu st f i nd that ri ng . B ec ker took a deep b r eath an d b l oc ked out the wor ds. He wan ted to go home. He l ooked b ac k to the door mar ked 3 0 1 . His tic ket home was j ust on the other side–a gol d r in g. A l l he had to do was get it. He ex hal ed pur posef ul l y. Then he str ode b ac k to suite 3 0 1 an d kn oc ked l oudl y on the door . I t was time to pl ay har db al l . ***
The G er man yan ked open the door an d was ab out to pr otest, b ut B ec ker c ut him of f . He f l ashed his M ar yl an d sq uash c l ub I D an d b ar ked, “P ol iz ei! ” Then B ec ker pushed his way in to the r oom an d thr ew on the l ights.
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W heel in g, the G er man sq uin ted in shoc k. “W as mac hst–” “Sil en c e! ” B ec ker switc hed to En gl ish. “D o you hav e a pr ostitute in this r oom? ” B ec ker peer ed ar oun d the r oom. I t was as pl ush as an y hotel r oom he’ d ev er seen . R oses, c hampagn e, a huge c an opy b ed. R oc í o was n owher e to b e seen . The b athr oom door was c l osed. “P r ostituier t? ” The G er man gl an c ed un easil y at the c l osed b athr oom door . He was l ar ger than B ec ker had imagin ed. His hair y c hest b egan r ight un der his tr ipl e c hin an d sl oped outwar d to his c ol ossal gut. The dr awstr in g of his white ter r y-c l oth A l f on so X I I I b athr ob e b ar el y r eac hed ar oun d his waist. B ec ker star ed up at the gian t with his most in timidatin g l ook. “W hat is your n ame? ” A l ook of pan ic r ippl ed ac r oss the G er man ’ s c or pul en t f ac e. “W as wil l st du? W hat do you wan t? ” “I am with the tour ist r el ation s b r an c h of the Span ish G uar dia her e in Sev il l e. D o you hav e a pr ostitute in this r oom? ” The G er man gl an c ed n er v ousl y at the b athr oom door . He hesitated. “Ja, ” he f in al l y admitted. “D o you kn ow this is il l egal in Spain ? ” “N ein , ” the G er man l ied. “I did n ot kn ow. I ’ l l sen d her home r ight n ow.” “I ’ m af r aid it’ s too l ate f or that, ” B ec ker said with author ity. He str ol l ed c asual l y in to the r oom. “I hav e a pr oposition f or you.” “Ein V or sc hl ag? ” The G er man gasped. “A pr oposition ? ” “Y es. I c an take you to headq uar ter s r ight n ow…” B ec ker paused dr amatic al l y an d c r ac ked his kn uc kl es. “O r what? ” the G er man asked, his eyes widen in g in f ear . “O r we make a deal .” “W hat kin d of deal ? ” The G er man had hear d stor ies ab out the c or r uption in the Span ish G uar dia C iv il . “Y ou hav e somethin g I wan t, ” B ec ker said. “Y es, of c our se! ” the G er man ef f used, f or c in g a smil e. He wen t immediatel y to the wal l et on his dr esser . “How muc h? ” B ec ker l et his j aw dr op in moc k in dign ation . “A r e you tr yin g to b r ib e an of f ic er of the l aw? ” he b el l owed. “N o! O f c our se n ot! I j ust thought…” The ob ese man q uic kl y set down his wal l et. “I … I …” He was total l y f l uster ed. He c ol l apsed on the c or n er of the b ed an d wr un g his han ds. The b ed gr oan ed un der his weight. “I ’ m sor r y.” B ec ker pul l ed a r ose f r om the v ase in the c en ter of the r oom an d c asual l y smel l ed it b ef or e l ettin g it f al l to the f l oor . He spun sudden l y. “W hat c an you tel l me ab out the mur der ? ” The G er man wen t white. “M or d? M ur der ? ” “Y es. The A sian man this mor n in g? I n the par k? I t was an assassin ation – Er mor dun g.” B ec ker l ov ed the G er man wor d f or assassin ation . Er mor dun g. I t was so c hil l in g. “Er mor dun g? He… he was…? ” “Y es.” “B ut… b ut that’ s impossib l e, ” the G er man c hoked. “I was ther e. He had a hear t attac k. I saw it. N o b l ood. N o b ul l ets.” B ec ker shook his head c on desc en din gl y. “Thin gs ar e n ot al ways as they seem.” The G er man wen t whiter stil l .
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B ec ker gav e an in war d smil e. The l ie had ser v ed its pur pose. The poor G er man was sweatin g pr of usel y. “W h-wh-at do you wan t? ” he stammer ed. “I kn ow n othin g.” B ec ker b egan pac in g. “The mur der ed man was wear in g a gol d r in g. I n eed it.” “I -I don ’ t hav e it.” B ec ker sighed patr on iz in gl y an d motion ed to the b athr oom door . “A n d R oc í o? D ewdr op? ” The man wen t f r om white to pur pl e. “Y ou kn ow D ewdr op? ” He wiped the sweat f r om his f l eshy f or ehead an d dr en c hed his ter r y-c l oth sl eev e. He was ab out to speak when the b athr oom door swun g open . B oth men l ooked up. R oc í o Ev a G r an ada stood in the door way. A v ision . L on g f l owin g r ed hair , per f ec t I b er ian skin , deep-b r own eyes, a high smooth f or ehead. She wor e a white ter r y-c l oth r ob e that matc hed the G er man ’ s. The tie was dr awn sn ugl y ov er her wide hips, an d the n ec k f el l l oosel y open to r ev eal her tan n ed c l eav age. She stepped in to the b edr oom, the pic tur e of c on f iden c e. “M ay I hel p you? ” she asked in thr oaty En gl ish. B ec ker gaz ed ac r oss the r oom at the stun n in g woman b ef or e him an d did n ot b l in k. “I n eed the r in g, ” he said c ol dl y. “W ho ar e you? ” she deman ded. B ec ker switc hed to Span ish with a dead-on A n dal usian ac c en t. “G uar dia C iv il .” She l aughed. “I mpossib l e, ” she r epl ied in Span ish. B ec ker f el t a kn ot r ise in his thr oat. R oc í o was c l ear l y a l ittl e tougher than her c l ien t. “I mpossib l e? ” he r epeated, keepin g his c ool . “Shal l I take you down town to pr ov e it? ” R oc í o smir ked. “I wil l n ot emb ar r ass you b y ac c eptin g your of f er . N ow, who ar e you? ” B ec ker stuc k to his stor y. “I am with the Sev il l e G uar dia.” R oc í o stepped men ac in gl y towar d him. “I kn ow ev er y pol ic e of f ic er on the f or c e. They ar e my b est c l ien ts.” B ec ker f el t her star e c uttin g r ight thr ough him. He r egr ouped. “I am with a spec ial tour ist task f or c e. G iv e me the r in g, or I ’ l l hav e to take you down to the pr ec in c t an d–” “A n d what? ” she deman ded, r aisin g her eyeb r ows in moc k an tic ipation . B ec ker f el l sil en t. He was in ov er his head. The pl an was b ac kf ir in g. W hy i sn’ t she b u yi ng thi s? R oc í o c ame c l oser . “I don ’ t kn ow who you ar e or what you wan t, b ut if you don ’ t get out of this suite r ight n ow, I wil l c al l hotel sec ur ity, an d the real G uar dia wil l ar r est you f or imper son atin g a pol ic e of f ic er .” B ec ker kn ew that Str athmor e c oul d hav e him out of j ail in f iv e min utes, b ut it had b een made v er y c l ear to him that this matter was supposed to b e han dl ed disc r eetl y. G ettin g ar r ested was n ot par t of the pl an . R oc í o had stopped a f ew f eet in f r on t of B ec ker an d was gl ar in g at him. “O kay.” B ec ker sighed, ac c en tuatin g the def eat in his v oic e. He l et his Span ish ac c en t sl ip. “I am n ot with the Sev il l e pol ic e. A U .S. gov er n men t or gan iz ation sen t me to l oc ate the r in g. That’ s al l I c an r ev eal . I ’ v e b een author iz ed to pay you f or it.” Ther e was a l on g sil en c e. R oc í o l et his statemen t han g in the air a momen t b ef or e par tin g her l ips in a sl y smil e. “N ow that wasn ’ t so har d, was it? ” She sat down on a c hair an d c r ossed her l egs. “How muc h c an you pay? ”
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B ec ker muf f l ed his sigh of r el ief . He wasted n o time gettin g down to b usin ess. “I c an pay you 7 5 0 , 0 0 0 pesetas. F iv e thousan d A mer ic an dol l ar s.” I t was hal f what he had on him b ut pr ob ab l y ten times what the r in g was ac tual l y wor th. R oc í o r aised her eyeb r ows. “That’ s a l ot of mon ey.” “Y es it is. D o we hav e a deal ? ” R oc í o shook her head. “I wish I c oul d say yes.” “A mil l ion pesetas? ” B ec ker b l ur ted. “I t’ s al l I hav e.” “M y, my.” She smil ed. “Y ou A mer ic an s don ’ t b ar gain v er y wel l . Y ou woul dn ’ t l ast a day in our mar kets.” “C ash, r ight n ow, ” B ec ker said, r eac hin g f or the en v el ope in his j ac ket. I j u st want to g o home. R oc í o shook her head. “I c an ’ t.” B ec ker b r istl ed an gr il y. “W hy n ot? ” “I n o l on ger hav e the r in g, ” she said apol ogetic al l y. “I ’ v e al r eady sol d it.”
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Tokugen N umataka star ed out his win dow an d pac ed l ike a c aged an imal . He had n ot yet hear d f r om his c on tac t, N or th D akota. D amn A meri c ans! N o sense of pu nc tu al i ty! He woul d hav e c al l ed N or th D akota himsel f , b ut he didn ’ t hav e a phon e n umb er f or him. N umataka hated doin g b usin ess this way–with someon e el se in c on tr ol . The thought had c r ossed N umataka’ s min d f r om the b egin n in g that the c al l s f r om N or th D akota c oul d b e a hoax –a Japan ese c ompetitor pl ayin g him f or the f ool . N ow the ol d doub ts wer e c omin g b ac k. N umataka dec ided he n eeded mor e in f or mation . He b ur st f r om his of f ic e an d took a l ef t down N umatec h’ s main hal l way. His empl oyees b owed r ev er en tl y as he stor med past. N umataka kn ew b etter than to b el iev e they ac tual l y l ov ed him–b owin g was a c our tesy Japan ese empl oyees of f er ed ev en the most r uthl ess of b osses. N umataka wen t dir ec tl y to the c ompan y’ s main switc hb oar d. A l l c al l s wer e han dl ed b y a sin gl e oper ator on a C or en c o 2 0 0 0 , twel v e-l in e switc hb oar d ter min al . The woman was b usy b ut stood an d b owed as N umataka en ter ed. “Sit down , ” he sn apped. She ob eyed. “I r ec eiv ed a c al l at f our f or ty-f iv e on my per son al l in e today. C an you tel l me wher e it c ame f r om? ” N umataka kic ked himsel f f or n ot hav in g don e this ear l ier . The oper ator swal l owed n er v ousl y. “W e don ’ t hav e c al l er iden tif ic ation on this mac hin e, sir . B ut I c an c on tac t the phon e c ompan y. I ’ m sur e they c an hel p.” N umataka had n o doub t the phon e c ompan y c oul d hel p. I n this digital age, pr iv ac y had b ec ome a thin g of the past; ther e was a r ec or d of ev er ythin g. P hon e c ompan ies c oul d tel l you ex ac tl y who had c al l ed you an d how l on g you’ d spoken . “D o it, ” he c omman ded. “L et me kn ow what you f in d out.”
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Susan sat al on e in N ode 3 , waitin g f or her tr ac er . Hal e had dec ided to step outside an d get some air –a dec ision f or whic h she was gr atef ul . O ddl y, howev er , the sol itude in N ode 3 pr ov ided l ittl e asyl um. Susan f oun d her sel f str uggl in g with the n ew c on n ec tion b etween Tan kado an d Hal e. “W ho wil l guar d the guar ds? ” she said to her sel f . Q u i s c u stodi et i psos c u stodes. The wor ds kept c ir c l in g in her head. Susan f or c ed them f r om her min d. Her thoughts tur n ed to D av id, hopin g he was al l r ight. She stil l f oun d it har d to b el iev e he was in Spain . The soon er they f oun d the pass-keys an d en ded this, the b etter . Susan had l ost tr ac k of how l on g she’ d b een sittin g ther e waitin g f or her tr ac er . Two hour s? Thr ee? She gaz ed out at the deser ted C r ypto f l oor an d wished her ter min al woul d b eep. Ther e was on l y sil en c e. The l ate-summer sun had set. O v er head, the automatic f l uor esc en ts had kic ked on . Susan sen sed time was r un n in g out. She l ooked down at her tr ac er an d f r own ed. “C ome on , ” she gr umb l ed. “Y ou’ v e had pl en ty of time.” She pal med her mouse an d c l ic ked her way in to her tr ac er ’ s status win dow. “How l on g hav e you b een r un n in g, an yway? ” Susan open ed the tr ac er ’ s status win dow–a digital c l oc k muc h l ike the on e on TR A N SL TR ; it displ ayed the hour s an d min utes her tr ac er had b een r un n in g. Susan gaz ed at the mon itor ex pec tin g to see a r eadout of hour s an d min utes. B ut she saw somethin g el se en tir el y. W hat she saw stopped the b l ood in her v ein s. TR A C ER A B O R TED “Tr ac er ab or ted! ” she c hoked al oud. “W hy? ” I n a sudden pan ic , Susan sc r ol l ed wil dl y thr ough the data, sear c hin g the pr ogr ammin g f or an y c omman ds that might hav e tol d the tr ac er to ab or t. B ut her sear c h wen t in v ain . I t appear ed her tr ac er had stopped al l b y itsel f . Susan kn ew this c oul d mean on l y on e thin g–her tr ac er had dev el oped a b ug. Susan c on sider ed “b ugs” the most madden in g asset of c omputer pr ogr ammin g. B ec ause c omputer s f ol l owed a sc r upul ousl y pr ec ise or der of oper ation s, the most min usc ul e pr ogr ammin g er r or s of ten had c r ippl in g ef f ec ts. Simpl e syn tac tic al er r or s–suc h as a pr ogr ammer mistaken l y in ser tin g a c omma in stead of a per iod–c oul d b r in g en tir e systems to their kn ees. Susan had al ways thought the ter m “b ug” had an amusin g or igin : I t c ame f r om the wor l d’ s f ir st c omputer –the M ar k 1 –a r oom-siz e maz e of el ec tr omec han ic al c ir c uits b uil t in 1 9 4 4 in a l ab at Har v ar d U n iv er sity. The c omputer dev el oped a gl itc h on e day, an d n o on e was ab l e to l oc ate the c ause. A f ter hour s of sear c hin g, a l ab assistan t f in al l y spotted the pr ob l em. I t seemed a moth had l an ded on on e of the c omputer ’ s c ir c uit b oar ds an d shor ted it out. F r om that momen t on , c omputer gl itc hes wer e r ef er r ed to as b ugs. “I don ’ t hav e time f or this, ” Susan c ur sed. F in din g a b ug in a pr ogr am was a pr oc ess that c oul d take days. Thousan ds of l in es of pr ogr ammin g n eeded to b e sear c hed to f in d a tin y er r or –it was l ike in spec tin g an en c yc l opedia f or a sin gl e typo. Susan kn ew she had on l y on e c hoic e–to sen d her tr ac er again . She al so kn ew the tr ac er was al most guar an teed to hit the same b ug an d ab or t al l ov er again . D eb uggin g the
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tr ac er woul d take time, time she an d the c omman der didn ’ t hav e. B ut as Susan star ed at her tr ac er , won der in g what er r or she’ d made, she r eal iz ed somethin g didn ’ t make sen se. She had used this ex ac t same tr ac er l ast mon th with n o pr ob l ems at al l . W hy woul d it dev el op a gl itc h al l of a sudden ? A s she puz z l ed, a c ommen t Str athmor e made ear l ier ec hoed in her min d. Susan , I tr ied to sen d the tr ac er mysel f , b ut the data it r etur n ed was n on sen sic al . Susan hear d the wor ds again . T he data i t retu rned… She c oc ked her head. W as it possib l e? The data it r etur n ed? I f Str athmor e had r ec eiv ed data b ac k f r om the tr ac er , then it ob v iousl y was wor kin g. His data was n on sen sic al , Susan assumed, b ec ause he had en ter ed the wr on g sear c h str in gs–b ut n on ethel ess, the tr ac er was wor kin g. Susan immediatel y r eal iz ed that ther e was on e other possib l e ex pl an ation f or why her tr ac er ab or ted. I n ter n al pr ogr ammin g f l aws wer e n ot the on l y r eason s pr ogr ams gl itc hed; sometimes ther e wer e ex ternal f or c es–power sur ges, dust par tic l es on c ir c uit b oar ds, f aul ty c ab l in g. B ec ause the har dwar e in N ode 3 was so wel l tun ed, she hadn ’ t ev en c on sider ed it. Susan stood an d str ode q uic kl y ac r oss N ode 3 to a l ar ge b ookshel f of tec hn ic al man ual s. She gr ab b ed a spir al b in der mar ked SY S-O P an d thumb ed thr ough. She f oun d what she was l ookin g f or , c ar r ied the man ual b ac k to her ter min al , an d typed a f ew c omman ds. Then she waited whil e the c omputer r ac ed thr ough a l ist of c omman ds ex ec uted in the past thr ee hour s. She hoped the sear c h woul d tur n up some sor t of ex ter n al in ter r upt–an ab or t c omman d gen er ated b y a f aul ty power suppl y or def ec tiv e c hip. M omen ts l ater Susan ’ s ter min al b eeped. Her pul se q uic ken ed. She hel d her b r eath an d studied the sc r een . ER R O R C O D E 2 2 Susan f el t a sur ge of hope. I t was good n ews. The f ac t that the in q uir y had f oun d an er r or c ode mean t her tr ac er was f in e. The tr ac e had appar en tl y ab or ted due to an ex ter n al an omal y that was un l ikel y to r epeat itsel f . Er r or c ode 2 2 . Susan r ac ked her memor y tr yin g to r ememb er what c ode 2 2 stood f or . Har dwar e f ail ur es wer e so r ar e in N ode 3 that she c oul dn ’ t r ememb er the n umer ic al c odin gs. Susan f l ipped thr ough the SY S-O P man ual , sc an n in g the l ist of er r or c odes. 1 9 : C O R R U P T HA R D 2 0 : D C SP I K E 2 1 : M ED I A
F A IL U R E
P A R TI TI O N
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W hen she r eac hed n umb er 2 2 , she stopped an d star ed a l on g momen t. B af f l ed, she doub l e-c hec ked her mon itor . ER R O R C O D E 2 2 Susan f r own ed an d r etur n ed to the SY S-O P man ual . W The ex pl an ation simpl y r ead: 2 2 : M A N U A L A B O R T
hat she saw made n o sen se.
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B ec ker star ed in shoc k at R oc í o. “Y ou sol d the r in g? ” The woman n odded, her sil ky r ed hair f al l in g ar oun d her shoul der s. B ec ker wil l ed it n ot to b e tr ue. “P er o… b ut…” She shr ugged an d said in Span ish, “A gir l n ear the par k.” B ec ker f el t his l egs go weak. T hi s c an’ t b e! R oc í o smil ed c oyl y an d motion ed to the G er man . “É l q uer í a q ue l o guar dar a. He wan ted to keep it, b ut I tol d him n o. I ’ v e got G itan a b l ood in me, G ypsy b l ood; we G itan as, in addition to hav in g r ed hair , ar e v er y super stitious. A r in g of f er ed b y a dyin g man is n ot a good sign .” “D id you kn ow the gir l ? ” B ec ker in ter r ogated. R oc í o ar c hed her eyeb r ows. “V aya. Y ou r eal l y wan t this r in g, don ’ t you? ” B ec ker n odded ster n l y. “W ho did you sel l it to? ” The en or mous G er man sat b ewil der ed on the b ed. His r oman tic ev en in g was b ein g r uin ed, an d he appar en tl y had n o idea why. “W as passier t? ” he asked n er v ousl y. “W hat’ s happen in g? ” B ec ker ign or ed him. “I didn ’ t ac tual l y sel l it, ” R oc í o said. “I tr ied to, b ut she was j ust a kid an d had n o mon ey. I en ded up giv in g it to her . Had I kn own ab out your gen er ous of f er , I woul d hav e sav ed it f or you.” “W hy did you l eav e the par k? ” B ec ker deman ded. “Someb ody had died. W hy didn ’ t you wait f or the pol ic e? A n d giv e them the r in g? ” “I sol ic it man y thin gs, M r . B ec ker , b ut trou b l e is n ot on e of them. B esides, that ol d man seemed to hav e thin gs un der c on tr ol .” “The C an adian ? ” “Y es, he c al l ed the amb ul an c e. W e dec ided to l eav e. I saw n o r eason to in v ol v e my date or mysel f with the pol ic e.” B ec ker n odded ab sen tl y. He was stil l tr yin g to ac c ept this c r uel twist of f ate. She g av e the damn thi ng away! “I tr ied to hel p the dyin g man , ” R oc í o ex pl ain ed. “B ut he didn ’ t seem to wan t it. He star ted with the r in g–kept pushin g it in our f ac es. He had these thr ee c r ippl ed f in ger s stic kin g up. He kept pushin g his han d at us–l ike we wer e supposed to take the r in g. I didn ’ t wan t to, b ut my f r ien d her e f in al l y did. Then the guy died.” “A n d you tr ied C P R ? ” B ec ker guessed. “N o. W e didn ’ t touc h him. M y f r ien d got sc ar ed. He’ s b ig, b ut he’ s a wimp.” She smil ed seduc tiv el y at B ec ker . “D on ’ t wor r y–he c an ’ t speak a wor d of Span ish.” B ec ker f r own ed. He was won der in g again ab out the b r uises on Tan kado’ s c hest. “D id the par amedic s giv e C P R ? ” “I hav e n o idea. A s I tol d you, we l ef t b ef or e they ar r iv ed.” “Y ou mean af ter you stol e the r in g.” B ec ker sc owl ed. R oc í o gl ar ed at him. “W e did n ot steal the r in g. The man was dyin g. His in ten tion s wer e c l ear . W e gav e him his l ast wish.” B ec ker sof ten ed. R oc í o was r ight; he pr ob ab l y woul d hav e don e the same damn thin g. “B ut then you gav e the r in g to some gir l ? ” “I tol d you. The r in g made me n er v ous. The gir l had l ots of j ewel r y on . I thought she might l ike it.” “A n d she didn ’ t thin k it was str an ge? That you’ d j ust g i v e her a r in g? ”
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“N o. I tol d her I f oun d it in the par k. I thought she might of f er to pay me f or it, b ut she didn ’ t. I didn ’ t c ar e. I j ust wan ted to get r id of it.” “W hen did you giv e it to her ? ” R oc í o shr ugged. “This af ter n oon . A b out an hour af ter I got it.” B ec ker c hec ked his watc h: 1 1 : 4 8 p.m. The tr ail was eight hour s ol d. W hat the hel l am I doi ng here? I’ m su pposed to b e i n the Smok ys. He sighed an d asked the on l y q uestion he c oul d thin k of . “W hat did the gir l l ook l ike? ” “Er a un pun ki, ” R oc í o r epl ied. B ec ker l ooked up, puz z l ed. “U n pun ki? ” “Sí . P un ki.” “A pun k? ” “Y es, a pun k, ” she said in r ough En gl ish, an d then immediatel y switc hed b ac k to Span ish. “M uc ha j oyer í a. L ots of j ewel r y. A weir d pen dan t in on e ear . A skul l , I thin k.” “Ther e ar e pun k r oc ker s in Sev il l e? ” R oc í o smil ed. “Todo b aj o el sol . Ev er ythin g un der the sun .” I t was the motto of Sev il l e’ s Tour ism B ur eau. “D id she giv e you her n ame? ” “N o.” “D id she say wher e she was goin g? ” “N o. Her Span ish was poor .” “She wasn ’ t Span ish? ” B ec ker asked. “N o. She was En gl ish, I thin k. She had wil d hair –r ed, white, an d b l ue.” B ec ker win c ed at the b iz ar r e image. “M ayb e she was A mer ic an , ” he of f er ed. “I don ’ t thin k so, ” R oc í o said. “She was wear in g a T-shir t that l ooked l ike the B r itish f l ag.” B ec ker n odded dumb l y. “O kay. R ed, white, an d b l ue hair , a B r itish f l ag T-shir t, a skul l pen dan t in her ear . W hat el se? ” “N othin g. Just your av er age pun k.” A v erag e pu nk ? B ec ker was f r om a wor l d of c ol l egiate sweatshir ts an d c on ser v ativ e hair c uts–he c oul dn ’ t ev en pic tur e what the woman was tal kin g ab out. “C an you thin k of an ythin g el se at al l ? ” he pr essed. R oc í o thought a momen t. “N o. That’ s it.” Just then the b ed c r eaked l oudl y. R oc í o’ s c l ien t shif ted his weight un c omf or tab l y. B ec ker tur n ed to him an d spoke in f l uen t G er man . “N oc h et was? A n ythin g el se? A n ythin g to hel p me f in d the pun k r oc ker with the r in g? ” Ther e was a l on g sil en c e. I t was as if the gian t man had somethin g he wan ted to say, b ut he wasn ’ t sur e how to say it. His l ower l ip q uiv er ed momen tar il y, ther e was a pause, an d then he spoke. The f our wor ds that c ame out wer e def in itel y En gl ish, b ut they wer e b ar el y in tel l igib l e b en eath his thic k G er man ac c en t. “F oc k of f un d die.” B ec ker gaped in shoc k. “I b eg your par don ? “F oc k of f un d die, ” the man r epeated, pattin g his l ef t pal m again st his f l eshy r ight f or ear m–a c r ude appr ox imation of the I tal ian gestur e f or “f uc k you.” B ec ker was too dr ain ed to b e of f en ded. Fu c k of f and di e? W hat happened to D as W i mp? He tur n ed b ac k to R oc í o an d spoke in Span ish. “Soun ds l ike I ’ v e ov er stayed my wel c ome.” “D on ’ t wor r y ab out him.” She l aughed. “He’ s j ust a l ittl e f r ustr ated. He’ l l get what’ s c omin g to him.” She tossed her hair an d win ked. “I s ther e an ythin g el se? ” B ec ker asked. “A n ythin g you c an tel l me that might hel p? ”
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R oc í o shook her head. “That’ s al l . B ut you’ l l n ev er f in d her . Sev il l e is a b ig c ity–it c an b e v er y dec eptiv e.” “I ’ l l do the b est I c an .” I t’ s a matter of n ation al sec ur ity… “I f you hav e n o l uc k, ” R oc í o said, eyein g the b ul gin g en v el ope in B ec ker ’ s poc ket, “pl ease stop b ac k. M y f r ien d wil l b e sl eepin g, n o doub t. K n oc k q uietl y. I ’ l l f in d us an ex tr a r oom. Y ou’ l l see a side of Spain you’ l l n ev er f or get.” She pouted l usc iousl y. B ec ker f or c ed a pol ite smil e. “I shoul d b e goin g.” He apol ogiz ed to the G er man f or in ter r uptin g his ev en in g. The gian t smil ed timidl y. “K ein e U r sac he.” B ec ker headed out the door . N o pr ob l em? W hatev er happen ed to “F uc k of f an d die”?
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“M an ual ab or t? ” Susan star ed at her sc r een , mystif ied. She kn ew she hadn ’ t typed an y man ual ab or t c omman d–at l east n ot in ten tion al l y. She won der ed if mayb e she’ d hit the wr on g seq uen c e of keys b y mistake. “I mpossib l e, ” she mutter ed. A c c or din g to the header s, the ab or t c omman d had b een sen t l ess than twen ty min utes ago. Susan kn ew the on l y thin g she’ d typed in the l ast twen ty min utes washer pr iv ac y c ode when she’ d stepped out to tal k to the c omman der . I t was ab sur d to thin k the pr iv ac y c ode c oul d hav e b een misin ter pr eted as an ab or t c omman d. K n owin g it was a waste of time, Susan pul l ed up her Sc r een L oc k l og an d doub l e-c hec ked that her pr iv ac y c ode had b een en ter ed pr oper l y. Sur e en ough, it had. “Then where,” she deman ded an gr il y, “wher e did it get a manu al ab or t? ” Susan sc owl ed an d c l osed the Sc r een L oc k win dow. U n ex pec tedl y, howev er , in the spl it sec on d as the win dow b l ipped away, somethin g c aught her eye. She r eopen ed the win dow an d studied the data. I t made n o sen se. Ther e was a pr oper “l oc kin g” en tr y when she’ d l ef t N ode 3 , b ut the timin g of the sub seq uen t “un l oc k” en tr y seemed str an ge. The two en tr ies wer e l ess than on e min ute apar t. Susan was c er tain she’ d b een outside with the c omman der f or mor e than on e min ute. Susan sc r ol l ed down the page. W hat she saw l ef t her aghast. R egister in g thr ee min utes l ater , a sec ond set of l oc k-un l oc k en tr ies appear ed. A c c or din g to the l og, someon e had un l oc ked her ter min al whil e she was gon e. “N ot possib l e! ” she c hoked. The on l y c an didate was G r eg Hal e, an d Susan was q uite c er tain she’ d n ev er giv en Hal e her pr iv ac y c ode. F ol l owin g good c r yptogr aphic pr oc edur e, Susan had c hosen her c ode at r an dom an d n ev er wr itten it down ; Hal e’ s guessin g the c or r ec t f iv e-c har ac ter al phan umer ic was out of the q uestion –it was thir ty-six to the f if th power , ov er six ty mil l ion possib il ities. B ut the Sc r een L oc k en tr ies wer e as c l ear as day. Susan star ed at them in won der . Hal e had somehow b een on her ter min al whil e she was gon e. He had sen t her tr ac er a man ual ab or t c omman d. The q uestion s of how q uic kl y gav e way to q uestion s of why? Hal e had n o motiv e to b r eak in to her ter min al . He didn ’ t ev en kn ow Susan was r un n in g a tr ac er . Ev en if he did kn ow, Susan thought, why woul d he ob j ec t to her tr ac kin g some guy n amed N or th D akota? The un an swer ed q uestion s seemed to b e mul tipl yin g in her head. “F ir st thin gs f ir st, ” she said al oud. She woul d deal with Hal e in a momen t. F oc usin g on the matter at han d, Susan r el oaded her tr ac er an d hit the en ter key. Her ter min al b eeped on c e. TR A C ER SEN T Susan kn ew the tr ac er woul d take hour s to r in the wor l d he’ d gotten her pr iv ac y c ode, won der Susan stood up an d str ode immediatel y f or b ut she c oul d tel l it was n ot l oc ked–the mon itor C r yptogr apher s sel dom l oc ked their ter min al s ex c I n stead, they simpl y dimmed the b r ightn ess on
etur n . She c ur sed Hal e, won der in g how in g what in ter est he had in her tr ac er . Hal e’ s ter min al . The sc r een was b l ac k, was gl owin g f ain tl y ar oun d the edges. ept when they l ef t N ode 3 f or the n ight. their mon itor s–a un iv er sal , hon or -c ode
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in dic ation that n o on e shoul d distur b the ter min al . Susan r eac hed f or Hal e’ s ter min al . “Sc r ew the hon or c ode, ” she said. “W hat the hel l ar e you up to? ” Thr owin g a q uic k gl an c e out at the deser ted C r ypto f l oor , Susan tur n ed up Hal e’ s b r ightn ess c on tr ol s. The mon itor c ame in to f oc us, b ut the sc r een was en tir el y empty. Susan f r own ed at the b l an k sc r een . U n c er tain how to pr oc eed, she c al l ed up a sear c h en gin e an d typed: SEA R C H F O R : “TR A C ER ” I t was a l on g shot, b ut if ther e wer e an y r ef er en c es to Susan ’ s tr ac er in Hal e’ s c omputer , this sear c h woul d f in d them. I t might shed some l ight on why Hal e had man ual l y ab or ted her pr ogr am. Sec on ds l ater the sc r een r ef r eshed. N O
M A TC HES F O U N D
Susan sat a momen t, un sur e what she was ev en l ookin g f or . She tr ied again . SEA R C H F O R : “SC R EEN L O C K ” The mon itor r ef r eshed an d pr ov ided a han df ul of in n oc uous r ef er en c es–n o hin t that Hal e had an y c opies of Susan ’ s pr iv ac y c ode on his c omputer . Susan sighed l oudl y. So what prog rams has he b een u si ng today? She wen t to Hal e’ s “r ec en t appl ic ation s” men u to f in d the l ast pr ogr am he had used. I t was his E-mail ser v er . Susan sear c hed his har d dr iv e an d ev en tual l y f oun d his E-mail f ol der hidden disc r eetl y in side some other dir ec tor ies. She open ed the f ol der , an d addition al f ol der s appear ed; it seemed Hal e had n umer ous E-mail iden tities an d ac c oun ts. O n e of them, Susan n otic ed with l ittl e sur pr ise, was an an on ymous ac c oun t. She open ed the f ol der , c l ic ked on e of the ol d, in b oun d messages, an d r ead it. She in stan tl y stopped b r eathin g. The message r ead: TO : N D A K O TA @ A R A .A N O N .O R G F R O M : ET@ D O SHI SHA .ED U G R EA T P R O G R ESS! D I G I TA L F O R TR ESS I S A L M O ST D O N E. THI S THI N G
W
I L L SET THE N SA
B A C K D EC A D ES!
97 A s if in a dr eam, Susan r ead the message ov er an d ov er . Then , tr emb l in g, she open ed an other . TO : N D A K O TA @ A R A .A N O N .O R G F R O M : ET@ D O SHI SHA .ED U R O TA TI N G THE TR I C K !
C L EA R TEX T W
O R K S! M U TA TI O N
STR I N G S A R E
I t was un thin kab l e, an d yet ther e it was. E-mail f r om En sei Tan kado. He had b een wr itin g to G r eg Hal e. They wer e wor kin g together . Susan wen t n umb as the impossib l e tr uth star ed up at her f r om the ter min al . G r eg Hal e is N D A K O TA ? Susan ’ s eyes l oc ked on the sc r een . Her min d sear c hed desper atel y f or some other ex pl an ation , b ut ther e was n on e. I t was pr oof –sudden an d in esc apab l e: Tan kado had used mutation str in gs to c r eate a r otatin g c l ear tex t f un c tion , an d Hal e had c on spir ed with him to b r in g down the N SA . “I t’ s…” Susan stammer ed. “I t’ s… n ot possib l e.” A s if to disagr ee, Hal e’ s v oic e ec hoed f r om the past: Tan kado wr ote me a f ew times… Str athmor e took a gamb l e hir in g me… I ’ m gettin g out of her e someday. Stil l , Susan c oul d n ot ac c ept what she was seein g. Tr ue, G r eg Hal e was ob n ox ious an d ar r ogan t–b ut he wasn ’ t a tr aitor . He kn ew what D igital F or tr ess woul d do to the N SA ; ther e was n o way he was in v ol v ed in a pl ot to r el ease it! A n d yet, Susan r eal iz ed, ther e was n othin g to stop him–n othin g ex c ept hon or an d dec en c y. She thought of the Skipj ac k al gor ithm. G r eg Hal e had r uin ed the N SA ’ s pl an s on c e b ef or e. W hat woul d pr ev en t him f r om tr yin g again ? “B ut Tan kado…” Susan puz z l ed. W hy woul d someon e as par an oid as Tan kado tr ust someon e as un r el iab l e as Hal e? She kn ew that n on e of it matter ed n ow. A l l that matter ed was gettin g to Str athmor e. B y some ir on ic str oke of f ate, Tan kado’ s par tn er was r ight ther e un der their n oses. She won der ed if Hal e kn ew yet that En sei Tan kado was dead. She q uic kl y b egan c l osin g Hal e’ s E-mail f il es in or der to l eav e the ter min al ex ac tl y as she had f oun d it. Hal e c oul d suspec t n othin g–n ot yet. The D igital F or tr ess pass-key, she r eal iz ed in amaz emen t, was pr ob ab l y hidden somewher e in side that v er y c omputer . B ut as Susan c l osed the l ast of the f il es, a shadow passed outside the N ode 3 win dow. Her gaz e shot up, an d she saw G r eg Hal e appr oac hin g. Her adr en al in e sur ged. He was al most to the door s. “D amn ! ” she c ur sed, eyein g the distan c e b ac k to her seat. She kn ew she’ d n ev er make it. Hal e was al most ther e. She wheel ed desper atel y, sear c hin g N ode 3 f or option s. The door s b ehin d her c l ic ked. Then they en gaged. Susan f el t in stin c t takeov er . D iggin g her shoes in to the c ar pet,
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she ac c el er ated in l on g, r eac hin g str ides towar d the pan tr y. A s the door s hissed open , Susan sl id to a stop in f r on t of the r ef r iger ator an d yan ked open the door . A gl ass pitc her on top tipped pr ec ar iousl y an d then r oc ked to a stop. “Hun gr y? ” Hal e asked, en ter in g N ode 3 an d wal kin g towar d her . His v oic e was c al m an d f l ir tatious. “W an t to shar e some tof u? ” Susan ex hal ed an d tur n ed to f ac e him. “N o than ks, ” she of f er ed. “I thin k I ’ l l j ust–” B ut the wor ds got c aught in her thr oat. She wen t white. Hal e eyed her oddl y. “W hat’ s wr on g? ” Susan b it her l ip an d l oc ked eyes with him. “N othin g, “she man aged. B ut it was a l ie. A c r oss the r oom, Hal e’ s ter min al gl owed b r ightl y. She’ d f or gotten to dim it.
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D own stair s at the A l f on so X I I I , B ec ker wan der ed tir edl y ov er to the b ar . A dwar f -l ike b ar ten der l ay a n apkin in f r on t of him. “Q ué b eb e U sted? W hat ar e you dr in kin g? ” “N othin g, than ks, ” B ec ker r epl ied. “I n eed to kn ow if ther e ar e an y c l ub s in town f or pun k r oc ker s? ” The b ar ten der eyed him str an gel y. “C l ub s? F or pun ks? ” “Y eah. I s ther e an ypl ac e in town wher e they al l han gout? ” “N o l o sé , señ or . I don ’ t n ow. B ut c er tain l y n ot her e! ” He smil ed. “How ab out a dr in k? ” B ec ker f el t l ike shakin g the guy. N othin g was goin g q uite the way he’ d pl an n ed. “¿ Q uier e V d. al go? ” The b ar ten der r epeated. “¿ F in o? ¿ Jer ez ? ” F ain t str ain s of c l assic al music wer e b ein g piped in ov er head. B randenb u rg C onc ertos, B ec ker thought. N u mb er f ou r. He an d Susan had seen the A c ademy of St. M ar tin in the F iel ds pl ay the B r an den b ur gs at the un iv er sity l ast year . He sudden l y wished she wer e with him n ow. The b r eez e f r om an ov er head air -c on dition in g v en t r emin ded B ec ker what it was l ike outside. He pic tur ed himsel f wal kin g the sweaty, dr ugged-out str eets of Tr ian a l ookin g f or some pun k in a B r itish f l ag T-shir t. He thought of Susan again . “Z umo de ar á n dan o, ” he hear d himsel f say. “C r an b er r y j uic e.” The b ar ten der l ooked b af f l ed. “Sol o? ” C r an b er r y j uic e was a popul ar dr in k in Spain , b ut dr in kin g it al on e was un hear d of . “Sí .” B ec ker said. “Sol o.” “¿ Ec ho un poc o de Smir n of f ? ” The b ar ten der pr essed. “A spl ash of v odka? ” “N o, gr ac ias.” “¿ G r atis? ” he c oax ed. “O n the house? ” Thr ough the poun din g in his head, B ec ker pic tur ed the f il thy str eets of Tr ian a, the stif l in g heat, an d the l on g n ight ahead of him. W hat the hel l . He n odded. “Sí , é c hame un poc o de v odka.” The b ar ten der seemed muc h r el iev ed an d hustl ed of f to make the dr in k. B ec ker gl an c ed ar oun d the or n ate b ar an d won der ed if he was dr eamin g. A n ythin g woul d make mor e sen se than the tr uth. I’ m a u ni v ersi ty teac her, he thought, on a sec ret mi ssi on. The b ar ten der r etur n ed with a f l our ish an d pr esen ted B ec ker ’ s b ev er age. “A su gusto, señ or . C r an b er r y with a spl ash of v odka.” B ec ker than ked him. He took a sip an d gagged. T hat’ s a spl ash?
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Hal e stopped hal f way to the N ode 3 pan tr y an d star ed at Susan . “W hat’ s wr on g, Sue? Y ou l ook ter r ib l e.” Susan f ought her r isin g f ear . Ten f eet away, Hal e’ s mon itor gl owed b r ightl y. “I ’ m… I ’ m okay, ” she man aged, her hear t poun din g. Hal e eyed her with a puz z l ed l ook on his f ac e. “Y ou wan t some water ? ” Susan c oul d n ot an swer . She c ur sed her sel f . H ow c ou l d I f org et to di m hi s damn moni tor? Susan kn ew the momen t Hal e suspec ted her of sear c hin g his ter min al , he’ d suspec t she kn ew his r eal iden tity, N or th D akota. She f ear ed Hal e woul d do an ythin g to keep that in f or mation in side N ode 3 . Susan won der ed if she shoul d make a dash f or the door . B ut she n ev er got the c han c e. Sudden l y ther e was a poun din g at the gl ass wal l . B oth Hal e an d Susan j umped. I t was C har tr ukian . He was b an gin g his sweaty f ists again st the gl ass again . He l ooked l ike he’ d seen A r mageddon . Hal e sc owl ed at the c r az ed Sys-Sec outside the win dow, then tur n ed b ac k to Susan . “I ’ l l b e r ight b ac k. G et your sel f a dr in k. Y ou l ook pal e.” Hal e tur n ed an d wen t outside. Susan steadied her sel f an d mov ed q uic kl y to Hal e’ s ter min al . She r eac hed down an d adj usted the b r ightn ess c on tr ol s. The mon itor wen t b l ac k. Her head was poun din g. She tur n ed an d eyed the c on v er sation n ow takin g pl ac e on the C r ypto f l oor . A ppar en tl y, C har tr ukian had n ot gon e home, af ter al l . The youn g Sys-Sec was n ow in a pan ic , spil l in g his guts to G r eg Hal e. Susan kn ew it didn ’ t matter –Hal e kn ew ev er ythin g ther e was to kn ow. I ’ v e got to get to Str athmor e, she thought. A n d f ast.
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R oom 3 0 1 . R oc í o Ev a G r an ada stood n aked in f r on t of the b athr oom mir r or . This was the momen t she’ d b een dr eadin g al l day. The G er man was on the b ed waitin g f or her . He was the b iggest man she’ d ev er b een with. R el uc tan tl y, she took an ic e c ub e f r om the water b uc ket an d r ub b ed it ac r oss her n ippl es. They q uic kl y har den ed. This was her gif t–to make men f eel wan ted. I t’ s what kept them c omin g b ac k. She r an her han ds ac r oss her suppl e, wel l -tan n ed b ody an d hoped it woul d sur v iv e an other f our or f iv e mor e year s un til she had en ough to r etir e. Señ or R ol dá n took most of her pay, b ut without him she kn ew she’ d b e with the r est of the hooker s pic kin g up dr un ks in Tr ian a. These men at l east had mon ey. They n ev er b eat her , an d they wer e easy to satisf y. She sl ipped in to her l in ger ie, took a deep b r eath, an d open ed the b athr oom door . A s R oc í o stepped in to the r oom, the G er man ’ s eyes b ul ged. She was wear in g a b l ac k n egl igee. Her c hestn ut skin r adiated in the sof t l ight, an d her n ippl es stood at atten tion b en eath the l ac y f ab r ic . “K omm doc h hier her , ” he said eager l y, sheddin g his r ob e an d r ol l in g on to his b ac k. R oc í o f or c ed a smil e an d appr oac hed the b ed. She gaz ed down at the en or mous G er man . She c huc kl ed in r el ief . The or gan b etween his l egs was tin y. He gr ab b ed at her an d impatien tl y r ipped of f her n egl igee. His f at f in ger s gr oped at ev er y in c h of her b ody. She f el l on top of him an d moan ed an d wr ithed in f al se ec stasy. A s he r ol l ed her ov er an d c l imb ed on top of her , she thought she woul d b e c r ushed. She gasped an d c hoked again st his puttyl ike n ec k. She pr ayed he woul d b e q uic k. “Sí ! Sí ! ” she gasped in b etween thr usts. She dug her f in ger n ail s in to his b ac kside to en c our age him. R an dom thoughts c asc aded thr ough her min d–f ac es of the c oun tl ess men she’ d satisf ied, c eil in gs she’ d star ed at f or hour s in the dar k, dr eams of hav in g c hil dr en … Sudden l y, without war n in g, the G er man ’ s b ody ar c hed, stif f en ed, an d al most immediatel y c ol l apsed on top of her . T hat’ s al l ? she thought, sur pr ised an d r el iev ed. She tr ied to sl ide out f r om un der him. “D ar l in g, ” she whisper ed huskil y. “L et me get on top.” B ut the man did n ot mov e. She r eac hed up an d pushed at his massiv e shoul der s. “D ar l in g, I … I c an ’ t b r eathe! ” She b egan f eel in g f ain t. She f el t her r ib s c r ac kin g. “¡ D espié r tate! ” Her f in ger s in stin c tiv el y star ted pul l in g at his matted hair . W ak e u p! I t was then that she f el t the war m stic ky l iq uid. I t was matted in his hair –f l owin g on to her c heeks, in to her mouth. I t was sal ty. She twisted wil dl y b en eath him. A b ov e her , a str an ge shaf t of l ight il l umin ated the G er man ’ s c on tor ted f ac e. The b ul l et hol e in his templ e was gushin g b l ood al l ov er her . She tr ied to sc r eam, b ut ther e was n o air l ef t in her l un gs. He was c r ushin g her . D el ir ious, she c l awed towar d the shaf t of l ight c omin g f r om the door way. She saw a han d. A gun with a sil en c er . A f l ash of l ight. A n d then n othin g.
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O utside N ode 3 , C har tr ukian l ooked desper ate. He was tr yin g to c on v in c e Hal e that TR A N SL TR was in tr oub l e. Susan r ac ed b y them with on l y on e thought in min d–to f in d Str athmor e. The pan ic ked Sys-Sec gr ab b ed Susan ’ s ar m as she passed. “M s. F l etc her ! W e hav e a v ir us! I ’ m positiv e! Y ou hav e to–” Susan shook her sel f f r ee an d gl ar ed f er oc iousl y. “I thought the c omman der tol d you to go home.” “B ut the R un -M on itor ! I t’ s r egister in g eighteen –” “C omman der Str athmor e tol d you to go home! ” “F U C K STR A THM O R E! ” C har tr ukian sc r eamed, the wor ds r esoun din g thr oughout the dome. A deep v oic e b oomed f r om ab ov e. “M r . C har tr ukian ? ” The thr ee C r ypto empl oyees f r oz e. High ab ov e them, Str athmor e stood at the r ail in g outside his of f ic e. F or a momen t, the on l y soun d in side the dome was the un ev en hum of the gen er ator s b el ow. Susan tr ied desper atel y to c atc h Str athmor e’ s eye. C ommander! H al e i s N orth D ak ota! B ut Str athmor e was f ix ated on the youn g Sys-Sec . He desc en ded the stair s without so muc h as a b l in k, keepin g his eyes tr ain ed on C har tr ukian the whol e way down . He made his way ac r oss the C r ypto f l oor an d stopped six in c hes in f r on t of the tr emb l in g tec hn ic ian . “W hat did you say? ” “Sir , ” C har tr ukian c hoked, “TR A N SL TR ’ s in tr oub l e.” “C omman der ? ” Susan in ter j ec ted. “I f I c oul d–” Str athmor e wav ed her of f . His eyes n ev er l ef t the Sys-Sec . P hil b l ur ted, “W e hav e an in f ec ted f il e, sir . I ’ m sur e of it! ” Str athmor e’ s c ompl ex ion tur n ed a deep r ed. “M r . C har tr ukian , we’ v e b een thr ough this. Ther e is no f il e in f ec tin g TR A N SL TR ! ” “Y es, ther e is! ” he c r ied. “A n d if it makes its way to the main datab an k–” “W her e the hel l is this in f ec ted f il e? ” Str athmor e b el l owed. “Show it to me! ” C har tr ukian hesitated. “I c an ’ t.” “O f c our se you c an ’ t! I t doesn ’ t ex ist! ” Susan said, “C omman der , I must–” A gain Str athmor e sil en c ed her with an an gr y wav e. Susan eyed Hal e n er v ousl y. He seemed smug an d detac hed. I t makes per f ec t sen se, she thought. Hal e woul dn ’ t b e wor r ied ab out a v ir us; he kn ows what’ s r eal l y goin g on in side TR A N SL TR . C har tr ukian was in sisten t. “The in f ec ted f il e ex i sts, sir . B ut G aun tl et n ev er pic ked it up.” “I f G aun tl et n ev er pic ked it up, ” Str athmor e f umed, “then how the hel l do you kn ow it ex ists? ” C har tr ukian sudden l y soun ded mor e c on f iden t. “M utation str in gs, sir . I r an a f ul l an al ysis, an d the pr ob e tur n ed up mutation str in gs! ” Susan n ow un der stood why the Sys-Sec was so c on c er n ed. M u tati on stri ng s , she mused. She kn ew mutation str in gs wer e pr ogr ammin g seq uen c es that c or r upted data in ex tr emel y c ompl ex ways. They wer e v er y c ommon in c omputer v ir uses, par tic ul ar l y v ir uses that al ter ed l ar ge b l oc ks of data. O f c our se, Susan al so kn ew f r om Tan kado’ s
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E-mail that the mutation str in gs C har tr ukian had seen wer e har ml ess–simpl y par t of D igital F or tr ess. The Sys-Sec wen t on . “W hen I f ir st saw the str in gs, sir , I thought G aun tl et’ s f il ter s had f ail ed. B ut then I r an some tests an d f oun d out…” He paused, l ookin g sudden l y un easy. “I f oun d out that someb ody man ual l y b ypassed G aun tl et.” The statemen t met with a sudden hush. Str athmor e’ s f ac e tur n ed an ev en deeper shade of c r imson . Ther e was n o doub t whom C har tr ukian was ac c usin g; Str athmor e’ s ter min al was the on l y on e in C r ypto with c l ear an c e to b ypass G aun tl et’ s f il ter s. W hen Str athmor e spoke, his v oic e was l ike ic e. “M r . C har tr ukian , n ot that it is an y c on c er n of your s, b ut I b ypassed G aun tl et.” He wen t on , his temper hov er in g n ear the b oil in g poin t. “A s I tol d you ear l ier , I ’ m r un n in g a v er y adv an c ed diagn ostic . The mutation str in gs you see in TR A N SL TR ar e par t of that diagn ostic ; they ar e ther e b ec ause I put them ther e. G aun tl et r ef used to l et me l oad the f il e, so I b ypassed its f il ter s.” Str athmor e’ s eyes n ar r owed shar pl y at C har tr ukian . “N ow, wil l ther e b e an ythin g el se b ef or e you go? ” I n a f l ash, it al l c l ic ked f or Susan . W hen Str athmor e had down l oaded the en c r ypted D igital F or tr ess al gor ithm f r om the I n ter n et an d tr ied to r un it thr ough TR A N SL TR , the mutation str in gs had tr ipped G aun tl et’ s f il ter s. D esper ate to kn ow whether D igital F or tr ess was b r eakab l e, Str athmor e dec ided to b ypass the f il ter s. N or mal l y, b ypassin g G aun tl et was un thin kab l e. I n this situation , howev er , ther e was n o dan ger in sen din g D igital F or tr ess dir ec tl y in to TR A N SL TR ; the c omman der kn ew ex ac tl y what the f il e was an d wher e it c ame f r om. “W ith al l due r espec t, sir , ” C har tr ukian pr essed, “I ’ v e n ev er hear d of a diagn ostic that empl oys mutation –” “C omman der , ” Susan in ter j ec ted, n ot ab l e to wait an other momen t. “I r eal l y n eed to– ” This time her wor ds wer e c ut shor t b y the shar p r in g of Str athmor e’ s c el l ul ar phon e. The c omman der sn atc hed up the r ec eiv er . “W hat is it! ” he b ar ked. Then he f el l sil en t an d l isten ed to the c al l er . Susan f or got ab out Hal e f or an in stan t. She pr ayed the c al l er was D av id. T el l me he’ s ok ay, she thought. T el l me he f ou nd the ri ng ! B ut Str athmor e c aught her eye an d he gav e her a f r own . I t was n ot D av id. Susan f el t her b r eath gr ow shor t. A l l she wan ted to kn ow was that the man she l ov ed was saf e. Str athmor e, Susan kn ew, was impatien t f or other r eason s; if D av id took muc h l on ger , the c omman der woul d hav e to sen d b ac kup–N SA f iel d agen ts. I t was a gamb l e he had hoped to av oid. “C omman der ? ” C har tr ukian ur ged. “I r eal l y thin k we shoul d c hec k–” “Hol d on , ” Str athmor e said, apol ogiz in g to his c al l er . He c ov er ed his mouthpiec e an d l ev el ed a f ier y star e at his youn g Sys-Sec . “M r . C har tr ukian , ” he gr owl ed, “this disc ussion is ov er . Y ou ar e to l eav e C r ypto. N ow. That’ s an or der .” C har tr ukian stood stun n ed. “B ut, sir , mutation str –” “N O W ! ” Str athmor e b el l owed. C har tr ukian star ed a momen t, speec hl ess. Then he stor med of f towar d the Sys-Sec l ab . Str athmor e tur n ed an d eyed Hal e with a puz z l ed l ook. Susan un der stood the c omman der ’ s mystif ic ation . Hal e had b een q uiet–too q uiet. Hal e kn ew v er y wel l ther e was n o suc h thin g as a diagn ostic that used mutation str in gs, muc h l ess on e that c oul d keep TR A N SL TR b usy eighteen hour s. A n d yet Hal e hadn ’ t said a wor d. He appear ed
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in dif f er en t to the en tir e c ommotion . Str athmor e was ob v iousl y won der in g why. Susan had the an swer . “C omman der , ” she said in sisten tl y, “if I c oul d j ust speak–” “I n a min ute, ” he in ter j ec ted, stil l eyein g Hal e q uiz z ic al l y. “I n eed to take this c al l .” W ith that, Str athmor e tur n ed on his heel an d headed f or his of f ic e. Susan open ed her mouth, b ut the wor ds stal l ed on the tip of her ton gue. H al e i s N orth D ak ota! She stood r igid, un ab l e to b r eathe. She f el t Hal e star in g at her . Susan tur n ed. Hal e stepped aside an d swun g his ar m gr ac iousl y towar d the N ode 3 door . “A f ter you, Sue.”
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I n a l in en c l oset on the thir d f l oor of the A l f on so X I I I , a maid l ay un c on sc ious on the f l oor . The man with wir e-r im gl asses was r epl ac in g a hotel master key in her poc ket. He had n ot sen sed her sc r eam when he str uc k her , b ut he had n o way of kn owin g f or sur e–he had b een deaf sin c e he was twel v e. He r eac hed to the b atter y pac k on his b el t with a c er tain kin d of r ev er en c e; a gif t f r om a c l ien t, the mac hin e had giv en him n ew l if e. He c oul d n ow r ec eiv e his c on tr ac ts an ywher e in the wor l d. A l l c ommun ic ation s ar r iv ed in stan tan eousl y an d un tr ac eab l y. He was eager as he touc hed the switc h. His gl asses f l ic ker ed to l if e. O n c e again his f in ger s c ar v ed in to the empty air an d b egan c l ic kin g together . A s al ways, he had r ec or ded the n ames of his v ic tims–a simpl e matter of sear c hin g a wal l et or pur se. The c on tac ts on his f in ger s c on n ec ted, an d the l etter s appear ed in the l en s of his gl asses l ike ghosts in the air . SU B JEC T: R O C I O
EV A
G R A N A D A –TER M I N A TED
SU B JEC T: HA N S HU B ER –TER M I N A TED Thr ee stor ies b el ow D av id B ec ker paid his tab an d wan der ed ac r oss the l ob b y, his hal f -f in ished dr in k in han d. He headed towar d the hotel ’ s open ter r ac e f or some f r esh air . In and ou t, he mused. Thin gs hadn ’ t pan n ed out q uite as he ex pec ted. He had a dec ision to make. Shoul d he j ust giv e up an d go b ac k to the air por t? A matter of nati onal sec u ri ty. He swor e un der his b r eath. So why the hel l had they sen t a sc hool teac her ? B ec ker mov ed out of sight of the b ar ten der an d dumped the r emain in g dr in k in a potted j asmin e. The v odka had made him l ight-headed. C heapest dru nk i n hi story, Susan of ten c al l ed him. A f ter r ef il l in g the heav y c r ystal gl ass f r om a water f oun tain , B ec ker took a l on g swal l ow. He str etc hed a f ew times tr yin g to shake of f the l ight haz e that had settl ed ov er him. Then he set down his gl ass an d wal ked ac r oss the l ob b y. A s he passed the el ev ator , the door s sl id open ed. Ther e was a man in side. A l l B ec ker saw wer e thic k wir e-r im gl asses. The man r aised a han dker c hief to b l ow his n ose. B ec ker smil ed pol itel y an d mov ed on … out in to the stif l in g Sev il l ian n ight.
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I n side N ode 3 , Susan c aught her sel f pac in g f r an tic al l y. She wished she’ d ex posed Hal e when she’ d had the c han c e. Hal e sat at his ter min al . “Str ess is a kil l er , Sue. Somethin g you wan t to get of f your c hest? ” Susan f or c ed her sel f to sit. She had thought Str athmor e woul d b e of f the phon e b y n ow an d r etur n to speak to her , b ut he was n owher e to b e seen . Susan tr ied to keep c al m. She gaz ed at her c omputer sc r een . The tr ac er was stil l r un n in g–f or the sec on d time. I t was immater ial n ow. Susan kn ew whose addr ess it woul d r etur n : G HA L E@ c r ypto.n sa.gov . Susan gaz ed up towar d Str athmor e’ s wor kstation an d kn ew she c oul dn ’ t wait an y l on ger . I t was time to in ter r upt the c omman der ’ s phon e c al l . She stood an d headed f or the door . Hal e seemed sudden l y un easy, appar en tl y n otic in g Susan ’ s odd b ehav ior . He str ode q uic kl y ac r oss the r oom an d b eat her to the door . He f ol ded his ar ms an d b l oc ked her ex it. “Tel l me what’ s goin g on , ” he deman ded. “Ther e’ s somethin g goin g on her e today. W hat is it? ” “L et me out, ” Susan said as ev en l y as possib l e, f eel in g a sudden twin ge of dan ger . “C ome on , ” Hal e pr essed. “Str athmor e pr ac tic al l y f ir ed C har tr ukian f or doin g his j ob . W hat’ s goin g on in side TR A N SL TR ? W e don ’ t hav e an y diagn ostic s that r un eighteen hour s. That’ s b ul l shit, an d you kn ow it. Tel l me what’ s goin g on .” Susan ’ s eyes n ar r owed. Y ou k now damn wel l what’ s g oi ng on! “B ac k of f , G r eg, ” she deman ded. “I n eed to use the b athr oom.” Hal e smir ked. He waited a l on g momen t an d then stepped aside. “Sor r y Sue. Just f l ir tin g.” Susan pushed b y him an d l ef t N ode 3 . A s she passed the gl ass wal l , she sen sed Hal e’ s eyes b or in g in to her f r om the other side. R el uc tan tl y, she c ir c l ed towar d the b athr ooms. She woul d hav e to make a detour b ef or e v isitin g the C omman der . G r eg Hal e c oul d suspec t n othin g.
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A j aun ty f or ty-f iv e, C had B r in ker hof f was wel l -pr essed, wel l -gr oomed, an d wel l -in f or med. His summer -weight suit, l ike his tan skin , showed n ot a wr in kl e or hin t of wear . His hair was thic k, san dy b l on d, an d most impor tan tl y–al l his own . His eyes wer e a b r il l ian t b l ue–sub tl y en han c ed b y the mir ac l e of tin ted c on tac t l en ses. He sur v eyed the wood-pan el ed of f ic e ar oun d him an d kn ew he had r isen as f ar as he woul d r ise in the N SA . He was on the n in th f l oor –M ahogan y R ow. O f f ic e 9 A 1 9 7 . The D ir ec tor ial Suite. I t was a Satur day n ight, an d M ahogan y R ow was al l b ut deser ted, its ex ec utiv es l on g gon e–of f en j oyin g whatev er pastimes in f l uen tial men en j oyed in their l eisur e. A l though B r in ker hof f had al ways dr eamed of a “r eal ” post with the agen c y, he had somehow en ded up as a “per son al aide”–the of f ic ial c ul de sac of the pol itic al r at r ac e. The f ac t that he wor ked side b y side with the sin gl e most power f ul man in A mer ic an in tel l igen c e was l ittl e c on sol ation . B r in ker hof f had gr aduated with hon or s f r om A n dov er an d W il l iams, an d yet her e he was, middl e-aged, with n o r eal power –n o r eal stake. He spen t his days ar r an gin g someon e el se’ s c al en dar . ***
Ther e wer e def in ite b en ef its to b ein g the dir ec tor ’ s per son al aide–B r in ker hof f had a pl ush of f ic e in the dir ec tor ial suite, f ul l ac c ess to al l the N SA depar tmen ts, an d a c er tain l ev el of distin c tion that c ame f r om the c ompan y he kept. He r an er r an ds f or the highest ec hel on s of power . D eep down B r in ker hof f kn ew he was b or n to b e a P A –smar t en ough to take n otes, han dsome en ough to giv e pr ess c on f er en c es, an d l az y en ough to b e c on ten t with it. The stic ky-sweet c hime of his man tel c l oc k ac c en ted the en d of an other day of his pathetic ex isten c e. Shi t, he thought. Fi v e o’ c l oc k on a Satu rday. W hat the hel l am I doi ng here? “C had? ” A woman appear ed in his door way. B r in ker hof f l ooked up. I t was M idge M il ken , F on tain e’ s in ter n al sec ur ity an al yst. She was six ty, sl ightl y heav y, an d, muc h to the puz z l emen t of B r in ker hof f , q uite appeal in g. A c on summate f l ir t an d an ex -wif e thr ee times ov er , M idge pr owl ed the six -r oom dir ec tor ial suite with a sauc y author ity. She was shar p, in tuitiv e, wor ked un godl y hour s, an d was r umor ed to kn ow mor e ab out the N SA ’ s in n er wor kin gs than G od himsel f . D amn, B r in ker hof f thought, eyein g her in her gr ay c ashmer e-dr ess. E i ther I’ m g etti ng ol der, or she’ s l ook i ng you ng er. “W eekl y r epor ts.” She smil ed, wav in g a f an f ol d of paper . “Y ou n eed to c hec k the f igur es.” B r in ker hof f eyed her b ody. “F igur es l ook good f r om her e.” “R eal l y C had, ” she l aughed. “I ’ m ol d en ough to b e your mother .” D on ’ t r emin d me, he thought. M idge str ode in an d sidl ed up to his desk. “I ’ m on my way out, b ut the dir ec tor wan ts these c ompil ed b y the time he gets b ac k f r om South A mer ic a. That’ s M on day, b r ight an d ear l y.” She dr opped the pr in touts in f r on t of him. “W hat am I , an ac c oun tan t? ” “N o, hon , you’ r e a c r uise dir ec tor . Thought you kn ew that.” “So what am I doin g c r un c hin g n umb er s? ”
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She r uf f l ed his hair . “Y ou wan ted mor e r espon sib il ity. Her e it is.” He l ooked up at her sadl y. “M idge… I hav e n o l if e.” She tapped her f in ger on the paper . “T hi s is your l if e, C had B r in ker hof f .” She l ooked down at him an d sof ten ed. “A n ythin g I c an get you b ef or e I go? ” He eyed her pl eadin gl y an d r ol l ed his ac hin g n ec k. “M y shoul der s ar e tight.” M idge didn ’ t b ite. “Take an aspir in .” He pouted. “N o b ac k r ub ? ” She shook her head. “C osmopol i tan says two-thir ds of b ac kr ub s en d in sex .” B r in ker hof f l ooked in dign an t. “O u rs n ev er do! ” “P r ec isel y.” She win ked. “That’ s the pr ob l em.” “M idge–” “N ight, C had.” She headed f or the door . “Y ou’ r e l eav in g? ” “Y ou kn ow I ’ d stay, ” M idge said, pausin g in the door way, “b ut I do hav e some pr ide. I j ust c an ’ t see pl ayin g sec on d f iddl e–par tic ul ar l y to a teen ager .” “M y wif e’ s not a teen ager , ” B r in ker hof f def en ded. “She j ust ac ts l ike on e.” M idge gav e him a sur pr ised l ook. “I wasn ’ t tal kin g ab out your wif e.” She b atter ed her eyes in n oc en tl y. “I was tal kin g ab out C armen. ” She spoke the n ame with a thic k P uer to R ic an ac c en t. B r in ker hof f ’ s v oic e c r ac ked sl ightl y. “W ho? ” “C ar men ? I n f ood ser v ic es? ” B r in ker hof f f el t himsel f f l ush. C ar men Huer ta was a twen ty-sev en -year -ol d pastr y c hef who wor ked in the N SA c ommissar y. B r in ker hof f had en j oyed a n umb er of pr esumab l y sec r et af ter -hour s f l in gs with her in the stoc kr oom. She gav e him a wic ked win k. “R ememb er , C had… B ig B r other kn ows al l .” B ig B r other ? B r in ker hof f gul ped in disb el ief . B ig B r other watc hes the STO C K R O O M S too? B ig B r other , or “B r other ” as M idge of ten c al l ed it, was a C en tr ex 3 3 3 that sat in a smal l c l osetl ike spac e of f the suite’ s c en tr al r oom. B r other was M idge’ s whol e wor l d. I t r ec eiv ed data f r om 1 4 8 c l osed c ir c uit v ideo c amer as, 3 9 9 el ec tr on ic door s, 3 7 7 phon es taps, an d 2 1 2 f r ee-stan din g b ugs in the N SA c ompl ex . The dir ec tor s of the N SA had l ear n ed the har d way that 2 6 , 0 0 0 empl oyees wer e n ot on l y a gr eat asset b ut a gr eat l iab il ity. Ev er y maj or sec ur ity b r eac h in the N SA ’ s histor y had c ome f r om within . I t was M idge’ s j ob as in ter n al sec ur ity an al yst, to watc h ev er ythin g that wen t on within the wal l s of the N SA … in c l udin g, appar en tl y, the c ommissar y stoc kr oom. B r in ker hof f stood to def en d himsel f , b ut M idge was al r eady on her way out. “Han ds ab ov e the desk, ” she c al l ed ov er her shoul der . “N o f un n y stuf f af ter I go. The wal l s hav e eyes.” B r in ker hof f sat an d l isten ed to the soun d of her heel s f adin g down the c or r idor . A t l east he kn ew M idge woul d n ev er tel l . She was n ot without her weakn esses. M idge had in dul ged in a f ew in disc r etion s of her own –mostl y wan der in g b ac k r ub s with B r in ker hof f . His thoughts tur n ed b ac k to C ar men . He pic tur ed her l issome b ody, those dar k thighs, that A M r adio she pl ayed f ul l b l ast–hot San Juan sal sa. He smil ed. M ayb e I’ l l drop b y f or a snac k when I’ m done. He open ed the f ir st pr in tout.
