The Cyber War Conspiracy, Thomas Biehlig [i can read book club .TXT] 📗

micrometres big, in modern processors there are meanwhile circuits as small as 40-80 nanometres. Many millions of those microscopically small switches can be placed on the surface of a fingernail. The technology for that is photolithography. However, that technology will reach its limits in seven to ten years at the latest. Nobody knew exactly. But Lopez’s work seemed, according to the article, to have made no changes in that. But it seemed the thing had caused quite a stir. Then Jansen found further newspapers clippings from Washington Post, New York Times, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and from some South American newspaper. Their contents were more or less the same. The first item was that there was no trace of the scientist. He had disappeared a good month ago. His employer was the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology. An elite American university with a worldwide reputation. The university was known for its pioneering discoveries in various disciplines. Many Nobel Prize winners had come from there. MIT declared that his work on quantum computers had been mostly basic research. There could not yet be any talk of a breakthrough. The strange disappearance of Orlando Lopez could not be explained by anybody. Least of all could it be explained why his corpse had cropped up again in a canal in Bangkok. Police investigations were continuing, it was said. There was no concrete evidence, the police in Bangkok were at present following various clues. Jansen, reading the technical article, felt rather stupid. He could understand almost nothing except that there were in existence other prototypes of so-called quantum computers. That prospect calmed him down. For him this was for the time being just science fiction, but something must show some connection to the present, at any rate as far as the business with the dead scientist was concerned. Then Jansen thought ahead. What linked Victor with the dead Lopez? What was Lopez’s relation to the rumour? What role am I supposed to play? The scientist has been murdered. What is behind it? Has the one matter anything at all to do with the other? He took a big gulp of beer and again lit up a cigarette. A dull feeling spread through his stomach. Half a million dollars, and yet finally it was his curiosity that was decisive in making his decision. He would accept the offer. But only if he himself could determine the time when he pulled out. In no way did he intend to put his life at risk. Only, how can I be useful, he wondered. He thought further. His strength was his knowledge of various technologies in the field of electronics and of the markets. He could ask the right questions. As well, he had connections. Did Victor know about his quite specific sort of ambition? That his ambition was a pure survival instinct? That he had debts and had to accept all sorts of work because he urgently needed money? Although he had by now acquired a name internationally as a noted counsellor, he had never felt work was his task in life. And he did not get genuine satisfaction from his work. He worked to survive. It was in his free time that his real life was lived. Many had indeed asserted that in his free time he went too often to parties or pubs, but that did not bother him. And as well there were his affairs with women. But that was all in the past now. For two months he had had an easy-going relationship with Julia. He wanted to develop that. With her it might be a success. And now the offer. What should he tell her? A business trip of indeterminate duration? Or intersperse vague references to the offer? Explain to her its scope? The best thing would be to tell her of a business trip to Asia. To give her information on the way on how long it would last. Apart from that, he considered what he would say to Rolf tomorrow, and how Rolf would probably react. In his head he depicted the situation: „Hello, Rolf, I wanted to submit my resignation for your signature. I want to resign as from now. What do you offer me?” Then Rolf would walk to and fro in his office, all worked up, and tell him he had trusted him and that such a small firm as his depended on every good staff member. Perhaps he would even offer him a raise in salary. He was not really looking forward to his conversation with Rolf, and he glanced at his watch. 2 a.m. Jansen suddenly noticed how tired he was, and emptied his second beer with one gulp. But as he lay in bed his thoughts were in orbit. He did not go to sleep until 3.30 a.m.

He had set the alarm clock at 8 o’clock. Precisely at that moment it tried to wake up its owner. At 8.15 Jansen succeeded, with a bit of a hangover and very tired, in getting up to put himself under the shower. After a short but refreshing shower his thoughts slowly became clear. He even allowed himself a second breakfast just so he could think everything through once more. Actually his stomach was totally sluggish, he even felt scared of his own courage.

To be certain of his decision he decided spontaneously to ring Julia, so at least once he would have spoken about it with somebody. Decisively he took up his mobile and dialed her number.

After what felt like a waiting time of five minutes he finally heard her voice: “Hello, Marc, how are you? What’s up so early in the morning?”

“Hello Julia, it’s good that I’ve got you. Is this a convenient time to speak? “

“Yes, no problem, but what’s so important? You sound so het up.”

Then he told her in general lines of a project assignment where he was to jump in spontaneously. That he had to go first to Thailand, but he didn’t know how it would develop and for how long it would go, but that it was a big international purchase project for which he would be engaged as an adviser.

