“Sure, Dinesh,” Yaakov encouraged him, “I’ll do my best to answer.”
“I know you are no longer in active service, but..” Dinesh hesitated a short while and then continued, “What is your former employer’s view about the origin of the biggest cyberattack of the century?”
“My former employer’s view?” Yaakov seemed baffled, “Probably just the same as the Indian secret service, I guess.”
Dinesh burst into laughter, “Come on, Yaakov,” he smiled, “Our secret service has no clue, even though three of my country’s biggest data centers have been hijacked by the malicious bots to launch the attack.” He paused and continued, “I was looking for some more reliable views, but if you cannot comment..never mind.”
Yaakov thought about how much Helena and Louis needed Dinesh’s support, then he talked.
“Well, yours was not the only country to have the major data centers hijacked. We know the attack was extremely distributed and global, what I overheard is that bots originated in Africa, the Middle East and Japan before spreading to the rest of the world. Not the JRC. We are pretty obsessed with security, as you know.”
“Yet Israel, so far, is one of the winners of all the turmoil. The remnants seized the opportunity of chaos in the Arabian Union to extend control over Galilea and parts of the West Bank,” Dinesh commented, “Basically, the Negev desert is the only piece of land missing to bring Israel back to the pre-war situation.”
“You call that progress, I call it a bigger problem for the JRC,” Yaakov replied, coldly, “But that’s my personal view. I am much more worried about other issues.”
“For instance?” Dinesh asked.
“The unstoppable growth of the Navibahais, for example.” Yaakov replied, “Their leader, Farlimas, is now the de facto boss of all of West Africa. One of the trade companies he controls has just been granted the right to send payloads via the Orbital Elevator, skipping the extreme international security inspections. This is a privilege very few private companies even have.”
“Well, thank goodness we have people like him, Yaakov,” Dinesh replied. “His continuous appeal to calm and forgive, along with the influence he exerted in India via the local Navibahais, definitely played a role in stopping the violence. He fought the wildfire of anger like a real firefighter.”
“Yes,” Yaakov realized he had no solid argument he could counter with, “the firefighter and the arsonist at the same time. Forget that, Dinesh. The thing is, I am growing way too cynical with age.”
“Or maybe you are just too tired,” Dinesh said dismissively, as he handed over the teapot, “You are doing tremendous work helping Helena and Louis. You can count on me, please tell them. I will do whatever I can to get Louis out of trouble. I have always looked up to him.”
“Thank you, Dinesh,” Yaakov said, standing up to greet him, “I will let them know. Hopefully, it will seem like we have a good track record to get them out of prison.”
Chapter 17
The apartment bell rang, and Louis hurried to open the door, before the noise could wake up little Hannah, whom he had just managed to put to sleep.
Erika Fryjansdottir and Mats Vestberg appeared in front of him. Erika was now wearing civilian clothes, and that alone made the looks of the lawyer somehow less fashionable. They entered the small living room, which served also as the kitchen, and sat around the square table in the corner.
“It looks quite comfortable here,” Mats Vestberg said, “aside from the armored bars at the window, you would not say you are in a prison.”
“It is,” Louis confirmed to Mats, “It’s not exactly like home, but it made the arrival of Hannah way better than it might have been. I guess it’s thanks to you, Mats.”
“Well, Louis, not only,” Mats answered, looking at Erika, “You should be more thankful to the women around you, starting with Helena, who today cannot join us as she is traveling for your sake, but also Chief Inspector Fryjansdottir here. I asked, but they really made it possible.”
Louis looked at Erika and felt a bit ashamed, he immediately turned his eyes to the table and changed subject.
“Um, you’re right, I guess we have to start discussing the terms of my release on parole today, don’t we?”
“Yes,” Erika jumped in, “Let’s not waste time and get going. I carefully sifted through the documentation you provided to the court over the last two days and nights. I think it is insufficient, and I will ask the Attorney General to keep you here under custody.”
