Dan Brown

Digital Fortress
Dan Brown
Digital Fortress
For my parents my mentors and
heroes
A debt of gratitude: to my editors at
St. Martins Press, Thomas
Dunne and the exeptiona!!y ta!ented
Me!issa "aobs. To my agents in
#e$ %or&, 'eorge (ieser, )!ga
(ieser, and "a&e *!$e!!. To a!! those
$ho
read and ontributed to the
manusript a!ong the $ay. And
espeia!!y to
my $ife, +!ythe, for her enthusiasm
and patiene.
A!so a ,uiet than& you to the t$o
fae!ess ex-#SA ryptographers
$ho made in.a!uab!e ontributions
.ia anonymous remai!ers. (ithout
them this boo& $ou!d not ha.e been
$ritten.
Prologue
P!a/a de *spa0a
Se.i!!e, Spain
11:22 A.M.
It is said that in death, all things
become clear; Ensei Tankado now
knew it was true. As he
clutched his chest and fell to the
ground in pain, he realized the horror
of his mistake.
People appeared, hovering over him,
tring to help. !ut Tankado did not
want help"it was too
late for that.
Trembling, he raised his left hand and
held his fingers outward. 3oo& at my
hand4 The faces
around him stared, but he could tell
the did not understand.
#n his finger was an engraved golden
ring. $or an instant, the markings
glimmered in the
Andalusian sun. Ensei Tankado knew
it was the last light he would ever see.
Chapter 1
The were in the smok mountains at
their favorite bed%and%breakfast.
&avid was smiling
down at her. '(hat do ou sa,
gorgeous) *arr me)+
,ooking up from their canop bed,
she knew he was the one. $orever. As
she stared into his
deep%green ees, somewhere in the
distance a deafening bell began to
ring. It was pulling him awa.
-he reached for him, but her arms
clutched empt air.
It was the sound of the phone that
full awoke -usan $letcher from her
dream. -he gasped, sat
up in bed, and fumbled for the
receiver. '.ello)+
'-usan, it/s &avid. &id I wake ou)+
-he smiled, rolling over in bed. 'I was
0ust dreaming of ou. 1ome over and
pla.+
.e laughed. 'It/s still dark out.+
'*mm.+ -he moaned sensuousl.
'Then definite!y come over and pla.
(e can sleep in
before we head north.+
&avid let out a frustrated sigh. 'That/s
wh I/m calling. It/s about our trip.
I/ve got to
postpone.+
-usan was suddenl wide awake.
'(hat2+
'I/m sorr. I/ve got to leave town. I/ll
be back b tomorrow. (e can head
up first thing in the
morning. (e/ll still have two das.+
'!ut I made reservations,+ -usan said,
hurt. 'I got our old room at -tone
*anor.+
'I know, but"+
'Tonight was supposed to be speia!
"to celebrate si3 months. 4ou do
remember we/re
engaged, don/t ou)+
'-usan.+ .e sighed. 'I reall can/t go
into it now, the/ve got a car waiting.
I/ll call ou from
the plane and e3plain everthing.+
5P!ane67 she repeated. '(hat/s
going on) (h would the
universit5)+
'It/s not the universit. I/ll phone and
e3plain later. I/ve reall got to go;
the/re calling for
me. I/ll be in touch. I promise.+
'&avid2+ she cried. '(hat/s"+
!ut it was too late. &avid had hung
up.
-usan $letcher la awake for hours
waiting for him to call back. The
phone never rang.
* * *
,ater that afternoon -usan sat
de0ected in the tub. -he submerged
herself in the soap water
and tried to forget -tone *anor and
the -mok *ountains. (here ou!d
he be6 she wondered. (hy
hasnt he a!!ed6
6raduall the water around her went
from hot to lukewarm and finall to
cold. -he was about
to get out when her cordless phone
buzzed to life. -usan bolted upright,
sloshing water on the floor
as she grappled for the receiver she/d
left on the sink.
'&avid)+
'It/s -trathmore,+ the voice replied.
-usan slumped. '#h.+ -he was unable
to hide her disappointment. '6ood
afternoon,
1ommander.+
'.oping for a ounger man)+ The
voice chuckled.
'7o, sir,+ -usan said, embarrassed.
'It/s not how it"+
'-ure it is.+ .e laughed. '&avid
!ecker/s a good man. &on/t ever lose
him.+
'Thank ou, sir.+
The commander/s voice turned
suddenl stern. '-usan, I/m calling
because I need ou in
here. Pronto.+
-he tried to focus. 'It/s -aturda, sir.
(e don/t usuall"+
'I know,+ he said calml. 'It/s an
emergenc.+
-usan sat up. *mergeny6 -he had
never heard the word cross
1ommander -trathmore/s lips.
An emergeny6 8n 9rypto6 -he
couldn/t imagine. '4%es, sir.+ -he
paused. 'I/ll be there as soon as
I can.+
'*ake it sooner.+ -trathmore hung
up.
* * *
-usan $letcher stood wrapped in a
towel and dripped on the neatl
folded clothes she/d set
out the night before"hiking shorts, a
sweater for the cool mountain
evenings, and the new lingerie
she/d bought for the nights.
&epressed, she went to her closet for
a clean blouse and skirt. An
emergeny6 8n 9rypto6
As she went downstairs, -usan
wondered how the da could get
much worse.
-he was about to find out.
Chapter 2
Thirt thousand feet above a dead%
calm ocean, &avid !ecker stared
miserabl from the
,ear0et 89/s small, oval window. .e/d
been told the phone on board was out
of order, and he/d
never had a chance to call -usan.
'(hat am I doing here)+ he grumbled
to himself. !ut the answer was
simple"there were men
to whom ou 0ust didn/t sa no.
'*r. !ecker,+ the loudspeaker
crackled. '(e/ll be arriving in half an
hour.+
!ecker nodded gloomil to the
invisible voice. (onderfu!. .e pulled
the shade and tried to
sleep. !ut he could onl think of her.
Chapter 3
-usan/s :olvo sedan rolled to a stop
in the shadow of the ten%foot%high,
barbed 1clone
fence. A oung guard placed his hand
on the roof.
'I&, please.+
-usan obliged and settled in for the
usual half%minute wait. The officer
ran her card through a
computerized scanner. $inall he
looked up. 'Thank ou, *s.
$letcher.+ .e gave an imperceptible
sign, and the gate swung open.
.alf a mile ahead -usan repeated the
entire procedure at an e;uall
imposing electrified
fence. 9ome on, guys 8.e on!y
been through here a mi!!ion times.
As she approached the final
checkpoint, a stock sentr with two
attack dogs and a machine
gun glanced down at her license plate
and waved her through. -he followed
1anine <oad for
another =>9 ards and pulled into
Emploee ,ot 1. :nbe!ie.ab!e, she
thought. T$enty-six thousand
emp!oyees and a t$e!.e-bi!!ion-do!!ar
budget; youd thin& they ou!d ma&e
it through the $ee&end
$ithout me. -usan gunned the car into
her reserved spot and killed the
engine.
After crossing the landscaped terrace
and entering the main building, she
cleared two more
internal checkpoints and finall
arrived at the windowless tunnel that
led to the new wing. A
voice%scan booth blocked her entr.
NATIONAL SC!"IT# A$NC#
%NSA&
C"#PTO FACILIT#
A!T'O"I(D P"SONNL
ONL#
The armed guard looked up.
'Afternoon, *s. $letcher.+
-usan smiled tiredl. '.i, ?ohn.+
'&idn/t e3pect ou toda.+
'4eah, me neither.+ -he leaned
toward the parabolic microphone.
'-usan $letcher,+ she
stated clearl. The computer instantl
confirmed the fre;uenc
concentrations in her voice, and the
gate clicked open. -he stepped
through.
* * *
The guard admired -usan as she
began her walk down the cement
causewa. .e noticed that
her strong hazel ees seemed distant
toda, but her cheeks had a flushed
freshness, and her
shoulder%length, auburn hair looked
newl blown dr. Trailing her was the
faint scent of ?ohnson/s
!ab Powder. .is ees fell the length
of her slender torso"to her white
blouse with the bra barel
visible beneath, to her knee%length
khaki skirt, and finall to her legs5
-usan $letcher/s legs.
.ard to imagine the support a @A9
IB, he mused to himself.
.e stared after her a long time.
$inall he shook his head as she
disappeared in the distance.
* * *
As -usan reached the end of the
tunnel, a circular, vaultlike door
blocked her wa. The
enormous letters readC crpto.
-ighing, she placed her hand inside
the recessed cipher bo3 and entered
her five%digit PI7.
-econds later the twelve%ton slab of
steel began to revolve. -he tried to
focus, but her thoughts
reeled back to him.
&avid !ecker. The onl man she/d
ever loved. The oungest full
professor at 6eorgetown
Dniversit and a brilliant foreign%
language specialist, he was practicall
a celebrit in the world of
academia. !orn with an eidetic
memor and a love of languages, he/d
mastered si3 Asian dialects
as well as -panish, $rench, and
Italian. .is universit lectures on
etmolog and linguistics were
standing%room onl, and he invariabl
staed late to answer a barrage of
;uestions. .e spoke with
authorit and enthusiasm, apparentl
oblivious to the adoring gazes of his
star%struck coeds.
!ecker was dark"a rugged, outhful
thirt%five with sharp green ees and a
wit to match. .is
strong 0aw and taut features reminded
-usan of carved marble. #ver si3 feet
tall, !ecker moved
across a s;uash court faster than an
of his colleagues could comprehend.
After soundl beating his
opponent, he would cool off b
dousing his head in a drinking
fountain and soaking his tuft of thick,
black hair. Then, still dripping, he/d
treat his opponent to a fruit shake and
a bagel.
As with all oung professors, &avid/s
universit salar was modest. $rom
time to time, when
he needed to renew his s;uash club
membership or restring his old
&unlop with gut, he earned e3tra
mone b doing translating work for
government agencies in and around
(ashington. It was on one
of those 0obs that he/d met -usan.
It was a crisp morning during fall
break when !ecker returned from a
morning 0og to his
three%room facult apartment to find
his answering machine blinking. .e
downed a ;uart of orange
0uice as he listened to the plaback.
The message was like man he
received"a government agenc
re;uesting his translating services for
a few hours later that morning. The
onl strange thing was
that !ecker had never heard of the
organization.
'The/re called the 7ational -ecurit
Agenc,+ !ecker said, calling a few
of his colleagues
for background.
The repl was alwas the same. '4ou
mean the 7ational -ecurit
9ouni!67
!ecker checked the message. '7o.
The said Ageny. The 7-A.+
'7ever heard of Eem.+
!ecker checked the 6A# &irector,
and it showed no listing either.
Puzzled, !ecker called
one of his old s;uash buddies, an e3%
political analst turned research clerk
at the ,ibrar of
1ongress. &avid was shocked b his
friend/s e3planation.
Apparentl, not onl did the 7-A
e3ist, but it was considered one of the
most influential
government organizations in the
world. It had been gathering global
electronic intelligence data and
protecting D.-. classified information
for over half a centur. #nl F percent
of Americans were
even aware it e3isted.
'7-A,+ his budd 0oked, 'stands for
E7o -uch Agenc./ '
(ith a mi3ture of apprehension and
curiosit, !ecker accepted the
msterious agenc/s offer.
.e drove the thirt%seven miles to
their eight%si3%acre head;uarters
hidden discreetl in the
wooded hills of $ort *eade,
*arland. After passing through
endless securit checks and being
issued a si3%hour, holographic guest
pass, he was escorted to a plush
research facilit where he was
told he would spend the afternoon
providing 'blind support+ to the
1rptograph &ivision"an elite
group of mathematical brainiacs
known as the code%breakers.
$or the first hour, the crptographers
seemed unaware !ecker was even
there. The hovered
around an enormous table and spoke a
language !ecker had never heard.
The spoke of stream
ciphers, self%decimated generators,
knapsack variants, zero knowledge
protocols, unicit points.
!ecker observed, lost. The scrawled
smbols on graph paper, pored over
computer printouts, and
continuousl referred to the 0umble of
te3t on the overhead pro0ector.
?.d0aF0G.&hmadoHertwt0lwI0g0F=J
>0halsfn.Ghhhfaf#hhdfgafHf0FAwe
ohiKFL>9sKd0fd=hH..rt$.,fJKF9F
K>0sp0f=09JK9Ih0KJhfi9J9ewrt9F
0o0rJL>h9ro;I0t9euLt;ef;eHHou0w
9JD49I.9KFL0tpwfia0er9K;uL0rKgu
iv0PMduwLhK>peJrtugv0wFpLeHikkc
mffuerhfgv9;FKLik0rmgIunhvsKoer
irkH9K>8Au9poikI#0pKfJA89;wer;i
Eventuall one of them e3plained
what !ecker had alread surmised.
The scrambled te3t was
a code"a 'cipher te3t+"groups of
numbers and letters representing
encrpted words. The
crptographers/ 0ob was to stud the
code and e3tract from it the original
message, or 'clearte3t.+
The 7-A had called !ecker because
the suspected the original message
was written in *andarin
1hinese; he was to translate the
smbols as the crptographers
decrpted them.
$or two hours, !ecker interpreted an
endless stream of *andarin smbols.
!ut each time he
gave them a translation, the
crptographers shook their heads in
despair. Apparentl the code was
not making sense. Eager to help,
!ecker pointed out that all the
characters the/d shown him had a
common trait"the were also part of
the Gan0i language. Instantl the
bustle in the room fell silent.
The man in charge, a lank chain%
smoker named *orante, turned to
!ecker in disbelief.
'4ou mean these smbols have
multiple meanings)+
!ecker nodded. .e e3plained that
Gan0i was a ?apanese writing sstem
based on modified
1hinese characters. .e/d been giving
*andarin translations because that/s
what the/d asked for.
'?esus 1hrist.+ *orante coughed.
',et/s tr the Gan0i.+
,ike magic, everthing fell into place.
The crptographers were dul
impressed, but nonetheless, the still
made !ecker work on the
characters out of se;uence. 'It/s for
our own safet,+ *orante said. 'This
wa, ou won/t know
what ou/re translating.+
!ecker laughed. Then he noticed
nobod else was laughing.
(hen the code finall broke, !ecker
had no idea what dark secrets he/d
helped reveal, but
one thing was for certain"the 7-A
took code%breaking seriousl; the
check in !ecker/s pocket was
more than an entire month/s
universit salar.
#n his wa back out through the
series of securit check points in the
main corridor, !ecker/s
e3it was blocked b a guard hanging
up a phone. '*r. !ecker, wait here,
please.+
'(hat/s the problem)+ !ecker had
not e3pected the meeting to take so
long, and he was
running late for his standing -aturda
afternoon s;uash match.
The guard shrugged. '.ead of 1rpto
wants a word. -he/s on her wa out
now.+
5She67 !ecker laughed. .e had et to
see a female inside the 7-A.
'Is that a problem for ou)+ a
woman/s voice asked from behind
him.
!ecker turned and immediatel felt
himself flush. .e eed the I& card on
the woman/s
blouse. The head of the 7-A/s
1rptograph &ivision was not onl a
woman, but an attractive
woman at that.
'7o,+ !ecker fumbled. 'I 0ust5+
'-usan $letcher.+ The woman smiled,
holding out her slender hand.
!ecker took it. '&avid !ecker.+
'1ongratulations, *r. !ecker. I hear
ou did a fine 0ob toda. *ight I chat
with ou about
it)+
!ecker hesitated. 'Actuall, I/m in a
bit of a rush at the moment.+ .e
hoped spurning the
world/s most powerful intelligence
agenc wasn/t a foolish act, but his
s;uash match started in
fort%five minutes, and he had a
reputation to upholdC &avid !ecker
was never late for s;uash5
class mabe, but ne.er s;uash.
'I/ll be brief.+ -usan $letcher smiled.
'<ight this wa, please.+
Ten minutes later, !ecker was in the
7-A/s commissar en0oing a
popover and cranberr
0uice with the 7-A/s lovel head
crptographer, -usan $letcher. It
;uickl became evident to &avid
that the thirt%eight%ear%old/s high%
ranking position at the 7-A was no
fluke"she was one of the
brightest women he had ever met. As
the discussed codes and code%
breaking, !ecker found
himself struggling to keep up"a new
and e3citing e3perience for him.
An hour later, after !ecker had
obviousl missed his s;uash match
and -usan had blatantl
ignored three pages on the intercom,
both of them had to laugh. There the
were, two highl
analtical minds, presumabl immune
to irrational infatuations"but
somehow, while the sat there
discussing linguistic morpholog and
pseudo"random number generators,
the felt like a couple of
teenagers"everthing was fireworks.
-usan never did get around to the real
reason she/d wanted to speak to
&avid !ecker"to offer
him a trial post in their Asiatic
1rptograph &ivision. It was clear
from the passion with which the
oung professor spoke about teaching
that he would never leave the
universit. -usan decided not
to ruin the mood b talking business.
-he felt like a schoolgirl all over
again; nothing was going to
spoil it. And nothing did.
* * *
Their courtship was slow and
romantic"stolen escapes whenever
their schedules permitted,
long walks through the 6eorgetown
campus, late%night cappuccinos at
*erlutti/s, occasional
lectures and concerts. -usan found
herself laughing more than she/d ever
thought possible. It
seemed there was nothing &avid
couldn/t twist into a 0oke. It was a
welcome release from the
intensit of her post at the 7-A.
#ne crisp, autumn afternoon the sat
in the bleachers watching 6eorgetown
soccer get
pummeled b <utgers.
'(hat sport did ou sa ou pla)+
-usan teased. 'Nucchini)+
!ecker groaned. 'It/s called s,uash .+
-he gave him a dumb look.
'It/s !i&e zucchini,+ he e3plained, 'but
the court/s smaller.+
-usan pushed him.
6eorgetown/s left wing sent a corner%
kick sailing out of bounds, and a boo
went up from the
crowd. The defensemen hurried back
downfield.
'.ow about ou)+ !ecker asked.
'Pla an sports)+
'I/m a black belt in -tairmaster.+
!ecker cringed. 'I prefer sports ou
can win.+
-usan smiled. '#verachiever, are
we)+
6eorgetown/s star defenseman
blocked a pass, and there was a
communal cheer in the stands.
-usan leaned over and whispered in
&avid/s ear. '&octor.+
.e turned and eed her, lost.
'&octor,+ she repeated. '-a the first
thing that comes to mind.+
!ecker looked doubtful. '(ord
associations)+
'-tandard 7-A procedure. I need to
know who I/m with.+ -he eed him
sternl. '&octor.+
!ecker shrugged. '-euss.+
-usan gave him a frown. '#ka, tr
this one5 Ekitchen./ '
.e didn/t hesitate. '!edroom.+
-usan arched her eebrows col.
'#ka, how about this5 Ecat./ '
'6ut,+ !ecker fired back.
'6ut)+
'4eah. 1atgut. -;uash rac;uet string
of champions.+
'That/s pleasant.+ -he groaned.
'4our diagnosis)+ !ecker in;uired.
-usan thought a minute. '4ou/re a
childish, se3uall frustrated s;uash
fiend.+
!ecker shrugged. '-ounds about
right.+
* * *
It went on like that for weeks. #ver
dessert at all%night diners !ecker
would ask endless
;uestions.
(here had she learned mathematics)
.ow did she end up at the 7-A)
.ow did she get so captivating)
-usan blushed and admitted she/d
been a late bloomer. ,ank and
awkward with braces
through her late teens, -usan said her
Aunt 1lara had once told her 6od/s
apolog for -usan/s
plainness was to give her brains. A
premature apolog, !ecker thought.
-usan e3plained that her interest in
crptograph had started in 0unior
high school. The
president of the computer club, a
towering eighth grader named $rank
6utmann, tped her a love
poem and encrpted it with a number%
substitution scheme. -usan begged to
know what it said.
$rank flirtatiousl refused. -usan took
the code home and staed up all night
with a flashlight under
her covers until she figured out the
secret"ever number represented a
letter. -he carefull
deciphered the code and watched in
wonder as the seemingl random
digits turned magicall into
beautiful poetr. In that instant, she
knew she/d fallen in love"codes and
crptograph would
become her life.
Almost twent ears later, after
getting her master/s in mathematics
from ?ohns .opkins and
studing number theor on a full
scholarship from *IT, she submitted
her doctoral thesis,
9ryptographi Methods, Protoo!s,
and A!gorithms for Manua!
App!iations. Apparentl her
professor was not the onl one who
read it; shortl afterward, -usan
received a phone call and a
plane ticket from the 7-A.
Everone in crptograph knew about
the 7-A; it was home to the best
crptographic minds
on the planet. Each spring, as the
private%sector firms descended on the
brightest new minds in the
workforce and offered obscene
salaries and stock options, the 7-A
watched carefull, selected their
targets, and then simpl stepped in
and doubled the best standing offer.
(hat the 7-A wanted, the
7-A bought. Trembling with
anticipation, -usan flew to
(ashington/s &ulles International
Airport
where she was met b an 7-A driver,
who whisked her off to $ort *eade.
There were fort%one others who had
received the same phone call that
ear. At twent%eight,
-usan was the oungest. -he was also
the onl female. The visit turned out
to be more of a public
relations bonanza and a barrage of
intelligence testing than an
informational session. In the week
that followed, -usan and si3 others
where invited back. Although
hesitant, -usan returned. The
group was immediatel separated.
The underwent individual polgraph
tests, background
searches, handwriting analses, and
endless hours of interviews, including
taped in;uiries into their
se3ual orientations and practices.
(hen the interviewer asked -usan if
she/d ever engaged in se3
with animals, she almost walked out,
but somehow the mster carried her
through"the prospect of
working on the cutting edge of code
theor, entering 'The Puzzle Palace,+
and becoming a member
of the most secretive club in the
world"the 7ational -ecurit Agenc.
!ecker sat riveted b her stories.
'The actuall asked ou if ou/d had
se3 with animals)+
-usan shrugged. 'Part of the routine
background check.+
'(ell5+ !ecker fought off a grin.
'(hat did ou sa)+
-he kicked him under the table. 'I
told them no2+ Then she added, 'And
until last night, it
was true.+
* * *
In -usan/s ees, &avid was as close to
perfect as she could imagine. .e onl
had one
unfortunate ;ualit; ever time the
went out, he insisted on picking up
the check. -usan hated
seeing him la down a full da/s
salar on dinner for two, but !ecker
was immovable. -usan
learned not to protest, but it still
bothered her. 8 ma&e more money
than 8 &no$ $hat to do $ith, she
thought. 8 shou!d be paying.
7onetheless, -usan decided that aside
from &avid/s outdated sense of
chivalr, he was ideal.
.e was compassionate, smart, funn,
and best of all, he had a sincere
interest in her work. (hether
it was during trips to the -mithsonian,
bike rides, or burning spaghetti in
-usan/s kitchen, &avid
was perpetuall curious. -usan
answered what ;uestions she could
and gave &avid the general,
unclassified overview of the 7ational
-ecurit Agenc. (hat &avid heard
enthralled him.
$ounded b President Truman at
@=C9@ a.m. on 7ovember L, @K>=, the
7-A had been the
most clandestine intelligence agenc
in the world for almost fift ears.
The 7-A/s seven%page
inception doctrine laid out a ver
concise agendaC to protect D.-.
government communications and
to intercept the communications of
foreign powers.
The roof of the 7-A/s main
operations building was littered with
over five hundred antennas,
including two large radomes that
looked like enormous golf balls. The
building itself was
mammoth"over two million s;uare
feet, twice the size of 1IA
head;uarters. Inside were eight
million feet of telephone wire and
eight thousand s;uare feet of
permanentl sealed windows.
-usan told &avid about 1#*I7T, the
agenc/s global reconnaissance
division"a
mind%boggling collection of listening
posts, satellites, spies, and wiretaps
around the globe.
Thousands of communi;uOs and
conversations were intercepted ever
da, and the were all sent to
the 7-A/s analsts for decrption.
The $!I, 1IA, and D.-. foreign
polic advisors all depended on
the 7-A/s intelligence to make their
decisions.
!ecker was mesmerized. 'And code%
breaking) (here do you fit in)+
-usan e3plained how the intercepted
transmissions often originated from
dangerous
governments, hostile factions, and
terrorist groups, man of whom were
inside D.-. borders. Their
communications were usuall
encoded for secrec in case the
ended up in the wrong hands"which,
thanks to 1#*I7T, the usuall did.
-usan told &avid her 0ob was to stud
the codes, break them
b hand, and furnish the 7-A with
the deciphered messages. This was
not entirel true.
-usan felt a pang of guilt over ling to
her new love, but she had no choice.
A few ears ago it
would have been accurate, but things
had changed at the 7-A. The whole
world of crptograph
had changed. -usan/s new duties were
classified, even to man in the highest
echelons of power.
'1odes,+ !ecker said, fascinated.
'.ow do ou know where to start) I
mean5 how do ou
break them)+
-usan smiled. '4ou of all people
should know. It/s like studing a
foreign language. At first
the te3t looks like gibberish, but as
ou learn the rules defining its
structure, ou can start to e3tract
meaning.+
!ecker nodded, impressed. .e wanted
to know more.
(ith *erlutti/s napkins and concert
programs as her chalkboard, -usan set
out to give her
charming new pedagogue a mini
course in crptograph. -he began
with ?ulius 1aesar/s 'perfect
s;uare+ cipher bo3.
1aesar, she e3plained, was the first
code%writer in histor. (hen his foot%
messengers started
getting ambushed and his secret
communi;uOs stolen, he devised a
rudimentar wa to encrpt this
directives. .e rearranged the te3t of
his messages such that the
correspondence looked senseless. #f
course, it was not. Each message
alwas had a letter%count that was a
perfect s;uare"si3teen,
twent%five, one hundred"depending
on how much 1aesar needed to sa.
.e secretl informed his
officers that when a random message
arrived, the should transcribe the te3t
into a s;uare grid. If
the did, and read top%to%bottom, a
secret message would magicall
appear.
#ver time 1aesar/s concept of
rearranging te3t was adopted b
others and modified to
become more difficult to break. The
pinnacle of non computer%based
encrption came during (orld
(ar II. The 7azis built a baffling
encrption machine named Enigma.
The device resembled an
old%fashioned tpewriter with brass
interlocking rotors that revolved in
intricate was and shuffled
clearte3t into confounding arras of
seemingl senseless character
groupings. #nl b having
another Enigma machine, calibrated
the e3act same wa, could the
recipient break the code.
!ecker listened, spellbound. The
teacher had become the student.
#ne night, at a universit
performance of The #utra&er,
-usan gave &avid his first basic
code to break. .e sat through the
entire intermission, pen in hand,
puzzling over the eleven%letter
messageC
., $GN1 :& ,&-
$inall, 0ust as the lights dimmed for
the second half, he got it. To encode,
-usan had simpl
replaced each letter of her message
with the letter preceding it in the
alphabet. To decrpt the code,
all !ecker had to do was shift each
letter one space forward in the
alphabet"+A+ became '!,+ '!+
became '1,+ and so on. .e ;uickl
shifted the remaining letters. .e never
imagined four little
sllables could make him so happC
I* 6,A& (E *ET
.e ;uickl scrawled his response and
handed it to herC
,& -77
-usan read it and beamed.
!ecker had to laugh; he was thirt%
five ears%old, and his heart was
doing back flips. .e/d
never been so attracted to a woman in
his life. .er delicate European
features and soft brown ees
reminded him of an ad for EstOe
,auder. If -usan/s bod had been
lank and awkward as a
teenager, it sure wasn/t now.
-omewhere along the wa, she had
developed a willow grace"
slender and tall with full, firm breasts
and a perfectl flat abdomen. &avid
often 0oked that she was
the first swimsuit model he/d ever
met with a doctorate in applied
mathematics and number theor.
As the months passed, the both
started to suspect the/d found
something that could last a lifetime.
The/d been together almost two
ears when, out of the blue, &avid
proposed to her. It was
on a weekend trip to the -mok
*ountains. The were ling on a big
canop bed at -tone *anor.
.e had no ring"he 0ust blurted it out.
That/s what she loved about him"he
was so spontaneous. -he
kissed him long and hard. .e took her
in his arms and slipped off her
nightgown.
'I/ll take that as a es,+ he said, and
the made love all night b the
warmth of the fire.
That magical evening had been si3
months ago"before &avid/s
une3pected promotion to
chairman of the *odern ,anguage
&epartment. Their relationship had
been in a downhill slide ever
since.
Chapter )
The crpto door beeped once, waking
-usan from her depressing reverie.
The door had
rotated past its full open position and
would be closed again in five seconds,
having made a
complete F89%degree rotation. -usan
gathered her thoughts and stepped
through the opening. A
computer made note of her entr.
Although she had practicall lived in
1rpto since its completion three
ears ago, the sight of
it still amazed her. The main room
was an enormous circular chamber
that rose five stories. Its
transparent, domed ceiling towered
@=9 feet at its central peak. The
Ple3iglas cupola was embedded
with a polcarbonate mesh"a
protective web capable of
withstanding a two%megaton blast.
The
screen filtered the sunlight into
delicate lacework across the walls.
Tin particles of dust drifted
upward in wide unsuspecting spirals"
captives of the dome/s powerful
deionizing sstem.
The room/s sloping sides arched
broadl at the top and then became
almost vertical as the
approached ee level. Then the
became subtl translucent and
graduated to an opa;ue black as
the reached the floor"a shimmering
e3panse of polished black tile that
shone with an eerie luster,
giving one the unsettling sensation
that the floor was transparent. !lack
ice.
Pushing through the center of the
floor like the tip of a colossal torpedo
was the machine for
which the dome had been built. Its
sleek black contour arched twent%
three feet in the air before
plunging back into the floor below.
1urved and smooth, it was as if an
enormous killer whale had
been frozen mid breach in a frigid sea.
This was T<A7-,T<, the single
most e3pensive piece of computing
e;uipment in the
world"a machine the 7-A swore did
not e3ist.
,ike an iceberg, the machine hid K9
percent of its mass and power deep
beneath the surface.
Its secret was locked in a ceramic silo
that went si3 stories straight down"a
rocketlike hull
surrounded b a winding maze of
catwalks, cables, and hissing e3haust
from the freon cooling
sstem. The power generators at the
bottom droned in a perpetual low%
fre;uenc hum that gave the
acoustics in 1rpto a dead, ghostlike
;ualit.
* * *
T<A7-,T<, like all great
technological advancements, had been
a child of necessit. &uring
the @KJ9s, the 7-A witnessed a
revolution in telecommunications that
would change the world of
intelligence reconnaissance forever"
public access to the Internet. *ore
specificall, the arrival of
E%mail.
1riminals, terrorists, and spies had
grown tired of having their phones
tapped and
immediatel embraced this new
means of global communication. E%
mail had the securit of
conventional mail and the speed of
the telephone. -ince the transfers
traveled through underground
fiber%optic lines and were never
transmitted into the airwaves, the
were entirel intercept%proof"at
least that was the perception.
In realit, intercepting E%mail as it
zipped across the Internet was child/s
pla for the 7-A/s
techno%gurus. The Internet was not
the new home computer revelation
that most believed. It had
been created b the &epartment of
&efense three decades earlier"an
enormous network of
computers designed to provide secure
government communication in the
event of nuclear war. The
ees and ears of the 7-A were old
Internet pros. People conducting
illegal business via E%mail
;uickl learned their secrets were not
as private as the/d thought. The $!I,
&EA, I<-, and other
D.-. law enforcement agencies"aided
b the 7-A/s staff of wil hackers"
en0oed a tidal wave of
arrests and convictions.
#f course, when the computer users
of the world found out the D.-.
government had open
access to their E%mail
communications, a cr of outrage
went up. Even pen pals, using E%mail
for
nothing more than recreational
correspondence, found the lack of
privac unsettling. Across the
globe, entrepreneurial programmers
began working on a wa to keep E%
mail more secure. The
;uickl found one and public%ke
encrption was born.
Public%ke encrption was a concept
as simple as it was brilliant. It
consisted of eas%to%use,
home%computer software that
scrambled personal E%mail messages
in such a wa that the were
totall unreadable. A user could write
a letter and run it through the
encrption software, and the
te3t would come out the other side
looking like random nonsense"totall
illegible"a code. Anone
intercepting the transmission found
onl an unreadable garble on the
screen.
The onl wa to unscramble the
message was to enter the sender/s
'pass%ke+"a secret series
of characters that functioned much
like a PI7 number at an automatic
teller. The pass%kes were
generall ;uite long and comple3;
the carried all the information
necessar to instruct the
encrption algorithm e3actl what
mathematical operations to follow
tore%create the original
message.
A user could now send E%mail in
confidence. Even if the transmission
was intercepted, onl
those who were given the ke could
ever decipher it.
The 7-A felt the crunch immediatel.
The codes the were facing were no
longer simple
substitution ciphers crackable with
pencil and graph paper"the were
computer%generated hash
functions that emploed chaos theor
and multiple smbolic alphabets to
scramble messages into
seemingl hopeless randomness.
At first, the pass%kes being used
were short enough for the 7-A/s
computers to 'guess.+ If a
desired pass%ke had ten digits, a
computer was programmed to tr
ever possibilit between
9999999999 and KKKKKKKKKK. -ooner
or later the computer hit the correct
se;uence. This method
of trial%and%error guessing was known
as 'brute force attack.+ It was time%
consuming but
mathematicall guaranteed to work.
As the world got wise to the power of
brute%force code%breaking, the pass%
kes started getting
longer and longer. The computer time
needed to 'guess+ the correct ke
grew from weeks to
months and finall to ears.
! the @KK9s, pass%kes were over
fift characters long and emploed the
full =>8%character
A-1II alphabet of letters, numbers,
and smbols. The number of different
possibilities was in the
neighborhood of @9@=9"ten with @=9
zeros after it. 1orrectl guessing a
pass%ke was as
mathematicall unlikel as choosing
the correct grain of sand from a three%
mile beach. It was
estimated that a successful brute%force
attack on a standard si3t%four%bit ke
would take the 7-A/s
fastest computer"the top%secret
1raH?osephson II"over nineteen
ears to break. ! the time the
computer guessed the ke and broke
the code, the contents of the message
would be irrelevant.
1aught in a virtual intelligence
blackout, the 7-A passed a top%secret
directive that was
endorsed b the President of the
Dnited -tates. !uoed b federal
funds and a carte blanche to do
whatever was necessar to solve the
problem, the 7-A set out to build the
impossibleC the world/s
first universal code%breaking machine.
&espite the opinion of man
engineers that the newl proposed
code%breaking computer was
impossible to build, the 7-A lived b
its mottoC Everthing is possible. The
impossible 0ust takes
longer.
$ive ears, half a million man%hours,
and M@.K billion later, the 7-A proved
it once again. The
last of the three million, stamp%size
processors was hand%soldered in
place, the final internal
programming was finished, and the
ceramic shell was welded shut.
T<A7-,T< had been born.
Although the secret internal workings
of T<A7-,T< were the product of
man minds and
were not full understood b an one
individual, its basic principle was
simpleC *an hands make
light work.
Its three million processors would all
work in parallel"counting upward at
blinding speed,
tring ever new permutation as the
went. The hope was that even codes
with unthinkabl colossal
pass%kes would not be safe from
T<A7-,T</s tenacit. This
multibillion%dollar masterpiece
would use the power of parallel
processing as well as some highl
classified advances in clear te3t
assessment to guess pass%kes and
break codes. It would derive its power
not onl from its
staggering number of processors but
also from new advances in ;uantum
computing"an emerging
technolog that allowed information
to be stored as ;uantum%mechanical
states rather than solel as
binar data.
The moment of truth came on a
bluster Thursda morning in
#ctober. The first live test.
&espite uncertaint about how fast the
machine would be, there was one
thing on which the
engineers agreed"if the processors all
functioned in parallel, T<A7-,T<
would be powerful. The
;uestion was ho$ powerful.
The answer came twelve minutes
later. There was a stunned silence
from the handful in
attendance when the printout sprang
to life and delivered the clearte3t"the
broken code.
T<A7-,T< had 0ust located a si3t%
four%character ke in a little over ten
minutes, almost a million
times faster than the two decades it
would have taken the 7-A/s second%
fastest computer.
,ed b the deput director of
operations, 1ommander Trevor ?.
-trathmore, the 7-A/s #ffice
of Production had triumphed.
T<A7-,T< was a success. In the
interest of keeping their success a
secret, 1ommander -trathmore
immediatel leaked information that
the pro0ect had been a
complete failure. All the activit in
the 1rpto wing was supposedl an
attempt to salvage their M=
billion fiasco. #nl the 7-A elite
knew the truth"T<A7-,T< was
cracking hundreds of codes
ever da.
(ith word on the street that
computer%encrpted codes were
entirel unbreakable"even b the
all%powerful 7-A"the secrets poured
in. &rug lords, terrorists, and
embezzlers alike"wear of
having their cellular phone
transmissions intercepted"were
turning to the e3citing new medium of
encrpted E%mail for instantaneous
global communications. 7ever again
would the have to face a
grand 0ur and hear their own voice
rolling off tape, proof of some long%
forgotten cellular phone
conversation plucked from the air b
an 7-A satellite.
Intelligence gathering had never been
easier. 1odes intercepted b the 7-A
entered
T<A7-,T< as totall illegible
ciphers and were spit out minutes
later as perfectl readable
clearte3t. 7o more secrets.
To make their charade of
incompetence complete, the 7-A
lobbied fiercel against all new
computer encrption software,
insisting it crippled them and made it
impossible for lawmakers to
catch and prosecute the criminals.
1ivil rights groups re0oiced, insisting
the 7-A shouldn/t be
reading their mail anwa. Encrption
software kept rolling off the presses.
The 7-A had lost the
battle"e3actl as it had planned. The
entire electronic global communit
had been fooled5 or so it
seemed.
Chapter *
'(here is everone)+ -usan
wondered as she crossed the deserted
1rpto floor. Some
emergeny.
Although most 7-A departments
were full staffed seven das a week,
1rpto was generall
;uiet on -aturdas. 1rptographic
mathematicians were b nature high%
strung workaholics, and
there e3isted an unwritten rule that
the take -aturdas off e3cept in
emergencies. 1ode%breakers
were too valuable a commodit at the
7-A to risk losing them to burnout.
As -usan traversed the floor,
T<A7-,T< loomed to her right. The
sound of the generators
eight stories below sounded oddl
ominous toda. -usan never liked
being in 1rpto during off
hours. It was like being trapped alone
in a cage with some grand, futuristic
beast. -he ;uickl made
her wa toward the commander/s
office.
-trathmore/s glass%walled
workstation, nicknamed 'the
fishbowl+ for its appearance when the
drapes were open, stood high atop a
set of catwalk stairs on the back wall
of 1rpto. As -usan
climbed the grated steps, she gazed
upward at -trathmore/s thick, oak
door. It bore the 7-A seal"a
bald eagle fiercel clutching an
ancient skeleton ke. !ehind that door
sat one of the greatest men
she/d ever met.
1ommander -trathmore, the fift%si3%
ear%old deput director of operations,
was like a father
to -usan. .e was the one who/d hired
her, and he was the one who/d made
the 7-A her home.
(hen -usan 0oined the 7-A over a
decade ago, -trathmore was heading
the 1rpto &evelopment
&ivision"a training ground for new
crptographers"new ma!e
crptographers. Although
-trathmore never tolerated the hazing
of anone, he was especiall
protective of his sole female
staff member. (hen accused of
favoritism, he simpl replied with the
truthC -usan $letcher was one
of the brightest oung recruits he/d
ever seen, and he had no intention of
losing her to se3ual
harassment. #ne of the
crptographers foolishl decided to
test -trathmore/s resolve.
#ne morning during her first ear,
-usan dropped b the new
crptographers/ lounge to get
some paperwork. As she left, she
noticed a picture of herself on the
bulletin board. -he almost
fainted in embarrassment. There she
was, reclining on a bed and wearing
onl panties.
As it turned out, one of the
crptographers had digitall scanned
a photo from a pornographic
magazine and edited -usan/s head
onto someone else/s bod. The effect
had been ;uite convincing.
Dnfortunatel for the crptographer
responsible, 1ommander -trathmore
did not find the
stunt even remotel amusing. Two
hours later, a landmark memo went
outC
E*P,#4EE 1A<, AD-TI7
TE<*I7ATE& $#<
I7APP<#P<IATE
1#7&D1T.
$rom that da on, nobod messed
with her; -usan $letcher was
1ommander -trathmore/s
golden girl.
!ut -trathmore/s oung
crptographers were not the onl ones
who learned to respect him;
earl in his career -trathmore made
his presence known to his superiors
b proposing a number of
unorthodo3 and highl successful
intelligence operations. As he moved
up the ranks, Trevor
-trathmore became known for his
cogent, reductive analses of highl
comple3 situations. .e
seemed to have an uncann abilit to
see past the moral perple3ities
surrounding the 7-A/s
difficult decisions and to act without
remorse in the interest of the common
good.
There was no doubt in anone/s mind
that -trathmore loved his countr. .e
was known to his
colleagues as a patriot and a
visionar5 a decent man in a world
of lies.
In the ears since -usan/s arrival at
the 7-A, -trathmore had skrocketed
from head of
1rpto &evelopment to second%in%
command of the entire 7-A. 7ow
onl one man outranked
1ommander -trathmore there"
&irector ,eland $ontaine, the
mthical overlord of the Puzzle
Palace"never seen, occasionall
heard, and eternall feared. .e and
-trathmore seldom saw ee to
ee, and when the met, it was like
the clash of the titans. $ontaine was a
giant among giants, but
-trathmore didn/t seem to care. .e
argued his ideas to the director with
all the restraint of an
impassioned bo3er. 7ot even the
President of the Dnited -tates dared
challenge $ontaine the wa
-trathmore did. #ne needed political
immunit to do that"or, in
-trathmore/s case, political
indifference.
* * *
-usan arrived at the top of the stairs.
!efore she could knock, -trathmore/s
electronic door
lock buzzed. The door swung open,
and the commander waved her in.
'Thanks for coming, -usan. I owe
ou one.+
'7ot at all.+ -he smiled as she sat
opposite his desk.
-trathmore was a rang, thick%fleshed
man whose muted features somehow
disguised his
hard%nosed efficienc and demand for
perfection. .is gra ees usuall
suggested a confidence and
discretion born from e3perience, but
toda the looked wild and unsettled.
'4ou look beat,+ -usan said.
'I/ve been better.+ -trathmore sighed.
8!! say, she thought.
-trathmore looked as bad as -usan
had ever seen him. .is thinning gra
hair was disheveled,
and even in the room/s crisp air%
conditioning, his forehead was beaded
with sweat. .e looked like
he/d slept in his suit. .e was sitting
behind a modern desk with two
recessed kepads and a
computer monitor at one end. It was
strewn with computer printouts and
looked like some sort of
alien cockpit propped there in the
center of his curtained chamber.
'Tough week)+ she in;uired.
-trathmore shrugged. 'The usual. The
E$$/s all over me about civilian
privac rights again.+
-usan chuckled. The E$$, or
Electronics $rontier $oundation, was
a worldwide coalition of
computer users who had founded a
powerful civil liberties coalition
aimed at supporting free speech
on%line and educating others to the
realities and dangers of living in an
electronic world. The were
constantl lobbing against what the
called 'the #rwellian eavesdropping
capabilities of
government agencies+"particularl
the 7-A. The E$$ was a perpetual
thorn in -trathmore/s side.
'-ounds like business as usual,+ she
said. '-o what/s this big emergenc
ou got me out of
the tub for)+
-trathmore sat a moment, absentl
fingering the computer trackball
embedded in his desktop.
After a long silence, he caught
-usan/s gaze and held it. '(hat/s the
longest ou/ve ever seen
T<A7-,T< take to break a code)+
The ;uestion caught -usan entirel
off guard. It seemed meaningless.
This is $hat he a!!ed
me in for6
'(ell5+ -he hesitated. '(e hit a
1#*I7T intercept a few months ago
that took about an
hour, but it had a ridiculousl long
ke"ten thousand bits or something
like that.+
-trathmore grunted. 'An hour, huh)
(hat about some of the boundar
probes we/ve run)+
-usan shrugged. '(ell, if ou include
diagnostics, it/s obviousl longer.+
'.ow muh longer)+
-usan couldn/t imagine what
-trathmore was getting at. '(ell, sir,
I tried an algorithm last
*arch with a segmented million%bit
ke. Illegal looping functions, cellular
automata, the works.
T<A7-,T< still broke it.+
'.ow long)+
'Three hours.+
-trathmore arched his eebrows.
'Three hours) That long)+
-usan frowned, mildl offended. .er
0ob for the last three ears had been to
fine%tune the
most secret computer in the world;
most of the programming that made
T<A7-,T< so fast was
hers. A million%bit ke was hardl a
realistic scenario.
'#ka,+ -trathmore said. '-o even in
e3treme conditions, the longest a code
has ever
survived inside T<A7-,T< is about
three hours)+
-usan nodded. '4eah. *ore or less.+
-trathmore paused as if afraid to sa
something he might regret. $inall he
looked up.
'T<A7-,T</s hit something5+ .e
stopped.
-usan waited. '*ore than three
hours)+
-trathmore nodded.
-he looked unconcerned. 'A new
diagnostic) -omething from the -s%
-ec &epartment)+
-trathmore shook his head. 'It/s an
outside file.+
-usan waited for the punch line, but it
never came. 'An outside file) 4ou/re
0oking, right)+
'I wish. I ;ueued it last night around
eleven thirt. It hasn/t broken et.+
-usan/s 0aw dropped. -he looked at
her watch and then back at
-trathmore. 'It/s sti!! going)
#ver fifteen hours)+
-trathmore leaned forward and
rotated his monitor toward -usan. The
screen was black
e3cept for a small, ellow te3t bo3
blinking in the middle.
TI*E E,AP-E&C @>C9KCFF
A(AITI76 GE4C PPPPPPPP
-usan stared in amazement. It
appeared T<A7-,T< had been
working on one code for over
fifteen hours. -he knew the
computer/s processors auditioned
thirt million kes per second"one
hundred billion per hour. If
T<A7-,T< was still counting, that
meant the ke had to be enormous"
over ten billion digits long. It was
absolute insanit.
'It/s impossible2+ she declared. '.ave
ou checked for error flags) *abe
T<A7-,T< hit a
glitch and"+
'The run/s clean.+
'!ut the pass%ke must be huge2+
-trathmore shook his head. '-tandard
commercial algorithm. I/m guessing a
si3t%four%bit
ke.+
*stified, -usan looked out the
window at T<A7-,T< below. -he
knew from e3perience
that it could locate a si3t%four%bit ke
in under ten minutes. 'There/s got to
be some e3planation.+
-trathmore nodded. 'There is. 4ou/re
not going to like it.+
-usan looked uneas. 'Is
T<A7-,T< malfunctioning)+
'T<A7-,T</s fine.+
'.ave we got a virus)+
-trathmore shook his head. '7o virus.
?ust hear me out.+
-usan was flabbergasted.
T<A7-,T< had never hit a code it
couldn/t break in under an hour.
Dsuall the clearte3t was delivered to
-trathmore/s printout module within
minutes. -he glanced at
the high%speed printer behind his
desk. It was empt.
'-usan,+ -trathmore said ;uietl.
'This is going to be hard to accept at
first, but 0ust listen a
minute.+ .e chewed his lip. 'This
code that T<A7-,T</s working on"
it/s uni;ue. It/s like nothing
we/ve ever seen before.+ -trathmore
paused, as if the words were hard for
him to sa. 'This code is
unbreakable.+
-usan stared at him and almost
laughed. :nbrea&ab!e6 (hat $as
T<AT supposed to mean6
There was no such thing as an
unbreakable code"some took longer
than others, but ever code was
breakable. It was mathematicall
guaranteed that sooner or later
T<A7-,T< would guess the right
ke. 'I beg our pardon)+
'The code/s unbreakable,+ he
repeated flatl.
:nbrea&ab!e6 -usan couldn/t believe
the word had been uttered b a man
with twent%seven
ears of code analsis e3perience.
'Dnbreakable, sir)+ she said uneasil.
'(hat about the !ergofsk
Principle)+
-usan had learned about the
!ergofsk Principle earl in her
career. It was a cornerstone of
brute%force technolog. It was also
-trathmore/s inspiration for building
T<A7-,T<. The principle
clearl stated that if a computer tried
enough kes, it was mathematicall
guaranteed to find the
right one. A code/s securit was not
that its pass%ke was unfindable but
rather that most people
didn/t have the time or e;uipment to
tr.
-trathmore shook his head. 'This
code/s different.+
'&ifferent)+ -usan eed him askance.
An unbreakable code is a
mathematical impossibilit2
.e knows that2
-trathmore ran a hand across his
sweat scalp. 'This code is the
product of a brand%new
encrption algorithm"one we/ve
never seen before.+
7ow -usan was even more doubtful.
Encrption algorithms were 0ust
mathematical formulas,
recipes for scrambling te3t into code.
*athematicians and programmers
created new algorithms
ever da. There were hundreds of
them on the market"P6P, &iffie%
.ellman, NIP, I&EA, El
6amal. T<A7-,T< broke all of their
codes ever da, no problem. To
T<A7-,T< all codes
looked identical, regardless of which
algorithm wrote them.
'I don/t understand,+ she argued.
'(e/re not talking about reverse%
engineering some comple3
function, we/re talking brute force.
P6P, ,ucifer, &-A"it doesn/t matter.
The algorithm generates a
ke it thinks is secure, and
T<A7-,T< keeps guessing until it
finds it.+
-trathmore/s repl had the controlled
patience of a good teacher. '4es,
-usan, T<A7-,T<
will a!$ays find the ke"even if it/s
huge.+ .e paused a long moment.
'Dnless5+
-usan wanted to speak, but it was
clear -trathmore was about to drop
his bomb. :n!ess $hat6
'Dnless the computer doesn/t know
when it/s broken the code.+
-usan almost fell out of her chair.
'(hat2+
'Dnless the computer guesses the
correct ke but 0ust keeps guessing
because it doesn/t
realize it found the right ke.+
-trathmore looked bleak. 'I think this
algorithm has got a rotating
clearte3t.+
-usan gaped.
The notion of a rotating clearte3t
function was first put forth in an
obscure, @KJA paper b a
.ungarian mathematician, ?osef
.arne. !ecause brute%force computers
broke codes b e3amining
clearte3t for identifiable word
patterns, .arne proposed an
encrption algorithm that, in addition
to
encrpting, shifted decrpted clearte3t
over a time variant. In theor, the
perpetual mutation would
ensure that the attacking computer
would never locate recognizable word
patterns and thus never
know when it had found the proper
ke. The concept was somewhat like
the idea of colonizing
*ars"fathomable on an intellectual
level, but, at present, well beond
human abilit.
'(here did ou get this thing)+ she
demanded.
The commander/s response was slow.
'A public sector programmer wrote
it.+
'(hat)+ -usan collapsed back in her
chair. '(e/ve got the best
programmers in the world
downstairs2 All of us working
together have never even come !ose
to writing a rotating clearte3t
function. Are ou tring to tell me
some punk with a P1 figured out how
to do it)+
-trathmore lowered his voice in an
apparent effort to calm her. 'I
wouldn/t call this gu a
punk.+
-usan wasn/t listening. -he was
convinced there had to be some other
e3planationC A glitch.
A virus. Anthing was more likel
than an unbreakable code.
-trathmore eed her sternl. '#ne of
the most brilliant crptographic minds
of all time wrote
this algorithm.+
-usan was more doubtful than ever;
the most brilliant crptographic minds
of all time were in
her department, and she certainl
would have heard about an algorithm
like this.
'(ho)+ she demanded.
'I/m sure ou can guess.+ -trathmore
said. '.e/s not too fond of the 7-A.+
'(ell, that narrows it down2+ she
snapped sarcasticall.
'.e worked on the T<A7-,T<
pro0ect. .e broke the rules. Almost
caused an intelligence
nightmare. I deported him.+
-usan/s face was blank onl an
instant before going white. '#h m
6od5+
-trathmore nodded. '.e/s been
bragging all ear about his work on a
brute%force"resistant
algorithm.+
'!%but5+ -usan stammered. 'I
thought he was bluffing. .e actuall
did it)+
'.e did. The ultimate unbreakable
code%writer.+
-usan was silent a long moment.
'!ut5 that means5+
-trathmore looked her dead in the
ee. '4es. Ensei Tankado 0ust made
T<A7-,T<
obsolete.+
Chapter +
Although Ensei Tankado was not
alive during the -econd (orld (ar,
he carefull studied
everthing about it"particularl about
its culminating event, the blast in
which @99,999 of his
countrmen where incinerated b an
atomic bomb.
.iroshima, JC@> a.m. August 8, @KL>"
a vile act of destruction. A senseless
displa of power
b a countr that had alread won the
war. Tankado had accepted all that.
!ut what he could never
accept was that the bomb had robbed
him of ever knowing his mother. -he
had died giving birth to
him"complications brought on b the
radiation poisoning she/d suffered so
man ears earlier.
In @KL>, before Ensei was born, his
mother, like man of her friends,
traveled to .iroshima to
volunteer in the burn centers. It was
there that she became one of the
hibakusha"the radiated people.
7ineteen ears later, at the age of
thirt%si3, as she la in the deliver
room bleeding internall, she
knew she was finall going to die.
(hat she did not know was that death
would spare her the final
horror"her onl child was to be born
deformed.
Ensei/s father never even saw his son.
!ewildered b the loss of his wife and
shamed b the
arrival of what the nurses told him
was an imperfect child who probabl
would not survive the
night, he disappeared from the
hospital and never came back. Ensei
Tankado was placed in a foster
home.
Ever night the oung Tankado stared
down at the twisted fingers holding
his daruma
wish%doll and swore he/d have
revenge"revenge against the countr
that had stolen his mother and
shamed his father into abandoning
him. (hat he didn/t know was that
destin was about to
intervene.
In $ebruar of Ensei/s twelfth ear, a
computer manufacturer in Toko
called his foster
famil and asked if their crippled
child might take part in a test group
for a new keboard the/d
developed for handicapped children.
.is famil agreed.
Although Ensei Tankado had never
seen a computer, it seemed he
instinctivel knew how to
use it. The computer opened worlds
he had never imagined possible.
!efore long it became his
entire life. As he got older, he gave
classes, earned mone, and eventuall
earned a scholarship to
&oshisha Dniversit. -oon Ensei
Tankado was known across Toko as
fugusha &isai "the crippled
genius.
Tankado eventuall read about Pearl
.arbor and ?apanese war crimes. .is
hatred of America
slowl faded. .e became a devout
!uddhist. .e forgot his childhood
vow of revenge; forgiveness
was the onl path to enlightenment.
! the time he was twent, Ensei
Tankado was somewhat of an
underground cult figure
among programmers. I!* offered
him a work visa and a post in Te3as.
Tankado 0umped at the
chance. Three ears later he had left
I!*, was living in 7ew 4ork, and
was writing software on his
own. .e rode the new wave of public%
ke encrption. .e wrote algorithms
and made a fortune.
,ike man of the top authors of
encrption algorithms, Tankado was
courted b the 7-A. The
iron was not lost on him"the
opportunit to work in the heart of the
government in a countr he
had once vowed to hate. .e decided
to go on the interview. (hatever
doubts he had disappeared
when he met 1ommander -trathmore.
The talked frankl about Tankado/s
background, the
potential hostilit he might feel
toward the D.-., his plans for the
future. Tankado took a polgraph
test and underwent five weeks of
rigorous pschological profiles. .e
passed them all. .is hatred
had been replaced b his devotion to
!uddha. $our months later Ensei
Tankado went to work in the
1rptograph &epartment of the
7ational -ecurit Agenc.
&espite his large salar, Tankado
went to work on an old *oped and
ate a bag lunch alone at
his desk instead of 0oining the rest of
the department for prime rib and
vichssoise in the
commissar. The other
crptographers revered him. .e was
brilliant"as creative a programmer as
an of them had ever seen. .e was
kind and honest, ;uiet, and of
impeccable ethics. *oral integrit
was of paramount importance to him.
It was for this reason that his
dismissal from the 7-A and
subse;uent deportation had been such
a shock.
* * *
Tankado, like the rest of the 1rpto
staff, had been working on the
T<A7-,T< pro0ect with
the understanding that if successful, it
would be used to decipher E%mail
onl in cases pre%approved
b the ?ustice &epartment. The
7-A/s use of T<A7-,T< was to be
regulated in much the same
wa the $!I needed a federal court
order to install a wiretap.
T<A7-,T< was to include
programming that called for
passwords held in escrow b the
$ederal <eserve and the ?ustice
&epartment in order to decipher a file.
This would prevent the 7-A from
listening indiscriminatel
to the personal communications of
law%abiding citizens around the globe.
.owever, when the time came to
enter that programming, the
T<A7-,T< staff was told
there had been a change of plans.
!ecause of the time pressures often
associated with the 7-A/s
anti%terrorist work, T<A7-,T< was
to be a free%standing decrption
device whose da%to%da
operation would be regulated solel
b the 7-A.
Ensei Tankado was outraged. This
meant the 7-A would, in effect, be
able to open
everone/s mail and reseal it without
their knowing. It was like having a
bug in ever phone in the
world. -trathmore attempted to make
Tankado see T<A7-,T< as a law%
enforcement device, but it
was no use; Tankado was adamant
that it constituted a gross violation of
human rights. .e ;uit on
the spot and within hours violated the
7-A/s code of secrec b tring to
contact the Electronic
$rontier $oundation. Tankado stood
poised to shock the world with his
stor of a secret machine
capable of e3posing computer users
around the world to unthinkable
government treacher. The
7-A had had no choice but to stop
him.
Tankado/s capture and deportation,
widel publicized among on%line
newsgroups, had been
an unfortunate public shaming.
Against -trathmore/s wishes, the
7-A damage%control specialists"
nervous that Tankado would tr to
convince people of T<A7-,T</s
e3istence"generated rumors
that destroed his credibilit. Ensei
Tankado was shunned b the global
computer communit"
nobod trusted a cripple accused of
sping, particularl when he was
tring to bu his freedom with
absurd allegations about a D.-. code%
breaking machine.
The oddest thing of all was that
Tankado seemed to understand; it was
all part of the
intelligence game. .e appeared to
harbor no anger, onl resolve. As
securit escorted him awa,
Tankado spoke his final words to
-trathmore with a chilling calm.
'(e all have a right to keep secrets,+
he/d said. '-omeda I/ll see to it we
can.+
Chapter ,
-usan/s mind was racing"*nsei
Tan&ado $rote a program that
reates unbrea&ab!e odes4
-he could barel grasp the thought.
'&igital $ortress,+ -trathmore said.
'That/s what he/s calling it. It/s the
ultimate
counterintelligence weapon. If this
program hits the market, ever third
grader with a modem will
be able to send codes the 7-A can/t
break. #ur intelligence will be shot.+
!ut -usan/s thoughts were far
removed from the political
implications of &igital $ortress. -he
was still struggling to comprehend its
e3istence. -he/d spent her life
breaking codes, firml dening
the e3istence of the ultimate code.
*.ery ode is brea&ab!e=the
+ergofs&y Prinip!e4 -he felt like
an atheist coming face to face with
6od.
'If this code gets out,+ she whispered,
'crptograph will become a dead
science.+
-trathmore nodded. 'That/s the least
of our problems.+
'1an we pa Tankado off) I know he
hates us, but can/t we offer him a few
million dollars)
1onvince him not to distribute)+
-trathmore laughed. 'A few million)
&o ou know what this thing is
worth) Ever
government in the world will bid top
dollar. 1an ou imagine telling the
President that we/re still
cable%snooping the Ira;is but we can/t
read the intercepts anmore) This
isn/t 0ust about the 7-A,
it/s about the entire intelligence
communit. This facilit provides
support for everone"the $!I,
1IA, &EA; the/d all be fling blind.
The drug cartels/ shipments would
become untraceable,
ma0or corporations could transfer
mone with no paper trail and leave
the I<- out in the cold,
terrorists could chat in total secrec"it
would be chaos.+
'The E$$ will have field da,+ -usan
said, pale.
'The E$$ doesn/t have the first clue
about what we do here,+ -trathmore
railed in disgust. 'If
the knew how man terrorist attacks
we/ve stopped because we can
decrpt codes, the/d change
their tune.+
-usan agreed, but she also knew the
realities; the E$$ would never know
how important
T<A7-,T< was. T<A7-,T< had
helped foil dozens of attacks, but the
information was highl
classified and would never be
released. The rationale behind the
secrec was simpleC The
government could not afford the mass
hsteria caused b revealing the truth;
no one knew how the
public would react to the news that
there had been two nuclear close calls
b fundamentalist groups
on D.-. soil in the last ear.
7uclear attack, however, was not the
onl threat. #nl last month
T<A7-,T< had thwarted
one of the most ingeniousl conceived
terrorist attacks the 7-A had ever
witnessed. An
anti%government organization had
devised a plan, code%named -herwood
$orest. It targeted the 7ew
4ork -tock E3change with the
intention of 'redistributing the
wealth.+ #ver the course of si3 das,
members of the group placed twent%
seven none3plosive flu3 pods in the
buildings surrounding the
E3change. These devices, when
detonated, create a powerful blast of
magnetism. The simultaneous
discharge of these carefull placed
pods would create a magnetic field so
powerful that all magnetic
media in the -tock E3change would
be erased"computer hard drives,
massive <#* storage banks,
tape backups, and even flopp disks.
All records of who owned what would
disintegrate
permanentl.
!ecause pinpoint timing was
necessar for simultaneous detonation
of the devices, the flu3
pods were interconnected over
Internet telephone lines. &uring the
two%da countdown, the pods/
internal clocks e3changed endless
streams of encrpted snchronization
data. The 7-A intercepted
the data%pulses as a network anomal
but ignored them as a seemingl
harmless e3change of
gibberish. !ut after T<A7-,T<
decrpted the data streams, analsts
immediatel recognized the
se;uence as a network%snchronized
countdown. The pods were located
and removed a full three
hours before the were scheduled to
go off.
-usan knew that without T<A7-,T<
the 7-A was helpless against
advanced electronic
terrorism. -he eed the <un%*onitor.
It still read over fifteen hours. Even if
Tankado/s file broke
right now, the 7-A was sunk. 1rpto
would be relegated to breaking less
than two codes a da.
Even at the present rate of @>9 a da,
there was still a backlog of files
awaiting decrption.
* * *
'Tankado called me last month,+
-trathmore said, interrupting -usan/s
thoughts.
-usan looked up. 'Tankado called
you67
.e nodded. 'To warn me.+
5(arn ou) .e hates ou.+
'.e called to tell me he was
perfecting an algorithm that wrote
unbreakable codes. I didn/t
believe him.+
'!ut wh would he tell ou about it)+
-usan demanded. '&id he want ou to
bu it)+
'7o. It was blackmail.+
Things suddenl began falling into
place for -usan. '#f course,+ she said,
amazed. '.e
wanted ou to clear his name.+
'7o,+ -trathmore frowned. 'Tankado
wanted T<A7-,T<.+
'T<A7-,T<)+
'4es. .e ordered me to go public and
tell the world we have T<A7-,T<.
.e said if we
admitted we can read public E%mail,
he would destro &igital $ortress.+
-usan looked doubtful.
-trathmore shrugged. 'Either wa,
it/s too late now. .e/s posted a
complimentar cop of
&igital $ortress at his Internet site.
Everone in the world can download
it.+
-usan went white. '.e $hat47
'It/s a publicit stunt. 7othing to
worr about. The cop he posted is
encrpted. People can
download it, but nobod can open it.
It/s ingenious, reall. The source code
for &igital $ortress has
been encrpted, locked shut.+
-usan looked amazed. '#f course2 -o
everbod can ha.e a cop, but
nobod can open it.+
'E3actl. Tankado/s dangling a
carrot.+
'.ave ou seen the algorithm)+
The commander looked puzzled. '7o,
I told ou it/s encrpted.+
-usan looked e;uall puzzled. '!ut
we/ve got T<A7-,T<; wh not 0ust
decrpt it)+ !ut
when -usan saw -trathmore/s face,
she realized the rules had changed.
'#h m 6od.+ -he gasped,
suddenl understanding. '&igital
$ortress is encrpted with itse!f67
-trathmore nodded. '!ingo.+
-usan was amazed. The formula for
&igital $ortress had been encrpted
using &igital
$ortress. Tankado had posted a
priceless mathematical recipe, but the
te3t of the recipe had been
scrambled. And it had used itse!f to do
the scrambling.
'It/s !iggleman/s -afe,+ -usan
stammered in awe.
-trathmore nodded. !iggleman/s -afe
was a hpothetical crptograph
scenario in which a
safe builder wrote blueprints for an
unbreakable safe. .e wanted to keep
the blueprints a secret, so
he built the safe and locked the
blueprints inside. Tankado had done
the same thing with &igital
$ortress. .e/d protected his blueprints
b encrpting them with the formula
outlined in his
blueprints.
'And the file in T<A7-,T<)+ -usan
asked.
'I downloaded it from Tankado/s
Internet site like everone else. The
7-A is now the proud
owner of the &igital $ortress
algorithm; we 0ust can/t open it.+
-usan marveled at Ensei Tankado/s
ingenuit. (ithout revealing his
algorithm, he had proven
to the 7-A that it was unbreakable.
-trathmore handed her a newspaper
clipping. It was a translated blurb
from the 7ikkei
-himbun, the ?apanese e;uivalent of
the (all -treet ?ournal, stating that
the ?apanese programmer
Ensei Tankado had completed a
mathematical formula he claimed
could write unbreakable codes.
The formula was called &igital
$ortress and was available for review
on the Internet. The
programmer would be auctioning it
off to the highest bidder. The column
went on to sa that
although there was enormous interest
in ?apan, the few D.-. software
companies who had heard
about &igital $ortress deemed the
claim preposterous, akin to turning
lead to gold. The formula,
the said, was a hoa3 and not to be
taken seriousl.
-usan looked up. 'An auction)+
-trathmore nodded. '<ight now ever
software compan in ?apan has
downloaded an
encrpted cop of &igital $ortress and
is tring to crack it open. Ever
second the can/t, the
bidding price climbs.+
'That/s absurd,+ -usan shot back.
'All the new encrpted files are
uncrackable unless ou
have T<A7-,T<. &igital $ortress
could be nothing more than a generic,
public%domain algorithm,
and none of these companies could
break it.+
'!ut it/s a brilliant marketing plo,+
-trathmore said. 'Think about it"all
brands of
bulletproof glass stop bullets, but if a
compan dares ou to put a bullet
through theirs, suddenl
everbod/s tring.+
'And the ?apanese actuall be!ie.e
&igital $ortress is different) !etter
than everthing else
on the market)+
'Tankado ma have been shunned,
but everbod knows he/s a genius.
.e/s practicall a cult
icon among hackers. If Tankado sas
the algorithm/s unbreakable, it/s
unbreakable.+
!ut the/re a!! unbreakable as far as
the public knows2+
'4es5+ -trathmore mused. '$or the
moment.+
'(hat/s that supposed to mean)+
-trathmore sighed. 'Twent ears ago
no one imagined we/d be breaking
twelve%bit stream
ciphers. !ut technolog progressed. It
alwas does. -oftware manufacturers
assume at some point
computers like T<A7-,T< will
e3ist. Technolog is progressing
e3ponentiall, and eventuall
current public%ke algorithms will
lose their securit. !etter algorithms
will be needed to sta ahead
of tomorrow/s computers.+
'And &igital $ortress is it)+
'E3actl. An algorithm that resists
brute force will never become
obsolete, no matter how
powerful code%breaking computers
get. It could become a world standard
overnight.+
-usan pulled in a long breath. '6od
help us,+ she whispered. '1an we
make a bid)+
-trathmore shook his head. 'Tankado
gave us our chance. .e made that
clear. It/s too risk
anwa; if we get caught, we/re
basicall admitting that we/re afraid
of his algorithm. (e/d be
making a public confession not onl
that we have T<A7-,T< but that
&igital $ortress is immune.+
'(hat/s the time frame)+
-trathmore frowned. 'Tankado
planned to announce the highest
bidder tomorrow at noon.+
-usan felt her stomach tighten. 'Then
what)+
'The arrangement was that he would
give the winner the pass%ke.+
'The pass%ke)+
'Part of the plo. Everbod/s
alread got the algorithm, so
Tankado/s auctioning off the
pass%ke that unlocks it.+
-usan groaned. '#f course.+ It was
perfect. 1lean and simple. Tankado
had encrpted &igital
$ortress, and he alone held the pass%
ke that unlocked it. -he found it hard
to fathom that
somewhere out there"probabl
scrawled on a piece of paper in
Tankado/s pocket"there was a
si3t%four%character pass%ke that
could end D.-. intelligence gathering
forever.
-usan suddenl felt ill as she
imagined the scenario. Tankado
would give his pass%ke to the
highest bidder, and that compan
would unlock the &igital $ortress file.
Then it probabl would
embed the algorithm in a tamper%
proof chip, and within five ears
ever computer would come
preloaded with a &igital $ortress chip.
7o commercial manufacturer had
ever dreamed of creating
an encrption chip because normal
encrption algorithms eventuall
become obsolete. !ut &igital
$ortress would never become
obsolete; with a rotating clearte3t
function, no brute%force attack
would ever find the right ke. A new
digital encrption standard. $rom now
until forever. Ever
code unbreakable. !ankers, brokers,
terrorists, spies. #ne world"one
algorithm.
Anarch.
'(hat are the options)+ -usan
probed. -he was well aware that
desperate times called for
desperate measures, even at the 7-A.
'(e can/t remove him, if that/s what
ou/re asking.+
It was e3actl what -usan was asking.
In her ears with the 7-A, -usan had
heard rumors of
its loose affiliations with the most
skilled assassins in the world"hired
hands brought in to do the
intelligence communit/s dirt work.
-trathmore shook his head.
'Tankado/s too smart to leave us an
option like that.+
-usan felt oddl relieved. '.e/s
protected)+
'7ot e3actl.+
'In hiding)+
-trathmore shrugged. 'Tankado left
?apan. .e planned to check his bids
b phone. !ut we
know where he is.+
'And ou don/t plan to make a
move)+
'7o. .e/s got insurance. Tankado
gave a cop of his pass%ke to an
anonmous third part5
in case anthing happened.+
)f ourse, -usan marveled. A
guardian ange!. 'And I suppose if
anthing happens to
Tankado, the mster man sells the
ke)+
'(orse. Anone hits Tankado, and
his partner publishes.+
-usan looked confused. '.is partner
pub!ishes the ke)+
-trathmore nodded. 'Posts it on the
Internet, puts it in newspapers, on
billboards. In effect, he
gi.es it awa.+
-usan/s ees widened. '$ree
downloads)+
'E3actl. Tankado figured if he was
dead, he wouldn/t need the mone"
wh not give the
world a little farewell gift)+
There was a long silence. -usan
breathed deepl as if to absorb the
terrifing truth. *nsei
Tan&ado has reated an unbrea&ab!e
a!gorithm. <es ho!ding us hostage.
-he suddenl stood. .er voice was
determined. '(e must contact
Tankado2 There must be a
wa to convince him not to release2
(e can offer him triple the highest
bid2 (e can clear his name2
Anthing2+
'Too late,+ -trathmore said. .e took a
deep breath. 'Ensei Tankado was
found dead this
morning in -eville, -pain.+
Chapter -
The twin%engine ,ear0et 89 touched
down on the scorching runwa.
#utside the window, the
barren landscape of -pain/s lower
e3tremadura blurred and then slowed
to a crawl.
'*r. !ecker)+ a voice crackled.
'(e/re here.+
!ecker stood and stretched. After
unlatching the overhead compartment,
he remembered he
had no luggage. There had been no
time to pack. It didn/t matter"he/d
been promised the trip would
be brief, in and out.
As the engines wound down, the
plane eased out of the sun and into a
deserted hangar
opposite the main terminal. A
moment later the pilot appeared and
popped the hatch. !ecker tossed
back the last of his cranberr 0uice,
put the glass on the wet bar, and
scooped up his suit coat.
The pilot pulled a thick manila
envelope from his flight suit. 'I was
instructed to give ou
this.+ .e handed it to !ecker. #n the
front, scrawled in blue pen, were the
wordsC
GEEP T.E 1.A76E.
!ecker thumbed through the thick
stack of reddish bills. '(hat the5)+
',ocal currenc,+ the pilot offered
flatl.
'I know what it is,+ !ecker
stammered. '!ut it/s5 it/s too much.
All I need is ta3i fare.+
!ecker did the conversion in his head.
'(hat/s in here is worth thousands of
dollars2+
'I have m orders, sir.+ The pilot
turned and hoisted himself back into
the cabin. The door
slid shut behind him.
!ecker stared up at the plane and then
down at the mone in his hand. After
standing a
moment in the empt hangar, he put
the envelope in his breast pocket,
shouldered his suit coat, and
headed out across the runwa. It was
a strange beginning. !ecker pushed it
from his mind. (ith a
little luck he/d be back in time to
salvage some of his -tone *anor trip
with -usan.
In and out, he told himself. In and out.
There was no wa he could have
known.
Chapter .
-stems securit technician Phil
1hartrukian had onl intended to be
inside 1rpto a minute"
0ust long enough to grab some
paperwork he/d forgotten the da
before. !ut it was not to be.
After making his wa across the
1rpto floor and stepping into the
-s%-ec lab, he
immediatel knew something was not
right. The computer terminal that
perpetuall monitored
T<A7-,T</s internal workings was
unmanned and the monitor was
switched off.
1hartrukian called out, '.ello)+
There was no repl. The lab was
spotless"as if no one had been there
for hours.
Although 1hartrukian was onl
twent%three and relativel new to the
-s%-ec s;uad, he/d
been trained well, and he knew the
drillC There was a!$ays a -s%-ec on
dut in 1rpto5
especiall on -aturdas when no
crptographers were around.
.e immediatel powered up the
monitor and turned to the dut board
on the wall. '(ho/s on
watch)+ he demanded aloud, scanning
the list of names. According to the
schedule, a oung rookie
named -eidenberg was supposed to
have started a double shift at midnight
the night before.
1hartrukian glanced around the empt
lab and frowned. '-o where the hell is
he)+
As he watched the monitor power up,
1hartrukian wondered if -trathmore
knew the -s%-ec
lab was unmanned. .e had noticed on
his wa in that the curtains of
-trathmore/s workstation were
closed, which meant the boss was in"
not at all uncommon for a -aturda;
-trathmore, despite
re;uesting his crptographers take
-aturdas off, seemed to work F8>
das a ear.
There was one thing 1hartrukian
knew for certain"if -trathmore found
out the -s%-ec lab
was unmanned, it would cost the
absent rookie his 0ob. 1hartrukian
eed the phone, wondering if he
should call the oung techie and bail
him out; there was an unspoken rule
among -s%-ec that the
would watch each other/s backs. In
1rpto, -s%-ecs were second%class
citizens, constantl at odds
with the lords of the manor. It was no
secret that the crptographers ruled
this multibillion%dollar
roost; -s%-ecs were tolerated onl
because the kept the tos running
smoothl.
1hartrukian made his decision. .e
grabbed the phone. !ut the receiver
never reached his ear.
.e stopped short, his ees transfi3ed
on the monitor now coming into focus
before him. As if in
slow motion, he set down the phone
and stared in open%mouthed wonder.
In eight months as a -s%-ec, Phil
1hartrukian had never seen
T<A7-,T</s <un%*onitor
post anthing other than a double zero
in the hours field. Toda was a first.
TI*E E,AP-E&C @>C@AC=@
'$ifteen hours and seventeen
minutes)+ he choked. 'Impossible2+
.e rebooted the screen, praing it
hadn/t refreshed properl. !ut when
the monitor came back
to life, it looked the same.