Finally he revealed the whole truth: “Julia, to put it briefly the offer is very good, actually I’ve already decided to accept it, but I hope you can put my last doubts to rest. On top of that, I like you and we’re together, so I wanted to include you in the decision. Maybe I’ll then be a few weeks on route and how the business with the project will develop I don’t know yet.”

At the other end of the line there was at first silence, then he heard Julia groan: “My goodness, Marc, you’ve really ambushed me with this. It’s really very sweet of you to have been thinking so much of us, but I don’t want to stand in your way. I like you too, so I want you to be happy. Hearty congratulations on your new job. When you come back we’ll have enough time for ourselves. We could celebrate your departure this evening. Come up with some nice suggestion and call me again later, okay?”

Marc suddenly felt perceptibly lighter; a burden had been shifted from his shoulders: „Julia, I’m so glad you want to go with me along the road. I’ll get in touch later about this evening. Sorry, but now I urgently have to go to the office. Love you, till then.”

Quickly he packed his things and rushed out of his flat. Toward 9.30 he finally reached the office. After sending Victor the report as his first task, he wrote his resignation and went with mixed feelings with it to Rolf’s office. On the one hand he was in a good humour and felt already freed from the dull daily routine of Technology News Research; on the other hand he knew exactly what he owed Rolf, and how Rolf would react. As expected, Rolf reacted in an agitated way and was hopping mad.

His resignation did not suit him and came as too much of a surprise. „Marc, how come you want to resign? I don’t understand it. I’ve always tried to be fair and accede to your wishes. As well, you’ve done excellent work. I need you here.”

The whole thing was almost embarrassing for Marc. After all, Rolf had in fact helped him then and given him a chance. He was aware that Rolf was sometimes under pressure and as the proprietor certainly had a heap of problems. But now it was about his future. He had to stay hard. “I know all of that, but please let me go. I’d like to leave with good feelings. I hope that’s okay with you?”

„No, but of course you can go. I can’t keep you here against your will. Hand over your current work to Sebastian. And talk over it with him. In the meantime I’ll inform the personnel manager’s office. You’ll have to sign a dissolution contract. We’re offering you immediate resignation without a gratuity. You’re foregoing all contingent claims. Apart from that you’ll get a good reference. But I personally expect that you’ll soon ring and make contact. I hope you’re not going to our competitors?”

“No,” Jansen gave a brief answer. “I’ve got a advisory contract on an international purchasing project. The contract is very well endowed and the project is for me an exciting challenge. I can’t say any more, but I will get in touch.”

„All right then, lots of success, although I find it bad form that you’re resigning right now. You could’ve said something. Surely you’ve known about it for quite a while?”

„No. Otherwise I’d have informed you earlier.”

“Okay, since you’re obviously in such a hurry let’s start with the handing over. I’ll have Sebastian come too. Meanwhile bring here the important documents from your office.”

Right on 12 Jansen rang Victor and confirmed his acceptance of the offer.

Victor was perceptibly glad. “Welcome on board. Please go tomorrow to Berlin Grunewald to our office. Try to be there at about 2.30 p.m. You’ll be expected,” he added quickly. Then he had to catch his plane.

At about 4 p.m. Jansen carried his private things out of the office. Before that he had said goodbye to everybody personally and by e-mail. He chucked his goods into the car and drove in an almost indecently good mood home. He had even succeeded with an abrupt decision to book by internet a room in a quiet hotel on the Baltic Sea coast so he could celebrate a great evening with Julia. They had agreed to meet at Marc’s place at 5.30. That left him enough time to get onto a few things for a picnic on the beach, and to pack a blanket and clothes and toilet articles for the night. Since Julia had meanwhile had left a few clothes and bathroom articles at his flat for spontaneous overnight stays, he simply packed those things in a bag. Punctually at 5.30 Julia came. Shortly before 7 they reached the hotel parking lot and started with a walk along the beach. They wanted then to eat dinner in the hotel and restaurant “Brodtner Ufer”. Quickly Jansen clicked on the packed backpack and they set off tightly embraced. Jansen did not mention that he had booked a room for the night there. On the way they found a quiet stretch of beach in a small bay. Julia spread out the blanket they had brought with them while Jansen opened the bottle of wine and unpacked a selection of Italian variations of almond biscuits. Then they let their gaze take in the dark blue sea. They enjoyed the view of the many sailing ships and watched the ferries setting off for Sweden. On the neighbouring fields the last canola was blossoming and cows dozed chewing their cud on the pastures. Lost in thought they listened to the repetitive consonance of the waves and the small breakers. The sun was still shining but it no