InfiniteExposure

RolandHughes

LogikalSolutions

Copyright2008byRolandHughes
Allrightsreserved
PrintedinCanada
ISBN
0977086690
ISBN13 9780977086696
This book was published for the author by Logikal Solutions. Neither Logikal
Solutionsnortheauthorshallbeheldresponsibleforanydamage,claim,orexpense
incurred by the user of this book or any company, persons, or individual which
perceivesanyrealorimaginarydamagesfromit.
Thisisaworkoffiction. Whilethisbookwillreferenceactualcompanynamesand
eventsinbuildingitstimeline,itisnotpassingjudgmentorlayingblame.Thebookis
meanttobeawarningofwhatverywellmayhappenifpolicies,laws,andbusiness
directionsarenotchangedquickly.
Thesetrademarksbelongtothefollowingcompanies:
60Minutes
CBSBroadcastingInc.
BBC
BritishBroadcastingCorporation
CNN
CableNewsNetworkLP
Dell
DellInc
eBay
eBayInc.
FDIC
FederalDepositInsuranceCorporation
McDonald's
McDonald'sCorporation
Microsoft
MicrosoftCorporation
Intel
Intel
IronMountain IronMountainIncorporated
OpenVMS
HewlettPackardCorporation
Twinkie
InterstateBrandsCompanies
Taser
TASERInternational,Inc.
WalMart
WalMartStores,Inc.
Windows
MicrosoftCorporation
UNI
UnionNetworkInternational
Allothertrademarksinadvertentlymissingfromthislistaretrademarksoftheir
respectiveowners.Abesteffortwasmadetoappropriatelycapitalizealltrademarks
whichwereknownatthetimeofthiswriting.Neitherthepublishernortheauthorcan
attesttotheaccuracyofthisinformation.Useofaterminthisbookshouldnotbe
regardedasaffectingthevalidityofanytrademarkorservicemark.

Forallofthosewillingtostepbackandseethewholeboard,
notjustlistentowhattheannouncersaysandbespellbound.

TableofContents
SpineofWaterReed.............................................................................1
SlitherofSnake...................................................................................13
OldisNew..........................................................................................23
AColdCalculationofWinter.............................................................37
Greed...................................................................................................49
FirstYouBuildtheWheel..................................................................59
ThenYouFindaHill..........................................................................77
SomeonePoints...................................................................................97
ALittleNudge..................................................................................113
WatchitRoll.....................................................................................135
TheLemmingsMarch.......................................................................151
TheTiesThatBind...........................................................................175
CriticalMomentum...........................................................................199
WhatHill?.........................................................................................223
MoneyandThings............................................................................255
CrazyManwasRight.......................................................................275
SpeedingWithoutBrakes.................................................................293
TossingtheDice...............................................................................317
AWheelMustTurn..........................................................................339
SmokeandMoney............................................................................355
AssUMe..........................................................................................367
WaitingfortheHammer...................................................................391
SettingtheAnvil...............................................................................407
TensingfortheSwing.......................................................................419
WatchingtheHammerFall...............................................................431
SoundoftheAnvilStrike.................................................................443

Preface
Thisbookisaworkoffiction. Itusesmanyhistoricalevents,
newsarticles,andcompanynamestobuildatimelinenecessaryfor
projectionforward. Withoutusingmanyoftheseactualnamesand
quotes,itwouldbedifficulttobuildthesenseofrealismthatgives
credibilitytotheoutcome. Thereisnoslanderormaliceintended.
Indeedthisbookisintendedtobeawakeupcallforbothanindustry
andacountry.

Followthejourneyofthisbookandlookforawayout,notfor
yourself,butforallofus.

SpineofWaterReed
It'snoteverymorningyouwakeupwitharmedmenkickingin
yourdoorandrushingintoyourbedroom,butthat'scertainlyhowthis
morningstarted.Allbecausehereallywantedanewcomputer.Not
justanewcomputer,thebestsystemDellwasshipping. Butthat
wantwassatisfiedoveradecadeago. Today,hecouldn'tevensell
thatcomputeroneBay.Today,itwasatripwithabagoverhishead,
wearinghandcuffstoaninterrogationroom.
Hehadquiteawhiletothinkthatmorning.Theylefthimalone
forwhatseemedlikehours. Thestoneroomhadnowindowsand
must have been well below ground judging from the chill and
dampness. Bestnottothinkaboutwells, hetoldhimself. Theone
overheadbulbdidn'tseemtogiveoffmuchinthewayofwarmthor
comfort. Ofcourse,theworstpartaboutallofthiswaswhatwas
missing:Nobigmirroronthewallwherepeoplecouldwatchfrom
theotherside.Hehadseenthatontelevisionshows.Thefactitwas
missingwasmoreunnervingthananythingelse.Whateverwasgoing
tohappenherewasn'tsupposedtohaveanywitnesses. Intruth,he
wishedthebagwasstillonhishead.
Stopit! Hescreamedinhismind. Badenoughactuallybeing
heredon'tdotheirjobforthem.Somewhereoutsideoftheroom
hecouldfaintlyhearamosquecallingworshiperstoprayer.Agood
Muslimshouldbeprayingnow, hethought. Hehadnoideawhich
wallfacedMecca,butheknewagoodMuslimwouldratherprayin
the wrong direction than miss prayer. Calmly, without a mat, he
preparedhimselfasbesthecould,knelt,andbeganpraying.

SpineofWaterReed

Soonintohisprayersthedoortotheroomflewopen.Obviously
theseweren'tgoodMuslimshewasdealingwith.Twodifferentsets
ofhandsgrabbedhimandslammedhimdownintothechair.Athird
manwasalreadyseatedontheothersideofthetable. Hiscasual
attitudemadeitseemthathehadbeensittingthereawhile.Oddthat
Nedimhadnotheardthedooropen.Theotherman'sbreathingwas
slowandrelaxed.Hemusthavebeenstandingoutsidethedoorfora
while,becauseitwasafullthreeflightsofstairstothisroom.Nedim
remembered that much. One of them went up and the other two
down.Theexactorderofupanddownstaircaseswasescapinghimat
thismomentforsomereason,though.
Thetwomenwhoputhimintothechairwerestillbehindhim.
Hecouldn'tseethem,hadnoideawhattheywerewearing,butknew
theyhadn'tlefttheroom. Beingacomputerconsultanthelpedhim
reasonthatmuchout. Thatjobjustdidn'tdohimmuchgoodwhenit
cametoavoidingbeinghereinthefirstplace.
Reason, what a fine word. The word most people who don't
understand logic use. Nedim had spent four years at university,
studying logic and software design, and learning programming
languages.Hewassupposedtobegoodatwhathedid,yetherehe
sat.Hehadnoillusionsastowhyhewashere,buthehadtoplaythe
foolforawhile.
Acrossthetablewasareallynicegraysuitwithanarrowpin
stripe,whiteshirt,andcolorfultie;obviouslyaYankeecomehome.
Probably even drank beer. Nedim knew he was the only good
Muslimintheroom.
Sittinginfrontofthemanwasayellowfil efolder.Itwasstuffed
towhatlookedlikeitscapacitywithpapers.Ontopofthefolderwas
asinglesheetofpaper.Evenlookingatitupsidedownhecouldread
theheadingofConfession. Therewasalotoftypedtextanda
placeforhimtosignatthebottom.Lifewasnotlookinggood.

SpineofWaterReed

Nexttothefilefolderwasahalfusedwhitelegalpad.Sittingon
itwasasilverCrosspen.Thismeantthey(whoevertheywereat
this point) wanted something. Perhaps today wasn't going to be
completelyhorribleafterall.Whenitcamerightdowntoit,Nedim
was more than willing to let others die or go to prison for him.
Actually,headmittedtohimself,hekindoflikedtheidea.Nothing
saysimportancelikebeingabletoorderotherstodie.Isn'tthatwhy
hereallygotinvolvedwiththisinthefirstplace?
Focus!Heshoutedinhismind.Thenhelookedthemanacross
thetableintheeyeandasked,WhyamIhere?
WehaveidentifiedyouasanalQaedaoperative,repliedthe
man.
IamagoodMuslim,nothingmore,repliedNedim.
The man opened the folder and started removing printouts of
Nedim'semails.Therewerecircleditemsandhandwrittennotesall
overthem. Manyofthemwerepicturesthatlookedidentical,but
somehadhandwrittennotesatthebottom.Herememberedmanyof
thoseimageshavingbeenusedthroughoutthepastcoupleofyears.
Nedimsatsilentwhilethemancontinuedtoflipthrough printouts
ofhisemails.Henoticedthatthemanappearedtohaveabettercolor
printerthanhedid.That,morethananythingelsefromthismorning,
irritatedhim.ThispileofjulabhadabetterprinterthanNedim,yet
NedimwastheonlygoodMuslimintheroom.
Itseemedsosimplewhenthisallstarted.Nedimwasonaflight
awaytouniversity.Hewasseatednexttoamanwhoclaimedtobea
clericandcertainlycouldquoteanysectionoftheHolyQuranhe
wished. It turned out the cleric was from a mosque near the
university Nedim would be attending. Because Nedim considered
himselfagoodMuslim,hecouldnotturndownaninvitationtopray
thereandattendsomelecturesaroundhisclassschedule.

SpineofWaterReed

Nedimcontinuedtositsilent,watchingthemanflipthroughthe
emails. Some, with a significant amount of circled words and
handwrittennotes,wereeventurnedsohecouldreadthehandwriting.
Nedimcontinuedtoshownoexpression.
After attending some prayer services at the cleric's mosque,
Nedim was asked to sit in on some of the discussions about the
lessonsoftheQuran. QuiteafewofNedim'sclassmateswerein
thesediscussionsaswell.Mostfoundreasonstobowouteventually,
butahandfulwhoconsideredthemselvesgoodMuslimsstayed.

OneofNedim'sclassmates,Sami,wasnotthegoodMuslimhe
claimed.Hisfamilyownedapizzarestaurant.Theyactuallyhandled
pork! Nedimalsobelievedtheyateit. AgoodMuslimshouldnot
haveagirlfriendandgooutondateswithher.Samidid.Samihad
sex with his girlfriend and would openly talk about it back at
university.SamiwasnotagoodMuslim.Nedimwouldpointthisout
everychancehecouldduringthediscussionswiththecleric,yetthe
clericwouldnottosshimoutofthediscussions.
Publicly, the cleric said it was his duty to bring all to Islam.
Privately,NedimsuspectedtherealreasonwasthatSami'sfamilyhad
wealth.NedimwasagoodMuslimandwasattendinguniversityby
meansofascholarship. Hestudiedhard,butthecomputerlabwas
opentostudentsonlysomanyhoursperday.Hereallyneededhis
owncomputertomeettheacademicrequirementsforhisscholarship,
butthescholarshipwouldnotprovideone.
Nedimwassnappedbacktothesituationathandbyastiffslapto
thesideofhishead.Themanhadsaidsomethingandhehadmissed
it. Oneofthetwohecouldnotseesnappedathimtoanswerthe

SpineofWaterReed

questionhehadnotheard. Herespondedthathehadnotheardthe
questionbecausehewasprayingasallgoodMuslimsshouldbedoing
atthistime.Thatanswerearnedhimastrikeontheothersideofthe
head.
Themanaskedhisquestionagain.Doyouknowthepenaltyfor
beingaterrorist?
IamagoodMuslim,notaterrorist,respondedNedim.Closed
fistedblowfrombehindthistime,sofastandhardhehadnoidea
whichofthetwodeliveredit,mainlybecausehisnosehadbornethe
bruntoftheimpactwiththetableandsprunghisheadbackupright.
Heknewhewasuprightbecausebloodwasrunningdownoverhis
mouth. Visionwasnotasensehe had atthemomentaseverything
wasawhirlofcolorandlight,butitseemedthingswouldcomeback
intofocussoon.
Hetriedtowipethebloodfromhisfaceandhadhishandsfirmly
pulledbehindthechair,thentied.
Themanaskedhisquestionagain.Doyouknowthepenaltyfor
beingaterrorist?
IamagoodMuslim,notaterrorist,respondedNedim. This
timetheblowwasfromaclubofsomekind.
Ididnotaskifyouwereaterrorist.Wehavetheanswertothat
questionlyingbeforeus.Iaskedifyouknowthepenaltyforbeinga
terroristinthiscountry?
After a moment, Nedim responded, Life in prison or death,
dependinguponhowwealthyyourfamilyisandhowfamousyou
are.
Areyoufamousorfromawealthyfamily?askedtheman.
No,Nedimwasforcedtorespond.
Beforehimonthetablewasanemailthathadgrowntohaunt

SpineofWaterReed

him. This was the email that selected the Nairobi embassy for
bombingandthedatein1998whenitwastobebombed.Hehadno
problemwiththekillingofinfidels.Theproblemwiththisbombing
washowtheIslamicreportershadcoveredit.Acrossthestreetfrom
theembassyhadbeenasecretarialtrainingschoolforwomen,and
nearitadaycarecenter. Muslimwomenshouldnotbeattending
school,norshouldtheirchildrenbeindaycare. AllgoodMuslims
knowthis.Therehadbeenafatwahjustifyingit,yettheoutragehad
happened.ItappearedtherewerenogoodMuslimsleftinthelandof
theprophet. Thatbombingcausedalotofthemoneytodryupas
well. ItwasthereasonNedimdidn'thaveabettercolorprinterat
home.
Wearepreparedtoexecuteyoutomorrow,themansaid.
Nedim said nothing, but his mind raced wildly. Others were
supposedtodie,nothim!Hedidnotbelieveinmartyrdom,northat
therewereanyvirginstobehad.Besides,logictoldhimthatunless
therewerethousandsofthem,withinamonthortwoofhisarrivalin
paradise they would just be used and complaining wives anyway.
Unless he was getting seventytwo beautiful virgins per month for
eternity,martyrdomsimplywasn'tworthit.
Nedim knew the worth of things. He also knew that not all
virginswerebeautiful.Hissisterwasoutrightugly.Hesuspectedthat
would be the pool from which the virgins were drawn. He also
suspectedthatwastheveryreasonwomenwererequiredtoweara
niqaborburkha.Uglywomencouldhavebeautifuleyes.

TherewasonethingaboutmartyrdomNedimdidn'tknowandit
botheredhimagreatdeal.Wouldhehaveafullyfunctionalbodyin

SpineofWaterReed

paradise?Hehadseenwhatwasleftofmartyrsonthenews.Logic
toldhimthatunlessyougotanewbodyinparadise,thequantityof
women(virginorotherwise)didn'tmatter.Thenagain,didyoueven
qualifyasamartyrifthepolice(orwhateverthesemenwere)simply
beheadedyouinpublicandyouneverclaimedanyinfidellives?
The interrogator and Nedim sat staring at one another, each
waitingfortheothertoblink.Toanonlooker,itwouldhavelooked
liketwochildrenhavingastaringcontestatschool.Thesimpletruth
wasthattheothermenwerewaitingforNedimtocrack.Oneofthem
wouldhavecertainlyhithimagainiftheyhadrealizedhismindhad
left the room and become completely tangled up in the virgin
problem.
WhenNedim'smindfinallycamebacktotheroom,henoticed
theothermanhadpickedupasilverpenandhadbeendoodlingon
thepad.Nedimdidn'ttakehiseyesofftheman,buthisfieldofvision
revealedtherewasnowalot ofinkontheoncecleanwhitepad.
Noneofitstoodoutaswords,soitmusthavebeendoodles.
Alittle voice inthe back of Nedim's mind saidhe should be
askingforatrial. Thebigvoiceoflogictoldhimthesemenhad
nevershownhimbadges,didn'twearuniforms,andmadenoclaims
toanygovernmentaffiliation.Apublictrialwasnotgoingtobean
option.Thatbigvoicesaidhisbodywasgoingtobefoundonastreet
nearhismosquewithaproclamationpinnedonitandhisheadafew
feetaway.Therewasonlyonewayoutofthis,andthatwasnotto
blink.Thefirstpointofyieldinghadtocomefromtheothersideof
thetable,orthiswasover.
Without taking his eyes off him, the other man placed the
confessioninfrontofhimandlaidtheCrosspenontopofit.Ablow
tothebackofNedim'sheadcamewiththewordssignit. Thus
endedthestaringcontest,withacheat.
Hishandswereroughlyuntied,herighthandbroughttothepen

SpineofWaterReed

whiletheleftwasheldbehindhim. Signit,saidthemancalmly
fromacrossthetable.
IamagoodMuslim,nothingmore,respondedNedim.
The man reached in his suit jacket and pulled out a folded
newspaperpage. HeunfoldeditandlaiditbeforeNedim. Good
Muslimsdon'tkillotherMuslims,wastheman'squietreply.You
arenotamartyrandyouwillnotbewelcomedintoparadise. How
couldyoupossiblyatoneforthisinthefewshorthoursyouhaveto
live?
Nedim quite honestly did not know. The sheet ofnewspaper
before him was the front page from the day after the embassy
bombings.ItwentonindetailabouttheMuslimwomenandchildren
whowerekilled.Eventhoughafatwahhadbeenissuedauthorizing
thedeathsofallwhoservedtheinfidels,thesedeathsweren'tcovered
byit.Theywereinabuildingacrossthestreet.Clericsfromallover
theworldhadissuedfatwahsauthorizingthedeathsofallinvolvedin
thisbombing.
Thatonebotchedbombinghadsentencedeveryoneinhiscell,
andperhapsallcells,todeathatthehandsofotherMuslims.Indeed,
withthe printoutstheyhadintheirpossession,thesemenneededno
officialcapacitywhatsoevertochopoffhisheadinthemiddleofa
publicsquare.Theywouldneverbeprosecuted.Theywouldreceive
medalsandmoneyfrominfidelsaroundtheworld.
Youdidnotbringmehereforatonement,Nedimresponded.
True,themanresponded.Wewouldmuchprefertoexecute
you in front of the local mosque as soon as morning prayer
completes.
Whydon'tyou?respondedNedim.Hismindracedtoslaphis
mouthshut,butitwastoolate.Thewordswereout.
Themansatsilentlyforamomentwhileoneofthebrutesbehind

SpineofWaterReed

Nedim began forcing the pen in his hand to sign the confession.
Apparentlythebrutehadnotbeenburdenedwithanoverabundance
ofeducation,forhewassqueezingNedim'swristsohardthefingers
couldn'tgripthepenevenifhewantedthemto.
Otherswouldpreferforustoexecuteallofyou,saidtheman.
Theforcing,struggling,indeed,eventime,seemedtostopafter
hespokethosewords. Nedimnowknewthewayoutofthis. He
mightstilldie,butitwouldnotbeforweeksormonths. Hemight
evenavoidprison.

Allofwho?respondedNedim.Hedidnotwanttoappeartobe
adrowningmanclutchingatanyreedtostayalive. Hedidn'teven
careaboutthefistthatfoundhisskullalmostassoonasheaskedthe
question.Therewasawayoutofthis,buthehadtoplaythegameto
thebitterendtobegivenit.
Themantappedthepileof printoutsinthefolderandsaid,Allof
them.Notoneofthemistobeleftalivewhenwearefinished.
Nedimbegantoshiver.Hetoldhimselfitwasthecoldstoneof
thefloortakingitstollonhisfeetandthechilloftheroomtakingits
tollonhisbarelegs,butheknewitwasalie.Therealityofwhatwas
abouttohappenwassinkingin. Forhimtostayalive,thesemen
wouldhavetokillallofthosehehadworkedwith,allofthosewho
hadknownheworkedwiththeothers,andeverypersonanyofthem
hadtrainedorspokenwith. Heseriouslydoubtedthemeninthis
roomhadthatkindofcapacity.Inreality,theywouldarrestorkill
someportionofthecurrentlist,thengoofftootherthings.Atthat
point,hewouldbedead.Eitherthesemenwouldkillhim,oronethey
hadletlivewouldcompletethetask. Itwasanoddfeelingtobe
perfectlyhealthyandknowhehadlessthantwoyearstolive,aneven
odderfeelingthanknowinghewoulddieinonlyacoupleofhoursif
herefused.Perhapsitwasthewaitingthethoughtofgoingtobed

SpineofWaterReed

everynight wonderingwhichsidewasgoingtokillhimwhilehe
slept.
This had all been so simple when it started. The cleric had
arrangedforacomputerthatwasenviedbyall,eventherichstudents,
tobedeliveredtohimattheuniversity.Atfirst,allhehadtodowas
studyhardandgraduate.Onceoutintheworkingworld,allhehadto
dowastosendafewemailsbackandforth. Someofthemsimply
snapshots.Noneofthemwerepornographyofanykind.Perhapsthat
waswhereitallwentwrong. Hadtheyusedporntoembedtheir
messages,reallygoodporn,nobodywouldhavenoticedtherewas
anythingembeddedinthemessages.Theycouldhaveevensetupa
pornWebsiteandmademoneytofundthecausewhiletransmitting
messagesaround.Sadthathewouldnevergettosuggestthattohis
cell.
ThemanwasstillstaringatNedim. Hemightnothaveeven
blinked since the staring contest had started a while ago. Nedim
couldn'tbecertainofmuchatthispoint.
Justhowdoyouproposetofindthem?askedNedim.
Youwillleadustothem,wastheman'sresponse.
Iknownotwheretheyareorwhattheylooklike,responded
Nedim. Itwasalie. Heknewwheresomeofthemwereandwhat
someofthemlookedlike,butnotenoughofthemtokeephimself
alive.
Still,youwillleadustothem,respondedtheman. Wecan
havenofurtherconversationaboutthiswithoutasignedconfession.
Youhaveachoicetomakenow.Signtheconfessionandleadusto
them,orweexecuteyouinafewminuteswhenprayerisover.
YouwillkillmeassoonasIsign.
No.Atleastnotuntilwearedone.Thenitwilldependupon
howwellyoucooperatedandhowmanyofthesepeople,hepaused

SpineofWaterReed

totaptheprintouts,wehavekilled.Theconfessionistobeplacedon
filealongwithyourpictureandtheotherevidence.Shouldyoutryto
run, hide, or stop helping us track down these individuals, the
informationwillbehandedovertoeverynewsagencyintheworld
alongwithastatementpromising200,000eurosforyourreturn,dead
oralive.
Somethingwasoddaboutthatlaststatement,butNedimdidn't
havetimetothinkitthrough.Themanwentrighton.
So.Dienow,orriskdyinglater.Makeyourdecision.
Myhandhasnofeeling,respondedNedim.Theybothlooked
atthehandbythepen. Itwaswhite,andthewristwaspurple. A
motionofsomekindfromthemancausedthebrutetoreleasehis
wrist.Athousandneedlesrushedouttotheendsofhisfingers,buthe
couldnotbringhisotherhandaroundtocomfortit.Inanactofpure
agony,bothemotionallyandphysically,Nedimsignedtheconfession.
Oncetheconfessionhadbeensigned,thebag,whichNedimhad
notseenentertheroom,wasputbackonhishead.Hewasforcedto
standandhishandswerecuffed. Heassumedtheyweregoingto
executehimnow,despitewhattheyhadsaid.Thefeelinginhishand
wasstillremindinghimofhisbetrayal. Intruth,hewasatpeace
aboutdyingnow.Apublicexecutionwouldmakethenewsquickly
andhisbrotherswouldbeabletofleetosafety.

Thelongwalkupanddownsetsofstairsoccurredagain.Nedim
didn'tbothertocount. Intruth,hedidn'tbegintopanicuntilthey
shovedhimintoavehicle.Hiskneeshitwhatfeltlikeseatsinfront
ofhim,soheassumedhewasintheback.Theydidn'tneedacarto
gethimtothemosquecourtyardforexecution!Hehadheardthecall
toprayerintheroom.Itcouldn'tbemorethanafewblocks!No!

10

SpineofWaterReed

heshouted.Themosqueisclose!Iheardthecalltoprayer!
Heheardthebrutes,nowoneithersideofhiminthevehicle,
begintolaughandholdhiminplace.Relax,saidthevoiceofthe
man.Wearegoingtotakeyourpicture.
Whycouldn'tyoujustdothathere?Nedimasked.
The camera and fingerprinting equipment are at another
location,themanresponded.
Whentheenginestarted,Nedimcouldtellfromthequietandthe
airconditioningthatthiswasacar.Theseatsfeltlikeleatheronhis
legs,notcheapvinylorcloth.ItmustbeoneofthosedarkMercedes
hehadseensecretpoliceanddiplomatsridingaroundin.Thesmell
insidewasnotthesmellofthecityhewasusedto,norofsweatand
fear.Itsmelledcleanandnew.
Theydroveforwhatseemedlikequiteawhile,withmanyturns,
stops,speedystretchesandslowcrawls. Therewasnowaytotell
howfartheyhaddriven,orwhichdirectiontheyhadendedupgoing.
Finally,theenginewasturnedoffatastop.Nedimwasroughly
pulledfromthebackofthecar.Hewalkedintoabuilding,downa
flightofstairs,andhadhisbagtakenoffinsideofanotherwindowless
stoneroom.Therewasabigwhitesheethangingononewall,some
lightsshiningonit,andamountedcamerafacingit.Alonganother
wallwasatablewithaninkpadandsomeforms.Besideallofthis
wasacomputerwithaprinter. Thecomputerhadacablerunning
overtothecamera.
Thisroomcameequippedwithtwonewpeople. Bothofthem
werewhite,butbothlookedstrikinglydifferent.Hejudgedtheirage
tobeinthelatetwentiestoearlythirtiesrange.Nedimwastakenover
infrontofthesheetandmadetofaceforward.Aseriesoffrontand
sidephotosweretaken,thenhewasdraggedovertothetable.
While Nedim's handcuffs were being removed, he noticed

SpineofWaterReed

11

something odd about this place. Silence. There were no noises

coming from other parts of the building. No conversations. No
mechanicaldevices.Nosoundsofpeopleoutside. Thisplacemust
beveryisolated,hethought.
The fingerprinting proceeded while the printer spat out his
photographonapagewithallhispersonalinformation.The printout
finishedaboutthetimehislastfingerimpressionwasbeingtaken.
Thecameramanplaceditintoafolderhehandedtothemaninthe
suit.Weownyanow,mate,hesaidwhenhelookedatNedim.
He'sBritish! AvoicescreamedinNedim'shead,orperhapshe
screamedit,hecouldn'tbecertain. Themanwhohadbeentaking
Nedim's fingerprints said, That we do, in the thickest German
accentNedimhadeverheardashehandedtheformovertotheman
inthesuit.
He'sGerman! ScreamedthesamevoiceNedimhadheardonly
momentsago. Thatexplainstheeuros! Thiswasverybadindeed.
Notonlyhadhebeencaptured,buthehadbeencapturedbypeople
whoweren'tevenonthelisttobekilledyet.
ABritworkingwithclandestinePakistanioperativeswasavery
badsign. AGermanworkingwithallofthemwasaverybadsign
indeed!ItwasobvioustoNedimthemeninthisroomwerenotunder
thecontrolofanyonegovernment.Perhapstherewasnogovernment
controllingthematall.
Nedimhadheardstoriesaboutfreelanceoperatorslikethisfrom
the days when bin Laden was throwing the Russians out of
Afghanistan. Theydidwhattheypleased,alwaysseemedtohave
limitlessstoresofweaponsandfunding. Sometimestheywouldgo
intoavillageandkilleveryonethere,thenleaveafewdeadRussian
soldiersandsomeRussianweaponsforthenewsreporterstofind.
Thesetypesofmendidn'tfightforacause,theyfoughtformoneyand
thethrillofthekill.

12

SpineofWaterReed

WhenNedim'smindcamebacktotheroomherealizedallofthe
menwerelaughingathim.Eventhemaninthesuit.

SpineofWaterReed

13

SlitherofSnake
Once the men had finished laughing at him, the bag and car
routinewererepeated.Allofthistimehehadnotbeenofferedwater
orallowedtogotothebathroom.Eveninthisluxuryride,thebumps
werestartingtobeexcruciating. Hisbladderwasnearlybeyondits
capacity. Itwouldhavebeenmuchworsehadhenotgonebackto
bed after relieving himself just before the security forces came
crashingthroughhisfrontdoor.
This time, when the car finally stopped, and the bag was
removed,herealizedhewasinfrontofhisownhome.Therewere
twonewmenwaitingforhimoutsideofthedoor. Henoticedthe
doorwasshutanditlooked asifithadbeenreplaced.Themenwere
dressedincommonclothing.Oneofthemopenedthedoorforhim.
Everybodywentinside.
Pointingtooneofthenewmen,themaninthesuitsaid,Thisis
yourcousinUmarfromSaudi. Pointingtotheothernewmanhe
said,ThisisyourfriendRameshfromuniversity.Thisishowyou
willrefertothembothinpublicandprivate. Oneofthemwillbe
with you at all times. You can see that your computer has been
returnedtoyou.Wehaveacompleteimageoftheharddrive.You
will explain the code contained in each message you transfer and
translateitforthesemen. Theywillreportbacktome. YouandI
willnotmeetagainunlessyourlifeisabouttoend.
Withthatthesuitandthetwobrutesleft.Onceinsideofthecar,
thebrute behindthewheel uttered, Wearejust goingtolet him
continue?
WehaveinstalledaTrojanhorseonhiscomputer. Eachmail
messagehesendswillcontainthisTrojan. Whenauseropensthe
mailmessageitwillcreateaconnectiontoaserverwehaverunning.
There it will send the IP address of the connecting machine and
variousotherpiecesofdatafromit.WehaveadatabaseofeveryIP
addressfromeveryknownuniversity,libraryandInternetcaf. It

willbeaslowprocess,butwewillgetthemall.
Thedriverpulledawayfromthehouseandstartedthereturnto
headquarters. From the back seat, the man in the suit continued,
Whatdoyouknowaboutthesemenweintendtokill?
Theyareterroristswhowillbringthewrathofallnationsdown
uponus.Iftheyareallowedtocontinue,neitherwenorourcountry
willsurvive,respondedthedriver.

SlitherofSnake

0
Isthatallyouknow?
Itisenough.

It is enough to want them dead, it isnot enoughto make it

happen. These men are creatures of habit. While they may
implementvariationsofatheme,theywillnotceaseapatternthey
perceivetobeworking.
DoyouthinkNedimistheonlyemailrelayinthisnetwork?
Silence.
He is one of many. We know this, but until now, had not
crackedit.Nowwehaveacrack.Yes,hewillleadustothecellshe
communicateswithandwewilltakethemoutafterobservingthem,
butthatisnottherealbenefit. Thereal benefitwillbetheother
relaysheleadsusto.Thisisamanyheadedbeast.Takingdowna
few cells responsible for one terrible bombing may make great
headlines,butitwillnotkillthebeast. Todothat,youneedone
massivemovethatcutsoffmanyheadsatonce.Thiswillcausethe
beasttogointopanicandbleedtodeath. Wewillpumpthiswell
untilitrunsdry,thenwewilldecidewhattodowiththeheadof
Nedim.
****
BackathishomeNedimfinallygottoanswerhismosturgent
call,putonsomeclothesandconfronthiskeepers.Oneofthemen,
hecouldnotrememberifitwashiscousinorhisfriend,informedhim
itwastimetocheckhisemail.Heresignedhimselftodoingjustthat.
Themenproducedasmallrecordingdeviceandbegantakingnotesin
collegethesistypenotebooks.Atleastthatwouldlendcredibilityto
the university friend story, if he could ever remember which was
which.
Therewereonlyfiveemailswaitingforhim,yetgettingthrough
thefirstfourtookoveranhour.Hewentthroughtheexplanationon

SlitherofSnake

routing.Eachgroupwishingtoreceiveinformationwouldsendhima
baselinephoto.Phrasesinthetextthatcamewithitwouldtellhim
whoshouldreceive the image. They alsotoldthereceiverswhat
informationthesenderwaslookingfor.Everyoperativeinthefield
hadaccesstothesameeditingsoftwarewhichwoulddistributethe
responsetheytypedasaseeminglyrandomsetofbiterrorsinthe
image. The response itself would be short and use phrases the
operativesweretoldtouse.
Notranslationswereeverwrittendown.Eachpersongathering
intelligencehadtomemorizethishandful ofphrases. Thesewere
alongthesamelinesasthephrasestheyhadbeenusinginopenphone
callsandemailsinthepast beforetheyfiguredoutintelligence
agencieswerelisteningin. Nowtheyhidtheinformationinsideof
theimages.Youhadtocapturethebaseimagebeforeyoucouldeven
hopetofindthemessagetodecode.
Whenonedistributedbaseimages,onewouldnotsendthemallat
once.OverthecourseoftheweekNedimwoulddistributetheimage
to everyone who should receive it. Some would have messages
embeddedinthemandbesenttodecoys.Thedecoymessageswould
be scattered in the distribution so that any agency intercepting a
newphotocouldnotbecertainitwasabasephotounlesssomeone
hadalreadybeensignificantlycompromised. Decoymessageswere
senttosomesuspectedofbeingcompromisedaswell. Inshort,a
base image used togo out tosomewhere between twenty and 400
emailaddresses.
Usedto?askedoneofthemen.
Icameupwithabetterway.NowwhenanewimagecomesinI
encryptaphraseinit,thenonlysenditouttofourorfivedecoys
alongwiththelist.Thedecoysgetadifferentphrase.Evenifanyof
themareintercepted,theystillcannotbeusedfordecoding. Allof
theoperativesknowthephraseandremoveitfromtheimagepriorto
usingitasabaseimage.

SlitherofSnake

2
Whatisthephrase?
GodisGreat.
Andthedecoyphrase?

WhateverIfeelliketypingfromtheHolyQuran.
Bothmenwereshockedtolearnthesoftwarewasasimplepiece
ofOpenSourcesoftwareoriginallydoneasaproofforsomethesis
work,thencontinuedbyacommunitylookingtotransfersensitive
datacheaplyandsecurelyovertheInternet. Whileithadoriginally
focusedontransferringfinancialdata,clinicaltrialresearchandthe
like,thisgrouphadcoopteditfortheirownsensitivedata.
Twoofthe messagescontainedimages withcodedphrases in
them. Oncehehadtranslatedthem,Nedimemailedthemontothe
originalsenderoftheimage.
OneofthemenaskedNedimhowheknewwheretosendthe
responsesbecausetheyhadseennoindicationinthemessageorthe
brieflooktheyhadgottenonhiscomputer.
Simple.Onesenderalwaysusesimagesofbirds,anotherbeach
scenes,anotherfish,etc.Ithasneverbeendifficulttokeeptrackof
thedestinationbecauseofthis.
Thethirdmessagewasinteresting.Itcontainedonephraseand
anFTPaddress.NedimpastedtheFTPaddressintohisbrowserand
beganabinarydownloadoftheZIPfile.Afterdownloadingthefile,
Nedimsenttheoriginalemailontoitsdestination.
Whenanattempttounzipthefilewasmade,itpromptedfora
password.ThefilenamehadbeentheletterTfollowedbyaseries
ofdigitsanddasheswitha.zipextension. Thephrasehadbeen
GreatView.
BothmenwantedtoknowhowNedimhadknownthepassword.
Itwasobvious,heresponded.Thedigitsinthefilenamewerethe

SlitherofSnake

longitudeandlatitudeforsomewhereinChicago. Alloftheworld
heard about the great view from the Sears Sky Deck when The
World'sTallestBuildingwasbuilt.
Atfirst,thefilescontainedinthiscompressedfileappearedtobe
nothingmorethantouristsnapshots.Anoddnumberofthemseemed
to be focusing on the lake view, but all views seemed to be
represented.Whenspreadout,theywouldgiveyouafull360degree
viewfromtheSkyDeck. Thiswasfollowedbysomeshotswhich
seemedtocomefromsomeairtouroutoverthelake.Oddvacation
tobesure,butnothingincriminating.
Then they came to the spreadsheets. One contained detailed
informationaboutguardnumbersandrotationsforbuildingsecurity.
Anothercontainedinformationaboutpolicepatrolsandforcesize.
Following the spreadsheets were PDF files containing the
originalconstructionblueprintsforthebuilding. Theseshowedthe
typeofsteel,andthequantityandplacementofit.Theyshowedthe
location and weight of the counterbalance units. A detailed
discussionwasalsoincludedfromsomearchitecturalmagazinestory
abouthowthesmallertowerssupportedthemaintowerinthosegreat
Chicagowinds.
Justtobecompletetherewerealsophotosoftheparkinggarage
entrance,thevariouslevelsandevensomeofthesupportsrunning
throughthoselevels.Onepictureevenwentsofarastohaveatape
measurehelduptothesupportpillarforsize.
Thiswasobviouslyacompletedreconeffort. Allinformation
hadbeengatheredanddeliveredforthosewhomakestrikedecisions.
Itwasleftuptotheleaderstodecide whether,how,andwhentostrike
the target. They had Nedim make a copy of the entire directory
wherehehaddecompressedthefile.
Bothmenweresoflooredbythescopeandmagnitudeofwhat
wasgoingontheyalmostforgottolookatthelastemail.Itseemed

SlitherofSnake

innocuous enough. It looked like a form letter from a technical

support company. It was announcing they had closed his ticket
numberandinstructedhimtoreopenitifhehadanyfurtherconcerns
onthisissue.Attheendwasafaxnumberifheneededtofaxany
screenprintsorservicecontractinformationtothetechnicalsupport.
ItwassignedJohn.
Afterwhattheyhadjustseen,bothmenhadahardtimebelieving
thiswasaroutinebusinessemail.Nedimshowedthemtheemailhe
hadsenttechnicalsupportregardinganissuewherehiscomputerwas
lockingupandtheirresponseaboutdownloadinganewsetofdrivers.
This seemed to satisfy both men. Oddly enough, they both
understoodthatWindowswasanunstableoperatingsystem.
With that complete and the CD in the men's hands, Nedim
announceditwastimeforhimtogotowork. Heactuallywasa
softwareanalystbytradeandheworkedforan offshoringcompany,
which meant he worked nights a few days per week so he could
participateinconferencecallswiththeU.S.clients. Nedimhadno
qualmsabouttakingmoneyfrominfidelsbeforekillingthem.
Oncedressedandwithlunchpacked,themanwhowassupposed
tobehisfriendfromtheuniversityannouncedhewouldbewalking
with him to work. The other man would be delivering the
informationtheyhadgatheredtotheirsuperiors.Duringthewalkto
work, Nedim said, I suppose you are also monitoring my work
email?Therewasnoresponsefromtheotherman.Ofcoursethere
wouldn'tbe.
TheveryfirstthingNedimdidaftersittingdownathisdeskand
logginginwastohandwriteanote.
John,
Infidels at my door. Stay clear.
Ned

SlitherofSnake

He then immediately faxed the note to the number from the

technicalsupportemailandtossedthenoteintotheshredbin.
John'srealnamewasKaliel. Nedimhadmethimatuniversity
andtalkedwithhimatthemosque.Johnnowworkedforatechnical
supportcompanyinIndia,another offshoreoperationthatrequiredits
peopletouseanAmericannamewhendealingwithU.S.customers.
JohnhadbeensenttoAmericaonanH1BVisaforafewyears.John
workedwiththeverysameteamthatassembledtheinformationon
theSearsTower. TheemailwastoletNedimknowthatJohnwas
backhome. Hewastofaxoncehehadpulleddownthefileand
forwardediton.Oneoftheotherteammembers,alsoworkinginthe
U.S.onH1B Visa, hadbeentasked withassemblingthefileand
postingitinablindFTPlocationontheWeb.Tokeepcellsisolated,
each operative knew only where to put a message, not where it
actuallyendedup.
Johnhadbeenthefirst toseethebrillianceofNedim'semail
relaysystem.HehadalsobeentheonetoconvinceNedimtoembed
themessagesinsideofimagesforsecurity.TheleadersofalQaeda
hadsimplysmiledandnoddedwhenheinformedthemofthisplan.
They were used to hiding in caves, making videos, and
communicatingbysatellitephone. ItwasonlyafterSeptember11,
2001, when every phone was monitored, that suddenly his relay
system was pressed into service. The leaders learned about the
compromisedphoneswhenseveral ofthetrainingcampstheyhad
been talking with were bombed. Their location could have been
discoveredonlybytriangulatingthesignals.
Nedim knew the relay network John handled was even larger
than his own. Today's most important recruits weren't from the
impoverishedpartsoftheMuslimworld.Theywerethetechnology
students,trainingforjobsthat wouldput them inthebellyofthe
beast,abletowalkfreely,andassemblefilesliketheoneNedimhad
downloadedtoday.

SlitherofSnake

The infidels were only too happy to bring them over by the
planeloadpayingtheiremployersU.S. thirty dollars perhour. The
workersgotonlytendollarsofthat.Somegotonlytendollarsperday.
Itwasmorethanmostofthemhadevermadeandwellbelowthe
prevailingU.S.Wage.ThenewrecruitsweregoodMuslims,oneand
all.Theywereonlytoohappytosendthebulkofthatmoneyhometo
helpthecause.WhilethebigdonationsstillcamefromwithinSyria,
Iran,andSaudiArabia,bothcashandintelligencewerecomingvia
thesenewrecruits.Someofthemwouldevenbemartyrseventually.
BothJohnandNedimhadtriedtoconvincethealQaedaleaders
tostart theirown offshore companiesinIndiaandPakistan. Keep
themlookinglegitimatetotheoutsideworldandtheywouldgenerate
tensofmillionsofdollarsforthecauseannually.Eachmanknewthe
marginsbeingmadeby offshorecompanies.Thosecompanieswere
abletoobtainvisasinquantity,usuallywiththehelpoftheirclients.
Insteadofgettinghalfofsomewages,theywouldget mostofall
wageseveniftheemployeedidn'tsupportthecause.
SomeofthepeopleJohnhadbeenworkingwithgotthemselves
intoprojectsforthefinancialdistricts.Thesemembersdevelopeda
system of moving large amounts of money around in untraceable
manners.Theinfidelsmightfindafewaccountshereandthere,but
theycouldnotpossiblyfindthemall.AlQaedanowhadaccountsin
allcountriesandallcurrencies. Therewasnowheretheycouldnot
financeanoperation.Theonlyproblemwasgettingsuicidebombers
intoAmerica,butthankfully,corporategreedsolvedthatproblem.
ThemartyrshadtolearnonlyenoughEnglishtoworkahelpdesk.
Notonlywerethemartyrsbeingpaidtocomeintothecountryand
killAmericans,theywereputtingAmericansoutofjobsfromday
one.GodisGreat.
Theinfidelleadersweresostupid. Rallyinginthepressabout
terroristsusingthedrugcartelstoimportthem.Plantingstoriesabout
terroristswalkingacrosstheMexicanborderortheCanadianborder.

SlitherofSnake

Terroristsdidn'twalkintothebellyofthebeast,theyflewbusiness
class.TheonlyconnectionalQaedahadtothedrugcartelswasnow
theybothusedthesamemethodstolaundermoney. Tokeepthe
infidelsconfused,someofthemoneystillwentthroughthecharity
organizationstheyhadbeenusingforyears,butthelargetransactions
allflowedthroughthedrugcartel'smoneylaunderingsystemsinthe
financialdistrict.GodisGreat.
****
Umar,themanplayingthecousinfromSaudiArabia,returnedto
headquarters.HesetdownhisnotesandquicklyloadedtheCDintoa
laptopcomputerforhissuperiorstosee.Theywerebothimpressed
andskepticalthatsuchafindcouldbenabbedonthefirstday.The
laptopwashandedovertoanotherteamforfurtheranalysiswhile
Umarwentthroughhisnotestohissuperiorsandtherestoftheteam.
HeexplainedthemeaningsofphrasesasNedimhadexplainedthem.
Thereweremanyquestions,ittookhours.
Afterashortbreak,theyregroupedandUmarbeganexplaining
howthebaselineimagesweredistributed. Hetoldthemaboutthe
OpenSourcesoftwareusedtoembedmessagesinthemandhowall
baselineimagesnowhadGodisGreatembeddedinthembefore
beingdistributed.Thecorrupteddecoymessagesbroughtupquitea
bitofdiscussion.Whenaskedhowtheykepttrackofwhichimages
touse,heinformedthemthateachcellcommunicatorchoseaspecific
family of images, beach scenes, birds, fish, etc. This segregation
ensuredtheyneverneededtokeepalistofwhatwentwhere.
Skepticsintheroomcouldtakenomore. Theydecidedtoput
thesetheoriestoatest. Asnoopingprogramhadbeeninstalledon
Nedim's email account for months. They all gathered around a
computer while the British photographer downloaded the software
and copied two sets of images to the local hard drive. In one
directoryheputallofthecopiesofonepictureNedimhadsent,in
another directory he placed all of that same image Nedim had

SlitherofSnake

received.Thirtyeightmessageshadgoneout,butonlytwohadcome
back.
Firstwetrythisonanimagesenttosomeonewhodidn'treturn
it,saidtheBrit.
HeenteredthecommandstoremoveGodisGreatfromthe
image, then the difference between this baseline and one of the
receivedimages.Garbageappeared.
See,heliedtoyou,saidsomeoneintheback.
No, said the Brit.This one was a decoy. Next we try an
imagesenttoanemailaddressthatreturnedit.
He went through the steps to create the new baseline image.
When the difference was run against the responding message, out
poppedthemessage.

Went fishing today.

Cans and bottles counted.
Worm box ignored.

Wentfishingwhere?askedsomeone.
Wecanask,respondedUmar.
No,saidthemaninthesuit.Simplyobserveandreport.This
was a status report. They will send email again. When Nedim
respondstothem,wewillknowtheirlocation.Wewillwatchthem
forawhile,thenrounduptheentirecell.
Andbringthemhere?camethequestionfromsomewherein

SlitherofSnake

theroom.
Dependingonthecountryandwhomakesthearrest,theywill
gotoournewinterrogationfacility,respondedtheGerman.
Whereisthat?askedoneofthebrutes.

That informationisonaneedtoknowbasisandyoudonot
needtoknow,snappedthemaninthesuit.Healsomadeamental
notenottoletthemusclepartofthisoperationstandaroundwhile
evidence was being sorted through. Operations like this needed
brutes,but theycouldbedamnedinconvenient whenthinkingwas
going on. As a general rule, they always tried to absorb more
informationthantheirtinybrainscouldhold. Thisoverabsorption
hadatendencytoresultinleakage. Operationslikethiscouldnot
functionwhenleakagehappened.

OldisNew
Hanswasgladthesuitnippedthelocationdiscussioninthebud.
Hehadnoqualmsaboutkilling,butwouldprefernottokillateam
memberinfrontoftheteam. Thosekindsofkillsarealwaysbest
doneinsecret.Sometimesyoucouldevenmakeitlookliketheother
sidedidthedeedandfocustheteambyitinsteadofonit.
His real name was Karl, but everyone here called him Hans.
Theyhadcalledhimitsincethedayhewasassignedtothisteam.He
doubtedanyoneotherthanthemaninthesuitknewhisrealname.
Everynamewasanaliashere. Themaninthesuithadintroduced
himselfbyadifferentnametoeverymemberoftheteamwhenthey
joined.Theyallcalledhimthemaninthesuitnow.Ifhesmoked
theywouldprobablyjustcallhimthecancerman.
HanshadgrownupinGermany.Helearnedlongagotokeephis
politicalviewstohimself. Hehadappliedhimselfwellinschool,
majoring in both Mathematics and Computer Science at the right
time. Unlikemostfollowingthatcurriculum,hehadplayedsports,
drunkbeer,andchasedasmanywomenaspossible.
Collegecampusesarewhereallpartiesindoctrinatetheyouth.It
doesn'tmatterifitisDemocrat,RepublicanorTheReformedNazi
Party. Getthemwhentheyareidealistic,yearningtolearn;teach
themyourbeliefsandyoumakethemyoursforlife. Evenifthey
later try to leave, the beliefs are too deeply rooted to be lost
completely. ItwasnodifferentforHans. Hewasrecruitedbythe
clandestine agencies in his government to work in intelligence.
(Funny how it is always the dumbest people who refer to it as
intelligence.)
HewasdrawntosomeoftheidealsofTheReformedNaziParty.
Nottheidealssomuchasthelogictheyused.Theyactuallyanalyzed
thefailuresofHitlerandmadechangestotheplatforminaccordance.
Oh, they hadn't moved much from the Aryan World Dominance

theme,buttheyhadchangedthemethodofachievingit.

OldisNew

Whenhetoldthemofhisrecruitmenttheytoldhimtocometono
moremeetings.Fromtimetotimetheywouldsendsomeonetofill
himin.Heshouldnotopenlydiscusstheparty,norshouldhisname
appearonaregistryofmembership. Theytoldhimtheyhadother
membersinthosesameorganizations.Oncehemadeitthroughallof
theentrancerequirementstheywouldhelpsteerhim totheplaces
wherehecouldservebothhiscountryandhisparty.
Thathadbeenalongtimeago.Hanshadworkedoneverything
since then. Surveillance, encryption, decryption, computer
penetration,younameit.Hehadkilledmanytimestosavehisown
lifeandsometimessimplybecausehehadbeenorderedtokill. It
didn'tbotherhim.Heknewthateveryoneplayingthisgameforany
lengthoftimedeservedtodie,includinghim.
Economictroublesbackhomehadmadethepartygrowsomein
sizeandbecomemoreopen.Thereweremanydifferentversionsof
it,allclaimingtobeTheReformedNaziPartyorsomesuchvariation
ofthename.Eachgroupheldsomepoliticaloffices.Manyfactions
heldthecommongroundofAryanSupremacy,othersweresimply
willingtoletitslideiftheygoteverythingelsetheywanted. Each
had its ownlaundrylistofwhatHitlerhadbungled. Mostofthose
listsonlyincludedthemilitarybungles.Onlyhispartyhadtherootof
itcorrect:
Thefirstraceyouchoosetokilloffcannot
beonetherestoftheworldisindifferent
about.
CollegeprofessorshadanalyzedWorldWarIIfordecades.They
focusedonthedebaclesinRussiaandtheslaughteroftheairforce
tryingtobombEnglandintosubmission.Whilethosemadeforgood
militarydiscussions,theywerenot theheart oftheproblem. No,
therewereexactlytworootcausesforHitler'sfailure.

OldisNew

1.

Hehatedhismother

2.

Hewasgoingmad

Historians have only recently (in the last thirty years or so

anyway)talkedaboutthefirstdirtylittlesecret.Adolf'smotherwasa
Jew. HissisterchosetoremainJewishandwedaJew. Thissent
Adolf'sunstablemindcareeningoffwellpast dither.Itwasthenthat
thecrazypaperhangerwrotehisbookandproclaimedcourageeven
thoughhecoweredoutofeveryfight.
AryanSupremacypartieswerenothingnewinGermany,though
mostphraseditasGermanSupremacy.Hitlerdidn'tinventtheNazi
Party,hesimplycooptedthecorebeliefsfromtheotherpartiesso
eachfounditeasytosupporthim.Yes,theyhadmemberswithegos,
butnoneoftheminsaneenoughtopreachtheirvaluestothousandsin
apublicsquarelikeanEvangelicalpreacherinarevivaltent. First
came the spectacle, then came the following. Many went along
simplyfortheentertainmentvalue.
TheworldthoughtitwaspunishingGermanyafterWorldWarI.
TheTreatyofVersaillesleftabroken,bankrupt,andbitterGerman
people. Rebuildingthecountrywasoutofthequestion. Eachday
wasachoicebetweenfeedingthechildrenandpayingdownthedebt.
Eachdaywasthegrindingofabootheelonthebackoftheneck.In
truth,theworldwouldhavedonebettertodivideGermanyamongthe
bordercountriesandleavetheGermanswithoutahomeoftheirown.
ItwouldhavespedupreconstructionandlefttheGermanswithouta
Fatherlandtofightfor.
No,thevictors,smugintheirowngloryandselfrighteousness,
soughttohumiliateapeopleratherthansolveaproblem.Theworld
didn'tknowit,buttheColdWarbetweenRussiaandtheUnitedStates

OldisNew

after World War II had probably been the best thing for all. A
dividedandisolatedGermany,controlledbytwosuperpowerswho
seeminglyhatedeachother(atleastpublicly)keptthepeopleunder
controlandfocusedonsomethingelse. Thustheywerekeptfrom
becomingaproblemagain.

OldisNew

AfewyearslatertheAlliedpowers(mostlytheU.S.andmostly
duetowhatGermanyhaddone)decideditwastimefortheJewsto
have a home of their own again. In 1948 Israel became an
internationally recognized country. Few things could piss off the
Islamichardlinersmore.TheNaziskilledJewsbecauseHitlerhated
hismother. Hehadtopublishthat blueeyed,blonddefinitionto
narrowthefocusofAryanSupremacysincemostoftheJewswere
prettymuchwhite.TheIslamicextremistskillJewsbecausetheyare
Jews.WhereastheGermansoldiersdoingtheslaughterhadtobefed
propagandaandabigdrinkoftheNaziKoolAid,Islamicextremists
seemedtojustbeborn.Hanshadheardtapesofservicesfromevery
mosquesurroundingtheheadquarters.Youcouldn'tgrowuphere,be
religious,andnothateJewsassoonasyouwereoldenoughtospeak
asentence. BecausetheAmericanswerethebiggestsupportersof
Israel,youhadtohatethemaswell.
Educationreallywastheanswer,butyoucouldn'thaveeducation
inanyofthesecountrieswithout theQuran. Germansdidn'thate
Americans simply because they were American. There were still
some hard feelings over them being the last monkey on the pile
forcingthemdowntwice,butthatwastobeexpected.Thecitizensof
eithercountry,abletoobtainpassports,couldandwouldtravelinthe
other country without strapping on dynamite and detonating
themselvesinacrowdedplace.Here,theprimaryeducationwasthat
ofcenturiesoldhatred.
Hanscouldfightthesepeoplebecauseheunderstoodthemand
because doingso wasinlinewithhisparty'sbeliefs. Hispartyhad
droppedtheblueeyed,blondrestrictionfromtheAryandefinition.
Whilethosewouldalwaysholdhigherrank,theotherwhiteswouldn't
besystematicallyexterminated.Theyknewenoughaboutgeneticsto
know that you simply cannot stop recessive traits from surfacing
unlessyouaregoingtotestandabortfetuses,somethingcurrently
happeninginIndiaandpossiblyChina,justtogetason.

OldisNew

WhatHanssawinthesepeoplewastheNaziPartybeforeWorld
WarII.Itwasledbyamadmanwhohatedhispastandwastryingto
eliminateitfromhistory.Inthiscase,binLaden,tryingtohidethe
facthehadtakenmoneyfromandfoughtfortheAmericansinone
warandthathisfatherhadfundedthefirstthreecompaniesofaman
whobecamepresident. Thatsamemanwasnowsupposedtosend
peopletokillhim.
Adolf would not get undressed for physical examinations and
wouldnotallowanyonetogivehimaninjection,yetinjectionscould
havecuredhimofthediseasemostprominentlycausinghismadness.
BinLadenhasadiseasewhichrequiresaspecialformofdialysisand
othermedicaltreatments.Everyoneknewthatbadthingsleftinyour
bloodwouldeitherkillyouormakeyougomad.
Neitherhadcreatedtheirbaseplatform,theyhadsimplycoopted
thecorefromotherfactions'platformsandaddedtheirownpersonal
hatred. Hansdidn'thate. Hesimplywantedtobeonthewinning
team whichdominatedtheworld. Killingneverseemedtobother
him.Thenagain,hehadneverhadtokillachildorpregnantwoman.
Nobodytoldhimtostraponexplosivesandobliterateacrowd.They
toldhimwhomtheywanteddeadandbywhen;therestwasupto
him.
No,thespiritofglasnost,whichcausedGermanytobereunited
again,hadsimplyopenedmoredoorsforhimthanithadclosed.His
partyhadgottenstrongerandhadmoresympathizersinpower.Now
heworkedwithRussians,Brits,andAmericansspyingforthemina
quasicommoncauseratherthanspyingonthemforeachother.This
newgamewasasomewhatsafergame,evenifmoredeadly.Now,if
hegotnabbedbytheotherside,no fewerthantwoofthosecountries
woulddeploymilitaryforcestogethimoutoftrouble. Thestory
would be on CNN within an hour and citizens from civilized
countrieswouldbeaskingwhythetroopshadn'tdeployedalready.In
theolddays,ifhegotnabbed,hewoulddieaslowagonizingdeath

OldisNew

overthecourseofmonths,oryears,andnobodywouldeverhear
aboutit. Ofcourse,captivesseemedtohavealifeexpectancyof
hoursiftheywereAmerican.
September11hadbeenablunderofbiblicalproportionsforbin
Laden.HadhejustcrashedplanesintothePentagonandotherU.S.
onlystructures,therest oftheworldwouldhavehadonlylimited
outcry. Taking out the Twin Towers pushed every industrialized
countryintothefight.EvenChina,acountrywhichwasn'tthebest
friendoftheU.S.andhadbeenplayingacatandmousegamewitha
downedspyplaneonlyweeksbefore,calledtheWhiteHousetotell
theAmericansitsairspacewasopenforanythingtheyneededtofly
over. JustbecertainitisbroadcastinganAmericanIDCwhenit
fliesoverandwewillroutetrafficoutofitswaywasthephrase
Hans had heard. Whether it was true or not didn't matter. The
magnitudeoftheirairspacebeingopenwaslargeenough.
TherewerelessvisiblechangesbroughtaboutbySeptember11
aswell.InfluentialmembersofHans'partyhadgottenfundingand
built an interrogation camp deep in the Bohemian Forest between
Altglashutte and Schlattein. A few hills and woods over it built
another camp of the older, more famous style. The location was
chosenbecauseofitsseclusionandbecausetheycouldflypeoplein
viaNuremberg,thendrivethemsecretlyjustover100milestothe
camp. Someofthepartyeldersmusthavefeltnostalgicbuildinga
campnotfarfromanotherhistoricalcamp,Flossenburg. Hadthere
not been scholars and touristsvisiting what remained ofthe other
camp,theyprobablywouldhavesimplyreopenedthat camp. At
leasttheybuiltitover250milesfrom Birkenau. Mostoftheworld
knowsBirkenaubyanothername:Auschwitz.

Thefirstwasthecampthemaninthesuitwasbeingaskedabout.
When Hans' clandestine organization joined this team, they had
offered the use of the camp for interrogations. The other
organizationswerenottolditspreciselocation,onlythatprisoners

OldisNew

couldbeflowninviaNurembergandthatthecampwascloseenough
totheCzechbordertheycouldbeacrossitbeforeinspectorsarrived.
TheAmericanscouldnotbeaskedtojointhisparticularteam.
ThepoliticsinRussiadictatedtheyrekindletheColdWartoenact
some changes in their own country. They felt the need to do a
militarybuildupduetotheAmericanbuildupinthisregion,justin
casetheAmericansdecidedtohangontoalloftheoil.Hansthought
itbesttheAmericanswerenotinvolvedanyway.Theyhadrulesof
engagement and a flock of reporters following their every move.
Nothingblowsacovertoperationlikefilmateleven.
Besides,notonememberofthisteam(otherthanHans)knew
about the second camp. That was going to be his party's real
contributionto this effort. It wasalso goingto be thechain that
boundthemalltogetherpermanently.Oncethesecondcampwasput
into motion with prisoners who had completed interrogation,
everyonewouldbelockedintothisoperation. Hispartywouldbe
certaintofilmanddocumentwhatwentonthere.Nothingcementsa
relationshiplikethethreatoffilmateleven.