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His mood immediatel y l ighten ed. M idge had giv en him a f r eeb ie; the C r ypto r epor t was al ways a piec e of c ake. Tec hn ic al l y he was supposed to c ompil e the whol e thin g, b ut the on l y f igur e the dir ec tor ev er asked f or was the M C D –the mean c ost per dec r yption . The M C D r epr esen ted the estimated amoun t it c ost TR A N SL TR to b r eak a sin gl e c ode. A s l on g as the f igur e was b el ow $ 1 , 0 0 0 per c ode, F on tain e didn ’ t f l in c h. A g rand a pop. B r in ker hof f c huc kl ed. O u r tax dol l ars at work . A s he b egan pl owin g thr ough the doc umen t an d c hec kin g the dail y M C D s, images of C ar men Huer ta smear in g her sel f with hon ey an d c on f ec tion er ’ s sugar b egan pl ayin g in his head. Thir ty sec on ds l ater he was al most don e. The C r ypto data was per f ec t–as al ways. B ut j ust b ef or e mov in g on to the n ex t r epor t, somethin g c aught his eye. A t the b ottom of the sheet, the l ast M C D was of f . The f igur e was so l ar ge that it had c ar r ied ov er in to the n ex t c ol umn an d made a mess of the page. B r in ker hof f star ed at the f igur e in shoc k. 9 9 9 ,9 9 9 ,9 9 9 ? He gasped. A b i l l i on dol l ars? The images of C ar men v an ished. A b i l l i ondol l ar c ode? B r in ker hof f sat ther e a min ute, par al yz ed. Then in a b ur st of pan ic , he r ac ed out in to the hal l way. “M idge! C omeb ac k! ”
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P hil C har tr ukian stood f umin g in the Sys-Sec l ab . Str athmor e’ s wor ds ec hoed in his head: L eav e now! T hat’ s an order! He kic ked the tr ash c an an d swor e in the empty l ab . “D iagn ostic , my ass! Sin c e when does the deputy dir ec tor b ypass G aun tl et’ s f il ter s! ? ” The Sys-Sec s wer e wel l paid to pr otec t the c omputer systems at the N SA , an d C har tr ukian had l ear n ed that ther e wer e on l y two j ob r eq uir emen ts: b e utter l y b r il l ian t an d ex haustiv el y par an oid. Hel l , he c ur sed, this isn ’ t par an oia! The f uc kin g R un -M on itor ’ s r eadin g eighteen hour s! I t was a v ir us. C har tr ukian c oul d f eel it. Ther e was l ittl e doub t in his min d what was goin g on : Str athmor e had made a mistake b y b ypassin g G aun tl et’ s f il ter s, an d n ow he was tr yin g to c ov er it up with some hal f -b aked stor y ab out a diagn ostic . C har tr ukian woul dn ’ t hav e b een q uite so edgy had TR A N SL TR b een the on l y c on c er n . B ut it wasn ’ t. D espite its appear an c e, the gr eat dec odin g b east was b y n o mean s an isl an d. A l though the c r yptogr apher s b el iev ed G aun tl et was c on str uc ted f or the sol e pur pose of pr otec tin g their c ode-b r eakin g master piec e, the Sys-Sec s un der stood the tr uth. The G aun tl et f il ter s ser v ed a muc h higher god. The N SA ’ s main datab an k. The histor y b ehin d the datab an k’ s c on str uc tion had al ways f asc in ated C har tr ukian . D espite the ef f or ts of the D epar tmen t of D ef en se to keep the I n ter n et to themsel v es in the l ate 1 9 7 0 s, it was too usef ul a tool n ot to attr ac t the pub l ic -sec tor . Ev en tual l y un iv er sities pr ied their way on . Shor tl y af ter that c ame the c ommer c ial ser v er s. The f l oodgates open ed, an d the pub l ic pour ed in . B y the ear l y 9 0 ’ s, the gov er n men t’ s on c e-sec ur e “I n ter n et” was a c on gested wastel an d of pub l ic E-mail an d c yb er por n . F ol l owin g a n umb er of un pub l ic iz ed, yet highl y damagin g c omputer in f il tr ation s at the O f f ic e of N av al I n tel l igen c e, it b ec ame in c r easin gl y c l ear that gov er n men t sec r ets wer e n o l on ger saf e on c omputer s c on n ec ted to the b ur geon in g I n ter n et. The P r esiden t, in c on j un c tion with the D epar tmen t of D ef en se, passed a c l assif ied dec r ee that woul d f un d a n ew, total l y sec ur e gov er n men t n etwor k to r epl ac e the tain ted I n ter n et an d f un c tion as a l in k b etween U .S. in tel l igen c e agen c ies. To pr ev en t f ur ther c omputer pil f er in g of gov er n men t sec r ets, al l sen sitiv e data was r el oc ated to on e, highl y sec ur e l oc ation –the n ewl y c on str uc ted N SA datab an k–the F or t K n ox of U .S. in tel l igen c e data. L iter al l y mil l ion s of the c oun tr y’ s most c l assif ied photos, tapes, doc umen ts, an d v ideos wer e digitiz ed an d tr an sf er r ed to the immen se stor age f ac il ity an d then the har d c opies wer e destr oyed. The datab an k was pr otec ted b y a tr ipl e-l ayer power r el ay an d a tier ed digital b ac kup system. I t was al so 2 1 4 f eet un der gr oun d to shiel d it f r om magn etic f iel ds an d possib l e ex pl osion s. A c tiv ities within the c on tr ol r oom wer e design ated T op Sec ret U mb ra… the c oun tr y’ s highest l ev el of sec ur ity. The sec r ets of the c oun tr y had n ev er b een saf er . This impr egn ab l e datab an k n ow housed b l uepr in ts f or adv an c ed weapon r y, witn ess pr otec tion l ists, al iases of f iel d agen ts, detail ed an al yses an d pr oposal s f or c ov er t oper ation s. The l ist was en dl ess. Ther e woul d b e n o mor e b l ac k-b ag j ob s damagin g U .S. in tel l igen c e. O f c our se, the of f ic er s of the N SA r eal iz ed that stor ed data had v al ue on l y if it was ac c essib l e. The r eal c oup of the datab an k was n ot gettin g the c l assif ied data of f the str eets, it was makin g it ac c essib l e on l y to the c or r ec t peopl e. A l l stor ed in f or mation had a sec ur ity r atin g an d, depen din g on the l ev el of sec r ec y, was ac c essib l e to gov er n men t of f ic ial s on a c ompar tmen tal iz ed b asis. A sub mar in e c omman der c oul d dial in an d c hec k the N SA ’ s most r ec en t satel l ite photos of R ussian por ts, b ut he woul d n ot hav e ac c ess to the pl an s f or
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an an ti-dr ug mission in South A mer ic a. C I A an al ysts c oul d ac c ess histor ies of kn own assassin s b ut c oul d n ot ac c ess l aun c h c odes r eser v ed f or the P r esiden t. Sys-Sec s, of c our se, had n o c l ear an c e f or the in f or mation in the datab an k, b ut they wer e r espon sib l e f or its saf ety. L ike al l l ar ge datab an ks–f r om in sur an c e c ompan ies to un iv er sities–the N SA f ac il ity was c on stan tl y un der attac k b y c omputer hac ker s tr yin g to sn eak a peek at the sec r ets waitin g in side. B ut the N SA sec ur ity pr ogr ammer s wer e the b est in the wor l d. N o on e had ev er c ome c l ose to in f il tr atin g the N SA datab an k–an d the N SA had n o r eason to thin k an yb ody ev er woul d. ***
I n side the Sys-Sec l ab , C har tr ukian b r oke in to a sweat tr yin g to dec ide whether to l eav e. Tr oub l e in TR A N SL TR mean t tr oub l e in the datab an k too. Str athmor e’ s l ac k of c on c er n was b ewil der in g. Ev er yon e kn ew that TR A N SL TR an d the N SA main datab an k wer e in ex tr ic ab l y l in ked. Eac h n ew c ode, on c e b r oken , was f ir ed f r om C r ypto thr ough 4 5 0 yar ds of f ib er -optic c ab l e to the N SA datab an k f or saf e keepin g. The sac r ed stor age f ac il ity had l imited poin ts of en tr y–an d TR A N SL TR was on e of them. G aun tl et was supposed to b e the impr egn ab l e thr eshol d guar dian . A n d Str athmor e had b ypassed it. C har tr ukian c oul d hear his own hear t poun din g. T R A N SL T R ’ s b een stu c k ei g hteen hou rs! The thought of a c omputer v ir us en ter in g TR A N SL TR an d then r un n in g wil d in the b asemen t of the N SA pr ov ed too muc h. “I ’ v e got to r epor t this, ” he b l ur ted al oud. I n a situation l ike this, C har tr ukian kn ew ther e was on l y on e per son to c al l : the N SA ’ s sen ior Sys-Sec of f ic er , the shor t-f used, 4 0 0 -poun d c omputer gur u who had b uil t G aun tl et. His n ic kn ame was Jab b a. He was a demigod at the N SA –r oamin g the hal l s, puttin g out v ir tual f ir es, an d c ur sin g the f eeb l emin dedn ess of the in ept an d the ign or an t. C har tr ukian kn ew that as soon as Jab b a hear d Str athmor e had b ypassed G aun tl et’ s f il ter s, al l hel l woul d b r eak l oose. T oo b ad, he thought, I’ v e g ot a j ob to do. He gr ab b ed the phon e an d dial ed Jab b a’ s twen ty-f our -hour c el l ul ar .
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D av id B ec ker wan der ed aiml essl y down A v en ida del C id an d tr ied to c ol l ec t his thoughts. M uted shadows pl ayed on the c ob b l eston es b en eath his f eet. The v odka was stil l with him. N othin g ab out his l if e seemed in f oc us at the momen t. His min d dr if ted b ac k to Susan , won der in g if she’ d gotten his phon e message yet. U p ahead, a Sev il l e Tr an sit B us sc r eec hed to a hal t in f r on t of a b us stop. B ec ker l ooked up. The b us’ s door s c r an ked open , b ut n o on e disemb ar ked. The diesel en gin e r oar ed b ac k to l if e, b ut j ust as the b us was pul l in g out, thr ee teen ager s appear ed out of a b ar up the str eet an d r an af ter it, yel l in g an d wav in g. The en gin es woun d down again , an d the kids hur r ied to c atc h up. Thir ty yar ds b ehin d them, B ec ker star ed in utter in c r edul ity. His v ision was sudden l y f oc used, b ut he kn ew what he was seein g was impossib l e. I t was a on e-in -a-mil l ion c han c e. I ’ m hal l uc in atin g. B ut as the b us door s open ed, the kids c r owded ar oun d to b oar d. B ec ker saw it again . This time he was c er tain . C l ear l y il l umin ated in the haz e of the c or n er str eetl ight, he’ d seen her . The passen ger s c l imb ed on , an d the b us’ s en gin es r ev v ed up again . B ec ker sudden l y f oun d himsel f at a f ul l spr in t, the b iz ar r e image f ix ed in his min d–b l ac k l ipstic k, wil d eye shadow, an d that hair … spiked str aight up in thr ee distin c tiv e spir es. R ed, white, an d b l ue. A s the b us star ted to mov e, B ec ker dashed up the str eet in to awake of c ar b on mon ox ide. “Esper a! ” he c al l ed, r un n in g b ehin d the b us. B ec ker ’ s c or dov an l oaf er s skimmed the pav emen t. His usual sq uash agil ity was n ot with him, though; he f el t of f b al an c e. His b r ain was hav in g tr oub l e keepin g tr ac k of his f eet. He c ur sed the b ar ten der an d his j et l ag. The b us was on e of Sev il l e’ s ol der diesel s, an d f or tun atel y f or B ec ker , f ir st gear was a l on g, ar duous c l imb . B ec ker f el t the gap c l osin g. He kn ew he had to r eac h the b us b ef or e it down shif ted. The twin tail pipes c hoked out a c l oud of thic k smoke as the dr iv er pr epar ed to dr op the b us in to sec on d gear . B ec ker str ain ed f or mor e speed. A s he sur ged ev en with the r ear b umper , B ec ker mov ed r ight, r ac in g up b eside the b us. He c oul d see the r ear door s–an d as on al l Sev il l e b uses, it was pr opped wide open : c heap air -c on dition in g. B ec ker f ix ed his sights on the open in g an d ign or ed the b ur n in g sen sation in his l egs. The tir es wer e b eside him, shoul der high, hummin g at a higher an d higher pitc h ev er y sec on d. He sur ged towar d the door , missin g the han dl e an d al most l osin g his b al an c e. He pushed har der . U n der n eath the b us, the c l utc h c l ic ked as the dr iv er pr epar ed to c han ge gear s. He’ s shif tin g! I won ’ t make it! B ut as the en gin e c ogs disen gaged to al ign the l ar ger gear s, the b us l et up ev er so sl ightl y. B ec ker l un ged. The en gin e r een gaged j ust as his f in ger tips c ur l ed ar oun d the door han dl e. B ec ker ’ s shoul der al most r ipped f r om its soc ket as the en gin e dug in , c atapul tin g him up on to the l an din g. ***
113 D av id B ec ker l ay c ol l apsed j ust in side the v ehic l e’ s door way. The pav emen t r ac ed b y on l y in c hes away. He was n ow sob er . His l egs an d shoul der ac hed. W av er in g, he stood, steadied himsel f , an d c l imb ed in to the dar ken ed b us. I n the c r owd of sil houettes, on l y a f ew seats away, wer e the thr ee distin c tiv e spikes of hair . R ed, white, an d b l ue! I made it! B ec ker ’ s min d f il l ed with images of the r in g, the waitin g L ear j et 6 0 , an d at the en d of it al l , Susan . A s B ec ker c ame ev en with the gir l ’ s seat won der in g what to say to her , the b us passed b en eath a str eetl ight. The pun k’ s f ac e was momen tar il y il l umin ated. B ec ker star ed in hor r or . The makeup on her f ac e was smear ed ac r oss a thic k stub b l e. She was n ot a gir l at al l , b ut a youn g man . He wor e a sil v er stud in his upper l ip, a b l ac k l eather j ac ket, an d n o shir t. “W hat the f uc k do you wan t? ” the hoar se v oic e asked. His ac c en t was N ew Y or k. W ith the disor ien tated n ausea of a sl ow-motion f r ee f al l , B ec ker gaz ed at the b usl oad of passen ger s star in g b ac k at him. They wer e al l pun ks. A t l east hal f of them had r ed, white, an d b l ue hair . “Sié n tate! ” the dr iv er yel l ed. B ec ker was too daz ed to hear . “Si é ntate! ” The dr iv er sc r eamed. “Si t down! ” B ec ker tur n ed v aguel y to the an gr y f ac e in the r ear v iew mir r or . B ut he had waited too l on g. A n n oyed, the dr iv er sl ammed down har d on the b r akes. B ec ker f el t his weight shif t. He r eac hed f or a seat b ac k b ut missed. F or an in stan t, D av id B ec ker was air b or n e. Then he l an ded har d on the gr itty f l oor . O n A v en ida del C id, a f igur e stepped f r om the shadows. He adj usted his wir e-r im gl asses an d peer ed af ter the depar tin g b us. D av id B ec ker had esc aped, b ut it woul d n ot b e f or l on g. O f al l the b uses in Sev il l e, M r . B ec ker had j ust b oar ded the in f amous n umb er 2 7 . B us 2 7 had on l y on e destin ation .
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P hil C har tr ukian sl ammed down his r ec eiv er . Jab b a’ s l in e was b usy; Jab b a spur n ed c al l -waitin g as an in tr usiv e gimmic k that was in tr oduc ed b y A T& T to in c r ease pr of its b y c on n ec tin g ev er y c al l ; the simpl e phr ase “I ’ m on the other l in e, I ’ l l c al l you b ac k” made phon e c ompan ies mil l ion s an n ual l y. Jab b a’ s r ef usal of c al l -waitin g was his own b r an d of sil en t ob j ec tion to the N SA ’ s r eq uir emen t that he c ar r y an emer gen c y c el l ul ar at al l times. C har tr ukian tur n ed an d l ooked out at the deser ted C r ypto f l oor . The hum of the gen er ator s b el ow soun ded l ouder ev er y min ute. He sen sed that time was r un n in g out. He kn ew he was supposed to l eav e, b ut f r om out of the r umb l e b en eath C r ypto, the Sys-Sec man tr a b egan pl ayin g in his head: A c t f i rst, ex pl ai n l ater. I n the high-stakes wor l d of c omputer sec ur ity, min utes of ten mean t the dif f er en c e b etween sav in g a system or l osin g it. Ther e was sel dom time to j ustif y a def en siv e pr oc edur e b ef or e takin g it. Sys-Sec s wer e paid f or their tec hn ic al ex per tise… an d their in stin c t. A c t f i rst, ex pl ai n l ater. C har tr ukian kn ew what he had to do. He al so kn ew that when the dust settl ed, he woul d b e either an N SA her o or in the un empl oymen t l in e. The gr eat dec odin g c omputer had a v ir us–of that, the Sys-Sec was c er tain . Ther e was on e r espon sib l e c our se of ac tion . Shut it down . C har tr ukian kn ew ther e wer e on l y two ways to shut down TR A N SL TR . O n e was the c omman der ’ s pr iv ate ter min al , whic h was l oc ked in his of f ic e–out of the q uestion . The other was the man ual kil l -switc h l oc ated on on e of the sub l ev el s b en eath the C r ypto f l oor . C har tr ukian swal l owed har d. He hated the sub l ev el s. He’ d on l y b een ther e on c e, dur in g tr ain in g. I t was l ike somethin g out of an al ien wor l d with its l on g maz es of c atwal ks, f r eon duc ts, an d a diz z y 1 3 6 -f oot dr op to the r umb l in g power suppl ies b el ow… I t was the l ast pl ac e he f el t l ike goin g, an d Str athmor e was the l ast per son he f el t l ike c r ossin g, b ut duty was duty. T hey’ l l thank me tomorrow, he thought, won der in g if he was r ight. Takin g a deep b r eath, C har tr ukian open ed the sen ior Sys-Sec ’ s metal l oc ker . O n a shel f of disassemb l ed c omputer par ts, hidden b ehin d a media c on c en tr ator an d L A N tester , was a Stan f or d al umn i mug. W ithout touc hin g the r im, he r eac hed in side an d l if ted out a sin gl e M edec o key. “I t’ s amaz in g, ” he gr umb l ed, “what System-Sec ur ity of f ic er s don’ t kn ow ab out sec ur ity.”
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“A b il l ion -dol l ar c ode? ” M idge sn ic ker ed, ac c ompan yin g B r in ker hof f b ac k up the hal l way. “That’ s a good on e.” “I swear it, ” he said. She eyed him askan c e. “This b etter n ot b e some pl oy to get me out of this dr ess.” “M idge, I woul d n ev er –” he said sel f -r ighteousl y. “I kn ow, C had. D on ’ t r emin d me.” Thir ty sec on ds l ater , M idge was sittin g in B r in ker hof f ’ s c hair an d studyin g the C r ypto r epor t. “See? ” he said, l ean in g ov er her an d poin tin g to the f igur e in q uestion . “This M C D ? A b il l ion dol l ar s! ” M idge c huc kl ed. “I t does appear to b e a touc h on the high side, doesn ’ t it? ” “Y eah.” He gr oan ed. “Just a touc h.” “L ooks l ike a div ide-b y-z er o.” “A who? ” “A div ide-b y-z er o, ” she said, sc an n in g the r est of the data. “The M C D ’ s c al c ul ated as a f r ac tion –total ex pen se div ided b y n umb er of dec r yption s.” “O f c our se.” B r in ker hof f n odded b l an kl y an d tr ied n ot to peer down the f r on t of her dr ess. “W hen the den omin ator ’ s z er o, ” M idge ex pl ain ed, “the q uotien t goes to in f in ity. C omputer s hate in f in ity, so they type al l n in es.” She poin ted to a dif f er en t c ol umn . “See this? ” “Y eah.” B r in ker hof f r ef oc used on the paper . “I t’ s today’ s r aw pr oduc tion data. Take a l ook at the n umb er of dec r yption s.” B r in ker hof f dutif ul l y f ol l owed her f in ger down the c ol umn . N U M B ER O F D EC R Y P TI O N S = 0 M idge tapped on the f igur e. “I t’ s j ust as I suspec ted. D iv ide-b y-z er o.” B r in ker hof f ar c hed his eyeb r ows. “So ev er ythin g’ s okay? ” She shr ugged. “Just mean s we hav en ’ t b r oken an y c odes today. TR A N SL TR must b e takin g a b r eak.” “A b r eak? ” B r in ker hof f l ooked doub tf ul . He’ d b een with the dir ec tor l on g en ough to kn ow that “b r eaks” wer e n ot par t of his pr ef er r ed modus oper an di–par tic ul ar l y with r espec t to TR A N SL TR . F on tain e had paid $ 2 b il l ion f or the c ode-b r eakin g b ehemoth, an d he wan ted his mon ey’ s wor th. Ev er y sec on d TR A N SL TR sat idl e was mon ey down the toil et. “A h… M idge? ” B r in ker hof f said. “TR A N SL TR doesn ’ t take an y b r eaks. I t r un s day an d n ight. Y ou kn ow that.” She shr ugged. “M ayb e Str athmor e didn ’ t f eel l ike han gin g out l ast n ight to pr epar e the weeken d r un . He pr ob ab l y kn ew F on tain e was away an d duc ked out ear l y to go f ishin g.” “C ome on , M idge.” B r in ker hof f gav e her disgusted l ook. “G iv e the guy a b r eak.” I t was n o sec r et M idge M il ken didn ’ t l ike Tr ev or Str athmor e. Str athmor e had attempted a c un n in g man euv er r ewr itin g Skipj ac k, b ut he’ d b een c aught. D espite
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Str athmor e’ s b ol d in ten tion s, the N SA had paid dear l y. The EF F had gain ed str en gth, F on tain e had l ost c r edib il ity with C on gr ess, an d wor st of al l , the agen c y had l ost a l ot of its an on ymity. Ther e wer e sudden l y housewiv es in M in n esota c ompl ain in g to A mer ic a O n l in e an d P r odigy that the N SA might b e r eadin g their E-mail –l ike the N SA gav e a damn ab out a sec r et r ec ipe f or c an died yams. Str athmor e’ s b l un der had c ost the N SA , an d M idge f el t r espon sib l e–n ot that she c oul d hav e an tic ipated the c omman der ’ s stun t, b ut the b ottom l in e was that an un author iz ed ac tion had taken pl ac e b ehin d D ir ec tor F on tain e’ s b ac k, a b ac k M idge was paid to c ov er . F on tain e’ s han ds-of f attitude made him susc eptib l e; an d it made M idge n er v ous. B ut the dir ec tor had l ear n ed l on g ago to stan d b ac k an d l et smar t peopl e do their j ob s; that’ s ex ac tl y how he han dl ed Tr ev or Str athmor e. “M idge, you kn ow damn wel l Str athmor e’ s n ot sl ac kin g, ” B r in ker hof f ar gued. “He r un s TR A N SL TR l ike a f ien d.” M idge n odded. D eep down , she kn ew that ac c usin g Str athmor e of shir kin g was ab sur d. The c omman der was as dedic ated as they c ame–dedic ated to a f aul t. He b or e the ev il s of the wor l d as his own per son al c r oss. The N SA ’ s Skipj ac k pl an had b een Str athmor e’ s b r ain c hil d–a b ol d attempt to c han ge the wor l d. U n f or tun atel y, l ike so man y div in e q uests, this c r usade en ded in c r uc if ix ion . “O kay, ” she admitted, “so I ’ m b ein g a l ittl e har sh.” “A l ittl e? ” B r in ker hof f eyes n ar r owed. “Str athmor e’ s got a b ac kl og of f il es a mil e l on g. He’ s n ot ab out to l et TR A N SL TR sit idl e f or a whol e weeken d.” “O kay, okay.” M idge sighed. “M y mistake.” She f ur r owed her b r ow an d puz z l ed why TR A N SL TR hadn ’ t b r oken an y c odes al l day. “L et me doub l e-c hec k somethin g, ” she said, an d b egan f l ippin g thr ough the r epor t. She l oc ated what she was l ookin g f or an d sc an n ed the f igur es. A f ter a momen t she n odded. “Y ou’ r e r ight, C had. TR A N SL TR ’ s b een r un n in g f ul l f or c e. R aw c on sumab l es ar e ev en a l ittl e on the high side; we’ r e at ov er hal f a mil l ion kil owatt-hour s sin c e midn ight l ast n ight.” “So wher e does that l eav e us? ” M idge was puz z l ed. “I ’ m n ot sur e. I t’ s odd.” “Y ou wan t to r er un the data? ” She gav e him a disappr ov in g star e. Ther e wer e two thin gs on e n ev er q uestion ed ab out M idge M il ken . O n e of them was her data. B r in ker hof f waited whil e M idge studied the f igur es. “Huh.” She f in al l y gr un ted. “Y ester day’ s stats l ook f in e: 2 3 7 c odes b r oken . M C D , $ 8 7 4 . A v er age time per c ode, a l ittl e ov er six min utes. R aw c on sumab l es, av er age. L ast c ode en ter in g TR A N SL TR –” She stopped. “W hat is it? ” “That’ s f un n y, ” she said. “L ast f il e on yester day’ s q ueue l og r an at 1 1 : 3 7 p.m.” “So? ” “So, TR A N SL TR b r eaks c odes ev er y six min utes or so. The l ast f il e of the day usual l y r un s c l oser to midn ight. I t sur e doesn ’ t l ook l ike–” M idge sudden l y stopped shor t an d gasped. B r in ker hof f j umped. “W hat! ” M idge was star in g at the r eadout in disb el ief . “This f il e? The on e that en ter ed TR A N SL TR l ast n ight? ” “Y eah? ” “I t hasn ’ t b r oken yet. I t’ s q ueue time was 2 3 : 3 7 : 0 8 –b ut it l ists no dec r ypt time.” M idge f umb l ed with the sheets. “Y ester day or today! ”
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B r in ker hof f shr ugged. “M ayb e those guys ar e r un n in g a tough diagn ostic .” M idge shook her head. “E i g hteen hou rs tou g h? ” She paused. “N ot l ikel y. B esides, the q ueue data says it’ s an outside f il e. W e shoul d c al l Str athmor e.” “A t home? ” B r in ker hof f swal l owed. “O n a Satur day n ight? ” “N o, ” M idge said. “I f I kn ow Str athmor e, he’ s on top of this. I ’ l l b et good mon ey he’ s her e. Just a hun c h.” M idge’ s hun c hes wer e the other thin g on e n ev er q uestion ed. “C ome on , ” she said, stan din g up. “L et’ s see if I ’ m r ight.” *** B r in ker hof f f ol l owed M idge to her of f ic e, wher e she sat down an d b egan to wor k B ig B r other ’ s keypads l ike a v ir tuoso pipe or gan ist. B r in ker hof f gaz ed up at the ar r ay of c l osed-c aption v ideo mon itor s on her wal l , their sc r een s al l f r eez e f r ames of the N SA seal . “Y ou’ r e gon n a sn oop C r ypto? ” he asked n er v ousl y. “N ope, ” M idge r epl ied. “W ish I c oul d, b ut C r ypto’ s a seal ed deal . I t’ s got n o v ideo. N o soun d. N o n othin g. Str athmor e’ s or der s. A l l I ’ v e got is appr oac h stats an d b asic TR A N SL TR stuf f . W e’ r e l uc ky we’ v e ev en got that. Str athmor e wan ted total isol ation , b ut F on tain e in sisted on the b asic s.” B r in ker hof f l ooked puz z l ed. “C r ypto hasn ’ t got v ideo? ” “W hy? ” she asked, without tur n in g f r om her mon itor . “Y ou an d C ar men l ookin g f or a l ittl e mor e pr iv ac y? ” B r in ker hof f gr umb l ed somethin g in audib l e. M idge typed some mor e keys. “I ’ m pul l in g Str athmor e’ s el ev ator l og.” She studied her mon itor a momen t an d then r apped her kn uc kl e on the desk. “He’ s her e, ” she said matter -of -f ac tl y. “He’ s in C r ypto r ight n ow. L ook at this. Tal k ab out l on g hour s–he wen t in yester day mor n in g b r ight an d ear l y, an d his el ev ator hasn ’ t b udged sin c e. I ’ m showin g n o magn o-c ar d use f or him on the main door . So he’ s def in itel y in ther e.” B r in ker hof f b r eathed a sl ight sigh of r el ief . “So, if Str athmor e’ s in ther e, ev er ythin g’ s okay, r ight? ” M idge thought a momen t. “M ayb e, ” she f in al l y dec ided. “M ayb e? ” “W e shoul d c al l him an d doub l e-c hec k.” B r in ker hof f gr oan ed. “M idge, he’ s the deputy dir ec tor . I ’ m sur e he has ev er ythin g un der c on tr ol . L et’ s n ot sec on d-guess–” “O h, c ome on , C had–don ’ t b e suc h a c hil d. W e’ r e j ust doin g our j ob . W e’ v e got a sn ag in the stats, an d we’ r e f ol l owin g up. B esides, ” she added, “I ’ d l ike to r emin d Str athmor e that B ig B r other ’ s watc hin g. M ake him thin k twic e b ef or e pl an n in g an y mor e of his har e-b r ain ed stun ts to sav e the wor l d.” M idge pic ked up the phon e an d b egan dial in g. B r in ker hof f l ooked un easy. “Y ou r eal l y thin k you shoul d b other him? ” “I ’ m n ot b other in g him, ” M idge said, tossin g him the r ec eiv er . “Y ou ar e.”
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“W hat? ” M idge sputter ed in disb el ief . “Str athmor e c l aims our data is wr on g? ” B r in ker hof f n odded an d hun g up the phon e. “Str athmor e deni ed that TR A N SL TR ’ s b een stuc k on on e f il e f or eighteen hour s? ” “He was q uite pl easan t ab out the whol e thin g.” B r in ker hof f b eamed, pl eased with himsel f f or sur v iv in g the phon e c al l . “He assur ed me TR A N SL TR was wor kin g f in e. Said it was b r eakin g c odes ev er y six min utes ev en as we speak. Than ked me f or c hec kin g up on him.” “He’ s l yin g, ” M idge sn apped. “I ’ v e b een r un n in g these C r ypto stats f or two year s. The data is n ev er wr on g.” “F ir st time f or ev er ythin g, ” he said c asual l y. She shot him a disappr ov in g l ook. “I r un al l data twi c e. ” “W el l … you kn ow what they say ab out c omputer s. W hen they sc r ew up, at l east they’ r e c on sisten t ab out it.” M idge spun an d f ac ed him. “This isn ’ t f un n y, C had! The D D O j ust tol d a b l atan t l ie to the dir ec tor ’ s of f ic e. I wan t to kn ow why! ” B r in ker hof f sudden l y wished he hadn ’ t c al l ed her b ac k in . Str athmor e’ s phon e c al l had set her of f . Ev er sin c e Skipj ac k, when ev er M idge had a sen se that somethin g suspic ious was goin g on , she made an eer ie tr an sition f r om f l ir t to f ien d. Ther e was n o stoppin g her un til she sor ted it out. “M idge, it i s possib l e our data is of f , ” B r in ker hof f said f ir ml y. “I mean , thin k ab out it–a f il e that ties up TR A N SL TR f or eighteen hour s? I t’ s un hear d of . G o home. I t’ s l ate.” She gav e him a haughty l ook an d tossed the r epor t on the c oun ter . “I tr ust the data. I n stin c t says it’ s r ight.” B r in ker hof f f r own ed. N ot ev en the dir ec tor q uestion ed M idge M il ken ’ s in stin c ts an ymor e–she had an un c an n y hab it of al ways b ein g r ight. “Somethin g’ s up, ” she dec l ar ed. “A n d I in ten d to f in d out what it is.”
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B ec ker dr agged himsel f of f the f l oor of the b us an d c ol l apsed in an empty seat. “N ic e mov e, dipshit.” The kid with the thr ee spikes sn eer ed. B ec ker sq uin ted in the star k l ightin g. I t was the kid he’ d c hased on to the b us. He gl uml y sur v eyed the sea of r ed, white, an d b l ue c oif f ur es. “W hat’ s with the hair ? ” B ec ker moan ed, motion in g to the other s. “I t’ s al l …” “R ed, white, an d b l ue? ” the kid of f er ed. B ec ker n odded, tr yin g n ot to star e at the in f ec ted per f or ation in the kid’ s upper l ip. “Judas Tab oo, ” the kid said matter -of -f ac tl y. B ec ker l ooked b ewil der ed. The pun k spit in the aisl e, ob v iousl y disgusted with B ec ker ’ s ign or an c e. “Judas Tab oo? G r eatest pun k sin c e Sid V ic ious? B l ew his head of f her e a year ago today. I t’ s his an n iv er sar y.” B ec ker n odded v aguel y, ob v iousl y missin g the c on n ec tion . “Tab oo did his hair this way the day he sign ed of f .” The kid spit again . “Ev er y f an wor th his weight in piss has got r ed, white, an d b l ue hair today.” F or a l on g momen t, B ec ker said n othin g. Sl owl y, as if he had b een shot with a tr an q uil iz er , he tur n ed an d f ac ed f r on t. B ec ker sur v eyed the gr oup on the b us. Ev er y l ast on e was a pun k. M ost wer e star in g at him. Ev er y f an has r ed, white, an d b l ue hair today. B ec ker r eac hed up an d pul l ed the dr iv er -al er t c or d on the wal l . I t was time to get of f . He pul l ed again . N othin g happen ed. He pul l ed a thir d time, mor e f r an tic al l y. N othin g. “They disc on n ec t ‘ em on b us 2 7 .” The kid spat again . “So we don ’ t f uc k with ‘ em.” B ec ker tur n ed. “Y ou mean , I c an ’ t get of f ? ” The kid l aughed. “N ot til l the en d of the l in e.” F iv e min utes l ater , the b us was b ar r el in g al on g an un l it Span ish c oun tr y r oad. B ec ker tur n ed to the kid b ehin d him. “I s this thin g ev er goin g to stop? ” The kid n odded. “F ew mor e mil es.” “W her e ar e we goin g? ” He b r oke in to a sudden wide gr in . “Y ou mean you don ’ t kn ow? ” B ec ker shr ugged. The kid star ted l aughin g hyster ic al l y. “O h, shit. Y ou’ r e gon n a l ov e it.”
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O n l y yar ds f r om TR A N SL TR ’ s hul l , P hil C har tr ukian stood ov er a patc h of white l etter in g on the C r ypto f l oor . C R Y P TO SU B L EV EL S A U THO R I Z ED P ER SO N N EL O N L Y He kn ew he was def in itel y not author iz ed per son n el . He shot a q uic k gl an c e up at Str athmor e’ s of f ic e. The c ur tain s wer e stil l pul l ed. C har tr ukian had seen Susan F l etc her go in to the b athr ooms, so he kn ew she wasn ’ t a pr ob l em. The on l y other q uestion was Hal e. He gl an c ed towar d N ode 3 , won der in g if the c r yptogr apher wer e watc hin g. “F uc k it, ” he gr umb l ed. B el ow his f eet the outl in e of a r ec essed tr apdoor was b ar el y v isib l e in the f l oor . C har tr ukian pal med the key he’ d j ust taken f r om the Sys-Sec l ab . He kn el t down , in ser ted the key in the f l oor , an d tur n ed. The b ol t b en eath c l ic ked. Then he un sc r ewed the l ar ge ex ter n al b utter f l y l atc h an d f r eed the door . C hec kin g on c e again ov er his shoul der , he sq uatted down an d pul l ed. The pan el was smal l , on l y thr ee f eet b y thr ee f eet, b ut it was heav y. W hen it f in al l y open ed, the Sys-Sec stumb l ed b ac k. A b l ast of hot air hit him in the f ac e. I t c ar r ied with it the shar p b ite of f r eon gas. B il l ows of steam swir l ed out of the open in g, il l umin ated b y the r ed util ity l ightin g b el ow. The distan t hum of the gen er ator s b ec ame a r umb l e. C har tr ukian stood up an d peer ed in to the open in g. I t l ooked mor e l ike the gateway to hel l than a ser v ic e en tr an c e f or a c omputer . A n ar r ow l adder l ed to a pl atf or m un der the f l oor . B eyon d that, ther e wer e stair s, b ut al l he c oul d see was swir l in g r ed mist. *** G r eg Hal e stood b ehin d the on e-way gl ass of N ode 3 . He watc hed as P hil C har tr ukian eased himsel f down the l adder towar d the sub l ev el s. F r om wher e Hal e was stan din g, the Sys-Sec ’ s head appear ed to hav e b een sev er ed f r om his b ody an d l ef t out on the C r ypto f l oor . Then , sl owl y, it san k in to the swir l in g mist. “G utsy mov e, ” Hal e mutter ed. He kn ew wher e C har tr ukian was headed. A n emer gen c y man ual ab or t of TR A N SL TR was a l ogic al ac tion if he thought the c omputer had a v ir us. U n f or tun atel y, it was al so a sur e way to hav e C r ypto c r awl in g with Sys-Sec s in ab out ten min utes. Emer gen c y ac tion s r aised al er t f l ags at the main switc hb oar d. A Sys-Sec in v estigation of C r ypto was somethin g Hal e c oul d n ot af f or d. Hal e l ef t N ode 3 an d headed f or the tr apdoor . C har tr ukian had to b e stopped.
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Jab b a r esemb l ed a gian t tadpol e. L ike the c in ematic c r eatur e f or whom he was n ic kn amed, the man was a hair l ess spher oid. A s r esiden t guar dian an gel of al l N SA c omputer systems, Jab b a mar c hed f r om depar tmen t to depar tmen t, tweakin g, sol der in g, an d r eaf f ir min g his c r edo that pr ev en tion was the b est medic in e. N o N SA c omputer had ev er b een in f ec ted un der Jab b a’ s r eign ; he in ten ded to keep it that way. Jab b a’ s home b ase was a r aised wor kstation ov er l ookin g the N SA ’ s un der gr oun d, ul tr a-sec r et datab an k. I t was ther e that a v ir us woul d do the most damage an d ther e that he spen t the maj or ity of his time. A t the momen t, howev er , Jab b a was takin g a b r eak an d en j oyin g pepper on i c al z on es in the N SA ’ s al l -n ight c ommissar y. He was ab out to dig in to his thir d when his c el l ul ar phon e r an g. “G o, ” he said, c oughin g as he swal l owed a mouthf ul . “Jab b a, ” a woman ’ s v oic e c ooed. “I t’ s M idge.” “D ata Q ueen ! ” the huge man gushed. He’ d al ways had a sof t spot f or M idge M il ken . She was shar p, an d she was al so the on l y woman Jab b a had ev er met who f l ir ted with him. “How the hel l ar e you? ” “N o c ompl ain ts.” Jab b a wiped his mouth. “Y ou on site? ” “Y up.” “C ar e to j oin me f or a c al z on e? ” “L ov e to Jab b a, b ut I ’ m watc hin g these hips.” “R eal l y? ” He sn ic ker ed. “M in d if I j oin you? ” “Y ou’ r e b ad.” “Y ou hav e n o idea….” “G l ad I c aught you in , ” she said. “I n eed some adv ic e.” He took a l on g swal l ow of D r P epper . “Shoot.” “I t might b e n othin g, ” M idge said, “b ut my C r ypto stats tur n ed up somethin g odd. I was hopin g you c oul d shed some l ight.” “W hat ya got? ” He took an other sip. “I ’ v e got a r epor t sayin g TR A N SL TR ’ s b een r un n in g the same f il e f or eighteen hour s an d hasn ’ t c r ac ked it.” Jab b a spr ayed D r P epper al l ov er his c al z on e. “Y ou what? ” “A n y ideas? ” He dab b ed at his c al z on e with a n apkin . “W hat r epor t is this? ” “P r oduc tion r epor t. B asic c ost an al ysis stuf f .” M idge q uic kl y ex pl ain ed what she an d B r in ker hof f had f oun d. “Hav e you c al l ed Str athmor e? ” “Y es. He said ev er ythin g’ s f in e in C r ypto. Said TR A N SL TR ’ s r un n in g f ul l speed ahead. Said our data’ s wr on g.” Jab b a f ur r owed his b ul b ous f or ehead. “So what’ s the pr ob l em? Y our r epor t gl itc hed.” M idge did n ot r espon d. Jab b a c aught her dr if t. He f r own ed. “Y ou don ’ t thin k your r epor t gl itc hed? ” “C or r ec t.” “So you thin k Str athmor e’ s l yin g? ” “I t’ s n ot that, ” M idge said dipl omatic al l y, kn owin g she was on f r agil e gr oun d. “I t’ s j ust that my stats hav e n ev er b een wr on g in the past. I thought I ’ d get a sec on d opin ion .” “W el l , ” Jab b a said, “I hate to b e the on e to b r eak it to you, b ut your data’ s f r ied.”
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“Y ou thin k so? ” “I ’ d b et my j ob on it.” Jab b a took a b ig b ite of soggy c al z on e an d spoke with his mouth f ul l . “L on gest a f il e has ev er l asted in side TR A N SL TR is thr ee hour s. That in c l udes diagn ostic s, b oun dar y pr ob es, ev er ythin g. O n l y thin g that c oul d l oc k it down f or eighteen hour s woul d hav e to b e v ir al . N othin g el se c oul d do it.” “V ir al ? ” “Y eah, some kin d of r edun dan t c yc l e. Somethin g that got in to the pr oc essor s, c r eated a l oop, an d b asic al l y gummed up the wor ks.” “W el l , ” she v en tur ed, “Str athmor e’ s b een in C r ypto f or ab out thir ty-six hour s str aight. A n y c han c e he’ s f ightin g a v ir us? ” Jab b a l aughed. “Str athmor e’ s b een in ther e f or thir ty-six hour s? P oor b astar d. His wif e pr ob ab l y said he c an ’ t c ome home. I hear she’ s b aggin g his ass.” M idge thought a momen t. She’ d hear d that too. She won der ed if mayb e she was b ein g par an oid. “M idge.” Jab b a wheez ed an d took an other l on g dr in k. “I f Str athmor e’ s toy had a v ir us, he woul d hav e c al l ed me. Str athmor e’ s shar p, b ut he doesn ’ t kn ow shit ab out v ir uses. TR A N SL TR ’ s al l he’ s got. F ir st sign of tr oub l e, he woul d hav e pr essed the pan ic b utton –an d ar oun d her e, that mean s me. ” Jab b a suc ked in a l on g str an d of moz z ar el l a. “B esides, ther e’ s n o way in hel l TR A N SL TR has a v ir us. G aun tl et’ s the b est set of pac kage f il ter s I ’ v e ev er wr itten . N othin g gets thr ough.” A f ter a l on g sil en c e, M idge sighed. “A n y other thoughts? ” “Y up. Y our data’ s f r ied.” “Y ou al r eady said that.” “Ex ac tl y.” She f r own ed. “Y ou hav en ’ t c aught win d of an ythin g? A n ythin g at al l ? ” Jab b a l aughed har shl y. “M idge… l isten up. Skipj ac k suc ked. Str athmor e b l ew it. B ut mov e on –it’ s ov er .” Ther e was a l on g sil en c e on the l in e, an d Jab b a r eal iz ed he’ d gon e too f ar . “Sor r y, M idge. I kn ow you took heat ov er that whol e mess. Str athmor e was wr on g. I kn ow how you f eel ab out him.” “This has n othin g to do with Skipj ac k, ” she said f ir ml y. Y eah, su re, Jab b a thought. “L isten , M idge, I don ’ t hav e f eel in gs f or Str athmor e on e way or an other . I mean , the guy’ s a c r yptogr apher . They’ r e b asic al l y al l sel f -c en ter ed asshol es. They n eed their data yester day. Ev er y damn f il e is the on e that c oul d sav e the wor l d.” “So what ar e you sayin g? ” Jab b a sighed. “I ’ m sayin g Str athmor e’ s a psyc ho l ike the r est of them. B ut I ’ m al so sayin g he l ov es TR A N SL TR mor e than his own goddamn wif e. I f ther e wer e a pr ob l em, he woul d hav e c al l ed me.” M idge was q uiet a l on g time. F in al l y she l et out a r el uc tan t sigh. “So you’ r e sayin g my data’ s f r ied? ” Jab b a c huc kl ed. “I s ther e an ec ho in her e? ” She l aughed. “L ook, M idge. D r op me a wor k or der . I ’ l l b e up on M on day to doub l e-c hec k your mac hin e. I n the mean time, get the hel l out of her e. I t’ s Satur day n ight. G o get your sel f l aid or somethin g.” She sighed. “I ’ m tr yin g, Jab b a. B el iev e me, I ’ m tr yin g.”
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C l ub Emb r uj o–”W ar l oc k” in En gl ish–was situated in the sub ur b s at the en d of the n umb er 2 7 b us l in e. L ookin g mor e l ike a f or tif ic ation than a dan c e c l ub , it was sur r oun ded on al l sides b y high stuc c o wal l s in to whic h wer e emb edded shar ds of shatter ed b eer b ottl es–a c r ude sec ur ity system pr ev en tin g an yon e f r om en ter in g il l egal l y without l eav in g b ehin d a good por tion of f l esh. D ur in g the r ide, B ec ker had r esol v ed himsel f to the f ac t that he’ d f ail ed. I t was time to c al l Str athmor e with the b ad n ews–the sear c h was hopel ess. He had don e the b est he c oul d; n ow it was time to go home. B ut n ow, gaz in g out at the mob of patr on s pushin g their way thr ough the c l ub ’ s en tr an c e, B ec ker was n ot so sur e his c on sc ien c e woul d al l ow him to giv e up the sear c h. He was star in g at the b iggest c r owd of pun ks he’ d ev er seen ; ther e wer e c oif f ur es of r ed, white, an d b l ue ev er ywher e. B ec ker sighed, weighin g his option s. He sc an n ed the c r owd an d shr ugged. W here el se wou l d she b e on a Satu rday ni g ht? C ur sin g his good f or tun e, B ec ker c l imb ed of f the b us. The ac c ess to C l ub Emb r uj o was a n ar r ow ston e c or r idor . A s B ec ker en ter ed he immediatel y f el t himsel f c aught up in the in war d sur ge of eager patr on s. “O utta my way, f aggot! ” A human pin c ushion pawed past him, giv in g B ec ker an el b ow in the side. “N ic e tie.” Someon e gav e B ec ker ’ s n ec ktie a har d yan k. “W an n a f uc k? ” A teen age gir l star ed up at him l ookin g l ike somethin g out of D awn of the D ead. The dar kn ess of the c or r idor spil l ed out in to a huge c emen t c hamb er that r eeked of al c ohol an d b ody odor . The sc en e was sur r eal –a deep moun tain gr otto in whic h hun dr eds of b odies mov ed as on e. They sur ged up an d down , han ds pr essed f ir ml y to their sides, heads b ob b in g l ike l if el ess b ul b s on top of r igid spin es. C r az ed soul s took r un n in g div es of f a stage an d l an ded on a sea of human l imb s. B odies wer e passed b ac k an d f or th l ike human b eac h b al l s. O v er head, the pul satin g str ob es gav e the whol e thin g the l ook of an ol d, sil en t mov ie. O n the f ar wal l , speaker s the siz e of min iv an s shook so deepl y that n ot ev en the most dedic ated dan c er s c oul d get c l oser than thir ty f eet f r om the poun din g woof er s. B ec ker pl ugged his ear s an d sear c hed the c r owd. Ev er ywher e he l ooked was an other r ed, white, an d b l ue head. The b odies wer e pac ked so c l osel y together that he c oul dn ’ t see what they wer e wear in g. He saw n o hin t of a B r itish f l ag an ywher e. I t was ob v ious he’ d n ev er b e ab l e to en ter the c r owd without gettin g tr ampl ed. Someon e n ear b y star ted v omitin g. L ov el y. B ec ker gr oan ed. He mov ed of f down a spr ay-pain ted hal l way. The hal l tur n ed in to a n ar r ow mir r or ed tun n el , whic h open ed to an outdoor patio sc atter ed with tab l es an d c hair s. The patio was c r owded with pun k r oc ker s, b ut to B ec ker it was l ike the gateway to Shan gr i-L a–the summer sky open ed up ab ov e him an d the music f aded away. I gn or in g the c ur ious star es, B ec ker wal ked out in to the c r owd. He l oosen ed his tie an d c ol l apsed in to a c hair at the n ear est un oc c upied tab l e. I t seemed l ike a l if etime sin c e Str athmor e’ s ear l y-mor n in g c al l . A f ter c l ear in g the empty b eer b ottl es f r om his tab l e, B ec ker l aid his head in his han ds. J u st f or a f ew mi nu tes, he thought.
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F iv e mil es away, the man in wir e-r im gl asses sat in the b ac k of a F iat tax i as it r ac ed headl on g down a c oun tr y r oad. “Emb r uj o, ” he gr un ted, r emin din g the dr iv er of their destin ation . The dr iv er n odded, eyein g his c ur ious n ew f ar e in the r ear v iew mir r or . “Emb r uj o, ” he gr umb l ed to himsel f . “W eir der c r owd ev er y n ight.”
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Tokugen N umataka l ay n aked on the massage tab l e in his pen thouse of f ic e. His per son al masseuse wor ked out the kin ks in his n ec k. She gr oun d her pal ms in to the f l eshy poc kets sur r oun din g his shoul der b l ades, sl owl y wor kin g her way down to the towel c ov er in g his b ac kside. Her han ds sl ipped l ower … b en eath his towel . N umataka b ar el y n otic ed. His min d was el sewher e. He had b een waitin g f or his pr iv ate l in e to r in g. I t had n ot. Ther e was a kn oc k at the door . “En ter , ” N umataka gr un ted. The masseuse q uic kl y pul l ed her han ds f r om b en eath the towel . The switc hb oar d oper ator en ter ed an d b owed. “Hon or ed c hair man ? ” “Speak.” The oper ator b owed a sec on d time. “I spoke to the phon e ex c han ge. The c al l or igin ated f r om c oun tr y c ode 1 –the U n ited States.” N umataka n odded. This was good n ews. T he c al l c ame f rom the States. He smil ed. It was g enu i ne. “W her e in the U .S.? ” he deman ded. “They’ r e wor kin g on it, sir .” “V er y wel l . Tel l me when you hav e mor e.” The oper ator b owed again an d l ef t. N umataka f el t his musc l es r el ax . C oun tr y c ode 1 . G ood n ews in deed.
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Susan F l etc her pac ed impatien tl y in the C r ypto b athr oom an d c oun ted sl owl y to f if ty. Her head was thr ob b in g. J u st a l i ttl e l ong er, she tol d her sel f . H al e i s N orth D ak ota! Susan won der ed what Hal e’ s pl an s wer e. W oul d he an n oun c e the pass-key? W oul d he b e gr eedy an d tr y to sel l the al gor ithm? Susan c oul dn ’ t b ear to wait an y l on ger . I t was time. She had to get to Str athmor e. C autiousl y she c r ac ked the door an d peer ed out at the r ef l ec tiv e wal l on the f ar side of C r ypto. Ther e was n o way to kn ow if Hal e was stil l watc hin g. She’ d hav e to mov e q uic kl y to Str athmor e’ s of f ic e. N ot too q uic kl y, of c our se–she c oul d n ot l et Hal e suspec t she was on to him. She r eac hed f or the door an d was ab out to pul l it open when she hear d somethin g. V oic es. M en ’ s v oic es. The v oic es wer e c omin g thr ough the v en til ation shaf t n ear the f l oor . She r el eased the door an d mov ed towar d the v en t. The wor ds wer e muf f l ed b y the dul l hum of the gen er ator s b el ow. The c on v er sation soun ded l ike it was c omin g up f r om the sub l ev el c atwal ks. O n e v oic e was shr il l , an gr y. I t soun ded l ike P hil C har tr ukian . “Y ou don ’ t b el iev e me? ” The soun d of mor e ar guin g r ose. “W e hav e a v ir us! ” Then the soun d of har sh yel l in g. “W e n eed to c al l Jab b a! ” Then ther e wer e soun ds of a str uggl e. “L et me go! ” The n oise that f ol l owed was b ar el y human . I t was a l on g wail in g c r y of hor r or , l ike a tor tur ed an imal ab out to die. Susan f r oz e b eside the v en t. The n oise en ded as ab r uptl y as it had b egun . Then ther e was a sil en c e. A n in stan t l ater , as if c hor eogr aphed f or some c heap hor r or matin ee, the l ights in the b athr oom sl owl y dimmed. Then they f l ic ker ed an d wen t out. Susan F l etc her f oun d her sel f stan din g in total b l ac kn ess.
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“Y ou’ r e in my seat, asshol e.” B ec ker l if ted his head of f his ar ms. D oesn ’ t an yon e speak Span ish in this damn c oun tr y? G l ar in g down at him was a shor t, pimpl e-f ac ed teen ager with a shav ed head. Hal f of his sc al p was r ed an d hal f was pur pl e. He l ooked l ike an Easter egg. “I said you’ r e in my seat, asshol e.” “I hear d you the f ir st time, ” B ec ker said, stan din g up. He was in n o mood f or a f ight. I t was time to go. “W her e’ d you put my b ottl es? ” the kid sn ar l ed. Ther e was a saf ety pin in his n ose. B ec ker poin ted to the b eer b ottl es he’ d set on the gr oun d. “They wer e empty.” “They wer e my f uc kin ’ empties! ” “M y apol ogies, ” B ec ker said, an d tur n ed to go. The pun k b l oc ked his way. “P ic k ‘ em up! ” B ec ker b l in ked, n ot amused. “Y ou’ r e kiddin g, r ight? ” He was a f ul l f oot tal l er an d outweighed the kid b y ab out f if ty poun ds. “D o I f uc kin ’ l ook l ike I ’ m kiddin g? ” B ec ker said n othin g. “P ic k ‘ em up! ” The kid’ s v oic e c r ac ked. B ec ker attempted to step ar oun d him, b ut the teen ager b l oc ked his way. “I said, f uc kin ’ pic k ‘ em up! ” Ston ed pun ks at n ear b y tab l es b egan tur n in g to watc h the ex c itemen t. “Y ou don ’ t wan t to do this, kid, ” B ec ker said q uietl y. “I ’ m war n in g you! ” The kid seethed. “This is my tab l e! I c ome her e ev er y n ight. N ow pi c k ‘ em u p! ” B ec ker ’ s patien c e r an out. W asn ’ t he supposed to b e in the Smokys with Susan ? W hat was he doin g in Spain ar guin g with a psyc hotic adol esc en t? W ithout war n in g, B ec ker c aught the kid un der the ar mpits, l if ted him up, an d sl ammed his r ear en d down on the tab l e. “L ook, you r un n y-n osed l ittl e r un t. Y ou’ r e goin g to b ac k of f r ight n ow, or I ’ m goin g to r ip that saf ety pin out of your n ose an d pin your mouth shut.” The kid’ s f ac e wen t pal e. B ec ker hel d him a momen t, then he r el eased his gr ip. W ithout takin g his eyes of f the f r ighten ed kid, B ec ker stooped down , pic ked up the b ottl es, an d r etur n ed them to the tab l e. “W hat do you say? ” he asked. The kid was speec hl ess. “Y ou’ r e wel c ome, ” B ec ker sn apped. This kid’ s a wal kin g b il l b oar d f or b ir th c on tr ol . “G o to hel l ! ” the kid yel l ed, n ow awar e of his peer s l aughin g at him. “A ss-wipe! ” B ec ker didn ’ t mov e. Somethin g the kid had said sudden l y r egister ed. I c ome here ev ery ni g ht. B ec ker won der ed if mayb e the kid c oul d hel p him. “I ’ m sor r y, ” B ec ker said, “I didn ’ t c atc h your n ame.” “Two-Ton e, ” he hissed, as if he wer e giv in g a death sen ten c e. “Two-Ton e? ” B ec ker mused. “L et me guess… b ec ause of your hair ? ” “N o shit, Sher l oc k.” “C atc hy n ame. M ake that up your sel f ? ” “D amn str aight, ” he said pr oudl y. “I ’ m gon n a patent it.” B ec ker sc owl ed. “Y ou mean trademark i t? ”
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The kid l ooked c on f used. “Y ou’ d n eed a tr ademar k f or a n ame, ” B ec ker said. “N ot a paten t.” “W hatev er ! ” the pun k sc r eamed in f r ustr ation . The motl ey assor tmen t of dr un ken an d dr ugged-out kids at the n ear b y tab l es wer e n ow in hyster ic s. Two-Ton e stood up an d sn eer ed at B ec ker . “W hat the f uc k do you wan t f r om me? ” B ec ker thought a momen t. I want you to wash you r hai r, c l eanu p you r l ang u ag e, and g et a j ob . B ec ker f igur ed it was too muc h to ask on a f ir st meetin g. “I n eed some in f or mation , ” he said. “F uc k you.” “I ’ m l ookin g f or someon e.” “I ain ’ t seen him.” “H av en’ t seen him, ” B ec ker c or r ec ted as he f l agged a passin g waitr ess. He b ought two Á guil a b eer s an d han ded on e to Two-Ton e. The b oy l ooked shoc ked. He took a swig of b eer an d eyed B ec ker war il y. “Y ou hittin g on me, mister ? ” B ec ker smil ed. “I ’ m l ookin g f or a gir l .” Two-Ton e l et out a shr il l l augh. “Y ou sur e as hel l ain ’ t gon n a get an y ac tion dr essed l ike that! ” B ec ker f r own ed. “I ’ m n ot l ookin g f or ac tion . I j ust n eed to tal k to her . M ayb e you c oul d hel p me f in d her .” Two-Ton e set down his b eer . “Y ou a c op? ” B ec ker shook his head. The kid’ s eyes n ar r owed. “Y ou l ook l ike a c op.” “K id, I ’ m f r om M ar yl an d. I f I wer e a c op, I ’ d b e a l ittl e out of my j ur isdic tion , don ’ t you thin k? ” The q uestion seemed to stump him. “M y n ame’ s D av id B ec ker .” B ec ker smil ed an d of f er ed his han d ac r oss the tab l e. The pun k r ec oil ed in disgust. “B ac k of f , f ag b oy.” B ec ker r etr ac ted the han d. The kid sn eer ed. “I ’ l l hel p you, b ut it’ l l c ost you.” B ec ker pl ayed al on g. “How muc h? ” “A hun dr ed b uc ks.” B ec ker f r own ed. “I ’ v e on l y got pesetas.” “W hatev er ! M ake it a hun dr ed pesetas. ” F or eign c ur r en c y ex c han ge was ob v iousl y n ot on e of Two-Ton e’ s f or tes; a hun dr ed pesetas was ab out eighty-sev en c en ts. “D eal , ” B ec ker said, r appin g his b ottl e on the tab l e. The kid smil ed f or the f ir st time. “D eal .” “O kay, ” B ec ker c on tin ued in his hushed ton e. “I f igur e the gir l I ’ m l ookin g f or might han g out her e. She’ s got r ed, white, an d b l ue hair .” Two-Ton e sn or ted. “I t’ s Judas Tab oo’ s an n iv er sar y. Ev er yb ody’ s got–” “She’ s al so wear in g a B r itish f l ag T-shir t an d has a skul l pen dan t in on e ear .” A f ain t l ook of r ec ogn ition c r ossed Two-Ton e’ s f ac e. B ec ker saw it an d f el t a sur ge of hope. B ut a momen t l ater Two-Ton e’ s ex pr ession tur n ed ster n . He sl ammed his b ottl e down an d gr ab b ed B ec ker ’ s shir t. “She’ s Eduar do’ s, you asshol e! I ’ d watc h it! Y ou touc h her , an d he’ l l kil l you! ”
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M idge M il ken pr owl ed an gr il y in to the c on f er en c e r oom ac r oss f r om her of f ic e. I n addition to the thir ty-two f oot mahogan y tab l e with the N SA seal in l aid in b l ac k c her r y an d wal n ut, the c on f er en c e r oom c on tain ed thr ee M ar ion P ike water c ol or s, a B oston f er n , a mar b l e wet b ar , an d of c our se, the r eq uisite Spar kl ett’ s water c ool er . M idge hel ped her sel f to a gl ass of water , hopin g it might c al m her n er v es. A s she sipped at the l iq uid, she gaz ed ac r oss at the win dow. The moon l ight was f il ter in g thr ough the open v en etian b l in d an d pl ayin g on the gr ain of the tab l e. She’ d al ways thought this woul d make a n ic er dir ec tor ’ s of f ic e than F on tain e’ s c ur r en t l oc ation on the f r on t of the b uil din g. R ather than l ookin g out ov er the N SA par kin g l ot, the c on f er en c e r oom l ooked out ov er an impr essiv e ar r ay of N SA outb uil din gs–in c l udin g the C r ypto dome, a high-tec h isl an d f l oatin g separ ate f r om the main b uil din g on thr ee wooded ac r es. P ur posef ul l y situated b ehin d the n atur al c ov er of a gr ov e of mapl es, C r ypto was dif f ic ul t to see f r om most win dows in the N SA c ompl ex , b ut the v iew f r om the dir ec tor ial suite was per f ec t. To M idge the c on f er en c e r oom seemed the per f ec t v an tage poin t f or a kin g to sur v ey his domain . She had suggested on c e that F on tain e mov e his of f ic e, b ut the dir ec tor had simpl y r epl ied, “N ot on the r ear .” F on tain e was n ot a man to b e f oun d on the b ac k en d of an ythin g. M idge pul l ed apar t the b l in ds. She star ed out at the hil l s. Sighin g r uef ul l y, she l et her eyes f al l towar d the spot wher e C r ypto stood. M idge had al ways f el t c omf or ted b y the sight of the C r ypto dome–a gl owin g b eac on r egar dl ess of the hour . B ut ton ight, as she gaz ed out, ther e was n o c omf or t. I n stead she f oun d her sel f star in g in to a v oid. A s she pr essed her f ac e to the gl ass, she was gr ipped b y a wil d, gir l ish pan ic . B el ow her ther e was n othin g b ut b l ac kn ess. C r ypto had disappear ed!