1hartrukian felt a chill. 1rpto/s -s%
-ecs had onl one responsibilitC
Geep T<A7-,T<
'clean+"virus free.
1hartrukian knew that a fifteen%hour
run could onl mean one thing"
infection. An impure file
had gotten inside T<A7-,T< and
was corrupting the programming.
Instantl his training kicked
in; it no longer mattered that the -s%
-ec lab had been unmanned or the
monitors switched off. .e
focused on the matter at hand"
T<A7-,T<. .e immediatel called
up a log of all the files that had
entered T<A7-,T< in the last fort%
eight hours. .e began scanning the
list.
&id an infected file get through) he
wondered. 1ould the securit filters
have missed
something)
As a precaution, ever file entering
T<A7-,T< had to pass through what
was known as
6auntlet"a series of powerful circuit%
level gatewas, packet filters, and
disinfectant programs that
scanned inbound files for computer
viruses and potentiall dangerous
subroutines. $iles containing
programming 'unknown+ to 6auntlet
were immediatel re0ected. The had
to be checked b hand.
#ccasionall 6auntlet re0ected
entirel harmless files on the basis
that the contained programming
the filters had never seen before. In
that case, the -s%-ecs did a
scrupulous manual inspection, and
onl then, on confirmation that the
file was clean, did the bpass
6auntlet/s filters and send the
file into T<A7-,T<.
1omputer viruses were as varied as
bacterial viruses. ,ike their
phsiological counterparts,
computer viruses had one goal"to
attach themselves to a host sstem
and replicate. In this case, the
host was T<A7-,T<.
1hartrukian was amazed the 7-A
hadn/t had problems with viruses
before. 6auntlet was a
potent sentr, but still, the 7-A was a
bottom feeder, sucking in massive
amounts of digital
information from sstems all over the
world. -nooping data was a lot like
having indiscriminate
se3"protection or no protection,
sooner or later ou caught something.
1hartrukian finished e3amining the
file list before him. .e was now more
puzzled than
before. Ever file checked out.
6auntlet had seen nothing out of the
ordinar, which meant the file
in T<A7-,T< was totall clean.
'-o what the hell/s taking so long)+
he demanded of the empt room.
1hartrukian felt himself
break a sweat. .e wondered if he
should go disturb -trathmore with the
news.
'A virus probe,+ 1hartrukian said
firml, tring to calm himself down.
'I should run a virus
probe.+
1hartrukian knew that a virus probe
would be the first thing -trathmore
would re;uest
anwa. 6lancing out at the deserted
1rpto floor, 1hartrukian made his
decision. .e loaded the
viral probe software and launched it.
The run would take about fifteen
minutes.
'1ome back clean,+ he whispered.
'-;ueak clean. Tell &add it/s
nothing.+
!ut 1hartrukian sensed it was not
'nothing.+ Instinct told him
something ver unusual was
going on inside the great decoding
beast.
Chapter 1/
'Ensei Tankado is dead)+ -usan felt a
wave of nausea. '4ou killed him) I
thought ou said"+
'(e didn/t touch him,+ -trathmore
assured her. '.e died of a heart
attack. 1#*I7T phoned
earl this morning. Their computer
flagged Tankado/s name in a -eville
police log through
Interpol.+
'.eart attack)+ -usan looked
doubtful. '.e was thirt ears old.+
'Thirt%two,+ -trathmore corrected.
'.e had a congenital heart defect.+
'I/d never heard that.+
'Turned up in his 7-A phsical. 7ot
something he bragged about.+
-usan was having trouble accepting
the serendipit of the timing. 'A
defective heart could kill
him"0ust like that)+ It seemed too
convenient.
-trathmore shrugged. '(eak heart5
combine it with the heat of -pain.
Throw in the stress of
blackmailing the 7-A5.+
-usan was silent a moment. Even
considering the conditions, she felt a
pang of loss at the
passing of such a brilliant fellow
crptographer. -trathmore/s gravell
voice interrupted her
thoughts.
'The onl silver lining on this whole
fiasco is that Tankado was traveling
alone. 1hances are
good his partner doesn/t know et
he/s dead. The -panish authorities
said the/d contain the
information for as long as possible.
(e onl got the call because
1#*I7T was on the ball.+
-trathmore eed -usan closel. 'I/ve
got to find the partner before he finds
out Tankado/s dead.
That/s wh I called ou in. I need
our help.+
-usan was confused. It seemed to her
that Ensei Tankado/s timel demise
had solved their
entire problem. '1ommander,+ she
argued, 'if the authorities are saing
he died of a heart attack,
we/re off the hook; his partner will
know the 7-A is not responsible.+
'7ot responsible)+ -trathmore/s ees
widened in disbelief. '-omebod
blackmails the 7-A
and turns up dead a few das later"
and we/re not responsib!e6 I/d bet big
mone Tankado/s
mster friend won/t see it that wa.
(hatever happened, we look guilt as
hell. It could easil
have been poison, a rigged autops,
an number of things.+ -trathmore
paused. '(hat was our
first reaction when I told ou Tankado
was dead)+
-he frowned. 'I thought the 7-A had
killed him.+
'E3actl. If the 7-A can put five
<holite satellites in geosnchronous
orbit over the
*ideast, I think it/s safe to assume we
have the resources to pa off a few
-panish policemen.+ The
commander had made his point.
-usan e3haled. *nsei Tan&ado is
dead. The #SA $i!! be b!amed. '1an
we find his partner in
time)+
'I think so. (e/ve got a good lead.
Tankado made numerous public
announcements that he
was working with a partner. I think he
hoped it would discourage software
firms from doing him
an harm or tring to steal his ke. .e
threatened that if there was an foul
pla, his partner would
publish the ke, and all firms would
suddenl find themselves in
competition with free software.+
'1lever.+ -usan nodded.
-trathmore went on. 'A few times, in
public, Tankado referred to his
partner b name. .e
called him 7orth &akota.+
'7orth &akota) #bviousl an alias of
some sort.+
'4es, but as a precaution I ran an
Internet in;uir using 7orth &akota
as a search string. I
didn/t think I/d find anthing, but I
turned up an E%mail account.+
-trathmore paused. '#f course I
assumed it wasn/t the 7orth &akota
we were looking for, but I searched
the account 0ust to be sure.
Imagine m shock when I found the
account was full of E%mail from Ensei
Tankado.+ -trathmore
raised his eebrows. 'And the
messages were full of references to
&igital $ortress and Tankado/s
plans to blackmail the 7-A.+
-usan gave -trathmore a skeptical
look. -he was amazed the commander
was letting himself
be plaed with so easil.
'1ommander,+ she argued, 'Tankado
knows full well the 7-A can snoop
E%mail from the Internet; he would
ne.er use E%mail to send secret
information. It/s a trap. Ensei
Tankado ga.e ou 7orth &akota. .e
&ne$ ou/d run a search. (hatever
information he/s sending,
he $anted ou to find"it/s a false
trail.+
'6ood instinct,+ -trathmore fired
back, 'e3cept for a couple of things. I
couldn/t find
anthing under 7orth &akota, so I
tweaked the search string. The
account I found was under a
variation"7&AG#TA.+
-usan shook her head. '<unning
permutations is standard procedure.
Tankado knew ou/d tr
variations until ou hit something.
7&AG#TA/s far too eas an
alteration.+
'Perhaps,+ -trathmore said, scribbling
words on apiece of paper and handing
it to -usan. '!ut
look at this.+
-usan read the paper. -he suddenl
understood the 1ommander/s
thinking. #n the paper was
7orth &akota/s E%mail address.
7&AG#TAQara.anon.org
It was the letters A<A in the address
that had caught -usan/s ee. A<A
stood for American
<emailers Anonmous, a well%known
anonmous server.
Anonmous servers were popular
among Internet users who wanted to
keep their identities
secret. $or a fee, these companies
protected an E%mailer/s privac b
acting as a middleman for
electronic mail. It was like having a
numbered post office bo3"a user
could send and receive mail
without ever revealing his true
address or name. The compan
received E%mail addressed to aliases
and then forwarded it to the client/s
real account. The remailing compan
was bound b contract
never to reveal the identit or location
of its real users.
'It/s not proof,+ -trathmore said. '!ut
it/s prett suspicious.+
-usan nodded, suddenl more
convinced. '-o ou/re saing
Tankado didn/t care if anbod
searched for 7orth &akota because
his identit and location are protected
b A<A.+
'E3actl.+
-usan schemed for a moment. 'A<A
services mainl D.-. accounts. 4ou
think 7orth &akota
might be over here somewhere)+
-trathmore shrugged. '1ould be.
(ith an American partner, Tankado
could keep the two
pass%kes separated geographicall.
*ight be a smart move.+
-usan considered it. -he doubted
Tankado would have shared his pass%
ke with anone
e3cept a ver close friend, and as she
recalled, Ensei Tankado didn/t have
man friends in the
-tates.
'7orth &akota,+ she mused, her
crptological mind mulling over the
possible meanings of the
alias. '(hat does his E%mail to
Tankado sound like)+
'7o idea. 1#*I7T onl caught
Tankado/s outbound. At this point all
we have on 7orth
&akota is an anonmous address.+
-usan thought a minute. 'An chance
it/s a deco)+
-trathmore raised an eebrow. '.ow
so)+
'Tankado could be sending bogus E%
mail to a dead account in hopes we/d
snoop it. (e/d
think he/s protected, and he/d never
have to risk sharing his pass%ke. .e
could be working alone.+
-trathmore chuckled, impressed.
'Trick idea, e3cept for one thing.
.e/s not using an of his
usual home or business Internet
accounts. .e/s been dropping b
&oshisha Dniversit and logging
on to their mainframe. Apparentl
he/s got an account there that he/s
managed to keep secret. It/s a
ver well%hidden account, and I found
it onl b chance.+ -trathmore
paused. '-o5 if Tankado
wanted us to snoop his mail, wh
would he use a secret account)+
-usan contemplated the ;uestion.
'*abe he used a secret account so
ou wouldn/t suspect a
plo) *abe Tankado hid the account
0ust deep enough that ou/d stumble
on to it and think ou
got luck. It gives his E%mail
credibilit.+
-trathmore chuckled. '4ou should
have been a field agent. The idea/s a
good one.
Dnfortunatel, ever letter Tankado
sends gets a response. Tankado
writes, his partner responds.+
-usan frowned. '$air enough. -o,
ou/re saing 7orth &akota/s for
real.+
'Afraid so. And we/ve got to find
him. And ,uiet!y. If he catches wind
that we/re onto him,
it/s all over.+
-usan now knew e3actl wh
-trathmore had called her in. ',et me
guess,+ she said. '4ou
want me to snoop A<A/s secure
database and find 7orth &akota/s real
identit)+
-trathmore gave her a tight smile.
'*s. $letcher, ou read m mind.+
(hen it came to discreet Internet
searches, -usan $letcher was the
woman for the 0ob. A ear
ago, a senior (hite .ouse official had
been receiving E%mail threats from
someone with an
anonmous E%mail address. The 7-A
had been asked to locate the
individual. Although the 7-A
had the clout to demand the remailing
compan reveal the user/s identit, it
opted for a more subtle
method"a 'tracer.+
-usan had created, in effect, a
directional beacon disguised as a
piece of E%mail. -he could
send it to the user/s phon address,
and the remailing compan,
performing the dut for which it
had been contracted, would forward it
to the user/s real address. #nce there,
the program would
record its Internet location and send
word back to the 7-A. Then the
program would disintegrate
without a trace. $rom that da on, as
far as the 7-A was concerned,
anonmous remailers were
nothing more than a minor
annoance.
'1an ou find him)+ -trathmore
asked.
'-ure. (h did ou wait so long to
call me)+
'Actuall+"he frowned"+I hadn/t
planned on calling ou at all. I didn/t
want anone else in
the loop. I tried to send a cop of our
tracer mself, but ou wrote the damn
thing in one of those
new hbrid languages; I couldn/t get
it to work. It kept returning
nonsensical data. I finall had to
bite the bullet and bring ou in.+
-usan chuckled. -trathmore was a
brilliant crptographic programmer,
but his repertoire was
limited primaril to algorithmic work;
the nuts and bolts of less loft
'secular+ programming often
escaped him. (hat was more, -usan
had written her tracer in a new,
crossbreed programming
language called ,I*!#; it was
understandable that -trathmore had
encountered problems. 'I/ll
take care of it.+ -he smiled, turning to
leave. 'I/ll be at m terminal.+
'An idea on a time frame)+
-usan paused. '(ell5 it depends on
how efficientl A<A forwards their
mail. If he/s here in
the -tates and uses something like
A#, or 1ompuserve, I/ll snoop his
credit card and get a billing
address within the hour. If he/s with a
universit or corporation, it/ll take a
little longer.+ -he smiled
uneasil. 'After that, the rest is up to
ou.+
-usan knew that 'the rest+ would be
an 7-A strike team, cutting power to
the gu/s house
and crashing through his windows
with stun guns. The team would
probabl think it was on a drug
bust. -trathmore would undoubtedl
stride through the rubble himself and
locate the
si3t%four%character pass%ke. Then
he would destro it. &igital $ortress
would languish forever on
the Internet, locked for all eternit.
'-end the tracer carefull,+
-trathmore urged. 'If 7orth &akota
sees we/re onto him, he/ll
panic, and I/ll never get a team there
before he disappears with the ke.+
'.it and run,+ she assured. 'The
moment this thing finds his account,
it/ll dissolve. .e/ll
never know we were there.+
The commander nodded tiredl.
'Thanks.+
-usan gave him a soft smile. -he was
alwas amazed how even in the face
of disaster
-trathmore could muster a ;uiet calm.
-he was convinced it was this abilit
that had defined his
career and lifted him to the upper
echelons of power.
As -usan headed for the door, she
took a long look down at
T<A7-,T<. The e3istence of an
unbreakable algorithm was a concept
she was still struggling to grasp. -he
praed the/d find 7orth
&akota in time.
'*ake it ;uick,+ -trathmore called,
'and ou/ll be in the -mok
*ountains b nightfall.+
-usan froze in her tracks. -he knew
she had never mentioned her trip to
-trathmore. -he
wheeled. 8s the #SA tapping my
phone6
-trathmore smiled guiltil. '&avid
told me about our trip this morning.
.e said ou/d be
prett ticked about postponing it.+
-usan was lost. '4ou talked to &avid
this morning67
'#f course.+ -trathmore seemed
puzzled b -usan/s reaction. 'I had to
brief him.+
'!rief him)+ she demanded. '$or
$hat67
'$or his trip. I sent &avid to -pain.+
Chapter 11
-pain. 8 sent Da.id to Spain. The
commander/s words stung.
'&avid/s in -pain)+ -usan was
incredulous. '4ou sent him to
-pain)+ .er tone turned angr.
5(hy67
-trathmore looked dumbfounded. .e
was apparentl not accustomed to
being elled at, even
b his head crptographer. .e gave
-usan a confused look. -he was
fle3ed like a mother tiger
defending her cub.
'-usan,+ he said. '4ou spoke to him,
didn/t ou) &avid did e3plain)+
-he was too shocked to speak. -pain)
That/s wh &avid postponed our
-tone *anor trip)
'I sent a car for him this morning. .e
said he was going to call ou before
he left. I/m sorr. I
thought"+
'(h would ou send &avid to
-pain)+
-trathmore paused and gave her an
obvious look. 'To get the other pass%
ke.+
'(hat other pass%ke)+
'Tankado/s cop.+
-usan was lost. '(hat are ou talking
about)+
-trathmore sighed. 'Tankado surel
would have had a cop of the pass%
ke on him when he
died. I sure as hell didn/t want it
floating around the -eville morgue.+
'-o ou sent &avid !ecker)+ -usan
was beond shock. 7othing was
making sense. '&avid
doesn/t even work for ou2+
-trathmore looked startled. 7o one
ever spoke to the deput director of
the 7-A that wa.
'-usan,+ he said, keeping his cool,
'that/s the point. I needed"+
The tiger lashed out. '4ou/ve got
twent thousand emploees at our
command2 (hat gives
ou the right to send m fiancO)+
'I needed a civilian courier, someone
totall removed from government. If I
went through
regular channels and someone caught
wind"+
'And &avid !ecker is the onl
civilian ou know)+
'7o2 &avid !ecker is not the onl
civilian I know2 !ut at si3 this
morning, things were
happening ;uickl2 &avid speaks the
language, he/s smart, I trust him, and
I thought I/d do him a
favor2+
'A favor)+ -usan sputtered. '-ending
him to -pain is a favor)+
'4es2 I/m paing him ten thousand
for one da/s work. .e/ll pick up
Tankado/s belongings,
and he/ll fl home. That/s a favor2+
-usan fell silent. -he understood. It
was all about mone.
.er thoughts wheeled back five
months to the night the president of
6eorgetown Dniversit
had offered &avid a promotion to the
language department chair. The
president had warned him that
his teaching hours would be cut back
and that there would be increased
paperwork, but there was
also a substantial raise in salar.
-usan had wanted to cr out Da.id,
dont do it4 %ou!! be
miserab!e. (e ha.e p!enty of money=
$ho ares $hih one of us earns it6
!ut it was not her place.
In the end, she stood b his decision
to accept. As the fell asleep that
night, -usan tried to be
happ for him, but something inside
kept telling her it would be a disaster.
-he/d been right"but
she/d never counted on being so right.
'4ou paid him ten thousand dollars)+
she demanded. 'That/s a dirt trick2+
-trathmore was fuming now. 'Trick)
It wasn/t an goddamn trick2 I didn/t
even tell him
about the mone. I asked him as a
personal favor. .e agreed to go.+
'#f course he agreed2 4ou/re m
boss2 4ou/re the deput director of
the 7-A2 .e couldn/t
sa no2+
'4ou/re right,+ -trathmore snapped.
'(hich is wh I called him. I didn/t
have the lu3ur of"
+
'&oes the director know ou sent a
civilian)+
'-usan,+ -trathmore said, his patience
obviousl wearing thin, 'the director
is not involved.
.e knows nothing about this.+
-usan stared at -trathmore in
disbelief. It was as if she no longer
knew the man she was
talking to. .e had sent her fiancO"a
teacher"on an 7-A mission and then
failed to notif the
director about the biggest crisis in the
histor of the organization.
',eland $ontaine hasnt been
notified)+
-trathmore had reached the end of his
rope. .e e3ploded. '-usan, now listen
here2 I called
ou in here because I need an all, not
an in;uir2 I/ve had one hell of
morning. I downloaded
Tankado/s file last night and sat here
b the output printer for hours praing
T<A7-,T< could
break it. At dawn I swallowed m
pride and dialed the director"and let
me tell ou, that was a
conversation I was rea!!y looking
forward to. 6ood morning, sir. I/m
sorr to wake ou. (h am I
calling) I 0ust found out T<A7-,T<
is obsolete. It/s because of an
algorithm m entire top%dollar
1rpto team couldn/t come close to
writing2+ -trathmore slammed his fist
on the desk.
-usan stood frozen. -he didn/t make a
sound. In ten ears, she had seen
-trathmore lose his
cool onl a handful of times, and
never once with her.
Ten seconds later neither one of them
had spoken. $inall -trathmore sat
back down, and
-usan could hear his breathing
slowing to normal. (hen he finall
spoke, his voice was eeril calm
and controlled.
'Dnfortunatel,+ -trathmore said
;uietl, 'it turns out the director is in
-outh America
meeting with the President of
1olombia. !ecause there/s absolutel
nothing he could do from down
there, I had two options"re;uest he
cut his meeting short and return, or
handle this mself.+ There
was along silence. -trathmore finall
looked up, and his tired ees met
-usan/s. .is e3pression
softened immediatel. '-usan, I/m
sorr. I/m e3hausted. This is a
nightmare come true. I know
ou/re upset about &avid. I didn/t
mean for ou to find out this wa. I
thought ou knew.+
-usan felt a wave of guilt. 'I
overreacted. I/m sorr. &avid is a
good choice.+
-trathmore nodded absentl. '.e/ll be
back tonight.+
-usan thought about everthing the
commander was going through"the
pressure of overseeing
T<A7-,T<, the endless hours and
meetings. It was rumored his wife of
thirt ears was leaving
him. Then on top of it, there was
&igital $ortress"the biggest
intelligence threat in the histor of the
7-A, and the poor gu was fling
solo. 7o wonder he looked about to
crack.
'1onsidering the circumstances,+
-usan said, 'I think ou should
probabl call the director.+
-trathmore shook his head, a bead of
sweat dripping on his desk. 'I/m not
about to
compromise the director/s safet or
risk a leak b contacting him about a
ma0or crisis he can do
nothing about.+
-usan knew he was right. Even in
moments like these, -trathmore was
clear%headed. '.ave
ou considered calling the President)+
-trathmore nodded. '4es. I/ve
decided against it.+
-usan had figured as much. -enior
7-A officials had the right to handle
verifiable
intelligence emergencies without
e3ecutive knowledge. The 7-A was
the onl D.-. intelligence
organization that en0oed total
immunit from federal accountabilit
of an sort. -trathmore often
availed himself of this right; he
preferred to work his magic in
isolation.
'1ommander,+ she argued, 'this is
too big to be handled alone. 4ou/ve
got to let somebod
else in on it.+
'-usan, the e3istence of &igital
$ortress has ma0or implications for
the future of this
organization. I have no intention of
informing the President behind the
director/s back. (e have a
crisis, and I/m handling it.+ .e eed
her thoughtfull. 'I am the deput
director of operations.+ A
wear smile crept across his face.
'And besides, I/m not alone. I/ve got
-usan $letcher on m
team.+
In that instant, -usan realized what
she respected so much about Trevor
-trathmore. $or ten
ears, through thick and thin, he had
alwas led the wa for her. -teadfast.
Dnwavering. It was his
dedication that amazed her"his
unshakable allegiance to his
principles, his countr, and his ideals.
1ome what ma, 1ommander Trevor
-trathmore was a guiding light in a
world of impossible
decisions.
'4ou are on m team, aren/t ou)+ he
asked.
-usan smiled. '4es, sir, I am. #ne
hundred percent.+
'6ood. 7ow can we get back to
work)+
Chapter 12
&avid !ecker had been to funerals
and seen dead bodies before, but there
was something
particularl unnerving about this one.
It was not an immaculatel groomed
corpse resting in a
silk%lined coffin. This bod had been
stripped naked and dumped
unceremoniousl on an aluminum
table. The ees had not et found their
vacant, lifeless gaze. Instead the
were twisted upward
toward the ceiling in an eerie freeze%
frame of terror and regret.
'R&Snde estTn sus efectos)+ !ecker
asked in fluent 1astillian -panish.
'(here are his
belongings)+
'AllU,+ replied the ellow%toothed
lieutenant. .e pointed to a counter of
clothing and other
personal items.
'REs todo) Is that all)+
'-U.+
!ecker asked for a cardboard bo3.
The lieutenant hurried off to find one.
It was -aturda evening, and the
-eville morgue was technicall
closed. The oung lieutenant
had let !ecker in under direct orders
from the head of the -eville 6uardia"
it seemed the visiting
American had powerful friends.
!ecker eed the pile of clothes. There
was a passport, wallet, and glasses
stuffed in one of the
shoes. There was also a small duffel
the 6uardia had taken from the man/s
hotel. !ecker/s
directions were clearC Touch nothing.
<ead nothing. ?ust bring it all back.
Everthing. &on/t miss
anthing.
!ecker surveed the pile and
frowned. (hat could the 7-A
possibl want with this 0unk)
The lieutenant returned with a small
bo3, and !ecker began putting the
clothes inside.
The officer poked at the cadaver/s leg.
'RBuienes) (ho is he)+
'7o idea.+
',ooks 1hinese.+
"apanese, !ecker thought.
'Poor bastard. .eart attack, huh)+
!ecker nodded absentl. 'That/s what
the told me.+
The lieutenant sighed and shook his
head smpatheticall. 'The -eville
sun can be cruel. !e
careful out there tomorrow.+
'Thanks,+ !ecker said. '!ut I/m
headed home.+
The officer looked shocked. '4ou 0ust
got here2+
'I know, but the gu paing m
airfare is waiting for these items.+
The lieutenant looked offended in the
wa onl a -paniard can be offended.
'4ou mean
ou/re not going to experiene
-eville)+
'I was here ears ago. !eautiful cit.
I/d love to sta.+
'-o ou/ve seen ,a 6iralda)+
!ecker nodded. .e/d never actuall
climbed the ancient *oorish tower,
but he/d seen it.
'.ow about the Alcazar)+
!ecker nodded again, remembering
the night he/d heard Pacode ,ucia
pla guitar in the
courtard"$lamenco under the stars in
a fifteenth%centur fortress. .e wished
he/d known -usan
back then.
'And of course there/s 1hristopher
1olumbus.+ The officer beamed.
'.e/s buried in our
cathedral.+
!ecker looked up. '<eall) I thought
1olumbus was buried in the
&ominican <epublic.+
'.ell no2 (ho starts these rumors)
1olumbus/s bod is here in -pain2 I
thought ou said ou
went to college.+
!ecker shrugged. 'I must have missed
that da.+
'The -panish church is ver proud to
own his relics.+
The Spanish hurh. !ecker knew
here was onl one church in -pain"
the <oman 1atholic
church. 1atholicism was bigger here
than in :atican 1it.
'(e don/t, of course, have his entire
bod,+ the lieutenant added. '-olo el
escroto.+
!ecker stopped packing and stared at
the lieutenant. So!o e! esroto6 .e
fought off a grin.
'?ust his scrotum)+
The officer nodded proudl. '4es.
(hen the church obtains the remains
of a great man, the
saint him and spread the relics to
different cathedrals so everone can
en0o their splendor.+
'And ou got the5+ !ecker stifled a
laugh.
'#e2 It/s a prett important part2+
the officer defended. 'It/s not like we
got a rib or a
knuckle like those churches in
6alicia2 4ou should reall sta and
see it.+
!ecker nodded politel. '*abe I/ll
drop in on m wa out of town.+
'*ala suerte.+ The officer sighed.
'!ad luck. The cathedral/s closed till
sunrise mass.+
'Another time then.+ !ecker smiled,
hoisting the bo3. 'I should probabl
get going. *
flight/s waiting. '.e made a final
glance around the room.
'4ou want a ride to the airport)+ the
officer asked. 'I/ve got a *oto 6uzzi
out front.+
'7o thanks. I/ll catch a cab.+ !ecker
had driven a motorccle once in
college and nearl
killed himself on it. .e had no
intention of getting on one again,
regardless of who was driving.
'(hatever ou sa,+ the officer said,
heading for the door. 'I/ll get the
lights.+
!ecker tucked the bo3 under his arm.
<a.e 8 got e.erything6 .e took a last
look at the bod
on the table. The figure was stark
naked, face up under fluorescent
lights, clearl hiding nothing.
!ecker found his ees drawn again to
the strangel deformed hands. .e
gazed a minute, focusing
more intentl.
The officer killed the lights, and the
room went dark.
'.old on,+ !ecker said. 'Turn those
back on.+
The lights flickered back on.
!ecker set his bo3 on the floor walked
over to the corpse. .e leaned down
and s;uinted at the
man/s left hand.
The officer followed !ecker/s gaze.
'Prett ugl, huh)+
!ut the deformit was not what had
caught !ecker/s ee. .e/d seen
something else. .e
turned to the officer. '4ou/re sure
everthing/s in this bo3)+
The officer nodded. '4eah. That/s it.+
!ecker stood for moment with his
hands on his hips. Then he picked up
the bo3, carried it
back over to the counter, and dumped
it out. 1arefull, piece b piece, he
shook out the clothing.
Then he emptied the shoes and tapped
them as if tring to remove a pebble.
After going over
everthing a second time, he stepped
back and frowned.
'Problem)+ asked the lieutenant.
'4eah,+ !ecker said. '(e/re missing
something.+
Chapter 13
Tokugen 7umataka stood in his
plush, penthouse office and gazed out
at the Toko skline.
.is emploees and competitors knew
him a sa&uta same "the deadl shark.
$or three decade she/d
outguessed, outbid, and out advertised
all the ?apanese competition; now he
was on the brink of
becoming a giant in the world market
as well.
.e was about to close the biggest deal
of his life"a deal that would make his
7umatech 1orp.
the *icrosoft of the future. .is blood
was alive with the cool rush of
adrenaline. !usiness was war"
and war was e3citing.
Although Tokugen 7umataka had
been suspicious when the call had
come three das ago, he
now knew the truth. .e was blessed
with myouri "good fortune. The gods
had chosen him.
* * *
'I have a cop of the &igital $ortress
pass%ke,+ the American accent had
said. '(ould ou
like to bu it)+
7umataka had almost laughed aloud.
.e knew it was a plo. 7umatech
1orp. had bid
generousl for Ensei Tankado/s new
algorithm, and now one of
7umatech/s competitors was
plaing games, tring to find out the
amount of the bid.
'4ou have the pass%ke)+ 7umataka
feigned interest.
'I do. * name is 7orth &akota.+
7umataka stifled a laugh. Everone
knew about 7orth &akota. Tankado
had told the press
about his secret partner. It had been a
wise move on Tankado/s part to have
a partner; even in
?apan, business practices had become
dishonorable. Ensei Tankado was not
safe. !ut one false
move b an overeager firm, and the
pass%ke would be published; ever
software firm on the
market would suffer.
7umataka took a long pull on his
Dmami cigar and plaed along with
the caller/s pathetic
charade. '-o ou/re selling our pass%
ke) Interesting. .ow does Ensei
Tankado feel about this)+
'I have no allegiance to *r. Tankado.
*r. Tankado was foolish to trust me.
The pass%ke is
worth hundreds of times what he is
paing me to handle it for him.+
'I/m sorr,+ 7umataka said. '4our
pass%ke alone is worth nothing to
me. (hen Tankado
finds out what ou/ve done, he will
simpl publish his cop, and the
market will be flooded.+
'4ou will receive both pass%kes,+
the voice said. '*r. Tankado/s and
mine.+
7umataka covered the receiver and
laughed aloud. .e couldn/t help
asking. '.ow much are
ou asking for both kes)+
'Twent million D.-. dollars.+
Twent million was almost e3actl
what 7umataka had bid. 'Twent
million)+ .e gasped in
mock horror. 'That/s outrageous2+
'I/ve seen the algorithm. I assure ou
it/s well worth it.+
#o shit, thought 7umataka. 8ts $orth
ten times that. 'Dnfortunatel,+ he
said, tiring of the
game, 'we both know *r. Tankado
would never stand for this. Think of
the legal repercussions.+
The caller paused ominousl. '(hat
if *r. Tankado were no longer a
factor)+
7umataka wanted to laugh, but he
noted an odd determination in the
voice. 'If Tankado were
no longer a factor)+ 7umataka
considered it. 'Then ou and I would
have a deal.+
'I/ll be in touch,+ the voice said. The
line went dead.
Chapter 1)
!ecker gazed down at the cadaver.
Even hours after death, the Asian/s
face radiated with a
pinkish glow of a recent sunburn. The
rest of him was a pale ellow"all
e3cept the small area of
purplish bruising directl over his
heart.
Probabl from the 1P<, !ecker
mused. Too bad it didn/t work.
.e went back to studing the
cadaver/s hands. The were like
nothing !ecker had ever seen.
Each hand had onl three digits, and
the were twisted and askew. The
disfigurement, however,
was not what !ecker was looking at.
'(ell, I/ll be.+ The lieutenant grunted
from across the room. '.e/s ?apanese,
not 1hinese.+
!ecker looked up. The officer was
thumbing through the dead man/s
passport. 'I/d rather ou
didn/t look at that,+ !ecker re;uested.
Touh nothing. >ead nothing.
'Ensei Tankado5 born ?anuar"+
'Please,+ !ecker said politel. 'Put it
back.+
The officer stared at the passport a
moment longer and then tossed it
back on the pile. 'This
gu/s got a class%F visa. .e could
have staed here for ears.+
!ecker poked at the victim/s hand
with a pen. '*abe he lived here.+
'7ope. &ate of entr was last week.+
'*abe he was mo.ing here,+ !ecker
offered curtl.
'4eah, mabe. 1rumm first week.
-unstroke and a heart attack. Poor
bastard.+
!ecker ignored the officer and studied
the hand. '4ou/re positive he wasn/t
wearing an
0ewelr when he died)+
The officer looked up, startled.
'?ewelr)+
'4eah. Take a look at this.+
The officer crossed the room.
The skin on Tankado/s left hand
showed traces of sunburn, everwhere
e3cept a narrow band
of flesh around the smallest finger.
!ecker pointed to the strip of pale
flesh. '-ee how this isn/t sunburned
here) ,ooks like he
was wearing a ring.+
The officer seemed surprised. 'A
ring67 .is voice sounded suddenl
perple3ed. .e studied
the corpse/s finger. Then he flushed
sheepishl. '* 6od.+ .e chuckled.
'The stor was true67
!ecker had a sudden sinking feeling.
'I beg our pardon)+
The officer shook his head in
disbelief. 'I would have mentioned it
before5 but I thought the
gu was nuts.+
!ecker was not smiling. '(hat gu)+
'The gu who phoned in the
emergenc. -ome 1anadian tourist.
Gept talking about a ring.
!abbling in the worst damn -panish I
ever heard.+
'.e said *r. Tankado was wearing a
ring67
The officer nodded. .e pulled out a
&ucado cigarette, eed the no fumar
sign, and lit up
anwa. '6uess I should have said
something, but the gu sounded
totall loco.+
!ecker frowned. -trathmore/s words
echoed in his ears. I want everthing
Ensei Tankado had
with him. Everthing. ,eave nothing.
7ot even a tin scrap of paper.
'(here is the ring now)+ !ecker
asked.
The officer took a puff. ',ong stor.+
-omething told !ecker this was not
good news. 'Tell me anwa.+
Chapter 1*
-usan $letcher sat at her computer
terminal inside 7ode F. 7ode F was
the crptographers/
private, soundproofed chamber 0ust
off the main floor. A two%inch sheet
of curved one%wa glass
gave the crptographers a panorama
of the 1rpto floor while prohibiting
anone else from seeing
inside.
At the back of the e3pansive 7ode F
chamber, twelve terminals sat in a
perfect circle. The
annular arrangement was intended to
encourage intellectual e3change
between crptographers, to
remind them the were part of a larger
team"something like a code%breaker/s
Gnights of the <ound
Table. Ironicall, secrets were
frowned on inside 7ode F.
7icknamed the Plapen, 7ode F had
none of the sterile feel of the rest of
1rpto. It was
designed to feel like home"plush
carpets, high%tech sound sstem, full
stocked fridge, kitchenette,
a 7erf basketball hoop. The 7-A had
a philosoph about 1rptoC &on/t
drop a couple billion bucks
into a code%breaking computer
without enticing the best of the best to
stick around and use it.
-usan slipped out of her -alvatore
$erragamo flats and dug her
stockinged toes into the thick
pile carpet. (ell%paid government
emploees were encouraged to refrain
from lavish displas of
personal wealth. It was usuall no
problem for -usan"she was perfectl
happ with her modest
duple3, :olvo sedan, and
conservative wardrobe. !ut shoes
were another matter. Even when
-usan
was in college, she/d budgeted for the
best.
4ou can/t 0ump for the stars if our
feet hurt, her aunt had once told her.
And when ou get
where ou/re going, ou darn well
better look great2
-usan allowed herself a lu3urious
stretch and then settled down to
business. -he pulled up her
tracer and prepared to configure it.
-he glanced at the E%mail address
-trathmore had given her.
7&AG#TAQara.anon.org
The man calling himself 7orth
&akota had an anonmous account,
but -usan knew it would
not remain anonmous for long. The
tracer would pass through A<A, get
forwarded to 7orth
&akota, and then send information
back containing the man/s real
Internet address.
If all went well, it would locate 7orth
&akota soon, and -trathmore could
confiscate the
pass%ke. That would leave onl
&avid. (hen he found Tankado/s
cop, both pass%kes could be
destroed; Tankado/s little time bomb
would be harmless, a deadl
e3plosive without a detonator.
-usan double%checked the address on
the sheet in front of her and entered
the information in
the correct data field. -he chuckled
that -trathmore had encountered
difficult sending the tracer
himself. Apparentl he/d sent it twice,
both times receiving Tankado/s
address back rather than
7orth &akota/s. It was a simple
mistake, -usan thought; -trathmore
had probabl interchanged the
data fields, and the tracer had
searched for the wrong account.
-usan finished configuring her tracer
and ;ueued it for release. Then she hit
return. The
computer beeped once.
T<A1E< -E7T.
7ow came the waiting game.
-usan e3haled. -he felt guilt for
having been hard on the commander.
If there was anone
;ualified to handle this threat single%
handed, it was Trevor -trathmore. .e
had an uncann wa of
getting the best of all those who
challenged him.
-i3 months ago, when the E$$ broke
a stor that an 7-A submarine was
snooping
underwater telephone cables,
-trathmore calml leaked a
conflicting stor that the submarine
was
actuall illegall buring to3ic waste.
The E$$ and the oceanic
environmentalists spent so much
time bickering over which version
was true, the media eventuall tired of
the stor and moved on.
Ever move -trathmore made was
meticulousl planned. .e depended
heavil on his
computer when devising and revising
his plans. ,ike man 7-A emploees,
-trathmore used
7-A%developed software called
!rain-torm"a risk%free wa to carr
out 'what%if+ scenarios in the
safet of a computer.
!rain-torm was an artificial
intelligence e3periment described b
its developers as a 1ause V
Effect -imulator. It originall had
been intended for use in political
campaigns as a wa to create
real%time models of a given 'political
environment.+ $ed b enormous
amounts of data, the program
created a relationar web"a
hpothesized model of interaction
between political variables, including
current prominent figures, their staffs,
their personal ties to each other, hot
issues, individuals/
motivations weighted b variables
like se3, ethnicit, mone, and power.
The user could then enter
an hpothetical event and
!rain-torm would predict the event/s
effect on 'the environment.+
1ommander -trathmore worked
religiousl with !rain-torm"not for
political purposes, but as
a T$* device; Time%,ine, $lowchart,
V *apping software was a powerful
tool for outlining
comple3 strategies and predicting
weaknesses. -usan suspected there
were schemes hidden in
-trathmore/s computer that someda
would change the world.
4es, -usan thought, I was too hard on
him.
.er thoughts were 0arred b the hiss
of the 7ode F doors.
-trathmore burst in. '-usan,+ he said.
'&avid 0ust called. There/s been a
setback.+
Chapter 1+
'A ring)+ -usan looked doubtful.
'Tankado/s missing a ring)+
'4es. (e/re luck &avid caught it. It
was a real heads%up pla.+
'!ut ou/re after a pass%ke, not
0ewelr.+
'I know,+ -trathmore said, 'but I
think the might be one and the
same.+
-usan looked lost.
'It/s a long stor.+
-he motioned to the tracer on her
screen. 'I/m not going anwhere.+
-trathmore sighed heavil and began
pacing. 'Apparentl, there were
witnesses to Tankado/s
death. According to the officer at the
morgue, a 1anadian tourist called the
6uardia this morning in
a panic"he said a ?apanese man was
having a heart attack in the park.
(hen the officer arrived, he
found Tankado dead and the 1anadian
there with him, so he radioed the
paramedics. (hile the
paramedics took Tankado/s bod to
the morgue, the officer tried to get the
1anadian to tell him
what happened. All the old gu did
was babble about some ring Tankado
had given awa right
before he died.+
-usan eed him skepticall. 'Tankado
ga.e a$ay a ring)+
'4eah. Apparentl he forced it in this
old gu/s face"like he was begging
him to take it.
-ounds like the old gu got a close
look at it.+ -trathmore stopped pacing
and turned. '.e said the
ring was engraved"with some sort of
lettering.+
',ettering)+
'4es, and according to him, it wasn/t
English.+ -trathmore raised his
eebrows e3pectantl.
'?apanese)+
-trathmore shook his head. '* first
thought too. !ut get this"the
1anadian complained that
the letters didn/t spell anthing.
?apanese characters could never be
confused with our <oman
lettering. .e said the engraving
looked like a cat had gotten loose on a
tpewriter.+
-usan laughed. '1ommander, ou
don/t reall think"+
-trathmore cut her off. '-usan, it/s
crstal clear. Tankado engraved the
&igital $ortress
pass%ke on his ring. 6old is durable.
(hether he/s sleeping, showering,
eating"the pass%ke would
alwas be with him, read at a
moment/s notice for instant
publication.+
-usan looked dubious. '#n his
finger) In the open like that)+
'(h not) -pain isn/t e3actl the
encrption capital of the world.
7obod would have an
idea what the letters meant. !esides,
if the ke is a standard si3t%four%bit"
even in broad dalight,
nobod could possibl read and
memorize all si3t%four characters.+
-usan looked perple3ed. 'And
Tankado gave this ring to a total
stranger moments before he
died) (h)+
-trathmore/s gaze narrowed. '(h do
ou think)+
It took -usan onl a moment before it
clicked. .er ees widened.
-trathmore nodded. 'Tankado was
tring to get rid of it. .e thought we/d
killed him. .e felt
himself ding and logicall assumed
we were responsible. The timing was
too coincidental. .e
figured we/d gotten to him, poison or
something, a slow%acting cardiac
arrestor. .e knew the onl
wa we/d dare kill him is if we/d
found 7orth &akota.+
-usan felt a chill. '#f course,+ she
whispered. 'Tankado thought that we
neutralized his
insurance polic so we could remove
him too.+
It was all coming clear to -usan. The
timing of the heart attack was so
fortunate for the 7-A
that Tankado had assumed the 7-A
was responsible. .is final instinct was
revenge. Ensei gave
awa his ring as a last%ditch effort to
publish the pass%ke. 7ow, incredibl,
some unsuspecting
1anadian tourist held the ke to the
most powerful encrption algorithm
in histor.
-usan sucked in a deep breath and
asked the inevitable ;uestion. '-o
where is the 1anadian
now)+
-trathmore frowned. 'That/s the
problem.+
'The officer doesn/t know where he
is)+
'7o. The 1anadian/s stor was so
absurd that the officer figured he was
either in shock or
senile. -o he put the old gu on the
back of his motorccle to take him
back to his hotel. !ut the
1anadian didn/t know enough to hang
on; he fell off before the/d gone
three feet"cracked his head
and broke his wrist.+
'(hat2+ -usan choked.
'The officer wanted to take him to a
hospital, but the 1anadian was
furious"said he/d walk
back to 1anada before he/d get on the
motorccle again. -o all the officer
could do was walk him to
a small public clinic near the park. .e
left him there to get checked out.+
-usan frowned. 'I assume there/s no
need to ask where &avid is headed.+
Chapter 1,
&avid !ecker stepped out onto the
scorching tile concourse of Plaza de
EspaWa. !efore him,
El Aunta miento"the ancient cit
council building"rose from the trees
on a three%acre bed of blue
and white azule0o tiles. Its Arabic
spires and carved facade gave the
impression it had been intended
more as a palace than a public office.
&espite its histor of militar coups,
fires, and public
hangings, most tourists visited
because the local brochures plugged it
as the English militar
head;uarters in the film 3a$rene of
Arabia . It had been far cheaper for
1olumbia Pictures to film
in -pain than in Egpt, and the
*oorish influence on -eville/s
architecture was enough to convince
moviegoers the were looking at
1airo.
!ecker reset his -eiko for local timeC
KC@9 p.m."still afternoon b local
standards; a proper
-paniard never ate dinner before
sunset, and the laz Andalusian sun
seldom surrendered the skies
before ten.
Even in the earl%evening heat,
!ecker found himself walking across
the park at a brisk clip.
-trathmore/s tone had sounded a lot
more urgent this time than it had that
morning. .is new orders
left no room for misinterpretationC
$ind the 1anadian, get the ring. &o
whatever is necessar, 0ust
get that ring.
!ecker wondered what could possibl
be so important about a ring with
lettering all over it.
-trathmore hadn/t offered, and !ecker
hadn/t asked. #SA, he thought. #e.er
Say Anything.
* * *
#n the other side of Avenida Isabela
1atSlica, the clinic was clearl
visible"the universal
smbol of a red cross in a white circle
painted on the roof. The 6uardia
officer had dropped the
1anadian off hours ago. !roken wrist,
bumped head"no doubt the patient
had been treated and
discharged b now. !ecker 0ust hoped
the clinic had discharge information"a
local hotel or phone
number where the man could be
reached. (ith a little luck, !ecker
figured he could find the
1anadian, get the ring, and be on his
wa home without an more
complications.
-trathmore had told !ecker, 'Dse the
ten thousand cash to bu the ring if
ou have to. I/ll
reimburse ou.+
'That/s not necessar,+ !ecker had
replied. .e/d intended to return the
mone anwa. .e
hadn/t gone to -pain for mone, he/d
gone for -usan. 1ommander Trevor
-trathmore was -usan/s
mentor and guardian. -usan owed him
a lot; a one%da errand was the least
!ecker could do.
Dnfortunatel, things this morning
hadn/t gone ;uite as !ecker had
planned. .e/d hoped to
call -usan from the plane and e3plain
everthing. .e considered having the
pilot radio -trathmore
so he could pass along a message but
was hesitant to involve the deput
director in his romantic
problems.
Three times !ecker had tried to call
-usan himself"first from a defunct
cellular on board the
0et, ne3t from a pa phone at the
airport, then again from the morgue.
-usan was not in. &avid
wondered where she could be. .e/d
gotten her answering machine but had
not left a message; what
he wanted to sa was not a message
for an answering machine.
As he approached the road, he spotted
a phone booth near the park entrance.
.e 0ogged over,
snatched up the receiver, and used his
phone card to place the call. There
was a long pause as the
number connected. $inall it began to
ring.
1ome on. !e there.
After five rings the call connected.
'.i. This is -usan $letcher. -orr I/m
not in right now, but if ou leave our
name5+
!ecker listened to the message.
(here is she6 ! now -usan would
be panicked. .e
wondered if mabe she/d gone to
-tone *anor without him. There was
a beep.
'.i. It/s &avid.+ .e paused, unsure
what to sa. #ne of the things he
hated about answering
machines was that if ou stopped to
think, the cut ou off. '-orr I didn/t
call,+ he blurted 0ust in
time. .e wondered if he should tell
her what was going on. .e thought
better of it. '1all
1ommander -trathmore. .e/ll e3plain
everthing.+ !ecker/s heart was
pounding. This is absurd, he
thought. 'I love ou,+ he added
;uickl and hung up.
!ecker waited for some traffic to pass
on Avenida !orbolla. .e thought
about how -usan
undoubtedl would have assumed the
worst; it was unlike him not to call
when he/d promised to.
!ecker stepped out onto the four%lane
boulevard. 'In and out,+ he whispered
to himself. 'In
and out.+ .e was too preoccupied to
see the man in wire%rim glasses
watching from across the
street.
Chapter 1-
-tanding before the huge plate%glass
window in his Toko skrise,
7umataka took a long pull
on his cigar and smiled to himself. .e
could scarcel believe his good
fortune. .e had spoken to the
American again, and if all was going
according to the timetable, Ensei
Tankado had been
eliminated b now, and his cop of
the pass%ke had been confiscated.
It was ironic, 7umataka thought, that
he himself would end up with Ensei
Tankado/s
pass%ke. Tokugen 7umataka had met
Tankado once man ears ago. The
oung programmer had
come to 7umatech 1orp. fresh out of
college, searching for a 0ob.
7umataka had denied him. There
was no ;uestion that Tankado was
brilliant, but at the time there were
other considerations.
Although ?apan was changing,
7umataka had been trained in the old
school; he lived b the code of
menboko"honor and face.
Imperfection was not to be tolerated.
If he hired a cripple, he would bring
shame on his compan. .e had
disposed of Tankado/s rOsumO
without a glance.
7umataka checked his watch again.
The American, 7orth &akota, should
have called b now.
7umataka felt a tinge of nervousness.
.e hoped nothing was wrong.
If the pass%kes were as good as
promised, the would unlock the most
sought%after product
of the computer age"a totall
invulnerable digital encrption
algorithm. 7umataka could embed the
algorithm in tamper%proof, spra%
sealed :-,I chips and mass market
them to world computer
manufacturers, governments,
industries, and perhaps, even the
darker markets5 the black market of
world terrorists.
7umataka smiled. It appeared, as
usual, that he had found favor with
the shichigosan"the
seven deities of good luck. 7umatech
1orp. was about to control the onl
cop of &igital $ortress
that would ever e3ist. Twent million
dollars was a lot of mone"but
considering the product, it
was the steal of the centur.
Chapter 1.
'(hat if someone else is looking for
the ring)+ -usan asked, suddenl
nervous. '1ould &avid
be in danger)+
-trathmore shook his head. '7obod
else knows the ring e3ists. That/s wh
I sent &avid. I
wanted to keep it that wa. 1urious
spooks don/t usuall tail -panish
teachers.+
'.e/s a professor,+ -usan corrected,
immediatel regretting the
clarification. Ever now and
again -usan got the feeling &avid
wasn/t good enough for the
commander, that he thought
somehow she could do better than a
schoolteacher.
'1ommander,+ she said, moving on,
'if ou briefed &avid b car phone
this morning,
someone could have intercepted the"+
'#ne%in%a%million shot,+ -trathmore
interrupted, his tone reassuring. 'An
eavesdropper had
to be in the immediate vicinit and
know e3actl what to listen for.+ .e
put his hand on her
shoulder. 'I would never have sent
&avid if I thought it was dangerous.+
.e smiled. 'Trust me. An
sign of trouble, and I/ll send in the
pros.+
-trathmore/s words were punctuated
b the sudden sound of someone
pounding on the 7ode
F glass. -usan and -trathmore turned.
-s%-ec Phil 1hartrukian had his face
pressed against the pane and was
pounding fiercel,
straining to see through. (hatever he
was e3citedl mouthing was not
audible through the
soundproofed glass. .e looked like
he/d seen a ghost.
'(hat the hell is 1hartrukian doing
here)+ -trathmore growled. '.e/s not
on dut toda.+
',ooks like trouble,+ -usan said. '.e
probabl saw the <un%*onitor.+
'6oddamn it2+ the commander hissed.
'I specificall called the scheduled
-s%-ec last night
and told him not to come in2+
-usan was not surprised. 1anceling a
-s%-ec dut was irregular, but
-trathmore undoubtedl
had wanted privac in the dome. The
last thing he needed was some
paranoid -s%-ec blowing the
lid off &igital $ortress.
'(e better abort T<A7-,T<,+ -usan
said. '(e can reset the <un%*onitor
and tell Phil he
was seeing things.+
-trathmore appeared to consider it,
then shook his head. '7ot et.
T<A7-,T< is fifteen
hours into this attack. I want to run it
a full twent%four"0ust to be sure.+
This made sense to -usan. &igital
$ortress was the first ever use of a
rotating clearte3t
function. *abe Tankado had
overlooked something; mabe
T<A7-,T< would break it after
twent%four hours. -omehow -usan
doubted it.
'T<A7-,T< keeps running,+
-trathmore resolved. 'I need to know
for sure this algorithm is
untouchable.+
1hartrukian continued pounding on
the pane.
'.ere goes nothing.+ -trathmore
groaned. '!ack me up.+
The commander took a deep breath
and then strode to the sliding glass
doors. The pressure
plate on the floor activated, and the
doors hissed open.
1hartrukian practicall fell into the
room. '1ommander, sir. I5 I/m sorr
to bother ou, but
the <un%*onitor5 I ran a virus probe
and"+
'Phil, Phil, Phil,+ the commander
gushed pleasantl as he put a
reassuring hand on
1hartrukian/s shoulder. '-low down.
(hat seems to be the problem)+
$rom the easgoing tone in
-trathmore/s voice, nobod would
ever have guessed his world
was falling in around him. .e stepped
aside and ushered 1hartrukian into the
sacred walls of 7ode
F. The -s%-ec stepped over the
threshold hesitantl, like a well%
trained dog that knew better.
$rom the puzzled look on
1hartrukian/s face, it was obvious
he/d never seen the inside of this
place. (hatever had been the source
of his panic was momentaril
forgotten. .e surveed the plush
interior, the line of private terminals,
the couches, the bookshelves, the soft
lighting. (hen his gaze
fell on the reigning ;ueen of 1rpto,
-usan $letcher, he ;uickl looked
awa. -usan intimidated the
hell out of him. .er mind worked on a
different plane. -he was unsettlingl
beautiful, and his words
alwas seemed to get 0umbled around
her. -usan/s unassuming air made it
even worse.
'(hat seems to be the problem,
Phil)+ -trathmore said, opening the
refrigerator. '&rink)+
'7o, ah"no, thank ou, sir.+ .e
seemed tongue%tied, not sure he was
trul welcome. '-ir5 I
think there/s a problem with
T<A7-,T<.+
-trathmore closed the refrigerator and
looked at 1hartrukian casuall. '4ou
mean the
<un%*onitor)+
1hartrukian looked shocked. '4ou
mean ou/ve seen it)+
'-ure. It/s running at about si3teen
hours, if I/m not mistaken.+
1hartrukian seemed puzzled. '4es,
sir, si3teen hours. !ut that/s not all,
sir. I ran a virus
probe, and it/s turning up some prett
strange stuff.+
'<eall)+ -trathmore seemed
unconcerned. '(hat kind of stuff)+
-usan watched, impressed with the
commander/s performance.
1hartrukian stumbled on.
'T<A7-,T</s processing something
ver advanced. The filters
have never seen anthing like it. I/m
afraid T<A7-,T< ma have some
sort of virus.+
'A virus)+ -trathmore chuckled with
0ust a hint of condescension. 'Phil, I
appreciate our
concern, I reall do. !ut *s. $letcher
and I are running a new diagnostic,
some ver advanced stuff.
I would have alerted ou to it, but I
wasn/t aware ou were on dut
toda.+
The -s%-ec did his best to cover
gracefull. 'I switched with the new
gu. I took his
weekend shift.+
-trathmore/s ees narrowed. 'That/s
odd. I spoke to him last night. I told
him not to come in.
.e said nothing about switching
shifts.+
1hartrukian felt a knot rise in his
throat. There was a tense silence.
'(ell.+ -trathmore finall sighed.
'-ounds like an unfortunate mi3%up.+
.e put a hand on the
-s%-ec/s shoulder and led him
toward the door. 'The good news is
ou don/t have to sta. *s.
$letcher and I will be here all da.
(e/ll hold the fort. 4ou 0ust en0o
our weekend.+
1hartrukian was hesitant.
'1ommander, I reall think we should
check the"+
'Phil,+ -trathmore repeated a little
more sternl, 'T<A7-,T< is fine. If
our probe saw
something strange, it/s because $e put
it there. 7ow if ou don/t mind5+
-trathmore trailed off,
and the -s%-ec understood. .is time
was up.
* * *
'A diagnostic, m ass2+ 1hartrukian
muttered as he fumed back into the
-s%-ec lab. '(hat
kind of looping function keeps three
million processors bus for si3teen
hours)+
1hartrukian wondered if he should
call the -s%-ec supervisor. 'oddamn
ryptographers, he
thought. They ?ust dont understand
seurity4
The oath 1hartrukian had taken when
he 0oined -s%-ec began running
through his head. .e
had sworn to use his e3pertise,
training, and instinct to protect the
7-A/s multibillion%dollar
investment.
'Instinct,+ he said defiantl. It doesn/t
take a pschic to know this isn/t an
goddamn
diagnostic2
&efiantl, 1hartrukian strode over to
the terminal and fired up
T<A7-,T</s complete arra
of sstem assessment software.
'4our bab/s in trouble,
1ommander,+ he grumbled. '4ou
don/t trust instinct) I/ll get ou
proof2+
Chapter 2/
,a 1lUnica de -alud PXblica was
actuall a converted elementar
school and didn/t much
resemble a hospital at all. It was a
long, one%stor brick building with
huge windows and a rusted
swing set out back. !ecker headed up
the crumbling steps.
Inside, it was dark and nois. The
waiting room was a line of folding
metal chairs that ran the
entire length of a long narrow
corridor. A cardboard sign on a
sawhorse read oficina with an arrow
pointing down the hall.
!ecker walked the diml lit corridor.
It was like some sort of eerie set
con0ured up for a
.ollwood horror flick. The air
smelled of urine. The lights at the far
end were blown out, and the
last fort or fift feet revealed nothing
but muted silhouettes. A bleeding
woman5 a oung couple
cring5 a little girl praing5 !ecker
reached the end of the darkened hall.
The door to his left was
slightl a0ar, and he pushed it open. It
was entirel empt e3cept for an old,
withered woman naked
on a cot struggling with her bedpan.
,ovel. !ecker groaned. .e closed
the door. (here the hell is the office)
Around a small dog%leg in the hall,
!ecker heard voices. .e followed the
sound and arrived at
a translucent glass door that sounded
as if a brawl were going on behind it.
<eluctantl, !ecker
pushed the door open. The office.
Mayhem. ?ust as he/d feared.
The line was about ten people deep,
everone pushing and shouting. -pain
was not known for
its efficienc, and !ecker knew he
could be there all night waiting for
discharge info on the
1anadian. There was onl one
secretar behind the desk, and she
was fending off disgruntled
patients. !ecker stood in the doorwa
a moment and pondered his options.
There was a better wa.
'1on permiso2+ an orderl shouted. A
fast%rolling gurne sailed b.
!ecker spun out of the wa and called
after the orderl. 'R&Snde estT el
telOfono)+
(ithout breaking stride, the man
pointed to a set of double doors and
disappeared around the
corner. !ecker walked over to the
doors and pushed his wa through.
The room before him was enormous"
an old gmnasium. The floor was a
pale green and
seemed to swim in and out of focus
under the hum of the fluorescent
lights. #n the wall, a
basketball hoop hung limpl from its
backboard. -cattered across the floor
were a few dozen
patients on low cots. In the far corner,
0ust beneath a burned%out scoreboard,
was an old pa phone.
!ecker hoped it worked.
As he strode across the floor, he
fumbled in his pocket for a coin. .e
found A> pesetas in
cinco%duros coins, change from the
ta3i"0ust enough for two local calls.
.e smiled politel to an
e3iting nurse and made his wa to the
phone. -cooping up the receiver,
!ecker dialed &irector
Assistance. Thirt seconds later he
had the number for the clinic/s main
office.
<egardless of the countr, it seemed
there was one universal truth when it
came to officesC
7obod could stand the sound of an
unanswered phone. It didn/t matter
how man customers were
waiting to be helped, the secretar
would alwas drop what she was
doing to pick up the phone.
!ecker punched the si3%digit
e3change. In a moment he/d have the
clinic/s office. There
would undoubtedl be onl one
1anadian admitted toda with a
broken wrist and a concussion; his
file would be eas to find. !ecker
knew the office would be hesitant to
give out the man/s name and
discharge address to a total stranger,
but he had a plan.
The phone began to ring. !ecker
guessed five rings was all it would
take. It took nineteen.
'1lUnica de -alud PXblica,+ barked
the frantic secretar.
!ecker spoke in -panish with a thick
$ranco%American accent. 'This is
&avid !ecker. I/m
with the 1anadian Embass. #ne of
our citizens was treated b ou toda.
I/d like his information
such that the embass can arrange to
pa his fees.+
'$ine,+ the woman said. 'I/ll send it
to the embass on *onda.+
'Actuall,+ !ecker pressed, 'it/s
important I get it immediatel.+
'Impossible,+ the woman snapped.
'(e/re ver bus.+
!ecker sounded as official as
possible. 'It is an urgent matter. The
man had a broken wrist
and a head in0ur. .e was treated
sometime this morning. .is file
should be right on top.+
!ecker thickened the accent in his
-panish"0ust clear enough to conve
his needs, 0ust
confusing enough to be e3asperating.
People had a wa of bending the rules
when the were
e3asperated.
Instead of bending the rules, however,
the woman cursed self%important
7orth Americans and
slammed down the phone.
!ecker frowned and hung up.
-trikeout. The thought of waiting
hours in line didn/t thrill him;
the clock was ticking"the old
1anadian could be anwhere b now.
*abe he had decided to go
back to 1anada. *abe he would sell
the ring. !ecker didn/t have hours to
wait in line. (ith
renewed determination, !ecker
snatched up the receiver and redialed.
.e pressed the phone to his
ear and leaned back against the wall.
It began to ring. !ecker gazed out into
the room. #ne ring5
two rings5 three"
A sudden surge of adrenaline coursed
through his bod.
!ecker wheeled and slammed the
receiver back down into its cradle.
Then he turned and
stared back into the room in stunned
silence. There on a cot, directl in
front of him, propped up on
a pile of old pillows, la an elderl
man with a clean white cast on his
right wrist.
Chapter 21
The American on Tokugen
7umataka/s private line sounded
an3ious.
'*r. 7umataka"I onl have a
moment.+
'$ine. I trust ou have both pass%
kes.+
'There will be a small dela,+ the
American answered.
'Dnacceptable,+ 7umataka hissed.
'4ou said I would have them b the
end of toda2+
'There is one loose end.+
'Is Tankado dead)+
'4es,+ the voice said. '* man killed
*r. Tankado, but he failed to get the
pass%ke.
Tankado gave it awa before he died.
To a tourist.+
'#utrageous2+ 7umataka bellowed.
'Then how can ou promise me
e3clusive"+
'<ela3,+ the American soothed. '4ou
will have e3clusive rights. That is m
guarantee. As
soon as the missing pass%ke is found,
&igital $ortress will be ours.+
'!ut the pass%ke could be copied2+
'Anone who has seen the ke will be
eliminated.+
There was a long silence. $inall
7umataka spoke. '(here is the ke
now)+
'All ou need to know is that it $i!!
be found.+
'.ow can ou be so certain)+
'!ecause I am not the onl one
looking for it. American Intelligence
has caught wind of the
missing ke. $or obvious reasons the
would like to prevent the release of
&igital $ortress. The
have sent a man to locate the ke. .is
name is &avid !ecker.+
'.ow do ou know this)+
'That is irrelevant.+
7umataka paused. 'And if *r.
!ecker locates the ke)+
'* man will take it from him.+
'And after that)+
'4ou needn/t be concerned,+ the
American said coldl. '(hen *r.
!ecker finds the ke, he
will be properl rewarded.+
Chapter 22
&avid !ecker strode over and stared
down at the old man asleep on the cot.
The man/s right
wrist was wrapped in a cast. .e was
between si3t and sevent ears old.
.is snow%white hair was
parted neatl to the side, and in the
center of his forehead was a deep
purple welt that spread down
into his right ee.
A !itt!e bump6 he thought, recalling
the lieutenant/s words. !ecker
checked the man/s fingers.
There was no gold ring anwhere.
!ecker reached down and touched the
man/s arm. '-ir)+ .e
shook him lightl. 'E3cuse me5
sir)+
The man didn/t move.
!ecker tried again, a little louder.
'-ir)+
The man stirred. 'Bu/est%ce5 ;uelle
heure est"+ .e slowl opened his
ees and focused on
!ecker. .e scowled at having been
disturbed. 'Bu/est%ce%;ue vous
voulez)+
%es, !ecker thought, a Frenh
9anadian4 !ecker smiled down at
him. '&o ou have a
moment)+
Although !ecker/s $rench was
perfect, he spoke in what he hoped
would be the man/s
weaker language, English.
1onvincing a total stranger to hand
over a gold ring might be a little
trick; !ecker figured he could use
an edge he could get.
There was a long silence as the man
got his bearings. .e surveed his
surroundings and lifted
a long finger to smooth his limp white
mustache. $inall he spoke. '(hat do
ou want)+ .is
English carried a thin, nasal accent.
'-ir,+ !ecker said, over pronouncing
his words as if speaking to a deaf
person, 'I need to ask
ou a few ;uestions.+
The man glared up at him with a
strange look on his face. '&o ou
have some sort of
problem)+
!ecker frowned; the man/s English
was impeccable. .e immediatel lost
the condescending
tone. 'I/m sorr to bother ou, sir, but
were ou b an chance at the Plaza
de EspaWa toda)+
The old man/s ees narrowed. 'Are
ou from the 1it 1ouncil)+
'7o, actuall I/m"+
'!ureau of Tourism)+
'7o, I/m"+
',ook, I know wh ou/re here2+ The
old man struggled to sit up. 'I/m not
going to be
intimidated2 If I/ve said it once, I/ve
said it a thousand times"Pierre
1loucharde writes the world
the wa he !i.es the world. -ome of
our corporate guidebooks might
sweep this under the table
for a free night on the town, but the
Montrea! Times is not for hire2 I
refuse2+
'I/m sorr, sir. I don/t think ou
under"+
'*erde alors2 I understand perfectl2+
.e wagged a bon finger at !ecker,
and his voice
echoed through the gmnasium.
'4ou/re not the first2 The tried the
same thing at the *oulin
<ouge, !rown/s Palace, and the
6olfigno in ,agos2 !ut $hat went to
press) The truth2 The worst
(ellington I/ve ever eaten2 The
filthiest tub I/ve ever seen2 And the
rockiest beach I/ve ever
walked2 * readers e3pect no less2+
Patients on nearb cots began sitting
up to see what was going on. !ecker
looked around
nervousl for a nurse. The last thing
he needed was to get kicked out.
1loucharde was raging. 'That
miserable e3cuse for a police officer
works for your cit2 .e
made me get on his motorccle2 ,ook
at me2+ .e tried to lift his wrist.
5#o$ who/s going to write
m column)+
'-ir, I"+
'I/ve never been so uncomfortable in
m fort%three ears of travel2 ,ook
at this place2 4ou
know, m column is sndicated in
over"+
'-ir2+ !ecker held up both hands
urgentl signaling truce. 'I/m not
interested in our column;
I/m from the 1anadian 1onsulate. I/m
here to make sure ou/re oka2+
-uddenl there was a dead ;uiet in the
gmnasium. The old man looked up
from his bed and
eed the intruder suspiciousl.
!ecker ventured on in almost a
whisper. 'I/m here to see if there/s
anthing I can do to help.+
3i&e bring you a oup!e of @a!ium.
After a long pause, the 1anadian
spoke. 'The consulate)+ .is tone
softened considerabl.
!ecker nodded.
'-o, ou/re not here about m
column)+
'7o, sir.+
It was as if a giant bubble had burst
for Pierre 1loucharde. .e settled
slowl back down onto
his mound of pillows. .e looked
heartbroken. 'I thought ou were
from the cit5 tring to get me
to5+ .e faded off and then looked
up. 'If it/s not about m column, then
wh are ou here)+
It was a good ;uestion, !ecker
thought, picturing the -mok
*ountains. '?ust an informal
diplomatic courtes,+ he lied.
The man looked surprised. 'A
diplomatic courtes)+
'4es, sir. As I/m sure a man of our
stature is well aware, the 1anadian
government works
hard to protect its countrmen from
the indignities suffered in these, er"
shall we sa"less refined
countries.+
1loucharde/s thin lips parted in a
knowing smile. '!ut of course5 how
pleasant.+
'4ou are a 1anadian citizen, aren/t
ou)+
'4es, of course. .ow sill of me.
Please forgive me. -omeone in m
position is often
approached with5 well5 ou
understand.+
'4es, *r. 1loucharde, I certainl do.
The price one pas for celebrit.+
'Indeed.+ 1loucharde let out a tragic
sigh. .e was an unwilling martr
tolerating the masses.
'1an ou believe this hideous place)+
.e rolled his ees at the bizarre
surroundings. 'It/s a
mocker. And the/ve decided to
keep me overnight.+
!ecker looked around. 'I know. It/s
terrible. I/m sorr it took me so long
to get here.+
1loucharde looked confused. 'I
wasn/t even aware ou were coming.+
!ecker changed the sub0ect. ',ooks
like a nast bump on our head. &oes
it hurt)+
'7o, not reall. I took a spill this
morning"the price one pas for being
a good -amaritan. The
wrist is the thing that/s hurting me.
-tupid 6uardia. I mean, reall2
Putting a man of my age on a
motorccle. It/s reprehensible.+
'Is there anthing I can get for ou)+
1loucharde thought a moment,
en0oing the attention. '(ell,
actuall5+ .e stretched his
neck and tilted his head left and right.
'I ou!d use another pillow if it/s not
too much trouble.+
'7ot at all.+ !ecker grabbed a pillow
off a nearb cot and helped
1loucharde get comfortable.
The old man sighed contentedl.
'*uch better5 thank ou.+
'Pas du tout,+ !ecker replied.
'Ah2+ The man smiled warml. '-o
ou do speak the language of the
civilized world.+
'That/s about the e3tent of it,+ !ecker
said sheepishl.
'7ot a problem,+ 1loucharde declared
proudl. '* column is sndicated in
the D.-.; m
English is first rate.+
'-o I/ve heard.+ !ecker smiled. .e
sat down on the edge of 1loucharde/s
cot. '7ow, if ou
don/t mind m asking, *r.
1loucharde, wh would a man such as
ourself come to a place like
this6 There are far better hospitals in
-eville.+
1loucharde looked angr. 'That
police officer5 he bucked me off his
motorccle and then
left me bleeding in the street like a
stuck pig. I had to walk over here.+
'.e didn/t offer to take ou to a better
facilit)+
'#n that godawful bike of his) 7o
thanks2+
'(hat e3actl happened this
morning)+
'I told it all to the lieutenant.+
'I/ve spoken to the officer and"+
'I hope ou reprimanded him2+
1loucharde interrupted.
!ecker nodded. 'In the severest
terms. * office will be following
up.+
'I should hope so.+
'*onsieur 1loucharde.+ !ecker
smiled, pulling a pen out of his 0acket
pocket. 'I/d like to
make a formal complaint to the cit.
(ould ou help) A man of our
reputation would be a
valuable witness.+
1loucharde looked buoed b the
prospect of being ;uoted. .e sat up.
'(h, es5 of
course. It would be m pleasure.+
!ecker took out a small note pad and
looked up. '#ka, let/s start with this
morning. Tell me
about the accident.+
The old man sighed. 'It was sad
reall. The poor Asian fellow 0ust
collapsed. I tried to help
him"but it was no use.+
'4ou gave him 1P<)+
1loucharde looked ashamed. 'I/m
afraid I don/t know how. I called an
ambulance.+
!ecker remembered the bluish bruises
on Tankado/s chest. '&id the
paramedics administer
1P<)+
'.eavens, no2+ 1loucharde laughed.
'7o reason to whip a dead horse"the
fellow was long
gone b the time the ambulance got
there. The checked his pulse and
carted him off, leaving me
with that horrific policeman.+
Thats strange, !ecker thought,
wondering where the bruise had come
from. .e pushed it
from his mind and got to the matter at
hand. '(hat about the ring)+ he said
as nonchalantl as
possible.
1loucharde looked surprised. 'The
lieutenant told ou about the ring)+
'4es, he did.+
1loucharde seemed amazed. '<eall)
I didn/t think he believed m stor.
.e was so rude"as
if he thought I were ling. !ut m
stor was accurate, of course. I pride
mself on accurac.+
'(here is the ring)+ !ecker pressed.
1loucharde didn/t seem to hear. .e
was glass%eed, staring into space.
'-trange piece reall,
all those letters"looked like no
language I/d ever seen.+
'?apanese, mabe)+ !ecker offered.
'&efinitel not.+
'-o ou got a good look at it)+
'.eavens, es2 (hen I knelt down to
help, the man kept pushing his fingers
in m face. .e
wanted to give me the ring. It was
most bizarre, horrible reall"his hands
were ;uite dreadful.+
'And that/s when ou took the ring)+
1loucharde went wide%eed. 'That/s
what the officer told ou2 That 8 took
the ring)+
!ecker shifted uneasil.
1loucharde e3ploded. 'I knew he
wasn/t listening2 That/s how rumors
get started2 I told him
the ?ap fellow gave awa the ring"but
not to me4 There/s no wa I would
take anthing from a
ding man2 * heavens2 The thought
of it2+
!ecker sensed trouble. '-o ou don/t
have the ring)+
'.eavens, no2+
A dull ache crept through the pit of
his stomach. 'Then who has it)+
1loucharde glared at !ecker
indignantl. 'The 6erman2 The
6erman has it2+
!ecker felt like the floor had been
pulled out from under him. '6erman)
(hat 6erman)+
'The 6erman in the park2 I told the
officer about him2 I refused the ring
but the fascist swine
accepted it2+
!ecker set down his pen and paper.
The charade was over. This was
trouble. '-o a 'erman
has the ring)+
'Indeed.+
'(here did he go)+
'7o idea. I ran to call the police.
(hen I got back, he was gone.+
'&o ou know who he was)+
'-ome tourist.+
'Are ou sure)+
'* life is tourists,+ 1loucharde
snapped. 'I know one when I see one.
.e and his lad friend
were out strolling the park.+
!ecker was more and more confused
ever moment. ',ad friend) There
was somebod $ith
the 6erman)+
1loucharde nodded. 'An escort.
6orgeous redhead. *on &ieu2
!eautiful.+
'An escort)+ !ecker was stunned.
'As in5 a prostitute)+
1loucharde grimaced. '4es, if ou
must use the vulgar term.+
'!ut5 the officer said nothing
about"+
'#f course not2 I never mentioned the
escort.+ 1loucharde dismissed !ecker
with a
patronizing wave of his good hand.
'The aren/t criminals"it/s absurd
that the/re harassed like
common thieves.+
!ecker was still in a mild state of
shock. '(as there anone else there)+
'7o, 0ust the three of us. It was hot.+
'And ou/re positive the woman was
a prostitute)+
'Absolutel. 7o woman that beautiful
would be with a manlike that unless
she were well
paid2 *on &ieu2 .e was fat, fat, fat4
A loudmouthed, overweight,
obno3ious 6erman2+
1loucharde winced momentaril as he
shifted his weight, but he ignored the
pain and plowed on.
'This man was a beast"three hundred
pounds at least. .e locked onto that
poor dear like she was
about to run awa"not that I/d blame
her. I mean reall2 .ands all over her.
!ragged that he had her
all weekend for three hundred dollars2
<es the one who should have
dropped dead, not that poor
Asian fellow.+ 1loucharde came up
for air, and !ecker 0umped in.
'&id ou get his name)+
1loucharde thought for a moment and
then shook his head. '7o idea.+ .e
winced in pain
again and settled slowl back into his
pillows.
!ecker sighed. The ring had 0ust
evaporated before his ees.
1ommander -trathmore was not
going to be happ.
1loucharde dabbed at his forehead.
.is burst of enthusiasm had taken its
toll. .e suddenl
looked ill.
!ecker tried another approach. '*r.
1loucharde, I/d like to get a statement
from the 6erman
and his escort as well. &o ou have
an idea where the/re staing)+
1loucharde closed his ees, his
strength fading. .is breathing grew
shallow.
'Anthing at all)+ !ecker pressed.
'The escort/s name)
There was a long silence.
1loucharde rubbed his right temple.
.e was suddenl looking pale.
'(ell5 ah5 no. I don/t
believe5+ .is voice was shak.
!ecker leaned toward him. 'Are ou
all right)+
1loucharde nodded lightl. '4es,
fine5 0ust a little5 the e3citement
mabe5+ .e trailed
off.
'Think, *r. 1loucharde.+ !ecker
urged ;uietl. 'It/s important.+
1loucharde winced. 'I don/t know5
the woman5 the man kept calling
her5+ .e closed his
ees and groaned.
'(hat was her name)+
'I reall don/t recall5+ 1loucharde
was fading fast.
'Think.+ !ecker prodded. 'It/s
important that the consular file be as
complete as possible. I/ll
need to support our stor with
statements from the other witnesses.
An information ou can give
me to help locate them5+
!ut 1loucharde was not listening. .e
was dabbing his forehead with the
sheet. 'I/m sorr5
perhaps tomorrow5+ .e looked
nauseated.