September 11 had given the more extreme members of Hans'

partywhattheyhadalwayswanted: Alicensetoexterminate. The
currentworldmindsetwasthatifyouclaimedsomeonewasaterrorist
andproducedafewemailstosupportyourclaim,youcouldkillthem
withoutquestion.JustlikeAdolfbeforehim,binLadenhadgiventhe
worldlicenseandwilltokillhispeopleenmasse.ItwasuptoHans,
andthefewmembersofhispartywhoknewaboutthesecondcamp,
tokeepitquietuntilaftereachparticipatingnuclearpowerhadsent
peopletheretodie. Oncethathappenedthosecountriescouldnot
strikebacktheycouldonlyhelpcoverup.
HanssuspectedthiscoverupwouldturnmostoftheMiddleEast

OldisNew

intoonecontinuoussheetofglass.Somewhothoughtthesamehad
begundebatingthethicknessoftheglassandhowsmooththesurface
would be when polished by the shock waves of multiple nuclear
blasts.
***
Nedimfinishedhisdayatworkandbeganthewalkhome.Ina
fewshortminuteshiscousinwaswalkingbesidehimandsaying
nothing. Therewasquiteacrowdleavingworkthatmorning,and
another smaller crowd coming in. Like most of the offshore
technology companies, this one ran a day shift and a night shift.
Some workers, like Nedim, had to toggle between the two shifts.
OthersdidtechnicalsupportonlywhiletheAmericansslept.
Once he arrived home, he found that his new friends had
actuallybotheredtopickupsomefoodanddrink.Theyateameal,
sayinglittle,thentoldNedimtocheckhisemailbeforehewentto
bed.Iusuallygotomorningprayernow,repliedNedim.Doyou
wantustojoinyouatthemosque?cametheirresponse.Inawayhe
did. Hewantedsomeone whoknew him tospeak withhim after
prayer,ortheclerichimself.WordwouldspreadquicklythatNedim
hadnewfriends. HisalQaedacontactswoulddisappear. Thenhe
thoughtbetterofit.Yes,hiscontactswoulddisappear,butnotbefore
onefinalcontactwasmade.Hadhebeentakentoprison,hewould
behonoredasanearmartyr,butwiththesemenlivinghere,hewould
bebrandedatraitorandassassinatedatthefirstopportunity.
Heresignedhimselftocheckinghisemail.Thisreallywasano
winsituationforhim. Eventuallyhisclericwouldmisshimatthe
privateQurandiscussions. Someonewouldstopby,andthetruth
wouldcomeout.Logictoldhimhehadaboutaweektosortthisout
beforehewoulddie.
Thisemailsessionwentalittlefasterthanthelast.Therewere
onlyahandful ofemailstopulldown,decode,andforward. His

OldisNew

friendsaskedthesamequestionstheyhadaskedthatmorning,but
mostlyjusttoconfirmwhattheyhadalreadywrittendown.Theone
filehehadtopulldownforthemcontainedfewerphotos,butlotsof
plansandspreadsheetscontainingtrafficcounts. Thetrafficcounts
werespreadoverseveralweeksandtheylistedspecialeventsgoing
oninthefarrightcolumns.Datesanddescriptionsoffutureevents
thatcouldaffecttrafficflowswerelistedatthebottom.
Of course there were several files of blueprints, and one file
containingWeblinks. Specialeventsandtrafficflowsarealways
important when you are targeting a bridge. Especially when the
bridgehaddefiedattackbefore. ThisbridgewastheGoldenGate
Bridge. All of the files were copied onto a CD produced by his
friends.
Thefinalmessagewasanewbaselinefile.Nedimshowedthem
howtodecodethetexttoknowwhowassupposedtoreceiveit.Then
camethequestiontheyweren'tsupposedtoask.Howdoyouchoose
thedecoys?
SomewillbeemailaddressesfromaspamlistIacquired,others
willbeaddresseshehascommunicatedwithbefore,heresponded.
Therewereonlyfiverecipientsforthisbaseimage,soNedimchose
sevendecoystorounditoutatadozen.
Dothedecoysknowtheyaredecoys?askedhiscousin.
Nottheonesfromthespamlist,repliedNedim.
Buttheothers?
EverypersonreceivingthisisagoodMuslim.Theyknowthe
HolyQuran.
EachbaseimagecamewithapassagefromtheQuranthatwould
seemtoapplytoitwhenreadbythecasualreader. Thespamlist
NedimhadobtainedwasalistofmembersfromvariousIslamicand
Muslimorganizationsaroundtheworld.SomehadtiestoalQaeda,

OldisNew

andsomedidnot.Theyallhad,atonetimeoranother,subscribedto
awordofthedayorprayerofthedaysortofservice asmanyof
theinfidelsdid.Theywouldassumethiswassomethingsentoutby
theserviceandponderit.

Whatthemenhadn'tnoticed,becausetheyweretoobusywriting
notes,wasthatNedimchangedawordinthephrasewhensendingto
decoys.Anymemberreceivingtheimageandfindingawordoutof
placeinthepassagewouldsimplyignoreit.Therestwouldsavethe
imageasanewbaseimage.Anycommunicationtheyneededtosend
to this leader would use this new image. Any new instructions
comingtothemwouldusethisnewbaseimage.
Onethingthemendidwritedownwasthefilenamecontaining
emailaddressesNedimusedfordecoys. Whentheyreportednext
time they would be able to speed up progress immensely on this
investigation.
Finally,afteraverylongday,Nedimwenttobed. Onemore
sunrise,andanotherdayclosertodeath,hethought.
***
Back at headquarters Nedim's cousin was enthusiastically
briefingtherestoftheteamonwhattheyhadlearned.Heturnedover
thefileCDcontainingtheinformationontheGoldenGateBridgeand
informedthemofthefilenameNedimusedtopullsomeofhisdecoy
namesfrom.
Inallhonesty,hethoughtthiswouldspeeduptheinvestigation.
Thenheheardthemaninthesuitsay,ThisisexactlywhatIwas
hopingtoavoid.Notonlydotheyhideamongthepopulation,now
theyimplicateeveryMuslimdevoutenoughtohaveadailyprayer
emailedtothem.
TheyaredeterminedtoturnthisintoawaragainstallMuslims,

10

OldisNew

saidHans.Theybelievethatoncethisgetsspunintoawaragainstall
Muslims,allMuslimswillrallytotheircauseratherthandieatthe
handsoftheinfidels.
Butweknowheboughtthislist,respondedNedim'scousin.
Wealsodon'tknowwhoonthatlistjoinedsimplytohideinthe
forest,repliedthemaninthesuit.Thelistitselfisofnousetous.
Wewillhavetolookateachimagetofindoutwhatitcontainsand
buildourtreefromthere.

OldisNew

11

Along one wall of the office was now a large marker board.
Theyusedaweteraseboardratherthanthemorecommondryerase
boardsoinformationcouldn'taccidentallybeerased.Inthecenterof
itwasNedim.Abovehimwasthebeginningofaninvertedhierarchy
chartandbelowhimthemorecommonimageofaregularhierarchy
chart.Onlyacoupleofothernameshadbeenfilledin.Thesewere
thenamesofpeoplearrestedwhosecomputeremailtracedbackto
Nedim. Eachoftheiremailaccountshadtheforwardingoptionset
and was now forwarding email to people on the team. Nobody
wantedalQaedatofindoutanoperativehadbeencompromisedbya
fullmailboxbounce.
Whenitcametothemembersoftheteambasedlocally,only
Hansandthemaninthesuitknewwheretheotherpeoplelistedon
thatboardwere.Theywerethefirstoccupantsofthefirstcampbuilt
byHans'partymembers. Nothingofinteresthadbeenlearnedby
their interrogation thus far, but it was early. Hans knew the
interrogators held out hope of squeezing more from them by the
simplefactnobodyinHans'partyhadtoldhimthesecondcamphad
beenputintouse.
***
KentBraxtonwassittinginhisbigleatherdeskchairgazingout
hisfourteenthfloorofficewindow.Kentwasonlytwentyfive,helda
HarvardMBA,andcamefromoldmoney.Toeveryonewhoworked
forhim,thismeantKentwasnothingmorethananicesuitsmiling
and schmoozing away money that could be better spent on real
employees.Kentknewwhattheythoughtofhimanddidn'tcare.He
wasgettingagoldenparachutefromthisfirmeveniftheyfiredhim
onhisfirstday. Ofcoursehewasn'tgoingtogetfiredbecausehis
peoplegetpaidtoleave.
StoredonafileinhisBlackBerrywasacheatsheethehadbeen
usingsinceenrollinginbusinessschool.Thatcheatsheetcontained
allofthekneejerkthingsanMBAwassupposedtosaywheneverthe

12

OldisNew

topicturnedtocuttingcosts.AllnewMBAhireswerealwaysasked
to cut costs, so he needed all of the schmoozing phrases at his
fingertips.Inparticular,heneededthephrasesrelevanttoIT.Like
allMBAs,Kenthadtakentheonedaycourseonhowtoconstructa
contactmanagerusingMicrosoftAccess,andnowheldacertificatein
ITprojectmanagement.EveryMBAhadtodoatleastoneITproject
beforebeinggivenavicepresidenttitle,andKentwasplanningon
sailing through his. The less time he spent with these money
grubbinggeeksthebetter.Theyweren'tMBAs,sowhyshouldthey
getpaidsomuch?
FirstGlobalBank,Inc.cameintobeingasaresultoftheAsian
financialcrisis.Agoodmanyinvestmentfirmsandbankshadgotten
toogreedyplayingoptionsandderivativesnobodycouldunderstand.
Corporate carcassesquicklylittered thelandscape oncethe bubble
burst. Afewfirmshadn't dippedquitesoheavilyintothenever
endingoceanofgreedsurroundingthefinancialcommunity.It'snot
that they did well, just that they had more cash on hand when a
competitor'sstockpricesplungedbelow fivedollarspershare,andthen
wellbelowadollarpershare.Theywereabletosnatchupassetsat
firesalepriceswhenthecompanieswentunder,andthosecloseto
avoidinggoingunderwerevictimsofhostiletakeovertactics.Kent's
brotherhadgottenhimthisjob,buthehadtoimpressthegrayhairs
withhisabilitytocutITcosts.
ThesimpletruthisthatKentcouldbarelyfindthepowerswitch
onhiscompanyissuednotebook.Hecouldn'tunderstandwhythere
wereanyothercomputerplatformsorsoftwarepackagesbecausehis
onlyexposuretocomputershadbeensurfingtheWebandsending
email. He had no idea how the VPN (Virtual Private Network)
workedwhenheconnectedinfromhome,nordidheunderstandwhy
the company needed it. In short, most threeyearoldsknew more
aboutITthanKent.Onthebrightside,nothavingaclueaboutwhat
wasandwasn'tneededallowedhimtocuteverythingwithoutany
emotion.

OldisNew

13

Ninedifferent corporationshadbeenconsumedinonewayor
anotherduringthecreationofFirstGlobalBank.Everyoneofthem
had a completely different computer system handling all of their
transactions. Theonlybrightspotoftheentireordealwasthatthe
automatictellermachinesallwentthroughthirdpartyservicefirms
which had actually created communications standards. No matter
whatATMyouwereatintheworld,youcouldcheckyourbalance
andwithdrawcash.
Kent's predecessor had actually known something about IT.
Kent'spredecessorwasn'tanMBA,sothenewboardhadtoreplace
him. This necessitybecame especially apparent to them when IT
coststripledduringthefirstyearofallthemergers.Notonesingle
memberoftheboardknewanythingaboutIT,theyjustwanteditto
workandbefree.Suchisthelotinlife ofthosewhounderstandIT.
Someonewhodoesn'tunderstandathingyoudowillbethefirstone
tofireyoutocovertheirass.
TherewasagoodreasonITcostshadtripledduringthatfirst
year. Theboardwantedtobeabletoseeallinformationfromall
units.Everyunithadadifferentcomputersystemwithadifferentset
ofapplicationslocatedatdifferentplacesthroughouttheworld. In
short,thelemmingswalkedoffacliffwiththeireyesfirmlyfixedon
theothersideofthegorge.
Onethingtheboardofdirectorshadfailedtoconsider was that
everydatacenterisrequiredtohaveonebackupcenter.Whenyou
handletheclearingforstockexchanges,andjustabouteveryother
financialtransaction,youaren'tallowedtotellthecustomerplease
tryagainlaterasyoucansomeInternetuser.Youcannotgetlarge
amountsofFDICcoveragewithouteitherafullyhardeneddatacenter
ormultipledatacenterssplitacrossdifferentpowergridsindifferent
regionsofthecountry.Theshortdescription,intermsofthecommon
man,isyouhavetobeabletocompletelyloseonedatacenterand
stillhandleallofyourdailytransactions,oryouhavetobuildadata

14

OldisNew

centerwhichcansurviveanuclearstrike. Giventhelastoptionis
prettyexpensive,mostfinancialfirmsoptedformultipledatacenters.
Whenyougreedilyconsumenineotherfinancialinstitutions,you
endupwithnineothersetsofdatacenters,someofwhichareonthe
samephysicalblockwitheachother.Yourfirstorderofbusiness,not
onlytoeventuallycutcosts,butsimplytomaintainsanity,istostart
consolidatingdatacenters.Soundssimplewhenyousayitoutloud,
butitrequiresalotofoutsidecontractorsandalotofrented/newly
purchasedequipment assumingyoudon'thavetobuildashiny
newlocationwithenoughroomtoholdeverythingfromallofthe
otherlocations.Itwasthissetofrealitieswhichcausedatriplingof
theITbudgetunderKent'spredecessor.
Inayear'stime,Kent'spredecessorwentfrom ten setsofdata
centerstofoursets.Hehadcutthenumberofdatacenterstaffneeded
byathird.Hehadevenputtogethertheplansforconsolidatingthe
lastthreesetsintotheprimarysetofdatacenters.Giveneverything
elsehispredecessorhadsuccessfullycompleted,Kentassumedthe
planwasagoodone.Therewasnoindicationiftheplanwasactually
complete,though,andgivenKent'sITskilllevel,hehadnowayto
know.
The cost savings which would be realized this year from his
predecessor'sworkallowedKenttobringinBigFourConsultingto
puttogetherabeautifullookingPowerPointpresentationonhowthey
recommended completing the consolidation and still have a lower
budgetthanhispredecessor.Kentassumedtheywouldjustverifyhis
predecessor'splanandhewouldhavetofindpricewhorestodothe
work.
Assumptionscankillyou.SomeoneshouldhavetoldKentthat.

OldisNew

15

AColdCalculationofWinter
Nedim'salarmwentoffaroundlunchtime.Therestoftheweek
he was allowed to work a late afternoon shift that ran into the
evening.Hehadjustenoughtimetocleanupandheadforafternoon
prayer.Hedidn'tevenmindwhenhisfriendfromuniversitytagged
along. At least the man stayed behind him and didn't pray right
besidehim. Afterprayershewentwiththeclericandagroupof
othersforhisprivatediscussionsontheQuran. Hecouldsensethe
obviousdispleasurecomingfromthebackofthemosqueanddidn't
care. Whenyouhavealreadydecidedyouaredead,younolonger
carewhowillbetheonetokillyou.
Promptlyat3:00heexcusedhimselftogotowork.Ramesh(the
namegivenhisfriendfromuniversity)waswaitingforhimoutside
ofthemosque. Whentheywereoutofearshotofothers,hebegan
beratinghim.
DoyouwantIshouldkillyounow?
Itdoesnotmatter.Ifyoudoitnowitwillsavemethetrouble
ofwaitingforittocome.
Youronlychanceatlifeistocooperatewithusfully.
Ihave,Nedimlied.
Andyoucalldisappearingwithaclericforhourscooperating?
Ifyouwishtojointhediscussion,saysomethingtothecleric
that impresses him and he may invite you. I cannot invite you
directlywithoutgivingupallofyourbackgroundandIhavenoidea
whatthatis.Iparticipateinthosediscussionsatleastthreedaysper
week.

AColdCalculationofWinter

IfIstartmissingthemIknowtwothingsforcertain.Thefirstis
thattheemailI'mrelayingwillstop. Thesecondisthatverysoon
afterIwillbedead.YoumightsayIknowthreethings.Thethirdis
thatifImanagetosurvivedoingthisuntilI'mnolongeruseful,you
oroneofyourteamwillkillme.Doyoureallythinkthreateningmy
lifeisanywaytomotivateme?
Forabrief,but nottoobrief,moment,Rameshthought about
offinghimrightthereonthestreetinfrontofeveryone. Theonly
thingthatstoppedhimwasthinkingabouthowhewouldexplainitto
themaninthesuit.Onshortnoticehecouldnotcomeupwithastory
that was convincing in his own mind. The cleric visit by itself
wouldn'tcoverit.Rameshalsoknewtherewasnowayhewouldbe
theonesittinginHolyQurandiscussionswithacleric.
Nedimstoppedathome,packedalunch,thenwalkedtowork.
ThistimeUmaraccompaniedhim,buttheydidnotspeak.Whenhe
arrivedatworktherewasafaxforhimwaitingathisdesk.

I have escalated your issue to the highest authority.

God is Great.

Johnhadunderstoodhismessageandinformedothersabovehim.
Ifthere were anycrosscommunicationsbetweencells,thoseNedim
workedwithwouldknowinamatterofdays. Inaweekorso,the
bulkofhisemailwouldstop.Onlythoseunderdeepcoverwhodo
notcommunicateuntilnecessarywouldsendhimanything.Perhaps
beforethenhewouldhaveoutlivedhisusefulness.Nedimthrewthe
faxintheshredbin. AFunnythingaboutworkingforan offshore
consultingcompany:everythingyouneededtodestroyevidencewas

AColdCalculationofWinter

righthereintheoffice.
***

JohnknewheshouldnothavesentthefaxtoNedim,buttheyhad
beenintertwinedinthisforsometime.Heneededtopassalongthe
informationtotheleadersheknewaboutsotheycouldarrangeforhis
relocation.NedimwasagoodMuslim,butnotagreatMuslim.Ifhe
was squeezed, he would give up John. As long as John had an
InternetconnectionhecouldobscuretheIPaddressandcontinueto
functionwithoutbeinglocated.Hejusthadtomovebeforehewas
located now since Nedim knew where he worked and the infidels
probablyhadacoupleofhisworkemails.Thosefaxnumberswentto
physicaladdresses.Hehadtobealongwayfromherebytomorrow.
Anewpassportandidentitywerebeingdeliveredtohimwithin
thehour.Hewouldmovetoanothertechcenterandhideamongthe
population. ThistimehewouldbelivinginBangalore. Technical
supportcentersweresodesperatetherehedidn'thavetofilloutan
application.SimplyspeakclearenoughEnglishduringtheinterview
andanswertwooutoffivetechnicalquestionscorrectly.Ifyouwere
willing to start off with a pathetic salary, you walked out of the
interviewandstartedyourshift. Mostpeoplehatedworkingatthe
callcenters,butnotJohn. Itprovidedhimwithincomeanddidn't
cloud his mind when he left. His real occupation was
communicationsrelaycenterforalQaeda.
Hiscomputerathomehadtobeleftontoretrieveallemailtoan
encryptedfolder. Hereceivedmorethan500emailsperday. He
neverbotheredtodecodethem,hesimplydidn'thavethetime.There
werenowfourteencellsforwhomhehandledcommunications.Most
ISPsinthiscountrywouldbounceyouremailafteryoureceived200
messages.Johncouldn'triskthat.Manyofthesoldiersinthefield

AColdCalculationofWinter

usedlibrariesandcollegestosendemailtohim. Hecouldn'triska
bouncedemaillandinginanadministrator'sfolder.Itmightactually
belookedatandfiguredout.
Johnkeptuponallofthelatesttechnologytrends.Hereadthe
industrytrademagazinesduringeveryfreemoment.Hedidn'treadas
muchtosatisfyathirstforknowledgeastofindoutanythingnewthat
wasmentionedaboutsurveillanceandviruses.Heraneverykindof
virusscannerimaginable.ThelastthinghewantedwassomeTrojan
horsepiggybackingonanemailmessagethatwouldgivehimupto
theauthorities.

ThismightbeIndia,buthewouldnothaveatrialhere.Atbesthe
would get a brief pass in front of news cameras with officials
denouncinghimasaterrorist,thenhewouldbeexecuted.Thebest
situationdidn'thappenmuchanymore.Johnknewseveralofhisco
workersweremembersoflocalcells.Theyhadnoideahewasthe
communicationmethod.Onedaysomeofthemsimplyquitshowing
uptowork;bylateafternoonreplacementssatattheirdesks. His
bossessaidnothingaboutit.Hadtheyleftforotherjobstherewould
havebeenmuchholleringbyoneofhisbossesandshoutsaboutsuing
acompetitor.Thesilencewasmoretellingthanaconfession.
Infidelshaveasaying:CleanlinessisnexttoGodliness. He
hadheardsomeofthemsaythiswhilehelpingthemwithcomputer
problems. ForJohn,thiswasn'tasaying,butamantraforsurvival.
Hehadascheduledjobwhichdeletedallofhissentitemstwiceper
day. It also emptied his email wastebasket once that was done.
Finallyitkickedoffsomeprivacysoftwarewhichwouldperforma
DODsecureeraseofallemptyspaceonhisharddrive. Hehadto
thanktheU.S.DepartmentofDefenseforpublishingastandardof
erasingdatasosecurelyitcouldneverberecovered.Johnknewall

AColdCalculationofWinter

toowellthatjustbecauseafilewasdeleteddidn'tmeanitwasgone.
Hehadhelpedmanycustomersrecoverdeletedfiles.
Whilewaitingforhisnewidentitytoarrivehewascleaninghis
homeasifithadn'tbeencleanedbefore.Wearingglovesandahair
net,hewasscrubbingandwipingeverysurface.Heevenpulledthe
hairtrapsoutofthedrainstoremoveanyandallevidenceofhis
presence.Hetookspecialcaretoscrubtheundersideofthetoiletlid
andseat.Hehadreadaboutpolicecheckingthereforfingerprints.
Finallyhisnewidentityarrived.Anoldfriendofhishadbrought
it. Theybothknewtheywouldprobablynevermeetagain. John
pickeduphistwosuitcases,computerbriefcaseandbagoftrashfrom
cleaning,thenleft.Hisfriendtookthekeytotheplaceastheysaid
goodbye.Thebagoftrashdidnotleavehispossessionuntilhewas
threestreetsover.Heboughtaticket,andwaitedforabus.Whilehe
waited, he read through his new identity. It came complete with
referencesfromaconsultingcompanyintheverycityhehadworked
andsomewalkingaroundmoney. So,theydidwhatwesaidand
nevertoldus,hethought.
***
Nedim returned home from work exhausted. It was the wee
hoursofthemorningandallhewantedtodowassleep.Ofcourse,
hisfriendswerewaitingforhimandwantedhimtocheckhisemail
beforeturningin.Whydon'tyoudoit?heaskedthem.I'veshown
youhow..
Wecannotriskamistakeatthispoint,hiscousinreplied.
Sighing, he sat down in the chair and logged into his email.
Sevenmessageswerewaitingwithtwocomingfromthesameuser.
His friends noted this and wrote the user down. As Nedim went
throughtheforwardingprocesstheynoticedthatoneoftheforwarded
messageswenttothissameaddress.Theyhadhimtranslateallthree
messages.Onemessagereferredtoaplantoblowupatunnelundera

AColdCalculationofWinter

river.Anothermessagemadereferencetoblowingupmultipletrains
atthesametime. Theresponsegoingbackwasarequestformore
informationaboutwhatwasrequired.Nohintaboutalocationwasin
themessages.
Nedimwasnowallowedtoeat,pray,andgotobed. Ramesh
gathereduphisnotestofileareportwithheadquartersinafewhours.
Umarsettleddownonasleepingbag.Inafewhours,Nedimwould
need to be awake again and Umar would need to be his shadow.
RameshinformedUmar of thelectureswiththeclericNedim was
attendingandtoldhimhewouldberequiredtoinfiltratethecircleto
hearwhattheywerediscussing.Umarwasnotpleased.
***
Kent was sitting in a conference room with his Big Four
Consultingfirmteam. Itwasthelargestconferenceroomthebank
hadinthisbuilding,andwasalmosttoosmall.Hisassistant,Margret,
wastheonlyotherbankemployeeintheroom.Alloftherestcame
withtheconsultingfirm. BecauseKentknewnothingaboutIT,he
hadlittleabilitytodefendhimselffromtheteamsurgethathappened
threedaysintotheproject.Otherthantheteamleader,theywereall
fresh college graduates, who the team leader claimed were all
required. AllKentknewwasthathewaspaying$120perhourfor
eachofthem,andtherewereonlysevenslidesinthePowerPoint
presentation,buttheyallbilledhimfor fortyhoursperweek.Aquick
math calculation informed Kent that about half of the consulting
budgethehadavailablehadgoneoutthedoorlastweek.

All ofthegirlsworking onthe project wore short skirtswith

stockingsandheels.Theyallworesomekindoftopthatlookedvery
business and professional when you looked at them standing, but
whensittingdowntheycouldturn/twist/bendtoshowalltheyhadto
offer. There was a lot of turning and twisting keeping the

AColdCalculationofWinter

conversationgoingduringtheentiresevenslidesofthepresentation.
Theymanagedtoconsumeexactlyfortyminutesbeforeopeningitup
forquestions.
Kenthadaskedthemtoreviewhispredecessor'splanandseeif
thefinalroundofdatacenterconsolidationwaswellmappedout.He
expectedayesornoanswer. Ifno,heexpectedtogetafewextra
pagesaddedtotheplantorounditout.Whathegotwasneitherof
those.
BigFour'sentirepresentationhadbeenabunchofquotesfrom
the Langston Group about the cost savings of offshoring all IT
operations. There had been spreadsheets computed with some of
Kent's own numbers showing the dramatic yearoveryear cost
savingsonceallofthedatacentershadbeenmovedtoIndia. The
grandfinaleofthispresentationincludedaspreadsheetshowinghow
theentirecostofthemovewouldberecoveredbythesaleofthe
existingdatacenterlocationsandalloftheequipmentinsideofthem.
Kent sat shellshocked for a while. He didn't know anything
aboutIT,butheknewhowtoreadspreadsheets,andthespreadsheet
theypresentedshowedhimanIToperatingbudgetwhichwasless
thanonethirdofhiscurrentbudget. Itwasn'tuntiltheteamleader
offeredtogivethissamepresentationtotheboardwithKentandlet
himtakecreditforitthatthegleamappearedinhiseye.Hehadjust
boughtthewhiteelephant,andeveryoneintheroomcouldseeit.
EventhetiniestbitofresearchwouldhavetoldKentthiswasn'ta
consultant'sanalysis,butasalespitch.Kent'sassistantsatthereshell
shocked after they all walked out of the room. She thought they
should all have been summarily fired halfway through the
presentation. The fact they were allowed to complete the entire
presentation,andbillforit,leftherfeelingnumb.

AColdCalculationofWinter

MargretactuallyhadadegreeinIT. Theonlyreasonshewas
allowedtokeepherjobwhenKentcameinwasthatshehadalso
minoredinbusiness.Sincehehadstartedatthebank,Kenthadbeen
afterhertogobacktoschoolandcompleteherMBAsoshecould
moveupinthecompany. Hehadnocluethatshedidn'twantto
climbanyhigher.Hadthemarketbeenalittlebetterforconsultants,
shewouldhavealreadybeenanindependent consultant. Alotof
companieswereconsolidatingdatacentersnow,andtheexperience
shehadfromthepriorconsolidationwasalicensetoprintmoney
whenthenextbigprojectcameup.
WhatKentdidn'tknow:theboardwastoolazytoinvestigate.
BigFourConsultinghadan offshoredivisionandKentwasbeingtold
tohaveitasthebank'snewdatacenters.Agreatbigdatacenterhad
beenbuiltandalotofcommunicationhardwarehadbeeninstalled
and was just waiting for a client to install computers. Another
companytheBigFourownedhalfofwastheIndianversionofthe
Iron Mountain backup storage company. It was all a neat little
package.
AnyonewithadegreeinITandhavingmorethanahandfulof
yearsinthefieldknewthatLangstonGroupwasmoreamarketing
companythananindependentanalyst.Theywerepaidtopromotea
newtrendeveryyearorso.Eachnewtrendhadsomebigmarketing
warchestbehinditandjusthappenedtobetheverythingtheBig
FourConsultingcompanieswereexpertsinnow.
offshoringwascurrentlypromotedasaUtopiaforslashinglabor
costs. Management viewed all workers as Grade 8bolts. Ifyou
didn'thaveanMBA,youwereaGrade8bolt.Youcouldbereplaced
byaGrade8boltfromacheapersupplierwithabsolutelynonegative
effectonbusiness.Thousandsofworkerswithactualskillhadbeen
replaced by recent grads working offshore for less than welfare
paymentsamounttointhiscountry. Hundredsofcompanieswere

AColdCalculationofWinter

nowengagedincreativeaccounting,hidingfailedprojectsontheir
books so they could still tell investors just how much money
offshoringwassavingthem.Hell,thebankhadrefusedtoextendlines
ofcredittothreejustlastweek.Yet,heretheywere,abouttodothe
samethingthemselves.
***

VladimirsatinhisofficejustoutsideofNuremberg. Hehad
beenborninRussiaanddonehisfairshareofblackbagoperationsin
thepast.Thatlifestylehadhimridingaroundinawheelchairnow.
Therewasabulletlodgedinhisspinefromwhenanoperationwent
bad.Hehadalwaysbeengoodwithcomputersandnowthatskillwas
theonlythingsupportinghim.
He didn't really remember how he got involved with this
operation.ItallseemedtostartwithafriendfromtheRussianmafia
providinganintroductiontoanArabgentleman. Theywantedthe
samekindofTrojanhorsevirushehadwrittenfortheRussiansto
collectmuchofthesameinformation.Heoriginallyassumeditwas
yetanotheridentitytheftring.Whatwasonceanecessityofthespy
gamewasnowbigbusiness.Hewassomewhatsurprisedwhenthey
toldhimhedidn'tneedtomakethevirusinstallitselforlookfor
credit card information. They were more interested in gathering
informationonthemachineitself:CPUserialnumber,Networkcard
ID, the full IP routing where possible. A mental warning alarm
shouldhavegoneoffwhenheheardthis,butitdidn't.
Hetoldthemthebestmethodofgettingwhattheywantedwasa
smallsimplepingscriptattachedtoanemailthatwouldpingafixed
IPaddresshardcodedintothescript,whichthencommunicatedwith
aserver.Theserverandviruscouldsendseveralmessagesbackand
forth containing the email address, message header, machine
hardwareinformationandotherdata.Hewouldbeabletowriteboth

AColdCalculationofWinter

sidesofthesoftwareandaslongasthescriptdidn'ttrytoopenthe
addressbookoftheemailsoftwareitshouldremainundetected.He
couldalsoputcodeintoitwhichwouldallowittodetermine whether
it was being read from within a Web page rather than an email
programonalocalmachine.Hecouldthenhavethebrowserreturn
muchoftheinformation.
TheArabaskedhowmanyversionsoftheTrojanhorseVladimir
could deliver. He was certain that eventually some virus checker
would catch onto the signature and the tool would be useless.
Vladimir felt he could come up with five versions with different
signaturesandtacticssomostvirusscannerswouldn'tblockthemfor
months.HesaidtherealdangerwasinusingahardcodedIPaddress
insteadofaWebaddresslookeduponline.Itiseasytogetcaught
thatway,butahardcodedaddressthatavoidedDNS(DynamicName
Service) lookup would stall off virus scanners longer. The Arab
informedhim theyhadnofearofgettingcaught. TheIPaddress
wouldbeforwardedfrominsideofasecurefacility.
Intruth,thatlaststatementshouldhavebeenVladimir'ssecond
warning. Hewasdefinitelyoffhisgame. Itwasn'tthatVladimir
mindedthekillinggameorkillingitself. Ifthishadbeenasimple
seekanddestroyandhehadstillbeenhaleandwhole,hewouldhave
gladlysigneduptokillalQaedamembers.Russianshaddiedinthe
TwinTowersaswell.Agoodmanyofhisformercoworkersactually
hadgoneofftoengageinthatsortofgameshortlyafterSeptember11.
WhatbotheredVladimiraboutthisoperationwaslearningwhat
heshouldn't have learned. VladimirwastheonlynonNazi Party
membertoknowaboutthesecondcamp.Atleasthebelievedhewas,
withtheexceptionoftheArabhehadmet.Vladimirhadabsolutely
noproblemkillingthesepeople.Hehadspentmanyofhisyounger
daysputtingtwobehindtheearofmanydifferenttypesofpeople.
Hisobjectionwastotheincineratorandtheshowersandabuilding
sitethatcouldenduponthenews. Hisofficewasn'tfarfromthe

AColdCalculationofWinter

placewheretrialshadbeenheld,andphotographsofthingslikethat
hadsentsomeratherinfamouspeopletotheirdeaths.
Lifeinawheelchairwasstilllifeafterall,andtheRussianmafia
hadbeenpayingquitewellforhisservices.Hekepthisoldcontacts
active there in case he needed to make a speedy trip with a new
identity.Duringhisidletime,Vladimirponderedwhyhehadtaken
thisjob.Italwayscamedowntothesametworeasons:
1.

Thepaywasmoreregularandjustasgoodashisotherwork.

2.

Hereallybelievedthesepeopledeservedtodie.

Vladimir made himself a promise, though. The day people

startedgoingtothesecondcampinbusesandtrainsinsteadofthe
backofacar,hewasoutofhere.Hetoldnobodyofhispromise,but
he had his mafia contacts move his money to accounts in many
differentcountries. Therewassimplynotellinghowfarhewould
havetorunwhenthiswasover. Onethinghehadnotpuzzledout
waswhythereweresomanyrefrigerationunitsbuiltatthesite.With
alloftherefrigerationunitsandloadingdocksoutfront,theplace
lookedlikeafooddistributioncenter.

Hiscomputer playingaWAVfile andpoppingupamessage

pulledhimoutofhisthoughtsandbackintotheroomhecalledhis
office. Much as some people have their email client playing a
You'vegotmail!jinglewhenemailcamein,hehadhispingserver
setuptoplaytheMontyPythonMessageforyousirsoundbyte
wheneveritgotaconfirmedhit.Hequicklyclickedonthemessage
boxbuttontodisplaytheinformationandtheIPaddresstrace.Two
hitshadbeenreceivedfromthesameaddressinLutton,England.
***
The man in the suit had just finished reading hisemail when
Umarcameintomakehisreport. HansandtheBritwerethereas

10

AColdCalculationofWinter

well.Umargavethemacompletereportandthetranslationsforthe
messagesconcerningtunnelandtrains.Hewascomplimentedonhis
team'sworkandtoldtogetsomesleepfortomorrow.Afterheleft,
themaninthesuitsetHanstohackingintotheregistrationdatabase
fortheemailaccountprovidersandgavetheIPaddresseshehadjust
receivedinhisemailtotheBrittorunagainstthedatabase.Within
anhour,theyhadbothcompletedtheirtasks.OneoftheIPaddresses
camefromanInternetcafinLutton,England,theothercamefroma
libraryinthesamecity.Oneoftheemailaddresseswasactuallytied
toaLuttonaddress.
TheBritwantedtoimmediatelyturnitovertoaBritishspecial
investigationsunit,butthemaninthesuitstoppedhim.Whatdowe
havetogivethem?heasked.
Anaddressandaplot,respondedtheBrit.
Neither of which can be used to make an arrest, was the
counterargument.Wedon'tevenhaveanameorknow whetherthe
addressisreal.Itcouldsimplybeavacantlot.Theonlythingwe
candoisattempttoconfirmtheaddress,thenhaveourownpeople
putthemundersurveillance.Untiltheybuildabomborgiveusmore
explicitdetails,thereisnothingthatcouldbeusedasthebasisforan
arrest.
Weshouldbeabletonabthemforquestioningourselves,said
theBrit.
Hansreplied,Wewill,oncetheyhavebeenundersurveillance
forawhileandwecanidentifyjustwhomtonab.Weneedtoidentify
thepersonatthekeyboardsendingtheemail. Thisgroupiseager.
Theyweresentbackarequestformoreinformation.Somethingwill
letslipintheemailbythetimewehaveidentifiedwhoissendingthe
email.
Givemealloftheaddresses.Iwillsendthemtoourpeoplein
Englandandtheywillbeginhangingoutatthecafandlibrary.Ifthe

AColdCalculationofWinter

11

addressisactuallyrealfortheemailaddress,wewillhavesomeone
watching there as well. It shouldn't take too long to get logging
softwareinstalledoneverymachineineachplace.Inlessthantwo
weeks we should be able to identify exactly who is sending the
messages. If they are this eager to move, they should be having
regularmeetingswiththerestoftheircell.Itwon'ttakelongtonab
theentiregroup.Wejusthavetobecertainwearegettingtheentire
group,saidthemaninthesuit.

12

AColdCalculationofWinter

Greed
Nikolaus sat in his office going over the construction
specifications. HehadbeenamemberoftheReformedNaziParty
formanyyearsandworkedwiththemanydifferentfactionswhoall
claimedtobe theReformedNaziParty.Hiscurrentjobwasavice
president position for a biotech company whose name he couldn't
even remember. He didn't need to remember it. The name was
printedeverywhere.Corporationswerejustchesspiecestohim.He
hadbothbuiltandcrusheddozensofthem.
Mostofthiscorporation'suppermanagementwereloyal party
members. They let him do whatever he wanted because he was
higherinthepartythantheywere.Todowhathedidfortheparty,
Nikolauscouldneverbeacelebrityorpublicfigure.Hislotwasto
workintheshadows,makingsureallofthedetailsweretakencare
of.Healsomadesurethathissignaturewasneveronanydocuments
relatingtohiscurrentproject.Signoffcamefromthosehigherinthe
companywhenhetoldthemtosign.
Thecurrentprojectwasthetypethatwouldmakeonefamousif
discovered the kind of famous that gets you executed after a
lengthy public trial. Nikolaus was very much aware of the risks
involved. He had split the building of the thing across several
differentcontractingcompaniesrunbyloyalpartymemberswhose
employeesweremostlyloyalpartymembers.Intruththerewereonly
acoupleofthousandloyalpartymembersspreadacrosstheentire
country. Therestwerepartymemberswhenthesunwasshining.
Still,hewasimpressedwhatonlyathousandpeoplecouldaccomplish
whentheyworkedinsecretandremainedfocused.
Asecuredfacilityforbothresearchandmanufacturingwashow
the project was presented to the board of directors to get initial
funding.Ithadbeenthedecisionofthepartythatthisfacilityshould
bebuiltbyacorporationwithstockholdersratherthanjusttheparty

oraprivatelyheldcompany. Whenyouspreadtheblamearound
fromthebeginningyoureducedyourchanceofgoingtoprisonor
beingexecuted. Thisblamehadalreadyspreadtothebulkofthe
financialinstitutionsonAmerica'sWallStreet.

Greed

The corporation had manufacturing and research facilities

scattered around the globe. They were big suppliers of various
medicalproductsandafewpatenteddrugs.InWallStreet'seyes,the
biotechstarwasonceagainrising.
Itwasn'tawellkeptsecretthatseveralblackopscontractswere
beingworkedonbythecorporation. Withalloftheconcernabout
terrorists using biological or chemical agents to attack large
populations, business had been booming for the lines making
antidotes.Evenifanattackneverhappened,everygovernmenthadto
stockpileenoughforalloftheircitizens.Someoftheproductswould
keeponlythreeyearsinstorageunlessthestoragewaskept ator
below60C.
The cost of keeping millions of doses stored at such a
temperature was very prohibitive for most countries. Now the
companywasofferingstorageprovidercontracts.Countrieseither
too poor or unwilling to spend the money up front could pay the
companyanannualfeeinthemillionsofdollarsrange.Thecompany
promisedtohaveonhandinstoragethenumberofdosesneededby
the largest population participating in the contract. The company
wouldairliftthedosestothecountryinneedwithinfourhoursof
beingnotifiedabouttheattack.
Becausewindcancarryabiological orchemicalagentalong
way, there were five separate storage provider contracts, also
referredtoasplans.Countrieschosewhichcontracttheywantedto
participatein.Thefeesfortheplansweredeterminedbythelargest
populationparticipatingintheplan.Eachcountrywasinstructedto
joinaplanthatdidn'thaveneighboringcountriesinit. Theplans
wouldprotectonlyasmanypeopleastheyhaddoses. Otherplans
mightoffertosellsomeoftheirdoses,butiftheydidn't,youwould
havetowaitforproductiontogetscaledupcrankingouttheproduct
you needed. In short, everyone was banking on alQaeda never
gettingstrongenoughtolaunchabiologicalagenthighenoughinto

Greed

theatmospheretocovermorethanonecontinent.

Hadthecitizensofanycountryparticipatingintheplansheardof
this,theymighthavethoughtitghoulish,butinsurancecompanies
play the statistics game every day. Human lives are meaningless
numbersonaspreadsheettothem.Theywerebankingontwothings.
ThefirstwasthatalQaedacouldn'tpullitoff. Thesecondwasif
theydidpullitoff,everyonewouldbedeadanyway,sonofearof
beingsued.Everyonethatis,excepttheleaderswhochosetojointhe
planinsteadofprovidingincountrystorage. Theybuilttheirown
littlefreezerandhookedittotheirdatacenterUPS(Uninterruptible
PowerSupply). Thetaxpayerspaidforthatlittleprojectaswell
theyjustwerenevertoldaboutit.
ThebeautyinallofthiswasitallowedNikolaustobeincharge
ofbuildinganewsecuredfacilitywithacresofbothrefrigeratedand
frozenstorage. Becausethefacilitywouldbestoringacommodity
whichwasbeyondanypriceonceanattackhappened,ithadtobe
highlysecured. Ifyouaregoingtobuildahighlysecuredfacility,
youshouldalsoputsomeresearchlabs,sleepingquarters,etc.inthe
compoundsoyoucandoall ofyourgovernmentfundedorsecret
projectsthere. Thedormlikesettingsallowedforthebuildingof
communalshowers. Last,butnotleast,theonlywaytokeepyour
secretprojectstrulysecretistohavealargeincineratoronsiteas
well.
Everybody on the board of directors knew this would be a
location for some clandestine operations. Every one of them
understood that they didn't have clearance from the various

Greed

governmentsinvolvedtoknowwhatprojectsweregoingonthere.
Theyswallowedthispillbecausethecashinfluxfromthestorage
providercontractsalonegavethemthelargeststockoptionbonuses
they had ever had. Once the facility was fully operational, the
followingyear'soptionwouldbeevenbigger.
Nikolausmadecertainsomeofthelabswereofpilotplantsize.
Itwaseasyjustifyingthecreationofthemsincethecompanyhad
routinelysetuppilotplantsfornewdrugorchemicallinesworking
outtheproductionkinksbeforeaddingthelinetoanexistingfactory.
The board of directors didn't know it yet, but this company was
poisedtobecomeoneofthelargestsuppliersintheworldofstemcell
andwholebloodproducts. Theprofitgeneratedbyproducingnew
stemcelllineswouldbestaggering.
***
MargretsatintheboardroomwatchingBigFourConsultingrun
throughtheirPowerPointpresentation. Herboss,Kent,hadsigned
onto this idea several weeks ago and helped prepare the final
spreadsheet using numbers provided by the consulting firm. The
room was packed with consultants not old enough to shave but
dressedintheirfinestanyway.Theexactsamepeoplemadetheexact
samecommentstheyhadmadeinthepresentationtoKent;ofcourse
Kent'sassistantwastheonlyonewhonoticed. Twisting,bending,
smilingandempathizingallhappenedrightoncue. Goodlooking
young guys were placed strategically around and across from the
femaleboardmember,whiletheshortskirtsvirtuallysmotheredthe
dirtyoldmen.
Itwasn'tthatshemindedthesexforsalemarketingtacticused
byBigFourConsulting. Lordknowstheyalldidit. Hadshenot
beenontheshort listofpeoplewhowouldbelefttwistinginthe
breezewhenthisprojectwentsouth,shemighthaveevenconsidered
helping herself to a few servings from some of the dishes being
offered. Whatreallypissedheroffwasknowingthatthetweaked

Greed

libidosintheroomweregoingtosignoffontheprojectinhopesof
gettingsome,onlytohaveputtheentirecorporationfacedownonthe
table to be rectally violated when the invoices from the project
started.Margretcouldalreadyseehowthistrainwreckwasgoingto
playout.

1.

Contractwouldbesigned,thensomeonewouldbuydrinks
anddinner.

2.

Mothershipwoulddocktheverynextday,spillingoutan
unbelievablenumberofwelldressedkidsnotoldenoughto
shave,costingthecompany$120perhoureach.

3.

Paperconsumptionwouldincrease fiftyfoldatthecompany
as hand carts full of greatlooking documentation having
absolutelynothingtodowiththeprojectweregenerated,all
ofitrequiredbytheprocessusedbytheconsultingfirm.

4.

Entire budget then would be consumed, requiring a small

extensionbudget.

5.

Oncetheextensionbudgetwasgranted,BigFourConsulting
wouldstepoutofthepictureandmakecompanyemployees
dotheactualproject,puttingin ninety hoursperweekon
salary.

6.

Mostemployeesinvolvedintheprojectwouldquitandthe
departmentheadswouldbetaggedforthefailedproject.

Some people said Margret was sarcastic. Those who knew

anythingaboutITknewshewasarealist.ThiswasthestandardM.O.
forlargeconsultingfirms.Theyweren'ttheretosolveyourproblem,
justschmoozeyoulongenoughtoconsumeallofyourbudget.Very

Greed

fewboardmemberswereeverwillingtosaytheyhadbeentakenfor
tensofmillionsofdollars,sotheyveryrarelygotsued.Whenthey
didgetsued,itwasusuallybyacompanyindireenoughfinancial
straitsthattheycouldsimplyapplyforcontinuancesuntiltheplaintiff
tookbankruptcy. It wasan outright racket, but the MBAs would
neveradmitit.
Theprojectleaderfinishedherpositiveandenergeticchatabout
thelastPowerPointslideshehadup. Shesmiledtotheboardand
askediftheyhadanyquestions. Oh,sheisgood, thoughtMargret.
Suchaclassicburnandbucketbunkoscam.Justwaitforit...
Whatwillthisprojectcost?camethequestionfromoneofthe
boardmembers.
Thelemmingsareabouttogooverthecliff,Margretthought.
A quick click of the mouse brought up the final slide in the
presentation,whichwasKent'sspreadsheet,preparedusingtheBig
Four'sequipmentvaluations. There,inblackandwhite,theboard
sawhowhalfoftheprojectwouldbepaidforbysaleoftheexisting
equipmentandsoftwarelicensesoncethemovewascompleted.The
rest of theproject wouldbe paid for by the lack of software and
hardwaremaintenancecontractsoverthenextthreeyears.Giventhat
maintenancecontractstendtogoupeveryyear,theprojectwould
probably be paid back sooner, but they had to use the numbers
currentlyonfile.

Margret sat in silence. If the board was dumb enough to

overlooktheobvious,shewasnotgoingtopipeupaboutit.Shewas
onlyKent'sassistant. True,shewouldbethefirstfiredwhenthis
trainturnedfromlocomotiveintoapileoftwistedsmolderingsteel,

Greed

butshewouldbefiredtodayifshepointedoutjusthowstupidboth
herbossandtheboardofdirectorswere.Whatwasmissingfromthat
spreadsheetwasjusthowmuchtheservicecontractwouldbeforthe
threeyearstheywereusingthesoftwarelicensesavingstopayoffthe
project.Margretwasfairlycertainitwasgoingtobewaymorethan
thesavings,butthegirlhadchutzpahforputtingupaspreadsheetand
leavingthatoff.
Theboardmadesomeappreciativesoundsandafewmembers
evennoddedateachother. Ofcoursetheysaidtheywouldhaveto
discusstheprojectamongthemselvesbeforemakingadecision,but
everyoneintheroomknewthewhiteelephanthadbeensoldagain.
Businesscardswerehandedoutwithpromisestheycouldcallthecell
phoneanytimewithquestionsontheproject.Theteamleadereven
offered tomakereservationsat averyposhrestaurant wherethey
couldgetaprivateroomthiseveningtogooveranydetailsinamore
relaxedsurrounding.
Oh,thisgirlcanworkit!thoughtMargret.Iwonderiftherewill
evenbefourteenyearoldgirlsintheroomtocatchonvideowiththe
dirtyoldmen?Nah.Theywon'tresorttothatthistime.Someofthe
freshfacesinthisroommightbeontheirkneeslater,buttheyall
knowtheelephanthasbeensold,sotheywilljustbedoingthatoutof
habit.
Margret addedan item tothe ToDolist inherPDA: Update
Rsum.
***
Kentwalkedbacktohisofficeusinghisstruttingmanincharge
walk.Hehadpowergrippedeachoftheboardmember'shandsatthe
endofthemeetingandassuredthemhehadeveryconfidenceofthis
project'ssuccess.Hehadanentirefolderoflinkstoarticlesfromthe
weekly trade press expounding offshoring as the answer to world
hungerandtheUtopiaofcostcutting.Ofcourse,Kenthadtohave

Greed

hisassistantMargretfindthoselinksandcreatethatfolder,butthe
boarddidn'tneedthosedetails.

Yes sir, Kent was already picking out his corner office in
Mahogany Row. He was going to go from director to president,
skippingallofthosecumbersomeVProlesinbetween. Kentwas
goingtoachievethisfeatbecauseKenthadaplan!
Originalideasdidn'thappenmuchtoKent,atleastnotgoodones.
Intruth,thiswasn't anoriginalidea,anditwasn't his,buthewas
goingtoclaimit. Kent wasgoingtobestuckinthisITrolefor
approximately two years because the bank frowned upon people
changing jobsmore often than that. He couldbe offered a job
throughHRaspart ofapromotion,buthecouldn't applyforone
directlybeforethen. Youdidn'tgetofferedthekindofjobKent
wantedunlessyouendedyourtouronanupswing,andhehadanup
swingplanned.
BigFourConsultingassuredhimthattheycouldmigrateadata
centereveryothermonthaslongastherewasamaintenancewindow
inthatmonth. Theywouldn'triskmovingadatacenterduringthe
endofaquarterwhenmanyadditionaljobswouldneedtoberun.
Movingallfoursetsofdatacenterstothenew offshoresetwouldtake
undereighteenmonths.Whiletheplanwouldaddressamassivecost
issue,itstillwouldn'taddressthemonumentaleffortofintegratingthe
variousapplicationssomanagementcouldhaveitsworldviewof
FirstGlobalBank.
Kent's big plan was to completely eliminate the onshore
programmingstaff.HehadcalledacollegefriendatGeneralMotors
whotoldhimhowtheyhadmassivelyreducedtheirpensionliability
and direct cash outlay for programming by outsourcing all
developmenttoaconsultingcompanythatwasusingprogrammersin

Greed

Indiaandpayingthem tendollarsper day. Ofcoursetheconsulting

companywaschargingtendollarsperhourforthoseprogrammersand
pocketing the difference, but that detail didn't come up. Another
detailthatdidn'tcomeupwasthefacteveryprojectofanyrealsize
theoffshoreworkersdidwasacompletefailurethathadtobehidden
inthebooks.Noportionofitcouldbefixedorsalvaged.Nomatter
whatcountryyouwenttoforITworkers,skilledsoftwaredevelopers
didn'tcomecheap.Thiswasanarrangementbasedoncheap,sothey
didn'tgetskill.

AllKenthadtodotojustifygettingridofeveryonehere,and
thuscementhisrisestraighttoapresidencydesk,wastoeliminateall
oftheonshorestaff.Todothat,heneededaprojecttheboardwould
leapat,thustheworldviewprojectbecamethegooselayingthe
goldeneggsinKent'seyes. Hecouldenlist BigFourConsulting,
which had just gotten the offshoring contract, to put together a
spreadsheetwithstaffhourestimatesthatwereamazinglyhighforan
integrationproject.Thenhewouldhavethemputtogetherwhatthe
projectwouldcostusingtheir offshoredevelopmentstaffversusthe
costofonshorelaborattheirstandardcontractingrates. Hisstaff
wouldofcoursehavetotraintheirownreplacementsbeforebeing
shownthedoor.
Kentwouldn'tevenhavetofinishtheproject.Hewouldgetthe
credit for it, and his replacement would have to deliver it. His
replacementwouldhavetoworkatleastayearbeforehecouldcome
up with some other costcutting measure, and it would all pale
comparedtothecostsKenthadcut. Hiswalkaroundthecompany
hadaveryspecialI'mtheman!struttoday.
***
Kathryn,projectmanagerforBigFourConsulting,wasecstatic

Greed

when she heard the news they had won the contract. All of the
schmoozinghadpaidoffbigtime.Shequicklynotifiedtheservices
managerandgotthecontractdrawnuptoovernighttoKentforhim
tosign.Eachinvoicepresentedtothebankhadtobebelowacertain
dollaramountsoKentcouldapproveit,buttheycouldinvoiceas
oftenasneeded.
Unlikemost projects,they wereactuallygoingtodothisone
insteadofjustgeneratepaper. Theyhadalreadycontractedwitha
communicationscompanytoprovideallofthecommunicationscut
overeffortforaboutaquarterofwhatwasinthecontract. Ahuge
datacenterhadbeenbuiltinBangalore. Whilealargeamountof
networkingandcommunicationsequipmenthadbeeninstalled,nota
lotofcomputerswerethere. ThecontractwithFirstGlobalBank
would get the ball rolling. All of the mainframe and midrange
computersusedbythatcompanyhadexcesscapacity.Adealwould
be struck to purchase the largest models available from those
computervendorsandgettheminstalled. Thatdone, thefirm could
signanotherdealwithanotherclientthatusedthesameequipment
andbillthemouttwice.Thiswasgoingtobeamassivelyprofitable
venture!
Withtheovernightsentoutandherphonecallsmade,Kathryn
wasdreamilycalculatingwhathercommissionwouldbefromthis
project. Judgingfromtheemailsentoutwithcommissionratesfor
projectmanagers,shewouldbepullinginanextra$50Kperquarter
oncethisprojectgotmoving.Notbadatall.

Greed

FirstYouBuildtheWheel
John arrived in Bangalore and went to one of the addresses
provided him to rent a place to live. He took an apartment in a
complexbuiltbyoneoftheAmericancompaniesthere.Itwasvery
expensive,butcamewithairconditioningandanInternetconnection.
Getting a reliable Internet connection in India was more of an
obstaclethansomeonefromafirstworldcountrycouldimagine.All
youhadtodowaslookatthemudtrailsthatpassedforstreetstosee
hundredsofcableswrappedaroundasingletelephonepolewhichhad
two or three other poles propping it up from either side. Power,
phone,highspeedInternet,allwrappedinabigbundleatthetopof
thepole.Itlookedlikeoneofthosemassiverubberbandcollections
youseepicturesofontheInternet.
Oncehiscomputerwassetupheimmediatelysetoutmasking
the IP address and then retrieving his email. There were lots of
pendingmessages. Hehadbeengonealmostlongenoughforhis
mailboxtooverflow. Hestartedthedeletingandpurgingjobsand
beganforwardingthemessagestotheirintendedrecipients. Ittook
himthebetterpartoftheafternoontogetthroughtheexistingemail.
With the email handled, he went out for a walk past the
technologycompaniestoseewhichhadpostingsoutfront.Hesawa
verylargebuildingthathadbeenbuiltrecentlyandsawthenameof
thecompany.Itlookedlikeamassivedatacenter.Hewentinand
foundtheywerelookingtohireoperationsstaff,technicalsupport,
andjustabouteveryotherkindofcomputerjob.Hedutifullyfilled
outanapplicationgivingthemhisnewnameandaddress.Hisnew
identitykitcamewithreferencesandsomejobhistory,sohefilled
thatinandhandedbacktheapplication. Themanbehindthedesk
askedhimtotakeaseatandsaidsomeonewouldspeakwithhimina
moment.
John could hear some phone calls being made and some

discussionsbeingheld. Aboutfiveminuteslateranothermancame
outtogreethimandbringhimbacktoanoffice.Heaskedashort
seriesoftechnicalquestionsandJohnwasabletoanswerallbutthe
mainframe questions. When he was asked why he moved to
Bangalore,JohnrespondedthathewantedtobroadenhisITskillsand
couldn'tdothatwherehehadbeen.

FirstYouBuildtheWheel

Themanseemedtoacceptthisresponseinlightofthefacthe
wasn'tgoingtohavetopayabuyoutfeetoobtainJohn.Competition
forlowpaidworkerswasfierceinIndia.Notfierceenoughthatany
company was actually raising wages, but fierce with lawyers and
lawsuits.Thestandardpracticenowwasthatyouhadtopayayear's
wagestoacompanywhenyoustoleoneoftheiremployees.Yousee,
the upper class in India keeps everything to themselves. They
couldn'tcarelesswhetherthelowerclasseslivedordiedaslongas
theymademoneyatit.
Themaninterviewinghimwouldalsobehisboss.HetoldJohn
hewasjoiningthecompanyataveryopportunetime.Hiscompany
hadjustwonacontracttooffshorefoursetsofdatacentersintothis
buildingandanotherbuildingjustlikeitinadifferentlocation.The
additionalgeneratorsandUPSequipmentwerebeinginstalledeven
astheyspoke. Anotherbuildingwasbeingbuiltonthiscampusto
holdprogrammers.
Itwouldbeafewweeksbeforethenewmachinesarrivedand
wereinstalled.Thecompanyhadmanagedtoobtainsomebooksand
trainingdocumentationonthemainframeandmidrangesystemsthat
werearrivingshortly. TheirU.S.partnerwasflyingoverasmall
teamtohandletheinstallationandconfiguration. John'sjobwould
initially be computer operator and network monitor. His first
assignmentwouldbetoreadthroughallofthedocumentationthey
hadobtainedandgetfluentonthesystems.
John asked the man if he had some links to sites with the
documentationsohecouldcontinuereadingonhisown. Theman
tookhisemailaddressandemailedhimthelinkstothe onlinetraining.
TheythenfinishedthepaperworktogetJohnonthepayroll. John
didn'tnegotiatesalarywiththemanandthemanwasalltoohappyto
avoidanargumentaboutthelowpay.Theyhadbeenseeingalotof
pushbackaboutthepatheticwagestheywereoffering. Themain
reasontheyhadn'talreadystaffedupforthis(orany)contractwas

FirstYouBuildtheWheel

thatfewwouldtaketheirpatheticwagesandtheownersweretoo
cheaptoraisethesalary. Johnwouldbemaking twelvedollars per
day.Somedayswouldbe eighthoursandsomewouldbefourteen,but
hewouldalwaysmaketwelvedollarsperday.

Several busy, yet uneventful, weeks passed for John. He

establishedabankaccountunderhisnewidentitysohecouldcashhis
paycheck.Everydayhewentintoworkandspentmostofitreading
manuals. A flurry of people went in and out of the data center
installing computers and giving John some instructions on how to
startandstopthem.TheteamfromBigFourConsultinglandedwith
thefirstsetofbackupmediatoinstallonthemachines. Johnhad
even more documentation to read with respect to the starting,
stoppingandtroubleshootingofthebankapplications.Hespentquite
abitoftimeonthephoneintrainingconferencecalls.
John'sbossmanagedtohireseveralotherpeoplewhoknewless
thanJohnaboutcomputers.Hewassupposedtotrainthemasbesthe
could.Johnwaspromotedtoleadoperatorsimplybecausesomeone
hadtobeleadoperatorandhehadbeentherethelongest.Itwasodd
tobeataplaceonlyafewweeksandreceiveapromotion.Ofcourse
thepromotioncameonlywithatitle,notanymoneyorextrabenefits.
It did come with one intangible benefit for someone with John's
sideline:Hewasallowedtoreadupmoreonthebankingsystemsand
hereceivedadministratorpasswordsonthesystems. Inhisreading
John learned that once the data center migrations were complete,
roughlyonethirdoftheworld'smoneysupplywouldpassthrough
thesystemshecontrolledeveryday.
***
Margretsatlookingatthepileofpaperonherdesk,thetriple
bookedmeetingsonherscheduleandthenbacktotheemailfrom

FirstYouBuildtheWheel

KentwhichhadbeencopiedtoKathryn.

Margret,
Iwillbetravelingtoourotherlocationsoverthecourseofthe
next four weeks having meetings with the IT teams in place
there.I'massigningyouthedatacentermigrationproject.You
will be the liaison between Big Four Consulting and the
business.
Kent

The son of a bitch should be castrated with a rusty spoon,

Margretsaidaloud. Hehaddonenothingontheprojectorwork
related for the past three months. His entire day consisted of
hobnobbingwithhigherupstogetalunchappointmentsetupeach
day,thenspendingtheafternooncoordinatingfoursomesforSaturday
golf.Hewouldn'tevenattendameetingunlesssomeoneabovehim
wasgoingtobethere.
MargretpulledupKent'scalendarandlookedatthelastthree
weeks. What anMBA, shethought. Hehadstudiouslyfilled his
calendarwithbullshitentriesleavingonly fifteen minutesopenhere
andthere. Margretwasalltoofamiliarwiththistactic. Toseem
importantyouhadtolookbusyandmakeitdifficultforpeopleto
havemeetingswithyou. Thismadethehigherupsthinkyouwere
slavingawayforthecompany.
WhatKent wasreallydoingwasspendingthedaysurfingthe
Web.MargretknewthisbecauseshehadruntheIPusagereportfor
Kent'smachine.Nowthatthelittlebastardhadfiguredouthowtoget
ontotheInternetandrunamouse,hedidabsolutelynothing. He
even surfed theWeb from home using the company's VPN! The

FirstYouBuildtheWheel

higherupsneversawtheIPusagereport.Theywouldonlyrequest
reportsabouttheamountoftimepeoplespentloggedinandactive,
notreportsaboutwhattheywereactivelydoing.Thismanhadturned
doingnothingintoanartform.Now,hedroppedtheprojectwhich
was going to get him his promotion onto her back along with
everythingelseofhisshewasdoing.
Travelingaroundtheworldtovisiteachexistingdatacenterand
programmingstaffwasprobablyaneasysellforhim.Mostlikelyhe
pitcheditasdoingthelegworktoensureasmoothmigration.What
hewasreallydoingwastakingacompanypaidfourweekvacation.
Hewouldmeetwitheachdatacentermanagerandeachdevelopment
managertodiscusstheirneeds,thentheywouldallbecompelledto
take him out for entertainment. He would be traveling to four
differentcountriesandtakinginthesightswhilethere.