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The C r ypto b athr ooms had n o win dows, an d the dar kn ess sur r oun din g Susan F l etc her was ab sol ute. She stood dead stil l f or a momen t tr yin g to get her b ear in gs, ac utel y awar e of the gr owin g sen se of pan ic gr ippin g her b ody. The hor r ib l e c r y f r om the v en til ation shaf t seemed to han g al l ar oun d her . D espite her ef f or t to f ight of f a r isin g sen se of dr ead, f ear swept ac r oss her f l esh an d took c on tr ol . I n a f l ur r y of in v ol un tar y motion , Susan f oun d her sel f gr opin g wil dl y ac r oss stal l door s an d sin ks. D isor ien ted, she spun thr ough the b l ac kn ess with her han ds out in f r on t of her an d tr ied to pic tur e the r oom. She kn oc ked ov er a gar b age c an an d f oun d her sel f again st a til ed wal l . F ol l owin g the wal l with her han d, she sc r amb l ed towar d the ex it an d f umb l ed f or the door han dl e. She pul l ed it open an d stumb l ed out on to the C r ypto f l oor . Ther e she f r oz e f or a sec on d time. The C r ypto f l oor l ooked n othin g l ike it had j ust momen ts ago. TR A N SL TR was a gr ay sil houette again st the f ain t twil ight c omin g in thr ough the dome. A l l of the ov er head l ightin g was dead. N ot ev en the el ec tr on ic keypads on the door s wer e gl owin g. A s Susan ’ s eyes b ec ame ac c ustomed to the dar k, she saw that the on l y l ight in C r ypto was c omin g thr ough the open tr apdoor –a f ain t r ed gl ow f r om the util ity l ightin g b el ow. She mov ed towar d it. Ther e was the f ain t smel l of oz on e in the air . W hen she made it to the tr apdoor , she peer ed in to the hol e. The f r eon v en ts wer e stil l b el c hin g swir l in g mist thr ough the r edn ess, an d f r om the higher -pitc hed dr on e of the gen er ator s, Susan kn ew C r ypto was r un n in g on b ac kup power . Thr ough the mist she c oul d make out Str athmor e stan din g on the pl atf or m b el ow. He was l ean in g ov er the r ail in g an d star in g in to the depths of TR A N SL TR ’ s r umb l in g shaf t. “C omman der ! ” Ther e was n o r espon se. Susan eased on to the l adder . The hot air f r om b el ow r ushed in un der her skir t. The r un gs wer e sl ipper y with c on den sation . She set her sel f down on the gr ated l an din g. “C omman der ? ” Str athmor e did n ot tur n . He c on tin ued star in g down with a b l an k l ook of shoc k, as if in a tr an c e. Susan f ol l owed his gaz e ov er the b an ister . F or a momen t she c oul d see n othin g ex c ept wisps of steam. Then sudden l y she saw it. A f igur e. Six stor ies b el ow. I t appear ed b r ief l y in the b il l ows of steam. Ther e it was again . A tan gl ed mass of twisted l imb s. L yin g n in ety f eet b el ow them, P hil C har tr ukian was spr awl ed ac r oss the shar p ir on f in s of the main gen er ator . His b ody was dar ken ed an d b ur n ed. His f al l had shor ted out C r ypto’ s main power suppl y. B ut the most c hil l in g image of al l was n ot of C har tr ukian b ut of someon e el se, an other b ody, hal f way down the l on g stair c ase, c r ouc hed, hidin g in the shadows. The musc ul ar f r ame was un mistakab l e. I t was G r eg Hal e.
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The pun k sc r eamed at B ec ker , “M egan b el on gs to my f r ien d Eduar do! Y ou stay away f r om her ! ” “W her e is she? ” B ec ker ’ s hear t was r ac in g out of c on tr ol . “F uc k you! ” “I t’ s an emer gen c y! ” B ec ker sn apped. He gr ab b ed the kid’ s sl eev e. “She’ s got a r in g that b el on gs tome. I ’ l l pay her f or it! A l ot! ” Two-Ton e stopped dead an d b ur st in to hyster ic s. “Y ou mean that ugl y, gol d piec e of shit is your s? ” B ec ker ’ s eyes widen ed. “Y ou’ v e seen it? ” Two-Ton e n odded c oyl y. “W her e is it? ” B ec ker deman ded. “N o c l ue.” Two-Ton e c huc kl ed. “M egan was up her e tr yin g to hoc k it.” “She was tr yin g to sel l it? ” “D on ’ t wor r y, man , she didn ’ t hav e an y l uc k. Y ou’ v e got shitty taste in j ewel r y.” “A r e you sur e n ob ody b ought it? ” “A r e you shittin g me? F or f our hun dr ed b uc ks? I tol d her I ’ d giv e her f if ty, b ut she wan ted mor e. She was tr yin g to b uy a pl an e tic ket–stan db y.” B ec ker f el t the b l ood dr ain f r om his f ac e. “W her eto? ” “F uc kin ’ C on n ec tic ut, ” Two-ton e sn apped. “Eddie’ s b ummin ’ .” “C on n ec tic ut? ” “Shit, yeah. G oin g b ac k to M ommy an d D addy’ s man sion in the b ur b s. Hated her Span ish homestay f amil y. Thr ee Spic b r other s al ways hittin g on her . N o f uc kin g hot water .” B ec ker f el t a kn ot r ise in his thr oat. “W hen is she l eav in g? ” Two-Ton e l ooked up. “W hen ? ” He l aughed. “She’ s l on g gon e b y n ow. W en t to the air por t hour s ago. B est spot to hoc k the r in g–r ic h tour ists an d shit. O n c e she got the c ash, she was f l yin g out.” A dul l n ausea swept thr ough B ec ker ’ s gut. T hi s i s some k i nd of si c k j ok e, i sn’ t i t? He stood a l on g momen t. “W hat’ s her l ast n ame? ” Two-Ton e pon der ed the q uestion an d shr ugged. “W hat f l ight was she takin g? ” “She said somethin g ab out the R oac h C oac h.” “R oac h C oac h? ” “Y eah. W eeken d r ed-eye–Sev il l e, M adr id, L a G uar dia. That’ s what they c al l it. C ol l ege kids take it ‘ c ause it’ s c heap. G uess they sit in b ac k an d smoke r oac hes.” G reat. B ec ker gr oan ed, r un n in g a han d thr ough his hair . “W hat time did it l eav e? ” “Two a.m. shar p, ev er y Satur day n ight. She’ s some wher eov er the A tl an tic b y n ow.” B ec ker c hec ked his watc h. I t r ead 1 : 4 5 p.m. He tur n ed to Two-Ton e, c on f used. “Y ou said it’ s a two a.m. f l ight? ” The pun k n odded, l aughin g. “L ooks l ike you’ r e f uc ked, ol ’ man .” B ec ker poin ted an gr il y to his watc h. “B ut it’ s on l y q uar ter to two! ” Two-Ton e eyed the watc h, appar en tl y puz z l ed. “W el l , I ’ l l b e damn ed.” he l aughed. “I ’ m usual l y n ot this b uz z ed til l f our a.m.! ” “W hat’ s the f astest way to the air por t? ” B ec ker sn apped. “Tax i stan d out f r on t.” B ec ker gr ab b ed a 1 , 0 0 0 -peseta n ote f r om his poc ket an d stuf f edit in Two-Ton e’ s
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han d. “Hey, man , than ks! ” the pun k c al l ed af ter him. “I f you see M egan , tel l her I said hi! ” B ut B ec ker was al r eady gon e. Two-Ton e sighed an d stagger ed b ac k towar d the dan c e f l oor . He was too dr un k to n otic e the man in wir e-r im gl asses f ol l owin g him. O utside, B ec ker sc an n ed the par kin g l ot f or a tax i. Ther e was n on e. He r an ov er to a stoc ky b oun c er . “Tax i! ” The b oun c er shook his head. “D emasiado tempr an o. Too ear l y.” Too ear l y? B ec ker swor e. I t’ s two o’ c l oc k in the mor n in g! “P í dame un o! C al l me on e! ” The man pul l ed out a wal kie-tal kie. He said a f ew wor ds an d then sign ed of f . “V ein te min utos, ” he of f er ed. “Twen ty min utes? ! ” B ec ker deman ded. “Y el autob us? ” The b oun c er shr ugged. “F or ty-f iv e min utos.” B ec ker thr ew up his han ds. Perf ec t! The soun d of a smal l en gin e tur n ed B ec ker ’ s head. I t soun ded l ike a c hain saw. A b ig kid an d his c hain -c l ad date pul l ed in to the par kin g l ot on an ol d V espa 2 5 0 motor c yc l e. The gir l ’ s skir t had b l own high on her thighs. She didn ’ t seem to n otic e. B ec ker dashed ov er . I c an’ t b el i ev e I’ m doi ng thi s, he thought. I hate motorc yc l es. He yel l ed to the dr iv er . “I ’ l l pay you ten thousan d pesetas to take me to the air por t! ” The kid ign or ed him an d kil l ed the en gin e. “Twen ty thousan d! ” B ec ker b l ur ted. “I n eed to get to the air por t! ” The kid l ooked up. “Sc usi? ” He was I tal ian . “A er opó r to! P er f av or e. Sul l a V espa! V en ti mil l e pesete! ” The I tal ian eyed his c r ummy, l ittl e b ike an d l aughed. “V en ti mil l e pesete? L a V espa? ” “C in q uan ta mil l e! F if ty thousan d! ” B ec ker of f er ed. I t was ab out f our hun dr ed dol l ar s. The I tal ian l aughed doub tf ul l y. “D ov ’ é l a pl ata? W her e’ s the c ash? ” B ec ker pul l ed f iv e 1 0 , 0 0 0 -peseta n otes f r om his poc ket an d hel d them out. The I tal ian l ooked at the mon ey an d then at his gir l f r ien d. The gir l gr ab b ed the c ash an d stuf f ed it in her b l ouse. “G raz i e! ” the I tal ian b eamed. He tossed B ec ker the keys to his V espa. Then he gr ab b ed his gir l f r ien d’ s han d, an d they r an of f l aughin g in to the b uil din g. “A spetta! ” B ec ker yel l ed. “W ait! I wan ted a ri de! ”
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Susan r eac hed f or C omman der Str athmor e’ s han d as he hel ped her up the l adder on to the C r ypto f l oor . The image of P hil C har tr ukian l yin g b r oken on the gen er ator s was b ur n ed in to her min d. The thought of Hal e hidin g in the b owel s of C r ypto had l ef t her diz z y. The tr uth was in esc apab l e–Hal e had pushed C har tr ukian . Susan stumb l ed past the shadow of TR A N SL TR b ac k towar d C r ypto’ s main ex it–the door she’ d c ome thr ough hour s ear l ier . Her f r an tic pun c hin g on the un l it keypad did n othin g to mov e the huge por tal . She was tr apped; C r ypto was a pr ison . The dome sat l ike a satel l ite, 1 0 9 yar ds away f r om the main N SA str uc tur e, ac c essib l e on l y thr ough the main por tal . Sin c e C r ypto made its own power , the switc hb oar d pr ob ab l y didn ’ t ev en kn ow they wer e in tr oub l e. “The main power ’ s out, ” Str athmor e said, ar r iv in g b ehin d her . “W e’ r e on aux .” The b ac kup power suppl y in C r ypto was design ed so that TR A N SL TR an d its c ool in g systems took pr ec eden c e ov er al l other systems, in c l udin g l ights an d door ways. That way an un timel y power outage woul d n ot in ter r upt TR A N SL TR dur in g an impor tan t r un . I t al so mean t TR A N SL TR woul d n ev er r un without its f r eon c ool in g system; in an un c ool ed en c l osur e, the heat gen er ated b y thr ee mil l ion pr oc essor s woul d r ise to tr eac her ous l ev el s–per haps ev en ign itin g the sil ic on c hips an d r esul tin g in a f ier y mel tdown . I t was an image n o on e dar ed c on sider . Susan f ought to get her b ear in gs. Her thoughts wer e c on sumed b y the sin gl e image of the Sys-Sec on the gen er ator s. She stab b ed at the keypad again . Stil l n o r espon se. “A b or t the r un ! ” she deman ded. Tel l in g TR A N SL TR to stop sear c hin g f or the D igital F or tr ess pass-key woul d shut down its c ir c uits an d f r ee up en ough b ac kup power to get the door s wor kin g again . “Easy, Susan , ” Str athmor e said, puttin g a steadyin g han d on her shoul der . The c omman der ’ s r eassur in g touc h l if ted Susan f r om her daz e. She sudden l y r ememb er ed why she had b een goin g to get him. She wheel ed, “C omman der ! G r eg Hal e is N or th D akota! ” Ther e was a seemin gl y en dl ess b eat of sil en c e in the dar k. F in al l y Str athmor e r epl ied. His v oic e soun ded mor e c on f used than shoc ked. “W hat ar e you tal kin g ab out? ” “Hal e…” Susan whisper ed. “He’ s N or th D akota.” Ther e was mor e sil en c e as Str athmor e pon der ed Susan ’ s wor ds. “The tr ac er ? ” He seemed c on f used. “I t f in ger ed Hal e? ” “The tr ac er isn ’ t b ac k yet. Hal e ab or ted it! ” Susan wen t on to ex pl ain how Hal e had stopped her tr ac er an d how she’ d f oun d E-mail f r om Tan kado in Hal e’ s ac c oun t. A n other l on g momen t of sil en c e f ol l owed. Str athmor e shook his head in disb el ief . “Ther e’ s n o way G reg H al e is Tan kado’ s in sur an c e! I t’ s ab sur d! Tan kado woul d n ev er tr ust Hal e.” “C omman der , ” she said, “Hal e san k us on c e b ef or e–Skipj ac k. Tan kado tr usted him.” Str athmor e c oul d n ot seem to f in d wor ds. “A b or t TR A N SL TR , ” Susan b egged him. “W e’ v e got N or th D akota. C al l b uil din g sec ur ity. L et’ s get out of her e.” Str athmor e hel d up his han d r eq uestin g a momen t to thin k. Susan l ooked n er v ousl y in the dir ec tion of the tr apdoor . The open in g was j ust out of sight b ehin d TR A N SL TR , b ut the r eddish gl ow spil l ed out ov er the b l ac k til e l ike f ir e on ic e. C ome on, c al l Sec u ri ty, C ommander! A b ort T R A N SL T R ! G et u s ou t of here!
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Sudden l y Str athmor e spr an g to ac tion . “F ol l ow me, ” he said. He str ode towar d the tr apdoor . “C omman der ! Hal e is dan ger ous! He–” B ut Str athmor e disappear ed in to the dar k. Susan hur r ied to f ol l ow his sil houette. The c omman der c ir c l ed ar oun d TR A N SL TR an d ar r iv ed ov er the open in g in the f l oor . He peer ed in to the swir l in g, steamin g pit. Sil en tl y he l ooked ar oun d the dar ken ed C r ypto f l oor . Then he b en t down an d heav ed the heav y tr apdoor . I t swun g in a l ow ar c . W hen he l et go, it sl ammed shut with a deaden in g thud. C r ypto was on c e again a sil en t, b l ac ken ed c av e. I t appear ed N or th D akota was tr apped. Str athmor e kn el t down . He tur n ed the heav y b utter f l y l oc k. I t spun in to pl ac e. The sub l ev el s wer e seal ed. N either he n or Susan hear d the f ain t steps in the dir ec tion of N ode 3 .
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Two-ton e headed thr ough the mir r or ed c or r idor that l ed f r om the outside patio to the dan c e f l oor . A s he tur n ed to c hec k his saf ety pin in the r ef l ec tion , he sen sed a f igur e l oomin g up b ehin d him. He spun , b ut it was too l ate. A pair of r oc kl ike ar ms pin n ed his b ody f ac e-f ir st again st the gl ass. The pun k tr ied to twist ar oun d. “Eduar do? Hey, man , is that you? ” Two-Ton e f el t a han d b r ush ov er his wal l et b ef or e the f igur e l ean ed f ir ml y in to his b ac k. “Eddie! ” the pun k c r ied. “Q uit f ool in g ar oun d! Some guy was l ookin ’ f or M egan .” The f igur e hel d him f ir ml y. “Hey, Eddie, man , c ut it out! ” B ut when Two-Ton e l ooked up in to the mir r or , he saw the f igur e pin n in g him was n ot his f r ien d at al l . The f ac e was poc kmar ked an d sc ar r ed. Two l if el ess eyes star ed out l ike c oal f r om b ehin d wir e-r im gl asses. The man l ean ed f or war d, pl ac in g his mouth again st Two-Ton e’ s ear . A str an ge, v oic e c hoked, “A dó nde f u é ? W her e’ d he go? ” The wor ds soun ded somehow misshapen . The pun k f r oz e, par al yz ed with f ear . “A dó nde f u é ? ” the v oic e r epeated. “El A mer ic an o.” “The… the air por t. A er opuer to, ” Two-Ton e stammer ed. “A er opuer to? ” the man r epeated, his dar k eyes watc hin g Two-Ton e’ s l ips in the mir r or . The pun k n odded. “Ten í a el an il l o? D id he hav e the r in g? ” Ter r if ied, Two-Ton e shook his head. “N o.” “V iste el an il l o? D id you see the r in g? ” Two-Ton e paused. W hat was the r ight an swer ? “V iste el an il l o? ” the muf f l ed v oic e deman ded. Two-Ton e n odded af f ir mativ el y, hopin g hon esty woul d pay. I t did n ot. Sec on ds l ater he sl id to the f l oor , his n ec k b r oken .
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Jab b a l ay on his b ac k l odged hal f way in side a disman tl ed main f r ame c omputer . Ther e was a pen l ight in his mouth, a sol der in g ir on in his han d, an d a l ar ge sc hematic b l uepr in t pr opped on his b el l y. He had j ust f in ished attac hin g a n ew set of atten uator s to a f aul ty mother b oar d when his c el l ul ar phon e spr an g to l if e. “Shit, ” he swor e, gr opin g f or the r ec eiv er thr ough a pil e of c ab l es. “Jab b a her e.” “Jab b a, it’ s M idge.” He b r ighten ed. “Twic e in on e n ight? P eopl e ar e gon n a star t tal kin g.” “C r ypto’ s got pr ob l ems.” Her v oic e was ten se. Jab b a f r own ed. “W e b een thr ough this al r eady. R ememb er ? ” “I t’ s a power pr ob l em.” “I ’ m n ot an el ec tr ic ian . C al l En gin eer in g.” “The dome’ s dar k.” “Y ou’ r e seein g thin gs. G o home.” He tur n ed b ac k to his sc hematic . “P itc h b l ac k! ” she yel l ed. Jab b a sighed an d set down his pen l ight. “M idge, f ir st of al l , we’ v e got aux power in ther e. I t woul d n ev er b e pi tc h b l ac k. Sec on d, Str athmor e’ s got a sl ightl y b etter v iew of C r ypto than I do r ight n ow. W hy don ’ t you c al l hi m? ” “B ec ause this has to do with hi m. He’ s hidin g somethin g.” Jab b a r ol l ed his eyes. “M idge sweetie, I ’ m up to my ar mpits in ser ial c ab l e her e. I f you n eed a date, I ’ l l c ut l oose. O ther wise, c al l En gin eer in g.” “Jab b a, this is seri ou s. I c an f eel it.” She c an f eel i t? I t was of f ic ial , Jab b a thought, M idge was in on e of her moods. “I f Str athmor e’ s n ot wor r ied, I’ m n ot wor r ied.” “C r ypto’ s pitc h b l ac k, dammit! ” “So mayb e Str athmor e’ s star gaz in g.” “Jab b a! I ’ m n ot kiddin g ar oun d her e! ” “O kay, okay, ” he gr umb l ed, pr oppin g himsel f up on an el b ow. “M ayb e a gen er ator shor ted out. A s soon as I ’ m don e her e, I ’ l l stop b y C r ypto an d–” “W hat ab out aux power ! ” M idge deman ded. “I f a gen er ator b l ew, why is ther e n o aux power ? ” “I don ’ t kn ow. M ayb e Str athmor e’ s got TR A N SL TR r un n in g an d aux power is tapped out.” “So why doesn ’ t he ab or t? M ayb e it’ s a v ir us. Y ou said somethin g ear l ier ab out a v ir us.” “D amn it, M idge! ” Jab b a ex pl oded. “I tol d you, ther e’ s no v ir us in C r ypto! Stop b ein g so damn ed paranoi d! ” Ther e was a l on g sil en c e on the l in e. “A w, shit, M idge, ” Jab b a apol ogiz ed. “L et me ex pl ain .” His v oic e was tight. “F ir st of al l , we’ v e got G aun tl et–n o v ir us c oul d possib l y get thr ough. Sec on d, if ther e’ s a power f ail ur e, it’ s hardware- r el ated–v ir uses don ’ t kil l power, they attac k sof twar e an d data. W hatev er ’ s goin g on in C r ypto, it’ s not a v ir us.” Sil en c e. “M idge? Y ou ther e? ” M idge’ s r espon se was ic y. “Jab b a, I hav e a j ob to do. I don ’ t ex pec t to b e yel l ed at f or doin g it. W hen I c al l to ask why a mul ti b il l ion -dol l ar f ac il ity is in the dar k, I ex pec t a pr of ession al r espon se.”
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“Y es, ma’ am.” “A simpl e yes or n o wil l suf f ic e. I s it possib l e the pr ob l em in C r ypto is v ir us-r el ated? ” “M idge… I tol d you–” “Y es or n o. C oul d TR A N SL TR hav e a v ir us? ” Jab b a sighed. “N o, M idge. I t’ s total l y impossib l e.” “Than k you.” He f or c ed a c huc kl e an d tr ied to l ighten the mood. “U n l ess you thin k Str athmor e wr ote on e himsel f an d b ypassed my f il ter s.” Ther e was a stun n ed sil en c e. W hen M idge spoke, her v oic e had an eer ie edge. “Str athmor e c an b ypass G aun tl et? ” Jab b a sighed. “I t was a j ok e, M idge.” B ut he kn ew it was too l ate.
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The C omman der an d Susan stood b eside the c l osed tr apdoor an d deb ated what to do
“W e’ v e got P hil C har tr ukian dead down ther e, ” Str athmor e ar gued. “I f we c al l f or hel p, C r ypto wil l tur n in to a c ir c us.” “So what do you pr opose we do? ” Susan deman ded, wan tin g on l y to l eav e. Str athmor e thought a momen t. “D on ’ t ask me how it happen ed, ” he said, gl an c in g down at the l oc ked tr apdoor , “b ut it l ooks l ike we’ v e in adv er ten tl y l oc ated an d n eutr al iz ed N or th D akota.” He shook his head in disb el ief . “D amn l uc ky b r eak if you ask me.” He stil l seemed stun n ed b y the idea that Hal e was in v ol v ed in Tan kado’ s pl an . “M y guess is that Hal e’ s got the pass-key hidden in his ter min al somewher e–mayb e he’ s got a c opy at home. Either way, he’ s tr apped.” “So why n ot c al l b uil din g sec ur ity an d l et them c ar t him away? ” “N ot yet, ” Str athmor e said, “if the Sys-Sec s un c ov er stats of this en dl ess TR A N SL TR r un , we’ v e got a whol e n ew set of pr ob l ems. I wan t al l tr ac es of D igital F or tr ess del eted b ef or e we open the door s.” Susan n odded r el uc tan tl y. I t was a good pl an . W hen Sec ur ity f in al l y pul l ed Hal e f r om the sub l ev el s an d c har ged him with C har tr ukian ’ s death, he pr ob ab l y woul d thr eaten to tel l the wor l d ab out D igital F or tr ess. B ut the pr oof woul d b e er ased– Str athmor e c oul d pl ay dumb . A n endl ess ru n? A n u nb reak ab l e al g ori thm? B u t that’ s ab su rd! H asn’ t H al e heard of the B erg of sk y Pri nc i pl e? “Her e’ s what we n eed to do.” Str athmor e c ool l y outl in ed his pl an . “W e er ase al l of Hal e’ s c or r espon den c e with Tan kado. W e er ase al l r ec or ds of my b ypassin g G aun tl et, al l of C har tr ukian ’ s Sys-Sec an al ysis, the R un -M on itor r ec or ds, ev er ythin g. D igital F or tr ess disappear s. I t was n ev er her e. W e b ur y Hal e’ s key an d pr ay to G od D av id f in ds Tan kado’ s c opy.” D av i d, Susan thought. She f or c ed him f r om her min d. She n eeded to stay f oc used on the matter at han d. “I ’ l l han dl e the Sys-Sec l ab , ” Str athmor e said. “R un -M on itor stats, mutation ac tiv ity stats, the wor ks. Y ou han dl e N ode 3 . D el ete al l of Hal e’ s E-mail . A n y r ec or ds of c or r espon den c e with Tan kado, an ythin g that men tion s D igital F or tr ess.” “O kay, ” Susan r epl ied, f oc usin g. “I ’ l l er ase Hal e’ s whol e dr iv e. R ef or mat ev er ythin g.” “N o! ” Str athmor e’ s r espon se was ster n . “D on ’ t do that. Hal e most l ikel y has a c opy of the pass-key in ther e. I wan t it.” Susan gaped in shoc k. “Y ou wan t the pass-key? I thought the whol e poin t was to destroy the pass-keys! ” “I t is. B ut I wan t a c opy. I wan t to c r ac k open this damn f il e an d hav e a l ook at Tan kado’ s pr ogr am.” Susan shar ed Str athmor e’ s c ur iosity, b ut in stin c t tol d her un l oc kin g the D igital F or tr ess al gor ithm was n ot wise, r egar dl ess of how in ter estin g it woul d b e. R ight n ow, the deadl y pr ogr am was l oc ked saf el y in its en c r ypted v aul t–total l y har ml ess. A s soon as he dec r ypted it…. “C omman der , woul dn ’ t we b e b etter of f j ust to–” “I wan t the key, ” he r epl ied. Susan had to admit, ev er sin c e hear in g ab out D igital F or tr ess, she’ d f el t a c er tain ac ademic c ur iosity to kn ow how Tan kado had man aged to wr ite it. I ts mer e ex isten c e c on tr adic ted the most f un damen tal r ul es of c r yptogr aphy. Susan eyed the c omman der .
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“Y ou’ l l del ete the al gor ithm immediatel y af ter we see it? ” “W ithout a tr ac e.” Susan f r own ed. She kn ew that f in din g Hal e’ s key woul d n ot happen in stan tl y. L oc atin g a r an dom pass-key on on e of the N ode 3 har d dr iv es was somewhat l ike tr yin g to f in d a sin gl e soc k in a b edr oom the siz e of Tex as. C omputer sear c hes on l y wor ked when you kn ew what you wer e l ookin g f or ; this pass-key was r an dom. F or tun atel y, howev er , b ec ause C r ypto deal t with so muc h r an dom mater ial , Susan an d some other s had dev el oped a c ompl ex pr oc ess kn own as a n on c on f or mity sear c h. The sear c h essen tial l y asked the c omputer to study ev er y str in g of c har ac ter s on its har d dr iv e, c ompar e eac h str in g again st an en or mous dic tion ar y, an d f l ag an y str in gs that seemed n on sen sic al or r an dom. I t was tr ic ky wor k to r ef in e the par ameter s c on tin ual l y, b ut it was possib l e. Susan kn ew she was the l ogic al c hoic e to f in d the pass-key. She sighed, hopin g she woul dn ’ t r egr et it. “I f al l goes wel l , it wil l take me ab out hal f an hour .” “Then l et’ s get to wor k, ” Str athmor e said, puttin g a han d on her shoul der an d l eadin g her thr ough the dar kn ess towar d N ode 3 . A b ov e them, a star -f il l ed sky had str etc hed itsel f ac r oss the dome. Susan won der ed if D av id c oul d see the same star s f r om Sev il l e. A s they appr oac hed the heav y gl ass door s of N ode 3 , Str athmor e swor e un der his b r eath. The N ode 3 keypad was un l it, an d the door s wer e dead. “D amn it, ” he said. “N o power . I f or got.” Str athmor e studied the sl idin g door s. He pl ac ed his pal ms f l at again st the gl ass. Then he l ean ed sideways tr yin g to sl ide them open . His han ds wer e sweaty an d sl ipped. He wiped them on his pan ts an d tr ied again . This time the door s sl id open a tin y c r ac k. Susan , sen sin g pr ogr ess, got in b ehin d Str athmor e an d they b oth pushed together . The door s sl id open ab out an in c h. They hel d it a momen t, b ut the pr essur e was too gr eat. The door s spr an g shut again . “Hol d on , ” Susan said, r eposition in g her sel f in f r on t of Str athmor e. “O kay, n ow tr y.” They heav ed. A gain the door open ed on l y ab out an in c h. A f ain t r ay of b l ue l ight appear ed f r om in side N ode 3 ; the ter min al s wer e stil l on ; they wer e c on sider ed c r itic al to TR A N SL TR an d wer e r ec eiv in g aux power . Susan dug the toe of her F er r agamo’ s in to the f l oor an d pushed har der . The door star ted to mov e. Str athmor e mov ed to get a b etter an gl e. C en ter in g his pal ms on the l ef t sl ider , he pushed str aight b ac k. Susan pushed the r ight sl ider in the opposite dir ec tion . Sl owl y, ar duousl y, the door s b egan to separ ate. They wer e n ow al most a f oot apar t. “D on ’ t l et go, ” Str athmor e said, pan tin g as they pushed har der . “Just a l ittl e f ar ther .” Susan r eposition ed her sel f with her shoul der in the c r ac k. She pushed again , this time with a b etter an gl e. The door s f ought b ac k again st her . B ef or e Str athmor e c oul d stop her , Susan sq ueez ed her sl en der b ody in to the open in g. Str athmor e pr otested, b ut she was in ten t. She wan ted out of C r ypto, an d she kn ew Str athmor e wel l en ough to kn ow she wasn ’ t goin g an ywher e un til Hal e’ s pass-key was f oun d. She c en ter ed her sel f in the open in g an d pushed with al l her str en gth. The door s seemed to push b ac k. Sudden l y Susan l ost her gr ip. The door s spr an g towar d her . Str athmor e f ought to hol d them of f , b ut it was too muc h. Just as the door s sl ammed shut, Susan sq ueez ed thr ough an d c ol l apsed on the other side. The c omman der f ought to r eopen the door a tin y sl iv er . He put his f ac e to the n ar r ow c r ac k. “Jesus, Susan –ar e you okay? ” Susan stood up an d b r ushed her sel f of f . “F in e.”
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She l ooked ar oun d. N ode 3 was deser ted, l it on l y b y the c omputer mon itor s. The b l uish shadows gav e the pl ac e a ghostl y amb ian c e. She tur n ed to Str athmor e in the c r ac k of the door . His f ac e l ooked pal l id an d sic kl y in the b l ue l ight. “Susan , ” he said. “G iv e me twen ty min utes to del ete the f il es in Sys-Sec . W hen al l tr ac es ar e gon e, I ’ l l go up to my ter min al an d ab or t TR A N SL TR .” “Y ou b etter,” Susan said, eyein g the heav y gl ass door s. She kn ew that un til TR A N SL TR stopped hoar din g aux power , she was a pr ison er in N ode 3 . Str athmor e l et go of the door s, an d they sn apped shut. Susan watc hed thr ough the gl ass as the c omman der disappear ed in to the C r ypto dar kn ess.
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B ec ker ’ s n ewl y pur c hased V espa motor c yc l e str uggl ed up the en tr y r oad to A er opuer to de Sev il l a. His kn uc kl es had b een white the whol e way. His watc h r ead j ust af ter 2 : 0 0 a.m. l oc al time. A s he appr oac hed the main ter min al , he r ode up on the sidewal k an d j umped of f the b ike whil e it was stil l mov in g. I t c l atter ed to the pav emen t an d sputter ed to a stop. B ec ker dashed on r ub b er y l egs thr ough the r ev ol v in g door . N ev er ag ai n, he swor e to himsel f . The ter min al was ster il e an d star kl y l it. Ex c ept f or a j an itor b uf f in g the f l oor , the pl ac e was deser ted. A c r oss the c on c our se, a tic ket agen t was c l osin g down the I b er ia A ir l in es c oun ter . B ec ker took it as a b ad sign . He r an ov er . “El v uel o a l os Estados U n idos? ” The attr ac tiv e A n dal usian woman b ehin d the c oun ter l ooked up an d smil ed apol ogetic al l y. “A c ab a de sal ir . Y ou j ust missed it.” Her wor ds hun g in the air f or a l on g momen t. I mi ssed i t. B ec ker ’ s shoul der s sl umped. “W as ther e stan db y r oom on the f l ight? ” “P l en ty, ” the woman smil ed. “A l most empty. B ut tomor r ow’ s eight a.m. al so has–” “I n eed to kn ow if a f r ien d of min e made that f l ight. She was f l yin g stan db y.” The woman f r own ed. “I ’ m sor r y, sir . Ther e wer e sev er al stan db y passen ger s ton ight, b ut our pr iv ac y c l ause states–” “I t’ s v er y impor tan t, ” B ec ker ur ged. “I j ust n eed to kn ow if she made the f l ight. That’ s al l .” The woman gav e a sympathetic n od. “L ov er s’ q uar r el ? ” B ec ker thought a momen t. Then he gav e her a sheepish gr in . “I t’ s that ob v ious? ” She gav e him a win k. “W hat’ s her n ame? ” “M egan , ” he r epl ied sadl y. The agen t smil ed. “D oes your l ady f r ien d hav e a l ast n ame? ” B ec ker ex hal ed sl owl y. Y es, b u t I don’ t k now i t! ” A c tual l y, it’ s kin d of a c ompl ic ated situation . Y ou said the pl an e was al most empty. M ayb e you c oul d–” “W ithout a l ast n ame I r eal l y c an ’ t…” “A c tual l y, ” B ec ker in ter r upted, hav in g an other idea. “Hav e you b een on al l n ight? ” The woman n odded. “Sev en to sev en .” “Then mayb e you saw her . She’ s a youn g gir l . M ayb e f if teen or six teen ? Her hair was–” B ef or e the wor ds l ef t his mouth, B ec ker r eal iz ed his mistake. The agen t’ s eyes n ar r owed. “Y our l ov er is f if teen year s ol d? ” “N o! ” B ec ker gasped. “I mean …” Shi t. “I f you c oul d j ust hel p me, it’ s v er y impor tan t.” “I ’ m sor r y, ” the woman said c ol dl y. “I t’ s n ot the way it soun ds. I f you c oul d j ust–” “G ood n ight, sir .” The woman yan ked the metal gr ate down ov er the c oun ter an d disappear ed in to a b ac k r oom. B ec ker gr oan ed an d star ed skywar d. Smooth, D av id. V er y smooth. He sc an n ed the open c on c our se. N othin g. She mu st hav e sol d the ri ng and made the f l i g ht. He headed f or the c ustodian . “Has v isto a un a n iñ a? ” he c al l ed ov er the soun d of the til e b uf f er . “Hav e you seen a gir l ? ” The ol d man r eac hed down an d kil l ed the mac hin e. “Eh? ” “U n a n iñ a? ” B ec ker r epeated. “P el o r oj o, az ul , y b l an c o. R ed white an d b l ue hair .” The c ustodian l aughed. “Q ué f ea. Soun ds ugl y.” He shook his head an d wen t b ac k to
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wor k. ***
D av id B ec ker stood in the middl e of the deser ted air por t c on c our se an d won der ed what to do n ex t. The ev en in g had b een a c omedy of er r or s. Str athmor e’ s wor ds poun ded in his head: D on ’ t c al l un til you hav e the r in g. A pr of oun d ex haustion settl ed ov er him. I f M egan sol d the r in g an d made the f l ight, ther e was n o tel l in g who had the r in g n ow. B ec ker c l osed his eyes an d tr ied to f oc us. W hat’ s my nex t mov e? He dec ided to c on sider it in a momen t. F ir st, he n eeded to make a l on g-ov er due tr ip to a r est r oom.
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Susan stood al on e in the diml y l it sil en c e of N ode 3 . The task at han d was simpl e: A c c ess Hal e’ s ter min al , l oc ate his key, an d then del ete al l of his c ommun ic ation with Tan kado. Ther e c oul d b e n o hin t of D igital F or tr ess an ywher e. Susan ’ s in itial f ear s of sav in g the key an d un l oc kin g D igital F or tr ess wer e n aggin g at her again . She f el t un easy temptin g f ate; they’ d b een l uc ky so f ar . N or th D akota had mir ac ul ousl y appear ed r ight un der their n oses an d b een tr apped. The on l y r emain in g q uestion was D av id; he had to f in d the other pass-key. Susan hoped he was makin g pr ogr ess. A s she made her way deeper in to N ode 3 , Susan tr ied to c l ear her min d. I t was odd that she f el t un easy in suc h a f amil iar spac e. Ev er ythin g in N ode 3 seemed f or eign in the dar k. B ut ther e was somethin g el se. Susan f el t a momen tar y hesitation an d gl an c ed b ac k at the in oper ab l e door s. Ther e was n o esc ape. T wenty mi nu tes, she thought. A s she tur n ed towar d Hal e’ s ter min al , she n otic ed a str an ge, musky odor –it was def in itel y n ot a N ode 3 smel l . She won der ed if mayb e the deion iz er was mal f un c tion in g. The smel l was v aguel y f amil iar , an d with it c ame an un settl in g c hil l . She pic tur ed Hal e l oc ked b el ow in his en or mous steamin g c el l . D i d he set somethi ng on f i re? She l ooked up at the v en ts an d sn if f ed. B ut the odor seemed to b e c omin g f r om n ear b y. Susan gl an c ed towar d the l attic ed door s of the kitc hen ette. A n d in an in stan t she r ec ogn iz ed the smel l . I t was c ol og ne… and sweat. She r ec oil ed in stin c tiv el y, n ot pr epar ed f or what she saw. F r om b ehin d the l attic e sl ats of the kitc hen ette, two eyes star ed out at her . I t on l y took an in stan t f or the hor r if yin g tr uth to hit her . G r eg Hal e was n ot l oc ked on the sub l ev el s–he was in N ode 3 ! He’ d sl ipped upstair s b ef or e Str athmor e c l osed the tr apdoor . He’ d b een str on g en ough to open the door s al l b y himsel f . Susan had on c e hear d that r aw ter r or was par al yz in g–she n ow kn ew that was a myth. I n the same in stan t her b r ain gr asped what was happen in g, she was in motion – stumb l in g b ac kwar d thr ough the dar k with a sin gl e thought in min d: esc ape. The c r ash b ehin d her was in stan tan eous. Hal e had b een sittin g sil en tl y on the stov e an d ex ten ded his l egs l ike two b atter in g r ams. The door s ex pl oded of f their hin ges. Hal e l aun c hed himsel f in to the r oom an d thun der ed af ter her with power f ul str ides. Susan kn oc ked ov er a l amp b ehin d her , attemptin g to tr ip Hal e as he mov ed towar d her . She sen sed him v aul t it ef f or tl essl y. Hal e was gain in g q uic kl y. W hen his r ight ar m c ir c l ed her waist f r om b ehin d, it f el t l ike she’ d hit a steel b ar . She gasped in pain as the win d wen t out of her . His b ic eps f l ex ed again st her r ib c age. Susan r esisted an d b egan twistin g wil dl y. Somehow her el b ow str uc k c ar til age. Hal e r el eased his gr ip, his han ds c l utc hin g his n ose. He f el l to his kn ees, han ds c upped ov er his f ac e. “Son of a–” He sc r eamed in pain . Susan dashed on to the door ’ s pr essur e pl ates sayin g a f r uitl ess pr ayer that Str athmor e woul d in that in stan t r estor e power an d the door s woul d spr in g open . I n stead, she f oun d her sel f poun din g again st the gl ass. Hal e l umb er ed towar d her , his n ose c ov er ed with b l ood. I n an in stan t, his han ds wer e ar oun d her again –on e of them c l amped f ir ml y on her l ef t b r east an d the other on her midsec tion . He yan ked her away f r om the door . She sc r eamed, her han d outstr etc hed in f util e attempt to stop him. He pul l ed her b ac kwar d, his b el t b uc kl e diggin g in to her spin e. Susan c oul dn ’ t
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b el iev e his str en gth. He dr agged her b ac k ac r oss the c ar pet, an d her shoes c ame of f . I n on e f l uid motion , Hal e l if ted her an d dumped her on the f l oor n ex t to his ter min al . Susan was sudden l y on her b ac k, her skir t b un c hed high on her hips. The top b utton of her b l ouse had r el eased, an d her c hest was heav in g in the b l uish l ight. She star ed up in ter r or as Hal e str addl ed her , pin n in g her down . She c oul dn ’ t dec ipher the l ook in his eyes. I t l ooked l ike f ear . O r was it an ger ? His eyes b or e in to her b ody. She f el t a n ew wav e of pan ic . Hal e sat f ir ml y on her midsec tion , star in g down at her with an ic y gl ar e. Ev er ythin g Susan had ev er l ear n ed ab out sel f -def en se was sudden l y r ac in g thr ough her min d. She tr ied to f ight, b ut her b ody did n ot r espon d. She was n umb . She c l osed her eyes. O h, pl ease, G od. N o!
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B r in ker hof f pac ed M idge’ s of f ic e. “N ob ody b ypasses G aun tl et. I t’ s impossib l e! ” “W r on g, ” she f ir ed b ac k. “I j ust tal ked to Jab b a. He said he in stal l ed a b ypass switc h l ast year .” The P A l ooked doub tf ul . “I n ev er hear d that.” “N ob ody did. I t was hush-hush.” “M idge, ” B r in ker hof f ar gued, “Jab b a’ s c ompul siv e ab out sec ur ity! He woul d n ev er put in a switc h to b ypass–” “Str athmor e made him do it, ” she in ter r upted. B r in ker hof f c oul d al most hear her min d c l ic kin g. “R ememb er l ast year , ” she asked, “when Str athmor e was wor kin g on that an ti-Semitic ter r or ist r in g in C al if or n ia? ” B r in ker hof f n odded. I t had b een on e of Str athmor e’ s maj or c oups l ast year . U sin g TR A N SL TR to dec r ypt an in ter c epted c ode, he had un c ov er ed a pl ot to b omb a Heb r ew sc hool in L os A n gel es. He dec r ypted the ter r or ist’ s message on l y twel v e min utes b ef or e the b omb wen t of f , an d usin g some f ast phon e wor k, he sav ed thr ee hun dr ed sc hool c hil dr en . “G et this, ” M idge said, l ower in g her v oic e un n ec essar il y. “Jab b a said Str athmor e in ter c epted that ter r or ist c ode si x hou rs b ef or e that b omb wen t of f .” B r in ker hof f ’ s j aw dr opped. “B ut… then why did he wait–” “B ec ause he c oul dn ’ t get TR A N SL TR to dec r ypt the f il e. He tr ied, b ut G aun tl et kept r ej ec tin g it. I t was en c r ypted with some n ew pub l ic key al gor ithm that the f il ter s hadn ’ t seen yet. I t took Jab b a al most six hour s to adj ust them.” B r in ker hof f l ooked stun n ed. “Str athmor e was f ur ious. He made Jab b a in stal l a b ypass switc h in G aun tl et in c ase it ev er happen ed again .” “Jesus.” B r in ker hof f whistl ed. “I had n o idea.” Then his eyes n ar r owed. “So what’ s your poin t? ” “I thin k Str athmor e used the switc h today… to pr oc ess a f il e that G aun tl et r ej ec ted.” “So? That’ s what the switc h is f or , r ight? ” M idge shook her head. “N ot if the f il e in q uestion is a v ir us.” B r in ker hof f j umped. “A v ir us? W ho said an ythin g ab out a v ir us! ” “I t’ s the on l y ex pl an ation , ” she said. “Jab b a said a v ir us is the on l y thin g that c oul d keep TR A N SL TR r un n in g this l on g, so–” “W ait a min ute! ” B r in ker hof f f l ashed her the time-out sign . “Str athmor e said ev er ythin g’ s f in e! ” “He’ s l yin g.” B r in ker hof f was l ost. “Y ou’ r e sayin g Str athmor e i ntenti onal l y l et a v ir us in to TR A N SL TR ? ” “N o, ” she sn apped. “I don ’ t thin k he k new it was a v ir us. I thin k he was tr ic ked.” B r in ker hof f was speec hl ess. M idge M il ken was def in itel y l osin g it. “I t ex pl ain s a l ot, ” she in sisted. “I t ex pl ain s what he’ s b een doin g in ther e al l n ight.” “P l an tin g v ir uses in his own c omputer ? ” “N o, ” she said, an n oyed. “Tr yin g to c ov er up his mistake! A n d n ow he c an ’ t ab or t TR A N SL TR an d get aux power b ac k b ec ause the v ir us has the pr oc essor s l oc ked down ! ” B r in ker hof f r ol l ed his eyes. M idge had gon e n uts in the past, b ut n ev er l ike this. He tr ied to c al m her . “Jab b a doesn ’ t seem to b e too wor r ied.”
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“Jab b a’ s a f ool , ” she hissed. B r in ker hof f l ooked sur pr ised. N ob ody had ev er c al l ed Jab b a a f ool –a pig mayb e, b ut n ev er a f ool . “Y ou’ r e tr ustin g f emin in e in tuition ov er Jab b a’ s adv an c ed degr ees in an ti-in v asiv e pr ogr ammin g? ” She eyed him har shl y. B r in ker hof f hel d up his han ds in sur r en der . “N ev er min d. I take it b ac k.” He didn ’ t n eed to b e r emin ded of M idge’ s un c an n y ab il ity to sen se disaster . “M idge, ” he b egged. “I kn ow you hate Str athmor e, b ut–” “This has n othin g to do with Str athmor e! ” M idge was in ov er dr iv e. “The f ir st thin g we n eed to do is c on f ir m Str athmor e b ypassed G aun tl et. Then we c al l the dir ec tor .” “G r eat.” B r in ker hof f moan ed. “I ’ l l c al l Str athmor e an d ask him to sen d us a sign ed statemen t.” “N o, ” she r epl ied, ign or in g his sar c asm. “Str athmor e’ s l ied to us on c e al r eady today.” She gl an c ed up, her eyes pr ob in g his. “D o you hav e keys to F on tain e’ s of f ic e? “O f c our se. I ’ m his P A .” “I n eed them.” B r in ker hof f star ed in disb el ief . “M idge, ther e’ s n o way in hel l I ’ m l ettin g you in to F on tain e’ s of f ic e.” “Y ou hav e to! ” she deman ded. M idge tur n ed an d star ted typin g on B ig B r other ’ s keyb oar d. “I ’ m r eq uestin g a TR A N SL TR q ueue l ist. I f Str athmor e man ual l y b ypassed G aun tl et, it’ l l show up on the pr in tout.” “W hat does that hav e to do with F on tain e’ s of f ic e? ” She spun an d gl ar ed at him. “The q ueue l ist on l y pr in ts to F on tain e’ s pr in ter . Y ou kn ow that! ” “That’ s b ec ause it’ s c l assi f i ed, M idge! ” “This is an emer gen c y. I n eed to see that l ist.” B r in ker hof f put his han ds on her shoul der s. “M idge, pl ease settl e down . Y ou kn ow I c an ’ t–” She huf f ed l oudl y an d spun b ac k to her keyb oar d. “I ’ m pr in tin g a q ueue l ist. I ’ m goin g to wal k in , pic k it up, an d wal k out. N ow giv e me the key.” “M idge…” She f in ished typin g an d spun b ac k to him. “C had, the r epor t pr in ts in thir ty sec on ds. Her e’ s the deal . Y ou giv e me the key. I f Str athmor e b ypassed, we c al l sec ur ity. I f I ’ m wr on g, I l eav e, an d you c an go smear mar mal ade al l ov er C ar men Huer ta.” She gav e him a mal ic ious gl ar e an d hel d out her han ds f or the keys. “I ’ m waitin g.” B r in ker hof f gr oan ed, r egr ettin g that he had c al l ed her b ac k to c hec k the C r ypto r epor t. He eyed her outstr etc hed han d. “Y ou’ r e tal kin g ab out c l assif ied in f or mation in side the dir ec tor ’ s pr iv ate q uar ter s. D o you hav e an y idea what woul d happen if we got c aught? ” “The dir ec tor is in South A mer ic a.” “I ’ m sor r y. I j ust c an ’ t.” B r in ker hof f c r ossed his ar ms an d wal ked out. M idge star ed af ter him, her gr ay eyes smol der in g. “O h, yes you c an , ” she whisper ed. Then she tur n ed b ac k to B ig B r other an d c al l ed up the v ideo ar c hiv es. ***
M i dg e’ l l g et ov er i t, B r in ker hof f tol d himsel f as he settl ed in at his desk an d star ted
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goin g ov er the r est of his r epor ts. He c oul dn ’ t b e ex pec ted to han d out the dir ec tor ’ s keys when ev er M idge got par an oid. He had j ust b egun c hec kin g the C O M SEC b r eakdown s when his thoughts wer e in ter r upted b y the soun d of v oic es c omin g f r om the other r oom. He set down his wor k an d wal ked to his door way. The main suite was dar k–al l ex c ept a dim shaf t of gr ayish l ight f r om M idge’ s hal f -open door . He l isten ed. The v oic es c on tin ued. They soun ded ex c ited. “M idge? ” N o r espon se. He str ode thr ough the dar kn ess to her wor kspac e. The v oic es wer e v aguel y f amil iar . He pushed the door open . The r oom was empty. M idge’ s c hair was empty. The soun d was c omin g f r om ov er head. B r in ker hof f l ooked up at the v ideo mon itor s an d in stan tl y f el t il l . The same image was pl ayin g on eac h on e of the twel v e sc r een s–a kin d of per v er sel y c hor eogr aphed b al l et. B r in ker hof f steadied himsel f on the b ac k of M idge’ s c hair an d watc hed in hor r or . “C had? ” The v oic e was b ehin d him. He spun an d sq uin ted in to the dar kn ess. M idge was stan din g kitty-c or n er ac r oss the main suite’ s r ec eption ar ea in f r on t of the dir ec tor ’ s doub l e door s. Her pal m was outstr etc hed. “The key, C had.” B r in ker hof f f l ushed. He tur n ed b ac k to the mon itor s. He tr ied to b l oc k out the images ov er head, b ut it was n o use. He was ev er ywher e, gr oan in g with pl easur e an d eager l y f on dl in g C ar men Huer ta’ s smal l , hon ey-c ov er ed b r easts.
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B ec ker c r ossed the c on c our se towar d the r est r oom door s on l y to f in d the door mar ked C A B A L L ER O S b l oc ked b y an or an ge pyl on an d a c l ean in g c ar t f il l ed with deter gen t an d mops. He eyed the other door . D A M A S. He str ode ov er an d r apped l oudl y. “Hol a? ” he c al l ed, pushin g the l adies’ r oom door open an in c h. “C on per miso? ” Sil en c e. He wen t in . The r est r oom was typic al , Span ish in stitution al –per f ec tl y sq uar e, white til e, on e in c an desc en t b ul b ov er head. A s usual , ther e was on e stal l an d on e ur in al . W hether the ur in al s wer e ev er used in the women ’ s b athr ooms was immater ial –addin g them sav ed the c on tr ac tor s the ex pen se of hav in g to b uil d the ex tr a stal l . B ec ker peer ed in to the r est r oom in disgust. I t was f il thy. The sin k was c l ogged with mur ky b r own water . D ir ty paper towel s wer e str ewn ev er ywher e. The f l oor was soaked. The ol d el ec tr ic han db l ower on the wal l was smear ed with gr een ish f in ger pr in ts. B ec ker stepped in f r on t of the mir r or an d sighed. The eyes that usual l y star ed b ac k with f ier c e c l ar ity wer e n ot so c l ear ton ight. H ow l ong hav e I b een ru nni ng arou nd ov er here? he won der ed. The math esc aped him. O ut of pr of essor ial hab it, he shimmied his n ec ktie’ s W in dsor kn ot up on his c ol l ar . Then he tur n ed to the ur in al b ehin d him. A s he stood ther e, he f oun d himsel f won der in g if Susan was home yet. W here c ou l d she hav e g one? T o Stone M anor wi thou t me? “Hey! ” a f emal e v oic e b ehin d him said an gr il y. B ec ker j umped. “I -I ’ m…” he stammer ed, hur r yin g to z ip up. “I ’ m sor r y… I …” B ec ker tur n ed to f ac e the gir l who had j ust en ter ed. She was a youn g sophistic ate, r ight of f the pages of Sev enteen M ag az i ne. She wor e c on ser v ativ e pl aid pan ts an d a white sl eev el ess b l ouse. I n her han d was a r ed L . L . B ean duf f el . Her b l on d hair was per f ec tl y b l ow-dr ied. “I ’ m sor r y.” B ec ker f umb l ed, b uc kl in g his b el t. “The men ’ s r oom was… an yway… I ’ m l eav in g.” “F uc kin ’ weir do! ” B ec ker did a doub l e-take. The pr of an ity seemed in appr opr iate c omin g f r om her l ips– l ike sewage f l owin g f r om a pol ished dec an ter . B ut as B ec ker studied her , he saw that she was n ot as pol ished as he’ d f ir st thought. Her eyes wer e puf f y an d b l oodshot, an d her l ef t f or ear m was swol l en . U n der n eath the r eddish ir r itation on her ar m, the f l esh was b l ue. Jesus, B ec ker thought. I n tr av en ous dr ugs. W ho woul d hav e guessed? “G et out! ” she yel l ed. “Just get out! ” B ec ker momen tar il y f or got al l ab out the r in g, the N SA , al l of it. His hear t wen t out to the youn g gir l . Her par en ts had pr ob ab l y sen t her ov er her e with some pr ep sc hool study pr ogr am an d a V I SA c ar d–an d she’ d en ded up al l al on e in a b athr oom in the middl e of the n ight doin g dr ugs. “A r e you okay? ” he asked, b ac kin g towar d the door . “I ’ m f in e.” Her v oic e was haughty. “Y ou c an l eav e n ow! ” B ec ker tur n ed to go. He shot her f or ear m a l ast sad gl an c e. T here’ s nothi ng you c an do, D av id. L eav e i t al one. “N ow! ” she hol l er ed. B ec ker n odded. A s he l ef t he gav e her a sad smil e. “B e c ar ef ul .”
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“Susan ? ” Hal e pan ted, his f ac e in her s. He was sittin g, on e l eg on either side of her , his f ul l weight on her midsec tion . His tail b on e gr oun d pain f ul l y in to her pub is thr ough the thin f ab r ic of her skir t. His n ose was dr ippin g b l ood al l ov er her . She tasted v omit in the b ac k of her thr oat. His han ds wer e at her c hest. She f el t n othin g. Is he tou c hi ng me? I t took a momen t f or Susan to r eal iz e Hal e was b utton in g her top b utton an d c ov er in g her up. “Susan .” Hal e gasped, b r eathl ess. “Y ou’ v e got to get me out of her e.” Susan was in a daz e. N othin g made sen se. “Susan , you’ v e got to hel p me! Str athmor e kil l ed C har tr ukian ! I saw it! ” I t took a momen t f or the wor ds to r egister . Strathmore k i l l ed C hartru k i an? Hal e ob v iousl y had n o idea Susan had seen him down stair s. “Str athmor e kn ows I saw him! ” Hal e spat. “He’ l l kil l me too! ” Had Susan n ot b een b r eathl ess with f ear , she woul d hav e l aughed in his f ac e. She r ec ogn iz ed the div ide-an d-c on q uer men tal ity of an ex -M ar in e. I n v en t l ies–pit your en emies again st eac h other . “I t’ s tr ue! ” he yel l ed. “W e’ v e got to c al l f or hel p! I thin k we’ r e b oth in dan ger ! ” She did n ot b el iev e a wor d he said. Hal e’ s musc ul ar l egs wer e c r ampin g, an d he r ol l ed up on his haun c hes to shif t his weight sl ightl y. He open ed his mouth to speak, b ut he n ev er got the c han c e. A s Hal e’ s b ody r ose, Susan f el t the c ir c ul ation sur ge b ac k in to her l egs. B ef or e she kn ew what had happen ed, a r ef l ex in stin c t j er ked her l ef t l eg b ac k har d in to Hal e’ s c r otc h. She f el t her kn eec ap c r ush the sof t sac of tissue b etween his l egs. Hal e whimper ed in agon y an d in stan tl y wen t l imp. He r ol l ed on to his side, c l utc hin g himsel f . Susan twisted out f r om un der his deadweight. She stagger ed towar d the door , kn owin g she’ d n ev er b e str on g en ough to get out. M akin g a spl it-sec on d dec ision , Susan position ed her sel f b ehin d the l on g mapl e meetin g tab l e an d dug her f eet in to the c ar pet. M er c if ul l y the tab l e had c aster s. She str ode with al l her might towar d the ar c hed gl ass wal l , pushin g the tab l e b ef or e her . The c aster s wer e good, an d the tab l e r ol l ed wel l . Hal f way ac r oss N ode 3 , she was at a f ul l spr in t. F iv e f eet f r om the gl ass wal l , Susan heav ed an d l et go. She l eapt to on e side an d c ov er ed her eyes. A f ter a sic ken in g c r ac k, the wal l ex pl oded in a shower of gl ass. The soun ds of C r ypto r ushed in to N ode 3 f or the f ir st time sin c e its c on str uc tion . Susan l ooked up. Thr ough the j agged hol e, she c oul d see the tab l e. I t was stil l r ol l in g. I t spun wide c ir c l es out ac r oss the C r ypto f l oor an d ev en tual l y disappear ed in to the dar kn ess. Susan r ammed her man gl ed F er r agamo’ s b ac k on her f eet, shot a l ast gl an c e at the stil l -wr ithin g G r eg Hal e, an d dashed ac r oss the sea of b r oken gl ass out on to the C r ypto f l oor .
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“N ow wasn ’ t that easy? ” M idge said with a sn eer as B r in ker hof f han ded ov er the key to F on tain e’ s of f ic e. B r in ker hof f l ooked b eaten . “I ’ l l er ase it b ef or e I go, ” M idge pr omised. “U n l ess you an d your wif e wan t it f or your pr iv ate c ol l ec tion .” “Just get the damn ed pr in tout, ” he sn apped. “A n d then get out! ” “Sí , señ or , ” M idge c ac kl ed in a thic k P uer to R ic an ac c en t. She win ked an d headed ac r oss the suite to F on tain e’ s doub l e door s. L el an d F on tain e’ s pr iv ate of f ic e l ooked n othin g l ike the r est of the dir ec tor ial suite. Ther e wer e n o pain tin gs, n o ov er stuf f ed c hair s, n o f ic us pl an ts, n o an tiq ue c l oc ks. His spac e was str eaml in ed f or ef f ic ien c y. His gl ass-topped desk an d b l ac k l eather c hair sat dir ec tl y in f r on t of his en or mous pic tur e win dow. Thr ee f il e c ab in ets stood in the c or n er n ex t to a smal l tab l e with a F r en c h pr ess c of f eepot. The moon had r isen high ov er F or t M eade, an d the sof t l ight f il ter in g thr ough the win dow ac c en tuated the star kn ess of the dir ec tor ’ s f ur n ishin gs. W hat the hel l am I doin g? B r in ker hof f won der ed. M idge str ode to the pr in ter an d sc ooped up the q ueue l ist. She sq uin ted in the dar kn ess. “I c an ’ t r ead the data, ” she c ompl ain ed. “Tur n on the l ights.” “Y ou’ r e r eadin g it ou tsi de. N ow c ome on .” B ut M idge was appar en tl y hav in g too muc h f un . She toyed with B r in ker hof f , wal kin g to the win dow an d an gl in g the r eadout f or a b etter v iew. “M idge…” She kept r eadin g. B r in ker hof f shif ted an x iousl y in the door way. “M idge… c ome on . These ar e the dir ec tor ’ s pr iv ate q uar ter s.” “I t’ s her e somewher e, ” she mutter ed, studyin g the pr in tout. “Str athmor e b ypassed G aun tl et, I kn ow it.” She mov ed c l oser to the win dow. B r in ker hof f b egan to sweat. M idge kept r eadin g. A f ter a f ew momen ts, she gasped. “I kn ew it! Str athmor e did it! He r eal l y did! The idiot! ” She hel d up the paper an d shook it. “He b ypassed G aun tl et! Hav e a l ook! ” B r in ker hof f star ed dumb f oun ded a momen t an d then r ac ed ac r oss the dir ec tor ’ s of f ic e. He c r owded in n ex t to M idge in f r on t of the win dow. She poin ted to the en d of the r eadout. B r in ker hof f r ead in disb el ief . “W hat the…? ” The pr in tout c on tain ed a l ist of the l ast thir ty-six f il es that had en ter ed TR A N SL TR . A f ter eac h f il e was a f our -digit G aun tl et c l ear an c e c ode. Howev er , the l ast f il e on the sheet had n o c l ear an c e c ode–it simpl y r ead: man ual b ypass. Jesus, B r in ker hof f thought. M idge str ikes again . “The idiot! ” M idge sputter ed, seethin g. “L ook at this! G aun tl et r ej ec ted the f il e twic e! M utation str in gs! A n d he sti l l b ypassed! W hat the hel l was he thin kin g? ” B r in ker hof f f el t weak-kn eed. He won der ed why M idge was al ways r ight. N either of them n otic ed the r ef l ec tion that had appear ed in the win dow b eside them. A massiv e f igur e was stan din g in F on tain e’ s open door way. “Jeez , ” B r in ker hof f c hoked. “Y ou thin k we hav e a v ir us? ” M idge sighed. “N othin g el se it c oul d b e.” “C oul d b e n on e of your damn b usin ess! ” the deep v oic e b oomed f r om b ehin d them.
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M idge kn oc ked her head again st the win dow. B r in ker hof f tipped ov er the dir ec tor ’ s c hair an d wheel ed towar d the v oic e. He immediatel y kn ew the sil houette. “D ir ec tor ! ” B r in ker hof f gasped. He str ode ov er an d ex ten ded his han d. “W el c ome home, sir .” The huge man ign or ed it. “I -I thought, ” B r in ker hof f stammer ed, r etr ac tin g his han d, “I thought you wer e in South A mer ic a.” L el an d F on tain e gl ar ed down at his aide with eyes l ike b ul l ets. “Y es… an d n ow I ’ m b ac k.”
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“Hey, mister ! ” B ec ker had b een wal kin g ac r oss the c on c our se towar d a b an k of pay phon es. He stopped an d tur n ed. C omin g up b ehin d him was the gir l he’ d j ust sur pr ised in the b athr oom. She wav ed f or him to wait. “M ister , wait! ” N ow what? B ec ker gr oan ed. She wan ts to pr ess in v asion -of -pr iv ac y c har ges? The gir l dr agged her duf f el towar d him. W hen she ar r iv ed, she was n ow wear in g a huge smil e. “Sor r y to yel l at you b ac k ther e. Y ou j ust kin d of star tl ed me.” “N o pr ob l em, ” B ec ker assur ed, somewhat puz z l ed. “I was in the wr on g pl ac e.” “This wil l soun d c r az y, ” she said, b attin g her b l oodshot eyes. “B ut you woul dn ’ t happen to hav e some mon ey you c an l en d me, woul d you? ” B ec ker star ed at her in disb el ief . “M on ey f or what? ” he deman ded. I’ m not f u ndi ng you r dru g hab i t i f that’ s what you ’ re ask i ng . “I ’ m tr yin g to get b ac k home, ” the b l on de said. “C an you hel p? ” “M iss your f l ight? ” She n odded. “L ost my tic ket. They woul dn ’ t l et me get on . A ir l in es c an b e suc h asshol es. I don ’ t hav e the c ash to b uy an other .” “W her e ar e your par en ts? ” B ec ker asked. “States.” “C an you r eac h them? ” “N ope. A l r eady tr ied. I thin k they’ r e weeken din g on someb ody’ s yac ht.” B ec ker sc an n ed the gir l ’ s ex pen siv e c l othin g. “Y ou don ’ t hav e a c r edit c ar d? ” “Y eah, b ut my dad c an c el ed it. He thin ks I ’ m on dr ugs.” “A re you on dr ugs? ” B ec ker asked, deadpan , eyein g her swol l en f or ear m. The gir l gl ar ed, in dign an t. “O f c our se n ot! ” She gav e B ec ker an in n oc en t huf f , an d he sudden l y got the f eel in g he was b ein g pl ayed. “C ome on , ” she said. “Y ou l ook l ike a r ic h guy. C an ’ t you spot me some c ash to get home? I c oul d sen d it to you l ater .” B ec ker f igur ed an y c ash he gav e this gir l woul d en d up in the han ds of some dr ug deal er in Tr ian a. “F ir st of al l , ” he said, “I ’ m n ot a r ic h guy–I ’ m a teac her . B ut I ’ l l tel l you what I ’ l l do…” I’ l l c al l you r b l u f f , that’ s what I’ l l do. “W hy don ’ t I c harg e the tic ket f or you? ” The b l on de star ed at him in utter shoc k. “Y ou’ d do that? ” she stammer ed, eyes wide with hope. “Y ou’ d b uy me a tic ket home? O h, G od, than k you! ” B ec ker was speec hl ess. He had appar en tl y misj udged the momen t. The gir l thr ew her ar ms ar oun d him. “I t’ s b een a shitty summer , ” she c hoked, al most b ur stin g in to tear s. “O h, than k you! I ’ v e got to get out of her e! ” B ec ker r etur n ed her emb r ac e hal f hear tedl y. The gir l l et go of him, an d he eyed her f or ear m again . She f ol l owed his gaz e to the b l uish r ash. “G r oss, huh? ” B ec ker n odded. “I thought you said you wer en ’ t on dr ugs.” The gir l l aughed. “I t’ s M agic M ar ker ! I took of f hal f my skin tr yin g to sc r ub it of f . The in k smear ed.” B ec ker l ooked c l oser . I n the f l uor esc en t l ight, he c oul d see, b l ur r ed b en eath the r eddish swel l in g on her ar m, the f ain t outl in e of wr itin g–wor ds sc r awl ed on f l esh. “B ut… b ut your eyes,” B ec ker said, f eel in g dumb . “They’ r e al l r ed.” She l aughed. “I was c r yin g. I tol d you, I missed my f l ight.” B ec ker l ooked b ac k at the wor ds on her ar m.
