Palm Sunday

by William R. Vitanyi Jr.

  With travel by air, rail, or bus at a virtual standstill in the eastern United States, the public looked increasingly to the government to solve what was clearly a case of sabotage. Within the Bureau there was a race to be the hero who solved the problem. That was why Dave Roberts was pressing Agent Sharon to isolate and correct the problem, and why he repeatedly called for updates. Even now Sharon was being informed that Roberts was asking for him on the phone. He picked up the receiver for the third time that hour.

  “Agent Sharon,” he said.

  “What’s your status?” asked Roberts, impatiently.

  Sharon resisted the urge to tell him that it was the same as when he called fifteen minutes earlier. “We’re working on it. Hopefully we can identify the source while the trail is still relatively fresh.”

  “Hold off on that,” said Roberts. “The Secretary of Transportation is raising hell to get things moving. That’s your first priority. Whatever is broken, have your people develop some kind of a patch.”

  It was unbelievable. “With all due respect,” said Sharon, “the longer we wait to track down whoever did this, the less likely it is we’ll find them.”

  “I’m aware of that, but we’ve got people stranded all over the place. If this isn’t fixed, and quickly, we’re going to have riots to contend with.”

  “That might be the least of our problems,” said Sharon.

  Roberts wasn’t listening. “We’ll do this my way. Concentrate on finding a fix, and worry about the criminal implications later.”

  Sharon thought Robert’s order had ‘criminal implications’. He bit his tongue. “Very well. I’ll have my staff work on a technical solution.”

  “Keep me posted.” As Roberts hung up, Sharon replaced the receiver and looked across the room.

  “Justin, come here a minute.”

  He hurried over. “Yes, sir?”

  “New orders. We have to stop looking for the source of the attack, and work on getting the affected systems up and running.”

  Justin was surprised. “With all due respect, sir, shouldn’t we be looking for the bad guys?”

  “Of course we should, but that’s not Robert’s priority. What can I tell you? Welcome to politics.”

  “Isn’t there anything you can do?” asked Justin.

  “Hell, yes,” thought Sharon. “There’s one thing I want to try before we switch gears. Is Walthrop’s system still physically available?”

  “Sure,” said Justin. “All we have to do is sync up the servers, and that would only take a few minutes.”

  “Do it. I want to run Omnivore in conjunction with Walthrop’s setup, and see if maybe together they can sniff something out.”

  Justin considered this. “I’ll have to telnet to one of Walthrop’s machines to interface Omnivore.”

  “Whatever it takes,” said Sharon. He softened. “I know I don’t have to tell you we’re on very thin ice here. If it doesn’t pan out quickly, you just shut down and bring everything off line. Understand?”

  Justin nodded. “I’ll let it cycle through a couple times, then kill it if nothing appears. If something turns up, though, should I keep it online?”

  Sharon thought about this. “No. Just log whatever you find, and we’ll take it from there.”

  It went against everything Sharon believed in. There were supposed to be rules, procedures that one followed which preserved the integrity of the investigation, actions that would stand up under the scrutiny of an independent observer. But he was working the system from the other end, using means that were strictly forbidden to first find the answers, and then make his case. It disturbed him greatly, but his incremental disobedience seemed to have a life of its own.

  “I’ll let you know what I find,” said Justin.

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Sharon took up a position where he could watch the door to the computer center. If Roberts should decide to pay a personal visit, Justin would need someone to run interference so he could disable Omnivore. Sharon could only stand and fume at the fact that once again he had to sidestep orders if he was to get the job done. He felt like his own organization was working against him, but he had to believe that if Justin could produce the evidence he needed, Roberts would allow him to pursue the investigation on his own terms. Maybe he would even forgive the use of Omnivore.

  ***

  Stanley and Katherine worked closely with Boyd for most of their first day back, trying to make up for lost time. They concentrated on the final integration of the software with the optical interface. They were using a mock-up of a public Internet connection, with test data provided by the backers of the project. Boyd felt that this arrangement was too artificial, but the folks who were paying for the device wanted be sure that the interface functioned properly in a controlled environment before moving on to more rigorous testing. The device was supposed to be able to learn what input patterns were permissible, but by limiting its exposure Boyd thought that an opportunity to pinpoint flaws was lost.

  “I’m telling you,” said Boyd, “we’ve done more than enough testing with this small sample. This thing knows all the patterns we’ve fed it backwards and forwards. Why do you think the response time has peaked? That’s as fast as it can physically process the data.”

  Katherine nodded. “I know, Boyd. But remember, at this point it’s not just about making it work better. We have to get past the test at the end of the week.”

  “The test is bogus,” said Boyd. “We know what the data is, and the machine knows what the data is. Just give it an ‘A’ and let’s move on.”

  Stanley spoke without stopping his work. “Are you a football fan, Boyd?”

  Boyd was surprised by the question, coming from Stanley. “Sure, I like to watch. What’s that got to do with it?”

  “Imagine your team has a play that’s always worth two yards. Always. I mean, you’ve got a huge offensive line, a monster of a fullback, and you’re playing against a weak opponent.”