'*r. 1loucharde, it/s important ou
remember this no$.7 !ecker suddenl
realized he was
speaking too loudl. People on nearb
cots were still sitting up watching
what was going on. #n the
far side of the room a nurse appeared
through the double doors and strode
briskl toward them.
'Anthing at all,+ !ecker pressed
urgentl.
'The 6erman called the woman"+
!ecker lightl shook 1loucharde,
tring to bring him back.
1loucharde/s ees flickered
momentaril. '.er name5+
-ta with me, old fella5
'&ew5+ 1loucharde/s ees closed
again. The nurse was closing in. -he
looked furious.
'&ew)+ !ecker shook 1loucharde/s
arm.
The old man groaned. '.e called
her5+ 1loucharde was mumbling
now, barel audible.
The nurse was less than ten feet awa
elling at !ecker in angr -panish.
!ecker heard
nothing. .is ees were fi3ed on the
old man/s lips. .e shook 1loucharde
one last time as the nurse
bore down on him.
The nurse grabbed &avid !ecker/s
shoulder. -he pulled him to his feet
0ust as 1loucharde/s
lips parted. The single word leaving
the old man/s mouth was not actuall
spoken. It was softl
sighed"like a distant sensual
remembrance. '&ewdrop5+
The scolding grasp anked !ecker
awa.
De$drop6 !ecker wondered. (hat
the he!! &ind of name is De$drop6 .e
spun awa from the
nurse and turned one last time to
1loucharde. '&ewdrop) Are ou
sure67
!ut Pierre 1loucharde was fast
asleep.
Chapter 23
-usan sat alone in the plush
surroundings of 7ode F. -he nursed a
lemon mist herb tea and
awaited the return of her tracer.
As senior crptographer, -usan
en0oed the terminal with the best
view. It was on the back
side of the ring of computers and
faced the 1rpto floor. $rom this spot,
-usan could oversee all of
7ode F. -he could also see, on the
other side of the one%wa glass,
T<A7-,T< standing
dead%center of the 1rpto floor.
-usan checked the clock. -he had
been waiting almost an hour.
American <emailers
Anonmous was apparentl taking
their time forwarding 7orth &akota/s
mail. -he sighed heavil.
&espite her efforts to forget her
morning conversation with &avid, the
words plaed over and over
in her head. -he knew she/d been
hard on him. -he praed he was oka
in -pain.
.er thoughts were 0arred b the loud
hiss of the glass doors. -he looked up
and groaned.
1rptographer 6reg .ale stood in the
opening.
6reg .ale was tall and muscular with
thick blond hair and a deep cleft chin.
.e was loud,
thick%fleshed, and perpetuall
overdressed. .is fellow
crptographers had nicknamed him
'.alite+"
after the mineral. .ale had alwas
assumed it referred to some rare gem"
paralleling his unrivaled
intellect and rock%hard phsi;ue. .ad
his ego permitted him to consult an
encclopedia, he would
have discovered it was nothing more
than the salt residue left behind
when oceans dried up.
,ike all 7-A crptographers, .ale
made a solid salar. .owever, he had
a hard time keeping
that fact to himself. .e drove a white
,otus with a moon roof and a
deafening subwoofer sstem.
.e was a gadget 0unkie, and his car
was his showpiece; he/d installed a
global positioning computer
sstem, voice%activated door locks, a
five%point radar 0ammer, and a
cellular fa3Hphone so he/d
never be out of touch with his
message services. .is vanit plate
read megabte and was framed in
violet neon.
6reg .ale had been rescued from a
childhood of pett crime b the D.-.
*arine 1orps. It was
there that he/d learned about
computers. .e was one of the best
programmers the *arines had ever
seen, well on his wa to a
distinguished militar career. !ut two
das before the completion of his
third tour of dut, his future suddenl
changed. .ale accidentall killed a
fellow *arine in a
drunken brawl. The Gorean art of
self%defense, Tae kwon do, proved
more deadl than defensive.
.e was promptl relieved of his dut.
After serving a brief prison term,
.alite began looking for work in the
private sector as a
programmer. .e was alwas up front
about the incident in the marines, and
he courted prospective
emploers b offering a month/s work
without pa to prove his worth. .e
had no shortage of
takers, and once the found out what
he could do with a computer, the
never wanted to let him go.
As his computer e3pertise grew, .ale
began making Internet connections all
over the world.
.e was one of the new breed of
cberfreaks with E%mail friends in
ever nation, moving in and out
of seed electronic bulletin boards
and European chat groups. .e/d been
fired b two different
emploers for using their business
accounts to upload pornographic
photos to some of his friends.
* * *
'(hat are you doing here)+ .ale
demanded, stopping in the doorwa
and staring at -usan.
.e/d obviousl e3pected to have
7ode F to himself toda.
-usan forced herself to sta cool. 'It/s
-aturda, 6reg. I could ask ou the
same ;uestion.+
!ut -usan knew what .ale was doing
there. .e was the consummate
computer addict. &espite the
-aturda rule, he often slipped into
1rpto on weekends to use the 7-A/s
unrivalled computing
power to run new programs he was
working on.
'?ust wanted to re%tweak a few lines
and check m E%mail,+ .ale said. .e
eed her curiousl.
'(hat was it ou said you /re doing
here)+
'I didn/t,+ -usan replied.
.ale arched a surprised eebrow. '7o
reason to be co. (e have no secrets
here in 7ode F,
remember) All for one and one for
all.+
-usan sipped her lemon mist and
ignored him. .ale shrugged and
strode toward the 7ode F
pantr. The pantr was alwas his
first stop. As .ale crossed the room,
he sighed heavil and made
a point of ogling -usan/s legs
stretched out beneath her terminal.
-usan, without looking up,
retracted her legs and kept working.
.ale smirked.
-usan had gotten used to .ale hitting
on her. .is favorite line was
something about
interfacing to check the compatibilit
of their hardware. It turned -usan/s
stomach. -he was too
proud to complain to -trathmore
about .ale; it was far easier 0ust to
ignore him.
.ale approached the 7ode F pantr
and pulled open the lattice doors like
a bull. .e slid a
Tupperware container of tofu out of
the fridge and popped a few pieces of
the gelatinous white
substance in his mouth. Then he
leaned on the stove and smoothed his
gra !ellvienne slacks and
well%starched shirt. '4ou gonna be
here long)+
'All night,+ -usan said flatl.
'.mm5+ .alite cooed with his
mouth full. 'A coz -aturda in the
Plapen, 0ust the two of
us.+
'?ust the three of us,+ -usan
inter0ected. '1ommander
-trathmore/s upstairs. 4ou might
want
to disappear before he sees ou.+
.ale shrugged. '.e doesn/t seem to
mind you here. .e must reall en0o
our compan.+
-usan forced herself to keep silent.
.ale chuckled to himself and put
awa his tofu. Then he grabbed a
;uart of virgin olive oil
and took a few swigs. .e was a health
fiend and claimed olive oil cleaned
out his lower intestine.
(hen he wasn/t pushing carrot 0uice
on the rest of the staff, he was
preaching the virtues of high
colonics.
.ale replaced the olive oil and went
to down his computer directl
opposite -usan. Even
across the wide ring of terminals,
-usan could smell his cologne. -he
crinkled her nose.
'7ice cologne, 6reg. Dse the entire
bottle)
.ale flicked on his terminal. '#nl
for ou, dear.+
As he sat there waiting for his
terminal to warm up, -usan had a
sudden unsettling thought.
(hat if .ale accessed T<A7-,T</s
<un%*onitor) There was no logical
reason wh he would,
but nonetheless -usan knew he would
never fall for some half%baked stor
about a diagnostic that
stumped T<A7-,T< for si3teen
hours. .ale would demand to know
the truth. The truth was
something -usan had no intention of
telling him. -he did not trust 6reg
.ale. .e was not 7-A
material. -usan had been against
hiring him in the first place, but the
7-A had had no choice. .ale
had been the product of damage
control.
The -kip0ack fiasco.
$our ears ago, in an effort to create a
single, public%ke encrption
standard, 1ongress
charged the nation/s best
mathematicians, those at the 7-A, to
write a new super algorithm. The
plan was for 1ongress to pass
legislation that made the new
algorithm the nation/s standard, thus
alleviating the incompatibilities now
suffered b corporations that used
different algorithms.
#f course, asking the 7-A to lend a
hand in improving public%ke
encrption was somewhat
akin to asking a condemned man to
build his own coffin. T<A7-,T<
had not et been conceived,
and an encrption standard would
onl help to proliferate the use of
code%writing and make the
7-A/s alread difficult 0ob that much
harder.
The E$$ understood this conflict of
interest and lobbied vehementl that
the 7-A might
create an algorithm of poor ;ualit"
something it could break. To appease
these fears, 1ongress
announced that when the 7-A/s
algorithm was finished, the formula
would be published for
e3amination b the world/s
mathematicians to ensure its ;ualit.
<eluctantl, the 7-A/s 1rpto team,
led b 1ommander -trathmore,
created an algorithm
the christened -kip0ack. -kip0ack
was presented to 1ongress for their
approval. *athematicians
from all over the world tested
-kip0ack and were unanimousl
impressed. The reported that it was
a strong, untainted algorithm and
would make a superb encrption
standard. !ut three das before
1ongress was to vote their certain
approval of -kip0ack, a oung
programmer from !ell
,aboratories, 6reg .ale, shocked the
world b announcing he/d found a
back door hidden in the
algorithm.
The back door consisted of a few lines
of cunning programming that
1ommander -trathmore
had inserted into the algorithm. It had
been added in so shrewd a wa that
nobod, e3cept 6reg
.ale, had seen it. -trathmore/s covert
addition, in effect, meant that an
code written b -kip0ack
could be decrpted via a secret
password known onl to the 7-A.
-trathmore had come within
inches of turning the nation/s
proposed encrption standard into the
biggest intelligence coup the
7-A had ever seen; the 7-A would
have held the master ke to ever
code written in America.
The computer%savv public was
outraged. The E$$ descended on the
scandal like vultures,
ripping 1ongress to shreds for their
naYvetO and proclaiming the 7-A the
biggest threat to the free
world since .itler. The encrption
standard was dead.
It had come as little surprise when the
7-A hired 6reg .ale two das later.
-trathmore felt it
was better to have him on the inside
working for the 7-A than on the
outside working against it.
-trathmore faced the -kip0ack scandal
head%on. .e defended his actions
vehementl to
1ongress. .e argued that the public/s
craving for privac would come back
to haunt them. .e
insisted the public needed someone to
watch over them; the public needed
the 7-A to break codes
in order to keep the peace. 6roups
like the E$$ felt differentl. And
the/d been fighting him ever
since.
Chapter 2)
&avid !ecker stood in a phone booth
across the street from ,a 1lUnica de
-alud PXblica; he/d
0ust been e0ected for harassing patient
number @9L, *onsieur 1loucharde.
Things were suddenl more
complicated than he/d anticipated. .is
little favor to -trathmore"
picking up some personal belongings"
had turned into a scavenger hunt for
some bizarre ring.
.e/d 0ust called -trathmore and told
him about the 6erman tourist. The
news had not been
received well. After demanding the
specifics, -trathmore had fallen silent
for a long time. '&avid,+
he had finall said ver gravel,
'finding that ring is a matter of
national securit. I/m leaving it in
our hands. &on/t fail me.+ The
phone had gone dead.
&avid stood in the phone booth and
sighed. .e picked up the tattered 6uUa
TelefSnica and
began scanning the ellow pages.
'.ere goes nothing,+ he muttered to
himself.
There were onl three listings for
Escort -ervices in the director, and
he didn/t have much to
go on. All he knew was that the
6erman/s date had red hair, which
convenientl was rare in -pain.
The delirious 1loucharde had recalled
the escort/s name as &ewdrop. !ecker
cringed"&ewdrop) It
sounded more like a cow than a
beautiful girl. 7ot a good 1atholic
name at all; 1loucharde must
have been mistaken.
!ecker dialed the first number.
* * *
'-ervicio -ocial de -evilla,+ a
pleasant female voice answered.
!ecker affected his -panish with a
thick 6erman accent. '.ola, Rhablas
Aleman)+
'7o. !ut I speak English+ came the
repl.
!ecker continued in broken English.
'Thank ou. I wondering if ou to
help me)+
'.ow can we be of service)+ The
woman spoke slowl in an effort to
aid her potential client.
'Perhaps ou would like an escort)+
'4es, please. Toda m brother,
Glaus, he has girl, ver beautiful. <ed
hair. I want same. $or
tomorrow, please.+
'4our brother Glaus comes here)+
The voice was suddenl effervescent,
like the were old
friends.
'4es. .e ver fat. 4ou remember
him, no)+
'.e was here toda, ou sa)+
!ecker could hear her checking the
books. There would be no Glaus
listed, but !ecker figured
clients seldom used their real names.
'.mm, I/m sorr,+ she apologized. 'I
don/t see him here. (hat was the
girl/s name our
brother was with)+
'.ad red hair,+ !ecker said, avoiding
the ;uestion.
'<ed hair)+ she repeated. There was a
pause. 'This is -ervicio -ocial de
-evilla. Are ou sure
our brother comes here)+
'-ure, es.+
'-eWor, we have no redheads. (e
have onl pure Andalusian beauties.+
'<ed hair,+ !ecker repeated, feeling
stupid.
'I/m sorr, we have no redheads at
all, but if ou"+
'7ame is &ewdrop,+ !ecker blurted,
feeling even stupider.
The ridiculous name apparentl meant
nothing to the woman. -he
apologized, suggested
!ecker was confusing her with
another agenc, and politel hung up.
-trike one.
* * *
!ecker frowned and dialed the ne3t
number. It connected immediatel.
'!uenas noches, *u0eres EspaWa.
*a I help ou)+
!ecker launched into his same spiel, a
6erman tourist who was willing to
pa top dollar for
the red%haired girl who was out with
his brother toda.
This time the response was in polite
6erman, but again no redheads.
'Geine <otkZpfe, I/m
sorr.+ The woman hung up.
-trike two.
!ecker looked down at the phone
book. There was onl one number
left. The end of the rope
alread.
.e dialed.
* * *
'Escortes !elOn,+ a man answered in
a ver slick tone.
Again !ecker told his stor.
'-U, sU, seWor. * name is -eWor
<oldTn. I would be pleased to help.
(e have two redheads.
,ovel girls.+
!ecker/s heart leapt. ':er
beautiful)+ he repeated in his 6erman
accent. '<ed hair)+
'4es, what is our brother/s name) I
will tell ou who was his escort toda.
And we can send
her to ou tomorrow.+
'Glaus -chmidt.+ !ecker blurted a
name recalled from an old te3tbook.
A long pause. '(ell, sir5 I don/t see
a Glaus -chmidt on our registr, but
perhaps our
brother chose to be discreet"perhaps a
wife at home)+ .e laughed
inappropriatel.
'4es, Glaus married. !ut he ver fat.
.is wife no lie with him.+ !ecker
rolled his ees at
himself reflected in the booth. 8f
Susan ou!d hear me no$, he thought.
'I fat and lonel too. I want
lie with her. Pa lots of mone.+
!ecker was giving an impressive
performance, but he/d gone too far.
Prostitution was illegal
in -pain, and -eWor <oldTn was a
careful man. .e/d been burned before
b 6uardia officials posing
as eager tourists. 8 $ant !ie $ith her.
<oldTn knew it was a setup. If he said
es, he would be heavil
fined and, as alwas, forced to
provide one of his most talented
escorts to the police commissioner
free of charge for an entire weekend.
(hen <oldTn spoke, his voice not
;uite as friendl. '-ir, this is Escortes
!elOn. *a I ask
who/s calling)+
'Aah5 -igmund -chmidt,+ !ecker
invented weakl.
'(here did ou get our number)+
',a 6uUa TelefSnica"ellow pages.+
'4es, sir, that/s because we are an
escort service.+
'4es. I want escort.+ !ecker sensed
something was wrong.
'-ir, Escortes !elOn is a service
providing escorts to businessmen for
luncheons and dinners.
This is wh we are listed in the phone
book. (hat we do is legal. (hat ou
are looking for is a
prostitute.7 The word slid off his
tongue like a vile disease.
'!ut m brother5+
'-ir, if our brother spent the da
kissing a girl in the park, she was not
one of ours. (e have
strict regulations about client%escort
contact.+
'!ut5+
'4ou have us confused with someone
else. (e onl have two redheads,
Inmaculada and
<ocUo, and neither would allow a man
to sleep with them for mone. That is
called prostitution, and
it is illegal in -pain. 6ood night, sir.+
'!ut"+
1,I1G.
!ecker swore under his breath and
dropped the phone back into its
cradle. -trike three. .e
was certain 1loucharde had said the
6erman had hired the girl for the
entire weekend.
* * *
!ecker stepped out of the phone
booth at the intersection of 1alle
-alado and Avenida
AsunciSn. &espite the traffic, the
sweet scent of -eville oranges hung
all around him. It was
twilight"the most romantic hour. .e
thought of -usan. -trathmore/s words
invaded his mindC Find
the ring. !ecker flopped miserabl on
a bench and pondered his ne3t move.
(hat move)
Chapter 2*
Inside the 1lUnica de -alud PXblica,
visiting hours were over. The
gmnasium lights had been
turned out. Pierre 1loucharde was fast
asleep. .e did not see the figure
hunched over him. The
needle of a stolen sringe glinted in
the dark. Then it disappeared into the
I: tube 0ust above
1loucharde/s wrist. The hpodermic
contained F9 cc of cleaning fluid
stolen from a 0anitor/s cart.
(ith great force, a strong thumb
rammed the plunger down and forced
the bluish li;uid into the old
man/s veins.
1loucharde was awake onl for a few
seconds. .e might have screamed in
pain had a strong
hand not been clamped across his
mouth. .e la trapped on his cot,
pinned beneath a seemingl
immovable weight. .e could feel the
pocket of fire searing its wa up his
arm. There was an
e3cruciating pain traveling through
his armpit, his chest, and then, like a
million shattering pieces of
glass, it hit his brain. 1loucharde saw
a brilliant flash of light5 and then
nothing.
The visitor released his grip and
peered through the darkness at the
name on the medical
chart. Then he slipped silentl out.
#n the street, the man in wire%rim
glasses reached to a tin device
attached to his belt. The
rectangular pack was about the size of
a credit card. It was a prototpe of the
new *onocle
computer. &eveloped b the D.-.
7av to help technicians record
batter voltages in cramped
;uarters on submarines, the miniature
computer packed a cellular modem
and the newest advances
in micro technolog. Its visual
monitor was a transparent li;uid
crstal displa, mounted in the left
lens of a pair of eeglasses. The
*onocle reflected a whole new age in
personal computing; the user
could now look through his data and
still interact with the world around
him.
The *onocle/s real coup, though, was
not its miniature displa but rather its
data entr
sstem. A user entered information
via tin contacts fi3ed to his
fingertips; touching the contacts
together in se;uence mimicked a
shorthand similar to court
stenograph. The computer would
then
translate the shorthand into English.
The killer pressed a tin switch, and
his glasses flickered to life. .is hands
inconspicuousl at
his sides, he began touching different
fingertips together in rapid
succession. A message appeared
before his ees.
-D!?E1TC P. 1,#D1.A<&E"
TE<*I7ATE&
.e smiled. Transmitting notification
of kills was part of his assignment.
!ut including
victim/s names5 that, to the man in
the wire%rim glasses, was elegance.
.is fingers flashed again,
and his cellular modem activated.
*E--A6E -E7T
Chapter 2+
-itting on the bench across from the
public clinic, !ecker wondered what
he was supposed to
do now. .is calls to the escort
agencies had turned up nothing. The
commander, uneas about
communication over unsecured public
phones, had asked &avid not to call
again until he had the
ring. !ecker considered going to the
local police for help"mabe the had
a record of a red%headed
hooker"but -trathmore had given
strict orders about that too. %ou are
in.isib!e. #o one is to &no$
this ring exists.
!ecker wondered if he was supposed
to wander the drugged%out district of
Triana in search of
this mster woman. #r mabe he
was supposed to check all the
restaurants for an obese 6erman.
Everthing seemed like a waste of
time.
-trathmore/s words kept coming
backC It/s a matter of national
securit5 ou must find that
ring.
A voice in the back of !ecker/s head
told him he/d missed something"
something crucial"but
for the life of him, he couldn/t think
what it would be. 8m a teaher, not a
damned seret agent4
.e was beginning to wonder wh
-trathmore hadn/t sent a professional.
!ecker stood up and walked aimlessl
down 1alle &elicias pondering his
options. The
cobblestone sidewalk blurred beneath
his gaze. 7ight was falling fast.
&ewdrop.
There was something about that
absurd name that nagged at the back
of his mind. De$drop.
The slick voice of -eWor <oldTn at
Escortes !elOn was on endless loop in
his head. 5(e on!y ha.e
t$o redheads T$o redheads,
8nmau!ada and >oAo >oAo
>oAo7
!ecker stopped short. .e suddenl
knew. And 8 a!! myse!f a !anguage
speia!ist6 .e
couldn/t believe he/d missed it.
<ocUo was one of the most popular
girl/s names in -pain. It carried all the
right implications
for a oung 1atholic girl"purit,
virginit, natural beaut. The
connotations of purit all stemmed
from the name/s literal meaning=
Drop of De$4
The old 1anadian/s voice rang in
!ecker/s ears. De$drop. <ocUo had
translated her name to
the onl language she and her client
had in common"English. E3cited,
!ecker hurried off to find a
phone.
Across the street, a man in wire%rim
glasses followed 0ust out of sight.
Chapter 2,
#n the 1rpto floor, the shadows
were growing long and faint.
#verhead, the automatic
lighting graduall increased to
compensate. -usan was still at her
terminal silentl awaiting news
from her tracer. It was taking longer
than e3pected.
.er mind had been wandering"
missing &avid and willing 6reg .ale
to go home. Although
.ale hadn/t budged, thankfull he/d
been silent, engrossed in whatever he
was doing at his
terminal. -usan couldn/t care less
what .ale was doing, as long as he
didn/t access the
<un%*onitor. .e obviousl hadn/t"
si3teen hours would have brought an
audible elp of disbelief.
-usan was sipping her third cup of tea
when it finall happened"her terminal
beeped once.
.er pulse ;uickened. A flashing
envelope icon appeared on her
monitor announcing the arrival of
E%mail. -usan shot a ;uick glance
toward .ale. .e was absorbed in his
work. -he held her breath
and double%clicked the envelope.
'7orth &akota,+ she whispered to
herself. ',et/s see who ou are.+
(hen the E%mail opened, it was a
single line. -usan read it. And then
she read it again.
&I77E< AT A,$<E&#/-) J P*)
Across the room, .ale muffled a
chuckle. -usan checked the message
header.
$<#*C 6.A,EQcrpto.nsa.gov
-usan felt a surge of anger but fought
it off. -he deleted the message. ':er
mature, 6reg.+
'The make a great carpaccio.+ .ale
smiled. '(hat do ou sa) Afterward
we could"+
'$orget it.+
'-nob.+ .ale sighed and turned back
to his terminal. That was strike
eight%nine with -usan
$letcher. The brilliant female
crptographer was a constant
frustration to him. .ale had often
fantasized about having se3 with her"
pinning her against T<A7-,T</s
curved hull and taking her
right there against the warm black tile.
!ut -usan would have nothing to do
with him. In .ale/s
mind, what made things worse was
that she was in love with some
universit teacher who slaved for
hours on end for peanuts. It would be
a pit for -usan to dilute her superior
gene pool procreating
with some geek"particularl when she
could have 6reg. (ed ha.e perfet
hi!dren, he thought.
'(hat are ou working on)+ .ale
asked, tring a different approach.
-usan said nothing.
'-ome team plaer you are. -ure I
can/t have a peek)+ .ale stood and
started moving around
the circle of terminals toward her.
-usan sensed that .ale/s curiosit had
the potential to cause some serious
problems toda.
-he made a snap decision. 'It/s a
diagnostic,+ she offered, falling back
on the commander/s lie.
.ale stopped in his tracks.
'&iagnostic)+ .e sounded doubtful.
'4ou/re spending -aturda
running a diagnostic instead of
plaing with the prof)+
'.is name is &avid.+
'(hatever.+
-usan glared at him. '.aven/t ou got
anthing better to do)+
'Are ou tring to get rid of me)+
.ale pouted.
'Actuall, es.+
'6ee, -ue, I/m hurt.+
-usan $letcher/s ees narrowed. -he
hated being called -ue. -he had
nothing against the
nickname, but .ale was the onl one
who/d ever used it.
'(h don/t I help ou)+ .ale
offered. .e was suddenl circling
toward her again. 'I/m great
with diagnostics. !esides, I/m ding
to see what diagnostic could make the
might -usan $letcher
come to work on a -aturda.+
-usan felt a surge of adrenaline. -he
glanced down at the tracer on her
screen. -he knew she
couldn/t let .ale see it"he/d have too
man ;uestions. 'I/ve got it covered,
6reg,+ she said.
!ut .ale kept coming. As he circled
toward her terminal, -usan knew she
had to act fast.
.ale was onl a few ards awa when
she made her move. -he stood to meet
his towering frame,
blocking his wa. .is cologne was
overpowering.
-he looked him straight in the ee. 'I
said no.+
.ale cocked his head, apparentl
intrigued b her odd displa of
secrec. .e plafull
stepped closer. 6reg .ale was not
read for what happened ne3t.
(ith unwavering cool, -usan pressed
a single inde3 finger against his rock%
hard chest,
stopping his forward motion.
.ale halted and stepped back in
shock. Apparentl -usan $letcher was
serious; she had ne.er
touched him before, ever. It wasn/t
;uite what .ale had had in mind for
their first contact, but it
was a start. .e gave her a long
puzzled look and slowl returned to
his terminal. As he sat back
down, one thing became perfectl
clearC The lovel -usan $letcher was
working on something
important, and it sure as hell wasn/t
an diagnostic.
Chapter 2-
-eWor <oldTn was sitting behind his
desk at Escortes !elOn congratulating
himself for deftl
sidestepping the 6uardia/s newest
pathetic attempt to trap him. .aving
an officer fake a 6erman
accent and re;uest a girl for the night"
it was entrapment; what would the
think of ne3t)
The phone on his desk buzzed loudl.
-eWor <oldTn scooped up the receiver
with a confident
flair. '!uenas noches, Escortes
!elOn.+
'!uenas noches,+ a man/s voice said
in lightning%fast -panish. .e sounded
nasal, like he had
a slight cold. 'Is this a hotel)+
'7o, sir. (hat number are ou
dialing)+ -eWor <oldTn was not going
to fall for an more
tricks this evening.
'FL%8=%@9,+ the voice said.
<oldTn frowned. The voice sounded
vaguel familiar. .e tried to place the
accent"!urgos,
mabe) '4ou/ve dialed the correct
number,+ <oldTn offered cautiousl,
'but this is an escort
service.+
There was a pause on the line. '#h5
I see. I/m sorr. -omebod wrote
down this number; I
thought it was a hotel. I/m visiting
here, from !urgos. * apologies for
disturbing ou. 6ood nigh"
+
'EspOre2 (ait2+ -eWor <oldTn
couldn/t help himself; he was a
salesman at heart. (as this a
referral) A new client from up north)
.e wasn/t going to let a little paranoia
blow a potential sale.
'* friend,+ <oldTn gushed into the
phone. 'I thought I recognized a bit of
a !urgos accent
on ou. I mself am from :alencia.
(hat brings ou to -eville)+
'I sell 0ewelr. *a0Srica pearls.+
'*a0Sricas, reeaall2 4ou must travel
;uite a bit.+
The voice coughed sickl. '(ell, es,
I do.+
'In -eville on business)+ <oldTn
pressed. There was no wa in hell this
gu was 6uardia; he
was a customer with a capital 1. ',et
me guess"a friend gave ou our
number) .e told ou to give
us a call. Am I right)+
The voice was obviousl
embarrassed. '(ell, no, actuall, it/s
nothing like that.+
'&on/t be sh, seWor. (e are an
escort service, nothing to be ashamed
of. ,ovel girls, dinner
dates, that is all. (ho gave ou our
number) Perhaps he is a regular. I can
give ou a special rate.+
The voice became flustered. 'Ah5
nobod actuall ga.e me this number.
I found it with a
passport. I/m tring to find the
owner.+
<oldTn/s heart sank. This man was
not a customer after all. '4ou found
the number, ou
sa)+
'4es, I found a man/s passport in the
park toda. 4our number was on a
scrap of paper inside.
I thought perhaps it was the man/s
hotel; I was hoping to return his
passport to him. * mistake.
I/ll 0ust drop it off at a police station
on m wa out of"+
'PerdSn,+ <oldTn interrupted
nervousl. '*ight I suggest a better
idea)+ <oldTn prided
himself on discretion, and visits to the
6uardia had a wa of making his
customers e3%customers.
'1onsider this,+ he offered. '!ecause
the man with the passport had our
number, he is most likel a
client here. Perhaps I could save ou a
trip to the police.+
The voice hesitated. 'I don/t know. I
should probabl 0ust"+
'&o not be too hast, m friend. I/m
ashamed to admit that the police here
in -eville are not
alwas as efficient as the police up
north. It could be days before this
man/s passport is returned to
him. If ou tell me his name, I could
see that he gets his passport
immediate!y.7
'4es, well5 I suppose there/s no
harm5+ -ome paper rustled, and the
voice returned. 'It/s a
6erman name. I can/t ;uite
pronounce it5 6usta5 6ustafson)+
<oldTn didn/t recognize the name, but
he had clients from all over the world.
The never left
their real names. '(hat does he look
like"in his photo) Perhaps I will
recognize him.+
'(ell5+ the voice said. '.is face is
ver, ver fat.+
<oldTn immediatel knew. .e
remembered the obese face well. It
was the man with <ocUo. It
was odd, he thought, to have two calls
about the 6erman in one night.
'*r. 6ustafson)+ <oldTn forced a
chuckle. '#f course2 I know him well.
If ou bring me his
passport, I/ll see he gets it.+
'I/m downtown without a car,+ the
voice interrupted. '*abe ou could
come to me)+
'Actuall,+ <oldTn hedged, 'I can/t
leave the phone. !ut it/s reall not
that far if ou"+
'I/m sorr, it/s late to be out
wandering about. There/s a 6uardia
precinct nearb. I/ll drop it
there, and when ou see *r.
6ustafson, ou can tell him where it
is.+
'7o, wait2+ <oldTn cried. 'The police
reall needn/t be involved. 4ou said
ou/re downtown,
right) &o ou know the Alfonso [III
.otel) It/s one of the cit/s finest.+
'4es,+ the voice said. 'I know the
Alfonso [III. It/s nearb.+
'(onderful2 *r. 6ustafson is a guest
there tonight. .e/s probabl there
now.+
The voice hesitated. 'I see. (ell,
then5 I suppose it would be no
trouble.+
'-uperb2 .e/s having dinner with one
of our escorts in the hotel restaurant.+
<oldTn knew
the were probabl in bed b now,
but he needed to be careful not to
offend the caller/s refined
sensibilities. '?ust leave the passport
with the concierge, his name is
*anuel. Tell him I sent ou.
Ask him to give it to <ocUo. <ocUo is
*r. 6ustafson/s date for the evening.
-he will see that the
passport is returned. 4ou might slip
our name and address inside"
perhaps *r. 6ustafson will send
ou a little thank ou.+
'A fine idea. The Alfonso [III. :er
well, I/ll take it over right now. Thank
ou for our
help.+
* * *
&avid !ecker hung up the phone.
'Alfonso [III.+ .e chuckled. '?ust
have to know how to
ask.+
*oments later a silent figure followed
!ecker up 1alle &eliciasinto the
softl settling
Andalusian night.
Chapter 2.
-till unnerved from her encounter
with .ale, -usan gazed out through
the one%wa glass of
7ode F. The 1rpto floor was empt.
.ale was silent again, engrossed. -he
wished he would leave.
-he wondered if she should call
-trathmore; the commander could
simpl kick .ale out"after
all, it $as -aturda. -usan knew,
however, that if .ale got kicked out,
he would immediatel
become suspicious. #nce dismissed,
he probabl would start calling other
crptographers asking
what the thought was going on.
-usan decided it was better 0ust to let
.ale be. .e would leave on
his own soon enough.
An unbrea&ab!e a!gorithm. -he
sighed, her thoughts returning to
&igital $ortress. It amazed
her that an algorithm like that could
reall be created"then again, the proof
was right there in front
of her; T<A7-,T< appeared useless
against it.
-usan thought of -trathmore, nobl
bearing the weight of this ordeal on
his shoulders, doing
what was necessar, staing cool in
the face of disaster.
-usan sometimes saw &avid in
-trathmore. The had man of the
same ;ualities"tenacit,
dedication, intelligence. -ometimes
-usan thought -trathmore would be
lost without her; the purit
of her love for crptograph seemed
to be an emotional lifeline to
-trathmore, lifting him from the
sea of churning politics and reminding
him of his earl das as a code%
breaker.
-usan relied on -trathmore too; he
was her shelter in a world of power%
hungr men, nurturing
her career, protecting her, and, as he
often 0oked, making all her dreams
come true. There was some
truth to that, she thought. As
unintentional as it ma have been, the
commander was the one who/d
made the call that brought &avid
!ecker to the 7-A that fateful
afternoon. .er mind reeled back to
him, and her ees fell instinctivel to
the pull%slide beside her keboard.
There was a small fa3
taped there.
The fa3 had been there for seven
months. It was the onl code -usan
$letcher had et to
break. It was from &avid. -he read it
for the five%hundredth time.
P,EA-E A11EPT T.I- .D*!,E
$A[
*4 ,#:E $#< 4#D I- (IT.#DT
(A[.
.e/d sent it to her after a minor tiff.
-he/d begged him for months to tell
her what it meant,
but he had refused. (ithout $ax. It
was &avid/s revenge. -usan had
taught &avid a lot about
code%breaking, and to keep him on his
toes, she had taken to encoding all of
her messages to him
with some simple encrption scheme.
-hopping lists, love notes"the were
all encrpted. It was a
game, and &avid had become ;uite a
good crptographer. Then he/d
decided to return the favor.
.e/d started signing all his letters
'(ithout wa3, &avid.+ -usan had
over two dozen notes from
&avid. The were all signed the same
wa. (ithout $ax.
-usan begged to know the hidden
meaning, but &avid wasn/t talking.
(henever she asked, he
simpl smiled and said, 5%oure the
code%breaker.+
The 7-A/s head crptographer had
tried everthing"substitutions, cipher
bo3es, even
anagrams. -he/d run the letters
'without wa3+ through her computer
and asked for rearrangements
of the letters into new phrases. All
she/d gotten back wasC ta3i hut wow.
It appeared Ensei Tankado
was not the onl one who could write
unbreakable codes.
.er thoughts were interrupted b the
sound of the pneumatic doors hissing
open. -trathmore
strode in.
'-usan, an word et)+ -trathmore
saw 6reg .ale and stopped short.
'(ell, good evening,
*r. .ale.+ .e frowned, his ees
narrowing. '#n a -aturda, no less.
To what do we owe the
honor)+
.ale smiled innocentl. '?ust making
sure I pull m weight.+
'I see.+ -trathmore grunted,
apparentl weighing his options. After
a moment, it seemed he
too decided not to rock .ale/s boat.
.e turned cooll to -usan. '*s.
$letcher, could I speak to ou
for a moment) )utside67
-usan hesitated. 'Ah5 es, sir.+ -he
shot an uneas glance at her monitor
and then across the
room at 6reg .ale. '?ust a minute.+
(ith a few ;uick kestrokes, she
pulled up a program called
-creen,ock. It was a privac
utilit. Ever terminal in 7ode F was
e;uipped with it. !ecause the
terminals staed on around the
clock, -creen,ock enabled
crptographers to leave their stations
and know that nobod would
tamper with their files. -usan entered
her five%character privac code, and
her screen went black. It
would remain that wa until she
returned and tped the proper
se;uence.
Then she slipped on her shoes and
followed the commander out.
* * *
'(hat the hell is he doing here)+
-trathmore demanded as soon as he
and -usan were outside
7ode F.
'.is usual,+ -usan replied.
'7othing.+
-trathmore looked concerned. '.as
he said anthing about T<A7-,T<)+
'7o. !ut if he accesses the <un%
*onitor and sees it registering
seventeen hours, he/ll have
something to sa all right.+
-trathmore considered it. 'There/s no
reason he/d access it.+
-usan eed the commander. '4ou
want to send him home)+
'7o. (e/ll let him be.+ -trathmore
glanced over at the -s%-ec office.
'.as 1hartrukian left
et)+
'I don/t know. I haven/t seen him.+
'?esus.+ -trathmore groaned. 'This is
a circus.+ .e ran a hand across the
beard stubble that
had darkened his face over the past
thirt%si3 hours. 'An word et on the
tracer) I feel like I/m
sitting on m hands up there.+
'7ot et. An word from &avid)+
-trathmore shook his head. 'I asked
him not to call me until he has the
ring.+
-usan looked surprised. '(h not)
(hat if he needs help)+
-trathmore shrugged. 'I can/t help
him from here"he/s on his own.
!esides, I/d rather not talk
on unsecured lines 0ust in case
someone/s listening.+
-usan/s ees widened in concern.
'(hat/s that supposed to mean)+
-trathmore immediatel looked
apologetic. .e gave her a reassuring
smile. '&avid/s fine. I/m
0ust being careful.+
* * *
Thirt feet awa from their
conversation, hidden behind the one%
wa glass of 7ode F, 6reg
.ale stood at -usan/s terminal. .er
screen was black. .ale glanced out at
the commander and
-usan. Then he reached for his wallet.
.e e3tracted a small inde3 card and
read it.
&ouble%checking that -trathmore and
-usan were still talking, .ale
carefull tped five
kestrokes on -usan/s keboard. A
second later her monitor sprang to
life.
'!ingo.+ .e chuckled.
-tealing the 7ode F privac codes had
been simple. In 7ode F, ever
terminal had an
identical detachable keboard. .ale
had simpl taken his keboard home
one night and installed a
chip that kept a record of ever
kestroke made on it. Then he had
come in earl, swapped his
modified keboard for someone
else/s, and waited. At the end of the
da, he switched back and
viewed the data recorded b the chip.
Even though there were millions of
kestrokes to sort
through, finding the access code was
simple; the first thing a crptographer
did ever morning was
tpe the privac code that unlocked
his terminal. This, of course, made
.ale/s 0ob effortless"the
privac code alwas appeared as the
first five characters on the list.
It was ironic, .ale thought as he
gazed at -usan/s monitor. .e/d stolen
the privac codes 0ust
for kicks. .e was happ now he/d
done it; the program on -usan/s
screen looked significant.
.ale puzzled over it for a moment. It
was written in ,I*!#"not one of his
specialties. ?ust
b looking at it, though, .ale could
tell one thing for certain"this was not
a diagnostic. .e could
make sense of onl two words. !ut
the were enough.
T<A1E< -EA<1.I765
'Tracer)+ he said aloud. '-earching
for $hat67 .ale felt suddenl uneas.
.e sat a moment
studing -usan/s screen. Then he
made his decision.
.ale understood enough about the
,I*!# programming language to
know that it borrowed
heavil from two other languages"1
and Pascal"both of which he knew
cold. 6lancing up to check
that -trathmore and -usan were still
talking outside, .ale improvised. .e
entered a few modified
Pascal commands and hit return. The
tracer/s status window responded
e3actl as he had hoped.
T<A1E< A!#<T)
.e ;uickl tpedC 4E-
A<E 4#D -D<E)
Again he tpedC 4E-
After a moment the computer beeped.
T<A1E< A!#<TE&
.ale smiled. The terminal had 0ust
sent a message telling -usan/s tracer
to self%destruct
prematurel. (hatever she was
looking for would have to wait.
*indful to leave no evidence, .ale
e3pertl navigated his wa into her
sstem activit log
and deleted all the commands he/d
0ust tped. Then he reentered -usan/s
privac code.
The monitor went black.
(hen -usan $letcher returned to
7ode F, 6reg .ale was seated ;uietl
at his terminal.
Chapter 3/
Alfonso [III was a small four%star
hotel set back from the Puerta de
?erez and surrounded b
a thick wrought%iron fence and lilacs.
&avid made his wa up the marble
stairs. As he reached for
the door, it magicall opened, and a
bellhop ushered him inside.
'!aggage, seWor) *a I help ou)+
'7o, thanks. I need to see the
concierge.+
The bellhop looked hurt, as if
something in their two%second
encounter had not been
satisfactor. 'Por a;uU, seWor.+ .e led
!ecker into the lobb, pointed to the
concierge, and hurried
off.
The lobb was e3;uisite, small and
elegantl appointed. -pain/s 6olden
Age had long since
passed, but for a while in the mid%
@899s, this small nation had ruled the
world. The room was a
proud reminder of that era"suits of
armor, militar etchings, and a displa
case of gold ingots from
the 7ew (orld.
.overing behind the counter marked
conser0e was a trim, well%groomed
man smiling so
eagerl that it appeared he/d waited
his entire life to be of assistance. 'En
;uO puedo servirle,
seWor) .ow ma I serve ou)+ .e
spoke with an affected lisp and ran his
ees up and down
!ecker/s bod.
!ecker responded in -panish. 'I need
to speak to *anuel.+
The man/s well%tanned face smiled
even wider. '-U, sU, seWor. I am
*anuel. (hat is it ou
desire)+
'-eWor <oldTn at Escortes !elOn told
me ou would"+
The concierge silenced !ecker with a
wave and glanced nervousl around
the lobb. '(h
don/t ou step over here)+ .e led
!ecker to the end of the counter.
'7ow,+ he continued,
practicall in a whisper. '.ow ma I
help ou)+
!ecker began again, lowering his
voice. 'I need to speak to one of his
escorts whom I believe
is dining here. .er name is <ocUo.+
The concierge let out his breath as
though overwhelmed. 'Aaah, <ocUo"a
beautiful creature.+
'I need to see her immediatel.+
'!ut, seWor, she is with a client.+
!ecker nodded apologeticall. 'It/s
important.+ A matter of nationa!
seurity.
The concierge shook his head.
'Impossible. Perhaps if ou left a"+
'It will onl take a moment. Is she in
the dining room)+
The concierge shook his head. '#ur
dining room closed half an hour ago.
I/m afraid <ocUo
and her guest have retired for the
evening. If ou/d like to leave me a
message, I can give it to her in
the morning.+ .e motioned to the
bank of numbered message bo3es
behind him.
'If I could 0ust call her room and"+
'I/m sorr,+ the concierge said, his
politeness evaporating. 'The Alfonso
[III has strict
policies regarding client privac.+
!ecker had no intention of waiting ten
hours for a fat man and a prostitute to
wander down for
breakfast.
'I understand,+ !ecker said. '-orr to
bother ou.+ .e turned and walked
back into the lobb.
.e strode directl to a cherr roll%top
desk that had caught his ee on his
wa in. It held a generous
suppl of Alfonso [III postcards and
stationer as well as pens and
envelopes. !ecker sealed a
blank piece of paper in an envelope
and wrote one word on the envelope.
"OC0O1
Then he went back to the concierge.
'I/m sorr to trouble ou again,+
!ecker said approaching sheepishl.
'I/m being a bit of a
fool, I know. I was hoping to tell
<ocUo personall how much I en0oed
our time together the other
da. !ut I/m leaving town tonight.
Perhaps I/ll 0ust leave her a note after
all.+ !ecker laid the
envelope on the counter.
The concierge looked down at the
envelope and clucked sadl to
himself. Another !o.esi&
heterosexua!, he thought. (hat a
$aste. .e looked up and smiled. '!ut
of course, *r. 5)+
'!uisTn,+ !ecker said. '*iguel
!uisTn.+
'#f course. I/ll be sure <ocUo gets this
in the morning.+
'Thank ou.+ !ecker smiled and
turned to go.
The concierge, after discreetl
checking out !ecker/s backside,
scooped up the envelope off
the counter and turned to the bank of
numbered slots on the wall behind
him. ?ust as the man
slipped the envelope into one of the
slots, !ecker spun with one final
in;uir.
'(here might I call a ta3i)+
The concierge turned from the wall of
cubbholes and answered. !ut !ecker
did not hear his
response. The timing had been
perfect. The concierge/s hand was 0ust
emerging from a bo3 marked
-uite F9@.
!ecker thanked the concierge and
slowl wandered off looking for the
elevator.
8n and out, he repeated to himself.
Chapter 31
-usan returned to 7ode F. .er
conversation with -trathmore had
made her increasingl
an3ious about &avid/s safet. .er
imagination was running wild.
'-o,+ .ale spouted from his terminal.
'(hat did -trathmore want) A
romantic evening alone
with his head crptographer)+
-usan ignored the comment and
settled in at her terminal. -he tped
her privac code and the
screen came to life. The tracer
program came into view; it still had
not returned an information on
7orth &akota.
&amn, -usan thought. (hat/s taking
so long)
'4ou seem uptight,+ .ale said
innocentl. '.aving trouble with our
diagnostic)+
'7othing serious,+ she replied. !ut
-usan wasn/t so sure. The tracer was
overdue. -he
wondered if mabe she/d made a
mistake while writing it. -he began
scanning the long lines of
,I*!# programming on her screen,
searching for anthing that could be
holding things up.
.ale observed her smugl. '.e, I
meant to ask ou,+ he ventured.
'(hat do ou make of
that unbreakable algorithm Ensei
Tankado said he was writing)+
-usan/s stomach did a flip. -he
looked up. 'Dnbreakable algorithm)+
-he caught herself.
'#h, eah5 I think I read something
about that.+
'Prett incredible claim.+
'4eah,+ -usan replied, wondering
wh .ale had suddenl brought it up.
'I don/t bu it,
though. Everone knows an
unbreakable algorithm is a
mathematical impossibilit.+
.ale smiled. '#h, eah5 the
!ergofsk Principle.+
'And common sense,+ she snapped.
'(ho knows5+ .ale sighed
dramaticall. 'There are more things
in heaven and earth than
are dreamt of in our philosoph.+
'I beg our pardon)+
'-hakespeare,+ .ale offered.
'<am!et.7
'<ead a lot while ou were in 0ail)+
.ale chuckled. '-eriousl, -usan, did
ou ever think that mabe it is
possible, that mabe
Tankado reall did write an
unbreakable algorithm)+
This conversation was making -usan
uneas. '(ell, $e couldn/t do it.+
'*abe Tankado/s better than we
are.+
'*abe.+ -usan shrugged, feigning
disinterest.
'(e corresponded for a while,+ .ale
offered casuall. 'Tankado and me.
&id ou know
that)+
-usan looked up, attempting to hide
her shock. '<eall)+
'4eah. After I uncovered the -kip0ack
algorithm, he wrote me"said we were
brothers in the
global fight for digital privac.+
-usan could barel contain her
disbelief. <a!e &no$s Tan&ado
persona!!y4 -he did her best to
look uninterested.
.ale went on. '.e congratulated me
for proving that -kip0ack had a back
door"called it a
coup for privac rights of civilians all
over the world. 4ou gotta admit,
-usan, the backdoor in
-kip0ack was an underhanded pla.
<eading the world/s E%mail) If ou
ask me, -trathmore
deser.ed to get caught.+
'6reg,+ -usan snapped, fighting her
anger, 'that back door was so the
7-A could decode
E%mail that threatened this nation/s
securit.+
'#h, reall)+ .ale sighed innocentl.
'And snooping the average citizen
was 0ust a luck
b%product)+
'(e don/t snoop average citizens,
and ou know it. The $!I can tap
telephones, but that
doesn/t mean the listen to e.ery call
that/s ever made.+
'If the had the manpower, the
would.+
-usan ignored the remark.
'6overnments should have the right
to gather information that
threatens the common good.+
'?esus 1hrist+".ale sighed"+ou
sound like ou/ve been brainwashed
b -trathmore. 4ou
know damn well the $!I can/t listen
in whenever the want"the/ve got to
get a warrant. A spiked
encrption standard would mean the
7-A could listen in to anyone,
anytime, any$here.7
'4ou/re right"as we shou!d be able
to2+ -usan/s voice was suddenl
harsh. 'If ou hadn/t
uncovered the back door in -kip0ack,
we/d have access to e.ery code we
need to break, instead of
0ust what T<A7-,T< can handle.+
'If I hadn/t found the back door,+
.ale argued, 'someone else would
have. I saved our asses
b uncovering it when I did. 1an ou
imagine the fallout if -kip0ack had
been in circulation when
the news broke)+
'Either wa,+ -usan shot back, 'now
we/ve got a paranoid E$$ who think
we put back doors
in a!! our algorithms.+
.ale asked smugl, '(ell, don/t we)+
-usan eed him coldl.
'.e,+ he said, backing off, 'the point
is moot now anwa. 4ou built
T<A7-,T<. 4ou/ve
got our instant information source.
4ou can read $hat ou want, $hen
ou want"no ;uestions
asked. 4ou win.+
'&on/t ou mean $e win) ,ast I
heard, ou worked for the 7-A.+
'7ot for long,+ .ale chirped.
'&on/t make promises.+
'I/m serious. -omeda I/m getting
out of here.+
'I/ll be crushed.+
In that moment, -usan found herself
wanting to curse .ale for everthing
that wasn/t going
right. -he wanted to curse him for
&igital $ortress, for her troubles with
&avid, for the fact that she
wasn/t in the -moks"but none of it
was his fault. .ale/s onl fault was
that he was obno3ious.
-usan needed to be the bigger person.
It was her responsibilit as head
crptographer to keep the
peace, to educate. .ale was oung
and n\ive.
-usan looked over at him. It was
frustrating, she thought, that .ale had
the talent to be an
asset in 1rpto, but he still hadn/t
grasped the importance of what the
7-A did.
'6reg,+ -usan said, her voice ;uiet
and controlled, 'I/m under a lot of
pressure toda. I 0ust
get upset when ou talk about the
7-A like we/re some kind of high%
tech peeping Tom. This
organization was founded for one
purpose"to protect the securit of this
nation. That ma involve
shaking a few trees and looking for
the bad apples from time to time. I
think most citizens would
gladl sacrifice some privac to know
that the bad gus can/t maneuver
unchecked.+
.ale said nothing.
'-ooner or later,+ -usan argued, 'the
people of this nation need to put their
trust somewhere.
There/s a lot of good out there"but
there/s also a lot of bad mi3ed in.
-omeone has to have access to
all of it and separate the right from
wrong. That/s our 0ob. That/s our
dut. (hether we like it or
not, there is a frail gate separating
democrac from anarch. The 7-A
guards that gate.+
.ale nodded thoughtfull. 'Buis
custodiet ipsos custodes)+
-usan looked puzzled.
'It/s ,atin,+ .ale said. '$rom Satires
of ?uvenal. It means E(ho will guard
the guards)/ '
'I don/t get it,+ -usan said. ' E(ho
will guard the guards)/ '
'4eah. If $ere the guards of societ,
then who will watch us and make sure
that $ere not
dangerous)+
-usan nodded, unsure how to respond.
.ale smiled. 'It/s how Tankado
signed all his letters to me. It was his
favorite saing.+
Chapter 32
&avid !ecker stood in the hallwa
outside suite F9@. .e knew that
somewhere behind the
ornatel carved door was the ring. A
matter of nationa! seurity.
!ecker could hear movement inside
the room. $aint talking. .e knocked.
A deep 6erman
accent called out.
'?a)+
!ecker remained silent.
'?a)+
The door opened a crack, and a rotund
6ermanic face gazed down at him.
!ecker smiled politel. .e did not
know the man/s name. '&eutscher,
0a)+ he asked.
'6erman, right)+
The man nodded, uncertain.
!ecker continued in perfect 6erman.
'*a I speak to ou a moment)+
The man looked uneas. '(as willst
du) (hat do ou want)+
!ecker realized he should have
rehearsed this before brazenl
knocking on a stranger/s door.
.e searched for the right words. '4ou
have something I need.+
These were apparentl not the right
words. The 6erman/s ees narrowed.
'Ein ring,+ !ecker said. '&u hast
einen <ing. 4ou have a ring.+
'6o awa,+ the 6erman growled. .e
started to close the door. (ithout
thinking, !ecker slid
his foot into the crack and 0ammed the
door open. .e immediatel regretted
the action.
The 6erman/s ees went wide. '(as
tust du)+ he demanded. '(hat are
ou doing)+
!ecker knew he was in over his head.
.e glanced nervousl up and down
the hall. .e/d
alread been thrown out of the clinic;
he had no intention of going two for
two.
'7imm deinen $u] weg2+ the 6erman
bellowed. '<emove our foot2+
!ecker scanned the man/s pudg
fingers for a ring. 7othing. 8m so
!ose, he thought. 'Ein
<ing2+ !ecker repeated as the door
slammed shut.
* * *
&avid !ecker stood a long moment in
the well%furnished hallwa. A replica
of a -alvador
&ali hung nearb. '$itting.+ !ecker
groaned. Surrea!ism. 8m trapped in
an absurd dream. .e/d
woken up that morning in his own bed
but had somehow ended up in -pain
breaking into a
stranger/s hotel room on a ;uest for
some magical ring.
-trathmore/s stern voice pulled him
back to realitC %ou must find that
ring.
!ecker took a deep breath and
blocked out the words. .e wanted to
go home. .e looked back
to the door marked F9@. .is ticket
home was 0ust on the other side"a
gold ring. All he had to do was
get it.
.e e3haled purposefull. Then he
strode back to suite F9@ and knocked
loudl on the door. It
was time to pla hardball.
* * *
The 6erman anked open the door
and was about to protest, but !ecker
cut him off. .e
flashed his *arland s;uash club I&
and barked, 'Polizei2+ Then !ecker
pushed his wa into the
room and threw on the lights.
(heeling, the 6erman s;uinted in
shock. '(as machst"+
'-ilence2+ !ecker switched to
English. '&o ou have a prostitute in
this room)+ !ecker
peered around the room. It was as
plush as an hotel room he/d ever
seen. <oses, champagne, a
huge canop bed. <ocUo was nowhere
to be seen. The bathroom door was
closed.
'Prostituiert)+ The 6erman glanced
uneasil at the closed bathroom door.
.e was larger than
!ecker had imagined. .is hair chest
began right under his triple chin and
sloped outward to his
colossal gut. The drawstring of his
white terr%cloth Alfonso [III
bathrobe barel reached around
his waist.
!ecker stared up at the giant with his
most intimidating look. '(hat is our
name)+
A look of panic rippled across the
6erman/s corpulent face. '(as willst
du) (hat do ou
want)+
'I am with the tourist relations branch
of the -panish 6uardia here in
-eville. &o ou have a
prostitute in this room)+
The 6erman glanced nervousl at the
bathroom door. .e hesitated. '?a,+ he
finall admitted.
'&o ou know this is illegal in
-pain)+
'7ein,+ the 6erman lied. 'I did not
know. I/ll send her home right now.+
'I/m afraid it/s too late for that,+
!ecker said with authorit. .e
strolled casuall into the
room. 'I have a proposition for ou.+
'Ein :orschlag)+ The 6erman
gasped. 'A proposition)+
'4es. I can take ou to head;uarters
right now5+ !ecker paused
dramaticall and cracked
his knuckles.
'#r what)+ the 6erman asked, his
ees widening in fear.
'#r we make a deal.+
'(hat kind of deal)+ The 6erman
had heard stories about the corruption
in the -panish
6uardia 1ivil.
'4ou have something I want,+ !ecker
said.
'4es, of course2+ the 6erman effused,
forcing a smile. .e went immediatel
to the wallet on
his dresser. '.ow much)+
!ecker let his 0aw drop in mock
indignation. 'Are ou tring to bribe
an officer of the law)+
he bellowed.
'7o2 #f course not2 I 0ust thought5+
The obese man ;uickl set down his
wallet. 'I5 I5+
.e was totall flustered. .e collapsed
on the corner of the bed and wrung
his hands. The bed
groaned under his weight. 'I/m
sorr.+
!ecker pulled a rose from the vase in
the center of the room and casuall
smelled it before
letting it fall to the floor. .e spun
suddenl. '(hat can ou tell me
about the murder)+
The 6erman went white. '*ord)
*urder)+
'4es. The Asian man this morning)
In the park) It was an assassination"
Ermordung.+ !ecker
loved the 6erman word for
assassination. Ermordung. It was so
chilling.
'Ermordung) .e5 he was5)+
'4es.+
'!ut5 but that/s impossible,+ the
6erman choked. 'I was there. .e had
a heart attack. I saw
it. 7o blood. 7o bullets.+
!ecker shook his head
condescendingl. 'Things are not
alwas as the seem.+
The 6erman went whiter still.
!ecker gave an inward smile. The lie
had served its purpose. The poor
6erman was sweating
profusel.
'(h%wh%at do ou want)+ he
stammered. 'I know nothing.+
!ecker began pacing. 'The murdered
man was wearing a gold ring. I need
it.+
'I%I don/t have it.+
!ecker sighed patronizingl and
motioned to the bathroom door. 'And
<ocUo) &ewdrop)+
The man went from white to purple.
'4ou know &ewdrop)+ .e wiped the
sweat from his
flesh forehead and drenched his
terr%cloth sleeve. .e was about to
speak when the bathroom door
swung open.
!oth men looked up.
<ocUo Eva 6ranada stood in the
doorwa. A vision. ,ong flowing red
hair, perfect Iberian
skin, deep%brown ees, a high smooth
forehead. -he wore a white terr%cloth
robe that matched the
6erman/s. The tie was drawn snugl
over her wide hips, and the neck fell
loosel open to reveal her
tanned cleavage. -he stepped into the
bedroom, the picture of confidence.
'*a I help ou)+ she asked in
throat English.
!ecker gazed across the room at the
stunning woman before him and did
not blink. 'I need
the ring,+ he said coldl.
'(ho are ou)+ she demanded.
!ecker switched to -panish with a
dead%on Andalusian accent. '6uardia
1ivil.+
-he laughed. 'Impossible,+ she
replied in -panish.
!ecker felt a knot rise in his throat.
<ocUo was clearl a little tougher than
her client.
'Impossible)+ he repeated, keeping
his cool. '-hall I take ou downtown
to prove it)+
<ocUo smirked. 'I will not embarrass
ou b accepting our offer. 7ow,
who are ou)+
!ecker stuck to his stor. 'I am with
the -eville 6uardia.+
<ocUo stepped menacingl toward
him. 'I know ever police officer on
the force. The are
m best clients.+
!ecker felt her stare cutting right
through him. .e regrouped. 'I am
with a special tourist task
force. 6ive me the ring, or I/ll have to
take ou down to the precinct and"+
'And what)+ she demanded, raising
her eebrows in mock anticipation.
!ecker fell silent. .e was in over his
head. The plan was backfiring. (hy
isnt she buying
this6
<ocUo came closer. 'I don/t know
who ou are or what ou want, but if
ou don/t get out of
this suite right now, I will call hotel
securit, and the rea! 6uardia will
arrest ou for impersonating
a police officer.+
!ecker knew that -trathmore could
have him out of 0ail in five minutes,
but it had been made
ver clear to him that this matter was
supposed to be handled discreetl.
6etting arrested was not
part of the plan.
<ocUo had stopped a few feet in front
of !ecker and was glaring at him.
'#ka.+ !ecker sighed, accentuating
the defeat in his voice. .e let his
-panish accent slip. 'I
am not with the -eville police. A D.-.
government organization sent me to
locate the ring. That/s all
I can reveal. I/ve been authorized to
pa ou for it.+
There was a long silence.
<ocUo let his statement hang in the air
a moment before parting her lips in a
sl smile. '7ow
that wasn/t so hard, was it)+ -he sat
down on a chair and crossed her legs.
'.ow much can ou
pa)+
!ecker muffled his sigh of relief. .e
wasted no time getting down to
business. 'I can pa ou
A>9,999 pesetas. $ive thousand
American dollars.+ It was half what
he had on him but probabl ten
times what the ring was actuall
worth.
<ocUo raised her eebrows. 'That/s a
lot of mone.+
'4es it is. &o we have a deal)+
<ocUo shook her head. 'I wish I could
sa es.+
'A million pesetas)+ !ecker blurted.
'It/s all I have.+
'*, m.+ -he smiled. '4ou
Americans don/t bargain ver well.
4ou wouldn/t last a da in
our markets.+
'1ash, right now,+ !ecker said,
reaching for the envelope in his
0acket. 8 ?ust $ant to go
home.
<ocUo shook her head. 'I can/t.+
!ecker bristled angril. '(h not)+
'I no longer have the ring,+ she said
apologeticall. 'I/ve alread sold it.+
Chapter 33
Tokugen 7umataka stared out his
window and paced like a caged
animal. .e had not et
heard from his contact, 7orth &akota.
Damn Amerians4 #o sense of
puntua!ity4
.e would have called 7orth &akota
himself, but he didn/t have a phone
number for him.
7umataka hated doing business this
wa"with someone else in control.
The thought had crossed 7umataka/s
mind from the beginning that the calls
from 7orth
&akota could be a hoa3"a ?apanese
competitor plaing him for the fool.
7ow the old doubts were
coming back. 7umataka decided he
needed more information.
.e burst from his office and took a
left down 7umatech/s main hallwa.
.is emploees
bowed reverentl as he stormed past.
7umataka knew better than to believe
the actuall loved
him"bowing was a courtes ?apanese
emploees offered even the most
ruthless of bosses.
7umataka went directl to the
compan/s main switchboard. All
calls were handled b a
single operator on a 1orenco =999,
twelve%line switchboard terminal. The
woman was bus but
stood and bowed as 7umataka
entered.
'-it down,+ he snapped.
-he obeed.
'I received a call at four fort%five on
m personal line toda. 1an ou tell
me where it came
from)+ 7umataka kicked himself for
not having done this earlier.
The operator swallowed nervousl.
'(e don/t have caller identification
on this machine, sir.
!ut I can contact the phone compan.
I/m sure the can help.+
7umataka had no doubt the phone
compan could help. In this digital
age, privac had
become a thing of the past; there was
a record of everthing. Phone
companies could tell ou
e3actl who had called ou and how
long ou/d spoken.
'&o it,+ he commanded. ',et me
know what ou find out.+
Chapter 3)
-usan sat alone in 7ode F, waiting for
her tracer. .ale had decided to step
outside and get
some air"a decision for which she
was grateful. #ddl, however, the
solitude in 7ode F provided
little aslum. -usan found herself
struggling with the new connection
between Tankado and .ale.
'(ho will guard the guards)+ she
said to herself. Buis ustodiet ipsos
ustodes. The words
kept circling in her head. -usan forced
them from her mind.
.er thoughts turned to &avid, hoping
he was all right. -he still found it hard
to believe he was
in -pain. The sooner the found the
pass%kes and ended this, the better.
-usan had lost track of how long
she/d been sitting there waiting for
her tracer. Two hours)
Three) -he gazed out at the deserted
1rpto floor and wished her terminal
would beep. There was
onl silence. The late%summer sun
had set. #verhead, the automatic
fluorescents had kicked on.
-usan sensed time was running out.
-he looked down at her tracer and
frowned. '1ome on,+ she grumbled.
'4ou/ve had plent of
time.+ -he palmed her mouse and
clicked her wa into her tracer/s
status window. '.ow long have
ou been running, anwa)+
-usan opened the tracer/s status
window"a digital clock much like the
one on T<A7-,T<; it
displaed the hours and minutes her
tracer had been running. -usan gazed
at the monitor e3pecting
to see a readout of hours and minutes.
!ut she saw something else entirel.
(hat she saw stopped
the blood in her veins.
T<A1E< A!#<TE&
'Tracer aborted2+ she choked aloud.
'(h)+
In a sudden panic, -usan scrolled
wildl through the data, searching the
programming for an
commands that might have told the
tracer to abort. !ut her search went in
vain. It appeared her
tracer had stopped all b itself. -usan
knew this could mean onl one thing"
her tracer had
developed a bug.
-usan considered 'bugs+ the most
maddening asset of computer
programming. !ecause
computers followed a scrupulousl
precise order of operations, the most
minuscule programming
errors often had crippling effects.
-imple sntactical errors"such as a
programmer mistakenl
inserting a comma instead of a
period"could bring entire sstems to
their knees. -usan had alwas
thought the term 'bug+ had an
amusing originC
It came from the world/s first
computer"the *ark @"a room%size
maze of electromechanical
circuits built in @KLL in a lab at
.arvard Dniversit. The computer
developed a glitch one da, and
no one was able to locate the cause.
After hours of searching, a lab
assistant finall spotted the
problem. It seemed a moth had landed
on one of the computer/s circuit
boards and shorted it out.
$rom that moment on, computer
glitches were referred to as bugs.
'I don/t have time for this,+ -usan
cursed.
$inding a bug in a program was a
process that could take das.
Thousands of lines of
programming needed to be searched
to find a tin error"it was like
inspecting an encclopedia for a
single tpo.
-usan knew she had onl one choice"
to send her tracer again. -he also
knew the tracer was
almost guaranteed to hit the same bug
and abort all over again. &ebugging
the tracer would take
time, time she and the commander
didn/t have.
!ut as -usan stared at her tracer,
wondering what error she/d made, she
realized something
didn/t make sense. -he had used this
e3act same tracer last month with no
problems at all. (h
would it develop a glitch all of a
sudden)
As she puzzled, a comment
-trathmore made earlier echoed in her
mind. -usan, I tried to send
the tracer mself, but the data it
returned was nonsensical.
-usan heard the words again. The
data it returned
-he cocked her head. (as it possible)
The data it returned)
If -trathmore had received data back
from the tracer, then it obviousl was
working. .is data
was nonsensical, -usan assumed,
because he had entered the wrong
search strings"but nonetheless,
the tracer was working.
-usan immediatel realized that there
was one other possible e3planation for
wh her tracer
aborted. Internal programming flaws
were not the onl reasons programs
glitched; sometimes there
were externa! forces"power surges,
dust particles on circuit boards, fault
cabling. !ecause the
hardware in 7ode F was so well
tuned, she hadn/t even considered it.
-usan stood and strode ;uickl across
7ode F to a large bookshelf of
technical manuals. -he
grabbed a spiral binder marked -4-%
#P and thumbed through. -he found
what she was looking for,
carried the manual back to her
terminal, and tped a few commands.
Then she waited while the
computer raced through a list of
commands e3ecuted in the past three
hours. -he hoped the search
would turn up some sort of e3ternal
interrupt"an abort command
generated b a fault power
suppl or defective chip.
*oments later -usan/s terminal
beeped. .er pulse ;uickened. -he
held her breath and studied
the screen.
E<<#< 1#&E ==
-usan felt a surge of hope. It was
good news. The fact that the in;uir
had found an error code
meant her tracer was fine. The trace
had apparentl aborted due to an
e3ternal anomal that was
unlikel to repeat itself.
Error code ==. -usan racked her
memor tring to remember what
code == stood for.
.ardware failures were so rare in
7ode F that she couldn/t remember
the numerical codings.
-usan flipped through the -4-%#P
manual, scanning the list of error
codes.
@KC 1#<<DPT .A<& PA<TITI#7
=9C &1 -PIGE
=@C *E&IA $AI,D<E
(hen she reached number ==, she
stopped and stared a long moment.
!affled, she
double%checked her monitor.
E<<#< 1#&E ==
-usan frowned and returned to the
-4-%#P manual. (hat she saw made
no sense. The
e3planation simpl readC
==C *A7DA, A!#<T
Chapter 3*
!ecker stared in shock at <ocUo. '4ou
so!d the ring)+
The woman nodded, her silk red hair
falling around her shoulders.
!ecker willed it not to be true.
'Pero5 but5+
-he shrugged and said in -panish, 'A
girl near the park.+
!ecker felt his legs go weak. This
ant be4
<ocUo smiled col and motioned to
the 6erman. '^l ;uerUa ;ue lo
guardara. .e wanted to
keep it, but I told him no. I/ve got
6itana blood in me, 6ps blood; we
6itanas, in addition to
having red hair, are ver superstitious.
A ring offered b a ding man is not a
good sign.+
'&id ou know the girl)+ !ecker
interrogated.
<ocUo arched her eebrows. ':aa.
4ou reall want this ring, don/t ou)+
!ecker nodded sternl. '(ho did ou
sell it to)+
The enormous 6erman sat bewildered
on the bed. .is romantic evening was
being ruined,
and he apparentl had no idea wh.
'(as passiert)+ he asked nervousl.
'(hat/s happening)+
!ecker ignored him.
'I didn/t actuall sell it,+ <ocUo said.
'I tried to, but she was 0ust a kid and
had no mone. I
ended up giving it to her. .ad I
known about our generous offer, I
would have saved it for ou.+
'(h did ou leave the park)+
!ecker demanded. '-omebod had
died. (h didn/t ou wait
for the police) And give them the
ring)+
'I solicit man things, *r. !ecker,
but troub!e is not one of them.
!esides, that old man
seemed to have things under control.+
'The 1anadian)+
'4es, he called the ambulance. (e
decided to leave. I saw no reason to
involve m date or
mself with the police.+
!ecker nodded absentl. .e was still
tring to accept this cruel twist of
fate. She ga.e the
damn thing a$ay4
'I tried to help the ding man,+ <ocUo
e3plained. '!ut he didn/t seem to
want it. .e started
with the ring"kept pushing it in our
faces. .e had these three crippled
fingers sticking up. .e kept
pushing his hand at us"like we were
supposed to take the ring. I didn/t
want to, but m friend here
finall did. Then the gu died.+
'And ou tried 1P<)+ !ecker
guessed.
'7o. (e didn/t touch him. * friend
got scared. .e/s big, but he/s a
wimp.+ -he smiled
seductivel at !ecker. '&on/t worr"
he can/t speak a word of -panish.+
!ecker frowned. .e was wondering
again about the bruises on Tankado/s
chest. '&id the
paramedics give 1P<)+
'I have no idea. As I told ou, we left
before the arrived.+
'4ou mean after ou sto!e the ring.+
!ecker scowled.
<ocUo glared at him. '(e did not steal
the ring. The man was ding. .is
intentions were clear.
(e gave him his last wish.+
!ecker softened. <ocUo was right; he
probabl would have done the same
damn thing. '!ut
then ou gave the ring to some girl)+
'I told ou. The ring made me
nervous. The girl had lots of 0ewelr
on. I thought she might
like it.+
'And she didn/t think it was strange)
That ou/d 0ust gi.e her a ring)+
'7o. I told her I found it in the park. I
thought she might offer to pa me for
it, but she didn/t.
I didn/t care. I 0ust wanted to get rid
of it.+
'(hen did ou give it to her)+
<ocUo shrugged. 'This afternoon.
About an hour after I got it.+
!ecker checked his watchC @@CLJ p.m.
The trail was eight hours old. (hat
the he!! am 8 doing
here6 8m supposed to be in the
Smo&ys. .e sighed and asked the onl
;uestion he could think of.
'(hat did the girl look like)+
'Era un punki,+ <ocUo replied.
!ecker looked up, puzzled. 'Dn
punki)+
'-U. Punki.+
'A punk)+
'4es, a punk,+ she said in rough
English, and then immediatel
switched back to -panish.
'*ucha 0oerUa. ,ots of 0ewelr. A
weird pendant in one ear. A skull, I
think.+
'There are punk rockers in -eville)+
<ocUo smiled. 'Todo ba0o el sol.
Everthing under the sun.+ It was the
motto of -eville/s
Tourism !ureau.
'&id she give ou her name)+
'7o.+
'&id she sa where she was going)+
'7o. .er -panish was poor.+
'-he wasn/t -panish)+ !ecker asked.
'7o. -he was English, I think. -he
had wild hair"red, white, and blue.+
!ecker winced at the bizarre image.
'*abe she was American,+ he
offered.
'I don/t think so,+ <ocUo said. '-he
was wearing a T%shirt that looked like
the !ritish flag.+
!ecker nodded dumbl. '#ka. <ed,
white, and blue hair, a !ritish flag T%
shirt, a skull
pendant in her ear. (hat else)+
'7othing. ?ust our average punk.+
A.erage pun&6 !ecker was from a
world of collegiate sweatshirts and
conservative haircuts"
he couldn/t even picture what the
woman was talking about. '1an ou
think of anthing else at
all)+ he pressed.
<ocUo thought a moment. '7o. That/s
it.+
?ust then the bed creaked loudl.
<ocUo/s client shifted his weight
uncomfortabl. !ecker
turned to him and spoke influent
6erman. '7och et was) Anthing
else) Anthing to help me find
the punk rocker with the ring)+
There was a long silence. It was as if
the giant man had something he
wanted to sa, but he
wasn/t sure how to sa it. .is lower
lip ;uivered momentaril, there was a
pause, and then he
spoke. The four words that came out
were definitel English, but the were
barel intelligible
beneath his thick 6erman accent.
'$ock off und die.+
!ecker gaped in shock. 'I beg our
pardon)
'$ock off und die,+ the man repeated,
patting his left palm against his flesh
right forearm"a
crude appro3imation of the Italian
gesture for 'fuck ou.+
!ecker was too drained to be
offended. Fu& off and die6 (hat
happened to Das (imp6 .e
turned back to <ocUo and spoke in
-panish. '-ounds like I/ve overstaed
m welcome.+
'&on/t worr about him.+ -he
laughed. '.e/s 0ust a little frustrated.
.e/ll get what/s coming
to him.+ -he tossed her hair and
winked.
'Is there anthing else)+ !ecker
asked. 'Anthing ou can tell me that
might help)+
<ocUo shook her head. 'That/s all. !ut
ou/ll never find her. -eville is a big
cit"it can be
ver deceptive.+
'I/ll do the best I can.+ It/s a matter of
national securit5
'If ou have no luck,+ <ocUo said,
eeing the bulging envelope in
!ecker/s pocket, 'please
stop back. * friend will be sleeping,
no doubt. Gnock ;uietl. I/ll find us
an e3tra room. 4ou/ll
see a side of -pain ou/ll never
forget.+ -he pouted lusciousl.
!ecker forced a polite smile. 'I
should be going.+ .e apologized to
the 6erman for
interrupting his evening.
The giant smiled timidl. 'Geine
Drsache.+
!ecker headed out the door. 7o
problem) (hatever happened to
'$uck off and die+)
Chapter 3+
'*anual abort)+ -usan stared at her
screen, mstified.
-he knew she hadn/t tped an
manual abort command"at least not
intentionall. -he
wondered if mabe she/d hit the
wrong se;uence of kes b mistake.
'Impossible,+ she muttered.
According to the headers, the abort
command had been sent less
than twent minutes ago. -usan knew
the onl thing she/d tped in the last
twent minutes washer
privac code when she/d stepped out
to talk to the commander. It was
absurd to think the privac
code could have been misinterpreted
as an abort command.
Gnowing it was a waste of time,
-usan pulled up her -creen,ock log
and double%checked that
her privac code had been entered
properl. -ure enough, it had.
'Then $here,7 she demanded angril,
'where did it get a manua! abort)+
-usan scowled and closed the
-creen,ock window. Dne3pectedl,
however, in the split
second as the window blipped awa,
something caught her ee. -he
reopened the window and
studied the data. It made no sense.
There was a proper 'locking+ entr
when she/d left 7ode F, but
the timing of the subse;uent 'unlock+
entr seemed strange. The two entries
were less than one
minute apart. -usan was certain she/d
been outside with the commander for
more than one minute.
-usan scrolled down the page. (hat
she saw left her aghast. <egistering
three minutes later, a
seond set of lock%unlock entries
appeared. According to the log,
someone had unlocked her
terminal while she was gone.
'7ot possible2+ she choked. The onl
candidate was 6reg .ale, and -usan
was ;uite certain
she/d never given .ale her privac
code. $ollowing good crptographic
procedure, -usan had
chosen her code at random and never
written it down; .ale/s guessing the
correct five%character
alphanumeric was out of the
;uestion"it was thirt%si3 to the fifth
power, over si3t million
possibilities.