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She f r own ed, emb ar r assed. “O ops, you c an stil l kin d of r ead it, c an ’ t you? ” B ec ker l ean ed c l oser . He c oul d r ead it al l r ight. The message was c r ystal c l ear . A s he r ead the f our f ain t wor ds, the l ast twel v e hour s f l ashed b ef or e his eyes. D av id B ec ker f oun d himsel f b ac k in the A l f on so X I I I hotel r oom. The ob ese G er man was touc hin g his own f or ear m an d speakin g b r oken En gl ish: F oc k of f un d die. “Y ou okay? ” the gir l asked, eyein g the daz ed B ec ker . B ec ker did n ot l ook up f r om her ar m. He was diz z y. The f our wor ds smear ed ac r oss the gir l ’ s f l esh c ar r ied a v er y simpl e message: F U C K
O F F A N D
D I E.
The b l on de l ooked down at it, emb ar r assed. “This f r ien d of min e wr ote it… pr etty stupid, huh? ” B ec ker c oul dn ’ t speak. Foc k of f u nd di e. He c oul dn ’ t b el iev e it. The G er man hadn ’ t b een in sul tin g him, he’ d b een tr yin g to hel p. B ec ker l if ted his gaz e to the gir l ’ s f ac e. I n the f l uor esc en t l ight of the c on c our se, he c oul d see f ain t tr ac es of r ed an d b l ue in the gir l ’ s b l on d hair . “Y -you…” B ec ker stammer ed, star in g at her un pier c ed ear s. “Y ou woul dn ’ t happen to wear ear r in gs, woul d you? ” The gir l eyed him str an gel y. She f ished a tin y ob j ec t f r om her poc ket an d hel d it out. B ec ker gaz ed at the skul l pen dan t dan gl in g in her han d. “A c l ip-on ? ” he stammer ed. “Hel l , yes, ” the gir l r epl ied. “I ’ m sc ar ed shitl ess of n eedl es.”
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D av id B ec ker stood in the deser ted c on c our se an d f el t his l egs go weak. He eyed the gir l b ef or e him an d kn ew his sear c h was ov er . She had washed her hair an d c han ged c l othes–mayb e in hopes of hav in g b etter l uc k sel l in g the r in g–b ut she’ d n ev er b oar ded f or N ew Y or k. B ec ker f ought to keep his c ool . His wil d j our n ey was ab out to en d. He sc an n ed her f in ger s. They wer e b ar e. He gaz ed down at her duf f el . It’ s i n there, he thought. It’ s g ot to b e! He smil ed, b ar el y c on tain in g his ex c itemen t. “This is goin g to soun d c r az y, ” he said, “b ut I thin k you’ v e got somethin g I n eed.” “O h? ” M egan seemed sudden l y un c er tain . B ec ker r eac hed f or his wal l et. “O f c our se I ’ d b e happy to pay you.” He l ooked down an d star ted sor tin g thr ough the c ash in his b il l f ol d. A s M egan watc hed him c oun t out his mon ey, she dr ew a star tl ed gasp, appar en tl y misun der stan din g his in ten tion s. She shot a f r ighten ed gl an c e towar d the r ev ol v in g door … measur in g the distan c e. I t was f if ty yar ds. “I c an giv e you en ough to b uy your tic ket home if –” “D on ’ t say it, ” M egan b l ur ted, of f er in g a f or c ed smil e. “I thin k I kn ow ex ac tl y what you n eed.” She b en t down an d star ted r if l in g thr ough her duf f el . B ec ker f el t a sur ge of hope. She’ s g ot i t! he tol d himsel f . She’ s g ot the ri ng ! He didn ’ t kn ow how the hel l she kn ew what it was he wan ted, b ut he was too tir ed to c ar e. Ev er y musc l e in his b ody r el ax ed. He pic tur ed himsel f han din g the r in g to the b eamin g deputy dir ec tor of the N SA . Then he an d Susan woul d l ie in the b ig c an opy b ed at Ston e M an or an d make up f or l ost time. The gir l f in al l y f oun d what she was l ookin g f or –her P epper G uar d–the en v ir on men tal l y saf e al ter n ativ e to mac e, made f r om a poten t b l en d of c ayen n e an d c hil i pepper s. I n on e swif t motion , she swun g ar oun d an d f ir ed a dir ec t str eam in to B ec ker ’ s eyes. She gr ab b ed her duf f el an d dashed f or the door . W hen she l ooked b ac k, D av id B ec ker was on the f l oor , hol din g his f ac e, wr ithin g in agon y.
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Tokugen N umataka l it his f our th c igar an d kept pac in g. He sn atc hed up his phon e an d b uz z ed the main switc hb oar d. “A n y wor d yet on that phon e n umb er ? ” he deman ded b ef or e the oper ator c oul d speak. “N othin g yet, sir . I t’ s takin g a b it l on ger than ex pec ted–it c ame f r om a c el l ul ar .” A c el l u l ar, N umataka mused. Fi g u res. F or tun atel y f or the Japan ese ec on omy, the A mer ic an s had an in satiab l e appetite f or el ec tr on ic gadgets. “The b oostin g station , ” the oper ator added, “is in the 2 0 2 ar ea c ode. B ut we hav e n o n umb er yet.” “2 0 2 ? W her e’ s that? ” W her e in the v ast A mer ic an ex pan se is this myster ious N or th D akota hidin g? “Somewher e n ear W ashin gton , D . C ., sir .” N umataka ar c hed his eyeb r ows. “C al l me as soon as you hav e a n umb er .”
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Susan F l etc her stumb l ed ac r oss the dar ken ed C r ypto f l oor towar d Str athmor e’ s c atwal k. The c omman der ’ s of f ic e was as f ar f r om Hal e as Susan c oul d get in side the l oc ked c ompl ex . W hen Susan r eac hed the top of the c atwal k stair s, she f oun d the c omman der ’ s door han gin g l oosel y, the el ec tr on ic l oc k r en der ed in ef f ec tiv e b y the power outage. She b ar ged in . “C omman der ? ” The on l y l ight in side was the gl ow of Str athmor e’ s c omputer mon itor s. “C omman der ! ” she c al l ed on c e again . “C ommander! ” Susan sudden l y r ememb er ed that the c omman der was in the Sys-Sec l ab . She tur n ed c ir c l es in his empty of f ic e, the pan ic of her or deal with Hal e stil l in her b l ood. She had to get out of C r ypto. D igital F or tr ess or n o D igital F or tr ess, it was time to ac t–time to ab or t the TR A N SL TR r un an d esc ape. She eyed Str athmor e’ s gl owin g mon itor s then dashed to his desk. She f umb l ed with his keypad. A b ort T R A N SL T R ! The task was simpl e n ow that she was on an author iz ed ter min al . Susan c al l ed up the pr oper c omman d win dow an d typed: A B O R TR U N Her f in ger hov er ed momen tar il y ov er the EN TER key. “Susan ! ” a v oic e b ar ked f r om the door way. Susan wheel ed sc ar ed, f ear in g it was Hal e. B ut it was n ot, it was Str athmor e. He stood, pal e an d eer ie in the el ec tr on ic gl ow, his c hest heav in g. “W hat the hel l ’ s goin g on ! ” “C om… man der ! ” Susan gasped. “Hal e’ s in N ode 3 ! He j ust attac ked me! ” “W hat? I mpossib l e! Hal e’ s l oc ked down in –” “N o, he’ s n ot! He’ s l oose! W e n eed sec ur ity in her e n ow! I ’ m ab or tin g TR A N SL TR ! ” Susan r eac hed f or the keypad. “D O N ’ T TO U C H THA T! ” Str athmor e l un ged f or the ter min al an d pul l ed Susan ’ s han ds away. Susan r ec oil ed, stun n ed. She star ed at the c omman der an d f or the sec on d time that day did n ot r ec ogn iz e him. Susan f el t sudden l y al on e. *** Str athmor e saw the b l ood on Susan ’ s shir t an d immediatel y r egr etted his outb ur st. “Jesus, Susan . A r e you okay? ” She didn ’ t r espon d. He wished he hadn ’ t j umped on her un n ec essar il y. His n er v es wer e f r ayed. He was j uggl in g too muc h. Ther e wer e thin gs on his min d–thin gs Susan F l etc her did n ot kn ow ab out–thin gs he had n ot tol d her an d pr ayed he’ d n ev er hav e to. “I ’ m sor r y, ” he said sof tl y. “Tel l me what happen ed.” She tur n ed away. “I t doesn ’ t matter . The b l ood’ s n ot min e. Just get me out of her e.” “A r e you hur t? ” Str athmor e put a han d on her shoul der . Susan r ec oil ed. He dr opped his han d an d l ooked away. W hen he l ooked b ac k at Susan ’ s f ac e, she seemed to b e star in g
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ov er his shoul der at somethin g on the wal l . Ther e, in the dar kn ess, a smal l keypad gl owed f ul l f or c e. Str athmor e f ol l owed her gaz e an d f r own ed. He’ d hoped Susan woul dn ’ t n otic e the gl owin g c on tr ol pan el . The il l umin ated keypad c on tr ol l ed his pr iv ate el ev ator . Str athmor e an d his high-power ed guests used it to c ome an d go f r om C r ypto without adv er tisin g the f ac t to the r est of the staf f . The per son al l if t dr opped down f if ty f eet b el ow the C r ypto dome an d then mov ed l ater al l y 1 0 9 yar ds thr ough a r ein f or c ed un der gr oun d tun n el to the sub l ev el s of the main N SA c ompl ex . The el ev ator c on n ec tin g C r ypto to the N SA was power ed f r om the main c ompl ex ; it was on -l in e despite C r ypto’ s power outage. Str athmor e had kn own al l al on g it was on -l in e, b ut ev en as Susan had b een poun din g on the main ex it down stair s, he hadn ’ t men tion ed it. He c oul d n ot af f or d to l et Susan out–n ot yet. He won der ed how muc h he’ d hav e to tel l her to make her wan t to stay. Susan pushed past Str athmor e an d r ac ed to the b ac k wal l . She j ab b ed f ur iousl y at the il l umin ated b utton s. “P l ease, ” she b egged. B ut the door did n ot open . “Susan , ” Str athmor e said q uietl y. “The l if t takes a passwor d.” “A passwor d? ” she r epeated an gr il y. She gl ar ed at the c on tr ol s. B el ow the main keypad was a sec on d keypad–a smal l er on e, with tin y b utton s. Eac h b utton was mar ked with a l etter of the al phab et. Susan wheel ed to him. “W hat is the passwor d! ” she deman ded. Str athmor e thought a momen t an d sighed heav il y. “Susan , hav e a seat.” Susan l ooked as if she c oul d har dl y b el iev e her ear s. “Hav e a seat, ” the c omman der r epeated, his v oic e f ir m. “L et me out! ” Susan shot an un easy gl an c e towar d the c omman der ’ s open of f ic e door . Str athmor e eyed the pan ic ked Susan F l etc her . C al ml y he mov ed to his of f ic e door . He stepped out on to the l an din g an d peer ed in to the dar kn ess. Hal e was n owher e to b e seen . The c omman der stepped b ac k in side an d pul l ed the door shut. Then he pr opped a c hair in f r on t to keep it c l osed, wen t to his desk, an d r emov ed somethin g f r om a dr awer . I n the pal e gl ow of the mon itor s Susan saw what he was hol din g. Her f ac e wen t pal e. I t was a gun . Str athmor e pul l ed two c hair s in to the middl e of the r oom. He r otated them to f ac e the c l osed of f ic e door . Then he sat. He l if ted the gl itter in g B er etta semi-automatic an d aimed steadil y at the sl ightl y open door . A f ter a momen t he l aid the gun b ac k in his l ap. He spoke sol emn l y. “Susan , we’ r e saf e her e. W e n eed to tal k. I f G r eg Hal e c omes thr ough that door …” He l et it han g. Susan was speec hl ess. Str athmor e gaz ed at her in the dim l ight of his of f ic e. He patted the seat b eside him. “Susan , sit. I hav e somethin g to tel l you.” She did n ot mov e. “W hen I ’ m don e, “he said, “I ’ l l giv e you the passwor d to the el ev ator . Y ou c an dec ide whether to l eav e or n ot.” Ther e was a l on g sil en c e. I n a daz e, Susan mov ed ac r oss the of f ic e an d sat n ex t to Str athmor e. “Susan , ” he b egan , “I hav en ’ t b een en tir el y hon est with you.”
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D av id B ec ker f el t as if his f ac e had b een doused in tur pen tin e an d ign ited. He r ol l ed ov er on the f l oor an d sq uin ted thr ough b l ear y tun n el v ision at the gir l hal f way to the r ev ol v in g door s. She was r un n in g in shor t, ter r if ied b ur sts, dr aggin g her duf f el b ehin d her ac r oss the til e. B ec ker tr ied to pul l himsel f to his f eet, b ut he c oul d n ot. He was b l in ded b y r ed-hot f ir e. She c an’ t g et away! He tr ied to c al l out, b ut ther e was n o air in his l un gs, on l y a sic ken in g pain . “N o! ” He c oughed. The soun d b ar el y l ef t his l ips. B ec ker kn ew the sec on d she wen t thr ough the door , she woul d disappear f or ev er . He tr ied to c al l out again , b ut his thr oat was sear in g. The gir l had al most r eac hed the r ev ol v in g door . B ec ker stagger ed to his f eet, gaspin g f or b r eath. He stumb l ed af ter her . The gir l dashed in to the f ir st c ompar tmen t of the r ev ol v in g door , dr aggin g her duf f el b ehin d her . Twen ty yar ds b ac k, B ec ker was stagger in g b l in dl y towar d the door . “W ait! ” He gasped. “W ai t! ” The gir l pushed f ur iousl y on the in side of the door . The door b egan to r otate, b ut then it j ammed. The b l on de wheel ed in ter r or an d saw her duf f el sn agged in the open in g. She kn el t an d pul l ed f ur iousl y to f r ee it. B ec ker f ix ed his b l ear y v ision on the f ab r ic pr otr udin g thr ough the door . A s he dov e, the r ed c or n er of n yl on pr otr udin g f r om the c r ac k was al l he c oul d see. He f l ew towar d it, ar ms outstr etc hed. A s D av id B ec ker f el l towar d the door , his han ds on l y in c hes away, the f ab r ic sl ipped in to the c r ac k an d disappear ed. His f in ger s c l utc hed empty air as the door l ur c hed in to motion . The gir l an d the duf f el tumb l ed in to the str eet outside. “M egan ! ” B ec ker wail ed as hit the f l oor . W hite-hot n eedl es shot thr ough the b ac k of his eye soc kets. His v ision tun n el ed to n othin g, an d a n ew wav e of n ausea r ol l ed in . His own v oic e ec hoed in the b l ac kn ess. M eg an! ***
D av id B ec ker wasn ’ t sur e how l on g he’ d b een l yin g ther e b ef or e he b ec ame awar e of the hum of f l uor esc en t b ul b s ov er head. Ev er ythin g el se was stil l . Thr ough the sil en c e c ame a v oic e. Someon e was c al l in g. He tr ied to l if t his head of f the f l oor . The wor l d was c oc keyed, water y. A g ai n the v oi c e. He sq uin ted down the c on c our se an d saw a f igur e twen ty yar ds away. “M ister ? ” B ec ker r ec ogn iz ed the v oic e. I t was the gir l . She was stan din g at an other en tr an c e f ar ther down the c on c our se, c l utc hin g her duf f el to her c hest. She l ooked mor e f r ighten ed n ow than she had b ef or e. “M ister ? ” she asked, her v oic e tr emb l in g. “I n ev er tol d you my n ame. How c ome you kn ow my n ame? ”
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D ir ec tor L el an d F on tain e was a moun tain of a man , six ty-thr ee year s ol d, with a c l ose-c r opped mil itar y hair c ut an d a r igid demean or . His j et-b l ac k eyes wer e l ike c oal when he was ir r itated, whic h was al most al ways. He’ d r isen thr ough the r an ks of the N SA thr ough har d wor k, good pl an n in g, an d the wel l -ear n ed r espec t of his pr edec essor s. He was the f ir st A f r ic an A mer ic an dir ec tor of the N ation al Sec ur ity A gen c y, b ut n ob ody ev er men tion ed the distin c tion ; F on tain e’ s pol itic s wer e dec idedl y c ol or -b l in d, an d his staf f wisel y f ol l owed suit. F on tain e had kept M idge an d B r in ker hof f stan din g as he wen t thr ough the sil en t r itual of makin g himsel f a mug of G uatemal an j av a. Then he’ d settl ed at his desk, l ef t them stan din g, an d q uestion ed them l ike sc hool c hil dr en in the pr in c ipal ’ s of f ic e. M idge did the tal kin g–ex pl ain in g the un usual ser ies of ev en ts that l ed them to v iol ate the san c tity of F on tain e’ s of f ic e. “A v ir us? ” the dir ec tor asked c ol dl y. “Y ou two thin k we’ v e got a v ir us? ” B r in ker hof f win c ed. “Y es, sir , ” M idge sn apped. “B ec ause Str athmor e b ypassed G aun tl et? ” F on tain e eyed the pr in tout in f r on t of him. “Y es, ” she said. “A n d ther e’ s a f il e that hasn ’ t b r oken in ov er twen ty hour s! ” F on tain e f r own ed. “O r so your data says.” M idge was ab out to pr otest, b ut she hel d her ton gue. I n stead she wen t f or the thr oat. “Ther e’ s a b l ac kout in C r ypto.” F on tain e l ooked up, appar en tl y sur pr ised. M idge c on f ir med with a c ur t n od. “A l l power ’ s down . Jab b a thought mayb e–” “Y ou c al l ed Jab b a? ” “Y es, sir , I –” “Jab b a? ” F on tain e stood up, f ur ious. “W hy the hel l didn ’ t you c al l Str athmor e? ” “W e did! ” M idge def en ded. “He said ev er ythin g was f in e.” F on tain e stood, his c hest heav in g. “Then we hav e n o r eason to doub t him.” Ther e was c l osur e in his v oic e. He took a sip of c of f ee. “N ow if you’ l l ex c use me, I hav e wor k to do.” M idge’ s j aw dr opped. “I b eg your par don ? ” B r in ker hof f was al r eady headed f or the door , b ut M idge was c emen ted in pl ac e. “I said good n ight, M s. M il ken , ” F on tain e r epeated. “Y ou ar e ex c used.” “B ut–b ut sir , ” she stammer ed, “I … I hav e to pr otest. I thin k–” “Y ou pr otest? ” the dir ec tor deman ded. He set down his c of f ee. “I pr otest! I pr otest to your pr esen c e in my of f ic e. I pr otest to your in sin uation s that the deputy dir ec tor of this agen c y is l yin g. I pr otest–” “W e hav e a v ir us, sir ! M y in stin c ts tel l me–” “W el l , your in stin c ts ar e wr on g, M s. M il ken ! F or on c e, they’ r e wr on g! ” M idge stood f ast. “B ut, sir ! C omman der Str athmor e b ypassed G aun tl et! ” F on tain e str ode towar d her , b ar el y c on tr ol l in g his an ger . “That is hi s pr er ogativ e! I pay you to watc h an al ysts an d ser v ic e empl oyees–n ot spy on the deputy dir ec tor ! I f it wer en ’ t f or him we’ d stil l b e b r eakin g c odes with pen c il an d paper ! N ow l eav e me! ” He tur n ed to B r in ker hof f , who stood in the door way c ol or l ess an d tr emb l in g. “B oth of you.” “W ith al l due r espec t, sir , ” M idge said. “I ’ d l ike to r ec ommen d we sen d a Sys-Sec team to C r ypto j ust to en sur e–” “W e wil l do n o suc h thin g! ”
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A f ter a ten se b eat, M idge n odded. “V er y wel l . G oodn ight.” She tur n ed an d l ef t. A s she passed, B r in ker hof f c oul d see in her eyes that she had n o in ten tion of l ettin g this r est– n ot un til her in tuition was satisf ied. B r in ker hof f gaz ed ac r oss the r oom at his b oss, massiv e an d seethin g b ehin d his desk. This was n ot the dir ec tor he kn ew. The dir ec tor he kn ew was a stic kl er f or detail , f or n eatl y tied pac kages. He al ways en c our aged his staf f to ex amin e an d c l ar if y an y in c on sisten c ies in dail y pr oc edur e, n o matter how min ute. A n d yet her e he was, askin g them to tur n their b ac ks on a v er y b iz ar r e ser ies of c oin c iden c es. The dir ec tor was ob v iousl y hidin g somethin g, b ut B r in ker hof f was paid to assist, n ot to q uestion . F on tain e had pr ov en ov er an d ov er that he had ev er yon e’ s b est in ter ests at hear t; if assistin g him n ow mean t tur n in g a b l in d eye, then so b e it. U n f or tun atel y, M idge was paid to q uestion , an d B r in ker hof f f ear ed she was headed f or C r ypto to do j ust that. T i me to g et ou t the ré su mé s, B r in ker hof f thought as he tur n ed to the door . “C had! ” F on tain e b ar ked, f r om b ehin d him. F on tain e had seen the l ook in M idge’ s eyes when she l ef t. “D on ’ t l et her out of this suite.” B r in ker hof f n odded an d hustl ed af ter M idge. ***
F on tain e sighed an d put his head in his han ds. His sab l e eyes wer e heav y. I t had b een a l on g, un ex pec ted tr ip home. The past mon th had b een on e of gr eat an tic ipation f or L el an d F on tain e. Ther e wer e thin gs happen in g r ight n ow at the N SA that woul d c han ge histor y, an d ir on ic al l y, D ir ec tor F on tain e had f oun d out ab out them on l y b y c han c e. Thr ee mon ths ago, F on tain e had gotten n ews that C omman der Str athmor e’ s wif e was l eav in g him. He’ d al so hear d r epor ts that Str athmor e was wor kin g ab sur d hour s an d seemed ab out to c r ac k un der the pr essur e. D espite dif f er en c es of opin ion with Str athmor e on man y issues, F on tain e had al ways hel d his deputy dir ec tor in the highest esteem; Str athmor e was a b r il l ian t man , mayb e the b est the N SA had. A t the same time, ev er sin c e the Skipj ac k f iasc o, Str athmor e had b een un der tr emen dous str ess. I t made F on tain e un easy; the c omman der hel d a l ot of keys ar oun d the N SA –an d F on tain e had an agen c y to pr otec t. F on tain e n eeded someon e to keep tab s on the wav er in g Str athmor e an d make sur e he was 1 0 0 per c en t–b ut it was n ot that simpl e. Str athmor e was a pr oud an d power f ul man ; F on tain e n eeded a way to c hec k up on the c omman der without un der min in g his c on f iden c e or author ity. F on tain e dec ided, out of r espec t f or Str athmor e, to do the j ob himsel f . He had an in v isib l e tap in stal l ed on C omman der Str athmor e’ s C r ypto ac c oun t–his E-mail , his in ter of f ic e c or r espon den c e, his b r ain stor ms, al l of it. I f Str athmor e was goin g to c r ac k, the dir ec tor woul d see war n in g sign s in his wor k. B ut in stead of sign s of a b r eakdown , F on tain e un c ov er ed the gr oun d wor k f or on e of the most in c r edib l e in tel l igen c e sc hemes he’ d ev er en c oun ter ed. I t was n o won der Str athmor e was b ustin g his ass; if he c oul d pul l this pl an of f , it woul d make up f or the Skipj ac k f iasc o a hun dr ed times ov er . F on tain e had c on c l uded Str athmor e was f in e, wor kin g at 1 1 0 per c en t–as sl y, smar t, an d patr iotic as ev er . The b est thin g the dir ec tor c oul d do woul d b e to stan d c l ear an d watc h the c omman der wor k his magic . Str athmor e had dev ised a pl an … a pl an F on tain e had n o in ten tion of in ter r uptin g.
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Str athmor e f in ger ed the B er r etta in his l ap. Ev en with the r age b oil in g in his b l ood, he was pr ogr ammed to thin k c l ear l y. The f ac t that G r eg Hal e had dar ed l ay a f in ger on Susan F l etc her sic ken ed him, b ut the f ac t that it was his own f aul t made him ev en sic ker ; Susan goin g in to N ode 3 had b een his idea. Str athmor e kn ew en ough to c ompar tmen tal iz e his emotion –it c oul d in n o way af f ec t his han dl in g of D igital F or tr ess. He was the deputy dir ec tor of the N ation al Sec ur ity A gen c y. A n d today his j ob was mor e c r itic al than it had ev er b een . Str athmor e sl owed his b r eathin g. “Susan .” His v oic e was ef f ic ien t an d un c l ouded. “D id you del ete Hal e’ s E-mail ? ” “N o, ” she said, c on f used. “D o you hav e the pass-key? ” She shook her head. Str athmor e f r own ed, c hewin g his l ip. His min d was r ac in g. He had a dil emma. He c oul d easil y en ter his el ev ator passwor d, an d Susan woul d b e gon e. B ut he n eeded her ther e. He n eeded her hel p to f in d Hal e’ s pass-key. Str athmor e hadn ’ t tol d her yet, b ut f in din g that pass-key was f ar mor e than a matter of ac ademic in ter est–it was an ab sol ute n ec essity. Str athmor e suspec ted he c oul d r un Susan ’ s n on c on f or mity sear c h an d f in d the pass-key himsel f , b ut he’ d al r eady en c oun ter ed pr ob l ems r un n in g her tr ac er . He was n ot ab out to r isk it again . “Susan .” He sighed r esol utel y. “I ’ d l ike you to hel p me f in d Hal e’ s pass-key.” “W hat! ” Susan stood up, her eyes wil d. Str athmor e f ought of f the ur ge to stan d al on g with her . He kn ew a l ot ab out n egotiatin g–the position of power was al ways seated. He hoped she woul d f ol l ow suit. She did n ot. “Susan , sit down .” She ign or ed him. “Sit down .” I t was an or der . Susan r emain ed stan din g. “C omman der , if you’ v e stil l got some b ur n in g desir e to c hec k out Tan kado’ s al gor ithm, you c an do it al on e. I wan t out.” Str athmor e hun g his head an d took a deep b r eath. I t was c l ear she woul d n eed an ex pl an ation . She deserv es one, he thought. Str athmor e made his dec ision –Susan F l etc her woul d hear it al l . He pr ayed he wasn ’ t makin g a mistake. “Susan , ” he b egan , “it wasn ’ t supposed to c ome to this.” He r an his han d ac r oss his sc al p. “Ther e ar e some thin gs I hav en ’ t tol d you. Sometimes a man in my position …” The c omman der wav er ed as if makin g a pain f ul c on f ession . “Sometimes a man in my position is f or c ed to l ie to the peopl e he l ov es. Today was on e of those days.” He eyed her sadl y. “W hat I ’ m ab out to tel l you, I n ev er pl an n ed to hav e to say… to you… or to an yon e.” Susan f el t a c hil l . The c omman der had a deadl y ser ious l ook on his f ac e. Ther e was ob v iousl y some aspec t of his agen da to whic h she was n ot pr iv y. Susan sat down . Ther e was a l on g pause as Str athmor e star ed at the c eil in g, gather in g his thoughts. “Susan , ” he f in al l y said, his v oic e f r ail . “I hav e n o f amil y.” He r etur n ed his gaz e to her . “I hav e n o mar r iage to speak of . M y l if e has b een my l ov e f or this c oun tr y. M y l if e has b een my wor k her e at the N SA .” Susan l isten ed in sil en c e. “A s you may hav e guessed, ” he c on tin ued, “I pl an n ed to r etir e soon . B ut I wan ted to r etir e with pr ide. I wan ted to r etir e kn owin g that I ’ d tr ul y made a dif f er en c e.”
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“B ut you hav e made a dif f er en c e, ” Susan hear d her sel f say. “Y ou b uil t TR A N SL TR .” Str athmor e didn ’ t seem to hear . “O v er the past f ew year s, our wor k her e at the N SA has gotten har der an d har der . W e’ v e f ac ed en emies I n ev er imagin ed woul d c hal l en ge us. I ’ m tal kin g ab out our own c itiz en s. The l awyer s, the c iv il r ights f an atic s, the EF F –they’ v e al l pl ayed a par t, b ut it’ s mor e than that. I t’ s the peopl e. They’ v e l ost f aith. They’ v e b ec ome par an oid. They sudden l y see u s as the en emy. P eopl e l ike you an d me, peopl e who tr ul y hav e the n ation ’ s b est in ter ests at hear t, we f in d our sel v es hav in g to f ight f or our r ight to ser v e our c oun tr y. W e’ r e n o l on ger peac ekeeper s. W e’ r e eav esdr opper s, peepin g Toms, v iol ator s of peopl e’ s r ights.” Str athmor e heav ed a sigh. “U n f or tun atel y, ther e ar e n aiv e peopl e in the wor l d, peopl e who c an ’ t imagin e the hor r or s they’ d f ac e if we didn ’ t in ter v en e. I tr ul y b el iev e it’ s up to us to sav e them f r om their own ign or an c e.” Susan waited f or his poin t. The c omman der star ed wear il y at the f l oor an d then l ooked up. “Susan , hear me out, ” he said, smil in g ten der l y at her . “Y ou’ l l wan t to stop me, b ut hear me out. I ’ v e b een dec r yptin g Tan kado’ s E-mail f or ab out two mon ths n ow. A s you c an imagin e, I was shoc ked when I f ir st r ead his messages to N or th D akota ab out an un b r eakab l e al gor ithm c al l ed D igital F or tr ess. I didn ’ t b el iev e it was possib l e. B ut ev er y time I in ter c epted an ew message, Tan kado soun ded mor e an d mor e c on v in c in g. W hen I r ead that he’ d used mutation str in gs to wr ite a r otatin g key-c ode, I r eal iz ed he was l ight-year s ahead of us; it was an appr oac h n o on e her e had n ev er tr ied.” “W hy wou l d we? ” Susan asked. “I t b ar el y makes sen se.” Str athmor e stood up an d star ted pac in g, keepin g on e eye on the door . “A f ew weeks ago, when I hear d ab out the D igital F or tr ess auc tion , I f in al l y ac c epted the f ac t that Tan kado was ser ious. I kn ew if he sol d his al gor ithm to a Japan ese sof twar e c ompan y, we wer e sun k, so I tr ied to thin k of an y way I c oul d stop him. I c on sider ed hav in g him kil l ed, b ut with al l the pub l ic ity sur r oun din g the al gor ithm an d al l his r ec en t c l aims ab out TR A N SL TR , we woul d b e pr ime suspec ts. That’ s when it dawn ed on me.” He tur n ed to Susan . “I r eal iz ed that D igital F or tr ess shoul d not b e stopped.” Susan star ed at him, appar en tl y l ost. Str athmor e wen t on . “I sudden l y saw D igital F or tr ess as the oppor tun ity of a l if etime. I t hit me that with a f ew c han ges, D igital F or tr ess c oul d wor k f or us in stead of again st us.” Susan had n ev er hear d an ythin g so ab sur d. D igital F or tr ess was an un b r eakab l e al gor ithm; it woul d destr oy them. “I f , ” Str athmor e c on tin ued, “if I c oul d j ust make a smal l modif ic ation in the al gor ithm… b ef or e it was r el eased…” He gav e her a c un n in g gl in t of the eye. I t took on l y an in stan t. Str athmor e saw the amaz emen t r egister in Susan ’ s eyes. He ex c itedl y ex pl ain ed his pl an . “I f I c oul d get the pass-key, I c oul d un l oc k our c opy of D igital F or tr ess an d in ser t a modif ic ation .” “A b ac k door , ” Susan said, f or gettin g the C omman der had ev er l ied to her . She f el t a sur ge of an tic ipation . “Just l ike Skipj ac k.” Str athmor e n odded. “Then we c oul d r epl ac e Tan kado’ s giv e-away f il e on the I n ter n et with our al tered v er sion . B ec ause D igital F or tr ess is a Japan ese al gor ithm, n o on e wil l ev er suspec t the N SA had an y par t in it. A l l we hav e to do is make the switc h.” Susan r eal iz ed the pl an was b eyon d in gen ious. I t was pur e… Str athmor e. He pl an n ed to f ac il itate the r el ease of an al gor ithm the N SA c oul d b r eak! “F ul l ac c ess, ” Str athmor e said. “D igital F or tr ess wil l b ec ome the en c r yption stan dar d
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ov er n ight.” “O v er n ight? ” Susan said. “How do you f igur e that? Ev en if D igital F or tr ess b ec omes av ail ab l e ev er ywher e f or f r ee, most c omputer user s wil l stic k with their ol d al gor ithms f or c on v en ien c e. W hy woul d they switc h to D igital F or tr ess? ” Str athmor e smil ed. “Simpl e. W e hav e a sec ur ity l eak. The whol e wor l d f in ds out ab out TR A N SL TR .” Susan ’ s j aw dr opped. “Q uite simpl y, Susan , we l et the tr uth hit the str eet. W e tel l the wor l d that the N SA has a c omputer that c an b r eak ev er y al gor ithm ex c ept D igital F or tr ess.” Susan was amaz ed. “So ev er yon e j umps ship to D igital F or tr ess… n ot kn owin g we c an b r eak it! ” Str athmor e n odded. “Ex ac tl y.” Ther e was a l on g sil en c e. “I ’ m sor r y I l ied to you. Tr yin g to r ewr ite D igital F or tr ess is a pr etty b ig pl ay, I didn ’ t wan t you in v ol v ed.” “I … un der stan d, ” she r epl ied sl owl y, stil l r eel in g f r om the b r il l ian c e of it al l . “Y ou’ r e n ot a b ad l iar .” Str athmor e c huc kl ed. “Y ear s of pr ac tic e. L yin g was the on l y way to keep you out of the l oop.” Susan n odded. “A n d how b ig a l oop is it? ” “Y ou’ r e l ookin g at it.” Susan smil ed f or the f ir st time in an hour . “I was af r aid you’ d say that.” He shr ugged. “O n c e D igital F or tr ess is in pl ac e, I ’ l l b r ief the dir ec tor .” Susan was impr essed. Str athmor e’ s pl an was a gl ob al in tel l igen c e c oup the magn itude of whic h had n ev er b ef or e b een imagin ed. A n d he’ d attempted it sin gl e-han dedl y. I t l ooked l ike he might pul l it of f too. The pass-key was down stair s. Tan kado was dead. Tan kado’ s par tn er had b een l oc ated. Susan paused. T ank ado i s dead. That seemed v er y c on v en ien t. She thought of al l the l ies that Str athmor e had tol d her an d f el t a sudden c hil l . She l ooked un easil y at the c omman der . “D id you kil l En sei Tan kado? ” Str athmor e l ooked sur pr ised. He shook his head. “O f c our se n ot. Ther e was n o n eed to kil l Tan kado. I n f ac t, I ’ d pr ef er he wer e al iv e. His death c oul d c ast suspic ion on D igital F or tr ess. I wan ted this switc h to go as smoothl y an d in c on spic uousl y as possib l e. The or igin al pl an was to make the switc h an d l et Tan kado sel l his key.” Susan had to admit it made sen se. Tan kado woul d hav e n o r eason to suspec t the al gor ithm on the I n ter n et was n ot the or igin al . N ob ody had ac c ess to it ex c ept himsel f an d N or th D akota. U n l ess Tan kado wen t b ac k an d studied the pr ogr ammin g af ter it was r el eased, he’ d n ev er kn ow ab out the b ac k door . He’ d sl av ed ov er D igital F or tr ess f or l on g en ough that he’ d pr ob ab l y n ev er wan t to see the pr ogr ammin g again . Susan l et it al l soak in . She sudden l y un der stood the c omman der ’ s n eed f or pr iv ac y in C r ypto. The task at han d was time-c on sumin g an d del ic ate–wr itin g a c on c eal ed b ac k door in a c ompl ex al gor ithm an d makin g an un detec ted I n ter n et switc h. C on c eal men t was of par amoun t impor tan c e. The simpl e suggestion that D igital F or tr ess was tain ted c oul d r uin the c omman der ’ s pl an . O n l y n ow did she f ul l y gr asp why he had dec ided to l et TR A N SL TR keep r un n in g. I f D igital F or tr ess is goin g to b e the N SA ’ s n ew b ab y, Str athmor e wan ted to b e sur e it was un b r eakab l e! “Stil l wan t out? ” he asked. Susan l ooked up. Somehow sittin g ther e in the dar k with the gr eat Tr ev or
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Str athmor e, her f ear s wer e swept away. R ewr itin g D igital F or tr ess was a c han c e to make histor y–a c han c e to do in c r edib l e good–an d Str athmor e c oul d use her hel p. Susan f or c ed a r el uc tan t smil e. “W hat’ s our n ex t mov e? ” Str athmor e b eamed. He r eac hed ov er an d put a han d on her shoul der . “Than ks.” He smil ed an d then got down to b usin ess. “W e’ l l go down stair s together .” He hel d up his B er r etta. “Y ou’ l l sear c h Hal e’ s ter min al . I ’ l l c ov er you.” Susan b r istl ed at the thought of goin g down stair s. “C an ’ t we wait f or D av id to c al l with Tan kado’ s c opy? ” Str athmor e shook his head. “The soon er we make the switc h, the b etter . W e hav e n o guar an tees that D av id wil l ev en f in d the other c opy. I f b y some f l uke the r in g f al l s in to the wr on g han ds ov er ther e, I ’ d pr ef er we’ d al r eady made the al gor ithm switc h. That way, whoev er en ds up with the key wil l down l oad ou r v er sion of the al gor ithm.” Str athmor e f in ger ed his gun an d stood. “W e n eed to go f or Hal e’ s key.” Susan f el l sil en t. The c omman der had a poin t. They n eeded Hal e’ s pass-key. A n d they n eeded it n ow. W hen Susan stood, her l egs wer e j itter y. She wished she’ d hit Hal e har der . She eyed Str athmor e’ s weapon an d sudden l y f el t q ueasy. “Y ou’ d ac tual l y shoot G r eg Hal e? ” “N o.” Str athmor e f r own ed, str idin g to the door . “B ut l et’ s hope he doesn ’ t kn ow that.”
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O utside the Sev il l e air por t ter min al , a tax i sat idl e, the meter r un n in g. The passen ger in the wir e-r im gl asses gaz ed thr ough the pl ate-gl ass win dows of the wel l -l it ter min al . He kn ew he’ d ar r iv ed in time. He c oul d see a b l on d gir l . She was hel pin g D av id B ec ker to a c hair . B ec ker was appar en tl y in pain . H e does not yet k now pai n, the passen ger thought. The gir l pul l ed a smal l ob j ec t f r om her poc ket an d hel d it out. B ec ker hel d it up an d studied it in the l ight. Then he sl ipped it on his f in ger . He pul l ed a stac k of b il l s f r om his poc ket an d paid the gir l . They tal ked a f ew min utes l on ger , an d then the gir l hugged him. She wav ed, shoul der ed her duf f el , an d headed of f ac r oss the c on c our se. A t l ast, the man in the tax i thought. A t l ast.
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Str athmor e stepped out of his of f ic e on to the l an din g with his gun l ev el ed. Susan tr ail ed c l ose b ehin d, won der in g if Hal e was stil l in N ode 3 . The l ight f r om Str athmor e’ s mon itor b ehin d them thr ew eer ie shadows of their b odies out ac r oss the gr ated pl atf or m. Susan in c hed c l oser to the c omman der . A s they mov ed away f r om the door , the l ight f aded, an d they wer e pl un ged in to dar kn ess. The on l y l ight on the C r ypto f l oor c ame f r om the star s ab ov e an d the f ain t haz e f r om b ehin d the shatter ed N ode 3 win dow. Str athmor e in c hed f or war d, l ookin g f or the pl ac e wher e the n ar r ow stair c ase b egan . Switc hin g the B er r etta to his l ef t han d, he gr oped f or the b an ister with his r ight. He f igur ed he was pr ob ab l y j ust as b ad a shot with his l ef t, an d he n eeded his r ight f or suppor t. F al l in g down this par tic ul ar set of stair s c oul d c r ippl e someon e f or l if e, an d Str athmor e’ s dr eams f or his r etir emen t did n ot in v ol v e a wheel c hair . Susan , b l in ded b y the b l ac kn ess of the C r ypto dome, desc en ded with a han d on Str athmor e’ s shoul der . Ev en at the distan c e of two f eet, she c oul d n ot see the c omman der ’ s outl in e. A s she stepped on to eac h metal tr ead, she shuf f l ed her toes f or war d l ookin g f or the edge. Susan b egan hav in g sec on d thoughts ab out r iskin g a v isit to N ode 3 to get Hal e’ s pass-key. The c omman der in sisted Hal e woul dn ’ t hav e the guts to touc h them, b ut Susan wasn ’ t so sur e. Hal e was desper ate. He had two option s: Esc ape C r ypto or go to j ail . A v oic e kept tel l in g Susan they shoul d wait f or D av id’ s c al l an d use hi s pass-key, b ut she kn ew ther e was n o guar an tee he woul d ev en f in d it. She won der ed what was takin g D av id so l on g. Susan swal l owed her appr ehen sion an d kept goin g. Str athmor e desc en ded sil en tl y. Ther e was n o n eed to al er t Hal e they wer e c omin g. A s they n ear ed the b ottom, Str athmor e sl owed, f eel in g f or the f in al step. W hen he f oun d it, the heel of his l oaf er c l ic ked on har d b l ac k til e. Susan f el t his shoul der ten se. They’ d en ter ed the dan ger z on e. Hal e c oul d b e an ywher e. I n the distan c e, n ow hidden b ehin d TR A N SL TR , was their destin ation –N ode 3 . Susan pr ayed Hal e was stil l ther e, l yin g on the f l oor , whimper in g in pain l ike the dog he was. Str athmor e l et go of the r ail in g an d switc hed the gun b ac k to his r ight han d. W ithout a wor d, he mov ed out in to the dar kn ess. Susan hel d tight to his shoul der . I f she l ost him, the on l y way she’ d f in d him again was to speak. Hal e might hear them. A s they mov ed away f r om the saf ety of the stair s, Susan r ec al l ed l ate-n ight games of tag as a kid–she’ d l ef t home b ase, she was in the open . She was v ul n er ab l e. TR A N SL TR was the on l y isl an d in the v ast b l ac k sea. Ev er y f ew steps Str athmor e stopped, gun poised, an d l isten ed. The on l y soun d was the f ain t hum f r om b el ow. Susan wan ted to pul l him b ac k, b ac k to saf ety, b ac k to home b ase. Ther e seemed to b e f ac es in the dar k al l ar oun d her . Hal f way to TR A N SL TR , the sil en c e of C r ypto was b r oken . Somewher e in the dar kn ess, seemin gl y r ight on top of them, a high-pitc hed b eepin g pier c ed the n ight. Str athmor e spun , an d Susan l ost him. F ear f ul , Susan shot her ar m out, gr opin g f or him. B ut the c omman der was gon e. The spac e wher e his shoul der had b een was n ow j ust empty air . She stagger ed f or war d in to the emptin ess. The b eepin g n oise c on tin ued. I t was n ear b y. Susan wheel ed in the dar kn ess. Ther e was a r ustl e of c l othin g, an d sudden l y the b eepin g stopped. Susan f r oz e. A n in stan t l ater , as if f r om on e of her wor st c hil dhood n ightmar es, a v ision appear ed. A f ac e mater ial iz ed
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dir ec tl y in f r on t of her . I t was ghostl y an d gr een . I t was the f ac e of a demon , shar p shadows j uttin g upwar d ac r oss def or med f eatur es. She j umped b ac k. She tur n ed to r un , b ut it gr ab b ed her ar m. “D on ’ t mov e! ” it c omman ded. F or an in stan t, she thought she saw Hal e in those two b ur n in g eyes. B ut the v oic e was n ot Hal e’ s. A n d the touc h was too sof t. I t was Str athmor e. He was l it f r om b en eath b y a gl owin g ob j ec t that he’ d j ust pul l ed f r om his poc ket. Her b ody sagged with r el ief . She f el t her sel f star t b r eathin g again . The ob j ec t in Str athmor e’ s han d had some sor t of el ec tr on ic L ED that was giv in g of f a gr een ish gl ow. “D amn , ” Str athmor e c ur sed un der his b r eath. “M y n ew pager .” He star ed in disgust at the SkyP ager in his pal m. He’ d f or gotten to en gage the sil en t-r in g f eatur e. I r on ic al l y, he’ d gon e to a l oc al el ec tr on ic s stor e to b uy the dev ic e. He’ d paid c ash to keep it an on ymous; n ob ody kn ew b etter than Str athmor e how c l osel y the N SA watc hed their own –an d the digital messages sen t an d r ec eiv ed f r om this pager wer e somethin g Str athmor e def in itel y n eeded to keep pr iv ate. Susan l ooked ar oun d un easil y. I f Hal e hadn ’ t kn own they wer e c omin g, he kn ew n ow. Str athmor e pr essed a f ew b utton s an d r ead the in c omin g message. He gr oan ed q uietl y. I t was mor e b ad n ews f r om Spain –n ot f r om D av id B ec ker , b ut f r om the other par ty Str athmor e had sen t to Sev il l e. ***
Thr ee thousan d mil es away, a mob il e sur v eil l an c e v an sped al on g the dar ken ed Sev il l e str eets. I t had b een c ommission ed b y the N SA un der “U mb r a” sec r ec y f r om a mil itar y b ase in R ota. The two men in side wer e ten se. I t was n ot the f ir st time they’ d r ec eiv ed emer gen c y or der s f r om F or t M eade, b ut the or der s didn ’ t usual l y c ome f r om so high up. The agen t at the wheel c al l ed ov er his shoul der . “A n y sign of our man ? ” The eyes of his par tn er n ev er l ef t the f eed f r om the wide-an gl e v ideo mon itor on the r oof . “N o. K eep dr iv in g.”
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U n der n eath the twistin g mass of c ab l es, Jab b a was sweatin g. He was stil l on his b ac k with a pen l ight c l en c hed in his teeth. He’ d gotten used to wor kin g l ate on weeken ds; the l ess hec tic N SA hour s wer e of ten the on l y times he c oul d per f or m har dwar e main ten an c e. A s he man euv er ed the r ed-hot sol der in g ir on thr ough the maz e of wir es ab ov e him, he mov ed with ex c eption al c ar e; sin gein g an y of the dan gl in g sheathes woul d b e disaster . J u st another f ew i nc hes, he thought. The j ob was takin g f ar l on ger than he’ d imagin ed. Just as he b r ought the tip of the ir on again st the f in al thr ead of r aw sol der , his c el l ul ar phon e r an g shar pl y. Jab b a star tl ed, his ar m twitc hed, an d a l ar ge gl ob of siz z l in g, l iq uef ied l ead f el l on his ar m. “Shi t! ” He dr opped the ir on an d pr ac tic al l y swal l owed his pen l ight. “Shit! Shit! Shit! ” He sc r ub b ed f ur iousl y at the dr op of c ool in g sol der . I t r ol l ed of f , l eav in g an impr essiv e wel t. The c hip he was tr yin g to sol der in pl ac e f el l out an d hit him in the head. “G oddamn it! ” Jab b a’ s phon e summon ed him again . He ign or ed it. “M idge, ” he c ur sed un der his b r eath. D amn you ! C rypto’ s f i ne! The phon e r an g on . Jab b a wen t b ac k to wor k r eseatin g the n ew c hip. A min ute l ater the c hip was in pl ac e, b ut his phon e was stil l r in gin g. For C hri st’ s sak e, M i dg e! G i v e i t u p! The phon e r an g an other f if teen sec on ds an d f in al l y stopped. Jab b a b r eathed a sigh of r el ief . Six ty sec on ds l ater the in ter c om ov er head c r ac kl ed. “W oul d the c hief Sys-Sec pl ease c on tac t the main switc hb oar d f or a message.” Jab b a r ol l ed his eyes in disb el ief . She j u st doesn’ t g i v e u p, does she? He ign or ed the page.
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Str athmor e r epl ac ed his Skypager in his poc ket an d peer ed thr ough the dar kn ess towar d N ode 3 . He r eac hed f or Susan ’ s han d. “C ome on .” B ut their f in ger s n ev er touc hed. Ther e was a l on g guttur al c r y f r om out of the dar kn ess. A thun der in g f igur e l oomed– a M ac k tr uc k b ear in g down with n o headl ights. A n in stan t l ater , ther e was a c ol l ision an d Str athmor e was skiddin g ac r oss the f l oor . I t was Hal e. The pager had giv en them away. Susan hear d the B er r etta f al l . F or a momen t she was pl an ted in pl ac e, un sur e wher e to r un , what to do. Her in stin c ts tol d her to esc ape, b ut she didn ’ t hav e the el ev ator c ode. Her hear t tol d her to hel p Str athmor e, b ut how? A s she spun in desper ation , she ex pec ted to hear the soun ds of a l if e-an d-death str uggl e on the f l oor , b ut ther e was n othin g. Ev er ythin g was sudden l y sil en t–as if Hal e had hit the c omman der an d then disappear ed b ac k in to the n ight. Susan waited, str ain in g her eyes in to the dar kn ess, hopin g Str athmor e wasn ’ t hur t. A f ter what seemed l ike an eter n ity, she whisper ed, “C omman der ? ” Ev en as she said it, she r eal iz ed her mistake. A n in stan t l ater Hal e’ s odor wel l ed up b ehin d her . She tur n ed too l ate. W ithout war n in g, she was twistin g, gaspin g f or air . She f oun d her sel f c r ushed in a f amil iar headl oc k, her f ac e again st Hal e’ s c hest. “M y b al l s ar e kil l in g me.” Hal e pan ted in her ear . Susan ’ s kn ees b uc kl ed. The star s in the dome b egan to spin ab ov e her .
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Hal e c l amped down on Susan ’ s n ec k an d yel l ed in to the dar kn ess. “C omman der , I ’ v e got your sweethear t. I wan t out! ” His deman ds wer e met with sil en c e. Hal e’ s gr ip tighten ed. “I ’ l l b r eak her n ec k! ” A gun c oc ked dir ec tl y b ehin d them. Str athmor e’ s v oic e was c al m an d ev en . “L et her go.” Susan win c ed in pain . “C omman der ! ” Hal e spun Susan ’ s b ody towar d the soun d. “Y ou shoot an d you’ l l hit your pr ec ious Susan . Y ou r eady to take that c han c e? ” Str athmor e’ s v oic e mov ed c l oser . “L et her go.” “N o way. Y ou’ l l kil l me.” “I ’ m n ot goin g to kil l an yon e.” “O h, yeah? Tel l that to C har tr ukian ! ” Str athmor e mov ed c l oser . “C har tr ukian ’ s dead.” “N o shit. Y ou kil l ed him. I saw it! ” “G iv e it up, G r eg, ” Str athmor e said c al ml y. Hal e c l utc hed at Susan an d whisper ed in her ear , “Str athmor e pushed C har tr ukian –I swear it! ” “She’ s n ot goin g to f al l f or your div ide-an d-c on q uer tec hn iq ue, ” Str athmor e said, mov in g c l oser . “L et her go.” Hal e hissed in to the dar kn ess, “C har tr ukian was j ust a k i d, f or C hr ist’ s sake! W hy’ d you do it? To pr otec t your l ittl e sec r et? ” Str athmor e stayed c ool . “A n d what l ittl e sec r et is that? ” “Y ou kn ow damn -f uc kin g-wel l what sec r et that is! D igital F or tr ess! ” “M y, my, ” Str athmor e mutter ed c on desc en din gl y, his v oic e l ike an ic eb er g. “So you do kn ow ab out D igital F or tr ess. I was star tin g to thin k you’ d den y that too.” “F uc k you.” “A witty def en se.” “Y ou’ r e a f ool , ” Hal e spat. “F or your in f or mation , TR A N SL TR is ov er heatin g.” “R eal l y? ” Str athmor e c huc kl ed. “L et me guess–I shoul d open the door s an d c al l in the Sys-Sec s? ” “Ex ac tl y, ” Hal e f ir ed b ac k. “Y ou’ d b e an idiot n ot to.” This time Str athmor e l aughed out l oud. “That’ s your b ig pl ay? TR A N SL TR ’ s ov er heatin g, so open the door s an d l et us out? ” “I t’ s tr ue, dammit! I ’ v e b een down to the sub l ev el s! The aux power isn ’ t pul l in g en ough f r eon ! ” “Than ks f or the tip, ” Str athmor e said. “B ut TR A N SL TR ’ s got automatic shutdown ; if it’ s ov er heatin g, D igital F or tr ess wil l q uit al l b y itsel f .” Hal e sn eer ed. “Y ou’ r e in san e. W hat the f uc k do I c ar e if TR A N SL TR b l ows? The damn mac hin e shoul d b e outl awed an yway.” Str athmor e sighed. “C hil d psyc hol ogy on l y wor ks on c hil dr en , G r eg. L et her go.” “So you c an shoot me? ” “I won ’ t shoot you. I j ust wan t the pass-key.” “W hat pass-key? ” Str athmor e sighed again . “The on e Tan kado sen t you.” “I hav e n o idea what you’ r e tal kin g ab out.”
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“L iar ! ” Susan man aged. “I saw Tan kado’ s mail in your ac c oun t! ” Hal e wen t r igid. He spun Susan ar oun d. “Y ou wen t in my ac c oun t? ” “A n d you ab or ted my tr ac er , ” she sn apped. Hal e f el t his b l ood pr essur e skyr oc ket. He thought he’ d c ov er ed his tr ac ks; he had n o idea Susan kn ew what he’ d don e. I t was n o won der she wasn ’ t b uyin g a wor d he said. Hal e f el t the wal l s star t to c l ose in . He kn ew he c oul d n ev er tal k his way out of that on e– n ot in time. He whisper ed to her in desper ation , “Susan … Str athmor e kil l ed C har tr ukian ! ” “L et her go, ” the c omman der said ev en l y. “She doesn ’ t b el iev e you.” “W hy shou l d she? ” Hal e f ir ed b ac k. “Y ou l yin g b astar d! Y ou’ v e got her b r ain washed! Y ou on l y tel l her what suits your n eeds! D oes she kn ow what you real l y pl an to do with D igital F or tr ess? ” “A n d what’ s that? ” Str athmor e taun ted. Hal e kn ew what he was ab out to say woul d either b e his tic ket to f r eedom or his death war r an t. He took a deep b r eath an d wen t f or b r oke. “Y ou pl an to wr ite a b ac k door in D igital F or tr ess.” The wor ds met with a b ewil der ed sil en c e f r om the dar kn ess. Hal e kn ew he had hit a b ul l ’ s-eye. A ppar en tl y Str athmor e’ s un f l appab l e c ool was b ein g put to the test. “W ho tol d you that? ” he deman ded, his v oic e r ough ar oun d the edges. “I r ead it, ” Hal e said smugl y, tr yin g to c apital iz e on the c han ge of momen tum. “I n on e of your b r ain stor ms.” “I mpossib l e. I nev er pr in t my b r ain stor ms.” “I kn ow. I r ead it dir ec tl y of f your ac c oun t.” Str athmor e seemed doub tf ul . “Y ou got in to my of f ic e? ” “N o. I sn ooped you f r om N ode 3 .” Hal e f or c ed a sel f -assur ed c huc kl e. He kn ew he’ d n eed al l the n egotiatin g skil l s he’ d l ear n ed in the mar in es to get out of C r ypto al iv e. Str athmor e edged c l oser , the B er r etta l ev el ed in the dar kn ess. “How do you kn ow ab out my b ac k door ? ” “I tol d you, I sn ooped your ac c oun t.” “I mpossib l e.” Hal e f or c ed a c oc ky sn eer . “O n e of the pr ob l ems of hir in g the b est, C omman der – sometimes they’ r e b etter than you.” “Y oun g man , ” Str athmor e seethed, “I don ’ t kn ow wher e you get your in f or mation , b ut you’ r e in way ov er your head. Y ou wil l l et M s. F l etc her go r ight n ow or I ’ l l c al l in Sec ur ity an d hav e you thr own in j ail f or l if e.” “Y ou won ’ t do it, ” Hal e stated matter -of -f ac tl y. “C al l in g Sec ur ity r uin s your pl an s. I ’ l l tel l them ev er ythin g.” Hal e paused. “B ut l et me out c l ean , an d I ’ l l n ev er say a wor d ab out D igital F or tr ess.” “N o deal , ” Str athmor e f ir ed b ac k. “I wan t the pass-key.” “I don ’ t hav e an y f uc kin g pass-key! ” “En ough l ies! ” Str athmor e b el l owed. “W her e is it? ” Hal e c l amped down on Susan ’ s n ec k. “L et me out, or she dies! ” *** Tr ev or Str athmor e had don e en ough high-stakes b ar gain in g in his l if e to kn ow that Hal e was in a v er y dan ger ous state of min d. The youn g c r yptogr apher had pain ted
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himsel f in to a c or n er , an d a c or n er ed oppon en t was al ways the most dan ger ous kin d– desper ate an d un pr edic tab l e. Str athmor e kn ew his n ex t mov e was a c r itic al on e. Susan ’ s l if e depen ded on it–an d so did the f utur e of D igital F or tr ess. Str athmor e kn ew the f ir st thin g he had to do was r el ease the ten sion of the situation . A f ter a l on g momen t, he sighed r el uc tan tl y. “O kay, G r eg. Y ou win . W hat do you wan t me to do? ” Sil en c e. Hal e seemed momen tar il y un sur e how to han dl e the c omman der ’ s c ooper ativ e ton e. He l et up a b it on Susan ’ s n ec k. “W -wel l …” he stammer ed, his v oic e wav er in g sudden l y. “F ir st thin g you do is giv e me your gun . Y ou’ r e b oth c omin g with me.” “Hostages? ” Str athmor e l aughed c ol dl y. “G r eg, you’ l l hav e to do b etter than that. Ther e ar e ab out a doz en ar med guar ds b etween her e an d the par kin g l ot.” “I ’ m n ot a f ool , ” Hal e sn apped. “I ’ m takin g your el ev ator . Susan c omes with me! Y ou stay! ” “I hate to tel l you this, ” Str athmor e r epl ied, “b ut ther e’ s n o power to the el ev ator .” “B ul l shit! ” Hal e sn apped. “The l if t r un s on power f r om the main b uil din g! I ’ v e seen the sc hematic s! ” “W e tr ied it al r eady, ” Susan c hoked, tr yin g to hel p. “I t’ s dead.” “Y ou’ r e b oth so f ul l of shit, it’ s in c r edib l e.” Hal e tighten ed his gr ip. “I f the el ev ator ’ s dead, I ’ l l ab or t TR A N SL TR an d r estor e power .” “The el ev ator takes a passwor d, ” Susan man aged f eistil y. “B ig deal .” Hal e l aughed. “I ’ m sur e the c omman der wil l shar e. W on ’ t you, C omman der ? ” “N o c han c e, ” Str athmor e hissed. Hal e b oil ed ov er . “N ow you l isten to me, ol d man –her e’ s the deal ! Y ou l et Susan an d me out thr ough your el ev ator , we dr iv e a f ew hour s, an d then I l et her go.” Str athmor e f el t the stakes r isin g. He’ d gotten Susan in to this, an d he n eeded to get her out. His v oic e stayed steady as a r oc k. “W hat ab out my pl an s f or D igital F or tr ess? ” Hal e l aughed. “Y ou c an wr ite your b ac k door –I won ’ t say a wor d.” Then his v oic e tur n ed omin ous. “B ut the day I thin k you’ r e tr ac kin g me, I go to the pr ess with the whol e stor y. I tel l them D igital F or tr ess is tain ted, an d I sin k this whol e f uc kin g or gan iz ation ! ” Str athmor e c on sider ed Hal e’ s of f er . I t was c l ean an d simpl e. Susan l iv ed, an d D igital F or tr ess got its b ac k door . A s l on g as Str athmor e didn ’ t c hase Hal e, the b ac k door stayed a sec r et. Str athmor e kn ew Hal e c oul dn ’ t keep his mouth shut f or l on g. B ut stil l … the kn owl edge of D igital F or tr ess was Hal e’ s on l y in sur an c e–mayb e he’ d b e smar t. W hatev er happen ed, Str athmor e kn ew Hal e c oul d b e r emov ed l ater if n ec essar y. “M ake up your min d, ol d man ! ” Hal e taun ted. “A r e we l eav in g or n ot? ” Hal e’ s ar ms tighten ed ar oun d Susan l ike a v ic e. Str athmor e kn ew that if he pic ked up the phon e r ight n ow an d c al l ed Sec ur ity, Susan woul d l iv e. He’ d b et his l if e on it. He c oul d see the sc en ar io c l ear l y. The c al l woul d take Hal e c ompl etel y b y sur pr ise. He woul d pan ic , an d in the en d, f ac ed with a smal l ar my, Hal e woul d b e un ab l e to ac t. A f ter a b r ief stan dof f , he woul d giv e in . B u t i f I c al l Sec u ri ty, Str athmor e thought, my pl an i s ru i ned. Hal e c l amped down again . Susan c r ied out in pain . “W hat’ s it gon n a b e? ” Hal e yel l ed. “D o I kil l her ? ” Str athmor e c on sider ed his option s. I f he l et Hal e take Susan out of C r ypto, ther e wer e n o guar an tees. Hal e might dr iv e f or a whil e, par k in the woods. He’ d hav e a gun …. Str athmor e’ s stomac h tur n ed. Ther e was n o tel l in g what woul d happen b ef or e Hal e set
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Susan f r ee… i f he set her f r ee. I’ v e g ot to c al l Sec u ri ty, Str athmor e dec ided. W hat el se c an I do? He pic tur ed Hal e in c our t, spil l in g his guts ab out D igital F or tr ess. M y pl an wi l l b e ru i ned. T here mu st b e some other way. “D ec ide! ” Hal e yel l ed, dr aggin g Susan towar d the stair c ase. Str athmor e wasn ’ t l isten in g. I f sav in g Susan mean t his pl an s wer e r uin ed, then so b e it–n othin g was wor th l osin g her . Susan F l etc her was a pr ic e Tr ev or Str athmor e r ef used to pay. Hal e had Susan ’ s ar m twisted b ehin d her b ac k an d her n ec k b en t to on e side. “This is your l ast c han c e, ol d man ! G iv e me the gun ! ” Str athmor e’ s min d c on tin ued to r ac e, sear c hin g f or an other option . T here are al ways other opti ons! F in al l y he spoke–q uietl y, al most sadl y. “N o, G r eg, I ’ m sor r y. I j ust c an ’ t l et you go.” Hal e c hoked in appar en t shoc k. “W hat! ” “I ’ m c al l in g Sec ur ity.” Susan gasped. “C omman der ! N o! ” Hal e tighten ed his gr ip. “Y ou c al l Sec ur ity, an d she dies! ” Str athmor e pul l ed the c el l ul ar of f his b el t an d f l ic ked it on . “G r eg, you’ r e b l uf f in g.” “Y ou’ l l n ev er do it! ” Hal e yel l ed. “I ’ l l tal k! I ’ l l r uin your pl an ! Y ou’ r e on l y hour s away f r om your dr eam! C on tr ol l in g al l the data in the wor l d! N o mor e TR A N SL TR . N o mor e l imits–j ust f r ee in f or mation . I t’ s a c han c e of a l if etime! Y ou won ’ t l et it sl ip b y! ” Str athmor e v oic e was l ike steel . “W atc h me.” “B ut–b ut what ab out Susan ? ” Hal e stammer ed. “Y ou make that c al l , an d she dies! ” Str athmor e hel d f ir m. “That’ s a c han c e I ’ m r eady to take.” “B ul l shit! Y ou’ v e got a b igger har d-on f or her than you do f or D igital F or tr ess! I kn ow you! Y ou won ’ t r isk it! ” Susan b egan to make an an gr y r eb uttal , b ut Str athmor e b eat her to it. “Y oun g man ! Y ou don’ t kn ow me! I take r isks f or a l iv in g. I f you’ r e l ookin g to pl ay har db al l , l et’ s pl ay! ” He star ted pun c hin g keys on his phon e. “Y ou misj udged me, son ! N ob ody thr eaten s the l iv es of my empl oyees an d wal ks out! ” He r aised the phon e an d b ar ked in to the r ec eiv er , “Switc hb oar d! G et me Sec ur ity! ” Hal e b egan to tor q ue Susan ’ s n ec k. “I -I ’ l l kil l her . I swear it! ” “Y ou’ l l do n o suc h thin g! ” Str athmor e pr oc l aimed. “K il l in g Susan wil l j ust make thin gs wor –” He b r oke of f an d r ammed the phon e again st his mouth. “Sec ur ity! This is C omman der Tr ev or Str athmor e. W e’ v e got a hostage situation in C r ypto! G et some men in her e! Y es, now, goddamn it! W e al so hav e a gen er ator f ail ur e. I wan t power r outed f r om al l av ail ab l e ex ter n al sour c es. I wan t al l systems on -l in e in f iv e min utes! G r eg Hal e kil l ed on e of my j un ior Sys-Sec s. He’ s hol din g my sen ior c r yptogr apher hostage. Y ou’ r e c l ear ed to use tear gas on al l of us if n ec essar y! I f M r . Hal e doesn ’ t c ooper ate, hav e sn iper s shoot him dead. I ’ l l take f ul l r espon sib il ity. D o it n ow! ” Hal e stood motion l ess–appar en tl y l imp in disb el ief . His gr ip on Susan eased. Str athmor e sn apped his phon e shut an d shov ed it b ac k on to his b el t. “Y our mov e, G r eg.”