EveryoneofthoseITteamsreportedtoMargret,notKent.She
couldhaveeasilypreparedthereportonwhomtheycouldeliminate
aftereachmigration.Everyoneofthosebankshad itsownITculture.
Itwasincrediblydifficulttoimposetheprocessesandcontrolsused
bytheoriginalbank.YoucouldtrythepitchthatiftheirITprocesses
hadbeenbettertheywouldn'thavebeeneaten,butthatargumentwas
hollow.Haduppermanagementnotbeensodamnedgreedyandgone
sofar out onalimbwithoptionsandtheir derivatives,thebanks
wouldn'thavegoneunder;everybodyknewit.
On the right side of Margret's desk was a pile of paper with
programmingrequestsfromallofthedifferentbranches.Ontheleft
sidewasa pile of paper, mostlyfrom the board, screamingabout

FirstYouBuildtheWheel

getting a single view of the company for ease of planning and

financialreporting. Margretknewthisentiredatacentermigration
thingwasalark.IthadbeenalarkwhenKent'spredecessorstartedit,
buttheonlyexperiencetheguyhadwasindatacenterconsolidation
andtheboardwaslookingforaquickwinatcuttingcosts.
Had Kent's predecessor even bothered to read her integration
plan,theywouldhavebeendowntoonesetofdatacentersnow.All
theyhadtodowastraineachofthebranchlocationsonhowtouse
theexistingsystem,thenmigratethedataintotheexistingsystems.
Therewasonlyahandfulofadditionalfieldsinusebythebanksthat
hadbeenconquered.Hadtheystartedandusedqualityconsultants,
theywouldbedone. Alloftheextradatacenterswouldhavebeen
permanentlyeliminated,alongwiththeprogrammingstafffromthe
conquered banks. Cost savings would be in the millions and the
boardwouldhavebeenabletogetasinglepictureofhowthebank
was doing. Now the programmers at each location were busily
makingchangesthatweren'tsupportedbythecentralbanksystems
justtotrytohangontotheirjobs.Almostnodocumentationexisted
forthesechanges. MigrationwasgoingtobearealPITA(PainIn
TheAss).
***

Threeweekshadgonebysincetheyhadfirstfoundoutaboutthe
cellinLutton.TheBrithadbeengrindinghisteethforthreeweeksas
well.HewasbeginningtowonderifthePakistanigovernmenthadn't
allowedtheminjusttorubtheirnosesinit.AslongasPakistanwas
cooperatingwiththisoperation,theworldpowerswouldn'tinvade,

FirstYouBuildtheWheel

atleastonthegroundstheywereaidingandabettingterrorists.The
nuclearprogramtheyhadgoingonwasgoingtobeadifferentstory
altogether.TheBrithadbeenquietlygatheringwhatinformationhe
couldonthatandfeedingitbacktohiscontactsintheUK.
Whathadhiminaniratemoodtodaywasthesheerfruitlessness
ofitall.Moreandmoreinformationhadcomein.Themaninthe
suitkeptsayingthatthepeopleonthegroundcouldonlyidentifythe
message senders. Three weeks of tailing them had turned up no
meetingsorothermembers. Therewasnowbeginningtobeopen
speculationthatthisentiremessageserieswasarusetoseeifanyone
hadcaughtontohowalQaedawascommunicatingnow.
The Brit had spent far too much time in covert operations to
believealQaedathatsmart.Theyhadinterceptedmessagesaboutthe
quantityandtypeofexplosivesbeingassembled. Therehadeven
been a long list of prospective targets. It seemed that they were
planningtoblowupmultipletrainsinthetunnelsunderLondonin
suchawaythatwhenthelastbombwentoff,oneofthetrainswould
bedirectlyundertheriver.Theplanappearedtobetoblowupthe
trains where the tunnels connected so there would be little to no
chanceofdammingtheensuingflood.
Agoodmanymessageshadgonebackandforthaboutthesize
andtypeofexplosiveneededundertheriver. Somefileshadbeen
transferredwithspecificationsforthetunnelitself,buttherehadnot
been one single meeting of a cell. In fact, the two people being
followeddidn'tseemtogoanywherebuttotheInternetlocationsand
tothestore. Somewerewillingtodropthetail,buttheBritkept
bringinguptheonepieceofinformationwhichmadeitallcredible.
Theyhadbeenseenbuyingmultipledisposablecellphones. Given
thequantityofexplosivestheyneeded,itcouldonlybeamatterof
timebeforetheexplosivespurchaseand/orstoragewouldsurface.

FirstYouBuildtheWheel

TheBritwastakingthisonepersonally.Everybodyknewit.He
neverspokeofhome,familyorlovers,butevenifyouhadnoneof
those back home, seeing an attack coming on your own soil was
boundtobringforwardsomefeelingsofpatriotism.Themaninthe
suitkeptaneyeonhimandmonitoredhiscommunicationswhilethis
wasgoingon.EvenMI6didn'tknowaboutthisoperationanditwas
hisjobtokeepitthatway.
AllitwouldtakewouldbefortheBrittoleaktheinformation
theycurrentlyhad. Evenifhetoldthemnothingoftheoperation,
everyonewouldknowtherewassomeclandestineOPgoingon.Then
theywouldwanttotakecreditforit,whichmeanttheywouldhaveto
get moreinformationonittoclaim beingpartofit. Notagood
situation, but the risk was to be expected. He had to control it.
Politicianswouldeventuallysaytheoperationwasoccurringwiththe
fullsupportofthePakistanigovernmentandthatwouldleadtolarge
terroristattackshere,inthemaninthesuit'sowncountry.Nottobe
allowed. Only a handful in Pakistani intelligence knew anything
aboutthisoperation.Toomanyinthegovernmentwerebackingal
Qaedatoletanyofficialsknowaboutit.Theywouldallbeexecuted
thesameafternoonofficialsfoundout.
***
Kathrynhadspenthermorningcrackingthewhipanddenying
overtime wages for the subcontractor actually migrating the
communications equipment. She planned to spend the afternoon
talkingwiththefirstgroupof twentysomethingswhohadjustgotten
backfromBangalore.Theyflewthefirstsetofbackuptapesoverto
thenewdatacenterandrestoredthemontothemachines.Oncethere,
thesystemsmanagersfromthedatacenterbeingphasedoutwasto
spendtimetweakingstartupandshutdownprocedures.
A temporary highbandwidth connection had been created so

FirstYouBuildtheWheel

therecouldbeonelastdatamigrationduringtheeveningofthecut
over.Ahandfulofstafffromthebank'sdatacenterhadbeengiven
operations accounts on the new system in case there were any
problems. A few consultants had been contracted by Big Four
Consultingtoactuallypartitionthemachinesallowingonlyenoughof
themachinetobevisibletothisclientastheywouldneed.Theyalso
createdtheaccountsforthebank'semployeesrestrictingtheiraccess.
Themeetingintheafternoonwastotry tofindoutiftherehadbeen
anyproblemsingettingthesoftwareloadedtobothdatacenters.
Itwasoddtohavetimetokillbeforelunch.Kathrynhadalways
beeninthemodeofflashingherbodyandsmilingtoclientsover
lunchtryingtofindonedumbenoughtoactuallyusethisfirm.Today
shehadnolunchplans.KentwasoutoftownforweeksandMargret
didn't appear to stare at her legs or look down her top. Besides,
Margret couldn't sign any contracts or take them to the board.
Kathrynhadalwaysbeeninthemodeofworkingthreetofiveclients
atatimetryingtocloseadeal.Allofthatchangedwhenshelanded
thiscontract.
Gettingthedatacentersoperationalwasconsideredvitaltothe
cash flow of the company. Every moose with ears was buying,
partnering,orotherwisewhoringoutIndianprogrammerstoU.S.and
foreign clients. Only about one in a hundred brought into their
offshorebusinesswasactuallyworthhiring,therestwerehelpdesk
scriptreading people passing themselves off as programmers.
Margins were so low that nobody was making squat off the
commissionfromgettingthattypeofwork.Theonlywayyoucould
boosttherateswasifyoualreadyownedtheclientlock,stock,and
twosmokingbarrels.Theonlywaytoensureyouownedaclientthat
completelywastogetthemintoyourdatacenters.
Margins were very high for thiscontract. The data center in
India was roughly a football field in size and cost less than the
crampedlittledatacenterFirstGlobalBankhadonaquarterfloorof

FirstYouBuildtheWheel

ahighrisenearwheretheTwinTowershadbeen.Runningnumbers
fortheboardhadbeeneasy.Paddingthehelloutofthemhadbeen
eveneasier. Becausethiscontractwasgoingtobringinsomuch
moneyoverthenextfiveyears, Kathryn hadbeen removedfromall
otheraccounts.Shedidn'tmindthereductioninwork,buthadgotten
veryusedtoexpensingherlunchinposhrestaurants.
Todayshewaseatinghalfasandwichandsomesoupfromthe
cafeteriadownstairsandcheckingemailoverlunch.Therewerethe
usualpleasforhelpfromtheyoungerandneweraccountmanagers
who inherited her other projects. She sent off a few sympathetic
messages and informed them they already had all of her
documentationforthoseaccounts. Hadanyofthemthoughttobuy
her lunch today she would have given them her insights on the
fetishesandweaknessesofeachpersoninchargeattheirclientsiteso
theycouldclosethedeals.Nolunchequalsnounwritteninformation.
Youcouldneverwriteinformationlikethatdown,noteveninyour
PDA.Itcouldturnupduringaninvestigation.
FinallyshegottothemessageKenthadcopiedheron.Atfirst
shewonderedwhatshehaddonetopissKentoff.Heknewdamned
goodandwellthatMargretdidn'tlikeBigFourConsulting.Afterhis
previousemailwithrespecttothefollowonprojectshethoughtthey
hadagoodrapport.True,shehadn'tbeentheremuchthepastcouple
ofweeks.Communicationwasmostlyviaemailandphonecalls,but
shedidleaveabunchofyoungskirtsandheelsaroundtokeephis
libidogoing.Apparentlytheyweren'tflashingenough.Itwasbackto
slitskirtsandseethroughblousesonceKentreturned.
Maybe things wouldn't be quite as bad as they seemed. She
couldbringsomeyounghunkyguysovertomeetwithMargretand
offer to leave them there for additional information. Perhaps she
couldeventakeeveryonetoalatelunchtomorrowandpumpafew
glassesofwineintothegirltoloosenherup. Onlyonewaytofind
out,shethoughtasshepickedupthephone.

FirstYouBuildtheWheel

HelloMargret,thisisKathryn. IjustgotdonereadingKent's
emailanditsoundslikewearegoingtobeworkingtogether.
Itwouldappearso.
I have some assistants working with me on this to help
coordinateallofthedetails. Perhapsweshouldallgettogetherfor
lunch and make certain everyone knows what everyone else is
doing?
Arestaurantisprobablynotthebestplaceforsuchameeting,
respondedMargret.
IwasthinkingyoucouldcomeovertoourofficesandIwould
havelunchcatered.ThereisagreatlittleItalianplacewhichdelivers
hereandwewillprobablyneedaccesstooverheadprojectors,white
boards, etc. responded Kathryn. How does tomorrow at 11:30
sound?Ifweallowfortwohoursthatshouldbemorethanenough
timetocovereverything.

Twohourstotellmewhatyoursubcontractorisdoing? You
reallydoknowhowtoworkit!thoughtMargret. Shelookedather
calendaranditwasopen,sosheagreed. Ifnothingelse,atleastI'll
getalunch.Kenthadbeenbellyinguptothefreelunchtroughsince
he got here. The only free lunches Margret got were catered in
conferenceroomsduringworkingmeetings.Kentusuallystoppedby
longenoughtogetsomefood.Godforbidheactuallyparticipatein
thedetailsofhisproject.Margret wonderedwhethershewasgoingto
beshownthesametitsandlegsKenthadbeendroolingover,orif

10

FirstYouBuildtheWheel

therewasgoingtobesomethingprovidedforthestraightsideofher
life.
Kathrynfinishedoutherdaymeetingtheteamthathadgoneto
Bangalore. They were all positive about the experience, mainly
becausetheyhadstayedonthecampusandfewhadventuredoutinto
thesqualorofthesurroundingstreets. Theydidreportsomeofthe
contractorstreatedthemlikeidiotsandbeveragefetcherswhilethey
were working, but that everything had been installed, and reports
fromtheU.S.systemsmanagersmadeitlooklikeeverythingwasa
go.Theyhadeventestedbothafullmonthendandquarterendjob
cycle,soalljobswouldrun.Theremoteprintersandemailhadbeen
blockedtocapturetheoutputandavoidanastymediastory.
Judgingfromthesheepishgrinsshesawandsomeofthemeeting
comments,atleastafewoftheguyshadventuredovertothe redlight
district. Kathrynmadeamentalnotetogetthemterminatedbefore
theygotdiagnosedwithfullblownAIDSorpasseditontosomeof
theirfemalecoworkershere. Nothingwouldkillthesexforsale
marketingtacticlikeanoutbreakofAIDSatthefirm.Shehadseen
thereportsabouthowover80 percent ofthebrothelgirlshadfull
blownAIDSandwerestillworking.Anyonewhodidthemathcould
seethatshippingITjobsovertoIndiawouldeffectivelyhalvethe
populationinsideofadecade.

ITworkerswerepaidmoreinadaythanotherworkersmadeina
week.Theculturetherewassuchthatyoudidn'tneedabighouseor

FirstYouBuildtheWheel

11

anycartohaveprestige,sothemaleworkersspentmuchoftheir
moneyinthe redlight district. Thiswasthemainreasontheyhad
partneredratherthanbuyingoutright.Insideofsevenyearsthebulk
oftheITworkforcewouldbegindyingofffromAIDS.Alreadythere
hadbeensomequicklyhushedreportsfromcompaniesthathadbeen
therethelongest.Fewstillhadanyseniorpeople.Tohidethetruth,
everybodyblameditontalentpoaching. Thetalentpoachingscam
worked pretty well given the 200 percent plus turnover rate most
companieshad. Still,itwasonlyamatteroftimebeforethetruth
startedcomingout.
One day ended and another began. Kathryn had a morning
meetingwithsomeoftheuppermanagementtypesatherfirmand
actually had the gumption to mention that they should begin
partneringwithanoffshorefirmortwoinSouthKoreaandinRussia.
ChinawasalreadybeingpricedoutofthemarketwithWalMartand
othercompaniessettingupfactorytowns. Theinfluxofcashhad
ChinesecompaniesandthevariousChinesemobssnatchingupIT
workersasfastastheycouldbefound. Therewerestillplacesin
RussiaandPolandwherecollegeeducationwasalmostashighasthe
povertyandlandwascheap.
Thefirstreactionfromsomeofthemanagementhadbeenthey
didn'thavetheIndianoperationturningaprofityet.Othercompanies
hadtriedgoingtheRussianrouteandfailed.Kathrynrespondedthat
offshoringwasn'tbeingmarketedthen,soitwasunfairtojudgeby
thathistory.Backthenyouhadamajoruphillbattletosell offshoring.
Nowallyouhadtodowasbecheap.
Perhapsitwasthefactshehadoverslept.Perhapsitwasthefact
shewasnowgoingtobemakingmoremoneythansomeinthisroom.
Maybeitwassimplybecauseshehadtodealwiththecoffeefromthe
cafeteriathismorninginsteadofherusual ninedollarquartofheaven,
duetooversleeping.Kathrynpulledoutthedocumentationshowing
theepidemicrateofAIDSatthebrothels. Thenshewentintothe

12

FirstYouBuildtheWheel

storythatmostofthesinglemaleITworkersspenttheirextracashin
theredlightdistrict.Finally,shedroppedthebombthatshesuspected
severalofthemaletwentysomethingstheyhadsentovertoIndiahad
visitedthebrothelsneartheircampus.
Peopleweregettingiratewithherwhileshewentintoherorat ion.
ThemenassumedthiswasaseverecaseofPMSandbegandoodling
ontheirlegalpads,tryingtomakeitlookasiftheyweretakingnotes.
Youcouldhaveheardapindropaftershedroppedthelastbomb,
though. Everymaninthereknewthosehornyjockstheyhadhired
wereswimminginwhateverpooltheycouldfind.Theyallknewthat
thesexforsalemarketingtacticwouldbedecimatedifitevergot
outthatoneormoreoftheirbarelyoldenoughtoshavecrowdwent
publicwithAIDS,nottomentionthecostoftheirinsuranceplan.
Kathrynsattheredrinkinghernastycoffeefromdownstairsand
letthatbombburnitswaythroughtheirbrains. Finallyoneofthe
marriedguyswithabsolutelynoskillspipedupthatthiswasanevent
horizontheyhadtoconsider. Anothervolunteeredthathehadtwo
clientswithlocationsalreadyinRussia,socouldprobablypumpthem
forsomeinformationaboutITskillsintheareanearthem.Onemore
saidtheyhadamanufacturingclientinSouthKoreaalreadyandhe
wouldmakesomeinquiriesthereaswell.Finallyitwasdetermined
thattheywouldquietlyinvestigatebuildingoperationsinallthreeof
thecountriesKathrynhadmentioned. Eveniftheydidn'tlosetheir
entire IT staff every few years in India, the resulting talent drain
wouldpushsalariesuptothepointitwascheapertodotheworkin
theU.S.
Themorningmeetingranlong,butendedintimeforhertocheck
emailandroundupthetroopsfortheirlunchpresentation.Shewasn't
surewhy,butshedecidedtousetheguyswhohadbeentoIndiain
thismeeting.Itmadesensegiventhattheyhadjustgottenbackfrom
there,butshedoubtedMargretwasdumbenoughtogetturnedon
onceshefoundoutthathornybunchhadbeentoacountrywithlegal

FirstYouBuildtheWheel

13

brothelsandlittleinthewayofhealthcareorprevention.
Margretarrivedrightontime. Lunchwasjustbeingsetoutin
the conference room and they all stuffed themselves while chit
chattingaboutquasiworkrelatedthings.Theguyshadstrategically
placedthemselvesaroundMargretastheyhadbeentrainedtodoand
thegirlsfawnedovergettinglunchallowingglimpsesandbrushes.
Kathrynstillwasn'tsurewhichwayMargret'sdoorswung,orifshe
evenhadadoor.Itwasdifficulttotell.

One thing which she made mental note of was Margret's

prodding to find out who had ventured outside of the campus in
Bangalore. Those who admitted to having gone out at all she
suddenly had little interest in. The woman wasn't stupid, thought
Kathryn. Lunch allowed for the team to provide glowing reports
abouthowthebackupshadbeeninstalledandhowwellMargret's
peopleworkedwiththemduringtheprocess.Norealdetails,butfew
wereneeded.Margrethadalreadytalkedwiththesystemsmanagers
who had done the testing. This was just a little time for mutual
appreciationandbonding.
With lunch over, the team began showing off the PowerPoint
presentationtheyhadputtogetherwithatimelineforthemigrationof
thefirsttwodatacenters. Itwasgoingtohappenonthefollowing
weekend.Theykeptpointingoutthemassivebandwidthconnection
whichwassetupjusttodothefinaldatamigration.Margret'sown
peoplehadwrittenthesoftwarethatwoulddotheextractoffinaldata
changes,thencopyitacrossthenetworkandloaditontothenew
system.Thesamesoftwarecouldberuninreverseifabackoutwas
needed. Allintheroomassuredheritwouldnotbenecessary,but
thatitdidn'thurttohaveaPlanB.
ItwasobvioustoMargretshewasbeingcoddledtokeepthis

14

FirstYouBuildtheWheel

goldencowputtingoutgoldenmilk.Shewasoutrightpissedthatthe
onlyguysprovidedherhadbeentoanAIDSinfestedareaandshe
wascertainnoneofthemweresmartenoughtoavoidcatchingit.Her
summationofthegirlsintheroomtoldherthreeofthefiveweretoo
stupidtocare.Inshort,thisteamwouldsoonbemovingoninone
wayoranother.
SinceKathrynhadchosentotreatherthisway,likeanapkinat
McDonald's instead of the full table setting at a nice place, she
decidedtodropabombonthemandruintheirweek.Thismigration
to offshoreisallwellandgood,butyouseemtohaveoverlookeda
serious recovery issue, she said. All of the younglings leapt to
informherthatthedatacentersweredesignedtosplitloadandfail
over just likethe existingcenters. Theyalsoprofessed tohaving
witnessedthefailovertestingthemselves.
Kathrynfinallychimedinsayingsheassuredhertheyhadtriedto
thinkofeverything,butwantedtohearherconcernsoitcouldbe
addressed.

Well,startedMargret,Everynightwedoincrementalbackups
and every morning, the prior night's backups are sent to Iron
Mountainforstorage. Themediareturninsuchamannerthatwe
have two full weeks of incremental backups. We also perform
weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual backups. Each of those
backupsgoesofftoIronMountainassoonasitiscompleted.There
isasetofrulesinplacesowehaveatleastthelastthreesetsofeach
offsiteinsecurestorage.Idon'tseeanywhereinthisplanwherewe
haveincludedtheroundtripshippingcostofbackupmedia,northe
turnaroundtimeitwouldtaketohavethemediaflowntoIndiaanddo
afullrestorationintheeventofadisaster.
Theonlysoundintheroomwasthatoftheventilationsystem
whenMargretfinishedspeaking.MargretlookedKathryndirectlyin

FirstYouBuildtheWheel

15

theeyeandwaitedforaresponse. Sheknewtherewasn'tone,but
wanted to see the tap dance. After waiting for a minute while
Kathrynbeganlookingthroughsomedocumentationsayingshewas
suretheyhaditcoveredandotherssputteringassurances,Margret
droppedherotherbomb.
In order to qualify for FDIC insurance, we cannot have a
recoveryperiodwhichislongerthan twelve hours. Theflightfrom
the closest coast to India is over fourteen hours, and that doesn't
includerestorationortestingtime.
Nothing like hitting someone with the twobyfour of a federal
regulation right between the eyes after you've eaten their food,
thoughtMargret.
Kathryn made a mental note to never offer Margret tainted
nookieagainwhentryingtocoddleher. Thisgirldidn'tplayslow
pitchorcroquet,shewasfastpitchhardballalltheway.Thebarely
oldenoughtoshavecrowdwasnohelptohernow. Timetocry
uncle.
I'msureweaddressedthisissueatahighlevel,butnowthatthe
projectismovingforward,perhapsweneedtogetintomoredetail
andensuretherewillbenoproblemsgoingforward,saidKathryn
with a slight emphasis on going forward. If you are free this
eveningIwouldliketoscheduleameetingwithyourselfandourData
Storage&RecoveryTeam.

Margretwasprettycertainthatteamwasgoingtobeformed
about five minutes after this meeting got over, but she responded
sayingthatshewouldhavetocheckhercalendaroncebackinthe
office. Theywouldnotbeabletogetintotoomuchdetailwithout
Margret bringing in her existing systems managers because they

FirstYouBuildtheWheel

16

wouldhavetosignoffonanyBRP(businessrecoveryplan)putinto
place.
TherewasaspecialspringtoMargret'sstepwhensheleftBig
FourConsultingthatday.Sheknewverywellthatshehadnoplans
tonightotherthanstayinglatetogetcaughtuponsomepaperwork.
HadKathrynbotheredtodoanyofherownresearchwhenputtingthe
plantogether,shewouldhavebeenabletoshootMargretoutofthe
saddle.Yes,therewasaruleclaimingyoucouldn'thaveoutagesand
acatastrophiceventhadtoberecoveredfrominsideof twelvehours,
but as long as your secondary data center could handle the full
businessloadyouhadquiteabitoftimetogetyourprimarydata
centerrestored.Margretsimplywantedthesamefourstartreatment
uppermanagementgot.
***
NedimhadnotheardfromJohnsincehehadsentthefax.Inan
oddwaytheyhadbeenbestfriends.Thepastthreeweekshadbeen
mentallygruelingforNedim. Hiscousinandhisfriendwerestill
livingwithhim.Umar,whowasusingthecoverofbeinghiscousin
fromSaudiArabia,hadevenjoinedhismosqueandgotteninvited
intotheprivatediscussionsontheHolyQuranwithNedim'scleric.
Theonlytimehewasactuallyfreeofthemwaswhenhewentto
work. He dared not attempt to contact John again, but he really
neededtoknowJohnhadgottenaway.Nedimwascertainhewould
notlivelongenoughtoseeJohnagain.
A heightened interest in the email exchanges from a pair of
addresseshadNedimworried.Hecouldtellfromthecontentofthe
messagesthatsomethingwasgoingtohappensoon. Hehadeven
tried tonot translate all ofthe messages. Soon,the men stopped
askinghimfortranslations.Theyjusthadhimprintingouttheresults.
While they still had some things copied off to CD, most of the
messagesweresimplytranslatedandprinted. Hehadbeenprinting
enoughthathisprinterwasstartingtohaveissues.

FirstYouBuildtheWheel

17

That'sit!
HestillhadthesupportcontractwiththecompanywhereJohn
worked. Bothofhisroommateshadevencomplainedabouthis
printeractinguprecently. Johnwasinchargeofhisaccount. He
couldlogaticketwiththemandseewhoresponded.Iftheresponse
didn'tcomefromJohn,hewouldatleastknowhehadgottenaway.
Nedim returned home after work and began his ritual of
processing email. When it came time to print, his printer started
actinguprightoncue.Bothroommatescomplained.Nedimopened
upthefilecontaininghissupportcontractinformationandwenttothe
Web site. After keyinginhiscustomerID and passwordhe was
allowed to enter a new trouble ticket. He ran the applet which
gatheredall oftheinformationabout hissystem configurationand
driver versions and attached the file to the trouble ticket. He
informedhisroommatesthatiftheproblemwasinthedriverorother
softwarehehad,hewouldhaveafixbeforetomorrow.
Rameshmadeanotetohavetheteampurchaseanotherprinter.
Onceacheapinkjetprinterstartedhavingproblems, ittendedtogo
straight to Hell. This printer was a Brother printer; the absolute
bottomoftheindustry.Rameshwassurprisedithadlastedthepast
threeweeks,letalonehoweverlongNedimhadbeenusingit. One
thingwascertaininRamesh'smind:ProductswiththeBrothername
platewerecondomsUseonceanddisposeofproperly.
***
KentsatinaveryfinerestaurantinParis.TheITworkersinthis
locationweregivinghimtheroyaltreatmenttryingtohangontotheir
jobs. Given that some of the board members liked to vacation in
France,Kenthadputthisdatacenterasthelastoneonthelistbefore
thecentraltwo.Thebankwasstillgoingtohavetokeepsomekind
of offices here so board members could take business trips to
France.Thesetripsalwayscoincidedwiththestartoftheirvacations,

18

FirstYouBuildtheWheel

butthankfullyneithertheshareholdersnortheIRShadcalledthemon
it.

Priortolunch,Kenthadaskedeachofthedepartmentheadsto
comeupwithamigrationplanforthisdivisionofthebanktousethe
existingbanksystemratherthantheonetheirbankcurrentlyused.
The deadline for them to get it to him was Friday. They had
complainedthatalloftheworkcurrentlybeingdoneintheexisting
systemwouldn'tallowthemtimetopreparesuchamigrationplan.
Kenttoldthemtostopallworkonthesystemandtobeginmapping
thedataforloadintoFirstGlobalBank'sexistingsystem.
WhatKentdidn'tknowwastheyhadalreadydonethisworka
yearagoatMargret'srequest.Theyhadalistofbusinessrulesthat
mustbeaddedtoFirstGlobalBank'ssystembeforeitcouldbeused,
butthebulkofthedatamappingwasalreadyinplace.Theywould
havetospendlessthanadayupdatingit.Ineffect,Kenthadgiven
themtherestoftheweekoffwhenheputinwritingnofurtherwork
wastooccuronthesystemtheysupported.Mostspenttherestofthe
dayupdatingtheirrsumsandtalkingwithfamilyonthephone.
Nobodytherewasstupidenoughtobelievetheystillhadajob.
Kent's real reason for going on this trip was to get everyone
putting together a plan to migrate their systems into the primary
systemusedbytheoriginalbank.Hewasvisitingthedatacentersin
reversemigrationordersoifthemigrationprojectcameinlate,he
wouldbeabletopitchtheworldviewprojecttotheboardasthe
natural completion. Kent hadn't bothered to read any of the
documentationMargrethademailedhimpriortocontractingwithBig
FourConsultingtodothedatacentermigrations.Ifhehad,thedata
centermigrationprojectwouldn'tbehappeningatall.

FirstYouBuildtheWheel

19

Nowhesatinaveryfinerestaurantdrinkingveryfinewineand
eatingveryfinefood.Onlytheheadsofthisbankdivisionwereatthe
table, and they were sparing no expense. They all knew Kent
presentedprojectstotheboard.Everyoneatthetablewaswondering
justhowlongtheyweregoingtohaveajob. Theywereonlytoo
happytoagreewhenhesaidtheyhadtoscheduleatrainingsession
onhowtousethemainsystemforFirstGlobalBank.Hetoldthemto
contactMargretandobtainapairoftrainersfromher. Alloftheir
employeesneededtobetrainedbytheendofnextmonth.Kenthad
noideaifthesystemcouldbecutoverinthattimeframe,buthe
intendedtomakethemfearfortheirlivelihoods.Therewereseveral
othersitesKentwantedtoseeinFrancebeforemovingontothenext
locationandhedidn'texpecttopayadimetoseethem.
Tactically, it would have made more sense to have had this
locationmigratedfirst. Ithadthehighest costofoperationinthe
company.BecauseofthelaxworkattitudeinFrance,theyhadtwice
theoperationsandprogrammingstaffofanydivision.Payrolland
otherworkerrelatedtaxespaidherebythebankwereastronomical.
Iftheyreallycouldsimplycutover,Kentwouldbeabletoeliminate
allbutoneITpersonhereandselloffallofthecomputerequipment
alongwiththebuildingthedatacenterwasin.Realestatepriceshad
riseninthisareaandtheycouldaskapremiumforafullyequipped
datacenter.
Kentassignedthetaskofgettingthedatacenterupforsaletothe
VP in charge of business real estate mortgages. The head of IT
simplylookedathisplateasifitwerehislastmeal.Kentsawthisout
ofthecornerofhiseyeandgotanerectionfromthepowerrush.He
then changed the conversation to what sounded like small talk,
droppinginhintsofwhathewantedtoseebeforeleaving.EveryVP
atthetable,excepttheVPofIT,volunteeredtotakehimastheir
guest.Ahhh...It'sgoodtobeKing!Kentthought.
***

20

FirstYouBuildtheWheel

Nikolauswassittingathisdeskgoingoverreportsonfreezer
construction and existing freezer utilization when his phone rang.
Thevoiceontheotherendtoldhimtheinterrogatorswerefinished
withthetwooccupantsofthefirstcamp. Asinstructed,theperson
callingNikolausinformedtheinterrogatorstheycouldjustgohome
andeverythingwouldbehandled.Nikolaustoldthecallertotransfer
theprisoners.
As soon as he hung up the phone, Nikolaus picked up a
disposable cell phone and called a special number. When they
answered and exchanged pass phrases, Nikolaus told them to
assembletheteams;therewasatransferinprogress.

ThenYouFindaHill
KathrynsatinthemainconferenceroomforthislocationofBig
FourConsulting.Thistime,shewasn'ttheonepitching,buttheone
beingsold.Well,soldwasn'texactlyit.Avendorwaslaunchinga
newprojectandhadjustopenedupthemarketingwarchest. Big
Four Consulting was being paid to sell this product, so a more
accuratestatementwouldbeKathrynwasbeinginstructedonwhat
shewastosell.
Pytho Corporation had just expanded its ERP product into a
complete banking product. They weren't happy with having the
world'smostunreliable,yetbestsellingdatabase.Theywantedmore.
EveryBigFourConsultingaccountmanagerintheroomwasbeing
givenaboxofCDscontainingPowerPointslidesandmarketingPDF
filesonhowtosellthisproduct.Theheadsofsaleswerehandingout
theircardsandshakinghands.Theypaidveryspecialattentiontothe
threepeopleontheothersideoftheroomasthosethreepeoplecame
fromtheLangstonGroup.
Kathrynhadtolaughat thephraseindustryanalyst. These
peopleanalyzednothing.Theywereallgivenafolderwithaprinted
documentandaCDwithaWordfileofthesamedocument. The
documentwasamarketingarticlecarefullywrittentosoundlikean
analystreport.MargretknewthattheEnglishmajorsworkingatBig
FourConsultinghadspentaboutaweekwritingthatarticle,butwhen
itappearedintheLangstonGroup'sprivatenewsletteritwasgoingto
haveonlythesethreelistedinthebyline.
Theindustryhadturnedablindeyetotheincestuousrelationship
thatspawneditsleadersthesedays.Nowthatmanagementhadtaken
overtheITworld,theleaderswereprettymucharesultofinbreeding
justlikeotherareasofmanagement. Itreallywasaselfsustaining
machine.
IndustryanalystgroupswouldprovidetheirinsightonlytoIT

leaders whose companies not only subscribed to their service, but

promised to follow their advice. In return, IT leaders found
themselvesfeaturedinindustrytraderagsanytimetheyimplemented
somethingtheanalystsclaimedwascuttingedge.ThisallowedtheIT
leaderstobecovertlymarketedtoothercompanieswhowantedto
obtaingreatITleaders.

ThenYouFindaHill

Ofcourse,theleadersatmajorITvendorsallsubscribedtothe
service. This allowed them to write articles for the analysts that
wouldbefeaturedinthenewsletterandmagazine. Thesevendors
alsopaidbigconsultingfirmstotrainafewoftheiraccountpeopleas
expertsformarketingpurposesandafewmoreastechnicalexperts.
Forafee,andacutofthesale,thebigconsultingfirmswouldthen
pitchtheproductasthebeallandendalltotheirclients'needs.This
hadbeengoingonsolongintheindustryitwasnowconsideredan
acceptedpractice.
The weekly trade press was at the mercy of the industry
analysts.Wheneveradvertisingrevenuefellofftheywouldrunan
article or three questioning the credibility of the firms, but never
actuallydoanythingclosetoinvestigativejournalism. Theyrelied
too heavily on the money the industry analysts spent promoting
service subscribers in their magazines. Of course, they couldn't
grumbletooloudlyorreporttooaccurately. Ifthathappened,the
industry analysts would contact all of their subscribers and the
entirestreamofadvertisingrevenuewouldceasetoflow. Weekly
trade rags went out of business when they went up against the
industryanalysts.
KathrynhadtohandittotheLangstonGroup.Theyhadturned
fraudintoanart. Mostoftheanalystsdrovereallyniceridesthat
wereleasedforthembytheITvendors,sotherewasneveramoney
trailshowingonthebooks.Theycouldopenuptheirbooksandshow
clear lines of demarcation between marketing and analyst efforts.
Theanalyststhemselvestooktheirperksinleasedcars,information
junkets,andoutrightpaidvacations,allonthesly.Howtheycould
stand there and claim Holier Than Thou to the sex for sale
marketingtacticofbigconsultingcompaniesKathrynwouldnever
understand.Maybetheywerereallybornwithoutasoul,shethought.
Oncethepresentationwasover,KathrynandtheLangstonGroup
analystswereofferedlunch.TherestaurantwasfourstarsoKathryn

ThenYouFindaHill

accepted.Shehadnoillusionastowhyshewasbeinggiventhefull
treatment.SheheldtheaccountofFirstGlobalBank.Thisvendor
neededtolandthataccountandgetthebanktoannounceaglowing
reportonthesoftware. Theindustryanalystshadabetterlunch
engagement,sotheyhadtobowout.

Attherestauranttherewastheusualsmalltalkabouttheproduct
andhowgamechangingitwas.Whenthevendorwasbuying,their
product wasalways gamechanging. Kathryndecidedtotwist the
knifejustalittle,statingthatthepresentationdidn'tseemtocover
muchontheinternational flavoroftheproduct. Shewasquickly
assured that Pytho had spared no expense in making the product
multilingual. From what Kathryn saw in the presentation this
productwasaboutasmultilingualasMicrosoft'soperatingsystem
wasmultiplatform. Youcouldusethisproductinanycountryyou
wantedaslongasyouspokeEnglish. YoucouldrunMicrosoft's
operatingsystemonanycomputeryouwanted,solongasitwasa
x86cloneandnotarealcomputer.
Since they didn't understand the gist of Kathryn's dig, she
expandedonitbysaying,Iwasthinkingmorealongthelinesof
internationalmortgageandbankinglaws. IfI'mgoingtopitchthis
product to my client it must be certified to conform to all of the
mortgage and banking laws in all of the countries where they do
business.Tostartwith,thatwouldbeCanada,theUnitedKingdom,
Ireland,France,andGermany.Iassumeyou'vealreadyhadateamof
auditorsverifyitconformstothebankinglawsforpassbooksavings
andmortgagesintheUnitedStates.
TherewasalotofsmilesandsilenceatthetableasKathryntook
anotherdrinkofwine. PythoSoftwarehadn'tbotheredwithtesting
foranycountriesotherthanCanadaandtheUnitedStates. Atthe

ThenYouFindaHill

timeofdevelopment theywerefiguringongraduallyhandlingthe
other countries. Then again, the Asian financial crisis hadn't
happened until the middle of development and it was too late to
changecourse. Nowtheoneclienttheywantedhadoperationsin
manycountries.Kathrynhadthembythenadsandeverybodyatthe
tableknewit.
An awkward silence continued for quite a few minutes as
Kathryncontinuedeatinghermeal. Alwaysdropabomblikethat
afterfoodisserved, Kathrynthought. Itgivesyousomethingtodo
whiletheysquirm.Damn,I'mgoodatthis!
Justpriortothecheckarriving,theleaderofthepackstated,We
wouldliketoretainyourservicesforaglobalizationproject.

Kathrynresponded,Iwillhavetotalkitoverwithmyboss.I'm
supposedtoremaincompletelydedicatedtotheFirst Global Bank
accountuntilwecompleteourworkthere.Whatyoureallyneedme
to do for you is to assemble the team that will provide you the
banking rules for each country you target and provide testers to
ensurethoserulesaremet.Ifyoucompletesuchaprojectinsideofa
year,Icanpresentyourproducttomyclient.Suchaneffortwillnot
becheapandmyclientwouldbeexpectinganamazingdealifthey
aregoingtobethefirstcompanytousethisproductoutofthegate.
Youwouldinnowayrecoupyourdevelopmentcostsonthefirstsale,
itwouldprobablytaketensalesjusttorecoverthisneweffortbefore
youcouldstartrecoveringyourpriorinvestment.
Understood,repliedtheleader.
Kathryn couldn't remember any of their names and hadn't
botheredtowriteontheircardssoshehadtomakeonelastgesture
beforeowningthisaccount. Ifyouhavetheauthoritytosignor
presentsuchadealtoyourboard,pleasegivemeanotheroneofyour
cardssoImaypassitontomyboss.Hewillthencontactyouwhen

ThenYouFindaHill

we have a number and a plan for you. Without any hesitation

Kathrynwashandedacard.
Well, this lunch has been quite productive I think, said
Kathryn. IhadplannedtospendmylunchhourattheMercedes
dealerdownthestreetfromtheofficepricingoutanewcar,butI
thinkmytimewasbetterspenthere. Yes,itwasanevilknifeto
twist,but Kathryn decided sheshouldhave thesame perksas the
industryanalysts.Alookfromtheleadertooneoftheothersatthe
tablebroughttheresponseKathrynhadintendedtoget.
Ifyoudon'thaveplansafterworkIwouldbehappytogothere
withyou. OurcompanyhasaleasingarrangementwithMercedes
CorporatesoI'msurewecangetaveryspecialdealforyou.
Kathryncouldalreadysmellthenewleatherofherconvertible
Mercedes.
BackattheofficeKathrynquicklyinformedherbossaboutthe
detailsofthelunch,sansthenewMercedesdetail.Hecalledinafew
accountrepswhohadclientsdoingauditingworkinthecountriesin
question. Atasklistofphonecallstomakeandnumberstoobtain
waspassedout.Truetoherword,Kathrynhandedoverthebusiness
card. When the others had left the room Kathryn's boss said:
Anotherwhalelikethisandyouwillbeinlineforseniorpartner.
Kathrynsmiledandwentbacktoherdesk,waitingforthephoneto
ring.Themanbuyingheranewcarwassupposedtocallat4:30.
***
Apanelvanarrivedatthesecondcamplateintheafternoon.
Boththespecialsecurityteamandthelabtechnicianteamhadarrived
earlier. Special security escorted the van to a special pilot plant
buildingatthebackofthecampus.Therewerenowindowsinthis
buildingandithadspecialsoundabsorbinginsulationinside.
Thetwooccupantsinthebackhadrecentlybeenreleasedfrom

ThenYouFindaHill

theinterrogationcampandnowweretobedisposedof.Theforeign
interrogatorsbelievedthesubjectsweregoingtobesenttoanisolated
prisonwherenorecordswouldbekept. Whattheythoughtdidn't
reallymatter.Inafewhours,therewouldbenoevidencethesemen
everexisted.
Nikolauswassomewhatsaddenedthatbothweremen. Hehad
hoped to get the place fully operational, but they needed female
subjectsforthattohappen.Therewouldbelittleprofitinthedisposal
ofthesetwo,buthewouldseehowtheteamfunctioned. Asatrial
run,twowasanadequatenumber.Thesecurityteamwouldremain
outsideofthebuildingmakingsurenobodyentereduntiltheproducts
were created and the bodies taken to the incinerator; he was not
worriedaboutthem.Hewasworriedaboutthelabtechnicians.They
hadthedirtyworkandmightnotbeupforit.
In the 1960s researchers first discovered that bone marrow
contains at least two kinds of stem cells. One population, called
hematopoieticstemcells,formalltypesofbloodcellsinthebody.
Yearslatertheyalsodiscoveredbonemarrowstromalcells,which
generatebone,cartilage,fat,andfibrousconnectivetissue.Whilethe
presswasallblushingwithnewsaboutstemcellresearch,mostwere
focusingonembryonicstemcells.Therewasathrivingblackmarket
for the other stem cells, and complete bone marrow itself. Some
diseasescouldbecuredonlywithabonemarrowtransplant.

The blood type and DNA of these two had been documented
whentheywerereceivedattheinterrogationcamp.Therehadbeen
plenty of time to find very wealthy people who needed both, and
couldusewhatthesetwohadtooffer. Tonighttwoofthemwould
have donor material air lifted to their hospitals. All of the bone

ThenYouFindaHill

marrowwouldberemovedfromthesetwomen,oncethesalinepump
hadreplacedalloftheirbloodwithsalinesolution.Theirbloodwas
tobeharvestedandsoldonthebloodmarketaswell.Atsomepoint
themenwouldexpire. Onceeverythinghadbeenharvested,they
wouldbeincinerated.Itwasashamenowealthycustomerscoulduse
theotherinternalorgans.Blackmarketheartswereworthtwicetheir
weightingold.Liverandkidneyssoldwellnormally,buttheblood
testshadtomatch.
Nikolausneededtoseehowthelabtechshandledthis.Ifanyof
themwavered,thespecialsecurityunitwouldhavetoputthemdown
andincineratetheirbodies. Theteamwastoonewtobeaskedto
harvest one of their own. Many of the techs were loyal party
members who had been groomed for exactly this task since birth.
They were taught the party philosophy before they even went to
school. Oncetheywereinhighschoolandinterestedinmedicine,
theywereallmadeanoffer. Collegewouldbeafreeride,butyou
hadtopassandworkfortheparty.Technically,theydidn'thaveto
graduate.Theyhadtoknowtheirwayaroundabody,buttheydidn't
needanyskillatsavinglives.
Twoseparateoptionswereavailabletowomenprisonersiftheir
ovarieswerestill working. Theywouldbeallowedtoliveinthe
special,highlysecureddorm,fertilizedeveryothermonthandhave
an abortion on the following month, until they stopped producing
eggs. Thisoptionwasavailableonlytotheoneswhocooperated.
Those who didn't cooperate would simply have their ovaries
harvestedwhilebloodandbonemarrowwerebeingharvested.The
labtechswouldfertilizeasmanyeggsastheycouldfromtheovaries,
thenharvestthestemcells.Nikolausleftituptothetechniciansasto
howthefertilizationwastooccur. Parentagedidn'tmatterinthis
endeavor.

ThenYouFindaHill

OnethingwasstillnaggingatNikolaus. Thesetwomenhad
beenfoundasaresultofthepostSeptember11investigations.Their
email had led to Nedim. Reporters had been sniffing around in
variouscountriestryingtogetleadsoninvestigationsorclandestine
effortstohuntdownalQaeda.Theyhadlostthescentofthesetwo
long ago. All records of their having been followed, arrested, or
questionedhadbeenpurgedcompletely socompletelyitwasno
longerevenonoffsitebackupmedia.WhatwasbotheringNikolaus
wasanemailfromHanstellinghimreportersweresniffingaroundin
Pakistan and seemed to believe some clandestine operation had a
molehandlingemailforalQaeda.Nikolaushadleftthehandlingof
ituptoHansandthemaninthesuit;theycouldkillthereportersor
letitplayout.Iftheykilledthereporters,itneededtolooklikeal
Qaedadidit.
***
Heididonnedhernursingfatiguesandsetabouttostartthesaline
exchange. Thepumptheywereusingwasthesamepumpfuneral
homes used to embalm bodies. During her nurse's training she
actually had to work in the morgue for a while. The only thing
differentaboutthiswasthebodystrappedtothetablewasstillalive.
Oddly,itwasthattrainingwhichmadehermostsuitedforthisjob.
ShelookedoverandsawNikolauslookingthroughtheroom's
observationwindow.Asmileshowedfrombehindhersurgicalmask.
Herecognizedherandsmiledback.Nikolausandherfatherhadbeen
friendsforever. Theywerebothloyalpartymembersandshehad
beenraisedtobealoyalpartymember.Hernurse'straininghadbeen
paidforbytheparty.Aspartofherpaybackandcontinuedtraining,
she had worked as a nurse in various military medical units and
servedasamedtechforsomeclandestineones.Shehadseenfirst

ThenYouFindaHill

handthecarnagecausedbyexplosives,andhadnoproblemwithwhat
theyweredoing.
HeidiknewthehistoryofalQaedaonhersoil. Germanshad
been huntingthem longbefore theAmericansstartedkillingthem
wholesale. TheAmericansreallydidn'tgetintoituntilafter9/11.
Yes,theyhaddonesomemonitoring,andevenlaunchedabotched
attempttokillbinLadenpriorto9/11,buttheygotinvolvedtoolate.
HadtheAmericanssharedtheirinformationwiththepeopleinher
party,binLadenwouldn't still be walkingaround. Herparty had
someofthebesttrainedassassinsintheworld.
FromthehistoryHeidiknew,alQaedahadbegunoperatinginher
countrysometimein1992. TheyhadacellinHamburgthathad
defiedbeingrootedoutbynormalcriminalmeans,andhadturnedout
tobethesourceformostofthe9/11hijackers,orhadatleastselected
and educated them. In 1994 alQaeda had killed two German
intelligence agents because they were trying to dismantle the
operationsalQaedahadinGermany.Afterthatevent,theReformed
NaziPartystartedgettingalotmoreinfluentialmembers.
In1995Germanintelligenceidentifiedasuspectedleaderofa
HamburgcellandfoundtheTwaikGroupwasafrontcompanyfor
Saudi intelligence. Several members of Saudi intelligence were
suspectedofbeinginthepocketofalQaedaandfunnelingmillions
through this front into the hands of alQaeda. The Hamburg cell
leaderwasaccusedofnotonlyfinancing9/11,buthelpingtoselect
thehijackers.
In 1996 the Germans began going after the Hamburg cell in
earnestafterreceivingatipfromTurkey.Theybeganmonitoringthe
mosquewherethe9/11hijackersattendedandtheradicalMoroccan
imamNedimFazazipreached.
In1998theGermansarrestedMamdouhMahmudSalim(a.k.a.
AbuHajer)inconnectionwiththe1998U.S.embassybombingsin

ThenYouFindaHill

Africa.HewaslatercalledheadofbinLaden'scomputeroperations
andweaponsprocurement.Shortlythereafter,theCIAandGerman
policefoiledanairplanebombplot inwhichalQaedahadpenetrated
airportsecurityinAmsterdamandplannedtosmugglebombsintothe
cargoholdsofAmericanpassengerplanes.
After9/11,theworldfoundoutabouttheHamburgcell.Heidi's
party got a lot more funding and a lot fewer inquiries from
governmentofficialsabouttheiractivities.Everyoneknewwhathad
tobedone,andtheywerewillingtokeeptheirdistanceincasethe
worlddidn'tquiteunderstand.
Heidi had no illusions about what was going to happen here.
They were going to kill these two men, and harvest salable
componentsformarket. Asmoresubjectscamethroughhere,the
cash influx would allow them to launch larger initiatives. Covert
operationsfundinghadbeengoodenoughtogetthemthisfar,butyou
neededseriousfundingtocarryoutworkofthemagnitudewhichhad
tohappen.
ThistrainofthoughtwasinterruptedbyLisatouchingherarm.
They'restillalive,Lisawhispered.
Notforlong,respondedHeidi.
I wasn't told about this, Lisa whispered nervously. I'm a
surgicalnurse,notamurderer.
Lisa,thisgirl,wasarealpieceofwork.HeidihadtoldNikolaus
nottobringherintothisoperation.WhenpeopleheardHeidi'sname
theyinstantlyconjuredupanimageofablueeyed,blondsextoy.
Heidi'shairwassomewhatblondandhereyesashadeofblue,butshe
wasalongwayfromasextoy.Lisawasthecompleteimageofasex
toy.Shewasdoingaseniorpartymemberandclaimedtobealoyal
partymemberherself,butshereallyjustwantedtosleepherwaytoa
betterstationinlife. Ifshekeptuptalkinglikethisshewouldbe
tossedintotheincineratortonight.

ThenYouFindaHill

Justcontinueyourworkandkeepyourmouthshut,responded
Heidi.Withpowercomestheresponsibilityofdoingwhathastobe
done.
Lisa nervously went over to begin prepping her tray. While
NikolauscouldnotheartheexchangehehadnoticeditandLisa's
reaction.OnelookinHeidi'seyestoldhimwhatheneededtoknow.
Thefirstwashoutwasintheroom.
ThereweretimeswhenHeidiwishedshelookedlikeLisa,but
onlytimes.Shehadhershareofloversinlife.Bettertocallthemsex
partners, for they were never really in love, nor was she. They
exchanged laughs and orgasms when circumstances allowed, but
rarely kept in touch. One notable exception had been during an
operation involving some Americans. She had heard one of the
Americansrefertoherasaclosingtimegal.Anotherhadjokedthe
other could always go ugly early and get a good night's sleep.
Beauty was not her forte. She could look good, but never be
beautiful,andshehadcometotermswiththat.
Still,oneoftheAmericanshadchosentotaketheadvice.They
keptintouchforquiteafewyearsafterthat.Hewaskindandfunny.
Shelaughedalotwithhimandwasalltoowillingtosleepwithhim.
SexwithhimhadreallycausedHeiditocallintoquestionthatwhole
AryanSupremacything.Hewasdarkskinned,notblack.Moreof
aHispanicorAmericanIndiandescent thathadbeenintermingled
withwhitesformanygenerations.Inbed,hewasarideonthemulti
orgasmexpress.Hadthepartyorderedhertohaveasmanybabiesas
shecouldwithhimshewouldhavedoneitwithgusto!
Life gives and life takes away. One day the letters to Heidi
simplystopped.Shehadwrittenatimeortwoafterthat,butreceived
noreply.Oddlyenough,itwastheguywhohadcalledheraclosing
timegalwhowroteherbacksomemonthslatertosayherloverhad
beenkilledinafirefight.Hewasverysorrytobetheonetotellher
becausehissquadbuddyseemedveryhappywithher.Hegaveher

10

ThenYouFindaHill

somecontactinformationandtoldherthesquadwouldalwayslook
outforher.Ifshewaseverintrouble,theywouldcomeandgether
becausethesquadtakescareofitsown.Thelastlinehadbeenthe
onewhichrippedherheartout. Shehadbeenwithherloveronly
threeweeks,butonthesecondnighttheyalltreatedherlikealady.
Now, when they had no further obligation to her, they made the
largestcommitmentanyoneinclandestineservicecanmake. They
claimedherasoneoftheirown.
Heidinoticedthebloodwasabouttooverflowitscontainer.She
quicklyswitchedcontainersandcheckedthepatientforlifesigns.No
pulse. Sheturnedonthepumpandsignaledthesurgeonstostart
work.Inafewminutesshewouldbedrainingthesecondpatient.
All color drained from Lisa's face as the surgeons began
removing the major bones like a lumber jack felling a tree. She
droppedwhatevershehadinherhandandtriedtorunout ofthe
building.ThelastHeidisawofherwasapairofspecialsecurityguys
grabbingher,gaggingher,andtakingherout.Heidiknewthatwas
thelastshewouldeverseeofLisa.ShewonderedhowNikolauswas
goingtoexplainittothepartymemberLisahadbeensleepingwith.
***
Johnhadbeenquitebusyoverthepastfewmonths.Despitethe
determinationofIndia'supperclassestokeepwagesdown,hehad
gottenaraiseandwasnowtrainingnewhiresathisdatacenter.The
second building to house programmers had been completed, or at
least completed enough that they were starting to bring on
developmentstaff. Hisbosshadleftmostoftheinterviewingand
newhireselectionuptohim.

Hehadsentmultiplemessagesouttothecellshecommunicated
with for them to send IT professionals to him. He could almost
ensurethepeoplewouldget inaslongastheirpaperworkwasin

ThenYouFindaHill

11

orderandtheywouldn'tquibbleaboutthelowwages.Ithadbeena
hardsell.Theleaderswereunwillingtocompromisesuchacrucial
communicationsbackbone. Johnhadpromisedtotrainanother,but
saidheneededthepeoplenow.Theywereextremelyreluctantuntil
hetoldthemhisplan.ThefollowingweekhehiredsevenalQaeda
members.SomeofthemhadjustreturnedfromworkingunderH1B
VisastatusintheU.S.financialdistrict. Theywerenotallowedto
know he also was a member. One week later John had a new
temporaryroommatehebegantrainingonhowtoprocessemail.
Notlongafterthis,Johnbeganhearingrumorsthatsomeofthe
workersweretryingtounionize.Hehadheardofunionsspringingup
inotherareasofthecountryandthatafewlocationsaroundthisone
hadevenbecomeunionshops.ThisscaredJohntonoend.Ifupper
management heard the rumors, security would be tightened
dramaticallyandhisplancouldneverbecarriedout.Hesentseveral
communicationsbacktothecell leadersforthemtorelaytotheir
membersworkingforhim.Theyhadtocrushtheunionatallcostsif
thisplanwastosucceed.Therewerenowonlythreedatacentersleft
tomigrate. Withineightmonthsmorethanonethirdoftheworld's
wealthwouldbecontrolledbythesystemsinhiscare. Twoofthe
programmersworkinginthedatacenterhadalreadywrittensoftware
togenerateelectronictransfersaspartofamigrationfixfortheclient.
These programmers had come from the financial district in New
York,sotheyknewhowtoperformwiretransfers.Withsomeslight
modificationstheywerecertainitcouldbeusedtotransferallofthe
fundsfromallofthesystemsiftheyhadaccesstoallofthesystems.
Theysimplycouldn'triskaunionfightnow.
***
Rameshreturnedtoheadquarterswiththesmudgyprintoutsfrom
Nedim's.Hetoldthemaninthesuitthattheyneededtoputanew
printeratNedim'siftheywantedbetterresults.Themanpointedand
said,Takethatone.Afterfinishinghisreporttotheteam,Ramesh

12

ThenYouFindaHill

dutifullyboxeduptheprinteralongwithsomeextrainkcartridges
andadriverCD.

OncebackatNedim's,heinstalledtheprinter,takinghisoldone
outtothetrashdownthestreet. Hegotthedriversinstalledand
testedouttheprintingfunction.Muchbetter!hetoldhimself.
Shortlyaftertheinstallationprocess,Nedimreturnedhomewith
hisothershadow.TheybothwonderedwhatRameshwasuptountil
theysawthenewprinter.Wheredidyougetthat?Umarqueried.
Don't ask, replied Ramesh. All considered that enough
conversationonthetopic.
Nedimsatdowntoprocessemailforhisshadows.Heknewthat
eventuallyhewouldbekilled,butatleasthenowhadabetterprinter.
TheylaughedwhenNedimopenedtheresponsefromhistechnical
support service saying they believed he had a hardware problem.
ThingsprogressedinaratherboringmanneruntilNedimcameacross
oneemailwithspecialphraseshehadnottoldtheothersabout.He
tooka deep breath and said, Iguess it is goodyou brought that
printer today. His shadows looked at him confused. This is a
courierpickuptohappentwodaysfromnow.
Outragegrippedbothmenandraisedvoicescameoutwithall
kinds of accusations and statements about Nedim's physical
relationshipwithhismother.Finally,whentheysimmereddown,he
lookedatthemandsaid:Therehasn'tbeenacourierpickupinover
twoyears.Ididn'ttellyouaboutitbecauseIthoughtweweredone
with that. They stopped happening once everyone embraced the
anonymityofemailandhiddenFTPsites.Theinstructionstellmeto
printoutalloftheinformationinthefileyoutookyesterday. Iam
alsosupposedtoaddGoogleaerialmapsofthelocationalongwith

ThenYouFindaHill

13

MapQuestdrivingmaps.Iamtoputitallinabinder,thengiveitto
thepersonwhoasksforitonthewaytowork.
Wewillhavetoaddatailtohim,bothshadowssaidinunison.

Onethingiscertain,youwon'tbeabletofollowmecloselyfor
acoupleofdays,respondedNedim.Thismaybeasimplewayfor
themtokillme. Theycouldhavelearnedaboutyoubynowand
decidedtousethisasarusesoakillercangetclose.

Neithershadowhadconsideredthatpossibility.Theteamwould
need to call in some resources and spread them around the path
Nedimtooktowork.Theywouldalsoneedtoobtainasmallcourier
shoulderbag. Itwouldbetheeasiestthingtohideatransmitterin.
Theycouldn'triskavoicebug,butapassivelocationtagthatcouldbe
tracked by either satellite or hand scanners would allow them to
followthepaththedocumentstook,atleastuntiltheyditchedthebag.
Nedim beganprintingout thedocumentsfromyesterday'sfile
andvisitingthemapsitestoobtainthecorrectimagestoprint. He
knewfromexperienceheneededtoprintatleastfourcopiesofthe
maps so others could draw on them while making plans. They
wouldn't have a copy machine in the mountains. He also started
movingtheimagesandfilesintoadirectorysohecouldburnaCDto
goalongwiththedocuments.Theymighthavealaptopwithasolar
chargerupthereinthemountains.
Rameshracedbacktoheadquarters.Areportofthismagnitude
couldnotwait.Theywouldneedenoughteammemberstocoverthe
nearlytwomilewalktowhereRameshworked. Theywouldalso
needacheapcourierbagfromoneofthelocalvendors,thengetthe
locatertagsewnintoit.,andprobablyputtwoorfourtagsinthebag
nearsomecornerssoifonefailedorwasfoundtheycouldstillkeep

14

ThenYouFindaHill

trackingthebag.
Theteamwassomewhatshockedtoheartherewouldbeacourier
pickup.Allmembersatheadquartersexpressedoutragethishadnot
been discovered earlier. Ramesh told them Nedim said a courier
hadn'tbeenusedinovertwoyearssinceeveryone hadgone online.
HeincludedNedim'sworrythattheymayhavebeenfoundoutand
thiswasnothingmorethananassassinationattempt.Therewasquite
abitofsilenceintheroomwhenthatbombwasdropped.
AlotofpainandefforthadgoneintoworkingNedim. While
therewerestillsomedoubtersontheteam,hehadbeenatreasure
troveofinformationaboutalQaeda'songoingactivities.Theflowof
emailandthepingserverhadallowedthemtoputtrackingteamson
twentysevendifferentcellsinjustafewshortweeks.Withthenotable
exceptionoftheLuttoncell,allofthehighlyactivecellswereabout
tobetakendown. Somewouldbearrestedandinterrogated,others
weretosimplybekilled.Atenmembercellhadaseniorbombmaker
comingtoitslocationtotrainnewbiesinhowtomakebombs. It
seemedlikeawastetoarrestthatcellwhenyouneededonlyasmall
blasttosetoffabiggerblast.Onesmallgrenadelaunchedthrougha
windowoncetheystartedblendingthecomponentswouldtakecare
ofeverybodyinthehousewithoutlevelingtheblock.
Finally,someoneintheroom voicedtheonequestionotherswere
thinking:Howcouldtheyhavefoundus?
Theydidn'tfindus,respondedHans. Theyfoundwhatthey
believeisaweaklink.
Dowehavealeak?askedthemaninthesuit.
No,respondedHans.Wehavereporters.
EverybodyturnedtolookatHansoncehedroppedthatbomb.
SomehowtheBBC hadgotten aleadthatPakistaniintelligence
hadturnedanalQaedaoperativeandwasnowexploitinghim.They

ThenYouFindaHill

15

had been working every connection they had trying to get further
information.
Don'tlookatme,saidtheBrit.
Relax,itwasn'tyou,Hanscontinued. Theygotthisleadin
America, which leads me to believe someone in an American
intelligence agency was feeling unloved. They pointed them at
Pakistaniintelligenceandgavethemavaguestorybecausethatisall
theyhad.Wearecleanfornowbutweneedtomakesureallof
thearrestpaperworkisfiledanddoesn'thaveanyofournamesonit.
Theyarejustaboutaweekawayfromforcingthisstorytobreak.
IthoughtweonlyhadtoworryaboutCNN,theBritasked.
CNNhasn'thiredajournalistin twenty years,themaninthe
suitretorted.Theytakewhatwegivethemandonlyaskforenough
tofillthespacebetweencommercials. Weshouldhavepaidmore
attentiontowhattheBBCwasdoinghere.
Doesn'tmatternow,saidHans. Wecanfollowthecourier
and once the cell raids happen we will have more computers to
search.Anothercommunicationscenterwillturnup.Weknewthis
wellwouldbepumpeddryatsomepoint. Ithasbeenalongtime
sincewefoundacourier,though.