!ut the -creen,ock entries were as
clear as da. -usan stared at them in
wonder. .ale had
somehow been on her terminal while
she was gone. .e had sent her tracer a
manual abort
command.
The ;uestions of ho$ ;uickl gave
wa to ;uestions of $hy6 .ale had no
motive to break
into her terminal. .e didn/t even
know -usan was running a tracer.
Even if he did know, -usan
thought, wh would he ob0ect to her
tracking some gu named 7orth
&akota)
The unanswered ;uestions seemed to
be multipling in her head. '$irst
things first,+ she said
aloud. -he would deal with .ale in a
moment. $ocusing on the matter at
hand, -usan reloaded her
tracer and hit the enter ke. .er
terminal beeped once.
T<A1E< -E7T
-usan knew the tracer would take
hours to return. -he cursed .ale,
wondering how in the
world he/d gotten her privac code,
wondering what interest he had in her
tracer.
-usan stood up and strode
immediatel for .ale/s terminal. The
screen was black, but she
could tell it was not locked"the
monitor was glowing faintl around
the edges. 1rptographers
seldom locked their terminals e3cept
when the left 7ode F for the night.
Instead, the simpl
dimmed the brightness on their
monitors"a universal, honor%code
indication that no one should
disturb the terminal.
-usan reached for .ale/s terminal.
'-crew the honor code,+ she said.
'(hat the hell are ou
up to)+
Throwing a ;uick glance out at the
deserted 1rpto floor, -usan turned
up .ale/s brightness
controls. The monitor came into
focus, but the screen was entirel
empt. -usan frowned at the
blank screen. Dncertain how to
proceed, she called up a search engine
and tpedC
-EA<1. $#<C 'T<A1E<+
It was a long shot, but if there were
an references to -usan/s tracer in
.ale/s computer, this
search would find them. It might shed
some light on wh .ale had manuall
aborted her program.
-econds later the screen refreshed.
7# *AT1.E- $#D7&
-usan sat a moment, unsure what she
was even looking for. -he tried again.
-EA<1. $#<C '-1<EE7,#1G+
The monitor refreshed and provided a
handful of innocuous references"no
hint that .ale had
an copies of -usan/s privac code on
his computer.
-usan sighed loudl. So $hat
programs has he been using today6
-he went to .ale/s 'recent
applications+ menu to find the last
program he had used. It was his E%
mail server. -usan searched
his hard drive and eventuall found
his E%mail folder hidden discreetl
inside some other
directories. -he opened the folder, and
additional folders appeared; it seemed
.ale had numerous
E%mail identities and accounts. #ne of
them, -usan noticed with little
surprise, was an anonmous
account. -he opened the folder,
clicked one of the old, inbound
messages, and read it.
-he instantl stopped breathing. The
message readC
T#C 7&AG#TAQA<A.A7#7.#<6
$<#*C ETQ&#-.I-.A.E&D
6<EAT P<#6<E--2 &I6ITA,
$#<T<E-- I- A,*#-T &#7E.
T.I- T.I76 (I,, -ET T.E 7-A
!A1G &E1A&E-2
As if in a dream, -usan read the
message over and over. Then,
trembling, she opened another.
T#C 7&AG#TAQA<A.A7#7.#<6
$<#*C ETQ&#-.I-.A.E&D
<#TATI76 1,EA<TE[T (#<G-2
*DTATI#7 -T<I76- A<E T.E
T<I1G2
It was unthinkable, and et there it
was. E%mail from Ensei Tankado. .e
had been writing to
6reg .ale. The were working
together. -usan went numb as the
impossible truth stared up at her
from the terminal.
6reg .ale is 7&AG#TA)
-usan/s ees locked on the screen.
.er mind searched desperatel for
some other e3planation,
but there was none. It was proof"
sudden and inescapableC Tankado had
used mutation strings to
create a rotating clearte3t function,
and .ale had conspired with him to
bring down the 7-A.
'It/s5+ -usan stammered. 'It/s5 not
possible.+
As if to disagree, .ale/s voice echoed
from the pastC Tankado wrote me a
few times5
-trathmore took a gamble hiring
me5 I/m getting out of here
someda.
-till, -usan could not accept what she
was seeing. True, 6reg .ale was
obno3ious and
arrogant"but he wasn/t a traitor. .e
knew what &igital $ortress would do
to the 7-A; there was no
wa he was involved in a plot to
release it2
And et, -usan realized, there was
nothing to stop him"nothing e3cept
honor and decenc.
-he thought of the -kip0ack
algorithm. 6reg .ale had ruined the
7-A/s plans once before. (hat
would prevent him from tring again)
'!ut Tankado5+ -usan puzzled.
(h would someone as paranoid as
Tankado trust someone
as unreliable as .ale)
-he knew that none of it mattered
now. All that mattered was getting to
-trathmore. ! some
ironic stroke of fate, Tankado/s
partner was right there under their
noses. -he wondered if .ale
knew et that Ensei Tankado was
dead.
-he ;uickl began closing .ale/s E%
mail files in order to leave the
terminal e3actl as she had
found it. .ale could suspect nothing"
not et. The &igital $ortress pass%ke,
she realized in
amazement, was probabl hidden
somewhere inside that ver computer.
!ut as -usan closed the last of the
files, a shadow passed outside the
7ode F window. .er
gaze shot up, and she saw 6reg .ale
approaching. .er adrenaline surged.
.e was almost to the
doors.
'&amn2+ she cursed, eeing the
distance back to her seat. -he knew
she/d never make it. .ale
was almost there.
-he wheeled desperatel, searching
7ode F for options. The doors behind
her clicked. Then
the engaged. -usan felt instinct
takeover. &igging her shoes into the
carpet, she accelerated in
long, reaching strides toward the
pantr. As the doors hissed open,
-usan slid to a stop in front of
the refrigerator and anked open the
door. A glass pitcher on top tipped
precariousl and then
rocked to a stop.
'.ungr)+ .ale asked, entering 7ode
F and walking toward her. .is voice
was calm and
flirtatious. '(ant to share some
tofu)+
-usan e3haled and turned to face him.
'7o thanks,+ she offered. 'I think I/ll
0ust"+ !ut the
words got caught in her throat. -he
went white.
.ale eed her oddl. '(hat/s
wrong)+
-usan bit her lip and locked ees with
him. '7othing, 'she managed. !ut it
was a lie. Across
the room, .ale/s terminal glowed
brightl. -he/d forgotten to dim it.
Chapter 3,
&ownstairs at the Alfonso [III,
!ecker wandered tiredl over to the
bar. A dwarf%like
bartender la a napkin in front of him.
'BuO bebe Dsted) (hat are ou
drinking)+
'7othing, thanks,+ !ecker replied. 'I
need to know if there are an clubs in
town for punk
rockers)+
The bartender eed him strangel.
'1lubs) $or punks)+
'4eah. Is there anplace in town
where the all hangout)+
'7o lo sO, seWor. I don/t now. !ut
certainl not here2+ .e smiled. '.ow
about a drink)+
!ecker felt like shaking the gu.
7othing was going ;uite the wa he/d
planned.
'RBuiere :d. algo)+ The bartender
repeated. 'R$ino) R?erez)+
$aint strains of classical music were
being piped in overhead.
+randenburg 9onertos,
!ecker thought. #umber four. .e and
-usan had seen the Academ of -t.
*artin in the $ields pla
the !randenburgs at the universit last
ear. .e suddenl wished she were
with him now. The
breeze from an overhead air%
conditioning vent reminded !ecker
what it was like outside. .e
pictured himself walking the sweat,
drugged%out streets of Triana looking
for some punk in a
!ritish flag T%shirt. .e thought of
-usan again. 'Numo de arTndano,+ he
heard himself sa.
'1ranberr 0uice.+
The bartender looked baffled. '-olo)+
1ranberr 0uice was a popular drink
in -pain, but
drinking it alone was unheard of.
'-U.+ !ecker said. '-olo.+
'REcho un poco de -mirnoff)+ The
bartender pressed. 'A splash of
vodka)+
'7o, gracias.+
'R6ratis)+ he coa3ed. '#n the
house)+
Through the pounding in his head,
!ecker pictured the filth streets of
Triana, the stifling
heat, and the long night ahead of him.
(hat the he!!. .e nodded. '-U,
Ochame un poco de vodka.+
The bartender seemed much relieved
and hustled off to make the drink.
!ecker glanced around the ornate bar
and wondered if he was dreaming.
Anthing would
make more sense than the truth. 8m a
uni.ersity teaher, he thought, on a
seret mission.
The bartender returned with a flourish
and presented !ecker/s beverage. 'A
su gusto, seWor.
1ranberr with a splash of vodka.+
!ecker thanked him. .e took a sip
and gagged. Thats a sp!ash6
Chapter 3-
.ale stopped halfwa to the 7ode F
pantr and stared at -usan. '(hat/s
wrong, -ue) 4ou
look terrible.+
-usan fought her rising fear. Ten feet
awa, .ale/s monitor glowed
brightl. 'I/m5 I/m
oka,+ she managed, her heart
pounding.
.ale eed her with a puzzled look on
his face. '4ou want some water)+
-usan could not answer. -he cursed
herself. <o$ ou!d 8 forget to dim his
damn monitor6
-usan knew the moment .ale
suspected her of searching his
terminal, he/d suspect she knew his
real identit, 7orth &akota. -he
feared .ale would do anthing to
keep that information inside
7ode F.
-usan wondered if she should make a
dash for the door. !ut she never got
the chance.
-uddenl there was a pounding at the
glass wall. !oth .ale and -usan
0umped. It was 1hartrukian.
.e was banging his sweat fists
against the glass again. .e looked like
he/d seen Armageddon.
.ale scowled at the crazed -s%-ec
outside the window, then turned back
to -usan. 'I/ll be
right back. 6et ourself a drink. 4ou
look pale.+ .ale turned and went
outside.
-usan steadied herself and moved
;uickl to .ale/s terminal. -he
reached down and ad0usted
the brightness controls. The monitor
went black.
.er head was pounding. -he turned
and eed the conversation now taking
place on the 1rpto
floor. Apparentl, 1hartrukian had
not gone home, after all. The oung
-s%-ec was now in a panic,
spilling his guts to 6reg .ale. -usan
knew it didn/t matter".ale knew
everthing there was to
know.
I/ve got to get to -trathmore, she
thought. And fast.
Chapter 3.
<oom F9@. <ocUo Eva 6ranada stood
naked in front of the bathroom mirror.
This was the
moment she/d been dreading all da.
The 6erman was on the bed waiting
for her. .e was the
biggest man she/d ever been with.
<eluctantl, she took an ice cube from
the water bucket and rubbed it across
her nipples. The
;uickl hardened. This was her gift"
to make men feel wanted. It/s what
kept them coming back.
-he ran her hands across her supple,
well%tanned bod and hoped it would
survive another four or
five more ears until she had enough
to retire. -eWor <oldTn took most of
her pa, but without him
she knew she/d be with the rest of the
hookers picking up drunks in Triana.
These men at least had
mone. The never beat her, and the
were eas to satisf. -he slipped into
her lingerie, took a deep
breath, and opened the bathroom
door.
As <ocUo stepped into the room, the
6erman/s ees bulged. -he was
wearing a black
negligee. .er chestnut skin radiated in
the soft light, and her nipples stood at
attention beneath the
lac fabric.
'Gomm doch hierher,+ he said
eagerl, shedding his robe and rolling
onto his back.
<ocUo forced a smile and approached
the bed. -he gazed down at the
enormous 6erman. -he
chuckled in relief. The organ between
his legs was tin.
.e grabbed at her and impatientl
ripped off her negligee. .is fat fingers
groped at ever inch
of her bod. -he fell on top of him
and moaned and writhed in false
ecstas. As he rolled her over
and climbed on top of her, she
thought she would be crushed. -he
gasped and choked against his
puttlike neck. -he praed he would
be ;uick.
'-U2 -U2+ she gasped in between
thrusts. -he dug her fingernails into
his backside to encourage
him.
<andom thoughts cascaded through
her mind"faces of the countless men
she/d satisfied,
ceilings she/d stared at for hours in
the dark, dreams of having children5
-uddenl, without warning, the
6erman/s bod arched, stiffened, and
almost immediatel
collapsed on top of her. Thats a!!6
she thought, surprised and relieved.
-he tried to slide out from under him.
'&arling,+ she whispered huskil.
',et me get on top.+
!ut the man did not move.
-he reached up and pushed at his
massive shoulders. '&arling, I5 I
can/t breathe2+ -he
began feeling faint. -he felt her ribs
cracking. '_&espiOrtate2+ .er fingers
instinctivel started
pulling at his matted hair. (a&e up4
It was then that she felt the warm
stick li;uid. It was matted in his
hair"flowing onto her
cheeks, into her mouth. It was salt.
-he twisted wildl beneath him.
Above her, a strange shaft of
light illuminated the 6erman/s
contorted face. The bullet hole in his
temple was gushing blood all
over her. -he tried to scream, but
there was no air left in her lungs. .e
was crushing her. &elirious,
she clawed toward the shaft of light
coming from the doorwa. -he saw a
hand. A gun with a
silencer. A flash of light. And then
nothing.
Chapter )/
#utside 7ode F, 1hartrukian looked
desperate. .e was tring to convince
.ale that
T<A7-,T< was in trouble. -usan
raced b them with onl one thought
in mind"to find
-trathmore.
The panicked -s%-ec grabbed
-usan/s arm as she passed. '*s.
$letcher2 (e have a virus2
I/m positive2 4ou have to"+
-usan shook herself free and glared
ferociousl. 'I thought the
commander told ou to go
home.+
'!ut the <un%*onitor2 It/s registering
eighteen"+
'1ommander -trathmore told ou to
go home2+
'$D1G -T<AT.*#<E2+
1hartrukian screamed, the words
resounding throughout the
dome.
A deep voice boomed from above.
'*r. 1hartrukian)+
The three 1rpto emploees froze.
.igh above them, -trathmore stood at
the railing outside his office.
$or a moment, the onl sound inside
the dome was the uneven hum of the
generators below.
-usan tried desperatel to catch
-trathmore/s ee. 9ommander4 <a!e
is #orth Da&ota4
!ut -trathmore was fi3ated on the
oung -s%-ec. .e descended the
stairs without so much
as a blink, keeping his ees trained on
1hartrukian the whole wa down. .e
made his wa across
the 1rpto floor and stopped si3
inches in front of the trembling
technician. 5(hat did ou sa)+
'-ir,+ 1hartrukian choked,
'T<A7-,T</s in trouble.+
'1ommander)+ -usan inter0ected. 'If
I could"+
-trathmore waved her off. .is ees
never left the -s%-ec.
Phil blurted, '(e have an infected
file, sir. I/m sure of it2+
-trathmore/s comple3ion turned a
deep red. '*r. 1hartrukian, we/ve
been through this. There
is no file infecting T<A7-,T<2+
'4es, there is2+ he cried. 'And if it
makes its wa to the main databank"+
'(here the hell is this infected file)+
-trathmore bellowed. '-how it to
me2+
1hartrukian hesitated. 'I can/t.+
'#f course ou can/t2 It doesn/t
e3ist2+
-usan said, '1ommander, I must"+
Again -trathmore silenced her with an
angr wave.
-usan eed .ale nervousl. .e
seemed smug and detached. It makes
perfect sense, she
thought. .ale wouldn/t be worried
about a virus; he knows what/s reall
going on inside
T<A7-,T<.
1hartrukian was insistent. 'The
infected file exists, sir. !ut 6auntlet
never picked it up.+
'If 6auntlet never picked it up,+
-trathmore fumed, 'then how the hell
do ou know it
e3ists)+
1hartrukian suddenl sounded more
confident. '*utation strings, sir. I ran
a full analsis, and
the probe turned up mutation strings2+
-usan now understood wh the -s%
-ec was so concerned. Mutation
strings , she mused. -he
knew mutation strings were
programming se;uences that
corrupted data in e3tremel comple3
was. The were ver common in
computer viruses, particularl viruses
that altered large blocks of
data. #f course, -usan also knew
from Tankado/s E%mail that the
mutation strings 1hartrukian had
seen were harmless"simpl part of
&igital $ortress.
The -s%-ec went on. '(hen I first
saw the strings, sir, I thought
6auntlet/s filters had failed.
!ut then I ran some tests and found
out5+ .e paused, looking suddenl
uneas. 'I found out that
somebod manuall bypassed
6auntlet.+
The statement met with a sudden
hush. -trathmore/s face turned an
even deeper shade of
crimson. There was no doubt whom
1hartrukian was accusing;
-trathmore/s terminal was the onl
one in 1rpto with clearance to
bpass 6auntlet/s filters.
(hen -trathmore spoke, his voice
was like ice. '*r. 1hartrukian, not
that it is an concern of
ours, but 8 bpassed 6auntlet.+ .e
went on, his temper hovering near the
boiling point. 'As I told
ou earlier, I/m running a ver
advanced diagnostic. The mutation
strings ou see in T<A7-,T<
are part of that diagnostic; the are
there because 8 put them there.
6auntlet refused to let me load
the file, so I bpassed its filters.+
-trathmore/s ees narrowed sharpl at
1hartrukian. '7ow, will
there be anthing else before ou
go)+
In a flash, it all clicked for -usan.
(hen -trathmore had downloaded the
encrpted &igital
$ortress algorithm from the Internet
and tried to run it through
T<A7-,T<, the mutation strings
had tripped 6auntlet/s filters.
&esperate to know whether &igital
$ortress was breakable,
-trathmore decided to bpass the
filters.
7ormall, bpassing 6auntlet was
unthinkable. In this situation,
however, there was no
danger in sending &igital $ortress
directl into T<A7-,T<; the
commander knew e3actl what the
file was and where it came from.
'(ith all due respect, sir,+
1hartrukian pressed, 'I/ve never
heard of a diagnostic that
emplos mutation"+
'1ommander,+ -usan inter0ected, not
able to wait another moment. 'I reall
need to"+
This time her words were cut short b
the sharp ring of -trathmore/s cellular
phone. The
commander snatched up the receiver.
'(hat is it2+ he barked. Then he fell
silent and listened to the
caller.
-usan forgot about .ale for an
instant. -he praed the caller was
&avid. Te!! me hes o&ay,
she thought. Te!! me he found the
ring4 !ut -trathmore caught her ee
and he gave her a frown. It
was not &avid.
-usan felt her breath grow short. All
she wanted to know was that the man
she loved was safe.
-trathmore, -usan knew, was
impatient for other reasons; if &avid
took much longer, the
commander would have to send
backup"7-A field agents. It was a
gamble he had hoped to avoid.
'1ommander)+ 1hartrukian urged. 'I
reall think we should check"+
'.old on,+ -trathmore said,
apologizing to his caller. .e covered
his mouthpiece and leveled
a fier stare at his oung -s%-ec.
'*r. 1hartrukian,+ he growled, 'this
discussion is over. 4ou are
to leave 1rpto. #o$. That/s an
order.+
1hartrukian stood stunned. '!ut, sir,
mutation str"+
'7#(2+ -trathmore bellowed.
1hartrukian stared a moment,
speechless. Then he stormed off
toward the -s%-ec lab.
-trathmore turned and eed .ale with
a puzzled look. -usan understood the
commander/s
mstification. .ale had been ;uiet"
too ;uiet. .ale knew ver well there
was no such thing as a
diagnostic that used mutation strings,
much less one that could keep
T<A7-,T< bus eighteen
hours. And et .ale hadn/t said a
word. .e appeared indifferent to the
entire commotion.
-trathmore was obviousl wondering
$hy. -usan had the answer.
'1ommander,+ she said insistentl,
'if I could 0ust speak"+
'In a minute,+ he inter0ected, still
eeing .ale ;uizzicall. 'I need to
take this call.+ (ith that,
-trathmore turned on his heel and
headed for his office.
-usan opened her mouth, but the
words stalled on the tip of her tongue.
<a!e is #orth Da&ota4
-he stood rigid, unable to breathe.
-he felt .ale staring at her. -usan
turned. .ale stepped aside and
swung his arm graciousl toward the
7ode F door. 'After ou, -ue.+
Chapter )1
In a linen closet on the third floor of
the Alfonso [III, a maid la
unconscious on the floor.
The man with wire%rim glasses was
replacing a hotel master ke in her
pocket. .e had not sensed
her scream when he struck her, but he
had no wa of knowing for sure"he
had been deaf since he
was twelve.
.e reached to the batter pack on his
belt with a certain kind of reverence; a
gift from a client,
the machine had given him new life.
.e could now receive his contracts
anwhere in the world. All
communications arrived
instantaneousl and untraceabl.
.e was eager as he touched the
switch. .is glasses flickered to life.
#nce again his fingers
carved into the empt air and began
clicking together. As alwas, he had
recorded the names of his
victims"a simple matter of searching
a wallet or purse. The contacts on his
fingers connected, and
the letters appeared in the lens of his
glasses like ghosts in the air.
-D!?E1TC <#1I# E:A
6<A7A&A"TE<*I7ATE&
-D!?E1TC .A7- .D!E<"
TE<*I7ATE&
Three stories below &avid !ecker
paid his tab and wandered across the
lobb, his
half%finished drink in hand. .e
headed toward the hotel/s open
terrace for some fresh air. 8n and
out, he mused. Things hadn/t panned
out ;uite as he e3pected. .e had a
decision to make. -hould
he 0ust give up and go back to the
airport) A matter of nationa! seurity.
.e swore under his breath.
-o wh the hell had the sent a
schoolteacher)
!ecker moved out of sight of the
bartender and dumped the remaining
drink in a potted
0asmine. The vodka had made him
light%headed. 9heapest drun& in
history, -usan often called him.
After refilling the heav crstal glass
from a water fountain, !ecker took a
long swallow.
.e stretched a few times tring to
shake off the light haze that had
settled over him. Then he
set down his glass and walked across
the lobb.
As he passed the elevator, the doors
slid opened. There was a man inside.
All !ecker saw
were thick wire%rim glasses. The man
raised a handkerchief to blow his
nose. !ecker smiled
politel and moved on5 out into the
stifling -evillian night.
Chapter )2
Inside 7ode F, -usan caught herself
pacing franticall. -he wished she/d
e3posed .ale when
she/d had the chance.
.ale sat at his terminal. '-tress is a
killer, -ue. -omething ou want to get
off our chest)+
-usan forced herself to sit. -he had
thought -trathmore would be off the
phone b now and
return to speak to her, but he was
nowhere to be seen. -usan tried to
keep calm. -he gazed at her
computer screen. The tracer was still
running"for the second time. It was
immaterial now. -usan
knew whose address it would returnC
6.A,EQcrpto.nsa.gov.
-usan gazed up toward -trathmore/s
workstation and knew she couldn/t
wait an longer. It
was time to interrupt the
commander/s phone call. -he stood
and headed for the door.
.ale seemed suddenl uneas,
apparentl noticing -usan/s odd
behavior. .e strode ;uickl
across the room and beat her to the
door. .e folded his arms and blocked
her e3it.
'Tell me what/s going on,+ he
demanded. 'There/s something going
on here toda. (hat is
it)+
',et me out,+ -usan said as evenl as
possible, feeling a sudden twinge of
danger.
'1ome on,+ .ale pressed.
'-trathmore practicall fired
1hartrukian for doing his 0ob. (hat/s
going on inside T<A7-,T<) (e
don/t have an diagnostics that run
eighteen hours. That/s
bullshit, and ou know it. Tell me
what/s going on.+
-usan/s ees narrowed. %ou &no$
damn $e!! $hats going on4 '!ack
off, 6reg,+ she
demanded. 'I need to use the
bathroom.+
.ale smirked. .e waited a long
moment and then stepped aside.
'-orr -ue. ?ust flirting.+
-usan pushed b him and left 7ode F.
As she passed the glass wall, she
sensed .ale/s ees
boring into her from the other side.
<eluctantl, she circled toward the
bathrooms. -he would have to make a
detour before
visiting the 1ommander. 6reg .ale
could suspect nothing.
Chapter )3
A 0aunt fort%five, 1had !rinkerhoff
was well%pressed, well%groomed, and
well%informed.
.is summer%weight suit, like his tan
skin, showed not a wrinkle or hint of
wear. .is hair was thick,
sand blond, and most importantl"all
his own. .is ees were a brilliant
blue"subtl enhanced b
the miracle of tinted contact lenses.
.e surveed the wood%paneled office
around him and knew he had risen as
far as he would
rise in the 7-A. .e was on the ninth
floor"*ahogan <ow. #ffice KA@KA.
The &irectorial -uite.
It was a -aturda night, and
*ahogan <ow was all but deserted,
its e3ecutives long gone"off
en0oing whatever pastimes
influential men en0oed in their
leisure. Although !rinkerhoff had
alwas dreamed of a 'real+ post with
the agenc, he had somehow ended up
as a 'personal aide+"
the official cul de sac of the political
rat race. The fact that he worked side
b side with the single
most powerful man in American
intelligence was little consolation.
!rinkerhoff had graduated with
honors from Andover and (illiams,
and et here he was, middle%aged,
with no real power"no real
stake. .e spent his das arranging
someone else/s calendar.
* * *
There were definite benefits to being
the director/s personal aide"
!rinkerhoff had a plush
office in the directorial suite, full
access to all the 7-A departments,
and a certain level of
distinction that came from the
compan he kept. .e ran errands for
the highest echelons of power.
&eep down !rinkerhoff knew he was
born to be a PA"smart enough to take
notes, handsome
enough to give press conferences, and
laz enough to be content with it.
The stick%sweet chime of his mantel
clock accented the end of another da
of his pathetic
e3istence. Shit, he thought. Fi.e
o!o& on a Saturday. (hat the he!!
am 8 doing here6
'1had)+ A woman appeared in his
doorwa.
!rinkerhoff looked up. It was *idge
*ilken, $ontaine/s internal securit
analst. -he was
si3t, slightl heav, and, much to the
puzzlement of !rinkerhoff, ;uite
appealing. A consummate
flirt and an e3%wife three times over,
*idge prowled the si3%room
directorial suite with a sauc
authorit. -he was sharp, intuitive,
worked ungodl hours, and was
rumored to know more about
the 7-A/s inner workings than 6od
himself.
Damn, !rinkerhoff thought, eeing
her in her gra cashmere%dress. *ither
8m getting o!der,
or shes !oo&ing younger.
'(eekl reports.+ -he smiled, waving
a fanfold of paper. '4ou need to
check the figures.+
!rinkerhoff eed her bod. '$igures
look good from here.+
'<eall 1had,+ she laughed. 'I/m old
enough to be our mother.+
&on/t remind me, he thought.
*idge strode in and sidled up to his
desk. 'I/m on m wa out, but the
director wants these
compiled b the time he gets back
from -outh America. That/s *onda,
bright and earl.+ -he
dropped the printouts in front of him.
'(hat am I, an accountant)+
'7o, hon, ou/re a cruise director.
Thought ou knew that.+
'-o what am I doing crunching
numbers)+
-he ruffled his hair. '4ou wanted
more responsibilit. .ere it is.+
.e looked up at her sadl. '*idge5 I
have no life.+
-he tapped her finger on the paper.
5This is our life, 1had !rinkerhoff.+
-he looked down
at him and softened. 'Anthing I can
get ou before I go)+
.e eed her pleadingl and rolled his
aching neck. '* shoulders are
tight.+
*idge didn/t bite. 'Take an aspirin.+
.e pouted. '7o back rub)+
-he shook her head. 59osmopo!itan
sas two%thirds of backrubs end in
se3.+
!rinkerhoff looked indignant. 5)urs
never do2+
'Precisel.+ -he winked. 'That/s the
problem.+
'*idge"+
'7ight, 1had.+ -he headed for the
door.
'4ou/re leaving)+
'4ou know I/d sta,+ *idge said,
pausing in the doorwa, 'but I do
have some pride. I 0ust
can/t see plaing second fiddle"
particularl to a teenager.+
'* wife/s not a teenager,+
!rinkerhoff defended. '-he 0ust acts
like one.+
*idge gave him a surprised look. 'I
wasn/t talking about our wife.+ -he
battered her ees
innocentl. 'I was talking about
9armen.7 -he spoke the name with a
thick Puerto <ican accent.
!rinkerhoff/s voice cracked slightl.
'(ho)+
'1armen) In food services)+
!rinkerhoff felt himself flush.
1armen .uerta was a twent%seven%
ear%old pastr chef who
worked in the 7-A commissar.
!rinkerhoff had en0oed a number of
presumabl secret
after%hours flings with her in the
stockroom.
-he gave him a wicked wink.
'<emember, 1had5 !ig !rother
knows all.+
!ig !rother) !rinkerhoff gulped in
disbelief. !ig !rother watches the
-T#1G<##*- too)
!ig !rother, or '!rother+ as *idge
often called it, was a 1entre3 FFF that
sat in a small
closetlike space off the suite/s central
room. !rother was *idge/s whole
world. It received data
from @LJ closed circuit video
cameras, FKK electronic doors, FAA
phones taps, and =@= free%standing
bugs in the 7-A comple3.
The directors of the 7-A had learned
the hard wa that =8,999 emploees
were not onl a
great asset but a great liabilit. Ever
ma0or securit breach in the 7-A/s
histor had come from
within. It was *idge/s 0ob as internal
securit analst, to watch everthing
that went on within the
walls of the 7-A5 including,
apparentl, the commissar
stockroom.
!rinkerhoff stood to defend himself,
but *idge was alread on her wa
out.
'.ands abo.e the desk,+ she called
over her shoulder. '7o funn stuff
after I go. The walls
have ees.+
!rinkerhoff sat and listened to the
sound of her heels fading down the
corridor. At least he
knew *idge would never tell. -he
was not without her weaknesses.
*idge had indulged in a few
indiscretions of her own"mostl
wandering back rubs with
!rinkerhoff.
.is thoughts turned back to 1armen.
.e pictured her lissome bod, those
dark thighs, that
A* radio she plaed full blast"hot
-an ?uan salsa. .e smiled. Maybe 8!!
drop by for a sna& $hen
8m done.
.e opened the first printout.
C"#PTO2
P"OD!CTION34PNDIT!"
.is mood immediatel lightened.
*idge had given him a freebie; the
1rpto report was
alwas a piece of cake. Technicall he
was supposed to compile the whole
thing, but the onl figure
the director ever asked for was the
*1&"the mean cost per decrption.
The *1& represented the
estimated amount it cost T<A7-,T<
to break a single code. As long as the
figure was below
M@,999 per code, $ontaine didn/t
flinch. A grand a pop. !rinkerhoff
chuckled. )ur tax do!!ars at
$or&.
As he began plowing through the
document and checking the dail
*1&s, images of 1armen
.uerta smearing herself with hone
and confectioner/s sugar began
plaing in his head. Thirt
seconds later he was almost done. The
1rpto data was perfect"as alwas.
!ut 0ust before moving on to the ne3t
report, something caught his ee. At
the bottom of the
sheet, the last *1& was off. The
figure was so large that it had carried
over into the ne3t column
and made a mess of the page.
!rinkerhoff stared at the figure in
shock.
CCC,CCC,CCC6 .e gasped. A bi!!ion
do!!ars6 The images of 1armen
vanished. A bi!!ion- dollar
code)
!rinkerhoff sat there a minute,
paralzed. Then in a burst of panic, he
raced out into the
hallwa. '*idge2 1omeback2+
Chapter ))
Phil 1hartrukian stood fuming in the
-s%-ec lab. -trathmore/s words
echoed in his headC
3ea.e no$4 Thats an order4 .e
kicked the trash can and swore in the
empt lab.
'&iagnostic, m ass2 -ince when does
the deput director bpass 6auntlet/s
filters2)+
The -s%-ecs were well paid to
protect the computer sstems at the
7-A, and 1hartrukian
had learned that there were onl two
0ob re;uirementsC be utterl brilliant
and e3haustivel
paranoid.
.ell, he cursed, this isn/t paranoia2
The fucking <un%*onitor/s reading
eighteen hours2
It was a virus. 1hartrukian could feel
it. There was little doubt in his mind
what was going onC
-trathmore had made a mistake b
bpassing 6auntlet/s filters, and now
he was tring to cover it
up with some half%baked stor about a
diagnostic.
1hartrukian wouldn/t have been ;uite
so edg had T<A7-,T< been the
onl concern. !ut it
wasn/t. &espite its appearance, the
great decoding beast was b no means
an island. Although the
crptographers believed 6auntlet was
constructed for the sole purpose of
protecting their
code%breaking masterpiece, the -s%
-ecs understood the truth. The
6auntlet filters served a much
higher god. The 7-A/s main
databank.
The histor behind the databank/s
construction had alwas fascinated
1hartrukian. &espite
the efforts of the &epartment of
&efense to keep the Internet to
themselves in the late @KA9s, it was
too useful a tool not to attract the
public%sector. Eventuall universities
pried their wa on. -hortl
after that came the commercial
servers. The floodgates opened, and
the public poured in. ! the
earl K9/s, the government/s once%
secure 'Internet+ was a congested
wasteland of public E%mail
and cberporn.
$ollowing a number of unpublicized,
et highl damaging computer
infiltrations at the #ffice
of 7aval Intelligence, it became
increasingl clear that government
secrets were no longer safe on
computers connected to the
burgeoning Internet. The President, in
con0unction with the &epartment
of &efense, passed a classified decree
that would fund a new, totall secure
government network to
replace the tainted Internet and
function as a link between D.-.
intelligence agencies. To prevent
further computer pilfering of
government secrets, all sensitive data
was relocated to one, highl
secure location"the newl constructed
7-A databank"the $ort Gno3 of D.-.
intelligence data.
,iterall millions of the countr/s
most classified photos, tapes,
documents, and videos were
digitized and transferred to the
immense storage facilit and then the
hard copies were destroed.
The databank was protected b a
triple%laer power rela and a tiered
digital backup sstem. It was
also =@L feet underground to shield it
from magnetic fields and possible
e3plosions. Activities
within the control room were
designated Top Seret :mbra the
countr/s highest level of
securit.
The secrets of the countr had never
been safer. This impregnable
databank now housed
blueprints for advanced weaponr,
witness protection lists, aliases of
field agents, detailed analses
and proposals for covert operations.
The list was endless. There would be
no more black%bag 0obs
damaging D.-. intelligence.
#f course, the officers of the 7-A
realized that stored data had value
onl if it was accessible.
The real coup of the databank was not
getting the classified data off the
streets, it was making it
accessible onl to the correct people.
All stored information had a securit
rating and, depending on
the level of secrec, was accessible to
government officials on a
compartmentalized basis. A
submarine commander could dial in
and check the 7-A/s most recent
satellite photos of <ussian
ports, but he would not have access to
the plans for an anti%drug mission in
-outh America. 1IA
analsts could access histories of
known assassins but could not access
launch codes reserved for
the President.
-s%-ecs, of course, had no clearance
for the information in the databank,
but the were
responsible for its safet. ,ike all
large databanks"from insurance
companies to universities"the
7-A facilit was constantl under
attack b computer hackers tring to
sneak a peek at the secrets
waiting inside. !ut the 7-A securit
programmers were the best in the
world. 7o one had ever
come close to infiltrating the 7-A
databank"and the 7-A had no reason
to think anbod ever
would.
* * *
Inside the -s%-ec lab, 1hartrukian
broke into a sweat tring to decide
whether to leave.
Trouble in T<A7-,T< meant trouble
in the databank too. -trathmore/s lack
of concern was
bewildering.
Everone knew that T<A7-,T< and
the 7-A main databank were
ine3tricabl linked. Each
new code, once broken, was fired
from 1rpto through L>9 ards of
fiber%optic cable to the 7-A
databank for safe keeping. The sacred
storage facilit had limited points of
entr"and T<A7-,T<
was one of them. 6auntlet was
supposed to be the impregnable
threshold guardian. And -trathmore
had bpassed it.
1hartrukian could hear his own heart
pounding. T>A#S3T>s been stu&
eighteen hours4 The
thought of a computer virus entering
T<A7-,T< and then running wild in
the basement of the
7-A proved too much. 'I/ve got to
report this,+ he blurted aloud.
In a situation like this, 1hartrukian
knew there was onl one person to
callC the 7-A/s senior
-s%-ec officer, the short%fused, L99%
pound computer guru who had built
6auntlet. .is nickname
was ?abba. .e was a demigod at the
7-A"roaming the halls, putting out
virtual fires, and cursing
the feeblemindedness of the inept and
the ignorant. 1hartrukian knew that as
soon as ?abba heard
-trathmore had bpassed 6auntlet/s
filters, all hell would break loose. Too
bad, he thought, 8.e got
a ?ob to do. .e grabbed the phone and
dialed ?abba/s twent%four%hour
cellular.
Chapter )*
&avid !ecker wandered aimlessl
down Avenida del 1id and tried to
collect his thoughts.
*uted shadows plaed on the
cobblestones beneath his feet. The
vodka was still with him. 7othing
about his life seemed in focus at the
moment. .is mind drifted back to
-usan, wondering if she/d
gotten his phone message et.
Dp ahead, a -eville Transit !us
screeched to a halt in front of a bus
stop. !ecker looked up.
The bus/s doors cranked open, but no
one disembarked. The diesel engine
roared back to life, but
0ust as the bus was pulling out, three
teenagers appeared out of a bar up the
street and ran after it,
elling and waving. The engines
wound down again, and the kids
hurried to catch up.
Thirt ards behind them, !ecker
stared in utter incredulit. .is vision
was suddenl focused,
but he knew what he was seeing was
impossible. It was a one%in%a%million
chance.
I/m hallucinating.
!ut as the bus doors opened, the kids
crowded around to board. !ecker saw
it again. This
time he was certain. 1learl
illuminated in the haze of the corner
streetlight, he/d seen her.
The passengers climbed on, and the
bus/s engines revved up again. !ecker
suddenl found
himself at a full sprint, the bizarre
image fi3ed in his mind"black
lipstick, wild ee shadow, and that
hair5 spiked straight up in three
distinctive spires. <ed, white, and
blue.
As the bus started to move, !ecker
dashed up the street into awake of
carbon mono3ide.
'Espera2+ he called, running behind
the bus.
!ecker/s cordovan loafers skimmed
the pavement. .is usual s;uash agilit
was not with him,
though; he felt off balance. .is brain
was having trouble keeping track of
his feet. .e cursed the
bartender and his 0et lag.
The bus was one of -eville/s older
diesels, and fortunatel for !ecker,
first gear was a long,
arduous climb. !ecker felt the gap
closing. .e knew he had to reach the
bus before it downshifted.
The twin tailpipes choked out a cloud
of thick smoke as the driver prepared
to drop the bus
into second gear. !ecker strained for
more speed. As he surged even with
the rear bumper, !ecker
moved right, racing up beside the bus.
.e could see the rear doors"and as on
all -eville buses, it
was propped wide openC cheap air%
conditioning.
!ecker fi3ed his sights on the opening
and ignored the burning sensation in
his legs. The tires
were beside him, shoulder high,
humming at a higher and higher pitch
ever second. .e surged
toward the door, missing the handle
and almost losing his balance. .e
pushed harder. Dnderneath
the bus, the clutch clicked as the
driver prepared to change gears.
.e/s shifting2 I won/t make it2
!ut as the engine cogs disengaged to
align the larger gears, the bus let up
ever so slightl.
!ecker lunged. The engine reengaged
0ust as his fingertips curled around the
door handle. !ecker/s
shoulder almost ripped from its socket
as the engine dug in, catapulting him
up onto the landing.
* * *
&avid !ecker la collapsed 0ust inside
the vehicle/s doorwa. The pavement
raced b onl
inches awa. .e was now sober. .is
legs and shoulder ached. (avering,
he stood, steadied himself,
and climbed into the darkened bus. In
the crowd of silhouettes, onl a few
seats awa, were the
three distinctive spikes of hair.
<ed, white, and blue2 I made it2
!ecker/s mind filled with images of
the ring, the waiting ,ear0et 89, and at
the end of it all,
-usan.
As !ecker came even with the girl/s
seat wondering what to sa to her, the
bus passed
beneath a streetlight. The punk/s face
was momentaril illuminated.
!ecker stared in horror. The makeup
on her face was smeared across a
thick stubble. -he was
not a girl at all, but a oung man. .e
wore a silver stud in his upper lip, a
black leather 0acket, and
no shirt.
'(hat the fuck do you want)+ the
hoarse voice asked. .is accent was
7ew 4ork.
(ith the disorientated nausea of a
slow%motion free fall, !ecker gazed at
the busload of
passengers staring back at him. The
were all punks. At least half of them
had red, white, and blue
hair.
'-iOntate2+ the driver elled.
!ecker was too dazed to hear.
5SiDntate47 The driver screamed. 5Sit
do$n47
!ecker turned vaguel to the angr
face in the rearview mirror. !ut he
had waited too long.
Annoed, the driver slammed down
hard on the brakes. !ecker felt his
weight shift. .e
reached for a seat back but missed.
$or an instant, &avid !ecker was
airborne. Then he landed hard
on the gritt floor.
#n Avenida del 1id, a figure stepped
from the shadows. .e ad0usted his
wire%rim glasses and
peered after the departing bus. &avid
!ecker had escaped, but it would not
be for long. #f all the
buses in -eville, *r. !ecker had 0ust
boarded the infamous number =A.
!us =A had onl one destination.
Chapter )+
Phil 1hartrukian slammed down his
receiver. ?abba/s line was bus; ?abba
spurned
call%waiting as an intrusive gimmick
that was introduced b ATVT to
increase profits b
connecting ever call; the simple
phrase 'I/m on the other line, I/ll call
ou back+ made phone
companies millions annuall. ?abba/s
refusal of call%waiting was his own
brand of silent ob0ection
to the 7-A/s re;uirement that he
carr an emergenc cellular at all
times.
1hartrukian turned and looked out at
the deserted 1rpto floor. The hum of
the generators
below sounded louder ever minute.
.e sensed that time was running out.
.e knew he was
supposed to leave, but from out of the
rumble beneath 1rpto, the -s%-ec
mantra began plaing in
his headC At first, exp!ain !ater.
In the high%stakes world of computer
securit, minutes often meant the
difference between
saving a sstem or losing it. There
was seldom time to 0ustif a defensive
procedure before taking
it. -s%-ecs were paid for their
technical e3pertise5 and their
instinct.
At first, exp!ain !ater. 1hartrukian
knew what he had to do. .e also
knew that when the dust
settled, he would be either an 7-A
hero or in the unemploment line.
The great decoding computer had a
virus"of that, the -s%-ec was certain.
There was one
responsible course of action. -hut it
down.
1hartrukian knew there were onl two
was to shut down T<A7-,T<. #ne
was the
commander/s private terminal, which
was locked in his office"out of the
;uestion. The other was
the manual kill%switch located on one
of the sublevels beneath the 1rpto
floor.
1hartrukian swallowed hard. .e hated
the sublevels. .e/d onl been there
once, during
training. It was like something out of
an alien world with its long mazes of
catwalks, freon ducts,
and a dizz @F8%foot drop to the
rumbling power supplies below5
It was the last place he felt like going,
and -trathmore was the last person he
felt like crossing,
but dut was dut. They!! than& me
tomorro$, he thought, wondering if
he was right.
Taking a deep breath, 1hartrukian
opened the senior -s%-ec/s metal
locker. #n a shelf of
disassembled computer parts, hidden
behind a media concentrator and ,A7
tester, was a -tanford
alumni mug. (ithout touching the
rim, he reached inside and lifted out a
single *edeco ke.
'It/s amazing,+ he grumbled, 'what
-stem%-ecurit officers dont know
about securit.+
Chapter ),
'A billion%dollar code)+ *idge
snickered, accompaning !rinkerhoff
back up the hallwa.
'That/s a good one.+
'I swear it,+ he said.
-he eed him askance. 'This better
not be some plo to get me out of this
dress.+
'*idge, I would never"+ he said self%
righteousl.
'I know, 1had. &on/t remind me.+
Thirt seconds later, *idge was
sitting in !rinkerhoff/s chair and
studing the 1rpto report.
'-ee)+ he said, leaning over her and
pointing to the figure in ;uestion.
'This *1&) A billion
dollars2+
*idge chuckled. 'It does appear to be
a touch on the high side, doesn/t it)+
'4eah.+ .e groaned. '?ust a touch.+
',ooks like a divide%b%zero.+
'A who)+
'A divide%b%zero,+ she said,
scanning the rest of the data. 'The
*1&/s calculated as a
fraction"total e3pense divided b
number of decrptions.+
'#f course.+ !rinkerhoff nodded
blankl and tried not to peer down the
front of her dress.
'(hen the denominator/s zero,+
*idge e3plained, 'the ;uotient goes
to infinit. 1omputers
hate infinit, so the tpe all nines.+
-he pointed to a different column.
'-ee this)+
'4eah.+ !rinkerhoff refocused on the
paper.
'It/s toda/s raw production data.
Take a look at the number of
decrptions.+
!rinkerhoff dutifull followed her
finger down the column.
7D*!E< #$ &E1<4PTI#7- ` 9
*idge tapped on the figure. 'It/s 0ust
as I suspected. &ivide%b%zero.+
!rinkerhoff arched his eebrows. '-o
everthing/s oka)+
-he shrugged. '?ust means we haven/t
broken an codes toda. T<A7-,T<
must be taking a
break.+
'A break)+ !rinkerhoff looked
doubtful. .e/d been with the director
long enough to know
that 'breaks+ were not part of his
preferred modus operandi"
particularl with respect to
T<A7-,T<. $ontaine had paid M=
billion for the code%breaking
behemoth, and he wanted his
mone/s worth. Ever second
T<A7-,T< sat idle was mone
down the toilet.
'Ah5 *idge)+ !rinkerhoff said.
'T<A7-,T< doesn/t take an
breaks. It runs da and
night. 4ou know that.+
-he shrugged. '*abe -trathmore
didn/t feel like hanging out last night
to prepare the
weekend run. .e probabl knew
$ontaine was awa and ducked out
earl to go fishing.+
'1ome on, *idge.+ !rinkerhoff gave
her disgusted look. '6ive the gu a
break.+
It was no secret *idge *ilken didn/t
like Trevor -trathmore. -trathmore
had attempted a
cunning maneuver rewriting -kip0ack,
but he/d been caught. &espite
-trathmore/s bold intentions,
the 7-A had paid dearl. The E$$
had gained strength, $ontaine had lost
credibilit with 1ongress,
and worst of all, the agenc had lost a
lot of its anonmit. There were
suddenl housewives in
*innesota complaining to America
#nline and Prodig that the 7-A
might be reading their
E%mail"like the 7-A gave a damn
about a secret recipe for candied
ams.
-trathmore/s blunder had cost the
7-A, and *idge felt responsible"not
that she could have
anticipated the commander/s stunt,
but the bottom line was that an
unauthorized action had taken
place behind &irector $ontaine/s
back, a back *idge was paid to cover.
$ontaine/s hands%off
attitude made him susceptible; and it
made *idge nervous. !ut the director
had learned long ago to
stand back and let smart people do
their 0obs; that/s e3actl how he
handled Trevor -trathmore.
'*idge, ou know damn well
-trathmore/s not slacking,+
!rinkerhoff argued. '.e runs
T<A7-,T< like a fiend.+
*idge nodded. &eep down, she knew
that accusing -trathmore of shirking
was absurd. The
commander was as dedicated as the
came"dedicated to a fault. .e bore the
evils of the world as
his own personal cross. The 7-A/s
-kip0ack plan had been -trathmore/s
brainchild"a bold attempt
to change the world. Dnfortunatel,
like so man divine ;uests, this
crusade ended in crucifi3ion.
'#ka,+ she admitted, 'so I/m being a
little harsh.+
'A little)+ !rinkerhoff ees narrowed.
'-trathmore/s got a backlog of files a
mile long. .e/s
not about to let T<A7-,T< sit idle
for a whole weekend.+
'#ka, oka.+ *idge sighed. '*
mistake.+ -he furrowed her brow and
puzzled wh
T<A7-,T< hadn/t broken an codes
all da. ',et me double%check
something,+ she said, and
began flipping through the report. -he
located what she was looking for and
scanned the figures.
After a moment she nodded. '4ou/re
right, 1had. T<A7-,T</s been
running full force. <aw
consumables are even a little on the
high side; we/re at over half a million
kilowatt%hours since
midnight last night.+
'-o where does that leave us)+
*idge was puzzled. 'I/m not sure.
It/s odd.+
'4ou want to rerun the data)+
-he gave him a disapproving stare.
There were two things one never
;uestioned about *idge
*ilken. #ne of them was her data.
!rinkerhoff waited while *idge
studied the figures.
'.uh.+ -he finall grunted.
'4esterda/s stats look fineC =FA
codes broken. *1&, MJAL.
Average time per code, a little over
si3 minutes. <aw consumables,
average. ,ast code entering
T<A7-,T<"+ -he stopped.
'(hat is it)+
'That/s funn,+ she said. ',ast file on
esterda/s ;ueue log ran at @@CFA
p.m.+
'-o)+
'-o, T<A7-,T< breaks codes ever
si3 minutes or so. The last file of the
da usuall runs
closer to midnight. It sure doesn/t
look like"+ *idge suddenl stopped
short and gasped.
!rinkerhoff 0umped. '(hat2+
*idge was staring at the readout in
disbelief. 'This file) The one that
entered T<A7-,T<
last night)+
'4eah)+
'It hasn/t broken et. It/s ;ueue time
was =FCFAC9J"but it lists no decrpt
time.+ *idge
fumbled with the sheets. '4esterda
or toda2+
!rinkerhoff shrugged. '*abe those
gus are running a tough diagnostic.+
*idge shook her head. 5*ighteen
hours tough67 -he paused. '7ot
likel. !esides, the ;ueue
data sas it/s an outside file. (e
should call -trathmore.+
'At home)+ !rinkerhoff swallowed.
'#n a -aturda night)+
'7o,+ *idge said. 'If I know
-trathmore, he/s on top of this. I/ll bet
good mone he/s here.
?ust a hunch.+ *idge/s hunches were
the other thing one never ;uestioned.
'1ome on,+ she said,
standing up. ',et/s see if I/m right.+
* * *
!rinkerhoff followed *idge to her
office, where she sat down and began
to work !ig
!rother/s kepads like a virtuoso pipe
organist.
!rinkerhoff gazed up at the arra of
closed%caption video monitors on her
wall, their screens
all freeze frames of the 7-A seal.
'4ou/re gonna snoop 1rpto)+ he
asked nervousl.
'7ope,+ *idge replied. '(ish I
could, but 1rpto/s a sealed deal. It/s
got no video. 7o
sound. 7o nothing. -trathmore/s
orders. All I/ve got is approach stats
and basic T<A7-,T< stuff.
(e/re luck we/ve even got that.
-trathmore wanted total isolation, but
$ontaine insisted on the
basics.+
!rinkerhoff looked puzzled. '1rpto
hasn/t got video)+
'(h)+ she asked, without turning
from her monitor. '4ou and 1armen
looking for a little
more privac)+
!rinkerhoff grumbled something
inaudible.
*idge tped some more kes. 'I/m
pulling -trathmore/s elevator log.+
-he studied her
monitor a moment and then rapped
her knuckle on the desk. '.e/s here,+
she said matter%of%factl.
'.e/s in 1rpto right now. ,ook at
this. Talk about long hours"he went in
esterda morning bright
and earl, and his elevator hasn/t
budged since. I/m showing no magno%
card use for him on the
main door. -o he/s definitel in
there.+
!rinkerhoff breathed a slight sigh of
relief. '-o, if -trathmore/s in there,
everthing/s oka,
right)+
*idge thought a moment. '*abe,+
she finall decided.
'*abe)+
'(e should call him and double%
check.+
!rinkerhoff groaned. '*idge, he/s the
deput director. I/m sure he has
everthing under
control. ,et/s not second%guess"+
'#h, come on, 1had"don/t be such a
child. (e/re 0ust doing our 0ob.
(e/ve got a snag in the
stats, and we/re following up.
!esides,+ she added, 'I/d like to
remind -trathmore that !ig
!rother/s watching. *ake him think
twice before planning an more of his
hare%brained stunts to
save the world.+ *idge picked up the
phone and began dialing.
!rinkerhoff looked uneas. '4ou
reall think ou should bother him)+
'I/m not bothering him,+ *idge said,
tossing him the receiver. 5%ou are.+
Chapter )-
'(hat)+ *idge sputtered in disbelief.
'-trathmore claims our data is
wrong)+
!rinkerhoff nodded and hung up the
phone.
'-trathmore denied that
T<A7-,T</s been stuck on one file
for eighteen hours)+
'.e was ;uite pleasant about the
whole thing.+ !rinkerhoff beamed,
pleased with himself for
surviving the phone call. '.e assured
me T<A7-,T< was working fine.
-aid it was breaking
codes ever si3 minutes even as we
speak. Thanked me for checking up
on him.+
'.e/s ling,+ *idge snapped. 'I/ve
been running these 1rpto stats for
two ears. The data is
never wrong.+
'$irst time for everthing,+ he said
casuall.
-he shot him a disapproving look. 'I
run all data t$ie.7
'(ell5 ou know what the sa
about computers. (hen the screw
up, at least the/re
consistent about it.+
*idge spun and faced him. 'This isn/t
funn, 1had2 The &&# 0ust told a
blatant lie to the
director/s office. I want to know
wh2+
!rinkerhoff suddenl wished he
hadn/t called her back in.
-trathmore/s phone call had set her
off. Ever since -kip0ack, whenever
*idge had a sense that something
suspicious was going on, she
made an eerie transition from flirt to
fiend. There was no stopping her until
she sorted it out.
'*idge, it is possible our data is off,+
!rinkerhoff said firml. 'I mean,
think about it"a file
that ties up T<A7-,T< for eighteen
hours) It/s unheard of. 6o home. It/s
late.+
-he gave him a haught look and
tossed the report on the counter. 'I
trust the data. Instinct
sas it/s right.+
!rinkerhoff frowned. 7ot even the
director ;uestioned *idge *ilken/s
instincts anmore"she
had an uncann habit of alwas being
right.
'-omething/s up,+ she declared. 'And
I intend to find out what it is.+
Chapter ).
!ecker dragged himself off the floor
of the bus and collapsed in an empt
seat.
'7ice move, dipshit.+ The kid with
the three spikes sneered. !ecker
s;uinted in the stark
lighting. It was the kid he/d chased
onto the bus. .e gluml surveed the
sea of red, white, and blue
coiffures.
'(hat/s with the hair)+ !ecker
moaned, motioning to the others. 'It/s
all5+
'<ed, white, and blue)+ the kid
offered.
!ecker nodded, tring not to stare at
the infected perforation in the kid/s
upper lip.
'?udas Taboo,+ the kid said matter%of%
factl.
!ecker looked bewildered.
The punk spit in the aisle, obviousl
disgusted with !ecker/s ignorance.
'?udas Taboo)
6reatest punk since -id :icious)
!lew his head off here a ear ago
toda. It/s his anniversar.+
!ecker nodded vaguel, obviousl
missing the connection.
'Taboo did his hair this wa the da
he signed off.+ The kid spit again.
'Ever fan worth his
weight in piss has got red, white, and
blue hair toda.+
$or a long moment, !ecker said
nothing. -lowl, as if he had been
shot with a tran;uilizer, he
turned and faced front. !ecker
surveed the group on the bus. Ever
last one was a punk. *ost
were staring at him.
Ever fan has red, white, and blue
hair toda.
!ecker reached up and pulled the
driver%alert cord on the wall. It was
time to get off. .e
pulled again. 7othing happened. .e
pulled a third time, more franticall.
7othing.
'The disconnect Eem on bus =A.+
The kid spat again. '-o we don/t fuck
with Eem.+
!ecker turned. '4ou mean, I can/t get
off)+
The kid laughed. '7ot till the end of
the line.+
$ive minutes later, the bus was
barreling along an unlit -panish
countr road. !ecker turned
to the kid behind him. 'Is this thing
ever going to stop)+
The kid nodded. '$ew more miles.+
'(here are we going)+
.e broke into a sudden wide grin.
'4ou mean ou don/t know)+
!ecker shrugged.
The kid started laughing hstericall.
'#h, shit. 4ou/re gonna love it.+
Chapter */
#nl ards from T<A7-,T</s hull,
Phil 1hartrukian stood over a patch of
white lettering on
the 1rpto floor.
1<4PT# -D!,E:E,-
ADT.#<INE& PE<-#77E,
#7,4
.e knew he was definitel not
authorized personnel. .e shot a ;uick
glance up at
-trathmore/s office. The curtains were
still pulled. 1hartrukian had seen
-usan $letcher go into the
bathrooms, so he knew she wasn/t a
problem. The onl other ;uestion was
.ale. .e glanced toward
7ode F, wondering if the
crptographer were watching.
'$uck it,+ he grumbled.
!elow his feet the outline of a
recessed trapdoor was barel visible
in the floor. 1hartrukian
palmed the ke he/d 0ust taken from
the -s%-ec lab.
.e knelt down, inserted the ke in the
floor, and turned. The bolt beneath
clicked. Then he
unscrewed the large e3ternal butterfl
latch and freed the door. 1hecking
once again over his
shoulder, he s;uatted down and
pulled. The panel was small, onl
three feet b three feet, but it was
heav. (hen it finall opened, the
-s%-ec stumbled back.
A blast of hot air hit him in the face. It
carried with it the sharp bite of freon
gas. !illows of
steam swirled out of the opening,
illuminated b the red utilit lighting
below. The distant hum of
the generators became a rumble.
1hartrukian stood up and peered into
the opening. It looked more
like the gatewa to hell than a service
entrance for a computer. A narrow
ladder led to a platform
under the floor. !eond that, there
were stairs, but all he could see was
swirling red mist.
* * *
6reg .ale stood behind the one%wa
glass of 7ode F. .e watched as Phil
1hartrukian eased
himself down the ladder toward the
sublevels. $rom where .ale was
standing, the -s%-ec/s head
appeared to have been severed from
his bod and left out on the 1rpto
floor. Then, slowl, it sank
into the swirling mist.
'6uts move,+ .ale muttered. .e
knew where 1hartrukian was headed.
An emergenc
manual abort of T<A7-,T< was a
logical action if he thought the
computer had a virus.
Dnfortunatel, it was also a sure wa
to have 1rpto crawling with -s%
-ecs in about ten minutes.
Emergenc actions raised alert flags
at the main switchboard. A -s%-ec
investigation of 1rpto
was something .ale could not afford.
.ale left 7ode F and headed for the
trapdoor. 1hartrukian
had to be stopped.
Chapter *1
?abba resembled a giant tadpole. ,ike
the cinematic creature for whom he
was nicknamed, the
man was a hairless spheroid. As
resident guardian angel of all 7-A
computer sstems, ?abba
marched from department to
department, tweaking, soldering, and
reaffirming his credo that
prevention was the best medicine. 7o
7-A computer had ever been infected
under ?abba/s reign; he
intended to keep it that wa.
?abba/s home base was a raised
workstation overlooking the 7-A/s
underground, ultra%secret
databank. It was there that a virus
would do the most damage and there
that he spent the ma0orit of
his time. At the moment, however,
?abba was taking a break and
en0oing pepperoni calzones in the
7-A/s all%night commissar. .e was
about to dig into his third when his
cellular phone rang.
'6o,+ he said, coughing as he
swallowed a mouthful.
'?abba,+ a woman/s voice cooed. 'It/s
*idge.+
'&ata Bueen2+ the huge man gushed.
.e/d alwas had a soft spot for *idge
*ilken. -he was
sharp, and she was also the onl
woman ?abba had ever met who
flirted with him. '.ow the hell are
ou)+
'7o complaints.+
?abba wiped his mouth. '4ou on
site)+
'4up.+
'1are to 0oin me for a calzone)+
',ove to ?abba, but I/m watching
these hips.+
'<eall)+ .e snickered. '*ind if I
0oin ou)+
'4ou/re bad.+
'4ou have no idea5.+
'6lad I caught ou in,+ she said. 'I
need some advice.+
.e took a long swallow of &r Pepper.
'-hoot.+
'It might be nothing,+ *idge said,
'but m 1rpto stats turned up
something odd. I was
hoping ou could shed some light.+
'(hat a got)+ .e took another sip.
'I/ve got a report saing
T<A7-,T</s been running the same
file for eighteen hours and
hasn/t cracked it.+
?abba spraed &r Pepper all over his
calzone. '4ou $hat67
'An ideas)+
.e dabbed at his calzone with a
napkin. '(hat report is this)+
'Production report. !asic cost
analsis stuff.+ *idge ;uickl
e3plained what she and
!rinkerhoff had found.
'.ave ou called -trathmore)+
'4es. .e said everthing/s fine in
1rpto. -aid T<A7-,T</s running
full speed ahead. -aid
our data/s wrong.+
?abba furrowed his bulbous forehead.
'-o what/s the problem) 4our report
glitched.+ *idge
did not respond. ?abba caught her
drift. .e frowned. '4ou don/t think
our report glitched)+
'1orrect.+
'-o ou think -trathmore/s ling)+
'It/s not that,+ *idge said
diplomaticall, knowing she was on
fragile ground. 'It/s 0ust that
m stats have never been wrong in the
past. I thought I/d get a second
opinion.+
'(ell,+ ?abba said, 'I hate to be the
one to break it to ou, but our data/s
fried.+
'4ou think so)+
'I/d bet m 0ob on it.+ ?abba took a
big bite of sogg calzone and spoke
with his mouth full.
',ongest a file has ever lasted inside
T<A7-,T< is three hours. That
includes diagnostics,
boundar probes, everthing. #nl
thing that could lock it down for
eighteen hours would have to
be viral. 7othing else could do it.+
':iral)+
'4eah, some kind of redundant ccle.
-omething that got into the
processors, created a loop,
and basicall gummed up the works.+
'(ell,+ she ventured, '-trathmore/s
been in 1rpto for about thirt%si3
hours straight. An
chance he/s fighting a virus)+
?abba laughed. '-trathmore/s been in
there for thirt%si3 hours) Poor
bastard. .is wife
probabl said he can/t come home. I
hear she/s bagging his ass.+
*idge thought a moment. -he/d
heard that too. -he wondered if
mabe she was being
paranoid.
'*idge.+ ?abba wheezed and took
another long drink. 'If -trathmore/s
to had a virus, he
would have called me. -trathmore/s
sharp, but he doesn/t know shit about
viruses. T<A7-,T</s
all he/s got. $irst sign of trouble, he
would have pressed the panic button"
and around here, that
means me.7 ?abba sucked in a long
strand of mozzarella. '!esides,
there/s no wa in hell
T<A7-,T< has a virus. 6auntlet/s
the best set of package filters I/ve
ever written. 7othing gets
through.+
After a long silence, *idge sighed.
'An other thoughts)+
'4up. 4our data/s fried.+
'4ou alread said that.+
'E3actl.+
-he frowned. '4ou haven/t caught
wind of anthing) Anthing at all)+
?abba laughed harshl. '*idge5
listen up. -kip0ack sucked. -trathmore
blew it. !ut move
on"it/s over.+ There was a long
silence on the line, and ?abba realized
he/d gone too far. '-orr,
*idge. I know ou took heat over that
whole mess. -trathmore was wrong. I
know how ou feel
about him.+
'This has nothing to do with
-kip0ack,+ she said firml.
%eah, sure, ?abba thought. ',isten,
*idge, I don/t have feelings for
-trathmore one wa or
another. I mean, the gu/s a
crptographer. The/re basicall all
self%centered assholes. The need
their data esterda. Ever damn file
is the one that could save the world.+
'-o what are ou saing)+
?abba sighed. 'I/m saing
-trathmore/s a pscho like the rest of
them. !ut I/m also saing he
loves T<A7-,T< more than his own
goddamn wife. If there were a
problem, he would have called
me.+
*idge was ;uiet a long time. $inall
she let out a reluctant sigh. '-o ou/re
saing m data/s
fried)+
?abba chuckled. 'Is there an echo in
here)+
-he laughed.
',ook, *idge. &rop me a work order.
I/ll be up on *onda to double%check
our machine. In
the meantime, get the hell out of here.
It/s -aturda night. 6o get ourself
laid or something.+
-he sighed. 'I/m tring, ?abba.
!elieve me, I/m tring.+
Chapter *2
1lub Embru0o"+(arlock+ in English"
was situated in the suburbs at the end
of the number =A
bus line. ,ooking more like a
fortification than a dance club, it was
surrounded on all sides b high
stucco walls into which were
embedded shards of shattered beer
bottles"a crude securit sstem
preventing anone from entering
illegall without leaving behind a
good portion of flesh.
&uring the ride, !ecker had resolved
himself to the fact that he/d failed. It
was time to call
-trathmore with the bad news"the
search was hopeless. .e had done the
best he could; now it was
time to go home.
!ut now, gazing out at the mob of
patrons pushing their wa through the
club/s entrance,
!ecker was not so sure his conscience
would allow him to give up the
search. .e was staring at the
biggest crowd of punks he/d ever
seen; there were coiffures of red,
white, and blue everwhere.
!ecker sighed, weighing his options.
.e scanned the crowd and shrugged.
(here e!se $ou!d
she be on a Saturday night6 1ursing
his good fortune, !ecker climbed off
the bus.
The access to 1lub Embru0o was a
narrow stone corridor. As !ecker
entered he immediatel
felt himself caught up in the inward
surge of eager patrons.
'#utta m wa, faggot2+ A human
pincushion pawed past him, giving
!ecker an elbow in the
side.
'7ice tie.+ -omeone gave !ecker/s
necktie a hard ank.
'(anna fuck)+ A teenage girl stared
up at him looking like something out
of Da$n of the
Dead.
The darkness of the corridor spilled
out into a huge cement chamber that
reeked of alcohol
and bod odor. The scene was
surreal"a deep mountain grotto in
which hundreds of bodies moved
as one. The surged up and down,
hands pressed firml to their sides,
heads bobbing like lifeless
bulbs on top of rigid spines. 1razed
souls took running dives off a stage
and landed on a sea of
human limbs. !odies were passed
back and forth like human beach
balls. #verhead, the pulsating
strobes gave the whole thing the look
of an old, silent movie.
#n the far wall, speakers the size of
minivans shook so deepl that not
even the most
dedicated dancers could get closer
than thirt feet from the pounding
woofers.
!ecker plugged his ears and searched
the crowd. Everwhere he looked was
another red,
white, and blue head. The bodies were
packed so closel together that he
couldn/t see what the
were wearing. .e saw no hint of a
!ritish flag anwhere. It was obvious
he/d never be able to enter
the crowd without getting trampled.
-omeone nearb started vomiting.
3o.e!y. !ecker groaned. .e moved
off down a spra%painted hallwa.
The hall turned into a narrow
mirrored tunnel, which opened to an
outdoor patio scattered
with tables and chairs. The patio was
crowded with punk rockers, but to
!ecker it was like the
gatewa to -hangri%,a"the summer
sk opened up above him and the
music faded awa.
Ignoring the curious stares, !ecker
walked out into the crowd. .e
loosened his tie and
collapsed into a chair at the nearest
unoccupied table. It seemed like a
lifetime since -trathmore/s
earl%morning call.
After clearing the empt beer bottles
from his table, !ecker laid his head in
his hands. "ust for
a fe$ minutes, he thought.
* * *
$ive miles awa, the man in wire%rim
glasses sat in the back of a $iat ta3i as
it raced headlong
down a countr road.
'Embru0o,+ he grunted, reminding the
driver of their destination.
The driver nodded, eeing his curious
new fare in the rearview mirror.
'Embru0o,+ he
grumbled to himself. '(eirder crowd
ever night.+
Chapter *3
Tokugen 7umataka la naked on the
massage table in his penthouse office.
.is personal
masseuse worked out the kinks in his
neck. -he ground her palms into the
flesh pockets
surrounding his shoulder blades,
slowl working her wa down to the
towel covering his backside.
.er hands slipped lower5 beneath
his towel. 7umataka barel noticed.
.is mind was elsewhere.
.e had been waiting for his private
line to ring. It had not.
There was a knock at the door.
'Enter,+ 7umataka grunted.
The masseuse ;uickl pulled her
hands from beneath the towel.
The switchboard operator entered and
bowed. '.onored chairman)+
'-peak.+
The operator bowed a second time. 'I
spoke to the phone e3change. The call
originated from
countr code @"the Dnited -tates.+
7umataka nodded. This was good
news. The a!! ame from the States.
.e smiled. 8t $as
genuine.
'(here in the D.-.)+ he demanded.
'The/re working on it, sir.+
':er well. Tell me when ou have
more.+
The operator bowed again and left.
7umataka felt his muscles rela3.
1ountr code @. 6ood news indeed.
Chapter *)
-usan $letcher paced impatientl in
the 1rpto bathroom and counted
slowl to fift. .er
head was throbbing. "ust a !itt!e
!onger, she told herself. <a!e is #orth
Da&ota4
-usan wondered what .ale/s plans
were. (ould he announce the pass%
ke) (ould he be
greed and tr to sell the algorithm)
-usan couldn/t bear to wait an
longer. It was time. -he had to
get to -trathmore.
1autiousl she cracked the door and
peered out at the reflective wall on the
far side of 1rpto.
There was no wa to know if .ale
was still watching. -he/d have to
move ;uickl to -trathmore/s
office. 7ot too ;uickl, of course"she
could not let .ale suspect she was on
to him. -he reached for
the door and was about to pull it open
when she heard something. :oices.
*en/s voices.
The voices were coming through the
ventilation shaft near the floor. -he
released the door and
moved toward the vent. The words
were muffled b the dull hum of the
generators below. The
conversation sounded like it was
coming up from the sublevel
catwalks. #ne voice was shrill,
angr. It sounded like Phil
1hartrukian.
'4ou don/t believe me)+
The sound of more arguing rose.
'(e have a virus2+
Then the sound of harsh elling.
'(e need to call ?abba2+
Then there were sounds of a struggle.
',et me go2+
The noise that followed was barel
human. It was a long wailing cr of
horror, like a tortured
animal about to die. -usan froze
beside the vent. The noise ended as
abruptl as it had begun. Then
there was a silence.
An instant later, as if choreographed
for some cheap horror matinee, the
lights in the
bathroom slowl dimmed. Then the
flickered and went out. -usan $letcher
found herself standing
in total blackness.
Chapter **
'4ou/re in m seat, asshole.+
!ecker lifted his head off his arms.
&oesn/t anone speak -panish in this
damn countr)
6laring down at him was a short,
pimple%faced teenager with a shaved
head. .alf of his scalp
was red and half was purple. .e
looked like an Easter egg. 'I said
ou/re in m seat, asshole.+
'I heard ou the first time,+ !ecker
said, standing up. .e was in no mood
for a fight. It was
time to go.
'(here/d ou put m bottles)+ the
kid snarled. There was a safet pin in
his nose.
!ecker pointed to the beer bottles
he/d set on the ground. 'The were
empt.+
'The were my fuckin/ empties2+
'* apologies,+ !ecker said, and
turned to go.
The punk blocked his wa. 'Pick Eem
up2+
!ecker blinked, not amused. '4ou/re
kidding, right)+ .e was a full foot
taller and
outweighed the kid b about fift
pounds.
'&o I fuckin/ !oo& like I/m kidding)+
!ecker said nothing.
'Pick Eem up2+ The kid/s voice
cracked.
!ecker attempted to step around him,
but the teenager blocked his wa. 'I
said, fuckin/ pick
Eem up2+
-toned punks at nearb tables began
turning to watch the e3citement.
'4ou don/t want to do this, kid,+
!ecker said ;uietl.
'I/m warning ou2+ The kid seethed.
'This is m table2 I come here ever
night. 7ow pi&
Eem up47
!ecker/s patience ran out. (asn/t he
supposed to be in the -moks with
-usan) (hat was he
doing in -pain arguing with a
pschotic adolescent)
(ithout warning, !ecker caught the
kid under the armpits, lifted him up,
and slammed his
rear end down on the table. ',ook,
ou runn%nosed little runt. 4ou/re
going to back off right now,
or I/m going to rip that safet pin out
of our nose and pin our mouth
shut.+
The kid/s face went pale.
!ecker held him a moment, then he
released his grip. (ithout taking his
ees off the
frightened kid, !ecker stooped down,
picked up the bottles, and returned
them to the table. '(hat
do ou sa)+ he asked.
The kid was speechless.
'4ou/re welcome,+ !ecker snapped.
This kid/s a walking billboard for
birth control.
'6o to hell2+ the kid elled, now
aware of his peers laughing at him.
'Ass%wipe2+
!ecker didn/t move. -omething the
kid had said suddenl registered. 8
ome here e.ery night.
!ecker wondered if mabe the kid
could help him. 'I/m sorr,+ !ecker
said, 'I didn/t catch our
name.+
'Two%Tone,+ he hissed, as if he were
giving a death sentence.
'Two%Tone)+ !ecker mused. ',et me
guess5 because of our hair)+
'7o shit, -herlock.+
'1atch name. *ake that up
ourself)+
'&amn straight,+ he said proudl.
'I/m gonna patent it.+
!ecker scowled. '4ou mean
trademar& it67
The kid looked confused.
'4ou/d need a trademark for a name,+
!ecker said. '7ot a patent.+
'(hatever2+ the punk screamed in
frustration.
The motle assortment of drunken
and drugged%out kids at the nearb
tables were now in
hsterics. Two%Tone stood up and
sneered at !ecker. '(hat the fuck do
ou want from me)+
!ecker thought a moment. 8 $ant you
to $ash your hair, !eanup your
!anguage, and get a
?ob. !ecker figured it was too much to
ask on a first meeting. 'I need some
information,+ he said.
'$uck ou.+
'I/m looking for someone.+
'I ain/t seen him.+
5<a.ent seen him,+ !ecker corrected
as he flagged a passing waitress. .e
bought two
aguila beers and handed one to Two%
Tone. The bo looked shocked. .e
took a swig of beer and
eed !ecker waril.
'4ou hitting on me, mister)+
!ecker smiled. 'I/m looking for a
girl.+
Two%Tone let out a shrill laugh. '4ou
sure as hell ain/t gonna get an action
dressed like
that2+
!ecker frowned. 'I/m not looking for
action. I 0ust need to talk to her.
*abe ou could help
me find her.+
Two%Tone set down his beer. '4ou a
cop)+
!ecker shook his head.
The kid/s ees narrowed. '4ou look
like a cop.+
'Gid, I/m from *arland. If I were a
cop, I/d be a little out of m
0urisdiction, don/t ou
think)+
The ;uestion seemed to stump him.
'* name/s &avid !ecker.+ !ecker
smiled and offered his hand across the
table.
The punk recoiled in disgust. '!ack
off, fag bo.+
!ecker retracted the hand.
The kid sneered. 'I/ll help ou, but
it/ll cost ou.+
!ecker plaed along. '.ow much)+
'A hundred bucks.+
!ecker frowned. 'I/ve onl got
pesetas.+
'(hatever2 *ake it a hundred
pesetas.7
$oreign currenc e3change was
obviousl not one of Two%Tone/s
fortes; a hundred pesetas
was about eight%seven cents. '&eal,+
!ecker said, rapping his bottle on the
table.
The kid smiled for the first time.
'&eal.+
'#ka,+ !ecker continued in his
hushed tone. 'I figure the girl I/m
looking for might hang
out here. -he/s got red, white, and
blue hair.+
Two%Tone snorted. 'It/s ?udas
Taboo/s anniversar. Everbod/s
got"+
'-he/s also wearing a !ritish flag T%
shirt and has a skull pendant in one
ear.+
A faint look of recognition crossed
Two%Tone/s face. !ecker saw it and
felt a surge of hope.