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B ec ker stood b l ear y-eyed b eside the tel ephon e b ooth on the ter min al c on c our se. D espite his b ur n in g f ac e an d a v ague n ausea, his spir its wer e soar in g. I t was ov er . Tr ul y ov er . He was on his way home. The r in g on his f in ger was the gr ail he’ d b een seekin g. He hel d his han d up in the l ight an d sq uin ted at the gol d b an d. He c oul dn ’ t f oc us wel l en ough to r ead, b ut the in sc r iption didn ’ t appear to b e in En gl ish. The f ir st symb ol was either a Q , an O , or a z er o, his eyes hur t too muc h to tel l . B ec ker studied the f ir st f ew c har ac ter s. They made n o sen se. T hi s was a matter of nati onal sec u ri ty? B ec ker stepped in to the phon e b ooth an d dial ed Str athmor e. B ef or e he had f in ished the in ter n ation al pr ef ix , he got a r ec or din g. “Todos l os c ir c uitos está n oc upados, ” the v oic e said. “P l ease han g up an d tr y your c al l l ater .” B ec ker f r own ed an d hun g up. He’ d f or gotten : G ettin g an in ter n ation al c on n ec tion f r om Spain was l ike r oul ette, al l a matter of timin g an d l uc k. He’ d hav e to tr y again in a f ew min utes. B ec ker f ought to ign or e the wan in g stin g of the pepper in his eyes. M egan had tol d him r ub b in g his eyes woul d on l y make them wor se; he c oul dn ’ t imagin e. I mpatien t, he tr ied the phon e again . Stil l n o c ir c uits. B ec ker c oul dn ’ t wait an y l on ger –his eyes wer e on f ir e; he had to f l ush them with water . Str athmor e woul d hav e to wait a min ute or two. Hal f b l in d, B ec ker made his way towar d the b athr ooms. The b l ur r y image of the c l ean in g c ar t was stil l in f r on t of the men ’ s r oom, so B ec ker tur n ed again towar d the door mar ked damas. He thought he hear d soun ds in side. He kn oc ked. “Hol a? ” Sil en c e. Prob ab l y M eg an, he thought. She had f iv e hour s to kil l b ef or e her f l ight an d had said she was goin g to sc r ub her ar m til l it was c l ean . “M egan ? ” he c al l ed. He kn oc ked again . Ther e was n o r epl y. B ec ker pushed the door open . “Hel l o? ” He wen t in . The b athr oom appear ed empty. He shr ugged an d wal ked to the sin k. The sin k was stil l f il thy, b ut the water was c ol d. B ec ker f el t his por es tighten as he spl ashed the water in his eyes. The pain b egan to ease, an d the f og gr adual l y l if ted. B ec ker eyed himsel f in the mir r or . He l ooked l ike he’ d b een c r yin g f or days. He dr ied his f ac e on the sl eev e of his j ac ket, an d then it sudden l y oc c ur r ed to him. I n al l the ex c itemen t, he’ d f or gotten wher e he was. He was at the air por t! Somewher e out ther eon the tar mac , in on e of the Sev il l e air por t’ s thr ee pr iv ate han gar s, ther e was a L ear j et 6 0 waitin g to take him home. The pil ot had stated v er y c l ear l y, I hav e orders to stay here u nti l you retu rn. I t was har d to b el iev e, B ec ker thought, that af ter al l this, he had en ded up r ight b ac k wher e he’ d star ted. W hat am I wai ti ng f or? he l aughed. I’ m su re the pi l ot c an radi o a messag e to Strathmore! C huc kl in g to himsel f , B ec ker gl an c ed in the mir r or an d str aighten ed his tie. He was ab out to go when the r ef l ec tion of somethin g b ehin d him c aught his eye. He tur n ed. I t appear ed to b e on e en d of M egan ’ s duf f el , pr otr udin g f r om un der a par tial l y open stal l door . “M egan ? ” he c al l ed. Ther e was n o r epl y. “M eg an? ” B ec ker wal ked ov er . He r apped l oudl y on the side of the stal l . N o an swer . He gen tl y pushed the door . I t swun g open . B ec ker f ought b ac k a c r y of hor r or . M egan was on the toil et, her eyes r ol l ed skywar d. D ead c en ter of her f or ehead, a b ul l et hol e ooz ed b l oody l iq uid down her f ac e.
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“O h, Jesus! ” B ec ker c r ied in shoc k. “Está muer ta, ” a b ar el y human v oic e c r oaked b ehin d him. “She’ s dead.” I t was l ike a dr eam. B ec ker tur n ed. “Señ or B ec ker ? ” the eer ie v oic e asked. D az ed, B ec ker studied the man steppin g in to the r est r oom. He l ooked oddl y f amil iar . “Soy Hul ohot, ” the kil l er said. “I am Hul ohot.” The misshapen wor ds seemed to emer ge f r om the depths of his stomac h. Hul ohot hel d out his han d. “El an il l o. The r in g.” B ec ker star ed b l an kl y. The man r eac hed in his poc ket an d pr oduc ed a gun . He r aised the weapon an d tr ain ed it on B ec ker ’ s head. “El an il l o.” I n an in stan t of c l ar ity, B ec ker f el t a sen sation he had n ev er kn own . A s if c ued b y some sub c on sc ious sur v iv al in stin c t, ev er y musc l e in his b ody ten sed simul tan eousl y. He f l ew thr ough the air as the shot spat out. B ec ker c r ashed down on top of M egan . A b ul l et ex pl oded again st the wal l b ehin d him. “M ier da! ” Hul ohot seethed. Somehow, at the l ast possib l e in stan t, D av id B ec ker had div ed out of the way. The assassin adv an c ed. B ec ker pul l ed himsel f of f the l if el ess teen ager . Ther e wer e appr oac hin g f ootsteps. B r eathin g. The c oc k of a weapon . “A dió s, ” the man whisper ed as he l un ged l ike a pan ther , swin gin g his weapon in to the stal l . The gun wen t of f . Ther e was a f l ash of r ed. B ut it was n o tb l ood. I t was somethin g el se. A n ob j ec t had mater ial iz ed as if out of n owher e, sail in g out of the stal l an d hittin g the kil l er in the c hest, c ausin g his gun to f ir e a spl it sec on d ear l y. I t was M egan ’ s duf f el . B ec ker ex pl oded f r om the stal l . He b ur ied his shoul der in the man ’ s c hest an d dr ov e him b ac k in to the sin k. Ther e was a b on e-c r ushin g c r ash. A mir r or shatter ed. The gun f el l f r ee. The two men c ol l apsed to the f l oor . B ec ker tor e himsel f away an d dashed f or the ex it. Hul ohot sc r amb l ed f or his weapon , spun , an d f ir ed. The b ul l et r ipped in to the sl ammin g b athr oom door . The empty ex pan se of the air por t c on c our se l oomed b ef or e B ec ker l ike an un c r ossab l e deser t. His l egs sur ged b en eath him f aster than he’ d ev er kn own they c oul d mov e. A s he skidded in to the r ev ol v in g door , a shot r an g out b ehin d him. The gl ass pan el in f r on t of him ex pl oded in a shower of gl ass. B ec ker pushed his shoul der in to the f r ame an d the door r otated f or war d. A momen t l ater he stumb l ed on to the pav emen t outside. A tax i stood waitin g. “D é j ame en tr ar ! ” B ec ker sc r eamed, poun din g on the l oc ked door . “L et me in ! ” The dr iv er r ef used; his f ar e with the wir e-r im gl asses had asked him to wait. B ec ker tur n ed an d saw Hul ohot str eakin g ac r oss he c on c our se, gun in han d. B ec ker eyed his l ittl e V espa on the sidewal k. I’ m dead. Hul ohot b l asted thr ough the r ev ol v in g door s j ust in time to see B ec ker tr yin g in v ain to kic k star t his V espa. Hul ohot smil ed an d r aised his weapon . T he c hok e! B ec ker f umb l ed with the l ev er s un der the gas tan k. He j umped on the star ter again . I t c oughed an d died. “El an il l o. The r in g.” The v oic e was c l ose. B ec ker l ooked up. He saw the b ar r el of a gun . The c hamb er was r otatin g. He r ammed his f oot on the star ter on c e again . Hul ohot’ s shot j ust missed B ec ker ’ s head as the l ittl e b ike spr an g to l if e an d l ur c hed
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f or war d. B ec ker hun g on f or his l if e as the motor c yc l e b oun c ed down a gr assy emb an kmen t an d wob b l ed ar oun d the c or n er of the b uil din g on to the r un way. En r aged, Hul ohot r ac ed towar d his waitin g tax i. Sec on ds l ater , the dr iv er l ay stun n ed on the c ur b watc hin g his tax i peel out in a c l oud of dust.
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A s the impl ic ation s of the C omman der ’ s phon e c al l to Sec ur ity b egan to settl e on the daz ed G r eg Hal e, he f oun d himsel f weaken ed b y a wav e of pan ic . Sec u ri ty i s c omi ng ! Susan b egan to sl ip away. Hal e r ec ov er ed, c l utc hin g at her midsec tion , pul l in g her b ac k. “L et me go! ” she c r ied, her v oic e ec hoin g though the dome. Hal e’ s min d was in ov er dr iv e. The c omman der ’ s c al l had taken him total l y b y sur pr ise. Strathmore phoned Sec u ri ty! H e’ s sac ri f i c i ng hi s pl ans f or D i g i tal Fortress! N ot in a mil l ion year s had Hal e imagin ed the c omman der woul d l et D igital F or tr ess sl ip b y. This b ac k door was the c han c e of a l if etime. A s the pan ic r ushed in , Hal e’ s min d seemed to pl ay tr ic ks on him. He saw the b ar r el of Str athmor e’ s B er r etta ev er ywher e he l ooked. He b egan to spin , hol din g Susan c l ose, tr yin g to den y the c omman der a shot. D r iv en b y f ear , Hal e dr agged Susan b l in dl y towar d the stair s. I n f iv e min utes the l ights woul d c ome on , the door s woul d open , an d a SW A T team woul d pour in . “Y ou’ r e hur tin g me! ” Susan c hoked. She gasped f or b r eath as she stumb l ed thr ough Hal e’ s desper ate pir ouettes. Hal e c on sider ed l ettin g her go an d makin g a mad dash f or Str athmor e’ s el ev ator , b ut it was suic ide. He had n o passwor d. B esides, on c e outside the N SA without a hostage, Hal e kn ew he was as good as dead. N ot ev en his L otus c oul d outr un a f l eet of N SA hel ic opter s. Su san i s the onl y thi ng that wi l l k eep Strathmore f rom b l owi ng me of f the road! “Susan , ” Hal e b l ur ted, dr aggin g her towar d the stair s. “C ome with me! I swear I won ’ t hur t you! ” A s Susan f ought him, Hal e r eal iz ed he had n ew pr ob l ems. Ev en if he somehow man aged to get Str athmor e’ s el ev ator open an d take Susan with him, she woul d un doub tedl y f ight him al l the way out of the b uil din g. Hal e kn ew f ul l wel l that Str athmor e’ s el ev ator made on l y on e stop: “the U n der gr oun d Highway, ” a r estr ic ted l ab yr in th of un der gr oun d ac c ess tun n el s thr ough whic h N SA power b r oker s mov ed in sec r ec y. Hal e had n o in ten tion of en din g up l ost in the b asemen t c or r idor s of the N SA with a str uggl in g hostage. I t was a death tr ap. Ev en if he got out, he r eal iz ed, he had n o gun . How woul d he get Susan ac r oss the par kin g l ot? How woul d he dr iv e? I t was the v oic e of on e of Hal e’ s mar in e, mil itar y-str ategy pr of essor s that gav e him his an swer : F or c e a han d, the v oic e war n ed, an d it wil l f ight you. B ut c on v in c e a min d to thin k as you wan t it to thin k, an d you hav e an al l y. “Susan , ” Hal e hear d himsel f sayin g, “Str athmor e’ s a kil l er ! Y ou’ r e in dan ger her e! ” Susan didn ’ t seem to hear . Hal e kn ew it was an ab sur d an gl e an yway; Str athmor e woul d n ev er hur t Susan , an d she kn ew it. Hal e str ain ed his eyes in to the dar kn ess, won der in g wher e the c omman der was hidden . Str athmor e had f al l en sil en t sudden l y, whic h made Hal e ev en mor e pan ic ky. He sen sed his time was up. Sec ur ity woul d ar r iv e at an y momen t. W ith a sur ge of str en gth, Hal e wr apped his ar ms ar oun d Susan ’ s waist an d pul l ed her har d up the stair s. She hooked her heel s on the f ir st step an d pul l ed b ac k. I t was n o use, Hal e ov er power ed her . C ar ef ul l y, Hal e b ac ked up the stair s with Susan in tow. P ushin g her up might hav e b een easier , b ut the l an din g at the top was il l umin ated f r om Str athmor e’ s c omputer mon itor s. I f Susan wen t f ir st, Str athmor e woul d hav e a c l ear shot at Hal e’ s b ac k. P ul l in g Susan b ehin d him, Hal e had a human shiel d b etween himsel f an d the C r ypto f l oor .
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A b out a thir d of the way up, Hal e sen sed mov emen t at the b ottom of the stair s. Strathmore’ s mak i ng hi s mov e! “D on ’ t tr y it, C omman der , ” he hissed. “Y ou’ l l on l y get her kil l ed.” Hal e waited. B ut ther e was on l y sil en c e. He l isten ed c l osel y. N othin g. The b ottom of the stair s was stil l . W as he imagin in g thin gs? I t didn ’ t matter . Str athmor e woul d n ev er r isk a shot with Susan in the way. B ut as Hal e b ac ked up the stair s dr aggin g Susan b ehin d him, somethin g un ex pec ted happen ed. Ther e was a f ain t thud on the l an din g b ehin d him. Hal e stopped, adr en al in e sur gin g. Had Str athmor e sl ipped upstair s? I n stin c t tol d him Str athmor e was at the b ottom of the stair s. B ut then , sudden l y, it happen ed again –l ouder this time. A distin c t step on the upper l an din g! I n ter r or , Hal e r eal iz ed his mistake. Strathmore’ s on the l andi ng b ehi nd me! H e has a c l ear shot of my b ac k ! I n desper ation , he spun Susan b ac k to his uphil l side an d star ted r etr eatin g b ac kwar ds down the steps. A s he r eac hed the b ottom step, he star ed wil dl y up at the l an din g an d yel l ed, “B ac k of f , C omman der ! B ac k of f , or I ’ l l b r eak her –” The b utt of a B er r etta c ame sl ic in g thr ough the air at the f oot of the stair s an d c r ashed down in to Hal e’ s skul l . A s Susan tor e f r ee of the sl umpin g Hal e, she wheel ed in c on f usion . Str athmor e gr ab b ed her an d r eel ed her in , c r adl in g her shakin g b ody. “Shhh, ” he soothed. “I t’ s me. Y ou’ r e okay.” Susan was tr emb l in g. “C om… man der .” She gasped, disor ien ted. “I thought… I thought you wer e upstair s… I hear d…” “Easy n ow, ” he whisper ed. “Y ou hear d me toss my l oaf er s up on to the l an din g.” Susan f oun d her sel f l aughin g an d c r yin g at the same time. The c omman der had j ust sav ed her l if e. Stan din g ther e in the dar kn ess, Susan f el t an ov er whel min g sen se of r el ief . I t was n ot, howev er , without guil t; Sec ur ity was c omin g. She had f ool ishl y l et Hal e gr ab her , an d he had used her again st Str athmor e. Susan kn ew the c omman der had paid a huge pr ic e to sav e her . “I ’ m sor r y, ” she said. “W hat f or ? ” “Y our pl an s f or D igital F or tr ess… they’ r e r uin ed.” Str athmor e shook his head. “N ot at al l .” “B ut… b ut what ab out Sec ur ity? They’ l l b e her e an y min ute. W e won ’ t hav e time to– ” “Sec ur ity’ s n ot c omin g, Susan . W e’ v e got al l the time in the wor l d.” Susan was l ost. N ot c omi ng ? “B ut you phon ed…” Str athmor e c huc kl ed. “O l dest tr ic k in the b ook. I f aked the c al l .”
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B ec ker ’ s V espa was n o doub t the smal l est v ehic l e ev er to tear down the Sev il l e r un way. I ts top speed, a whin in g 5 0 mph, soun ded mor e l ike a c hain saw than a motor c yc l e an d was un f or tun atel y wel l b el ow the n ec essar y power to b ec ome air b or n e. I n his side mir r or , B ec ker saw the tax i swin g out on to the dar ken ed r un way ab out f our hun dr ed yar ds b ac k. I t immediatel y star ted gain in g. B ec ker f ac ed f r on t. I n the distan c e, the c on tour of the air pl an e han gar s stood f r amed again st the n ight sky ab out a hal f mil e out. B ec ker won der ed if the tax i woul d ov er take him in that distan c e. He kn ew Susan c oul d do the math in two sec on ds an d c al c ul ate his odds. B ec ker sudden l y f el t f ear l ike he had n ev er kn own . He l ower ed his head an d twisted the thr ottl e as f ar as it woul d go. The V espa was def in itel y topped out. B ec ker guessed the tax i b ehin d him was doin g al most n in ety, twic e his speed. He set his sights on the thr ee str uc tur es l oomin g in the distan c e. T he mi ddl e one. T hat’ s where the L earj et i s. A shot r an g out. The b ul l et b ur ied itsel f in the r un way yar ds b ehin d him. B ec ker l ooked b ac k. The assassin was han gin g out the win dow takin g aim. B ec ker swer v ed an d his side mir r or ex pl oded in a shower of gl ass. He c oul d f eel the impac t of the b ul l et al l the way up the han dl eb ar s. He l ay his b ody f l at on the b ike. G od hel p me, I’ m not g oi ng to mak e i t! The tar mac in f r on t of B ec ker ’ s V espa was gr owin g b r ighter n ow. The tax i was c l osin g, the headl ights thr owin g ghostl y shadows down the r un way. A shot f ir ed. The b ul l et r ic oc heted of f the hul l of the b ike. B ec ker str uggl ed to keep f r om goin g in to a swer v e. I’ v e g ot to mak e the hang ar! He won der ed if the L ear j et pil ot c oul d see them c omin g. D oes he hav e a weapon? W i l l he open the c ab i n doors i n ti me? B ut as B ec ker appr oac hed the l it ex pan se of the open han gar s, he r eal iz ed the q uestion was moot. The L ear j et was n owher e to b e seen . He sq uin ted thr ough b l ur r ed v ision an d pr ayed he was hal l uc in atin g. He was n ot. The han gar was b ar e. O h my G od! W here’ s the pl ane! A s the two v ehic l es r oc keted in to the empty han gar , B ec ker desper atel y sear c hed f or an esc ape. Ther e was n on e. The b uil din g’ s r ear wal l , an ex pan siv e sheet of c or r ugated metal , had n o door s or win dows. The tax i r oar ed up b eside him, an d B ec ker l ooked l ef t to see Hul ohot r aisin g his gun . R ef l ex took ov er . B ec ker sl ammed down on his b r akes. He b ar el y sl owed. The han gar f l oor was sl ic k with oil . The V espa wen t in to a headl on g skid. B eside him ther e was a deaf en in g sq ueal as the tax i’ s b r akes l oc ked an d the b al din g tir es hydr opl an ed on the sl ipper y sur f ac e. The c ar spun ar oun d in a c l oud of smoke an d b ur n in g r ub b er on l y in c hes to the l ef t of B ec ker ’ s skiddin g V espa. N ow side b y side, the two v ehic l es skimmed out of c on tr ol on a c ol l ision c our se with the r ear of the han gar . B ec ker desper atel y pumped his b r akes, b ut ther e was n o tr ac tion ; it was l ike dr iv in g on ic e. I n f r on t of him, the metal wal l l oomed. I t was c omin g f ast. A s the tax i spir al ed wil dl y b eside him, B ec ker f ac ed the wal l an d b r ac ed f or the impac t. Ther e was an ear spl ittin g c r ash of steel an d c or r ugated metal . B ut ther e was n o pain . B ec ker f oun d himsel f sudden l y in the open air , stil l on his V espa, b oun c in g ac r oss a gr assy f iel d. I t was as if the han gar ’ s b ac k wal l had v an ished b ef or e him. The tax i was stil l b eside him, c ar een in g ac r oss the f iel d. A n en or mous sheet of c or r ugated metal f r om the han gar ’ s b ac k wal l b il l owed of f the tax i’ s hood an d sail ed ov er B ec ker ’ s head. Hear t r ac in g, B ec ker gun n ed the V espa an d took of f in to the n ight.
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Jab b a l et out a c on ten ted sigh as he f in ished the l ast of his sol der poin ts. He switc hed of f the ir on , put down his pen l ight, an d l ay a momen t in the dar kn ess of the main f r ame c omputer . He was b eat. His n ec k hur t. I n ter n al wor k was al ways c r amped, espec ial l y f or a man of his siz e. A n d they j ust keep b uil din g them smal l er , he mused. A s he c l osed his eyes f or a wel l -deser v ed momen t of r el ax ation , someon e outside b egan pul l in g on his b oots. “Jab b a! G et out her e! ” a woman ’ s v oic e yel l ed. M idge f oun d me. He gr oan ed. “Jab b a! G et out her e! ” R el uc tan tl y he sl ither ed out. “F or the l ov e of G od, M idge! I tol d you–” B ut it was n ot M idge. Jab b a l ooked up, sur pr ised. “Soshi? ” Soshi K uta was a n in ety-poun d l iv e wir e. She was Jab b a’ s r ighthan d assistan t, a r az or -shar p Sys-Sec tec hie f r om M I T. She of ten wor ked l ate with Jab b a an d was the on e memb er of his staf f who seemed un in timidated b y him. She gl ar ed at him an d deman ded, “W hy the hel l didn ’ t you an swer your phon e? O r my page? ” “Y ou r page, ” Jab b a r epeated. “I thought it was–” “N ev er min d. Ther e’ s somethin g str an ge goin g on in the main datab an k.” Jab b a c hec ked his watc h. “Str an ge? ” N ow he was gr owin g c on c er n ed. “C an you b e an y mor e spec if ic ? ” Two min utes l ater Jab b a was dashin g down the hal l towar d the datab an k.
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G r eg Hal e l ay c ur l ed on the N ode 3 f l oor . Str athmor e an d Susan had j ust dr agged him ac r oss C r ypto an d b oun d his han ds an d f eet with twel v e-gauge pr in ter c ab l e f r om the N ode 3 l aser -pr in ter s. Susan c oul dn ’ t get ov er the ar tf ul man euv er the c omman der had j ust ex ec uted. H e f ak ed the c al l ! Somehow Str athmor e had c aptur ed Hal e, sav ed Susan , an d b ought himsel f the time n eeded to r ewr ite D igital F or tr ess. Susan eyed the b oun d c r yptogr apher un easil y. Hal e was b r eathin g heav il y. Str athmor e sat on the c ouc h with the B er r etta pr opped awkwar dl y in his l ap. Susan r etur n ed her atten tion to Hal e’ s ter min al an d c on tin ued her r an dom-str in g sear c h. Her f our th str in g sear c h r an its c our se an d c ame up empty. “Stil l n o l uc k.” She sighed. “W e may n eed to wait f or D av id to f in d Tan kado’ s c opy.” Str athmor e gav e her a disappr ov in g l ook. “I f D av id f ail s, an d Tan kado’ s key f al l s in to the wr on g han ds…” Str athmor e didn ’ t n eed to f in ish. Susan un der stood. U n til the D igital F or tr ess f il e on the I n ter n et had b een r epl ac ed with Str athmor e’ s modif ied v er sion , Tan kado’ s pass-key was dan ger ous. “A f ter we make the switc h, ” Str athmor e added, “I don ’ t c ar e how man y pass-keys ar e f l oatin g ar oun d; the mor e the mer r ier .” He motion ed f or her to c on tin ue sear c hin g. “B ut un til then , we’ r e pl ayin g b eat-the-c l oc k.” Susan open ed her mouth to ac kn owl edge, b ut her wor ds wer e dr own ed out b y a sudden deaf en in g b l ar e. The sil en c e of C r ypto was shatter ed b y a war n in g hor n f r om the sub l ev el s. Susan an d Str athmor e ex c han ged star tl ed l ooks. “W hat’ s that? ” Susan yel l ed, timin g her q uestion b etween the in ter mitten t b ur sts. “TR A N SL TR ! ” Str athmor e c al l ed b ac k, l ookin g tr oub l ed. “I t’ s too hot! M ayb e Hal e was r ight ab out the aux power n ot pul l in g en ough f r eon .” “W hat ab out the auto-ab or t? ” Str athmor e thought a momen t, then yel l ed, “Somethin g must hav e shor ted.” A yel l ow sir en l ight spun ab ov e the C r ypto f l oor an d swept a pul satin g gl ar e ac r oss his f ac e. “Y ou b etter ab or t! ” Susan c al l ed. Str athmor e n odded. Ther e was n o tel l in g what woul d happen if thr ee mil l ion sil ic on pr oc essor s ov er heated an d dec ided to ign ite. Str athmor e n eeded to get upstair s to his ter min al an d ab or t the D igital F or tr ess r un –par tic ul ar l y b ef or e an yon e outside of C r ypto n otic ed the tr oub l e an d dec ided to sen d in the c av al r y. Str athmor e shot a gl an c e at the stil l -un c on sc ious Hal e. He l aid the B er r etta on a tab l e n ear Susan an d yel l ed ov er the sir en s, “B e r ight b ac k! ” A s he disappear ed thr ough the hol e in the N ode 3 wal l , Str athmor e c al l ed ov er his shoul der , “A n d f in d me that pass-key! ” Susan eyed the r esul ts of her un pr oduc tiv e pass-key sear c h an d hoped Str athmor e woul d hur r y up an d ab or t. The n oise an d l ights in C r ypto f el t l ike a missil e l aun c h. O n the f l oor , Hal e b egan to stir . W ith eac h b l ast of the hor n , he win c ed. Susan sur pr ised her sel f b y gr ab b in g the B er r etta. Hal e open ed his eyes to Susan F l etc her stan din g ov er him with the gun l ev el ed at his c r otc h. “W her e’ s the pass-key? ” Susan deman ded. Hal e was hav in g tr oub l e gettin g his b ear in gs. “W h-what happen ed? ” “Y ou b l ew it, that’ s what happen ed. N ow, wher e’ s the passkey? ” Hal e tr ied to mov e his ar ms b ut r eal iz ed he was tied. His f ac e b ec ame taut with pan ic . “L et me go! ”
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“I n eed the pass-key, ” Susan r epeated. “I don ’ t hav e it! L et me go! ” Hal e tr ied to getup. He c oul d b ar el y r ol l ov er . Susan yel l ed b etween b l asts of the hor n . “Y ou’ r e N or th D akota, an d En sei Tan kado gav e you a c opy of his key. I n eed it n ow! ” “Y ou’ r e c r az y! ” Hal e gasped. “I ’ m n ot N or th D akota! ” He str uggl ed un suc c essf ul l y to f r ee himsel f . Susan c har ged an gr il y. “D on ’ t l ie to me. W hy the hel l is al l of N or th D akota’ s mail in you r ac c oun t? ” “I tol d you b ef or e! ” Hal e pl eaded as the hor n s b l ar ed on . “I sn ooped Str athmor e! That E-mail in my ac c oun t was mail I c opied out of Strathmore’ s ac c oun t–E-mail C O M I N T stol e f r om Tan kado! ” “B ul l ! Y ou c oul d n ev er sn oop the c omman der ’ s ac c oun t! ” “Y ou don ’ t un der stan d! ” Hal e yel l ed. “Ther e was al ready a tap on Str athmor e’ s ac c oun t! ” Hal e del iv er ed his wor ds in shor t b ur sts b etween the sir en s. “Someon e el se put the tap ther e. I thin k it was D ir ec tor F on tain e! I j ust piggyb ac ked! Y ou’ v e got to b el iev e me! That’ s how I f oun d out ab out his pl an to r ewr ite D igital F or tr ess! I ’ v e b een r eadin g Str athmor e’ s b r ain stor ms! ” B rai n Storms? Susan paused. Str athmor e had un doub tedl y outl in ed his pl an s f or D igital F or tr ess usin g his B r ain Stor m sof twar e. I f an yon e had sn ooped the c omman der ’ s ac c oun t, al l the in f or mation woul d hav e b een av ail ab l e… “R ewr itin g D igital F or tr ess is si c k ! ” Hal e c r ied. “Y ou kn ow damn wel l what it impl ies–total N SA ac c ess! ” The sir en s b l asted, dr own in g him out, b ut Hal e was possessed. “Y ou thin k we’ r e r eady f or that r espon sib il ity? Y ou thin k anyone is? I t’ s f uc kin g shor tsighted! Y ou say our gov er n men t has the peopl e’ s b est in ter ests at hear t? G r eat! B ut what happen s when some f utur e gov er n men t doesn’ t hav e our b est in ter ests at hear t! This tec hn ol ogy is f orev er! ” Susan c oul d b ar el y hear him; the n oise in C r ypto was deaf en in g. Hal e str uggl ed to get f r ee. He l ooked Susan in the eye an d kept yel l in g. “How the hel l do c iv il ian s def en d themsel v es again st a pol ic e state when the guy at the top has ac c ess to al l their l in es of c ommun ic ation ? How do they pl an a r ev ol t? ” Susan had hear d this ar gumen t man y times. The f utur e-gov er n men ts ar gumen t was a stoc k EF F c ompl ain t. “Str athmor e had to b e stopped! ” Hal e sc r eamed as the sir en s b l asted. “I swor e I’ d do it. That’ s what I ’ v e b een doin g her e al l day–watc hin g his ac c oun t, waitin g f or him to make his mov e so I c oul d r ec or d the switc h in pr ogr ess. I n eeded pr oof –ev iden c e that he’ d wr itten in a b ac k door . That’ s why I c opied al l his E-mail in to my ac c oun t. I t was ev iden c e that he’ d b een watc hin g D igital F or tr ess. I pl an n ed to go to the pr ess with the in f or mation .” Susan ’ s hear t skipped. Had she hear d c or r ec tl y? Sudden l y this did soun d l ike G r eg Hal e. W as i t possi b l e? I f Hal e had kn own ab out Str athmor e’ s pl an to r el ease a tain ted v er sion of D igital F or tr ess, he c oul d wait un til the whol e wor l d was usin g it an d then dr op his b omb shel l –c ompl ete with pr oof ! Susan imagin ed the headl in es: C r yptogr apher G r eg Hal e un v eil s sec r et U .S. pl an to c on tr ol gl ob al in f or mation ! W as it Skipj ac k al l ov er ? U n c ov er in g an N SA b ac k door again woul d make G r eg Hal e f amous b eyon d his wil dest dr eams. I t woul d al so sin k the N SA . She sudden l y f oun d her sel f won der in g if mayb e Hal e was tel l in g the tr uth. N o! she dec ided. O f c ou rse not! Hal e c on tin ued to pl ead. “I ab or ted your tr ac er b ec ause I thought you wer e l ookin g
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f or me! I thought you suspec ted Str athmor e was b ein g sn ooped! I didn ’ t wan t you to f in d the l eak an d tr ac e it b ac k to me! ” It was pl au si b l e b u t u nl i k el y. “Then why’ d you kil l C har tr ukian ? ” Susan sn apped. “I didn ’ t! ” Hal e sc r eamed ov er the n oise. “Str athmor e was the on e who pushed him! I saw the whol e thin g f r om down stair s! C har tr ukian was ab out to c al l the Sys-Sec s an d r uin Str athmor e’ s pl an s f or the b ac k door ! ” Hal e’ s good, Susan thought. He’ s got an an gl e f or ev er ythin g. “L et me go! ” Hal e b egged. “I didn ’ t do an ythin g! ” “D idn ’ t do an ythin g? ” Susan shouted, won der in g what was takin g Str athmor e so l on g. “Y ou an d Tan kado wer e hol din g the N SA hostage. A t l east un til you doub l e-c r ossed him. Tel l me, ” she pr essed, “did Tan kado r eal l y die of a hear t attac k, or did you hav e on e of your b uddies take him out? ” “Y ou’ r e so b l in d! ” Hal e yel l ed. “C an ’ t you see I ’ m n ot in v ol v ed? U n tie me! B ef or e Sec ur ity gets her e! ” “Sec ur ity’ s n ot c omin g, ” she sn apped f l atl y. Hal e tur n ed white. “W hat? ” “Str athmor e f aked the phon e c al l .” Hal e’ s eyes wen t wide. He seemed momen tar il y par al yz ed. Then he b egan wr ithin g f ier c el y. “Str athmor e’ l l kil l me! I kn ow he wil l ! I kn ow too muc h! ” “Easy, G r eg.” The sir en s b l ar ed as Hal e yel l ed out, “B ut I ’ m in n oc en t! ” “Y ou’ r e l yin g! A n d I hav e pr oof ! ” Susan str ode ar oun d the r in g of ter min al s. “R ememb er that tr ac er you ab or ted? ” she asked, ar r iv in g at her own ter min al . “I sen t it again ! Shal l we see if it’ s b ac k yet? ” Sur e en ough, on Susan ’ s sc r een , a b l in kin g ic on al er ted her that her tr ac er had r etur n ed. She pal med her mouse an d open ed the message. T hi s data wi l l seal H al e’ s f ate, she thought. H al e i s N orth D ak ota. The datab ox open ed. H al e i s – Susan stopped. The tr ac er mater ial iz ed, an d Susan stood in stun n ed sil en c e. Ther e had to b e some mistake; the tr ac er had f in ger ed someon e el se–a most un l ikel y per son . Susan steadied her sel f on the ter min al an d r er ead the datab ox b ef or e her . I t was the same in f or mation Str athmor e said he’ d r ec eiv ed when he r an the tr ac er ! Susan had f igur ed Str athmor e had made a mistake, b ut she kn ew she’ d c on f igur ed the tr ac er per f ec tl y. A n d yet the in f or mation on the sc r een was un thin kab l e: N D A K O TA
= ET@ D O SHI SHA .ED U
“ET? ” Susan deman ded, her head swimmin g. “En sei Tan kado is N or th D akota? ” I t was in c on c eiv ab l e. I f the data was c or r ec t, Tan kado an d his par tn er wer e the same per son . Susan ’ s thoughts wer e sudden l y disc on n ec ted. She wished the b l ar in g hor n woul d stop. W hy doesn’ t Strathmore tu rn that damn thi ng of f ? Hal e twisted on the f l oor , str ain in g to see Susan . “W hat does it say? Tel l me! ” Susan b l oc ked out Hal e an d the c haos ar oun d her . E nsei T ank ado i s N orth D ak ota…. She r eshuf f l ed the piec es tr yin g to make them f it. I f Tan kado was N or th D akota, then he was sen din g E-mail to hi msel f … whic h mean t N or th D akota didn ’ t ex ist. Tan kado’ s par tn er was a hoax . N or th D akota is a ghost, she said to her sel f . Smoke an d mir r or s.
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The pl oy was a b r il l ian t on e. A ppar en tl y Str athmor e had b een watc hin g on l y on e side of a ten n is matc h. Sin c e the b al l kept c omin g b ac k, he assumed ther e was someon e on the other side of the n et. B ut Tan kado had b een pl ayin g again st a wal l . He had b een pr oc l aimin g the v ir tues of D igital F or tr ess in E-mail he’ d sen t to himsel f . He had wr itten l etter s, sen t them to an an on ymous r email er , an d a f ew hour s l ater , the r email er had sen t them r ight b ac k to him. N ow, Susan r eal iz ed, it was al l so ob v ious. Tan kado had wanted the c omman der to sn oop him… he’ d wanted him to r ead the E-mail . En sei Tan kado had c r eated an imagin ar y in sur an c e pol ic y without ev er hav in g to tr ust an other soul with his pass-key. O f c our se, to make the whol e f ar c e seem authen tic , Tan kado had used a sec r et ac c oun t… j ust sec r et en ough to al l ay an y suspic ion s that the whol e thin g was a setup. Tan kado was his own par tn er . N or th D akota did n ot ex ist. En sei Tan kado was a on e-man show. A on e-man show. A ter r if yin g thought gr ipped Susan . Tan kado c oul d hav e used his f ake c or r espon den c e to c on v in c e Str athmor e of j ust ab out an ythin g. She r ememb er ed her f ir st r eac tion when Str athmor e tol d her ab out the un b r eakab l e al gor ithm. She’ d swor n it was impossib l e. The un settl in g poten tial of the situation settl ed har d in Susan ’ s stomac h. W hat pr oof did they ac tual l y hav e that Tan kado had real l y c r eated D igital F or tr ess? O n l y a l ot of hype in his E-mail . A n d of c our se… TR A N SL TR . The c omputer had b een l oc ked in an en dl ess l oop f or al most twen ty hour s. Susan kn ew, howev er , that ther e wer e other pr ogr ams that c oul d keep TR A N SL TR b usy that l on g, pr ogr ams f ar easier to c r eate than an un b r eakab l e al gor ithm. V ir uses. The c hil l swept ac r oss her b ody. B ut how c oul d a v ir us get in to TR A N SL TR ? L ike a v oic e f r om the gr av e, P hil C har tr ukian gav e the an swer . Strathmore b ypassed G au ntl et! I n a sic ken in g r ev el ation , Susan gr asped the tr uth. Str athmor e had down l oaded Tan kado’ s D igital F or tr ess f il e an d tr ied to sen d it in to TR A N SL TR to b r eak it. B ut G aun tl et had r ej ec ted the f il e b ec ause it c on tain ed dan ger ous mutation str in gs. N or mal l y Str athmor e woul d hav e b een c on c er n ed, b ut he had seen Tan kado’ s E-mail –M u tati on stri ng s are the tri c k ! C on v in c ed D igital F or tr ess was saf e to l oad, Str athmor e b ypassed G aun tl et’ s f il ter s an d sen t the f il e in to TR A N SL TR . Susan c oul d b ar el y speak. “Ther e i s n o D igital F or tr ess, ” she c hoked as the sir en s b l ar ed on . Sl owl y, weakl y, she l ean ed again st her ter min al . Tan kado had gon e f ishin g f or f ool s… an d the N SA had taken the b ait. Then , f r om upstair s, c ame a l on g c r y of an guish. I t was Str athmor e.
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Tr ev or Str athmor e was hun c hed at his desk when Susan ar r iv ed b r eathl ess at his door . His head was down , his sweaty head gl isten in g in the l ight of his mon itor . The hor n s on the sub l ev el s b l ar ed. Susan r ac ed ov er to his desk. “C omman der ? ” Str athmor e didn ’ t mov e. “C omman der ! W e’ v e got to shut down TR A N SL TR ! W e’ v e got a–” “He got us, ” Str athmor e said without l ookin g up. “Tan kado f ool ed us al l …” She c oul d tel l b y the ton e of his v oic e he un der stood. A l l of Tan kado’ s hype ab out the un b r eakab l e al gor ithm… auc tion in g of f the pass-key–it was al l an ac t, a c har ade. Tan kado had tr ic ked the N SA in to sn oopin g his mail , tr ic ked them in to b el iev in g he had a par tn er , an d tr ic ked them in to down l oadin g a v er y dan ger ous f il e. “The mutation str in gs–” Str athmor e f al ter ed. “I kn ow.” The c omman der l ooked up sl owl y. “The f il e I down l oaded of f the I n ter n et… it was a…” Susan tr ied to stay c al m. A l l the piec es in the game had shif ted. Ther e had n ev er b een an y un b r eakab l e al gor ithm–n ev er an y D igital F or tr ess. The f il e Tan kado had posted on the I n ter n et was an en c r ypted v ir us, pr ob ab l y seal ed with some gen er ic , mass-mar ket en c r yption al gor ithm, str on g en ough to keep ev er yon e out of har m’ s way–ev er yon e ex c ept the N SA . TR A N SL TR had c r ac ked the pr otec tiv e seal an d r el eased the v ir us. “The mutation str in gs, ” the c omman der c r oaked. “Tan kado said they wer e j ust par t of the al gor ithm.” Str athmor e c ol l apsed b ac k on to his desk. Susan un der stood the c omman der ’ s pain . He had b een c ompl etel y taken in . Tan kado had n ev er in ten ded to l et an y c omputer c ompan y b uy his al gor ithm. Ther e was n o al gor ithm. The whol e thin g was a c har ade. D igital F or tr ess was a ghost, a f ar c e, a piec e of b ait c r eated to tempt the N SA . Ev er y mov e Str athmor e had made, Tan kado had b een b ehin d the sc en es, pul l in g the str in gs. “I b ypassed G aun tl et.” The c omman der gr oan ed. “Y ou didn ’ t kn ow.” Str athmor e poun ded his f ist on his desk. “I shou l d hav e kn own ! His sc r een n ame, f or C hr ist’ s sake! N D A K O TA ! L ook at it! ” “W hat do you mean ? ” “He’ s l aughin g at us! I t’ s a goddamn an agr am! ” Susan puz z l ed a momen t. N D A K O T A i s an anag ram? She pic tur ed the l etter s an d b egan r eshuf f l in g them in her min d. N dak ota… K adotan… O k tadan… T andok a… Her kn ees wen t weak. Str athmor e was r ight. I t was as pl ain as day. How c oul d they hav e missed it? N or th D akota wasn ’ t a r ef er en c e to the U .S. state at al l –it was Tan kado r ub b in g sal t in the woun d! He’ d ev en sen t the N SA a war n in g, a b l atan t c l ue that he himsel f was N D A K O TA . The l etter s spel l ed TA N K A D O . B ut the b est c ode-b r eaker s in the wor l d had missed it, j ust as he had pl an n ed. “Tan kado was moc kin g us, ” Str athmor e said. “Y ou’ v e got to ab or t TR A N SL TR , ” Susan dec l ar ed. Str athmor e star ed b l an kl y at the wal l . “C omman der . Shut it down ! G od on l y kn ows what’ s goin g on in ther e! ” “I tr ied, ” Str athmor e whisper ed, soun din g as f ain t as she’ d ev er hear d him. “W hat do you mean you tri ed? ”
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Str athmor e r otated his sc r een towar d her . His mon itor had dimmed to a str an ge shade of mar oon . A t the b ottom, the dial ogue b ox showed n umer ous attempts to shut down TR A N SL TR . They wer e al l f ol l owed b y the same r espon se: SO R R Y . U N A B L E TO
A B O R T.
SO R R Y . U N A B L E TO
A B O R T.
SO R R Y . U N A B L E TO
A B O R T.
Susan f el t a c hil l . U nab l e to ab ort? B u t why? She f ear ed she al r eady kn ew the an swer . So thi s i s T ank ado’ s rev eng e? D estroyi ng T R A N SL T R ! F or year s En sei Tan kado had wan ted the wor l d to kn ow ab out TR A N SL TR , b ut n o on e had b el iev ed him. So he’ d dec ided to destr oy the gr eat b east himsel f . He’ d f ought to the death f or what he b el iev ed–the in div idual ’ s r ight to pr iv ac y. D own stair s the sir en s b l ar ed. “W e’ v e got to kil l al l power , ” Susan deman ded. “N ow! ” Susan kn ew that if they hur r ied, they c oul d sav e the gr eat par al l el pr oc essin g mac hin e. Ev er y c omputer in the wor l d–f r om R adio Shac k P C s to N A SA ’ s satel l ite c on tr ol systems–had a b uil t-in f ail -saf e f or situation s l ike this. I t wasn ’ t a gl amor ous f ix , b ut it al ways wor ked. I t was kn own as “pul l in g the pl ug.” B y shuttin g of f the r emain in g power in C r ypto, they c oul d f or c e TR A N SL TR to shut down . They c oul d r emov e the v ir us l ater . I t woul d b e a simpl e matter of r ef or mattin g TR A N SL TR ’ s har d dr iv es. R ef or mattin g woul d c ompl etel y er ase the c omputer ’ s memor y– data, pr ogr ammin g, v ir us, ev erythi ng . I n most c ases, r ef or mattin g r esul ted in the l oss of thousan ds of f il es, sometimes year s of wor k. B ut TR A N SL TR was dif f er en t–it c oul d b e r ef or matted with v ir tual l y n o l oss at al l . P ar al l el pr oc essin g mac hin es wer e design ed to thin k, n ot to r ememb er . N othin g was ac tual l y stor ed in side TR A N SL TR . O n c e it b r oke a c ode, it sen t the r esul ts to the N SA ’ s main datab an k in or der to– Susan f r oz e. I n a star k in stan t of r eal iz ation , she b r ought her han d to her mouth an d muf f l ed a sc r eam. “The main datab an k! ” Str athmor e star ed in to the dar kn ess, his v oic e disemb odied. He’ d appar en tl y al r eady made this r eal iz ation . “Y es, Susan . The main datab an k….” Susan n odded b l an kl y. Tan kado used TR A N SL TR to put a v ir us in our main datab an k. Str athmor e motion ed sic kl y to his mon itor . Susan r etur n ed her gaz e to the sc r een in f r on t of her an d l ooked b en eath the dial ogue b ox . A c r oss the b ottom of the sc r een wer e the wor ds: TEL L THE W
O R L D
A B O U T TR A N SL TR
O N L Y THE TR U TH W
I L L SA V E Y O U
N O W
…
187 Susan f el t c ol d. The n ation ’ s most c l assif ied in f or mation was stor ed at the N SA : mil itar y c ommun ic ation pr otoc ol s, SI G I N T c on f ir mation c odes, iden tities of f or eign spies, b l uepr in ts f or adv an c ed weapon r y, digitiz ed doc umen ts, tr ade agr eemen ts–the l ist was un en din g. “Tan kado woul dn ’ t dar e! ” she dec l ar ed. “C or r uptin g a c oun tr y’ s c l assif ied r ec or ds? ” Susan c oul dn ’ t b el iev e ev en En sei Tan kado woul d dar e attac k the N SA datab an k. She star ed at his message. O N L Y THE TR U TH W
I L L SA V E Y O U
N O W
“The tr uth? ” she asked. “The tr uth ab out what? ” Str athmor e was b r eathin g heav il y. “TR A N SL TR , ” he c r oaked. “The tr uth ab out TR A N SL TR .” Susan n odded. I t made per f ec t sen se. Tan kado was f or c in g the N SA to tel l the wor l d ab out TR A N SL TR . I t was b l ac kmail af ter al l . He was giv in g the N SA a c hoic e–either tel l the wor l d ab out TR A N SL TR or l ose your datab an k. She star ed in awe at the tex t b ef or e her . A t the b ottom of the sc r een , a sin gl e l in e was b l in ked men ac in gl y. EN TER P A SS-K EY Star in g at the pul satin g wor ds, Susan un der stood–the v ir us, the pass-key, Tan kado’ s r in g, the in gen ious b l ac kmail pl ot. The pass-key had n othin g to do with un l oc kin g an al gor ithm; it was an anti dote. The pass-key stopped the v ir us. Susan had r ead a l ot ab out v ir uses l ike this–deadl y pr ogr ams that in c l uded a b uil t-in c ur e, a sec r et key that c oul d b e used to deac tiv ate them. T ank ado nev er pl anned to destroy the N SA datab ank –he j u st wanted u s g o pu b l i c wi th T R A N SL T R ! T hen he wou l d g i v e u s the pass-k ey, so we c ou l d stop the v i ru s! I t was n ow c l ear to Susan that Tan kado’ s pl an had gon e ter r ib l y wr on g. He had n ot pl an n ed on dyin g. He’ d pl an n ed on sittin g in a Span ish b ar an d l isten in g to the C N N pr ess c on f er en c e ab out A mer ic a’ s top-sec r et c ode-b r eakin g c omputer . Then he’ d pl an n ed on c al l in g Str athmor e, r eadin g the pass-key of f the r in g, an d sav in g the datab an k in the n ic k of time. A f ter a good l augh, he’ d disappear in to ob l iv ion , an EF F her o. Susan poun ded her f ist on the desk. “W e n eed that r in g! I t’ s the onl y pass-key! ” She n ow un der stood–ther e was n o N or th D akota, n o sec on d pass-key. Ev en if the N SA wen t pub l ic with TR A N SL TR , Tan kado was n o l on ger ar oun d to sav e the day. Str athmor e was sil en t. The situation was mor e ser ious than Susan had ev er imagin ed. The most shoc kin g thin g of al l was that Tan kado had al l owed it to go this f ar . He had ob v iousl y kn own what woul d happen if the N SA didn ’ t get the r in g–an d yet, in his f in al sec on ds of l if e, he’ d giv en the r in g away. He had del ib er atel y tr ied to keep it f r om them. Then again , Susan r eal iz ed, what c oul d she ex pec t Tan kado to do–sav e the r in g f or them, when he thought the N SA had kil l ed him? Stil l , Susan c oul dn ’ t b el iev e that Tan kado woul d hav e al l owed this to happen . He
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was a pac if ist. He didn ’ t wan t to wr eak destr uc tion ; al l he wan ted was to set the r ec or d str aight. This was ab out TR A N SL TR . This was ab out ev er yon e’ s r ight to keep a sec r et. This was ab out l ettin g the wor l d kn ow that the N SA was l isten in g. D el etin g the N SA ’ s datab an k was an ac t of aggr ession Susan c oul d n ot imagin e En sei Tan kado c ommittin g. The sir en s pul l ed her b ac k to r eal ity. Susan eyed the deb il itated c omman der an d kn ew what he was thin kin g. N ot on l y wer e his pl an s f or a b ac k door in D igital F or tr ess shot, b ut his c ar el essn ess had put the N SA on the b r in k of what c oul d tur n out to b e the wor st sec ur ity disaster in U .S. histor y. “C omman der , this is not your f aul t! ” she in sisted ov er the b l ar e of the hor n s. “I f Tan kado hadn ’ t died, we’ d hav e b ar gain in g power –we’ d hav e option s! ” B ut C omman der Str athmor e hear d n othin g. His l if e was ov er . He’ d spen t thir ty year s ser v in g his c oun tr y. This was supposed to b e his momen t of gl or y, his piè c e de r é sistan c e– ab ac k door in the wor l d en c r yption stan dar d. B ut in stead, he had sen t a v ir us in to the main datab an k of the N ation al Sec ur ity A gen c y. Ther e was n o way to stop it–n ot without kil l in g power an d er asin g ev er y l ast on e of the b il l ion s of b ytes of ir r etr iev ab l e data. O n l y the r in g c oul d sav e them, an d if D av id hadn ’ t f oun d the r in g b y n ow… “I n eed to shut down TR A N SL TR ! ” Susan took c on tr ol . “I ’ m goin g down to the sub l ev el s to thr ow the c ir c uit b r eaker .” Str athmor e tur n ed sl owl y to f ac e her . He was a b r oken man . “I ’ l l do it, ” he c r oaked. He stood up, stumb l in g as he tr ied to sl ide out f r om b ehin d his desk. Susan sat him b ac k down . “N o, ” she b ar ked. “I’ m goin g.” Her ton e l ef t n o r oom f or deb ate. Str athmor e put his f ac e in his han ds. “O kay. B ottom f l oor . B eside the f r eon pumps.” Susan spun an d headed f or the door . Hal f way ther e, she tur n ed an d l ooked b ac k. “C omman der , ” she yel l ed. “This is not ov er . W e’ r e n ot b eaten yet. I f D av id f in ds the r in g in time, we c an sav e the datab an k! ” Str athmor e said n othin g. “C al l the datab an k! ” Susan or der ed. “W ar n them ab out the v ir us! Y ou’ r e the deputy dir ec tor of the N SA . Y ou’ r e a sur v iv or ! ” I n sl ow motion , Str athmor e l ooked up. L ike a man makin g the dec ision of a l if etime, he gav e her a tr agic n od. D eter min ed, Susan tor e in to the dar kn ess.
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The V espa l ur c hed in to the sl ow l an e of the C ar r eter a de Huel v a. I t was al most dawn , b ut ther e was pl en ty of tr af f ic –youn g Sev il l ian s r etur n in g f r om their al l -n ight b eac h v er b en as. A v an of teen ager s l aid on its hor n an d f l ew b y. B ec ker ’ s motor c yc l e f el t l ike a toy out ther e on the f r eeway. A q uar ter of a mil e b ac k, a demol ished tax i swer v ed out on to the f r eeway in a shower of spar ks. A s it ac c el er ated, it sideswiped a P eugeot 5 0 4 an d sen t it c ar een in g on to the gr assy median . B ec ker passed a f r eeway mar ker : SEV I L L A C EN TR O –2 K M . I f he c oul d j ust r eac h the c ov er of down town , he kn ew he might hav e a c han c e. His speedometer r ead 6 0 kil ometer s per hour . T wo mi nu tes to the ex i t. He kn ew he didn ’ t hav e that l on g. Somewher e b ehin d him, the tax i was gain in g. B ec ker gaz ed out at the n ear in g l ights of down town Sev il l e an d pr ayed he woul d r eac h them al iv e. He was on l y hal f way to the ex it when the soun d of sc r apin g metal l oomed up b ehin d him. He hun c hed on his b ike, wr en c hin g the thr ottl e as f ar as it woul d go. Ther e was a muf f l ed gun shot, an d a b ul l et sail ed b y. B ec ker c ut l ef t, weav in g b ac k an d f or th ac r oss the l an es in hopes of b uyin g mor e time. I t was n o use. The ex it r amp was stil l thr ee hun dr ed yar ds when the tax i r oar ed to within a f ew c ar l en gths b ehin d him. B ec ker kn ew that in a matter of sec on ds he woul d b e either shot or r un down . He sc an n ed ahead f or an y possib l e esc ape, b ut the highway was b oun ded on b oth sides b y steep gr av el sl opes. A n other shot r an g out. B ec ker made his dec ision . I n a sc r eam of r ub b er an d spar ks, he l ean ed v iol en tl y to his r ight an d swer v ed of f the r oad. The b ike’ s tir es hit the b ottom of the emb an kmen t. B ec ker str ain ed to keep his b al an c e as the V espa thr ew up a c l oud of gr av el an d b egan f ish-tail in g its way up the sl ope. The wheel s spun wil dl y, c l awin g at the l oose ear th. The l ittl e en gin e whimper ed pathetic al l y as it tr ied to dig in . B ec ker ur ged it on , hopin g it woul dn ’ t stal l . He didn ’ t dar e l ook b ehin d him, c er tain at an y momen t the tax i woul d b e skiddin g to a stop, b ul l ets f l yin g. The b ul l ets n ev er c ame. B ec ker ’ s b ike b r oke ov er the c r est of the hil l , an d he saw it–the c en tr o. The down town l ights spr ead out b ef or e him l ike a star -f il l ed sky. He gun n ed his way thr ough some un der b r ush an d out ov er the c ur b . His V espa sudden l y f el t f aster . The A v en ue L uis M on toto seemed to r ac e b en eath his tir es. The soc c er stadium z ipped past on the l ef t. He was in the c l ear . I t was then that B ec ker hear d the f amil iar sc r eec h of metal on c on c r ete. He l ooked up. A hun dr ed yar ds ahead of him, the tax i c ame r oar in g up the ex it r amp. I t skidded out on to L uis M on toto an d ac c el er ated dir ec tl y towar d him. B ec ker kn ew he shoul d hav e f el t a sur ge of pan ic . B ut he did n ot. He kn ew ex ac tl y wher e he was goin g. He swer v ed l ef t on M en en dez P el ayo an d open ed the thr ottl e. The b ike l ur c hed ac r oss a smal l par k an d in to the c ob b l eston ed c or r idor of M ateus G ago–the n ar r ow on e-way str eet that l ed to the por tal of B ar r io San ta C r uz . Just a l ittl e f ar ther , he thought. The tax i f ol l owed, thun der in g c l oser . I t tr ail ed B ec ker thr ough the gateway of San ta C r uz , r ippin g of f its side mir r or on the n ar r ow ar c hway. B ec ker kn ew he had won . San ta C r uz was the ol dest sec tion of Sev il l e. I t had n o r oads b etween the b uil din gs, on l y maz es of n ar r ow wal kways b uil t in R oman times. They wer e on l y wide en ough f or pedestr ian s an d the oc c asion al M oped. B ec ker had on c e b een l ost f or hour s in the n ar r ow c av er n s.
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A s B ec ker ac c el er ated down the f in al str etc h of M ateus G ago, Sev il l e’ s el ev en th-c en tur y G othic c athedr al r ose l ike a moun tain b ef or e him. D ir ec tl y b eside it, the G ir al da tower shot 4 1 9 f eet skywar d in to the b r eakin g dawn . This was San ta C r uz , home to the sec on d l ar gest c athedr al in the wor l d as wel l as Sev il l e’ s ol dest, most pious C athol ic f amil ies. B ec ker sped ac r oss the ston e sq uar e. Ther e was a sin gl e shot, b ut it was too l ate. B ec ker an d his motor c yc l e disappear ed down a tin y passageway–C al l ita de l a V ir gen .
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The headl ight of B ec ker ’ s V espa thr ew star k shadows on the wal l s of the n ar r ow passageways. He str uggl ed with the gear shif t an d r oar ed b etween the whitewashed b uil din gs, giv in g the in hab itan ts of San ta C r uz an ear l y wake-up c al l this Sun day mor n in g. I t had b een l ess than thir ty min utes sin c e B ec ker ’ s esc ape f r om the air por t. He’ d b een on the r un ev er sin c e, his min d gr appl in g with en dl ess q uestion s: W ho’ s tryi ng to k i l l me? W hat’ s so spec i al ab ou t thi s ri ng ? W here i s the N SA j et? He thought of M egan dead in the stal l , an d the n ausea c r ept b ac k. B ec ker had hoped to c ut dir ec tl y ac r oss the b ar r io an d ex it on the other side, b ut San ta C r uz was a b ewil der in g l ab yr in th of al l eyways. I t was pepper ed with f al se star ts an d dead en ds. B ec ker q uic kl y b ec ame disor ien ted. He l ooked up f or the tower of the G ir al da to get his b ear in gs, b ut the sur r oun din g wal l s wer e so high he c oul d see n othin g ex c ept a thin sl it of b r eakin g dawn ab ov e him. B ec ker won der ed wher e the man in wir e-r im gl asses was; he kn ew b etter than to thin k the assail an t had giv en up. The kil l er pr ob ab l y was af ter him on f oot. B ec ker str uggl ed to man euv er his V espa ar oun d tight c or n er s. The sputter in g of the en gin e ec hoed up an d down the al l eys. B ec ker kn ew he was an easy tar get in the sil en c e of San ta C r uz . A t this poin t, al l he had in his f av or was speed. G ot to g et to the other si de! A f ter a l on g ser ies of tur n s an d str aightaways, B ec ker skidded in to a thr ee-way in ter sec tion mar ked Esq uin a de l os R eyes. He kn ew he was in tr oub l e–he had b een ther e al r eady. A s he stood str addl in g the idl in g b ike, tr yin g to dec ide whic h way to tur n , the en gin e sputter ed to a stop. The gas gauge r ead v ac io. A s if on c ue, a shadow appear ed down an al l ey on his l ef t. The human min d is the f astest c omputer in ex isten c e. I n the n ex t f r ac tion of a sec on d, B ec ker ’ s min d r egister ed the shape of the man ’ s gl asses, sear c hed his memor y f or a matc h, f oun d on e, r egister ed dan ger , an d r eq uested a dec ision . He got on e. He dr opped the usel ess b ike an d took of f at a f ul l spr in t. U n f or tun atel y f or B ec ker , Hul ohot was n ow on sol id gr oun d r ather than in a l ur c hin g tax i. He c al ml y r aised his weapon an d f ir ed. The b ul l et c aught B ec ker in the side j ust as he stumb l ed ar oun d the c or n er out of r an ge. He took f iv e or six str ides b ef or e the sen sation b egan to r egister . A t f ir st it f el t l ike a musc l e pul l , j ust ab ov e the hip. Then it tur n ed to a war m tin gl in g. W hen B ec ker saw the b l ood, he kn ew. Ther e was n o pain , n o pain an ywher e, j ust a headl on g r ac e thr ough the win din g maz e of San ta C r uz . *** Hul ohot dashed af ter his q uar r y. He had b een tempted to hit B ec ker in the head, b ut he was a pr of ession al ; he pl ayed the odds. B ec ker was a mov in g tar get, an d aimin g at his midsec tion pr ov ided the gr eatest mar gin of er r or b oth v er tic al l y an d hor iz on tal l y. The odds had paid of f . B ec ker had shif ted at the l ast in stan t, an d r ather than missin g his head, Hul ohot had c aught a piec e of his side. A l though he kn ew the b ul l et had b ar el y gr az ed B ec ker an d woul d do n o l astin g damage, the shot had ser v ed its pur pose. C on tac t had b een made. The pr ey had b een touc hed b y death. I t was a whol e n ew game. B ec ker r ac ed f or war d b l in dl y. Tur n in g. W in din g. Stayin g out of the str aightaways. The f ootsteps b ehin d him seemed r el en tl ess. B ec ker ’ s min d was b l an k. B l an k to
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ev er ythin g–wher e he was, who was c hasin g him–al l that was l ef t was in stin c t, sel f pr eser v ation , n o pain , on l y f ear , an d r aw en er gy. A shot ex pl oded again st the az ul ej o til e b ehin d him. Shar ds of gl ass spr ayed ac r oss the b ac k of his n ec k. He stumb l ed l ef t, in to an other al l ey. He hear d himsel f c al l f or hel p, b ut ex c ept f or the soun d of f ootsteps an d str ain ed b r eathin g, the mor n in g air r emain ed deathl y stil l . B ec ker ’ s side was b ur n in g n ow. He f ear ed he was l eav in g a c r imson tr ail on the whitewashed wal ks. He sear c hed ev er ywher e f or an open door , an open gate, an y esc ape f r om the suf f oc atin g c an yon s. N othin g. The wal kway n ar r owed. “Soc or r o! ” B ec ker ’ s v oic e was b ar el y audib l e. “Hel p! ” The wal l s gr ew c l oser on eac h side. The wal kway c ur v ed. B ec ker sear c hed f or an in ter sec tion , a tr ib utar y, an y way out. The passageway n ar r owed. L oc ked door s. N ar r owin g. L oc ked gates. The f ootsteps wer e c l osin g. He was in a str aightaway, an d sudden l y the al l ey b egan to sl ope upwar d. Steeper . B ec ker f el t his l egs str ain in g. He was sl owin g. A n d then he was ther e. L ike a f r eeway that had r un out of f un din g, the al l ey j ust stopped. Ther e was a high wal l , a wooden b en c h, an d n othin g el se. N o esc ape. B ec ker l ooked up thr ee stor ies to the top of the b uil din g an d then spun an d star ted b ac k down the l on g al l ey, b ut he had on l y taken a f ew steps b ef or e he stopped shor t. A t the f oot of the in c l in ed str aightaway, a f igur e appear ed. The man mov ed towar d B ec ker with a measur ed deter min ation . I n his han d, a gun gl in ted in the ear l y mor n in g sun . B ec ker f el t a sudden l uc idity as he b ac ked up towar d the wal l . The pain in his side sudden l y r egister ed. He touc hed the spot an d l ooked down . Ther e was b l ood smear ed ac r oss his f in ger s an d ac r oss En sei Tan kado’ s gol den r in g. He f el t diz z y. He star ed at the en gr av ed b an d, puz z l ed. He’ d f or gotten he was wear in g it. He’ d f or gotten why he had c ome to Sev il l e. He l ooked up at the f igur e appr oac hin g. He l ooked down at the r in g. W as this why M egan had died? W as this why he woul d die? The shadow adv an c ed up the in c l in ed passageway. B ec ker saw wal l s on al l sides–a dead en d b ehin d him. A f ew gated en tr yways b etween them, b ut it was too l ate to c al l f or hel p. B ec ker pr essed his b ac k again st the dead en d. Sudden l y he c oul d f eel ev er y piec e of gr it b en eath the sol es of his shoes, ev er y b ump in the stuc c o wal l b ehin d him. His min d was r eel in g b ac kwar d, his c hil dhood, his par en ts… Susan . O h, G od… Susan . F or the f ir st time sin c e he was a kid, B ec ker pr ayed. He did n ot pr ay f or del iv er an c e f r om death; he did n ot b el iev e in mir ac l es. I n stead he pr ayed that the woman he l ef t b ehin d woul d f in d str en gth, that she woul d kn ow without a doub t that she had b een l ov ed. He c l osed his eyes. The memor ies c ame l ike a tor r en t. They wer e n ot memor ies of depar tmen t meetin gs, un iv er sity b usin ess, an d the thin gs that made up 9 0 per c en t of his l if e; they wer e memor ies of her . Simpl e memor ies: teac hin g her to use c hopstic ks, sail in g on C ape C od. I l ov e you , he thought. K now that… f orev er. I t was as if ev er y def en se, ev er y f ac ade, ev er y in sec ur e ex agger ation of his l if e had b een str ipped away. He was stan din g n aked–f l esh an d b on es b ef or e G od. I am a man, he thought. A n d in a momen t of ir on y he thought, A man wi thou t wax . He stood, eyes c l osed, as the man in wir e-r im gl asses dr ew n ear er . Somewher e n ear b y, a b el l b egan to tol l . B ec ker waited in dar kn ess, f or the soun d that woul d en d his l if e.