Agreed,respondedthemaninthesuit.Iwilltakecareofthe
paperworkfiling.Youthreetakecareofobtainingadocumentbag.
Youtwotakecareofbringinginmechanicsforatail.Oddsarethis
willbeamultidroptransfer.Weprobablywon'tbeabletogetmuch,
ifanything,fromthefirstlegofthejourney. Oncethejourneyis
complete,orwelosethetrail,wecanroundupthevariousmulesfor
interrogation.
Hans knew exactly what that last statement meant. We were
going to round them up so they could go to the camp. He had

16

ThenYouFindaHill

received word from the party that the second camp had been
activated,buttomakeitfullyoperationaltheyneededafewwomen.
Acouriernabbingoperationwasboundtoputatleastonewomanin
thesecondcamp. Mostofthecourierswouldn'tspendmorethana
dayortwoatthefirstcamp.AlQaedacouriersworkedonthenext
hopprinciple.Theyknewonlythepersontheygottheinformation
fromandthepersonwhogotitnext.Usually,theydidn'tevenknowa
name,justalocationandadescriptionofsomethingthepersonwould
bewearing.Youfoundoutwheretheinformationwasgoingonlyif
youcaughtthelastcourierinthechain.
IslamicextremistswereoutrightstupidinHans'mind. Itdidn't
matterhowmuchcollegeeducationtheyhadorhowmanyinfidels
theykilled,theywouldalwaysremainstupid.Thisstupiditystoodout
predominantly in their treatment and views of women. The
extremiststreatedwomenaslittlemorethancumreceptacles.They
weresupposedtoremainilliterate,quiet,andoutofsight.Theywere
anecessaryevilforproducingsons,andnothingmore. Woeto the
womanwhosefirstchildwasagirl.
Theseverysamepeoplehadnoproblemwhatsoeverwithletting
pregnant women strap bombs to themselves and blow up buses.
Besidesbecomingmartyrs,womenwerehabituallyusedaslinksina
courierchain.Becausewomenwerenotallowedtogooutalone,they
tendedtohavetheirdaughtersorotherwomenwiththemwhenthey
were carrying messages. This was probably one of the reasons
womenweretoremainilliterate,sotheycouldn'treadthemessages
theycarried.
HanstriedtopicturesomeonetellingoneoftheGermanwomen
heknewtobesubservient. Thatwasjustaskingtodieaslowand
painfuldeath,assumingyouweren'tluckyenoughtopissheroffso
muchshekilledyouinstantly.
No,alQaedawaslittlemorethanthescumthatgrewunderthe
rimofapublictoiletanditwaslongpasttimetoscrubthetoilet.

ThenYouFindaHill

17
***

Margretsataroundworkafter6:00PM. Shehadreceivedan
emailtellinghertheDataStorage&Recoveryteamwantedtomeetat
7:30.Sinceitwasafourstarplace,Margretdecidedtotoleratethe
inconvenience.Shehadfinishedthelastoftheworkshewantedtodo
around5:30andwasnowdebating whethertogo homeandchange.
Margrethadeatenatthatrestaurantoncebefore.Hernormalbusiness
attirewasprobablynotgoingtogounnoticed. True,shehadona
suit,andagoodsuit,butitwasasuit.Thisplacetraditionallywanted
womenineveningdresses.Shedidhaveseveralshehadn'tyetworn.
Therewastimetogohomeandchangepriortothemeeting. She
knewhercompanionfortheeveningwouldbechangingnow.With
that,sheloggedoffandleftforhome.
Yes, Big Four Consulting was going to be buying two meals
tonight, and the second meal was going to be a real bitchslap,
literally.MargrethadcalledCarolandtoldhertoreaduponFDIC
regulations,thentomeet herat therestaurant at 7:00PMsothey
couldtalkatthebarforawhile. Carolmighthavebeentheonly
femalelawyerthebankcurrentlyhadwell,hadbeforeconsuming
alloftheotherbanks.Margretdidn'tknowanyoftheotherlawyers
attheotherdivisionsaroundtheworld.Carolhadbeengiventhegist
of what Margret had dropped on Big Four Consulting and Carol
chuckledat hearingit. Shehadnevereatenat therestaurant,but
heard it was incredible. She said she might have a surprise for
Margretwhentheymet.
AsMargretchanged,shewonderedwhatkindofsurpriseCarol
was talking about. She and Carol hadn't really socialized. They
chattedfromtimetotime,butneverstoppedfordrinksafterwork.
CarolhadbeenakeyplayerwhenitcametocontractsfortheIT
department and she was typically well versed in whatever federal
regulation they might be about to bump into. Bump, laughed
Margret. Wedon'tbumpintoregulations,wesimplychooseto

18

ThenYouFindaHill

ignorethemandavoidcreatingadocumenttrailsayingwebrokethe
law.Inanyevent,Margretwasdressingtotheninesandwillingtolet
whateverhappenedhappentonight.

MargretarrivedattherestaurantroughlythesametimeCarolgot
there.SheassumedthisbecauseCarolwasstillpokingaroundthebar
lookingforherwhenshewalkedin.Nodoubtaboutit,Carollooked
hot. IthadbeenalongtimesinceMargrethadsampledanything
looking that good. They saw each other and Carol came over to
Margret.
Youlookgreat!Carolexclaimed.
Figured it was time to bring out the big guns on this one,
respondedMargret.
Theyaredefinitelysomeseriousartillery,Carol said without
thinking.
Margret laughed. I'm glad you like them. Let's find a table
aroundheresoyoucanfillmeinonwhatyouhavefound.
Theyquicklyfoundatableoutofearshotoftheotherpatronsand
orderedaroundofdrinks.Oncethewaitresshadleft,Margretlooked
atCarolandsaid:So,tellmewhatyoufound.
Your interpretation on the FDIC requirements was pretty
accuratewhentheyaretakenstrictly.Manyfeeltheyaremoreofa
guideline,butIhaveafewcontactswholoveputtingthehurtonbig
consultingfirms.
ThewaitressreturnedwiththeirdrinksandMargretopenedatab
withhercreditcard. Oncethewaitresshadleft,Carolopenedher
leatherfolderandpulledoutafaxfromaninspectorfortheFDIC.It
camecompletewiththeirletterhead.Inanutshellitstatedthatwhile
theyhadbeensomewhatunderstandingintheinterpretationofthis
requirementwhenlargescaledisasterssuchasfloodsandmultistate

ThenYouFindaHill

19

power outages had struck, they (the FDIC) had no intention of

lookingtheotherwaywhenarecoveryplanrequired fourteenhoursof
flighttimeduringgoodweatherjusttogetthebackupmedia.
Well,well,well,saidMargret.Won'tthisbeamajorknifein
thebackiftheytrytoplayitdown.
Yes it should, responded Carol, But it isn't the best part.
Accordingtoregulations,everyonewithaccesstothedatacenteror
anaccountthatcancompletetransactionsmustbefingerprintedand
haveanotarizedSecuritiesandExchangeCommissionpledgeonfile
withtheirsignature.
Iwasn'tawareofthatrequirement,Margretsaid.
Mostpeoplearen't. Itwaslightlyenforcedpriorto9/11,but
nowtheyaresteppingupthedrivetogetallpaperworkinorder.Do
youwanttohearthebestpart?
Margret simply smiled and looked Carol directly in the eye.
Carolreachedintoherleatherfolderandpulledoutanotherdocument
withtheheadingProposedRuleChange86113B.Itwasdefinitely
writteninlawyerese,butthegistofitwastheyweregoingtomakeit
arequirementforbanksreceivingFDICinsurancecoveragetouse
onlyU.S.citizensintheirdatacenters.
Whenisthistakingeffect?queriedMargret.
Stillhastobecommentedandvotedonbytheregulatoryboard.
Itcouldbeafullfledgedregulationwithinayear,though.Alotof
internationalbanksarelobbyingagainstit, buttheFDICiswaving
aroundsomedocumentsfromtheNSAandCongressistalkingabout
expandingthePatriotActiftheFDICdoesn'tenactthisregulation.
Within twelve months it will be either a regulation or a law. A
regulationwilljustcostyouafineandyourinsurance,alawwillsend
peopletojail.
Well,noneedforeitherKentorKathryntoknowaboutthis

20

ThenYouFindaHill

littletidbit,Margretchimed.Hissignatureandthoseoftheboard
aretheonesonthecontract.
Carolgotanevilgrinonherfaceandsaid,Nowthatisapower
play!
Theyclinked glasses,finished the drinks,andorderedanother
round.
Well,youhavehandedmequiteasurprisetonight,Carol.
Oh,thatwasn'tthesurpriseIwastalkingaboutonthephone,
respondedCarol.
Oh?
Hubbyiswatchingthekidstonight.Itoldhimweweregoingto
trytodrinktheconsultingbudgetdrytonightandcrasheitheratyour
placeorahotel,whicheverwascloseenoughtoreachbycrawling.
Margretlaughed,That'saplan,notasurprise.

CarollookedMargretintentlyintheeyesandsaid,Hedoesn't
know.Heprobablyneverwillknow.But,IthinkIreadyouright,
andIthinkyouareOKwiththerestoftheplan.
Thewaitressshowedupwiththeirnewdrinks. Onceshehad
left,MargretlookedCarolintheeyes,raisedherglassandsaid,That
definitelysoundslikeaplan.Theyclinkedtheirglasses,drank,and
madeidlechatwhilewaitingfortheconsultingfirmtoarrive.
About half an hour later they were all seated at their table.
Kathrynhadwalkedinwithaspringinherstepandherhairoutof
placefromdrivinghernewMercedeswiththetopdown.Herspring
diedquicklywhenshesawMargretandhercompanion.Kathrynwas
stillinherbusinesssuit,whichwasn'tshowingalotoflegandthetop
ofwhichwasn'tseethrough.Sheknewrightthennotoneoftheguys
shehadbroughtwouldbeabletotellwhatcolortheotherladies'eyes

ThenYouFindaHill

21

wereattheendoftheevening.
Kathryntriedtobepleasantandupbeat. Oncethemealswere
ordered,hercompanionswentrightintothestoryabouthowtheyhad
partneredwithanoffshoreversionofIronMountainprovidingsecure
archiving services for documents and backup media. They even
tossedoutthesecondlowestfeefortheserviceandwroteitintothe
contractbeforeKathryncouldbegintocutthemoff.Theseguyswere
thinkingwiththeirpenises. Theydidn'teventrytoputupafight,
whichwashowtheyweregoingtogetthehigherfee.
MargretinformedtheconsultingfirmthatKentwouldhaveto
sign the contract since it would require renegotiating with Iron
Mountainandtransferringallexistingbackupmediapertainingtothe
migrateddatacenters. Carolchimedinthattheclosingofthedeal
andthetransferringofmediawouldhavetooccurquicklysincethe
FDICwasintheprocessofcrackingdownonthisveryissue.When
KathryninquiredhowCarolknewthis,shepulledoutthefaxonthe
FDICletterheadandletKathrynreadit.Thesecondcommunication
regardingtheproposedregulationchangewasleftinthefolder.
ThewindwasreallyoutofKathryn'ssailsat thispoint. She
meeklyagreedthatshewouldhavetomakeanappointmentwithKent
nextweek,whenhereturnsfrom hisworkabroad,togetthedeal
closed.Margretvolunteeredshewouldgeteverythingreadyforthe
shipment,butwaittoactuallygivethegoaheadonshippinguntilthe
contractwassigned. ShealsotoldMargretsheneededtobeather
meetingwithKenttoensurehefullygraspedthesituation.
Oneofthemenaskedwhattheladies'planswerefortherestof
theevening. Margretresponded,Weplannedonspendinganother
hourortwoatthebarbeforegoinghome.Itisn'toftenCarolgetsto
spendanightoutlikethisawayfromhermomduties.Severalofthe
guys offered to ply them with drinks after the meal ended and
KathrynresignedherselftoanotherdefeatatthehandsofMargret.
Shestillcouldn'ttellwhichwaythatwoman'sdoorswung,andthe

22

ThenYouFindaHill

businesssuitdidn'thaveanymanintheplacecheckingherout.They
wereallcheckingoutCarolandMargret.
When the meal was over, Margret excused herself to the
restroombeforereturningthebar.Theresheusedhercellphoneto
reserveajacuzzisuiteatthehoteldownthestreet.Promptlyat10:30,
theladiescalledacabandwenttothehotel,leavingtheguysboth
drunkandhorny.Oncetheywereintheirroom,Caroltookaquick
tourofitandspottedthejacuzzi.Nowthiswasdefinitelyaplan!
sheexclaimed.
Yes,itwas,repliedMargretfillingthetub. Wehavetodo
thismoreoften.Sotellme,howlonghaveyouknownaboutme?
Oh,Isuspectedforquiteawhile. Iassumedyoudidn'tmake
anyadvancesbecauseyoudidn'twantittobeknown,andgiventhe
situationwithmymarriageIcouldn'tbeopeneither.TonightIhad
theopportunity,soItookthechance,Carolsaidwhileundressing
andhangingupheroutfit.
Whatifyouhadbeenwrong?
I'm not often wrong when it comes to knowing if a woman
enjoysanotherwoman,butifIhadbeen,Iwascertainyouwouldn't
sayanything.Mycoverstorywasalreadyinplace,andithasbeen
yearssinceIenjoyedanotherwoman. HadIbeencompletelyoff
base,Iwouldhavehadtotrymyluckinthebar,becauseIcouldn't
reallygohomeearly.Ialreadypromisedhubbyhecouldgodrinking
withtheguysandwatchthegametomorrowwhileItookcareofthe
kidsallday.
Withthetubfilled,andthembothdisrobed,theireveningbegan.

SomeonePoints
TimeseemedtoflywhileKentwasgone,givenallofthework
hehaddumpedonMargretwhenheleft. Naturallyhedidn'ttake
anythingoffherplatewhenhegotback.Hehadbeenbackfromhis
tripforafewweeksnow. MargretandKathrynhadinformedhim
abouttheissuewithbackupmediaandrecoverytime. Forasmall
additional contract Kathryn's company had partnered with another
Indian company that provided much the same service as Iron
Mountain.TheyhadagreedtokeeptheannualfeebelowthatofIron
MountainandMargrethadarrangedforallofthebackupmediafrom
themigratedsitestobeshippedtothenewlocationonceKenthad
signedthecontract.
This was one of those things which absolutely baffled Kent.
Thenagain,nearlyeverythingtodowithtechnologybaffledKent;
hence,hewasmadeDirectorofIT.Hehadnoconceptofbackingup
orrecovery.HedidhaveaconceptoftheFDICregulationMargret
presentedtohimandknewviolationofanyrequirementwouldcost
himhiscareerifanyonefoundoutandthebanklostitsinsurance.
Kent quickly signed the contract and Margret got the shipments
going.
NowalonewithKathryn,Kentbroughtuphisnewproject.He
hadalreadyreceivedthespreadsheetswiththeestimatedeffortfor
dataconversion,andMargrethadalreadyworkedupestimatedhours
foraddingtheadditionalbankingrulestothecentralsystem. Even
usingbothconsultantsandemployeesitwasgoingtotakealongtime
just to get the French banking rules in place, let alone the other
countries'.Kentdidn'thaveabudgetforconsultantsanddidn'twant
wordofthistogetout.Heneededamethodofgettingthisdoneright
aroundthetimehistwoyearstintwasoverinIT,andheneededtoget
ridofmostoftheprogrammersonceitwascompleted.

SomeonePoints

Kathrynsmiledtoherself.Imayhaveasolutionforyou,Kent.
Thereisanewcomprehensivebankingsoftwareproductcomingout
from Pytho Corporation. They currently have U.S. and Canada
bankingrulesauditedandcertified.Theyarealsoworkingonevery
other country you do business in. I can get you some product
literatureinacoupleofdays.Nobodyknowsaboutthisproductyet
astheyaren'tfinishedwiththeglobalizationeffort,butitshouldbe
completedinanotherfourtosixmonths.
Kentsattheredumbfounded. Finallyheasked,Whatdoesit
cost? Will it run on our existing machines? How many of the
existingmachinescanbeeliminated? Atthispointherealizedhe
wastalkinglikealittleboytryingtogetagirltoshowherstohimfor
thefirsttimeandheshutup.
Kathrynrespondedthattheyhadn'tsettledonpricingyet,though
Kentwouldbeabletoeliminateallbuttwooftheexistingmachines
attheoffsitelocationsoncethedatacentermigrationhadcompleted.
She informed him that he wouldneed totrainandkeeponlytwo
developerstohandleanyadditionalreportingneedsofthebankasthe
vendor had a support staff for the product. If any deal was put
together,thebankwouldneedtomakesomekindofpublicstatement
sayingtheyweremovingtothesoftware.Thiscouldbeassimpleas
Kentgivinganinterviewinoneoftheweeklytrademagazinesand
answering a few questions during a phone call from a Langston
Groupanalyst.
Aroughestimatewouldbefourmonthsforthemtocomplete
certificationandonemonthforeachsystemmigration. Youcould
installandbeginconversionusingtheU.S.andCanadiansystemsthis
monthifyouwanted.Asnewcountriesareaddedyouwouldreceive
software upgrades and each country's migration could occur
piecemeal. Attheendofanothersixmonthsorso,youcouldhave
everylocationrunningthissoftware,loseatleast twelvemachinesat
theoffsitelocations,andskiphavingtomigratethelastthreedata

SomeonePoints

centers. Oncecompleted,youcouldeliminateallofyourITstaff
exceptthetwodevelopersyoushouldkeepandoneortwooperator
peopletowalkreportsaroundifmanagementrefusestopickuptheir
own.Itshoulddramaticallyslashyourcosts.
So,youaresayingIwillgofromastaffofover sixtytoastaffof
fourinsideofayear?askedKent.

Inside of six months if all proceeds according to plan, replied

Kathryn. According to the numbers we had for the data center
offshoring project, you were spending $16 million per year on IT
expensesandpersonnelsalaries.OncethisiscompleteIwillwager
thatyourannualITexpensefallsbelow$4million. Dotheygive
promotionsforsaving$12millionperyear?
Kent simply smiled. Once again he had bought the white
elephant.
Margretsoonreturnedtotheroomandtherestofthemeeting
wasspentgoingovertheprogressofthedatacentermigrationandits
numbers.Sofar,everymachinetheyhadabandonedhadbeensold,
thoughnotforasmuchastheyhadhopedatthestartoftheproject.
Still,onedatacenterhadbeensoldformuchmorethantheyplanned,
threemorehadoffersatornearlist,andtheyhadtopayapairof
leaseterminationfeesorfindacompanytosublettwoothers. The
NewYorkdatacenterwasnowinthemiddleofathreewaybidding
warandwasgoingtocloselaterthisweekforfourtimestheoriginal
askingpriceifthemachineswereleftinplace.Theresthadnotbeen
putonthemarketyet.Allinall,thingswereprogressingsmoothly.
EvenMargretwassomewhatsurprised.
KentchosethatmomenttoinformMargretofthenewsystem
fromPythoandtheplantomoveallofthelocationsontoit.Margret
was a bit defensive at first and pointed out she had filed such a
consolidationplanwithKent'spredecessor.Shecouldtellbythelook

SomeonePoints

inKent'seyethatthewhiteelephanthadjustbeensold. Sheeven
assumedthatKathrynhadtoldKenthewouldbeabletogetridof
Margretoncethenewsystemmigrationwascompleted.
Kathryn tried to mollify the situation by stating Pytho had
hundredsofdevelopersworkingonthisandseveralleadingauditing
firmsprovidingthecertification.Thetimeframeforthemtodeliver
allofthecountrieswasmeasuredinmonths,notyears,aitwould
have been using internal staff and consultants. Margret was very
awaretimeframewastheoperativephraseforKent.Histwoyear
tourwouldbeuparoundthetimethisprojectcompletedandhewas
lookingforamajorpromotion.
ThemeetingendedwithKathrynagreeingtoputtogetherthesale
numbersandatimelinefor rollout. Therewouldn'tbeadatacenter
migrationthismonthanywayduetotheendofquarterhappening.It
wouldbeagoodtimetohaveapresentationtotheboardsincethey
wouldhavejustjumpedthroughallofthehoopstovalidatenumbers
fromvariousbankingsystems.
***
Lennyhadbeencalledmanythingsthroughouthislife.Hewas
neverthemostpopularkidinschool,northebestlooking.Hewasn't
ajockorachessplayer.Lennyknewonlytwothings:Howtoruna
businessandhowtoshredabusiness.Hehadbeencalledacorporate
raider,ashareholder'sadvocate,andeverythinginbetween.
Hehadworkedasanaccountantforalargeauditingfirmbefore
theygotintolegaltroubleandlosttheirlicense.Hegotoutintimeto
savehisownlicenseandavoidpayinganyfines.
Lennyhadn'tbeenpaidalotworkingasanauditororasenior
auditor,buthedidknowhowtoreadbalancesheetsandsmellripe
fruit. Heplayedalotofpennystockswhileworkingasanauditor
becausethosewerenotontheverbotenlistofthingstodo. Afew
thousanddollarsboughtyoumillionsofsharesinthosecompanies.

SomeonePoints

Lennywasgoodatfindingthosewithachanceofturningaround.He
managedtoturn$10,000into$10millionmorethanonce.
AfterleavingtheauditfirmLennycouldinvestinstockstrading
onthebigexchanges.Heusedallofhisauditcontactstogetinside
informationandquarterlyreportsdaysbeforetheywentpublic. He
formedaninvestmentgroupsothingsweredonethroughcompany
accountsandpaidhimselfahealthysalary.Whatreallyshockedhim
waswhenacoupleofotherwealthyindividualsofferedtoinvestin
hiscompany.Overnighthewentfrommanaging$50millioninassets
tomanagingmorethan$500million.
Thiswasn'talargeoperationanditdidn'tadvertise. Hehada
veryniceofficeinaveryniceofficebuildingawayfromthehustleof
the city. There were five programmers, three analysts and a
receptionist. Legal serviceswereprovidedbyalawfirm kept on
retainer.Lenny'sdatacenterwasn'tabunchofworthlessPC's.Heran
everythingonafaulttolerantOpenVMScluster.Heevenhadahot
siteonanotherpowergridoutinanothersuburb.AstinyasLenny's
operationwas,hespentwellover$1millionperyearonITanddata
servicesbecausethatiswhatmadethemoney.

OnthisparticulardayLennyhadreceivedadatafilefromoneof
hisinformants. ItwasthequarterlyreportforFirstGlobalBankin
XMLformat. Thereport wouldn'tcomeoutforseveral days,but
Lennywantedtoseewhatwasgoingon.Heloadedthedataintoone
oftheformattingprogramsandletitcrunchthenumbers.Something
stunk with this report. First Global was going to beat analyst
estimates bynearly a dollar per share, unlessthe analysts quickly
upped their estimates. The analysts generally didn't miss sales or
businessincreases,sothismusthaveoccurredfromsomeonerefusing
toeatforthreemonths.
Atanyrate,thisstockwasgoingtohopbigtime,soLennykeyed

SomeonePoints

inthetradingparametersofmaximumprice,totalnumberofsharesto
be purchased, and chose an account list to spread the purchases
across. Lenny always tried to purchase more than 5 percent of a
company,butuntilhewasreadytogopublic,hespreadthepurchase
across many trading accounts so the SEC couldn't figure it out.
Lennyhadtradingaccountsspreadacrossahundredpapercompanies.
EveryoneofhisemployeeshadsetupaP.O.Boxaddressforatleast
adozenofthesecompanies.Bankingstockshadbeentrashedlately,
andtheentirestockmarketwaslookingforsomegoodnewsfromthe
financialsector.Thiswasgoingtobegoodfora threetosevendollar
bumpinsharepriceandLennywantedtotakeadvantageofit. He
keyed in the target sell price for each of the accounts doing the
purchasesandthenchosethesubmitoption.
MostpeoplethoughtLenny'sprogrammersspenttheirentireday
thinkingofnewwaystoanalyzefinancialdata. Intruththeyspent
aboutthreedaysperyeardoingthat.Therestofthetimetheyspent
creating inventive ways to distribute purchases so Lenny wouldn't
havetogopublicuntilafterheowned40 percentofacompanyinstead
ofthe5percenttheSECmadeyoureport.
With the purchases submitted and waiting to happen, Lenny
calledinhisthreeanalystsandtoldthemtostartdiggingonthisand
find out where First Global slashed a dollar per share from its
operationsoverayearago.Itshouldn'tbeabigtaskforthembecause
there was a program on the system to kick those things out. He
wanted them to find out the details, not just the place where the
numbersdiffered.Lennydoubtedthebankmanagedtotrimapenny
pershareinahundredlocations,sothereshouldbeadeadfishlying
onthebankforthemtofind.
BythisafternoonLennyshouldhavethecompany'screditmaxed
outpurchasing100millionsharesofFirstGlobalBank. Oncethe
target was achieved he was going to have several trading floor
workersputoutthestorythatFirstGlobalBankwasgoingtobeat

SomeonePoints

analystestimatesandbeatthembig.Therumorsnifferswouldhear
therumorandseethetradingvolume.Theywouldassumeitalltobe
insidertradingandjumponthebandwagon.Stockwouldbeup two
dollarspershareanhourlater.IfLennydidn'thavetherottingfishin
hishandsbythen,hemighthavetogetoutratherthanrunabigger
play.
Yousee,LennyknewhowtorunacompanyandLennyknew
how to shred a company. You could make a profit running a
company,butyoualwaysmadeakillingshreddingacompany.This
company was looking like a perfect setup. Yes, he would make
around sevendollars pershareduringtherunupwithhislittlebitof
insiderknowledge,butthatwasnothingcomparedtothe sixtydollars
orsopersharehecouldmakebysellingshortaftertherunupthen
shreddingthecompany.Allittooktostarttheshredwasafewwell
placedrumorsbasedonfacts.BeforeLennycouldmakemorethan
theinitialbump,hehadtoholdtherottingfishinhishand.
***
VladimirhadalotoftimetoreadandsurftheWebwithhis
currentjob. Heneededtoworkonlywhenthehitscameintothe
pingserverandnotallofthosehadtoberespondedtoquickly.
AnyIPaddresshehadpreviouslyidentifiedandstoredinthedatabase
wouldsimplygenerateanautomaticemailouttotheteamstatingthe
timethehithadcomeinandwhathitnumberthiswas.
When Vladimir played the killing game, information was his
friend.Heanalyzedeverythingwhenitcametoanoperation.More
oftenthannothegotitallright,too.Theproblemwithbeinginthe
fieldandbeingright was thatthosemakingthedecisionstendedto
filteryourreportsviaapapershredderbecausethosereportsexposed
themasidiotstoomanytimes.ThiswashowVladimirhadendedup
inthiswheelchair. Thosewhoshouldhavelisteneddidn't,andhis
teamwassentintoameatgrinder.Whenthegrinderwasdone,two
ofhisteamweredeadandhehadabulletlodgedinhisspine.The

SomeonePoints

debacle made the news and some government officials had to

investigate. WhentheygotacopyofVladimir'sreporttherewere
some people no longer working in the agency and there was a
comfortableretirementforVladimir.Nobodyspokeaboutwhathad
happenedtothosenolongerworkingfortheagency.
Ofcoursemostmajormediawerecompletelycontrolledbythe
interestsoftheMBAsrunningthemediacorporation. Theywould
neverrunanewsstorylambastingacorporationtheyheldstockin.
Theywouldalsoneverallowastorytoberunthatsaidtheirmoney
makerwaseitherbadorabouttohitabrickwall.
Vladimirknewwheretolookonlinetogettherealnews.Hehad
writtenhisownspiderprogramstocrawltheblogsiteslookingfor
keywordsandpullingdownthecontentforhimtoread. Blogsites
that happened to get something really right had a tendency to
disappearinamatterofhours.OneMBAcalledanotherMBAand
theaccountgotdeleted.InthiswaytheInternetwasnotanavenueof
freeexpression,butwasquicklybecomingaheavilymoderatedform
ofCorporateCorrectSpeak.Politicallycorrectdidn'tmatter,aslong
asyouneverdissedorpointedoutthecrimesofacompanyoneofthe
otherMBAsheldstockin.
SinceVladimirlearnedwhatpartofthisprojectwasreallyabout,
hehad beenusinghistalentstoidentifythe next terrorist hotbed.
Nobodycaredaboutthedeserttrainingcampsandeverybodyknew
about the current hot spots. He was looking for the next event
horizon theonethatwouldbethebasisofa9/11orlargersized
attack. For the last three days Vladimir had been reading stories
which were scaring him. The Indian IT workers were trying to
unionize.
TherewerequiteafewarticlesintheIndiannewsandonvarious
blogsitesstatingUnionNetworkInternationalwastryingtoorganize
thecallcenterandbackofficeworkersinIndia. Theyhadalready
madesomeprogressinBangalore,butwerehavinganuphillstruggle.

SomeonePoints

UNIhadfailedtoorganizetheprogrammersbackin2000,but
theyjustmightsucceedwiththecallcenterandbackofficeworkers.
Currently, these people made around U.S. $2,400 per year, well
belowthepovertylevelinanyindustrializedcountry,butwaymore
thanthe$500peryearmanyotherworkersmadeinthecountry.

WhatwasgoingtohelpUNIwasthestresslevel. Threein ten

changedjobsatleastonceperyearandoneinsevenleftthefield
entirelyduringthatsametimeframe. Burnoutandpoortreatment
werecommonplace. Mostofthemajor offshorecompaniesalready
hadoperationsorwerestartingtheminplaceslikeKoreawherethe
workcouldbedoneforevenless. Indianworkersweregetting ten
dollarsperdayandthecompanieswerebillingthemoutattentotwenty
dollarsperhour.Thatkindofmarginallowedyoutoexploitanypoor
personinanycountryyouwanted.
Vladimirdidwhathealwaysdid.Hewroteareportandemailed
ittothemaninthesuit.Hewasprettycertainthereportwouldjust
beignoredasthereportwasignoredfortheoperationthathadcost
himhisabilitytowalk.IftheITworkersunionizedandthe offshore
companies moved the jobs, this would be the largest pool of
disenfranchisededucatedpeopleintheworld. Manyofthemwere
Muslims already; AlQaeda would have a field day bringing in
recruits.Afteramoment'sthought,healsosentacopyofhisreport
tohisfriendintheRussianmafia.
Hedidsomequicknumbercrunchingtogaugetheimpactofthis
event.Accordingtosomereports,mostoftheITworkersheldonto
overhalfoftheirmoney. Therewasn'tmuchinthewayofquality
home builders in the areas where the data centers were, so they
couldn'tgointodebtonMcMansions.Theyalsodidn'thavemuchin
thewayofroads,letaloneinterstatestodriveon,somostdidn'tbuy
cars,ortheyboughtthose$3,000crackerboxesmadebyIndianand
Chinese car makers for sale in that market. Some employment

SomeonePoints

reportsstatedtherewere asmanyas 300,000ITworkersinIndia

workingforoffshorecompanies.Thatwasalotofuntraceablecash.
Iftheybandedtogether,theywouldbeabletopurchaseanukeora
biologicalweapon.Vladimirdoubtedifsuchasalecouldbestopped
again.
Once,afewyearsago,oneoftheRussiancrimefamiliesdealing
inarmstriedtosellsomeuraniumtorepresentativesfromalQaeda.
Triedwastheoperativeword.Vladimir'sfriendsfoundoutaboutit
andtookcareoftheproblem.Youcouldsellallofthegrenadesand
automaticweaponsyouwantedtothembackthen,butifyoutriedto
sell somethinguncontrollable, youweredealt with. A fewphone
callsweremadetosomeothercrimefamiliesandtwodayspriorto
thedelivery,thatcrimefamilyceasedtoexist.Whenthepolicetried
arresting some of the mechanics, the information was given to
Russianintelligencealongwiththelocationofwhatthefamilyhad
beentryingtosell. Everyonewasreleased.ItwasOKtobeabad
maninRussiaitwasnotOKtobethatkindofbadman.
WhatbotheredVladimirthemostwasnotbeingabletoseehow
theattackwouldoccur. Educatedpeoplewithmoneytendednotto
strap bombs to their chest and blow up buses. He didn't think it
wouldbeenoughforthisgrouptosimplydesignandfundanattack.
Thenagain,giventheclasssystem,theupperclass might chooseto
designandfund those attacks andorderthe lowerclassestotheir
deaths. Theproblemwiththatideawasthatthelowerclasseswere
theonesworkinginIT,whiletheupperclassesmadeaprofit off
them.
***
ThedaycamewhenNedimwastomakethedroptothecourier.
Hisshadowshadfollowedhimfromquiteadistance.Therestwere
inplaceupanddownthestreet.AllofthedocumentsandaCDwere
in the courier pouch they had given him. Thankfully, they had
thoughttobuysomethingmadelocallywhichwasusedandcheap

SomeonePoints

looking. Itwasexactlythekindofbaglocalscarriedthingsin. A
newleatherbagfromoneofthebignamemanufacturerswouldhave
beenamajortipoffsomethingwasup.
Halfwaytohisofficeawomanheworkedwithwalkedupbeside
himandaskedhimifhehadabagforher.Nedimwasshockedthat
thiswomanwouldbespeakingwithhim. Shewasobviouslynota
goodMuslim,speakingtoamanwhowasnotherrelationandnot
askinghimpermissiontodosomething. Still,Nedimplayedalong.
Godisgreat.Hemayhaveprovidedabagforyou.
God'sword lightsthe wayand isonlyfor metocarry,the
womanresponded.Withthat,Nedimtookthebagoffhisshoulder,
and without stopping handed it to her. She put the bag over her
shoulderanddisappearedintothecrowdwithoutbreakingstride.
Thankfully,manyITworkershadcellphonesnow. Asbadas
cellphoneservicewasinPakistan,itwasstillmorereliablethanland
lines. The devices receiving the tracking information looked and
functionedjustlikecellphones. Whenthewomanwassufficiently
gone,UmarcameupalongsideNedimandasked,Didyouknow
her?
Sheworksatmycompany.
Doyouhaveaname?
No,butIcangetit.Hercubeisfourrowsdownfrommineand
weallhavenametags.
Good.Seethatyougetitandemailittothisaddressfirstthing
this morning. He handed Nedim a slip of paper with an email
addressonit.Probablyanalias,butweshouldbeabletofindout
wheresheislivingfromyouremployer.
NedimstoppedandlookedatUmar.How?
We have access to all employment records filed with the
government.Don'tworry,youremployerwon'tevenknowwewere

SomeonePoints

10
looking.

Withthat,Nedimcontinued toward workinsilence. Something

badwasabouttohappen,hecouldjustfeelit. Thesepeoplehad
nevertriedtocomforthiminthepast.
Sometimelaterhearrivedatwork.Onthewaytohisdeskhe
tookadifferentroutewhichtookhimpastthewoman'scube. He
quicklywrotehernamedownonthebackoftheslipofpaperhehad
beengiven. Onceathisdeskheloggedinandsenttherequested
email.Thisissimplynotgoingtobeagoodday,hethought.
***

Hanscameintothemaninthesuit'sofficeandturnedonthe
BBC. Hedidnotaskpermissionnorspeaktothemaninthesuit.
Whenthemaninthesuitsawhimheadingforthesatellitetelevision
set,heoptednottoprotest. Therewasanewsreportstatingthat
PakistaniintelligencehadarrestedanITworkerwhowasasuspected
linkinthealQaedacommunicationsnetwork. Theydidn'thavea
nameyet,buttheyhadenoughgenericinformationtofingerNedimto
anyonewhoknewhim. Thereportdidnotyetsaytheyhadturned
him andwereusinghimtoinfiltratealQaedaoperations,but that
informationcouldn'tbemorethanafewhoursaway. Hanssimply
lookedatthemaninthesuitandwalkedout. Bothofthemknew
whattheyhadtodonow.
ThemaninthesuitmadeaphonecalltohiscontactinPakistan's
intelligence.Hearrangedforastronglywordedprotesttobereleased
tothepress.Heneededtobuytimeforthecourierstobenabbed.He
made certain the press release stated that the person arrested had
remainedincustodypendingafullinvestigation.
Hanshadhisowncommunicationtomake. Hehadtotellthe

SomeonePoints

11

teaminthefieldtonabeachcourierassoonastheymadethedrop.
Theyweretoimmediatelybeflowntotheinterrogationcampasthis
operationhadjustbeenburned.Theywerenowinaracetofindthe
destinationbeforeothersfoundoutabouttheoperation.Theothers
hewasworriedaboutwerethealQaedaleaderswhowereaboutto
receive this pouch. If they got wind and ran to ground, this
operation's biggest nab would vanish. Nobody knew who was
supposedtoreceivethepouch,notevenNedim.Ithadtobeanold
timerwhodidn'tliketechnologyandhehadtobesomewhereinthe
mountains,butfindinghimwouldbeimpossibleunlesstheycould
followthebag.
TherewasonefinaldutyforHansbeforehecouldreturnfor
moreinstructionsandadebriefing.Fromhisbaghetookadisposable
cellphoneandaslipofpaper. Hewentupstairstoanemptyroom
andmadeaninternationalphonecall.
Nikolaushadnotbeenexpectingthatparticularcellphonetoring
whenitwentoff.Therewasonlyonepersonwhohadthenumber,
andthiswouldn'tbegood.
Hello.
It'sme.OurassetisbeingoutedbytheBBC.Perhapsyou've
seenthenews? Heisintheprocessofmakingacourierdropand
giventhesituationwearenabbingeachcourieroncetheymakethe
drop.Iknowthefirstoneisawoman.Untilthefieldreport'sinwe
won'tknowhowmanywearesendingyourway,buttheyareall
comingyourway.Thisoperationisburned.Wehavetotieitoffand
getoutuntilwemanagetolocateanotherasset.
Understood. We have less than twentyfour hours to get
everythinginorder. Youwillcallagaintoletusknowwhenthe
planeisleaving?
Yes.

SomeonePoints

12

Nikolaus hung up and used his own disposable cell phone to

makeacall.HerelayedtothemanontheotherendthestoryHans
hadjusttoldhim. Unlesssomethinghappenedduringthenabbing,
therewouldbeatleastonewomanwiththisbunch.
Couriersneverknewmuch. Sometimestheydidn'tevenknow
theywereworkingforalQaeda.Itsoundsweirdwhenyousayitout
loud,butitistrue. Alotofthecouriersaresimplythatbytrade.
They carry drugs, contraband and information from one place to
anothereachday.It'sdangerous,butit'saliving.
It was agreed that most of the couriers would undergo
interrogationforaweekorless.Sofartheinterrogatorshadallbeen
professional,andtheycouldtellwhentheywerepumpingadrywell.
Nikolaustoldhimtonotifytheteam.
***
Jeremyhadneverbeenasmartindividual.Ifithadn'tbeenfor
friendshelpinghimanddoinghishomework,hewouldhavenever
gottenthroughcollege. Hehadalonglistoffriendsfromcollege
whowerenowsuccessfulandhisonlyrealassetwashiscontactlist.
Combined with his expense account it turned up very valuable
information.Hisboss,Lenny,wasacheapbastardwhenitcameto
thingslikepaychecksandbonuses,butheneverbattedaneyewhen
youturnedina$300receiptfordrinksanddinnerifonthebackyou
listedastocksymbolyouwereresearching. Heknewinformation
wasmorevaluablethanmoneyandthatyouhadtospendmoneyto
getinformation.
IthadbeenquiteamorningatGroupLenny.Thatwasn'tthe
officialcompanyname,ofcourse,butitwashowheandhisfriends
referredtoit. Intruth,Jeremyhadtolookathisbusinesscardto
remember the company name. Lenny had the reputation, not his
company. The reputationLennyhad earnedwas that heaccepted

SomeonePoints

13

investmentsonlyfrompeoplewithtensofmillionstotossaroundand
hegenerallyaveragedreturnsinthe100to400percentrange.Asa
result,Lennydidn'tadvertiseanddidn'tletanyoneinthemediaknow
anything about his company. They weren't even listed on the
companyrosterfortheofficebuilding.Peoplewithtensofmillions
toinvestweresmartenoughtokeeptheirmouthsshut.Thelastthing
LennyneededwasabunchofreportersorSECinvestigatorsrunning
aroundtryingtofigureouthowheachievedthosereturns.
Therewasnorealmagic. Quitesimply,Lenny,andeveryone
workingforhim,brokethelaw.Theyusedeverycontacttheyhadto
obtaininformationtwotothreedaysearly. Nobodyat thisgroup
woulduseinformationobtainedonlyonedayinadvance. Trading
one day before big news about some company tended to be
investigatedbytheSEC.Ifyouhadathreedaywindow,youcould
spreadoutyourtradesandleakthenewsviachannelsonceyouhad
yourpositioninthemarket. Thistypeofthingwasdoneallofthe
time. Nobody ever seemed to question how financial reporters
broadcastacompany'snewsdaysbeforeitwasofficiallyfiledwith
theSEC. Aslongasyouhadafewreportersyoucouldfeedthird
handyoucouldgetawaywithit.
OnthisparticulardayLennyhadassignedhisstaffthetaskof
findingouthowFirstGlobalBankwasbeatinganalystestimatesby
somuch.Jeremyassumedthenewswasalreadybeingleakedsince
theautomatedtradingshouldhaveacquiredtheirpositionbynow.
Thenumbercrunchingalgorithmsonthecomputersystemflaggedan
unusualdropinITexpensesandsomeincreasedincomefromasset
sales.TherehadbeennonewsofFirstGlobalBanksellinganymajor
assets,sothissetJeremytosearchingthevariousonlinedatabases
andmakingsomephonecalls.
SixphonecallsintoithefoundsomeonewhoknewFirstGlobal
BankhadsoldtheirNewYorkdatacenterforaboatloadofcash.
Jeremymadesomeothersmalltalkwiththecontact,thenagreedto

14

SomeonePoints

meetthemforsupperatafourstarrestauranttheybothliked.
Adata center sale was not outside the realm of sanity,but it
didn'taccountforthestaggeringdifferenceinearnings.FirstGlobal
Bankhadeatenagoodnumberofbankchainsinthepastcoupleof
years,soitmadesensetoconsolidatedatacenters.LossoftheNew
YorkcenterstruckJeremyasoddsinceFirstGlobalhadabrokerage
division,whichwouldmandatekeepingyourtradingengineasclose
to the New York trading floor systems as possible. Milliseconds
meantmillionswhenfillingmarketorders.

TheWebsearchesnowcenteredoncommercialrealestatesites
andrelatednewssites.ItturnedoutthatFirstGlobalBankhadalot
oftheirdatacentersupforsaleorhadgivenuptheleasesonthem.
Couldtheypossiblyhavecompletedmergingalloftheotherbank
chainsontotheiroriginalsystem?Didn'tseemlikely.Therewerea
lot ofcountriesinvolvedandFirst GlobalhadbeenonlyinNorth
AmericaandCanadapriortotheacquisitionspree.
Whenthehourapproached4:00PM,Jeremystruckpaydirt.One
oftheskirtsheusedtodoincollegewasnowworkingatBigFour
Consulting. After offering to meet her for supper the following
evening at a fourstar restaurant she really wanted to try and the
possibility of a roll in the hay, she volunteered that Big Four
Consultinghadwonacontractto offshoreallofFirstGlobalBank's
datacenters. Bytheendoftheproject,the ten originalsetsofdata
centerswouldbedowntoonesetlocatedinthecheaplabormarketof
India.Admittedly,FirstGlobalBankhadalreadyconsolidateddown
tofoursetsofdatacentersbeforeBigFourConsultinggotinvolved,
buttheproject wasquitelargeanyway. Jeremythankedherand
askedwhattimeheshouldmakethereservationtomorrow.

SomeonePoints

15

Exactlyat4:00PM,Lennycalledtheanalystsintotheirmeeting.
Lennywentaroundtheroomaskingeachanalystwhat heorshehad
learned. The other two simply regurgitated what the computer
analysis had told them. Jeremy informed him he had to fly out
tomorrowtorepaythecontactwhohadgivenhimtheinformation
Lennyneeded.FirstGlobalBankwasmovingalloftheirdatacenters
offshore.Inaboutanotheryear,theywouldhavenocomputersystems
inanycountryotherthanIndia.Theninesetsofdatacenterstheyhad
were being sold or having their leases terminated. All of the
hardware inside of them were being sold as well. They had
outsourced all of their data center work to a partner of Big Four
ConsultinginIndia.
Theothertwoanalystshadgraduatedwith4.0GPAsfromgood
businessschools.Jeremyhadbarelygraduatedfromastatecollege.
Yetherehewas,onceagainbringinghomethebacon.
Youcanverifythis?Lennyasked.
TheNewYorkdatacenterjustsoldforakillerprofit,Jeremy
respondedashehandedLennythe printoutfromthecommercialreal
estateWebsite.Twomoreareupforsale,ashehandedovertwo
more screen prints. It appears some were leased and now have
leaseslistedasavailable.
At first Ithought theyhad simplycompleted aconsolidation
project getting all of the other banking chains onto their original
system,butitdidn'tfitgivenallofthecountriesinvolved.Thenwhen
Ifoundthepersonwhoknewthedetails,itallmadesense. They
neverattemptedaconsolidationproject. Theysimplygotridofall
themachinesandoutsourcedtothelandofcheaplaborandlowrent.
I doubt anyone's banking records could ever be subpoenaed now
giventhatthedatacentersareinanothercountry.
Lenny sat back and thought for a moment. This is very
interestingindeed.Doesanybodyelsehavethisinformationyet?

16

SomeonePoints

Idon'tthinktheirshareholdersevenhaveit,respondedJeremy.
Normallyyoudon'tsendoutletterstoshareholderswhenyouare
simplymovingcomputersystemsaround.
Lennypondered awhilelonger. The board hadtoknow. A
projectofthissizewouldhavehadtogettheirapprovalandfunding.
IimaginetheirnextstepwillbetouseallIndianITlabortodothe
consolidationproject.Onlyoneproblemwiththissituation.Notone
persondepositingmoneyinthesebanksknowsthebanksnolonger
controltheaccesstothedatasystems.
Thethreeanalystslookedateachother,thenatLenny.Finally
Jeremyasked,Doesanydepositorknowiftheirbankcontrolsaccess
tothesystemituses?
It is both assumed and required, responded Lenny. Your
researchsaidtheyweresellingoffalloftheircomputers,butsaid
nothingaboutbuyingnewcomputers. Thismeansthe offshoredata
center is providing a turnkey service. The banks don't own the
computerstheyarenowusing,whichmeanspeoplewhohavenot
beenvettedbytheFBI,SEC,FDICorwhatevergovernmentagencies
inthiscountryperformthebackgroundchecks.Eachcountryhasits
own rules, but there are some common rules across most of the
countrieswedobankingwith.Noconvictedfelonsandnobodyona
terrorist watch list can ever be employed at a bank or financial
institution. Whenthedatacenterisn'tinthiscountryandthebank
doesn'townit,whoistosaywhattypeofpeoplearehiredandnow
haveaccountswithcompleteaccesstothesystem?
Atthatmoment,therealityofwhatLennywassayingsankinfor
allthreeanalysts.Afterthemoneywasmadeoverthenextcoupleof
weekswiththeshareprice runup,Lennywasgoingtostartavery
slowprocessofshortingthestock.Oncehehadachievedthekindof
shortpositionhewanted,thisverystorywasgoingtoleak.Itwould
betimedtoleakrightaboutthetimethe offshoringprojectwaspast
thepointofnoreturn.

SomeonePoints

17

Jeremywastoldtobookaconvenientflightouttomorrow.No
needtocomeintotheofficeifhedidn'twantto.Heneededtofind
outwhichdivisionsofthebankalreadyhad100 percentoftheirdata
centeroperationsmigratedoffshore.FocusontheU.S.branchesfor
now,Lennytoldhim.Youalsoneedtobookadatewithherforthe
day/eveningaftertheycompletemigratingthelastdatacenter. I'm
sureyoucanfindajacuzzihotelsuiteinanicerestauranttothankher
properly.
Doyoureallythinkwecandoashredwithjustthis?Jeremy
asked.
Howlittleyouwatchthenews,Jeremy.In2002aformerUBS
SystemsAdminplantedmaliciouscodethattookdownabout2,000
serversintheirnetwork.Hisarrestandtrialhavebeenappearingin
thenewsoverthepastcoupleofweeks,butmostarticlesarefocusing
onweedingoutbademployees. Imagineastorysurfacingabouta
globalbankwhodidn'tbothertoscreenthattypeofemployeeatall?
Oncethefederalagenciesgetwindofittherewillbecongressional
hearings. Wewillnotonlyshredthebank,butwewillshredBig
FourConsultingaswell.Whethertheyknowitornot,they'vebeena
willingaccompliceinacrime.

ALittleNudge
Staciewaslookingforwardtotonight. Shehadn'thookedup
withJeremyinacoupleofyears.Oh,sheknewnothingwouldcome
ofit,butsherememberedhewasprettygoodinbed.Sincehehada
hotelroom,shewouldn'thavetodealwithhertworoommatestonight
either. Shelovedherroommates. Theyhadgreatfunhangingout
together.Havingroommatesmeanttheycouldhaveareallyawesome
apartment and spend a ton of money on clothes. When you are
twentysomething,dressingtotheninesandpartyingallweekendisa
priorityinlife.
BigFourConsultingdidn'tpayhermuch.Thenagain,shehada
degreeinmasscommunications,notIT.That,coupledwithherlooks
andminorinEnglishgotherthejobwithBigFour. Theyalways
wanted the young people working for them to dress for success.
Thankfully,twooftheirclientsweremajorretailerswhichextendeda
partnerdiscounttotheemployeesofBigFourConsulting. Every
Saturday Stacie got up at the crack of noon and took shopping
whicheverroommatewashome.Allthreeofthegirlshadrunoutof
closetspaceandwerebuyingwardrobestostoreadditionalclothesin.
Still, the roommate thing had a major drawback. When you
decided to score, you had to inconvenience others. Stacie wasn't
dating.Olderpeopledescribeditasplayingthefield.Shefoundit
whensheneededit,andsometimesshewouldfindit inthesame
placemorethanonce,buthercareercamefirst.BigFourpromised
hershewouldtravelandtoldhertogetapassport.Shehadalready
flowntoseveralstatesintheU.S.andhadrecentlyreturnedfrom
Bangalore,India.

ALittleNudge

Unlike most of the girls Stacie worked with, she wasn't a

completefool.Sheknewfullwellwhichguyshadleftthecompound
tovisittheredlightdistrictjustafewstreetsover.Therewasnoway
shewasgoingtohookupwithanyofthem.Jeremyhadalwaysbeen
asafehookup. Hedidn't want anythinglongterm andhad only
askedhertoattendoneweddingwithhim.Theyhadbothknownthe
groomgettingmarriedsoitwasn'tabigdeal,justlotsofdrinking,
dancing,andfun.StacieletJeremyknowwhensheacceptedthathe
nowowedheraweddingandhewascoolwiththat.Whenyouare
twentysomething,youreallyhategoingstagtoawedding. When
you'reinyourfortiesyoucanplaythedivorceefieldatawedding,but
twentysomethingsalwaysseemedtobepairedoff.
Allofthegirlshadheardaboutthefourstarrestaurantthathad
openedupacouplemonthsago. Itwasthenewhotplacetobe
seen. Staciewasgoingtobethefirstofherroomiestoeatthere.
Theywouldhavetowaituntilshegothometomorrowtofindout
whatitwaslike.
Thenicepart abouthavingafriendwithbenefitsisyoudon't
havetocomehomeinthesameclothesyouleftin.Nothingtellsthe
worldyouwerepickeduplikeleavingahotelinthemorningwearing
an evening dress. A date would require she meet them at the
restaurantorhavehimpickheruphere.Shewouldn'tbeabletopack
anovernightbagandbringitalong.Youmeetafriendattheirhotel
roomandleaveyourbagthere.Somuchmoreconvenient.
Stacie left her apartment promptly at 6:00 PM. She had the
doormanturnonthecablightandwasquicklypickedup. Fifteen
minuteslatershearrivedatJeremy'shotel.Hehadcalledearlierin
theafternoontoletherknowhehadcheckedinandgaveherhisroom
number. Shetoldhimhehadbetterbewearingadamnednicesuit
when she arrived because there was a strict dress code at the
restaurant.
Asfarasanyoneatworkknew,Staciewassimplyhookingup

ALittleNudge

withaflamefromcollegethisweekend.Shedidn'ttellthemwhere
Jeremyworked,mainlybecauseshecouldneverrememberthename
ofthecompany. Shesimplytoldthemheworkedforsomesmall
accountingfirm.Sayingheworkedataninvestmentfirmwouldhave
gotten her a meetingwith HR and a chat about disclosing insider
information. SheknewdamnedgoodandwellJeremywascoming
heretothankherforthat. Hewasgoingtooweheraweekendat
SalishLodgewhenshefedhimtheotherlittlebitofinformationshe
had.
Todayhadbeenahecticday. Staciehadtoparticipateinthe
presentationtoFirstGlobalBank'sboardofdirectorssellingPytho's
newbankingsoftwaretothem.Itstartedoffasatoughsell.Pytho
hadn't thought to bring anything in the way of eye candy to the
meeting,sotheBigFourConsultinggirlswerelayingitallouttothe
board. Stacie hadn't participated in the sales pitch that sold the
offshoringcontract,butsomeofthegirlsintheroomhad.Onlythe
womentheyhadshownthemostinterestinwereaskedtodisplay
themselvesagain.StaciewasaskedsinceshehadbeentoIndiaand
hadestablishedthebestrelationshipwiththeonshoreteam.Therest
appearedtobemodelswhodidn'thavearunwaygigthisweek.They
knewnothingaboutthesoftwarebeingpitchedortheclient.Theydid
knowhowtodress,though.
Incontrast,KathrynhadmadeStacietakehometheentireCDkit
from Pytho. She had to work with a team of girls creating a
PowerPointpresentation,thenshowittoKathryn. OnceStaciehad
finished giving her fiveminute summary of how the data center
consolidationwasgoing,Kathrynhadhersegueintothepresentation
and even remain walking around answering questions during it.
Whenthequestionscameupabouthowfaralongtheglobalization
projecthadgotten,thePythorepshadtotakeover. Kathrynmade
sureshedroppedthenamesoftheauditfirmshandlingcertificationof
eachcountry'sbankinglaws. Theboardwasquiteshockedtolearn
theirownauditingfirmwascertifyingthesystemmetFrenchbanking

ALittleNudge

2
regulations.

Whenthemeetingconcludedtherewasn'tadirtyoldmaninthe
roomwhohadn'tseeneverybreastandlegondisplayatleasttwice.
Allofthegirlshadworntightskirts,butnotsotighttheylookedlike
theyweretryingtostopagunshotwoundfrombleeding.Allofthem
hadsomepartinthepresentationwheretheyweresupposedtowalk
aroundkeepingtheboard'sattention.Staciethoughtitwasalotlike
stripping,butyoudidn'thavetobreakasweatorgetdressedwhen
youweredone.
Theboardendedthemeetingtakingcopiesoftheplanandcost
spreadsheet.Theysaidtheyweregoingtohaveameetingwiththeir
auditorstoseehowclosetheFrenchregulationsreallyweretobeing
implemented. ThePythosalesrepswereallsmilesandhandshakes
untiltheboardleft,thentheyshowedoutrightrejectionontheirfaces.
Theydidn'tbuyit,oneofthemsaid.
Theyneverbuyonthefirstpitch,respondedKathryn.Unless
you'vetakenstepstoensuretheirauditorsgivethemaglowingreport
abouttheprogressmadeonFrenchbankingregulations,thissaleis
dead.
Our'WorldViewoftheBank'pitchreallyhithome,though,
Stacieremarked.
Yes it did, Kathrynsaid. It wastheonlyreasonwe were
allowedtomakethispresentation.Theyjusthadeveryonejumping
throughhoopstopreparequarterlyfinancialreportsandthecostof
doingthatisfreshintheirminds.Weevenscoredbigwiththecost
savingsfromstaffreductions,butanypackageisgoingtodobothof
thosethingsforthem.ThissalehingesontheFrenchregulations.
Howso?Stacieasked.
Our biggest IT headcount and operating cost is in France,
responded Kent. Even if you never got the other countries

ALittleNudge

operational,theentireprojectcouldbepaidforbyeliminatingthose
peoplealongwithourU.S.andCanadianITstaff.Kenthadstayed
inthepostpitchdebriefingbecausethisprojectwashisbaby.Hewas
thecorporatesponsorandprojectchampion.Itwashisjobtosellitto
theboardbecausehisnamewasonit.
Stacieknewthatifthisdealwentthrough,shewasgoingtobe
spendingsomegruelingovertimetrainingatPythosoftware.Shewas
alsogoingtohavetospendsometimebrushinguponherFrench.
Shehadtakenonlyonesemesterincollegeandcouldn'tspeakorread
itverywellnow.
Thatwasfourhoursago.Thethoughtsofherawaitingtreadmill
lefthermindasshesteppedintotheelevatorwithherovernightbag
andwenttoJeremy'sroom. Tonightwasanelegantmealwithfine
wineandsomelongoverduephysicalpleasure.
WhenJeremyopenedthedoorshewasfloored. Thatmancan
wearasuit!shethought.Shemadehimspinaroundtocheckhimout
andevencommentedthathehadbotheredtoshinehisshoes.Stacie
wasn't an expert in men's clothing, but that suit would retail for
around$1,200inthisneckofthewoods. Jeremymadesomevery
appreciative comments about the way she looked, kissed her
passionately,thentookherbagtothebedroom.
Must not have been a killer kiss, Jeremy said with a smile
whenhereturned.
Youdidgood!
Not goodenough for you tofollow me to the bedroom, he
grinned.
IfIdidthatIwouldn'tgetdinner!sheexclaimed.Let'scatcha
cabbeforewedon'tmakeitoutofhere!
Withthattheyproceededtotherestaurantandordereddinner.It
waseverythingStaciehadhearditwas.Thefoodwasfabulousand

ALittleNudge

the menu didn't have any prices. Stacie had no idea what the
champagneandwinecost,butithadto amounttoadownpaymenton
acar.Finally,theopenercame:
So,howarethingsgoingatwork?
Stacie flashed a mischievous smile. Well, I'm going to be
puttinginsomegruelinghourssoonbecomingatraineronanew
softwareproductPythohascomingout.
Whatproductisthat?Jeremyasked.
Before I answer that question, you have to promise me a
weekendatSalishLodgeanyweekendIask,respondedStacie.
Jeremyhadheardabouttheplaceandknewithadanamazing
reputation.HealsoknewifStaciewasputtingitonthetable,there
wassomethingbigcomingoutofhermouthnext. Hewaspretty
certainLennywouldallowhimtoexpensetheweekend,andevenif
Lennydidn't,hewascertaintohaveafantastictimewithStacie.He
lookedherintheeyesandsaid,Done.
Staciepositivelybeamed!Shehadwantedaweekendthereever
sinceoneofhergirlfriendshadtoldheraboutit.Herroomieswould
besojealouswhenshetoldthem.
Conversationhadtopausewhiletheservercamebytoinquire
howthingsweregoing. Staciewonderedhowtheserver'sfeetfelt
walking around in heels all night, then she thought that skirt and
stockingsdemandedheels.Anythinglesswouldruintheatmosphere
oftheplace. Itstruckheraskindofoddhowwomenwhoweren't
bisexual could easily appreciate the phenomenal body of another
woman.Sheguessedyousimplydidn'tgetjealouswhenyoulooked
hotyourself.Brieflyshethoughtitwouldbeapitywhenshehadkids
onedayanditallwenttohell.Thenshesnappedherattentionback
tothetable.
Jeremyhadthatstupidgrinonhisfaceagain.Itwasthekindof

ALittleNudge

grin he got when he had some smartass comment to make which

would be the perfect zinger for the moment and would ensure he
didn'tgetsexthatnight.WhatStacieappreciatedaboutJeremyisthat
hehadthegoodsensetosavethemuntilaftertheyhadsexsothey
couldbothlaughaboutthemwhentheyweremorerelaxed.
Shesmiledbackathim,thentookhishandandsaid,Ineeda
necklace and matching earrings to wear when we go to Salish.
Diamondswouldbenice,butaslongastheyarerealstonesandset
offmyeyes,I'mfinewithit.
Ididn'tevenmakethecomment,Jeremysputtered.
Butyouwerethinkingit,shechimedbackevilly. Besides,
afterItellyouwhatIhaveforyou,Ithinkyou'llagreeyoushouldbe
abletoaffordthem.
ThatwidenedJeremy'seyesandmadehimsitup.
Itwasalongdayparadingmybodyaroundtheboardroom,
shesaid,toyingwithhishand. OncetheauditorsforFirstGlobal
BankgiveaglowingreportonhowPythosoftware'snewbanking
product meets all of the U.S., Canadian, and French banking
regulations,theyareprobablygoingtobuyit. Everylocationthey
havewill bemigratedontothenewsoftware. Everycountrywill
moveasPythocompletescertificationforsaidcountry.Inmuchless
thanayear,theywillberidofalltheirITstaff,saveatokenfew,and
havealloftheirbusinessrunbysoftwareinanoffshoredatacenter.
Ihadtowearasheerblouseandmyfineststockings.Theskirt
and heels really showed off my form. If it wasn't for their own
auditorsbeinginvolved,wewouldhaveclosedthesaletoday. The
boardreallyadmiredmylegs.Justimaginehowmanyofthoserich
oldmenwanttobewhereyouwillbetonight.
True, Jeremy responded. Not to break the mood, but you
wouldn'thappentohavesomemarketingliteratureonthisproduct

ALittleNudge

6
wouldyou?