!ut a moment later Two%Tone/s
e3pression turned stern. .e slammed
his bottle down and grabbed
!ecker/s shirt.
'-he/s Eduardo/s, ou asshole2 I/d
watch it2 4ou touch her, and he/ll kill
ou2+
Chapter *+
*idge *ilken prowled angril into
the conference room across from her
office. In addition to
the thirt%two foot mahogan table
with the 7-A seal inlaid in black
cherr and walnut, the
conference room contained three
*arion Pike watercolors, a !oston
fern, a marble wet bar, and of
course, the re;uisite -parklett/s water
cooler. *idge helped herself to a
glass of water, hoping it
might calm her nerves.
As she sipped at the li;uid, she gazed
across at the window. The moonlight
was filtering
through the open venetian blind and
plaing on the grain of the table.
-he/d alwas thought this
would make a nicer director/s office
than $ontaine/s current location on
the front of the building.
<ather than looking out over the 7-A
parking lot, the conference room
looked out over an
impressive arra of 7-A
outbuildings"including the 1rpto
dome, a high%tech island floating
separate from the main building on
three wooded acres. Purposefull
situated behind the natural
cover of a grove of maples, 1rpto
was difficult to see from most
windows in the 7-A comple3,
but the view from the directorial suite
was perfect. To *idge the conference
room seemed the
perfect vantage point for a king to
surve his domain. -he had suggested
once that $ontaine move
his office, but the director had simpl
replied, '7ot on the rear.+ $ontaine
was not a man to be
found on the back end of anthing.
*idge pulled apart the blinds. -he
stared out at the hills. -ighing
ruefull, she let her ees fall
toward the spot where 1rpto stood.
*idge had alwas felt comforted b
the sight of the 1rpto
dome"a glowing beacon regardless of
the hour. !ut tonight, as she gazed
out, there was no comfort.
Instead she found herself staring into
a void. As she pressed her face to the
glass, she was gripped
b a wild, girlish panic. !elow her
there was nothing but blackness.
1rpto had disappeared2
Chapter *,
The 1rpto bathrooms had no
windows, and the darkness
surrounding -usan $letcher was
absolute. -he stood dead still for a
moment tring to get her bearings,
acutel aware of the growing
sense of panic gripping her bod. The
horrible cr from the ventilation shaft
seemed to hang all
around her. &espite her effort to fight
off a rising sense of dread, fear swept
across her flesh and
took control.
In a flurr of involuntar motion,
-usan found herself groping wildl
across stall doors and
sinks. &isoriented, she spun through
the blackness with her hands out in
front of her and tried to
picture the room. -he knocked over a
garbage can and found herself against
a tiled wall. $ollowing
the wall with her hand, she scrambled
toward the e3it and fumbled for the
door handle. -he pulled it
open and stumbled out onto the
1rpto floor.
There she froze for a second time.
The 1rpto floor looked nothing like
it had 0ust moments ago. T<A7-,T<
was a gra
silhouette against the faint twilight
coming in through the dome. All of
the overhead lighting was
dead. 7ot even the electronic kepads
on the doors were glowing.
As -usan/s ees became accustomed
to the dark, she saw that the onl light
in 1rpto was
coming through the open trapdoor"a
faint red glow from the utilit lighting
below. -he moved
toward it. There was the faint smell of
ozone in the air.
(hen she made it to the trapdoor, she
peered into the hole. The freon vents
were still belching
swirling mist through the redness, and
from the higher%pitched drone of the
generators, -usan knew
1rpto was running on backup power.
Through the mist she could make out
-trathmore standing on
the platform below. .e was leaning
over the railing and staring into the
depths of T<A7-,T</s
rumbling shaft.
'1ommander2+
There was no response.
-usan eased onto the ladder. The hot
air from below rushed in under her
skirt. The rungs were
slipper with condensation. -he set
herself down on the grated landing.
'1ommander)+
-trathmore did not turn. .e continued
staring down with a blank look of
shock, as if in a
trance. -usan followed his gaze over
the banister. $or a moment she could
see nothing e3cept wisps
of steam. Then suddenl she saw it. A
figure. -i3 stories below. It appeared
briefl in the billows of
steam. There it was again. A tangled
mass of twisted limbs. ,ing ninet
feet below them, Phil
1hartrukian was sprawled across the
sharp iron fins of the main generator.
.is bod was darkened
and burned. .is fall had shorted out
1rpto/s main power suppl.
!ut the most chilling image of all was
not of 1hartrukian but of someone
else, another bod,
halfwa down the long staircase,
crouched, hiding in the shadows. The
muscular frame was
unmistakable. It was 6reg .ale.
Chapter *-
The punk screamed at !ecker,
'*egan belongs to m friend
Eduardo2 4ou sta awa from
her2+
'(here is she)+ !ecker/s heart was
racing out of control.
'$uck ou2+
'It/s an emergenc2+ !ecker snapped.
.e grabbed the kid/s sleeve. '-he/s
got a ring that
belongs tome. I/ll pa her for it2 A
lot2+
Two%Tone stopped dead and burst
into hsterics. '4ou mean that ugl,
gold piece of shit is
ours)+
!ecker/s ees widened. '4ou/ve seen
it)+
Two%Tone nodded col.
'(here is it)+ !ecker demanded.
'7o clue.+ Two%Tone chuckled.
'*egan was up here tring to hock
it.+
'-he was tring to se!! it)+
'&on/t worr, man, she didn/t have
an luck. 4ou/ve got shitt taste in
0ewelr.+
'Are ou sure nobod bought it)+
'Are ou shitting me) $or four
hundred bucks) I told her I/d give her
fift, but she wanted
more. -he was tring to bu a plane
ticket"standb.+
!ecker felt the blood drain from his
face. '(hereto)+
'$uckin/ 1onnecticut,+ Two%tone
snapped. 'Eddie/s bummin/.+
'1onnecticut)+
'-hit, eah. 6oing back to *omm
and &add/s mansion in the burbs.
.ated her -panish
homesta famil. Three -pic brothers
alwas hitting on her. 7o fucking hot
water.+
!ecker felt a knot rise in his throat.
'(hen is she leaving)+
Two%Tone looked up. '(hen)+ .e
laughed. '-he/s long gone b now.
(ent to the airport
hours ago. !est spot to hock the ring"
rich tourists and shit. #nce she got the
cash, she was fling
out.+
A dull nausea swept through !ecker/s
gut. This is some &ind of si& ?o&e,
isnt it6 .e stood a
long moment. '(hat/s her last
name)+
Two%Tone pondered the ;uestion and
shrugged.
'(hat flight was she taking)+
'-he said something about the <oach
1oach.+
'<oach 1oach)+
'4eah. (eekend red%ee"-eville,
*adrid, ,a 6uardia. That/s what the
call it. 1ollege kids
take it Ecause it/s cheap. 6uess the
sit in back and smoke roaches.+
'reat. !ecker groaned, running a
hand through his hair. '(hat time did
it leave)+
'Two a.m. sharp, ever -aturda
night. -he/s some whereover the
Atlantic b now.+
!ecker checked his watch. It read
@CL> p.m. .e turned to Two%Tone,
confused. '4ou said it/s
a two a.m. flight)+
The punk nodded, laughing. ',ooks
like ou/re fucked, ol/ man.+
!ecker pointed angril to his watch.
'!ut it/s onl ;uarter to two2+
Two%Tone eed the watch, apparentl
puzzled. '(ell, I/ll be damned.+ he
laughed. 'I/m
usuall not this buzzed till four a.m.2+
'(hat/s the fastest wa to the
airport)+ !ecker snapped.
'Ta3i stand out front.+
!ecker grabbed a @,999%peseta note
from his pocket and stuff edit in Two%
Tone/s hand.
'.e, man, thanks2+ the punk called
after him. 'If ou see *egan, tell her
I said hi2+ !ut
!ecker was alread gone.
Two%Tone sighed and staggered back
toward the dance floor. .e was too
drunk to notice the
man in wire%rim glasses following
him.
#utside, !ecker scanned the parking
lot for a ta3i. There was none. .e ran
over to a stock
bouncer. 'Ta3i2+
The bouncer shook his head.
'&emasiado temprano. Too earl.+
Too earl) !ecker swore. It/s two
o/clock in the morning2
'PUdame uno2 1all me one2+
The man pulled out a walkie%talkie.
.e said a few words and then signed
off. ':einte
minutos,+ he offered.
'Twent minutes)2+ !ecker
demanded. '4 elautobus)+
The bouncer shrugged. '$ort%five
minutos.+
!ecker threw up his hands. Perfet4
The sound of a small engine turned
!ecker/s head. It sounded like a
chainsaw. A big kid and
his chain%clad date pulled into the
parking lot on an old :espa =>9
motorccle. The girl/s skirt had
blown high on her thighs. -he didn/t
seem to notice. !ecker dashed over. 8
ant be!ie.e 8m doing
this, he thought. 8 hate motory!es.
.e elled to the driver. 'I/ll pa ou
ten thousand pesetas to
take me to the airport2+
The kid ignored him and killed the
engine.
'Twent thousand2+ !ecker blurted.
'I need to get to the airport2+
The kid looked up. '-cusi)+ .e was
Italian.
'AeropSrto2 Per favore. -ulla :espa2
:enti mille pesete2+
The Italian eed his crumm, little
bike and laughed. ':enti mille
pesete) ,a :espa)+
'1in;uanta mille2 $ift thousand2+
!ecker offered. It was about four
hundred dollars.
The Italian laughed doubtfull.
'&ov/O la plata) (here/s the cash)+
!ecker pulled five @9,999%peseta
notes from his pocket and held them
out. The Italian looked
at the mone and then at his
girlfriend. The girl grabbed the cash
and stuffed it in her blouse.
5'ra/ie47 the Italian beamed. .e
tossed !ecker the kes to his :espa.
Then he grabbed his
girlfriend/s hand, and the ran off
laughing into the building.
'Aspetta2+ !ecker elled. '(ait2 I
wanted a ride47
Chapter *.
-usan reached for 1ommander
-trathmore/s hand as he helped her up
the ladder onto the
1rpto floor. The image of Phil
1hartrukian ling broken on the
generators was burned into her
mind. The thought of .ale hiding in
the bowels of 1rpto had left her
dizz. The truth was
inescapable".ale had pushed
1hartrukian.
-usan stumbled past the shadow of
T<A7-,T< back toward 1rpto/s
main e3it"the door
she/d come through hours earlier. .er
frantic punching on the unlit kepad
did nothing to move the
huge portal. -he was trapped; 1rpto
was a prison. The dome sat like a
satellite, @9K ards awa
from the main 7-A structure,
accessible onl through the main
portal. -ince 1rpto made its own
power, the switchboard probabl
didn/t even know the were in
trouble.
'The main power/s out,+ -trathmore
said, arriving behind her. '(e/re on
au3.+
The backup power suppl in 1rpto
was designed so that T<A7-,T< and
its cooling
sstems took precedence over all
other sstems, including lights and
doorwas. That wa an
untimel power outage would not
interrupt T<A7-,T< during an
important run. It also meant
T<A7-,T< would never run without
its freon cooling sstem; in an
uncooled enclosure, the heat
generated b three million processors
would rise to treacherous levels"
perhaps even igniting the
silicon chips and resulting in a fier
meltdown. It was an image no one
dared consider.
-usan fought to get her bearings. .er
thoughts were consumed b the single
image of the
-s%-ec on the generators. -he
stabbed at the kepad again. -till no
response. 'Abort the run2+ she
demanded. Telling T<A7-,T< to
stop searching for the &igital $ortress
pass%ke would shut
down its circuits and free up enough
backup power to get the doors
working again.
'Eas, -usan,+ -trathmore said,
putting a steading hand on her
shoulder.
The commander/s reassuring touch
lifted -usan from her daze. -he
suddenl remembered
wh she had been going to get him.
-he wheeled, '1ommander2 6reg
.ale is 7orth &akota2+
There was a seemingl endless beat of
silence in the dark. $inall -trathmore
replied. .is
voice sounded more confused than
shocked. '(hat are ou talking
about)+
'.ale5+ -usan whispered. '.e/s
7orth &akota.+
There was more silence as -trathmore
pondered -usan/s words. 'The
tracer)+ .e seemed
confused. 'It fingered .ale)+
'The tracer isn/t back et. .ale
aborted it2+
-usan went on to e3plain how .ale
had stopped her tracer and how she/d
found E%mail from
Tankado in .ale/s account. Another
long moment of silence followed.
-trathmore shook his head in
disbelief.
'There/s no wa 'reg <a!e is
Tankado/s insurance2 It/s absurd2
Tankado would never trust
.ale.+
'1ommander,+ she said, '.ale sank
us once before"-kip0ack. Tankado
trusted him.+
-trathmore could not seem to find
words.
'Abort T<A7-,T<,+ -usan begged
him. '(e/ve got 7orth &akota. 1all
building securit.
,et/s get out of here.+
-trathmore held up his hand
re;uesting a moment to think.
-usan looked nervousl in the
direction of the trapdoor. The opening
was 0ust out of sight
behind T<A7-,T<, but the reddish
glow spilled out over the black tile
like fire on ice. 9ome on,
a!! Seurity, 9ommander4 Abort
T>A#S3T>4 'et us out of here4
-uddenl -trathmore sprang to action.
'$ollow me,+ he said. .e strode
toward the trapdoor.
'1ommander2 .ale is dangerous2
.e"+
!ut -trathmore disappeared into the
dark. -usan hurried to follow his
silhouette. The
commander circled around
T<A7-,T< and arrived over the
opening in the floor. .e peered into
the swirling, steaming pit. -ilentl he
looked around the darkened 1rpto
floor. Then he bent down
and heaved the heav trapdoor. It
swung in a low arc. (hen he let go, it
slammed shut with a
deadening thud. 1rpto was once
again a silent, blackened cave. It
appeared 7orth &akota was
trapped.
-trathmore knelt down. .e turned the
heav butterfl lock. It spun into
place. The sublevels
were sealed.
7either he nor -usan heard the faint
steps in the direction of 7ode F.
Chapter +/
Two%tone headed through the
mirrored corridor that led from the
outside patio to the dance
floor. As he turned to check his safet
pin in the reflection, he sensed a
figure looming up behind
him. .e spun, but it was too late. A
pair of rocklike arms pinned his bod
face%first against the
glass.
The punk tried to twist around.
'Eduardo) .e, man, is that ou)+
Two%Tone felt a hand
brush over his wallet before the figure
leaned firml into his back. 'Eddie2+
the punk cried. 'Buit
fooling around2 -ome gu was
lookin/ for *egan.+
The figure held him firml.
'.e, Eddie, man, cut it out2+ !ut
when Two%Tone looked up into the
mirror, he saw the
figure pinning him was not his friend
at all.
The face was pockmarked and
scarred. Two lifeless ees stared out
like coal from behind
wire%rim glasses. The man leaned
forward, placing his mouth against
Two%Tone/s ear. A strange,
voice choked, 5AdFnde fuD6 (here/d
he go)+ The words sounded somehow
misshapen.
The punk froze, paralzed with fear.
5AdFnde fuD67 the voice repeated.
'El Americano.+
'The5 the airport. Aeropuerto,+
Two%Tone stammered.
'Aeropuerto)+ the man repeated, his
dark ees watching Two%Tone/s lips
in the mirror.
The punk nodded.
'TenUa el anillo) &id he have the
ring)+
Terrified, Two%Tone shook his head.
'7o.+
':iste el anillo) &id ou see the
ring)+
Two%Tone paused. (hat was the right
answer)
':iste el anillo)+ the muffled voice
demanded.
Two%Tone nodded affirmativel,
hoping honest would pa. It did not.
-econds later he slid
to the floor, his neck broken.
Chapter +1
?abba la on his back lodged halfwa
inside a dismantled mainframe
computer. There was a
penlight in his mouth, a soldering iron
in his hand, and a large schematic
blueprint propped on his
bell. .e had 0ust finished attaching a
new set of attenuators to a fault
motherboard when his
cellular phone sprang to life.
'-hit,+ he swore, groping for the
receiver through a pile of cables.
'?abba here.+
'?abba, it/s *idge.+
.e brightened. 'Twice in one night)
People are gonna start talking.+
'1rpto/s got problems.+ .er voice
was tense.
?abba frowned. '(e been through this
alread. <emember)+
'It/s a po$er problem.+
'I/m not an electrician. 1all
Engineering.+
'The dome/s dark.+
'4ou/re seeing things. 6o home.+ .e
turned back to his schematic.
'Pitch black2+ she elled.
?abba sighed and set down his
penlight. '*idge, first of all, we/ve
got au3 power in there. It
would never be pith black. -econd,
-trathmore/s got a slightl better view
of 1rpto than I do
right now. (h don/t ou call him67
'!ecause this has to do with him.
.e/s hiding something.+
?abba rolled his ees. '*idge sweetie,
I/m up to m armpits in serial cable
here. If ou need a
date, I/ll cut loose. #therwise, call
Engineering.+
'?abba, this is serious. I can fee! it.+
She an fee! it6 It was official, ?abba
thought, *idge was in one of her
moods. 'If
-trathmore/s not worried, 8m not
worried.+
'1rpto/s pitch black, dammit2+
'-o mabe -trathmore/s stargazing.+
'?abba2 I/m not kidding around here2+
'#ka, oka,+ he grumbled, propping
himself up on an elbow. '*abe a
generator shorted
out. As soon as I/m done here, I/ll
stop b 1rpto and"+
'(hat about au3 power2+ *idge
demanded. 'If a generator blew, wh
is there no au3
power)+
'I don/t know. *abe -trathmore/s
got T<A7-,T< running and au3
power is tapped out.+
'-o wh doesn/t he abort) *abe it/s
a virus. 4ou said something earlier
about a virus.+
'&amn it, *idge2+ ?abba e3ploded. 'I
told ou, there/s no virus in 1rpto2
-top being so
damned paranoid47
There was a long silence on the line.
'Aw, shit, *idge,+ ?abba apologized.
',et me e3plain.+ .is voice was tight.
'$irst of all,
we/ve got 6auntlet"no virus could
possibl get through. -econd, if
there/s a power failure, it/s
hard$are- related"viruses don/t kill
po$er, the attack software and data.
(hatever/s going on in
1rpto, it/s not a virus.+
-ilence.
'*idge) 4ou there)+
*idge/s response was ic. '?abba, I
have a 0ob to do. I don/t e3pect to be
elled at for doing
it. (hen I call to ask wh a multi
billion%dollar facilit is in the dark, I
e3pect a professional
response.+
'4es, ma/am.+
'A simple es or no will suffice. Is it
possible the problem in 1rpto is
virus%related)+
'*idge5 I told ou"+
'4es or no. 1ould T<A7-,T< have
a virus)+
?abba sighed. '7o, *idge. It/s totall
impossible.+
'Thank ou.+
.e forced a chuckle and tried to
lighten the mood. 'Dnless ou think
-trathmore wrote one
himself and bpassed m filters.+
There was a stunned silence. (hen
*idge spoke, her voice had an eerie
edge. '-trathmore
can bypass 6auntlet)+
?abba sighed. 'It was a ?o&e, *idge.+
!ut he knew it was too late.
Chapter +2
The 1ommander and -usan stood
beside the closed trapdoor and
debated what to do ne3t.
'(e/ve got Phil 1hartrukian dead
down there,+ -trathmore argued. 'If
we call for help,
1rpto will turn into a circus.+
'-o what do ou propose we do)+
-usan demanded, wanting onl to
leave.
-trathmore thought a moment. '&on/t
ask me how it happened,+ he said,
glancing down at the
locked trapdoor, 'but it looks like
we/ve inadvertentl located and
neutralized 7orth &akota.+ .e
shook his head in disbelief. '&amn
luck break if ou ask me.+ .e still
seemed stunned b the idea
that .ale was involved in Tankado/s
plan. '* guess is that .ale/s got the
pass%ke hidden in his
terminal somewhere"mabe he/s got
a cop at home. Either wa, he/s
trapped.+
'-o wh not call building securit and
let them cart him awa)+
'7ot et,+ -trathmore said, 'if the
-s%-ecs uncover stats of this endless
T<A7-,T< run,
we/ve got a whole new set of
problems. I want all traces of &igital
$ortress deleted before we open
the doors.+
-usan nodded reluctantl. It was a
good plan. (hen -ecurit finall
pulled .ale from the
sublevels and charged him with
1hartrukian/s death, he probabl
would threaten to tell the world
about &igital $ortress. !ut the proof
would be erased"-trathmore could
pla dumb. An end!ess run6
An unbrea&ab!e a!gorithm6 +ut thats
absurd4 <asnt <a!e heard of the
+ergofs&y Prinip!e6
'.ere/s what we need to do.+
-trathmore cooll outlined his plan.
'(e erase all of .ale/s
correspondence with Tankado. (e
erase all records of m bpassing
6auntlet, all of 1hartrukian/s
-s%-ec analsis, the <un%*onitor
records, everthing. &igital $ortress
disappears. It was never
here. (e bur .ale/s ke and pra to
6od &avid finds Tankado/s cop.+
Da.id, -usan thought. -he forced him
from her mind. -he needed to sta
focused on the
matter at hand.
'I/ll handle the -s%-ec lab,+
-trathmore said. '<un%*onitor stats,
mutation activit stats, the
works. 4ou handle 7ode F. &elete all
of .ale/s E%mail. An records of
correspondence with
Tankado, anthing that mentions
&igital $ortress.+
'#ka,+ -usan replied, focusing. 'I/ll
erase .ale/s whole drive. <eformat
everthing.+
'7o2+ -trathmore/s response was
stern. '&on/t do that. .ale most likel
has a cop of the
pass%ke in there. I want it.+
-usan gaped in shock. '4ou want the
pass%ke) I thought the whole point
was to destroy the
pass%kes2+
'It is. !ut I want a cop. I want to
crack open this damn file and have a
look at Tankado/s
program.+
-usan shared -trathmore/s curiosit,
but instinct told her unlocking the
&igital $ortress
algorithm was not wise, regardless of
how interesting it would be. <ight
now, the deadl program
was locked safel in its encrpted
vault"totall harmless. As soon as he
decrpted it5.
'1ommander, wouldn/t we be better
off 0ust to"+
'I want the ke,+ he replied.
-usan had to admit, ever since hearing
about &igital $ortress, she/d felt a
certain academic
curiosit to know how Tankado had
managed to write it. Its mere
e3istence contradicted the most
fundamental rules of crptograph.
-usan eed the commander. '4ou/ll
delete the algorithm
immediatel after we see it)+
'(ithout a trace.+
-usan frowned. -he knew that finding
.ale/s ke would not happen
instantl. ,ocating a
random pass%ke on one of the 7ode
F hard drives was somewhat like
tring to find a single sock in
a bedroom the size of Te3as.
1omputer searches onl worked when
ou knew what ou were
looking for; this pass%ke was
random. $ortunatel, however,
because 1rpto dealt with so much
random material, -usan and some
others had developed a comple3
process known as a
nonconformit search. The search
essentiall asked the computer to
stud ever string of characters
on its hard drive, compare each string
against an enormous dictionar, and
flag an strings that
seemed nonsensical or random. It was
trick work to refine the parameters
continuall, but it was
possible.
-usan knew she was the logical
choice to find the pass%ke. -he
sighed, hoping she wouldn/t
regret it. 'If all goes well, it will take
me about half an hour.+
'Then let/s get to work,+ -trathmore
said, putting a hand on her shoulder
and leading her
through the darkness toward 7ode F.
Above them, a star%filled sk had
stretched itself across the dome.
-usan wondered if &avid
could see the same stars from -eville.
As the approached the heav glass
doors of 7ode F, -trathmore swore
under his breath. The
7ode F kepad was unlit, and the
doors were dead.
'&amn it,+ he said. '7o power. I
forgot.+
-trathmore studied the sliding doors.
.e placed his palms flat against the
glass. Then he
leaned sidewas tring to slide them
open. .is hands were sweat and
slipped. .e wiped them on
his pants and tried again. This time
the doors slid open a tin crack.
-usan, sensing progress, got in behind
-trathmore and the both pushed
together. The doors
slid open about an inch. The held it a
moment, but the pressure was too
great. The doors sprang
shut again.
'.old on,+ -usan said, repositioning
herself in front of -trathmore. '#ka,
now tr.+
The heaved. Again the door opened
onl about an inch. A faint ra of blue
light appeared
from inside 7ode F; the terminals
were still on; the were considered
critical to T<A7-,T< and
were receiving au3 power.
-usan dug the toe of her $erragamo/s
into the floor and pushed harder. The
door started to
move. -trathmore moved to get a
better angle. 1entering his palms on
the left slider, he pushed
straight back. -usan pushed the right
slider in the opposite direction.
-lowl, arduousl, the doors
began to separate. The were now
almost a foot apart.
'&on/t let go,+ -trathmore said,
panting as the pushed harder. '?ust a
little farther.+
-usan repositioned herself with her
shoulder in the crack. -he pushed
again, this time with a
better angle. The doors fought back
against her.
!efore -trathmore could stop her,
-usan s;ueezed her slender bod into
the opening.
-trathmore protested, but she was
intent. -he wanted out of 1rpto, and
she knew -trathmore well
enough to know she wasn/t going
anwhere until .ale/s pass%ke was
found.
-he centered herself in the opening
and pushed with all her strength. The
doors seemed to
push back. -uddenl -usan lost her
grip. The doors sprang toward her.
-trathmore fought to hold
them off, but it was too much. ?ust as
the doors slammed shut, -usan
s;ueezed through and
collapsed on the other side.
The commander fought to reopen the
door a tin sliver. .e put his face to
the narrow crack.
'?esus, -usan"are ou oka)+
-usan stood up and brushed herself
off. '$ine.+
-he looked around. 7ode F was
deserted, lit onl b the computer
monitors. The bluish
shadows gave the place a ghostl
ambiance. -he turned to -trathmore in
the crack of the door. .is
face looked pallid and sickl in the
blue light.
'-usan,+ he said. '6ive me twent
minutes to delete the files in -s%-ec.
(hen all traces are
gone, I/ll go up to m terminal and
abort T<A7-,T<.+
'4ou better,7 -usan said, eeing the
heav glass doors. -he knew that until
T<A7-,T<
stopped hoarding au3 power, she was
a prisoner in 7ode F.
-trathmore let go of the doors, and
the snapped shut. -usan watched
through the glass as the
commander disappeared into the
1rpto darkness.
Chapter +3
!ecker/s newl purchased :espa
motorccle struggled up the entr
road to Aeropuerto de
-evilla. .is knuckles had been white
the whole wa. .is watch read 0ust
after =C99 a.m. local time.
As he approached the main terminal,
he rode up on the sidewalk and
0umped off the bike
while it was still moving. It clattered
to the pavement and sputtered to a
stop. !ecker dashed on
rubber legs through the revolving
door. #e.er again, he swore to
himself.
The terminal was sterile and starkl
lit. E3cept for a 0anitor buffing the
floor, the place was
deserted. Across the concourse, a
ticket agent was closing down the
Iberia Airlines counter. !ecker
took it as a bad sign.
.e ran over. 'El vuelo a los Estados
Dnidos)+
The attractive Andalusian woman
behind the counter looked up and
smiled apologeticall.
'Acaba de salir. 4ou 0ust missed it.+
.er words hung in the air for a long
moment.
8 missed it. !ecker/s shoulders
slumped. '(as there standb room on
the flight)+
'Plent,+ the woman smiled. 'Almost
empt. !ut tomorrow/s eight a.m.
also has"+
'I need to know if a friend of mine
made that flight. -he was fling
standb.+
The woman frowned. 'I/m sorr, sir.
There were several standb
passengers tonight, but our
privac clause states"+
'It/s ver important,+ !ecker urged.
'I 0ust need to know if she made the
flight. That/s all.+
The woman gave a smpathetic nod.
',overs/ ;uarrel)+
!ecker thought a moment. Then he
gave her a sheepish grin. 'It/s that
obvious)+
-he gave him a wink. '(hat/s her
name)+
'*egan,+ he replied sadl.
The agent smiled. '&oes our lad
friend have a last name)+
!ecker e3haled slowl. %es, but 8
dont &no$ it4 + Actuall, it/s kind of
a complicated
situation. 4ou said the plane was
almost empt. *abe ou could"+
'(ithout a last name I reall can/t5+
'Actuall,+ !ecker interrupted,
having another idea. '.ave ou been
on all night)+
The woman nodded. '-even to
seven.+
'Then mabe ou saw her. -he/s a
oung girl. *abe fifteen or si3teen)
.er hair was"+
!efore the words left his mouth,
!ecker realized his mistake.
The agent/s ees narrowed. '4our
lover is fifteen ears old)+
'7o2+ !ecker gasped. 'I mean5+
Shit. 'If ou could 0ust help me, it/s
ver important.+
'I/m sorr,+ the woman said coldl.
'It/s not the wa it sounds. If ou
could 0ust"+
'6ood night, sir.+ The woman anked
the metal grate down over the counter
and disappeared
into a back room.
!ecker groaned and stared skward.
Smooth, &avid. :er smooth. .e
scanned the open
concourse. 7othing. She must ha.e
so!d the ring and made the f!ight. .e
headed for the custodian.
'.as visto a una niWa)+ he called over
the sound of the tile buffer. '.ave
ou seen a girl)+
The old man reached down and killed
the machine. 'Eh)+
'Dna niWa)+ !ecker repeated. 'Pelo
ro0o, azul, blanco. <ed white and
blue hair.+
The custodian laughed. 'BuO fea.
-ounds ugl.+ .e shook his head and
went back to work.
* * *
&avid !ecker stood in the middle of
the deserted airport concourse and
wondered what to do
ne3t. The evening had been a comed
of errors. -trathmore/s words
pounded in his headC &on/t call
until ou have the ring. A profound
e3haustion settled over him. If *egan
sold the ring and made
the flight, there was no telling who
had the ring now.
!ecker closed his ees and tried to
focus. (hats my next mo.e6 .e
decided to consider it in a
moment. $irst, he needed to make a
long%overdue trip to a rest room.
Chapter +)
-usan stood alone in the diml lit
silence of 7ode F. The task at hand
was simpleC Access
.ale/s terminal, locate his ke, and
then delete all of his communication
with Tankado. There could
be no hint of &igital $ortress
anwhere.
-usan/s initial fears of saving the ke
and unlocking &igital $ortress were
nagging at her
again. -he felt uneas tempting fate;
the/d been luck so far. 7orth
&akota had miraculousl
appeared right under their noses and
been trapped. The onl remaining
;uestion was &avid; he had
to find the other pass%ke. -usan
hoped he was making progress.
As she made her wa deeper into
7ode F, -usan tried to clear her mind.
It was odd that she
felt uneas in such a familiar space.
Everthing in 7ode F seemed foreign
in the dark. !ut there was
something else. -usan felt a
momentar hesitation and glanced
back at the inoperable doors. There
was no escape. T$enty minutes, she
thought.
As she turned toward .ale/s terminal,
she noticed a strange, musk odor"it
was definitel not
a 7ode F smell. -he wondered if
mabe the deionizer was
malfunctioning. The smell was
vaguel
familiar, and with it came an
unsettling chill. -he pictured .ale
locked below in his enormous
steaming cell. Did he set something
on fire6 -he looked up at the vents
and sniffed. !ut the odor
seemed to be coming from nearb.
-usan glanced toward the latticed
doors of the kitchenette. And in an
instant she recognized
the smell. It was o!ogne and
s$eat.
-he recoiled instinctivel, not
prepared for what she saw. $rom
behind the lattice slats of the
kitchenette, two ees stared out at her.
It onl took an instant for the
horrifing truth to hit her. 6reg
.ale was not locked on the sublevels"
he was in 7ode F2 .e/d slipped
upstairs before -trathmore
closed the trapdoor. .e/d been strong
enough to open the doors all b
himself.
-usan had once heard that raw terror
was paralzing"she now knew that
was a mth. In the
same instant her brain grasped what
was happening, she was in motion"
stumbling backward
through the dark with a single thought
in mindC escape.
The crash behind her was
instantaneous. .ale had been sitting
silentl on the stove and
e3tended his legs like two battering
rams. The doors e3ploded off their
hinges. .ale launched
himself into the room and thundered
after her with powerful strides.
-usan knocked over a lamp behind
her, attempting to trip .ale as he
moved toward her. -he
sensed him vault it effortlessl. .ale
was gaining ;uickl.
(hen his right arm circled her waist
from behind, it felt like she/d hit a
steel bar. -he gasped
in pain as the wind went out of her.
.is biceps fle3ed against her rib cage.
-usan resisted and began twisting
wildl. -omehow her elbow struck
cartilage. .ale released
his grip, his hands clutching his nose.
.e fell to his knees, hands cupped
over his face.
'-on of a"+ .e screamed in pain.
-usan dashed onto the door/s pressure
plates saing a fruitless praer that
-trathmore would
in that instant restore power and the
doors would spring open. Instead, she
found herself pounding
against the glass.
.ale lumbered toward her, his nose
covered with blood. In an instant, his
hands were around
her again"one of them clamped firml
on her left breast and the other on her
midsection. .e anked
her awa from the door.
-he screamed, her hand outstretched
in futile attempt to stop him.
.e pulled her backward, his belt
buckle digging into her spine. -usan
couldn/t believe his
strength. .e dragged her back across
the carpet, and her shoes came off. In
one fluid motion, .ale
lifted her and dumped her on the floor
ne3t to his terminal.
-usan was suddenl on her back, her
skirt bunched high on her hips. The
top button of her
blouse had released, and her chest was
heaving in the bluish light. -he stared
up in terror as .ale
straddled her, pinning her down. -he
couldn/t decipher the look in his ees.
It looked like fear. #r
was it anger) .is ees bore into her
bod. -he felt a new wave of panic.
.ale sat firml on her midsection,
staring down at her with an ic glare.
Everthing -usan
had ever learned about self%defense
was suddenl racing through her
mind. -he tried to fight, but
her bod did not respond. -he was
numb. -he closed her ees.
#h, please, 6od. 7o2
Chapter +*
!rinkerhoff paced *idge/s office.
'#obody bpasses 6auntlet. It/s
impossible2+
'(rong,+ she fired back. 'I 0ust
talked to ?abba. .e said he installed a
bpass switch last
ear.+
The PA looked doubtful. 'I never
heard that.+
'7obod did. It was hush%hush.+
'*idge,+ !rinkerhoff argued,
'?abba/s compulsive about securit2
.e would never put in a
switch to bpass"+
'-trathmore made him do it,+ she
interrupted.
!rinkerhoff could almost hear her
mind clicking.
'<emember last ear,+ she asked,
'when -trathmore was working on
that anti%-emitic
terrorist ring in 1alifornia)+
!rinkerhoff nodded. It had been one
of -trathmore/s ma0or coups last ear.
Dsing
T<A7-,T< to decrpt an intercepted
code, he had uncovered a plot to
bomb a .ebrew school in
,os Angeles. .e decrpted the
terrorist/s message onl twelve
minutes before the bomb went off,
and using some fast phone work, he
saved three hundred schoolchildren.
'6et this,+ *idge said, lowering her
voice unnecessaril. '?abba said
-trathmore intercepted
that terrorist code six hours before
that bomb went off.+
!rinkerhoff/s 0aw dropped. '!ut5
then wh did he wait"+
'!ecause he couldn/t get
T<A7-,T< to decrpt the file. .e
tried, but 6auntlet kept re0ecting
it. It was encrpted with some new
public ke algorithm that the filters
hadn/t seen et. It took
?abba almost si3 hours to ad0ust
them.+
!rinkerhoff looked stunned.
'-trathmore was furious. .e made
?abba install a bpass switch in
6auntlet in case it ever
happened again.+
'?esus.+ !rinkerhoff whistled. 'I had
no idea.+ Then his ees narrowed. '-o
what/s our
point)+
'I think -trathmore used the switch
toda5 to process a file that 6auntlet
re0ected.+
'-o) That/s what the switch is for,
right)+
*idge shook her head. '7ot if the file
in ;uestion is a virus.+
!rinkerhoff 0umped. 'A virus) (ho
said anthing about a virus2+
'It/s the onl e3planation,+ she said.
'?abba said a virus is the onl thing
that could keep
T<A7-,T< running this long, so"+
'(ait a minute2+ !rinkerhoff flashed
her the time%out sign. '-trathmore
said everthing/s
fine2+
'.e/s ling.+
!rinkerhoff was lost. '4ou/re saing
-trathmore intentiona!!y let a virus
into T<A7-,T<)+
'7o,+ she snapped. 'I don/t think he
&ne$ it was a virus. I think he was
tricked.+
!rinkerhoff was speechless. *idge
*ilken was definitel losing it.
'It e3plains a lot,+ she insisted. 'It
e3plains what he/s been doing in there
all night.+
'Planting viruses in his own
computer)+
'7o,+ she said, annoed. 'Tring to
cover up his mistake2 And now he
can/t abort
T<A7-,T< and get au3 power back
because the virus has the processors
locked down2+
!rinkerhoff rolled his ees. *idge
had gone nuts in the past, but never
like this. .e tried to
calm her. '?abba doesn/t seem to be
too worried.+
'?abba/s a fool,+ she hissed.
!rinkerhoff looked surprised. 7obod
had ever called ?abba a fool"a pig
mabe, but never a
fool. '4ou/re trusting feminine
intuition over ?abba/s advanced
degrees in anti%invasive
programming)+
-he eed him harshl.
!rinkerhoff held up his hands in
surrender. '7ever mind. I take it
back.+ .e didn/t need to be
reminded of *idge/s uncann abilit
to sense disaster. '*idge,+ he begged.
'I know ou hate
-trathmore, but"+
'This has nothing to do with
-trathmore2+ *idge was in overdrive.
'The first thing we need
to do is confirm -trathmore bpassed
6auntlet. Then we call the director.+
'6reat.+ !rinkerhoff moaned. 'I/ll
call -trathmore and ask him to send
us a signed
statement.+
'7o,+ she replied, ignoring his
sarcasm. '-trathmore/s lied to us once
alread toda.+ -he
glanced up, her ees probing his. '&o
ou have kes to $ontaine/s office)
'#f course. I/m his PA.+
'I need them.+
!rinkerhoff stared in disbelief.
'*idge, there/s no wa in hell I/m
letting ou into $ontaine/s
office.+
'4ou have to2+ she demanded. *idge
turned and started tping on !ig
!rother/s keboard.
'I/m re;uesting a T<A7-,T< ;ueue
list. If -trathmore manuall bpassed
6auntlet, it/ll show up
on the printout.+
'(hat does that have to do with
$ontaine/s office)+
-he spun and glared at him. 'The
;ueue list onl prints to $ontaine/s
printer. 4ou know that2+
'That/s because it/s !assified,
*idge2+
'This is an emergenc. I need to see
that list.+
!rinkerhoff put his hands on her
shoulders. '*idge, please settle
down. 4ou know I can/t"+
-he huffed loudl and spun back to
her keboard. 'I/m printing a ;ueue
list. I/m going to
walk in, pick it up, and walk out. 7ow
give me the ke.+
'*idge5+
-he finished tping and spun back to
him. '1had, the report prints in thirt
seconds. .ere/s
the deal. 4ou give me the ke. If
-trathmore bpassed, we call securit.
If I/m wrong, I leave, and
ou can go smear marmalade all over
1armen .uerta.+ -he gave him a
malicious glare and held out
her hands for the kes. 'I/m waiting.+
!rinkerhoff groaned, regretting that
he had called her back to check the
1rpto report. .e
eed her outstretched hand. '4ou/re
talking about classified information
inside the director/s
private ;uarters. &o ou have an
idea what would happen if we got
caught)+
'The director is in -outh America.+
'I/m sorr. I 0ust can/t.+ !rinkerhoff
crossed his arms and walked out.
*idge stared after him, her gra ees
smoldering. '#h, es ou can,+ she
whispered. Then
she turned back to !ig !rother and
called up the video archives.
* * *
Midge!! get o.er it, !rinkerhoff told
himself as he settled in at his desk and
started going
over the rest of his reports. .e
couldn/t be e3pected to hand out the
director/s kes whenever *idge
got paranoid.
.e had 0ust begun checking the
1#*-E1 breakdowns when his
thoughts were interrupted b
the sound of voices coming from the
other room. .e set down his work and
walked to his doorwa.
The main suite was dark"all e3cept a
dim shaft of graish light from
*idge/s half%open door.
.e listened. The voices continued.
The sounded e3cited. '*idge)+
7o response.
.e strode through the darkness to her
workspace. The voices were vaguel
familiar. .e
pushed the door open. The room was
empt. *idge/s chair was empt. The
sound was coming from
overhead. !rinkerhoff looked up at
the video monitors and instantl felt
ill. The same image was
plaing on each one of the twelve
screens"a kind of perversel
choreographed ballet. !rinkerhoff
steadied himself on the back of
*idge/s chair and watched in horror.
'1had)+ The voice was behind him.
.e spun and s;uinted into the
darkness. *idge was standing kitt%
corner across the main
suite/s reception area in front of the
director/s double doors. .er palm was
outstretched. 'The ke,
1had.+
!rinkerhoff flushed. .e turned back
to the monitors. .e tried to block out
the images
overhead, but it was no use. .e was
everwhere, groaning with pleasure
and eagerl fondling
1armen .uerta/s small, hone%
covered breasts.
Chapter ++
!ecker crossed the concourse toward
the rest room doors onl to find the
door marked
1A!A,,E<#- blocked b an orange
plon and a cleaning cart filled with
detergent and mops. .e
eed the other door. &A*A-. .e
strode over and rapped loudl.
'.ola)+ he called, pushing the ladies/
room door open an inch. '1on
permiso)+
-ilence.
.e went in.
The rest room was tpical, -panish
institutional"perfectl s;uare, white
tile, one incandescent
bulb overhead. As usual, there was
one stall and one urinal. (hether the
urinals were ever used in
the women/s bathrooms was
immaterial"adding them saved the
contractors the e3pense of having
to build the e3tra stall.
!ecker peered into the rest room in
disgust. It was filth. The sink was
clogged with murk
brown water. &irt paper towels were
strewn everwhere. The floor was
soaked. The old electric
handblower on the wall was smeared
with greenish fingerprints.
!ecker stepped in front of the mirror
and sighed. The ees that usuall
stared back with fierce
clarit were not so clear tonight. <o$
!ong ha.e 8 been running around o.er
here6 he wondered.
The math escaped him. #ut of
professorial habit, he shimmied his
necktie/s (indsor knot up on his
collar. Then he turned to the urinal
behind him.
As he stood there, he found himself
wondering if -usan was home et.
(here ou!d she ha.e
gone6 To Stone Manor $ithout me6
'.e2+ a female voice behind him
said angril.
!ecker 0umped. 'I%I/m5+ he
stammered, hurring to zip up. 'I/m
sorr5 I5+
!ecker turned to face the girl who had
0ust entered. -he was a oung
sophisticate, right off the
pages of Se.enteen Maga/ine. -he
wore conservative plaid pants and a
white sleeveless blouse. In
her hand was a red ,. ,. !ean duffel.
.er blond hair was perfectl blow%
dried.
'I/m sorr.+ !ecker fumbled,
buckling his belt. 'The men/s room
was5 anwa5 I/m
leaving.+
'$uckin/ weirdo2+
!ecker did a double%take. The
profanit seemed inappropriate
coming from her lips"like
sewage flowing from a polished
decanter. !ut as !ecker studied her,
he saw that she was not as
polished as he/d first thought. .er
ees were puff and bloodshot, and
her left forearm was swollen.
Dnderneath the reddish irritation on
her arm, the flesh was blue.
?esus, !ecker thought. Intravenous
drugs. (ho would have guessed)
'6et out2+ she elled. '?ust get out2+
!ecker momentaril forgot all about
the ring, the 7-A, all of it. .is heart
went out to the
oung girl. .er parents had probabl
sent her over here with some prep
school stud program and a
:I-A card"and she/d ended up all
alone in a bathroom in the middle of
the night doing drugs.
'Are ou oka)+ he asked, backing
toward the door.
'I/m fine.+ .er voice was haught.
'4ou can leave now2+
!ecker turned to go. .e shot her
forearm a last sad glance. Theres
nothing you an do,
&avid. 3ea.e it a!one.
'7ow2+ she hollered.
!ecker nodded. As he left he gave her
a sad smile. '!e careful.+
Chapter +,
'-usan)+ .ale panted, his face in
hers.
.e was sitting, one leg on either side
of her, his full weight on her
midsection. .is tailbone
ground painfull into her pubis
through the thin fabric of her skirt.
.is nose was dripping blood all
over her. -he tasted vomit in the back
of her throat. .is hands were at her
chest.
-he felt nothing. 8s he touhing me6 It
took a moment for -usan to realize
.ale was buttoning
her top button and covering her up.
'-usan.+ .ale gasped, breathless.
'4ou/ve got to get me out of here.+
-usan was in a daze. 7othing made
sense.
'-usan, ou/ve got to help me2
-trathmore killed 1hartrukian2 I saw
it2+
It took a moment for the words to
register. Strathmore &i!!ed
9hartru&ian6 .ale obviousl
had no idea -usan had seen him
downstairs.
'-trathmore knows I saw him2+ .ale
spat. '.e/ll kill me too2+
.ad -usan not been breathless with
fear, she would have laughed in his
face. -he recognized
the divide%and%con;uer mentalit of
an e3%*arine. Invent lies"pit our
enemies against each other.
'It/s true2+ he elled. '(e/ve got to
call for help2 I think we/re both in
danger2+
-he did not believe a word he said.
.ale/s muscular legs were cramping,
and he rolled up on his haunches to
shift his weight
slightl. .e opened his mouth to
speak, but he never got the chance.
As .ale/s bod rose, -usan felt the
circulation surge back into her legs.
!efore she knew what
had happened, a refle3 instinct 0erked
her left leg back hard into .ale/s
crotch. -he felt her kneecap
crush the soft sac of tissue between
his legs.
.ale whimpered in agon and
instantl went limp. .e rolled onto his
side, clutching himself.
-usan twisted out from under his
deadweight. -he staggered toward the
door, knowing she/d never
be strong enough to get out.
*aking a split%second decision, -usan
positioned herself behind the long
maple meeting table
and dug her feet into the carpet.
*ercifull the table had casters. -he
strode with all her might
toward the arched glass wall, pushing
the table before her. The casters were
good, and the table
rolled well. .alfwa across 7ode F,
she was at a full sprint.
$ive feet from the glass wall, -usan
heaved and let go. -he leapt to one
side and covered her
ees. After a sickening crack, the wall
e3ploded in a shower of glass. The
sounds of 1rpto rushed
into 7ode F for the first time since its
construction.
-usan looked up. Through the 0agged
hole, she could see the table. It was
still rolling. It spun
wide circles out across the 1rpto
floor and eventuall disappeared into
the darkness.
-usan rammed her mangled
$erragamo/s back on her feet, shot a
last glance at the
still%writhing 6reg .ale, and dashed
across the sea of broken glass out onto
the 1rpto floor.
Chapter +-
'7ow wasn/t that eas)+ *idge said
with a sneer as !rinkerhoff handed
over the ke to
$ontaine/s office.
!rinkerhoff looked beaten.
'I/ll erase it before I go,+ *idge
promised. 'Dnless ou and our wife
want it for our private
collection.+
'?ust get the damned printout,+ he
snapped. 'And then get out2+
'-U, seWor,+ *idge cackled in a thick
Puerto <ican accent. -he winked and
headed across the
suite to $ontaine/s double doors.
,eland $ontaine/s private office
looked nothing like the rest of the
directorial suite. There
were no paintings, no overstuffed
chairs, no ficus plants, no anti;ue
clocks. .is space was
streamlined for efficienc. .is glass%
topped desk and black leather chair
sat directl in front of his
enormous picture window. Three file
cabinets stood in the corner ne3t to a
small table with a $rench
press coffeepot. The moon had risen
high over $ort *eade, and the soft
light filtering through the
window accentuated the starkness of
the director/s furnishings.
(hat the hell am I doing) !rinkerhoff
wondered.
*idge strode to the printer and
scooped up the ;ueue list. -he
s;uinted in the darkness. 'I
can/t read the data,+ she complained.
'Turn on the lights.+
'4ou/re reading it outside. 7ow come
on.+
!ut *idge was apparentl having too
much fun. -he toed with
!rinkerhoff, walking to the
window and angling the readout for a
better view.
'*idge5+
-he kept reading.
!rinkerhoff shifted an3iousl in the
doorwa. '*idge5 come on. These
are the director/s
private ;uarters.+
'It/s here somewhere,+ she muttered,
studing the printout. '-trathmore
bpassed 6auntlet, I
know it.+ -he moved closer to the
window.
!rinkerhoff began to sweat. *idge
kept reading.
After a few moments, she gasped. 'I
knew it2 -trathmore did it2 .e reall
did2 The idiot2+ -he
held up the paper and shook it. '.e
bpassed 6auntlet2 .ave a look2+
!rinkerhoff stared dumbfounded a
moment and then raced across the
director/s office. .e
crowded in ne3t to *idge in front of
the window. -he pointed to the end of
the readout.
!rinkerhoff read in disbelief. '(hat
the5)+
The printout contained a list of the
last thirt%si3 files that had entered
T<A7-,T<. After
each file was a four%digit 6auntlet
clearance code. .owever, the last file
on the sheet had no
clearance code"it simpl readC manual
bpass.
?esus, !rinkerhoff thought. *idge
strikes again.
'The idiot2+ *idge sputtered,
seething. ',ook at this2 6auntlet
re0ected the file twice2
*utation strings2 And he sti!!
bpassed2 (hat the hell was he
thinking)+
!rinkerhoff felt weak%kneed. .e
wondered wh *idge was alwas
right. 7either of them
noticed the reflection that had
appeared in the window beside them.
A massive figure was standing
in $ontaine/s open doorwa.
'?eez,+ !rinkerhoff choked. '4ou
think we have a virus)+
*idge sighed. '7othing else it could
be.+
'1ould be none of our damn
business2+ the deep voice boomed
from behind them.
*idge knocked her head against the
window. !rinkerhoff tipped over the
director/s chair and
wheeled toward the voice. .e
immediatel knew the silhouette.
'&irector2+ !rinkerhoff gasped. .e
strode over and e3tended his hand.
'(elcome home, sir.+
The huge man ignored it.
'I%I thought,+ !rinkerhoff stammered,
retracting his hand, 'I thought ou
were in -outh
America.+
,eland $ontaine glared down at his
aide with ees like bullets. '4es5
and now I/m back.+
Chapter +.
'.e, mister2+
!ecker had been walking across the
concourse toward a bank of pa
phones. .e stopped and
turned. 1oming up behind him was
the girl he/d 0ust surprised in the
bathroom. -he waved for him
to wait. '*ister, wait2+
7ow what) !ecker groaned. -he
wants to press invasion%of%privac
charges)
The girl dragged her duffel toward
him. (hen she arrived, she was now
wearing a huge
smile. '-orr to ell at ou back
there. 4ou 0ust kind of startled me.+
'7o problem,+ !ecker assured,
somewhat puzzled. 'I was in the
wrong place.+
'This will sound craz,+ she said,
batting her bloodshot ees. '!ut ou
wouldn/t happen to
have some mone ou can lend me,
would ou)+
!ecker stared at her in disbelief.
'*one for what)+ he demanded. 8m
not funding your drug
habit if thats $hat youre as&ing.
'I/m tring to get back home,+ the
blonde said. '1an ou help)+
'*iss our flight)+
-he nodded. ',ost m ticket. The
wouldn/t let me get on. Airlines can
be such assholes. I
don/t have the cash to bu another.+
'(here are our parents)+ !ecker
asked.
'-tates.+
'1an ou reach them)+
'7ope. Alread tried. I think the/re
weekending on somebod/s acht.+
!ecker scanned the girl/s e3pensive
clothing. '4ou don/t have a credit
card)+
'4eah, but m dad canceled it. .e
thinks I/m on drugs.+
'Are ou on drugs)+ !ecker asked,
deadpan, eeing her swollen forearm.
The girl glared, indignant. '#f course
not2+ -he gave !ecker an innocent
huff, and he
suddenl got the feeling he was being
plaed.
'1ome on,+ she said. '4ou look like a
rich gu. 1an/t ou spot me some
cash to get home) I
could send it to ou later.+
!ecker figured an cash he gave this
girl would end up in the hands of
some drug dealer in
Triana. '$irst of all,+ he said, 'I/m not
a rich gu"I/m a teacher. !ut I/ll tell
ou what I/ll do5+ 8!!
a!! your b!uff, thats $hat 8!! do.
'(h don/t I harge the ticket for
ou)+
The blonde stared at him in utter
shock. '4ou/d do that)+ she
stammered, ees wide with
hope. '4ou/d bu me a ticket home)
#h, 6od, thank ou2+
!ecker was speechless. .e had
apparentl mis0udged the moment.
The girl threw her arms around him.
'It/s been a shitt summer,+ she
choked, almost bursting
into tears. '#h, thank ou2 I/ve got to
get out of here2+
!ecker returned her embrace
halfheartedl. The girl let go of him,
and he eed her forearm
again.
-he followed his gaze to the bluish
rash. '6ross, huh)+
!ecker nodded. 'I thought ou said
ou weren/t on drugs.+
The girl laughed. 'It/s *agic *arker2
I took off half m skin tring to scrub
it off. The ink
smeared.+
!ecker looked closer. In the
fluorescent light, he could see, blurred
beneath the reddish
swelling on her arm, the faint outline
of writing"words scrawled on flesh.
'!ut5 but our eyes,7 !ecker said,
feeling dumb. 'The/re all red.+
-he laughed. 'I was cring. I told
ou, I missed m flight.+
!ecker looked back at the words on
her arm.
-he frowned, embarrassed. '#ops,
ou can still kind of read it, can/t
ou)+
!ecker leaned closer. .e could read it
all right. The message was crstal
clear. As he read the
four faint words, the last twelve hours
flashed before his ees.
&avid !ecker found himself back in
the Alfonso [III hotel room. The
obese 6erman was
touching his own forearm and
speaking broken EnglishC $ock off
und die.
'4ou oka)+ the girl asked, eeing
the dazed !ecker.
!ecker did not look up from her arm.
.e was dizz. The four words
smeared across the girl/s
flesh carried a ver simple messageC
$D1G #$$ A7& &IE.
The blonde looked down at it,
embarrassed. 'This friend of mine
wrote it5 prett stupid,
huh)+
!ecker couldn/t speak. Fo& off und
die. .e couldn/t believe it. The
6erman hadn/t been
insulting him, he/d been tring to
help. !ecker lifted his gaze to the
girl/s face. In the fluorescent
light of the concourse, he could see
faint traces of red and blue in the
girl/s blond hair.
'4%ou5+ !ecker stammered, staring
at her unpierced ears. '4ou wouldn/t
happen to wear
earrings, would ou)+
The girl eed him strangel. -he
fished a tin ob0ect from her pocket
and held it out. !ecker
gazed at the skull pendant dangling in
her hand.
'A clip%on)+ he stammered.
'.ell, es,+ the girl replied. 'I/m
scared shitless of needles.+
Chapter ,/
&avid !ecker stood in the deserted
concourse and felt his legs go weak.
.e eed the girl
before him and knew his search was
over. -he had washed her hair and
changed clothes"mabe in
hopes of having better luck selling the
ring"but she/d never boarded for 7ew
4ork.
!ecker fought to keep his cool. .is
wild 0ourne was about to end. .e
scanned her fingers.
The were bare. .e gazed down at
her duffel. 8ts in there, he thought.
8ts got to be4
.e smiled, barel containing his
e3citement. 'This is going to sound
craz,+ he said, 'but I
think ou/ve got something I need.+
'#h)+ *egan seemed suddenl
uncertain.
!ecker reached for his wallet. '#f
course I/d be happ to pa ou.+ .e
looked down and
started sorting through the cash in his
billfold.
As *egan watched him count out his
mone, she drew a startled gasp,
apparentl
misunderstanding his intentions. -he
shot a frightened glance toward the
revolving door5
measuring the distance. It was fift
ards.
'I can give ou enough to bu our
ticket home if"+
'&on/t sa it,+ *egan blurted,
offering a forced smile. 'I think I
know e3actl what ou
need.+ -he bent down and started
rifling through her duffel.
!ecker felt a surge of hope. Shes got
it4 he told himself. Shes got the ring4
.e didn/t know
how the hell she knew what it was he
wanted, but he was too tired to care.
Ever muscle in his bod
rela3ed. .e pictured himself handing
the ring to the beaming deput
director of the 7-A. Then he
and -usan would lie in the big canop
bed at -tone *anor and make up for
lost time.
The girl finall found what she was
looking for"her Pepper6uard"the
environmentall safe
alternative to mace, made from a
potent blend of caenne and chili
peppers. In one swift motion,
she swung around and fired a direct
stream into !ecker/s ees. -he
grabbed her duffel and dashed
for the door. (hen she looked back,
&avid !ecker was on the floor,
holding his face, writhing in
agon.
Chapter ,1
Tokugen 7umataka lit his fourth cigar
and kept pacing. .e snatched up his
phone and buzzed
the main switchboard.
'An word et on that phone
number)+ he demanded before the
operator could speak.
'7othing et, sir. It/s taking a bit
longer than e3pected"it came from a
cellular.+
A e!!u!ar, 7umataka mused. Figures.
$ortunatel for the ?apanese
econom, the Americans
had an insatiable appetite for
electronic gadgets.
'The boosting station,+ the operator
added, 'is in the =9= area code. !ut
we have no number
et.+
'=9=) (here/s that)+ (here in the
vast American e3panse is this
msterious 7orth &akota
hiding)
'-omewhere near (ashington, &. 1.,
sir.+
7umataka arched his eebrows. '1all
me as soon as ou have a number.+
Chapter ,2
-usan $letcher stumbled across the
darkened 1rpto floor toward
-trathmore/s catwalk. The
commander/s office was as far from
.ale as -usan could get inside the
locked comple3.
(hen -usan reached the top of the
catwalk stairs, she found the
commander/s door hanging
loosel, the electronic lock rendered
ineffective b the power outage. -he
barged in.
'1ommander)+ The onl light inside
was the glow of -trathmore/s
computer monitors.
'1ommander2+ she called once again.
59ommander47
-usan suddenl remembered that the
commander was in the -s%-ec lab.
-he turned circles in
his empt office, the panic of her
ordeal with .ale still in her blood.
-he had to get out of 1rpto.
&igital $ortress or no &igital $ortress,
it was time to act"time to abort the
T<A7-,T< run and
escape. -he eed -trathmore/s
glowing monitors then dashed to his
desk. -he fumbled with his
kepad. Abort T>A#S3T>4 The task
was simple now that she was on an
authorized terminal. -usan
called up the proper command
window and tpedC
A!#<T <D7
.er finger hovered momentaril over
the E7TE< ke.
'-usan2+ a voice barked from the
doorwa. -usanwheeled scared,
fearing it was .ale. !ut it
was not, it was -trathmore. .e stood,
pale and eerie in the electronic glow,
his chest heaving.
'(hat the hell/s going on2+
'1om5 mander2+ -usan gasped.
'.ale/s in 7ode F2 .e 0ust attacked
me2+
'(hat) Impossible2 .ale/s locked
down in"+
'7o, he/s not2 .e/s loose2 (e need
securit inhere now2 I/m aborting
T<A7-,T<2+ -usan
reached for the kepad.
'&#7/T T#D1. T.AT2+
-trathmore lunged for the terminal
and pulled -usan/s hands
awa.
-usan recoiled, stunned. -he stared at
the commander and for the second
time that da did not
recognize him. -usan felt suddenl
alone.
* * *
-trathmore saw the blood on -usan/s
shirt and immediatel regretted his
outburst. '?esus,
-usan. Are ou oka)+
-he didn/t respond.
.e wished he hadn/t 0umped on her
unnecessaril. .is nerves were
fraed. .e was 0uggling
too much. There were things on his
mind"things -usan $letcher did not
know about"things he had
not told her and praed he/d never
have to.
'I/m sorr,+ he said softl. 'Tell me
what happened.+
-he turned awa. 'It doesn/t matter.
The blood/s not mine. ?ust get me out
of here.+
'Are ou hurt)+ -trathmore put a
hand on her shoulder. -usan recoiled.
.e dropped his hand
and looked awa. (hen he looked
back at -usan/s face, she seemed to
be staring over his shoulder
at something on the wall.
There, in the darkness, a small kepad
glowed full force. -trathmore
followed her gaze and
frowned. .e/d hoped -usan wouldn/t
notice the glowing control panel. The
illuminated kepad
controlled his private elevator.
-trathmore and his high%powered
guests used it to come and go from
1rpto without advertising the fact to
the rest of the staff. The personal lift
dropped down fift feet
below the 1rpto dome and then
moved laterall @9K ards through a
reinforced underground
tunnel to the sublevels of the main
7-A comple3. The elevator
connecting 1rpto to the 7-A was
powered from the main comple3; it
was on%line despite 1rpto/s power
outage.
-trathmore had known all along it
was on%line, but even as -usan had
been pounding on the
main e3it downstairs, he hadn/t
mentioned it. .e could not afford to
let -usan out"not et. .e
wondered how much he/d have to tell
her to make her want to sta.
-usan pushed past -trathmore and
raced to the back wall. -he 0abbed
furiousl at the
illuminated buttons.
'Please,+ she begged. !ut the door
did not open.
'-usan,+ -trathmore said ;uietl.
'The lift takes a password.+
'A password)+ she repeated angril.
-he glared at the controls. !elow the
main kepad was a
second kepad"a smaller one, with
tin buttons. Each button was marked
with a letter of the
alphabet. -usan wheeled to him.
'(hat is the password2+ she
demanded.
-trathmore thought a moment and
sighed heavil. '-usan, have a seat.+
-usan looked as if she could hardl
believe her ears.
'.ave a seat,+ the commander
repeated, his voice firm.
',et me out2+ -usan shot an uneas
glance toward the commander/s open
office door.
-trathmore eed the panicked -usan
$letcher. 1alml he moved to his
office door. .e stepped
out onto the landing and peered into
the darkness. .ale was nowhere to be
seen. The commander
stepped back inside and pulled the
door shut. Then he propped a chair in
front to keep it closed,
went to his desk, and removed
something from a drawer. In the pale
glow of the monitors -usan
saw what he was holding. .er face
went pale. It was a gun.
-trathmore pulled two chairs into the
middle of the room. .e rotated them
to face the closed
office door. Then he sat. .e lifted the
glittering !eretta semi%automatic and
aimed steadil at the
slightl open door. After a moment he
laid the gun back in his lap.
.e spoke solemnl. '-usan, we/re
safe here. (e need to talk. If 6reg
.ale comes through
that door5+ .e let it hang.
-usan was speechless.
-trathmore gazed at her in the dim
light of his office. .e patted the seat
beside him. '-usan,
sit. I have something to tell ou.+ -he
did not move. '(hen I/m done, 'he
said, 'I/ll give ou the
password to the elevator. 4ou can
decide whether to leave or not.+
There was a long silence. In a daze,
-usan moved across the office and sat
ne3t to -trathmore.
'-usan,+ he began, 'I haven/t been
entirel honest with ou.+
Chapter ,3
&avid !ecker felt as if his face had
been doused in turpentine and ignited.
.e rolled over on
the floor and s;uinted through blear
tunnel vision at the girl halfwa to the
revolving doors. -he
was running in short, terrified bursts,
dragging her duffel behind her across
the tile. !ecker tried to
pull himself to his feet, but he could
not. .e was blinded b red%hot fire.
She ant get a$ay4
.e tried to call out, but there was no
air in his lungs, onl a sickening pain.
'7o2+ .e
coughed. The sound barel left his
lips.
!ecker knew the second she went
through the door, she would disappear
forever. .e tried to
call out again, but his throat was
searing.
The girl had almost reached the
revolving door. !ecker staggered to
his feet, gasping for
breath. .e stumbled after her. The girl
dashed into the first compartment of
the revolving door,
dragging her duffel behind her.
Twent ards back, !ecker was
staggering blindl toward the door.
'(ait2+ .e gasped. 5(ait47
The girl pushed furiousl on the
inside of the door. The door began to
rotate, but then it
0ammed. The blonde wheeled in terror
and saw her duffel snagged in the
opening. -he knelt and
pulled furiousl to free it.
!ecker fi3ed his blear vision on the
fabric protruding through the door. As
he dove, the red
corner of nlon protruding from the
crack was all he could see. .e flew
toward it, arms
outstretched.
As &avid !ecker fell toward the door,
his hands onl inches awa, the fabric
slipped into the
crack and disappeared. .is fingers
clutched empt air as the door lurched
into motion. The girl and
the duffel tumbled into the street
outside.
'*egan2+ !ecker wailed as hit the
floor. (hite%hot needles shot through
the back of his ee
sockets. .is vision tunneled to
nothing, and a new wave of nausea
rolled in. .is own voice echoed
in the blackness. Megan4
* * *
&avid !ecker wasn/t sure how long
he/d been ling there before he
became aware of the hum
of fluorescent bulbs overhead.
Everthing else was still. Through the
silence came a voice.
-omeone was calling. .e tried to lift
his head off the floor. The world was
cockeed, water. Again
the .oie. .e s;uinted down the
concourse and saw a figure twent
ards awa.
'*ister)+
!ecker recognized the voice. It was
the girl. -he was standing at another
entrance farther
down the concourse, clutching her
duffel to her chest. -he looked more
frightened now than she had
before.
'*ister)+ she asked, her voice
trembling. 'I never told ou m name.
.ow come ou know
m name)+
Chapter ,)
&irector ,eland $ontaine was a
mountain of a man, si3t%three ears
old, with a
close%cropped militar haircut and a
rigid demeanor. .is 0et%black ees
were like coal when he was
irritated, which was almost alwas.
.e/d risen through the ranks of the
7-A through hard work,
good planning, and the well%earned
respect of his predecessors. .e was
the first African American
director of the 7ational -ecurit
Agenc, but nobod ever mentioned
the distinction; $ontaine/s
politics were decidedl color%blind,
and his staff wisel followed suit.
$ontaine had kept *idge and
!rinkerhoff standing as he went
through the silent ritual of
making himself a mug of 6uatemalan
0ava. Then he/d settled at his desk, left
them standing, and
;uestioned them like schoolchildren
in the principal/s office.
*idge did the talking"e3plaining the
unusual series of events that led them
to violate the
sanctit of $ontaine/s office.
'A virus)+ the director asked coldl.
'4ou two think we/ve got a virus)+
!rinkerhoff winced.
'4es, sir,+ *idge snapped.
'!ecause -trathmore bpassed
6auntlet)+ $ontaine eed the printout
in front of him.
'4es,+ she said. 'And there/s a file
that hasn/t broken in over twent
hours2+
$ontaine frowned. '#r so our data
sas.+
*idge was about to protest, but she
held her tongue. Instead she went for
the throat. 'There/s
a blackout in 1rpto.+
$ontaine looked up, apparentl
surprised.
*idge confirmed with a curt nod.
'All power/s down. ?abba thought
mabe"+
'4ou called ?abba)+
'4es, sir, I"+
'?abba)+ $ontaine stood up, furious.
'(h the hell didn/t ou call
-trathmore)+
'(e did2+ *idge defended. '.e said
everthing was fine.+
$ontaine stood, his chest heaving.
'Then we have no reason to doubt
him.+ There was closure
in his voice. .e took a sip of coffee.
'7ow if ou/ll e3cuse me, I have
work to do.+
*idge/s 0aw dropped. 'I beg our
pardon)+
!rinkerhoff was alread headed for
the door, but *idge was cemented in
place.
'I said good night, *s. *ilken,+
$ontaine repeated. '4ou are
e3cused.+
'!ut"but sir,+ she stammered, 'I5 I
have to protest. I think"+
5%ou protest)+ the director demanded.
.e set down his coffee. 58 protest2 I
protest to our
presence in m office. I protest to
our insinuations that the deput
director of this agenc is ling. I
protest"+
'(e have a virus, sir2 * instincts
tell me"+
'(ell, our instincts are wrong, *s.
*ilken2 $or once, the/re wrong2+
*idge stood fast. '!ut, sir2
1ommander -trathmore bpassed
6auntlet2+
$ontaine strode toward her, barel
controlling his anger. 'That is his
prerogative2 I pa ou
to watch analsts and service
emploees"not sp on the deput
director2 If it weren/t for him we/d
still be breaking codes with pencil and
paper2 7ow leave me2+ .e turned to
!rinkerhoff, who stood
in the doorwa colorless and
trembling. '!oth of ou.+
'(ith all due respect, sir,+ *idge
said. 'I/d like to recommend we send
a -s%-ec team to
1rpto 0ust to ensure"+
'(e will do no such thing2+
After a tense beat, *idge nodded.
':er well. 6oodnight.+ -he turned
and left. As she
passed, !rinkerhoff could see in her
ees that she had no intention of
letting this rest"not until her
intuition was satisfied.
!rinkerhoff gazed across the room at
his boss, massive and seething behind
his desk. This
was not the director he knew. The
director he knew was a stickler for
detail, for neatl tied
packages. .e alwas encouraged his
staff to e3amine and clarif an
inconsistencies in dail
procedure, no matter how minute.
And et here he was, asking them to
turn their backs on a ver
bizarre series of coincidences.
The director was obviousl hiding
something, but !rinkerhoff was paid
to assist, not to
;uestion. $ontaine had proven over
and over that he had everone/s best
interests at heart; if
assisting him now meant turning a
blind ee, then so be it. Dnfortunatel,
*idge was paid to
;uestion, and !rinkerhoff feared she
was headed for 1rpto to do 0ust that.
Time to get out the rDsumDs,
!rinkerhoff thought as he turned to
the door.
'1had2+ $ontaine barked, from
behind him. $ontaine had seen the
look in *idge/s ees when
she left. '&on/t let her out of this
suite.+
!rinkerhoff nodded and hustled after
*idge.
* * *
$ontaine sighed and put his head in
his hands. .is sable ees were heav.
It had been a long,
une3pected trip home. The past month
had been one of great anticipation for
,eland $ontaine.
There were things happening right
now at the 7-A that would change
histor, and ironicall,
&irector $ontaine had found out about
them onl b chance.
Three months ago, $ontaine had
gotten news that 1ommander
-trathmore/s wife was leaving
him. .e/d also heard reports that
-trathmore was working absurd hours
and seemed about to crack
under the pressure. &espite
differences of opinion with
-trathmore on man issues, $ontaine
had
alwas held his deput director in the
highest esteem; -trathmore was a
brilliant man, mabe the
best the 7-A had. At the same time,
ever since the -kip0ack fiasco,
-trathmore had been under
tremendous stress. It made $ontaine
uneas; the commander held a lot of
kes around the 7-A"and
$ontaine had an agenc to protect.
$ontaine needed someone to keep tabs
on the wavering -trathmore and make
sure he was @99
percent"but it was not that simple.
-trathmore was a proud and powerful
man; $ontaine needed a
wa to check up on the commander
without undermining his confidence
or authorit.
$ontaine decided, out of respect for
-trathmore, to do the 0ob himself. .e
had an invisible tap
installed on 1ommander -trathmore/s
1rpto account"his E%mail, his
interoffice correspondence,
his brainstorms, all of it. If -trathmore
was going to crack, the director would
see warning signs in
his work. !ut instead of signs of a
breakdown, $ontaine uncovered the
ground work for one of the
most incredible intelligence schemes
he/d ever encountered. It was no
wonder -trathmore was
busting his ass; if he could pull this
plan off, it would make up for the
-kip0ack fiasco a hundred
times over.
$ontaine had concluded -trathmore
was fine, working at @@9 percent"as
sl, smart, and
patriotic as ever. The best thing the
director could do would be to stand
clear and watch the
commander work his magic.
-trathmore had devised a plan5 a
plan $ontaine had no intention of
interrupting.
Chapter ,*
-trathmore fingered the !erretta in his
lap. Even with the rage boiling in his
blood, he was
programmed to think clearl. The fact
that 6reg .ale had dared la a finger
on -usan $letcher
sickened him, but the fact that it was
his own fault made him even sicker;
-usan going into 7ode F
had been his idea. -trathmore knew
enough to compartmentalize his
emotion"it could in no wa
affect his handling of &igital $ortress.
.e was the deput director of the
7ational -ecurit Agenc.
And toda his 0ob was more critical
than it had ever been.
-trathmore slowed his breathing.
'-usan.+ .is voice was efficient and
unclouded. '&id ou
delete .ale/s E%mail)+
'7o,+ she said, confused.
'&o ou have the pass%ke)+
-he shook her head.
-trathmore frowned, chewing his lip.
.is mind was racing. .e had a
dilemma. .e could
easil enter his elevator password,
and -usan would be gone. !ut he
needed her there. .e needed
her help to find .ale/s pass%ke.
-trathmore hadn/t told her et, but
finding that pass%ke was far
more than a matter of academic
interest"it was an absolute necessit.
-trathmore suspected he could
run -usan/s nonconformit search and
find the pass%ke himself, but he/d
alread encountered
problems running her tracer. .e was
not about to risk it again.
'-usan.+ .e sighed resolutel. 'I/d
like ou to help me find .ale/s pass%
ke.+
'(hat2+ -usan stood up, her ees
wild.
-trathmore fought off the urge to
stand along with her. .e knew a lot
about negotiating"the
position of power was alwas seated.
.e hoped she would follow suit. -he
did not.
'-usan, sit down.+
-he ignored him.
'-it down.+ It was an order.
-usan remained standing.
'1ommander, if ou/ve still got some
burning desire to check out
Tankado/s algorithm, ou can do it
alone. I want out.+
-trathmore hung his head and took a
deep breath. It was clear she would
need an e3planation.
She deser.es one, he thought.
-trathmore made his decision"-usan
$letcher would hear it all. .e
praed he wasn/t making a mistake.
'-usan,+ he began, 'it wasn/t
supposed to come to this.+ .e ran his
hand across his scalp.
'There are some things I haven/t told
ou. -ometimes a man in m
position5+ The commander
wavered as if making a painful
confession. '-ometimes a man in m
position is forced to lie to the
people he loves. Toda was one of
those das.+ .e eed her sadl.
'(hat I/m about to tell ou, I
never planned to have to sa5 to
ou5 or to anone.+
-usan felt a chill. The commander had
a deadl serious look on his face.
There was obviousl
some aspect of his agenda to which
she was not priv. -usan sat down.
There was a long pause as -trathmore
stared at the ceiling, gathering his
thoughts. '-usan,+
he finall said, his voice frail. 'I have
no famil.+ .e returned his gaze to
her. 'I have no marriage
to speak of. * life has been m love
for this countr. * life has been m
work here at the 7-A.+
-usan listened in silence.
'As ou ma have guessed,+ he
continued, 'I planned to retire soon.
!ut I wanted to retire
with pride. I wanted to retire knowing
that I/d trul made a difference.+
'!ut ou ha.e made a difference,+
-usan heard herself sa. '4ou built
T<A7-,T<.+
-trathmore didn/t seem to hear. '#ver
the past few ears, our work here at
the 7-A has
gotten harder and harder. (e/ve faced
enemies I never imagined would
challenge us. I/m talking
about our own citizens. The lawers,
the civil rights fanatics, the E$$"
the/ve all plaed a part, but
it/s more than that. It/s the peop!e.
The/ve lost faith. The/ve become
paranoid. The suddenl see
us as the enem. People like ou and
me, people who trul have the
nation/s best interests at heart,
we find ourselves having to fight for
our right to serve our countr. (e/re
no longer peacekeepers.
(e/re eavesdroppers, peeping Toms,
violators of people/s rights.+
-trathmore heaved a sigh.
'Dnfortunatel, there are naive people
in the world, people who can/t
imagine the horrors the/d
face if we didn/t intervene. I trul
believe it/s up to us to save them from
their own ignorance.+
-usan waited for his point.
