Terminal Compromise, Winn Schwartau [sight word books txt] 📗
- Author: Winn Schwartau
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the everyone to read. The Livermore scientists believed in
freedom of information, so nearly everyone who wanted in, got in.
To the obvious consternation and dismay of Livermore management.
And its funding agency.
Steve poked around the Livermore computers for a while and
learned that SDI funding was in more serious jeopardy than pub-
licly acknowledged. He discovered that the last 3 underground
nuclear test explosions outside of Las Vegas were underyield, and
no one knew why. Then he found some super-technical proposals
that sounded like pure science fiction:
Moving small asteroids from between Mars and Jupiter into orbit
around the Earth would make lovely weapons to drop on your ene-
mies. War mongers.
All of this fascinating information, available to anyone with a
computer and a little chutzbah.
*Alexander Spiradon had picked Sir George and his other subjects
carefully, as he had been trained to do.
He had spent the better part of twenty years working for West
German Military Intelligence, Reichenbunnestrad Dunnernecht
Deutchelande, making less money than he required to live in the
style he desired. To supplement his income, he occasionally
performed extracurricular activities for special interest groups
throughout Europe. A little information to the IRA in Northern
Ireland, a warning to the Red Brigade about an impending raid.
Even the Hizballah, the Party of God for Lebanese terrorists had
occasion to use Alex’s Services. Nothing that would compromise
his country, he rationalized, just a little help to the various
political factions that have become an annoyance to their respec-
tive governments.
Alex suddenly resigned in 1984 when he had collected enough
freelance fees to support his habits, but he was unaware that his
own agency had had him under surveillance for years, waiting for
him to slip up. He hadn’t, and with predictable German Govern-
ment efficiency, upon his departure from the RDD, his file was
promptly retired and his subsequent activities ignored.
Alex began his full time free-lance career as a ‘Provider of
Information’. With fees of no less than 250,000 DM, Alex didn’t
need to work much. He could pick and choose his clients as he
weighed the risks and benefits of each potential assignment.
With his network of intelligence contacts from Scotland Yard, Le
Surite, and the Mossad, he had access to the kind of information
that terrorists pay for dearly .
It was a good living. No guns, no danger, just information.
His latest client guaranteed Alex three years of work for a flat
fee in the millions of Deutch Marks. It was the intelligence
assignment of a lifetime, one that insured a peaceful and pros-
perous retirement for Alex. He wasn’t the perennial spy, politi-
cally or dogmatically motivated. Alex wanted the money.
After he had completed his computer classes and purchased the
equipment from the list, Sir George dialed the number he had been
given. He half expected a live person to congratulate him, but
also realized that that was a foolish wish. There was no reason
to expect anything other than the same sexy voice dictating
orders to him.
“Ah, Sir George. How good of you to call. How were your class-
es?” George nearly answered the alluring telephone personality
again, but he caught himself.
“Very good,” the voice came back in anticipated response. “Please
get a pencil and paper. I have a message for you in 15 seconds.”
That damned infernal patronization. Of course I have a bleeding
pen. Not a pencil. Idiot.
“Are you ready?” she asked. George made an obscene gesture at
the phone.
“Catch a flight to San Francisco tonight. Bring all of the com-
puter equipment you have purchased. Take a taxi to 14 Sutherland
Place on Knob Hill. Under the mat to Apartment 12G you will find
two keys. They will let you into your new living quarters. Make
yourself at home. It is yours, and the rent is taken care of as
is the phone bill. Your new phone number is 4-1-5-5-5-5-6-3-6-1.
When you get settled, dial the following number from your comput-
er. You should be well acquainted with how to do that by now.
The number is 4-1-5-5-5-5-0-0-1-5. Your password is A-G-O-R-A.
Under the mattress in the bedroom is a PRG, Password Response
Generator. It looks like a credit card, but has an eight digit
display. Whenever you call Alex, he will ask you for a response
to your password. Quickly enter whatever the PRG says. If you
lose the PRG, you will be terminated.” The voice paused for a
few seconds to George’s relief.
“You will receive full instructions at that point. Good Bye.” A
dial tone replaced the voice he had come to both love and hate.
Bloody hell, he thought. I’m down to less than $5000 and now I’m
going back to San Francisco? What kind of bleedin’ game is this?
Apartment 12G was a lavish 2 bedroom condominium with a drop dead
view of San Francisco and bodies of water water in 3 directions.
Furnished in high tech modern, it offered every possible amenity;
bar, jacuzzi, telephone in the bathroom and full channel cable.