Greedy bastard! she teased. Here I am talking about sex,

letting you know I'm ready to go and you are still talking about
makingmoney.
Well,Jeremysputtered.
Stacielaughed,Remindmetotakeitoutofmyovernightbag
whenwegetbacktothehotel.
Whentheystooduptoleave,Stacienuzzledhisearasheputhis
armaroundher.So,amIgettingdiamonds?
Laughing, Jeremy said, Yes, the best I can find at my local
Helzberg.
NowitwasStacie'sturntohavehereyesgowideandheadsnap
up.
***
Margret was somewhat surprised to come out of the
demonstration and find there was a meeting request from Carol
waiting for her. They rarely had any meetings unless some big
contractwasgoingdown.Ifthegirlwasgoingtobecomeclingyin
theoffice,Margretwouldhavetonipitinthebud.Still,sheaccepted
themeetingandhalfanhourlaterCarolarrivedinherofficeclosing
thedoorbehindher.
BeforeMargretcouldgetcontrolofthesituationCarolsaid,I
didsomemoreresearchandweneedtogetsomelettersonfilewith
notarystampsanddatesonthem.Theletterorlettersneedtoinform
Kent of the pending regulation change requiring all data center
employeestobeU.S.citizensforU.S.banksandhavepassedallof
thenewbackgroundcheckspriortobeinghired.
Margretwasnotexpectingthis.Shethoughttheyweregoingto

ALittleNudge

keepitasecret.Carolreadtheconfusioninhereyes.
Theregulationchangehasjustbeenopenedforpubliccomment
andwillbeputtoavotesometimenextquarter.Thereisnokeeping
itquietnow.Givenhowfaralongthe offshoringofthedatacenters
has gotten, there is most likely no way to pull it back without
incurringmassivefinancialloss.
Margretnodded.

Then,Ineedtoforwardyoutheemailannouncingthepublic
commentperiod. YouneedtoforwardittoKent,thenschedulea
meetingforthethreeofusandJudy,thegirlwhodoesnotaryforus.
Justafifteenminutemeetingtotellhimthisisopenforcommentand
maybesomethinghebumpsinto.Bringa printoutoftheemailtothe
meeting.Whenthemeetingisover,wewillhaveJudyputanotary
stamponitandhandwritethemeetingtime,date,etc.,onit,then
signit. Copieswillbeputinyourhands,myhands,andthelegal
department'sdocumentarchivalservice.Whenthislandslidetumbles
downthemountainitwillbeKentwhohangs.
OnethingaboutCarol,Margretthought,thatlawyersideofher
isvicious!OK.I'llschedulethemeetinglatertodayassoonasIget
youremail,respondedMargret.
CarolnoticedthelookonMargret'sface.Shelookedatherand
askedWhat?
WhenyouputinsuchagenericmeetingsubjectIfiguredthis
wasyougettingclingyandIwaswonderinghowIcouldshutitdown
beforeanythinggotout.Iwasn'texpectingthis.
Noworriesonthat front. Myhubbywoulddivorcemeina
second.Ihavetokeepthismorehiddenthanyou.Thatdoesn'tmean
I'mnotgoingtohelpyoucoveryourass,though.Ifthisbecomesa

ALittleNudge

regulation,thebankisgoingtohavetorehiresomeoftheoperators
theyareabouttofireandgetthemtoliveinIndia.Therewillbea
limitedwindowforcomplianceandthenthehammerwillfall.
We'llhavetopayafine,Margretsaid.
You need to read the email I will forward you. Loss of
insurance is the first penalty, fines second and third is a
recommendationofcriminalprosecutionunderthePatriotAct.They
areplayinghardballwiththisone.Onlythecontentoftheregulation
isupforcomment,notthepenalties.
Margret'seyeswidenedatthat.Sendmetheemailnow.

In less than three minutes Margret had received the email,

forwardedittoKentandscheduledameetingwithhim. Hereally
shouldn'thaveleftafifteenminuteopeningjustpriorto4:00PM.All
oftheladiesmetinKent'sofficeandtoldhimhecouldbumpintothis
regulationwithhiscurrent project oncetheregulationisvotedin.
WhenKentaskedhowlikelyitwas,Carolrespondednobodyknew
which way the vote would go since none of the voting members
communicatedopenlyabouttheirintent.Thebankwassupposedto
havesomeonecommunicatingwiththeFDIConthis,butCarolhad
noideawho. Carolsaidheronlydutyinthematterwastoinform
bothKent and Margretviabothemailandameetingonthematter.
WhatKentdidwiththeinformationwasuptohim.
Justlikethat,themeetingended.Thethreewomenwentbackto
Margret'soffice,theywrotedownthemeetingtime,attendees,etc.,
signedthedocumentandthenJudyputthenotarysealonit. They
thankedJudyforhertimeandsheleft.
Doyouthinkthebastardhasanyideaheisabouttowalkover

ALittleNudge

anopenmanhole?askedMargret.
Probablynot,Carolresponded. Isimplywantedtogetthis
donewithin fortyeight hoursofreceivingtheinformationsomyass
wouldbeintheclear.
Carol leanedclosertoM argret and whispered, Then Ihadto
protectyoursweetass. Withasmirkshewalkedawaytofinda
functioningcopymachine. Afewminuteslatershereturnedwitha
fewcopiesforMargretandherself.
Anotherdayalmostover,Margretpipedupwhenshereturned.
Ican'tbelieveit,respondedCarol.IthoughtIwasgoingto
havetoworklatetonightbecauseofthepresentationgoingonearlier
today.
Theireyesmetandbroadcast desire toeachother. Myplace,
mouthed Margret. Half hour, mouthed Carol. Margret quickly
wrote down her address on a yellow sticky and included her cell
phonenumber.Nothingwassaidwhenthestickyexchangedhands.
ItevenlookedbusinesslikewhenCarolstuckitonthefrontofthe
pagesinherhands.Nobodyquestioneditorsuspectedanything.She
returnedtoherdesk,completedfilingthecopiesandputtheoriginal
inadocumentmailerforthearchiveservice.Withtheyellowsticky
tuckedintohersuitcoatpocketsheloggedoutandtoldeveryoneshe
wasgoinghome.
***
Hanssatinthemanwiththesuit'sofficewatchingthenewswith
him. True toform, once the first story came out, the rest ofthe
talking heads all sent people over to report on it. Pakistani
intelligencehadapparentlystartedfeedingtheircontactsatCNNnow.
Thearrestreporttheyhadplantedinthefilesfounditswayintotheir
hands.TheyhadNedim'snamenow.Itwasaslownewsweek,sohe
wasnowacelebrity.Toohighprofiletokilloffnow.Hopefullyal

10

ALittleNudge

Qaeda would take care of the task. In a few days, Pakistani

intelligencewouldannounceNedimhadbeenreleasedduetolackof
evidence.
True,therewouldstillbeataponthephonelineNedimusedfor
hiscomputer.Theyalsohadamailboxcopyutilityinstalledonhis
knownemailaccountsandtheyhadtheirownlittleremotesystem
monitorsoftwareinstalledonhismachine.Butthedailyreportsfrom
hisroommateswouldstop. Bothofthemhadbeentoldnottotalk
withNedimagain.
Briefly, Hans wondered what would happen when Nedim's
shadow quit showing up at the mosque for the Holy Quran
discussions.Evenifthenewshadn'tspilledhisinformationallover
theworld,thatwouldtellalQaedatheyhadamole.
Inacoupleofhoursaplanewouldtouchdown.BothHansand
themaninthesuitwouldsupervisetheloadingofprisonersontothe
plane.Therewouldbenopaperwork,simplyacount.Fourmenand
twowomen.AsHanshadfeared,thecouriertraineventuallyditched
thebagandtheylostthetrailinthemountains.Quiteafewmilitary
unitshadbeensentouttotheareawherethetrailwaslosttoseeif
theycouldfindacavewithalQaedamembersinit,butHanshad
littlehopetheywouldhearback. Givenallofthepublicityaround
thisguy,therewouldsimplybeanairstrikeagainstthecaveifitwas
found.Thisstorywasabouttobecompletelytiedoff.

BothwomenappearedtoberelativelyyoungtoHans.Nikolaus
shouldbeabletogettherestofthecampupandrunning.Personally
hehadnoopiniononstemcellresearch.Aslongasitmadeenough
money to let the party bribe officials who weren't completely on

ALittleNudge

11

board,hewasforit.Onceenoughfundingwasinplace,thelarger
scaleroundupswouldbegin.Therewasstillacelloperatingaround
HamburgandafewothercellsofficialsknewaboutinGermany.The
policehadn'tmanagedtogetenoughevidenceforaconviction,but
thepartydidn'tneedthatmuchevidence.
Finally, Hansasked a question that had been naggingat him.
Arewegoingtocloseupthisshop?
Atleastforawhile,itseems,repliedthemaninthesuit. I
willkeeptrackofwheretheteamgetsdispersed.Whoknowswhen
wewillturnupanothercommunicationshubtomonitor? Wehope
oneofthecellswearecurrentlyroundingupwillhaveusedmore
thanonecommunicationshub,butthatisjustahopefornow.
Thanks to this operation they had twentyseven different cells
undersurveillance.Fiveofthecellshadalreadybeenroundedupby
various agencies. Few members went to the interrogation camp.
Once the courier mules had been processed through there, the
remainingtwentytwocellsweregoingtoberoundeduponeatatime
andsqueezedforinformation.Theywouldmostlikelyprovidelittle
inthewayofusefulinformation,buttheircellphonesandcomputers
just might turn up a new communications hub. It was a gamble.
They couldn't round up many of the cells at once because there
weren'tenoughinterrogatorsatthefirstcamptohandle twentypeople
ormore.
Both men knew the Brit would be utterly pissed they weren't
rounding up the Lutton cell first. Obviously they were up to
somethingbig.Theteamonthegrounddidn'tappeartobewortha
rat'sassatsurveillance.Thecellhadtohaveheldsomemeetingsby
now.Still,theyidentifiedonlythefewpeoplesendingemailandno
othermembers. Aroundupnowwouldsimplycausethecelltogo
deeperundercover.Nobodycouldriskthat.Thecellhadtoremainon
monitorstatusuntileithermoreofthememberscouldbelocatedor
theexplosivesturnedup.

ALittleNudge

12
***

Johnwasathiswit'send.Despiteallofhiseffortsandmessages,
UNI(UnionNetworkInternational)wasmakingprogressgathering
members.Itwouldnotbelongnowbeforetherewasavoteaboutthe
unioninhisownshop.
Therewereonlythreedatacenterslefttorelocatehere!Didn't
theyunderstandtherewouldbemoremoneyintheirhandsfromthe
electronic transfer than a union could ever give them? No, they
couldn't. OnlyJohnandthreeothersknewabouttheplanhere. A
fewcellleaderswhoJohnhandledtheemailforknew,butthatwasit.
EvenJohn'snewroommatedidn'tknow.
John'snewroommatewasafastlearner.Hepickedupthebasics
ofhowtheemailoperationworkedinjustacoupleofdays. When
Johngothomenow,thevastmajorityofmessageshadalreadybeen
dealtwith. Heleftlinksand printoutsforhisroommatetoreadon
howtohideyourIPaddressonline,viruses,virusscanners,andarash
ofotherthingsthatallowedyoutoremainaghostonline.
They were going to have to bring in another machine so the
roommate could set it up and get his own communications hub
running. The leadersweremorethanwillingtopurchaseanother
notebook. Infact,theysaidtheyweregoingtopurchasetwo. The
secondonewouldbeforyetanotherroommateJohnwastotrain.At
firstJohnwasupsetaboutthis,butthenherealizedhewouldhaveat
least another quarter (probably three) before the data center
migrationswerecompleteandhisplancouldtakeeffect.
If only we didn't have this union problem! he said aloud,
slamminghisfistdownonhisdeskatwork.
Iknowwhatyoumean,respondedJohn'sboss.
ThesoundbroughtJohnbacktohiscurrentrealityinlessthana
heartbeat.Itwasunlikehimtodriftoffandletthingssliplikethat.

ALittleNudge

13

Perhapsthisoperationwasabittoomuchforhim.Hewasusedto
beingaghostwhohandledcommunications,notacovertoperative.
Whatisbeingdoneaboutit?askedJohn.

Nexttonothingcanbedoneatthispoint,respondedhisboss.
Theyarerecruitingpeoplefromlocationsotherthanhere.Wehave
installedsecuritycameras,hiredextrasecurity,andwatched. Other
thantheoccasionalpamphletfoundonsomeone'sdesk,thereisno
organizing activity going on here. Once they have more than 70
percentofourpeoplesignedup,theywillbringinlawyersandforce
ustoallowavote.
John barely heard anything after more security. This was
exactlywhathewantedtostopfromhappening.Hedidn'twanttokill
hisownpeoplejusttocarryoutthisattack.Hemadeamentalnoteto
getaccesstothesecuritytapesandassignoneofhisteammembersto
pullallofthemonthewayoutthedoor.Hewasn'tcertainhowthey
weregoingtohandletheguardinthesecurityroomyet.Perhapshe
wasalreadyworkingforalQaedaandcouldsimplybeaddedtothe
team.
***
Nomatterwhatcultureyoucomefrom,whatlanguageyouspeak
orwhatreligionyoufollow,therearesomeuniversaltruths.Atthis
particular moment Vladimir experienced one of those truths. He
jumpedsohardwhenthephonerangheknockedoverthreeempty
sodacansandaglassoficedtea.Cursing,heansweredthephone.
I'mnotusedtohearingthatasacustomarygreeting,saidthe
maninthesuit.

ALittleNudge

14

Sorry.ThephonegavemeastartandIspilledaglassoficed
tea.WhatcanIdoforyou?
WeneedyoutomodifyyourTrojanhorsetopullineverysent
emailfromeveryemailclientitlandson.Needthemtoallbesentto
thepingserverforanalysis.
Itwillbedifficultsincemanyaccessemailviaabrowserina
libraryratherthananemailclient.Whatisyourobjective?
Haveyouseenthenewslately?
Yes.
Ourprimaryassethasbeenexposedtotheworld.Weneedto
snaganewcommunicationscenterwhiletheyarestillinchaos.
TheTrojanhorsehadbeenwrittenverysmallandsimplesoit
couldworkacrossawiderangeofcomputersandoperatingsystems.
When it detected that the user had opened the email via a Web
browser, it obtained as much information as it could about the
machineandpassedit ontothepingserver. Dependingonwhich
Webmailbackendwasbeingused,theTrojancouldalsoattachitself
toanymessagessentduringthatsession.Eachtimeaninstancewas
createdandattachedtoanoutgoingmessage,itwasgivenauniqueID
numberbasedupontheID numberoftheparent creatingthenew
instance.TheIDnumbercamebackinthepacketofinformationto
thepingserver.
ItwasviatheseIDsandtheIPaddressesthatVladimirwasable
to map the groups. Eventually they managed to obtain location
informationforeachoftheIPaddresses(thosewhoweren'treally
goodatghostinganyway)andheplottedthemonaninteractivemap.
Clickingononeofthedotswouldbringupthedate(s)ofpingand
emailmessagesthathadbeenpartoftheping. Theydidn'talways
havetheemailmessage,buttheyhadmostofthem.Sometimesthey
gotthemessagefromonlyoneside,andsometimestheygotitfrom

ALittleNudge

15

both.
YoucouldclickabuttonontheWebpageandaskthepageto
showyoudateandtimeorderedmessagerouting.Thiswasareally
coolfeature.Ofcourse,whentheydidn'thavelocationinformationit
hadtosimplypickalocationatrandomandplunkadifferentcolored
dotdown,butitallowedyoutotrackthecommunicationsflow.
Onlyafewpeopleontheteamknewaboutthispageontheir
internal Website. Even fewer wereauthorizedtolookat it. As
always,Vladimiranalyzedeverypieceofinformationhecouldfindin
everywayhecouldthinkof.Informationhadalwaysbeenhisfriend.
When Vladimir first started putting this database and
visualizationtooltogether,hewasdoingitoutofasimpledesireto
know. Sincehewassupposedtobestoringcopiesofthedatahe
collected on this team server, he created a Web page on it to
communicatewiththemaninthesuit.Itwasfareasiertosendhim
anemailandtellhimtoclickhere,doubleclickthere,andwatchthe
screen,thanitwastotrytoexplainhisanalysis.

Lately there had been a significant increase in ghosted IP

addressesinthemiddleofmessagepaths.Quiteafewofthesepaths
came from IP addresses that formerly communicated via Nedim.
BeinginawheelchairgaveVladimiralotoftimetoanalyzethisdata.
Itlookedlikesomeonewastrainingnewcommunicationshubs.One
linkinthechaindefiedallattemptstopunchaholethroughtoit.
The other ghosted IP addresses weren't ghosted so well.
Vladimirmanagedtosendthemaspecialviruswiththeinformation
heobtainedfromthepingserver. Heusedastandardspamemail
offeringViagrawithoutaprescription,butwithasubjectlinethatwas
suretomakethemopentheemail.Oncetheviruswasthere,itstarted
sending Vladimir email with information about the activity of the
machine.Hewasabletofullypenetratetwonotebookcomputersthis

16

ALittleNudge

way. He even knew the model, brand, and serial number of the
notebook thanks to their running a totally insecure OS known as
Windows.
IfyousendanemailoutcorrectlyontheInternet,itwillcontain
thefullpathinthemessageheader. Mostendusersneverseethis
informationbecausetheiremailclientorWebpageinterfacehasthe
displayofitturnedoffbydefault.Eachhopanemailmessagemakes
along the way will add information to the message header with
respect to the IP address, name of the server and name of the
organizationhostingtheemailserver.TheemailscomingtoVladimir
from this special virus contained a full path back. He paid close
attentionwhenthefirstpathheuncoveredchangedandhediscovered
anewmachineusingtheoldpath.
ThatsinglepieceofinformationtoldVladimirheknewwherethe
nextemailhubswouldbe.Aslongastheydidn'tgetwisetohisvirus
he would be able to identify their location. When the DNS and
gateway addresses came back the same for the second machine,
Vladimir was positive alQaeda was training new communications
hubs.PerhapstheyhadsuspectedwhatwasgoingonwithNedimor
maybetheyhadjustdecidedtospreadthetrafficout. Thereason
behind it didn't matter. What mattered was they were training
beginnerswhenitcametoghosting.Vladimirwouldbethalfhislife
savings the person doing the training was the same person whose
machinehadbeencompletelyimpenetrable.

Would you settle for three communications centers and no

modificationstotheexistingTrojan?Vladimiraskedthemaninthe
suit.
Therewasapauseintheconversation,thencametheresponse,
Youhavenotfiledanyreportsaboutthese.
YouneverreadmyreportsorlookattheWebpageIsetupon

ALittleNudge

17

yourinternalserver.Ifyoudid,youwouldalreadyknowthegeneral
locationofeach,Vladimirresponded.
Themaninthesuitdidnotrespondimmediately. Hehadread
someofVladimir'sreportsandthoughtthemantobecrazy. The
Webpagehadbeeninteresting,buthehadn'tvisiteditmuchsincehe
hadoriginallybeenshownhowtouseit.
So,wherewillwebesettingupoperationsnext?
India.
Somethingalittlemorespecificwouldbenice,themaninthe
suitwiseassedbacktohim.
Doyouwanttheseniorcommunicationspersonorthetwohe
hasrecentlytrained?Iwouldrecommendyoulatchontothefirstone
hetrainedratherthantakingoutthetrainer,butitisyourcall.The
secondonehasn'tcompletedtrainingyet.
Howdoyouknowthis?
He is still operating from the location of the trainer. If he
completestrainingasfastastheotherhewillbesettinguphisown
communicationscenterinsideoftwoweeks.
Willyouknowwheretheysetupoperations?
Ialreadyownthemachine.
Whydoyousuggestweleavethetraineralone?

Oddsaresmallthatisthelastcommunicationshubtheyhave.If
thenewtraineestaystherelongenough,Ishouldbeabletogetthe

ALittleNudge

18

realIPaddressofhismachineandhisprimaryemailaccount.OnceI
havethat,Icanownhismachineaswell. Wegotthisonebypure
accident. Ifyoutakeitdownnow,theyprobablywon'tmakethe
samemistakeofdoingamadscrambletoanotherhub.Itwillbealot
harder to crack this chestnut if they start going point to point.
Trappingandturningeachpersonthisonetrainswillletyouplaythe
networkout.Ifthisoneisstartingtodotraining,theyareprobably
tryingtogetoutofthetaskthemselvesoralQaedaistryingtosetup
agrid. Wewon'tknowuntilwehavemoreofthecommunications
hubs.
Grid?
It's a geek term. Neither Windows nor any flavor of Unix
actuallyclusters. Themarketingpeopleandsomebigvendorsall
throwaroundthewordclusterwhentheyaredescribingcapabilities,
but they are committing fraud when they do such. You cannot
actuallyclusterunlessyouroperatingsystemprovidesforacommon
userauthorizationfileandadistributedlockmanagertosupport a
distributedtransactionmanager.ThebestyoucangetwitheitherOS
ortheirderivativesisagrid.Autonomousmachinesnetworktogether
and agree to let other machines in the network use some of their
resources.
Whatgoodwouldthatbe?
Anemailgridcanbesetuptouseencryptedemailaddresses.
AllyouneedtodoistoputupNemailserversontheInternetand
eitherhavethemassignedfixedIPaddressesyousendoutwithyour
teams, or actually register them in the global DNS. When email
comesinforoneofthespecialemailaccounts,determinedbypattern
in the name, it runs a decryption utility on the corresponding
encryptedaddressandroutesitthere.Theencryptedaddresslistscan
bechangedonapermessageormanualbasis.
Youaremakingnosense.

ALittleNudge

19

Thinkofitthisway.IregisteradomaincalledMyServer.com.
I also register the email servers MyPop3Server.com and
MySMTPServer.com.Whenyousendemailtoanaccountonthis
serverorthroughthisserver,itchecksthedestinationemailaddress
foranamingpattern.Thatnamecorrespondstoanentrynumberina
listwhichhastoday'srealdestinationaddress.Theemailaddressis
automatically changed. All the sender knows is they sent to
xxx1234@MyServer.com. Email could come in from any email
system on the Internet. When it gets to the email servers on
MyServer.com, they will translate the destination and route the
messageappropriately,removingallheaderinformationandwithout
creatingalog.
Whatadvantagedoesthathaveoverwhattheyaredoingnow?
Youcansetupadomainforunder onehundreddollars. Ifyou
havethecorrectkindofInternetprovider,youcansetupyourdomain
behindadynamicallyassignedIPaddress. YouwillgetanewIP
addresseachtimeyourcablemodemorsatelliteboxresets.TheDNS
registrywillupdatewithinamatterofminutestoreflectthenewIP
address.Allyouhavetohaveisthedomainregistration.Thereisno
handroutingofmessages.Onepersonlivinganywhereintheworld
couldhavetheAdminaccounttologintoyourserverandchangethe
email address routing. If they strip out all header and trailer
information before sending it on, they will strip out any chance
anyone has of tracking the thing. There will be nobody to turn
becauseyouwill neverbeabletotracebackandfindout whois
loggingin,especiallyifthedomainissetupfordynamicratherthan
staticIP.Theycouldbootdifferentmachinesatdifferenttimesofthe

ALittleNudge

20
day.

Theconversationhadgonewellbeyondthetechnicalcapabilities
ofthemaninthesuit.Hedidunderstandthegistofit,though.Ifal
Qaeda had thought toset uptheir own domainsthe email servers
couldchangelocationhourlyandtheywouldbeallbutimpossibleto
trackdown.
Howeasyisthistodo?
I'vedoneitthreetimesforvariousclientsalready.

We certainly don't want to give them any incentive to make

spying on them more difficult. Email me all of the location
informationyouhave.Wewillattempttosqueezethefirstonewho
hasbeentrained,thensetupoperationsoneachonetofollow. We
willputsomesurveillanceonthetrainertoensuretheyaren'tgoingto
trydisappearing.Itmaybesomethingassimpleasthetrainerhaving
toomuchworkortheyaretryingtospreadthecommunicationsoutso
wecan'tnabasmanyatonce.Itmayalsobethatthetrainerisnowa
livingmartyrandwehavetostopanexplosion.
Youwillhaveitwithinthehour. Youshouldcoordinatethe
informationIgiveyouwiththemapontheWebpage. Allofthe
detailisthere.Iwillsimplytellyouwhattoclickandwhattoread.
Fine.
ThemaninthesuithadalwaysthoughtthisRussianwascrazy.
Hehadcomehighlyrecommended,andhisbeingwheelchairbound
forcedhimtospendalotoftimeonlinedoinganalysissincehecould
nolongerbeinthefield,butsomeofthereportshefiledwerejustoff
thewall.True,PakistanishadhatedIndiansforalongtimeandvice

ALittleNudge

21

versa.Fewunderstoodthebasisofthehatredanymore,theysimply
hated.
Anucleararmsracehadoccurredinthetwocountriesbecauseof
thishatred.Withalloftherevenuecomingintothatcountryviathe
offshoreITlabormarket,theyweregoingtosoongettheupperhand
insucharace.Itdidn'thelphavingthemsodeeplyingrainedintothe
U.S.businessinterests. Whenpushcametoshove,Americawould
nukePakistanoutofexistencebecausecorporateAmericawouldlose
fewerprogrammershere.Thathadtochange.
ThereportfingeringIndiaasthenexthotbedforalQaedahad
beenshreddedforareason. Ifthatfounditswayintothehandsof
Pakistaniintelligence,themilitarywoulduseitasthejustificationfor
apreemptivestrike.Nowarbetweenthesetwocountrieswasgoing
tostopwithconventional weapons. Indeed, the first strike would
almostcertainlybenuclearandfocusontheITcentersofthecountry.
ThatwouldalmostdefinitelybringtheAmericansinonthesideof
India.

Pakistanhadbeenandmightstillbeinapositiontonukethebulk
of the Indian population out of existence, thus overrunning the
countrywithmilitaryafterwards.Itwasinnowaycapableoftaking
Indiaifanyothersignificantmilitarycametotheiraid.Evenifthe
Americans didn't have the stomach for another war just yet, The
Chinese weren't going to sit by while radioactive fallout from the
nuclearweaponsdriftedintotheircountry. Bymanyreports,China
possessedthelargeststandingarmyintheworld;itdidn'thavetobe
themostadvanced.Theycouldputsomanybootsonthegroundthat
thesoldierscouldwalkinwithnothingbutsticksandstonesandstill
overpoweranothercountry. Chinawasn'tthekindofcountrytolet
theslaughterofitspeoplestopitfromachievinganobjective.

22

ALittleNudge

ThisalQaedashitwasgoingtocausemostofthecivilizedworld
toexterminateMuslims.Themaninthesuitknewit.Thatiswhyhe
didn'tmindkillinghisowncountrymeninthehorriblemannerHans'
partyhaddevisedforthem.
Ifonlymostofhiscountrydidn'thavesuchrampanthatredof
AmericaoveritssupportofIsrael.Thatonefactwasenoughtoget
themmoney,recruitsandsupportfrommanyinthegovernment.
Alongtimeago,themaninthesuit hadreadanessayfrom
anothermanhethoughttobecrazy. Thatessaysaidallcountries
mustbandtogetherandexterminateanycountrywhichwasrunby
religion.Hehadbeenmuchyoungeratthetimehereadit.Hehad
studiedmuchaboutthedifferentreligionsincollegealongwithhis
otherclasses.Itseemedthateveryreligionwantedtohaveacountry
ofitsown.Later,whenhegotdeeperintohistoryclasses,hefound
therealtruth.
Everyreligionwhichgainsanykindofpowerfeelscompelledto
spreadthewordbyanymeans it can. Worldhistorydocuments
TheGreatCrusadetofreetheHolyland,theslaughteroftheIncas
and the Spanish Inquisition among many other crimes against
humanitycommittedinthenameoftheCatholicChurch.
Now,theMuslimreligionwasquicklyoutbreedingtheCatholic
andwouldsoonovertakeitasthedominantreligionontheplanet.It
was a long way from overtaking all of the combined Christian
factions,butitwasabouttoovertaketheoldestandtherootofmost
otherformsofChristianity.DidthatalsomeantheMuslimreligion
hadtorepeattheatrocitiesoftheCatholicreligion?
AtleastwhentheCatholicsweregettingitoutoftheirsystem,
theonlyweaponsofthetimewereswords,arrows,catapults,andall
oftheirvariations. Wipingoutanentirecitywasalaborintensive
effort. Nowallittookwassomeonewithaglasscontainersmaller
thananaspirinbottle.Breakitonthestepstoasubwayandletthe

ALittleNudge

23

virusspread.Chooseaviruswithathreedayincubationperiodand
chooseasubwayhandlingairporttraffic,andyoucouldinfectnearly
athirdoftheworldbeforeanyonecaughton.

24

ALittleNudge

WatchitRoll
The Brit was sitting at headquarters and steaming. He had
beggedthemaninthesuittogivetheordertonabtheLuttoncell
memberstheyknewabout.Heheardthesametiredargument.We
haven'tidentifiedanyadditionalmembers. Ifwesnagtheoneswe
knowaboutknow,therestwillsimplygointodeepercover. They
mightevenstopcommunicating.
Well,thecellhadn'tsentanemailinoveraweek.Whateverwas
going to happen was already too far along to need any further
communication unless the cell ran out of money. The Brit didn't
knowwhichwaspissinghimoffmore,thesilenceortheapathy.
Hehaddonecovertworklongenoughtoknowthatwhenateam
wentsilent,theyweremovinginonthekill. TheLuttoncellwas
eithertootinytocarrythisoperationoutorthemostpatientcellhe
hadeverseen. Salesoffertilizerweremonitoredatalloftheretail
locationsinandaroundLutton.Nobodywasbuyingmorethantwo
bags at a time and it didn't seem as though there were any repeat
customers,accordingtothesurveillanceteam.Therewereonlythree
possibilitiesastheBritsawit:
1.

Thiswasaverylargecellandeachmemberwasbuyingone
additionalbagoffertilizertocoverthecell'stracks.

2.

The cell hadn't figured out how to obtain the bomb

componentsneeded.

3.

ProfessionalexplosiveswerebeingshippedinfromSyriaor
someotherlocation.

The last possibility had the Brit really worried. Libya had
managedtosmuggleintonsofC4explosivetotheIRAundertherule
ofMuammaralGaddafi.Thatoneshipmentshowedtheworldwhat
acarbombcoulddo. Itusheredinanewageofterrorism. Most
peopleseemedtoforgetitwastheIRAthatmadethebombingattacks

famous. Oncethecarbombingsstarted,terroristsweren'tsatisfied
withasimpleplanehijackinganymore. Theywerealllookingfor
biggerandbiggerspectacles.

WatchItRoll

Muammar was a real problem. The French didn't realize it.

WhentheU.S.wantedtoflyanairstrikeoverFrancetogettoLibya
theymadetheAmericanspromisenottokillMuammar.SillyFrench.
ThatonesingledemandbroughtoutthedarksideofAmerica.They
kepttotheletteroftheirpromiseanddidn'tkillMuammar.Instead,
theykilledhisfamily.
One thing the Brit had learned during his years of covert
operationswasthatterroristsdidn'thaveanyrulesofengagement.If
youweregoingtofightthem,youcouldn'thaveanyrulesyourself.
Rules of engagement and due process were causing this war to
becomeameatgrinderforcivilians.TheAmericanscaughtalotof
flackfromtheinternationalcommunityaboutkillingoffMuammar's
family,buttheyachievedtheirobjective.Muammarquitbeingsucha
majorbackerofterrorists.Oh,hestillfundedthem,buthewasalot
morecarefulaboutitafterthat.Weaponsshipmentsweresmallerand
dramaticallylessfrequent. Heknewthenexttimewarplanesflew
over,theywouldn'thavemadeapromisetokeephimalive.
Warsfoughtwithoutrulestendedtoputalotofciviliansthrough
themeatgrinder.TheEnglishknewthisalltoowell.WorldWarII
wasawarfoughtwithfewrules.TheGenevaConventionwasmore
ofaguidelinethanarulebook. Bothsideshadtakentobombing
whole towns and cities. Granted, the Germans started it, but the
carnagereignedprettyfreelyfrombothsidesonceitgotgoing.
Nothing symbolized the desperation of it all more than the
eveningofNovember14,1940.ThatwastheeveningCoventrywas
bombed.Muchofthetownwasinruinandthebodieswerestacked
like cords of wood. What made this particular bombing stick in
everyone'smindwasn'tjustthestillphotosandnewsreelfootage,but
thestorybehindit.TheEnglishhadmanagedtoacquireanEnigma
code machine and the corresponding codebooks for it. Two days
before the bombing, Churchill had the translated message in his
hands. RatherthanlettheGermansknowthemosttopsecretcode

WatchitRoll

(Ultra)theyhadwasbroken,theyletCoventrybebombed.TheBrit
oftenwonderedhowWinstonChurchillmanagedtosleeponcehe'd
seenthedevastationhe'dallowedtohappen. Thelookinhiseyes
whenhevisitedthescenesomedayslaterseemeddeeplyhaunted,
even in the still photos. Almost as though he wasn't really alive
anymore.

SomesaytheAlliedbombingofDresdenmanymonthslaterwas
paybackforCoventry.Thecityhadapopulationofaround650,000
beforealloftherefugeesstartedpouringintoit.Thefirestormfrom
the bombings burned so hot it was able to burn concrete. Since
nobodyhadanymethodofcountingortrackingtherefugees,thebody
countwillforeverbedisputed.Someputthecountaslowas40,000
whileothersputitover300,000. Afireashotasthatvaporizesan
entirehumanbody,includingthebones.Therereallyisnowaytoget
anaccuratecount.
WhattheBritfearedmostisthatitwashappeningalloveragain.
HefearedtherewassomereasontheLuttoncellwasbeingallowedto
continueotherthanthereasonshehadbeengiven. Hefearedthe
higherupswerewillingtosacrificeEnglishcitizensagaintoachieve
someotherobjective.
OnethingtheBritknewwasthattheAmericansweren'tgoingto
winthiswar,atleastnotthenewAmericans. TheoldAmericans
wouldhavealreadysolvedthisproblem. TheoldAmericansdidn't
seem toexist anymore. Today'sAmericanswereoverweight mall
dwellers interested only in watching sports on television, drinking
beer,andotherwiselivingthegoodlife.Theyhadlittleintheway
ofcommitmentorethics.
TheoldAmericanshadthemettletoleave51,000oftheirownon
thefieldatGettysburg.Thiswasbackwhentheentirepopulationof
theentirecountrywasfarlessthanthecurrentpopulationofNew

WatchItRoll

York City. The old Americans had the mettle to leave roughly
209,000 Allied forces lying on the field during the battle of
Normandyandkeepgoing.Hell,theylostaround10,000onDDay
alone.TheoldAmericanshadthemettletoobliterateHiroshimaand
Nagasaki because they had learned the Japanese emperor had
organizednearlyeverycitizenwithwhateverhandtoolorweapon
they could find to hurl themselves at the oncoming American
military. (Itwasn'tmuchofanAlliedmilitaryatthatpoint.) They
hadthemettletorealizesacrificingthepopulationsofthosetwocities
wouldbeabigenoughshocktoendthewarandsavemillionsof
lives.Today'sAmericacouldbarelyscrapeup50,000peoplewithout
felony convictions willing to join the military under any
circumstances. It was little wonder to the Brit that the WWII
generationwasreferredtoasAmerica'sGreatestGeneration.

No,theAmericanshadtoomanylawyersandtoomanyfatcats
liningtheirownpocketstowinthiswar. TheBritknewthatallit
tookwasacowardorastupidindividualtoloseawar.Onthefirst
dayofGettysburg,GeneralEwellwasorderedtotaketheridgessouth
ofthecityifpracticable. Hedidn'tbothertotakethehillwhich
overlooked both thetown and Cemetery Hill. There were onlya
handfulofUniontroopswhohadstumbledupthehillaspartoftheir
massconfusionandretreat.Someaccountshavehimoutnumbering
the forces occupying that hill by fifty to one. As a result, the
Confederateslostnotonlythebattle,butthewar. Yes,therewere
otherbattles,buttheConfederateArmywasbrokenatGettysburg.
Onecowardinthewrongplaceatthewrongtimecouldsetinmotion
eventswhichchangedworlds.
***
The man in the suit and Hans were at headquarters finishing

WatchitRoll

packingupmostoftheequipment.Whentheyfinallychosewhereto
setupanewheadquarters,theequipmentwouldbeshippedtoit.For
nowallthatremainedwastheirtwomachines,theInternetlinkand
thesatelliteTVservice. Thebuildinghadonlyhadonephoneline
anditneverseemedtowork. Everybodyontheteamusedeithera
cellphoneorasatellitephone,sometimesboth.
Hanshadsenttherestoftheteamontootherassignments.The
first group went to find the apartment where the training was
happening. Theirordersweresimplytoobtainsomeplacewhere
theycouldcontinuallymonitorthecomingsandgoingsoftheplace.
Untilaheadquarterswasestablishedforthepurposeoftakingdown
thetrainer,theywerenottopursueortail.Alltheyneededtodofor
nowwaskeeparecordofthepeoplewhowentinandout.
Adestinationwasneededforthesecondteam. Vladimirhad
informedthemtheoriginaltraineehadgonesilentagain.Itwasthe
estimation of all that this operative had gone somewhere to show
someonewhathehadlearned,thenwasgivenaplacetogoandsetup
shop.Theyhadallagreedtowaituptotwoweeksbeforeallocating
thatpartoftheteamtoanotherassignment. Untilthen,thatpartof
theteamwasgiventimetogohomeandtakevacation.

IthadbeenthreeweekssincethereportershadoutedNedimto
theworld.DuringthistimetheemailflowtoNedim'smachineallbut
vaporized. BothmenhadlittledoubtalQaedamemberswatching
cable or satellite news had seen the story. Some other means to
communicateanewemailaddresstothefieldoperativesmusthave
been used, because the message didn't come through Nedim's
machine.
AtleastVladimirhadbeenpayingattentionandlookingforthe
nextopportunity,thoughtHans.Hewasawarethatthemaninthesuit
andVladimirdidn'tgetalong,ormoreaccuratelythatthemaninthe

WatchItRoll

suitdidn'tlikeVladimiranditmatterednottoVladimir.Hesimply
continueddoingwhathealwaysdid.Hanshadactuallyreadmanyof
Vladimir'sreports.Whenitcametoanalysis,theguynotonlylooked
atthewholeboard,helookedatthetwoboardssittingatthetables
besidehim,too.
Hanshadbeen theone whohadfoundthe ITpeopleforthis
team. The Brit had been rated very good for what he did, but
Vladimirwasalmostimpossibletofind.ThevariousRussianmafia
organizationshewroteidentitytheftsystemsforhidhimlikethelost
cityofAtlantis. WhenHansfinallyexploitedacovertcontactwho
gaveupthenameofVladimir'shandler,themaninthesuittookover.
HecouldtellthemaninthesuitdoubtedVladimir'sreputationfrom
thestart.
InHans'mind,nobodycoulddoubtthewisdomofhackingone's
wayintothemachinesofthosetrainingtobecomecommunications
hubsforalQaeda.ThatVladimirhadalreadysetupthenextlegof
thisoperationbeforeanyoneknewtheyneededitspokevolumesto
Hans.HehadnotknownwhattothinkaboutVladimir'sfingeringof
Indiaasthenext hotbedforalQaedaoperations.One'sfirstthought
wasthereistoomuchAmericanmoneyflyingaroundinthatcountry
foranyone to strike back, but Hans hadn't thought forward tothe
inevitablepullout.ThethingwhichhadstoppedalQaedafrombeing
highlysuccessfulinthatcountrywouldnowbecomethethingwhich
openedalldoorsforthem.AssoonastheAmericanmoneystopped
flyingaroundtherewouldbeabacklash.
HanshadsentthisinformationontoNikolaus.Hesentalonghis
thoughtsonthesubject,thenaskedNikolaustoputtheparty'sthink
tankpeopleontodetermininghowthebacklashandriseofalQaeda
inIndiawouldoccur. Hansemphasizedthatthiswastoobigofa
groundswelltoignore.
***

WatchitRoll

Jeremyhadloggedintothecompanyemailsystemwhenhegot
backonSundaytoscheduleameetingwithLennyandtheothertwo
analysts. Because he knew better than to include any details, he
simplyputAnalysisReviewasthesubjectforthemeeting.Hedid
notputanyotherinformationintherequest.
NormallyJeremywouldhaveincludedonlyLennyandsimply
wouldhavewalkedintoLenny'sofficefirstthingMondaymorning.
TheothertwoanalystsknewthatLennyhadoffereduptheexpense
accounttogetthisinformationandthatJeremywastheonetobringit
in.Jeremyhadtakenquiteafewdigsfromthebusinessschooltwins
abouthisgenericstateschooldegree. Theyweren'tnecessarilybad
guys;theysimplythoughttheywerebetterthanJeremy.Hewanted
themtoknowthekindofweekendhehadonthecompanydimeand
thathealonepulledinthisinformation.Theirprestigiousschoolshad
accountedfornothingonthisone.
Promptlyat9:30AM,Jeremywalkedintotheconferenceroom.
Lennywasalreadythereandtheothertwoweregettingcoffeefrom
thekitchenette.Whentheywalkedinhetoldthemtoclosethedoor.
WhileLennytrustedthereceptionist,hedidn'ttrustluckenoughto
believenobodywouldwalkinthefrontdoor.
LennylookedatJeremyandsaid,Youhavesomethingmore
thanadditionalinformationonthedatacentermoves,don'tyou?
IhadtopromiseafutureweekendatSalishLodgeandsome
jewelrytogetit,Jeremyresponded.
Lennynodded.
PythoCorporationisworkingonabeallandendallbanking
softwarepackage.TheclienttheyaretargetingisFirstGlobalBank.
AlreadyithandlestheU.S.andCanadianbankingregulations.They
havebroughtinarashofauditorsfrommultipleauditingfirmsto
both spec and test the banking regulations of each target country.
FrenchregulationsareinQAnowandtheothercountriesFirstGlobal

WatchItRoll

Bankdoesbusinesswithwon'tbefarbehind. Hereistheproduct
information.JeremyplacedtheCDsonthetablethencontinued.It
lookslikethebigchunkoftheirsalespitchwillbe'turntheknob'
functionality.Ifthebankwantstogetintoanotherlineofbusiness,
theycansimply'turntheknobs'ofthesoftwarepackageanditwillbe
readytogo.
Lennyhunghishead,shakingitfromsidetoside.P.T.Barnum
wasright.Thereisasuckerborneveryminute.
Jeremycontinued,Whatthesaleishangingon,isthebank's
ownauditorsgivingtheblessingthatFrenchbankingregulationshave
allbeenmet.Oncethathappens,itdoesn'tmatteriftheyevendeliver
theothercountries.
TheothertwoanalystslookedatJeremyasthoughhehadjust
grownathirdeye.Oneofthemsaid,Isn'ttheentirepitchbasedon
gettingaglobalviewofthebankononescreen?
ThatwastheinitialpitchandonetheMBAishavingorgasms
over,butitisn'ttheimportantissue.FirstGlobalBankhastwicethe
ITworkersandmorethanthreetimesthecostoperatinginFrancedue
tothetaxesandlaxworkethicinthecountry.Simplyeliminatingall
oftheFrenchITworkerswillpayfortheentireprojectthefirstyear.
Lennypipedup,YoucanbetPythoCorporationiswiningand
diningtheauditorsdoingthecertificationrightnow. Theywillbe
hurling twentysomethingsextoysintohotel roomswiththem and
leasingcarsinscoresjusttogettheauditorstosaytheypassed.First
Global just had to go through the manually intensive process of
consolidatingfinancialinformationfromalldivisionstoputouttheir
quarterlyreports. Eveniftheauditorscomebacksayingtheythink
Pytho is a month away from completing France, the sale will go
through.
Finally,oneoftheprestigiousschoolboyspipedup.Whatgood
isthisinformationtous?DoyouthinkPythostockwilljumpenough

WatchitRoll

tomakeitworthourwhile?
LennylookedatJeremyandcouldseeheunderstood.Tellthem
what you have figured out and I will fill in the pieces. You are
becominganaturalatthis.

Itmeansthatthefinaldatacentermoveswon'thappen. The
bankwillbeginconvertingthelocationsservicedbythecurrentdata
centerlocationsontothissoftwareonceitisinstalledinthe offshore
datacenter.Onetosixmonthsaftereachbusinessentityisrunning
onthisnewsoftware,allbutoneortwoITworkerswillbeletgoand
the onshore data centers will be sold alongwith the machines in
them.Withintheyear,theyshouldhavemigratedallbusinessunitsto
this new software, discarding all other machines and all other IT
workers. Have either of you checked on the FDIC insurance
requirementsfordatacenterworkers?
Bothlookedateachotherthenresponded,No.
Fullbackgroundchecksfromgovernmentagenciesarerequired
foranyonewithcontrol orsignificant accesstoelectronicsystems
handlingfunds insured by theFDIC. Just howmuch background
checkingdoyouthinkhashappenedfortheoffshoreworkerssincethe
bankdoesn'townthedatacenter?
Lennywassittingtherenodding.Youhaveabigpartofit,but
youmissedthebestpart.
You mean the part about this being a DOTzero software
release,sotheoddsofitactuallyworkingareremote?
That'sapieceofit.
What'stheotherpart?askedJeremy.

WatchItRoll

8
Turntheknob,respondedLenny.

Everyonelookedathimandfinallyhewenton. Thebiggest
marketing fraud to be committed by software vendors to date is
claiming 'turn the knob' software configuration capabilities. This
productwillbeaspinofforamoduleoftheirexistingproductwhich
already does complete order, inventory, warehousing, credit,
manufacturing,andwhateverelse.

WatchitRoll

Lennycontinued,Assumeforaminutethateachknobhasonly
tenpositions.Howmanyknobsdoyouneedbeforethepermutation

ofpossibleconfigurationsexceedsanytestingcapabilities? Itisn't
longbeforeyouhavetohaveanautomatedregressiontestingproduct
which runs for one month solid, throwing no errors, just to get a
change out the door. The simple truth behind 'turn the knob'
marketingisthesoftwareyouarerunningispredominantlyuntested.
Oh,therewillbeasmallsubsetoftestsrun,butitwillbelefttothe
usersinthefieldtofindtheproblems.Therearehumaninterventions
and workarounds when problems crop up in order processing or
inventorymanagement. Nogreat lossesoccurandfewcrimesare
committed. Withbankingsoftware,severeproblemscouldhappen
foryearswithoutanybodybeingabletotrackthemdown.Justlook
howlongthosetraderslosingbillionsonoptionsandderivativeswere
abletohidetheirlosses.
WhatJeremyhasgivenusisthetimelineforourshred.Yes,we
cannowplayPythostockbecausetheproductwon'tbeannounced
untilafterithasbeeninstalledandtheFrenchITstaffeliminatedorat
leastgreatlyreduced.Itwillallowustodoaslowaccumulationprior
totherunup.Theirquarterlynumbersweren'tasgoodasexpectedso
the stock is currently declining. Nobody will look twice at our
accumulationthinkingwearesimplybuyinginadip. Theydidn't
offeranymeatwiththeirguidance,soothersaren'tbuying. Once
theyhavemovedallU.S.andCanadianoperationsofftothisnew
softwareplatform,wecanbeginourshredofFirstGlobalBankand
BigFourConsulting,butwewouldbewisetowaituntilafterPytho
hasmadetheirannouncementandwehavecashedinthereaswell.
Wecanthendoatripleshred.
You did well, Jeremy. If you think you can get even more
informationoutofthislady,feelfreetogetthejewelryatTiffany's
insteadofHelzberg. Wemayverywellclearabilliondollarsnext
quarter.

10

WatchItRoll

Thetwoprestigiousbusinessschoolboyssimplysattherewith
mouthsopen.Theyhadjustbeenspankedbigtimeandbothofthem
knewtheywouldneverfindaplayliketheoneJeremyhadjustfound.
They also knew the only reason Lenny would limit his play to a
billiondollarswasfearofanSECinvestigation.

Lennyhadadvisedeachofthem,andeventhesecretary,tosetup
bankaccountsincountriesthatdidn'thaveextraditiontreatieswith
theU.S. Headvisedthemtohavemost,ifnotall,oftheirannual
bonusessenttotheseaccountsincasetherewaseveraproblem.He
hadallowedeachofthem toinvestsomeoftheirpaycheckinthe
fundsLennywasrunning.Therewereahandfuloffundsoutsideof
thecompanywhereGroupLennyprovidedbuy,sell,andsellshort
recommendations. Each of them had put some money into those
fundsaswell.TheanalystsrunningthemhadlearnedtotakeLenny's
advice.Manyyears,itwasonlyLenny'stradeswhichmademoney
forthefund.Untilthismomentthey hadn'tunderstoodjusthowrisky
theirjobswere.
Finally,oneofthebusinessschoolboyscamebacktotheroom
mentally. Hetried to speak, then realized he needed to close his
mouthfirst.Afterthatheasked,Whichoftheoutsidefundsarewe
goingtoallowtoplayalongwiththis?
Ihavenotyetdecided,Lennyresponded.Thiswillbeahigh
risk play. Too much movement too soon will demand an SEC
investigation. Mostofthefundsweadvisehavegreedydumbasses
runningthem.GiventhereturnsI'vegottenforthembefore,theywill
jumpinwithbothfeetratherthanbepatient.Thereareperhapstwo
whichcouldparticipateearlyinsuchaplay,butitistooearlytolet
themknow.
Lennyhitafewkeysonhisnotebookcomputer,thensaid,First

WatchitRoll

11

Global is up twelve dollars per share over its price before the
announcement.Hepointedattheothertwoanalystsandsaid,You
twoneedtoverifywe'veliquidatedourposition.Reportbacktome
assoonaswenolongerholdanypositioninthecompany.Iwillstart
thenextstepwhenIfeelitwillgounnoticed.
***
Heidi was prepping one of the secured living quarters when
Nikolauswalkedin.
Howareyoudoing?heasked.
I'm well, she responded. Looks like we will be up and
runningsoon.NowIsupposewewillfindoutwhoelseontheteam
doesn'thavewhatittakestobehere.
Regrettably,yes,respondedNikolaus.Theywillberounding
upsixmorecellsthisweek. SomeofthesuspectedHamburgcell
membersarebeingpickedupaswespeak.We'vealreadylocateda
couple of organ recipients for the ones currently undergoing
interrogation.
I wish we could approach everyone who needs the organs,
repliedHeidi.Idohateseeingthemgotowaste.
It'sabittooriskytodothatnow.Theblackmarketdatabases
arethebestmethodatthistime.Whenthenumberofpatientscoming
throughhereincreases,wewillhaveourownpeoplesetupWebsites
toauctiontheorgansoff. Fornow,wecannotcuttheothersout.
Everyoneknowsitisnotapermanentrelationship.Itisonlyamatter
oftimebeforeeachsitegetsshutdownorblockedfromnearlyevery
country.
DoyouknowhowmanymoreroomsIneedtoprepare?Ihave
therestofthedayoff,soIcouldgetthemalldonetodayratherthan
tryingtodoitallinarushwhentheyarrive.
Wecurrentlyhaveonlythetwowomenincustody.Iwon'thave

WatchItRoll

12

anyotherinformationuntiltomorrowaboutthecellsbeingrounded
uptoday.Somemayendupinthehandsoflocalauthorities.Until
youkickinthedooryoucannotbesurewhoisthere.
Well,IguessIcangohomeandrelaxinatubthen.Perhapsget
somecarryoutdinneraswell,respondedHeidi. Ihavethetwo
roomsdonenow,andwearebothassumingthewomenwilloptto
live.
Nikolausnodded.
Heidileftthecompoundanddrovehome.Forreasonsshecould
notexplainshepulledoutaletterwritingpadandtookittothetub
withher.Shedecidedtowritealetter.

Hello,
It has been quite some time since we spoke. I must confess I was quite
moved when you claimed me as one of your own. I did not feel your squad
owed me anything, but your offer was quite touching nonetheless.
Currently involved in an OP which I cannot describe. Some time in the
future I may need extraction.

No danger now.

Simply keep listening.

When you hear about something ugly happening here, it will be time to come
and get me.
Heidi
The closing time gal

WatchitRoll

13

Thelastlinebroughtasadsmiletoherface.Shehadsomevery
fondmemoriesofhangingoutwiththatsquadandmissedherlover
fromit. Inpartsheaddeditbecausetheycouldalllaughaboutit
now. Inpart shewroteitincasethesquadleaderwasnolonger
abovegroundandtherestofthesquadneededtorememberwhoshe
was.
Oncefinishedwithherbath,sheaddressedanenvelopeandsent
ittooneoftheaddressesshehadbeenprovided.Withpostageonthe
letter,shewentoutthedoorwiththeletterinhercoatpocket. She
knewshemostlikelyhadsurveillanceonher.Thelevelofclearance
shehadprettymuchdemandedit.Therewasashoppingmallnotfar
fromherapartment.Thefoodcourttherehadapostaldropnearthe
bathroomsandcashstations. Sheshouldbeabletoeasilydropthe
envelope on her way to the cash station without anyone getting
suspicious. Hadshebeenintentonhidingit,shewouldhavesatat
hertablepayingbillsbeforesheleft.Anyoneobservingherwouldn't
thinktwiceaboutabundleofenvelopes.
Shedidn'texactlyknowwhyshedidit.Shehadalwaysbeena
firmbelieverinthepartyline. Allofthesepeoplewerepartofa
terroristnetworkandreallydiddeservetodie.Still,giventhehistory
hercountryhadandthewaysomethoughtintheparty,itwouldn'tbe
longbeforetheywereusinganyexcusetoroundupanyMuslimand
runthemthrough.

Nikolaushadbeenafriendofthefamilyforaverylongtime.He
hadseentoitthatthisoperationcouldhousenomorethan onehundred
women.Ittookapproximatelyfourhourstocompleteharvestingfrom
eachperson,lesstimeifalltheywereharvestingwastheblood.Still,
someonewouldnoticeiftheincineratorsstartedrunning twentyfour

WatchItRoll

14

hoursperdaysevendaysperweek.Itwasalwaysgoodtohaveaplan
ofescapeincasethingswenthorriblywrong.
Revenue from the organ, marrow, blood, and soon stem cells
flowed through accounts which provided money to the board
members,company,andshareholderdividends. Thepartyowneda
lot of shares and thus would launder its money via dividends and
sharesofstock.Theparty,throughoneofitsinvestmentcompanies,
owned a large chunk of debt which was convertible to dividend
payingshares.Ofcourse,thesharepricehadtogoupdramaticallyto
maketheconversionworthwhile.Itwasgoingupsignificantlythis
quarterthankstothesecuredlocationanditsantidotestorage. The
boarddidn'tknowaboutthesaleofbodycomponents.Oncethestem
cellsstartedsellingitwasgoingtobedifficulttohidefromthem.
Theirhandshadtobegoodanddirtybeforetheywereallowedto
knowaboutthose. ThankfullyitwasNikolaus'sjobtoensurethe
board'shandswerebloody.
***
Kentreceivedalettersignedbytheboardmembers. Theyhad
receivedfeedbackfromthebank'sauditors.Itwastheopinionofthe
auditors that Pytho Corporation would meet French certification
requirementswithinthemonth.Kentwasinstructedtoobtainanew
bidwhichwasatleast20percentlessthanthecurrentprice.Thefirst
banking system to be converted would be the French. Pytho
Corporationwastocommitinwritingtoobtainingcertificationforall
othercountriesFirstGlobalBankdidbusinessinnolaterthaneight
monthsfromthedateofcontractsigning. Theletterwentonabout
theorderof rollout totheothercountries,butoddlydidn'tmention
eitherCanadaortheU.S.Kentnoticedthat Margrethadbeencopied
ontheletteraswell.

WatchitRoll

15

Itdidn'tsurpriseKentthattheboardwantedinputonthisissue.
Theylikedtofeeltheywereincontrol.Perhapstheyactuallywould
beoncethissoftwarewasrolledout. Therewere many accountants
whocouldbeletgoonceeachbusinessunitcameonlinewiththenew
software. HehadthoughtaboutmakingFrancethefirstcountryon
thetimeline,butthatwouldhavemeantdelayingitjust astheboard
wasdoing.Hewantedthisprojecttohidethefacttheydidn'tgetthe
data center migration done. The board had seen to it that both
projectswoulddragonpastthetwoyearsKentwassupposedtobein
IT,sohewouldn'tbeabletoget allofthecreditandatwolevel
promotion.
Well,heneededtoseejusthowmuchinfluencehehadwithBig
FourConsultingnow.HepickedupthephonetocallKathryn.
***
Margret laughed out loud when she read the letter from the
board.TheyhadnippedKent'snads.Therewasnowayhecoulddo
acut&runnow.Bystallingoffthiscontractuntilaftercertification
ofFrenchbankingrules,theyhaddelayedthepurchaseamonth.This
delayedtheinstallationenoughthatconversionwouldn'tbeableto
completeuntiltheendofthenextquarter.True,itwouldbegoodfor
testing,butitmeantKentwasactuallygoingtohavetocompletethe
datacentermigrations. Ihopehehasn'talreadyspentthekickback
he was to get from cutting that contract deliverable short, she
chuckledtoherself.
Carolhappenedtobewalkingbyonherwaysomewherewhen
Margretcalledtoher.Carol,gladIsawyou.Youhavetoreadthis,
shesaidwithasmileinhereyeandasonginhervoice.
Somewhat perplexed, Carol walked in and accepted the letter
from Margret. Sheexpectedsomeemail joke,not what sheread.
AfterMargretrelayedhertakeonit,Carolrespondedquietly,You

WatchItRoll

16

missedthebestpart.Theboarddidn'tsayanythingaboutmigrating
theU.S.orCanadianoperationstothenewsystem.Theydeliberately
avoidedmentioningitbystatingthecountries. Theyknowthenew
regulationwilltakeeffectbeforethisiscomplete,andthey'veoffered
upKenttothelegalsystem.Doyouseethenotationatthebottom?
sheasked,pointingtoitforMargret.
Margretlookedandnodded.