The commander stared wearil at the
floor and then looked up. '-usan, hear
me out,+ he said,
smiling tenderl at her. '4ou/ll want
to stop me, but hear me out. I/ve been
decrpting Tankado/s
E%mail for about two months now. As
ou can imagine, I was shocked when
I first read his
messages to 7orth &akota about an
unbreakable algorithm called &igital
$ortress. I didn/t believe it
was possible. !ut ever time I
intercepted anew message, Tankado
sounded more and more
convincing. (hen I read that he/d
used mutation strings to write a
rotating ke%code, I realized he
was light%ears ahead of us; it was an
approach no one here had never
tried.+
'(h $ou!d we)+ -usan asked. 'It
barel makes sense.+
-trathmore stood up and started
pacing, keeping one ee on the door.
'A few weeks ago,
when I heard about the &igital
$ortress auction, I finall accepted the
fact that Tankado was serious.
I knew if he sold his algorithm to a
?apanese software compan, we were
sunk, so I tried to think of
an wa I could stop him. I
considered having him killed, but
with all the publicit surrounding the
algorithm and all his recent claims
about T<A7-,T<, we would be
prime suspects. That/s when it
dawned on me.+ .e turned to -usan.
'I realized that &igital $ortress should
not be stopped.+
-usan stared at him, apparentl lost.
-trathmore went on. 'I suddenl saw
&igital $ortress as the opportunit of
a lifetime. It hit
me that with a few changes, &igital
$ortress could work for us instead of
against us.+
-usan had never heard anthing so
absurd. &igital $ortress was an
unbreakable algorithm; it
would destro them.
'If,+ -trathmore continued, 'if I could
0ust make a small modification in the
algorithm5
before it was released5+ .e gave her
a cunning glint of the ee.
It took onl an instant.
-trathmore saw the amazement
register in -usan/s ees. .e e3citedl
e3plained his plan. 'If I
could get the pass%ke, I could unlock
our cop of &igital $ortress and insert
a modification.+
'A back door,+ -usan said, forgetting
the 1ommander had ever lied to her.
-he felt a surge of
anticipation. '?ust like -kip0ack.+
-trathmore nodded. 'Then we could
replace Tankado/s give%awa file on
the Internet with
our a!tered version. !ecause &igital
$ortress is a ?apanese algorithm, no
one will ever suspect the
7-A had an part in it. All we have to
do is make the switch.+
-usan realized the plan was beond
ingenious. It was pure5 -trathmore.
.e planned to
facilitate the release of an algorithm
the 7-A could break2
'$ull access,+ -trathmore said.
'&igital $ortress will become the
encrption standard
overnight.+
'#vernight)+ -usan said. '.ow do
ou figure that6 Even if &igital
$ortress becomes
available everwhere for free, most
computer users will stick with their
old algorithms for
convenience. (h would the switch
to &igital $ortress)+
-trathmore smiled. '-imple. (e have
a securit leak. The whole world finds
out about
T<A7-,T<.+
-usan/s 0aw dropped.
'Buite simpl, -usan, we let the truth
hit the street. (e tell the world that
the 7-A has a
computer that can break ever
algorithm e3cept &igital $ortress.+
-usan was amazed. '-o everone
0umps ship to &igital $ortress5 not
knowing we can break
it2+
-trathmore nodded. 'E3actl.+ There
was a long silence. 'I/m sorr I lied to
ou. Tring to
rewrite &igital $ortress is a prett big
pla, I didn/t want ou involved.+
'I5 understand,+ she replied slowl,
still reeling from the brilliance of it
all. '4ou/re not a
bad liar.+
-trathmore chuckled. '4ears of
practice. ,ing was the onl wa to
keep ou out of the
loop.+
-usan nodded. 'And how big a loop is
it)+
'4ou/re looking at it.+
-usan smiled for the first time in an
hour. 'I was afraid ou/d sa that.+
.e shrugged. '#nce &igital $ortress
is in place, I/ll brief the director.+
-usan was impressed. -trathmore/s
plan was a global intelligence coup
the magnitude of
which had never before been
imagined. And he/d attempted it
single%handedl. It looked like he
might pull it off too. The pass%ke
was downstairs. Tankado was dead.
Tankado/s partner had been
located.
-usan paused.
Tan&ado is dead. That seemed ver
convenient. -he thought of all the lies
that -trathmore had
told her and felt a sudden chill. -he
looked uneasil at the commander.
'&id ou kill Ensei
Tankado)+
-trathmore looked surprised. .e
shook his head. '#f course not. There
was no need to kill
Tankado. In fact, I/d prefer he were
alive. .is death could cast suspicion
on &igital $ortress. I
wanted this switch to go as smoothl
and inconspicuousl as possible. The
original plan was to
make the switch and let Tankado sell
his ke.+
-usan had to admit it made sense.
Tankado would have no reason to
suspect the algorithm on
the Internet was not the original.
7obod had access to it e3cept
himself and 7orth &akota. Dnless
Tankado went back and studied the
programming after it was released,
he/d never know about the
back door. .e/d slaved over &igital
$ortress for long enough that he/d
probabl never want to see
the programming again.
-usan let it all soak in. -he suddenl
understood the commander/s need for
privac in 1rpto.
The task at hand was time%consuming
and delicate"writing a concealed back
door in a comple3
algorithm and making an undetected
Internet switch. 1oncealment was of
paramount importance.
The simple suggestion that &igital
$ortress was tainted could ruin the
commander/s plan.
#nl now did she full grasp wh he
had decided to let T<A7-,T< keep
running. If &igital
$ortress is going to be the 7-A/s new
bab, -trathmore wanted to be sure it
was unbreakable2
'-till want out)+ he asked.
-usan looked up. -omehow sitting
there in the dark with the great Trevor
-trathmore, her
fears were swept awa. <ewriting
&igital $ortress was a chance to make
histor"a chance to do
incredible good"and -trathmore could
use her help. -usan forced a reluctant
smile. '(hat/s our
ne3t move)+
-trathmore beamed. .e reached over
and put a hand on her shoulder.
'Thanks.+ .e smiled
and then got down to business. '(e/ll
go downstairs together.+ .e held up
his !erretta. '4ou/ll
search .ale/s terminal. I/ll cover
ou.+
-usan bristled at the thought of going
downstairs. '1an/t we wait for &avid
to call with
Tankado/s cop)+
-trathmore shook his head. 'The
sooner we make the switch, the better.
(e have no
guarantees that &avid will even find
the other cop. If b some fluke the
ring falls into the wrong
hands over there, I/d prefer we/d
alread made the algorithm switch.
That wa, whoever ends up
with the ke will download our
version of the algorithm.+ -trathmore
fingered his gun and stood.
'(e need to go for .ale/s ke.+
-usan fell silent. The commander had
a point. The needed .ale/s pass%ke.
And the needed
it now.
(hen -usan stood, her legs were
0itter. -he wished she/d hit .ale
harder. -he eed
-trathmore/s weapon and suddenl
felt ;ueas. '4ou/d actuall shoot
6reg .ale)+
'7o.+ -trathmore frowned, striding to
the door. '!ut let/s hope he doesn/t
know that.+
Chapter ,+
#utside the -eville airport terminal, a
ta3i sat idle, the meter running. The
passenger in the
wire%rim glasses gazed through the
plate%glass windows of the well%lit
terminal. .e knew he/d
arrived in time.
.e could see a blond girl. -he was
helping &avid !ecker to a chair.
!ecker was apparentl in
pain. <e does not yet &no$ pain, the
passenger thought. The girl pulled a
small ob0ect from her
pocket and held it out. !ecker held it
up and studied it in the light. Then he
slipped it on his finger.
.e pulled a stack of bills from his
pocket and paid the girl. The talked a
few minutes longer, and
then the girl hugged him. -he waved,
shouldered her duffel, and headed off
across the concourse.
At !ast, the man in the ta3i thought. At
!ast.
Chapter ,,
-trathmore stepped out of his office
onto the landing with his gun leveled.
-usan trailed close
behind, wondering if .ale was still in
7ode F.
The light from -trathmore/s monitor
behind them threw eerie shadows of
their bodies out
across the grated platform. -usan
inched closer to the commander.
As the moved awa from the door,
the light faded, and the were plunged
into darkness. The
onl light on the 1rpto floor came
from the stars above and the faint
haze from behind the
shattered 7ode F window.
-trathmore inched forward, looking
for the place where the narrow
staircase began. -witching
the !erretta to his left hand, he groped
for the banister with his right. .e
figured he was probabl
0ust as bad a shot with his left, and he
needed his right for support. $alling
down this particular set
of stairs could cripple someone for
life, and -trathmore/s dreams for his
retirement did not involve
a wheelchair.
-usan, blinded b the blackness of the
1rpto dome, descended with a hand
on -trathmore/s
shoulder. Even at the distance of two
feet, she could not see the
commander/s outline. As she
stepped onto each metal tread, she
shuffled her toes forward looking for
the edge.
-usan began having second thoughts
about risking a visit to 7ode F to get
.ale/s pass%ke.
The commander insisted .ale
wouldn/t have the guts to touch them,
but -usan wasn/t so sure. .ale
was desperate. .e had two optionsC
Escape 1rpto or go to 0ail.
A voice kept telling -usan the
should wait for &avid/s call and use
his pass%ke, but she
knew there was no guarantee he
would even find it. -he wondered
what was taking &avid so long.
-usan swallowed her apprehension
and kept going.
-trathmore descended silentl. There
was no need to alert .ale the were
coming. As the
neared the bottom, -trathmore
slowed, feeling for the final step.
(hen he found it, the heel of his
loafer clicked on hard black tile.
-usan felt his shoulder tense. The/d
entered the danger zone. .ale
could be anwhere.
In the distance, now hidden behind
T<A7-,T<, was their destination"
7ode F. -usan praed
.ale was still there, ling on the floor,
whimpering in pain like the dog he
was.
-trathmore let go of the railing and
switched the gun back to his right
hand. (ithout a word,
he moved out into the darkness. -usan
held tight to his shoulder. If she lost
him, the onl wa she/d
find him again was to speak. .ale
might hear them. As the moved
awa from the safet of the
stairs, -usan recalled late%night games
of tag as a kid"she/d left home base,
she was in the open.
-he was vulnerable.
T<A7-,T< was the onl island in
the vast black sea. Ever few steps
-trathmore stopped,
gun poised, and listened. The onl
sound was the faint hum from below.
-usan wanted to pull him
back, back to safet, back to home
base. There seemed to be faces in the
dark all around her.
.alfwa to T<A7-,T<, the silence
of 1rpto was broken. -omewhere in
the darkness,
seemingl right on top of them, a
high%pitched beeping pierced the
night. -trathmore spun, and
-usan lost him. $earful, -usan shot
her arm out, groping for him. !ut the
commander was gone.
The space where his shoulder had
been was now 0ust empt air. -he
staggered forward into the
emptiness.
The beeping noise continued. It was
nearb. -usan wheeled in the
darkness. There was a
rustle of clothing, and suddenl the
beeping stopped. -usan froze. An
instant later, as if from one of
her worst childhood nightmares, a
vision appeared. A face materialized
directl in front of her. It
was ghostl and green. It was the face
of a demon, sharp shadows 0utting
upward across deformed
features. -he 0umped back. -he turned
to run, but it grabbed her arm.
'&on/t move2+ it commanded.
$or an instant, she thought she saw
.ale in those two burning ees. !ut
the voice was not
.ale/s. And the touch was too soft. It
was -trathmore. .e was lit from
beneath b a glowing ob0ect
that he/d 0ust pulled from his pocket.
.er bod sagged with relief. -he felt
herself start breathing
again. The ob0ect in -trathmore/s
hand had some sort of electronic ,E&
that was giving off a
greenish glow.
'&amn,+ -trathmore cursed under his
breath. '* new pager.+ .e stared in
disgust at the
-kPager in his palm. .e/d forgotten
to engage the silent%ring feature.
Ironicall, he/d gone to a
local electronics store to bu the
device. .e/d paid cash to keep it
anonmous; nobod knew better
than -trathmore how closel the 7-A
watched their own"and the digital
messages sent and
received from this pager were
something -trathmore definitel
needed to keep private.
-usan looked around uneasil. If .ale
hadn/t known the were coming, he
knew now.
-trathmore pressed a few buttons and
read the incoming message. .e
groaned ;uietl. It was
more bad news from -pain"not from
&avid !ecker, but from the other
part -trathmore had sent to
-eville.
* * *
Three thousand miles awa, a mobile
surveillance van sped along the
darkened -eville streets.
It had been commissioned b the
7-A under 'Dmbra+ secrec from a
militar base in <ota. The
two men inside were tense. It was not
the first time the/d received
emergenc orders from $ort
*eade, but the orders didn/t usuall
come from so high up.
The agent at the wheel called over his
shoulder. 'An sign of our man)+
The ees of his partner never left the
feed from the wide%angle video
monitor on the roof.
'7o. Geep driving.+
Chapter ,-
Dnderneath the twisting mass of
cables, ?abba was sweating. .e was
still on his back with a
penlight clenched in his teeth. .e/d
gotten used to working late on
weekends; the less hectic 7-A
hours were often the onl times he
could perform hardware maintenance.
As he maneuvered the
red%hot soldering iron through the
maze of wires above him, he moved
with e3ceptional care;
singeing an of the dangling sheathes
would be disaster.
"ust another fe$ inhes, he thought.
The 0ob was taking far longer than
he/d imagined.
?ust as he brought the tip of the iron
against the final thread of raw solder,
his cellular phone
rang sharpl. ?abba startled, his arm
twitched, and a large glob of sizzling,
li;uefied lead fell on his
arm.
5Shit47 .e dropped the iron and
practicall swallowed his penlight.
'-hit2 -hit2 -hit2+
.e scrubbed furiousl at the drop of
cooling solder. It rolled off, leaving
an impressive welt.
The chip he was tring to solder in
place fell out and hit him in the head.
'6oddamn it2+
?abba/s phone summoned him again.
.e ignored it.
'*idge,+ he cursed under his breath.
Damn you4 9ryptos fine4 The phone
rang on. ?abba
went back to work reseating the new
chip. A minute later the chip was in
place, but his phone was
still ringing. For 9hrists sa&e,
Midge4 'i.e it up4
The phone rang another fifteen
seconds and finall stopped. ?abba
breathed a sigh of relief.
-i3t seconds later the intercom
overhead crackled. '(ould the chief
-s%-ec please contact
the main switchboard for a message.+
?abba rolled his ees in disbelief. She
?ust doesnt gi.e up, does she6 .e
ignored the page.
Chapter ,.
-trathmore replaced his -kpager in
his pocket and peered through the
darkness toward 7ode
F.
.e reached for -usan/s hand. '1ome
on.+
!ut their fingers never touched.
There was a long guttural cr from
out of the darkness. A thundering
figure loomed"a *ack
truck bearing down with no
headlights. An instant later, there was
a collision and -trathmore was
skidding across the floor.
It was .ale. The pager had given
them awa.
-usan heard the !erretta fall. $or a
moment she was planted in place,
unsure where to run,
what to do. .er instincts told her to
escape, but she didn/t have the
elevator code. .er heart told her
to help -trathmore, but how) As she
spun in desperation, she e3pected to
hear the sounds of a
life%and%death struggle on the floor,
but there was nothing. Everthing was
suddenl silent"as if
.ale had hit the commander and then
disappeared back into the night.
-usan waited, straining her ees into
the darkness, hoping -trathmore
wasn/t hurt. After what
seemed like an eternit, she
whispered, '1ommander)+
Even as she said it, she realized her
mistake. An instant later .ale/s odor
welled up behind
her. -he turned too late. (ithout
warning, she was twisting, gasping for
air. -he found herself
crushed in a familiar headlock, her
face against .ale/s chest.
'* balls are killing me.+ .ale
panted in her ear.
-usan/s knees buckled. The stars in
the dome began to spin above her.
Chapter -/
.ale clamped down on -usan/s neck
and elled into the darkness.
'1ommander, I/ve got our
sweetheart. I want out2+
.is demands were met with silence.
.ale/s grip tightened. 'I/ll break her
neck2+
A gun cocked directl behind them.
-trathmore/s voice was calm and
even. ',et her go.+
-usan winced in pain. '1ommander2+
.ale spun -usan/s bod toward the
sound. '4ou shoot and ou/ll hit our
precious -usan.
4ou read to take that chance)+
-trathmore/s voice moved closer.
',et her go.+
'7o wa. 4ou/ll kill me.+
'I/m not going to kill anone.+
'#h, eah) Tell that to 1hartrukian2+
-trathmore moved closer.
'1hartrukian/s dead.+
'7o shit. 4ou killed him. I saw it2+
'6ive it up, 6reg,+ -trathmore said
calml.
.ale clutched at -usan and whispered
in her ear, '-trathmore pushed
1hartrukian"I swear it2+
'-he/s not going to fall for our
divide%and%con;uer techni;ue,+
-trathmore said, moving
closer. ',et her go.+
.ale hissed into the darkness,
'1hartrukian was 0ust a &id, for
1hrist/s sake2 (h/d ou do it)
To protect our little secret)+
-trathmore staed cool. 'And what
little secret is that)+
'4ou know damn%fucking%well what
secret that is2 &igital $ortress2+
'*, m,+ -trathmore muttered
condescendingl, his voice like an
iceberg. '-o ou do know
about &igital $ortress. I was starting
to think ou/d den that too.+
'$uck ou.+
'A witt defense.+
'4ou/re a fool,+ .ale spat. '$or our
information, T<A7-,T< is
overheating.+
'<eall)+ -trathmore chuckled. ',et
me guess"I should open the doors and
call in the
-s%-ecs)+
'E3actl,+ .ale fired back. '4ou/d be
an idiot not to.+
This time -trathmore laughed out
loud. 'That/s our big pla)
T<A7-,T</s overheating, so
open the doors and let us out)+
'It/s true, dammit2 I/ve been down to
the sublevels2 The au3 power isn/t
pulling enough
freon2+
'Thanks for the tip,+ -trathmore said.
'!ut T<A7-,T</s got automatic
shutdown; if it/s
overheating, &igital $ortress will ;uit
all b itself.+
.ale sneered. '4ou/re insane. (hat
the fuck do I care if T<A7-,T<
blows) The damn
machine should be outlawed
anwa.+
-trathmore sighed. '1hild pscholog
onl works on children, 6reg. ,et her
go.+
'-o ou can shoot me)+
'I won/t shoot ou. I 0ust want the
pass%ke.+
'(hat pass%ke)+
-trathmore sighed again. 'The one
Tankado sent ou.+
'I have no idea what ou/re talking
about.+
',iar2+ -usan managed. 'I saw
Tankado/s mail in our account2+
.ale went rigid. .e spun -usan
around. '4ou went in m account)+
'And you aborted m tracer,+ she
snapped.
.ale felt his blood pressure skrocket.
.e thought he/d covered his tracks;
he had no idea
-usan knew what he/d done. It was no
wonder she wasn/t buing a word he
said. .ale felt the walls
start to close in. .e knew he could
never talk his wa out of that one"not
in time. .e whispered to
her in desperation, '-usan5
-trathmore killed 1hartrukian2+
',et her go,+ the commander said
evenl. '-he doesn/t believe ou.+
'(h shou!d she)+ .ale fired back.
'4ou ling bastard2 4ou/ve got her
brainwashed2 4ou
onl tell her what suits our needs2
&oes she know what ou rea!!y plan
to do with &igital
$ortress)+
'And what/s that)+ -trathmore
taunted.
.ale knew what he was about to sa
would either be his ticket to freedom
or his death
warrant. .e took a deep breath and
went for broke. '4ou plan to write a
back door in &igital
$ortress.+
The words met with a bewildered
silence from the darkness. .ale knew
he had hit a
bull/s%ee.
Apparentl -trathmore/s unflappable
cool was being put to the test. '(ho
told ou that)+ he
demanded, his voice rough around the
edges.
'I read it,+ .ale said smugl, tring to
capitalize on the change of
momentum. 'In one of our
brainstorms.+
'Impossible. I ne.er print m
brainstorms.+
'I know. I read it directl off our
account.+
-trathmore seemed doubtful. '4ou
got into m office)+
'7o. I snooped ou from 7ode F.+
.ale forced a self%assured chuckle.
.e knew he/d need all
the negotiating skills he/d learned in
the marines to get out of 1rpto alive.
-trathmore edged closer, the !erretta
leveled in the darkness. '.ow do ou
know about m
back door)+
'I told ou, I snooped our account.+
'Impossible.+
.ale forced a cock sneer. '#ne of
the problems of hiring the best,
1ommander"sometimes
the/re better than ou.+
'4oung man,+ -trathmore seethed, 'I
don/t know where ou get our
information, but ou/re
in wa over our head. 4ou will let
*s. $letcher go right now or I/ll call
in -ecurit and have ou
thrown in 0ail for life.+
'4ou won/t do it,+ .ale stated matter%
of%factl. '1alling -ecurit ruins our
plans. I/ll tell
them everthing.+ .ale paused. '!ut
let me out clean, and I/ll never sa a
word about &igital
$ortress.+
'7o deal,+ -trathmore fired back. 'I
want the pass%ke.+
'I don/t have an fucking pass%ke2+
'Enough lies2+ -trathmore bellowed.
'(here is it)+
.ale clamped down on -usan/s neck.
',et me out, or she dies2+
* * *
Trevor -trathmore had done enough
high%stakes bargaining in his life to
know that .ale was
in a ver dangerous state of mind. The
oung crptographer had painted
himself into a corner, and a
cornered opponent was alwas the
most dangerous kind"desperate and
unpredictable. -trathmore
knew his ne3t move was a critical
one. -usan/s life depended on it"and
so did the future of &igital
$ortress.
-trathmore knew the first thing he had
to do was release the tension of the
situation. After a
long moment, he sighed reluctantl.
'#ka, 6reg. 4ou win. (hat do ou
want me to do)+
-ilence. .ale seemed momentaril
unsure how to handle the
commander/s cooperative tone.
.e let up a bit on -usan/s neck.
'(%well5+ he stammered, his voice
wavering suddenl. '$irst thing ou
do is give me our
gun. 4ou/re both coming with me.+
'.ostages)+ -trathmore laughed
coldl. '6reg, ou/ll have to do better
than that. There are
about a dozen armed guards between
here and the parking lot.+
'I/m not a fool,+ .ale snapped. 'I/m
taking our elevator. -usan comes
with me2 %ou sta2+
'I hate to tell ou this,+ -trathmore
replied, 'but there/s no power to the
elevator.+
'!ullshit2+ .ale snapped. 'The lift
runs on power from the main
building2 I/ve seen the
schematics2+
'(e tried it alread,+ -usan choked,
tring to help. 'It/s dead.+
'4ou/re both so full of shit, it/s
incredible.+ .ale tightened his grip.
'If the elevator/s dead,
I/ll abort T<A7-,T< and restore
power.+
'The elevator takes a password,+
-usan managed feistil.
'!ig deal.+ .ale laughed. 'I/m sure
the commander will share. (on/t ou,
1ommander)+
'7o chance,+ -trathmore hissed.
.ale boiled over. '7ow ou listen to
me, old man"here/s the deal2 4ou let
-usan and me out
through our elevator, we drive a few
hours, and then I let her go.+
-trathmore felt the stakes rising. .e/d
gotten -usan into this, and he needed
to get her out. .is
voice staed stead as a rock. '(hat
about m plans for &igital $ortress)+
.ale laughed. '4ou can write our
back door"I won/t sa a word.+ Then
his voice turned
ominous. '!ut the da I think ou/re
tracking me, I go to the press with the
whole stor. I tell them
&igital $ortress is tainted, and I sink
this whole fucking organization2+
-trathmore considered .ale/s offer. It
was clean and simple. -usan lived,
and &igital $ortress
got its back door. As long as
-trathmore didn/t chase .ale, the
back door staed a secret.
-trathmore knew .ale couldn/t keep
his mouth shut for long. !ut still5
the knowledge of &igital
$ortress was .ale/s onl insurance"
mabe he/d be smart. (hatever
happened, -trathmore knew
.ale could be removed later if
necessar.
'*ake up our mind, old man2+ .ale
taunted. 'Are we leaving or not)+
.ale/s arms tightened
around -usan like a vice.
-trathmore knew that if he picked up
the phone right now and called
-ecurit, -usan would
live. .e/d bet his life on it. .e could
see the scenario clearl. The call
would take .ale completel
b surprise. .e would panic, and in
the end, faced with a small arm, .ale
would be unable to act.
After a brief standoff, he would give
in. +ut if 8 a!! Seurity, -trathmore
thought, my p!an is
ruined.
.ale clamped down again. -usan
cried out in pain.
'(hat/s it gonna be)+ .ale elled.
'&o I kill her)+
-trathmore considered his options. If
he let .ale take -usan out of 1rpto,
there were no
guarantees. .ale might drive for a
while, park in the woods. .e/d have a
gun5. -trathmore/s
stomach turned. There was no telling
what would happen before .ale set
-usan free5 if he set her
free. 8.e got to a!! Seurity,
-trathmore decided. (hat e!se an 8
do6 .e pictured .ale in court,
spilling his guts about &igital
$ortress. My p!an $i!! be ruined.
There must be some other $ay.
'&ecide2+ .ale elled, dragging
-usan toward the staircase.
-trathmore wasn/t listening. If saving
-usan meant his plans were ruined,
then so be it"
nothing was worth losing her. -usan
$letcher was a price Trevor
-trathmore refused to pa.
.ale had -usan/s arm twisted behind
her back and her neck bent to one
side. 'This is our last
chance, old man2 6ive me the gun2+
-trathmore/s mind continued to race,
searching for another option. There
are a!$ays other
options4 $inall he spoke";uietl,
almost sadl. '7o, 6reg, I/m sorr. I
0ust can/t let ou go.+
.ale choked in apparent shock.
'(hat2+
'I/m calling -ecurit.+
-usan gasped. '1ommander2 7o2+
.ale tightened his grip. '4ou call
-ecurit, and she dies2+
-trathmore pulled the cellular off his
belt and flicked it on. '6reg, ou/re
bluffing.+
'4ou/ll never do it2+ .ale elled. 'I/ll
talk2 I/ll ruin our plan2 4ou/re onl
hours awa from
our dream2 1ontrolling all the data
in the world2 7o more T<A7-,T<.
7o more limits"0ust free
information. It/s a chance of a
lifetime2 4ou won/t let it slip b2+
-trathmore voice was like steel.
'(atch me.+
'!ut"but what about -usan)+ .ale
stammered. '4ou make that call, and
she dies2+
-trathmore held firm. 'That/s a
chance I/m read to take.+
'!ullshit2 4ou/ve got a bigger hard%
on for her than ou do for &igital
$ortress2 I know ou2
4ou won/t risk it2+
-usan began to make an angr
rebuttal, but -trathmore beat her to it.
'4oung man2 4ou dont
know me2 I take risks for a living. If
ou/re looking to pla hardball, let/s
pla2+ .e started
punching kes on his phone. '4ou
mis0udged me, son2 7obod threatens
the lives of m emploees
and walks out2+ .e raised the phone
and barked into the receiver,
'-witchboard2 6et me -ecurit2+
.ale began to tor;ue -usan/s neck.
'I%I/ll kill her. I swear it2+
'4ou/ll do no such thing2+ -trathmore
proclaimed. 'Gilling -usan will 0ust
make things wor"
+ .e broke off and rammed the phone
against his mouth. '-ecurit2 This is
1ommander Trevor
-trathmore. (e/ve got a hostage
situation in 1rpto2 6et some men in
here2 4es, no$, goddamn it2
(e also have a generator failure. I
want power routed from all available
e3ternal sources. I want all
sstems on%line in five minutes2 6reg
.ale killed one of m 0unior -s%
-ecs. .e/s holding m
senior crptographer hostage. 4ou/re
cleared to use tear gas on all of us if
necessar2 If *r. .ale
doesn/t cooperate, have snipers shoot
him dead. I/ll take full responsibilit.
&o it now2+
.ale stood motionless"apparentl
limp in disbelief. .is grip on -usan
eased.
-trathmore snapped his phone shut
and shoved it back onto his belt.
'4our move, 6reg.+
Chapter -1
!ecker stood blear%eed beside the
telephone booth on the terminal
concourse. &espite his
burning face and a vague nausea, his
spirits were soaring. It was over.
Trul over. .e was on his
wa home. The ring on his finger was
the grail he/d been seeking. .e held
his hand up in the light
and s;uinted at the gold band. .e
couldn/t focus well enough to read,
but the inscription didn/t
appear to be in English. The first
smbol was either a B, an #, or a
zero, his ees hurt too much to
tell. !ecker studied the first few
characters. The made no sense. This
$as a matter of nationa!
seurity6
!ecker stepped into the phone booth
and dialed -trathmore. !efore he had
finished the
international prefi3, he got a
recording. 'Todos los circuitos estTn
ocupados,+ the voice said.
'Please hang up and tr our call
later.+ !ecker frowned and hung up.
.e/d forgottenC 6etting an
international connection from -pain
was like roulette, all a matter of
timing and luck. .e/d have to
tr again in a few minutes.
!ecker fought to ignore the waning
sting of the pepper in his ees. *egan
had told him
rubbing his ees would onl make
them worse; he couldn/t imagine.
Impatient, he tried the phone
again. -till no circuits. !ecker
couldn/t wait an longer"his ees
were on fire; he had to flush them
with water. -trathmore would have to
wait a minute or two. .alf blind,
!ecker made his wa
toward the bathrooms.
The blurr image of the cleaning cart
was still in front of the men/s room,
so !ecker turned
again toward the door marked damas.
.e thought he heard sounds inside.
.e knocked. '.ola)+
-ilence.
Probab!y Megan, he thought. -he had
five hours to kill before her flight and
had said she was
going to scrub her arm till it was
clean.
'*egan)+ he called. .e knocked
again. There was no repl. !ecker
pushed the door open.
'.ello)+ .e went in. The bathroom
appeared empt. .e shrugged and
walked to the sink.
The sink was still filth, but the water
was cold. !ecker felt his pores tighten
as he splashed
the water in his ees. The pain began
to ease, and the fog graduall lifted.
!ecker eed himself in
the mirror. .e looked like he/d been
cring for das.
.e dried his face on the sleeve of his
0acket, and then it suddenl occurred
to him. In all the
e3citement, he/d forgotten where he
was. .e was at the airport2
-omewhere out thereon the tarmac,
in one of the -eville airport/s three
private hangars, there was a ,ear0et
89 waiting to take him
home. The pilot had stated ver
clearl, 8 ha.e orders to stay here
unti! you return.
It was hard to believe, !ecker
thought, that after all this, he had
ended up right back where
he/d started. (hat am 8 $aiting for6
he laughed. 8m sure the pi!ot an
radio a message to
Strathmore4
1huckling to himself, !ecker glanced
in the mirror and straightened his tie.
.e was about to
go when the reflection of something
behind him caught his ee. .e turned.
It appeared to be one
end of *egan/s duffel, protruding
from under a partiall open stall door.
'*egan)+ he called. There was no
repl. 5Megan67
!ecker walked over. .e rapped
loudl on the side of the stall. 7o
answer. .e gentl pushed
the door. It swung open.
!ecker fought back a cr of horror.
*egan was on the toilet, her ees
rolled skward. &ead
center of her forehead, a bullet hole
oozed blood li;uid down her face.
'#h, ?esus2+ !ecker cried in shock.
'EstT muerta,+ a barel human voice
croaked behind him. '-he/s dead.+
It was like a dream. !ecker turned.
'-eWor !ecker)+ the eerie voice
asked.
&azed, !ecker studied the man
stepping into the rest room. .e looked
oddl familiar.
'-o .ulohot,+ the killer said. 'I am
.ulohot.+ The misshapen words
seemed to emerge from
the depths of his stomach. .ulohot
held out his hand. 'El anillo. The
ring.+
!ecker stared blankl.
The man reached in his pocket and
produced a gun. .e raised the weapon
and trained it on
!ecker/s head. 'El anillo.+
In an instant of clarit, !ecker felt a
sensation he had never known. As if
cued b some
subconscious survival instinct, ever
muscle in his bod tensed
simultaneousl. .e flew through the
air as the shot spat out. !ecker
crashed down on top of *egan. A
bullet e3ploded against the wall
behind him.
'*ierda2+ .ulohot seethed.
-omehow, at the last possible instant,
&avid !ecker had dived
out of the wa. The assassin
advanced.
!ecker pulled himself off the lifeless
teenager. There were approaching
footsteps. !reathing.
The cock of a weapon.
'AdiSs,+ the man whispered as he
lunged like a panther, swinging his
weapon into the stall.
The gun went off. There was a flash
of red. !ut it was no tblood. It was
something else. An
ob0ect had materialized as if out of
nowhere, sailing out of the stall and
hitting the killer in the
chest, causing his gun to fire a split
second earl. It was *egan/s duffel.
!ecker e3ploded from the stall. .e
buried his shoulder in the man/s chest
and drove him back
into the sink. There was a bone%
crushing crash. A mirror shattered.
The gun fell free. The two men
collapsed to the floor. !ecker tore
himself awa and dashed for the e3it.
.ulohot scrambled for his
weapon, spun, and fired. The bullet
ripped into the slamming bathroom
door.
The empt e3panse of the airport
concourse loomed before !ecker like
an uncrossable desert.
.is legs surged beneath him faster
than he/d ever known the could
move.
As he skidded into the revolving door,
a shot rang out behind him. The glass
panel in front of
him e3ploded in a shower of glass.
!ecker pushed his shoulder into the
frame and the door rotated
forward. A moment later he stumbled
onto the pavement outside.
A ta3i stood waiting.
'&O0ame entrar2+ !ecker screamed,
pounding on the locked door. ',et me
in2+ The driver
refused; his fare with the wire%rim
glasses had asked him to wait. !ecker
turned and saw .ulohot
streaking across he concourse, gun in
hand. !ecker eed his little :espa on
the sidewalk. 8m dead.
.ulohot blasted through the revolving
doors 0ust in time to see !ecker tring
in vain to kick
start his :espa. .ulohot smiled and
raised his weapon.
The ho&e4 !ecker fumbled with the
levers under the gas tank. .e 0umped
on the starter
again. It coughed and died.
'El anillo. The ring.+ The voice was
close.
!ecker looked up. .e saw the barrel
of a gun. The chamber was rotating.
.e rammed his foot
on the starter once again.
.ulohot/s shot 0ust missed !ecker/s
head as the little bike sprang to life
and lurched forward.
!ecker hung on for his life as the
motorccle bounced down a grass
embankment and wobbled
around the corner of the building onto
the runwa.
Enraged, .ulohot raced toward his
waiting ta3i. -econds later, the driver
la stunned on the
curb watching his ta3i peel out in a
cloud of dust.
Chapter -2
As the implications of the
1ommander/s phone call to -ecurit
began to settle on the dazed
6reg .ale, he found himself
weakened b a wave of panic.
Seurity is oming4 -usan began to
slip
awa. .ale recovered, clutching at her
midsection, pulling her back.
',et me go2+ she cried, her voice
echoing though the dome.
.ale/s mind was in overdrive. The
commander/s call had taken him
totall b surprise.
Strathmore phoned Seurity4 <es
sarifiing his p!ans for Digita!
Fortress4
7ot in a million ears had .ale
imagined the commander would let
&igital $ortress slip b.
This back door was the chance of a
lifetime.
As the panic rushed in, .ale/s mind
seemed to pla tricks on him. .e saw
the barrel of
-trathmore/s !erretta everwhere he
looked. .e began to spin, holding
-usan close, tring to den
the commander a shot. &riven b fear,
.ale dragged -usan blindl toward
the stairs. In five minutes
the lights would come on, the doors
would open, and a -(AT team would
pour in.
'4ou/re hurting me2+ -usan choked.
-he gasped for breath as she stumbled
through .ale/s
desperate pirouettes.
.ale considered letting her go and
making a mad dash for -trathmore/s
elevator, but it was
suicide. .e had no password. !esides,
once outside the 7-A without a
hostage, .ale knew he was
as good as dead. 7ot even his ,otus
could outrun a fleet of 7-A
helicopters. Susan is the on!y thing
that $i!! &eep Strathmore from
b!o$ing me off the road4
'-usan,+ .ale blurted, dragging her
toward the stairs. '1ome with me2 I
swear I won/t hurt
ou2+
As -usan fought him, .ale realized he
had new problems. Even if he
somehow managed to
get -trathmore/s elevator open and
take -usan with him, she would
undoubtedl fight him all the
wa out of the building. .ale knew
full well that -trathmore/s elevator
made onl one stopC 'the
Dnderground .ighwa,+ a restricted
labrinth of underground access
tunnels through which 7-A
powerbrokers moved in secrec. .ale
had no intention of ending up lost in
the basement corridors
of the 7-A with a struggling hostage.
It was a death trap. Even if he got out,
he realized, he had no
gun. .ow would he get -usan across
the parking lot) .ow would he drive)
It was the voice of one of .ale/s
marine, militar%strateg professors
that gave him his
answerC
$orce a hand, the voice warned, and it
will fight ou. !ut convince a mind to
think as ou
want it to think, and ou have an all.
'-usan,+ .ale heard himself saing,
'-trathmore/s a killer2 4ou/re in
danger here2+
-usan didn/t seem to hear. .ale knew
it was an absurd angle anwa;
-trathmore would
never hurt -usan, and she knew it.
.ale strained his ees into the
darkness, wondering where the
commander was hidden.
-trathmore had fallen silent suddenl,
which made .ale even more panick.
.e sensed his time was
up. -ecurit would arrive at an
moment.
(ith a surge of strength, .ale
wrapped his arms around -usan/s
waist and pulled her hard up
the stairs. -he hooked her heels on the
first step and pulled back. It was no
use, .ale overpowered
her.
1arefull, .ale backed up the stairs
with -usan in tow. Pushing her up
might have been
easier, but the landing at the top was
illuminated from -trathmore/s
computer monitors. If -usan
went first, -trathmore would have a
clear shot at .ale/s back. Pulling
-usan behind him, .ale had a
human shield between himself and the
1rpto floor.
About a third of the wa up, .ale
sensed movement at the bottom of the
stairs. Strathmores
ma&ing his mo.e4 '&on/t tr it,
1ommander,+ he hissed. '4ou/ll onl
get her killed.+
.ale waited. !ut there was onl
silence. .e listened closel. 7othing.
The bottom of the stairs
was still. (as he imagining things) It
didn/t matter. -trathmore would never
risk a shot with -usan
in the wa.
!ut as .ale backed up the stairs
dragging -usan behind him,
something une3pected
happened. There was a faint thud on
the landing behind him. .ale stopped,
adrenaline surging. .ad
-trathmore slipped upstairs) Instinct
told him -trathmore was at the bottom
of the stairs. !ut then,
suddenl, it happened again"louder
this time. A distinct step on the upper
landing2
In terror, .ale realized his mistake.
Strathmores on the !anding behind
me4 <e has a !ear
shot of my ba&4 In desperation, he
spun -usan back to his uphill side and
started retreating
backwards down the steps.
As he reached the bottom step, he
stared wildl up at the landing and
elled, '!ack off,
1ommander2 !ack off, or I/ll break
her"+
The butt of a !erretta came slicing
through the air at the foot of the stairs
and crashed down
into .ale/s skull.
As -usan tore free of the slumping
.ale, she wheeled in confusion.
-trathmore grabbed her
and reeled her in, cradling her shaking
bod. '-hhh,+ he soothed. 'It/s me.
4ou/re oka.+
-usan was trembling. '1om5
mander.+ -he gasped, disoriented. 'I
thought5 I thought ou
were upstairs5 I heard5+
'Eas now,+ he whispered. '4ou
heard me toss m loafers up onto the
landing.+
-usan found herself laughing and
cring at the same time. The
commander had 0ust saved her
life. -tanding there in the darkness,
-usan felt an overwhelming sense of
relief. It was not, however,
without guilt; -ecurit was coming.
-he had foolishl let .ale grab her,
and he had used her against
-trathmore. -usan knew the
commander had paid a huge price to
save her. 'I/m sorr,+ she said.
'(hat for)+
'4our plans for &igital $ortress5
the/re ruined.+
-trathmore shook his head. '7ot at
all.+
'!ut5 but what about -ecurit)
The/ll be here an minute. (e won/t
have time to"+
'-ecurit/s not coming, -usan. (e/ve
got all the time in the world.+
-usan was lost. #ot oming6 '!ut ou
phoned5+
-trathmore chuckled. '#ldest trick in
the book. I faked the call.+
Chapter -3
!ecker/s :espa was no doubt the
smallest vehicle ever to tear down the
-eville runwa. Its
top speed, a whining >9 mph, sounded
more like a chainsaw than a
motorccle and was
unfortunatel well below the
necessar power to become airborne.
In his side mirror, !ecker saw the ta3i
swing out onto the darkened runwa
about four
hundred ards back. It immediatel
started gaining. !ecker faced front. In
the distance, the contour
of the airplane hangars stood framed
against the night sk about a half mile
out. !ecker wondered if
the ta3i would overtake him in that
distance. .e knew -usan could do the
math in two seconds and
calculate his odds. !ecker suddenl
felt fear like he had never known.
.e lowered his head and twisted the
throttle as far as it would go. The
:espa was definitel
topped out. !ecker guessed the ta3i
behind him was doing almost ninet,
twice his speed. .e set his
sights on the three structures looming
in the distance. The midd!e one.
Thats $here the 3ear?et is.
A shot rang out.
The bullet buried itself in the runwa
ards behind him. !ecker looked
back. The assassin
was hanging out the window taking
aim. !ecker swerved and his side
mirror e3ploded in a shower
of glass. .e could feel the impact of
the bullet all the wa up the
handlebars. .e la his bod flat on
the bike. 'od he!p me, 8m not going
to ma&e it4
The tarmac in front of !ecker/s :espa
was growing brighter now. The ta3i
was closing, the
headlights throwing ghostl shadows
down the runwa. A shot fired. The
bullet ricocheted off the
hull of the bike.
!ecker struggled to keep from going
into a swerve. 8.e got to ma&e the
hangar4 .e
wondered if the ,ear0et pilot could
see them coming. Does he ha.e a
$eapon6 (i!! he open the
abin doors in time6 !ut as !ecker
approached the lit e3panse of the open
hangars, he realized the
;uestion was moot. The ,ear0et was
nowhere to be seen. .e s;uinted
through blurred vision and
praed he was hallucinating. .e was
not. The hangar was bare. )h my
'od4 (heres the p!ane4
As the two vehicles rocketed into the
empt hangar, !ecker desperatel
searched for an
escape. There was none. The
building/s rear wall, an e3pansive
sheet of corrugated metal, had no
doors or windows. The ta3i roared up
beside him, and !ecker looked left to
see .ulohot raising his
gun.
<efle3 took over. !ecker slammed
down on his brakes. .e barel
slowed. The hangar floor
was slick with oil. The :espa went
into a headlong skid.
!eside him there was a deafening
s;ueal as the ta3i/s brakes locked and
the balding tires
hdroplaned on the slipper surface.
The car spun around in a cloud of
smoke and burning rubber
onl inches to the left of !ecker/s
skidding :espa.
7ow side b side, the two vehicles
skimmed out of control on a collision
course with the rear
of the hangar. !ecker desperatel
pumped his brakes, but there was no
traction; it was like driving
on ice. In front of him, the metal wall
loomed. It was coming fast. As the
ta3i spiraled wildl beside
him, !ecker faced the wall and braced
for the impact.
There was an earsplitting crash of
steel and corrugated metal. !ut there
was no pain. !ecker
found himself suddenl in the open
air, still on his :espa, bouncing
across a grass field. It was as
if the hangar/s back wall had vanished
before him. The ta3i was still beside
him, careening across
the field. An enormous sheet of
corrugated metal from the hangar/s
back wall billowed off the
ta3i/s hood and sailed over !ecker/s
head.
.eart racing, !ecker gunned the
:espa and took off into the night.
Chapter -)
?abba let out a contented sigh as he
finished the last of his solder points.
.e switched off the
iron, put down his penlight, and la a
moment in the darkness of the
mainframe computer. .e was
beat. .is neck hurt. Internal work was
alwas cramped, especiall for a man
of his size.
And the 0ust keep building them
smaller, he mused.
As he closed his ees for a well%
deserved moment of rela3ation,
someone outside began
pulling on his boots.
'?abba2 6et out here2+ a woman/s
voice elled.
*idge found me. .e groaned.
'?abba2 6et out here2+
<eluctantl he slithered out. '$or the
love of 6od, *idge2 I told ou"+ !ut
it was not *idge.
?abba looked up, surprised. '-oshi)+
-oshi Guta was a ninet%pound live
wire. -he was ?abba/s righthand
assistant, a razor%sharp
-s%-ec techie from *IT. -he often
worked late with ?abba and was the
one member of his staff
who seemed unintimidated b him.
-he glared at him and demanded,
'(h the hell didn/t ou
answer our phone) #r m page)+
5%our page,+ ?abba repeated. 'I
thought it was"+
'7ever mind. There/s something
strange going on in the main
databank.+
?abba checked his watch. '-trange)+
7ow he was growing concerned.
'1an ou be an more
specific)+
Two minutes later ?abba was dashing
down the hall toward the databank.
Chapter -*
6reg .ale la curled on the 7ode F
floor. -trathmore and -usan had 0ust
dragged him across
1rpto and bound his hands and feet
with twelve%gauge printer cable from
the 7ode F
laser%printers.
-usan couldn/t get over the artful
maneuver the commander had 0ust
e3ecuted. <e fa&ed the
a!!4 -omehow -trathmore had
captured .ale, saved -usan, and
bought himself the time needed to
rewrite &igital $ortress.
-usan eed the bound crptographer
uneasil. .ale was breathing heavil.
-trathmore sat on
the couch with the !erretta propped
awkwardl in his lap. -usan returned
her attention to .ale/s
terminal and continued her random%
string search.
.er fourth string search ran its course
and came up empt. '-till no luck.+
-he sighed. '(e
ma need to wait for &avid to find
Tankado/s cop.+
-trathmore gave her a disapproving
look. 'If &avid fails, and Tankado/s
ke falls into the
wrong hands5+
-trathmore didn/t need to finish.
-usan understood. Dntil the &igital
$ortress file on the
Internet had been replaced with
-trathmore/s modified version,
Tankado/s pass%ke was dangerous.
'After we make the switch,+
-trathmore added, 'I don/t care how
man pass%kes are floating
around; the more the merrier.+ .e
motioned for her to continue
searching. '!ut until then, we/re
plaing beat%the%clock.+
-usan opened her mouth to
acknowledge, but her words were
drowned out b a sudden
deafening blare. The silence of 1rpto
was shattered b a warning horn from
the sublevels. -usan
and -trathmore e3changed startled
looks.
'(hat/s that67 -usan elled, timing
her ;uestion between the intermittent
bursts.
'T<A7-,T<2+ -trathmore called
back, looking troubled. 'It/s too hot2
*abe .ale was right
about the au3 power not pulling
enough freon.+
'(hat about the auto%abort)+
-trathmore thought a moment, then
elled, '-omething must have
shorted.+ A ellow siren
light spun above the 1rpto floor and
swept a pulsating glare across his
face.
'4ou better abort2+ -usan called.
-trathmore nodded. There was no
telling what would happen if three
million silicon
processors overheated and decided to
ignite. -trathmore needed to get
upstairs to his terminal and
abort the &igital $ortress run"
particularl before anone outside of
1rpto noticed the trouble and
decided to send in the cavalr.
-trathmore shot a glance at the still%
unconscious .ale. .e laid the
!erretta on a table near
-usan and elled over the sirens, '!e
right back2+ As he disappeared
through the hole in the 7ode F
wall, -trathmore called over his
shoulder, 'And find me that pass%
ke2+
-usan eed the results of her
unproductive pass%ke search and
hoped -trathmore would hurr
up and abort. The noise and lights in
1rpto felt like a missile launch.
#n the floor, .ale began to stir. (ith
each blast of the horn, he winced.
-usan surprised
herself b grabbing the !erretta. .ale
opened his ees to -usan $letcher
standing over him with the
gun leveled at his crotch.
'(here/s the pass%ke)+ -usan
demanded.
.ale was having trouble getting his
bearings. '(h%what happened)+
'4ou blew it, that/s what happened.
7ow, where/s the passke)+
.ale tried to move his arms but
realized he was tied. .is face became
taut with panic. ',et
me go2+
'I need the pass%ke,+ -usan repeated.
'I don/t have it2 ,et me go2+ .ale
tried to getup. .e could barel roll
over.
-usan elled between blasts of the
horn. '4ou/re 7orth &akota, and
Ensei Tankado gave ou
a cop of his ke. I need it now2+
'4ou/re craz2+ .ale gasped. 'I/m
not 7orth &akota2+ .e struggled
unsuccessfull to free
himself.
-usan charged angril. '&on/t lie to
me. (h the hell is all of 7orth
&akota/s mail in your
account)+
'I told ou before2+ .ale pleaded as
the horns blared on. 'I snooped
-trathmore2 That E%mail
in m account was mail I copied out
of Strathmores account"E%mail
1#*I7T stole from
Tankado2+
'!ull2 4ou could never snoop the
commander/s account2+
'4ou don/t understand2+ .ale elled.
'There was a!ready a tap on
-trathmore/s account2+
.ale delivered his words in short
bursts between the sirens. '-omeone
else put the tap there. I think
it was &irector $ontaine2 I 0ust
piggbacked2 4ou/ve got to believe
me2 That/s how I found out
about his plan to rewrite &igital
$ortress2 I/ve been reading
-trathmore/s brainstorms2+
+rain Storms6 -usan paused.
-trathmore had undoubtedl outlined
his plans for &igital
$ortress using his !rain-torm
software. If anone had snooped the
commander/s account, all the
information would have been
available5
'<ewriting &igital $ortress is si&47
.ale cried. '4ou know damn well
what it implies=tota!
7-A access2+ The sirens blasted,
drowning him out, but .ale was
possessed. '4ou think we/re
read for that responsibilit) 4ou
think anyone is) It/s fucking
shortsighted2 4ou sa our
government has the people/s best
interests at heart) 6reat2 !ut what
happens when some future
government doesnt have our best
interests at heart2 This technolog is
fore.er47
-usan could barel hear him; the
noise in 1rpto was deafening.
.ale struggled to get free. .e looked
-usan in the ee and kept elling.
'.ow the hell do
civilians defend themselves against a
police state when the gu at the top
has access to a!! their lines
of communication) .ow do the plan
a revolt)+
-usan had heard this argument man
times. The future%governments
argument was a stock
E$$ complaint.
'-trathmore had to be stopped2+ .ale
screamed as the sirens blasted. 'I
swore 8d do it.
That/s what I/ve been doing here all
da"watching his account, waiting for
him to make his move
so I could record the switch in
progress. I needed proof"evidence
that he/d written in a back door.
That/s wh I copied all his E%mail
into m account. It was evidence that
he/d been watching &igital
$ortress. I planned to go to the press
with the information.+
-usan/s heart skipped. .ad she heard
correctl) -uddenl this did sound
like 6reg .ale. (as
it possib!e6 If .ale had known about
-trathmore/s plan to release a tainted
version of &igital
$ortress, he could wait until the whole
world was using it and then drop his
bombshell"complete
with proof2
-usan imagined the headlinesC
1rptographer 6reg .ale unveils
secret D.-. plan to control
global information2
(as it -kip0ack all over) Dncovering
an 7-A back door again would make
6reg .ale
famous beond his wildest dreams. It
would also sink the 7-A. -he
suddenl found herself
wondering if mabe .ale was telling
the truth. #o4 she decided. )f ourse
not4
.ale continued to plead. 'I aborted
our tracer because I thought ou
were looking for me4 I
thought ou suspected -trathmore
was being snooped2 I didn/t want ou
to find the leak and trace it
back to me2+
8t $as p!ausib!e but un!i&e!y. 'Then
wh/d ou kill 1hartrukian)+ -usan
snapped.
'I didn/t2+ .ale screamed over the
noise. '-trathmore was the one who
pushed him2 I saw the
whole thing from downstairs2
1hartrukian was about to call the -s%
-ecs and ruin -trathmore/s
plans for the back door2+
.ale/s good, -usan thought. .e/s got
an angle for everthing.
',et me go2+ .ale begged. 'I didn/t
do anthing2+
'&idn/t do anthing)+ -usan shouted,
wondering what was taking
-trathmore so long. '4ou
and Tankado were holding the 7-A
hostage. At least until ou double%
crossed him. Tell me,+ she
pressed, 'did Tankado reall die of a
heart attack, or did ou have one of
our buddies take him
out)+
'4ou/re so blind2+ .ale elled.
'1an/t ou see I/m not involved)
Dntie me2 !efore -ecurit
gets here2+
'-ecurit/s not coming,+ she snapped
flatl.
.ale turned white. '(hat)+
'-trathmore faked the phone call.+
.ale/s ees went wide. .e seemed
momentaril paralzed. Then he
began writhing fiercel.
'-trathmore/ll kill me2 I know he
will2 I know too much2+
'Eas, 6reg.+
The sirens blared as .ale elled out,
'!ut I/m innocent2+
'4ou/re ling2 And I have proof2+
-usan strode around the ring of
terminals. '<emember that
tracer ou aborted)+ she asked,
arriving at her own terminal. 'I sent it
again2 -hall we see if it/s
back et)+
-ure enough, on -usan/s screen, a
blinking icon alerted her that her
tracer had returned. -he
palmed her mouse and opened the
message. This data $i!! sea! <a!es
fate, she thought. <a!e is
#orth Da&ota. The databo3 opened.
<a!e is "
-usan stopped. The tracer
materialized, and -usan stood in
stunned silence. There had to be
some mistake; the tracer had fingered
someone else"a most unlikel person.
-usan steadied herself on the terminal
and reread the databo3 before her. It
was the same
information -trathmore said hed
received when he ran the tracer2
-usan had figured -trathmore
had made a mistake, but she knew
she/d configured the tracer perfectl.
And et the information on the screen
was unthinkableC
7&AG#TA `
ETQ&#-.I-.A.E&D
'ET)+ -usan demanded, her head
swimming. 'Ensei Tankado is 7orth
&akota)+
It was inconceivable. If the data was
correct, Tankado and his partner were
the same person.
-usan/s thoughts were suddenl
disconnected. -he wished the blaring
horn would stop. (hy
doesnt Strathmore turn that damn
thing off6
.ale twisted on the floor, straining to
see -usan. '(hat does it sa) Tell
me2+
-usan blocked out .ale and the chaos
around her. *nsei Tan&ado is #orth
Da&ota.
-he reshuffled the pieces tring to
make them fit. If Tankado was 7orth
&akota, then he was
sending E%mail to himse!f which
meant 7orth &akota didn/t e3ist.
Tankado/s partner was a hoa3.
7orth &akota is a ghost, she said to
herself. -moke and mirrors.
The plo was a brilliant one.
Apparentl -trathmore had been
watching onl one side of a
tennis match. -ince the ball kept
coming back, he assumed there was
someone on the other side of
the net. !ut Tankado had been
plaing against a wall. .e had been
proclaiming the virtues of
&igital $ortress in E%mail he/d sent to
himself. .e had written letters, sent
them to an anonmous
remailer, and a few hours later, the
remailer had sent them right back to
him.
7ow, -usan realized, it was all so
obvious. Tankado had $anted the
commander to snoop
him5 he/d $anted him to read the E%
mail. Ensei Tankado had created an
imaginar insurance
polic without ever having to trust
another soul with his pass%ke. #f
course, to make the whole
farce seem authentic, Tankado had
used a secret account5 0ust secret
enough to alla an
suspicions that the whole thing was a
setup. Tankado was his own partner.
7orth &akota did not
e3ist. Ensei Tankado was a one%man
show.
A one%man show.
A terrifing thought gripped -usan.
Tankado could have used his fake
correspondence to
convince -trathmore of 0ust about
anthing.
-he remembered her first reaction
when -trathmore told her about the
unbreakable algorithm.
-he/d sworn it was impossible. The
unsettling potential of the situation
settled hard in -usan/s
stomach. (hat proof did the actuall
have that Tankado had rea!!y created
&igital $ortress) #nl
a lot of hpe in his E%mail. And of
course5 T<A7-,T<. The computer
had been locked in an
endless loop for almost twent hours.
-usan knew, however, that there were
other programs that
could keep T<A7-,T< bus that
long, programs far easier to create
than an unbreakable
algorithm.
:iruses.
The chill swept across her bod.
!ut how could a virus get into
T<A7-,T<)
,ike a voice from the grave, Phil
1hartrukian gave the answer.
Strathmore bypassed
'aunt!et4
In a sickening revelation, -usan
grasped the truth. -trathmore had
downloaded Tankado/s
&igital $ortress file and tried to send
it into T<A7-,T< to break it. !ut
6auntlet had re0ected the
file because it contained dangerous
mutation strings. 7ormall
-trathmore would have been
concerned, but he had seen Tankado/s
E%mail=Mutation strings are the tri&4
1onvinced &igital
$ortress was safe to load, -trathmore
bpassed 6auntlet/s filters and sent
the file into T<A7-,T<.
-usan could barel speak. 'There is
no &igital $ortress,+ she choked as
the sirens blared on.
-lowl, weakl, she leaned against
her terminal. Tankado had gone
fishing for fools5 and the 7-A
had taken the bait.
Then, from upstairs, came a long cr
of anguish. It was -trathmore.
Chapter -+
Trevor -trathmore was hunched at his
desk when -usan arrived breathless at
his door. .is
head was down, his sweat head
glistening in the light of his monitor.
The horns on the sublevels
blared.
-usan raced over to his desk.
'1ommander)+
-trathmore didn/t move.
'1ommander2 (e/ve got to shut
down T<A7-,T<2 (e/ve got a"+
'.e got us,+ -trathmore said without
looking up. 'Tankado fooled us all5+
-he could tell b the tone of his voice
he understood. All of Tankado/s hpe
about the
unbreakable algorithm5 auctioning
off the pass%ke"it was all an act, a
charade. Tankado had
tricked the 7-A into snooping his
mail, tricked them into believing he
had a partner, and tricked
them into downloading a ver
dangerous file.
'The mutation strings"+ -trathmore
faltered.
'I know.+
The commander looked up slowl.
'The file I downloaded off the
Internet5 it was a5+
-usan tried to sta calm. All the
pieces in the game had shifted. There
had never been an
unbreakable algorithm"never an
&igital $ortress. The file Tankado had
posted on the Internet was
an encrpted virus, probabl sealed
with some generic, mass%market
encrption algorithm, strong
enough to keep everone out of
harm/s wa"everone e3cept the
7-A. T<A7-,T< had cracked
the protective seal and released the
virus.
'The mutation strings,+ the
commander croaked. 'Tankado said
the were 0ust part of the
algorithm.+ -trathmore collapsed
back onto his desk.
-usan understood the commander/s
pain. .e had been completel taken
in. Tankado had
never intended to let an computer
compan bu his algorithm. There
$as no algorithm. The whole
thing was a charade. &igital $ortress
was a ghost, a farce, a piece of bait
created to tempt the 7-A.
Ever move -trathmore had made,
Tankado had been behind the scenes,
pulling the strings.
'I bpassed 6auntlet.+ The
commander groaned.
'4ou didn/t know.+
-trathmore pounded his fist on his
desk. 'I shou!d have known2 .is
screen name, for 1hrist/s
sake2 7&AG#TA2 ,ook at it2+
'(hat do ou mean)+
'.e/s laughing at us2 It/s a goddamn
anagram2+
-usan puzzled a moment. #DAG)TA
is an anagram6 -he pictured the
letters and began
reshuffling them in her mind.
#da&ota Gadotan )&tadan
Tando&a .er knees went weak.
-trathmore was right. It was as plain
as da. .ow could the have missed
it) 7orth &akota wasn/t a
reference to the D.-. state at all"it was
Tankado rubbing salt in the wound2
.e/d even sent the 7-A
a warning, a blatant clue that he
himself was 7&AG#TA. The letters
spelled TA7GA&#. !ut the
best code%breakers in the world had
missed it, 0ust as he had planned.
'Tankado was mocking us,+
-trathmore said.
'4ou/ve got to abort T<A7-,T<,+
-usan declared.
-trathmore stared blankl at the wall.
'1ommander. -hut it down2 6od onl
knows what/s going on in there2+
'I tried,+ -trathmore whispered,
sounding as faint as she/d ever heard
him.
'(hat do ou mean ou tried67
-trathmore rotated his screen toward
her. .is monitor had dimmed to a
strange shade of
maroon. At the bottom, the dialogue
bo3 showed numerous attempts to
shut down T<A7-,T<.
The were all followed b the same
responseC
-#<<4. D7A!,E T# A!#<T.
-#<<4. D7A!,E T# A!#<T.
-#<<4. D7A!,E T# A!#<T.
-usan felt a chill. :nab!e to abort6
+ut $hy6 -he feared she alread
knew the answer. So this
is Tan&ados re.enge6 Destroying
T>A#S3T>4 $or ears Ensei Tankado
had wanted the world to
know about T<A7-,T<, but no one
had believed him. -o he/d decided to
destro the great beast
himself. .e/d fought to the death for
what he believed"the individual/s
right to privac.
&ownstairs the sirens blared.
'(e/ve got to kill all power,+ -usan
demanded. '7ow2+
-usan knew that if the hurried, the
could save the great parallel
processing machine. Ever
computer in the world"from <adio
-hack P1s to 7A-A/s satellite
control sstems"had a built%in
fail%safe for situations like this. It
wasn/t a glamorous fi3, but it alwas
worked. It was known as
'pulling the plug.+
! shutting off the remaining power
in 1rpto, the could force
T<A7-,T< to shut down.
The could remove the virus later. It
would be a simple matter of
reformatting T<A7-,T</s hard
drives. <eformatting would
completel erase the computer/s
memor"data, programming, virus,
e.erything. In most cases,
reformatting resulted in the loss of
thousands of files, sometimes ears of
work. !ut T<A7-,T< was different"
it could be reformatted with virtuall
no loss at all. Parallel
processing machines were designed to
think, not to remember. 7othing was
actuall stored inside
T<A7-,T<. #nce it broke a code, it
sent the results to the 7-A/s main
databank in order to"
-usan froze. In a stark instant of
realization, she brought her hand to
her mouth and muffled a
scream. 'The main databank2+
-trathmore stared into the darkness,
his voice disembodied. .e/d
apparentl alread made
this realization. '4es, -usan. The
main databank5.+
-usan nodded blankl. Tankado used
T<A7-,T< to put a virus in our
main databank.
-trathmore motioned sickl to his
monitor. -usan returned her gaze to
the screen in front of
her and looked beneath the dialogue
bo3. Across the bottom of the screen
were the wordsC
TE,, T.E (#<,& A!#DT
T<A7-,T<
#7,4 T.E T<DT. (I,, -A:E
4#D 7#(5
-usan felt cold. The nation/s most
classified information was stored at
the 7-AC militar
communication protocols, -I6I7T
confirmation codes, identities of
foreign spies, blueprints for
advanced weaponr, digitized
documents, trade agreements"the list
was unending.
'Tankado wouldn/t dare2+ she
declared. '1orrupting a countr/s
classified records)+ -usan
couldn/t believe even Ensei Tankado
would dare attack the 7-A databank.
-he stared at his
message.
#7,4 T.E T<DT. (I,, -A:E
4#D 7#(
'The truth)+ she asked. 'The truth
about what)+
-trathmore was breathing heavil.
'T<A7-,T<,+ he croaked. 'The
truth about
T<A7-,T<.+
-usan nodded. It made perfect sense.
Tankado was forcing the 7-A to tell
the world about
T<A7-,T<. It was blackmail after
all. .e was giving the 7-A a choice"
either tell the world about
T<A7-,T< or lose our databank.
-he stared in awe at the te3t before
her. At the bottom of the
screen, a single line was blinked
menacingl.
E7TE< PA--%GE4
-taring at the pulsating words, -usan
understood"the virus, the pass%ke,
Tankado/s ring, the
ingenious blackmail plot. The pass%
ke had nothing to do with unlocking
an algorithm; it was an
antidote. The pass%ke stopped the
virus. -usan had read a lot about
viruses like this"deadl
programs that included a built%in cure,
a secret ke that could be used to
deactivate them. Tan&ado
ne.er p!anned to destroy the #SA
databan&=he ?ust $anted us go pub!i
$ith T>A#S3T>4 Then he
$ou!d gi.e us the pass-&ey, so $e
ou!d stop the .irus4
It was now clear to -usan that
Tankado/s plan had gone terribl
wrong. .e had not planned
on ding. .e/d planned on sitting in a
-panish bar and listening to the 177
press conference about
America/s top%secret code%breaking
computer. Then he/d planned on
calling -trathmore, reading
the pass%ke off the ring, and saving
the databank in the nick of time. After
a good laugh, he/d
disappear into oblivion, an E$$ hero.
-usan pounded her fist on the desk.
'(e need that ring2 It/s the on!y pass%
ke2+ -he now
understood"there $as no 7orth
&akota, no second pass%ke. Even if
the 7-A went public with
T<A7-,T<, Tankado was no longer
around to save the da.
-trathmore was silent.
The situation was more serious than
-usan had ever imagined. The most
shocking thing of all
was that Tankado had allowed it to go
this far. .e had obviousl known
what would happen if the
7-A didn/t get the ring"and et, in
his final seconds of life, he/d given
the ring awa. .e had
deliberatel tried to keep it from
them. Then again, -usan realized,
what could she expet Tankado
to do"save the ring for them, when he
thought the 7-A had killed him)
-till, -usan couldn/t believe that
Tankado would have allowed this to
happen. .e was a
pacifist. .e didn/t want to wreak
destruction; all he wanted was to set
the record straight. This was
about T<A7-,T<. This was about
everone/s right to keep a secret. This
was about letting the
world know that the 7-A was
listening. &eleting the 7-A/s
databank was an act of aggression
-usan could not imagine Ensei
Tankado committing.
The sirens pulled her back to realit.
-usan eed the debilitated
commander and knew what
he was thinking. 7ot onl were his
plans for a back door in &igital
$ortress shot, but his
carelessness had put the 7-A on the
brink of what could turn out to be the
worst securit disaster in
D.-. histor.
'1ommander, this is not our fault2+
she insisted over the blare of the
horns. 'If Tankado
hadn/t died, we/d have bargaining
power"we/d have options2+
!ut 1ommander -trathmore heard
nothing. .is life was over. .e/d spent
thirt ears serving
his countr. This was supposed to be
his moment of glor, his pibce de
rOsistance"aback door in the
world encrption standard. !ut
instead, he had sent a virus into the
main databank of the 7ational
-ecurit Agenc. There was no wa
to stop it"not without killing power
and erasing ever last one
of the billions of btes of irretrievable
data. #nl the ring could save them,
and if &avid hadn/t
found the ring b now5
'I need to shut down T<A7-,T<2+
-usan took control. 'I/m going down
to the sublevels to
throw the circuit breaker.+
-trathmore turned slowl to face her.
.e was a broken man. 'I/ll do it,+ he
croaked. .e stood
up, stumbling as he tried to slide out
from behind his desk.
-usan sat him back down. '7o,+ she
barked. 58m going.+ .er tone left no
room for debate.
-trathmore put his face in his hands.
'#ka. !ottom floor. !eside the freon
pumps.+
-usan spun and headed for the door.
.alfwa there, she turned and looked
back.
'1ommander,+ she elled. 'This is
not over. (e/re not beaten et. If
&avid finds the ring in time,
we can save the databank2+
-trathmore said nothing.
'1all the databank2+ -usan ordered.
'(arn them about the virus2 4ou/re
the deput director
of the 7-A. 4ou/re a survivor2+
In slow motion, -trathmore looked
up. ,ike a man making the decision of
a lifetime, he gave
her a tragic nod.
&etermined, -usan tore into the
darkness.
Chapter -,
The :espa lurched into the slow lane
of the 1arretera de .uelva. It was
almost dawn, but
there was plent of traffic"oung
-evillians returning from their all%
night beach verbenas. A van of
teenagers laid on its horn and flew b.
!ecker/s motorccle felt like a to out
there on the freewa.
A ;uarter of a mile back, a
demolished ta3i swerved out onto the
freewa in a shower of
sparks. As it accelerated, it
sideswiped a Peugeot >9L and sent it
careening onto the grass median.
!ecker passed a freewa markerC
-E:I,,A 1E7T<#"= G*. If he
could 0ust reach the cover
of downtown, he knew he might have
a chance. .is speedometer read 89
kilometers per hour. T$o
minutes to the exit. .e knew he didn/t
have that long. -omewhere behind
him, the ta3i was gaining.
!ecker gazed out at the nearing lights
of downtown -eville and praed he
would reach them alive.
.e was onl halfwa to the e3it when
the sound of scraping metal loomed
up behind him. .e
hunched on his bike, wrenching the
throttle as far as it would go. There
was a muffled gunshot, and
a bullet sailed b. !ecker cut left,
weaving back and forth across the
lanes in hopes of buing more
time. It was no use. The e3it ramp
was still three hundred ards when the
ta3i roared to within a few
car lengths behind him. !ecker knew
that in a matter of seconds he would
be either shot or run
down. .e scanned ahead for an
possible escape, but the highwa was
bounded on both sides b
steep gravel slopes. Another shot rang
out. !ecker made his decision.
In a scream of rubber and sparks, he
leaned violentl to his right and
swerved off the road.
The bike/s tires hit the bottom of the
embankment. !ecker strained to keep
his balance as the :espa
threw up a cloud of gravel and began
fish%tailing its wa up the slope. The
wheels spun wildl,
clawing at the loose earth. The little
engine whimpered patheticall as it
tried to dig in. !ecker
urged it on, hoping it wouldn/t stall.
.e didn/t dare look behind him,
certain at an moment the ta3i
would be skidding to a stop, bullets
fling.
The bullets never came.
!ecker/s bike broke over the crest of
the hill, and he saw it"the centro. The
downtown lights
spread out before him like a star%filled
sk. .e gunned his wa through some
underbrush and out
over the curb. .is :espa suddenl felt
faster. The Avenue ,uis *ontoto
seemed to race beneath his
tires. The soccer stadium zipped past
on the left. .e was in the clear.
It was then that !ecker heard the
familiar screech of metal on concrete.
.e looked up. A
hundred ards ahead of him, the ta3i
came roaring up the e3it ramp. It
skidded out onto ,uis
*ontoto and accelerated directl
toward him.
!ecker knew he should have felt a
surge of panic. !ut he did not. .e
knew e3actl where he
was going. .e swerved left on
*enendez Pelao and opened the
throttle. The bike lurched across a
small park and into the cobblestoned
corridor of *ateus 6ago"the narrow
one%wa street that led to
the portal of !arrio -anta 1ruz.
?ust a little farther, he thought.
The ta3i followed, thundering closer.
It trailed !ecker through the gatewa
of -anta 1ruz,
ripping off its side mirror on the
narrow archwa. !ecker knew he had
won. -anta 1ruz was the
oldest section of -eville. It had no
roads between the buildings, onl
mazes of narrow walkwas
built in <oman times. The were onl
wide enough for pedestrians and the
occasional *oped.
!ecker had once been lost for hours in
the narrow caverns.
As !ecker accelerated down the final
stretch of *ateus 6ago, -eville/s
eleventh%centur
6othic cathedral rose like a mountain
before him. &irectl beside it, the
6iralda tower shot L@K feet
skward into the breaking dawn. This
was -anta 1ruz, home to the second
largest cathedral in the
world as well as -eville/s oldest, most
pious 1atholic families.
!ecker sped across the stone s;uare.
There was a single shot, but it was too
late. !ecker and
his motorccle disappeared down a
tin passagewa"1allita de la :irgen.
Chapter --
The headlight of !ecker/s :espa
threw stark shadows on the walls of
the narrow
passagewas. .e struggled with the
gear shift and roared between the
whitewashed buildings,
giving the inhabitants of -anta 1ruz
an earl wake%up call this -unda
morning.
It had been less than thirt minutes
since !ecker/s escape from the
airport. .e/d been on the
run ever since, his mind grappling
with endless ;uestionsC (hos trying
to &i!! me6 (hats so
speia! about this ring6 (here is the
#SA ?et6 .e thought of *egan dead
in the stall, and the
nausea crept back.
!ecker had hoped to cut directl
across the barrio and e3it on the other
side, but -anta 1ruz
was a bewildering labrinth of
allewas. It was peppered with false
starts and dead ends. !ecker
;uickl became disoriented. .e
looked up for the tower of the 6iralda
to get his bearings, but the
surrounding walls were so high he
could see nothing e3cept a thin slit of
breaking dawn above him.
!ecker wondered where the man in
wire%rim glasses was; he knew better
than to think the
assailant had given up. The killer
probabl was after him on foot.
!ecker struggled to maneuver his
:espa around tight corners. The
sputtering of the engine echoed up
and down the alles. !ecker
knew he was an eas target in the
silence of -anta 1ruz. At this point,
all he had in his favor was
speed. 'ot to get to the other side4
After a long series of turns and
straightawas, !ecker skidded into a
three%wa intersection
marked Es;uina de los <ees. .e
knew he was in trouble"he had been
there alread. As he stood
straddling the idling bike, tring to
decide which wa to turn, the engine
sputtered to a stop. The gas
gauge read vacio. As if on cue, a
shadow appeared down an alle on
his left.
The human mind is the fastest
computer in e3istence. In the ne3t
fraction of a second,
!ecker/s mind registered the shape of
the man/s glasses, searched his
memor for a match, found
one, registered danger, and re;uested
a decision. .e got one. .e dropped
the useless bike and took
off at a full sprint.
Dnfortunatel for !ecker, .ulohot
was now on solid ground rather than
in a lurching ta3i. .e
calml raised his weapon and fired.
The bullet caught !ecker in the side
0ust as he stumbled around the corner
out of range. .e
took five or si3 strides before the
sensation began to register. At first it
felt like a muscle pull, 0ust
above the hip. Then it turned to a
warm tingling. (hen !ecker saw the
blood, he knew. There was
no pain, no pain anwhere, 0ust a
headlong race through the winding
maze of -anta 1ruz.
* * *
.ulohot dashed after his ;uarr. .e
had been tempted to hit !ecker in the
head, but he was a
professional; he plaed the odds.
!ecker was a moving target, and
aiming at his midsection
provided the greatest margin of error
both verticall and horizontall. The
odds had paid off.
!ecker had shifted at the last instant,
and rather than missing his head,
.ulohot had caught a piece
of his side. Although he knew the
bullet had barel grazed !ecker and
would do no lasting damage,
the shot had served its purpose.
1ontact had been made. The pre had
been touched b death. It was
a whole new game.
!ecker raced forward blindl.
Turning. (inding. -taing out of the
straightawas. The
footsteps behind him seemed
relentless. !ecker/s mind was blank.
!lank to everthing"where he
was, who was chasing him"all that
was left was instinct, self
preservation, no pain, onl fear, and
raw energ.
A shot e3ploded against the azule0o
tile behind him. -hards of glass
spraed across the back
of his neck. .e stumbled left, into
another alle. .e heard himself call
for help, but e3cept for the
sound of footsteps and strained
breathing, the morning air remained
deathl still.
!ecker/s side was burning now. .e
feared he was leaving a crimson trail
on the whitewashed
walks. .e searched everwhere for an
open door, an open gate, an escape
from the suffocating
canons. 7othing. The walkwa
narrowed.
'-ocorro2+ !ecker/s voice was barel
audible. '.elp2+
The walls grew closer on each side.
The walkwa curved. !ecker
searched for an intersection,
a tributar, an wa out. The
passagewa narrowed. ,ocked doors.