“Insufficient?” Louis looked at Mats in disbelief, “I think New Trust Industries and the other experts provided ample evidence that there is no ground you can accuse me of being a part. The drone was implanted in my body against my will, I am a victim as much as Dorian and..”
“Dr. Picard,” Erika cut him short, “It seems you are not getting the point at all. It’s not about you being part of the plot or not, it’s about your safety and security, considering you are the only link we have to the instigators.”
Erika stopped and looked at Mats, who stayed silent. She then continued.
“The evidence you provided in the last days, well, trust me,” she puffed, “I was already convinced you did not play a part of the scheme when I watched your reaction as you learned the news of the death of Dorian. Maybe that’s because I am a woman and I get certain things before you men do them.”
“However,” she took a deep breath and continued, “I also told you we were keeping you under surveillance because you are a key piece of the investigation. The truth is, we had no progress on that front. But somehow, you seem to have forgotten.”
Mats let some time pass, then went on,
“Louis, the Chief Inspector is right,” he said with some embarrassment, “the Attorney General has set three conditions to let you out of jail, that is, evidence that you are likely a victim, measurable progress about the possible instigators, and a guarantee that you will be safe and at disposal of the Swedish government, in case you are needed. We fulfill just one.”
Louis looked up at the ceiling, then at his lawyer.
“Mats, we have not discussed it yet with Helena, but we might disclose what we have learned from the analysis of my whereabouts in the four months prior to the attack.” Mats barely budged. “As long as you think that the evidence is solid enough.” Louis added.
“It’s your choice, Louis,” Mats commented, “Yours and Helena’s, I’d better say. From a legal standpoint, it’s relevant information.”
Louis took his phone and disappeared into the bedroom. He knew the conversation with Helena would be listened to anyway, but closed the door as a resemblance of privacy between him, Helena and the rest of the world. After a few minutes, he came back out, with a smile on his face. He looked straight at Erika and sat opposite of her.
“Alright, Inspector, here’s the deal,” Louis said, “what I tell you now will of course be properly documented later for the court, but I need to know if this will change your views.”
Erika smiled, and tilted her head towards Louis.
“I am listening, Dr. Picard.”
“I have spent most of the time in Salina, Sicily, as I use to do during winter. The analysis of video footage and other sensors of my house excludes that any of my guests, and I have had many, has implanted the drone seed there. That is the easy part.”
“Most of the time, you said,” Erika noted.
“Indeed. I have left Salina on three occasions, and there, we are lacking precise data, or at least it’s not so easy to collect it.” Louis said, thoughtfully.
“The first one, I spent a week around Christmas time at the mansion of Tarek Tantawy, my old friend, near Alexandria, Egypt. I asked him for the surveillance data, and Helena flew there yesterday to get them, so we should be able to tick this off shortly. The second one is a bit more of a problem, it was the 12th World Telomerax Conference in Los Angeles, in late November. You will need to ask US authorities to share the information, but it was in any case a public
event, so some data should be available, too. And last, the trickiest one. Just before flying to Stockholm, Helena and I spent a few days in Palermo, Italy. It was a short break we took while waiting for the birth of Hannah. The problem is, I am quite sure we have very little or no surveillance coverage in the places we visited at the time.”
Erika did not look discouraged.
“Alright, can you at least make an exhaustive list of all the places you have been to, as well as of all the people who were aware of your holiday break?” she said calmly, “That could help us correlate suspects with places, in any case possibilities are narrowing down.”
“Yes, we are working on that.” Louis replied, “It will come with the rest of the release bid.”
“So, can we say that this leaves only the third point to be addressed?” Mats jumped in, “The security and availability guarantees?”
Louis and Mats looked at Erika, who was pondering an answer, when Hannah started crying loudly from the bedroom. Louis got up and hurried to get the baby from the bed, while Erika and Mats waited in the living room. After a few minutes, the crying had not stopped, if anything, Louis was adding an off-key lullaby to the noise. Erika stood up and went to the bedroom, hinting at Louis to pass the baby over to her.