Thiswasfiledasofficialcorrespondencefrom theboard. A
copyofitisinthearchivalsystemforinvestigatorstofind. When
Kent migrates the U.S. operations to this software, he has gone
beyondtheboard'sinstructions.Iftheregulatorstrytocomedownon
thebank,theyintendtohandKenttothem.
Margret'seyesgotalittlewider.
Oh, youhave a notarized letter inthe same archival system,
you'regood,respondedCarol.Iwonderifitisdeliberateorifthey
arejustplayingtheodds,Carolmused.
Whatdoyoumean?Margretasked.
Well, if it is deliberate, there should be some official
communicationsomewhere,probablytotheassetgrouportherealty
group,tellingthemtokeeptwooftheU.S.datacentersthathave
roomforexpansionandacomparativelylowoverheadcostinterms
oftaxesandelectricityrates.Theboardwillthenbeabletosaythey
wereundertheimpressionallU.S.bankingoperationsweregoingto
occurinthesetwodatacenterswhileallotheroperationsweregoing
tooccurintheIndianlocations.
You know what, you should prepare a report for them with
respect to the expandability of the remaining U.S. data center
locations, the cost of electricity at each location, and the space
currentlyavailable.IfyoubothersendingittoKent,simplyputitin

WatchitRoll

17

thefolderofroutinestuffheneverlooksat.Sendittotheboardand
copymeonit.Youcanputinthesubjectthatitisperthepotential
newregulation.Alsoincludethenumberofpeopleateachlocation
whohavetherequiredbackgroundchecksandclearance.
Carol saw the confused lookonMargret's faceand said,I'm
tellingyouthisasalawyer,notafriend.

18

WatchItRoll

TheLemmingsMarch
KenthadleftavoicemailforKathryntocallhim. Sometime
latershereturnedhiscall.Heinformedheroftheboard'sdemands.
That'llbeatoughselltoPytho,repliedKathryn.
It also means you have to continue with the data center
migrationsfornow,repliedKent. Theenddatefortheprojectis
threemonthsfromnowandwewon'thaveFranceupandrunningby
then.
Can'twemigratetheU.S.andCanadanow?queriedKathryn.
Theboardwasveryexplicit,Kathryn.Franceistobedonefirst,
followedbythelistofcountriesIgaveyou.Becausetheyaregoing
bycountriesandnotcompanydivisionswewillneedmanytrainers
whospeakthenativelanguageofeachcountry.
Howmanydoyouthinkyouwillneed?askedKathryn.
Ifyouareplanningondoingaflashcut,twoforeverylocation
wherepeoplewillusethesystem. Ifyouareplanningarolloutas
resources allow,thentwofor eachlocation youcut over. Idon't
know how well it will work having banking being done on two
separatesystems. Wewillprobablyneedtobringpeopleinfrom
each locationto a central trainingcenter and train them the week
beforethecutover,thenhavesometravelingpeopleatthemajorsites
andleavetheresttocallsometollfreesupportcenter.
Theprofitmarginwasquicklyfadingfromthiscontract. Both
PythoandBigFourhadplannedonreapingtherevenuesforsupport
fromtheAmericanandCanadianportionsofthebankingbusinessup
front. Thatwasgoingtofundtherestoftheoperation. Thislatest
demandfromtheboardwasgoingtoensurethebankhaditspayback
longbeforethevendorreceivedanyrevenue. Thesupportcontract
pricingwasbasedonthenumberoflocationsusingthesoftware.By

focusing on the foreign countries first, the board was ensuring it

wouldn't increase to a sizable level for at least a year. In the
meantime,theyweregoingtogetridofalltheirhighcostITpeople
inorderofmostexpensivetoleast.

TheLemmingsMarch

I'lltalkitoverwithPythoandcontactyouback.Canyouemail
metheexactlistofcountriessoIhavethecorrectorderwhentalking
withthem?
Sure.Sendingnow.
Thanks.
***
Stacie sent Jeremy an email to let him know she had begun
training.

Jeremy,
WewillhavetopostponeourtriptoSalishLodgeforatleasta
month. I'mheadedofftogettrainedonsomePythosoftware
product,thenoffwiththeirteamtoFrancetotrainclientsite
staff.ThereareaboutsixofusgoingfromheretoPytho.
Itshouldbeafuntrip,butnotnearlyasmuchfunasourtripwill
be.
Love,
Stacie

NormallyStaciewouldn'tusetheLwordinanemail,butshe
hadelectedtosendthisemailfromworkandneededtocoverher
tracks.Nobodyhereneededtoknowitwasn'tarelationshipbasedon
love,butratheronebasedonincrediblesexbetweengoodfriendsand
thefavorstheycoulddoforeachother. Atleastshesentittohis
personalemailaccountsoitshouldn'tsetoffanyalarms.
Intruth,shehadjustfoundoutthismorningfromKathrynthat
thedealwasclosing.Pythohadagreedtosomechangeswantedby

TheLemmingsMarch

the Board of Directors at the bank and a new contract was being
prepared for theirsignature alongwithanewtimelinefor rollout.
The board had demanded France be the first country converted
followedbyalistofothercountriestheydidbusinessin.Everyone
wasassumingtheU.S.andCanadawouldbethelastonthelist,but
thetimelinewasn'tgoingtoincludethosefornow.

Tomorrow,StaciehadtoreporttoPythoCorporation'straining
facilityalongwiththeothersfromhere. Theyweregettingaphi
slammajamma training course onhow totrain bank tellers in the
basicfunctionsneededtodotheirjobs.Shewasselectedbecauseshe
hadtakenasemesterofFrenchincollege. Pythowassupposedly
givingabout twenty oftheirownpeopleinFrancethissamecrash
course. Thebankhadagreedtosendtheseniortellersfromeach
location to a oneday trainingseminar put on at a Pytho location.
Theywerelimitingthetriptotwotellersperlocationandtheoffer
wassupposedtobemadeonlytotheseniortellers.
Staciehadn'tusedFrenchinyears. Sheandsomeoftheother
girlswerehidinginaconferenceroomwithatouristbrushuptape.
StacieplannedondiggingoutherFrenchbookwhenshegothome.It
wasoneofthefewbooksshehadsavedfromcollegebecauseshe
wantedtotraveltheresomeday.Thiswasn'texactlythekindoftravel
shehadinmind,though.HerePythowouldbeteachingthemonlyin
English. Fromheretheywouldallgotothesametrainingseminar
thebanktellerswereattending. Theyweretobepairedoffwitha
nativeFrenchspeakingPythoemployeeandsenttoabanklocation
onthedayoftherollout.
What amazedStaciewasthegrandassumptiongoingon. By
virtueofacquisition,Staciefoundherselfwithanaccount atFirst
GlobalBank.Sheneverchangedbanks.Herbankwasoneofthose
eatenbyFirstGlobal. Fromwhatshehadbeenreadinginthedays
before,PythosoftwareassumedtherewasaPCrunningsome

TheLemmingsMarch

form of that worthless Windows operating system at each teller

window.Staciehadactuallyventuredintoherbranchmorethanonce
andknewforafacttherewassomegreatbigmonsterterminalthere
withafunkylookingkeyboardthathadalldifferentcoloredkeyson
it. There was a big IBM logo on it, and while it had normal
typewriterlikekeysinthemiddleofit,therewereatleastthreeother
keypadtypesectionsbuiltintoit. Intruth,itlooked asthough you
couldholdthatkeyboardupinfrontofyoutostopbullets.
FinallyStaciehadtobowoutoftheFrenchlanguagebrushup.
She went in search of Kathryn and found her coming out of a
conferenceroom.
Hello,Stacie,IthoughtyouwerebrushinguponyourFrench
foryourupcomingtrip,Kathrynsaidassheapproached.
Ineedtotalktoyou,respondedStacieinaserioustone.
Kathryn had never really pegged Stacie as being a girl with
brains.WhileshehadbeensmartenoughtopassFrenchincollege,
Kathrynattributedthetakingoftheclasstoayounggirl'sfantasyof
worldtravel.Ihaveabouttenminutesbetweenmeetings.
That should do, responded Stacie as they walked toward
Kathryn'soffice.
AfterarrivingatKathryn'sofficetheyenteredandStacieclosed
thedoorbehindher. TheclosingofthedoorsetKathrynonedge
afterthediceydealwithPythosoftwarethat mightyethavehergiving
backherMercedesconvertible.Shewonderedwhatwasup.
IspentagoodpartofthisweekendreadingthroughthePytho
promotionalandspecificationdocumentationyougaveme. Every
pieceofthisliteraturemakestheassumptionatelleralreadyhasaPC
runningsomeflavorofthatunreliableWindowsoperatingsystem.I
stoppedatmybankthisSaturday.Likemanyotherpeople,mybank
waseatenbyFirstGlobalwhenitwentonanacquisitionspree.There

TheLemmingsMarch

arenoPCsatthetellerwindows.Theyhavesomebighulkingthing
and a massive keyboard you could use to stop armed robberies.
Granted,thisisn'tFrance,buthasanybodyactuallywalkedintoone
of the French locations and seen what is currently at the teller
window?
Kathrynsattheremortified.Thisskirtandheelswasmorethana
sextoytobehandedovertooldmenbuyingViagrainbulk.Mostof
hermortificationseemedtobecenteredaroundthethoughtthatshe
shouldhaveputthetopdownonherwayinthismorningbecause
afterthisbombdetonatedshewouldn'thaveittodriveanylonger.
Finallyshestammered,I'msureKenttookthatintoaccountduring
thepresentationand determined all waswell, tryingtocoverthe
obviousproblem.
Withallduerespect,Kathryn,Kentcouldn'tsmellastinkand
determinesomeonefarted.

Something sounded so completely out of place seeing such a

sweetandinnocentlookingfaceutterthewordfarted.Itwaslike
someonewithaveryposhBritishaccentsuddenlydroppingtheF
bombinthemiddleofaconversation.FirsttherewasShock&Awe,
thentherewashilarity.Kathrynburstoutlaughing.Theabsurdityof
thesoundcoupledwiththecorrectnessoftheanalysisallowedforno
otherresponse.Finally,whenshestoppedlaughingshesaid,I'llget
itputintothecontractrightnow,asshepickedupthephone.
Stacieturnedtoleave.
Stacie.

TheLemmingsMarch

4
Sheturnedbackaround.Yes?
Goodcatch.Reallygoodcatch.

A warm and honest smile lit up Stacie's face as she said,

Thanks!thenleftKathryn'soffice.
Thatgirljustsavedmyass, thoughtKathrynasshecalledthe
teamwritingupthenewcontracttomakesureFirstGlobalBankwas
responsibleforensuringPCsrunningsomeflavorofWindowswere
ateachtellerstation.
Staciedidn'tknowmuchabouttechnology.Shehadagirlfriend
incollegewhosebrotherwasan ubergeek.Whenhewascleanedup
hewasn'tbadlooking,ifyoucouldgetpastthefacthewasnearlysix
feettallandonlyabout120pounds. Hehadbeentheonewhogot
Staciethroughheronerequiredcomputerclassandhadalwaysfixed
hernotebooksoshecoulddoherotherassignments.
Her mind slipped back to that one evening at college when
Ubergeek returned home from something called a Black Hat
conference.Hewasexhaustedandhereekedfrombeinglockedina
roomallweekendwithoutshowering.Underhiseyeswerethosebig
blackringsyougetwhenyou'vebeenuptoolongandtakentoomany
NoDoztablets. Itwasalookcollegekidsunderstoodwellduring
midtermsandfinals.
Ubergeekdroppedhisbags,setdownhislaptop,openedabeer
andploppedonthecouch.Aftersomesevereproddingfromthegirls,
hewenttotakeashower,thencameback.
So,youhadagoodtimeplayingCowboysandIndians?Stacie
hadaskedonlyalittlesarcastically.Hesmiledandcontinuedwitha
secondbeer. Seeinghimdrinkbeerwasanoddityinitself. Stacie
hadonlyeverseenhimconsumingMountainDeworicedteatheir
entiretimeincollegetogether.
The Black Hat conference is a gathering of the best and

TheLemmingsMarch

brightesthackersintheworld,heresponded.Eachyearwegather
pretty much every system known to man and attempt to exploit
security vulnerabilities in them. Some attendees are professionals
from software companies, some are professionals from organized
crime,afewworkforthegovernment,andtherestaresimplyhobby
hackers. People from the NSA tend toslipinjust to see who is
there.
Oh, yes, Mr. Bond! Stacie retorted, simply dripping with
sarcasm.
Ubergeek got upand went over to his backpack. Stacie began
sputteringsomethingwhichsoundedlikeanapologyandUber'ssister
simplyhadaperplexedlookonherface. Ubergeekreturnedhanding
Stacieabusinesscardandsaid,Hewantsmetoapplyforajobwhen
Igraduate.

Therewasabsolutelynodenyingitnow.ThereinStacie'shand
wasabusinesscardfromanNSAspecialagent.Shehandedthecard
toUber'ssisterandwatchedanothersetofeyesgowide.
Sowhatdoyoudoatthisconference,then?
Weplayasecuritygamecalledcapturetheflag. Eachteam
managingeachsystemisgivenaflagfile. Inthatfileisaspecial
identificationnumberthatonlythegamemoderatorsknow.Thefile
nameisprettymuchknowntoallplayersandpostedonanoverhead
display.Whereitisandhowyougettoitisuptoeachteam.
So,interruptedStacie,yousitaroundtryingtohackintoeach
other'smachinesandgetthenumberfromthisfile?
Weactuallytrytogettheentirefile,respondedUber.
Howmanyflagsdidyourteamcapture?askedUber'ssister.
Fortysix.
Howmanydidittaketowin?bothgirlsaskedtogether.

TheLemmingsMarch

Highscorewasseventytwo.Weplacedthird.
Nowonderyouarebeingrecruited,saidStacie.
Theymaketheoffertoalotofpeopleattheconference.Itis
theoneplacetheycanbothkeepsurveillanceonthecriminalsthey
areafterandrecruitpotentialcriminalsintotheagency.
Potentialcriminals?queriedStacie.
Whileagoodmanypeoplegetpaidalotofdollarsbysoftware
vendorstodowhatwedo,ifyouweren'thiredtodoit,whatwedo
isn'tlegal.
Oh.
Anythingelseinterestinghappenthere?Youguysallgooutfor
lapdancesorsomething?askedUber'ssister.
Uber chuckled Few people left the room. The most sleep
anyoneontheteamgotwasfourhours. Theydidbanonesystem
fromevercomingback,though.
Thatbad,huh? SomethingfromMicrosoft? Iknowyouare
alwaystalkingabouthowmuchMicrosoftproductssuck.
No,thatgood,andno,itisn'taMicrosoftproduct.Nearly200
hackerssattheremainliningcaffeineandpokingatitrelentlessly.It
nevergaveuptheflag,andnotforthefirsttime.
Howisthatpossible?askedthesister.Youguysknowevery
nookandcrannythereistoexploit.
Itisthemostsecureoperatingsystemontheplanet.TheNSA
andDODuseitextensivelyasdoalotofcompanies. Helooked
bothgirlsintheeyeasbesthecouldgivenhisconditionandsaid,If
youareseriousaboutrunningabusinessandkeepingitsecured,you
putitonOpenVMSbecauseitnevergivesuptheflag.Itisdesigned
so that if there are N machines operating in a cluster, one of the
machines can be taken out via nuclear strike, and the cluster will

TheLemmingsMarch

continuewithoutlosingasingletransaction.Iwasthemostfamiliar
withitandthatiswhytheNSAguyaskedformyrsum onthe
spot. HeiscallingonThursdaytodiscussbringingmeinbeforeI
graduate.

Once again the girls had that deerinheadlights look on their

faces. Thedudewasonlyasophomoreincollege. Staciedoubted
he'deverbeenlaidbyanyonehissisterhadn'tbeggedtodothedeed,
yet he basically had a careertype job already lined up. When
Thursday came, Uber had accepted the job. He transferred to a
collegeclosetowheretheywantedhimtowork.Stacieandhissister
becameroommates.
IthadbeenfiveyearssincethatdayandStaciestillremembered
what he had said. Yes, every place she looked seemed to use
Windows,but Stacieknewit wasa joke. Windowsstill held the
world record in surrendering the flag at the annual Black Hat
conference. Uberwasniceenoughtosendheranemailwiththe
results every year. Stacie still tried to keep in touch with Uber's
sister,butnowtheylivedsofarapartitwasdifficult.Shewasglad
shehadneverbeenaskedtodoUber.Hewasn'tabadguy,justnota
guyonStacie'sradar. Iftherequesthadbeenpresented,shewould
havebeenobligated. Thankfullythatrequestshouldn'tcomenow.
She had attended Uber's wedding last year and heard they were
expectingachildnow.IGuesssomeguysreallywillmarrythefirst
girlwhosleepswiththemtwice,shethought.
***
IthadtakenMargrettwodaystogettheinformationfromher
peopleattheremainingdatacenters. Theywerealittleperplexed
whensheaskedabouttheirexpansioncapabilitiesandperkilowatt
costofelectricity.

TheLemmingsMarch

Ithoughtwewereallbeing offshored?askedonedatacenter
manager.
Idon'tbelieveitwilleverbeallofthedatacenters,justmostof
those we inherited which have a really high operational cost.
respondedMargret. Theboardisinterestedinhowmuchwecan
expandtwoofourexistingonshoredatacenters.
Sothesmallestoneloses?askedthesamemanager.
Morethanlikelytheywillmovetooneoftheothertwo.
Oh.

Margret really wanted to tell them more, but she didn't dare.
TherewasaremotepossibilityKentwouldfindoutaboutallofthisor
theywouldaskhimaprobingquestionifheshouldhappentospeak
tothem. Shewassurewhatshehadtoldthisdatacentermanager
wouldspreadlikewildfireassoonasshehungupthephone.
Getting the clearance information from HR had been another
toothpullingcontest.Finally,shehadCaroldealwithHRwhileshe
simply asked the data center managers for information yet again.
Oddly, this request for information seemed to invigorate them.
Margret could tell they honestly believed there was a regulation
somewherethatwasgoingtoprotectalloftheirjobs.Besttoletthem
believe it for now, she thought. In a couple of months it could
actuallybetrue.
Atanyrate,sheputthereportandspreadsheettogether,emailed
a copy to Carol and to each member of the board of directors
individually.Oncethatwasdonesheputacopyofthereportinthe
networkdirectorycontainingallofthereportrequests.
JustasshefinisheddoingthisKentdroppedbywithanewcopy

TheLemmingsMarch

ofthecontractandthe rolloutschedule.Kenthadn'tbotheredtoread
throughanything,hesimplylookedatthetimelinedocumentandwas
upset that the United States and Canadian locations hadn't been
included. I can't present this to the board, Kent said in an
exasperatedtone.She'lljusthavetodothisover.
MargrettookalookatthedocumentandthecontractwhileKent
wentramblingonaboutsomething.Finallyshelookedupandsaid,
Theboardonlyaskedfortheinternationallocationswhentheycame
backwiththeirletter.Myhonestopinionisthattheboardisn'tready
torisktheU.S.orCanadianoperationsonanewsystemuntilithas
beeninthefieldforoverayear.
Kentstoppedhispacingandstaredather.
Think about it, Kent. The U.S. and Canadian operations
allowedustoeatnineotherbanksbecauseitgeneratedenoughcash
forustorisktakingoversomepoorlyruncorporations.Theyaren't
goingtoriskthegoldengoosewhenalltheyarereallytryingtodo
rightnowissavemoney.

KentstillhadthatIwasbornstupidandbeenlosinggroundever
sincelookonhisface.
Take a look at the list of countries they authorized to be
convertedtothissystemandlookattheorderoftheconversions.Itis
aninvertedlistofourhighesttolowestcostIToperations. Simply
guttingthoseoperationsmakesitworthtakingtheriskonthissystem.
Hell,oncetheFrenchITworkersareallgone,theentirecostofthis
projectwillalmostbepaidfor. Whentheygetthesecondcountry
onlineweareturningaprofitfromthismove.Afteralloftheother
countries have been converted and are running smooth, they will
allowtheU.S.andCanadianoperationstousethesamesoftware,but
notuntilthen.Thatwillbeaseparateproject.

TheLemmingsMarch

10

MargretwasverydeterminedtonotletitslipabouttheCanadian
andU.S.datacentershavingtoremainonshoreandbestaffedwith
U.S.citizenstokeepFDICinsurance.Carolwasnofool.IfCarol
thoughttheboardwassettingKentupforafall,Margretwasgoingto
be on her hands and knees behind his legs telling them to push.
Briefly,MargretwonderedifKent'sjobcamewithstockoptions.She
tunedbackintotheroomjustintimetohearKentsay,SoyouthinkI
shouldpresentthistotheboardasis?
Yes. Itiswhattheyaskedfor. Iftheycomebackandsayit
needstoincludetheotheroperationsyoucanshowthemtherequest
theysentout andsaywecompliedwiththeirrequest,butwill be
happytoworkupyetanotherquoteiftheirwisheshavechanged.
Kentpickeduptheotherfolderhehadbroughtin,presumablyit
containedthecopiesfortheboard,andwalkedout.
Could the little bastard be catching on? Margret thought to
herself.Onethingwascertain.NoneofthebigboyshadtakenKent
outtolunchsincehegotbackfromhobnobbingaroundtheglobe.
Margrethadassumedtheyweresimplypunishinghimforturningin
toobiganexpensereport,butperhapstheyhadpeopleinthelegal
departmenttellingthemtokeeptheirdistanceforwhenthiswentbad.
Itcertainlywouldn'tbethefirsttimethisbankhadchosenasacrificial
lambforafederalinvestigation.
***

JeremyhadbeenidlysurfingtheWebforafewhoursatwork.
Thesurfingwasthinlydisguisedasdoingresearch. Hewasbored
andhewastired.SpendingtheweekendwithStaciehadprettymuch
wornhimout.Hedidn'treallyfeelituntiltheseconddaybackwhen
hismusclesstartedtostiffenup.Ireallyneedtostartworkingout,he
thought.

TheLemmingsMarch

11

Finally,hedecidedtocheckhispersonalemail.Technicallythey
weren'tsupposedtodothatduetotheriskofvirus.Lennyhadmade
them all start usingUbuntuontheir desktopssincetherewere no
knownvirusesforitandtheOSwasrocksolid.Indeed,theonlytime
Jeremyeverrebootedthemachinewaswhenanupdategotinstalled
andpoppedupamessagesayingheneededtorebootforittotake
effect.
OncehewenttotheWebpagetolookathispersonalemailhe
sawthemessagefromStacie.Atleastshedidn'tsendmetheemailat
work,hethought.Whenhereadtheemailhewasdamnedgladshe
hadn'tsentittohisworkemail.Hequicklyprintedoutthemessage
andwalkedintoLenny'soffice.WhenLennylookeduphedidn'tsay
aword.Jeremysimplyhandedhimthesheetofpaper.
After reading it Lenny said, Well, you definitely need to go
shoppingforthisgirl'sjewelryandmakeyourselfavailableonceshe
getsback.
I take it we will begin a slow accumulation of Pytho
Corporationsharesnow?
Youarelearning,boy. Youcertainlyhavefarmorepotential
thanthoseothertwoIhired. Yes,wewillstart,andthiseveningI
will make a few phone calls from a disposable cell phone to the
accountsweadviseandtellthemtodothesame.
Letmeguess:youwilltellthemPythowillbeannouncingabig
newsoftwarepackageandamajorclientinaboutamonth?
Imayleaveofftheclientpart,respondedLennywithasmile.
So,wewillwaitforFirstGlobalBanksharestodropalittle
nextweekandbeginaccumulatingagainthereaswell?
Youdojustabouthavethisfiguredout,don'tyou?
Ihaveagoodteacher,Jeremysmiledback.

TheLemmingsMarch

12

Lennychuckled. Wehaveaboutamonthbeforethebounce
happens.Bythattimewecouldownsomewherebetween12 percent
and 20 percent of both companies. Slightly heavier on Pytho
Corporation,ofcourse. Theirstockisdownnowandwillgetthe
biggestbouncefromthenews.
Canwekeep12percenthiddenthatlong?
Hopefully.IfwedoitslowlyweshouldbeOK.
Itakeityouwillstartbuyingthemrightnow,beforemakingthe
calls?
YoureallycanfillinformewhenI'monvacation,can'tyou?
BothmensimplysmiledandJeremylefttheroom.Onceagain,
hehadbroughthomethebacon.Theothertwoanalystshardlyspoke
tohimsincehehadshownthemupinfrontofLenny.Noneedtocall
ameetingforthisone.Theemailcouldhavegivenawayhiscontact.
JeremywasprettycertainLennywouldplacethatsheetofpaperin
theshredderassoonasheleft. Infact,hecouldheartheshredder
runningnow.
Jennifer,thereceptionist,sawthesmirkonJeremy'sfaceashe
waswalkingby.ShecaughthiseyeandmouthedthewordWhat.
Jeremywalkedovertoherandwhispered,Whenthebonuschecks
comeoutthisyearyouaregoingtowanttocookmedinnerandgive
meamassage.
SoftlyJenniferresponded,It'lltakemorethanabigcheckfor
that.Youwillhavetogetmyhusbandanallexpensepaidteetime
forafoursomeatthatgolfclubhewantstotryoutandsettleforit
beingbreakfastwhileheisgolfing.
Interesting,Jeremysaidwithasmileashewalkedaway.She
was in her late forties. Kids were teenagers looking at college a
couple years down the road. Honestly, Jeremy thought she was
simplythedutifulwifeandmotherworkingherebecausetheyhadn't

TheLemmingsMarch

13

savedenoughforcollege.Hehadnoideathatshewouldbeopento
foolingaroundonceinawhile.Thethingsyoulearnwhenyoutease!
hethought.
***

Johnwasnothavingagoodday.Todaywasthedaymostofthe
workersathiscompanyhadvotedtounionize.Hehadfoughtthistooth
and nail and still it had happened. They hadn't needed to avoid
unionizingaltogether,simplytoholdoffforanothersixmonthsora
year.Johnneededthedatacentermigrationstoallbecompletedso
hecouldcarryouthisplan.
Hiscompanyhadn'thiredtoomanynewpeoplelately.Inpartit
wasduetofeartheywouldhavetopaypeoplemoreoncetheunion
camein. Theotherreasonwasnobodywouldtaketheshitwages
theywereoffering,probablybecausetheythoughttheunionwouldbe
takingoverandtheywantedtostartoutatbetterwages.
Theyhadbeenshorthandedthelastmonth. Johnwasworking
fourteenhourdayshimselfandforcinghisemployeestoworkeven
longer. It wasn't like it was backbreaking work mostly just
stayingawakeandmonitoringthejobschedulers. Sometimesthey
hadtomountmediaforbackupstorun,thenremovethemediaand
labelitforshipping. Backupscouldtakehours. Thesystemswere
neveroffline.Therewasadisktodiskbackupwhichhappenedina
matterofminutes.Itwasthebackingupofthebackuptoremovable
mediathattookforever.Removablemediawasneededsoitcouldbe
takentooffsitestorage.
Histeamhadbungledonlyafewofthemediacyclerules.Itwas
mucheasierwhentheywereshippingthingstoIronMountain,but

14

TheLemmingsMarch

now that the offsite backup storage was here in India, it was a
debacle.Thecompanytheywereusing(andheassumedtheyowned
partof)hadincompetenthelp.Basically,Johnbelievedtheywerethe
people he had turned away. To understand the true level of that
insult,youhadtoknowjusthowlowtherequirementsweretogetin
here.
If the people working at the remote site managed to get the
correctbackupmediareturnedtoJohn'speople,itoftentookforever
togettoitoritarriveddamaged.Thebackupsitewasaboutatwo
hourdriveaway. Correction,thebackupsitewasabouttwohours
awayifanythinglikeAmericanhighwaysorinterstateshadactually
linkedthetwoplaces.Thechuckholelinedmudrutsandthelackof
suspensioninthetransporttruckplayedhellwiththebackupmedia.
Someofthecasesarrivedcompletelyruined.Itlookedliketheyhad
simplybeentiedtothebackofthetruckanddraggedalltheway.
Johnhadcomplainedtohisbossseveraltimesaboutthisproblem
withthebackupstorage.Hisbosstriedtolookintoit,butwasalways
toldthey'reworkingonit.
The problem reared its ugly head publicly when one of the
locationsneededtorestoreadocumentfromabackup.Nearlythree
hours after the request, the backup media it should have been on
arrivedandwasunusable.Theyhadtogobackandgetthepriorday's
backup. This time John's boss took the car of one of the upper
managementtypesandbroughtthemediainit.Thecardidn'tlookso
goodwhenhegotbackwithit,butthemediaworkedandtheywere
abletosatisfytherequestbeforeitwasmorninginAmerica. The
onlybenefitfromtheentireordealwasthatsomeoneaboveJohn's
bosswasnowlookingintogettingbettertransportationfortheoffsite
storagecompany.Heprobablywouldn'thavebeensointerestedifhis
carhadn'tdevelopedaverylargeoilpuddleunderitafterJohn'sboss
gotback. Johnestimatedthepuddlewasaboutfivequartsinsize.
Oneofthosechuckholesmusthaverippedloosetheoilpan.

TheLemmingsMarch

15

Johnwenttoawindowandcouldhearthechantersoutinthe
street through the glass, all chanting for better wages, better
treatment,andastrike. Justlovely, hethought. Astrikewillhave
themlockingthisplacedownlikeafortress.
Whenhisworkdayfinallyended,Johnwenthometoseehowhis
newtraineewasdoing.Thistraineehadn'tpickeditallupasfastas
the first one, but had learned enough to be out on his own soon.
Someonehadgivenhimsomemoneyandhehadtakenajobwitha
differentcompanyhereinBangalore.Hehadenoughmoneythathe
couldrenthisownplaceinthiscomplexandwouldbemovingout
tomorrow.
They chatted awhile. John answered a few questions, then
checkedhisownemail.Itreallywashisownemailhecheckedthis
time.Overonethirdofthecellshenormallyhandledemailforwere
nowbeinghandledbyhisfirsttrainee.Thisnewtraineehadamuch
morecapablemachineandhadtakenoverhalfofJohn'sremaining
cells. Johnaskedhiscurrent traineewhenthenewtraineewould
arrive.Hewasstunnedtohearthatthistraineewouldbetrainingtwo
otherssoon.TheywouldbegiventheremainingcellsJohnhandled
andsenttootherlocations.

So, I'm being phased out, thought John. He guessed it didn't

matter. He would be too highprofile now that there were
surveillancecamerasalloverthedatacenter.Hewasgoingtohaveto
hideoncehisplanwentintoplay.
ItwasinthemiddleofthistrainofthoughtwhenJohnopenedup
anemailfromacellheusedtohandle.Itwasactuallyforhim.Once
he deciphered the message he found out they wanted information
abouttheoffsitestoragecompany.Johndidn'tunderstandwhy,but
made a note to pull down the files from work. The bulk of the
informationwasonthecompanyintranet.Theplacewasn'tofmuch

TheLemmingsMarch

16

valueasatarget.Itemployedatmost thirtypeopleandwasonlyof
needifsomeonehadtorestoreasystemorafile.
Johnwastootiredtomakesenseofitnow.Heloggedoutand
wenttobed.
***
TheBritwaslivid!Hewantedtokillhisentireteam.Hewanted
tokilleveryonetheyreportedto,thenhewantedtogooutandkill
everyone he even remotely thought was a terrorist. He had the
trainingtodoitandbyGoditwastimeheputthattrainingtouse!
WhathadsettheBritoffwasthecablenews.Thebombingshad
finallyhappenedinLutton.Threesubwaytrainsandabus,allwithin
halfanhourofeachother.Itappearedthatthepersononthebushad
gottenstuckintraffic,sohetookoutthebusbecausehemissedhis
train.
ThishadbeenwhattheBritfeared. Peoplewouldsitontheir
arsesandtheattackwouldbecarriedout.Atleastthemainobjective
oftheattackhadfailed. Fromthepatterndisplayedonthenews,it
lookedasthoughtheterroristshadplannedonblowingupeachtrain
asitgottothepointwhereonetunneljoinedanothertunnel. This
wouldhavetakenoutoratleastblockedthefloodgates.
Whywerethefloodgatesimportant?TheBrithaditfiguredout
longbeforethejournalists.Thelastbomb,whichwentoffonthebus,
wassignificantlylargerthantheothers. Thisterrorist'strainwould
havebeeninthetunnelundertheriverwhenthebombdetonated.
They were planningon floodingthe entire subway system, killing
everyoneontheothertrainsdownthere.Hundreds,ifnotthousands,
wouldhavebeenstrandedwithnoaffordablemethodofgettinghome.
Itwasthekindofattackwhichshowedalotofplanning.While
thepeopleblowingthemselvesupmighthavebeenilliterateinbred
bastardsfromsomepovertystrickenregionoftheworld,theplan had

TheLemmingsMarch

17

come fromsomeonewithtraining. NobodyontheBrit'steamhad

seenthiscoming,noteventheBrit.Mostwereassumingtheywere
going to try and blow up a pair of trains passing each other in
oppositedirectionstomaximizecasualties.Nobodyhadthoughtthis
farout.
Weshouldhavethoughtthisfarout,theBritsaid. Theyha d
alreadytriedtoblowuptheGoldenGateBridgemorethanonce.
Thankfully,thepeopletheysenttodoitweresouselesstheyended
up getting busted in a routine traffic stop before they had even
assembledalloftheexplosivesforthejob.
TheBritwaslostinhisragingthoughtswhenthephonerang.It
wasthemaninthesuitcallinghim.
Iassumeyou'veseenthenews.
YoubloodywellknowIhave!screamedtheBrit.
Thereisateamshowingupatyourhotelinsidefifteenminutes.
Meet them downstairs. British authorities want to handle the
remnantsoftheLuttoncell,butweareclearedtoroundupfourother
cells. They aren't being arrested; they are being taken to our
interrogationcenter.
Oh!Nowwecanroundthemup!screamedtheBrit.
Nobodysawthisonecoming,notevenyou!saidthemaninthe
suit.Ifyouhadputthisbeforemewewouldhaveroundedupwhat
wehad.Itwouldn'thavestoppedtheattacksinceweonlyknewofa
fewandstillhadn'tseenanyexplosives. I'llwagerthatwhenthe
news starts giving us the identities of the bombers none of those
nameswillbeonoursuspectlist,either.
ThattruthtooksomeofthewindoutoftheBrit'ssails.Hehadn't
seenthiscomingandtheyhadonlythreenamesofcell members.
Thisacttookonemorepersonthantheyhadidentifiedandtherewas
probablyasupportnetworkinplaceforthisteam.

TheLemmingsMarch

18

Whatdowedowiththeoneswenab?askedtheBrit.
Thedriverknowsofabuildingonarunwaywhichwasusedfor
bombers during WWII. It's mostly shut down now, but we have
peoplearrivingtheretosetupaholdingpenandwaitfortherestof
theplanes.
Planes?
If you get everybody on the list you will have over sixty
prisoners. That's really more than we are prepared for at the
interrogation center, but we have to nab these before British
authoritiesstartwantingtonabmoreoftheirown.
Whataremyordersfortomorrow?
Youandtherestoftheteamwillremainwiththeprisonersuntil
they have all been loaded, so pack some rations and overnight
supplies. Idon'tyet haveanotherassignment foryou,but should
shortly.
Withthattheconversationended. TheBritwentaboutgetting
hishardwareandputtingsomeMREsalongwithbottledwaterinto
hisbackpack.Onethingwasforcertain,leadingthelifeheled,the
firstthinghedidwhenhelandedanywherewastoobtainacaseof
MREs. Militariesaround the worldstopped calling the food they
suppliedrations.Nowtheprepackagedfoodtroopswereorderedto
carrywascalledanMRE,MealReadytoEat. Theyweren'treally
ready.Youhadtohavealittleheaterkitthatgothotwhenyouput
wateronittowarmthemup,butitwasbetterthanacanofbeans,
whichwaswhatrationsusedtobe.
Mostpeoplehatedbeingforcedtoeat MREs. Someofthem
weregood,butmostmadehighschoolcafeteriafoodseemlikefine
diningandairlinefoodamouthwateringexperience.Ifyouwanted
tosurviveinthefield,though,youhadtohaveatoleranceforthem.
Someofthemhadsomenastypreservatives.Theydidn'tseemtoship

TheLemmingsMarch

19

thattwentyyearbreadanymore.Eventhesurpluscatalogsdidn'thave
it these days. That stuff tasted great, and really wouldlast inits
packagetwentyyearsonashelf.ButithadsomuchMSGandother
preservativesinitthatifyouatetheentireloafinonesittingyou
gotaseverecaseofthequickstep. Nothingmakesahikepure
miseryfasterthanacaseofdiarrhea. Inajungleoradesert,you
would be dead before the end of a twoday march unless you
happenedtofindlotsofdrinkablewateralongtheway. Gathering
wateralongthewaywasalwaysarisk.
Amongthemanysacrificesaprofessionalinthisbusinessmade
wastheycommittedtoeatingatleastoneMREperdayevenwhen
they weren't on duty. It wasn't that you liked them, you simply
wantedtolivewhenyouwereonduty.
The Brit had been given time off while waiting for his next
assignment. HehadcomehometoEnglandandtakenaroomata
hotelheliked. Therereallywasn'tmuchhomelefthereforhim.
He had a sister, but he didn't really communicate with her much.
Theygotalongwell,andhelovedherlikeasister,butgivenwhathe
didforaliving,hekepthisdistance.Shewasmarriedwithtwokids
andhedidn'twanttoputanyofthefamilyhehadleftatrisk.
Mostpeoplewouldtakeonelookatthishotelandwonderwhy
theBritlikedit.Achievingatwostarratingwassimplyadreamfor
it. TheBritdidn'tmindsomuch. Itwasabluecollararea. There
weresomegoodpubswithinwalkingdistanceandtheownerliked
him.Theowneractuallylethimputagreatbiggunsafeinastorage
room.Thankstohomeownermarketing,thegunsafesimplylooked
likeagreatbigsafe.Theonlythingthatmadeitagunsafewasthe
insideofithavingnotchestostandgunsuprightononeside,hooksto
hanghandgunsintheback,andsomeshelvestoputordinarythings
on.Thisoneevenhadasmallersafeinthebottomsoyoucouldkeep
reallyvaluablestuff.
TheBritgrabbedhislargeduffelbagandheadedforthegunsafe.

TheLemmingsMarch

20
Hemettheowneronhiswaythere.
You'veseenthenews?
Aye,mate.

They are sending you out to do something about this? the

ownerqueried,seeingthebagandbackpack.
Not this one so much as stopping the next three, the Brit
responded.Toomanyregularsinvolvedinthisoneforustowander
in.

With that the owner nodded and unlocked the storage room.
Normallyyouwouldn'tlockastorageroomwithlittleofvalueinit,
buttheownerknewthegunsafewasinthere,andgivensomeofhis
clients,he'dlockupthelittlebarsofsoapifhecould. Theowner
didn'tstickaroundtoseewhatwasinthesafe. Heunderstoodthis
man'soccupationenoughtowanttoknowevenlessthanhedidknow.
ItwasalwayskindofoddwhentheBritstayedhere.Itwaslike
the whole town knew the mercenaries were back. Fights didn't
happeninthebarsveryoften.Thereallylowendscumdidn'ttryto
rentaroomathisplace. Thedrugdealershidthemselves well,
mostofthemdid.Theotherswerejustfounddeadinanalleyshortly
afterdoingadealintheopen.Thepeopleoutonthesestreetsseemed
to know the second one of these guys' planes had touched down.
Anyonewholivedherelongenoughwouldnoticethequiet. Itwas
likethequietwhenwildlifefleesbeforeanearthquake.
***
VladimirhadhisWebsurfinginterruptedbyaspecialWAVfile
playing on his ping server. One of the control programs he had
loadedontheemailuser'smachineswasdesignedtogatherafresh

TheLemmingsMarch

21

informationpacketaboutthemachineandsendittohimeverytime
themachinebooted.Themachineserialnumberindicatedthelong
silentfirsttraineehadfoundhisnewhome.
Anotherprogramwasbusysendingcopiesofeachemailmessage
hereceivedtoaspecialfolderonthepingserver.Thisguywastesno
time, thoughtVladimir. AroutinecheckoftheIPaddressshowed
thatanemailhubwasonceagaininPakistan.Well,thoughtVladimir,
atleasttheywon'thavetomovetoofar.Hepreparedanemailforthe
maninthesuitandHanscontainingthenewlocationinformationand
a link to the folder containing the inbound email. He was pretty
certaintheywouldputtheBrittoworkontheemailmessagesonce
hisholidaywasover.
Thedaywasshapinguptobebothquietandproductive.Soon
therewouldbesomenewpinghitsfromtheoutboundemailsbeing
opened.Thingsweregoingtobebacktonormal,itlookedlike.

Fatesimplydoesn'tlikenormal.NosoonerhadVladimirthought
this than he got another packet from a reboot. The machine ID
matchedthesecondtrainee,buttheIPaddresslookeddifferent. A
quick search of the previous packets proved Vladimir's suspicion.
StillinBangalore,butnolongerwiththetrainer.Vladimirsentouta
tinypingrequesttothetrainer'smachinejusttobesureitwasstillup
andrunning. Hehadnoticedadistinctdropoffinthequantityof
emailmessagesbeinghandledbythetrainer.Nowitwasstartingto
makesense.
ThesecondemailfromVladimirwasmuchmoreexcited. He
includedthenewlocationinformationandthefollowing:

All,

TheLemmingsMarch

22

SecondtraineehasmovedtonewlocationinBangalore. Not
farfromtrainer,mightevenbeinsamehousingcomplex.
Volumeofemailbeinghandledbytraineralmostnonexistent
now.Somethingbigisgettingreadytohappenandthetrainer
willbeonepartoftheoperation.
Vlad

Asalways,Vladimirwasprettycertainhisreportswouldbefiled
intheshredderbythemaninthesuit.Hansappearedtoactuallyread
themandrespondonceinawhile,butVladimirknewhechanged
littlewhenitcametothemajordecisions. Theydid,however,take
hisadviceabouthowtoproceedwiththeseemailhubs;thatwasmost
unusual.Rightnowhewaswonderingifthatwassuchgoodadvice.
Strategicallyitmadesenseifyouwantedtoexposeasmuchofthe
networkaspossible,butthatwasbeforethetrainer hadgone nearly
silent.Unlesstheteamfoundouthehadsometerminaldiseasewith
onlymonthstolive,thiswasascarything.AlQaedadidn'tnormally
compromiseassetsthiswellplaced.
***

Heidiwasnearlydeadonherfeet. Asexpected,thecouriers
hadn'tspentverylongattheinterrogationcamp.Inlessthanaweek

theyhadallcometothesecondcamp.Theydefinitelyneededabetter
methodofharvestingbecausethesmallteamtheyhadwasn'tgoingto
be able to handle the sixtyplus patients that had just landed this
morningattheinterrogationcampiftheyallcamehereatonce.
Shehadachoiceinfrontofhernow.Draghertiredassoverto
thedormfacilitytotakevitals,etc.ofthetwowomentherenowso
shecouldsleeplongerwhenshegothome,ordragherselfbackhere
afteronlythreehoursofsleep. Itwasn'tthatdifficultofadecision

TheLemmingsMarch

23

whenyouphraseditthatway.Shecouldhavegottenfourhoursof
sleephadshedaredsleepinoneofthedormroomsnotbeingusedby
patients.Twoofthesurgeonswereontheirwaytodojustthatnow.
Twoofthecourierwomenhadoptedtoserveasbroodsowsfor
embryoniccellcreation.ItreallystruckHeidiasoddthattwowomen
whohadbeenworkingforalQaedawouldopttodosuchathing.
Nikolaus explained to her that these were simply couriers. They
weren'tpartofacause,justsomeonewhocollectedafeeforcarrying
adangerouspackage.Theyservedterroristsanddrugdealersequally.
Oneofthewomenwasreallyagirl. Shewasnotquite sixteen yet.
Besidesbeingacouriershehadbeensellingsextooldmen.She had
beentestedforeverykindofsocialdiseasewhentheyfoundthatout.
Shehadalsobeentwomonthspregnantwhentheynabbedher.Some
timetomorrowshewouldhaveanabortion.
Perhaps it was because they were cooperating, or perhaps
Nikolauswasgettingsoftinhisoldage.Thewomenwereallowedto
choose the method of insemination they received. They were
presentedwiththreeoptions:
1.

Extraction of egg, fertilization outside of the womb, and

replacement.

2.

Artificial insemination once it was verified they were

ovulating.Thiswouldhavetobedonemultipletimesduring
ovulation.

3.

Natural.Alsowouldhavetobedonemultipletimesduring
ovulation.

Heidicouldn'tbelievebothwomenaskediftheywouldbeableto
choosethemenandwhentheyweretoldtheycouldonlyselectfrom
thoseatthecamptheyeachchosenatural.Thewomenwereallowed
toroamaroundmuchofthedorm. Theycouldgooutonlyonthe

24

TheLemmingsMarch

secondstorybalcony. Thedormwaswellguarded,andevenifit
hadn't been there was no way they could get through the camp's
perimeter.Itwasstrongerthanamaximumsecurityprison.
Each one had a television and radio. The television had a
satellitefeedwithsomemoviechannels.Therewerealsoquiteafew
booksinthelibraryarea,butmostweretechnicalreferencebooks.
Ofcoursethelibrarywasn'tmuchusetothesewomen.Theydidn't
speakmuchEnglishandthegirlcouldn'treadatall.
Therewerebedding,sheets,towels,etc.allprovidedforthem.
Eachroomhadalittlefridgewhichwaskeptstockedwithbeverages
and some snacks. Meals were brought over three times per day.
Theyhad been providedsomeadditional clothingand toiletriesas
well.
Perhaps Heidi was getting soft in her old age, but she asked
NikolaustolocateanaudiocourseinPunjabiwhichtaughtEnglish.
BothspokesomebrokenEnglishbecauseitwasthelinguafrancaof
Pakistani elite and spoken by most government officials. Heidi
thoughtthingswouldgosmootheriftheywereabletocommunicate
withthestaff.
ThewomendidnothavetelephoneorInternetaccess.Theydid
havecentralairandtheabilitytocontrolthetemperatureintheirown
dorm rooms. From time to time they would wander down to the
recreation room, which had some tables, a pool table, ping pong,
cards and various board games. The recreation room had been
designedforwhenscientistshadtoremainonsiteoverthecourseof
weekswhilerunningexperiments. Nobodyhaduseditwhowasn't
partoftheteam.Quitesimplythereweren'tmanyexperimentsgoing
onherewhichcouldn'tbedoneinastandardworkday.Besides,only
theguardsreallyknewaboutthisroom. Theykeptacoffeemaker
here. Rumor had it one or more of the guards was servicing the
womanalready.Boysneverseemtowastemuchtimewhentheyfind
outnookieispresentandwilling.

TheLemmingsMarch

25

It would be quite a few years before the reality of their

predicamentwasforceduponthesewomen. Eventhoughtheyhad
cooperated,nobodycouldriskthemtalking. Nomatterhowmany
friendstheymadehere,attheendoftheirusefulness,theywouldbe
harvested.

26

TheLemmingsMarch

TheTiesThatBind
The Brit received his recall notice. He was going back to
Pakistantoworkwithwhatwasleftoftheteamthere.Hedidn'twant
togo.Hehadevenaskedifhecouldworkfromhereandjustemail
theresultsorplacetheminadifferentdirectoryontheserver.This
wasEngland,andEnglandwasfinallystirring.
Hisrequestwasdeniedofcourse,soheputoffgoingaslongas
hecould. Britishofficialsweregiventheinformationuncoveredat
theinterrogationcamps,buttheyweren'tbeingtoldmuchaboutthe
source. Quitefranklytheydidn'tcare. Theyhadroundedupmore
suspectsthantheycurrentlyhadthecapacitytodealwith.Thismeant
ablindeyewasbeingturnedtowhotheBrit'steamwasroundingup.
Theydidn'tevenwantanyrecordskept.
Amazingly,allofthiswashappeningunderthenosesofevery
internationaljournalistsenttocoverthebombings. Theyfollowed
thepolicearoundlikegoodlittlelapdogsandthepolicegavethem
enoughfootagefortheeveningnews.Thoseroundupswerethreeto
fivepeopleatatime.TheBrit'steamwasroundingupgroupsof ten
and twenty at a time. They were pulling them in faster than the
interrogationcampcouldgetthemprocessedintocells.Indeed,they
werebeingtoldtoslowdownbecausethecampwasrunningoutof
placestoputthem.Theydidn'twanttosendthemonuntiltheywere
certaintheyhadextractedallinformation. Besides,ittooktimeto
locatewealthypeopleinneedoftheorganswhichmatchedthosethey
had.OfcoursetheBrit'steamwasn'ttoldthispart.
Therealbacklogwasn'ttheprisonerprocessingtheywerestill
consideredprisonersatthispoint itwasthetechguysandgals
tryingtokeeptrackofwhichmachine had come fromwherewhen
they began dissecting the confiscated computers and cell phones.
Morethanoncetheyhaduncoveredacriticalpieceofinformation
identifying other members and not been able to determine whose

machineorphoneithadcomefrom.

TheTiesThatBind

PartoftheBritdidn'tcareabouttheanalysis,buthistrainingtold
himtocare.Thebestmethodoffindingmoretoroundupwastodo
thelegwork. Hisprimaryfrustrationwasthecampbeingsizedso
small. Therewereliterallyhundredsmoretheyshouldbenabbing,
butnoroomattheinn.
ItwaswithsomeregretthattheBritpackedhisthingsandgot
readytoboardacommercialflighttoPakistan.Hestoredthetoolsof
histradeinthegunsafeatthehotelandhandedtheowneragrandto
keepitsecure.Intruththeownerwouldhavedoneitforfree,butthis
gavehimthemoneytoupgradeanotherroom. Thelowrenthotel
crowdtendedtodestroyeverythingandhewassuretheywouldbe
backoncetheBritwasgone.
He had heard from his team doing roundups that they were
occurringinalotofcountries.Itseem edmorecountriesthanEngland
hadcometotheconclusiondueprocesswassomethingafforded
only to the few you could handle in that manner. The rest were
simplyabductedandneverheardfromagain.Somemightcallitevil,
butitwasanecessaryevil.
America,Germany,andRussiawereamongtheothercountries
wherecellmemberswerebeingroundedup.Thesameprocesswas
being used to hide it. The press was alerted to a due process
roundupwheretheygotsomegreatnewsfootage,butthemoreserious
roundupshappenedwhilethemediawerebusylookingsomewhere
else.
***
Lenny called Jeremy into his office to show him the position
reports.Hecalledtheothertwoanalystsinoutofcourtesy,butreally
onlywantedtospeakwithJeremy. Theothertwoanalystsweren't
bright enough to realize they knew enough they couldn't be fired.
Theyalsoweren'tbrightenoughtoopentheirowntradingaccounts
andfollowanyofLenny'splays.Jeremywas.Lennydidn'thaveto

TheTiesThatBind

ask:hewascertaintheboyhadasmalltradingaccountwherehewas
tossing around a few thousand dollars. He didn't begrudge him
makingsomeonthesidefromtheinformationmakingthiscompany
money. Well, he did at first, but this stream of information was
comingthroughJeremy,andLennyconsideredanydebtthekidowed
him paid in full. He was quickly learning how to take over the
businessafterLennydied. Lennywouldneverretireofcourse. At
leastnotaslongassomeonedidn'tdeclarehimmentallyunstableand
threatentolockhimawaysomewhere.
Thepositionreportsshowedtheyownedover9 percentofPytho
Corporation'sdocumentedoutstandingshares. Lennywantedmore,
butthemutualfundsheadvisedhadgottentoogreedy. Tryingto
erasesomelossestheirownincompetencehadcosttheirfunds,they
jumpedinwithbothfeetwhenLennytoldthemPythohadanew
softwareproductcomingtomarketinsideofamonthwithonemajor
clientalreadysigned.
At least the fools had stopped asking how Lenny knew what
Lennyknew. Mostofthemweresmartenoughtonotaskwhothe
client was this time as well. The problem before them now was
keepingenoughofalidonthistoavoidinvestigationandhavingtheir
creditcalledin.Onceagain,Lennyhadmaxedoutthecreditlimits
forallofhispapershellsandwasnowgoingtoneedcashtokeepthe
operationgoinguntilPythomadeitsannouncement.
Mostofthefundstheothertwoanalystshandledwereindexed
funds.Thetradesforthosefundswerealmostcompletelyautomated.
Theonlyreasontherewasananalystinchargeofthefundwasthat
theregulationsrequiredit.True,theycouldchoosetooverridesome
ofthesystem'srecommendedpurchasesandpositions,butneitherof
theseguyshadthebrainpowerforthatkindofheavylifting.
Whattheyneededtodonowwastoliquidatesomepositionsso
they had the cash to handle daytoday operations and acquire a
slightlylargerpositioninFirstGlobalBank.Pythohadalreadybeen

TheTiesThatBind

pricedoutofpurchasingrange.Lennywasbusylayingallofthison
thetableforthemwhenJeremypipedup.
Here'sawildthought.Whydon'tweselloffourPythoposition
tobelow3 percent ofthecompanythenusethemoneytobuyFirst
GlobalBank?
Everyonelookedathim.
YoujustsaidPythowasabovethepricewewerewillingtopay
andstillclimbingthankstothemutualfundbuffoons.Letitclimb
foranotherdayatitscurrentpaceanditshouldbecrestingaboveour
lowesttargetedsellprice.IfI'mreadingthisreportcorrectly,thatis
an eightdollars pershareprofitoverwhatwepaidonthefirstday.
Dumpthosesharesandseeifitstillkeepsclimbing.Ifitisstillabove
an eight dollar profit for the next day's purchases tomorrow, dump
thoseshares.Inthemeantime,wewilltakeapositioninFirstGlobal
Bank.Nobodyknowsaboutit.Itssharepricehassettledbackdown
aftertheboostfromquarterlynumbers.Rumorsarealreadyallover
theplaceaboutPytho'snewsoftwareproduct.Itisonlyamatterof
timebeforepeoplefindoutitisbankingsoftware.
Youdon'tthinkweshouldtrimsomeofthesharesweholdin
othercompanies?askedLenny.
Oh,ourotherfundshavesomerealdogsinthemthathavebeen
losingmoneysincethedayweboughtthem.Theyshouldhavebeen
soldlongago,butsellingthemwon'tgiveusthekindofplayweare
looking for. We can still go ahead and dump the losers we are
holding,justsettheparametersonthetradingengineandletittrim
thedeadweight.Thatwon'tgiveusthekindofcashwearelooking
foranditwon'tstopusfrompayingshortterminterestwhichweare
doingrightnow.
Lennysatbackinhischairandputhishandstogetherinfrontof
hismouth. Hewasobviouslythinkingthisover. Intruth,hewas
startingtothinkhewasgettingold.Inhisyoungerdayshewouldn't

TheTiesThatBind

have remained focused on the first play and would have already
implementedJeremy'ssuggestion.Perhapshereallywasgettingthat
oldmandisorderwheretheyfixateonsomethingwhichhaslittleor
nothingtodowiththecurrentsituation.Hehadseenotheroldmen
getitandwatchedpeoplestarttomarginalizethem.Sadlyitusually
happenedtoanoldmaninchargeofsomethingsotherewereterrible
businessoutcomes.
Turningoneofthereportstohimselfhelookedatthepurchases
forthefirstday.Nodoubtaboutit,thehighestpricetheypaidonthe
firstdaywasafull eightdollars persharebelowthecurrenttrading
price.Everyaccountwouldhaveitsnotepaidoffandcashleftover
todoJeremy'splayusingjustthoseshares. Jeremy'splaywasthe
smartone.
Yes,itwaspossiblePythowouldgoupanother eightdollarsper
share on the growing volume of rumors, but when First Global
announcedtheyweregoingtobeabletotrimnearlyalloftheirIT
staffandaboatloadofinternalaccountantsbecauseofthissoftware
package,theywerereallygoingtopop.Lenny'sownroughestimate
wastheywouldsavenearly$10millionperyear.Thatkindofcash
tendedtofallstraightthroughtothebottomline.

He could easily release his analysis to the mutual funds they

consulted once a position had been acquired. The mutual fund
managerswouldstartinquiriesatFirstGlobalBankastowhetheror
nottheyweregoingtopurchasethissoftware. Anewrumormill
wouldstartstatingthatFirstGlobalcouldsave$10millionperyear
by using this software. A mad rush to First Global would occur
simplyonthespeculationtheywerethefirstcustomer speculation
whichwouldprovetonotbeunfoundedgiventhefactLennyalready
knewittobethecase. Inlessthanaweektheywouldbeupover

TheTiesThatBind

twentydollarspershare.

Havinganewsoftwareproductisnice,butuntilyoucanreport
sales,youcan'tgettoobigaboostinyourshareprice.Mostwould
assumethesaletoFirstGlobalBankpaidthebulkofthedevelopment
costsandthesupportcontractwouldallowtheproducttocontinuefor
afewyears.Therewereotherbanksintroublewhowouldbewilling
topurchasethesoftwareiftheycouldgetevenhalfofthesavings
FirstGlobalgot.
Wewilldowhatyousay,Jeremy,Lennyfinallysaid. It'sa
goodplay.Iwillhandlethesalesparametersforthis.Whydon'tyou
setupthetradingparameterstoweedthedogsoutofourportfolio
thisafternoon? Wecanallmeettomorrowanddiscusshowmuch
FirstGlobaltopurchase.
I need all three of you to go digging through the banking
corporations.Therearealotofthemintrouble.Wearelookingfor
somethatsimplyaren'tdoingwellbutaren'ttoofarintotheFDIC
watchlist.
Thebusinessschoolboyslookedathim asifhehadjuststarted
speakinginaforeignlanguage. Jeremysmiled. Whynotmakea
playofourown?laughedJeremy.
Exactly! said Lenny. Only we want a bank with its data
centerintheU.S.andplanstokeepitthere.Onewithatleast twenty
developersontheirITstaff.Iftheyhappentohavesomebranchesin
othercountriesthatisfine.Wewantsomeonethatcansaveenough
moneygettingridoftheirITstaffthey'llbegtogetthissoftwaredue
totheirfinancialposition.TheshredwedolateronPythowon'truin
them. They didn't choose the data center. A bank with its data
centersintheU.S.willallow ittostepasidepointingafinger.Yes,
theirsharepricewilldropsome,butnothorriblyoncethetruthcomes
outaboutwho offshoredthedatacenters. FirstGlobalwillloseits
insurance,beunderinvestigation,andaprimetargetforhostiletake

TheTiesThatBind

over.Whobettertotakethemoverthanabankalreadyrunningtheir
software? Simplytransferthedataandthecommunicationlinkson
SundayandstartasanewcompanyonMonday.
Thebusinessschoolboyssatthereshakingtheirheads.TheIvy
Leaguedidn'tteachanyonetothinklikethis.Withtheplanalllaid
outbeforethemitwasobviousitcouldwork.Giventhewaythese
othertwoguys'mindsworked,theintroductioncouldprobablybe
madewithoutanyoneknowingGroupLennywasinvolved.Finally
oneofthempipedup.
Youknowwehaveatimelineproblemhere,don'tyou?
Howso?bothLennyandJeremysaidinunison.
Itwilltakemonthstogetanewbanktalkedintoclosingthe
deal. First Global has already started the rollout in France if I'm
understandingthesituationcorrectly.We'vegotaboutsixmonthsto
getanewbankonthesoftwaresotheyarecomfortablewithitwhen
youdropthehammeronFirstGlobal.
Wewon'tdropthehammeronFirstGlobaluntiltheyactually
offshoretheU.S.datacenters,respondedJeremy.Theclockdoesn't
startuntilthathappens. Noneoftheothercountries'operationsare
explicitly governed by the FDIC; most have their own insurance
bodies. Itispossibleoneofthosebodieswillchoosetodropthe
hammer on First Global before we do, but it will only be for
operationsinasinglecountry.Theycouldsellthatbusinessunitto
getoutfromundertheproblem.Youdobringupapoint,though...
Jeremydriftedoff.
Whatpointisthat?Lennyasked.
WeneedthemtofindaU.S.basedbankforyourplay,thenwe
need to find out what other insurance bodies are insuring the
operationsinothercountriesforFirstGlobal. Oneofthem could
have or be about to have a similar regulation about data centers

TheTiesThatBind

stayingincountryforsecuritypurposes.Weneedtofindoneother
bankingcustomerineachofthosecountriesoverthenextcoupleof
weeks. IfthisplayworksintheU.S.whynotanothercountryas
well?Wecouldhaveoneofourpapershellsissuethemaloanforthe
softwareiftheyneedit.