7arrowing. ,ocked gates. The
footsteps were closing. .e was in a
straightawa, and suddenl the alle
began to slope upward.
-teeper. !ecker felt his legs straining.
.e was slowing.
And then he was there.
,ike a freewa that had run out of
funding, the alle 0ust stopped. There
was a high wall, a
wooden bench, and nothing else. 7o
escape. !ecker looked up three stories
to the top of the
building and then spun and started
back down the long alle, but he had
onl taken a few steps
before he stopped short.
At the foot of the inclined
straightawa, a figure appeared. The
man moved toward !ecker
with a measured determination. In his
hand, a gun glinted in the earl
morning sun.
!ecker felt a sudden lucidit as he
backed up toward the wall. The pain
in his side suddenl
registered. .e touched the spot and
looked down. There was blood
smeared across his fingers and
across Ensei Tankado/s golden ring.
.e felt dizz. .e stared at the
engraved band, puzzled. .e/d
forgotten he was wearing it. .e/d
forgotten wh he had come to -eville.
.e looked up at the figure
approaching. .e looked down at the
ring. (as this wh *egan had died)
(as this wh he would
die)
The shadow advanced up the inclined
passagewa. !ecker saw walls on all
sides"a dead end
behind him. A few gated entrwas
between them, but it was too late to
call for help.
!ecker pressed his back against the
dead end. -uddenl he could feel
ever piece of grit
beneath the soles of his shoes, ever
bump in the stucco wall behind him.
.is mind was reeling
backward, his childhood, his
parents5 -usan.
#h, 6od5 -usan.
$or the first time since he was a kid,
!ecker praed. .e did not pra for
deliverance from
death; he did not believe in miracles.
Instead he praed that the woman he
left behind would find
strength, that she would know without
a doubt that she had been loved. .e
closed his ees. The
memories came like a torrent. The
were not memories of department
meetings, universit
business, and the things that made up
K9 percent of his life; the were
memories of her. -imple
memoriesC teaching her to use
chopsticks, sailing on 1ape 1od. 8
!o.e you, he thought. Gno$ that
fore.er.
It was as if ever defense, ever
facade, ever insecure e3aggeration of
his life had been
stripped awa. .e was standing
naked"flesh and bones before 6od. 8
am a man, he thought. And in
a moment of iron he thought, A man
$ithout $ax. .e stood, ees closed, as
the man in wire%rim
glasses drew nearer. -omewhere
nearb, a bell began to toll. !ecker
waited in darkness, for the
sound that would end his life.
Chapter -.
The morning sun was 0ust breaking
over the -eville rooftops and shining
down into the
canons below. The bells atop the
6iralda cried out for sunrise mass.
This was the moment
inhabitants had all been waiting for.
Everwhere in the ancient barrio,
gates opened and families
poured into the allewas. ,ike
lifeblood through the veins of old
-anta 1ruz, the coursed toward
the heart of their pueblo, toward the
core of their histor, toward their
6od, their shrine, their
cathedral.
-omewhere in !ecker/s mind, a bell
was tolling. Am 8 dead6 Almost
reluctantl, he opened
his ees and s;uinted into the first
ras of sunlight. .e knew e3actl
where he was. .e leveled his
gaze and searched the alle for his
assailant. !ut the man in wire%rims
was not there. Instead, there
were others. -panish families, in their
finest clothes, stepping from their
gated portals into the
allewas, talking, laughing.
* * *
At the bottom of the alle, hidden
from !ecker/s view, .ulohot cursed
in frustration. At first
there had been onl a single couple
separating him from his ;uarr.
.ulohot had been certain the
would leave. !ut the sound of the
bells kept reverberating down the
alle, drawing others from their
homes. A second couple, with
children. The greeted each another.
Talking, laughing, kissing three
times on the cheek. Another group
appeared, and .ulohot could no
longer see his pre. 7ow, in a
boiling rage, he raced into the ;uickl
growing crowd. .e had to get to
&avid !ecker2
The killer fought his wa toward the
end of the alle. .e found himself
momentaril lost in a
sea of bodies"coats and ties, black
dresses, lace mantles over hunched
women. The all seemed
oblivious to .ulohot/s presence; the
strolled casuall, all in black,
shuffling, moving as one,
blocking his wa. .ulohot dug his
wa through the crowd and dashed up
the alle into the dead
end, his weapon raised. Then he let
out a muted, inhuman scream. &avid
!ecker was gone.
* * *
!ecker stumbled and sidestepped his
wa through the crowd. Fo!!o$ the
ro$d, he thought.
They &no$ the $ay out. .e cut right at
the intersection and the alle widened.
Everwhere gates
were opening and people were
pouring out. The pealing of the bells
grew louder.
!ecker/s side was still burning, but he
sensed the bleeding had stopped. .e
raced on.
-omewhere behind him, closing fast,
was a man with a gun.
!ecker ducked in and out of the
groups of churchgoers and tried to
keep his head down. It
was not much farther. .e could sense
it. The crowd had thickened. The
alle had widened. The
were no longer in a little tributar,
this was the main river. As he
rounded a bend, !ecker suddenl
saw it, rising before them"the
cathedral and 6iralda tower.
The bells were deafening, the
reverberations trapped in the high%
walled plaza. The crowds
converged, everone in black,
pushing across the s;uare toward the
gaping doors of the -eville
1athedral. !ecker tried to break awa
toward *ateus 6ago, but he was
trapped. .e was shoulder to
shoulder, heel to toe with the shoving
throngs. The -paniards had alwas
had a different idea of
closeness than the rest of the world.
!ecker was wedged between two
heavset women, both with
their ees closed, letting the crowd
carr them. The mumbled praers to
themselves and clutched
rosar beads in their fingers.
As the crowd closed on the enormous
stone structure, !ecker tried to cut left
again, but the
current was stronger now. The
anticipation, the pushing and shoving,
the blind, mumbled praers.
.e turned into the crowd, tring to
fight backward against the eager
throngs. It was impossible, like
swimming upstream in a mile%deep
river. .e turned. The cathedral doors
loomed before him"like
the opening to some dark carnival ride
he wished he hadn/t taken. &avid
!ecker suddenl realized
he was going to church.
Chapter ./
The 1rpto sirens were blaring.
-trathmore had no idea how long
-usan had been gone. .e
sat alone in the shadows, the drone of
T<A7-,T< calling to him. %oure a
sur.i.or youre a
sur.i.or.
4es, he thought. I/m a survivor"but
survival is nothing without honor. I/d
rather die than live
in the shadow of disgrace.
And disgrace was what was waiting
for him. .e had kept information
from the director. .e
had sent a virus into the nation/s most
secure computer. There was no doubt
he would be hung out
to dr. .is intentions had been
patriotic, but nothing had gone as he/d
planned. There had been
death and treacher. There would be
trials, accusations, public outrage. .e
had served his countr
with honor and integrit for so man
ears, he couldn/t allow it to end this
wa.
I/m a survivor, he thought.
%oure a !iar, his own thoughts
replied.
It was true. .e $as a liar. There were
people he hadn/t been honest with.
-usan $letcher was
one of them. There were so man
things he hadn/t told her"things he
was now desperatel ashamed
of. $or ears she/d been his illusion,
his living fantas. .e dreamed of her
at night; he cried out for
her in his sleep. .e couldn/t help it.
-he was as brilliant and as beautiful
as an woman he could
imagine. .is wife had tried to be
patient, but when she finall met
-usan, she immediatel lost
hope. !ev -trathmore never blamed
her husband for his feelings. -he tried
to endure the pain as
long as possible, but recentl it had
become too much. -he/d told him
their marriage was ending;
another woman/s shadow was no
place to spend the rest of her life.
6raduall the sirens lifted -trathmore
from his daze. .is analtical powers
searched for an
wa out. .is mind reluctantl
confirmed what his heart had
suspected. There was onl one true
escape, onl one solution.
-trathmore gazed down at the
keboard and began tping. .e didn/t
bother to turn the
monitor so he could see it. .is fingers
pecked out the words slowl and
decisivel.
&earest friends, I am taking m life
toda5
This wa, no one would ever wonder.
There would be no ;uestions. There
would be no
accusations. .e would spell out for
the world what had happened. *an
had died5 but there was
still one life to take.
Chapter .1
In a cathedral, it is alwas night. The
warmth of the da turns to damp
coolness. The traffic is
silenced behind thick granite walls.
7o number of candelabras can
illuminate the vast darkness
overhead. -hadows fall everwhere.
There/s onl the stained glass, high
above, filtering the
ugliness of the outside world into ras
of muted reds and blues.
The -eville 1athedral, like all great
cathedrals of Europe, is laid out in the
shape of a cross.
The sanctuar and altar are located
0ust above the midpoint and open
downward onto the main
sanctuar. (ooden pews fill the
vertical a3is, a staggering @@F ards
from the altar to the base of
the cross. To the left and right of the
altar, the transept of the cross houses
confessionals, sacred
tombs, and additional seating.
!ecker found himself wedged in the
middle of a long pew about halfwa
back. #verhead, in
the dizzing empt space, a silver
censer the size of a refrigerator swung
enormous arcs on a fraed
rope, leaving a trail of frankincense.
The bells of the 6iralda kept ringing,
sending low rumbling
shock waves through the stone.
!ecker lowered his gaze to the gilded
wall behind the altar. .e had
a lot to be thankful for. .e was
breathing. .e was alive. It was a
miracle.
As the priest prepared to give the
opening praer, !ecker checked his
side. There was a red
stain on his shirt, but the bleeding had
stopped. The wound was small, more
of a laceration than a
puncture. !ecker tucked his shirt back
in and craned his neck. !ehind him,
the doors were cranking
shut. .e knew if he/d been followed,
he was now trapped. The -eville
1athedral had a single
functional entrance, a design
popularized in the das when
churches were used as fortresses, a
safe
haven against *oorish invasion. (ith
a single entrance, there was onl one
door to barricade. 7ow
the single entrance had another
function"it ensured all tourists
entering the cathedral had purchased
a ticket.
The twent%two%foot%high, gilded
doors slammed with a decisive crash.
!ecker was sealed in
the house of 6od. .e closed his ees
and slid low in his pew. .e was the
onl one in the building
not dressed in black. -omewhere
voices began to chant.
* * *
Toward the back of the church, a
figure moved slowl up the side aisle,
keeping to the
shadows. .e had slipped in 0ust
before the doors closed. .e smiled to
himself. The hunt was getting
interesting. +e&er is here 8 an fee!
it. .e moved methodicall, one row at
a time. #verhead the
frankincense decanter swung its long,
laz arcs. A fine p!ae to die, .ulohot
thought. 8 hope 8 do as
$e!!.
* * *
!ecker knelt on the cold cathedral
floor and ducked his head out of sight.
The man seated
ne3t to him glared down"it was most
irregular behavior in the house of
6od.
'Enfermo,+ !ecker apologized.
'-ick.+
!ecker knew he had to sta low. .e
had glimpsed a familiar silhouette
moving up the side
aisle. 8ts him4 <es here4
&espite being in the middle of an
enormous congregation, !ecker
feared he was an eas
target"his khaki blazer was like a
roadside flare in the crowd of black.
.e considered removing it,
but the white o3ford shirt underneath
was no better. Instead he huddled
lower.
The man beside him frowned.
'Turista.+ .e grunted. Then he
whispered, half sarcasticall,
',lamo un mOdico) -hall I call a
doctor)+
!ecker looked up at the old man/s
mole%ridden face. '7o, gracias. Esto
bien.+
The man gave him an angr look.
'Pues siOntate2 Then sit down2+ There
were scattered
shushes around them, and the old man
bit his tongue and faced front.
!ecker closed his ees and huddled
lower, wondering how long the
service would last.
!ecker, raised Protestant, had alwas
had the impression 1atholics were
long%winded. .e praed it
was true"as soon as the service ended,
he would be forced to stand and let
the others out. In khaki
he was dead.
!ecker knew he had no choice at the
moment. .e simpl knelt there on the
cold stone floor of
the great cathedral. Eventuall, the
old man lost interest. The
congregation was standing now,
singing a hmn. !ecker staed down.
.is legs were starting to cramp. There
was no room to stretch
them. Patiene, he thought. Patiene.
.e closed his ees and took a deep
breath.
It felt like onl minutes later that
!ecker felt someone kicking him. .e
looked up. The
mole%faced man was standing to his
right, waiting impatientl to leave the
pew.
!ecker panicked. <e $ants to !ea.e
a!ready6 8!! ha.e to stand up4 !ecker
motioned for the
man to step over him. The man could
barel control his anger. .e grabbed
the tails of his black
blazer, pulled them down in a huff,
and leaned back to reveal the entire
row of people waiting to
leave. !ecker looked left and saw that
the woman who had been seated there
was gone. The length
of pew to his left was empt all the
wa to the center aisle.
The service can/t be over2 It/s
impossible2 (e 0ust got here2
!ut when !ecker saw the altar bo at
the end of the row and the two single%
file lines moving
up the center aisle toward the altar, he
knew what was happening.
1ommunion. .e groaned. The damn
-paniards do it first2
Chapter .2
-usan climbed down the ladder into
the sublevels. Thick steam was now
boiling up around
T<A7-,T</s hull. The catwalks
were wet with condensation. -he
almost fell, her flats providing
ver little traction. -he wondered how
much longer T<A7-,T< would
survive. The sirens
continued their intermittent warning.
The emergenc lights spun in two%
second intervals. Three
stories below, the au3 generators
shook in a ta3ed whine. -usan knew
somewhere at the bottom in
the fogg dimness there was a circuit
breaker. -he sensed time was running
out.
* * *
Dpstairs, -trathmore held the !eretta
in his hand. .e reread his note and
laid it on the floor of
the room where he was standing.
(hat he was about to do was a
cowardl act, there was no doubt.
8m a sur.i.or, he thought. .e
thought of the virus in the 7-A
databank, he thought of &avid
!ecker in -pain, he thought of his
plans for a back door. .e had told so
man lies. .e was guilt of
so much. .e knew this was the onl
wa to avoid accountabilit5 the
onl wa to avoid the
shame. 1arefull he aimed the gun.
Then he closed his ees and pulled the
trigger.
* * *
-usan had onl descended si3 flights
when she heard the muffled shot. It
was far off, barel
audible over the generators. -he had
never heard a gunshot e3cept on
television, but she had no
doubt what it was.
-he stopped short, the sound
resounding in her ears. In a wave of
horror, she feared the worst.
-he pictured the commander/s
dreams"the back door in &igital
$ortress, the incredible coup it
would have been. -he pictured the
virus in the databank, his failing
marriage, that eerie nod he had
given her. .er footing faltered. -he
spun on the landing, grappling for the
banister. 9ommander4
#o4
-usan was momentaril frozen, her
mind blank. The echo of the gunshot
seemed to drown out
the chaos around her. .er mind told
her to keep on going, but her legs
refused. 9ommander4 An
instant later she found herself
stumbling back up the stairs, entirel
forgetting the danger around
her.
-he ran blindl, slipping on the slick
metal. Above her the humidit fell
like rain. (hen she
reached the ladder and began
climbing, she felt herself lifted from
below b a tremendous surge of
steam that practicall 0ettisoned her
through the trapdoor. -he rolled onto
the 1rpto floor and felt
the cool air wash over her. .er white
blouse clung to her bod, soaked
through.
It was dark. -usan paused, tring to
get her bearings. The sound of the
gunshot was on
endless loop in her head. .ot steam
billowed up through the trapdoor like
gases from a volcano
about to e3plode.
-usan cursed herself for leaving the
!eretta with -trathmore. -he had left
it with him, hadn/t
she) )r $as it in #ode H6 As her ees
ad0usted to the dark, she glanced
toward the gaping hole in
the 7ode F wall. The glow from the
monitors was faint, but in the distance
she could see .ale ling
motionless on the floor where she/d
left him. There was no sign of
-trathmore. Terrified of what
she/d find, she turned toward the
commander/s office.
!ut as she began to move, something
registered as strange. -he backpedaled
a few steps and
peered into 7ode F again. In the soft
light she could see .ale/s arm. It was
not at his side. .e was
no longer tied like a mumm. .is arm
was up over his head. .e was
sprawled backward on the
floor. .ad he gotten free) There was
no movement. .ale was deathl still.
-usan gazed up at -trathmore/s
workstation perched high on the wall.
'1ommander)+
-ilence.
Tentativel she moved toward 7ode
F. There was an ob0ect in .ale/s hand.
It glimmered in
the light of the monitors. -usan
moved closer5 closer. -uddenl she
could see what .ale was
holding. It was the !eretta.
-usan gasped. $ollowing the arch of
.ale/s arm, her ees moved to his
face. (hat she saw
was grotes;ue. .alf of 6reg .ale/s
head was soaked in blood. The dark
stain had spread out across
the carpet.
)h my 'od4 -usan staggered
backward. It wasn/t the commander/s
shot she/d heard, it was
<a!es4
As if in a trance, -usan moved toward
the bod. Apparentl, .ale had
managed to free
himself. The printer cables were piled
on the floor beside him. 8 must ha.e
!eft the gun on the ouh,
she thought. The blood flowing
through the hole in his skull looked
black in the bluish light.
#n the floor beside .ale was a piece
of paper. -usan went over unsteadil,
and picked it up. It
was a letter.
&earest friends, I am taking m life
toda in penance for the following
sins5
In utter disbelief, -usan stared at the
suicide note in her hand. -he read
slowl. It was surreal"
so unlike .ale"a laundr list of
crimes. .e was admitting to
everthing"figuring out that
7&AG#TA was a hoa3, hiring a
mercenar to kill Ensei Tankado and
take the ring, pushing Phil
1hartrukian, planning to sell &igital
$ortress.
-usan reached the final line. -he was
not prepared for what she read. The
letter/s final words
delivered a numbing blow.
Above all, I/m trul sorr about
&avid !ecker. $orgive me, I was
blinded b ambition.
As -usan stood trembling over .ale/s
bod, the sound of running footsteps
approached
behind her. In slow motion, she
turned.
-trathmore appeared in the broken
window, pale and out of breath. .e
stared down at .ale/s
bod in apparent shock.
'#h m 6od2+ he said. '(hat
happened)+
Chapter .3
1ommunion.
.ulohot spotted !ecker immediatel.
The khaki blazer was impossible to
miss, particularl
with the small bloodstain on one side.
The 0acket was moving up the center
aisle in a sea of black.
<e must not &no$ 8m here. .ulohot
smiled. <es a dead man.
.e fanned the tin metal contacts on
his fingertips, eager to tell his
American contact the
good news. Soon, he thought, .ery
soon.
,ike a predator moving downwind,
.ulohot moved to the back of the
church. Then he began
his approach"straight up the center
aisle. .ulohot was in no mood to
track !ecker through the
crowds leaving the church. .is ;uarr
was trapped, a fortunate turn of
events. .ulohot 0ust needed a
wa to eliminate him ;uietl. .is
silencer, the best mone could bu,
emitted no more than a tin
spitting cough. That would be fine.
As .ulohot closed on the khaki
blazer, he was unaware of the ;uiet
murmurs coming from
those he was passing. The
congregation could understand this
man/s e3citement to receive the
blessing of 6od, but nevertheless,
there were strict rules of protocol"two
lines, single file.
.ulohot kept moving. .e was closing
;uickl. .e thumbed the revolver in
his 0acket pocket.
The moment had arrived. &avid
!ecker had been e3ceptionall
fortunate so far; there was no need
to tempt fortune an further.
The khaki blazer was onl ten people
ahead, facing front, head down.
.ulohot rehearsed the
kill in his mind. The image was clear"
cutting in behind !ecker, keeping the
gun low and out of
sight, firing two shots into !ecker/s
back, !ecker slumping, .ulohot
catching him and helping him
into a pew like a concerned friend.
Then .ulohot would move ;uickl to
the back of the church as
if going for help. In the confusion, he
would disappear before anone knew
what had happened.
$ive people. $our. Three.
.ulohot fingered the gun in his
pocket, keeping it low. .e would fire
from hip level upward
into !ecker/s spine. That wa the
bullet would hit either the spine or a
lung before finding the heart.
Even if the bullet missed the heart,
!ecker would die. A punctured lung
was fatal, mabe not in
more medicall advanced parts of the
world, but in Spain, it was fatal.
T$o peop!e one. And then .ulohot
was there. ,ike a dancer performing a
well%rehearsed
move, he turned to his right. .e laid
his hand on the shoulder of the khaki
blazer, aimed the gun,
and5 fired. Two muffled spats.
Instantl the bod was rigid. Then it
was falling. .ulohot caught his victim
under the armpits.
In a single motion, he swung the bod
into a pew before an bloodstains
spread across his back.
7earb, people turned. .ulohot paid
no heed"he would be gone in an
instant.
.e groped the man/s lifeless fingers
for the ring. 7othing. .e felt again.
The fingers were
bare. .ulohot spun the man around
angril. The horror was instantaneous.
The face was not &avid
!ecker/s.
<afael de la *aza, a banker from the
suburbs of -eville, had died almost
instantl. .e was
still clutching the >9,999 pesetas the
strange American had paid him for a
cheap black blazer.
Chapter .)
*idge *ilken stood fuming at the
water cooler near the entrance to the
conference room.
(hat the he!! is Fontaine doing6 -he
crumpled her paper cup and threw it
forcefull into the trash
can. Theres something happening in
9rypto4 8 an fee! it4 *idge knew
there was onl one wa to
prove herself right. -he/d go check
out 1rpto herself"track down ?abba
if need be. -he spun on
her heel and headed for the door.
!rinkerhoff appeared out of nowhere,
blocking her wa. '(here are ou
headed)+
'.ome2+ *idge lied.
!rinkerhoff refused to let her pass.
*idge glared. '$ontaine told ou not
to let me out, didn/t he)+
!rinkerhoff looked awa.
'1had, I/m telling ou, there/s
something happening in 1rpto"
something big. I don/t know
wh $ontaine/s plaing dumb, but
T<A7-,T</s in trouble. -omething
is not right down there
tonight2+
'*idge,+ he soothed, walking past her
toward the curtained conference room
windows, 'let/s
let the director handle it.+
*idge/s gaze sharpened. '&o ou
have an idea what happens to
T<A7-,T< if the cooling
sstem fails)+
!rinkerhoff shrugged and approached
the window. 'Power/s probabl back
on%line b now
anwa.+ .e pulled apart the curtains
and looked.
'-till dark)+ *idge asked.
!ut !rinkerhoff did not repl. .e was
spellbound. The scene below in the
1rpto dome was
unimaginable. The entire glass cupola
was filled with spinning lights,
flashing strobes, and swirling
steam. !rinkerhoff stood transfi3ed,
teetering light%headed against the
glass. Then, in a frenz of
panic, he raced out. '&irector2
Diretor47
Chapter .*
The blood of 1hrist5 the cup of
salvation5
People gathered around the slumped
bod in the pew. #verhead, the
frankincense swung its
peaceful arcs. .ulohot wheeled wildl
in the center aisle and scanned the
church. <es got to be
here4 .e spun back toward the altar.
Thirt rows ahead, hol communion
was proceeding uninterrupted. Padre
6ustaphes .errera,
the head chalice bearer, glanced
curiousl at the ;uiet commotion in
one of the center pews; he was
not concerned. -ometimes some of
the older folks were overcome b the
hol spirit and passed out.
A little air usuall did the trick.
*eanwhile, .ulohot was searching
franticall. !ecker was nowhere in
sight. A hundred or so
people were kneeling at the long altar
receiving communion. .ulohot
wondered if !ecker was one
of them. .e scanned their backs. .e
was prepared to shoot from fift ards
awa and make a dash
for it.
* * *
El cuerpo de ?esus, el pan del cielo.
The oung priest serving !ecker
communion gave him a disapproving
stare. .e could
understand the stranger/s eagerness to
receive communion, but it was no
e3cuse to cut inline.
!ecker bowed his head and chewed
the wafer as best he could. .e sensed
something was
happening behind him, some sort of
disturbance. .e thought of the man
from whom he/d bought
the 0acket and hoped he had listened
to his warning and not taken !ecker/s
in e3change. .e started
to turn and look, but he feared the
wire%rim glasses would be staring
back. .e crouched in hopes his
black 0acket was covering the back of
his khaki pants. It was not.
The chalice was coming ;uickl from
his right. People were alread
swallowing their wine,
crossing themselves, and standing to
leave. S!o$ do$n4 !ecker was in no
hurr to leave the altar.
!ut with two thousand people waiting
for communion and onl eight priests
serving, it was
considered bad form to linger over a
sip of wine.
* * *
The chalice was 0ust to the right of
!ecker when .ulohot spotted the
mismatched khaki pants.
'EstTs a muerto,+ he hissed softl.
'4ou/re alread dead.+ .ulohot
moved up the center aisle. The
time for subtlet had passed. Two
shots in the back, and he would grab
the ring and run. The
biggest ta3i stand in -eville was half a
block awa on *ateus 6ago. .e
reached for his weapon.
AdiSs, -eWor !ecker5
* * *
,a sangre de 1risto, la copa de la
salvaciSn.
The thick scent of red wine filled
!ecker/s nostrils as Padre .errera
lowered the
hand%polished, silver chalice. 3itt!e
ear!y for drin&ing, !ecker thought as
he leaned forward. !ut as
the silver goblet dropped past ee
level, there was a blur of movement.
A figure, coming fast, his
shape warped in the reflection of the
cup.
!ecker saw a flash of metal, a weapon
being drawn. Instantl,
unconsciousl, like a runner
from a starting block at the sound of a
gun, !ecker was vaulting forward.
The priest fell back in
horror as the chalice sailed through
the air, and red wine rained down on
white marble. Priests and
altar bos went scattering as !ecker
dove over the communion rail. A
silencer coughed out a single
shot. !ecker landed hard, and the shot
e3ploded in the marble floor beside
him. An instant later he
was tumbling down three granite
stairs into the valle, a narrow
passagewa through which the
clerg entered, allowing them to rise
onto the altar as if b divine grace.
At the bottom of the steps, he
stumbled and dove. !ecker felt
himself sliding out of control
across the slick polished stone. A
dagger of pain shot though his gut as
he landed on his side. A
moment later he was stumbling
through a curtained entrwa and
down a set of wooden stairs.
Pain. !ecker was running, through a
dressing room. It was dark. There
were screams from the
altar. ,oud footsteps in pursuit.
!ecker burst through a set of double
doors and stumbled into some
sort of stud. It was dark, furnished
with rich #rientals and polished
mahogan. #n the far wall was
a life%size crucifi3. !ecker staggered
to a stop. &ead end. .e was at the tip
of the cross. .e could
hear .ulohot closing fast. !ecker
stared at the crucifi3 and cursed his
bad luck.
5'oddamn it47 he screamed.
There was the sudden sound of
breaking glass to !ecker/s left. .e
wheeled. A man in red
robes gasped and turned to ee
!ecker in horror. ,ike a cat caught
with a canar, the hol man
wiped his mouth and tried to hide the
broken bottle of hol communion
wine at his feet.
5Sa!ida47 !ecker demanded.
'-alida2+ ,et me out2
1ardinal 6uerra reacted on instinct. A
demon had entered his sacred
chambers screaming for
deliverance from the house of 6od.
6uerra would grant him that wish"
immediatel. The demon had
entered at a most inopportune
moment.
Pale, the cardinal pointed to a curtain
on the wall to his left. .idden behind
the curtain was a
door. .e/d installed it three ears ago.
It led directl to the courtard outside.
The cardinal had
grown tired of e3iting the church
through the front door like a common
sinner.
Chapter .+
-usan was wet and shivering, huddled
on the 7ode F couch. -trathmore
draped his suit coat
over her shoulders. .ale/s bod la a
few ards awa. The sirens blared.
,ike ice thawing on a
frozen pond, T<A7-,T</s hull let
out a sharp crack.
'I/m going down to kill power,+
-trathmore said, laing a reassuring
hand on her shoulder.
'I/ll be right back.+
-usan stared absentl after the
commander as he dashed across the
1rpto floor. .e was no
longer the catatonic man she/d seen
ten minutes before. 1ommander
Trevor -trathmore was back"
logical, controlled, doing whatever
was necessar to get the 0ob done.
The final words of .ale/s suicide note
ran through her mind like a train out
of controlC Abo.e
a!!, 8m tru!y sorry about Da.id
+e&er. Forgi.e me, 8 $as b!inded by
ambition.
-usan $letcher/s nightmare had 0ust
been confirmed. &avid was in
danger5 or worse. *abe
it was alread too late. 8m tru!y sorry
about Da.id +e&er.
-he stared at the note. .ale hadn/t
even signed it"he/d 0ust tped his
name at the bottomC
'reg <a!e. .e/d poured out his guts,
pressed print, and then shot himself"
0ust like that. .ale had
sworn he/d never go back to prison;
he/d kept his vow"he/d chosen death
instead.
'&avid5+ -he sobbed. Da.id4
* * *
At that moment, ten feet below the
1rpto floor, 1ommander -trathmore
stepped off the
ladder onto the first landing. It had
been a da of fiascoes. (hat had
started out as a patriotic
mission had swerved wildl out of
control. The commander had been
forced to make impossible
decisions, commit horrific acts"acts
he/d never imagined himself capable
of.
It was a solution2 It was the onl
damn solution2
There was dut to think ofC countr
and honor. -trathmore knew there
was still time. .e could
shut down T<A7-,T<. .e could use
the ring to save the countr/s most
valuable databank. %es,
he thought, there $as sti!! time.
-trathmore looked out over the
disaster around him. The overhead
sprinklers were on.
T<A7-,T< was groaning. The sirens
blared. The spinning lights looked
like helicopters closing in
through dense fog. (ith ever step,
all he could see was 6reg .ale"the
oung crptographer
gazing up, his ees pleading, and
then, the shot. .ale/s death was for
countr5 for honor. The
7-A could not afford another
scandal. -trathmore needed a
scapegoat. !esides, 6reg .ale was a
disaster waiting to happen.
* * *
-trathmore/s thoughts were 0arred
free b the sound of his cellular. It
was barel audible over
the sirens and hissing fumes. .e
snatched it off his belt without
breaking stride.
'-peak.+
'(here/s m pass%ke)+ a familiar
voice demanded.
'(ho is this)+ -trathmore elled over
the din.
'It/s 7umataka2+ the angr voice
bellowed back. '4ou promised me a
pass%ke2+
-trathmore kept moving.
'I want &igital $ortress2+ 7umataka
hissed.
'There is no &igital $ortress2+
-trathmore shot back.
'(hat)+
'There is no unbreakable algorithm2+
'#f course there is2 I/ve seen it on the
Internet2 * people have been tring
to unlock it for
das2+
'It/s an encrpted virus, ou fool"and
ou/re damn luck ou can/t open it2+
'!ut"+
'The deal is off2+ -trathmore elled.
'I/m not 7orth &akota. There is no
7orth &akota2
$orget I ever mentioned it2+ .e
clamped the cellular shut, turned off
the ringer, and rammed it back
on his belt. There would be no more
interruptions.
* * *
Twelve thousand miles awa,
Tokugen 7umataka stood stunned at
his plate%glass window.
.is Dmami cigar hung limpl in his
mouth. The deal of his lifetime had
0ust disintegrated before his
ees.
* * *
-trathmore kept descending. The dea!
is off. 7umatech 1orp. would never
get the unbreakable
algorithm5 and the 7-A would
never get its back door.
-trathmore/s dream had been a long
time in the planning"he/d chosen
7umatech carefull.
7umatech was wealth, a likel
winner of the pass%ke auction. 7o
one would think twice if it
ended up with the ke. 1onvenientl
there was no compan less likel to
be suspected of consorting
with the D.-. government. Tokugen
7umataka was old%world ?apan"death
before dishonor. .e
hated Americans. .e hated their food,
he hated their customs, and most of
all, he hated their grip on
the world/s software market.
* * *
-trathmore/s vision had been bold"a
world encrption standard with a back
door for the 7-A.
.e/d longed to share his dream with
-usan, to carr it out with her b his
side, but he knew he
could not. Even though Ensei
Tankado/s death would save
thousands of lives in the future, -usan
would never have agreed; she was a
pacifist. 8m a paifist too, thought
-trathmore, 8 ?ust dont
ha.e the !uxury of ating !i&e one.
There had never been an doubt in the
commander/s mind who would kill
Tankado. Tankado
was in -pain"and -pain meant
.ulohot. The fort%two%ear%old
Portuguese mercenar was one of
the commander/s favorite pros. .e/d
been working for the 7-A for ears.
!orn and raised in
,isbon, .ulohot had done work for
the 7-A all over Europe. 7ever once
had his kills been traced
back to $ort *eade. The onl catch
was that .ulohot was deaf; telephone
communication was
impossible. <ecentl -trathmore had
arranged for .ulohot to receive the
7-A/s newest to, the
*onocle computer. -trathmore
bought himself a -kPager and
programmed it to the same
fre;uenc. $rom that moment on, his
communication with .ulohot was not
onl instantaneous but
also entirel untraceable.
The first message -trathmore had sent
.ulohot left little room for
misunderstanding. The
had alread discussed it. Gill Ensei
Tankado. #btain pass%ke.
-trathmore never asked how .ulohot
worked his magic, but somehow he
had done it again.
Ensei Tankado was dead, and the
authorities were convinced it was a
heart attack. A te3tbook kill"
e3cept for one thing. .ulohot had
mis0udged the location. Apparentl
Tankado ding in a public
place was a necessar part of the
illusion. !ut une3pectedl, the public
had appeared too soon.
.ulohot was forced into hiding before
he could search the bod for the pass%
ke. (hen the dust
settled, Tankado/s bod was in the
hands of -eville/s coroner.
-trathmore was furious. .ulohot had
blown a mission for the first time
ever"and he/d picked
an inauspicious time to do it. 6etting
Tankado/s pass%ke was critical, but
-trathmore knew that
sending a deaf assassin into the
-eville morgue was a suicide mission.
.e had pondered his other
options. A second scheme began to
materialize. -trathmore suddenl saw
a chance to win on two
fronts"a chance to realize two dreams
instead of 0ust one. At si3%thirt that
morning, he had called
&avid !ecker.
Chapter .,
$ontaine burst into the conference
room at a full sprint. !rinkerhoff and
*idge were close at
his heels.
',ook2+ *idge choked, motioning
franticall to the window.
$ontaine looked out the window at the
strobes in the 1rpto dome. .is ees
went wide. This
was definitel not part of the plan.
!rinkerhoff sputtered. 'It/s a
goddamn disco down there2+
$ontaine stared out, tring to make
sense of it. In the few ears
T<A7-,T< had been
operational, it had never done this.
8ts o.erheating, he thought. .e
wondered wh the hell
-trathmore hadn/t shut it down. It
took $ontaine onl an instant to make
up his mind.
.e snatched an interoffice phone off
the conference table and punched the
e3tension for
1rpto. The receiver began beeping
as if the e3tension were out of order.
$ontaine slammed down the receiver.
'&amn it2+ .e immediatel picked up
again and dialed
-trathmore/s private cellular line.
This time the line began to ring.
-i3 rings went b.
!rinkerhoff and *idge watched as
$ontaine paced the length of his
phone cable like a tiger
on a chain. After a full minute,
$ontaine was crimson with rage.
.e slammed down the receiver again.
'Dnbelievable2+ he bellowed.
'1rpto/s about to blow,
and -trathmore won/t answer his
goddamn phone2+
Chapter .-
.ulohot burst out of 1ardinal
6uerra/s chambers into the blinding
morning sun. .e shielded
his ees and cursed. .e was standing
outside the cathedral in a small patio,
bordered b a high stone
wall, the west face of the 6iralda
tower, and two wrought%iron fences.
The gate was open. #utside
the gate was the s;uare. It was empt.
The walls of -anta 1ruz were in the
distance. There was no
wa !ecker could have made it so far
so ;uickl. .ulohot turned and
scanned the patio. <es in
here. <e must be4
The patio, ?ardin de los 7aran0os, was
famous in -eville for its twent
blossoming orange
trees. The trees were renowned in
-eville as the birthplace of English
marmalade. An
eighteenth%centur English trader had
purchased three dozen bushels of
oranges from the -eville
church and taken them back to
,ondon onl to find the fruit inedibl
bitter. .e tried to make 0am
from the rinds and ended up having to
add pounds of sugar 0ust to make it
palatable. #range
marmalade had been born.
.ulohot moved forward through the
grove, gun leveled. The trees were
old, and the foliage
had moved high on their trunks. Their
lowest branches were unreachable,
and the thin bases
provided no cover. .ulohot ;uickl
saw the patio was empt. .e looked
straight up. The 6iralda.
The entrance to the 6iralda/s spiral
staircase was cordoned off b a rope
and small wooden
sign. The rope hung motionless.
.ulohot/s ees climbed the L@K%foot
tower and immediatel knew
it was a ridiculous thought. There was
no wa !ecker would have been that
stupid. The single
staircase wound straight up to a
s;uare stone cubicle. There were
narrow slits in the wall for
viewing, but there was no wa out.
* * *
&avid !ecker climbed the last of the
steep stairs and staggered breathless
into a tin stone
cubicle. There were high walls all
around him and narrow slits in the
perimeter. 7o e3it.
$ate had done !ecker no favors this
morning. As he/d dashed from the
cathedral into the open
courtard, his 0acket had caught on
the door. The fabric had stopped him
mid stride and swung him
hard left before tearing. !ecker was
suddenl stumbling off balance into
the blinding sun. (hen
he/d looked up, he was heading
straight for a staircase. .e/d 0umped
over the rope and dashed up.
! the time he realized where it led, it
was too late.
7ow he stood in the confined cell and
caught his breath. .is side burned.
7arrow slats of
morning sun streamed through the
openings in the wall. .e looked out.
The man in the wire%rim
glasses was far below, his back to
!ecker, staring out at the plaza.
!ecker shifted his bod in front
of the crack for a better view. 9ross
the p!a/a, he willed him.
* * *
The shadow of the 6iralda la across
the s;uare like a giant felled se;uoia.
.ulohot stared the
length of it. At the far end, three slits
of light cut through the tower/s
viewing apertures and fell in
crisp rectangles on the cobblestone
below. #ne of those rectangles had
0ust been blotted out b the
shadow of a man. (ithout so much as
a glance toward the top of the tower,
.ulohot spun and
dashed toward the 6iralda stairs.
Chapter ..
$ontaine pounded his fist into his
hand. .e paced the conference room
and stared out at the
spinning 1rpto lights. 'Abort2
6oddamn it2 Abort2+
*idge appeared in the doorwa
waving a fresh readout. '&irector2
-trathmore ant abort2+
'(hat2+ !rinkerhoff and $ontaine
gasped in unison.
'.e tried, sir2+ *idge held up the
report. '$our times alread2
T<A7-,T</s locked in some
sort of endless loop.+
$ontaine spun and stared back out the
window. '?esus 1hrist2+
The conference room phone rang
sharpl. The director threw up his
arms. 'It/s got to be
-trathmore2 About goddamn time2+
!rinkerhoff scooped up the phone.
'&irector/s office.+
$ontaine held out his hand for the
receiver.
!rinkerhoff looked uneas and turned
to *idge. 'It/s ?abba. .e wants you.7
The director swung his gaze over to
*idge, who was alread crossing the
room. -he activated
the speaker phone. '6o ahead,
?abba.+
?abba/s metallic voice boomed into
the room. '*idge, I/m in the main
databank. (e/re
showing some strange stuff down
here. I was wondering if"+
'&ammit, ?abba2+ *idge came
unglued. 'That/s what I/ve been
tring to tell ou2+
'It could be nothing,+ ?abba hedged,
'but"+
'-top saing that2 It/s not nothing2
(hatever/s going on down there, take
it seriousl, .ery
seriousl. * data isn/t fried"never
has been, never will.+ -he started to
hang up and then added,
'#h, and ?abba) ?ust so there aren/t
an surprises5 -trathmore bpassed
6auntlet.+
Chapter 1//
.ulohot took the 6iralda stairs three
at a time. The onl light in the spiral
passage was from
small open%air windows ever @J9
degrees. <es trapped4 Da.id +e&er
$i!! die4 .ulohot circled
upward, gun drawn. .e kept to the
outside wall in case !ecker decided to
attack from above. The
iron candle poles on each landing
would make good weapons if !ecker
decided to use one. !ut b
staing wide, .ulohot would be able
to spot him in time. .ulohot/s gun
had a range significantl
longer than a five%foot candle pole.
.ulohot moved ;uickl but carefull.
The stairs were steep; tourists had
died here. This was
not America"no safet signs, no
handrails, no insurance disclaimers.
This was -pain. If ou were
stupid enough to fall, it was our own
damn fault, regardless of who built
the stairs.
.ulohot paused at one of the
shoulder%high openings and glanced
out. .e was on the north
face and, from the looks of things,
about halfwa up.
The opening to the viewing platform
was visible around the corner. The
staircase to the top
was empt. &avid !ecker had not
challenged him. .ulohot realized
mabe !ecker had not seen
him enter the tower. That meant the
element of surprise was on .ulohot/s
side as well"not that he/d
need it. .ulohot held all the cards.
Even the laout of the tower was in
his favor; the staircase met
the viewing platform in the southwest
corner".ulohot would have a clear
line of fire to ever point
of the cell with no possibilit that
!ecker could get behind him. And to
top things off, .ulohot
would be moving out of the dark into
the light. A &i!!ing box, he mused.
.ulohot measured the distance to the
doorwa. -even steps. .e practiced
the kill in his mind.
If he staed right as he approached the
opening, he would be able to see the
leftmost corner of the
platform before he reached it. If
!ecker was there, .ulohot would fire.
If not, he would shift inside
and enter moving east, facing the right
corner, the onl place remaining that
!ecker could be. .e
smiled.
-D!?E1TC &A:I& !E1GE<"
TE<*I7ATE&
The time had come. .e checked his
weapon.
(ith a violent surge, .ulohot dashed
up. The platform swung into view.
The left corner was
empt. As rehearsed, .ulohot shifted
inside and burst through the opening
facing right. .e fired
into the corner. The bullet ricocheted
back off the bare wall and barel
missed him. .ulohot
wheeled wildl and let out a muted
scream. There was no one there.
&avid !ecker had vanished.
* * *
Three flights below, suspended F=>
feet over the ?ardin de los 7aran0os,
&avid !ecker hung
on the outside of the 6iralda like a
man doing chin%ups on a window
ledge. As .ulohot had been
racing up the staircase, !ecker had
descended three flights and lowered
himself out one of the
openings. .e/d dropped out of sight
0ust in time. The killer had run right
b him. .e/d been in too
much of a hurr to notice the white
knuckles grasping the window ledge.
.anging outside the window, !ecker
thanked 6od that his dail s;uash
routine involved
twent minutes on the 7autilus
machine to develop his biceps for a
harder overhead serve.
Dnfortunatel, despite his strong
arms, !ecker was now having trouble
pulling himself back in. .is
shoulders burned. .is side felt as if it
were tearing open. The rough%cut
stone ledge provided little
grip, grating into his fingertips like
broken glass.
!ecker knew it was onl a matter of
seconds before his assailant would
come running down
from above. $rom the higher ground,
the killer would undoubtedl see
!ecker/s fingers on the
ledge.
!ecker closed his ees and pulled. .e
knew he would need a miracle to
escape death. .is
fingers were losing their leverage. .e
glanced down, past his dangling legs.
The drop was the
length of a football field to the orange
trees below. Dnsurvivable. The pain
in his side was getting
worse. $ootsteps now thundered
above him, loud leaping footsteps
rushing down the stairs. !ecker
closed his ees. It was now or never.
.e gritted his teeth and pulled.
The stone tore against the skin on his
wrists as he anked himself upward.
The footsteps were
coming fast. !ecker grappled at the
inside of the opening, tring to secure
his hold. .e kicked his
feet. .is bod felt like lead, as if
someone had a rope tied to his legs
and were pulling him down.
.e fought it. .e surged up onto his
elbows. .e was in plain view now, his
head half through the
window like a man in a guillotine. .e
wriggled his legs, kicking himself into
the opening. .e was
halfwa through. .is torso now hung
into the stairwell. The footsteps were
close. !ecker grabbed
the sides of the opening and in a
single motion launched his bod
through. .e hit the staircase hard.
* * *
.ulohot sensed !ecker/s bod hit the
floor 0ust below him. .e leapt
forward, gun leveled. A
window spun into view. This is it4
.ulohot moved to the outside wall
and aimed down the
staircase. !ecker/s legs dashed out of
sight 0ust around the curve. .ulohot
fired in frustration. The
bullet ricocheted down the stairwell.
As .ulohot dashed down the stairs
after his pre, he kept to the outside
wall for the widest
angle view. As the staircase revolved
into view before him, it seemed
!ecker was alwas @J9
degrees ahead of him, 0ust out of
sight. !ecker had taken the inside
track, cutting off the angle and
leaping four or five stairs at a time.
.ulohot staed with him. It would
take onl a single shot.
.ulohot was gaining. .e knew that
even if !ecker made the bottom, there
was nowhere to run;
.ulohot could shoot him in the back
as he crossed the open patio. The
desperate race spiraled
downward.
.ulohot moved inside to the faster
track. .e sensed he was gaining. .e
could see !ecker/s
shadow ever time the passed an
opening. &own. &own. -piraling. It
seemed that !ecker was
alwas 0ust around the corner.
.ulohot kept one ee on his shadow
and one ee on the stairs.
-uddenl it appeared to .ulohot that
!ecker/s shadow had stumbled. It
made an erratic lurch
left and then seemed to spin in midair
and sail back toward the center of the
stairwell. .ulohot leapt
forward. 8.e got him4
#n the stairs in front of .ulohot, there
was a flash of steel. It 0abbed into the
air from around
the corner. It thrust forward like a
fencer/s foil at ankle level. .ulohot
tried to shift left, but it was
too late. The ob0ect was between his
ankles. .is back foot came forward,
caught it hard, and the
post slammed across his shin.
.ulohot/s arms went out for support
but found onl empt air. .e
was abruptl airborne, turning on his
side. As .ulohot sailed downward, he
passed over &avid
!ecker, prone on his stomach, arms
outstretched. The candle pole in his
hands was now caught up
in .ulohot/s legs as he spun
downward.
.ulohot crashed into the outside wall
before he hit the staircase. (hen he
finall found the
floor, he was tumbling. .is gun
clattered to the floor. .ulohot/s bod
kept going, head over heels.
.e spiraled five complete F89%degree
rotations before he rolled to a stop.
Twelve more steps, and
he would have tumbled out onto the
patio.
Chapter 1/1
&avid !ecker had never held a gun,
but he was holding one now.
.ulohot/s bod was twisted
and mangled in the darkness of the
6iralda staircase. !ecker pressed the
barrel of the gun against
his assailant/s temple and carefull
knelt down. #ne twitch and !ecker
would fire. !ut there was no
twitch. .ulohot was dead.
!ecker dropped the gun and collapsed
on the stairs. $or the first time in ages
he felt tears well
up. .e fought them. .e knew there
would be time for emotion later; now
it was time to go home.
!ecker tried to stand, but he was too
tired to move. .e sat a long while,
e3hausted, on the stone
staircase.
Absentl, he studied the twisted bod
before him. The killer/s ees began to
glaze over,
gazing out at nothing in particular.
-omehow, his glasses were still intact.
The were odd glasses,
!ecker thought, with a wire
protruding from behind the earpiece
and leading to a pack of some sort
on his belt. !ecker was too e3hausted
to be curious.
As he sat alone in the staircase and
collected his thoughts, !ecker shifted
his gaze to the ring
on his finger. .is vision had cleared
somewhat, and he could finall read
the inscription. As he had
suspected, it was not English. .e
stared at the engraving along moment
and then frowned. This is
$orth &i!!ing for6
* * *
The morning sun was blinding when
!ecker finall stepped out of the
6iralda onto the patio.
The pain in his side had subsided, and
his vision was returning to normal. .e
stood a moment, in a
daze, en0oing the fragrance of the
orange blossoms. Then he began
moving slowl across the patio.
As !ecker strode awa from the
tower, a van skidded to a stop nearb.
Two men 0umped out.
The were oung and dressed in
militar fatigues. The advanced on
!ecker with the stiff precision
of well%tuned machines.
'&avid !ecker)+ one demanded.
!ecker stopped short, amazed the
knew his name. '(ho5 who are
ou)+
'1ome with us, please. <ight awa.+
There was something unreal about the
encounter"something that made
!ecker/s nerve
endings start to tingle again. .e found
himself backing awa from them.
The shorter man gave !ecker an ic
stare. 'This wa, *r. !ecker. >ight
no$.7
!ecker turned to run. !ut he onl
took one step. #ne of the men drew a
weapon. There was a
shot.
A searing lance of pain erupted in
!ecker/s chest. It rocketed to his
skull. .is fingers went
stiff, and !ecker fell. An instant later,
there was nothing but blackness.
Chapter 1/2
-trathmore reached the T<A7-,T<
floor and stepped off the catwalk into
an inch of water.
The giant computer shuddered beside
him. .uge droplets of water fell like
rain through the swirling
mist. The warning horns sounded like
thunder.
The commander looked across at the
failed main generators. Phil
1hartrukian was there, his
charred remains splaed across a set
of coolant fins. The scene looked like
some sort of perverse
.alloween displa.
Although -trathmore regretted the
man/s death, there was no doubt it
had been 'a warranted
casualt.+ Phil 1hartrukian had left
-trathmore no choice. (hen the -s%
-ec came racing up from
the depths, screaming about a virus,
-trathmore met him on the landing
and tried to talk sense to
him. !ut 1hartrukian was beond
reason. (e.e got a .irus4 8m a!!ing
"abba4 (hen he tried to
push past, the commander blocked his
wa. The landing was narrow. The
struggled. The railing
was low. It was ironic, -trathmore
thought, that 1hartrukian had been
right about the virus all
along.
The man/s plunge had been chilling"a
momentar howl of terror and then
silence. !ut it was
not half as chilling as the ne3t thing
1ommander -trathmore saw. 6reg
.ale was staring up at him
from the shadows below, a look of
utter horror on his face. It was then
that -trathmore knew 6reg
.ale would die.
T<A7-,T< crackled, and
-trathmore turned his attention back
to the task at hand. Gill
power. The circuit breaker was on the
other side of the freon pumps to the
left of the bod.
-trathmore could see it clearl. All he
had to do was pull a lever and the
remaining power in 1rpto
would die. Then, after a few seconds,
he could restart the main generators;
all doorwas and
functions would comeback on%line;
the freon would start flowing again,
and T<A7-,T< would be
safe.
!ut as -trathmore slogged toward the
breaker, he realized there was one
final obstacleC
1hartrukian/s bod was still on the
main generator/s cooling fins. Gilling
and then restarting the
main generator would onl cause
another power failure. The bod had
to be moved.
-trathmore eed the grotes;ue
remains and made his wa over.
<eaching up, he grabbed a
wrist. The flesh was like -trofoam.
The tissue had been fried. The whole
bod was devoid of
moisture. The commander closed his
ees, tightened his grip around the
wrist, and pulled. The bod
slid an inch or two. -trathmore pulled
harder. The bod slid again. The
commander braced himself
and pulled with all his might.
-uddenl he was tumbling backward.
.e landed hard on his backside
up against a power casement.
-truggling to sit up in the rising
water, -trathmore stared down in
horror at the ob0ect in his fist. It was
1hartrukian/s forearm. It had broken
off at the elbow.
* * *
Dpstairs, -usan continued her wait.
-he sat on the 7ode F couch feeling
paralzed. .ale la at
her feet. -he couldn/t imagine what
was taking the commander so long.
*inutes passed. -he tried
to push &avid from her thoughts, but
it was no use. (ith ever blast of the
horns, .ale/s words
echoed inside her headC 8m tru!y
sorry about Da.id +e&er. -usan
thought she would lose her
mind.
-he was about to 0ump up and race
onto the 1rpto floor when finall it
happened. -trathmore
had thrown the switch and killed all
power.
The silence that engulfed 1rpto was
instantaneous. The horns choked off
mid blare, and the
7ode F monitors flickered to black.
6reg .ale/s corpse disappeared into
the darkness, and -usan
instinctivel anked her legs up onto
the couch. -he wrapped -trathmore/s
suit coat around her.
&arkness.
-ilence.
-he had never heard such ;uiet in
1rpto. There/d alwas been the low
hum of the
generators. !ut now there was
nothing, onl the great beast heaving
and sighing in relief. 1rackling,
hissing, slowl cooling down.
-usan closed her ees and praed for
&avid. .er praer was a simple one"
that 6od protect
the man she loved.
7ot being a religious woman, -usan
had never e3pected to hear a response
to her praer. !ut
when there was a sudden shuddering
against her chest, she 0olted upright.
-he clutched her chest. A
moment later she understood. The
vibrations she felt were not the hand
of 6od at all"the were
coming from the commander/s 0acket
pocket. .e had set the vibrating
silent%ring feature on his
-kPager. -omeone was sending
1ommander -trathmore a message.
* * *
-i3 stories below, -trathmore stood at
the circuit breaker. The sublevels of
1rpto were now
as dark as the deepest night. .e stood
a moment en0oing the blackness. The
water poured down
from above. It was a midnight storm.
-trathmore tilted his head back and let
the warm droplets
wash awa his guilt. 8m a sur.i.or.
.e knelt and washed the last of
1hartrukian/s flesh from his
hands.
.is dreams for &igital $ortress had
failed. .e could accept that. -usan
was all that mattered
now. $or the first time in decades, he
trul understood that there was more
to life than countr and
honor. 8 sarified the best years of
my !ife for ountry and honor. +ut
$hat about !o.e6 .e had
deprived himself for far too long. And
for $hat6 To watch some oung
professor steal awa his
dreams) -trathmore had nurtured
-usan. .e had protected her. .e had
earned her. And now, at
last, he would have her. -usan would
seek shelter in his arms when there
was nowhere else to turn.
-he would come to him helpless,
wounded b loss, and in time, he
would show her that love heals
all.
<onor. 9ountry. 3o.e. &avid !ecker
was about to die for all three.
Chapter 1/3
The 1ommander rose through the
trapdoor like ,azarus back from the
dead. &espite his
sogg clothes, his step was light. .e
strode toward 7ode F"toward -usan.
Toward his future.
The 1rpto floor was again bathed in
light. $reon was flowing downward
through the
smoldering T<A7-,T< like
o3genated blood. -trathmore knew it
would take a few minutes for
the coolant to reach the bottom of the
hull and prevent the lowest processors
from igniting, but he
was certain he/d acted in time. .e
e3haled in victor, never suspecting
the truth"that it was alread
too late.
8m a sur.i.or, he thought. Ignoring
the gaping hole in the 7ode F wall, he
strode to the
electronic doors. The hissed open.
.e stepped inside.
-usan was standing before him, damp
and tousled in his blazer. -he looked
like a freshman
coed who/d been caught in the rain.
.e felt like the senior who/d lent her
his varsit sweater. $or
the first time in ears, he felt oung.
.is dream was coming true.
!ut as -trathmore moved closer, he
felt he was staring into the ees of a
woman he did not
recognize. .er gaze was like ice. The
softness was gone. -usan $letcher
stood rigid, like an
immovable statue. The onl
perceptible motion were the tears
welling in her ees.
'-usan)+
A single tear rolled down her
;uivering cheek.
'(hat is it)+ the commander pleaded.
The puddle of blood beneath .ale/s
bod had spread across the carpet like
an oil spill.
-trathmore glanced uneasil at the
corpse, then back at -usan. 9ou!d she
possib!y &no$6 There was
no wa. -trathmore knew he had
covered ever base.
'-usan)+ he said, stepping closer.
'(hat is it)+
-usan did not move.
'Are ou worried about &avid)+
There was a slight ;uiver in her upper
lip.
-trathmore stepped closer. .e was
going to reach for her, but he
hesitated. The sound of
&avid/s name had apparentl cracked
the dam of grief. -lowl at first"a
;uiver, a tremble. And then
a thundering wave of miser seemed
to course through her veins. !arel
able to control her
shuddering lips, -usan opened her
mouth to speak. 7othing came.
(ithout ever breaking the ic gaze
she/d locked on -trathmore, she took
her hand from the
pocket of his blazer. In her hand was
an ob0ect. -he held it out, shaking.
-trathmore half e3pected to look
down and see the !eretta leveled at
his gut. !ut the gun was
still on the floor, propped safel in
.ale/s hand. The ob0ect -usan was
holding was smaller.
-trathmore stared down at it, and an
instant later, he understood.
As -trathmore stared, realit warped,
and time slowed to a crawl. .e could
hear the sound of
his own heart. The man who had
triumphed over giants for so man
ears had been outdone in an
instant. -lain b love"b his own
foolishness. In a simple act of
chivalr, he had given -usan his
0acket. And with it, his -kPager.
7ow it was -trathmore who went
rigid. -usan/s hand was shaking. The
pager fell at .ale/s
feet. (ith a look of astonishment and
betraal that -trathmore would never
forget, -usan $letcher
raced past him out of 7ode F.
The commander let her go. In slow
motion, he bent and retrieved the
pager. There were no
new messages"-usan had read them
all. -trathmore scrolled desperatel
through the list.
-D!?E1TC E7-EI TA7GA&#"
TE<*I7ATE&
-D!?E1TC PIE<<E
1,#D1.A<&E"TE<*I7ATE&
-D!?E1TC .A7- .D!E<"
TE<*I7ATE&
-D!?E1TC <#1c# E:A
6<A7A&A"TE<*I7ATE&5
The list went on. -trathmore felt a
wave of horror. 8 an exp!ain4 -he
$i!! understand4
<onor4 9ountry4 !ut there was one
message he had not et seen"one
message he could never
e3plain. Trembling, he scrolled to the
final transmission.
-D!?E1TC &A:I& !E1GE<"
TE<*I7ATE&
-trathmore hung his head. .is dream
was over.
Chapter 1/)
-usan staggered out of 7ode F.
-D!?E1TC &A:I& !E1GE<"
TE<*I7ATE&
As if in a dream, she moved toward
1rpto/s main e3it. 6reg .ale/s voice
echoed in her
mindC Susan, Strathmores going to
&i!! me4 Susan, the ommanders in
!o.e $ith you4
-usan reached the enormous circular
portal and began stabbing desperatel
at the kepad. The
door did not move. -he tried again,
but the enormous slab refused to
rotate. -usan let out a muted
scream"apparentl the power outage
had deleted the e3it codes. -he was
still trapped.
(ithout warning, two arms closed
around her from behind, grasping her
half%numb bod. The
touch was familiar et repulsive. It
lacked the brute strength of 6reg
.ale, but there was a desperate
roughness to it, an inner
determination like steel.
-usan turned. The man restraining her
was desolate, frightened. It was a face
she had never
seen.
'-usan,+ -trathmore begged, holding
her. 'I can e3plain.+
-he tried to pull awa.
The commander held fast.
-usan tried to scream, but she had no
voice. -he tried to run, but strong
hands restrained her,
pulling her backward.
'I love ou,+ the voice was
whispering. 'I/ve loved ou forever.+
-usan/s stomach turned over and
over.
'-ta with me.+
-usan/s mind whirled with grisl
images"&avid/s bright%green ees,
slowl closing for the
last time; 6reg .ale/s corpse seeping
blood onto the carpet; Phil
1hartrukian/s burned and broken
on the generators.
'The pain will pass,+ the voice said.
'4ou/ll love again.+
-usan heard nothing.
'-ta with me,+ the voice pleaded.
'I/ll heal our wounds.+
-he struggled, helpless.
'I did it for us. (e/re made for each
other. -usan, I love ou.+ The words
flowed as if he had
waited a decade to speak them. 'I
love ou2 8 !o.e you47
In that instant, thirt ards awa, as if
rebutting -trathmore/s vile
confession, T<A7-,T< let
out a savage, pitiless hiss. The sound
was an entirel new one"a distant,
ominous sizzling that
seemed to grow like a serpent in the
depths of the silo. The freon, it
appeared, had not reached its
mark in time.
The commander let go of -usan and
turned toward the M= billion
computer. .is ees went
wide with dread. '7o2+ .e grabbed
his head. '7o2+
The si3%stor rocket began to tremble.
-trathmore staggered a faltering step
toward the
thundering hull. Then he fell to his
knees, a sinner before an angr god. It
was no use. At the base
of the silo, T<A7-,T</s titanium%
strontium processors had 0ust ignited.
Chapter 1/*
A fireball racing upward through
three million silicon chips makes a
uni;ue sound. The
crackling of a forest fire, the howling
of a tornado, the steaming gush of a
geser5 all trapped
within a reverberant hull. It was the
devil/s breath, pouring through a
sealed cavern, looking for
escape. -trathmore knelt transfi3ed b
the horrific noise rising toward them.
The world/s most
e3pensive computer was about to
become an eight%stor inferno.
* * *
In slow motion, -trathmore turned
back toward -usan. -he stood
paralzed beside the 1rpto
door. -trathmore stared at her tear%
streaked face. -he seemed to shimmer
in the fluorescent light.
Shes an ange!, he thought. .e
searched her ees for heaven, but all
he could see was death. It was
the death of trust. ,ove and honor
were gone. The fantas that had kept
him going all these ears
was dead. .e would never have -usan
$letcher. 7ever. The sudden
emptiness that gripped him was
overwhelming.
-usan gazed vaguel toward
T<A7-,T<. -he knew that trapped
within the ceramic shell, a
fireball was racing toward them. -he
sensed it rising faster and faster,
feeding on the o3gen
released b the burning chips. In
moments the 1rpto dome would be a
blazing inferno.
-usan/s mind told her to run, but
&avid/s dead weight pressed down all
around her. -he
thought she heard his voice calling to
her, telling her to escape, but there
was nowhere to go. 1rpto
was a sealed tomb. It didn/t matter;
the thought of death did not frighten
her. &eath would stop the
pain. -he would be with &avid.
The 1rpto floor began to tremble, as
if below it an angr sea monster were
rising out of the
depths. &avid/s voice seemed to be
calling. >un, Susan4 >un4
-trathmore was moving toward her
now, his face a distant memor. .is
cool gra ees were
lifeless. The patriot who had lived in
her mind a hero had died"a murderer.
.is arms were suddenl
around her again, clutching
desperatel. .e kissed her cheeks.
'$orgive me,+ he begged. -usan
tried to pull awa, but -trathmore
held on.
T<A7-,T< began vibrating like a
missile preparing to launch. The
1rpto floor began to
shake. -trathmore held tighter. '.old
me, -usan. I need ou.+
A violent surge of fur filled -usan/s
limbs. &avid/s voice called out again.
8 !o.e you4
*sape4 In a sudden burst of energ,
-usan tore free. The roar from
T<A7-,T< became
deafening. The fire was at the silo/s
peak. T<A7-,T< groaned, straining
at its seams.
&avid/s voice seemed to lift -usan,
guide her. -he dashed across the
1rpto floor and started
up -trathmore/s catwalk stairs.
!ehind her, T<A7-,T< let out a
deafening roar.
As the last of the silicon chips
disintegrated, a tremendous updraft of
heat tore through the
upper casing of the silo and sent
shards of ceramic thirt feet into the
air. Instantl the o3gen%rich
air of 1rpto rushed in to fill the
enormous vacuum.
-usan reached the upper landing and
grabbed the banister when the
tremendous rush of wind
ripped at her bod. It spun her around
in time to see the deput director of
operations, far below,
staring up at her from beside
T<A7-,T<. There was a storm
raging all around him, and et there
was peace in his ees. .is lips parted,
and he mouthed his final word.
'-usan.+
The air rushing into T<A7-,T<
ignited on contact. In a brilliant flash
of light, 1ommander
Trevor -trathmore passed from man,
to silhouette, to legend.
(hen the blast hit -usan, it blew her
back fifteen feet into -trathmore/s
office. All she
remembered was a searing heat.
Chapter 1/+
In the window of the &irector/s
conference room, high above the
1rpto dome, three faces
appeared, breathless. The e3plosion
had shaken the entire 7-A comple3.
,eland $ontaine, 1had
!rinkerhoff, and *idge *ilken all
stared out in silent horror.
-event feet below, the 1rpto dome
was blazing. The polcarbonate roof
was still intact, but
beneath the transparent shell, a fire
raged. !lack smoke swirled like fog
inside the dome.
The three stared down without a
word. The spectacle had an eerie
grandeur to it.
$ontaine stood a long moment. .e
finall spoke, his voice faint but
unwavering. '*idge, get
a crew down there5 now.+
Across the suite, $ontaine/s phone
began to ring.
It was ?abba.
Chapter 1/,
-usan had no idea how much time had
passed. A burning in her throat pulled
her to her
senses. &isoriented, she studied her
surroundings. -he was on a carpet
behind a desk. The onl light
in the room was a strange orange
flickering. The air smelled of burning
plastic. The room she was
standing in was not reall a room at
all; it was a devastated shell. The
curtains were on fire, and the
Ple3iglas walls were smoldering.
Then she remembered it all.
&avid.
In a rising panic, she pulled herself to
her feet. The air felt caustic in her
windpipe. -he
stumbled to the doorwa looking for
awa out. As she crossed the
threshold, her leg swung out over
an abss; she grabbed the door frame
0ust in time. The catwalk had
disappeared. $ift feet below
was a twisted collapse of steaming
metal. -usan scanned the 1rpto floor
in horror. It was a sea of
fire. The melted remains of three
million silicon chips had erupted from
T<A7-,T< like lava.
Thick, acrid smoke billowed upward.
-usan knew the smell. -ilicon smoke.
&eadl poison.
<etreating into the remains of
-trathmore/s office, she began to feel
faint. .er throat burned.
The entire place was filled with a
fier light. 1rpto was ding. So $i!!
8, she thought.
$or a moment, she considered the
onl possible e3it"-trathmore/s
elevator. !ut she knew it
was useless; the electronics never
would have survived the blast.
!ut as -usan made her wa through
the thickening smoke, she recalled
.ale/s words. The
e!e.ator runs on po$er from the main
bui!ding4 8.e seen the shematis4
-usan knew that was
true. -he also knew the entire shaft
was encased in reinforced concrete.
The fumes swirled all around her. -he
stumbled through the smoke toward
the elevator door.
!ut when she got there, she saw that
the elevator/s call button was dark.
-usan 0abbed fruitlessl at
the darkened panel, then she fell to
her knees and pounded on the door.
-he stopped almost instantl.
-omething was whirring behind the
doors. -tartled, she looked
up. It sounded like the carriage was
right there2 -usan stabbed at the
button again. Again, a whirring
behind the doors.
-uddenl she saw it.
The call button was not dead"it had
0ust been covered withblack soot. It
now glowed faintl
beneath her smudged fingerprints.
There/s power2
(ith a surge of hope, she punched at
the button. #ver and over, something
behind the doors
engaged. -he could hear the
ventilation fan in the elevator car. The
arriage is here4 (hy $ont the
damn doors open6
Through the smoke she spied the tin
secondar kepad"lettered buttons, A
through N. In a
wave of despair, -usan remembered.
The password.
The smoke was starting to curl in
through the melted window frames.
Again she banged on
the elevator doors. The refused to
open. The pass$ord4 she thought.
Strathmore ne.er to!d me the
pass$ord4 -ilicon smoke was now
filling the office. 1hoking, -usan fell
against the elevator in
defeat. The ventilation fan was
running 0ust a few feet awa. -he la
there, dazed, gulping for air.
-he closed her ees, but again
&avid/s voice woke her. *sape,
Susan4 )pen the door4
*sape4 -he opened her ees
e3pecting to see his face, those wild
green ees, that plaful smile.
!ut the letters A"N came into focus.
The pass$ord -usan stared at the
letters on the kepad. -he
could barel keep them in focus. #n
the ,E& below the kepad, five
empt spots awaited entr. A
fi.e-harater pass$ord, she thought.
-he instantl knew the oddsC twent%
si3 to the fifth power;
@@,JJ@,FA8 possible choices. At one
guess ever second, it would take
nineteen weeks5
As -usan $letcher la choking on the
floor beneath the kepad, the
commander/s pathetic
voice came to her. .e was calling to
her again. 8 !o.e you Susan4 8.e
a!$ays !o.ed you4 Susan4
Susan4 Susan
-he knew he was dead, and et his
voice was relentless. -he heard her
name over and over.
-usan5 -usan5
Then, in a moment of chilling clarit,
she knew.
Trembling weakl, she reached up to
the kepad and tped the password.
-5 D5 -5 A5 7
An instant later, the doors slid open.
Chapter 1/-
-trathmore/s elevator dropped fast.
Inside the carriage, -usan sucked
deep breaths of fresh air
into her lungs. &azed, she steadied
herself against the wall as the car
slowed to a stop. A moment
later some gears clicked, and the
conveor began moving again, this
time horizontall. -usan felt
the carriage accelerate as it began
rumbling toward the main 7-A
comple3. $inall it whirred to a
stop, and the doors opened.
1oughing, -usan $letcher stumbled
into a darkened cement corridor. -he
found herself in a
tunnel"low%ceilinged and narrow. A
double ellow line stretched out
before her. The line
disappeared into an empt, dark
hollow.
The Dnderground .ighwa5
-he staggered toward the tunnel,
holding the wall for guidance. !ehind
her, the elevator door
slid shut. #nce again -usan $letcher
was plunged into darkness.
-ilence.
7othing e3cept a faint humming in
the walls.
A humming that grew louder.
-uddenl it was as if dawn were
breaking. The blackness thinned to a
haz gra. The walls of
the tunnel began to take shape. All at
once, a small vehicle whipped around
the corner, its headlight
blinding her. -usan stumbled back
against the wall and shielded her ees.
There was a gust of air,
and the transport whipped past.
An instant later there was a deafening
s;ueal of rubber on cement. The hum
approached once
again, this time in reverse. -econds
later the vehicle came to a stop beside
her.
'*s. $letcher2+ an astonished voice
e3claimed.
-usan gazed at a vaguel familiar
shape in the driver/s seat of an electric
golf cart.
'?esus.+ The man gasped. 'Are ou
oka) (e thought ou were dead2+
-usan stared blankl.
'1had !rinkerhoff,+ he sputtered,
studing the shellshocked
crptographer. '&irectorial PA.+
-usan could onl manage a dazed
whimper. 'T<A7-,T<5+
!rinkerhoff nodded. '$orget it. 6et
on2+
* * *
The beam of the golf cart/s headlights
whipped across the cement walls.
'There/s a virus in the main
databank,+ !rinkerhoff blurted.
'I know,+ -usan heard herself
whisper.
'(e need ou to help us.+
-usan was fighting back the tears.
'-trathmore5 he5+
'(e know,+ !rinkerhoff said. '.e
bpassed 6auntlet.+
'4es5 and5+ The words got stuck
in her throat. <e &i!!ed Da.id4
!rinkerhoff put a hand on her
shoulder. 'Almost there, *s. $letcher.
?ust hold on.+
* * *
The high%speed Gensington golf cart
rounded a corner and skidded to a
stop. !eside them,
branching off perpendicular to the
tunnel, was a hallwa, diml lit b red
floor lighting.
'1ome on,+ !rinkerhoff said, helping
her out.
.e guided her into the corridor. -usan
drifted behind him in a fog. The tiled
passagewa
sloped downward at a steep incline.
-usan grabbed the handrail and
followed !rinkerhoff down.
The air began to grow cooler. The
continued their descent.
As the dropped deeper into the earth,
the tunnel narrowed. $rom
somewhere behind them
came the echo of footsteps"a strong,
purposeful gait. The footsteps grew
louder. !oth !rinkerhoff
and -usan stopped and turned.
-triding toward them was an
enormous black man. -usan had never
seen him before. As he
approached, he fi3ed her with a
penetrating stare.
'(ho/s this)+ he demanded.
'-usan $letcher,+ !rinkerhoff replied.
The enormous man arched his
eebrows. Even soot and soaked,
-usan $letcher was more
striking than he had imagined. 'And
the commander)+ he demanded.
!rinkerhoff shook his head.
The man said nothing. .e stared off a
moment. Then he turned back to
-usan. ',eland
$ontaine,+ he said, offering her his
hand. '6lad ou/re oka.+
-usan stared. -he/d alwas known
she/d meet the director someda, but
this was not the
introduction she/d envisioned.
'1ome along, *s. $letcher,+ $ontaine
said, leading the wa. '(e/ll need all
the help we can
get.+
* * *
,ooming in the reddish haze at the
bottom of the tunnel, a steel wall
blocked their wa.
$ontaine approached and tped an
entr code into a recessed cipher bo3.
.e then placed his right
hand against a small glass panel. A
strobe flashed. A moment later the
massive wall thundered left.
There was onl one 7-A chamber
more sacred than 1rpto, and -usan
$letcher sensed she
was about to enter it.
Chapter 1/.
The command center for the 7-A/s
main databank looked like a scaled%
down 7A-A mission
control. A dozen computer
workstations faced the thirt%foot b
fort%foot video wall at the far end
of the room. #n the screen, numbers
and diagrams flashed in rapid
succession, appearing and
disappearing as if someone were
channel surfing. A handful of
technicians raced wildl from
station to station trailing long sheets
of printout paper and elling
commands. It was chaos.
-usan stared at the dazzling facilit.
-he vaguel remembered that =>9
metric tons of earth
had been e3cavated to create it. The
chamber was located =@L feet below
ground, where it would be
totall impervious to flu3 bombs and
nuclear blasts.
#n a raised workstation in the center
of the room stood ?abba. .e bellowed
orders from his
platform like a king to his sub0ects.
Illuminated on the screen directl
behind him was a message.
The message was all too familiar to
-usan. The billboard%size te3t hung
ominousl over ?abba/s
headC
#7,4 T.E T<DT. (I,, -A:E
4#D 7#(
E7TE< PA--%GE4 PPPPPP
As if trapped in some surreal
nightmare, -usan followed $ontaine
toward the podium. .er
world was a slow%motion blur.
?abba saw them coming and wheeled
like an enraged bull. 'I built 6auntlet
for a reason2+
'6auntlet/s gone,+ $ontaine replied
evenl.
'#ld news, &irector,+ ?abba spat.
'The shock wave knocked me on m
ass2 (here/s
-trathmore)+
'1ommander -trathmore is dead.+
'Poetic fucking 0ustice.+
'1ool it, ?abba,+ the director ordered.
'!ring us up to speed. .ow bad is this
virus)+
?abba stared at the director a long
moment, and then without warning,
he burst out laughing.
'A .irus67 .is harsh guffaw
resonated through the underground
chamber. 'Is that what ou think
this is)+
$ontaine kept his cool. ?abba/s
insolence was wa out of line, but
$ontaine knew this was not
the time or place to handle it. &own
here, ?abba outranked 6od himself.
1omputer problems had
awa of ignoring the normal chain of
command.
'It/s not a virus)+ !rinkerhoff
e3claimed hopefull.
?abba snorted in disgust. 5@iruses
have replication strings, prett bo2
This doesn/t2+
-usan hovered nearb, unable to
focus.
'Then what/s going on)+ $ontaine
demanded. 'I thought we had a
virus.+
?abba sucked in a long breath and
lowered his voice. ':iruses5+ he
said, wiping sweat from
his face. ':iruses reproduce. The
create clones. The/re vain and
stupid"binar egomaniacs. The
pump out babies faster than rabbits.
That/s their weakness"ou can cross%
breed them into oblivion
if ou know what ou/re doing.
Dnfortunatel, this program has no
ego, no need to reproduce. It/s
clear%headed and focused. In fact,
when it/s accomplished its ob0ective
here, it will probabl
commit digital suicide. '?abba held
out his arms reverentl to the
pro0ected havoc on the enormous
screen. ',adies and gentlemen.+ .e
sighed. '*eet the kamikaze of
computer invaders5 the
$orm.7
5(orm67 !rinkerhoff groaned. It
seemed like a mundane term to
describe the insidious
intruder.