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The mor n in g sun was j ust b r eakin g ov er the Sev il l e r oof tops an d shin in g down in to the c an yon s b el ow. The b el l s atop the G ir al da c r ied out f or sun r ise mass. This was the momen t in hab itan ts had al l b een waitin g f or . Ev er ywher e in the an c ien t b ar r io, gates open ed an d f amil ies pour ed in to the al l eyways. L ike l if eb l ood thr ough the v ein s of ol d San ta C r uz , they c our sed towar d the hear t of their pueb l o, towar d the c or e of their histor y, towar d their G od, their shr in e, their c athedr al . Somewher e in B ec ker ’ s min d, a b el l was tol l in g. A m I dead? A l most r el uc tan tl y, he open ed his eyes an d sq uin ted in to the f ir st r ays of sun l ight. He kn ew ex ac tl y wher e he was. He l ev el ed his gaz e an d sear c hed the al l ey f or his assail an t. B ut the man in wir e-r ims was n ot ther e. I n stead, ther e wer e other s. Span ish f amil ies, in their f in est c l othes, steppin g f r om their gated por tal s in to the al l eyways, tal kin g, l aughin g. ***
A t the b ottom of the al l ey, hidden f r om B ec ker ’ s v iew, Hul ohot c ur sed in f r ustr ation . A t f ir st ther e had b een on l y a sin gl e c oupl e separ atin g him f r om his q uar r y. Hul ohot had b een c er tain they woul d l eav e. B ut the soun d of the b el l s kept r ev er b er atin g down the al l ey, dr awin g other s f r om their homes. A sec on d c oupl e, with c hil dr en . They gr eeted eac h an other . Tal kin g, l aughin g, kissin g thr ee times on the c heek. A n other gr oup appear ed, an d Hul ohot c oul d n o l on ger see his pr ey. N ow, in a b oil in g r age, he r ac ed in to the q uic kl y gr owin g c r owd. He had to get to D av id B ec ker ! The kil l er f ought his way towar d the en d of the al l ey. He f oun d himsel f momen tar il y l ost in a sea of b odies–c oats an d ties, b l ac k dr esses, l ac e man tl es ov er hun c hed women . They al l seemed ob l iv ious to Hul ohot’ s pr esen c e; they str ol l ed c asual l y, al l in b l ac k, shuf f l in g, mov in g as on e, b l oc kin g his way. Hul ohot dug his way thr ough the c r owd an d dashed up the al l ey in to the dead en d, his weapon r aised. Then he l et out a muted, in human sc r eam. D av id B ec ker was gon e. ***
B ec ker stumb l ed an d sidestepped his way thr ough the c r owd. Fol l ow the c rowd, he thought. T hey k now the way ou t. He c ut r ight at the in ter sec tion an d the al l ey widen ed. Ev er ywher e gates wer e open in g an d peopl e wer e pour in g out. The peal in g of the b el l s gr ew l ouder . B ec ker ’ s side was stil l b ur n in g, b ut he sen sed the b l eedin g had stopped. He r ac ed on . Somewher e b ehin d him, c l osin g f ast, was a man with a gun . B ec ker duc ked in an d out of the gr oups of c hur c hgoer s an d tr ied to keep his head down . I t was n ot muc h f ar ther . He c oul d sen se it. The c r owd had thic ken ed. The al l ey had widen ed. They wer e n o l on ger in a l ittl e tr ib utar y, this was the main r iv er . A s he r oun ded a b en d, B ec ker sudden l y saw it, r isin g b ef or e them–the c athedr al an d G ir al da tower . The b el l s wer e deaf en in g, the r ev er b er ation s tr apped in the high-wal l ed pl az a. The c r owds c on v er ged, ev er yon e in b l ac k, pushin g ac r oss the sq uar e towar d the gapin g door s of the Sev il l e C athedr al . B ec ker tr ied to b r eak away towar d M ateus G ago, b ut he was tr apped. He was shoul der to shoul der , heel to toe with the shov in g thr on gs. The Span iar ds had al ways had a dif f er en t idea of c l osen ess than the r est of the wor l d. B ec ker was wedged
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b etween two heav yset women , b oth with their eyes c l osed, l ettin g the c r owd c ar r y them. They mumb l ed pr ayer s to themsel v es an d c l utc hed r osar y b eads in their f in ger s. A s the c r owd c l osed on the en or mous ston e str uc tur e, B ec ker tr ied to c ut l ef t again , b ut the c ur r en t was str on ger n ow. The an tic ipation , the pushin g an d shov in g, the b l in d, mumb l ed pr ayer s. He tur n ed in to the c r owd, tr yin g to f ight b ac kwar d again st the eager thr on gs. I t was impossib l e, l ike swimmin g upstr eam in a mil e-deep r iv er . He tur n ed. The c athedr al door s l oomed b ef or e him–l ike the open in g to some dar k c ar n iv al r ide he wished he hadn ’ t taken . D av id B ec ker sudden l y r eal iz ed he was goin g to c hur c h.
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The C r ypto sir en s wer e b l ar in g. Str athmor e had n o idea how l on g Susan had b een gon e. He sat al on e in the shadows, the dr on e of TR A N SL TR c al l in g to him. Y ou ’ re a su rv i v or… you ’ re a su rv i v or…. Y es, he thought. I ’ m a sur v iv or –b ut sur v iv al is n othin g without hon or . I ’ d r ather die than l iv e in the shadow of disgr ac e. A n d disgr ac e was what was waitin g f or him. He had kept in f or mation f r om the dir ec tor . He had sen t a v ir us in to the n ation ’ s most sec ur e c omputer . Ther e was n o doub t he woul d b e hun g out to dr y. His in ten tion s had b een patr iotic , b ut n othin g had gon e as he’ d pl an n ed. Ther e had b een death an d tr eac her y. Ther e woul d b e tr ial s, ac c usation s, pub l ic outr age. He had ser v ed his c oun tr y with hon or an d in tegr ity f or so man y year s, he c oul dn ’ t al l ow it to en d this way. I ’ m a sur v iv or , he thought. Y ou ’ re a l i ar, his own thoughts r epl ied. I t was tr ue. He was a l iar . Ther e wer e peopl e he hadn ’ t b een hon est with. Susan F l etc her was on e of them. Ther e wer e so man y thin gs he hadn ’ t tol d her –thin gs he was n ow desper atel y ashamed of . F or year s she’ d b een his il l usion , his l iv in g f an tasy. He dr eamed of her at n ight; he c r ied out f or her in his sl eep. He c oul dn ’ t hel p it. She was as b r il l ian t an d as b eautif ul as an y woman he c oul d imagin e. His wif e had tr ied to b e patien t, b ut when she f in al l y met Susan , she immediatel y l ost hope. B ev Str athmor e n ev er b l amed her husb an d f or his f eel in gs. She tr ied to en dur e the pain as l on g as possib l e, b ut r ec en tl y it had b ec ome too muc h. She’ d tol d him their mar r iage was en din g; an other woman ’ s shadow was n o pl ac e to spen d the r est of her l if e. G r adual l y the sir en s l if ted Str athmor e f r om his daz e. His an al ytic al power s sear c hed f or an y way out. His min d r el uc tan tl y c on f ir med what his hear t had suspec ted. Ther e was on l y on e tr ue esc ape, on l y on e sol ution . Str athmor e gaz ed down at the keyb oar d an d b egan typin g. He didn ’ t b other to tur n the mon itor so he c oul d see it. His f in ger s pec ked out the wor ds sl owl y an d dec isiv el y. D ear est f r ien ds, I am takin g my l if e today… This way, n o on e woul d ev er won der . Ther e woul d b e n o q uestion s. Ther e woul d b e n o ac c usation s. He woul d spel l out f or the wor l d what had happen ed. M an y had died… b ut ther e was stil l on e l if e to take.
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I n a c athedr al , it is al ways n ight. The war mth of the day tur n s to damp c ool n ess. The tr af f ic is sil en c ed b ehin d thic k gr an ite wal l s. N o n umb er of c an del ab r as c an il l umin ate the v ast dar kn ess ov er head. Shadows f al l ev er ywher e. Ther e’ s on l y the stain ed gl ass, high ab ov e, f il ter in g the ugl in ess of the outside wor l d in to r ays of muted r eds an d b l ues. The Sev il l e C athedr al , l ike al l gr eat c athedr al s of Eur ope, is l aid out in the shape of a c r oss. The san c tuar y an d al tar ar e l oc ated j ust ab ov e the midpoin t an d open down war d on to the main san c tuar y. W ooden pews f il l the v er tic al ax is, a stagger in g 1 1 3 yar ds f r om the al tar to the b ase of the c r oss. To the l ef t an d r ight of the al tar , the tr an sept of the c r oss houses c on f ession al s, sac r ed tomb s, an d addition al seatin g. B ec ker f oun d himsel f wedged in the middl e of a l on g pew ab out hal f way b ac k. O v er head, in the diz z yin g empty spac e, a sil v er c en ser the siz e of a r ef r iger ator swun g en or mous ar c s on a f r ayed r ope, l eav in g a tr ail of f r an kin c en se. The b el l s of the G ir al da kept r in gin g, sen din g l ow r umb l in g shoc k wav es thr ough the ston e. B ec ker l ower ed his gaz e to the gil ded wal l b ehin d the al tar . He had a l ot to b e than kf ul f or . He was b r eathin g. He was al iv e. I t was a mir ac l e. A s the pr iest pr epar ed to giv e the open in g pr ayer , B ec ker c hec ked his side. Ther e was a r ed stain on his shir t, b ut the b l eedin g had stopped. The woun d was smal l , mor e of a l ac er ation than a pun c tur e. B ec ker tuc ked his shir t b ac k in an d c r an ed his n ec k. B ehin d him, the door s wer e c r an kin g shut. He kn ew if he’ d b een f ol l owed, he was n ow tr apped. The Sev il l e C athedr al had a sin gl e f un c tion al en tr an c e, a design popul ar iz ed in the days when c hur c hes wer e used as f or tr esses, a saf e hav en again st M oor ish in v asion . W ith a sin gl e en tr an c e, ther e was on l y on e door to b ar r ic ade. N ow the sin gl e en tr an c e had an other f un c tion –it en sur ed al l tour ists en ter in g the c athedr al had pur c hased a tic ket. The twen ty-two-f oot-high, gil ded door s sl ammed with a dec isiv e c r ash. B ec ker was seal ed in the house of G od. He c l osed his eyes an d sl id l ow in his pew. He was the on l y on e in the b uil din g n ot dr essed in b l ac k. Somewher e v oic es b egan to c han t. ***
Towar d the b ac k of the c hur c h, a f igur e mov ed sl owl y up the side aisl e, keepin g to the shadows. He had sl ipped in j ust b ef or e the door s c l osed. He smil ed to himsel f . The hun t was gettin g in ter estin g. B ec k er i s here… I c an f eel i t. He mov ed methodic al l y, on e r ow at a time. O v er head the f r an kin c en se dec an ter swun g its l on g, l az y ar c s. A f i ne pl ac e to di e, Hul ohot thought. I hope I do as wel l . ***
B ec ker kn el t on the c ol d c athedr al f l oor an d duc ked his head out of sight. The man seated n ex t to him gl ar ed down –it was most ir r egul ar b ehav ior in the house of G od. “En f er mo, ” B ec ker apol ogiz ed. “Sic k.” B ec ker kn ew he had to stay l ow. He had gl impsed a f amil iar sil houette mov in g up the side aisl e. It’ s hi m! H e’ s here! D espite b ein g in the middl e of an en or mous c on gr egation , B ec ker f ear ed he was an easy tar get–his khaki b l az er was l ike a r oadside f l ar e in the c r owd of b l ac k. He c on sider ed r emov in g it, b ut the white ox f or d shir t un der n eath was n o b etter . I n stead he huddl ed
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l ower . The man b eside him f r own ed. “Tur ista.” He gr un ted. Then he whisper ed, hal f sar c astic al l y, “L l amo un mé dic o? Shal l I c al l a doc tor ? ” B ec ker l ooked up at the ol d man ’ s mol e-r idden f ac e. “N o, gr ac ias. Estoy b ien .” The man gav e him an an gr y l ook. “P ues sié n tate! Then sit down ! ” Ther e wer e sc atter ed shushes ar oun d them, an d the ol d man b it his ton gue an d f ac ed f r on t. B ec ker c l osed his eyes an d huddl ed l ower , won der in g how l on g the ser v ic e woul d l ast. B ec ker , r aised P r otestan t, had al ways had the impr ession C athol ic s wer e l on g-win ded. He pr ayed it was tr ue–as soon as the ser v ic e en ded, he woul d b e f or c ed to stan d an d l et the other s out. I n khaki he was dead. B ec ker kn ew he had n o c hoic e at the momen t. He simpl y kn el t ther e on the c ol d ston e f l oor of the gr eat c athedr al . Ev en tual l y, the ol d man l ost in ter est. The c on gr egation was stan din g n ow, sin gin g a hymn . B ec ker stayed down . His l egs wer e star tin g to c r amp. Ther e was n o r oom to str etc h them. Pati enc e, he thought. Pati enc e. He c l osed his eyes an d took a deep b r eath. I t f el t l ike on l y min utes l ater that B ec ker f el t someon e kic kin g him. He l ooked up. The mol e-f ac ed man was stan din g to his r ight, waitin g impatien tl y to l eav e the pew. B ec ker pan ic ked. H e wants to l eav e al ready? I’ l l hav e to stand u p! B ec ker motion ed f or the man to step ov er him. The man c oul d b ar el y c on tr ol his an ger . He gr ab b ed the tail s of his b l ac k b l az er , pul l ed them down in a huf f , an d l ean ed b ac k to r ev eal the en tir e r ow of peopl e waitin g to l eav e. B ec ker l ooked l ef t an d saw that the woman who had b een seated ther e was gon e. The l en gth of pew to his l ef t was empty al l the way to the c en ter aisl e. The ser v ic e c an ’ t b e ov er ! I t’ s impossib l e! W e j ust got her e! B ut when B ec ker saw the al tar b oy at the en d of the r ow an d the two sin gl e-f il e l in es mov in g up the c en ter aisl e towar d the al tar , he kn ew what was happen in g. C ommun ion . He gr oan ed. The damn Span iar ds do it f ir st!
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Susan c l imb ed down the l adder in to the sub l ev el s. Thic k steam was n ow b oil in g up ar oun d TR A N SL TR ’ s hul l . The c atwal ks wer e wet with c on den sation . She al most f el l , her f l ats pr ov idin g v er y l ittl e tr ac tion . She won der ed how muc h l on ger TR A N SL TR woul d sur v iv e. The sir en s c on tin ued their in ter mitten t war n in g. The emer gen c y l ights spun in two-sec on d in ter v al s. Thr ee stor ies b el ow, the aux gen er ator s shook in a tax ed whin e. Susan kn ew somewher e at the b ottom in the f oggy dimn ess ther e was a c ir c uit b r eaker . She sen sed time was r un n in g out. ***
U pstair s, Str athmor e hel d the B er etta in his han d. He r er ead his n ote an d l aid it on the f l oor of the r oom wher e he was stan din g. W hat he was ab out to do was a c owar dl y ac t, ther e was n o doub t. I’ m a su rv i v or, he thought. He thought of the v ir us in the N SA datab an k, he thought of D av id B ec ker in Spain , he thought of his pl an s f or a b ac k door . He had tol d so man y l ies. He was guil ty of so muc h. He kn ew this was the on l y way to av oid ac c oun tab il ity… the on l y way to av oid the shame. C ar ef ul l y he aimed the gun . Then he c l osed his eyes an d pul l ed the tr igger . ***
Susan had on l y desc en ded six f l ights when she hear d the muf f l ed shot. I t was f ar of f , b ar el y audib l e ov er the gen er ator s. She had n ev er hear d a gun shot ex c ept on tel ev ision , b ut she had n o doub t what it was. She stopped shor t, the soun d r esoun din g in her ear s. I n a wav e of hor r or , she f ear ed the wor st. She pic tur ed the c omman der ’ s dr eams–the b ac k door in D igital F or tr ess, the in c r edib l e c oup it woul d hav e b een . She pic tur ed the v ir us in the datab an k, his f ail in g mar r iage, that eer ie n od he had giv en her . Her f ootin g f al ter ed. She spun on the l an din g, gr appl in g f or the b an ister . C ommander! N o! Susan was momen tar il y f r oz en , her min d b l an k. The ec ho of the gun shot seemed to dr own out the c haos ar oun d her . Her min d tol d her to keep on goin g, b ut her l egs r ef used. C ommander! A n in stan t l ater she f oun d her sel f stumb l in g b ac k up the stair s, en tir el y f or gettin g the dan ger ar oun d her . She r an b l in dl y, sl ippin g on the sl ic k metal . A b ov e her the humidity f el l l ike r ain . W hen she r eac hed the l adder an d b egan c l imb in g, she f el t her sel f l if ted f r om b el ow b y a tr emen dous sur ge of steam that pr ac tic al l y j ettison ed her thr ough the tr apdoor . She r ol l ed on to the C r ypto f l oor an d f el t the c ool air wash ov er her . Her white b l ouse c l un g to her b ody, soaked thr ough. I t was dar k. Susan paused, tr yin g to get her b ear in gs. The soun d of the gun shot was on en dl ess l oop in her head. Hot steam b il l owed up thr ough the tr apdoor l ike gases f r om a v ol c an o ab out to ex pl ode. Susan c ur sed her sel f f or l eav in g the B er etta with Str athmor e. She had l ef t it with him, hadn ’ t she? O r was i t i n N ode 3 ? A s her eyes adj usted to the dar k, she gl an c ed towar d the gapin g hol e in the N ode 3 wal l . The gl ow f r om the mon itor s was f ain t, b ut in the distan c e she c oul d see Hal e l yin g motion l ess on the f l oor wher e she’ d l ef t him. Ther e was n o sign of Str athmor e. Ter r if ied of what she’ d f in d, she tur n ed towar d the c omman der ’ s of f ic e.
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B ut as she b egan to mov e, somethin g r egister ed as str an ge. She b ac kpedal ed a f ew steps an d peer ed in to N ode 3 again . I n the sof t l ight she c oul d see Hal e’ s ar m. I t was n ot at his side. He was n o l on ger tied l ike a mummy. His ar m was up ov er his head. He was spr awl ed b ac kwar d on the f l oor . Had he gotten f r ee? Ther e was n o mov emen t. Hal e was deathl y stil l . Susan gaz ed up at Str athmor e’ s wor kstation per c hed high on the wal l . “C omman der ? ” Sil en c e. Ten tativ el y she mov ed towar d N ode 3 . Ther e was an ob j ec t in Hal e’ s han d. I t gl immer ed in the l ight of the mon itor s. Susan mov ed c l oser … c l oser . Sudden l y she c oul d see what Hal e was hol din g. I t was the B er etta. Susan gasped. F ol l owin g the ar c h of Hal e’ s ar m, her eyes mov ed to his f ac e. W hat she saw was gr otesq ue. Hal f of G r eg Hal e’ s head was soaked in b l ood. The dar k stain had spr ead out ac r oss the c ar pet. O h my G od! Susan stagger ed b ac kwar d. I t wasn ’ t the c omman der ’ s shot she’ d hear d, it was H al e’ s! A s if in a tr an c e, Susan mov ed towar d the b ody. A ppar en tl y, Hal e had man aged to f r ee himsel f . The pr in ter c ab l es wer e pil ed on the f l oor b eside him. I mu st hav e l ef t the g u n on the c ou c h, she thought. The b l ood f l owin g thr ough the hol e in his skul l l ooked b l ac k in the b l uish l ight. O n the f l oor b eside Hal e was a piec e of paper . Susan wen t ov er un steadil y, an d pic ked it up. I t was a l etter . D ear est f r ien ds, I am takin g my l if e today in pen an c e f or the f ol l owin g sin s… I n utter disb el ief , Susan star ed at the suic ide n ote in her han d. She r ead sl owl y. I t was sur r eal –so un l ike Hal e–a l aun dr y l ist of c r imes. He was admittin g to ev er ythin g–f igur in g out that N D A K O TA was a hoax , hir in g a mer c en ar y to kil l En sei Tan kado an d take the r in g, pushin g P hil C har tr ukian , pl an n in g to sel l D igital F or tr ess. Susan r eac hed the f in al l in e. She was n ot pr epar ed f or what she r ead. The l etter ’ s f in al wor ds del iv er ed a n umb in g b l ow. A b ov e al l , I ’ m tr ul y sor r y ab out D av id B ec ker . F or giv e me, I was b l in ded b y amb ition . A s Susan stood tr emb l in g ov er Hal e’ s b ody, the soun d of r un n in g f ootsteps appr oac hed b ehin d her . I n sl ow motion , she tur n ed. Str athmor e appear ed in the b r oken win dow, pal e an d out of b r eath. He star ed down at Hal e’ s b ody in appar en t shoc k. “O h my G od! ” he said. “W hat happen ed? ”
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C ommun ion . Hul ohot spotted B ec ker immediatel y. The khaki b l az er was impossib l e to miss, par tic ul ar l y with the smal l b l oodstain on on e side. The j ac ket was mov in g up the c en ter aisl e in a sea of b l ac k. H e mu st not k now I’ m here. Hul ohot smil ed. H e’ s a dead man. He f an n ed the tin y metal c on tac ts on his f in ger tips, eager to tel l his A mer ic an c on tac t the good n ews. Soon, he thought, v ery soon. L ike a pr edator mov in g down win d, Hul ohot mov ed to the b ac k of the c hur c h. Then he b egan his appr oac h–str aight up the c en ter aisl e. Hul ohot was in n o mood to tr ac k B ec ker thr ough the c r owds l eav in g the c hur c h. His q uar r y was tr apped, a f or tun ate tur n of ev en ts. Hul ohot j ust n eeded a way to el imin ate him q uietl y. His sil en c er , the b est mon ey c oul d b uy, emitted n o mor e than a tin y spittin g c ough. That woul d b e f in e. A s Hul ohot c l osed on the khaki b l az er , he was un awar e of the q uiet mur mur s c omin g f r om those he was passin g. The c on gr egation c oul d un der stan d this man ’ s ex c itemen t to r ec eiv e the b l essin g of G od, b ut n ev er thel ess, ther e wer e str ic t r ul es of pr otoc ol –two l in es, sin gl e f il e. Hul ohot kept mov in g. He was c l osin g q uic kl y. He thumb ed the r ev ol v er in his j ac ket poc ket. The momen t had ar r iv ed. D av id B ec ker had b een ex c eption al l y f or tun ate so f ar ; ther e was n o n eed to tempt f or tun e an y f ur ther . The khaki b l az er was on l y ten peopl e ahead, f ac in g f r on t, head down . Hul ohot r ehear sed the kil l in his min d. The image was c l ear –c uttin g in b ehin d B ec ker , keepin g the gun l ow an d out of sight, f ir in g two shots in to B ec ker ’ s b ac k, B ec ker sl umpin g, Hul ohot c atc hin g him an d hel pin g him in to a pew l ike a c on c er n ed f r ien d. Then Hul ohot woul d mov e q uic kl y to the b ac k of the c hur c h as if goin g f or hel p. I n the c on f usion , he woul d disappear b ef or e an yon e kn ew what had happen ed. F iv e peopl e. F our . Thr ee. Hul ohot f in ger ed the gun in his poc ket, keepin g it l ow. He woul d f ir e f r om hip l ev el upwar d in to B ec ker ’ s spin e. That way the b ul l et woul d hit either the spin e or a l un g b ef or e f in din g the hear t. Ev en if the b ul l et missed the hear t, B ec ker woul d die. A pun c tur ed l un g was f atal , mayb e n ot in mor e medic al l y adv an c ed par ts of the wor l d, b ut in Spai n, it was f atal . T wo peopl e… one. A n d then Hul ohot was ther e. L ike a dan c er per f or min g a wel l -r ehear sed mov e, he tur n ed to his r ight. He l aid his han d on the shoul der of the khaki b l az er , aimed the gun , an d… f ir ed. Two muf f l ed spats. I n stan tl y the b ody was r igid. Then it was f al l in g. Hul ohot c aught his v ic tim un der the ar mpits. I n a sin gl e motion , he swun g the b ody in to a pew b ef or e an y b l oodstain s spr ead ac r oss his b ac k. N ear b y, peopl e tur n ed. Hul ohot paid n o heed–he woul d b e gon e in an in stan t. He gr oped the man ’ s l if el ess f in ger s f or the r in g. N othin g. He f el t again . The f in ger s wer e b ar e. Hul ohot spun the man ar oun d an gr il y. The hor r or was in stan tan eous. The f ac e was n ot D av id B ec ker ’ s. R af ael de l a M az a, a b an ker f r om the sub ur b s of Sev il l e, had died al most in stan tl y. He was stil l c l utc hin g the 5 0 , 0 0 0 pesetas the str an ge A mer ic an had paid him f or a c heap b l ac k b l az er .
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M idge M il ken stood f umin g at the water c ool er n ear the en tr an c e to the c on f er en c e r oom. W hat the hel l i s Fontai ne doi ng ? She c r umpl ed her paper c up an d thr ew it f or c ef ul l y in to the tr ash c an . T here’ s somethi ng happeni ng i n C rypto! I c an f eel i t! M idge kn ew ther e was on l y on e way to pr ov e her sel f r ight. She’ d go c hec k out C r ypto her sel f –tr ac k down Jab b a if n eed b e. She spun on her heel an d headed f or the door . B r in ker hof f appear ed out of n owher e, b l oc kin g her way. “W her e ar e you headed? ” “Home! ” M idge l ied. B r in ker hof f r ef used to l et her pass. M idge gl ar ed. “F on tain e tol d you n ot to l et me out, didn ’ t he? ” B r in ker hof f l ooked away. “C had, I ’ m tel l in g you, ther e’ s somethin g happen in g in C r ypto–somethin g b ig. I don ’ t kn ow why F on tain e’ s pl ayin g dumb , b ut TR A N SL TR ’ s in tr oub l e. Somethin g is n ot r ight down ther e ton ight! ” “M idge, ” he soothed, wal kin g past her towar d the c ur tain ed c on f er en c e r oom win dows, “l et’ s l et the dir ec tor han dl e it.” M idge’ s gaz e shar pen ed. “D o you hav e an y idea what happen s to TR A N SL TR if the c ool in g system f ail s? ” B r in ker hof f shr ugged an d appr oac hed the win dow. “P ower ’ s pr ob ab l y b ac k on -l in e b y n ow an yway.” He pul l ed apar t the c ur tain s an d l ooked. “Stil l dar k? ” M idge asked. B ut B r in ker hof f did n ot r epl y. He was spel l b oun d. The sc en e b el ow in the C r ypto dome was un imagin ab l e. The en tir e gl ass c upol a was f il l ed with spin n in g l ights, f l ashin g str ob es, an d swir l in g steam. B r in ker hof f stood tr an sf ix ed, teeter in g l ight-headed again st the gl ass. Then , in a f r en z y of pan ic , he r ac ed out. “D ir ec tor ! D i rec tor! ”
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The b l ood of C hr ist… the c up of sal v ation … P eopl e gather ed ar oun d the sl umped b ody in the pew. O v er head, the f r an kin c en se swun g its peac ef ul ar c s. Hul ohot wheel ed wil dl y in the c en ter aisl e an d sc an n ed the c hur c h. H e’ s g ot to b e here! He spun b ac k towar d the al tar . Thir ty r ows ahead, hol y c ommun ion was pr oc eedin g un in ter r upted. P adr e G ustaphes Her r er a, the head c hal ic e b ear er , gl an c ed c ur iousl y at the q uiet c ommotion in on e of the c en ter pews; he was n ot c on c er n ed. Sometimes some of the ol der f ol ks wer e ov er c ome b y the hol y spir it an d passed out. A l ittl e air usual l y did the tr ic k. M ean whil e, Hul ohot was sear c hin g f r an tic al l y. B ec ker was n owher e in sight. A hun dr ed or so peopl e wer e kn eel in g at the l on g al tar r ec eiv in g c ommun ion . Hul ohot won der ed if B ec ker was on e of them. He sc an n ed their b ac ks. He was pr epar ed to shoot f r om f if ty yar ds away an d make a dash f or it. ***
El c uer po de Jesus, el pan del c iel o. The youn g pr iest ser v in g B ec ker c ommun ion gav e him a disappr ov in g star e. He c oul d un der stan d the str an ger ’ s eager n ess to r ec eiv e c ommun ion , b ut it was n o ex c use to c ut in l in e. B ec ker b owed his head an d c hewed the waf er as b est he c oul d. He sen sed somethin g was happen in g b ehin d him, some sor t of distur b an c e. He thought of the man f r om whom he’ d b ought the j ac ket an d hoped he had l isten ed to his war n in g an d n ot taken B ec ker ’ s in ex c han ge. He star ted to tur n an d l ook, b ut he f ear ed the wir e-r im gl asses woul d b e star in g b ac k. He c r ouc hed in hopes his b l ac k j ac ket was c ov er in g the b ac k of his khaki pan ts. I t was n ot. The c hal ic e was c omin g q uic kl y f r om his r ight. P eopl e wer e al r eady swal l owin g their win e, c r ossin g themsel v es, an d stan din g to l eav e. Sl ow down! B ec ker was in n o hur r y to l eav e the al tar . B ut with two thousan d peopl e waitin g f or c ommun ion an d on l y eight pr iests ser v in g, it was c on sider ed b ad f or m to l in ger ov er a sip of win e. *** The c hal ic e was j ust to the r ight of B ec ker when Hul ohot spotted the mismatc hed khaki pan ts. “Está s ya muer to, ” he hissed sof tl y. “Y ou’ r e al r eady dead.” Hul ohot mov ed up the c en ter aisl e. The time f or sub tl ety had passed. Two shots in the b ac k, an d he woul d gr ab the r in g an d r un . The b iggest tax i stan d in Sev il l e was hal f a b l oc k away on M ateus G ago. He r eac hed f or his weapon . A dió s, Señ or B ec ker … ***
L a san gr e de C r isto, l a c opa de l a sal v ac ió n . The thic k sc en t of r ed win e f il l ed B ec ker ’ s n ostr il s as P adr e Her r er a l ower ed the han d-pol ished, sil v er c hal ic e. L i ttl e earl y f or dri nk i ng , B ec ker thought as he l ean ed f or war d.
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B ut as the sil v er gob l et dr opped past eye l ev el , ther e was a b l ur of mov emen t. A f igur e, c omin g f ast, his shape war ped in the r ef l ec tion of the c up. B ec ker saw a f l ash of metal , a weapon b ein g dr awn . I n stan tl y, un c on sc iousl y, l ike a r un n er f r om a star tin g b l oc k at the soun d of a gun , B ec ker was v aul tin g f or war d. The pr iest f el l b ac k in hor r or as the c hal ic e sail ed thr ough the air , an d r ed win e r ain ed down on white mar b l e. P r iests an d al tar b oys wen t sc atter in g as B ec ker dov e ov er the c ommun ion r ail . A sil en c er c oughed out a sin gl e shot. B ec ker l an ded har d, an d the shot ex pl oded in the mar b l e f l oor b eside him. A n in stan t l ater he was tumb l in g down thr ee gr an ite stair s in to the v al l e, a n ar r ow passageway thr ough whic h the c l er gy en ter ed, al l owin g them to r ise on to the al tar as if b y div in e gr ac e. A t the b ottom of the steps, he stumb l ed an d dov e. B ec ker f el t himsel f sl idin g out of c on tr ol ac r oss the sl ic k pol ished ston e. A dagger of pain shot though his gut as he l an ded on his side. A momen t l ater he was stumb l in g thr ough a c ur tain ed en tr yway an d down a set of wooden stair s. P ain . B ec ker was r un n in g, thr ough a dr essin g r oom. I t was dar k. Ther e wer e sc r eams f r om the al tar . L oud f ootsteps in pur suit. B ec ker b ur st thr ough a set of doub l e door s an d stumb l ed in to some sor t of study. I t was dar k, f ur n ished with r ic h O r ien tal s an d pol ished mahogan y. O n the f ar wal l was a l if e-siz e c r uc if ix . B ec ker stagger ed to a stop. D ead en d. He was at the tip of the c r oss. He c oul d hear Hul ohot c l osin g f ast. B ec ker star ed at the c r uc if ix an d c ur sed his b ad l uc k. “G oddamn i t! ” he sc r eamed. Ther e was the sudden soun d of b r eakin g gl ass to B ec ker ’ s l ef t. He wheel ed. A man in r ed r ob es gasped an d tur n ed to eye B ec ker in hor r or . L ike a c at c aught with a c an ar y, the hol y man wiped his mouth an d tr ied to hide the b r oken b ottl e of hol y c ommun ion win e at his f eet. “Sal i da! ” B ec ker deman ded. “Sal ida! ” L et me out! C ar din al G uer r a r eac ted on in stin c t. A demon had en ter ed his sac r ed c hamb er s sc r eamin g f or del iv er an c e f r om the house of G od. G uer r a woul d gr an t him that wish– immediatel y. The demon had en ter ed at a most in oppor tun e momen t. P al e, the c ar din al poin ted to a c ur tain on the wal l to his l ef t. Hidden b ehin d the c ur tain was a door . He’ d in stal l ed it thr ee year s ago. I t l ed dir ec tl y to the c our tyar d outside. The c ar din al had gr own tir ed of ex itin g the c hur c h thr ough the f r on t door l ike a c ommon sin n er .
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Susan was wet an d shiv er in g, huddl ed on the N ode 3 c ouc h. Str athmor e dr aped his suit c oat ov er her shoul der s. Hal e’ s b ody l ay a f ew yar ds away. The sir en s b l ar ed. L ike ic e thawin g on a f r oz en pon d, TR A N SL TR ’ s hul l l et out a shar p c r ac k. “I ’ m goin g down to kil l power , ” Str athmor e said, l ayin g a r eassur in g han d on her shoul der . “I ’ l l b e r ight b ac k.” Susan star ed ab sen tl y af ter the c omman der as he dashed ac r oss the C r ypto f l oor . He was n o l on ger the c ataton ic man she’ d seen ten min utes b ef or e. C omman der Tr ev or Str athmor e was b ac k–l ogic al , c on tr ol l ed, doin g whatev er was n ec essar y to get the j ob don e. The f in al wor ds of Hal e’ s suic ide n ote r an thr ough her min d l ike a tr ain out of c on tr ol : A b ov e al l , I’ m tru l y sorry ab ou t D av i d B ec k er. Forg i v e me, I was b l i nded b y amb i ti on. Susan F l etc her ’ s n ightmar e had j ust b een c on f ir med. D av id was in dan ger … or wor se. M ayb e it was al r eady too l ate. I’ m tru l y sorry ab ou t D av i d B ec k er. She star ed at the n ote. Hal e hadn ’ t ev en sign ed it–he’ d j ust typed his n ame at the b ottom: G reg H al e. He’ d pour ed out his guts, pr essed pr in t, an d then shot himsel f –j ust l ike that. Hal e had swor n he’ d n ev er go b ac k to pr ison ; he’ d kept his v ow–he’ d c hosen death in stead. “D av id…” She sob b ed. D av i d! ***
A t that momen t, ten f eet b el ow the C r ypto f l oor , C omman der Str athmor e stepped of f the l adder on to the f ir st l an din g. I t had b een a day of f iasc oes. W hat had star ted out as a patr iotic mission had swer v ed wil dl y out of c on tr ol . The c omman der had b een f or c ed to make impossib l e dec ision s, c ommit hor r if ic ac ts–ac ts he’ d n ev er imagin ed himsel f c apab l e of . I t was a sol ution ! I t was the on l y damn sol ution ! Ther e was duty to thin k of : c oun tr y an d hon or . Str athmor e kn ew ther e was stil l time. He c oul d shut down TR A N SL TR . He c oul d use the r in g to sav e the c oun tr y’ s most v al uab l e datab an k. Y es, he thought, there was sti l l ti me. Str athmor e l ooked out ov er the disaster ar oun d him. The ov er head spr in kl er s wer e on . TR A N SL TR was gr oan in g. The sir en s b l ar ed. The spin n in g l ights l ooked l ike hel ic opter s c l osin g in thr ough den se f og. W ith ev er y step, al l he c oul d see was G r eg Hal e– the youn g c r yptogr apher gaz in g up, his eyes pl eadin g, an d then , the shot. Hal e’ s death was f or c oun tr y… f or hon or . The N SA c oul d n ot af f or d an other sc an dal . Str athmor e n eeded a sc apegoat. B esides, G r eg Hal e was a disaster waitin g to happen . *** Str athmor e’ s thoughts wer e j ar r ed f r ee b y the soun d of his c el l ul ar . I t was b ar el y audib l e ov er the sir en s an d hissin g f umes. He sn atc hed it of f his b el t without b r eakin g str ide. “Speak.” “W her e’ s my pass-key? ” a f amil iar v oic e deman ded. “W ho is this? ” Str athmor e yel l ed ov er the din .
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“I t’ s N umataka! ” the an gr y v oic e b el l owed b ac k. “Y ou pr omised me a pass-key! ” Str athmor e kept mov in g. “I wan t D igital F or tr ess! ” N umataka hissed. “Ther e i s n o D igital F or tr ess! ” Str athmor e shot b ac k. “W hat? ” “Ther e is n o un b r eakab l e al gor ithm! ” “O f c our se ther e is! I ’ v e seen it on the I n ter n et! M y peopl e hav e b een tr yin g to un l oc k it f or days! ” “I t’ s an en c r ypted v ir us, you f ool –an d you’ r e damn l uc ky you c an ’ t open it! ” “B ut–” “The deal is of f ! ” Str athmor e yel l ed. “I ’ m n ot N or th D akota. Ther e i s n o N or th D akota! F or get I ev er men tion ed it! ” He c l amped the c el l ul ar shut, tur n ed of f the r in ger , an d r ammed it b ac k on his b el t. Ther e woul d b e n o mor e in ter r uption s. ***
Twel v e thousan d mil es away, Tokugen N umataka stood stun n ed at his pl ate-gl ass win dow. His U mami c igar hun g l impl y in his mouth. The deal of his l if etime had j ust disin tegr ated b ef or e his eyes. ***
Str athmor e kept desc en din g. T he deal i s of f . N umatec h C or p. woul d n ev er get the un b r eakab l e al gor ithm… an d the N SA woul d n ev er get its b ac k door . Str athmor e’ s dr eam had b een a l on g time in the pl an n in g–he’ d c hosen N umatec h c ar ef ul l y. N umatec h was weal thy, a l ikel y win n er of the pass-key auc tion . N o on e woul d thin k twic e if it en ded up with the key. C on v en ien tl y ther e was n o c ompan y l ess l ikel y to b e suspec ted of c on sor tin g with the U .S. gov er n men t. Tokugen N umataka was ol d-wor l d Japan –death b ef or e dishon or . He hated A mer ic an s. He hated their f ood, he hated their c ustoms, an d most of al l , he hated their gr ip on the wor l d’ s sof twar e mar ket. *** Str athmor e’ s v ision had b een b ol d–a wor l d en c r yption stan dar d with a b ac k door f or the N SA . He’ d l on ged to shar e his dr eam with Susan , to c ar r y it out with her b y his side, b ut he kn ew he c oul d n ot. Ev en though En sei Tan kado’ s death woul d sav e thousan ds of l iv es in the f utur e, Susan woul d n ev er hav e agr eed; she was a pac if ist. I’ m a pac i f i st too, thought Str athmor e, I j u st don’ t hav e the l u x u ry of ac ti ng l i k e one. Ther e had n ev er b een an y doub t in the c omman der ’ s min d who woul d kil l Tan kado. Tan kado was in Spain –an d Spain mean t Hul ohot. The f or ty-two-year -ol d P or tuguese mer c en ar y was on e of the c omman der ’ s f av or ite pr os. He’ d b een wor kin g f or the N SA f or year s. B or n an d r aised in L isb on , Hul ohot had don e wor k f or the N SA al l ov er Eur ope. N ev er on c e had his kil l s b een tr ac ed b ac k to F or t M eade. The on l y c atc h was that Hul ohot was deaf ; tel ephon e c ommun ic ation was impossib l e. R ec en tl y Str athmor e had ar r an ged f or Hul ohot to r ec eiv e the N SA ’ s n ewest toy, the M on oc l e c omputer . Str athmor e b ought himsel f a SkyP ager an d pr ogr ammed it to the same f r eq uen c y. F r om that momen t on , his
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c ommun ic ation with Hul ohot was n ot on l y in stan tan eous b ut al so en tir el y un tr ac eab l e. The f ir st message Str athmor e had sen t Hul ohot l ef t l ittl e r oom f or misun der stan din g. They had al r eady disc ussed it. K il l En sei Tan kado. O b tain pass-key. Str athmor e n ev er asked how Hul ohot wor ked his magic , b ut somehow he had don e it again . En sei Tan kado was dead, an d the author ities wer e c on v in c ed it was a hear t attac k. A tex tb ook kil l –ex c ept f or on e thin g. Hul ohot had misj udged the l oc ation . A ppar en tl y Tan kado dyin g in a pub l ic pl ac e was a n ec essar y par t of the il l usion . B ut un ex pec tedl y, the pub l ic had appear ed too soon . Hul ohot was f or c ed in to hidin g b ef or e he c oul d sear c h the b ody f or the pass-key. W hen the dust settl ed, Tan kado’ s b ody was in the han ds of Sev il l e’ s c or on er . Str athmor e was f ur ious. Hul ohot had b l own a mission f or the f ir st time ev er –an d he’ d pic ked an in auspic ious time to do it. G ettin g Tan kado’ s pass-key was c r itic al , b ut Str athmor e kn ew that sen din g a deaf assassin in to the Sev il l e mor gue was a suic ide mission . He had pon der ed his other option s. A sec on d sc heme b egan to mater ial iz e. Str athmor e sudden l y saw a c han c e to win on two f r on ts–a c han c e to r eal iz e two dr eams in stead of j ust on e. A t six -thir ty that mor n in g, he had c al l ed D av id B ec ker .
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F on tain e b ur st in to the c on f er en c e r oom at a f ul l spr in t. B r in ker hof f an d M idge wer e c l ose at his heel s. “L ook! ” M idge c hoked, motion in g f r an tic al l y to the win dow. F on tain e l ooked out the win dow at the str ob es in the C r ypto dome. His eyes wen t wide. This was def in itel y not par t of the pl an . B r in ker hof f sputter ed. “I t’ s a goddamn disc o down ther e! ” F on tain e star ed out, tr yin g to make sen se of it. I n the f ew year s TR A N SL TR had b een oper ation al , it had n ev er don e this. It’ s ov erheati ng , he thought. He won der ed why the hel l Str athmor e hadn ’ t shut it down . I t took F on tain e on l y an in stan t to make up his min d. He sn atc hed an in ter of f ic e phon e of f the c on f er en c e tab l e an d pun c hed the ex ten sion f or C r ypto. The r ec eiv er b egan b eepin g as if the ex ten sion wer e out of or der . F on tain e sl ammed down the r ec eiv er . “D amn it! ” He immediatel y pic ked up again an d dial ed Str athmor e’ s pr iv ate c el l ul ar l in e. This time the l in e b egan to r in g. Six r in gs wen t b y. B r in ker hof f an d M idge watc hed as F on tain e pac ed the l en gth of his phon e c ab l e l ike a tiger on a c hain . A f ter a f ul l min ute, F on tain e was c r imson with r age. He sl ammed down the r ec eiv er again . “U n b el iev ab l e! ” he b el l owed. “C r ypto’ s ab out to b l ow, an d Str athmor e won ’ t an swer his goddamn phon e! ”
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Hul ohot b ur st out of C ar din al G uer r a’ s c hamb er s in to the b l in din g mor n in g sun . He shiel ded his eyes an d c ur sed. He was stan din g outside the c athedr al in a smal l patio, b or der ed b y a high ston e wal l , the west f ac e of the G ir al da tower , an d two wr ought-ir on f en c es. The gate was open . O utside the gate was the sq uar e. I t was empty. The wal l s of San ta C r uz wer e in the distan c e. Ther e was n o way B ec ker c oul d hav e made it so f ar so q uic kl y. Hul ohot tur n ed an d sc an n ed the patio. H e’ s i n here. H e mu st b e! The patio, Jar din de l os N ar an j os, was f amous in Sev il l e f or its twen ty b l ossomin g or an ge tr ees. The tr ees wer e r en own ed in Sev il l e as the b ir thpl ac e of En gl ish mar mal ade. A n eighteen th-c en tur y En gl ish tr ader had pur c hased thr ee doz en b ushel s of or an ges f r om the Sev il l e c hur c h an d taken them b ac k to L on don on l y to f in d the f r uit in edib l y b itter . He tr ied to make j am f r om the r in ds an d en ded up hav in g to add poun ds of sugar j ust to make it pal atab l e. O r an ge mar mal ade had b een b or n . Hul ohot mov ed f or war d thr ough the gr ov e, gun l ev el ed. The tr ees wer e ol d, an d the f ol iage had mov ed high on their tr un ks. Their l owest b r an c hes wer e un r eac hab l e, an d the thin b ases pr ov ided n o c ov er . Hul ohot q uic kl y saw the patio was empty. He l ooked str aight up. The G ir al da. The en tr an c e to the G ir al da’ s spir al stair c ase was c or don ed of f b y a r ope an d smal l wooden sign . The r ope hun g motion l ess. Hul ohot’ s eyes c l imb ed the 4 1 9 -f oot tower an d immediatel y kn ew it was a r idic ul ous thought. Ther e was n o way B ec ker woul d hav e b een that stupid. The sin gl e stair c ase woun d str aight up to a sq uar e ston e c ub ic l e. Ther e wer e n ar r ow sl its in the wal l f or v iewin g, b ut ther e was n o way out. ***
D av id B ec ker c l imb ed the l ast of the steep stair s an d stagger ed b r eathl ess in to a tin y ston e c ub ic l e. Ther e wer e high wal l s al l ar oun d him an d n ar r ow sl its in the per imeter . N o ex it. F ate had don e B ec ker n o f av or s this mor n in g. A s he’ d dashed f r om the c athedr al in to the open c our tyar d, his j ac ket had c aught on the door . The f ab r ic had stopped him mid str ide an d swun g him har d l ef t b ef or e tear in g. B ec ker was sudden l y stumb l in g of f b al an c e in to the b l in din g sun . W hen he’ d l ooked up, he was headin g str aight f or a stair c ase. He’ d j umped ov er the r ope an d dashed up. B y the time he r eal iz ed wher e it l ed, it was too l ate. N ow he stood in the c on f in ed c el l an d c aught his b r eath. His side b ur n ed. N ar r ow sl ats of mor n in g sun str eamed thr ough the open in gs in the wal l . He l ooked out. The man in the wir e-r im gl asses was f ar b el ow, his b ac k to B ec ker , star in g out at the pl az a. B ec ker shif ted his b ody in f r on t of the c r ac k f or a b etter v iew. C ross the pl az a, he wil l ed him. *** The shadow of the G ir al da l ay ac r oss the sq uar e l ike a gian t f el l ed seq uoia. Hul ohot star ed the l en gth of it. A t the f ar en d, thr ee sl its of l ight c ut thr ough the tower ’ s v iewin g aper tur es an d f el l in c r isp r ec tan gl es on the c ob b l eston e b el ow. O n e of those r ec tan gl es had j ust b een b l otted out b y the shadow of a man . W ithout so muc h as a gl an c e towar d the top of the tower , Hul ohot spun an d dashed towar d the G ir al da stair s.
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F on tain e poun ded his f ist in to his han d. He pac ed the c on f er en c e r oom an d star ed out at the spin n in g C r ypto l ights. “A b or t! G oddamn it! A b or t! ” M idge appear ed in the door way wav in g a f r esh r eadout. “D ir ec tor ! Str athmor e c an’ t ab or t! ” “W hat! ” B r in ker hof f an d F on tain e gasped in un ison . “He tr ied, sir ! ” M idge hel d up the r epor t. “F our times al r eady! TR A N SL TR ’ s l oc ked in some sor t of en dl ess l oop.” F on tain e spun an d star ed b ac k out the win dow. “Jesus C hr ist! ” The c on f er en c e r oom phon e r an g shar pl y. The dir ec tor thr ew up his ar ms. “I t’ s got to b e Str athmor e! A b out goddamn time! ” B r in ker hof f sc ooped up the phon e. “D ir ec tor ’ s of f ic e.” F on tain e hel d out his han d f or the r ec eiv er . B r in ker hof f l ooked un easy an d tur n ed to M idge. “I t’ s Jab b a. He wan ts you . ” The dir ec tor swun g his gaz e ov er to M idge, who was al r eady c r ossin g the r oom. She ac tiv ated the speaker phon e. “G o ahead, Jab b a.” Jab b a’ s metal l ic v oic e b oomed in to the r oom. “M idge, I ’ m in the main datab an k. W e’ r e showin g some str an ge stuf f down her e. I was won der in g if –” “D ammit, Jab b a! ” M idge c ame un gl ued. “That’ s what I ’ v e b een tr yin g to tel l you! ” “I t c oul d b e n othin g, ” Jab b a hedged, “b ut–” “Stop sayin g that! I t’ s not n othin g! W hatev er ’ s goin g on down ther e, take it ser iousl y, v ery ser iousl y. M y data isn ’ t f r ied–n ev er has b een , n ev er wil l .” She star ted to han g up an d then added, “O h, an d Jab b a? Just so ther e ar en ’ t an y sur pr ises… Str athmor e b ypassed G aun tl et.”
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Hul ohot took the G ir al da stair s thr ee at a time. The on l y l ight in the spir al passage was f r om smal l open -air win dows ev er y 1 8 0 degr ees. H e’ s trapped! D av i d B ec k er wi l l di e! Hul ohot c ir c l ed upwar d, gun dr awn . He kept to the outside wal l in c ase B ec ker dec ided to attac k f r om ab ov e. The ir on c an dl e pol es on eac h l an din g woul d make good weapon s if B ec ker dec ided to use on e. B ut b y stayin g wide, Hul ohot woul d b e ab l e to spot him in time. Hul ohot’ s gun had a r an ge sign if ic an tl y l on ger than a f iv e-f oot c an dl e pol e. Hul ohot mov ed q uic kl y b ut c ar ef ul l y. The stair s wer e steep; tour ists had died her e. This was n ot A mer ic a–n o saf ety sign s, n o han dr ail s, n o in sur an c e disc l aimer s. This was Spain . I f you wer e stupid en ough to f al l , it was your own damn f aul t, r egar dl ess of who b uil t the stair s. Hul ohot paused at on e of the shoul der -high open in gs an d gl an c ed out. He was on the n or th f ac e an d, f r om the l ooks of thin gs, ab out hal f way up. The open in g to the v iewin g pl atf or m was v isib l e ar oun d the c or n er . The stair c ase to the top was empty. D av id B ec ker had n ot c hal l en ged him. Hul ohot r eal iz ed mayb e B ec ker had n ot seen him en ter the tower . That mean t the el emen t of sur pr ise was on Hul ohot’ s side as wel l –n ot that he’ d n eed it. Hul ohot hel d al l the c ar ds. Ev en the l ayout of the tower was in his f av or ; the stair c ase met the v iewin g pl atf or m in the southwest c or n er –Hul ohot woul d hav e a c l ear l in e of f ir e to ev er y poin t of the c el l with n o possib il ity that B ec ker c oul d get b ehin d him. A n d to top thin gs of f , Hul ohot woul d b e mov in g out of the dar k in to the l ight. A k i l l i ng b ox , he mused. Hul ohot measur ed the distan c e to the door way. Sev en steps. He pr ac tic ed the kil l in his min d. I f he stayed r ight as he appr oac hed the open in g, he woul d b e ab l e to see the l ef tmost c or n er of the pl atf or m b ef or e he r eac hed it. I f B ec ker was ther e, Hul ohot woul d f ir e. I f n ot, he woul d shif t in side an d en ter mov in g east, f ac in g the r ight c or n er , the on l y pl ac e r emain in g that B ec ker c oul d b e. He smil ed. SU B JEC T: D A V I D
B EC K ER –TER M I N A TED
The time had c ome. He c hec ked his weapon . W ith a v iol en t sur ge, Hul ohot dashed up. The pl atf or m swun g in to v iew. The l ef t c or n er was empty. A s r ehear sed, Hul ohot shif ted in side an d b ur st thr ough the open in g f ac in g r ight. He f ir ed in to the c or n er . The b ul l et r ic oc heted b ac k of f the b ar e wal l an d b ar el y missed him. Hul ohot wheel ed wil dl y an d l et out a muted sc r eam. Ther e was n o on e ther e. D av id B ec ker had v an ished. ***
Thr ee f l ights b el ow, suspen ded 3 2 5 f eet ov er the Jar din de l os N ar an j os, D av id B ec ker hun g on the outside of the G ir al da l ike a man doin g c hin -ups on a win dow l edge. A s Hul ohot had b een r ac in g up the stair c ase, B ec ker had desc en ded thr ee f l ights an d l ower ed himsel f out on e of the open in gs. He’ d dr opped out of sight j ust in time. The kil l er had r un r ight b y him. He’ d b een in too muc h of a hur r y to n otic e the white kn uc kl es gr aspin g the win dow l edge.
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Han gin g outside the win dow, B ec ker than ked G od that his dail y sq uash r outin e in v ol v ed twen ty min utes on the N autil us mac hin e to dev el op his b ic eps f or a har der ov er head ser v e. U n f or tun atel y, despite his str on g ar ms, B ec ker was n ow hav in g tr oub l e pul l in g himsel f b ac k in . His shoul der s b ur n ed. His side f el t as if it wer e tear in g open . The r ough-c ut ston e l edge pr ov ided l ittl e gr ip, gr atin g in to his f in ger tips l ike b r oken gl ass. B ec ker kn ew it was on l y a matter of sec on ds b ef or e his assail an t woul d c ome r un n in g down f r om ab ov e. F r om the higher gr oun d, the kil l er woul d un doub tedl y see B ec ker ’ s f in ger s on the l edge. B ec ker c l osed his eyes an d pul l ed. He kn ew he woul d n eed a mir ac l e to esc ape death. His f in ger s wer e l osin g their l ev er age. He gl an c ed down , past his dan gl in g l egs. The dr op was the l en gth of a f ootb al l f iel d to the or an ge tr ees b el ow. U n sur v iv ab l e. The pain in his side was gettin g wor se. F ootsteps n ow thun der ed ab ov e him, l oud l eapin g f ootsteps r ushin g down the stair s. B ec ker c l osed his eyes. I t was n ow or n ev er . He gr itted his teeth an d pul l ed. The ston e tor e again st the skin on his wr ists as he yan ked himsel f upwar d. The f ootsteps wer e c omin g f ast. B ec ker gr appl ed at the in side of the open in g, tr yin g to sec ur e his hol d. He kic ked his f eet. His b ody f el t l ike l ead, as if someon e had a r ope tied to his l egs an d wer e pul l in g him down . He f ought it. He sur ged up on to his el b ows. He was in pl ain v iew n ow, his head hal f thr ough the win dow l ike a man in a guil l otin e. He wr iggl ed his l egs, kic kin g himsel f in to the open in g. He was hal f way thr ough. His tor so n ow hun g in to the stair wel l . The f ootsteps wer e c l ose. B ec ker gr ab b ed the sides of the open in g an d in a sin gl e motion l aun c hed his b ody thr ough. He hit the stair c ase har d. *** Hul ohot sen sed B ec ker ’ s b ody hit the f l oor j ust b el ow him. He l eapt f or war d, gun l ev el ed. A win dow spun in to v iew. T hi s i s i t! Hul ohot mov ed to the outside wal l an d aimed down the stair c ase. B ec ker ’ s l egs dashed out of sight j ust ar oun d the c ur v e. Hul ohot f ir ed in f r ustr ation . The b ul l et r ic oc heted down the stair wel l . A s Hul ohot dashed down the stair s af ter his pr ey, he kept to the outside wal l f or the widest an gl e v iew. A s the stair c ase r ev ol v ed in to v iew b ef or e him, it seemed B ec ker was al ways 1 8 0 degr ees ahead of him, j ust out of sight. B ec ker had taken the in side tr ac k, c uttin g of f the an gl e an d l eapin g f our or f iv e stair s at a time. Hul ohot stayed with him. I t woul d take on l y a sin gl e shot. Hul ohot was gain in g. He kn ew that ev en if B ec ker made the b ottom, ther e was n owher e to r un ; Hul ohot c oul d shoot him in the b ac k as he c r ossed the open patio. The desper ate r ac e spir al ed down war d. Hul ohot mov ed in side to the f aster tr ac k. He sen sed he was gain in g. He c oul d see B ec ker ’ s shadow ev er y time they passed an open in g. D own . D own . Spir al in g. I t seemed that B ec ker was al ways j ust ar oun d the c or n er . Hul ohot kept on e eye on his shadow an d on e eye on the stair s. Sudden l y it appear ed to Hul ohot that B ec ker ’ s shadow had stumb l ed. I t made an er r atic l ur c h l ef t an d then seemed to spin in midair an d sail b ac k towar d the c en ter of the stair wel l . Hul ohot l eapt f or war d. I’ v e g ot hi m! O n the stair s in f r on t of Hul ohot, ther e was a f l ash of steel . I t j ab b ed in to the air f r om ar oun d the c or n er . I t thr ust f or war d l ike a f en c er ’ s f oil at an kl e l ev el . Hul ohot tr ied to shif t l ef t, b ut it was too l ate. The ob j ec t was b etween his an kl es. His b ac k f oot c ame f or war d, c aught it har d, an d the post sl ammed ac r oss his shin . Hul ohot’ s ar ms wen t out f or suppor t
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b ut f oun d on l y empty air . He was ab r uptl y air b or n e, tur n in g on his side. A s Hul ohot sail ed down war d, he passed ov er D av id B ec ker , pr on e on his stomac h, ar ms outstr etc hed. The c an dl e pol e in his han ds was n ow c aught up in Hul ohot’ s l egs as he spun down war d. Hul ohot c r ashed in to the outside wal l b ef or e he hit the stair c ase. W hen he f in al l y f oun d the f l oor , he was tumb l in g. His gun c l atter ed to the f l oor . Hul ohot’ s b ody kept goin g, head ov er heel s. He spir al ed f iv e c ompl ete 3 6 0 -degr ee r otation s b ef or e he r ol l ed to a stop. Twel v e mor e steps, an d he woul d hav e tumb l ed out on to the patio.
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D av id B ec ker had n ev er hel d a gun , b ut he was hol din g on e n ow. Hul ohot’ s b ody was twisted an d man gl ed in the dar kn ess of the G ir al da stair c ase. B ec ker pr essed the b ar r el of the gun again st his assail an t’ s templ e an d c ar ef ul l y kn el t down . O n e twitc h an d B ec ker woul d f ir e. B ut ther e was n o twitc h. Hul ohot was dead. B ec ker dr opped the gun an d c ol l apsed on the stair s. F or the f ir st time in ages he f el t tear s wel l up. He f ought them. He kn ew ther e woul d b e time f or emotion l ater ; n ow it was time to go home. B ec ker tr ied to stan d, b ut he was too tir ed to mov e. He sat a l on g whil e, ex hausted, on the ston e stair c ase. A b sen tl y, he studied the twisted b ody b ef or e him. The kil l er ’ s eyes b egan to gl az e ov er , gaz in g out at n othin g in par tic ul ar . Somehow, his gl asses wer e stil l in tac t. They wer e odd gl asses, B ec ker thought, with a wir e pr otr udin g f r om b ehin d the ear piec e an d l eadin g to a pac k of some sor t on his b el t. B ec ker was too ex hausted to b e c ur ious. A s he sat al on e in the stair c ase an d c ol l ec ted his thoughts, B ec ker shif ted his gaz e to the r in g on his f in ger . His v ision had c l ear ed somewhat, an d he c oul d f in al l y r ead the in sc r iption . A s he had suspec ted, it was n ot En gl ish. He star ed at the en gr av in g al on g momen t an d then f r own ed. T hi s i s worth k i l l i ng f or? *** The mor n in g sun was b l in din g when B ec ker f in al l y stepped out of the G ir al da on to the patio. The pain in his side had sub sided, an d his v ision was r etur n in g to n or mal . He stood a momen t, in a daz e, en j oyin g the f r agr an c e of the or an ge b l ossoms. Then he b egan mov in g sl owl y ac r oss the patio. A s B ec ker str ode away f r om the tower , a v an skidded to a stop n ear b y. Two men j umped out. They wer e youn g an d dr essed in mil itar y f atigues. They adv an c ed on B ec ker with the stif f pr ec ision of wel l -tun ed mac hin es. “D av id B ec ker ? ” on e deman ded. B ec ker stopped shor t, amaz ed they kn ew his n ame. “W ho… who ar e you? ” “C ome with us, pl ease. R ight away.” Ther e was somethin g un r eal ab out the en c oun ter –somethin g that made B ec ker ’ s n er v e en din gs star t to tin gl e again . He f oun d himsel f b ac kin g away f r om them. The shor ter man gav e B ec ker an ic y star e. “This way, M r . B ec ker . R i g ht now. ” B ec ker tur n ed to r un . B ut he on l y took on e step. O n e of the men dr ew a weapon . Ther e was a shot. A sear in g l an c e of pain er upted in B ec ker ’ s c hest. I t r oc keted to his skul l . His f in ger s wen t stif f , an d B ec ker f el l . A n in stan t l ater , ther e was n othin g b ut b l ac kn ess.
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Str athmor e r eac hed the TR A N SL TR f l oor an d stepped of f the c atwal k in to an in c h of water . The gian t c omputer shudder ed b eside him. Huge dr opl ets of water f el l l ike r ain thr ough the swir l in g mist. The war n in g hor n s soun ded l ike thun der . The c omman der l ooked ac r oss at the f ail ed main gen er ator s. P hil C har tr ukian was ther e, his c har r ed r emain s spl ayed ac r oss a set of c ool an t f in s. The sc en e l ooked l ike some sor t of per v er se Hal l oween displ ay. A l though Str athmor e r egr etted the man ’ s death, ther e was n o doub t it had b een “a war r an ted c asual ty.” P hil C har tr ukian had l ef t Str athmor e n o c hoic e. W hen the Sys-Sec c ame r ac in g up f r om the depths, sc r eamin g ab out a v ir us, Str athmor e met him on the l an din g an d tr ied to tal k sen se to him. B ut C har tr ukian was b eyon d r eason . W e’ v e g ot a v i ru s! I’ m c al l i ng J ab b a! W hen he tr ied to push past, the c omman der b l oc ked his way. The l an din g was n ar r ow. They str uggl ed. The r ail in g was l ow. I t was ir on ic , Str athmor e thought, that C har tr ukian had b een r ight ab out the v ir us al l al on g. The man ’ s pl un ge had b een c hil l in g–a momen tar y howl of ter r or an d then sil en c e. B ut it was n ot hal f as c hil l in g as the n ex t thin g C omman der Str athmor e saw. G r eg Hal e was star in g up at him f r om the shadows b el ow, a l ook of utter hor r or on his f ac e. I t was then that Str athmor e kn ew G r eg Hal e woul d die. TR A N SL TR c r ac kl ed, an d Str athmor e tur n ed his atten tion b ac k to the task at han d. K il l power . The c ir c uit b r eaker was on the other side of the f r eon pumps to the l ef t of the b ody. Str athmor e c oul d see it c l ear l y. A l l he had to do was pul l a l ev er an d the r emain in g power in C r ypto woul d die. Then , af ter a f ew sec on ds, he c oul d r estar t the main gen er ator s; al l door ways an d f un c tion s woul d c omeb ac k on -l in e; the f r eon woul d star t f l owin g again , an d TR A N SL TR woul d b e saf e. B ut as Str athmor e sl ogged towar d the b r eaker , he r eal iz ed ther e was on e f in al ob stac l e: C har tr ukian ’ s b ody was stil l on the main gen er ator ’ s c ool in g f in s. K il l in g an d then r estar tin g the main gen er ator woul d on l y c ause an other power f ail ur e. The b ody had to b e mov ed. Str athmor e eyed the gr otesq ue r emain s an d made his way ov er . R eac hin g up, he gr ab b ed a wr ist. The f l esh was l ike Styr of oam. The tissue had b een f r ied. The whol e b ody was dev oid of moistur e. The c omman der c l osed his eyes, tighten ed his gr ip ar oun d the wr ist, an d pul l ed. The b ody sl id an in c h or two. Str athmor e pul l ed har der . The b ody sl id again . The c omman der b r ac ed himsel f an d pul l ed with al l his might. Sudden l y he was tumb l in g b ac kwar d. He l an ded har d on his b ac kside up again st a power c asemen t. Str uggl in g to sit up in the r isin g water , Str athmor e star ed down in hor r or at the ob j ec t in his f ist. I t was C har tr ukian ’ s f or ear m. I t had b r oken of f at the el b ow. ***
U pstair s, Susan c on tin ued her wait. She sat on the N ode 3 c ouc h f eel in g par al yz ed. Hal e l ay at her f eet. She c oul dn ’ t imagin e what was takin g the c omman der so l on g. M in utes passed. She tr ied to push D av id f r om her thoughts, b ut it was n o use. W ith ev er y b l ast of the hor n s, Hal e’ s wor ds ec hoed in side her head: I’ m tru l y sorry ab ou t D av i d B ec k er. Susan thought she woul d l ose her min d. She was ab out to j ump up an d r ac e on to the C r ypto f l oor when f in al l y it happen ed. Str athmor e had thr own the switc h an d kil l ed al l power .