  “Okay…”

  “If you run this two yard play–and let’s even throw in that the other side is expecting a pass play–will it get you those two yards?”

  Boyd searched for a trap. He found none. “In most cases, yes. Maybe even always, since you stipulated that this play is ‘always’ worth two yards.”

  “What’s the one thing you have to do to get the two yards?”

  “Just do it,” said Boyd.

  “Exactly. You must execute. The handoff has to be clean, the blocking precise, the fullback has to maintain his footing. These things are all expected, but failure of any can lead to not getting the two yards.”

  “Meaning?”

  “That’s us this Friday. We know we can do it. We know the device works. We just have to execute.”

  Boyd considered the analogy. “Okay. After we ‘execute’, then what?”

  “Can’t look beyond this play, Boyd. If we don’t make it, there are no more plays.”

  For the first time, Boyd smiled. “I had no idea you were such a huge football fan.”

  “Sure. I’ve been a Vikings fan since I was a kid.”

  “Vikings? We’re nowhere near Minnesota.”

  “And I was raised in New England. I guess some things defy explanation.”

  “Like the test Friday,” said Boyd.

  Stanley and Katherine laughed, and at that moment Klugman showed up.

  “Well, I’m glad to find you three in such jovial spirits, because I have some unpleasant news.”

  “What’s that, Boss?” Boyd still had the remnants of a smile on his face.

  “The test has been moved to Thursday, which means that everything needs to be wrapped up by Wednesday afternoon. Can you do it?”

  Boyd looked at the others. “What do you say, team? Short yardage play?”

  “We only need two yards,” said Stanley.

  Klugman looked at them as if they had lost their minds. “Are you guys nuts?”

  “We must be,” said Boy
d. “Because we think we’ll be ready.”

  Klugman was mystified by the unusual behavior, but was happy that they were making progress. As he turned to leave he asked Boyd to come with him to his office, leaving Stanley and Katherine alone together for the first time all day.

  “What do you suppose that’s about?” asked Stanley.

  “Progress report. On us,” replied Katherine.

  “I guess Klugman hasn’t quite made up his mind about whether to trust us.”

  “Speaking of trust,” said Katherine, “Do you think maybe we should do something to cover our tracks a little better?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “As long as we’re here, maybe we should alter our computerized personnel records. If the agency is looking for us, that’s probably the first place they’d search.”

  Stanley agreed. “If we make it look like we’re two other employees, then they’ll have no reason to investigate further.”

  “It’s going to be tough to get anything done on our agency project with Boyd looking over our shoulders, but once we get past the test things may cool down.”

  “Maybe Klugman will give him a few days off,” said Stanley. He noticed that Boyd was returning. “Here he comes.”

  They resumed work on the interface software. When Boyd arrived he bent down and started fidgeting with the internal circuitry of a detached subsystem. He exposed a series of wires, separating a bundle of thin strands from the rest of the unit.

  “I’m going to run a diagnostic on these. I want to make sure there are no loose pins or anything.” He unhooked the two ends of the twelve-inch section and left without making eye contact.

  Katherine smiled as she whispered to Stanley. “Now there’s a man who knows that we know that he’s been talking about us.”

  “Yeah,” said Stanley. “But at least he feels guilty about it.”

  ***

  “We made all the major newscasts, and a number of chat rooms are buzzing about it,” said Norbert.

  Mason’s response was muted. “I’m guessing the wireless crowd is logging in from the airports?”

  Norbert nodded. “Most of the airlines provide Internet connectivity even if you aren’t wireless. They like to tell folks the lines are secure.”

  “People are so trusting, aren’t they?” said Mason.

  Norbert wasn’t sure how to respond. “I think people generally accept things at face value, as long as surrounding events seem to fit.”

  Mason suddenly perked up. “Exactly! It’s all so very dependent on what we expect. Tell people what they want to hear, or more accurately, what they expect to hear, and they’ll pretty much believe anything.”

  “Of course, if you’ve developed a certain reputation beforehand it doesn’t hurt.”

  “Norbert, you’ve hit it right on the head. You can’t deceive someone over and over, because they’ll come to expect nothing but deceit from you. But if you develop a relationship of trust, then it’s easy to perform one major act of betrayal. That’s how she did it.”

  “Who?”

  “Kayoko. We trusted her implicitly. She was one of us. But then she turned, for some reason, stabbing us in the back.”

  Norbert thought that Kayoko must have had her reasons, but he didn’t want to cross Mason. “Maybe she just lost it. She was under a lot of pressure.”

  Mason frowned. “Pressure! Don’t tell me about pressure, young man. Do you realize what an awesome responsibility we take on ourselves? The very fate of our society depends on our diligence, on our ability to perceive the downfall before it occurs. If we miss the moment, all are doomed. All. That, my son, is pressure.”

  “Anyway,” said Norbert, continuing with his original report, “we made the news, the situation at the airports is still unresolved, and there don’t seem to be any other major stories that would detract from a positive profile.”

  “You think we should run a profile now?” asked Mason.

  “Yes, as soon as possible.”