She lulled Hannah for a short while, as the baby kept crying she turned back to Louis, ordering him to get the feeding bottle. Louis rushed back and forth from the microwave oven, Erika grabbed the bottle from Louis’ hand and gave it to Hannah, saying “She was just hungry,” while continuing to hold the baby in her arms.
Hannah started eating, and calmed down instantly. Louis looked at the scene, and could not resist to ask the question.
“Do you have any children yourself, Inspector?”
“No, I don’t,” Erika replied with a whisper, without diverting her attention from Hannah, “My boyfriend Gunnar and I have yet to make a decision, whether or not to have a baby in the next few months. We both have very demanding jobs, you know.”
“Oh, if you allow me to boast, Inspector,” Louis said, trying out some wit, “Telomerax made time not an issue nowadays…”
The Chief Inspector opened her eyes wide and looked at Louis, a large, ironic smile stamped on her face.
“Do you really think so, Dr. Picard?” she said, “I didn’t feel that big help from Telomerax, when I made the decision that Gunnar was the right guy for me after a few previous mistakes. Nor is Telomerax changing the fact that you men can generate babies until you are more than one-hundred years old, but you soon forget how to take care of them.”
Hannah stopped feeding and fell asleep. Erika placed her gently back into the cradle, then headed back to the living room and looked at Louis.
“I think we can get back to business now. We still have several important points to address.”
Louis, feeling like an idiot, stood up and followed Erika to the living room, where Mats was fiddling with his computer, growing increasingly uncomfortable. As soon as Louis and Erika sat back at the table, he continued as if nothing had happened.
“So, about the security and availability guarantees,” Mats recalled, “The proposal of my client, Dr. Picard, is that he returns to his home in Salina, Sicily, and stays there under house arrest until the case is solved. He is ready to accept some sort of surveillance from the Swedish government, if needed.”
“That requires the agreement of Italian authorities, you know,” Erika noted immediately, “What if they refuse?”
“Under the terms of the Treaty of Budapest of 2059, the one that gave birth to the Euro-Russian Federation of which also Sweden is a part of,” Mats answered, now visibly at ease, “the crime for which Dr. Picard is under investigation, fully falls in the federal offense cases. As such, the governments of member states cannot resist cooperation. There might be some negotiation to do on the how’s, but certainly not on the if’s and what’s. I am willing to help the Office for Criminal Prosecution there, if need be.”
“Thanks, Mr. Vestberg,” Erika replied, “I do not think we can afford your rates, though. My department just does not have the budgets for lawyers of a world celeb and tycoon like Dr. Picard.” She stood up, looking at Louis. “Alright, looks like we made some real progress today. Dr. Picard, you might have a path out of this prison, just make sure that all we discussed today is covered in detail in the instance you are going to file to the criminal court of Stockholm next week.”
Louis shook hands with Erika, and as she was crossing the apartment door he added.
“I assume that in the court documents I can skip the lesson about baby feeding and all the rest we talked about in the bedroom, can’t I?”
Erika laughed, as Mats looked puzzled.
“Of course, Dr. Picard. That, you have to file with Helena.”
Chapter 18
The waves were breaking on the white beach of Marsa Matruh, Egypt, capturing Tarek’s attention every now and then, in a way that was increasingly unnerving Helena. The two were sitting on the veranda of his studio, in the biggest villa on the compound.
“So, what is the problem you have with the surveillance data I gave you two months ago?” Tarek asked again.
Helena puffed, and repeated the argument she had been repeating for the past several weeks.
“Tarek, I’ve told you many times. It looks counterfeited. Not all of it, but there are some sequences that appear to be retouched. One of them is particularly important, as it is the video from the kitchen.”