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The sil en c e that en gul f ed C r ypto was in stan tan eous. The hor n s c hoked of f mid b l ar e, an d the N ode 3 mon itor s f l ic ker ed to b l ac k. G r eg Hal e’ s c or pse disappear ed in to the dar kn ess, an d Susan in stin c tiv el y yan ked her l egs up on to the c ouc h. She wr apped Str athmor e’ s suit c oat ar oun d her . D ar kn ess. Sil en c e. She had n ev er hear d suc h q uiet in C r ypto. Ther e’ d al ways b een the l ow hum of the gen er ator s. B ut n ow ther e was n othin g, on l y the gr eat b east heav in g an d sighin g in r el ief . C r ac kl in g, hissin g, sl owl y c ool in g down . Susan c l osed her eyes an d pr ayed f or D av id. Her pr ayer was a simpl e on e–that G od pr otec t the man she l ov ed. N ot b ein g a r el igious woman , Susan had n ev er ex pec ted to hear a r espon se to her pr ayer . B ut when ther e was a sudden shudder in g again st her c hest, she j ol ted upr ight. She c l utc hed her c hest. A momen t l ater she un der stood. The v ib r ation s she f el t wer e n ot the han d of G od at al l –they wer e c omin g f r om the c omman der ’ s j ac ket poc ket. He had set the v ib r atin g sil en t-r in g f eatur e on his SkyP ager . Someon e was sen din g C omman der Str athmor e a message. ***
Six stor ies b el ow, Str athmor e stood at the c ir c uit b r eaker . The sub l ev el s of C r ypto wer e n ow as dar k as the deepest n ight. He stood a momen t en j oyin g the b l ac kn ess. The water pour ed down f r om ab ov e. I t was a midn ight stor m. Str athmor e til ted his head b ac k an d l et the war m dr opl ets wash away his guil t. I’ m a su rv i v or. He kn el t an d washed the l ast of C har tr ukian ’ s f l esh f r om his han ds. His dr eams f or D igital F or tr ess had f ail ed. He c oul d ac c ept that. Susan was al l that matter ed n ow. F or the f ir st time in dec ades, he tr ul y un der stood that ther e was mor e to l if e than c oun tr y an d hon or . I sac ri f i c ed the b est years of my l i f e f or c ou ntry and honor. B u t what ab ou t l ov e? He had depr iv ed himsel f f or f ar too l on g. A nd f or what? To watc h some youn g pr of essor steal away his dr eams? Str athmor e had n ur tur ed Susan . He had pr otec ted her . He had earned her . A n d n ow, at l ast, he woul d hav e her . Susan woul d seek shel ter in his ar ms when ther e was n owher e el se to tur n . She woul d c ome to him hel pl ess, woun ded b y l oss, an d in time, he woul d show her that l ov e heal s al l . H onor. C ou ntry. L ov e. D av id B ec ker was ab out to die f or al l thr ee.
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The C omman der r ose thr ough the tr apdoor l ike L az ar us b ac k f r om the dead. D espite his soggy c l othes, his step was l ight. He str ode towar d N ode 3 –towar d Susan . Towar d his f utur e. The C r ypto f l oor was again b athed in l ight. F r eon was f l owin g down war d thr ough the smol der in g TR A N SL TR l ike ox ygen ated b l ood. Str athmor e kn ew it woul d take a f ew min utes f or the c ool an t to r eac h the b ottom of the hul l an d pr ev en t the l owest pr oc essor s f r om ign itin g, b ut he was c er tain he’ d ac ted in time. He ex hal ed in v ic tor y, n ev er suspec tin g the tr uth–that it was al r eady too l ate. I’ m a su rv i v or, he thought. I gn or in g the gapin g hol e in the N ode 3 wal l , he str ode to the el ec tr on ic door s. They hissed open . He stepped in side. Susan was stan din g b ef or e him, damp an d tousl ed in his b l az er . She l ooked l ike a f r eshman c oed who’ d b een c aught in the r ain . He f el t l ike the sen ior who’ d l en t her his v ar sity sweater . F or the f ir st time in year s, he f el t youn g. His dr eam was c omin g tr ue. B ut as Str athmor e mov ed c l oser , he f el t he was star in g in to the eyes of a woman he did n ot r ec ogn iz e. Her gaz e was l ike ic e. The sof tn ess was gon e. Susan F l etc her stood r igid, l ike an immov ab l e statue. The on l y per c eptib l e motion wer e the tear s wel l in g in her eyes. “Susan ? ” A sin gl e tear r ol l ed down her q uiv er in g c heek. “W hat is it? ” the c omman der pl eaded. The puddl e of b l ood b en eath Hal e’ s b ody had spr ead ac r oss the c ar pet l ike an oil spil l . Str athmor e gl an c ed un easil y at the c or pse, then b ac k at Susan . C ou l d she possi b l y k now? Ther e was n o way. Str athmor e kn ew he had c ov er ed ev er y b ase. “Susan ? ” he said, steppin g c l oser . “W hat is it? ” Susan did n ot mov e. “A r e you wor r ied ab out D av id? ” Ther e was a sl ight q uiv er in her upper l ip. Str athmor e stepped c l oser . He was goin g to r eac h f or her , b ut he hesitated. The soun d of D av id’ s n ame had appar en tl y c r ac ked the dam of gr ief . Sl owl y at f ir st–a q uiv er , a tr emb l e. A n d then a thun der in g wav e of miser y seemed to c our se thr ough her v ein s. B ar el y ab l e to c on tr ol her shudder in g l ips, Susan open ed her mouth to speak. N othin g c ame. W ithout ev er b r eakin g the ic y gaz e she’ d l oc ked on Str athmor e, she took her han d f r om the poc ket of his b l az er . I n her han d was an ob j ec t. She hel d it out, shakin g. Str athmor e hal f ex pec ted to l ook down an d see the B er etta l ev el ed at his gut. B ut the gun was stil l on the f l oor , pr opped saf el y in Hal e’ s han d. The ob j ec t Susan was hol din g was smal l er . Str athmor e star ed down at it, an d an in stan t l ater , he un der stood. A s Str athmor e star ed, r eal ity war ped, an d time sl owed to a c r awl . He c oul d hear the soun d of his own hear t. The man who had tr iumphed ov er gian ts f or so man y year s had b een outdon e in an in stan t. Sl ain b y l ov e–b y his own f ool ishn ess. I n a simpl e ac t of c hiv al r y, he had giv en Susan his j ac ket. A n d with it, his SkyP ager . N ow it was Str athmor e who wen t r igid. Susan ’ s han d was shakin g. The pager f el l at Hal e’ s f eet. W ith a l ook of aston ishmen t an d b etr ayal that Str athmor e woul d n ev er f or get, Susan F l etc her r ac ed past him out of N ode 3 . The c omman der l et her go. I n sl ow motion , he b en t an d r etr iev ed the pager . Ther e wer e n o n ew messages–Susan had r ead them al l . Str athmor e sc r ol l ed desper atel y thr ough
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the l ist. SU B JEC T: EN SEI TA N K A D O –TER M I N A TED SU B JEC T: P I ER R E C L O U C HA R D E–TER M I N A TED SU B JEC T: HA N S HU B ER –TER M I N A TED SU B JEC T: R O C Í O
EV A
G R A N A D A –TER M I N A TED …
The l ist wen t on . Str athmor e f el t a wav e of hor r or . I c an ex pl ai n! She wi l l u nderstand! H onor! C ou ntry! B ut ther e was on e message he had n ot yet seen –on e message he c oul d n ev er ex pl ain . Tr emb l in g, he sc r ol l ed to the f in al tr an smission . SU B JEC T: D A V I D
B EC K ER –TER M I N A TED
Str athmor e hun g his head. His dr eam was ov er .
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Susan stagger ed out of N ode 3 . SU B JEC T: D A V I D
B EC K ER –TER M I N A TED
A s if in a dr eam, she mov ed towar d C r ypto’ s main ex it. G r eg Hal e’ s v oic e ec hoed in her min d: Su san, Strathmore’ s g oi ng to k i l l me! Su san, the c ommander’ s i n l ov e wi th you ! Susan r eac hed the en or mous c ir c ul ar por tal an d b egan stab b in g desper atel y at the keypad. The door did n ot mov e. She tr ied again , b ut the en or mous sl ab r ef used to r otate. Susan l et out a muted sc r eam–appar en tl y the power outage had del eted the ex it c odes. She was stil l tr apped. W ithout war n in g, two ar ms c l osed ar oun d her f r om b ehin d, gr aspin g her hal f -n umb b ody. The touc h was f amil iar yet r epul siv e. I t l ac ked the b r ute str en gth of G r eg Hal e, b ut ther e was a desper ate r oughn ess to it, an in n er deter min ation l ike steel . Susan tur n ed. The man r estr ain in g her was desol ate, f r ighten ed. I t was a f ac e she had n ev er seen . “Susan , ” Str athmor e b egged, hol din g her . “I c an ex pl ain .” She tr ied to pul l away. The c omman der hel d f ast. Susan tr ied to sc r eam, b ut she had n o v oic e. She tr ied to r un , b ut str on g han ds r estr ain ed her , pul l in g her b ac kwar d. “I l ov e you, ” the v oic e was whisper in g. “I ’ v e l ov ed you f or ev er .” Susan ’ s stomac h tur n ed ov er an d ov er . “Stay with me.” Susan ’ s min d whir l ed with gr isl y images–D av id’ s b r ight-gr een eyes, sl owl y c l osin g f or the l ast time; G r eg Hal e’ s c or pse seepin g b l ood on to the c ar pet; P hil C har tr ukian ’ s b ur n ed an d b r oken on the gen er ator s. “The pain wil l pass, ” the v oic e said. “Y ou’ l l l ov e again .” Susan hear d n othin g. “Stay with me, ” the v oic e pl eaded. “I ’ l l heal your woun ds.” She str uggl ed, hel pl ess. “I did it f or us. W e’ r e made f or eac h other . Susan , I l ov e you.” The wor ds f l owed as if he had waited a dec ade to speak them. “I l ov e you! I l ov e you ! ” I n that in stan t, thir ty yar ds away, as if r eb uttin g Str athmor e’ s v il e c on f ession , TR A N SL TR l et out a sav age, pitil ess hiss. The soun d was an en tir el y n ew on e–a distan t, omin ous siz z l in g that seemed to gr ow l ike a ser pen t in the depths of the sil o. The f r eon , it appear ed, had n ot r eac hed its mar k in time. The c omman der l et go of Susan an d tur n ed towar d the $ 2 b il l ion c omputer . His eyes wen t wide with dr ead. “N o! ” He gr ab b ed his head. “N o! ” The six -stor y r oc ket b egan to tr emb l e. Str athmor e stagger ed a f al ter in g step towar d the thun der in g hul l . Then he f el l to his kn ees, a sin n er b ef or e an an gr y god. I t was n o use. A t the b ase of the sil o, TR A N SL TR ’ s titan ium-str on tium pr oc essor s had j ust ign ited.
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A f ir eb al l r ac in g upwar d thr ough thr ee mil l ion sil ic on c hips makes a un iq ue soun d. The c r ac kl in g of a f or est f ir e, the howl in g of a tor n ado, the steamin g gush of a geyser … al l tr apped within a r ev er b er an t hul l . I t was the dev il ’ s b r eath, pour in g thr ough a seal ed c av er n , l ookin g f or esc ape. Str athmor e kn el t tr an sf ix ed b y the hor r if ic n oise r isin g towar d them. The wor l d’ s most ex pen siv e c omputer was ab out to b ec ome an eight-stor y in f er n o. *** I n sl ow motion , Str athmor e tur n ed b ac k towar d Susan . She stood par al yz ed b eside the C r ypto door . Str athmor e star ed at her tear -str eaked f ac e. She seemed to shimmer in the f l uor esc en t l ight. She’ s an ang el , he thought. He sear c hed her eyes f or heav en , b ut al l he c oul d see was death. I t was the death of tr ust. L ov e an d hon or wer e gon e. The f an tasy that had kept him goin g al l these year s was dead. He woul d n ev er hav e Susan F l etc her . N ev er . The sudden emptin ess that gr ipped him was ov er whel min g. Susan gaz ed v aguel y towar d TR A N SL TR . She kn ew that tr apped within the c er amic shel l , a f ir eb al l was r ac in g towar d them. She sen sed it r isin g f aster an d f aster , f eedin g on the ox ygen r el eased b y the b ur n in g c hips. I n momen ts the C r ypto dome woul d b e a b l az in g in f er n o. Susan ’ s min d tol d her to r un , b ut D av id’ s dead weight pr essed down al l ar oun d her . She thought she hear d his v oic e c al l in g to her , tel l in g her to esc ape, b ut ther e was n owher e to go. C r ypto was a seal ed tomb . I t didn ’ t matter ; the thought of death did n ot f r ighten her . D eath woul d stop the pain . She woul d b e with D av id. The C r ypto f l oor b egan to tr emb l e, as if b el ow it an an gr y sea mon ster wer e r isin g out of the depths. D av id’ s v oic e seemed to b e c al l in g. R u n, Su san! R u n! Str athmor e was mov in g towar d her n ow, his f ac e a distan t memor y. His c ool gr ay eyes wer e l if el ess. The patr iot who had l iv ed in her min d a her o had died–a mur der er . His ar ms wer e sudden l y ar oun d her again , c l utc hin g desper atel y. He kissed her c heeks. “F or giv e me, ” he b egged. Susan tr ied to pul l away, b ut Str athmor e hel d on . TR A N SL TR b egan v ib r atin g l ike a missil e pr epar in g to l aun c h. The C r ypto f l oor b egan to shake. Str athmor e hel d tighter . “Hol d me, Susan . I n eed you.” A v iol en t sur ge of f ur y f il l ed Susan ’ s l imb s. D av id’ s v oic e c al l ed out again . I l ov e you ! E sc ape! I n a sudden b ur st of en er gy, Susan tor e f r ee. The r oar f r om TR A N SL TR b ec ame deaf en in g. The f ir e was at the sil o’ s peak. TR A N SL TR gr oan ed, str ain in g at its seams. D av id’ s v oic e seemed to l if t Susan , guide her . She dashed ac r oss the C r ypto f l oor an d star ted up Str athmor e’ s c atwal k stair s. B ehin d her , TR A N SL TR l et out a deaf en in g r oar . A s the l ast of the sil ic on c hips disin tegr ated, a tr emen dous updr af t of heat tor e thr ough the upper c asin g of the sil o an d sen t shar ds of c er amic thir ty f eet in to the air . I n stan tl y the ox ygen -r ic h air of C r ypto r ushed in to f il l the en or mous v ac uum. Susan r eac hed the upper l an din g an d gr ab b ed the b an ister when the tr emen dous r ush of win d r ipped at her b ody. I t spun her ar oun d in time to see the deputy dir ec tor of oper ation s, f ar b el ow, star in g up at her f r om b eside TR A N SL TR . Ther e was a stor m r agin g al l ar oun d him, an d yet ther e was peac e in his eyes. His l ips par ted, an d he mouthed his f in al wor d. “Susan .” The air r ushin g in to TR A N SL TR ign ited on c on tac t. I n a b r il l ian t f l ash of l ight, C omman der Tr ev or Str athmor e passed f r om man , to sil houette, to l egen d. W hen the b l ast hit Susan , it b l ew her b ac k f if teen f eet in to Str athmor e’ s of f ic e. A l l she r ememb er ed was a sear in g heat.
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I n the win dow of the D ir ec tor ’ s c on f er en c e r oom, high ab ov e the C r ypto dome, thr ee f ac es appear ed, b r eathl ess. The ex pl osion had shaken the en tir e N SA c ompl ex . L el an d F on tain e, C had B r in ker hof f , an d M idge M il ken al l star ed out in sil en t hor r or . Sev en ty f eet b el ow, the C r ypto dome was b l az in g. The pol yc ar b on ate r oof was stil l in tac t, b ut b en eath the tr an spar en t shel l , a f ir e r aged. B l ac k smoke swir l ed l ike f og in side the dome. The thr ee star ed down without a wor d. The spec tac l e had an eer ie gr an deur to it. F on tain e stood a l on g momen t. He f in al l y spoke, his v oic e f ain t b ut un wav er in g. “M idge, get a c r ew down ther e… n ow.” A c r oss the suite, F on tain e’ s phon e b egan to r in g. I t was Jab b a.
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Susan had n o idea how muc h time had passed. A b ur n in g in her thr oat pul l ed her to her sen ses. D isor ien ted, she studied her sur r oun din gs. She was on a c ar pet b ehin d a desk. The on l y l ight in the r oom was a str an ge or an ge f l ic ker in g. The air smel l ed of b ur n in g pl astic . The r oom she was stan din g in was n ot r eal l y a r oom at al l ; it was a dev astated shel l . The c ur tain s wer e on f ir e, an d the P l ex igl as wal l s wer e smol der in g. Then she r ememb er ed it al l . D av id. I n a r isin g pan ic , she pul l ed her sel f to her f eet. The air f el t c austic in her win dpipe. She stumb l ed to the door way l ookin g f or away out. A s she c r ossed the thr eshol d, her l eg swun g out ov er an ab yss; she gr ab b ed the door f r ame j ust in time. The c atwal k had disappear ed. F if ty f eet b el ow was a twisted c ol l apse of steamin g metal . Susan sc an n ed the C r ypto f l oor in hor r or . I t was a sea of f ir e. The mel ted r emain s of thr ee mil l ion sil ic on c hips had er upted f r om TR A N SL TR l ike l av a. Thic k, ac r id smoke b il l owed upwar d. Susan kn ew the smel l . Sil ic on smoke. D eadl y poison . R etr eatin g in to the r emain s of Str athmor e’ s of f ic e, she b egan to f eel f ain t. Her thr oat b ur n ed. The en tir e pl ac e was f il l ed with a f ier y l ight. C r ypto was dyin g. So wi l l I, she thought. F or a momen t, she c on sider ed the on l y possib l e ex it–Str athmor e’ s el ev ator . B ut she kn ew it was usel ess; the el ec tr on ic s n ev er woul d hav e sur v iv ed the b l ast. B ut as Susan made her way thr ough the thic ken in g smoke, she r ec al l ed Hal e’ s wor ds. T he el ev ator ru ns on power f rom the mai n b u i l di ng ! I’ v e seen the sc hemati c s! Susan kn ew that was tr ue. She al so kn ew the en tir e shaf t was en c ased in r ein f or c ed c on c r ete. The f umes swir l ed al l ar oun d her . She stumb l ed thr ough the smoke towar d the el ev ator door . B ut when she got ther e, she saw that the el ev ator ’ s c al l b utton was dar k. Susan j ab b ed f r uitl essl y at the dar ken ed pan el , then she f el l to her kn ees an d poun ded on the door . She stopped al most in stan tl y. Somethin g was whir r in g b ehin d the door s. Star tl ed, she l ooked up. I t soun ded l ike the c ar r iage was r ight ther e! Susan stab b ed at the b utton again . A gain , a whir r in g b ehin d the door s. Sudden l y she saw it. The c al l b utton was n ot dead–it had j ust b een c ov er ed withb l ac k soot. I t n ow gl owed f ain tl y b en eath her smudged f in ger pr in ts. Ther e’ s power ! W ith a sur ge of hope, she pun c hed at the b utton . O v er an d ov er , somethin g b ehin d the door s en gaged. She c oul d hear the v en til ation f an in the el ev ator c ar . T he c arri ag e i s here! W hy won’ t the damn doors open? Thr ough the smoke she spied the tin y sec on dar y keypad–l etter ed b utton s, A thr ough Z . I n a wav e of despair , Susan r ememb er ed. The passwor d. The smoke was star tin g to c ur l in thr ough the mel ted win dow f r ames. A gain she b an ged on the el ev ator door s. They r ef used to open . T he password! she thought. Strathmore nev er tol d me the password! Sil ic on smoke was n ow f il l in g the of f ic e. C hokin g, Susan f el l again st the el ev ator in def eat. The v en til ation f an was r un n in g j ust a f ew f eet away. She l ay ther e, daz ed, gul pin g f or air . She c l osed her eyes, b ut again D av id’ s v oic e woke her . E sc ape, Su san! O pen the door! E sc ape! She open ed her eyes ex pec tin g to see his f ac e, those wil d gr een eyes, that pl ayf ul smil e. B ut the l etter s A –Z c ame in to f oc us. T he password… Susan star ed at the l etter s on the
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keypad. She c oul d b ar el y keep them in f oc us. O n the L ED b el ow the keypad, f iv e empty spots awaited en tr y. A f i v e-c harac ter password, she thought. She in stan tl y kn ew the odds: twen ty-six to the f if th power ; 1 1 , 8 8 1 , 3 7 6 possib l e c hoic es. A t on e guess ev er y sec on d, it woul d take n in eteen weeks… A s Susan F l etc her l ay c hokin g on the f l oor b en eath the keypad, the c omman der ’ s pathetic v oic e c ame to her . He was c al l in g to her again . I l ov e you Su san! I’ v e al ways l ov ed you ! Su san! Su san! Su san… She kn ew he was dead, an d yet his v oic e was r el en tl ess. She hear d her n ame ov er an d ov er . Susan … Susan … Then , in a momen t of c hil l in g c l ar ity, she kn ew. Tr emb l in g weakl y, she r eac hed up to the keypad an d typed the passwor d. S… U … S… A … N A n in stan t l ater , the door s sl id open .
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Str athmor e’ s el ev ator dr opped f ast. I n side the c ar r iage, Susan suc ked deep b r eaths of f r esh air in to her l un gs. D az ed, she steadied her sel f again st the wal l as the c ar sl owed to a stop. A momen t l ater some gear s c l ic ked, an d the c on v eyor b egan mov in g again , this time hor iz on tal l y. Susan f el t the c ar r iage ac c el er ate as it b egan r umb l in g towar d the main N SA c ompl ex . F in al l y it whir r ed to a stop, an d the door s open ed. C oughin g, Susan F l etc her stumb l ed in to a dar ken ed c emen t c or r idor . She f oun d her sel f in a tun n el –l ow-c eil in ged an d n ar r ow. A doub l e yel l ow l in e str etc hed out b ef or e her . The l in e disappear ed in to an empty, dar k hol l ow. The U n der gr oun d Highway… She stagger ed towar d the tun n el , hol din g the wal l f or guidan c e. B ehin d her , the el ev ator door sl id shut. O n c e again Susan F l etc her was pl un ged in to dar kn ess. Sil en c e. N othin g ex c ept a f ain t hummin g in the wal l s. A hummin g that gr ew l ouder . Sudden l y it was as if dawn wer e b r eakin g. The b l ac kn ess thin n ed to a haz y gr ay. The wal l s of the tun n el b egan to take shape. A l l at on c e, a smal l v ehic l e whipped ar oun d the c or n er , its headl ight b l in din g her . Susan stumb l ed b ac k again st the wal l an d shiel ded her eyes. Ther e was a gust of air , an d the tr an spor t whipped past. A n in stan t l ater ther e was a deaf en in g sq ueal of r ub b er on c emen t. The hum appr oac hed on c e again , this time in r ev er se. Sec on ds l ater the v ehic l e c ame to a stop b eside her . “M s. F l etc her ! ” an aston ished v oic e ex c l aimed. Susan gaz ed at a v aguel y f amil iar shape in the dr iv er ’ s seat of an el ec tr ic gol f c ar t. “Jesus.” The man gasped. “A r e you okay? W e thought you wer e dead! ” Susan star ed b l an kl y. “C had B r in ker hof f , ” he sputter ed, studyin g the shel l shoc ked c r yptogr apher . “D ir ec tor ial P A .” Susan c oul d on l y man age a daz ed whimper . “TR A N SL TR …” B r in ker hof f n odded. “F or get it. G et on ! ” ***
The b eam of the gol f c ar t’ s headl ights whipped ac r oss the c emen t wal l s. “Ther e’ s a v ir us in the main datab an k, ” B r in ker hof f b l ur ted. “I kn ow, ” Susan hear d her sel f whisper . “W e n eed you to hel p us.” Susan was f ightin g b ac k the tear s. “Str athmor e… he…” “W e kn ow, ” B r in ker hof f said. “He b ypassed G aun tl et.” “Y es… an d…” The wor ds got stuc k in her thr oat. H e k i l l ed D av i d! B r in ker hof f put a han d on her shoul der . “A l most ther e, M s. F l etc her . Just hol d on .” ***
The high-speed K en sin gton gol f c ar t r oun ded a c or n er an d skidded to a stop. B eside them, b r an c hin g of f per pen dic ul ar to the tun n el , was a hal l way, diml y l it b y r ed f l oor
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l ightin g. “C ome on , ” B r in ker hof f said, hel pin g her out. He guided her in to the c or r idor . Susan dr if ted b ehin d him in a f og. The til ed passageway sl oped down war d at a steep in c l in e. Susan gr ab b ed the han dr ail an d f ol l owed B r in ker hof f down . The air b egan to gr ow c ool er . They c on tin ued their desc en t. A s they dr opped deeper in to the ear th, the tun n el n ar r owed. F r om somewher e b ehin d them c ame the ec ho of f ootsteps–a str on g, pur posef ul gait. The f ootsteps gr ew l ouder . B oth B r in ker hof f an d Susan stopped an d tur n ed. Str idin g towar d them was an en or mous b l ac k man . Susan had n ev er seen him b ef or e. A s he appr oac hed, he f ix ed her with a pen etr atin g star e. “W ho’ s this? ” he deman ded. “Susan F l etc her , ” B r in ker hof f r epl ied. The en or mous man ar c hed his eyeb r ows. Ev en sooty an d soaked, Susan F l etc her was mor e str ikin g than he had imagin ed. “A n d the c omman der ? ” he deman ded. B r in ker hof f shook his head. The man said n othin g. He star ed of f a momen t. Then he tur n ed b ac k to Susan . “L el an d F on tain e, ” he said, of f er in g her his han d. “G l ad you’ r e okay.” Susan star ed. She’ d al ways kn own she’ d meet the dir ec tor someday, b ut this was n ot the in tr oduc tion she’ d en v ision ed. “C ome al on g, M s. F l etc her , ” F on tain e said, l eadin g the way. “W e’ l l n eed al l the hel p we c an get.” ***
L oomin g in the r eddish haz e at the b ottom of the tun n way. F on tain e appr oac hed an d typed an en tr y c ode in to a r pl ac ed his r ight han d again st a smal l gl ass pan el . A str ob e massiv e wal l thun der ed l ef t. Ther e was on l y on e N SA c hamb er mor e sac r ed than sen sed she was ab out to en ter it.
el , a steel wal l b l oc ked their ec essed c ipher b ox . He then f l ashed. A momen t l ater the C r ypto, an d Susan
F l etc her
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C h ap t e r 1 0 9
The c omman d c en ter f or the N SA ’ s main datab an k l ooked l ike a sc al ed-down N A SA mission c on tr ol . A doz en c omputer wor kstation s f ac ed the thir ty-f oot b y f or ty-f oot v ideo wal l at the f ar en d of the r oom. O n the sc r een , n umb er s an d diagr ams f l ashed in r apid suc c ession , appear in g an d disappear in g as if someon e wer e c han n el sur f in g. A han df ul of tec hn ic ian s r ac ed wil dl y f r om station to station tr ail in g l on g sheets of pr in tout paper an d yel l in g c omman ds. I t was c haos. Susan star ed at the daz z l in g f ac il ity. She v aguel y r ememb er ed that 2 5 0 metr ic ton s of ear th had b een ex c av ated to c r eate it. The c hamb er was l oc ated 2 1 4 f eet b el ow gr oun d, wher e it woul d b e total l y imper v ious to f l ux b omb s an d n uc l ear b l asts. O n a r aised wor kstation in the c en ter of the r oom stood Jab b a. He b el l owed or der s f r om his pl atf or m l ike a kin g to his sub j ec ts. I l l umin ated on the sc r een dir ec tl y b ehin d him was a message. The message was al l too f amil iar to Susan . The b il l b oar d-siz e tex t hun g omin ousl y ov er Jab b a’ s head: O N L Y THE TR U TH W
I L L SA V E Y O U
N O W
EN TER P A SS-K EY _ _ _ _ _ _ A s if tr apped in some sur r eal n ightmar e, Susan f ol l owed F on tain e towar d the podium. Her wor l d was a sl ow-motion b l ur . Jab b a saw them c omin g an d wheel ed l ike an en r aged b ul l . “I b uil t G aun tl et f or a r eason ! ” “G aun tl et’ s gon e, ” F on tain e r epl ied ev en l y. “O l d n ews, D ir ec tor , ” Jab b a spat. “The shoc k wav e kn oc ked me on my ass! W her e’ s Str athmor e? ” “C omman der Str athmor e is dead.” “P oetic f uc kin g j ustic e.” “C ool it, Jab b a, ” the dir ec tor or der ed. “B r in g us up to speed. How b ad is this v ir us? ” Jab b a star ed at the dir ec tor a l on g momen t, an d then without war n in g, he b ur st out l aughin g. “A v i ru s? ” His har sh guf f aw r eson ated thr ough the un der gr oun d c hamb er . “I s that what you thin k this is? ” F on tain e kept his c ool . Jab b a’ s in sol en c e was way out of l in e, b ut F on tain e kn ew this was n ot the time or pl ac e to han dl e it. D own her e, Jab b a outr an ked G od himsel f . C omputer pr ob l ems had away of ign or in g the n or mal c hain of c omman d. “I t’ s not a v ir us? ” B r in ker hof f ex c l aimed hopef ul l y. Jab b a sn or ted in disgust. “V i ru ses hav e r epl ic ation str in gs, pr etty b oy! T hi s doesn ’ t! ” Susan hov er ed n ear b y, un ab l e to f oc us. “Then what’ s goin g on ? ” F on tain e deman ded. “I thought we had a v ir us.” Jab b a suc ked in a l on g b r eath an d l ower ed his v oic e. “V ir uses…” he said, wipin g sweat f r om his f ac e. “V ir uses r epr oduc e. They c r eate c l on es. They’ r e v ain an d stupid– b in ar y egoman iac s. They pump out b ab ies f aster than r ab b its. That’ s their weakn ess–you c an c r oss-b r eed them in to ob l iv ion if you kn ow what you’ r e doin g. U n f or tun atel y, this pr ogr am has n o ego, n o n eed to r epr oduc e. I t’ s c l ear -headed an d f oc used. I n f ac t, when it’ s
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ac c ompl ished its ob j ec tiv e her e, it wil l pr ob ab l y c ommit digital suic ide. “Jab b a hel d out his ar ms r ev er en tl y to the pr oj ec ted hav oc on the en or mous sc r een . “L adies an d gen tl emen .” He sighed. “M eet the kamikaz e of c omputer in v ader s… the worm. ” “W orm? ” B r in ker hof f gr oan ed. I t seemed l ike a mun dan e ter m to desc r ib e the in sidious in tr uder . “W or m.” Jab b a smol der ed. “N o c ompl ex str uc tur es, j ust in stin c t–eat, shit, c r awl . That’ s it. Simpl ic ity. D eadl y simpl ic ity. I t does what it’ s pr ogr ammed to do an d then c hec ks out.” F on tain e eyed Jab b a ster n l y. “A n d what is this wor m pr ogr ammed to do? ” “N o c l ue, ” Jab b a r epl ied. “R ight n ow, it’ s spr eadin g out an d attac hin g itsel f to al l our c l assif ied data. A f ter that, it c oul d do an ythin g. I t might dec ide to del ete al l the f il es, or it might j ust dec ide to pr in t smil ey f ac es on c er tain W hite House tr an sc r ipts.” F on tain e’ s v oic e r emain ed c ool an d c ol l ec ted. “C an you stop it? ” Jab b a l et out a l on g sigh an d f ac ed the sc r een . “I hav e n o idea. I t al l depen ds on how pissed of f the author is.” He poin ted to the message on the wal l . “A n yb ody wan t to tel l me what the hel l that mean s? ” O N L Y THE TR U TH W
I L L SA V E Y O U
N O W
EN TER P A SS-K EY _ _ _ _ _ _ Jab b a waited f or a r espon se an d got n on e. “L ooks l ike someon e’ s messin g with us, D ir ec tor . B l ac kmail . This is a r an som n ote if I ev er saw on e.” Susan ’ s v oic e was a whisper , empty an d hol l ow. “I t’ s… En sei Tan kado.” Jab b a tur n ed to her . He star ed a momen t, wide-eyed. “T ank ado? ” Susan n odded weakl y. “He wan ted our c on f ession … ab out TR A N SL TR … b ut it c ost him his–” “C on f ession ? ” B r in ker hof f in ter r upted, l ookin g stun n ed. “Tan kado wan ts us to c on f ess we hav e TR A N SL TR ? I ’ d say it’ s a b it l ate f or that! ” Susan open ed her mouth to speak, b ut Jab b a took ov er . “L ooks l ike Tan kado’ s got a kil l -c ode, ” he said, gaz in g up at the message on the sc r een . Ev er yon e tur n ed. “K il l c ode? ” B r in ker hof f deman ded. Jab b a n odded. “Y eah. A pass-key that stops the wor m. Simpl y put, if we admit we hav e TR A N SL TR , Tan kado giv es us a kil l -c ode. W e type it in an d sav e the datab an k. W el c ome to digital ex tor tion .” F on tain e stood l ike r oc k, un wav er in g. “How l on g hav e we got? ” “A b out an hour , ” Jab b a said. “Just time en ough to c al l a pr ess c on f er en c e an d spil l our guts. “R ec ommen dation , ” F on tain e deman ded. “W hat do you pr opose we do? ” “A rec ommendati on? ” Jab b a b l ur ted in disb el ief . “Y ou wan t a r ec ommen dation ? I ’ l l giv e you a r ec ommen dation ! Y ou q uit f uc kin g ar oun d, that’ s what you do! ” “Easy, ” the dir ec tor war n ed. “D ir ec tor , ” Jab b a sputter ed. “R ight n ow, En sei Tan kado owns this datab an k! G iv e him whatev er he wan ts. I f he wan ts the wor l d to kn ow ab out TR A N SL TR , c al l C N N , an d
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dr op your shor ts. TR A N SL TR ’ s a hol e in the gr oun d n ow an yway–what the hel l do you c ar e? ” Ther e was a sil en c e. F on tain e seemed to b e c on sider in g his option s. Susan b egan to speak, b ut Jab b a b eat her to it. “W hat ar e you waitin g f or , D ir ec tor ! G et Tan kado on the phon e! Tel l him you’ l l pl ay b al l ! W e n eed that kil l -c ode, or this whol e pl ac e is goin g down ! ” N ob ody mov ed. “A r e you al l in san e? ” Jab b a sc r eamed. “C al l Tan kado! Tel l him we f ol d! G et me that kil l -c ode! N O W ! ” Jab b a whipped out his c el l ul ar phon e an d switc hed it on . “N ev er min d! G et me his n umb er ! I ’ l l c al l the l ittl e pr ic k mysel f ! ” “D on ’ t b other , ” Susan said in a whisper . “Tan kado’ s dead.” A f ter a momen t of c on f used aston ishmen t, the impl ic ation s hit Jab b a l ike a b ul l et to the gut. The huge Sys-Sec l ooked l ike he was ab out to c r umb l e. “D ead? B ut then … that mean s… we c an ’ t…” “That mean s we’ l l n eed a n ew pl an , ” F on tain e said matter -of -f ac tl y. Jab b a’ s eyes wer e stil l gl az ed with shoc k when someon e in the b ac k of the r oom b egan shoutin g wil dl y. “Jab b a! Jab b a! ” I t was Soshi K uta, his head tec hie. She c ame r un n in g towar d the podium tr ail in g a l on g pr in tout. She l ooked ter r if ied. “Jab b a! ” She gasped. “The wor m… I j ust f oun d out what it’ s pr ogr ammed to do! ” Soshi thr ust the paper in to Jab b a’ s han ds. “I pul l ed this f r om the system-ac tiv ity pr ob e! W e isol ated the wor m’ s ex ec ute c omman ds–hav e a l ook at the pr ogr ammin g! L ook what it’ s pl an n in g to do! ” D az ed, the c hief Sys-Sec r ead the pr in tout. Then he gr ab b ed the han dr ail f or suppor t. “O h, Jesus, ” Jab b a gasped. “Tan kado… you b astard! ”
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Jab b a star ed b l an kl y at the pr in tout Soshi had j ust han ded him. P al e, he wiped his f or ehead on his sl eev e. “D ir ec tor , we hav e n o c hoic e. W e’ v e got to kil l power to the datab an k.” “U n ac c eptab l e, ” F on tain e r epl ied. “The r esul ts woul d b e dev astatin g.” Jab b a kn ew the dir ec tor was r ight. Ther e wer e ov er thr ee thousan d I SD N c on n ec tion s tyin g in to the N SA datab an k f r om al l ov er the wor l d. Ev er y day mil itar y c omman der s ac c essed up-to-the-in stan t satel l ite photos of en emy mov emen t. L oc kheed en gin eer s down l oaded c ompar tmen tal iz ed b l uepr in ts of n ew weapon r y. F iel d oper ativ es ac c essed mission updates. The N SA datab an k was the b ac kb on e of thousan ds of U .S. gov er n men t oper ation s. Shuttin g it down without war n in g woul d c ause l if e-an d-death in tel l igen c e b l ac kouts al l ov er the gl ob e. “I ’ m awar e of the impl ic ation s, sir , ” Jab b a said, “b ut we hav e n o c hoic e.” “Ex pl ain your sel f , ” F on tain e or der ed. He shot a q uic k gl an c e at Susan stan din g b eside him on the podium. She seemed mil es away. Jab b a took a deep b r eath an d wiped his b r ow again . F r om the l ook on his f ac e, it was c l ear to the gr oup on the podium that they wer e n ot goin g to l ike what he had to say. “This wor m, ” Jab b a b egan . “This wor m is n ot an or din ar y degen er ativ e c yc l e. I t’ s a sel ec ti v e c yc l e. I n other wor ds, it’ s a wor m with taste. ” B r in ker hof f open ed his mouth to speak, b ut F on tain e wav ed him of f . “M ost destr uc tiv e appl ic ation s wipe a datab an k c l ean , “Jab b a c on tin ued, “b ut this on e is mor e c ompl ex . I t del etes on l y those f il es that f al l within c er tain par ameter s.” “Y ou mean it won ’ t attac k the whol e datab an k? ” B r in ker hof f asked hopef ul l y. “That’ s g ood, r ight? ” “N o! ” Jab b a ex pl oded. “I t’ s b ad! I t’ s v ery f uc kin g b ad! ” “C ool it! ” F on tain e or der ed. “W hat par ameter s is this wor m l ookin g f or ? M il itar y? C ov er t ops? ” Jab b a shook his head. He eyed Susan , who was stil l distan t, an d then Jab b a’ s eyes r ose to meet the dir ec tor ’ s. “Sir , as you kn ow, an yon e who wan ts to tie in to this datab an k f r om the outside has to pass a ser ies of sec ur ity gates b ef or e they’ r e admitted.” F on tain e n odded. The datab an k’ s ac c ess hier ar c hies wer e b r il l ian tl y c on c eiv ed; author iz ed per son n el c oul d dial in v ia the I n ter n et an d W or l d W ide W eb . D epen din g on their author iz ation seq uen c e, they wer e per mitted ac c ess to their own c ompar tmen tal iz ed z on es. “B ec ause we’ r e tied to the gl ob al I n ter n et, “Jab b a ex pl ain ed, “hac ker s, f or eign gov er n men ts, an d EF F shar ks c ir c l e this datab an k twen ty-f our hour s a day an d tr y to b r eak in .” “Y es, ” F on tain e said, “an d twen ty-f our hour s a day, our sec ur ity f il ter s keep them out. W hat’ s your poin t? ” Jab b a gaz ed down at the pr in tout. “M y poin t is this. Tan kado’ s wor m is n ot tar getin g our data. ” He c l ear ed his thr oat. “I t’ s tar getin g our sec u ri ty f i l ters. ” F on tain e b l an c hed. A ppar en tl y he un der stood the impl ic ation s–this wor m was tar getin g the f il ter s that kept the N SA datab an k c on f iden tial . W ithout f il ter s, al l of the in f or mation in the datab an k woul d b ec ome ac c essib l e to ev er yon e on the outside. “W e n eed to shut down , ” Jab b a r epeated. “I n ab out an hour , ev er y thir d gr ader with a modem is goin g to hav e top U .S. sec ur ity c l ear an c e.” F on tain e stood a l on g momen t without sayin g a wor d.
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Jab b a waited impatien tl y an d f in al l y tur n ed to Soshi. “Soshi! V R ! N O W ! ” Soshi dashed of f . Jab b a r el ied on V R of ten . I n most c omputer c ir c l es, V R mean t “v ir tual r eal ity, ” b ut at the N SA it mean t v i s-rep –v isual r epr esen tation . I n a wor l d f ul l of tec hn ic ian s an d pol itic ian s al l hav in g dif f er en t l ev el s of tec hn ic al un der stan din g, a gr aphic r epr esen tation was of ten the on l y way to make a poin t; a sin gl e pl ummetin g gr aph usual l y ar oused ten times the r eac tion in spir ed b y v ol umes of spr eadsheets. Jab b a kn ew a V R of the c ur r en t c r isis woul d make its poin t in stan tl y. “V R ! ” Soshi yel l ed f r om a ter min al at the b ac k of the r oom. A c omputer -gen er ated diagr am f l ashed to l if e on the wal l b ef or e them. Susan gaz ed up ab sen tl y, detac hed f r om the madn ess ar oun d her . Ev er yon e in the r oom f ol l owed Jab b a’ s gaz e to the sc r een . The diagr am b ef or e them r esemb l ed a b ul l ’ s-eye. I n the c en ter was a r ed c ir c l e mar ked data. A r oun d the c en ter wer e f iv e c on c en tr ic c ir c l es of dif f er in g thic kn ess an d c ol or . The outer most c ir c l e was f aded, al most tr an spar en t. “W e’ v e got a f iv e-tier l ev el of def en se, ” Jab b a ex pl ain ed. “A pr imar y B astion Host, two sets of pac ket f il ter s f or F TP an d X -el ev en , a tun n el b l oc k, an d f in al l y a P EM -b ased author iz ation win dow r ight of f the Tr uf f l e pr oj ec t. The outside shiel d that’ s disappear in g r epr esen ts the ex posed host. I t’ s pr ac tic al l y gon e. W ithin the hour , al l f iv e shiel ds wil l f ol l ow. A f ter that, the wor l d pour s in . Ev er y b yte of N SA data b ec omes pub l ic domain .” F on tain e studied the V R , his eyes smol der in g. B r in ker hof f l et out a weak whimper . “This wor m c an open our datab an k to the wor l d? ” “C hil d’ s pl ay f or Tan kado, ” Jab b a sn apped. “G aun tl et was our f ail -saf e. Str athmor e b l ew it.” “I t’ s an ac t of war , ” F on tain e whisper ed, an edge in his v oic e. Jab b a shook his head. “I r eal l y doub t Tan kado ev er mean t f or it to go this f ar . I suspec t he in ten ded to b e ar oun d to stop it.” F on tain e gaz ed up at the sc r een an d watc hed the f ir st of the f iv e wal l s disappear en tir el y. “B astion Host is toast! ” a tec hn ic ian yel l ed f r om the b ac k of the r oom. “Sec on d shiel d’ s ex posed! ” “W e’ v e got to star t shuttin g down , ” Jab b a ur ged. “F r om the l ooks of the V R , we’ v e got ab out f or ty-f iv e min utes. Shutdown is a c ompl ex pr oc ess.” I t was tr ue. The N SA datab an k had b een c on str uc ted in suc h a way as to en sur e it woul d n ev er l ose power –ac c iden tal l y or if attac ked. M ul tipl e f ail -saf es f or phon e an d power wer e b ur ied in r ein f or c ed steel c an ister s deep un der gr oun d, an d in addition to the f eeds f r om within the N SA c ompl ex , ther e wer e mul tipl e b ac kups of f main pub l ic gr ids. Shuttin g down in v ol v ed a c ompl ex ser ies of c on f ir mation s an d pr otoc ol s–sign if ic an tl y mor e c ompl ic ated than the av er age n uc l ear sub mar in e missil e l aun c h. “W e hav e time, ” Jab b a said, “if we hur r y. M an ual shutdown shoul d take ab out thir ty min utes.” F on tain e c on tin ued star in g up at the V R , appar en tl y pon der in g his option s. “D ir ec tor ! ” Jab b a ex pl oded. “W hen these f ir ewal l s f al l , ev er y user on the pl an et wil l b e issued top-sec ur ity c l ear an c e! A n d I ’ m tal kin g u pper l ev el ! R ec or ds of c ov er t ops! O v er seas agen ts! N ames an d l oc ation s of ev er yon e in the f eder al witn ess pr otec tion pr ogr am! L aun c h c ode c on f ir mation s! W e must shut down ! N ow! ” The dir ec tor seemed un mov ed. “Ther e must b e some other way.”
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“Y es, ” Jab b a spat, “ther e is! The kil l -c ode! B ut the on l y guy who kn ows it happen s to b e dead! ” “How ab out b r ute f or c e? ” B r in ker hof f b l ur ted. “C an we guess the kil l -c ode? ” Jab b a thr ew up his ar ms. “F or C hr ist sake! K il l -c odes ar e l ike en c r yption keys– r an dom! I mpossib l e to guess! I f you thin k you c an type 6 0 0 tr il l ion en tr ies in the n ex t f or ty-f iv e min utes, b e my guest! ” “The kil l -c ode’ s in Spain , ” Susan of f er ed weakl y. Ev er yon e on the podium tur n ed. I t was the f ir st thin g she had said in a l on g time. Susan l ooked up, b l ear y-eyed. “Tan kado gav e it away when he died.” Ev er yon e l ooked l ost. “The pass-key…” Susan shiv er ed as she spoke. “C omman der Str athmor e sen t someon e to f in d it.” “A n d? ” Jab b a deman ded. “D id Str athmor e’ s man f i nd it? ” Susan tr ied to f ight it, b ut the tear s b egan to f l ow. “Y es, ” she c hoked. “I thin k so.”
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A n ear spl ittin g yel l c ut thr ough the c on tr ol r oom. “Shark s! ” I t was Soshi. Jab b a spun towar d the V R . Two thin l in es had appear ed outside the c on c en tr ic c ir c l es. They l ooked l ike sper m tr yin g to b r eac h a r el uc tan t egg. “B l ood’ s in the water , f ol ks! ” Jab b a tur n ed b ac k to the dir ec tor . “I n eed a dec ision . Either we star t shuttin g down , or we’ l l n ev er make it. A s soon as these two in tr uder s see the B astion Host is down , they’ l l sen d up a war c r y.” F on tain e did n ot r espon d. He was deep in thought. Susan F l etc her ’ s n ews of the pass-key in Spain seemed pr omisin g to him. He shot a gl an c e towar d Susan in the b ac k of the r oom. She appear ed to b e in her own wor l d, c ol l apsed in a c hair , her head b ur ied in her han ds. F on tain e was un sur e ex ac tl y what had tr igger ed the r eac tion , b ut whatev er it was, he had n o time f or it n ow. “I n eed a dec ision ! ” Jab b a deman ded. “N ow! ” F on tain e l ooked up. He spoke c al ml y. “O kay, you’ v e got on e. W e ar e not shuttin g down . W e’ r e goin g to wait.” Jab b a’ s j aw dr opped. “W hat? B ut that’ s–” “A gamb l e, ” F on tain e in ter r upted. “A gamb l e we j ust might win .” He took Jab b a’ s c el l ul ar an d pun c hed a f ew keys. “M idge, ” he said. “I t’ s L el an d F on tain e. L isten c ar ef ul l y….”
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“Y ou b etter kn ow what the hel l you’ r e doin g, D ir ec tor , ” Jab b a hissed. “W e’ r e ab out to l ose shut-down c apab il ity.” F on tain e did n ot r espon d. A s if on c ue, the door at the b ac k of the c on tr ol r oom open ed, an d M idge c ame dashin g in . She ar r iv ed b r eathl ess at the podium. “D ir ec tor ! The switc hb oar d is patc hin g it thr ough r ight n ow! ” F on tain e tur n ed ex pec tan tl y towar d the sc r een on the f r on t wal l . F if teen sec on ds l ater the sc r een c r ac kl ed to l if e. The image on sc r een was sn owy an d stil ted at f ir st, an d gr adual l y gr ew shar per . I t was a Q uic kTime digital tr an smission –on l y f iv e f r ames per sec on d. The image r ev eal ed two men . O n e was pal e with a b uz z c ut, the other a b l on d al l -A mer ic an . They wer e seated f ac in g the c amer a l ike two n ewsc aster s waitin g to go on the air . “W hat the hel l is this? ” Jab b a deman ded. “Sit tight, ” F on tain e or der ed. The men appear ed to b e in side a v an of some sor t. El ec tr on ic c ab l in g hun g al l ar oun d them. The audio c on n ec tion c r ac kl ed to l if e. Sudden l y ther e was b ac kgr oun d n oise. “I n b oun d audio, ” a tec hn ic ian c al l ed f r om b ehin d them. “F iv e sec on ds til l two-way.” “W ho ar e they? ” B r in ker hof f asked, un easil y. “Eye in the sky, ” F on tain e r epl ied, gaz in g up at the two men he had sen t to Spain . I t had b een a n ec essar y pr ec aution . F on tain e had b el iev ed in al most ev er y aspec t of Str athmor e’ s pl an –the r egr ettab l e b ut n ec essar y r emov al of En sei Tan kado, r ewr itin g D igital F or tr ess–it was al l sol id. B ut ther e was on e thin g that made F on tain e n er v ous: the use of Hul ohot. Hul ohot was skil l ed, b ut he was a mer c en ar y. W as he tr ustwor thy? W oul d he take the pass-key f or himsel f ? F on tain e wan ted Hul ohot c ov er ed, j ust in c ase, an d he had taken the r eq uisite measur es.
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“A b sol utel y n ot! ” The man with the b uz z c ut yel l ed in to the c amer a. “W e hav e or der s! W e r epor t to D ir ec tor L el an d F on tain e an d L el an d F on tain e on l y! ” F on tain e l ooked mil dl y amused. “Y ou don ’ t kn ow who I am, do you? ” “D oesn ’ t matter , does it? ” the b l on d f ir ed hotl y. “L et me ex pl ain , ” F on tain e in ter j ec ted. “L et me ex pl ain somethin g r ight n ow.” Sec on ds l ater , the two men wer e r ed-f ac ed, spil l in g their guts to the dir ec tor of the N ation al Sec ur ity A gen c y. “D -dir ec tor , ” the b l on d stammer ed, “I ’ m A gen t C ol ian der . This is A gen t Smith.” “F in e, ” F on tain e said. “Just b r ief us.” *** A t the b ac k of the r oom, Susan F l etc her sat an d f ought the suf f oc atin g l on el in ess that pr essed down ar oun d her . Eyes c l osed, an d ear s r in gin g, she wept. Her b ody had gon e n umb . The mayhem in the c on tr ol r oom f aded to a dul l mur mur . The gather in g on the podium l isten ed, r estl ess, as A gen t Smith b egan his b r ief in g. “O n your or der s, D ir ec tor , ” Smith b egan , “we’ v e b een her e in Sev il l e f or two days, tr ail in g M r . En sei Tan kado.” “Tel l me ab out the kil l , ” F on tain e said impatien tl y. Smith n odded. “W e ob ser v ed f r om in side the v an at ab out f if ty meter s. The kil l was smooth. Hul ohot was ob v iousl y a pr o. B ut af ter war d his dir ec tiv e wen t awr y. C ompan y ar r iv ed. Hul ohot n ev er got the item.” F on tain e n odded. The agen ts had c on tac ted him in South A mer ic a with n ews that somethin g had gon e wr on g, so F on tain e had c ut his tr ip shor t. C ol ian der took ov er . “W e stayed with Hul ohot as you or der ed. B ut he n ev er made a mov e f or the mor gue. I n stead, he pic ked up the tr ail of some other guy. L ooked pr iv ate. C oat an d tie.” “P r iv ate? ” F on tain e mused. I t soun ded l ike a Str athmor e pl ay–wisel y keepin g the N SA out of it. “F TP f il ter s f ail in g! ” a tec hn ic ian c al l ed out. “W e n eed the item, ” F on tain e pr essed. “W her e is Hul ohot n ow? ” Smith l ooked ov er his shoul der . “W el l … he’ s with us, sir .” F on tain e ex hal ed. “W her e? ” I t was the b est n ew she’ d hear d al l day. Smith r eac hed towar d the l en s to make an adj ustmen t. The c amer a swept ac r oss the in side of the v an to r ev eal two l imp b odies pr opped again st the b ac k wal l . B oth wer e motion l ess. O n e was a l ar ge man with twisted wir e-r im gl asses. The other was youn g with a shoc k of dar k hair an d a b l oody shir t. “Hul ohot’ s the on e on the l ef t, ” Smith of f er ed. “Hul ohot’ s dead? ” the dir ec tor deman ded. “Y es, sir .” F on tain e kn ew ther e woul d b e time f or ex pl an ation s l ater . He gl an c ed up at the thin n in g shiel ds. “A gen t Smith, ” he said sl owl y an d c l ear l y. “The item. I n eed it.” Smith l ooked sheepish. “Sir , we stil l hav e n o idea what the item is. W e’ r e on a n eed-to-kn ow.”
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“Then l ook again ! ” F on tain e dec l ar ed. The dir ec tor watc hed in dismay as the stil ted image of the agen ts sear c hed the two l imp b odies in the v an f or a l ist of r an dom n umb er s an d l etter s. Jab b a was pal e. “O h my G od, they c an ’ t f in d it. W e’ r e dead! ” “L osin g F TP f il ter s! ” a v oic e yel l ed. “Thir d shiel d’ s ex posed! ” Ther e was a n ew f l ur r y of ac tiv ity. O n the f r on t sc r een , the agen t with the b uz z c ut hel d out his ar ms in def eat. “Sir , the pass-key isn ’ t her e. W e’ v e sear c hed b oth men . P oc kets. C l othin g. W al l ets. N o sign at al l . Hul ohot was wear in g a M on oc l e c omputer , an d we’ v e c hec ked that too. I t doesn ’ t l ook l ike he ev er tr an smitted an ythin g r emotel y r esemb l in g r an dom c har ac ter s–on l y a l ist of kil l s.” “D ammi t! ” F on tain e seethed, sudden l y l osin g his c ool . “I t’ s got to b e ther e! K eep l ookin g! ” Jab b a had appar en tl y seen en ough–F on tain e had gamb l ed an d l ost. Jab b a took ov er . The huge Sys-Sec desc en ded f r om his pul pit l ike a stor m of f a moun tain . He swept thr ough his ar my of pr ogr ammer s c al l in g out c omman ds. “A c c ess aux il iar y kil l s! Star t shuttin g it down ! D o it n ow! ” “W e’ l l n ev er make it! ” Soshi yel l ed. “W e n eed a hal f hour ! B y the time we shut down , it wil l b e too l ate! ” Jab b a open ed his mouth to r epl y, b ut he was c ut shor t b y a sc r eam of agon y f r om the b ac k of the r oom. Ev er yon e tur n ed. L ike an appar ition , Susan F l etc her r ose f r om her c r ouc hed position in the r ear of the c hamb er . Her f ac e was white, her eyes tr an sf ix ed on the f r eez e-f r ame of D av id B ec ker , motion l ess an d b l oody, pr opped up on the f l oor of the v an . “Y ou kil l ed him! ” she sc r eamed. “Y ou k i l l ed hi m! ” She stumb l ed towar d the image an d r eac hed out. “D av id…” Ev er yon e l ooked up in c on f usion . Susan adv an c ed, stil l c al l in g, her eyes n ev er l eav in g the pr oj ec tion of D av id’ s b ody. “D av id.” She gasped, stagger in g f or war d. “O h, D av id… how c oul d they–” F on tain e seemed l ost. “Y ou kn ow this man ? ” Susan swayed un steadil y as she passed the podium. She stopped a f ew f eet in f r on t of the en or mous pr oj ec tion an d star ed up, b ewil der ed an d n umb , c al l in g ov er an d ov er to the man she l ov ed.
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The emptin ess in D av id B ec ker ’ s min d was ab sol ute. I am dead. A n d yet ther e was a soun d. A distan t v oic e… “D av id.” Ther e was a diz z yin g b ur n in g b en eath his ar m. His b l ood was f il l ed with f ir e. M y b ody i s not my own. A n d yet ther e was a v oic e, c al l in g to him. I t was thin , distan t. B ut it was par t of him. Ther e wer e other v oic es too–un f amil iar , un impor tan t. C al l in g out. He f ought to b l oc k them out. Ther e was on l y on e v oic e that matter ed. I t f aded in an d out. “D av id… I ’ m sor r y…” Ther e was a mottl ed l ight. F ain t at f ir st, a sin gl e sl it of gr ayn ess. G r owin g. B ec ker tr ied to mov e. P ain . He tr ied to speak. Sil en c e. The v oic e kept c al l in g. Someon e was n ear him, l if tin g him. B ec ker mov ed towar d the v oic e. O r was he b ein g mov ed? I t was c al l in g. He gaz ed ab sen tl y at the il l umin ated image. He c oul d see her on a smal l sc r een . I t was a woman , star in g up at him f r om an other wor l d. Is she watc hi ng me di e? “D av id…” The v oic e was f amil iar . She was an an gel . She had c ome f or him. The an gel spoke. “D av id, I l ov e you.” Sudden l y he kn ew. *** Susan r eac hed out towar d the sc r een , c r yin g, l aughin g, l ost in a tor r en t of emotion s. She wiped f ier c el y at her tear s. “D av id, I –I thought…” F iel d A gen t Smith eased D av id B ec ker in to the seat f ac in g the mon itor . “He’ s a l ittl e wooz y, ma’ am. G iv e him a sec on d.” “B -b ut, ” Susan was stammer in g, “I saw a tr an smission . I t said…” Smith n odded. “W e saw it too. Hul ohot c oun ted his c hic ken s a l ittl e ear l y.” “B ut the b l ood…” “F l esh woun d, ” Smith r epl ied. “W e sl apped a gauz e on it.” Susan c oul dn ’ t speak. A gen t C ol ian der piped in f r om of f c amer a. “W e hit him with the n ew J2 3 –l on g-ac tin g stun gun . P r ob ab l y hur t l ike hel l , b ut we got him of f the str eet.” “D on ’ t wor r y, ma’ am, ” Smith assur ed. “He’ l l b e f in e.” D av id B ec ker star ed at the TV mon itor in f r on t of him. He was disor ien ted, l ight-headed. The image on the sc r een was of a r oom–a r oom f il l ed with c haos. Susan was ther e. She was stan din g on an open patc h of f l oor , gaz in g up at him. She was c r yin g an d l aughin g. “D av id. Than k G od! I thought I had l ost you! ” He r ub b ed his templ e. He mov ed in f r on t of the sc r een an d pul l ed the goosen ec k mic r ophon e towar d his mouth. “Susan ? ” Susan gaz ed up in won der . D av id’ s r ugged f eatur es n ow f il l ed the en tir e wal l b ef or e her . His v oic e b oomed. “Susan , I n eed to ask you somethin g.” The r eson an c e an d v ol ume of B ec ker ’ s v oic e seemed to momen tar il y suspen d the ac tion in the datab an k. Ev er yon e stopped midstr ide an d tur n ed. “Susan F l etc her , ” the v oic e r eson ated, “wil l you mar r y me? ” A hush spr ead ac r oss the r oom. A c l ipb oar d c l atter ed to the f l oor al on g with a mug
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of pen c il s. N o on e b en t to pic k them up. Ther e was on l y the f ain t hum of the ter min al f an s an d the soun d of D av id B ec ker ’ s steady b r eathin g in his mic r ophon e. “D -D av id…” Susan stammer ed, un awar e that thir ty-sev en peopl e stood r iv eted b ehin d her . “Y ou al r eady asked me, r ememb er ? F iv e mon ths ago. I said yes.” “I kn ow.” He smil ed. “B ut this time”–he ex ten ded his l ef t han d in to the c amer a an d displ ayed a gol den b an d on his f our th f in ger –”this time I hav e a r in g.”
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“R ead it, M r . B ec ker ! ” F on tain e or der ed. Jab b a sat sweatin g, han ds poised ov er his keyb oar d. “Y es, ” he said, “r ead the b l essed in sc r iption ! ” Susan F l etc her stood with them, weak-kn eed an d agl ow. Ev er yon e in the r oom had stopped what they wer e doin g an d star ed up at the en or mous pr oj ec tion of D av id B ec ker . The pr of essor twisted the r in g in his f in ger s an d studied the en gr av in g. “A n d r ead c aref u l l y! ” Jab b a c omman ded. “O n e typo, an d we’ r e sc rewed! ” F on tain e gav e Jab b a a har sh l ook. I f ther e was on e thin g the dir ec tor of the N SA kn ew ab out, it was pr essur e situation s; c r eatin g addition al ten sion was n ev er wise. “R el ax , M r . B ec ker . I f we make a mistake, we’ l l r een ter the c ode til l we get it r ight.” “B ad adv ic e, M r . B ec ker , ” Jab b a sn apped. “G et it r ight the f ir st time. K il l -c odes usual l y hav e a pen al ty c l ause–to pr ev en t tr ial -an d-er r or guessin g. M ake an in c or r ec t en tr y, an d the c yc l e wil l pr ob ab l y ac c el er ate. M ake two in c or r ec t en tr ies, an d it wil l l oc k us out per man en tl y. G ame ov er .” The dir ec tor f r own ed an d tur n ed b ac k to the sc r een . “M r . B ec ker ? M y mistake. R ead c ar ef ul l y–r ead ex tremel y c ar ef ul l y.” B ec ker n odded an d studied the r in g f or a momen t. Then he c al ml y b egan r ec itin g the in sc r iption . “Q … U … I … S… spac e… C …” Jab b a an d Susan in ter r upted in un ison . “Spac e? ” Jab b a stopped typin g. “Ther e’ s a spac e? ” B ec ker shr ugged, c hec kin g the r in g. “Y eah. Ther e’ s a b un c h of them.” “A m I missin g somethin g? ” F on tain e deman ded. “W hat ar e we waitin g f or ? ” “Sir , ” Susan said, appar en tl y puz z l ed. “I t’ s… it’ s j ust…” “I agr ee, ” Jab b a said. “I t’ s str an ge. P asswor ds nev er hav e spac es.” B r in ker hof f swal l owed har d. “So, what ar e you sayin g? ” “He’ s sayin g, ” Susan in ter j ec ted, “that this may n ot b e a kil l -c ode.” B r in ker hof f c r ied out, “O f c our se it’ s the kil l -c ode! W hat el se c oul d it b e? W hy el se woul d Tan kado giv e it away? W ho the hel l in sc r ib es a b un c h of r an dom l etter s on a r in g? ” F on tain e sil en c ed B r in ker hof f with a shar p gl ar e. “A h… f ol ks? ” B ec ker in ter j ec ted, appear in g hesitan t to get in v ol v ed. “Y ou keep men tion in g random l etter s. I thin k I shoul d l et you kn ow… the l etter s on this r in g aren’ t r an dom.” Ev er yon e on the podium b l ur ted in un ison . “W hat! ” B ec ker l ooked un easy. “Sor r y, b ut ther e ar e def in itel y wor ds her e. I ’ l l admit they’ r e in sc r ib ed pr etty c l ose together ; at f ir st gl an c e it appear s r an dom, b ut if you l ook c l osel y you’ l l see the in sc r iption is ac tual l y… wel l … it’ s L ati n. ” Jab b a gaped. “Y ou’ r e shittin g me! ” B ec ker shook his head. “N o. I t r eads, ‘ Q u i s c u stodi et i psos c u stodes. ’ I t tr an sl ates r oughl y to–” “W ho wil l guar d the guar ds! ” Susan in ter r upted, f in ishin g D av id’ s sen ten c e. B ec ker did a doub l e-take. “Susan , I didn ’ t kn ow you c oul d–” “I t’ s f r om Sati res of Juv en al , ” she ex c l aimed. “W ho wil l guar d the guar ds? W ho wil l guar d the N SA whil e we guar d the wor l d? I t was Tan kado’ s f av or ite sayin g! ” “So, ” M idge deman ded, “is it the pass-key, or n ot? ” “I t mu st b e the pass-key, ” B r in ker hof f dec l ar ed. F on tain e stood sil en t, appar en tl y pr oc essin g the in f or mation .