  “Do it. Coordinate with Snelling; tell him to be ready to analyze the matrix.”

  “I expect that he’ll complain about not having enough time,” said Norbert.

  “He always whines about time. If he didn’t I’d worry. Can you get things rolling this afternoon?”

  “Shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve been gearing up for it, just waiting for the word to go.”

  “Go, Norbert, go.”

  ***

  Three hours later, Norbert was once again bringing the massive agency repositories online. The mainframes had been reinitialized earlier and synchronized with each other, so there were no memory issues to contend with, and the buffers were clear. Norbert took one last look at his status board, which showed all systems ready.

  “Okay, folks. I’m bringing the buffers up. Stand by on the external gate.”

  The gate was a new addition, a security enhancement designed to prevent anyone from monitoring the data stream at the critical moment when they interfaced with the outside world. It was only a brief window of vulnerability, but Norbert took pains to ensure that there were no windows of vulnerability.

  “I’m reading ninety per cent on the gate,” said Norbert. “Five seconds to full charge. Two…one…the gate is fully charged. Activating interface.” The pipeline to the data stream was now wide open.

  “All channels at full optical capacity. Receiving data…now!” The connection was nearly instantaneous, and like a floodgate being thrown open, the optically transported data gushed into the waiting buffers.

  Norbert called out reports. “Buffers are populating. Five per cent and rising. Seven per cent…ten…fifteen per cent.” He looked at his status board. Still normal. “Buffers at thirty per cent. Boy, these new regenerators are cooking! I’ve never seen the buffers populate so fast. We’re at fifty per cent. I’m opening the repository.” He entered a pair of commands, activating the bank of storage devices that would hold the massive amount of data for later processing.

  “Transfer to repositories is under way. The buffers are…” he was interrupted by a shrill warning from a nearby station. He rushed over to see what was wrong. “We’ve got a leak somewhere.”

  Mason had been silent to this point. Now he spoke up. “What kind of leak?”

  Norbert took a moment to respond. “Data is bleeding out somewhere…it’s external.”

  “How bad,” asked Mason.

  “Not so good,” said Norbert. “It’s spewing packets like a Chinese firecracker. If someone’s watching they’re going to see that.”

  “How much longer on the profile?”

  Norbert looked back at the other console. “Buffers are at ninety. Another minute and we can shut down. Unless you want to abort.”

  “Can you plug the leak?” asked Mason.

  “Not with the profile running. Maybe not even with it not running.” Norbert had a concerned look on his face. “You might want get a team ready to do an on-site visit.”

  “I’ll need the location,” said Mason.

  “Just a minute. Buffers are maxed out on the final stream. I’m completing the transfer to the repository, and,” he entered a final command into his main console. “The buffers are down. External gate is down, and the SP algorithms are now running.” He looked at Mason. “Where do you want the coordinates of the faulty site?”

  “Just give them to me.”

  Norbert printed out a set of detailed map coordinates and handed them to Mason. “Better hurry on this one. It’s downtown, and any other folks who might have an interest will be on it pretty quick.”

  “I’m going straight to field services. What should I tell them to look for?” asked Mason.

  “Hard to say. I’m pretty sure the problem is with a regenerator. My guess is that some component got fried, which shouldn’t be possible, but what the heck, stuff happens.”

  “Thanks, Norbert. I’ll pass along that highly technical evaluation. Stuff happens.” Mason was shaking his head as he left the room.
<
br />   Norbert couldn’t tell if he was really angry, and at the moment he had other issues to contend with. He picked up his phone and dialed.

  “Tom Snelling,” said the voice on the other end.

  “This is Norbert. The data is in, and you should start to see the matrix take form within the next hour.”

  “Thanks for the warning.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Norbert.

  “Like I have a prayer of getting through this on such short notice. I really don’t know what Mason was thinking.”

  Norbert didn’t have time to baby sit. “The window of opportunity is brief; you know that. If something else newsworthy happens before we get a profile, the whole deal with the travel industry might be worthless. We might not get a clear quotient.”

  “We still might not,” said Snelling.

  “That’s your problem. I just wanted you to know the data is being processed.”

  “Thanks.”

  Norbert hung up and leaned back in his chair, thinking that Kayoko’s departure certainly had affected a lot of people. He regretted that he hadn’t had a chance to get to know her better. He watched as the last of the buffers was purged of data. The repositories were now fully populated, and the profile algorithms were running at full tilt.

  In his mind he could almost hear the whir as bits and bytes coalesced into patterns of hexadecimal representations. The binary ballet was like a soothing tonic, as he leaned back and shut his eyes, allowing himself just for a moment the luxury of drifting off. He knew he had several minutes before his attention was required, and his internal clock would alert him well before that time.

  “Norbert!”

  His chair flew forward as Mason’s sharp voice interrupted his brief escape. His feet landed hard on the floor, and he whirled around to face his boss.

  “Yes, Mr. Mason?”

  “Norbert, I’m shocked. Were you sleeping?”

  “No. I was just resting my eyes. I knew that the program would be running for several more minutes, and I just wanted to…”