Some job. But, he kept wondering to himself, when does the free
ride end? Maybe he’s been strung along so far that he can’t let
go. One more call, just to see how the next chapter begins.
George installed his computer in the second bedroom on a table
that fit his equipment like a glove.
C:cd XTALK C:XTALKxtalkHis hard disk whirred for a few seconds. He chose the Dial
option and entered the phone number from the keyboard and then
asked the computer to remember it for future use. He omitted the
area code. Why had he been given an area code if he was dialing
from the same one? George didn’t pursue the question; if he had
he would have realized he wasn’t alone.
The modem dialed the number for him. His screen went momentarily
blank and then suddenly came to life again.
<<<<<>>>>> DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO ALEX? (Y/N?)George entered a “Y”
PASSWORD:George entered AGORA. The letters did not echo to the screen.
He hoped he had typed then correctly. Apparently he did, for the
screen then prompted him for his RESPONSE.
He copied the 8 characters from the PRG into the computer. There
was a pause and then the screen filled.
SIR GEORGE,
WELCOME TO ALEX. IT IS SO GOOD TO SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN.
OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS YOU WILL BE GIVEN NAMES AND NUMBERS
TO CALL. THERE ARE VERY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS AND STATEMENTS TO BE
MADE TO EACH PERSON YOU CALL. THERE IS TO BE NO DEVIATION WHAT-
SOEVER. I REPEAT, NO DEVIATION WHATSOEVER. IF THERE IS, YOUR
SERVICES WILL BE IMMEDIATELY TERMINATED. WE HOPE THAT WILL NOT BE
NECESSARY.
EACH MORNING YOU ARE TO DIAL ALEX AND REQUEST THE FILE CALLED
SG.DAT. DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ACCESS OR DOWNLOAD
ANY OTHER FILES, OR YOU WILL BE TERMINATED AT ONCE.
FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS IN EACH FILE, EXACTLY. KEEP AN EXACT LOG
OF THE EVENTS AS THEY TRANSPIRE ON EACH CALL.
<>George pushed the space bar. The screen was again filled.
ALEX REQUIRES PRECISE INFORMATION. WHATEVER YOU ARE TOLD BY THE
PEOPLE YOU CALL MUST BE RELAYED , TO THE LETTER.
AT THE END OF EACH DAY, YOU ARE TO UPLOAD YOUR FILE, CALLED
SG.TOD. YOUR COMPUTER WILL AUTOMATICALLY PUT A DATE AND TIME
STAMP ON IT.
THEN, USING NORTON UTILITY, ERASE THE SG.DAT FILE FROM THAT DAY.
IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO REACH ANYONE ON THE LISTS, JUST INDICATE
THAT IN YOUR DAILY REPORTS. DO NOT, REPEAT, DO NOT TRY TO CALL
THE SAME PERSON THE NEXT DAY. IS THAT CLEAR?
The screen was awaiting a response. George typed in “Y”.
GOOD. THIS IS QUITE SIMPLE, IS IT NOT?
Y
DO YOU THINK YOU CAN HANDLE THE JOB?
Y
WHAT KIND OF PRINTER DO YOU HAVE?
None
ARE YOU SURE?
Y
WILL YOU BUY ONE?
N
GOOD. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN MONEY?
Finally, thought Sir George, the reason for my existence.
Y
AN ACCOUNT HAS BEEN OPENED IN YOUR NAME AT THE BANK OF AMERICA,
REDMOND BRANCH 3 BLOCKS FROM YOU. THERE IS $25,000 IN IT. EACH
MONTH OF SUCCESSFUL WORK FOR ALEX WILL BE REWARDED WITH ANOTHER
PAYMENT. U.S. TAXES ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. IS THAT A PROBLEM?
N
WILL YOU DISCUSS YOUR JOB OR ITS NATURE WITH ANYONE? ANYONE AT
ALL?
N
EVEN UNDER FORCE?
Force, what the hell does that mean? I guess the answer is No,
thought George.
N
I HOPE SO, FOR YOUR SAKE. GOOD LUCK SIR GEORGE. YOU START
MONDAY.
<<<<<>>>>>Sir George was a little confused, maybe a lot confused. He was
the proud owner of a remote control job, a cushy one as far as he
could tell, but the tone of the conversation he just had with the
computer was worrisome. Was he being threatened? What was the
difference between ‘Services Terminated’ and ‘Terminated’ anyway.
Maybe he shouldn’t ask. Keep his mouth shut and do a good
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