Do you think we will have enough cash to play the whole

board?askedLenny.
Wewillknowsometimetomorrowmorningafterdumpingthe
shareswewanttoberidofthisafternoon.Besides,wehavetocover
allofthebases.IfsomeforeignagencynailsFirstGlobalbeforewe
arereadytoshredthem,westillwanttomakemoneyfromit.
Goodpoint,Lennyrespondedaftersomethought.Itmightbe
betterifoneoftheforeigngovernmentsstartstheshredanyway.The
reporters will sniff around and find out there is an American
regulationstatingnearlythesamething.Fromthereitwillsnowball.
TheIvyLeagueboyshadreallyonlythoughtaboutthesituation
as far as the other U.S.bank not beingfar enough along to even
acceptthedatafromFirstGlobalwhentheopportunitycamealong.
Theywereabsolutelyflooredbythescenariowhichhadjust been
spunoutbeforethemwithoutanyprepwork.
Firmsthissizetypicallyhadaprofitpoolof$5millionto$10
millionwhenitcametimeforprofitsharing.Lenny'susuallyhad$20
millionto$30million.Nobodywaspaidsquatforsalaryhere.The
bulkofthemoneyintheprofitsharingplanusuallywenttoLenny,
buttheyhadbothgottenbonuschecksforaround$300,000lastyear.
Thisyear,iftheplanplayedout,thefirmwouldhaveabout$500
millioninthepool. Theyhadalreadyachieveda400 percentreturn
thisyearfortheirhandfulofinvestors.
ItwastheotherIvyLeagueboy'sturntopipeupnow.Thisis

TheTiesThatBind

allwellandgood,butweneedtocontrolourtraceableparticipationin
this.
Gettingsqueamish?Lennyasked.
A few weeks ago you were here spouting we might have a
billiondollaryearthisyear. I'vegotnewsforyou:evenwiththe
dogsinourportfoliosourlastlittleplaywithFirstGlobalBankhad
usbringinginnearly$800million.Oneplay!Notcountingallofthe
othersmallerplayswehavedonethisyear.Theplaywearetalking
aboutnow,justtheonewherewebuyPythostockandsellafterthe
postannouncementrunupisgoingtopullinsome$700millionto
$800millioninitself.WestillhavethesecondplayonFirstGlobal
buying up before they announce the cost savings of this new
software.
Lennynodded.
Iassumeyouaregoingtotryandget yourtypical 20to40
percentpositionifyoucandoitwithcash.
AgainLennynodded.
Youareestimatingafifteentotwentydollarspersharerunupin
theprice?
Correct.
Well sir, we will be pulling in over $2 billion on that play.
Coupled with the other plays, we will probably get some SEC
inquiriesabouthowwemanagedtodonearly$5billioninbusiness
withonly$600millioninassets.
Theroomgotquietforawhile.Everybodywantedthemoney.
Technically,whattheyweredoingwasillegal,butitwasn't asifthey
robbed banks or sold drugs. They simply got information before
otherpeoplegotit.MarthaStewartmanagedtogotojailwhenthe
SECwasinquiringaboutjustthattopic.Nobodyinthisroomwanted
togotojail.

TheTiesThatBind

FinallyLennysaid,Inthemorningwewillseewhatourcash
positionis. Perhapswewill takeonlyalegal percentageinFirst
Globalthistime. Thenagain,maybeitisfinallytimetousethat
offshoreinvestingcompanywesetup.Issueitaloanandletitmake
alltherestofthepurchases.Wesetitupforthedayweactuallygota
bigplaylikethis.
Jeremysatthereaftertheothersleft.
Youhavesomethingmoreonyourmind?Lennyinquired.
DoesyourcousininRussiahaveanonlinetradingaccount?
Jeremyasked.
Lennysatthereandslowlygotawidesmile.Thetaxeswould
belessandI'msurehewoulddoitforasmallfee.HeisnotinRussia
anymore,though.LasttimeIheardfromhimhewasinGermany.I
cansendhimanemailtonightandaskhimtogivemeacall.
***

Kentwasrathershockedwhenhegotthesignedcontractback
fromtheboardofdirectors.Theoddthingwasitcamewithaformal
letter telling him to proceed with this plan per the details of the
contract.HetookitalltoMargret'sofficetoaskheraboutit.
Whatissounusual?askedMargret.Oh,Iforget,youhaven't
beenherethatlong.Anytimetheboardactuallyhastosignoffona
capitalizedproject theyincludealetterstatingtheyauthorizeonly
whatisexplicitlystatedinthecontract. Thelegaldepartmenttells
themitprotectsthemagainstcostoverruns.Itdoesn'treally,butthey
thinkitdoes.Yes,wehavelegalgroundstonotpaythebillsforan
overrun,butwhatusuallyhappensisthevendorstopsworkinguntil
theygetpaid,thelawyersgetinvolved,thentheprojectdies.

TheTiesThatBind

MargretcouldtellKentstilldidn'tbelieveher.
EverbeentoourbranchinDesMoines,Iowa?
Kentshookhishead.
MargretpickedupthephoneandcalledCarol.Canyouplease
pulloutthepicturesofourbranchinDesMoines,Iowa,forKent?
He's sitting in my office and this is a story which really needs
pictures.
AfewminuteslaterCarolcamein.Hereisthefile.DareIask
whatthisisaboutordoInotwanttoknow?
MargretlaughedandhandedCaroltheletter. OnceCarolhad
finishedreadingitshelookedupandsaid,So?
Kentdoesn'tbelievetheboardalwayssendsthesewithaproject
signoff.Ithelpsifyouexplainwhythatiswithpictures,Margret
responded.
Youdon'tneedCrayons!Kentsaidinacombinationofdisgust
andembarrassment.
Here,lookatthepicturesofourbranchinDesMoines,said
Margret,handingKentthefolder.
There were several shots of a construction site and a partially
erectedbuilding.Notenoughwascompletedtotellforcertainitwas
supposedtobeabank.
Whatdoesthistellme?Kentasked.
That'sasfarastheprojectevergot. Theboarddidn'tinclude
oneoftheseletterswhentheysignedoffonitsconstruction. The
builderbidtheprojectwithaconcretemixwhichwasn'tuptocode.
Whenthebuildinginspectorscalledhimonithetriedtobillusfor
doublehisbidprice. Thelawyersgotinvolved. Courtcaselasted
nearlyayear. WeendedupnotbuildingabranchinDesMoines
becauseofit.Ihavenoideawhathappenedtothelotorthatpartially

TheTiesThatBind

10
constructeddisaster,Margretsaid.

Theydidfinallysellit,Carolvolunteered. Afterthecityof
DesMoinesfinedthemforaneyesoreandpublicsafetyhazard.
SoKent,thisletternowcomeswitheachandeveryprojectthe
board signs off on, continued Margret, or should I say the new
boardsignsoffon.Noneofthoseboardmembersarestillaround,are
they?sheasked,lookingtowardCarol.
Nope. There was a meeting of the shareholders after that
debacleandwegotallnewblood,saidCarol.Itwasthefirstand
only$5millionlossthisbankeverputonitsbooks.
Surelythey'veissuednoteslargerthanthatwhichwentbad,
Kentsaid.
Totallydifferent.Weholdamortgagelessthanaweek.They
getbundledupandslicedupintofinancialinstruments.WallStreet
andinvestmentfirmsholdthem,wedon't.Allwehavetoensureis
thattheymeettheinitialrequirementswhenweissuethemortgage.
Ifyouaretalkingaboutbusinesslinesofcredit,theshareholdersdon't
tendtoholdtheboardaccountableifsomepubliclytradedcompany
hasalineofcreditwithusandgoesunder.We'veusuallyterminated
themlongbeforethathappens,andifwehaven'ttherehasalways
beensomekindofcriminalinvestigation.Theshareholdersholdthe
boardaccountableforprojectstheyauthorize,notstandardbanking
ebbsandflows.
Buttheydidn'tdothisforthedatacenterproject,Kentretorted.
Theydidn'tsignthatcontract,youdid. Theytoldyoutogo
aheadsincethecostoftheprojectwasgoingtobepaidforinlarge
partbythesaleoftheunusedassets,saidMargret.Allfundingfor
thatprojectcameoutoftheITbudget.Theysimplyagreedtoletus
havetheproceedsfromassetsalestofundtheprojecttocompletion.
Kenthadn'tthoughtofthat.Hedidsignthe offshoringcontract.

TheTiesThatBind

11

Theinitialdollaramountwaswithinhisauthorizationlimitandhe
hadtoldKathryntokeepeachinvoicebelowthatdollaramountsohe
couldapproveitratherthanhavingtogototheboard. Sometimes
they got two invoices per month and other times they went two
monthswithoutgettinganinvoice.Kenthadmerelyreceivedaphone
callfromaboardmembertellinghimtogoahead.Therehadn'teven
beenanemailmessage.Thenagain,wherethedatacenterswereand
whatitcosttorunthemwasunderhisrealmofresponsibility.The
boardsimplyneededtoknowhowmuchhewascuttingcosts,notthe
detailsoftheplan.
ThisconversationseemedtoalleviateKent'sfears.Hewentback
tohisofficeandleftthewomentocontinuelaughingathim.Atleast
they had the decency to close the door. He was a manager, and
sometimesyouremployeeslaughedatyou. Hedidfeelbetternow
thathehadhearditfromalawyer.NowallKenthadtodowassend
thiscontractofftoKathrynandfigureoutawaytoputintheannual
report to shareholders that he saved the company $12 million per
year. Iftheyfiredtheentireboardofdirectorsovera$5million
debacletheyshouldmorethansupporthiselevationforsavingsucha
princelysumofmoney.
AfterKentleft,thegirlsclosedthedoorandbegantolaugh.Do
youthinksomeoneisfinallycatchingon?askCarol.
Idon'tthinkheisthatbright,respondedMargret. AtfirstI
wascompletelyagainsthimgettingthatposition,butnowIthinkthe
boardbroughtinaGradeApatsy.
Ohwell,someonehastotakethefall,mightaswellbehim,
Carollaughed.
Howtrue!respondedMargret.AtleastIcanprofitfromit.
Howso?askedCarol.
Iprobablyshouldn'tsayanything;youarealawyerafterall,

TheTiesThatBind

12
Margretresponded.

Carolgotaseriouslookonherface,satdown,andsaid,Tellme
aboutitofftherecord.

Igaveafriendsomemoneytoopenanonlinetradingaccount
forme. Itisn'tinmynameandnothingtiestomedirectly. Itold
them to buy as much Pytho stock as they could before the
announcement. The stock for this company I buy as part of the
employeepurchaseplan.OncePythogoespublicwiththeproductI
expecttheirstocktojumpquiteabit. OurswillbounceonceKent
giveshisinterviewsayinghowmuchwearesaving.Oncetheyhave
bothpeakedIplanonliquidatingallsharesofboth.
DefinitelynotsomethingyouwanttheSECfindingoutabout,
butaslongasyoudon'tgetgreedyandyoudidn'twriteacheckfor
themtotraceyouwillprobablygetawaywithit.Pythodidn'tmake
anyoneheresignanondisclosureagreement,soitisn'tlikeitwas
insiderinformation.Theyhandedoutproductliterature,responded
Carol.
Well,thatonlymakesyoualittle,respondedMargret.Once
I'vedumpedalloftheshares,Iplanonusingallofthemoney to
shortthehelloutofthiscompany'sstock.Whenthenewshitsabout
thedatacenterissuewearegoingtotankandIwanttobepaidforit.
Asfarasbeinggreedy,Ishouldbeabletoretireifwegobelow twenty
dollarspershare.
Carol'seyeswentwidewiththatstatement.
Inevergotmarriedorhadkids.Neverboughtafancycarand
rarelyboughtanewcar. Ipaidmyhouseoffyearsago. It'snota
palace,butitismorethanenoughforme.I'vebeenputtingmoney
intothattradingaccountforovertenyears.Myfriendisprettygood
atpickingandI'vehadmyowninformationtoworkonfromtimeto

TheTiesThatBind

13

time.It'snotdotcomtypemoney,butitismorethanenoughforme
toretireanywhereIwant.Thislastroundwillcementthatfact.
CarolknewwhatthebankpaidandabouthowlongMargrethad
beenhere.Shemusthavehadafriendthatwasamazinglyincredible
atpickingstocks.Idon'twanttoknowhowmuch,shesaidfinally.
IlikewhatwehavenowandIdon'twantittochange.
Speakingofthat,Margretcontinued,Whatareyourplansfor
thenextfewweeks?
Summervacationbeforethekidsgobacktoschool.Ithinkwe
aretakingthemtoDisneysincetheyarebothabouttheagetoreally
appreciateit.
AndI'msureyouwillbeswampedwhenyougetback.
I'vealreadytoldhubbyIwillenduphavingtoworklatethefirst
threenightsbackjusttocatchup,sherepliedwithanevilgrin.I
wantedtohavesomeoptionsafterplayingsupermom andadoring
wifefortwoweeks.
Bothwomenlaughed.
***
Hanshadbeensenttolocateandidentifythenewemailhubin
Pakistan. Naturally,thenewcenterwasfarawayfromtheexisting
headquarters. Heusedthecoverstoryofbeingareporterandeven
had a couple of the other team members act as his camera crew.
Therewaslittleinthewayofwhattheycoulduseforaheadquarters
inthisareaandtherewasnowaytosetupanoperationundetected.
ThenewemailhubwasoperatingneartheKhyberPassclosetothe
lawlessNorthernArea.Whiletheycouldsetupheadquarterseasily
nearIslamabad,thecapitalcity,theywouldbenearly200kmaway
fromwherethecommunicationscenterwas. Thiswasnotagood
situation.
WhenHansgot backtohishotelroom inthecapitalcity,he

14

TheTiesThatBind

phonedthemaninthesuit toinform him ofthesituation. There

wouldbenowaytoputpeopleinundercoverthistime.Evenifthey
couldturntheoperative,theycouldnotmonitorhimastheyhadwith
Nedim. GiventhetribalwarlordfactionsintheNorthernAreas,it
wouldbesuicidetosendanyonein.
Thenewcommunicationspersonwaslocatedinaremotevillage.
He had a generator, solar power unit, and a satellite Internet
connection.AlQaedahaddefinitelyseentoithecouldn'tbeturned
withoutthemknowingaboutit.Theystillhadnoideajusthowmuch
the authorities knew, but given the cell roundups, Hans figured it
wouldn'tbelongbeforethecodingsystemwouldchange.True,the
operatives already in the field would have to be notified of code
changes via some riskier means such as a phone call or personal
contact,butinashortwhile,allofthegoodintelligencetheyhad
gatheredfromNedimwouldbeuseless.
Wereituptome,Hansfinallysaid,IwouldtelltheBritto
staywhereheisandgiveallofourinformationtoVladimir.Hehas
thetimeandtheskilltodotheanalysis. Itisnot asthough weare
goingtobeworkingthisoneclosely.Perhapswecangettothenew
Indiancommunicationscenter.
Themaninthesuitdidn'tlikeVladimir. Hewasalwaysbeing
shown up by Vladimir. He was loath to give the guy any more
information about this operation than he had to. Still, Hans'
assessmentwascorrect. Vladimirhadboththeskillandthetime.
Obviouslyhehadthetimegivenalloftheotherthingshehaddone
withoutdirection.Hecouldn'tevenbepunishedforthosethingsnow
becausethosethingsgavethemtheironlysolidleads.
Someday one of the very same agencies Vladimir was now
workingwithwasgoingtobesenttoarresthimforhisworkinthe
Russianmafiaidentitytheftrings. Themanhadtoknowthat,but
didn't seem to care. Perhaps he assumed his ties to clandestine
organizationswouldalwayskeephimworking as hewascurrently.

TheTiesThatBind

15

Therewassometruthinthat.Ifyouweregoodandhadareputation,
therewasalwaysagovernmentwhocouldgiveyouanewidentity
andputyoutoworkinabackroomsomewhere. Withtheman's
skillshewouldbemostdifficulttofindunlessyouweretryingtohire
him.
Onethingtheworlddidn'tneedrightnowwasanoutrightwar
withoneormorefactionsoftheRussianmafia. Everygovernment
needed them to ensure alQaeda never got any of the stockpiled
Russian nuclear or chemical weapons. They had already taken it
uponthemselvestohandleonesuchsituationandeverygovernment
involvedinthisoperationknewit.Pissthemoffnow,andalQaeda
wouldbeabletopurchasetheentireColdWarstockpilefornextto
nothing.
Weneedtoputsomekindoflongdistancesurveillanceonhim
somehow,themaninthesuitfinallysaid.IcanlettheBritwork
remotelyfromhereforawhilesinceheisalreadyonhisway,butwe
needtofindanexcuse.
Anexcuse?Hansasked.
We need someone high enough up in alQaeda visiting this
location to warrant an air strike taking him and his hub out.
Somethingwhichcanbeonthenewsandmygovernmentcanuseto
statepubliclytheyarehelpinginthewaronterrorism. Anyoneof
themajorcellcoordinatorsorattackplannerswilldo.Wecannotjust
strikehimnowasthatwouldtipourhandandtheotherswillgoto
groundonus.
Agreed,saidHans.Sinceanyonemonitoringfromahillside
willneedtolooknative...
Iwillmakethecallsandgetthepeople,repliedthemaninthe
suit.
Thereisanotheroptionavailabletoussinceyouarereadyto

16

TheTiesThatBind

burnthislead.Thetribesrunalotofdrugsthroughthatpass.Heis
closeenoughtotheAfghanistanborderthatwecouldsendtheGPS
coordinates to the Americans if we had a contact we could trust.
EvensomeoneintheAfghanmilitarycouldsendsometroopsacross
thebordertocleanthisup.Theyjustneedagoodexcuse.
That is a risky play. There has already been a lot of saber
rattlingaboutpriorincursions.Ifadrugcaravanstopsthereforthe
night,wewouldbebetteroffhavingtheRussianmafiacomein,take
thedrugs,andkilleveryoneintheirusualfashion.
Long way for them to fly choppers, especially across a war
zone.
True, but it would remove all suspicion. Everyone can
recognizetheworkoftheRussianmafia. Theyspecializeinbrutal
theatricalkillings.Thewarlordwholosthisdrugswouldbelooking
forthem.Atanyrate,weneedtogetsomeonewatchinghim.Stayat
thehotelafewmoredays.Iwillsendsomeonetocontactyou.

The man in the suit hated to admit it, but Hans was correct.
GivenalloftheradarandairpatrolsoverAfghanistantoday,there
was no way the Russian mafia would be able to fly a squad of
choppersacrossundetected.Iftheyflewlow,somealQaedasoldier
wouldprobablyshootthemdown. Iftheyencounteredfighterjets
theywouldn'tbeluckyenoughtoencounterpilotswhounderstood
whatwasgoingon.
Healsoknewthathisgovernmentwaspayinglittlemorethanlip
service to the hunting down of alQaeda within its borders. This
operation was almost completely shut down thanks to the news
reports about Nedim. There were only a few in the intelligence
servicewhoknewanythingaboutthisoperation.Oneofthemwould
nolongercommunicatewithanyoneinvolved. Sofartherewasno
evidence that he had turned, just that he knew he had been

TheTiesThatBind

17

compromisedandwaskeepinghisdistance.

ManyoftheclericsinthiscountryweresupportiveofalQaeda
trying to kill infidels and, in particular, Americans. Quite a few
distancedthemselvesfromthemethodsafter9/11.Aplanehittingthe
Pentagon would not have brought nearly every nation into
Afghanistan. Ifanationdidn'thavebootsonthegroundtheyhad
moneyorequipmentthere. Evencountriesthatdidn'tlikeAmerica
were standing in line to get in on the action. China bought an
unprecedentedamountofU.S.Treasurynotesshortlyafter9/11sothe
Americanswouldbeabletofullyfundanyresponsetheydeemed
necessary.
Indeed,themaninthesuitwonderedwhyChinahadn'tsimply
pouredtroopsthroughthatnarrowlittleslitofabordertheyshared
with Afghanistan. He assumed it was due to the Chinese culture
having this deep sense of honor when dealing with officials and
matters of state. They had lost citizens in that attack and were
lookingtodishoutsomeretribution.TheAfghanpeoplemaynever
realize this, but they should be thankful for that sense of honor.
WhentheAmericanssaidtheywantedtobuildacoalitionandlead
theattack,theChinesesteppedasideandletthem.TheRussianshad
evenofferedtomixitupinAfghanistanonceagain.HadtheChinese
pouredinfromtheirborderandtheRussiansfromtheirs,thecurrent
population of Afghanistan would be about one third of what it is
today.
Thenagain,Pakistanwouldhavelostalotofpeopleaswell.It
wasnosecretthatalotofalQaedamembershadslippedacrossthe
Pakistaniborderduringthewar. Becausetheyhadacoalitionand
wereboundbyUnitedNationstreaties,coalitionforcesdidn'tinvade
Pakistantogetthem. True,therehadbeensomeborderincursions,

TheTiesThatBind

18

butitwasdoubtfulhisgovernmentwouldhaveknownaboutthem
hadtheynotwatchedCNN.Sadtoadmit,buttrue.
TheAfghanborderhadneverbeenmonitoredinmorethanafew
places.ThelawlessnessoftheNorthernAreasmadethatimpossible.
ThosewarlordsowedtheirlivestotheAmericansaswell,though
they didn't know it. China wouldn't have thought twice about
crushing that region on their way in. They would have occupied
PakistanallthewayuptotheKhyberPass,andgiventhesizeoftheir
military,Pakistanwouldhavehadtosubmittotheoccupation.

Yes, hisgovernment had possessed nuclear weapons for quite

sometime,butthatwouldn'thavehelped. Chinahadmoreofthem
andRussiamorestill.AssoonasPakistanlobbedoneateitherarmy
everythingbetweentheIndianandRussianborderswouldceaseto
exist. Ifanythingwereleft,Indiawouldbecertaintocomeinand
finishoffthejob.
ThemaninthesuitwantedallalQaedamembersexecuted.He
madeamentalnotetohaveNedimkilledassoonasthisoperationgot
toamorenormalpace.HehadnospeciallovefortheAmericansor
any other country targeted by them. No matter how you did the
analysis, alQaeda was going to be the reason his country got
exterminated. How he wished more members of his government
couldseethat!
***
Nikolaushadbeenoutoftheofficeforthreedaysthisweek.He
was arranging for the quiet marketing and distribution of new
embryonicstemcelllines.Thankfullythepartyhadsomescientific
memberswhounderstoodthesethings.Nikolauswassimplythereto
discussthebusinesssideofthearrangement.Thefirstlineswereless

TheTiesThatBind

19

than a month away. Team members at the secured location had

alreadydonetheextractionandwereculturingthecells. Theyhad
takenoveroneofthesmallpilotlabsthathadbeenequippedforjust
suchanoperation.
Inthebackofhismind,Nikolauswasalreadythinkingofaplan
tobuildasecondsecuredlocationinacountrywithoutabanonthe
creation of such cell lines. Getting these cells into the American
marketswasabittricky.Youcouldapproachonlyprivateinstitutions
that weren't receiving any government money. Thankfully, there
were some and they had deep pockets. They were banned from
creating any new lines, but could purchase any lines inexistence,
eveniftheywerenew.Sellingtolocationsthatreceivedgovernment
fundingwasamuchtougherneedletothreadandNikolauswantedno
partofitfornow.
There were several countries where this corporation had
operationsthatdidn'thavebansoncreatingnewstemcelllines.He
waskindofshockedthatsomeenterprisingcompanieshadn'tstarted
doingjustwhathewasdoing,buttherewasalwaysthatreligionissue
todealwithandmostofthemhadsomeleaderswhowerereligiousor
highlyreligiousinfluentialstockholders.
Gettingasecondsiteconstructedonasmallerscaleshouldbean
easysellfortheboard.True,thepartycontrolledmanyofthem,but
hestillneededtocomeupwithastorytheycouldselltothemedia
andshareholders.Nowthatthefirstsitewasturningaprofitfromthe
storagecontracts,itwouldbeeasytopitchtheneedforasecond
locationtospreadouttherisk.
AftertheLuttonbombingeveryonewasabitonedgeaboutanal
Qaedaattack.TherecentpublicroundupsofalQaedacellmembers
inGermanyhadmanypeopleonaheightenedstateofalert. The
Luttonbombingwaslargerandmorecoordinatedthananyonehad
expected.Severalbombsofthesizeusedinthatattack,detonatedat
the correct locations, could damage, if not take out, the freezer

20

TheTiesThatBind

storage.Theywouldn'tneedtomakeitintothecompound,butifthey
did,replacingallofthosedoseswouldbeamajorfinancialloss.
WhenNikolausgotbacktohisdesk,heaskedoneofthelawyers
workingforthecorporationwhowasaloyalpartymembertoidentify
countriesthatdidnothaveextraditiontreatieswitheitherGermanyor
theUnitedStates.Oncehehadthatlisthewouldcompareittothe
listoflocationsthecompanyalreadyhadoperations.Fromtherehe
shouldbeabletoeasilyidentifyasiteandaplan.
Thesecondsellingpointforthisentireplanwouldbethereduced
airtimetosomeofthesubscribinglocations. Anycountrywhich
didn't have extradition treaties would not be in Europe. It would
makesenseforNikolaustosetuparesidencenearthissiteaswell.
Nothingtooextravagant,justlargeenoughforhimselfandseveral
partyeldersincasetheyhadtohideoutforawhile. Therewould
need to be a secured room containing lots of cash in different
currencies, passports and other identitymaking equipment your
standard safe house fare for war criminals and other highprofile
politicalrefugees. Theyshouldalsostocksomeofthoselanguage
learning tapes. Anyone runningfrom thisoperationwas goingto
needtohideforaverylongtime.
With that thought done Nikolaus turned his attention to the
reportsfromoperations.Theteammustbestayingatthecampthese
days. Blackmarketorgansaleshadbroughtinacool$20million.
Thenicethingabouthavingacompanythissizewasitwaseasyto
hiderevenuesourcesbelow$100million. Havingsomeblackops
contracts for government work made it even easier. Nobody
questionedunnamedrevenuesourceswhentheyclosedthebooksona
quarter.Theonlyproblemwashandlingthecash.
WallStreetseemedtoalreadybepleasedwiththeresults.Even
some of the ethical conscience funds had been investing in the
companybecausesomeoftheboardmembersappearedsoreligious
tothem. Nikolaushadtolaughatthat. Iftheyonlyknew! Then

TheTiesThatBind

21

again,allofthereallyhideouscrimesagainsthumanityhadbeendone
in the name of one religion or another, so why shouldn't they be
investinginthis?
Briefly,Nikolauswonderedhowshortthecareerswouldbeof
thoseWallStreetanalystswhoweregoingonbusinesstalkshows
pushingtheirstrongbuyratingofhiscompanyoncethetruthcame
out. Eventually it would come out. How soon Nikolaus did not
know.Whenthebodycountstartedapproachingtensofthousandshe
wassuresomethingwouldstarttoleak.Itwouldtakeyearsforthe
teamhehadinplacetoreachthatkindofcount,butNikolauswasa
forwardthinker.
Theywerealreadyassemblingasecondteam. Heidihadbeen
helpinghiminselectingmembersfromtheloyalpartyroster.There
were hundreds to choose from and only the surgeons needed real
skills.Heidisaidshecouldteachanydockworkertousethemachine
shewasusingforbloodextractionaslongastheyweren'tsqueamish.
Itmayseemghoulish,buttheytendedtoconducttheinterviewsina
room where people were either donating blood or a table with
pouchesofbloodbeingsortedforshipment.Somecandidatesdidn't
makeitfiveminutes.
***
VladimirwasquiteshockedwhenheopeneduptheWebpagefor
his personal email account and found a message from his cousin
Lenny. It wasn't his birthday or a major holiday and those were
usuallytheonlytwotimesheheardfromtheman. Itwasn't like
Vladimirmadeiteasytokeepintouch.Hesetupthisemailaddress
forfamilymembersandcheckeditafewtimespermonth.Thelife
hehadledmadecuttingmostfamilytiesarequirement.Younever
knewwhensomeonewouldtrytouseyourfamilytogettoyou.Asa
resultthiswasanondescriptemailaddresspaidforviaafalseidentity
heneverusedduringanoperation.

TheTiesThatBind

22

Vlad,
Longtimenochat. Callmeonthiscellphonenumberwhen
youarefreetotalk.Haveafavortoaskofyou.Needtohear
fromyoubeforeFriday.
Lenny

AtthebottomoftheemailwasacellphonenumberNikolaus
didn't recognize. He assumed something bad had happened.
Vladimirknewalittleabouthiscousin'soperation.Hehadevendone
someanalysisforhimmanyyearsago. Lennyprobablyneededa
placetohidefromthelaworsomeonetolaundersomemoneyfor
him.StillhewasfamilyandoneofthefewVladimirhadanycontact
with.
He reached over and opened up a brand new disposable cell
phone.Vladimirboughttheseaboxatatime,alwaysthesamemodel
sohehadlotsofinterchangeablechargersandbatteries. Heputa
freshbatteryinthephoneandmadethecall. Itwouldbethewee
hoursofthemorningintheUnitedStates,butLenny hadn'tspecifieda
time.
AfterthethirdringVladimirheardaverysleepyHello.
Hello,Lenny,beenquiteawhile.
Vlad?
Vladimircouldtellthecobwebswerestartingtoclear.
Letmegodownstairsandgetsomecaffeine.CallmebackifI
loseyou.
Whatisthenatureofthefavoryouneed?Vladimircouldhear
thesoundofdoorsclosingandfeetpaddingdownsomesteps.

TheTiesThatBind

23

Iwaswonderingifyoustillhadanelectronictradingaccount?
Ihaveseveralandaccesstoothers.Whydoyouask?

Thereisaseriesofstockplayswearedoingwhichissimply
goingtobetoobigforustodohereandhide.Ineedtotransfersome
cashtooneormoreofyouraccountsandtellyouwhattodo.Need
thetradingaccountstobecompletely offshoreandpersonal sothe
SECcan'treallyinquireonthemiftheytry.
Vladimirheardthedistinctsoundofasodacanbeingopenedand
someoneswallowing.
Howmuchareyoulookingtotransfer?
Iwon'thaveanexactnumberuntillaterthismorning.Needto
dolotsofsmalltransferstoavoidsuspicion.I'dliketoputabouthalf
abillioninplayifIcan.
Thereisnowaytodothatthroughapersonalaccount. Even
throughadozenpersonalaccounts. Thiswouldhavetogothrough
oneofmycontactsbackhomethathasaninvestmentfirmlikeyours.
Icouldonlyhandleabout$5millionspreadacrossfouraccounts.
Whatkindofmarginwouldyourcontactbelookingtomake?
Thiswouldn'tbethekindofcontactyoucouldsueiftheytried
tohangontothemoney.
Iprettymuchfiguredthat,giventhelifeyouleadoratleast
usedtolead. Iwashopingyouweresetuptohandleityourself.
Playedcorrectly,wecouldbelookingatareturnofover twentydollars
pershareinlessthansixweeks.
Howcertainisthis,Lenny?
CertainenoughIcan'triskmakingtheplayhere.I'vemadetoo

TheTiesThatBind

24

much this year to remain below radar much longer. I have one
offshore company I set up to do plays like this, but there is a
possibilityitcouldbetiedbacktome.Iwillhavetokeeptheplay
thererathersmall.Twotothreemillionshares,tops.
Doyoustillhaveapassport?
Yes,why?
Willyouhavethisphonewithyouafewhoursfromnow?
Yes,butwhyareyouaskingaboutapassport?
Iwillrunthispastmycontact.Ifheisupforithewillwantto
meetyoufacetofaceandhashouttheterms.Whenyougettothe
officeinthemorning,callyourtravelagentandhavethemarrangea
businesstriptoNuremberg,Germany.Havethembookyouasuiteat
theMaritimHotelinNuremberg.
Why am I booking the travel before you know they are
interested?
Youwillhavetogeta onetothreedaybusinesstripvisasobest
toslamitthroughatravelagent.Theywillneedthemorningtopush
itthroughtogetyouonaflightouttomorrow.Aboveall,don'tlieat
customs. Tellthemyouarehereonbusinesstotalkwithanother
investmentfirm. Besuretohaveyourbusinesscardswithyouand
thatyourcompanypaysfortheflight.
Theywillprobablywantmoreofacutthanyouarewillingto
payunlessyouhavemorethanthisplayforthemtorunwith.IfIstill
knowyouthisisoneofaseriesofplaysyouhaveorchestrated,but
they have become too successful so now you need to spread the
incomearoundtoavoidgoingtoprison,correct?
Nicetohearfromyouagain,too,Vlad,Lennylaughedintothe
phone.
Vladimirlaughedaswell.Bringsomecompanyletterheadwith

TheTiesThatBind

25

yousoyoucanprintupsomekindofletterofintentforexchangeof
business analysis information. Nothing binding, just something
whichcanbesignedandplacedonfileincasethereissomeissue
laterwiththeauthorities.
Thiswon'tbeaGermanfirm,willit?
Goodnessno!Thatwouldbetoorisky...well,tooriskyonsuch
shortnotice. Bah! Couldn'triskgoingthroughtheGermanlegal
system.Don'tworry,thecompanywillbeRussian.Thecourtsthere
aretoobusyprosecutingmurderersanddrugdealerstobotherwith
peoplewhomademoneyintheAmericanstockmarket.
Seeyousoon,then.
Lookslike.

Afewshorthourslater,Lennyarrivedattheofficeandsentan
email to the travel agency his company used. He retrieved his
passport from his personal office safe and put it in his briefcase.
Whilehehadthethingopenhewentouttothereceptionistdeskand
gotsomecompanyletterheadandputitinabigmanilaenvelopeto
protectit.
Withthatoutofthewayhebegancheckingthecashpositionof
the company. There was over $500 million cash on hand in the
generalfundafterlastnight'sclearing. Thevariousotheraccounts
hadlotsofcashaswell.
Jeremy arrived while Lenny was still going through the cash
positions.
You'reinearly,hesaidashewalkedintoLenny'soffice.
Glad you are here! said Lenny. I'm goingtobe flying to
Germanylatertodaytomeetmycousinandsomeonewhocanhelp

TheTiesThatBind

26
us.

Lennyopenedoneofhisdeskdrawersandpulledoutsomelegal
forms,thenhandedthemtoJeremy.Weneedtogotothebankand
get these forms taken care of as soon as possible. The manager
usuallygetsinaround8:30.Calloverthereandmakeanappointment
forus.
Whatisthisabout?
IwillbeinGermanyclosingthedeal,soIwillneedtoauthorize
youtosignforthewiretransfer. Wewillhavetogettheseforms
signedandnotarizedtherethismorning,andtheywillhavetogeta
userID,password,andauthorizationcodeforyou. Ourbankwon't
letthiskindoftransfergooutwithoutanauthorizedsignature.
Ialreadyhaveanaccounttodotransfers.Idothemallofthe
time.
That account has a $100K limit. We will be sending $500
million out to be put into play. I'm assuming our new business
partner will need the transfer to complete before I leave. If you
haven'tguessed,yes,Iheardfrommycousinandtheplayistoobig
foranyofhisaccounts.Hehascontactsatafirmmuchlikethisone
inRussia.Tomakeitalllegallikewewillissuealetterofintentto
investintheircompanyandletthemputmoneytoworkforus.
We aren't going to handle the play through our offshore
company?

Asmallportionofit,yes. Theotheraccountswillallmake
smallplaysaswell.Ihatetoadmitit,butthatIvyLeagueboywas
correct.
Whichone?
There'sadifference?

TheTiesThatBind

27

Bothmenlaughed.
Whenhesaidthisplaywastoobigtoavoidscrutiny,hewas
correct. ARussianinvestmentfirmmakingabigplayisoutsideof
thereachoftheSEC.Wewillgetamuchsmallerreturn,howmuch
smallerIdonotknowyet,butwewillavoidprisonandtrial.I'mstill
worriedabouttheoffshorecompanywesetup.Thelawyerwhodidit
wasaputz. Ihonestlybelievehegotajobtherebecausehewas
someone'sbrotherinlaw.
Jeremylaughed.
I'mserious!Lennysaid,stillbustlingaroundgatheringthings
up.
PerhapsyourcousinknowsareliableRussianlawyerwhocan
setusupacorporationinacountrywithoutaU.S.extraditiontreaty.
ThatstoppedLennyinhistracks. Ihadn'tthoughtaboutthat.
Youknow,thisnewinvestmentfirmmightbeabletodoitforusas
partofthedeal.Itwillgivethemacleanplacetoparkourmoney.
Ijusthopetheyhavebetterlawyersthanwehaddoingit,said
Jeremy.
Isn'tthatthetruth!IstillcannotbelieveIlethimdoit.
Well,Ihadbestgocallthebank.
Yes,yes,offwithyounow.

CriticalMomentum
The team inIndia had located boththe trainer and the recent
trainee. They lived in the same housing complex built by some
Americancompanyoritsoffshorewing.Theyfoundabuildingwhich
was suitable to use for headquarters, but not for interrogation
purposes. Some members were looking around for an abandoned
shedoutinthecountry.Theproblemwashousinginthecitywasso
abysmalthatpeoplewhodidn'thavemoneyweregoingoutintothe
countrysideandprettymuchstealingthematerialsofanybuilding
thatdidn'thavesomeonetheredefendingit.
Eventhoughtheteamwastoldtoobservefromadistance,they
tailedbothmentofindoutwheretheyworked.Itturnedoutthatthe
trainerworkedatanewlybuiltdatacenterwhichseemedtobehiring
alotofpeopleatverylowwages.Thatwasabouttochange,though,
becausetheworkershadvotedtounionize.
Thepersonrunningthenewemailhubworkedatacallcentera
littlefartheraway. Howeitherofthemwaspayingrentheregiven
what their companies paid for wages should have been indication
enoughtheywereworkingasidejob. Youcannotmake$200per
monthandpay$300permonthinrent.
Since the man in the suit was still back at the old Pakistani
headquarters,theydecidedtotakemattersintotheirownhands.Two
membershadfakebackgroundsgeneratedforthem.Oneappliedfor
ajobatthecallcenterandtheotherappliedatthedatacenter.The
personatthedatacenterwastoldthecompanywasnotgoingtobe
hiringuntiltheyhadhammeredoutadealwiththeunion.Couldbea
day,mightbeamonth,mightnothappenatall.
Therestoftheteamwasbeginningtoworryaboutthemember
whowastoapplyatthecallcenter.Hehadbeengone fourteenhours
withoutreportingin.Finallyheshowedupatheadquartersandsaid
hewasheadedbacktohisapartmentforsleep.Hehadbeenhiredand

hadstartedthatday.Hewasworkingonthesamefloorasthesuspect
andonlyafewaislesawayfromhim.Theteamhaddippedintothe
operationalfundtosetseveralmembersupwiththeirownapartments
inthesamecomplexasthetwosuspects.

CriticalMomentum

Three members shared an apartment, the position of which

allowedthemtoobservetheentrytobothsuspects'apartments.One
oftheapartmentstheyhadgottenforamemberjusthappenedtobe
directlyabovetheapartmentwherethenewemailhubwasrunning.
Theyobtainedsometoolsandequipmenttoinstallbothvideoand
audiosurveillanceintheapartmentbelow.Becausethispersonwas
alsonowacoworkerofthatman,theyhadtohidethewiringand
recordingequipment.Thismeanttheyactuallyhadtoputthecarpet
backdownandthecableunderitoncetheyhaddrilledthroughthe
floorandtappedintotheoverheadlightsofboththelivingroomand
thesecondbedroomwherethecomputerwas.
While the team was checking out the video equipment, they
noticedthemanactuallyhadalandlinephoneinhisapartment.This
wasquiteunheardofinIndia. Theycobbledtogetheranextension
cord,anACregulator,andagatorclip;thenaccessedthemainphone
panelforthebuilding. Onlyfourphoneshadactuallybeenhooked
up.Theydidn'twanttoriskatapbeingdiscoveredatthesite,sothey
wenttoworkwiththeACregulatorwhileoneteammemberstayed
insideonacellphonewatchingthesurveillanceequipment.Ontheir
thirdtry,theyfoundthephoneline.
MostphonesystemshadbeenbasedontheAmericanstandardof
TIPandRING.Alandlinephoneactuallyusesonlytwowires.The
TIPisalwayspositiveandtheRINGisratherodd.Whentheringer
onthephoneisidle,thislinehas48voltsDC.Tomakethephone
ring90voltsof20hzACcurrentissuperimposedontheline.Tofind
out which phone line went to this apartment, they simply put the
correctcurrentontheringlineforasecondandwaitedforareporton
the cell phone. When the person observing the surveillance
equipmentheardthephonering,hereportedit.
Asthemenreturnedtotheapartmentoneofthemaskedtheman
who built the ring generator, Why are the lines called TIP and
RING?

CriticalMomentum

Theyarenameswhichstuckaroundlongpasttheirusefulness.
Yousureyou'renotanMBA,becauseyougavemearesponse,
notananswerandthatisexactlywhattheydo.
Have you ever seen old black and white photos or newsreel
footage, on the History Channel or any other place, of women
wearingthesebigheadsetssittingatafunkytablewithalotofcables
stickingup,andabigboardtoplugthemintoinfrontofthem?The
oldtelephoneoperatorfootage?
Yes,so?
Each one of those retractable cables had a special pointed
connectoronit,muchliketheconnectorsyouseeforACadaptersto
power12voltorlowerDCequipment,onlymuchlarger. Insideof
thecablewastwowires.Onewirewenttothetipoftheconnector
andanotherwirewasconnectedtooneoftheringsonthelargerpart
oftheconnector.You'venoticedhowsomeofthosepointedadapters
havethoseridgesgoingaroundthem,haven'tyou?
Yes,butIthoughtitwasjusttokeeptheminplace.
Inpartitis,butitalsomakesforadifferentconnectionpoint.
That is why they have different colorings. At any rate, most
telephonesstillusetwowiresandmostpeoplestillcallthosewires
TIPandRING.
Withalloftheprepworkdone,theteamsetinforalong,boring
surveillance routine. At least now they were doing it from an
apartmentwheretheycouldkeepfoodinthefridgeandeasilyusethe
bathroom. Theyhadheardwhatateamwasgoingtohavetodoto
observethenewemailhubinPakistan. Noneofthemwantedany
partofthatduty.Oh,itwasn'tjustthelyinginthesununderdesert
temperatures,thebugbites,scorpions,andhavingtoshitinyourown
dentokeepfrommakinganymorefootprints itwastheregion
itself.Therewasnotellingwhenadrugcaravanwouldcomealong

CriticalMomentum

2
andkillyousimplybecauseyouwerethere.

Atlasttheywroteupasummaryoftheirworkandallcurrent
informationtheyhadonthetwosuspects.Thesummarywasattached
toanemailwhichwassenttobothHansandthemaninthesuit.
***
Stacie returned home to her roomies after nearly a month in
France. Tosomeit mightsound reallynicetosayitoutloud,but
Staciedidn'twantatriplikethatagain,withthreegruelingweeks
movingfromlocationtolocation,stayinginadifferenthoteleach
night and packing each morning. It didn't help that she had the
vocabularyofasecondgraderinFrenchandmostofthetellersthey
weretrainingwantednothingtodowiththePCthathadshowedupat
theirwindowthedaybefore.

Therewasonebrightspot,though.BecauseFirstGlobalhadto
obtain a standardized computer and get it installed at each teller
windowineachlocation,theyhadagreedtoshutlocationsdownas
therolloutprogressed.Eachlocationwouldbedownforabouthalfa
day while the new computers were installed and the first bit of
traininghappened. Therestofthedaywasspent walkingaround
answering questions as best she could. Thankfully she had been
assignedaPythotrainingpersonwhospokeFrenchnatively.
OnhernexttolastdayinFrance,StacieemailedJeremy.

Jeremy,
Ithasbeenalonggruelingroadtrip. Weworkuntilthe
bankcloseseverynight,thendrivetothenexttownwithabank
locationorascloseaswecangetwherethereisstillahotel.
Wakeupat5:00AMlocaltimeandarriveatthebanktobegina

CriticalMomentum

trainingsessionat6:30AM.
This weekend we ARE going to Salish. Make the
reservationandbesuretobookatwohoursessionintheSpa
formeonSaturday.Massage,mudtreatment,theworks!
Missyou
Stacie

Partofherwasworriedaboutputtingthelittleaffectionatecloses
ontheseemailmessages,buttheotherpartofherknewthatifthey
turned up in an audit it would be better for both of them to be
dismissedasyoungloversusingthecompanyemailratherthanwhat
they were really doing. Then again, Stacie thought, if he makes
anywhere near the money I think he is going to make from this
information,heshouldbesettingmeupasatleasta'KeptWoman'if
hedoesn'thavethemettletomakeanhonestwomanoutofme.That
lastthoughtreallyshockedStacie.Shehadn'tthoughtaboutgetting
marriedsinceshewasalittlegirl.Staciewanteditall.Thegoodlife,
theexpensiveclothes,theinternationaltravel,andthecareer. She
wasinnowaylookingforwardtototalingoutherbodybyhaving
someone'skid. ItmusthavebeensomethingIatewhichmademe
thinkthat.
WhenStacie'sroomiesgothomefromtheirjobs,theycouldn't
waittobadgerherforallofthedetails.OfcourseStaciehadtofill
them in on the grueling pace first and they dutifully listened,
consideringitthetollthatmustbepaidtotravel thisroad. Then
StaciepulledouttheroadmapofFranceshehadbought.Onitshe
hadmarkedeverytownandputanumberbyit.Inadocumentonher
notebook she had a trip diary that she planned on sharing with
Kathryn.Itlistedthedateandeachlocationaswellasthehotelthey
hadstayedatthenightbefore.

CriticalMomentum

Onthoserareoccasionswhentheywereinacitylargeenoughto
have more than one branch, the girls actually were taken out for
supperbythebranchmanager. Onebranchmanagerdecidedthat
theseladieshadeatenintoomanyrestaurantsandactuallytookthem
tohishomeforamealpreparedbyhiswifeandmotherinlaw.
Little wasdone inthe wayof sightseeing except onSundays.
ManybrancheswereopenonSaturdaysothiswasasixdaywork
week. There were only four locations in Paris and Stacie wasn't
seniorenoughtopullrankforthose. Shehadgottentoseesome
smaller museums and tour some wineries. Her roomies took the
opportunitytothankherforthebottlesofwineshehadsent. They
hadallbeentornbetweentryingitandwaitingforhertoreturnso
theycouldshare. Whenshewasfinishedoneofherroomiessaid,
Wow.Soundslikeyoudidn'thaveagoodtime.
It was a working trip, not a vacation, responded Stacie.
Besides,I'mtakingFridayofftoflyoutfortheweekend.Won'tbe
comingbackuntilMonday.
Whereareyoutakingofftonow?herroomiesasked.
SalishLodgeforaweekendofpamperingandincrediblesex.
I'vegottwohoursinthespaonSaturdayafternoonformassage,mud
bath,theworks.
Total jealousy filled the room. It was the honor of those
achievinganewplaneofwomanhoodtofeel anelevatedlevel of
satisfactionandachievementfromsuchaswellofjealousy,muchlike
asurferridingawave. Itwasthedutyofallgirlswhoclaimedto
haveachievedsomelevelofwomanhoodtoprovidesaidjealousyin
theairwhenanotheroftheirrankscoredsuchanachievement.
Stacielookedrightintotheireyeswithasmile,laughedlightly
andasked,What?TheireyesscreamedbackthephraseIhaven't
hadgoodsexinoveramonth,youbitch!butoutwardlyoneofthem
asked the question they both wanted to know: Same guy as the

CriticalMomentum

restaurant?
Ifyoumustknow,yes.Ofcoursetheymustknow!Askingis
partoftheunwrittenlawofwomanhood!
Youmusthavehimtotallywhipped!
Guess we'll see, smirked Stacie and the rest of the girls
laughed.IfyouarestillworkinghimoveratChristmasyoushould
havehimbringfriendsandtakeusalloutonNewYear's,suggested
oneofherroomies.
Hear!Hear!Isecondthat!chantedtheotherroomie.You've
dipped into the wealthy and eligible pool, time to share the pool
pass.
Ladies,thisisonlythesecondweekendawaywiththeguy.It's
notlikeIownhimyet!laughedStacie.
It'syoursecondFANTABULOUSweekendwiththeguy!one
ofherroomiesexclaimed.NewYear'sisonlyfourmonthsaway,so
tell him this weekend. You know how long it takes guys to get
organizedforsomethinglikethis.
Staciegotawickedgleaminhereyeasshebecamesilentand
lookedatthem. Theysensedsomethingwasupandgotquiet,too.
FinallyStaciebrokethesilencebysaying,Soladies.Areyouboth
tellingmethatyouagreehereandnowtosleepwithwhomeverwe
bringforyourdatesfromhispooloffriends?
Glanceswentbackandforth. Cheeksblushed. Headsnodded.
Isthatayesorano?askedStacietostretchoutthetease.
Yes,theybothsaidinunison.Doesthatmeanyou'regoingto
doit?
GetmesomedigitalpicturesofyourselvesandIwillemailthem
tohimtonight.Thenyouladiesneedtothinkaboutwhathotelyou
wanttohavesexinonNewYear's.Ibelievehestillhasquiteafew

CriticalMomentum

6
goodlookingsinglefriends.

Bothgirlshuggedherandscamperedofftocopysomepictures
ofthemselvesforStacie. Neitherofthemhadevermanagedtobe
datingagreatguywhohadboththeresourcesandthedesiretotake
them to one of those allinclusive, grand hotel New Year's Eve
parties.Stacieknewthiswouldbespecialforthem.Shealsoknew
thatbothgirlshaddoneafewonenightstandsintheirday,sothis
wasn'tgoingtobethatdifficultforthem. Shedidn'tbothertotell
them that she knew some of Jeremy's friends from college. This
should be an easy setup. Jeremy wasn't about to turn down
guaranteedgreatsexwithheronNewYear's,andhispoolofstill
singlemalefriendsweren'tthetypetogettieddownsotheywouldbe
abletocommittoasurething. Fourmonthsleadtimewouldgive
themtimetoputawaysomecashfortheevening,perhapsevenget
themselvesbettersuits.
***
Hans had just finished hooking up the satellite Internet
connectionandsatellitephonesysteminthenewheadquarters. He
bootedthemainserver,then,whenitwasdone,bootedhislaptopto
checkemail.Ithadtakenhimallofsixhourstogetthisfar.Hestill
hadtosetuptheweteraseboardintheroomtheywoulduseasawar
roomandsetupwhatwouldserveasanofficeforthemaninthesuit.
Whenitcame totheassignmentofofficespaceinanewtemporary
headquarters,rankwasirrelevant.Ifyouexpectedotherstosetthings
upforyou,thenyougotwhattheygaveyou.Hans'officewasafull
sixsquarefeetbiggerthantheoneforthemaninthesuit.
There were only three other officetype rooms and one other
largeareameantforsomekindofcubicalfurniture.Mostoftheteam
wouldmakedowithsomeofficefoldingtables,secretarychairs,and
lockingfilecabinets. Theywereonlyhereforbriefingsandcoffee.

CriticalMomentum

Thiswasn'tsupposedtobeasinvolvedanoperationastheonethey
raninPakistan.
Plowingheadlongthoughhisemail,Hansgottotheonesentby
theteamalreadyonsite.Heletoutalonglowwhistlewhenheread
whattheyhaddone.Themaninthesuitwasactuallygoingtoshow
emotionoverthis.They hadgonewaybeyondtheirorders.Hanswas
oneofthefewallowedtogobeyondorders.Still,whattheyhaddone
hadbeencorrect.HadHansbeenheretopassitby,hewouldhave
authorized it. One thing was certain, this team was mostly
professionals. Because none of them knew about Vladimir, Hans
forwardedtheemailontohimjusttoseewhatcameofit. Thenhe
senttheteamanemailtellingthemwherethenewheadquarterswas.
He also scheduled a meeting for the following day while their
suspectswerebothatwork.
Hanssatbackandwonderedwhattheoddswereforoneofthe
teamtogetrecruitedbyalQaeda.Theycertainlyknewwheretwoof
theircommunicationspeoplewereworking.Didthesepeoplealsodo
recruiting? Nobody really knew. Until now it had always been
assumed that the clerics and a select few recruited, but that
assumptiondidn'tseemtoholdwaterwhenitwascomparedtothe
stories coming back from the interrogation camp. Most of the
interrogated had been recruited locally by someone they knew and
specificallyforanobjective.
Thecellsdidn't seem tobelikeunions,whichsimplywanted
bodycountspayingdues.Theyseemedtohaveacoupleofleaders,
then swell their numbers for a particular strike. Once the strike
occurredtheywouldscatterandregroupsomewhereelsethosewho
hadnotbeenchosenformartyrdom. Hansstillhadtolaughatthat
phrase:chosenformartyrdom.Whatitreallymeant wasthefatcats
toldyoutodieandlikeanidiotyoudidit.Hanshadbeenonhisfair
shareofsuicidemissions.Atleastwithasuicidemissiontherewas
some probability, however small, of coming back alive. If there

CriticalMomentum

8
wasn't,Hanswouldn'tbesittingheretoday.

Hewroteallofthesethoughtsdowninanemailwhichhesentto
Vladimirandthemaninthesuit.HefeltVladimirshouldbebrought
intothedecisionmakinglevel. Themancouldreallythinkthings
through, and without him their operation would have been over.
Mightaswellcompletelypissoffthemaninthesuittodaybyletting
himknowVladimir'sopinionwastobeincluded.
Ifthemaninthesuitactuallymanagedtogetincountryintime
fortomorrow'smeeting,itshouldbeentertainingandeducationalfor
all,laughedHans. Hehaslittlechoicebuttocomenow.Weare
wayoffhisgameplanandrunningwiththeball.
***

TheBritwasratherangrywhenhegotbacktowhatwasleftof
theoldheadquarters. Hebarelyhadaplacetositoramachineto
work with. He thought he would be sent to a new temporary
headquarterssomewhereclosetothecommunicationscenter.When
the man in the suit told him the reason they hadn't set up a new
headquartersinthiscountry,hewasrightlycorked.Hethrewstuff,
hecussed,hehollered,andmostofallhewantedtogobackhometo
continuewiththeroundups.Workingonaremoteserverisworking
onaremoteserver,heargued.
Whenitcametothemaninthesuit,therewerealotofrumors
andverylittlefact. Somesaidhehadorganizeddeathsquadsfor
somemilitantregime,otherssaidhewasawarcriminalwhoreally
came from Afghanistan and was simply doing this job to keep
security forces off his back. All of the rumors had one thing in
common:Theydescribedthemaninthesuitasthekindofguywho
wouldputlittlesoreassducksinsaltwaterfornootherreasonthan

CriticalMomentum

he could. Today, the Brit was learning the truth behind that
statement.
Ihavedecidedwewillworkasbestaswecanfromhereuntil
wecandealwiththiscommunicationscenter.
Dealwithit?Wecan'tevengetclosetoit.
Some specialforces, longrange recon personnel have been
dispatched.Theywillobservefromoneofthemountainpeaksabout
amileorsoawayandlookforahighprofiletarget.
Atarget?Justwhackthesite.
Therewouldbenobelievablecoverstory,andalQaedawould
knowweareontotheirtrainer.Wehavetositandobserve,waiting
foranopportunitytohavethePakistanimilitaryblastitoffthemap.
Theywillputoutastoryaboutthehighprofiletargetbeingthereand
thatwillbethereasonthehutwasblownup.Everythingelsewasjust
collateraldamage.
Justhowmanytargetslikethatvisitedourlastcommunications
centerinthetimewehadcontrolofit?
None.Thisoneisdifferent,though.BeinglocatedinKhyber
Pass, it will be where field commanders go into and out of
Afghanistanwhentheircommunicationsequipmentisdown.Thereis
averyhighprobabilitywewillidentifysomeoneontheinternational
mostwantedlist.
Inthemeantime,I'mstuckhereworkingremotelywithmostof
theofficeequipmentgone.Youcan'tevengetabloodycupofcoffee
here!
Themaninthesuitwasnothavingagoodday.HeknewHans
wascorrectandtheBritshouldhavebeensenton.Thesimpletruth
wasthatthemaninthesuitwasoldschoolPakistani.HehatedIndia
andwaslookingforanyexcusenottogo.Hereachedintohispocket
andpulledoutahandfulofmoneythenstuckitintheBrit'shand.

CriticalMomentum

10

Gobuyanothercoffeepotandcoffee.Don'tforgetcreamandsugar.
Seeifwestillhaveanycupsbeforeyouleave.
***
Lennytoucheddownintheearlymorninghours. Atleast,his
bodyclocksaiditwasearlymorning.Itlookedlikenoonoutside.He
managedtogetthroughcustomswithhisbriefcaseandonepieceof
luggage. Hewasluckyenoughtoseeabigdisplayboardwiththe
hotelslistedinseparatesquares.Eachonehadathreedigitnumber
todialonthespecialphonefortheshuttleservice. ThankGodthe
personspokeEnglish!Lennythoughtasheheardthempickup.He
saidhisnameandtheairlinehehadjustarrivedon.Theytoldhimto
watchfortheshuttlebus.Itshouldbethereinsideoffifteenminutes.
Within the hour Lenny was checked into his room and was
calling Vladimir via his disposable phone. Vladimir told him the
meetingwasinfivehours.Heshouldeatsomethingandgettosleep.
Keepthephonebythebedwiththeringeronloud.Vladimirwould
callhimonehourbeforethemeeting.Themeetingwastooccurin
hishotelsuite.Vladimirwouldcontactroomserviceandarrangefor
mealstobedeliveredtotheroom. Thiswouldbeameetingwhere
youateanddrank.Lennyagreedtoeverything,thenwentinsearch
ofsomefastfood.Thehotelrestaurantwasstillservingabreakfast
buffet. Lenny really had a taste for a burger and fries, but after
starvingontheflighttheallyoucaneatpartwasstartingtosound
good.
Lenny was later pulled out of a comalike sleep by a bizarre
noise.Hefumbledaroundinthefogofhisbrainandsearchedwith
hisblearyeyesaroundaroomhedidnotrecognizeforthesourceof
it,butthenitstopped. WherethehellamI?hethought,rubbinghis
faceandeyestryingtowakeup.Thenthatnoisecameback.Hesaw
itwascomingfromacellphoneonthenightstandsohegrabbedit
andansweredHello.

CriticalMomentum

11

Youmusthavereallybeenoutofit,saidthevoiceontheline.
Stillam,respondedLenny.
Youhavejustunderanhourtogetreadyforthemeeting,said
thevoice.
Meeting?
Gotakeashower.Iwillbethereinhalfanhour.
OK.Vlad?
Good.Yoursynapsesarebeginningtofireagain.GladI'mnot
there,asIthinkitwouldbeafrighteningsight.
At least IknowwhereIam now. I'llget asodaout ofthe
vendingmachinetowakeup,thentakeashower.
JustbedonewiththeshowerbeforeIgetthere.Ihaven'tseen
yousincewewerekidsanddon'twantyouansweringthedoorina
towellikeyouwereexpectingsomeprostitute.
Lennylaughedandhungup.
Vladimir'scommentstruckhome,atleastpartially.Lennyfound
somepantstoputonbeforewanderingthehalllookingforasoda
machine.Healsomanagedtofindhisroomkeybeforewalkingout
oftheroom. Thatwouldjustbeperfect,hethought. Iknowabout
threewordsofGermanandnoneofthemwouldhelpmegetthehotel
stafftounlockmydoor.
Lennyfinishedhisshowerandgotdressed.Hewassittingatthe
table in the other room his suite came with going through the
documentshehadbroughtwithhim.Thehotelhadabusinesscenter
downstairssotheywouldbeabletowriteupsomeofficiallooking
letterandprintitoutonthecompanyletterheadhehadbroughtwith
him.Thentherewasaknockatthedoor.
Theyhadnotseeneachothersincetheywereabout nine or ten,

CriticalMomentum

12

butLennyhadnotexpectedthesightofVladinawheelchair.
Greetings,Lenny.
Hello, Vlad. Please forgive me, but you said nothing about
beinginawheelchairovertheyears.
Wasn'tmuchpoint.IamwhatIamanddowhatIdo.Ijustget
shotatlessnow.Thefoodshouldbehereinsideof fifteenminutes.I
checkeddownstairsbeforecomingupintheelevator.
Whendoyouexpecttheothers?
Knowingthem,followingthescentoffoodandVodkaupthe
elevatortothisroom.
Lennylaughed.Atleastwewillhavesomethingincommon.
So,youhavebeendoingmanyoftheseplays?
Neveronethisbig.Well,that'snottrue.NeveronewhereIhad
thismuchcashtothrowatit.I'vehadalotofplayswhichreturned
farmore,butneverhadhalfabilliontothrowintothem.Probablya
goodthingorIwouldbeinjailandunabletovisityou,cousin.
NowitwasVladimir'sturntolaugh.InRussiaIcanhelpkeep
yououtofprison.Youshouldconsidermovingthere.
Icouldn'thaverunmycompanyremotelybeforenow.
Andnowyoucan?
Ihaveoneguyworkingformewhoisanaturalatthis.Heisn't
farfrombeingabletofillmyshoes. Intruth,hecameupwiththe
informationwhichallowedforthisplayanddesignedmuchofthe
play. AslongashecouldreachmebyphonefromtimetotimeI
couldresideanywhere.
Thenwhydon'tyoumove?
MywifewoulddivorcemeinaheartbeatifImentionedtaking

CriticalMomentum

13

herawayfromherfavoriteAmericanshoppingmallsformorethana
month.ThenIcouldn'taffordtoliveinacave.
Bothmenlaughed.
Thankfully,myoccupationkeptmefromengaginginthemost
dangerousofhabits.
You don't realize how dangerous it is until you are already
marriedandstartingtoreallymakemoney.Thenitisjusttoolateto
getout.