“So the video, according to you, is fake. How can you say that?” Tarek was growing irritated, too. “As soon as I heard about what happened to Louis and Dorian, I locked all the files and I sent them to you right away, that very same evening. I knew you would need them.”
“Tarek, we need the evidence to be bulletproof. We want to rule you and your relatives out of the suspect list,” Helena made a point to herself to stay as calm as possible, as she continued, “So we got this data through a special software that can detect any digital remastering, with the removal or insertion of video sequences.”
“So, this software came up with the result that there is a slight probability,” Tarek admitted, “let me repeat, a slight probability that the video is counterfeited, so you do not want to show up in court.”
“Exactly, it would ruin our chances to get Louis out on bail,” Helena said, “We need the right one, no matter what.”
“I have no other videos, Helena,” Tarek replied, “I also run some tests using commercial software, and it looks OK. By the way, where is your software coming from? Hollywood? Or Bollywood? Or somewhere else?”
Helena hesitated, then replied.
“Come on, Tarek, don’t play naïve with me. I asked some friends to test it on the most sophisticated stuff that is available on the planet today. It’s possible that not even the Swedes have access to it, but I want to make sure our evidence is solid. Which it’s not.”
“I see, Helena, maybe from our friends living in the island up North?” Tarek commented calmly, “I would have expected a heads-up call from Yaakov, if that was the case. After all, I came back from Farlimas with the name of his mole, Shlomo Bakran. He owes me a favor, don’t you think?”
“Yaakov has not worked with Mossad for a long time, you know,” Helena rebuffed, “In any case, I cannot disclose the source, Tarek, I can only tell you it is a secret service, and a serious one.”
“Of course, of course, Helena,” Tarek continued, “I understand you must be professional and not disclose your sources, or, God forbid, break agreements. It’s just another measure of how things have changed.”
“What do you mean, Tarek,” Helena asked, while sipping her tea, and anticipating his answer.
“When it all started, we had no secrets,” Tarek said, softly, his eyes captured once again by the waves, “then over time we somehow lost a bit of trust naturally. How long before we become full strangers?”
“Many things change over time, Tarek,” Helena conceded, “You also seem
to have changed since you came back from Yamassoukro. Did Farlimas make such a great impression on you?”
“I told you and Yaakov during the meeting we had when I was back,” Tarek said, “He is an incredibly smart man. If you really want to go against him, you must get rid of the idea that he is just a crook, and those who follow him just morons. He is leveraging on the very same aspirations that led people to turn to Telomerax, after all.”
“From what you told me, he is just another religious idiot,” Helena cut short, “I have had enough of them.”
“You see? You don’t get the point,” Tarek showed his disappointment, “You should respect him as a honest competitor, but you keep resent him. On the other hand, I must say the attitude is mutual.”
“Back on topic, you confirm you have no other data than the one you sent us?” Helena asked again.
“Yes, and I cannot do anything if some unknown secret software does not agree with me, Helena,” Tarek said, then turned his head backwards to the door. Ali was entering, dressed in Navibahai attire, which immediately caught Helena’s attention.
“Isn’t that a bit too cold in February, even if we are in Egypt, it’s still winter,” Helena asked, but Ali just ignored the question and rather started to collect the tea cups onto the tray. He then stopped and looked at Tarek.
“Alright, I think we are done here,” Helena said, as she stood up, and folded her laptop. “I hope the Swedish court does not consider the evidence tampered, otherwise Louis will spend a lot more time in jail.”
Tarek didn’t have time to articulate a greeting, before Helena had already left the veranda. He pondered if he had to hurry to take her to the exit, when Ali grinned, “No need to worry, grandpa, she knows where the exit is. You allowed her to land her convertiplane right in the courtyard.”
“You are right, Ali, she knows the way out,” Tarek replied, lighting up a cigar, “You came at the right time, the conversation was going nowhere.”
The Last Enemy - A history of the present future - 1934-2084 Page 45