'(orm.+ ?abba smoldered. '7o
comple3 structures, 0ust instinct"eat,
shit, crawl. That/s it.
-implicit. &eadl simplicit. It does
what it/s programmed to do and then
checks out.+
$ontaine eed ?abba sternl. 'And
what is this worm programmed to
do)+
'7o clue,+ ?abba replied. '<ight now,
it/s spreading out and attaching itself
to all our
classified data. After that, it could do
anthing. It might decide to delete all
the files, or it might 0ust
decide to print smile faces on certain
(hite .ouse transcripts.+
$ontaine/s voice remained cool and
collected. '1an ou stop it)+
?abba let out a long sigh and faced the
screen. 'I have no idea. It all depends
on how pissed
off the author is.+ .e pointed to the
message on the wall. 'Anbod want
to tell me what the hell
that means)+
#7,4 T.E T<DT. (I,, -A:E
4#D 7#(
E7TE< PA--%GE4 PPPPPP
?abba waited for a response and got
none. ',ooks like someone/s messing
with us, &irector.
!lackmail. This is a ransom note if I
ever saw one.+
-usan/s voice was a whisper, empt
and hollow. 'It/s5 Ensei Tankado.+
?abba turned to her. .e stared a
moment, wide%eed. 5Tan&ado67
-usan nodded weakl. '.e wanted
our confession5 about
T<A7-,T<5 but it cost him
his"+
'1onfession)+ !rinkerhoff
interrupted, looking stunned.
'Tankado wants us to confess we
have T<A7-,T<) I/d sa it/s a bit
late for that4 +
-usan opened her mouth to speak, but
?abba took over. ',ooks like
Tankado/s got a
kill%code,+ he said, gazing up at the
message on the screen.
Everone turned.
'Gill code)+ !rinkerhoff demanded.
?abba nodded. '4eah. A pass%ke that
stops the worm. -impl put, if we
admit we have
T<A7-,T<, Tankado gives us a kill%
code. (e tpe it in and save the
databank. (elcome to digital
e3tortion.+
$ontaine stood like rock, unwavering.
'.ow long have we got)+
'About an hour,+ ?abba said. '?ust
time enough to call a press conference
and spill our guts.
'<ecommendation,+ $ontaine
demanded. '(hat do ou propose we
do)+
'A reommendation67 ?abba blurted
in disbelief. '4ou want a
recommendation) I/ll give ou
a recommendation2 4ou ;uit fucking
around, thats what ou do2+
'Eas,+ the director warned.
'&irector,+ ?abba sputtered. '<ight
now, Ensei Tankado o$ns this
databank2 6ive him
$hate.er he wants. If he wants the
world to know about T<A7-,T<,
call 177, and drop our
shorts. T<A7-,T</s a hole in the
ground now anwa"what the hell do
you care)+
There was a silence. $ontaine seemed
to be considering his options. -usan
began to speak, but
?abba beat her to it.
'(hat are ou waiting for, &irector2
6et Tankado on the phone2 Tell him
ou/ll pla ball2
(e need that kill%code, or this whole
place is going down2+
7obod moved.
'Are ou all insane)+ ?abba
screamed. '1all Tankado2 Tell him
we fold2 6et me that
kill%code2 7#(2+ ?abba whipped out
his cellular phone and switched it on.
'7ever mind2 6et me
his number2 I/ll call the little prick
myse!f47
'&on/t bother,+ -usan said in a
whisper. 'Tankado/s dead.+
After a moment of confused
astonishment, the implications hit
?abba like a bullet to the gut.
The huge -s%-ec looked like he was
about to crumble. 5Dead6 !ut then5
that means5 we
can/t5+
'That means we/ll need a new plan,+
$ontaine said matter%of%factl.
?abba/s ees were still glazed with
shock when someone in the back of
the room began
shouting wildl.
'?abba2 ?abba2+
It was -oshi Guta, his head techie.
-he came running toward the podium
trailing a long
printout. -he looked terrified.
'?abba2+ -he gasped. 'The worm5 I
0ust found out what it/s programmed
to do2+ -oshi
thrust the paper into ?abba/s hands. 'I
pulled this from the sstem%activit
probe2 (e isolated the
worm/s e3ecute commands"have a
look at the programming2 ,ook what
it/s planning to do2+
&azed, the chief -s%-ec read the
printout. Then he grabbed the handrail
for support.
'#h, ?esus,+ ?abba gasped.
'Tankado5 ou bastard47
Chapter 11/
?abba stared blankl at the printout
-oshi had 0ust handed him. Pale, he
wiped his forehead on
his sleeve. '&irector, we have no
choice. (e/ve got to kill power to the
databank.+
'Dnacceptable,+ $ontaine replied.
'The results would be devastating.+
?abba knew the director was right.
There were over three thousand I-&7
connections ting
into the 7-A databank from all over
the world. Ever da militar
commanders accessed
up%to%the%instant satellite photos of
enem movement. ,ockheed
engineers downloaded
compartmentalized blueprints of new
weaponr. $ield operatives accessed
mission updates. The
7-A databank was the backbone of
thousands of D.-. government
operations. -hutting it down
without warning would cause life%
and%death intelligence blackouts all
over the globe.
'I/m aware of the implications, sir,+
?abba said, 'but we have no choice.+
'E3plain ourself,+ $ontaine ordered.
.e shot a ;uick glance at -usan
standing beside him on
the podium. -he seemed miles awa.
?abba took a deep breath and wiped
his brow again. $rom the look on his
face, it was clear to
the group on the podium that the
were not going to like what he had to
sa.
'This worm,+ ?abba began. 'This
worm is not an ordinar degenerative
ccle. It/s a se!eti.e
ccle. In other words, it/s a worm
with taste.7
!rinkerhoff opened his mouth to
speak, but $ontaine waved him off.
'*ost destructive applications wipe a
databank clean, '?abba continued,
'but this one is more
comple3. It deletes onl those files
that fall within certain parameters.+
'4ou mean it won/t attack the $ho!e
databank)+ !rinkerhoff asked
hopefull. 'That/s good,
right)+
'7o2+ ?abba e3ploded. 'It/s bad2 It/s
.ery fucking bad47
'1ool it2+ $ontaine ordered. '(hat
parameters is this worm looking for)
*ilitar) 1overt
ops)+
?abba shook his head. .e eed -usan,
who was still distant, and then ?abba/s
ees rose to
meet the director/s. '-ir, as ou know,
anone who wants to tie into this
databank from the outside
has to pass a series of securit gates
before the/re admitted.+
$ontaine nodded. The databank/s
access hierarchies were brilliantl
conceived; authorized
personnel could dial in via the
Internet and (orld (ide (eb.
&epending on their authorization
se;uence, the were permitted access
to their own compartmentalized
zones.
'!ecause we/re tied to the global
Internet, '?abba e3plained, 'hackers,
foreign governments,
and E$$ sharks circle this databank
twent%four hours a da and tr to
break in.+
'4es,+ $ontaine said, 'and twent%
four hours a da, our securit filters
keep them out. (hat/s
our point)+
?abba gazed down at the printout.
'* point is this. Tankado/s worm is
not targeting our
data.7 .e cleared his throat. 'It/s
targeting our seurity fi!ters.7
$ontaine blanched. Apparentl he
understood the implications"this
worm was targeting the
filters that kept the 7-A databank
confidential. (ithout filters, all of the
information in the
databank would become accessible to
everone on the outside.
'(e need to shut down,+ ?abba
repeated. 'In about an hour, ever
third grader with a modem
is going to have top D.-. securit
clearance.+
$ontaine stood a long moment
without saing a word.
?abba waited impatientl and finall
turned to -oshi. '-oshi2 :<2 7#(2+
-oshi dashed off.
?abba relied on :< often. In most
computer circles, :< meant 'virtual
realit,+ but at the
7-A it meant .is-rep "visual
representation. In a world full of
technicians and politicians all having
different levels of technical
understanding, a graphic
representation was often the onl wa
to make
a point; a single plummeting graph
usuall aroused ten times the reaction
inspired b volumes of
spreadsheets. ?abba knew a :< of the
current crisis would make its point
instantl.
':<2+ -oshi elled from a terminal at
the back of the room.
A computer%generated diagram
flashed to life on the wall before
them. -usan gazed up
absentl, detached from the madness
around her. Everone in the room
followed ?abba/s gaze to the
screen.
The diagram before them resembled a
bull/s%ee. In the center was a red
circle marked data.
Around the center were five
concentric circles of differing
thickness and color. The outermost
circle
was faded, almost transparent.
'(e/ve got a five%tier level of
defense,+ ?abba e3plained. 'A
primar !astion .ost, two sets
of packet filters for $TP and [%
eleven, a tunnel block, and finall a
PE*%based authorization
window right off the Truffle pro0ect.
The outside shield that/s disappearing
represents the e3posed
host. It/s practicall gone. (ithin the
hour, all five shields will follow.
After that, the world pours
in. Ever bte of 7-A data becomes
public domain.+
$ontaine studied the :<, his ees
smoldering.
!rinkerhoff let out a weak whimper.
'This worm can open our databank to
the world)+
'1hild/s pla for Tankado,+ ?abba
snapped. '6auntlet was our fail%safe.
-trathmore blew it.+
'It/s an act of war,+ $ontaine
whispered, an edge in his voice.
?abba shook his head. 'I reall doubt
Tankado ever meant for it to go this
far. I suspect he
intended to be around to stop it.+
$ontaine gazed up at the screen and
watched the first of the five walls
disappear entirel.
'!astion .ost is toast2+ a technician
elled from the back of the room.
'-econd shield/s
e3posed2+
'(e/ve got to start shutting down,+
?abba urged. '$rom the looks of the
:<, we/ve got about
fort%five minutes. -hutdown is a
comple3 process.+
It was true. The 7-A databank had
been constructed in such a wa as to
ensure it would never
lose power"accidentall or if
attacked. *ultiple fail%safes for phone
and power were buried in
reinforced steel canisters deep
underground, and in addition to the
feeds from within the 7-A
comple3, there were multiple backups
off main public grids. -hutting down
involved a comple3
series of confirmations and protocols"
significantl more complicated than
the average nuclear
submarine missile launch.
'(e have time,+ ?abba said, 'if we
hurr. *anual shutdown should take
about thirt
minutes.+
$ontaine continued staring up at the
:<, apparentl pondering his options.
'&irector2+ ?abba e3ploded. '(hen
these firewalls fall, ever user on the
planet will be issued
top%securit clearance2 And I/m
talking upper !e.e!4 <ecords of covert
ops2 #verseas agents2
7ames and locations of everone in
the federal witness protection
program2 ,aunch code
confirmations2 (e must shut down2
7ow2+
The director seemed unmoved. 'There
must be some other wa.+
'4es,+ ?abba spat, 'there is2 The kill%
code2 !ut the onl gu who knows it
happens to be
dead2+
'.ow about brute force)+ !rinkerhoff
blurted. '1an we guess the kill%
code)+
?abba threw up his arms. '$or 1hrist
sake2 Gill%codes are like encrption
kes"random2
Impossible to guess2 If ou think ou
can tpe 899 trillion entries in the
ne3t fort%five minutes, be
m guest2+
'The kill%code/s in -pain,+ -usan
offered weakl.
Everone on the podium turned. It
was the first thing she had said in a
long time.
-usan looked up, blear%eed.
'Tankado gave it awa when he
died.+
Everone looked lost.
'The pass%ke5+ -usan shivered as
she spoke. '1ommander -trathmore
sent someone to
find it.+
'And)+ ?abba demanded. '&id
-trathmore/s man find it)+
-usan tried to fight it, but the tears
began to flow. '4es,+ she choked. 'I
think so.+
Chapter 111
An earsplitting ell cut through the
control room. 5Shar&s47 It was -oshi.
?abba spun toward the :<. Two thin
lines had appeared outside the
concentric circles. The
looked like sperm tring to breach a
reluctant egg.
'!lood/s in the water, folks2+ ?abba
turned back to the director. 'I need a
decision. Either we
start shutting down, or we/ll never
make it. As soon as these two
intruders see the !astion .ost is
down, the/ll send up a war cr.+
$ontaine did not respond. .e was
deep in thought. -usan $letcher/s
news of the pass%ke in
-pain seemed promising to him. .e
shot a glance toward -usan in the
back of the room. -he
appeared to be in her own world,
collapsed in a chair, her head buried
in her hands. $ontaine was
unsure e3actl what had triggered the
reaction, but whatever it was, he had
no time for it now.
'I need a decision2+ ?abba demanded.
'7ow2+
$ontaine looked up. .e spoke calml.
'#ka, ou/ve got one. (e are not
shutting down.
(e/re going to wait.+
?abba/s 0aw dropped. 5(hat6 !ut
that/s"+
'A gamble,+ $ontaine interrupted. 'A
gamble we 0ust might win.+ .e took
?abba/s cellular
and punched a few kes. '*idge,+ he
said. 'It/s ,eland $ontaine. ,isten
carefull5.+
Chapter 112
'4ou better know what the hell
ou/re doing, &irector,+ ?abba hissed.
'(e/re about to lose
shut%down capabilit.+
$ontaine did not respond.
As if on cue, the door at the back of
the control room opened, and *idge
came dashing in.
-he arrived breathless at the podium.
'&irector2 The switchboard is
patching it through right now2+
$ontaine turned e3pectantl toward
the screen on the front wall. $ifteen
seconds later the
screen crackled to life.
The image on screen was snow and
stilted at first, and graduall grew
sharper. It was a
BuickTime digital transmission"onl
five frames per second. The image
revealed two men. #ne
was pale with a buzz cut, the other a
blond all%American. The were seated
facing the camera like
two newscasters waiting to go on the
air.
'(hat the hell is this)+ ?abba
demanded.
'-it tight,+ $ontaine ordered.
The men appeared to be inside a van
of some sort. Electronic cabling hung
all around them.
The audio connection crackled to life.
-uddenl there was background noise.
'Inbound audio,+ a technician called
from behind them. '$ive seconds till
two%wa.+
'(ho are the)+ !rinkerhoff asked,
uneasil.
'Ee in the sk,+ $ontaine replied,
gazing up at the two men he had sent
to -pain. It had been
a necessar precaution. $ontaine had
believed in almost ever aspect of
-trathmore/s plan"the
regrettable but necessar removal of
Ensei Tankado, rewriting &igital
$ortress"it was all solid. !ut
there was one thing that made
$ontaine nervousC the use of .ulohot.
.ulohot was skilled, but he
was a mercenar. (as he
trustworth) (ould he take the pass%
ke for himself) $ontaine wanted
.ulohot covered, 0ust incase, and he
had taken the re;uisite measures.
Chapter 113
'Absolutel not2+ The man with the
buzz cut elled into the camera. '(e
have orders2 (e
report to &irector ,eland $ontaine
and ,eland $ontaine onl2+
$ontaine looked mildl amused. '4ou
don/t know who I am, do ou)+
'&oesn/t matter, does it)+ the blond
fired hotl.
',et me e3plain,+ $ontaine
inter0ected. ',et me e3plain
something right now.+
-econds later, the two men were red%
faced, spilling their guts to the
director of the 7ational
-ecurit Agenc. '&%director,+ the
blond stammered, 'I/m Agent
1oliander. This is Agent -mith.+
'$ine,+ $ontaine said. '?ust brief us.+
* * *
At the back of the room, -usan
$letcher sat and fought the suffocating
loneliness that pressed
down around her. Ees closed, and
ears ringing, she wept. .er bod had
gone numb. The mahem
in the control room faded to a dull
murmur.
The gathering on the podium listened,
restless, as Agent -mith began his
briefing.
'#n our orders, &irector,+ -mith
began, 'we/ve been here in -eville for
two das, trailing
*r. Ensei Tankado.+
'Tell me about the kill,+ $ontaine said
impatientl.
-mith nodded. '(e observed from
inside the van at about fift meters.
The kill was smooth.
.ulohot was obviousl a pro. !ut
afterward his directive went awr.
1ompan arrived. .ulohot
never got the item.+
$ontaine nodded. The agents had
contacted him in -outh America with
news that something
had gone wrong, so $ontaine had cut
his trip short.
1oliander took over. '(e staed with
.ulohot as ou ordered. !ut he never
made a move for
the morgue. Instead, he picked up the
trail of some other gu. ,ooked
private. 1oat and tie.+
'Private)+ $ontaine mused. It
sounded like a -trathmore pla"
wisel keeping the 7-A out of
it.
'$TP filters failing2+ a technician
called out.
'(e need the item,+ $ontaine pressed.
'(here is .ulohot now)+
-mith looked over his shoulder.
'(ell5 he/s with us, sir.+
$ontaine e3haled. '(here)+ It was
the best new she/d heard all da.
-mith reached toward the lens to
make an ad0ustment. The camera
swept across the inside of
the van to reveal two limp bodies
propped against the back wall. !oth
were motionless. #ne was a
large man with twisted wire%rim
glasses. The other was oung with a
shock of dark hair and a
blood shirt.
'.ulohot/s the one on the left,+ -mith
offered.
'.ulohot/s dead)+ the director
demanded.
'4es, sir.+
$ontaine knew there would be time
for e3planations later. .e glanced up
at the thinning
shields. 'Agent -mith,+ he said
slowl and clearl. 'The item. I need
it.+
-mith looked sheepish. '-ir, we still
have no idea $hat the item is. (e/re
on a
need%to%know.+
Chapter 11)
'Then look again2+ $ontaine declared.
The director watched in disma as the
stilted image of the agents searched
the two limp
bodies in the van for a list of random
numbers and letters.
?abba was pale. '#h m 6od, the
can/t find it. (e/re dead2+
',osing $TP filters2+ a voice elled.
'Third shield/s e3posed2+ There was a
new flurr of
activit.
#n the front screen, the agent with the
buzz cut held out his arms in defeat.
'-ir, the pass%ke
isn/t here. (e/ve searched both men.
Pockets. 1lothing. (allets. 7o sign at
all. .ulohot was
wearing a *onocle computer, and
we/ve checked that too. It doesn/t
look like he ever transmitted
anthing remotel resembling random
characters"onl a list of kills.+
5Dammit47 $ontaine seethed,
suddenl losing his cool. 'It/s got to
be there2 Geep looking2+
?abba had apparentl seen enough"
$ontaine had gambled and lost. ?abba
took over. The huge
-s%-ec descended from his pulpit
like a storm off a mountain. .e swept
through his arm of
programmers calling out commands.
'Access au3iliar kills2 -tart shutting
it down2 &o it now2+
'(e/ll never make it2+ -oshi elled.
'(e need a half hour2 ! the time we
shut down, it will
be too late2+
?abba opened his mouth to repl, but
he was cut short b a scream of agon
from the back of
the room.
Everone turned. ,ike an apparition,
-usan $letcher rose from her
crouched position in the
rear of the chamber. .er face was
white, her ees transfi3ed on the
freeze%frame of &avid !ecker,
motionless and blood, propped up on
the floor of the van.
'4ou killed him2+ she screamed.
5%ou &i!!ed him47 -he stumbled
toward the image and
reached out. '&avid5+
Everone looked up in confusion.
-usan advanced, still calling, her ees
never leaving the
pro0ection of &avid/s bod. '&avid.+
-he gasped, staggering forward. '#h,
&avid5 how could
the"+
$ontaine seemed lost. '4ou know this
man)+
-usan swaed unsteadil as she
passed the podium. -he stopped a few
feet in front of the
enormous pro0ection and stared up,
bewildered and numb, calling over
and over to the man she
loved.
Chapter 11*
The emptiness in &avid !ecker/s
mind was absolute. I am dead. And
et there was a sound. A
distant voice5
'&avid.+
There was a dizzing burning beneath
his arm. .is blood was filled with
fire. My body is not
my o$n. And et there was a voice,
calling to him. It was thin, distant. !ut
it was part of him. There
were other voices too"unfamiliar,
unimportant. 1alling out. .e fought to
block them out. There was
onl one voice that mattered. It faded
in and out.
'&avid5 I/m sorr5+
There was a mottled light. $aint at
first, a single slit of graness.
6rowing. !ecker tried to
move. Pain. .e tried to speak.
-ilence. The voice kept calling.
-omeone was near him, lifting him.
!ecker moved toward the voice. #r
was he being moved)
It was calling. .e gazed absentl at
the illuminated image. .e could see
her on a small screen. It
was a woman, staring up at him from
another world. 8s she $athing me
die6
'&avid5+
The voice was familiar. -he was an
angel. -he had come for him. The
angel spoke. '&avid, I
love ou.+
-uddenl he knew.
* * *
-usan reached out toward the screen,
cring, laughing, lost in a torrent of
emotions. -he
wiped fiercel at her tears. '&avid, I"
I thought5+
$ield Agent -mith eased &avid
!ecker into the seat facing the
monitor. '.e/s a little wooz,
ma/am. 6ive him a second.+
'!%but,+ -usan was stammering, 'I
saw a transmission. It said5+
-mith nodded. '(e saw it too.
.ulohot counted his chickens a little
earl.+
'!ut the blood5+
'$lesh wound,+ -mith replied. '(e
slapped a gauze on it.+
-usan couldn/t speak.
Agent 1oliander piped in from off
camera. '(e hit him with the new
?=F"long%acting stun
gun. Probabl hurt like hell, but we
got him off the street.+
'&on/t worr, ma/am,+ -mith
assured. '.e/ll be fine.+
&avid !ecker stared at the T:
monitor in front of him. .e was
disoriented, light%headed. The
image on the screen was of a room"a
room filled with chaos. -usan was
there. -he was standing on
an open patch of floor, gazing up at
him.
-he was cring and laughing. '&avid.
Thank 6od2 I thought I had lost ou2+
.e rubbed his temple. .e moved in
front of the screen and pulled the
gooseneck microphone
toward his mouth. '-usan)+
-usan gazed up in wonder. &avid/s
rugged features now filled the entire
wall before her. .is
voice boomed.
'-usan, I need to ask ou something.+
The resonance and volume of
!ecker/s voice seemed
to momentaril suspend the action in
the databank. Everone stopped
midstride and turned.
'-usan $letcher,+ the voice resonated,
'will ou marr me)+
A hush spread across the room. A
clipboard clattered to the floor along
with a mug of pencils.
7o one bent to pick them up. There
was onl the faint hum of the terminal
fans and the sound of
&avid !ecker/s stead breathing in
his microphone.
'&%&avid5+ -usan stammered,
unaware that thirt%seven people
stood riveted behind her.
'4ou alread asked me, remember)
$ive months ago. I said es.+
'I know.+ .e smiled. '!ut this time+"
he e3tended his left hand into the
camera and displaed
a golden band on his fourth
finger"+this time I have a ring.+
Chapter 11+
'<ead it, *r. !ecker2+ $ontaine
ordered.
?abba sat sweating, hands poised over
his keboard. '4es,+ he said, 'read
the blessed
inscription2+
-usan $letcher stood with them,
weak%kneed and aglow. Everone in
the room had stopped
what the were doing and stared up at
the enormous pro0ection of &avid
!ecker. The professor
twisted the ring in his fingers and
studied the engraving.
'And read arefu!!y47 ?abba
commanded. '#ne tpo, and we/re
sre$ed47
$ontaine gave ?abba a harsh look. If
there was one thing the director of the
7-A knew about,
it was pressure situations; creating
additional tension was never wise.
'<ela3, *r. !ecker. If we
make a mistake, we/ll reenter the code
till we get it right.+
'!ad advice, *r. !ecker,+ ?abba
snapped. '6et it right the first time.
Gill%codes usuall have
a penalt clause"to prevent trial%and%
error guessing. *ake an incorrect
entr, and the ccle will
probabl accelerate. *ake t$o
incorrect entries, and it will lock us
out permanentl. 6ame over.+
The director frowned and turned back
to the screen. '*r. !ecker) *
mistake. <ead
carefull"read extreme!y carefull.+
!ecker nodded and studied the ring
for a moment. Then he calml began
reciting the
inscription. 'B5 D5 I5 -5
space5 15+
?abba and -usan interrupted in
unison. 5Spae67 ?abba stopped
tping. 'There/s a spae67
!ecker shrugged, checking the ring.
'4eah. There/s a bunch of them.+
'Am I missing something)+ $ontaine
demanded. '(hat are we waiting
for)+
'-ir,+ -usan said, apparentl puzzled.
'It/s5 it/s 0ust5+
'I agree,+ ?abba said. 'It/s strange.
Passwords ne.er have spaces.+
!rinkerhoff swallowed hard. '-o,
what are ou saing)+
'.e/s saing,+ -usan inter0ected,
'that this ma not be a kill%code.+
!rinkerhoff cried out, '#f course it/s
the kill%code2 (hat else could it be)
(h else would
Tankado give it awa) (ho the hell
inscribes a bunch of random letters on
a ring)+
$ontaine silenced !rinkerhoff with a
sharp glare.
'Ah5 folks)+ !ecker inter0ected,
appearing hesitant to get involved.
'4ou keep mentioning
random letters. I think I should let
ou know5 the letters on this ring
arent random.+
Everone on the podium blurted in
unison. '(hat2+
!ecker looked uneas. '-orr, but
there are definitel words here. I/ll
admit the/re inscribed
prett close together; at first glance it
appears random, but if ou look
closel ou/ll see the
inscription is actuall5 well5 it/s
3atin.7
?abba gaped. '4ou/re shitting me2+
!ecker shook his head. '7o. It reads,
EBuis ustodiet ipsos ustodes. It
translates roughl
to"+
'(ho will guard the guards2+ -usan
interrupted, finishing &avid/s
sentence.
!ecker did a double%take. '-usan, I
didn/t know ou could"+
'It/s from Satires of ?uvenal,+ she
e3claimed. '(ho will guard the
guards) (ho will guard
the 7-A while we guard the world) It
was Tankado/s favorite saing2+
'-o,+ *idge demanded, 'is it the
pass%ke, or not)+
'It must be the pass%ke,+ !rinkerhoff
declared.
$ontaine stood silent, apparentl
processing the information.
'I don/t know if it/s the ke,+ ?abba
said. 'It seems unlikel to me that
Tankado would use a
nonrandom construction.+
'?ust omit the spaces,+ !rinkerhoff
cried, 'and tpe the damn code2+
$ontaine turned to -usan. '(hat/s
your take, *s. $letcher)+
-he thought a moment. -he couldn/t
;uite put her finger on it, but
something didn/t feel right.
-usan knew Tankado well enough to
know he thrived on simplicit. .is
proofs and programming
were alwas crstalline and absolute.
The fact that the spaces needed to be
removed seemed odd. It
was a minor detail, but it was a flaw,
definitel not !ean "not what -usan
would have e3pected as
Ensei Tankado/s crowning blow.
'It doesn/t feel right,+ -usan finall
said. 'I don/t think it/s the ke.+
$ontaine sucked in a long breath, his
dark ees probing hers. '*s. $letcher,
in our mind, if
this is not the ke, wh would Ensei
Tankado have given it awa) If he
knew we/d murdered him"
don/t ou assume he/d want to punish
us b making the ring disappear)+
A new voice interrupted the dialogue.
'Ah5 &irector)+
All ees turned to the screen. It was
Agent 1oliander in -eville. .e was
leaning over !ecker/s
shoulder and speaking into the mic.
'$or whatever it/s worth, I/m not so
sure *r. Tankado &ne$ he
was being murdered.+
'I beg our pardon)+ $ontaine
demanded.
'.ulohot was a pro, sir. (e saw the
kill"onl fift meters awa. All
evidence suggests
Tankado was unaware.+
'Evidence)+ !rinkerhoff demanded.
5(hat evidence) Tankado gave awa
this ring. That/s
proof enough2+
'Agent -mith,+ $ontaine interrupted.
'(hat makes ou think Ensei
Tankado was unaware he
was being killed)+
-mith cleared his throat. '.ulohot
killed him with an 7T!"a
noninvasive trauma bullet. It/s a
rubber pod that strikes the chest and
spreads out. -ilent. :er clean. *r.
Tankado would onl have
felt a sharp thump before going into
cardiac arrest.+
'A trauma bullet,+ !ecker mused to
himself. 'That e3plains the bruising.+
'It/s doubtful,+ -mith added, 'that
Tankado associated the sensation with
a gunman.+
'And et he gave awa his ring,+
$ontaine stated.
'True, sir. !ut he never looked for his
assailant. A victim a!$ays looks for
his assailant when
he/s been shot. It/s instinct.+
$ontaine puzzled. 'And ou/re saing
Tankado didn/t look for .ulohot)+
'7o, sir. (e have it on film if ou/d
like"+
'[%eleven filter/s going2+ a technician
elled. 'The worm/s halfwa there2+
'$orget the film,+ !rinkerhoff
declared. 'Tpe in the damn kill%code
and finish this2+
?abba sighed, suddenl the cool one.
'&irector, if we enter the wrong
code5+
'4es,+ -usan interrupted, 'if Tankado
didn/t suspect we killed him, we/ve
got some ;uestions
to answer.+
'(hat/s our time frame, ?abba)+
$ontaine demanded.
?abba looked up at the :<. 'About
twent minutes. I suggest we use the
time wisel.+
$ontaine was silent a long moment.
Then sighed heavil. 'All right. <un
the film.+
Chapter 11,
'Transmitting video in ten seconds,+
Agent -mith/s voice crackled. '(e/re
dropping ever
other frame as well as audio"we/ll run
as close to real time as possible.+
Everone on the podium stood silent,
watching, waiting. ?abba tped a few
kes and
rearranged the video wall. Tankado/s
message appeared on the far leftC
#7,4 T.E T<DT. (I,, -A:E
4#D 7#(
#n the right of the wall was the static
interior shot of the van with !ecker
and the two agents
huddled around the camera. In the
center, a fuzz frame appeared. It
dissolved into static and then
into a black and white image of a
park.
'Transmitting,+ Agent -mith
announced.
The shot looked like an old movie. It
was stilted and 0erk"a b%product of
frame%dropping, a
process that halved the amount of
information sent and enabled faster
transmission.
The shot panned out across an
enormous concourse enclosed on one
end b a semicircular
facade"the -eville Auntamiento.
There were trees in the foreground.
The park was empt.
'[%eleven/s are down2+ a technician
called out. 'This bad bo/s hungr2+
-mith began to narrate. .is
commentar had the detachment of a
seasoned agent. 'This is
shot from the van,+ he said, 'about
fift meters from the kill zone.
Tankado is approaching from the
right. .ulohot/s in the trees to the
left.+
'(e/ve got a time crunch here,+
$ontaine pressed. ',et/s get to the
meat of it.+
Agent 1oliander touched a few
buttons, and the frame speed
increased.
Everone on the podium watched in
anticipation as their former associate,
Ensei Tankado,
came into the frame. The accelerated
video made the whole image seem
comic. Tankado shuffled
0erkil out onto the concourse,
apparentl taking in the scener. .e
shielded his ees and gazed up
at the spires of the huge facade.
'This is it,+ -mith warned. '.ulohot/s
a pro. .e took his first open shot.+
-mith was right. There was a flash of
light from behind the trees on the left
of the screen. An
instant later Tankado clutched his
chest. .e staggered momentaril. The
camera zoomed in on him,
unstable"in and out of focus.
As the footage rolled in high speed,
-mith coldl continued his narration.
'As ou can see,
Tankado is instantl in cardiac
arrest.+
-usan felt ill watching the images.
Tankado clutched at his chest with
crippled hands, a
confused look of terror on his face.
'4ou/ll notice,+ -mith added, 'his
ees are focused downward, at
himself. 7ot once does he
look around.+
'And that/s important)+ ?abba half
stated, half in;uired.
':er,+ -mith said. 'If Tankado
suspected foul pla of an kind, he
would instinctivel
search the area. !ut as ou can see, he
does not.+
#n the screen, Tankado dropped to
his knees, still clutching his chest. .e
never once looked
up. Ensei Tankado was a man alone,
ding a private, natural death.
'It/s odd,+ -mith said, puzzled.
'Trauma pods usuall won/t kill this
;uickl. -ometimes, if
the target/s big enough, the don/t kill
at all.+
'!ad heart,+ $ontaine said flatl.
-mith arched his eebrows,
impressed. '$ine choice of weapon,
then.+
-usan watched as Tankado toppled
from his knees to his side and finall
onto his back. .e
la, staring upward, grabbing at his
chest. -uddenl the camera wheeled
awa from him back
toward the grove of trees. A man
appeared. .e was wearing wire%rim
glasses and carring an
oversize briefcase. As he approached
the concourse and the writhing
Tankado, his fingers began
tapping in a strange silent dance on a
mechanism attached to his hand.
'.e/s working his *onocle,+ -mith
announced. '-ending a message that
Tankado is
terminated.+ -mith turned to !ecker
and chuckled. ',ooks like .ulohot
had a bad habit of
transmitting kills before his victim
actuall e3pired.+
1oliander sped the film up some
more, and the camera followed
.ulohot as he began moving
toward his victim. -uddenl an
elderl man rushed out of a nearb
courtard, ran over to Tankado,
and knelt beside him. .ulohot slowed
his approach. A moment later two
more people appeared
from the courtard"an obese man and
a red%haired woman. The also came
to Tankado/s side.
'Dnfortunate choice of kill zone,+
-mith said. '.ulohot thought he had
the victim isolated.+
#n the screen, .ulohot watched for a
moment and then shrank back into the
trees, apparentl
to wait.
'.ere comes the handoff,+ -mith
prompted. '(e didn/t notice it the
first time around.+
-usan gazed up at the sickening
image on the screen. Tankado was
gasping for breath,
apparentl tring communicate
something to the -amaritans kneeling
beside him. Then, in
desperation, he thrust his left hand
above him, almost hitting the old man
in the face. .e held the
crippled appendage outward before
the old man/s ees. The camera
tightened on Tankado/s three
deformed fingers, and on one of them,
clearl glistening in the -panish sun,
was the golden ring.
Tankado thrust it out again. The old
man recoiled. Tankado turned to the
woman. .e held his three
deformed fingers directl in front of
her face, as if begging her to
understand. The ring glinted in
the sun. The woman looked awa.
Tankado, now choking, unable to
make a sound, turned to the
obese man and tried one last time.
The elderl man suddenl stood and
dashed off, presumabl to get help.
Tankado seemed to
be weakening, but he was still holding
the ring in the fat man/s face. The fat
man reached out and
held the ding man/s wrist,
supporting it. Tankado seemed to
gaze upward at his own fingers, at his
own ring, and then to the man/s ees.
As a final plea before death, Ensei
Tankado gave the man an
almost imperceptible nod, as if to sa
yes.
Then Tankado fell limp.
'?esus.+ ?abba moaned.
-uddenl the camera swept to where
.ulohot had been hiding. The
assassin was gone. A
police motorccle appeared, tearing
up Avenida $irelli. The camera
wheeled back to where
Tankado was ling. The woman
kneeling beside him apparentl heard
the police sirens; she glanced
around nervousl and then began
pulling at her obese companion,
begging him to leave. The two
hurried off.
The camera tightened on Tankado, his
hands folded on his lifeless chest. The
ring on his
finger was gone.
Chapter 11-
'It/s proof,+ $ontaine said decidedl.
'Tankado dumped the ring. .e
wanted it as far from
himself as possible"so we/d never
find it.+
'!ut, &irector,+ -usan argued, 'it
doesn/t make sense. If Tankado was
unaware he/d been
murdered, $hy would he give awa
the kill code)+
'I agree,+ ?abba said. 'The kid/s a
rebel, but he/s a rebel with a
conscience. 6etting us to
admit to T<A7-,T< is one thing;
revealing our classified databank is
another.+
$ontaine stared, disbelieving. '4ou
think Tankado $anted to stop this
worm) 4ou think his
ding thoughts were for the poor
7-A)+
'Tunnel%block corroding2+ a
technician elled. '$ull vulnerabilit
in fifteen minutes,
ma3imum2+
'I/ll tell ou what,+ the director
declared, taking control. 'In fifteen
minutes, ever Third
(orld countr on the planet will learn
how to build an intercontinental
ballistic missile. If someone
in this room thinks he/s got a better
candidate for a kill code than this
ring, I/m all ears.+ The
director waited. 7o one spoke. .e
returned his gaze to ?abba and locked
ees. 'Tankado dumped
that ring for a reason, ?abba. (hether
he was tring to bur it, or whether he
thought the fat gu
would run to a pa phone and call us
with the information, I reall don/t
care. !ut I/ve made the
decision. (e/re entering that ;uote.
7ow.+
?abba took a long breath. .e knew
$ontaine was right"there was no
better option. The were
running out of time. ?abba sat.
'#ka5 let/s do it.+ .e pulled
himself to the keboard. '*r.
!ecker) The inscription, please. 7ice
and eas.+
&avid !ecker read the inscription,
and ?abba tped. (hen the were
done, the
double%checked the spelling and
omitted all the spaces. #n the center
panel of the view wall, near
the top, were the lettersC
BDI-1D-T#&IETIP-#-1D-T#&E
-
'I don/t like it,+ -usan muttered
softl. 'It/s not clean.+
?abba hesitated, hovering over the
E7TE< ke.
'&o it,+ $ontaine commanded.
?abba hit the ke. -econds later the
whole room knew it was a mistake.
Chapter 11.
'It/s accelerating2+ -oshi elled from
the back of the room. 'It/s the wrong
code2+
Everone stood in silent horror.
#n the screen before them was the
error messageC
I,,E6A, E7T<4. 7D*E<I1
$IE,& #7,4.
'&amn it2+ ?abba screamed.
'7umeric on!y4 (e/re looking for a
goddamn number2 (e/re
fucked2 This ring is shit2+
'(orm/s at double speed2+ -oshi
shouted. 'Penalt round2+
#n the center screen, right beneath the
error message, the :< painted a
terrifing image. As
the third firewall gave wa, the half%
dozen or so black lines representing
marauding hackers surged
forward, advancing relentlessl
toward the core. (ith each passing
moment, a new line appeared.
Then another.
'The/re swarming2+ -oshi elled.
'1onfirming overseas tie%ins2+ cried
another technician. '(ord/s out2+
-usan averted her gaze from the
image of the collapsing firewalls and
turned to the side
screen. The footage of Ensei
Tankado/s kill was on endless loop. It
was the same ever time"
Tankado clutching his chest, falling,
and with a look of desperate panic,
forcing his ring on a group
of unsuspecting tourists. 8t ma&es no
sense, she thought. 8f he didnt &no$
$ed &i!!ed him -usan
drew a total blank. It was too late.
(e.e missed something.
#n the :<, the number of hackers
pounding at the gates had doubled in
the last few minutes.
$rom now on, the number would
increase e3ponentiall. .ackers, like
henas, were one big famil,
alwas eager to spread the word of a
new kill.
,eland $ontaine had apparentl seen
enough. '-hut it down,+ he declared.
'-hut the damn
thing down.+
?abba stared straight ahead like the
captain of a sinking ship. 'Too late,
sir. (e/re going
down.+
Chapter 12/
The four%hundred%pound -s%-ec
stood motionless, hands resting atop
his head in a
freeze%frame of disbelief. .e/d
ordered a power shutdown, but it
would be a good twent minutes
too late. -harks with high%speed
modems would be able to download
staggering ;uantities of
classified information in that window.
?abba was awakened from his
nightmare b -oshi rushing to the
podium with a new printout.
'I/ve found something, sir2+ she said
e3citedl. '#rphans in the source2
Alpha groupings. All over
the place2+
?abba was unmoved. '(e/re looking
for a numeric, dammit2 7ot an alpha2
The kill%code is a
number47
'!ut we/ve got orphans2 Tankado/s
too good to leave orphans"especiall
this man2+
The term 'orphans+ referred to e3tra
lines of programming that didn/t serve
the program/s
ob0ective in an wa. The fed
nothing, referred to nothing, led
nowhere, and were usuall removed
as part of the final debugging and
compiling process.
?abba took the printout and studied it.
$ontaine stood silent.
-usan peered over ?abba/s shoulder at
the printout. '(e/re being attacked b
a rough draft of
Tankado/s worm)+
'Polished or not,+ ?abba retorted, 'it/s
kicking our ass.+
'I don/t bu it,+ -usan argued.
'Tankado was a perfectionist. 4ou
know that. There/s no wa
he left bugs in his program.+
'There are lots of them2+ -oshi cried.
-he grabbed the printout from ?abba
and pushed it in
front of -usan. ',ook2+
-usan nodded. -ure enough, after
ever twent or so lines of
programming, there were four
free%floating characters. -usan
scanned them.
PF
SSN
"T5
'$our%bit alpha groupings,+ she
puzzled. 'The/re definitel not part
of the programming.+
'$orget it,+ ?abba growled. '4ou/re
grabbing at straws.+
'*abe not,+ -usan said. 'A lot of
encrption uses four%bit groupings.
This could be a code.+
'4eah.+ ?abba groaned. 'It sas"/.a,
ha. 4ou/re fucked./ ' .e looked up at
the :<. 'In about
nine minutes.+
-usan ignored ?abba and locked in on
-oshi. '.ow man orphans are
there)+
-oshi shrugged. -he commandeered
?abba/s terminal and tped all the
groupings. (hen she
was done, she pushed back from the
terminal. The room looked up at the
screen.
P$EE -E-7 <ET* *$.A I<(E
##I6 *EE7 7<*A
E7ET -.A- &17- IIAA IEE<
!<7G $!,E ,#&I
-usan was the onl one smiling. '-ure
looks familiar,+ she said. '!locks of
four"0ust like
Enigma.+
The director nodded. Enigma was
histor/s most famous code%writing
machine"the 7azis/
twelve%ton encrption beast. It had
encrpted in blocks of four.
'6reat.+ .e moaned. '4ou wouldn/t
happen to have one ling around,
would ou)+
'That/s not the point2+ -usan said,
suddenl coming to life. This was her
specialt. 'The point
is that this is a code. Tankado left us a
clue2 .e/s taunting us, daring us to
figure out the pass%ke in
time. .e/s laing hints 0ust out of our
reach2+
'Absurd,+ ?abba snapped. 'Tankado
gave us onl one out"revealing
T<A7-,T<. That was
it. That was our escape. (e blew it.+
'I have to agree with him,+ $ontaine
said. 'I doubt there/s an wa
Tankado would risk
letting us off the hook b hinting at
his kill%code.+
-usan nodded vaguel, but she
recalled how Tankado had given them
7&AG#TA. -he stared
up at the letters wondering if he were
plaing another one of his games.
'Tunnel block half gone2+ a
technician called.
#n the :<, the mass of black tie%in
lines surged deeper into the two
remaining shields.
&avid had been sitting ;uietl,
watching the drama unfold on the
monitor before them.
'-usan)+ he offered. 'I have an idea.
Is that te3t in si3teen groupings of
four)+
'#h, for 1hrist/s sake,+ ?abba said
under his breath. '7ow everone
wants to pla)+
-usan ignored ?abba and counted the
groupings. '4es. -i3teen.+
'Take out the spaces,+ !ecker said
firml.
'&avid,+ -usan replied, slightl
embarrassed. 'I don/t think ou
understand. The groupings of
four are"+
'Take out the spaces,+ he repeated.
-usan hesitated a moment and then
nodded to -oshi. -oshi ;uickl
removed the spaces. The
result was no more enlightening.
P$EE-E-7<ET*P$.AI<(E##I6
*EE77<*AE7ET-.A-&17-IIA
AIEE<
!<7G$!,E,#&I
?abba e3ploded. 'E7#D6.2
Platime/s over2 This thing/s on
double%speed2 (e/ve got about
eight minutes here2 (e/re looking for
a number, not a bunch of half%baked
letters2+
'$our b si3teen,+ &avid said calml.
'&o the math, -usan.+
-usan eed &avid/s image on the
screen. Do the math6 <es terrib!e at
math4 -he knew
&avid could memorize verb
con0ugations and vocabular like a
[ero3 machine, but math5)
'*ultiplication tables,+ !ecker said.
*ultiplication tables, -usan
wondered. (hat is he talking about)
'$our b si3teen,+ the professor
repeated. 'I had to memorize
multiplication tables in fourth
grade.+
-usan pictured the standard grade
school multiplication table. Four by
sixteen. '-i3t%four,+
she said blankl. '-o what)+
&avid leaned toward the camera. .is
face filled the frame. '-i3t%four
letters5+
-usan nodded. '4es, but the/re"+
-usan froze.
'-i3t%four letters,+ &avid repeated.
-usan gasped. '#h m 6od2 &avid,
ou/re a genius2+
Chapter 121
5Se.en minutes47 a technician called
out.
'Eight rows of eight2+ -usan shouted,
e3cited.
-oshi tped. $ontaine looked on
silentl. The second to lastshield was
growing thin.
'-i3t%four letters2+ -usan was in
control. 'It/s a perfect s;uare2+
'Perfect s;uare)+ ?abba demanded.
'-o $hat67
Ten seconds later -oshi had
rearranged the seemingl
randomletters on the screen. The
were
now in eight rows of eight.
?abbastudied the letters and threw up
his hands in despair. The
newlaout was no more revealing
than the original.
P F S S N
" T 5 P F ' A
I " 6 O O I $
5 N N " 5 A
N T S ' A S
D C N S I I A A
I " B " N 7
F B L L O D I
'1lear as shit.+ ?abba groaned.
'*s. $letcher,+ $ontaine demanded,
'e3plain ourself.+ All ees turned to
-usan.
-usan was staring up at the block of
te3t. 6raduall she began nodding,
then broke into a
wide smile. '&avid, I/ll be damned2+
Everone on the podium e3changed
baffled looks.
&avid winked at the tin image of
-usan $letcher on the screen before
him. '-i3t%four
letters. ?ulius 1aesar strikes again.+
*idge looked lost. '(hat are ou
talking about)+
'1aesar bo3.+ -usan beamed. '<ead
top to bottom. Tankado/s sending us a
message.+
Chapter 122
5Six minutes47 a technician called
out.
-usan shouted orders. '<etpe top to
bottom2 <ead down, not across2+
-oshi furiousl moved down the
columns, retping the te3t.
'?ulius 1aesar sent codes this wa2+
-usan blurted. '.is letter count was
alwas a perfect
s;uare2+
'&one2+ -oshi elled.
Everone looked up at the newl
arranged, single line of te3t on the
wall%screen.
'-till garbage,+ ?abba scoffed in
disgust. ',ook at it. It/s totall
random bits of"+ The words
lodged in his throat. .is ees widened
to saucers. '#h5 oh m5+
$ontaine had seen it too. .e arched
his eebrows, obviousl impressed.
*idge and !rinkerhoff both cooed in
unison. '.ol5 shit.+
The si3t%four letters now readC
P<I*E&I$$E<E71E!ET(EE7E,
E*E7T-<E-P#7-I!,E$#<.I<#
-.I*A
A7&7A6A-AGI
'Put in the spaces,+ -usan ordered.
'(e/ve got a puzzle to solve.+
Chapter 123
An ashen technician ran to the
podium. 'Tunnel block/s about to
go2+
?abba turned to the :< onscreen. The
attackers surged forward, onl a
whisker awa from
their assault on the fifth and final
wall. The databank was running out of
time.
-usan blocked out the chaos around
her. -he read Tankado/s bizarre
message over and over.
P<I*E &I$$E<E71E !ET(EE7
E,E*E7T- <E-P#7-I!,E $#<
.I<#-.I*A A7& 7A6A-AGI
'It/s not even a ;uestion2+
!rinkerhoff cried. '.ow can it have
an answer)+
'(e need a number,+ ?abba
reminded. 'The kill%code is numeri.7
'-ilence,+ $ontaine said evenl. .e
turned and addressed -usan. '*s.
$letcher, ou/ve gotten
us this far. I need our best guess.+
-usan took a deep breath. 'The kill%
code entr field accepts numerics
on!y. * guess is that
this is some sort of clue as to the
correct number. The te3t mentions
.iroshima and 7agasaki"the
two cities that were hit b atomic
bombs. *abe the kill%code is related
to the number of casualties,
the estimated dollars of damage5+
-he paused a moment, rereading the
clue. 'The word
Edifference/ seems important. The
prime differene between 7agasaki
and .iroshima. Apparentl
Tankado felt the two incidents
differed somehow.+
$ontaine/s e3pression did not change.
7onetheless, hope was fading fast. It
seemed the
political backdrops surrounding the
two most devastating blasts in histor
needed to be analzed,
compared, and translated into some
magic number5 and all within the
ne3t five minutes.
Chapter 12)
'$inal shield under attack2+
#n the :<, the PE* authorization
programming was now being
consumed. !lack,
penetrating lines engulfed the final
protective shield and began forcing
their wa toward its core.
Prowling hackers were now appearing
from all over the world. The number
was doubling
almost ever minute. !efore long,
anone with a computer"foreign
spies, radicals, terrorists"would
have access to all of the D.-.
government/s classified information.
As technicians tried vainl to sever
power, the assembl on the podium
studied the message.
Even &avid and the two 7-A agents
were tring to crack the code from
their van in -pain.
P<I*E &I$$E<E71E !ET(EE7
E,E*E7T- <E-P#7-I!,E
$#<.I<#-.I*A A7&
7A6A-AGI
-oshi thought aloud. 'The elements
responsible for .iroshima and
7agasaki5 Pearl .arbor)
.irohito/s refusal to5+
'(e need a number,7 ?abba repeated,
'not political theories. (e/re talking
mathematis "not
histor2+
-oshi fell silent.
'.ow about paloads)+ !rinkerhoff
offered. '1asualties) &ollars
damage)+
'(e/re looking for an exat figure,+
-usan reminded. '&amage estimates
var.+ -he stared
up at the message. 'The elements
responsible5+
Three thousand miles awa, &avid
!ecker/s ees flew open. 'Elements2+
he declared. '(e/re
talking math, not histor2+
All heads turned toward the satellite
screen.
'Tankado/s plaing word games2+
!ecker spouted. 'The word
Eelements/ has multiple
meanings2+
'-pit it out, *r. !ecker,+ $ontaine
snapped.
'.e/s talking about hemia!
elements"not sociopolitical ones2+
!ecker/s announcement met blank
looks.
'Elements2+ he prompted. 'The
periodic table2 9hemia! elements2
&idn/t an of ou see the
movie Fat Man and 3itt!e +oy "about
the *anhattan Pro0ect) The two
atomic bombs were
different. The used different fuel"
different e!ements4 +
-oshi clapped her hands. '4es2 .e/s
right2 I read that2 The two bombs used
different fuels2
#ne used uranium and one used
plutonium2 Two different elements2+
A hush swept across the room.
'Dranium and plutonium2+ ?abba
e3claimed, suddenl hopeful. 'The
clue asks for the
differene between the two elements2+
.e spun to his arm of workers. 'The
difference between
uranium and plutonium2 (ho knows
what it is)+
!lank stares all around.
'1ome on2+ ?abba said. '&idn/t ou
kids go to college) -omebod2
Anbod2 I need the
difference between plutonium and
uranium2+
7o response.
-usan turned to -oshi. 'I need access
to the (eb. Is there a browser here)+
-oshi nodded. '7etscape/s sweetest.+
-usan grabbed her hand. '1ome on.
(e/re going surfing.+
Chapter 12*
'.ow much time)+ ?abba demanded
from the podium.
There was no response from the
technicians in the back. The stood
riveted, staring up at the
:<. The final shield was getting
dangerousl thin.
7earb, -usan and -oshi pored over
the results of their (ebsearch.
'#utlaw ,abs)+ -usan
asked. '(ho are the)+
-oshi shrugged. '4ou want me to
open it)+
'&amn right,+ she said. '-i3 hundred
fort%seven te3t references to
uranium, plutonium, and
atomic bombs. -ounds like our best
bet.+
-oshi opened the link. A disclaimer
appeared.
The information contained in this file
is strictl for academic use onl. An
laperson
attempting to construct an of the
devices described runs the risk of
radiation poisoning andHor
self%e3plosion.
'-elf%e3plosion)+ -oshi said. '?esus.+
'-earch it,+ $ontaine snapped over his
shoulder. ',et/s see what we/ve got.+
-oshi plowed into the document. -he
scrolled past a recipe for urea nitrate,
an e3plosive ten
times more powerful than dnamite.
The information rolled b like a
recipe for butterscotch
brownies.
'Plutonium and uranium,+ ?abba
repeated. ',et/s focus.+
'6o back,+ -usan ordered. 'The
document/s too big. $ind the table of
contents.+
-oshi scrolled backward until she
found it.
I. *echanism of an Atomic !omb
Ad Altimeter
!d Air Pressure &etonator
1d &etonating .eads
&d E3plosive 1harges
Ed 7eutron &eflector
$d Dranium V Plutonium
6d ,ead -hield
.d $uses
II. 7uclear $issionH7uclear $usion
Ad $ission eA%!ombd V $usion e.%
!ombd
!d D%=F>, D%=FJ, and Plutonium
III. .istor of the Atomic (eapons
Ad &evelopment eThe *anhattan
Pro0ectd
!d &etonation
@d .iroshima
=d 7agasaki
Fd !%products of Atomic
&etonations
Ld !last Nones
'-ection two2+ -usan cried. 'Dranium
and plutonium2 6o2+
Everone waited while -oshi found
the right section. 'This is it,+ she said.
'.old on.+ -he
;uickl scanned the data. 'There/s a
lot of information here. A whole
chart. .ow do we know
which difference we/re looking for)
#ne occurs naturall, one is man%
made. Plutonium was first
discovered b"+
'A number,7 ?abba reminded. '(e
need a number.7
-usan reread Tankado/s message. The
prime differene bet$een the
e!ements the differene
bet$een $e need a number
'(ait2+ she said. 'The word
Edifference/ has multiple meanings.
(e need a number "so we/re talking
math. It/s another of Tankado/s word
games"/difference/
means subtration.7
'4es2+ !ecker agreed from the screen
overhead. '*abe the elements have
different numbers
of protons or something) If ou
subtract"+
'.e/s right2+ ?abba said, turning to
-oshi. 'Are there an numbers on that
chart) Proton
counts) .alf%lives) Anthing we can
subtract)+
5Three minutes47 a technician called.
'.ow about supercritical mass)+
-oshi ventured. 'It sas the
supercritical mass for plutonium
is F>.= pounds.+
'4es2+ ?abba said. '1heck uranium2
(hat/s the supercritical mass of
uranium)+
-oshi searched. 'Dm5 @@9 pounds.+
'#ne hundred ten)+ ?abba looked
suddenl hopeful. '(hat/s F>.= from
@@9)+
'-event%four point eight,+ -usan
snapped. '!ut I don/t think"+
'#ut of m wa,+ ?abba commanded,
plowing toward the keboard. 'That/s
got to be the
kill%code2 The difference between
their critical masses2 -event%four
point eight2+
'.old on,+ -usan said, peering over
-oshi/s shoulder. 'There/s more here.
Atomic weights.
7eutron counts. E3traction
techni;ues.+ -he skimmed the chart.
'Dranium splits into barium and
krpton; plutonium does something
else. Dranium has K= protons and @L8
neutrons, but"+
'(e need the most ob.ious
difference,+ *idge chimed in. 'The
clue reads Ethe primary
difference between the elements./ '
'?esus 1hrist2+ ?abba swore. '.ow do
we know what Tankado considered
the primary
difference)+
&avid interrupted. 'Actuall, the clue
reads prime, not primary.7
The word hit -usan right between the
ees. 5Prime47 she e3claimed.
5Prime47 -he spun to
?abba. 'The kill%code is a prime
number2 Think about it2 It makes
perfect sense2+
?abba instantl knew -usan was right.
Ensei Tankado had built his career on
prime numbers.
Primes were the fundamental building
blocks of all encrption algorithms"
uni;ue values that had
no factors other than one and
themselves. Primes worked well in
code writing because the were
impossible for computers to guess
using tpical number%tree factoring.
-oshi 0umped in. '4es2 It/s perfect2
Primes are essential to ?apanese
culture2 .aiku uses
primes. Three lines and sllable
counts of fi.e, se.en, fi.e. All primes.
The temples of Goto all
have"+
5*nough47 ?abba said. 'Even if the
kill%code is a prime, so what2 There
are endless
possibilities2+
-usan knew ?abba was right. !ecause
the number line was infinite, one
could alwas look a
little farther and find another prime
number. !etween zero and a million,
there were over A9,999
choices. It all depended on how large
a prime Tankado decided to use. The
bigger it was, the harder
it was to guess.
'It/ll be huge.+ ?abba groaned.
'(hatever prime Tankado chose is
sure to be a monster.+
A call went up from the rear of the
room. 5T$o-minute $arning47
?abba gazed up at the :< in defeat.
The final shield was starting to
crumble. Technicians
were rushing everwhere.
-omething in -usan told her the
were close. '(e can do this2+ she
declared, taking control.
'#f all the differences between
uranium and plutonium, I bet onl one
can be represented as a
prime number2 That/s our final clue.
The number we/re looking for is
prime2+
?abba eed the uraniumHplutonium
chart on the monitor and threw up his
arms. 'There must
be a hundred entries here2 There/s no
wa we can subtract them all and
check for primes.+
'A lot of the entries are nonnumeri,7
-usan encouraged. '(e can ignore
them. Dranium/s
natural, plutonium/s man%made.
Dranium uses a gun barrel detonator,
plutonium uses implosion.
The/re not numbers, so the/re
irrelevant2+
'&o it,+ $ontaine ordered. #n the :<,
the final wall was eggshell thin.
?abba mopped his brow. 'All right,
here goes nothing. -tart subtracting.
I/ll take the top
;uarter. -usan, ou/ve got the middle.
Everbod else split up the rest.
(e/re looking for a prime
difference.+
(ithin seconds, it was clear the/d
never make it. The numbers were
enormous, and in man
cases the units didn/t match up.
'It/s apples and goddamn oranges,+
?abba said. '(e/ve got gamma ras
against
electromagnetic pulse. $issionable
against unfissionable. -ome is pure.
-ome is percentage. It/s a
mess2+
'It/s got to be here,+ -usan said
firml. '(e/ve got to think. There/s
some difference between
plutonium and uranium that we/re
missing2 -omething simple2+
'Ah5 gus)+ -oshi said. -he/d
created a second document window
and was perusing the rest
of the #utlaw ,abs document.
'(hat is it)+ $ontaine demanded.
'$ind something)+
'Dm, sort of.+ -he sounded uneas.
'4ou know how I told ou the
7agasaki bomb was a
plutonium bomb)+
'4eah,+ the all replied in unison.
'(ell5+ -oshi took a deep breath.
',ooks like I made a mistake.+
'(hat2+ ?abba choked. '(e/ve been
looking for the wrong thing)+
-oshi pointed to the screen. The
huddled around and read the te3tC
5the common misconception that the
7agasaki bomb was a plutonium
bomb. In fact, the
device emploed uranium, like its
sister bomb in .iroshima.
* * *
'!ut"+ -usan gasped. 'If both
elements were uranium, how are we
supposed to find the
difference between the two)+
'*abe Tankado made a mistake,+
$ontaine ventured. '*abe he didn/t
know the bombs
were the same.+
'7o.+ -usan sighed. '.e was a
cripple because of those bombs. .e/d
know the facts cold.+
Chapter 12+
'#ne minute2+
?abba eed the :<. 'PE*
authorization/s going fast. ,ast line of
defense. And there/s a
crowd at the door.+
'$ocus2+ $ontaine commanded.
-oshi sat in front of the (eb browser
and read aloud.
57agasaki bomb did not use
plutonium but rather an artificiall
manufactured,
neutron%saturated isotope of uranium
=FJ.+
'&amn2+ !rinkerhoff swore. '!oth
bombs used uranium. The elements
responsible for
.iroshima and 7agasaki were both
uranium. There is no difference2+
'(e/re dead,+ *idge moaned.
'(ait,+ -usan said. '<ead that last
part again2+
-oshi repeated the te3t. '5artificiall
manufactured, neutron%saturated
isotope of uranium
=FJ.+
'=FJ)+ -usan e3claimed. '&idn/t we
0ust see something that said
.iroshima/s bomb used
some other isotope of uranium)+
The all e3changed puzzled glances.
-oshi franticall scrolled backward
and found the spot.
'%es4 It sas here that the .iroshima
bomb used a different isotope of
uranium2+
*idge gasped in amazement.
'The/re both uranium"but the/re
different kinds2+
'!oth uranium)+ ?abba muscled in
and stared at the terminal. 'Apples
and apples2 Perfect2+
'.ow are the two isotopes different)+
$ontaine demanded. 'It/s got to be
something basic.+
-oshi scrolled through the document.
'.old on5 looking5 oka5+
'$ort%five seconds2+ a voice called
out.
-usan looked up. The final shield was
almost invisible now.
'.ere it is2+ -oshi e3claimed.
'<ead it2+ ?abba was sweating.
'(hat/s the difference2 There must be
some difference
between the two2+
'4es2+ -oshi pointed to her monitor.
',ook2+
The all read the te3tC
5two bombs emploed two different
fuels5 precisel identical chemical
characteristics. 7o
ordinar chemical e3traction can
separate the two isotopes. The are,
with the e3ception of minute
differences in weight, perfectl
identical.
'Atomic weight2+ ?abba said,
e3citedl. 'That/s it2 The onl
difference is their $eights4
That/s the ke2 6ive me their
weights2 (e/ll subtract them2+
'.old on,+ -oshi said, scrolling
ahead. 'Almost there2 %es47 Everone
scanned the te3t.
5difference in weight ver slight5
5gaseous diffusion to separate
them5
5@9,9F=LKJ[@9f@FL as compared to
@K,FKLJL[@9f=F. gg
'There the are2+ ?abba screamed.
'That/s it2 Those are the weights2+
'Thirt seconds2+
'6o,+ $ontaine whispered. '-ubtract
them. Buickl.+
?abba palmed his calculator and
started entering numbers.
'(hat/s the asterisk)+ -usan
demanded. 'There/s an asterisk after
the figures2+
?abba ignored her. .e was alread
working his calculator kes furiousl.
'1areful2+ -oshi urged. '(e need an
exat figure.+
'The asterisk,+ -usan repeated.
'There/s a footnote.+
-oshi clicked to the bottom of the
paragraph.
-usan read the asterisked footnote.
-he went white. '#h5 dear 6od.+
?abba looked up. '(hat)+
The all leaned in, and there was a
communal sigh of defeat. The tin
footnote readC
gg@=h margin of error. Published
figures var from lab to lab.
Chapter 12,
There was a sudden and reverent
silence among the group on the
podium. It was as if the
were watching an eclipse or volcanic
eruption"an incredible chain of events
over which the had no
control. Time seemed to slow to a
crawl.
'(e/re losing it2+ a technician cried.
'Tie%ins2 All lines2+
#n the far%left screen, &avid and
Agents -mith and 1oliander stared
blankl into their
camera. #n the :<, the final fire wall
was onl a sliver. A mass of
blackness surrounded it,
hundreds of lines waiting to tie in. To
the right of that was Tankado. The
stilted clips of his final
moments ran b in an endless loop.
The look of desperation"fingers
stretched outward, the ring
glistening in the sun.
-usan watched the clip as it went in
and out of focus. -he stared at
Tankado/s ees"the
seemed filled with regret. <e ne.er
$anted it to go this far, she told
herself. <e $anted to sa.e us.
And et, over and over, Tankado held
his fingers outward, forcing the ring
in front of people/s ees.
.e was tring to speak but could not.
.e 0ust kept thrusting his fingers
forward.
In -eville, !ecker/s mind still turned
it over and over. .e mumbled to
himself, '(hat did
the sa those two isotopes were)
D=FJ and D5)+ .e sighed heavil"it
didn/t matter. .e was a
language teacher, not a phsicist.
'Incoming lines preparing to
authenticate2+
'?esus2+ ?abba bellowed in
frustration. '.ow do the damn
isotopes differ6 7obod knows
how the hell the/re different)2+
There was no response. The room full
of technicians stood
helplessl watching the :<. ?abba
spun back to the monitor and threw up
his arms. '(here/s a
nuclear fucking phsicist when ou
need one2+
* * *
-usan stared up at the BuickTime clip
on the wall screen and knew it was
over. In slow
motion, she watched Tankado ding
over and over. .e was tring to speak,
choking on his words,
holding out his deformed hand5
tring to communicate something. <e
$as trying to sa.e the
databan&, -usan told herself. +ut
$e!! ne.er &no$ ho$.
'1ompan at the door2+
?abba stared at the screen. '.ere we
go2+ -weat poured down his face.
#n the center screen, the final wisp of
the last firewall had all but
disappeared. The black
mass of lines surrounding the core
was opa;ue and pulsating. *idge
turned awa. $ontaine stood
rigid, ees front. !rinkerhoff looked
like he was about to get sick.
'Ten seconds2+
-usan/s ees never left Tankado/s
image. The desperation. The regret.
.is hand reached out,
over and over, ring glistening,
deformed fingers arched crookedl in
stranger/s faces. <es te!!ing
them something. (hat is it6
#n the screen overhead, &avid looked
deep in thought. '&ifference,+ he kept
muttering to
himself. '&ifference between D=FJ
and D=F>. It/s got to be something
simple.+
A technician began the countdown.
5Fi.e4 Four4 Three47
The word made it to -pain in 0ust
under a tenth of a second. Three
three.
It was as if &avid !ecker had been hit
b the stun gun all over again. .is
world slowed to
stop. Three three three. IHJ
minus IHK4 The differene is three2 In
slow motion, he reached for
the microphone5
At that ver instant, -usan was staring
at Tankado/s outstretched hand.
-uddenl, she saw
past the ring5 past the engraved gold
to the flesh beneath5 to his fingers.
Three fingers. It was
not the ring at all. It was the flesh.
Tankado was not telling them, he was
showing them. .e was
telling his secret, revealing the kill%
code"begging someone to
understand5 praing his secret
would find its wa to the 7-A in
time.
'Three,+ -usan whispered, stunned.
5Three47 !ecker elled from -pain.
!ut in the chaos, no one seemed to
hear.
5(ere do$n47 a technician elled.
The :< began flashing wildl as the
core succumbed to a deluge. -irens
erupted overhead.
'#utbound data2+
'.igh%speed tie%ins in all sectors2+
-usan moved as if through a dream.
-he spun toward ?abba/s keboard.
As she turned, her
gaze fi3ed on her fiancO, &avid
!ecker. Again his voice e3ploded
overhead.
'Three2 The difference between =F>
and =FJ is three2+
Everone in the room looked up.
5Three47 -usan shouted over the
deafening cacophon of sirens and
technicians. -he pointed
to the screen. All ees followed, to
Tankado/s hand, outstretched, three
fingers waving desperatel
in the -evillian sun.
?abba went rigid. '#h m 6od2+ .e
suddenl realized the crippled genius
had been giving
them the answer all the time.
'Three/s prime2+ -oshi blurted.
'Three/s a prime number2+
$ontaine looked dazed. '1an it be that
simple)+
'#utbound data2+ a technician cried.
'It/s going fast2+
Everone on the podium dove for the
terminal at the same instant"a mass of
outstretched
hands. !ut through the crowd, -usan,
like a shortstop stabbing a line drive,
connected with her
target. -he tped the number F.
Everone wheeled to the wall screen.
Above the chaos, it simpl
read.
E7TE< PA--%GE4) F
'4es2+ $ontaine commanded. '&o it
now2+
-usan held her breath and lowered her
finger on the E7TE< ke. The
computer beeped once.
7obod moved.
Three agonizing seconds later,
nothing had happened.
The sirens kept going. $ive seconds.
-i3 seconds.
'#utbound data2+
'7o change2+
-uddenl *idge began pointing
wildl to the screen above. ',ook2+
#n it, a message had materialized.
GI,, 1#&E 1#7$I<*E&.
'Dpload the firewalls2+ ?abba
ordered.
!ut -oshi was a step ahead of him.
-he had alread sent the command.
5)utbound interrupt47 a technician
elled.
'Tie%ins severed2+
#n the :< overhead, the first of the
five firewalls began reappearing. The
black lines
attacking the core were instantl
severed.
'<einstating2+ ?abba cried. 'The
damn thing/s reinstating2+
There was a moment of tentative
disbelief, as if at an instant,
everthing would fall apart.
!ut then the second firewall began
reappearing5 and then the third.
*oments later the entire series
of filters reappeared. The databank
was secure.
The room erupted. Pandemonium.
Technicians hugged, tossing computer
printouts in the air
in celebration. -irens wound down.
!rinkerhoff grabbed *idge and held
on. -oshi burst into tears.
'?abba,+ $ontaine demanded. '.ow
much did the get)+
':er little,+ ?abba said, studing his
monitor. ':er little. And nothing
complete.+
$ontaine nodded slowl, a wr smile
forming in the corner of his mouth.
.e looked around
for -usan $letcher, but she was
alread walking toward the front of
the room. #n the wall before
her, &avid !ecker/s face filled the
screen.
'&avid)+
'.e, gorgeous.+ .e smiled.
'1ome home,+ she said. '1ome
home, right now.+
'*eet ou at -tone *anor)+ he
asked.
-he nodded, the tears welling. '&eal.+
'Agent -mith)+ $ontaine called.
-mith appeared onscreen behind
!ecker. '4es, sir)+
'It appears *r. !ecker has a date.
1ould ou see that he gets home
immediatel)+
-mith nodded. '#ur 0et/s in *Tlaga.+
.e patted !ecker on the back.
'4ou/re in for a treat,
Professor. Ever flown in a ,ear0et
89)+
!ecker chuckled. '7ot since
esterda.+
Chapter 12-
(hen -usan awoke, the sun was
shining. the soft ras sifted through
the curtains and filtered
across her goosedown feather bed.
-he reached for &avid. Am 8
dreaming6 .er bod remained
motionless, spent, still dizz from the
night before.
'&avid)+ -he moaned.
There was no repl. -he opened her
ees, her skin still tingling. The
mattress on the other side
of the bed was cold. &avid was gone.
8m dreaming, -usan thought. -he sat
up. The room was :ictorian, all lace
and anti;ues"
-tone *anor/s finest suite. .er
overnight bag was in the middle of the
hardwood floor5 her
lingerie on a Bueen Anne chair beside
the bed.
.ad &avid reall arrived) -he had
memories"his bod against hers, his
waking her with soft
kisses. .ad she dreamed it all) -he
turned to the bedside table. There was
an empt bottle of
champagne, two glasses5 and a note.
<ubbing the sleep from her ees,
-usan drew the comforter around her
naked bod and read
the message.
&earest -usan,
I love ou.
(ithout wa3, &avid.
-he beamed and pulled the note to her
chest. It was &avid, all right. (ithout
$ax it was the
one code she had et to break.
-omething stirred in the corner, and
-usan looked up. #n a plush divan,
basking in the
morning sun, wrapped in thick
bathrobe, &avid !ecker sat ;uietl
watching her. -he reached out,
beckoning him to come to her.
'(ithout wa3)+ she cooed, taking
him in her arms.
'(ithout wa3.+ .e smiled.
-he kissed him deepl. 'Tell me what
it means.+
'7o chance.+ .e laughed. 'A couple
needs secrets"it keeps things
interesting.+
-usan smiled col. 'An more
interesting than last night and I/ll
never walk again.+
&avid took her in his arms. .e felt
weightless. .e had almost died
esterda, and et here he
was, as alive as he had ever felt in his
life.
-usan la with her head on his chest,
listening to the beat of his heart. -he
couldn/t believe
that she had thought he was gone
forever.
'&avid.+ -he sighed, eeing the note
beside the table. 'Tell me about
Ewithout wa3./ 4ou
know I hate codes I can/t break.+
&avid was silent.
'Tell me.+ -usan pouted. '#r ou/ll
never have me again.+
',iar.+
-usan hit him with a pillow. 'Tell me2
7ow2+
!ut &avid knew he would never tell.
The secret behind 'without wa3+ was
too sweet. Its
origins were ancient. &uring the
<enaissance, -panish sculptors who
made mistakes while carving
e3pensive marble often patched their
flaws with era "+wa3.+ A statue that
had no flaws and
re;uired no patching was hailed as a
'sculpture sinera7 or a 'sculpture
without wa3.+ The phrase
eventuall came to mean anthing
honest or true. The English word
'sincere+ evolved from the
-panish sinera "+without wa3.+
&avid/s secret code was no great
mster"he was simpl signing
his letters '-incerel.+ -omehow he
suspected -usan would not be
amused.
'4ou/ll be pleased to know,+ &avid
said, attempting to change the sub0ect,
'that during the
flight home, I called the president of
the universit.+
-usan looked up, hopeful. 'Tell me
ou resigned as department chair.+
&avid nodded. 'I/ll be back in the
classroom ne3t semester.+
-he sighed in relief. '<ight where ou
belonged in the first place.+
&avid smiled softl. '4eah, I guess
-pain reminded me what/s
important.+
'!ack to breaking coeds/ hearts)+
-usan kissed his cheek. '(ell, at least
ou/ll have time to
help me edit m manuscript.+
'*anuscript)+
'4es. I/ve decided to publish.+
'Publish)+ &avid looked doubtful.
'Publish $hat67
'-ome ideas I have on variant filter
protocols and ;uadratic residues.+
.e groaned. '-ounds like a real best%
seller.+
-he laughed. '4ou/d be surprised.+
&avid fished inside the pocket of his
bathrobe and pulled out a small
ob0ect. '1lose our ees.
I have something for ou.+
-usan closed her ees. ',et me
guess"a gaud gold ring with ,atin all
over it)+
'7o.+ &avid chuckled. 'I had
$ontaine return that to Ensei
Tankado/s estate.+ .e took
-usan/s hand and slipped something
onto her finger.
',iar.+ -usan laughed, opening her
ees. 'I knew"+
!ut -usan stopped short. The ring on
her finger was not Tankado/s at all. It
was a platinum
setting that held a glittering diamond
solitaire.
-usan gasped.
&avid looked her in the ee. '(ill
ou marr me)+
-usan/s breath caught in her throat.
-he looked at him and then back to
the ring. .er ees
suddenl welled up. '#h, &avid5 I
don/t know what to sa.+
'-a es.+
-usan turned awa and didn/t sa a
word.
&avid waited. '-usan $letcher, I love
ou. *arr me.+
-usan lifted her head. .er ees were
filled with tears. 'I/m sorr, &avid,+
she whispered. 'I5
I can/t.+
&avid stared in shock. .e searched
her ees for the plaful glimmer he/d
come to e3pect from
her. It wasn/t there. '-%-usan,+ he
stammered. 'I"I don/t understand.+
'I can/t,+ she repeated. 'I can/t marr
ou.+ -he turned awa. .er shoulders
started
trembling. -he covered her face with
her hands.
&avid was bewildered. '!ut, -usan5
I thought5+ .e held her trembling
shoulders and
turned her bod toward him. It was
then that he understood. -usan
$letcher was not cring at all;
she was in hsterics.
'I won/t marr ou2+ -he laughed,
attacking again with the pillow. '7ot
until ou e3plain
Ewithout wa3/2 4ou/re driving me
ra/y47
pilogue
The sa in death, all things become
clear. Tokugen 7umataka now knew
it was true.
-tanding over the casket in the #saka
customs office, he felt a bitter clarit
he had never known.
.is religion spoke of circles, of the
interconnectedness of life, but
7umataka had never had time for
religion.
The customs officials had given him
an envelope of adoption papers and
birth records. '4ou
are this bo/s onl living relative,+
the had said. '(e had a hard time
finding ou.+
7umataka/s mind reeled back thirt%
two ears to that rain%soaked night, to
the hospital ward
where he had deserted his deformed
child and ding wife. .e had done it
in the name of menboku"
honor"an empt shadow now.
There was a golden ring enclosed
with the papers. It was engraved with
words 7umataka did
not understand. It made no difference;
words had no meaning for 7umataka
anmore. .e had
forsaken his onl son. And now, the
cruelest of fates had reunited them.