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“I don ’ t kn ow if it’ s the key, ” Jab b a said. “I t seems un l ikel y to me that Tan kado woul d use a n on r an dom c on str uc tion .” “Just omit the spac es, ” B r in ker hof f c r ied, “an d type the damn c ode! ” F on tain e tur n ed to Susan . “W hat’ s you r take, M s. F l etc her ? ” She thought a momen t. She c oul dn ’ t q uite put her f in ger on it, b ut somethin g didn ’ t f eel r ight. Susan kn ew Tan kado wel l en ough to kn ow he thr iv ed on simpl ic ity. His pr oof s an d pr ogr ammin g wer e al ways c r ystal l in e an d ab sol ute. The f ac t that the spac es n eeded to b e r emov ed seemed odd. I t was a min or detail , b ut it was a f l aw, def in itel y n ot c l ean –n ot what Susan woul d hav e ex pec ted as En sei Tan kado’ s c r own in g b l ow. “I t doesn ’ t f eel r ight, ” Susan f in al l y said. “I don ’ t thin k it’ s the key.” F on tain e suc ked in a l on g b r eath, his dar k eyes pr ob in g her s. “M s. F l etc her , in your min d, if this is n ot the key, why woul d En sei Tan kado hav e giv en it away? I f he kn ew we’ d mur der ed him–don ’ t you assume he’ d wan t to pun ish us b y makin g the r in g disappear ? ” A n ew v oic e in ter r upted the dial ogue. “A h… D ir ec tor ? ” A l l eyes tur n ed to the sc r een . I t was A gen t C ol ian der in Sev il l e. He was l ean in g ov er B ec ker ’ s shoul der an d speakin g in to the mic . “F or whatev er it’ s wor th, I ’ m n ot so sur e M r . Tan kado k new he was b ein g mur der ed.” “I b eg your par don ? ” F on tain e deman ded. “Hul ohot was a pr o, sir . W e saw the kil l –on l y f if ty meter s away. A l l ev iden c e suggests Tan kado was un awar e.” “Ev iden c e? ” B r in ker hof f deman ded. “W hat ev iden c e? Tan kado gav e away this r in g. That’ s pr oof en ough! ” “A gen t Smith, ” F on tain e in ter r upted. “W hat makes you thin k En sei Tan kado was un awar e he was b ein g kil l ed? ” Smith c l ear ed his thr oat. “Hul ohot kil l ed him with an N TB –a n on in v asiv e tr auma b ul l et. I t’ s a r ub b er pod that str ikes the c hest an d spr eads out. Sil en t. V er y c l ean . M r . Tan kado woul d on l y hav e f el t a shar p thump b ef or e goin g in to c ar diac ar r est.” “A tr auma b ul l et, ” B ec ker mused to himsel f . “That ex pl ain s the b r uisin g.” “I t’ s doub tf ul , ” Smith added, “that Tan kado assoc iated the sen sation with a gun man .” “A n d yet he gav e away his r in g, ” F on tain e stated. “Tr ue, sir . B ut he n ev er l ooked f or his assail an t. A v ic tim al ways l ooks f or his assail an t when he’ s b een shot. I t’ s in stin c t.” F on tain e puz z l ed. “A n d you’ r e sayin g Tan kado didn ’ t l ook f or Hul ohot? ” “N o, sir . W e hav e it on f il m if you’ d l ike–” “X -el ev en f il ter ’ s goin g! ” a tec hn ic ian yel l ed. “The wor m’ s hal f way ther e! ” “F or get the f il m, ” B r in ker hof f dec l ar ed. “Type in the damn kil l -c ode an d f in ish this! ” Jab b a sighed, sudden l y the c ool on e. “D ir ec tor , if we en ter the wr on g c ode…” “Y es, ” Susan in ter r upted, “if Tan kado didn ’ t suspec t we kil l ed him, we’ v e got some q uestion s to an swer .” “W hat’ s our time f r ame, Jab b a? ” F on tain e deman ded. Jab b a l ooked up at the V R . “A b out twen ty min utes. I suggest we use the time wisel y.” F on tain e was sil en t a l on g momen t. Then sighed heav il y. “A l l r ight. R un the f il m.”
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“Tr an smittin g v ideo in ten sec on ds, ” A gen t Smith’ s v oic e c r ac kl ed. “W e’ r e dr oppin g ev er y other f r ame as wel l as audio–we’ l l r un as c l ose to r eal time as possib l e.” Ev er yon e on the podium stood sil en t, watc hin g, waitin g. Jab b a typed a f ew keys an d r ear r an ged the v ideo wal l . Tan kado’ s message appear ed on the f ar l ef t: O N L Y THE TR U TH W
I L L SA V E Y O U
N O W
O n the r ight of the wal l was the static in ter ior shot of the v an with B ec ker an d the two agen ts huddl ed ar oun d the c amer a. I n the c en ter , a f uz z y f r ame appear ed. I t dissol v ed in to static an d then in to a b l ac k an d white image of a par k. “Tr an smittin g, ” A gen t Smith an n oun c ed. The shot l ooked l ike an ol d mov ie. I t was stil ted an d j er ky–a b y-pr oduc t of f r ame-dr oppin g, a pr oc ess that hal v ed the amoun t of in f or mation sen t an d en ab l ed f aster tr an smission . The shot pan n ed out ac r oss an en or mous c on c our se en c l osed on on e en d b y a semic ir c ul ar f ac ade–the Sev il l e A yun tamien to. Ther e wer e tr ees in the f or egr oun d. The par k was empty. “X -el ev en ’ s ar e down ! ” a tec hn ic ian c al l ed out. “This b ad b oy’ s hun gr y! ” Smith b egan to n ar r ate. His c ommen tar y had the detac hmen t of a season ed agen t. “This is shot f r om the v an , ” he said, “ab out f if ty meter s f r om the kil l z on e. Tan kado is appr oac hin g f r om the r ight. Hul ohot’ s in the tr ees to the l ef t.” “W e’ v e got a time c r un c h her e, ” F on tain e pr essed. “L et’ s get to the meat of it.” A gen t C ol ian der touc hed a f ew b utton s, an d the f r ame speed in c r eased. Ev er yon e on the podium watc hed in an tic ipation as their f or mer assoc iate, En sei Tan kado, c ame in to the f r ame. The ac c el er ated v ideo made the whol e image seem c omic . Tan kado shuf f l ed j er kil y out on to the c on c our se, appar en tl y takin g in the sc en er y. He shiel ded his eyes an d gaz ed up at the spir es of the huge f ac ade. “This is it, ” Smith war n ed. “Hul ohot’ s a pr o. He took his f ir st open shot.” Smith was r ight. Ther e was a f l ash of l ight f r om b ehin d the tr ees on the l ef t of the sc r een . A n in stan t l ater Tan kado c l utc hed his c hest. He stagger ed momen tar il y. The c amer a z oomed in on him, un stab l e–in an d out of f oc us. A s the f ootage r ol l ed in high speed, Smith c ol dl y c on tin ued his n ar r ation . “A s you c an see, Tan kado is in stan tl y in c ar diac ar r est.” Susan f el t il l watc hin g the images. Tan kado c l utc hed at his c hest with c r ippl ed han ds, a c on f used l ook of ter r or on his f ac e. “Y ou’ l l n otic e, ” Smith added, “his eyes ar e f oc used down war d, at himsel f . N ot on c e does he l ook ar oun d.” “A n d that’ s impor tan t? ” Jab b a hal f stated, hal f in q uir ed. “V er y, ” Smith said. “I f Tan kado suspec ted f oul pl ay of an y kin d, he woul d in stin c tiv el y sear c h the ar ea. B ut as you c an see, he does n ot.” O n the sc r een , Tan kado dr opped to his kn ees, stil l c l utc hin g his c hest. He n ev er on c e l ooked up. En sei Tan kado was a man al on e, dyin g a pr iv ate, n atur al death. “I t’ s odd, ” Smith said, puz z l ed. “Tr auma pods usual l y won ’ t kil l this q uic kl y. Sometimes, if the tar get’ s b ig en ough, they don ’ t kil l at al l .”
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“B ad hear t, ” F on tain e said f l atl y. Smith ar c hed his eyeb r ows, impr essed. “F in e c hoic e of weapon , then .” Susan watc hed as Tan kado toppl ed f r om his kn ees to his side an d f in al l y on to his b ac k. He l ay, star in g upwar d, gr ab b in g at his c hest. Sudden l y the c amer a wheel ed away f r om him b ac k towar d the gr ov e of tr ees. A man appear ed. He was wear in g wir e-r im gl asses an d c ar r yin g an ov er siz e b r ief c ase. A s he appr oac hed the c on c our se an d the wr ithin g Tan kado, his f in ger s b egan tappin g in a str an ge sil en t dan c e on a mec han ism attac hed to his han d. “He’ s wor kin g his M on oc l e, ” Smith an n oun c ed. “Sen din g a message that Tan kado is ter min ated.” Smith tur n ed to B ec ker an d c huc kl ed. “L ooks l ike Hul ohot had a b ad hab it of tr an smittin g kil l s b ef or e his v ic tim ac tual l y ex pir ed.” C ol ian der sped the f il m up some mor e, an d the c amer a f ol l owed Hul ohot as he b egan mov in g towar d his v ic tim. Sudden l y an el der l y man r ushed out of a n ear b y c our tyar d, r an ov er to Tan kado, an d kn el t b eside him. Hul ohot sl owed his appr oac h. A momen t l ater two mor e peopl e appear ed f r om the c our tyar d–an ob ese man an d a r ed-hair ed woman . They al so c ame to Tan kado’ s side. “U n f or tun ate c hoic e of kil l z on e, ” Smith said. “Hul ohot thought he had the v ic tim isol ated.” O n the sc r een , Hul ohot watc hed f or a momen t an d then shr an k b ac k in to the tr ees, appar en tl y to wait. “Her e c omes the han dof f , ” Smith pr ompted. “W e didn ’ t n otic e it the f ir st time ar oun d.” Susan gaz ed up at the sic ken in g image on the sc r een . Tan kado was gaspin g f or b r eath, appar en tl y tr yin g c ommun ic ate somethin g to the Samar itan s kn eel in g b eside him. Then , in desper ation , he thr ust his l ef t han d ab ov e him, al most hittin g the ol d man in the f ac e. He hel d the c r ippl ed appen dage outwar d b ef or e the ol d man ’ s eyes. The c amer a tighten ed on Tan kado’ s thr ee def or med f in ger s, an d on on e of them, c l ear l y gl isten in g in the Span ish sun , was the gol den r in g. Tan kado thr ust it out again . The ol d man r ec oil ed. Tan kado tur n ed to the woman . He hel d his thr ee def or med f in ger s dir ec tl y in f r on t of her f ac e, as if b eggin g her to un der stan d. The r in g gl in ted in the sun . The woman l ooked away. Tan kado, n ow c hokin g, un ab l e to make a soun d, tur n ed to the ob ese man an d tr ied on e l ast time. The el der l y man sudden l y stood an d dashed of f , pr esumab l y to get hel p. Tan kado seemed to b e weaken in g, b ut he was stil l hol din g the r in g in the f at man ’ s f ac e. The f at man r eac hed out an d hel d the dyin g man ’ s wr ist, suppor tin g it. Tan kado seemed to gaz e upwar d at his own f in ger s, at his own r in g, an d then to the man ’ s eyes. A s a f in al pl ea b ef or e death, En sei Tan kado gav e the man an al most imper c eptib l e n od, as if to say yes. Then Tan kado f el l l imp. “Jesus.” Jab b a moan ed. Sudden l y the c amer a swept to wher e Hul ohot had b een hidin g. The assassin was gon e. A pol ic e motor c yc l e appear ed, tear in g up A v en ida F ir el l i. The c amer a wheel ed b ac k to wher e Tan kado was l yin g. The woman kn eel in g b eside him appar en tl y hear d the pol ic e sir en s; she gl an c ed ar oun d n er v ousl y an d then b egan pul l in g at her ob ese c ompan ion , b eggin g him to l eav e. The two hur r ied of f . The c amer a tighten ed on Tan kado, his han ds f ol ded on his l if el ess c hest. The r in g on his f in ger was gon e.
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“I t’ s pr oof , ” F on tain e said dec idedl y. “Tan kado dumped the r in g. He wan ted it as f ar f r om himsel f as possib l e–so we’ d n ev er f in d it.” “B ut, D ir ec tor , ” Susan ar gued, “it doesn ’ t make sen se. I f Tan kado was un awar e he’ d b een mur der ed, why woul d he giv e away the kil l c ode? ” “I agr ee, ” Jab b a said. “The kid’ s a r eb el , b ut he’ s a r eb el with a c on sc ien c e. G ettin g us to admit to TR A N SL TR is on e thin g; r ev eal in g our c l assif ied datab an k is an other .” F on tain e star ed, disb el iev in g. “Y ou thin k Tan kado wanted to stop this wor m? Y ou thin k his dyin g thoughts wer e f or the poor N SA ? ” “Tun n el -b l oc k c or r odin g! ” a tec hn ic ian yel l ed. “F ul l v ul n er ab il ity in f if teen min utes, max imum! ” “I ’ l l tel l you what, ” the dir ec tor dec l ar ed, takin g c on tr ol . “I n f if teen min utes, ev er y Thir d W or l d c oun tr y on the pl an et wil l l ear n how to b uil d an in ter c on tin en tal b al l istic missil e. I f someon e in this r oom thin ks he’ s got a b etter c an didate f or a kil l c ode than this r in g, I ’ m al l ear s.” The dir ec tor waited. N o on e spoke. He r etur n ed his gaz e to Jab b a an d l oc ked eyes. “Tan kado dumped that r in g f or a r eason , Jab b a. W hether he was tr yin g to b ur y it, or whether he thought the f at guy woul d r un to a pay phon e an d c al l us with the in f or mation , I r eal l y don ’ t c ar e. B ut I ’ v e made the dec ision . W e’ r e en ter in g that q uote. N ow.” Jab b a took a l on g b r eath. He kn ew F on tain e was r ight–ther e was n o b etter option . They wer e r un n in g out of time. Jab b a sat. “O kay… l et’ s do it.” He pul l ed himsel f to the keyb oar d. “M r . B ec ker ? The in sc r iption , pl ease. N ic e an d easy.” D av id B ec ker r ead the in sc r iption , an d Jab b a typed. W hen they wer e don e, they doub l e-c hec ked the spel l in g an d omitted al l the spac es. O n the c en ter pan el of the v iew wal l , n ear the top, wer e the l etter s: Q U I SC U STO D I ETI P SO SC U STO D ES “I don ’ t l ike it, ” Susan mutter ed sof tl y. “I t’ s n ot c l ean .” Jab b a hesitated, hov er in g ov er the EN TER key. “D o it, ” F on tain e c omman ded. Jab b a hit the key. Sec on ds l ater the whol e r oom kn ew it was a mistake.
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C h ap t e r 1 1 9 “I t’ s ac c el er atin g! ” Soshi yel l ed f r om the b ac k of the r oom. “I t’ s the wr on g c ode! ” Ev er yon e stood in sil en t hor r or . O n the sc r een b ef or e them was the er r or message: I L L EG A L EN TR Y . N U M ER I C F I EL D
O N L Y .
“D amn it! ” Jab b a sc r eamed. “N umer ic onl y! W e’ r e l ookin g f or a goddamn n umb er ! e’ r e f uc ked! This r in g is shit! ” “W or m’ s at doub l e speed! ” Soshi shouted. “P en al ty r oun d! ” O n the c en ter sc r een , r ight b en eath the er r or message, the V R pain ted a ter r if yin g image. A s the thir d f ir ewal l gav e way, the hal f -doz en or so b l ac k l in es r epr esen tin g mar audin g hac ker s sur ged f or war d, adv an c in g r el en tl essl y towar d the c or e. W ith eac h passin g momen t, a n ew l in e appear ed. Then an other . “They’ r e swar min g! ” Soshi yel l ed. “C on f ir min g ov er seas tie-in s! ” c r ied an other tec hn ic ian . “W or d’ s out! ” Susan av er ted her gaz e f r om the image of the c ol l apsin g f ir ewal l s an d tur n ed to the side sc r een . The f ootage of En sei Tan kado’ s kil l was on en dl ess l oop. I t was the same ev er y time–Tan kado c l utc hin g his c hest, f al l in g, an d with a l ook of desper ate pan ic , f or c in g his r in g on a gr oup of un suspec tin g tour ists. It mak es no sense, she thought. If he di dn’ t k now we’ d k i l l ed hi m… Susan dr ew a total b l an k. I t was too l ate. W e’ v e mi ssed somethi ng . O n the V R , the n umb er of hac ker s poun din g at the gates had doub l ed in the l ast f ew min utes. F r om n ow on , the n umb er woul d in c r ease ex pon en tial l y. Hac ker s, l ike hyen as, wer e on e b ig f amil y, al ways eager to spr ead the wor d of a n ew kil l . L el an d F on tain e had appar en tl y seen en ough. “Shut it down , ” he dec l ar ed. “Shut the damn thin g down .” Jab b a star ed str aight ahead l ike the c aptain of a sin kin g ship. “Too l ate, sir . W e’ r e goin g down .” W
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The f our -hun dr ed-poun d Sys-Sec stood motion l ess, han ds r estin g atop his head in a f r eez e-f r ame of disb el ief . He’ d or der ed a power shutdown , b ut it woul d b e a good twen ty min utes too l ate. Shar ks with high-speed modems woul d b e ab l e to down l oad stagger in g q uan tities of c l assif ied in f or mation in that win dow. Jab b a was awaken ed f r om his n ightmar e b y Soshi r ushin g to the podium with a n ew pr in tout. “I ’ v e f oun d somethin g, sir ! ” she said ex c itedl y. “O r phan s in the sour c e! A l pha gr oupin gs. A l l ov er the pl ac e! ” Jab b a was un mov ed. “W e’ r e l ookin g f or a n umer ic , dammit! N ot an al pha! The kil l -c ode is a nu mb er! ” “B ut we’ v e got or phan s! Tan kado’ s too good to l eav e or phan s–espec ial l y this man y! ” The ter m “or phan s” r ef er r ed to ex tr a l in es of pr ogr ammin g that didn ’ t ser v e the pr ogr am’ s ob j ec tiv e in an y way. They f ed n othin g, r ef er r ed to n othin g, l ed n owher e, an d wer e usual l y r emov ed as par t of the f in al deb uggin g an d c ompil in g pr oc ess. Jab b a took the pr in tout an d studied it. F on tain e stood sil en t. Susan peer ed ov er Jab b a’ s shoul der at the pr in tout. “W e’ r e b ein g attac ked b y a rou g h draf t of Tan kado’ s wor m? ” “P ol ished or n ot, ” Jab b a r etor ted, “it’ s kic kin g our ass.” “I don ’ t b uy it, ” Susan ar gued. “Tan kado was a per f ec tion ist. Y ou kn ow that. Ther e’ s n o way he l ef t b ugs in his pr ogr am.” “Ther e ar e l ots of them! ” Soshi c r ied. She gr ab b ed the pr in tout f r om Jab b a an d pushed it in f r on t of Susan . “L ook! ” Susan n odded. Sur e en ough, af ter ev er y twen ty or so l in es of pr ogr ammin g, ther e wer e f our f r ee-f l oatin g c har ac ter s. Susan sc an n ed them. P F EE S ES N R ET M
“F our -b it al pha gr oupin gs, ” she puz z l ed. “They’ r e def in itel y n ot par t of the pr ogr ammin g.” “F or get it, ” Jab b a gr owl ed. “Y ou’ r e gr ab b in g at str aws.” “M ayb e n ot, ” Susan said. “A l ot of en c r yption uses f our -b it gr oupin gs. This c oul d b e a c ode.” “Y eah.” Jab b a gr oan ed. “I t says–’ Ha, ha. Y ou’ r e f uc ked.’ “ He l ooked up at the V R . “I n ab out n in e min utes.” Susan ign or ed Jab b a an d l oc ked in on Soshi. “How man y or phan s ar e ther e? ” Soshi shr ugged. She c omman deer ed Jab b a’ s ter min al an d typed al l the gr oupin gs. W hen she was don e, she pushed b ac k f r om the ter min al . The r oom l ooked up at the sc r een . P F EE SESN
R ETM
M F HA
EN ET SHA S D C N S I I A A
IR W
EO O I G
M EEN
N R M A
I EER B R N K F B L E L O D I
244 Susan was the on l y on e smil in g. “Sur e l ooks f amil iar , ” she said. “B l oc ks of f our –j ust l ike En igma.” The dir ec tor n odded. En igma was histor y’ s most f amous c ode-wr itin g mac hin e–the N az is’ twel v e-ton en c r yption b east. I t had en c r ypted in b l oc ks of f our . “G r eat.” He moan ed. “Y ou woul dn ’ t happen to hav e on e l yin g ar oun d, woul d you? ” “That’ s n ot the poin t! ” Susan said, sudden l y c omin g to l if e. This was her spec ial ty. “The poin t is that this is a c ode. Tan kado l ef t us a c l ue! He’ s taun tin g us, dar in g us to f igur e out the pass-key in time. He’ s l ayin g hin ts j ust out of our r eac h! ” “A b sur d, ” Jab b a sn apped. “Tan kado gav e us on l y on e out–r ev eal in g TR A N SL TR . That was it. That was our esc ape. W e b l ew it.” “I hav e to agr ee with him, ” F on tain e said. “I doub t ther e’ s an y way Tan kado woul d r isk l ettin g us of f the hook b y hin tin g at his kil l -c ode.” Susan n odded v aguel y, b ut she r ec al l ed how Tan kado had giv en them N D A K O TA . She star ed up at the l etter s won der in g if he wer e pl ayin g an other on e of his games. “Tun n el b l oc k hal f gon e! ” a tec hn ic ian c al l ed. O n the V R , the mass of b l ac k tie-in l in es sur ged deeper in to the two r emain in g shiel ds. D av id had b een sittin g q uietl y, watc hin g the dr ama un f ol d on the mon itor b ef or e them. “Susan ? ” he of f er ed. “I hav e an idea. I s that tex t in six teen gr oupin gs of f our ? ” “O h, f or C hr ist’ s sake, ” Jab b a said un der his b r eath. “N ow ev er yon e wan ts to pl ay? ” Susan ign or ed Jab b a an d c oun ted the gr oupin gs. “Y es. Six teen .” “Take out the spac es, ” B ec ker said f ir ml y. “D av id, ” Susan r epl ied, sl ightl y emb ar r assed. “I don ’ t thin k you un der stan d. The gr oupin gs of f our ar e–” “Take out the spac es, ” he r epeated. Susan hesitated a momen t an d then n odded to Soshi. Soshi q uic kl y r emov ed the spac es. The r esul t was n o mor e en l ighten in g. P F EESESN R ETM P F HA I R W I A A I EER B R N K F B L EL O D I
EO O I G M EEN N R M A EN ETSHA SD C N SI
Jab b a ex pl oded. “EN O U G H! P l aytime’ s ov er ! This thin g’ s on doub l e-speed! W e’ v e got ab out eight min utes her e! W e’ r e l ookin g f or a nu mb er, n ot a b un c h of hal f -b aked l etter s! ” “F our b y six teen , ” D av id said c al ml y. “D o the math, Susan .” Susan eyed D av id’ s image on the sc r een . D o the math? H e’ s terri b l e at math! She kn ew D av id c oul d memor iz e v er b c on j ugation s an d v oc ab ul ar y l ike a X er ox mac hin e, b ut math…? “M ul tipl ic ation tab l es, ” B ec ker said. M ul tipl ic ation tab l es, Susan won der ed. W hat is he tal kin g ab out? “F our b y six teen , ” the pr of essor r epeated. “I had to memor iz e mul tipl ic ation tab l es in f our th gr ade.” Susan pic tur ed the stan dar d gr ade sc hool mul tipl ic ation tab l e. Fou r b y si x teen. “Six ty-f our , ” she said b l an kl y. “So what? ”
D av id l ean ed towar d the c amer a. His f ac e f il l ed the f r ame. “Six ty-f our l etter s…” Susan n odded. “Y es, b ut they’ r e–” Susan f r oz e. “Six ty-f our l etter s, ” D av id r epeated. Susan gasped. “O h my G od! D av id, you’ r e a gen ius! ”
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“Sev en mi nu tes! ” a tec hn ic ian c al l ed out. “Eight r ows of eight! ” Susan shouted, ex c ited. Soshi typed. F on tain e l ooked on sil en tl y. The sec on d to l astshiel d was gr owin g thin . “Six ty-f our l etter s! ” Susan was in c on tr ol . “I t’ s a per f ec t sq uar e! ” “P er f ec t sq uar e? ” Jab b a deman ded. “So what? ” Ten sec on ds l ater Soshi had r ear r an ged the seemin gl y r an doml etter s on the sc r een . They wer e n ow in eight r ows of eight. Jab b astudied the l etter s an d thr ew up his han ds in despair . The n ewl ayout was n o mor e r ev eal in g than the or igin al . P F EES ES N R ET M P F H A I R W EO O I G M EEN N R M A EN ET S H A S DC N S I I A A I EER BR N K F BL EL O DI
“C l ear as shit.” Jab b a gr oan ed. “M s. F l etc her , ” F on tain e deman ded, “ex pl ain your sel f .” A l l eyes tur n ed to Susan Susan was star in g up at the b l oc k of tex t. G r adual l y she b egan n oddin g, then b in to a wide smil e. “D av id, I ’ l l b e damn ed! ” Ev er yon e on the podium ex c han ged b af f l ed l ooks. D av id win ked at the tin y image of Susan F l etc her on the sc r een b ef or e “Six ty-f our l etter s. Jul ius C aesar str ikes again .” M idge l ooked l ost. “W hat ar e you tal kin g ab out? ” “C aesar b ox .” Susan b eamed. “R ead top to b ottom. Tan kado’ s sen din g message.”
. r oke him. us a
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“Si x mi nu tes! ” a tec hn ic ian c al l ed out. Susan shouted or der s. “R etype top to b ottom! R ead down , n ot ac r oss! ” Soshi f ur iousl y mov ed down the c ol umn s, r etypin g the tex t. “Jul ius C aesar sen t c odes this way! ” Susan b l ur ted. “His l etter c oun t was al ways a per f ec t sq uar e! ” “D on e! ” Soshi yel l ed. Ev er yon e l ooked up at the n ewl y ar r an ged, sin gl e l in e of tex t on the wal l -sc r een . “Stil l gar b age, ” Jab b a sc of f ed in disgust. “L ook at it. I t’ s total l y r an dom b its of –” The wor ds l odged in his thr oat. His eyes widen ed to sauc er s. “O h… oh my…” F on tain e had seen it too. He ar c hed his eyeb r ows, ob v iousl y impr essed. M idge an d B r in ker hof f b oth c ooed in un ison . “Hol y… shit.” The six ty-f our l etter s n ow r ead: P R I M ED I F F ER EN C EB ETW O SHI M A A N D N A G A SA K I “P ut in the spac es, ” Susan or der ed. “W
EEN EL EM EN TSR ESP O N SI B L EF O R HI R e’ v e got a puz z l e to sol v e.”
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A n ashen tec hn ic ian r an to the podium. “Tun n el b l oc k’ s ab out to go! ” Jab b a tur n ed to the V R on sc r een . The attac ker s sur ged f or war d, on l y a whisker away f r om their assaul t on the f if th an d f in al wal l . The datab an k was r un n in g out of time. Susan b l oc ked out the c haos ar oun d her . She r ead Tan kado’ s b iz ar r e message ov er an d ov er . P R I M E D I F F ER EN C E B ETW EEN HI R O SHI M A A N D N A G A SA K I
EL EM EN TS R ESP O N SI B L E F O R
“I t’ s n ot ev en a q uestion ! ” B r in ker hof f c r ied. “How c an it hav e an an swer ? ” “W e n eed a n umb er , ” Jab b a r emin ded. “The kil l -c ode is nu meri c . ” “Sil en c e, ” F on tain e said ev en l y. He tur n ed an d addr essed Susan . “M s. F l etc her , you’ v e gotten us this f ar . I n eed your b est guess.” Susan took a deep b r eath. “The kil l -c ode en tr y f iel d ac c epts n umer ic s onl y. M y guess is that this is some sor t of c l ue as to the c or r ec t n umb er . The tex t men tion s Hir oshima an d N agasaki–the two c ities that wer e hit b y atomic b omb s. M ayb e the kil l -c ode is r el ated to the n umb er of c asual ties, the estimated dol l ar s of damage…” She paused a momen t, r er eadin g the c l ue. “The wor d ‘ dif f er en c e’ seems impor tan t. The pr ime di f f erenc e b etween N agasaki an d Hir oshima. A ppar en tl y Tan kado f el t the two in c iden ts dif f er ed somehow.” F on tain e’ s ex pr ession did n ot c han ge. N on ethel ess, hope was f adin g f ast. I t seemed the pol itic al b ac kdr ops sur r oun din g the two most dev astatin g b l asts in histor y n eeded to b e an al yz ed, c ompar ed, an d tr an sl ated in to some magic n umb er … an d al l within the n ex t f iv e min utes.
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“F in al shiel d un der attac k! ” O n the V R , the P EM author iz ation pr ogr ammin g was n ow b ein g c on sumed. B l ac k, pen etr atin g l in es en gul f ed the f in al pr otec tiv e shiel d an d b egan f or c in g their way towar d its c or e. P r owl in g hac ker s wer e n ow appear in g f r om al l ov er the wor l d. The n umb er was doub l in g al most ev er y min ute. B ef or e l on g, an yon e with a c omputer –f or eign spies, r adic al s, ter r or ists–woul d hav e ac c ess to al l of the U .S. gov er n men t’ s c l assif ied in f or mation . A s tec hn ic ian s tr ied v ain l y to sev er power , the assemb l y on the podium studied the message. Ev en D av id an d the two N SA agen ts wer e tr yin g to c r ac k the c ode f r om their v an in Spain . P R I M E D I F F ER EN C E B ETW EEN F O R HI R O SHI M A A N D N A G A SA K I
EL EM EN TS
R ESP O N SI B L E
Soshi thought al oud. “The el emen ts r espon sib l e f or Hir oshima an d N agasaki… P ear l Har b or ? Hir ohito’ s r ef usal to…” “W e n eed a nu mb er,” Jab b a r epeated, “n ot pol itic al theor ies. W e’ r e tal kin g mathemati c s –n ot histor y! ” Soshi f el l sil en t. “How ab out payl oads? ” B r in ker hof f of f er ed. “C asual ties? D ol l ar s damage? ” “W e’ r e l ookin g f or an ex ac t f igur e, ” Susan r emin ded. “D amage estimates v ar y.” She star ed up at the message. “The el emen ts r espon sib l e…” Thr ee thousan d mil es away, D av id B ec ker ’ s eyes f l ew open . “El emen ts! ” he dec l ar ed. “W e’ r e tal kin g math, n ot histor y! ” A l l heads tur n ed towar d the satel l ite sc r een . “Tan kado’ s pl ayin g wor d games! ” B ec ker spouted. “The wor d ‘ el emen ts’ has mul tipl e mean in gs! ” “Spit it out, M r . B ec ker , ” F on tain e sn apped. “He’ s tal kin g ab out c hemi c al el emen ts–n ot soc iopol itic al on es! ” B ec ker ’ s an n oun c emen t met b l an k l ooks. “El emen ts! ” he pr ompted. “The per iodic tab l e! C hemi c al el emen ts! D idn ’ t an y of you see the mov ie Fat M an and L i ttl e B oy –ab out the M an hattan P r oj ec t? The two atomic b omb s wer e dif f er en t. They used dif f er en t f uel –dif f er en t el ements! ” Soshi c l apped her han ds. “Y es! He’ s r ight! I r ead that! The two b omb s used dif f er en t f uel s! O n e used ur an ium an d on e used pl uton ium! Two di f f erent el emen ts! ” A hush swept ac r oss the r oom. “U r an ium an d pl uton ium! ” Jab b a ex c l aimed, sudden l y hopef ul . “The c l ue asks f or the di f f erenc e b etween the two el emen ts! ” He spun to his ar my of wor ker s. “The dif f er en c e b etween ur an ium an d pl uton ium! W ho kn ows what it is? ” B l an k star es al l ar oun d. “C ome on ! ” Jab b a said. “D idn ’ t you kids go to c ol l ege? Someb ody! A n yb ody! I n eed the dif f er en c e b etween pl uton ium an d ur an ium! ” N o r espon se.
Susan tur n ed to Soshi. “I n eed ac c ess to the W eb . I s ther e a b r owser her e? ” Soshi n odded. “N etsc ape’ s sweetest.” Susan gr ab b ed her han d. “C ome on . W e’ r e goin g sur f in g.”
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“How muc h time? ” Jab b a deman ded f r om the podium. Ther e was n o r espon se f r om the tec hn ic ian s in the b ac k. They stood r iv eted, star in g up at the V R . The f in al shiel d was gettin g dan ger ousl y thin . N ear b y, Susan an d Soshi por ed ov er the r esul ts of their W eb sear c h. “O utl aw L ab s? ” Susan asked. “W ho ar e they? ” Soshi shr ugged. “Y ou wan t me to open it? ” “D amn r ight, ” she said. “Six hun dr ed f or ty-sev en tex t r ef er en c es to ur an ium, pl uton ium, an d atomic b omb s. Soun ds l ike our b est b et.” Soshi open ed the l in k. A disc l aimer appear ed. The in f or mation c on tain ed in this f il e is str ic tl y f or ac ademic use on l y. A n y l ayper son attemptin g to c on str uc t an y of the dev ic es desc r ib ed r un s the r isk of r adiation poison in g an d/ or sel f -ex pl osion . “Sel f -ex pl osion ? ” Soshi said. “Jesus.” “Sear c h it, ” F on tain e sn apped ov er his shoul der . “L et’ s see what we’ v e got.” Soshi pl owed in to the doc umen t. She sc r ol l ed past a r ec ipe f or ur ea n itr ate, an ex pl osiv e ten times mor e power f ul than dyn amite. The in f or mation r ol l ed b y l ike a r ec ipe f or b utter sc otc h b r own ies. “P l uton ium an d ur an ium, ” Jab b a r epeated. “L et’ s f oc us.” “G o b ac k, ” Susan or der ed. “The doc umen t’ s too b ig. F in d the tab l e of c on ten ts.” Soshi sc r ol l ed b ac kwar d un til she f oun d it. I . M ec han ism of an A tomic B omb A ) A l timeter B ) A ir P r essur e D eton ator C ) D eton atin g Heads D ) Ex pl osiv e C har ges E) N eutr on D ef l ec tor F ) U r an ium & P l uton ium G ) L ead Shiel d H) F uses I I . N uc l ear F ission / N uc l ear F usion A ) F ission ( A -B omb ) & F usion ( H-B omb ) B ) U -2 3 5 , U -2 3 8 , an d P l uton ium I I I . Histor y of the A tomic W eapon s A ) D ev el opmen t ( The M an hattan P r oj ec t) B ) D eton ation 1 ) Hir oshima 2 ) N agasaki 3 ) B y-pr oduc ts of A tomic D eton ation s 4 ) B l ast Z on es
“Sec tion two! ” Susan c r ied. “U r an ium an d pl uton ium! G o! ” Ev er yon e waited whil e Soshi f oun d the r ight sec tion . “This is it, ” she said. “Hol d on .” She q uic kl y sc an n ed the data. “Ther e’ s a l ot of in f or mation her e. A whol e c har t. How do we kn ow whic h dif f er en c e we’ r e l ookin g f or ? O n e oc c ur s n atur al l y, on e is man -made. P l uton ium was f ir st disc ov er ed b y–”
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“A nu mb er,” Jab b a r emin ded. “W e n eed a nu mb er. ” Susan r er ead Tan kado’ s message. T he pri me di f f erenc e b etween the el ements… the di f f erenc e b etween… we need a nu mb er… “W ait! ” she said. “The wor d ‘ dif f er en c e’ has mul tipl e mean in gs. W e n eed a nu mb er –so we’ r e tal kin g math. I t’ s an other of Tan kado’ s wor d games–’ dif f er en c e’ mean s su b trac ti on. ” “Y es! ” B ec ker agr eed f r om the sc r een ov er head. “M ayb e the el emen ts hav e dif f er en t n umb er s of pr oton s or somethin g? I f you sub tr ac t–” “He’ s r ight! ” Jab b a said, tur n in g to Soshi. “A r e ther e an y nu mb ers on that c har t? P r oton c oun ts? Hal f -l iv es? A n ythin g we c an sub tr ac t? ” “T hree mi nu tes! ” a tec hn ic ian c al l ed. “How ab out super c r itic al mass? ” Soshi v en tur ed. “I t says the super c r itic al mass f or pl uton ium is 3 5 .2 poun ds.” “Y es! ” Jab b a said. “C hec k ur an ium! W hat’ s the super c r itic al mass of ur an ium? ” Soshi sear c hed. “U m… 1 1 0 poun ds.” “O n e hun dr ed ten ? ” Jab b a l ooked sudden l y hopef ul . “W hat’ s 3 5 .2 f r om 1 1 0 ? ” “Sev en ty-f our poin t eight, ” Susan sn apped. “B ut I don ’ t thin k–” “O ut of my way, ” Jab b a c omman ded, pl owin g towar d the keyb oar d. “That’ s got to b e the kil l -c ode! The dif f er en c e b etween their c r itic al masses! Sev en ty-f our poin t eight! ” “Hol d on , ” Susan said, peer in g ov er Soshi’ s shoul der . “Ther e’ s mor e her e. A tomic weights. N eutr on c oun ts. Ex tr ac tion tec hn iq ues.” She skimmed the c har t. “U r an ium spl its in to b ar ium an d kr ypton ; pl uton ium does somethin g el se. U r an ium has 9 2 pr oton s an d 1 4 6 n eutr on s, b ut–” “W e n eed the most ob v i ou s dif f er en c e, ” M idge c himed in . “The c l ue r eads ‘ the pri mary dif f er en c e b etween the el emen ts.’ “ “Jesus C hr ist! ” Jab b a swor e. “How do we kn ow what Tan kado c on sider ed the pri mary dif f er en c e? ” D av id in ter r upted. “A c tual l y, the c l ue r eads pri me, n ot pri mary. ” The wor d hit Susan r ight b etween the eyes. “Pri me! ” she ex c l aimed. “Pri me! ” She spun to Jab b a. “The kil l -c ode is a pri me n umb er ! Thin k ab out it! I t makes per f ec t sen se! ” Jab b a in stan tl y kn ew Susan was r ight. En sei Tan kado had b uil t his c ar eer on pr ime n umb er s. P r imes wer e the f un damen tal b uil din g b l oc ks of al l en c r yption al gor ithms– un iq ue v al ues that had n o f ac tor s other than on e an d themsel v es. P r imes wor ked wel l in c ode wr itin g b ec ause they wer e impossib l e f or c omputer s to guess usin g typic al n umb er -tr ee f ac tor in g. Soshi j umped in . “Y es! I t’ s per f ec t! P r imes ar e essen tial to Japan ese c ul tur e! Haiku uses pr imes. T hree l in es an d syl l ab l e c oun ts of f i v e, sev en, f i v e. A l l pr imes. The templ es of K yoto al l hav e–” “E nou g h! ” Jab b a said. “Ev en if the kil l -c ode i s a pr ime, so what! Ther e ar e en dl ess possib il ities! ” Susan kn ew Jab b a was r ight. B ec ause the n umb er l in e was in f in ite, on e c oul d al ways l ook a l ittl e f ar ther an d f in d an other pr ime n umb er . B etween z er o an d a mil l ion , ther e wer e ov er 7 0 , 0 0 0 c hoic es. I t al l depen ded on how l ar ge a pr ime Tan kado dec ided to use. The b igger it was, the har der it was to guess. “I t’ l l b e huge.” Jab b a gr oan ed. “W hatev er pr ime Tan kado c hose is sur e to b e a mon ster .” A c al l wen t up f r om the r ear of the r oom. “T wo-mi nu te warni ng ! ” Jab b a gaz ed up at the V R in def eat. The f in al shiel d was star tin g to c r umb l e. Tec hn ic ian s wer e r ushin g ev er ywher e.
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Somethin g in Susan tol d her they wer e c l ose. “W e c an do this! ” she dec l ar ed, takin g c on tr ol . “O f al l the dif f er en c es b etween ur an ium an d pl uton ium, I b et on l y on e c an b e r epr esen ted as a pri me n umb er ! That’ s our f in al c l ue. The n umb er we’ r e l ookin g f or is pr ime! ” Jab b a eyed the ur an ium/ pl uton ium c har t on the mon itor an d thr ew up his ar ms. “Ther e must b e a hun dr ed en tr ies her e! Ther e’ s n o way we c an sub tr ac t them al l an d c hec k f or pr imes.” “A l ot of the en tr ies ar e nonnu meri c ,” Susan en c our aged. “W e c an ign or e them. U r an ium’ s n atur al , pl uton ium’ s man -made. U r an ium uses a gun b ar r el deton ator , pl uton ium uses impl osion . They’ r e n ot n umb er s, so they’ r e ir r el ev an t! ” “D o it, ” F on tain e or der ed. O n the V R , the f in al wal l was eggshel l thin . Jab b a mopped his b r ow. “A l l r ight, her e goes n othin g. Star t sub tr ac tin g. I ’ l l take the top q uar ter . Susan , you’ v e got the middl e. Ev er yb ody el se spl it up the r est. W e’ r e l ookin g f or a pr ime dif f er en c e.” W ithin sec on ds, it was c l ear they’ d n ev er make it. The n umb er s wer e en or mous, an d in man y c ases the un its didn ’ t matc h up. “I t’ s appl es an d goddamn or an ges, ” Jab b a said. “W e’ v e got gamma r ays again st el ec tr omagn etic pul se. F ission ab l e again st un f ission ab l e. Some is pur e. Some is per c en tage. I t’ s a mess! ” “I t’ s got to b e her e, ” Susan said f ir ml y. “W e’ v e got to thin k. Ther e’ s some dif f er en c e b etween pl uton ium an d ur an ium that we’ r e missin g! Somethin g simpl e! ” “A h… guys? ” Soshi said. She’ d c r eated a sec on d doc umen t win dow an d was per usin g the r est of the O utl aw L ab s doc umen t. “W hat is it? ” F on tain e deman ded. “F in d somethin g? ” “U m, sor t of .” She soun ded un easy. “Y ou kn ow how I tol d you the N agasaki b omb was a pl uton ium b omb ? ” “Y eah, ” they al l r epl ied in un ison . “W el l …” Soshi took a deep b r eath. “L ooks l ike I made a mistake.” “W hat! ” Jab b a c hoked. “W e’ v e b een l ookin g f or the wr on g thin g? ” Soshi poin ted to the sc r een . They huddl ed ar oun d an d r ead the tex t: …the c ommon misc on c eption that the N agasaki b omb was a pl uton ium b omb . I n f ac t, the dev ic e empl oyed ur an ium, l ike its sister b omb in Hir oshima. ***
“B ut–” Susan gasped. “I f b oth el emen ts wer e ur an ium, how ar e we supposed to f in d the dif f er en c e b etween the two? ” “M ayb e Tan kado made a mistake, ” F on tain e v en tur ed. “M ayb e he didn ’ t kn ow the b omb s wer e the same.” “N o.” Susan sighed. “He was a c r ippl e b ec ause of those b omb s. He’ d kn ow the f ac ts c ol d.”
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“O n e min ute! ” Jab b a eyed the V R . “P EM author iz ation ’ s goin g f ast. L ast l in e of def en se. A n d ther e’ s a c r owd at the door .” “F oc us! ” F on tain e c omman ded. Soshi sat in f r on t of the W eb b r owser an d r ead al oud. …N agasaki b omb did n ot use pl uton ium b ut r ather an n eutr on -satur ated isotope of ur an ium 2 3 8 .”
ar tif ic ial l y man uf ac tur ed,
“D amn ! ” B r in ker hof f swor e. “B oth b omb s used ur an ium. The el emen ts r espon sib l e f or Hir oshima an d N agasaki wer e b oth ur an ium. Ther e i s n o dif f er en c e! ” “W e’ r e dead, ” M idge moan ed. “W ait, ” Susan said. “R ead that l ast par t again ! ” Soshi r epeated the tex t. “…ar tif ic ial l y man uf ac tur ed, n eutr on -satur ated isotope of ur an ium 2 3 8 .” “2 3 8 ? ” Susan ex c l aimed. “D idn ’ t we j ust see somethin g that said Hir oshima’ s b omb used some other isotope of ur an ium? ” They al l ex c han ged puz z l ed gl an c es. Soshi f r an tic al l y sc r ol l ed b ac kwar d an d f oun d the spot. “Y es! I t says her e that the Hir oshima b omb used a dif f er en t isotope of ur an ium! ” M idge gasped in amaz emen t. “They’ r e b oth ur an ium–b ut they’ r e dif f er en t kin ds! ” “B oth ur an ium? ” Jab b a musc l ed in an d star ed at the ter min al . “A ppl es an d appl es! P er f ec t! ” “How ar e the two isotopes dif f er en t? ” F on tain e deman ded. “I t’ s got to b e somethin g b asic .” Soshi sc r ol l ed thr ough the doc umen t. “Hol d on … l ookin g… okay…” “F or ty-f iv e sec on ds! ” a v oic e c al l ed out. Susan l ooked up. The f in al shiel d was al most in v isib l e n ow. “Her e it is! ” Soshi ex c l aimed. “R ead it! ” Jab b a was sweatin g. “W hat’ s the dif f er en c e! Ther e must b e some dif f er en c e b etween the two! ” “Y es! ” Soshi poin ted to her mon itor . “L ook! ” They al l r ead the tex t: …two b omb s empl oyed two dif f er en t f uel s… pr ec isel y iden tic al c hemic al c har ac ter istic s. N o or din ar y c hemic al ex tr ac tion c an separ ate the two isotopes. They ar e, with the ex c eption of min ute dif f er en c es in weight, per f ec tl y iden tic al .
“A tomic weight! ” Jab b a said, ex c itedl y. “That’ s it! The on l y dif f er en c e is their wei g hts! That’ s the key! G iv e me their weights! W e’ l l sub tr ac t them! ” “Hol d on , ” Soshi said, sc r ol l in g ahead. “A l most ther e! Y es! ” Ev er yon e sc an n ed the tex t. …dif f er en c e in weight v er y sl ight…
…gaseous dif f usion to separ ate them…
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…1 0 , 0 3 2 4 9 8 X 1 0 ˆ 1 3 4 as c ompar ed to 1 9 , 3 9 4 8 4 X 1 0 ˆ 2 3 . * * “Ther e they ar e! ” Jab b a sc r eamed. “That’ s it! Those ar e the weights! ” “Thir ty sec on ds! ” “G o, ” F on tain e whisper ed. “Sub tr ac t them. Q uic kl y.” Jab b a pal med his c al c ul ator an d star ted en ter in g n umb er s. “W hat’ s the aster isk? ” Susan deman ded. “Ther e’ s an aster isk af ter the f igur es! ” Jab b a ign or ed her . He was al r eady wor kin g his c al c ul ator keys f ur iousl y. “C ar ef ul ! ” Soshi ur ged. “W e n eed an ex ac t f igur e.” “The aster isk, ” Susan r epeated. “Ther e’ s a f ootn ote.” Soshi c l ic ked to the b ottom of the par agr aph. Susan r ead the aster isked f ootn ote. She wen t white. “O h… dear G od.” Jab b a l ooked up. “W hat? ” They al l l ean ed in , an d ther e was a c ommun al sigh of def eat. The tin y f ootn ote r ead: * * 1 2 % mar gin of er r or . P ub l ished f igur es v ar y f r om l ab to l ab .
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Ther e was a sudden an d r ev er en t sil en c e amon g the gr oup on the podium. I t was as if they wer e watc hin g an ec l ipse or v ol c an ic er uption –an in c r edib l e c hain of ev en ts ov er whic h they had n o c on tr ol . Time seemed to sl ow to a c r awl . “W e’ r e l osin g it! ” a tec hn ic ian c r ied. “Tie-in s! A l l l in es! ” O n the f ar -l ef t sc r een , D av id an d A gen ts Smith an d C ol ian der star ed b l an kl y in to their c amer a. O n the V R , the f in al f ir e wal l was on l y a sl iv er . A mass of b l ac kn ess sur r oun ded it, hun dr eds of l in es waitin g to tie in . To the r ight of that was Tan kado. The stil ted c l ips of his f in al momen ts r an b y in an en dl ess l oop. The l ook of desper ation – f in ger s str etc hed outwar d, the r in g gl isten in g in the sun . Susan watc hed the c l ip as it wen t in an d out of f oc us. She star ed at Tan kado’ s eyes– they seemed f il l ed with r egr et. H e nev er wanted i t to g o thi s f ar, she tol d her sel f . H e wanted to sav e u s. A n d yet, ov er an d ov er , Tan kado hel d his f in ger s outwar d, f or c in g the r in g in f r on t of peopl e’ s eyes. He was tr yin g to speak b ut c oul d n ot. He j ust kept thr ustin g his f in ger s f or war d. I n Sev il l e, B ec ker ’ s min d stil l tur n ed it ov er an d ov er . He mumb l ed to himsel f , “W hat did they say those two isotopes wer e? U 2 3 8 an d U …? ” He sighed heav il y–it didn ’ t matter . He was a l an guage teac her , n ot a physic ist. “I n c omin g l in es pr epar in g to authen tic ate! ” “Jesus! ” Jab b a b el l owed in f r ustr ation . “How do the damn isotopes di f f er? N ob ody kn ows how the hel l they’ r e dif f er en t? ! ” Ther e was n o r espon se. The r oom f ul l of tec hn ic ian s stood hel pl essl y watc hin g the V R . Jab b a spun b ac k to the mon itor an d thr ew up his ar ms. “W her e’ s a n uc l ear f uc kin g physic ist when you n eed on e! ” ***
Susan star ed up at the Q uic kTime c l ip on the wal l sc r een an d kn ew it was ov er . I n sl ow motion , she watc hed Tan kado dyin g ov er an d ov er . He was tr yin g to speak, c hokin g on his wor ds, hol din g out his def or med han d… tr yin g to c ommun ic ate somethin g. H e was tryi ng to sav e the datab ank , Susan tol d her sel f . B u t we’ l l nev er k now how. “C ompan y at the door ! ” Jab b a star ed at the sc r een . “Her e we go! ” Sweat pour ed down his f ac e. O n the c en ter sc r een , the f in al wisp of the l ast f ir ewal l had al l b ut disappear ed. The b l ac k mass of l in es sur r oun din g the c or e was opaq ue an d pul satin g. M idge tur n ed away. F on tain e stood r igid, eyes f r on t. B r in ker hof f l ooked l ike he was ab out to get sic k. “Ten sec on ds! ” Susan ’ s eyes n ev er l ef t Tan kado’ s image. The desper ation . The r egr et. His han d r eac hed out, ov er an d ov er , r in g gl isten in g, def or med f in ger s ar c hed c r ookedl y in str an ger ’ s f ac es. H e’ s tel l i ng them somethi ng . W hat i s i t? O n the sc r een ov er head, D av id l ooked deep in thought. “D if f er en c e, ” he kept mutter in g to himsel f . “D if f er en c e b etween U 2 3 8 an d U 2 3 5 . I t’ s got to b e somethin g simpl e.” A tec hn ic ian b egan the c oun tdown . “Fi v e! Fou r! T hree! ” The wor d made it to Spain in j ust un der a ten th of a sec on d. T hree… three. I t was as if D av id B ec ker had b een hit b y the stun gun al l ov er again . His wor l d sl owed to stop. T hree… three… three. 2 3 8 mi nu s 2 3 5 ! T he di f f erenc e i s thr ee! I n sl ow motion ,
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he r eac hed f or the mic r ophon e… A t that v er y in stan t, Susan was star in g at Tan kado’ s outstr etc hed han d. Sudden l y, she saw past the r in g… past the en gr av ed gol d to the f l esh b en eath… to his f in ger s. T hree f in ger s. I t was n ot the r in g at al l . I t was the f l esh. Tan kado was n ot tel l in g them, he was showin g them. He was tel l in g his sec r et, r ev eal in g the kil l -c ode–b eggin g someon e to un der stan d… pr ayin g his sec r et woul d f in d its way to the N SA in time. “Thr ee, ” Susan whisper ed, stun n ed. “T hree! ” B ec ker yel l ed f r om Spain . B ut in the c haos, n o on e seemed to hear . “W e’ re down! ” a tec hn ic ian yel l ed. The V R b egan f l ashin g wil dl y as the c or e suc c umb ed to a del uge. Sir en s er upted ov er head. “O utb oun d data! ” “High-speed tie-in s in al l sec tor s! ” Susan mov ed as if thr ough a dr eam. She spun towar d Jab b a’ s keyb oar d. A s she tur n ed, her gaz e f ix ed on her f ian c é , D av id B ec ker . A gain his v oic e ex pl oded ov er head. “Thr ee! The dif f er en c e b etween 2 3 5 an d 2 3 8 is thr ee! ” Ev er yon e in the r oom l ooked up. “T hree! ” Susan shouted ov er the deaf en in g c ac ophon y of sir en s an d tec hn ic ian s. She poin ted to the sc r een . A l l eyes f ol l owed, to Tan kado’ s han d, outstr etc hed, thr ee f in ger s wav in g desper atel y in the Sev il l ian sun . Jab b a wen t r igid. “O h my G od! ” He sudden l y r eal iz ed the c r ippl ed gen ius had b een giv in g them the an swer al l the time. “Thr ee’ s pr ime! ” Soshi b l ur ted. “Thr ee’ s a pri me n umb er ! ” F on tain e l ooked daz ed. “C an it b e that simpl e? ” “O utb oun d data! ” a tec hn ic ian c r ied. “I t’ s goin g f ast! ” Ev er yon e on the podium dov e f or the ter min al at the same in stan t–a mass of outstr etc hed han ds. B ut thr ough the c r owd, Susan , l ike a shor tstop stab b in g a l in e dr iv e, c on n ec ted with her tar get. She typed the n umb er 3 . Ev er yon e wheel ed to the wal l sc r een . A b ov e the c haos, it simpl y r ead. EN TER P A SS-K EY ? 3 “Y es! ” F on tain e c omman ded. “D o it n ow! ” Susan hel d her b r eath an d l ower ed her f in ger on the EN TER key. The c omputer b eeped on c e. N ob ody mov ed. Thr ee agon iz in g sec on ds l ater , n othin g had happen ed. The sir en s kept goin g. F iv e sec on ds. Six sec on ds. “O utb oun d data! ” “N o c han ge! ” Sudden l y M idge b egan poin tin g wil dl y to the sc r een ab ov e. “L ook! ” O n it, a message had mater ial iz ed. K I L L C O D E C O N F I R M ED .
258 “U pl oad the f ir ewal l s! ” Jab b a or der ed. B ut Soshi was a step ahead of him. She had al r eady sen t the c omman d. “O u tb ou nd i nterru pt! ” a tec hn ic ian yel l ed. “Tie-in s sev er ed! ” O n the V R ov er head, the f ir st of the f iv e f ir ewal l s b egan r eappear in g. The b l ac k l in es attac kin g the c or e wer e in stan tl y sev er ed. “R ein statin g! ” Jab b a c r ied. “The damn thin g’ s r ein statin g! ” Ther e was a momen t of ten tativ e disb el ief , as if at an y in stan t, ev er ythin g woul d f al l apar t. B ut then the sec on d f ir ewal l b egan r eappear in g… an d then the thir d. M omen ts l ater the en tir e ser ies of f il ter s r eappear ed. The datab an k was sec ur e. The r oom er upted. P an demon ium. Tec hn ic ian s hugged, tossin g c omputer pr in touts in the air in c el eb r ation . Sir en s woun d down . B r in ker hof f gr ab b ed M idge an d hel d on . Soshi b ur st in to tear s. “Jab b a, ” F on tain e deman ded. “How muc h did they get? ” “V er y l ittl e, ” Jab b a said, studyin g his mon itor . “V er y l ittl e. A n d n othin g c ompl ete.” F on tain e n odded sl owl y, a wr y smil e f or min g in the c or n er of his mouth. He l ooked ar oun d f or Susan F l etc her , b ut she was al r eady wal kin g towar d the f r on t of the r oom. O n the wal l b ef or e her , D av id B ec ker ’ s f ac e f il l ed the sc r een . “D av id? ” “Hey, gor geous.” He smil ed. “C ome home, ” she said. “C ome home, r ight n ow.” “M eet you at Ston e M an or ? ” he asked. She n odded, the tear s wel l in g. “D eal .” “A gen t Smith? ” F on tain e c al l ed. Smith appear ed on sc r een b ehin d B ec ker . “Y es, sir ? ” “I t appear s M r . B ec ker has a date. C oul d you see that he gets home immediatel y? ” Smith n odded. “O ur j et’ s in M á l aga.” He patted B ec ker on the b ac k. “Y ou’ r e in f or a tr eat, P r of essor . Ev er f l own in a L ear j et 6 0 ? ” B ec ker c huc kl ed. “N ot sin c e yester day.”
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W hen Susan awoke, the sun was shin in g. the sof t r ays sif ted thr ough the c ur tain s an d f il ter ed ac r oss her goosedown f eather b ed. She r eac hed f or D av id. A m I dreami ng ? Her b ody r emain ed motion l ess, spen t, stil l diz z y f r om the n ight b ef or e. “D av id? ” She moan ed. Ther e was n o r epl y. She open ed her eyes, her skin stil l tin gl in g. The mattr ess on the other side of the b ed was c ol d. D av id was gon e. I’ m dreami ng , Susan thought. She sat up. The r oom was V ic tor ian , al l l ac e an d an tiq ues–Ston e M an or ’ s f in est suite. Her ov er n ight b ag was in the middl e of the har dwood f l oor … her l in ger ie on a Q ueen A n n e c hair b eside the b ed. Had D av id r eal l y ar r iv ed? She had memor ies–his b ody again st her s, his wakin g her with sof t kisses. Had she dr eamed it al l ? She tur n ed to the b edside tab l e. Ther e was an empty b ottl e of c hampagn e, two gl asses… an d a n ote. R ub b in g the sl eep f r om her eyes, Susan dr ew the c omf or ter ar oun d her n aked b ody an d r ead the message. D ear est Susan , I l ov e you. W ithout wax , D av id. She b eamed an d pul l ed the n ote to her c hest. I t was D av id, al l r ight. W i thou t wax … it was the on e c ode she had yet to b r eak. Somethin g stir r ed in the c or n er , an d Susan l ooked up. O n a pl ush div an , b askin g in the mor n in g sun , wr apped in thic k b athr ob e, D av id B ec ker sat q uietl y watc hin g her . She r eac hed out, b ec kon in g him to c ome to her . “W ithout wax ? ” she c ooed, takin g him in her ar ms. “W ithout wax .” He smil ed. She kissed him deepl y. “Tel l me what it mean s.” “N o c han c e.” He l aughed. “A c oupl e n eeds sec r ets–it keeps thin gs in ter estin g.” Susan smil ed c oyl y. “A n y mor e in ter estin g than l ast n ight an d I ’ l l n ev er wal k again .” D av id took her in his ar ms. He f el t weightl ess. He had al most died yester day, an d yet her e he was, as al iv e as he had ev er f el t in his l if e. Susan l ay with her head on his c hest, l isten in g to the b eat of his hear t. She c oul dn ’ t b el iev e that she had thought he was gon e f or ev er . “D av id.” She sighed, eyein g the n ote b eside the tab l e. “Tel l me ab out ‘ without wax .’ Y ou kn ow I hate c odes I c an ’ t b r eak.” D av id was sil en t. “Tel l me.” Susan pouted. “O r you’ l l n ev er hav e me again .” “L iar .” Susan hit him with a pil l ow. “Tel l me! N ow! ” B ut D av id kn ew he woul d n ev er tel l . The sec r et b ehin d “without wax ” was too sweet. I ts or igin s wer e an c ien t. D ur in g the R en aissan c e, Span ish sc ul ptor s who made mistakes whil e c ar v in g ex pen siv e mar b l e of ten patc hed their f l aws with c era –”wax .” A statue that had n o f l aws an d r eq uir ed n o patc hin g was hail ed as a “sc ul ptur e si nc era” or a “sc ul ptur e without wax .” The phr ase ev en tual l y c ame to mean an ythin g hon est or tr ue. The En gl ish wor d “sin c er e” ev ol v ed f r om the Span ish si nc era –”without wax .” D av id’ s sec r et c ode was n o gr eat myster y–he was simpl y sign in g his l etter s “Sin c er el y.” Somehow he suspec ted Susan woul d n ot b e amused. “Y ou’ l l b e pl eased to kn ow, ” D av id said, attemptin g to c han ge the sub j ec t, “that
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dur in g the f l ight home, I c al l ed the pr esiden t of the un iv er sity.” Susan l ooked up, hopef ul . “Tel l me you r esign ed as depar tmen t c hair .” D av id n odded. “I ’ l l b e b ac k in the c l assr oom n ex t semester .” She sighed in r el ief . “R ight wher e you b el on ged in the f ir st pl ac e.” D av id smil ed sof tl y. “Y eah, I guess Spain r emin ded me what’ s impor tan t.” “B ac k to b r eakin g c oeds’ hear ts? ” Susan kissed his c heek. “W el l , at l east you’ l l hav e time to hel p me edit my man usc r ipt.” “M an usc r ipt? ” “Y es. I ’ v e dec ided to pub l ish.” “P ub l ish? ” D av id l ooked doub tf ul . “P ub l ish what? ” “Some ideas I hav e on v ar ian t f il ter pr otoc ol s an d q uadr atic r esidues.” He gr oan ed. “Soun ds l ike a r eal b est-sel l er .” She l aughed. “Y ou’ d b e sur pr ised.” D av id f ished in side the poc ket of his b athr ob e an d pul l ed out a smal l ob j ec t. “C l ose your eyes. I hav e somethin g f or you.” Susan c l osed her eyes. “L et me guess–a gaudy gol d r in g with L atin al l ov er it? ” “N o.” D av id c huc kl ed. “I had F on tain e r etur n that to En sei Tan kado’ s estate.” He took Susan ’ s han d an d sl ipped somethin g on to her f in ger . “L iar .” Susan l aughed, open in g her eyes. “I kn ew–” B ut Susan stopped shor t. The r in g on her f in ger was n ot Tan kado’ s at al l . I t was a pl atin um settin g that hel d a gl itter in g diamon d sol itair e. Susan gasped. D av id l ooked her in the eye. “W il l you mar r y me? ” Susan ’ s b r eath c aught in her thr oat. She l ooked at him an d then b ac k to the r in g. Her eyes sudden l y wel l ed up. “O h, D av id… I don ’ t kn ow what to say.” “Say yes.” Susan tur n ed away an d didn ’ t say a wor d. D av id waited. “Susan F l etc her , I l ov e you. M ar r y me.” Susan l if ted her head. Her eyes wer e f il l ed with tear s. “I ’ m sor r y, D av id, ” she whisper ed. “I … I c an ’ t.” D av id star ed in shoc k. He sear c hed her eyes f or the pl ayf ul gl immer he’ d c ome to ex pec t f r om her . I t wasn ’ t ther e. “S-Susan , ” he stammer ed. “I –I don ’ t un der stan d.” “I c an ’ t, ” she r epeated. “I c an ’ t mar r y you.” She tur n ed away. Her shoul der s star ted tr emb l in g. She c ov er ed her f ac e with her han ds. D av id was b ewil der ed. “B ut, Susan … I thought…” He hel d her tr emb l in g shoul der s an d tur n ed her b ody towar d him. I t was then that he un der stood. Susan F l etc her was n ot c r yin g at al l ; she was in hyster ic s. “I won ’ t mar r y you! ” She l aughed, attac kin g again with the pil l ow. “N ot un til you ex pl ain ‘ without wax ’ ! Y ou’ r e dr iv in g me c raz y! ” Ep i l og u e They say in death, al l thin gs b ec ome c l ear . Tokugen N umataka n ow kn ew it was tr ue. Stan din g ov er the c asket in the O saka c ustoms of f ic e, he f el t a b itter c l ar ity he had n ev er kn own . His r el igion spoke of c ir c l es, of the in ter c on n ec tedn ess of l if e, b ut N umataka had n ev er had time f or r el igion . The c ustoms of f ic ial s had giv en him an en v el ope of adoption paper s an d b ir th r ec or ds. “Y ou ar e this b oy’ s on l y l iv in g r el ativ e, ” they had said. “W e had a har d time
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f in din g you.” N umataka’ s min d r eel ed b ac k thir ty-two year s to that r ain -soaked n ight, to the hospital war d wher e he had deser ted his def or med c hil d an d dyin g wif e. He had don e it in the n ame of men b oku–hon or –an empty shadow n ow. Ther e was a gol den r in g en c l osed with the paper s. I t was en gr av ed with wor ds N umataka did n ot un der stan d. I t made n o dif f er en c e; wor ds had n o mean in g f or N umataka an ymor e. He had f or saken his on l y son . A n d n ow, the c r uel est of f ates had r eun ited them.