Another knockonthedoor interrupted theconversation. The

jokebecamearealityatthatpoint.Standingbehindtheroomservice
cartwerefourmen.Oneofthemwasobviouslyahotelworkerand
Lenny assumed the others were the ones he was to meet.
Gentlemen! Come in. He stood aside and gestured them all
through.
Lennyshookhandsthenremovedhisbriefcasefromthetableas
thehotelworkerbegansettingupthetableforthemeal. Oncethe
tablewassetandthehotel workertippedwitha twentydollar bill,
Vladimirbegantheintroductions.
Gentlemen, this is my cousin Lenny from America. He is
bringingsomealmostlegitimateworktoyou.
Theothermenchuckledatsuchanintroduction.
Lenny,thisisDimitriandhistwoassistants.Imustapologize
fornotknowingtheirnames.
LennyshookDimitri'shandandDimitritookover.Onmyleftis
BorisandmyrightisGleb.Onceagainthehandshakingcontinued.
Let'sallsitandeat,saidLenny.Idon'tknowwhatVladimir
orderedforus,butI'msureIpaidforit,soeatheartily.

CriticalMomentum

14

Morelaughterfilledtheroom.Thingswererelaxingbetweenthe
men.DuringthemealDimitriasked,Sotellme,Lenny,whatisit
yourcompanyactuallydoes?
Well,giventhatyouarefriendsofVladimir,Iwilltellyouthe
truth.Onthesurfacewearesimplyindustryanalysts.Whilewedo
investsomemoneyforothers,wearenotalicensedinvestingfirm.
Atleastwedon'thavethekindoflicenseandregulationwhichwould
berequiredtoopenregularmutualfunds.Intruth,whatwedoisfind
informationatleastthreedaysinadvance,thenactonit.Wewillnot
useinformationifitdoesn'thaveatleastathreedayleadtime.
Andinyourcountrythisisnotconsideredlegal?
Notevenclose. Nearlyeverybodydoesit,butwhenyouget
caughtyoutendtoenduppayinghugefines,orgoingtoprison.You
mayhaveseenthenewsreportsaboutMarthaStewart?
Themennodded.
Itishighlyprofitable,though,chimedinBoris.Athreeday
leadgivesonetimetospreadtradesacrossmanyaccountstoavoid
detection.
Exactly why we need the information at least three days in
advance. InthematterofthecurrentplayIcametotalkwithyou
about we have had the information months inadvance. We have
alreadydoneseveralplaysandmorethandoubledourassets.There
are several big plays yet to be had with this information, but we
cannot putall ofthecashintoitviaournormal channelswithout
gettingcaught.Itissimplytoomuchmoney.Liketryingtohidean
oceanlinerinabathtub.
Allofthemenchuckledatthatone.
Glebfinallyenteredtheconversationsaying,Wetendtobevery
goodattakingpeople'smoney.
Noweverybodylaughedheartily.

CriticalMomentum

15

Whatisthenatureofthisplayasyoucallit?
WehaveknownformanymonthsthatFirstGlobalBankwasin
the process of offshoring all of their data centers. While the cost
savingshashelpedtheirstocksome,theyaregoingtorunafoulof
bankingregulationswhentheyoffshorethelasttwodatacenters.That
timeisapproaching.AtthatpointtheywilllosetheirFDICinsurance
andmostlikelybetakenoverbythegovernmenttobeliquidatedor
forcedtobringoperationsbackintotheU.S. Thatplayisaways
downtheroad,though.
Theothermenatthetableweren'tthatinteresteduntilthefinal
sentence.Nowtheywereallpayingattention.
You might have noticed some stock movement for Pytho
Corporationlately.
Dimitrinodded.
Wewereabigpartofthatmovement.Wefoundoutsometime
lastquarterthatPythowasabouttorolloutanewsoftwareproduct
foranichemarket.Wemadeourbuywhiletheywerelow,thensent
outtheleakaboutthenewsoftwareproduct.Iassumeyouhavealso
heardthatleak?
Dimitrinoddedagain.
Doyouknowwhatthenicheis?
Dimitrishookhishead.
Banking.
Theothertwogentlemensatmoreforwardnowandbegantopay
closerattention.
ThefirstclienttheyhavesignedisFirstGlobal.Theyhavejust
completedorareabouttocompletethe rolloutofthissoftwaretoall
Frenchbankingoperations.AsPythodeliversothercountriesitwill
berolledouttothem. Wedon'thavehardestimatesyet,butthey

CriticalMomentum

16

shouldcompleterollouttoeverywhereinsideofsixmonths.Atsome
pointsoonPythowillannouncethenewsoftwareproductandsome
timeshortlyafterthatFirstGlobalwillannouncehowmuchmoney
theyintendtosaveusingit.
Justhowmuchmoneywilltheybesaving?
UsingathirdpartyproductallowsthemtoterminateallITstaff
ineverycountryexceptforatokenfewkeptaroundforwhatever
reason. Italsoletsthemgetridofalltheothercomputersystems.
Myownestimateisthattheywillreduceoperationalcostsbyatleast
$10millionperyear.Francealonewillsavethemnearly$2million
peryear.
Therewassilenceandsomeglances.Itwasobvioustothemen
thatLennywaslayingitallontheline.Theycouldrefusetoinvest
themoneyforhimandusethisknowledgefortheirownprofitifthey
wanted.
Whatwouldyouhaveofus?
Ineedtosetupsomekindofinvestmentarrangementwithyou,
getsomemoneyinyourhandsasquicklyaspossible,thenhaveyou
startbuyinganawfullotofFirstGlobal.Iwilltellyouwhentodump
it.Iwillalsotellyouwhentostartsellingshort.
You have no interest in making more money from Pytho
Corporation?

I'vealreadymadeovereightdollarspersharefromitinseventy
twohours.Yes,itwillgoupsomemoreaftertheannouncement,but

not enough to warrant my attention at this time. First Global is

CriticalMomentum

17

currentlytrendingdownthankstootherfinancialsandisnowbelow
whereitwasbeforeIdidthefirstplay.Thatiswherethemoneyisto
bemade.OncetheyannouncetheuseofPythosoftware,therestof
theindustrywillfindoutabout$10millionperyearincostsavings.
Coupled with the dramatic drop in data center costs, plus the
profitablesaleofafewdatacenterstheirstockwillbeupanother
twentydollarspershareaftertheyannouncethisquarter'snumbers.I'll
begettingoutonceitcrossestheeighteendollarbumpthreshold.
Andyouwishtostartshortingassoonasyouareout?
I'llcontactyouandtellyouwhentostartshorting,ifIdecideto
makethatplay.WewillbeshortingPythoCorporationandBigFour
Consulting,butsomeothercountrymayforcemetowalkawayfrom
theFirstGlobalshorting.
EvenVladimirwaspayingattentionnow.
We haven't finished our research yet with respect to the
insurancerequirementsandrestrictionsputforthbyothercountries.
In the U.S. there is a restriction that all workers with significant
access to a bank's computer system must go through government
background and security checks. When the data center is in a
different country and not owned by the bank, it is quite hard to
enforcethebackgroundchecksand/ordothemwell. Theremaybe
anothercountryonthelistwiththesamerestriction.FirstGlobalis
convertingtheforeigncountriesfirstbecausetheyhavethehighest
costofoperationandleastpositiveimpactonthebottomline.Iknow
for a fact the announcement will come soon and that the French
migrationisn'tgoingtocausethisproblem. Iwillgettomakethe
firstplay.Theotherswillhappenifnoothercountrygetsintheway,
andifthathappenstheothersjustwon'tbeasbigofaplay.
Therewassilenceintheroomnow.Dimitriwaslookingdirectly
atLennycontemplating.FinallyDimitrispoke.Youdon'tmindus
andourclientsridingalongonthisbigplay?

18

CriticalMomentum

Theycanridealong,buttheycannotridealongbigunlessyou
can spread the trades across hundreds if not thousands of trading
accountsheldbyindividuals. Toomuchmoneybeingputintothis
willalertsuspicionbeforeitistime.Onceyounotifymethatallof
mymoneyhasbeeninvestedIwillputouttherumorthatFirstGlobal
isthefirstclientofPytho'ssoftware.Afterthattheycanridewithas
muchastheywant.Therumorwillspreadlikewildfire.
Youhavenoobjectiontosomeofourclientstakingasmallgain
withPythoonitswayupaftertheannouncement?
Thatinformationisoutthere.Dowithitwhatyouwill.Ican
onlyhandlesomanyanglesofthisatonce.
Again Dimitri nodded. And you are looking to put half a
millioninplay?
HalfabillionrespondedLenny.ThatiswhyIneedsomeone
whocanspreadthetradesaround.Ifallofthathitsfromoneplaceon
onedayitwillattracttoomuchattention.Whenitcomestimetodo
theshortingtherewillprobablybethreequartersofabillionsittingin
theaccountthatwillallowforalotofshortingcredit.
Wehavequiteafewcustomersweadviseprivately.Beingable
tobleedthemthePythostoryandbeingabletotellthemwhentoget
outwouldmakethemveryhappy.Iftheycanmake eightdollarsper
shareinaweek,theyaremorethanhappy.Wehavesomeoldpeople
wedoinvestingfor.Theydon'thavealotoftoleranceforrisksince
thisisalltheyhave. Thatkindofturnaroundwillgoalongway
towardmakingtheirliveseasier. Callmesoft,butwhenIfinda
smallscorelikethatIrunitforthem. Mostneedmorethana6
percentreturntosurvive.
Then they should be very happy. When I tell you to start

CriticalMomentum

19

shortingFirstGlobalyoushouldtakehalfoftheirprofitfromthat
tradeanduseittobacksomeshortsells,itwillnetthemamuch
largerreturnandbealmostthesamerisklevel.
Assumingwegettomakethatplay.
Yes,ofcourse.

Until then, you have the short hop of Pytho, then the major
bumpofFirstGlobal. EvenifsomecountrydoesoutFirstGlobal
beforewecanplayit,weshouldstillgettoplayBigFourConsulting
infull.
Youdidnotinformusastotheplaywiththem.
Theyownabigpieceofthecompanyprovidingtheoffshoredata
centerservices.Theyarealsotheoneswhosoldtheideatotheboard
atFirstGlobal.Theyaretheonesassistingwiththe rolloutofPytho
softwareatFirstGlobal. Theonlyplayforthemisashred,andit
doesn't matter who blows the whistle on First Global to make it
happen. Ofcourse,itwillbebetteriftheywaituntiltheU.S.data
centershaveallbeenmigrated.Theshredwillhavealotmoreeffect
whenitcomeswithcongressionalhearingsandcriminalindictments.
Vladimirhadbelievedhimselftheonlyoneinthefamilywith
thisgiftuntilthatmoment.Lennyobviouslyhadthesameability,just
farlessdesirewhenitcametododgingbullets.
PriortocominghereVladimirhadreceivedseveralemailsfrom
Hans.HeknewforafactBigFourConsultingwasbasicallyrunning
theoperationinIndiafordatacentermigrations. Hehadnotheard
whotheclientwasotherthanitwasalargebankfromtheU.S.that
handledclosetoonethirdoftheworld'sfinancesthankstoallofits
recentacquisitions.Therewasnowayhecouldtellthemhowhegot
thatinformation. Hehadtakenitoutofamessagehefoundinthe
sentitemsboxofthetrainer'semailsystem.

20

CriticalMomentum

Itisgoodyoudon'tneedtomaketheshreddingplayonFirst
Global to be happy with your return, Vladimir finally offered.
Theymaytumblehardforotherreasons.
NoweveryonewaspayingattentiontoVladimir.
Oneofthedatacenterstowhichtheyhavebeenrelocatingis
beingcanvassedbyalQaeda. Wedon'tknowwhat,when,howor
evenif,butwedoknowthewhere.
Andyouareunabletotelluswhotheweis?askedDimitri.

Naturally. Ihavenotfiguredoutwhattheyintendtogainby
anyattackonthedatacenter. Thebankhastwindatacentersand
faulttolerantdatastorage.Ifonelocationgoesdown,theotherwill
simplyhandleallofthetransactions.Worstcase,someofthetellers
willneedtologinagain. Bombingjustonelocationwon'tdoany
morethankillahandfulofpeople. Abusbombingkillsmoreand
affectsmore.
Atanyrate,itwillnotaffecttheothershortingopportunity.Big
Four Consulting has had a significant revenue increase since the
migrationprojectbegan. Iexpecttheywillhavealargerrevenue
increase when they announce their new quarterly numbers due to
participatinginthesaleofthissoftwareandits rollout.Thatwillpush
theirstockup. OnceFirstGlobalgetsnailedforviolatingfederal
regulationsbymigratingthedatacentersitwillbeashortmatterof
timebeforeBigFourisfingeredastheonedoingthesale. Their
stockwillfreefallwhiletheyareunderinvestigation.That'saneasy
twenty dollarspershare play, but I start getting out around fifteen
dollars unlesstheyfreefallsofasttheyarewellpasta fifteendollars
persharelossbeforeIcangettheordersintocovershorts.
So,youareaskingustofacilitatesometradesforyoubased

CriticalMomentum

21

upon your instructions. We are free to ride along on those

instructionsaslongaswedon'tgettoogreedy,causingallofustobe
putunderinvestigation. Atsomepointinthenearfutureyouwill
wantmostofyourmoneyback.Correct?
Actually,ifyouareupforitIhaveonemoretaskforyou.
Goon.
Quite some time ago I had a law firm set up an offshore
companyinacountrywhichdoesn'thaveanextraditiontreatywith
theU.S.Idon'ttrustwhattheydid,sohaven'tdonemuchwithit.I
wouldlikeyoutosetupan offshoretradingcompanyformeina
countrywhichhasnoextraditiontreatieswiththeU.S.Mostofthe
moneyshouldbeputintothatcompanyratherthansentbacktome.
Russia does not have extradition treaties with United States.
Settingupacompanywilltakeamonthorso. Wewillhaveour
peopledoit.Doyoumindifitisinthesameofficebuildingasoneof
ourlocations?WehaveofficesinMoscowandtheUkrainecapital,
Kyyiv.IfyouwanttokeepcostsdownKyyivwillbeyourlocation.
No,thatwouldbefine.Iwouldwantanactualofficewithair
conditioning,Internet,theusualbusinesstools.Wouldneedacouple
actualofficesintheofficespaceitself.Imaysendsomeonethereto
trainsomestaffsoitdoesn'tlooklikejustashell.
Wemightbeabletosharesomestaff.Wehavetwoparttime
secretarialpeoplethereandonewantstogofulltimenowthatsheis
marriedandthinkingofhavingafamily. Itwouldbegoodifthe
otherwasworkingparttimeforyousowecouldcallherinwhenthe
othergoesonmaternityleave.
That might work out. I haven't approached any of my staff
aboutrunninganotherlocationyet,somighthaveahardsellinfront
ofme.Dependsonwhattrappingscouldbehad.TheoneIhavein
mindisratheryoung.Hewouldwantaniceplace,clubstohangout

CriticalMomentum

22

in,fancycar,theusualtrappingsofwealthyyouth.
Dimitrithoughtforawhilethensaid,Ilikethatyouareupfront
aboutthis.Idomyinvestingmuchasyoudo.Gettinginformation
aheadofeveryoneelseallowsonetomakeakillingaslongas one
doesn'tgettoogreedy.Wehaverecentlyhadafewboutswithgreed
inmycompanysohavebeenusingthe offshorecompanytohandlea
lotofourtransactions. IthasbeenalongtimesinceIhadinside
information this far in advance. We can even structure this deal
legally.
Pleasecontinue.
Writeupaletterofintenttoenterabusinessrelationship.Fora
10 percent establishment feewewillestablishan offshorecompany
meetingyourrequirements.Youwillinvestyourhalfabillioninthat
company.Inthatletteralsostatethatwearecontractingyourfirmto
provideinvestmentanalysisservicestousonapertransactionbasis
nottoexceed10percentofprofit.Oncethatletterisfiledandposted
ontheInternetinaPRtypeplace,itwillallowjustcauseforfundsto
flowfreelybetweenourtwocompanies.
That does sound rather clean. Do you have that all down,
Vlad?
VladimirhadstartedtakingnotesassoonasDimitristatedthe
contentfortheletter. Yes. Icangodowntothebusinesscenter
withyourletterheadandhavefourcopiesupforsignatureinunder
halfanhour.
Do you want to be included in this deal, Vladimir? asked
Dimitri.
No. Lenny is my cousin. You do have one of my trading
accounts in your possession. Simply invest according to the play
Lennyhaslaidout.AtsomepointImayhaveanewidentitywhenI
hitLennyupforajobathisnew offshorecompany. Makesurethe

CriticalMomentum

23

officebuildinghaswheelchairaccessibility.
Everyonelaughed.
Notaproblem,Vlad!saidLenny. Ihonestlyhadn'tthought
aboutretiringuntiltoday.IfIhadyourunningthe offshoreplaceand
theguyI'mgroomingbackhomerunningthatcompany,Icouldeven
affordthedivorcemywifewouldservemewithifIdecidedtomove
toRussia.
Noweveryonereallylaughed.
Only if we set it up so her lawyer cannot get to it, put in
Dimitri.
Allthemenroaredatthatone.
***
Itwastheweehoursofthemorningwhenthedisposablecell
phoneLennyhadgivenhimrang.Jeremyfumbledaroundgroggily
forit.Lennyhadinstructedhimtokeepthephonebyhisbedalong
withapadandapen.
Hello.
Hello,Jeremy. Youneedtogetintotheofficeasquicklyas
possible.
Jeremy lookedat the clock. Wedon't open foranother five
hours,hereplied.
Thereisapairoffaxesonthefaxmachinewhichareforyour
eyes only. The first is our signed letter of intent with Dimitri's
companytoenterabusinessrelationship.I'mbringingtheoriginals
withmeinmybriefcase.Thesecondistheinstructionsforwhereto
sendthewiretransfer. Youcanenterthewiretransferinformation
longbeforethebank opens. It will happenoncethey cancall to
verify.Weneedthemtogetonthisassoonastheyopen.

CriticalMomentum

24

OK.IsthereanythingIneedtowritedown?

No,Iputitallinthesecondfax. Ididn'tknowifIwouldbe
abletofaxtotheUnitedStatesfromhere. Thereissomethingyou
needtothinkaboutthough.
Whatisthat?
How would you feel about spending a couple of years in
Kyyiv?
Doingwhat?
Runningournewlocation,atleastuntilwecanbringsomeone
inandgetthemuptoyourlevel.
I'llhavetothinkaboutit.
Fine.JustrememberthatRussianwomenarebeautiful,willing,
andfewpeopleheremakemuchmoney. Amanwithacar,evena
FordTaurus,couldgetluckynearlyeverynight.
It'snotamatterofluck,laughedJeremy.Alittlemoreawake
now, he said, Apparently you forgot about the weekend you are
fundingforme.Iflyoutthisafternoon.
Ihaven'tforgotten.Alreadygotyourreceiptforthejewelry.I
wasimpressedwithyourrestraint.Youonlyhitmefor$5K.
Wasn'tlikeIwasbuyingaweddingring,justenoughtoflatten
allhergirlfriendswhentheyseeit.
Youdoknowhowtoplaythegame,son. Cruiseonintothe
officeanddealwiththefaxes. Besuretoputyourrealcellphone
numberinfortheconfirmphonenumber.Putmycellphoneinasthe
secondconfirmincasetheycannotgetyou.Leaveyourcellphone
numberwiththereceptionistsoshecantrycontactingyouifthebank
fails.Taketherestofthedayoff,you'veearnedit.

CriticalMomentum

25

Iplannedonit,laughedJeremy.
After hanging up Jeremy wondered what it would be like in
Kyyiv.Heputonsomejeansanddrovetotheoffice.Heretrieved
bothfaxesandloggedintothebank'ssecuresystemandkeyedinthe
information for the wire transfer listing both his cell phone and
Lenny'sasnumberstocallforvoiceconfirm.Hethenleftanotefor
thereceptioniststatingthebank mightcalliftheycouldn'treacheither
himselforLennyontheircellphones.Atthebottomheputhiscell
phonenumber.
Withhisworkdutiesdone,hegrabbedasodaandstarteddoinga
fewWebsearches. JusttokeepLennyhonesthisfirstsearchwas
Ukrainewomen.Justasinthiscountrymorepornsitespoppedup
thanapersoncouldvisitinalifetime. Onethinghenoticedisthat
mostoftheUkrainewomenposingforporndidn'thaveabunchof
discardedcreditcardspumpedintotheirbreastsasAmericanwomen
did.Theyprettymuchseemedtobenaturalbeauties.Hehadruninto
someRussianwomenatcollege,soheknewsomethingaboutthem.
HisnextsearchwasUkraineIncomewhichturnedupareport
fromtheCIA.Using1995U.S.dollarsastheconstant,in2001the
percapitaGrossDomesticProductwas$4,200.TheWorldBankput
household consumption at $558 and 29 percent of the people had
incomesbelowthepovertyline.Ifyouwantedtoretireasadirtyold
manthiswouldbeaplacetodoit,helaughed.
Whyhewasstillinterestedhehadnoidea.Perhapsitwasjust
theanalystlifestyle.HisnextsearchwasKyyivhistoricalweather.
Thatturnedupapagestatingtheclimatewasmuchlikethatofthe
Midwest U.S.: cold in winter, hot in summer. Average winter
temperature was around 19 degrees F and average summer
temperaturewasaround67degreesF.Notoutofrange,hethought.
Mightaswellroundoutthesearch,hethought.Hedidonemore
searchforKyyivrealestatehousing.Thisbroughtupquiteabitof

26

CriticalMomentum

information,butonlyonesitewasclosetowhathehadexpectedto
findforrealestate. Ithadotherinformation,suchasthatinKyyiv
they drive on the right side of the road. Always good to know
somethinglikethat. Anewhighendapartmentcomplexwasbeing
built. For around U.S. $320K you could buy a three room plus
kitchenapartment.Itwasn'tuntilhelookedatthefloorplanthathe
realizedtheycounteachroominKyyiv. Itwasn'tathreebedroom
unitashehadthought.Whatascam!hesaidoutloud.Ofcourse
whenhechangedthesearchtoKievRealEstatethatbroughtup
sites more like what he had expected. You could purchase a one
bedroomcondo(apartment)foraround$30KU.S.andthehigherend
onesseemedtotopoutaround$250K. Thenagain,hehadcome
acrossafewapartmentsthat were charging$14,000per monthin
rent.Hewonderedhowmanyfreshwomentheycamewith?Anex
wifewouldn'tcostyouthat.
Howlongdoesittakeacoupletopayoffa$30Knoteat$500
peryear? Jeremypondered. Lenny had been correct. Therewere
highendcondosatreasonablepricesandaseverepovertylevel.No
wondersomanyEuropeanwomenseemedtobeonthosemailorder
brideWebsites.Itwassimpledesperation.Theremustbequiteafew
ofthemafiatypeslivinginKyyivorotherhighlycrookedindividuals.
Therecouldbelittleotherjustificationfor$3.4millioncondosbeing
withinamileof$30Kcondos.
Still, Lenny was correct. A young guy could go there for a
coupleyears,beadrunkenwomanizingpig,andliveon$20,000.If
yourretirementaccounthadbarelyamilliondollarsinit,youcould
buyanicecondoandlivebetterthanmostofyourneighborsforthe
restofyourlife.Hell,ifyouhadonlyhalfamillion,youcouldekeit
outbuyingthatcondothatwasunder$40K. Howthehell did they
eveneatspendinganaverageof$558peryear? Thatwouldn'tbuy
mostpeopleintheU.S.fiveweek'sgroceries,notcountingthefast
foodstops,etc.

CriticalMomentum

27

Jeremyloggedoutandlockeduptheoffice.Hecouldn'tbelieve
hewasevenentertainingtheidea. Ohwell,hehadaweekendof
incredible sex and food far toogood to be described. There was
nothingquitelikerelaxingafteragreatmealandfantasticsexina
jacuzzi which happened to be near the fireplace in your room.
Nothingquitelikethatatall.Addtothatthefacthisdatecouldgivea
blindmanwhiplashandhewouldbewalkingheraroundtheplaceto
showheroff.
Speakingofshowingoff,Jeremymadeamentalnotetoputboth
thejewelryandreceiptinhiscarryonbag.Onlyafoolwouldleta
$5Kdiamondnecklacewithmatchingearringsgothroughbaggage
claimnowthattheyhandinspectedluggage. Jeremyhadheardso
manyhorrorstorieshewasplanningtopacktwoincrediblesuitsto
wear.Hefiguredifhepackedtwo,theymightonlytakeone.Yes,he
hadheardsometalesofpeoplelosingexpensivesuits.Theywouldn't
bothertopilferaWalMartsuit,buta$1,200importedItalianstood
lessthana fiftyfifty chanceofmakingitthroughtheflightunlessit
hadanequallygoodlooking$1,000plussuitinthegarmentbagwith
it.

WhatHill?
IfthemaninthesuitthoughttheBritwaswellandtrulycorked
offwithhislasttirade,itwasnothingcomparedtothisone.Hehad
spentthreepointlessweeksheredoingwhatVladimircouldhaveand
probably was. Good thing the Brit doesn't know about Vladimir,
thoughtthemaninthesuit,otherwisehewouldkillmeandtossmy
bodyoutinastreetsomewherewithanoteallegedlyfromalQaeda
onit.
What had the Brit on a tear today was the local news. The
Pakistani government was upinarmsabout a U.S.incursiononto
sovereignsoil. IntruthithadbeenAfghantroopswithBritsanda
fewothernations,butaroundhere,everythingwasblamedonthe
Americans.
Theincursionitselfwassmallandwouldn'thavehappenedhad
the Pakistani government sent troops to occupy the Khyber Pass.
Thatrequestcamealmostweeklyandhadbeencomingforayear.It
came from every government involved in the operation and lately
evenfromgovernmentsnotinvolved.SupportforalQaedawenttoo
highinthegovernmentforthattohappen,though.Asaresult,this
incursionhappened.
AforceofAfghantroopsalongwithseveralothercountrieshad
pursuedabandofalQaedatroopsintothepass.Everyoneassumed
they were alQaeda troops because they didn't stop to answer
questions,simplystartedshooting.Asaresult,airsupporthadbeen
calledin.Whenthefightersgottothepasstheirinstrumentspicked
upthetransmissionsfromthehuttheemailhubwasusing.Therest
was pretty much predetermined after that. Rather than strafe the
troopsinthepass,thefighterslockedontothehutandtherenowwas
a fifteenfootwidecraterwhereitusedtobe. Afterthattheywent
backandhelpedmopuptheforcedesperatelytryingtogetaway.
Some of the alQaeda force had even been taken prisoner

accordingtothenewsreports.Nowthegovernmentwasraisinghell
overbothanincursionandanabductionontheirsoil.Themaninthe
suithaddonehundredsofabductionsontheirsoil,butthankfullyhe
hadneverhadareporterembeddedinhisunit.Yes,onceagainfilm
at elevenhadbuggeredupwhatwouldhaveotherwisebeenanice
cleanoperation.

WhatHill

Therewasonlyoneotherpersonintheroom. Thatotherman
waspuremuscle,nobrain. Hecoulddowhatyoutoldhimifyou
didn'tusetoomanysyllablesortalktoolong. Bythetimethatman
realizedtheBritwastryingtokillmeIwouldbedeadandhewould
befetchingatarpandthecar,thoughtthemaninthesuit. No,for
thisoneIneedtokeepmydistanceandlethimburnout,themanin
thesuitdecided.
Therewasnodoubttheemailhubwasoffline. Vladimirhad
sentanotesayingthesitehadstoppedtransmittingtohisserverabout
anhourago.Shortlyafterthatthenewsreportcame.Forabriefhour
therehadbeenthehopethehubwasmovingtoamoreaccessible
location. Thathopewasprettymuchgonenow. Theydidn'teven
knowwhothepersonwas.Pakistaniintelligencehadsentasquadup
toinvestigatethedamageandpotentiallyreturnthebodies,butevenif
theyfoundabodythisteamcouldnotbecertaintheirguyhaddied.
Itwasat thispointthemaninthesuit'strainofthought was
interrupted. Notbyaknifeorotherattemptonhislife,butbythe
silence.HerealizedtheBrithadwounddownandwasstaringathim.
Apparentlytherehadbeensomequestionhewassupposedtoanswer.
Youwillneedtoexcuseme,Iwastryingtodeterminehowwe
wouldtellifourhuboperatorhadbeenkilled. Wedon'tknowhis
name or have any real information on him. What was your
question?
CanIgobacktonabbingtheseguysnow?
No. IneedyoutogotoIndiaandhelpHans. Theyhavethe
trainerandthenewemailhubundersurveillancenowandareshort
staffed. Two of their team have taken jobs working at the same
companiesthemenworkat,whichleavesthemlittletimeforemail
analysis.Weneedtoknowwhattheyareuptothere.Itsoundslikeit
willbethenextbigstrike.
Arewegoingtojustwatchthatonehappen,too?

WhatHill

Our hands aren't tied there. The Indian government doesn't

knowwhatwearedoingoreventhatwearethere.
So,ifanythinggoeswrongweareonourown.

Tosomeextent,yes.Wehavetakenoverafarmabout twenty
miles outside of town and have some troops there with a pair of
helicopters.Itisunknownhowlongtheycanremainundetected.
TheBritwasabitcalmernow.HehadheardthatBritishSecret
Service had been the ones demanding more intelligence before
making arrests. They didn't know, at least openly, that this team
wasn't bothering with arrests. Had they known they might have
authorizedit,butitwasstilldicey.Afterthebombingstheywerea
lotmorewillingtolooktheotherwaywhenitcametoabductionsand
planesmakingunscheduledflightstoGermany.
Inhiscurrentstateofmind,theBritmusedoutloud,Wecould
takethembothnowandreallyblindalQaeda.
Thepowersthat bethinkalQaedawill writethisoneoffas
collateral damage. We hope they will send a new trainee to the
trainer.Ifthathappens,thentakingthesetwodownhasmerit.Ifthat
doesn'thappen,thentheyarecorrect.Weshouldknowinabouttwo
weeks.
Correctaboutwhat?
Thattheemailnetworkiscomprisedofdozens,ifnothundreds,
ofindividuals.Theybelievewehaveuncoveredonlyasmallportion
ofthenetworkandfounditbyluck.
Twoweeksisn'tsolongtowait. Whatmakesthemthinkthe
networkmanagedtogetsolarge,oramInotauthorizedtoknow
that?
Doyouknowhowmanynewemailhubshavebeendiscovered

WhatHill

2
whengoingthroughthemachinesofthoseyougrabbed?
No.

None.Weekswiththebesttechniciansgoingthroughthemand
nonehavebeenfound.EventhoseworkinginGermanywereusing
Nedimorthetrainerastheirhub.
Thatwouldmakeonebelievetherearen'tmorehubs.
NedimistheonlyhubthatwashandlingAmericanoperations
andthoseoftheAfricancontinent. Wehavenotfoundemailfrom
anycellsinFrance,Spain,China,orRussia.DoyouthinkalQaeda
isn'toperatinginthosecountries?
Weknowtheyare.
Hence,thedecisionfromabove.Wewouldonlyblindthemina
fewcountriesforawhile. Roundupshavebeenoccurringinthose
countriessoblindingthemwouldbeofquestionablegoodasfaras
stoppingoperations.Itispossiblethatfewcellsintheothercountries
areusingtheInternetemailcommunicationsmethod.Weknowthe
9/11hijackerswere.So,weneedtofindtheotherhubs.
Therehasbeenlittle,ifany,crosstalkbetweenhubs.Atleast
therewassomeafterNedimwasoutedinthepress.Perhapsanother
outingwouldforceanotherscramble?
Intwoweeks'timeIwillapproachthepowersthatbe.Inthree
weeks' time we should have our final answer. There is still the
possibilitywewillstumbleintothenewhubviathecellphonesused
bythoseyouroundedup.Itisthehardway,butwemanagedtofind
andturnNedim.Turningthenextonewillbemoredifficult,butnot
asdifficultasfindingthem.
TheAmericanscouldgivethathubtous.
Howso?
They have been scanning the images in every international

WhatHill

emailmessagesince9/11.Theycouldatleastgiveusthemessages
completewithheaderssowecouldbegintracking.
Howdoyouknowthis?
Ihavekilledformanydifferentcountries.Peoplewhoselives
dependedonmekeepintouchfromtimetotime.Theytellmethings
thatmaykeepmealiveoraresimplyasawarningtellingmetostay
frostybecauseacallmaysoonbecoming.
Do you think they would contact you with respect to taking
someoneout?
Theyhavebefore.NeveranalQaedamember,butdrugdealers
bythescore. JustwhatdoyouthinkIwasdoingwhenyoufound
me?

Themaninthesuithadforgottenthat. HehadmettheBritin
Pakistanafterbeinginstructedonwheretofindhim. TheBrithad
beensentintothelawlessNorthernAreasinAfghanistantotakeouta
druglordwhowasshippingtoomuchpoppyproducttodrugbuyers
intheStates.Theycouldhaveeasilysenthimtothathutwithateam
hechoseandhewouldhavemadeitlook asifoneofthewarlordshad
offedtheguy. HadHansknownoftheBrit'sbackgroundhesurely
wouldhave suggested it. This operation was starting tohave too
manyringsofcomplexity.Somethingbadwasgoingtohappen.The
man in the suit could feel it. Just wasn't like him to overlook a
solutionthatobvious.
***
Heidiwasbackatherplaceforthefirsttimeinfivedays.The
secondcampwasoperatingbeyonditscapacity.Shehadtrainedsix
differentpeoplehowtooperatethemachineandextracttheblood.
Shehadhelpedinterviewoveronehundredpeopleasteammembers.

WhatHill

Almostallofthemwashedoutduringthefirsthalfhour.Still,they
hadmanagedtobringintwomoresurgeonsfororganharvesting.
Gettingthestemcellprofessionalswasprovingabitmoredifficult.
ToomanyGermansrememberedthestoryofDr.Mengeleandthey
didnotwishtohavehistoryremembertheminsuchaway.Theyhad
evenstartedsearchingontheWebtobringpeopleinfromforeign
countries.Itlooked asthoughoneRussiandoctorwasgoingtobea
goodfit,butitwasstilltooearlytotell.
Thankfully there were laundry facilities at the second camp.
Heidihadmanagedtocarryfarfewerclotheswithherthanshewould
haveliked.Whensheleftfivedaysagoshethoughtitwasjustgoing
tobeafortyeighthourstint.Thentheothertrucksarrived.
It seemed the interrogators were giving up early on people.
Perhapstheywerejustasoverwhelmed. Nikolaushadtoldherthe
interrogation camp was beyond its capacity. Roundups were
occurringineverycountry,itseemed,andnobodywasaskingtoo
manyquestionsaboutwherethepeoplewent;theywereonlyasking
whatinformationhadbeengained.SheknewtheyhadsetupaWeb
sitetopostmuchoftheinformationandissuedaccountstopeoplein
theintelligenceserviceforeachparticipatingcountry.Everyonewas
keepingquietabouthowtheinformationwasobtained.Sometimesan
emailwouldgooutfromtheinterrogationcampwhenthetechnicians
foundanemailaddress,phonenumber,orIPaddressinaspecific
countrywhichwasusedrepeatedly.
Heidihadheardtheyhadidentifiedthousandsofcellmembers
andhundredsofnewcellsaroundtheworld.Theonethingsheheard
wasthattheyhadn'tidentifiedanynewcommunicationscenters.That
partwastroublingNikolausabit.Sheknewsomethingoftheteam
whichwaspursuingsuchthings. Alotofhandwringingandhead
scratchingwasgoingonastowhetherthey shouldtakedowntheones
theyknewabout,orletthemcontinue,choosingtotrackthoseusing
them.Thetrackingstrategyhadn'tworkedsowellforthepeopleof

WhatHill

Lutton. Thatrealitywascausingtheurgencyofcellroundupsand
thuscausingHeiditoputinninetyhourweeks.
OnethingwascertaininHeidi'smind.Shewasgladshehadsent
thelettertellinghercontactstokeeptheirearsopen. Byhercount
over1,000patientshadpassedthroughthesecondcampandmore
werecomingeveryday.Quitesimplytheycouldn'tkeeppushingthis
volume through without causing a leak. It was too soon in the
operation for other countries to be sufficiently implicated in the
operation.Iftheycouldjustmakeitayear,allwouldbewell.
***
Nikolaussatathisdeskdoingwhathemostlydidathisdesk,
wadingthroughpaper.Henowhadateamofpeoplemarketingthe
availableorgansandthecashflowwasalarming.Nearlyeveryorgan
haditsownblackmarketandthereseemedtobeplentyofbuyers.
Thepartyhadset upitsownWebsiteinsomelocationNikolaus
knewnothingabout.Oneofthesitestheyhadbeenusingwasabout
tobeshutdown,sotheytransferredalloftheirbusinesstothenew
siteandwentintohiding.Eventuallythatsitewouldpopup,hosted
inanothercountry.Hopefullyitwouldpopuppriortothepartysite
beingcompromisedsotheycouldtransferbusinesstoitbeforearrests
came.
SomeoftheRussianmafiagroupshadevencomepokingaround
lookingtoobtainsomeofthebusiness.Giventhehelptheyhadbeen
in the past and with the current operations in the field, Nikolaus
authorizedthemarketingofsomeorgansthroughthemaswell. It
turnedoutRussianmafialeadersweregoodcustomers. Allofthat
vodka and other drug use trashed their livers like car windshields
splattered bugs in the summer time. They had the cash and the
surgeons.
CashwasbecomingaproblemforNikolaus.Therewassimply
toomuchofit. Thiscorporationwasn'tsetupforretailsalesand

WhatHill

didn'townanybanks. Thefewbanksthepartyownedoratleast
controlled couldn't launder the kind of cash coming in. Nikolaus
needed this money to look as if it had come from legitimate
corporations.Hehadaskedthepeoplewhohaddealtwiththecurrent
Russianmafiafamiliesontheorganstohelpwithlaunderingthecash.
They were of little help. They simply didn't launder any money.
Theirresponsehadbeenbuyandselldiamonds.
Whileitwastruethat youcouldpurchasediamondsforcash,
thensellthemtojewelersandreceiveacheck,theresimplywasn't
enoughofthemandthiscompanywasn'tinthatbusiness.Atleastthe
stemcellsaleswerealltoinstitutionswhichcutchecks.TheRussian
mafiaclientswhohadpurchasedorganshadalsooptedtopaywitha
checkwhenasked.IndesperationNikolaushadsentanemailtoHans
asking for help. Hans had sent him back an email address for
someonenamedVladimirwhowasdoingworkfortheteamandhad
quiteafewRussiamafiacontactsofhisown.
Nikolaus had already been the Russian mafia route, but was
desperateenoughtoemailVladimir.Hereceivedanemailresponse
askinghimtocallaspecificcellphonenumberataspecifictimeon
thefollowingday.Hewasadvisedtoalsouseadisposablecellphone
whenhemadethecall.Nikolausmadethecallthenextday.
Hello.
Hello,areyouNikolaus?
Yes.
Whointroducedus?
We'venevermet,butwewereputincontactwitheachotherby
apersonnamedHans.
Good. I'm sitting here with some friends that run some
investmentandloanoperations.Wewon'tusetheirnamesfornow.
Howmuchcashareyoulookingtorunthroughsuchanoperation?

WhatHill

Rightnowthereisroughly$180millioninvariouscurrencies.
Weneedthismoneytocomebacktousintheformofachecktoour
specialpharmaceuticalsunitoroneofourotherbusinessunits.We
canmakeupsomebogusinventoryitemsandconductthetransactions
in that manner, but we need the money to come in the form of
checks.
How much are you willing to pay for this service? asked
anothervoiceonthephone.
Dependsonthelevelofservice. Willyoubepickingupthe
cash and sending us an order for the items that will never be
shipped?
There was some talking in the room which Nikolaus couldn't
quitemakeout,thentheresponse,Thatwoulddependonwherethe
pickupwouldoccur.
WehaveasecuredfacilitynotfarfromNurembergifyouhave
your own planes to fly the cargo out. We can even pack some
legitimatemedicalsuppliesinthecontainerstothrowoffthecasual
inspectorifthatmakeslifeeasier.
Againtherewassomemoretalkingintheroom.
Areyouabletoshiplegitimatemedicalsuppliestostoresand
pharmaciesinRussia?
We are a manufacturer of quite a few things, but not a
distributor.Traditionallywesetupcreditaccountswithwholesalers
anddistributorsthensellandshiptothem.
Thatcouldwork. Areyouabletosetupitemnumberswhich
areavailableonlytocertaindistributors?
Yes, we do that all of the time, especially for privately

WhatHill

developeddrugsordrugsofnationalimportance.Whydoyouask?
Can you set up some form of Web page which would let a
customerlookatyourcurrentinventoryproductsthatacustomeris
authorizedtopurchase?
Wealreadyhavethatsystem.
Againmoretalkingintheroom.Thiswasbeginningtoinfuriate
Nikolaus.Hewasn'tusedtobeingtreatedlikeabeggar.
IstheemailaddressVladimirhasforyousecure?
Noemailissecure.
Somecanbe,butmostaren't,thisistrue.Isthereafaxnumber
usedonlybyyou?
Yes,herespondedandgavethemthenumber.
Weneedyoutosetupalistofitemnumbersanddescriptions.
Wealsoneedyoutoaddadistributortoyoursystemwhichisthe
onlydistributorauthorizedtolookatthoseitems. Thisdistributor
shouldbeabletolookatanyofyourgeneralitemsaswell.Vladimir
willfaxyoualloftheinformationandthedescriptionsfortheitems.
Youwillfaxbackthelistofitemnumbersandthedescriptioninyour
system.
Therewillbeoneitemnumberforeachtypeofcurrencywecan
handle.Youwilltellushowmuchyouhavetolaunderbymanually
enteringoneunitforeachdenomination.Onedollar,oneruble,one
peso,etc. Thepriceinyour system will be .75ofthecurrency's
value. Youwillpackthecurrencyintomedicalshippingcontainers
withtheseitemnumbersprintedontheoutside.Youwillinformby
faxthemethodofenteringanorderonthissystem.Wewillcheckit
atleastonceperweek. Wewillalsobeorderingsomelegitimate
suppliesforsaletopharmaciesinRussia.Thiswillkeepeverything
looking legitimate. You can send product literature and pricing
informationtotheaddresswegiveyouforthedistributor. Itisa

WhatHill

smalldrugdistributorinRussiathatweownpartofandhasnever
donebusinesswithyou.Ifthereareanysalesterritoryissuestowork
outyouneedtohandlethem.
Icantakecareofthat,Nikolaussaid.
Doyouagreetothetransaction?
Youwant25 percent tomakeitalllooklegitimate. Youalso
wanttobecomeadistributorforourproducts.Idon'thaveaproblem
withthat.Idohaveasignificantwordofcautionforyou.Onceyou
are added to the system, you will be called on by the marketing
departmenthere.ThereisnothingIcandoaboutthatandtheyhave
no knowledge of this business. I can try to get you put under
someoneIcantrust,butI'veneverreallydealtmuchwiththatsideof
thebusiness.
As I said, it is a legitimate distribution company. We will
ensuretheyalwaysspeakwithsomeonewhoknowswhatisgoingon
andwhatisatrisk.
Good.IcanhavethingssetupinabouttwodaysonceIgetthe
paperworkfromVladimir.
Thisshouldbeaprofitablearrangementforbothofus.Infact,I
knowthepersonwhowillbehandlingyourlineonourendquitewell.
Yourmarketingtypeswillonlycallonhimafewtimesbecausehe
will badger them incessantly to make knockoff versions of drugs
withexpiringpatents.Thatisabusinessyourfirmdoesn'topenlyget
into.
Traditionallywedon't.Wedoownanothercompanythatdoes,
however. Icanseewhatittakestogetyourdistributoraccessto
thoseproductsaswell.
That would be most beneficial. This distributor has three
locationsinformerlycommunistcountries. Thepeopletheredon't
havemuchtospend.ProductsfromChinaandAfricahavebeenof

WhatHill

10
questionablequalityleadingtoproblems.

I'veheard.Thatiswhywequietlyboughtintothebusiness.I
thoughttherewereRussianmafiafamiliesinthebusiness,though.
TheymakeonlyhighenddrugsViagraandsomeothers
thingstheycanmakeforafewcentspertabletandsellforover six
dollarspertabletontheInternet.Thisdistributorislookingforlow
costantibiotics,coldandfluformulas,painkillers,diabetictesters,
etc.VerylowendlowmarginstufftheRussianfamilieswon'ttouch,
atleastnotyet. Iftheycouldgetyoutosupplythemthesethings
therewillbemanyfulltractortrailerscomingtouseachweek.Itwill
bemucheasiertohidetheotherpackagesinsuchshipments.
Agreed.Thebestplacetohideatreeisintheforest.
Ilookforwardtodoingbusinesswithyou,Nikolaus. Bythe
way,mynameisDimitri.Theothersintheroomaremyassistants,
butyoudon'tneedtheirnames.
ImustconfessIlikethewayyouthinkthingsthrough.Ihavea
muchbetterfeelingaboutthisthanIdidwhenImadethecall.

WhileIcameupwithsomeofit,Vladimircameupwithmost
criticalpieceofit.Ihadforgottenaboutthedistributorweowneda
largepartof.Oncethatwasputbeforemeitwaseasytoseehowto
makemoneyfromthisarrangement.
Vladimirdoescomehighlyrecommended.
Onethingwhichwouldmakelifeeasierforallofus: Ifyou
couldfindawaytogetyourcustomerstopayyouineithereurosor
Americandollarsitwouldbebetter. Wehavemethodsofburning
throughthat.Theothercurrencieswearegoingtotakealosson.
Understood.Wehavebeentryingtoenforcethat.
WhileI'vegotyouonthephone,youwouldn'thaveamethodof

WhatHill

11

sellingdiamonds,wouldyou?
Howmanyandofwhatquality?
Unknown.Threesmallmetaltubesfull.Don'task.Wehadno
choice.Itwasabaitandswitchatthelastminute.
ThatistheproblemofdealingwithAfricanwarlords,laughed
Dimitri.Sendthemalonginoneofthepackages.Iwillhavesome
friendslookatthemandmakeanoffer.Wewillcomeupwithsome
methodofpayingyouforthemiftheysell.Sometimesyougetlucky
andgetagreatstone.UsuallyyougetWalMartjewelryquality.
SoI'veheard.
Afterthishasbeensetupandwehavehadtransactionsrunning
forafewmonthsIwouldlikeforustomeetandshareameal.That
actuallymightbeagoodtimetoexchangecashforthediamondsso
youcouldsenditthroughforlaundryorsimplyuseityourself.
NormallyIdon't meet peoplewhohaven't beenvetted,but I
have a good feeling about doing business with you. We will let
Vladimirsetitupwhenthetimeisright. Iamabitsurprisedyou
didn'taskwherethemoneyiscomingfrom.
Aslongasyouaren'tsellingweaponstoalQaeda,Idon'tcare.
Iknowabitaboutyouroperation.No,Vladimirwasn'tthesource.In
truth,IwaspartofthechainofpeoplewhobroughtVladimirtoyou.
Well,Icertainlycan'tthankyouenoughforthat!responded
Nikolaus.
ThatlastlittlenuggetofinformationrockedNikolaustothecore.
Hehopedhisvoice hadn't waiveredduring theresponse. Hehad
believed this operation to be more covert than a nuclear weapons
program.ThisguyknewaboutitandNikolaushadnoideawhohe
was.Thenagain,thisguyhadbroughtthemVladimir.Untilthisday,
hehadnotunderstoodwhyHanswantedVladimirontheteamso
badly.Therewererumorsuponrumorsaboutthisguy.Somesaidhe

12

WhatHill

didn'texist,yetHanshadmanagedtoobtainhim.Haditnotbeenfor
Vladimir, the entire communications center surveillance project
wouldbetoast.
Thank you for your assistance in this matter, Vladimir,
Nikolausoffered.
Thinknothingofit.Ilikehelpingoutmyteam.Hansisonmy
teamandhetrustsyouwithhislife.Byextension,Iamtrustingyou
withmylife.
Hans is a good soldier. You can trust him to always come
throughifthereisanywaypossible.
Ihavenoticedthatabouthim. Youwillhaveyourfaxinless
thantwohours.Ineedtoreturntomyofficeandwriteitallup.
Good.AssoonasIgetitIwillstartthingsgoingonthisend.I
will get people started on bundling up the various currencies and
puttingthemintoshippingcontainers. Oncewehaveitemnumbers
wecanprintupthebarcodesandentertheinventory.
Nikolauswasleftthereathisdeskponderinghowtheproblem
hadmovedonhim.Atfirsthehadaproblemoftryingtogetthecash
intocheckssohecouldrecorditinthecorporatebooks.Nowhehad
aslightlybiggerproblem.Theboardofdirectorswerearatherloose
lipped bunch and the accountants were outside of Nikolaus' direct
control. If he created item numbers under this corporation, they
wouldwantanyitembookingmorethan$10millioninsalesfora
quartertobealineitemonthequarterlyreport.Ithadbasicallytaken
avisitfromgovernmentofficialstogettheblackopsitemsallput
underanondescriptiveheading.

Withthelowcostofthesebogusitems,theycouldeasilyhidein
thegenericdrugdivisionthough.Thatdivisionwasawhollyowned

WhatHill

13

subsidiaryofthecorporation. Assuchitappearedasasingleline
item on the quarterly and annual report. Adding $50 million per
quartertoitssaleswouldspreadaroundalittlecheertothepeoplein
thatdivision. Theyhadtosellmillionsofunitstoequaltheprofit
from hundreds of units this company sold. Some of the lowest
marginproductsinthebusinesscameoffthoselinesandyouwould
findtheminnearlyeverycountryundermanydifferentlabels.
ItwassurprisingthattheRussianmafiahadn'tgottenintothat
business.ThenherememberedDimitri'scomment,yet.Nikolaus's
currentcorporationhadn'tstartedoutthere,either. Onceyoustart
makingbucketsofmoney,everygovernmentontheplanetwantsyou
todocharitywork.Thegenericlineswasthiscorporation'sanswerto
charitywork.Lowmarginbasicmedicalsuppliesforall.
SomewhereinChinatherewasactuallyafactoryownedbythat
subsidiarywhichmadeeverykindofgauzeimaginable.Nikolaushad
no idea where the cotton balls came from or the generic QTips.
TherewasafactorysomewhereinGermanywhichmadeaspirin,cold
formula and the other overthecounter generic drugs consumers
boughtbythetruckload.Itwouldbeinterestingtoseejusthowmuch
oftheirproductactuallymovedthroughthisdistributorship.Nikolaus
madeamentalnotetohavehimselfcopiedonthemonthly,quarterly
andannualsalesreportsforthiscustomer.
Nikolausponderedalittlelongerwhileleafingthroughthepages
onhisdesk. HecametothepagewhichlistedcountriesGermany
didn'thaveactiveorgoodextraditiontreatieswith.Onenameleaped
out at Nikolaus: China. Nikolaus sent an email to a loyal party
memberinthegenericdrugdivisionaskinghimformoreinformation
onthefactoryinChinaandaskinghimforameetingtomorrowto
discusssomeadditionstothatbusiness.
***
Jeremy had touched down at SETAC about an hour before

WhatHill

14

Stacie'sflightarrived. Theyhadbothagreedheshouldgettothe
airportfirstsohecouldpickuptherentalcarandbewaitingforherat
arrivals. The drive to the lodge was only fortyfive minutes, but
seemedtotakeforever.ThankfullyJeremyhadgottensomesleepon
theplane.
AstheydrovetothelodgehechattedwithStacieabouttheevents
ofthemorning.WhenhegottothepartaboutLennywantinghimto
spendayearortwoinKyyivStaciestartedtorealizejusthowbigthis
thingtheywereinvolvedinwas. Forsomereasonthehalfbillion
dollartransferdidn'tphaseher,buttheKyyivoptionmadeitseem that
theywereallputtingtogetherescapeplans.
Youaregoingtogo,aren'tyou?
Ihadn'tseriouslyconsideredit,butIdiddosomeresearchonit.
IguessitwoulddependonhowwellLennysetmeupoverthereand
howmuchhepaidmetoruntheplace.
Itsoundslikeyouareallworriedthisplaymaybetoobigand
someonemightgotojail.
Normallyifyouadmittoinsidertradingyousimplypayafine
andloseyourtradinglicense.Sincewearen'talicensedtrader,just
runningindividualaccountsforothers,Idon'tthinkthelatterapplies.
Oddlyenough,youcanbeafinancialadvisorwithoutmuchoversight
ortraining.
Well,Ithinkyoushouldgosoonerratherthanlater.
JeremywasrathershockedtohearStaciesaysuchathing.He
glancedatherandcouldtellshewasdeadserious.
Howcome?
Yousaidyourselfwhatyouaredoingwillplayoutinafew
months. Bythattimesomeonewillhavegottenwisetoitandyou
willneedtobeoutofreachofthelawforawhile.

WhatHill

15

I'mnotsocertainthatwillhappen.Justhowmanypeoplewent
toprisonforshortingEnronwhentheyhadinsiderinformation?How
manydidyouevenhearaboutgettinginvestigated?
LotsofpeoplewenttoprisonoverEnron!sheexclaimed.
Yes,theydid. Thecompanyofficialsandthepeoplehelping
themartificiallyinflatethestockpricealongwiththosehelpingthem
getcreativewithaccounting. Nobodygotinvestigatedwhoshorted
thecompanyatitspeakorwhenitwasonthewaydown.
MarthaStewartwenttoprisonforusinginsiderinformation.
Marthawenttoprisonforobstructionofjustice. Anyoneelse
wouldhavesaidtheyaskedtheirbrokertocallthemwhentheselloff
startedandsoldaccordingly. Theywouldhavepaidafineandthe
broker would have gone to prison for violating the terms of their
license. She denied the arrangement and the broker testified the
arrangementexisted.Therewasalsoatapeofthephonecall.Itwas
adumbplay.
Oh.
BythetimeMarthawenttotrialthestockwastradingformore
thanwhenshedumpedit.Hadshebeenasdenseasarockratherthan
pridefully stupid she would have made money and not gone to
prison.
That'sarathercoldwayoflookingatit.
It'sreality.Insiderinformationisonlygoodwhenyouaresmart
enoughtoactuallyreadtheplay.Yes,thecompanywasgoingtotake
ahit,butitwasn'ttheonlyproductinthepipeline,justthemosthyped
one. Adump,ashort,andacoverdonequicklycouldhavemade
somemoney,butshedidn'thavetheinformationsoonenough.You
can'tuseinsiderinformationunlessitisatleastthreedaysinadvance.
Newsthedayofgetsyouintrouble.
Youreallyareanaturalatthis,aren'tyou? Don'tyouworry

WhatHill

16
aboutgoingtoprison?

Notreally. I'msmartenoughtoknowyoucutadealupfront
andadmityourguilt.Thenyoupayalargefineandhavetostayout
ofthetradingbusinessforawhile.Youcannotevenhaveyourown
tradingaccountduringyourprobation.
Couldn'tthefinebeallofyourmoneytheycanfind?
Thereareprescribedlimits,andevenifitwere,alot ofour
moneyisn'there.EvenlessofitwillbehereoncetheKyyivoffice
opensup.
Oh.Andtheycan'tpullyoubackfromKyyiv?
Noextraditiontreaty,andinsidertradingisn'tcurrentlyacrime
overthere.Theyhandleextraditiononacasebycasebasisandthe
crimehastobeacrimeinRussiabeforetheywillevenhearthecase.
Wow.
Lennyisgood.
You are getting there from the sound of it, she chuckled.
Anyway,Ithinkyoushouldgo.Getaplacebigenoughfortwo.
ThatfreakedJeremyforamomentandcausedhimtoswerveon
theroadjustalittle.
Careful,bigfella,Iwanttogetthereinonepiece.
Whytwo?heaskedoncethecarwasundercontrol.
IftheystartdiggingIwillprobablyturnup. Ihaven'tsigned
any confidentiality agreements, nor have I told you anything
particularlyincriminating,butIwouldratherhavealawyerhandling
thatpart. IsaidtwobecauseiftheystartlookingintothisIexpect
youtocallmeandletmecomelivewithyou,atleastuntilitisall
settled.Youaregoingtomakeenoughfromthisyoushouldbeable
tosupportmeforawhile.

WhatHill

17

Thegirlhadapoint.Jeremy'sbonusthisyearwouldprobablybe
well over a million. There was absolutely no reason he couldn't
supportherforayearortwosinceshewasdirectlyresponsiblefor
theincome.Itwouldcutintohistryingtosamplethelocaltalentbut
hertalentwasincredible.
Finallythelodgeappeared.Theyparked,checkedin,andhadthe
luggagecartedtotheroom.Jeremywasdumbfoundedbytheamount
ofluggageStaciehadbroughtforaweekend.Itwasevenmoreodd
consideringtheywouldbenakedmuchoftheweekendinthehotel
room.Hehadlearnedearlyonyoudon'tbringthesethingsupbefore
sex,though,astheirmentiontendedtoshutoffthesex.
Once they had made it to the room and tipped the bellhop,
JeremyinformedStacieheneededtotakeashoweraftersleepingon
theplane.Shetoldhimnottogetdressedafterhegotclean.
Jeremywalkedoutofthebathroomstilldryinghishairandwas
greetedbythemostincrediblestockingandgartersethehadever
seenononephenomenallyhotlady.
Aren'tyougoingtosaysomething?askedStaciewiththemost
knowingseductivesmileonherfaceshehadeverhad.Younever
didansweraboutlettingmecomeandlivewithyouinKyyiv.Stacie
knewalltoowellthatJeremycouldn'tanswerrightnow;therewasn't
enoughbloodleftinhisbraintoformulatearesponse.Thatpieceof
informationwaseasilyobtainedbytakingalookatthedipstick.She
wasenjoyingthis!
ApoundinginJeremy'searswashowhefirstcametorealizehe
hadn't taken a breath since coming out of the bathroom. Once
respirationhadreturnedtohimherecoveredquickly. Iguessthat
dependsonhowwellyourespondtothis,Jeremysaidashereached
intohiscarryonbag.
NowitwasStacie'sturntonotbeabletobreathe.Shehadjust
beenteasing,butifthatwasaringinsteadofthejewelryshehad

WhatHill

18

askedfortherewasnowayshecouldsaynothisweekend. There
wasamomentarybreathofreliefwhenshesawtwoHelzbergboxes
comeoutofthebag.Onewasobviouslyanecklaceandtheotherhad
tobetheearrings.Itwasagoodthingshehadgottenthatbreathin,
becausewhenheopenedtheboxforthenecklaceshelostallherair.
Severalhourslatertheywerelyinginbedveryexhaustedand
incredibly satisfied. Stacie sensed Jeremy was about to doze off
again. Sheherselfhadjustwokenupfromabriefjourneyinthat
abyssknownassleep.Weshouldprobablytryoutthedualshower
andthengofindsomethingtoeat.
Wecouldjustputonthoserobeshanginginthereandorder
roomservice,mutteredagroggyJeremy.
Oh,no.Ibroughtakillerdressanditwillshowoffthatjewelry
grandly!
Areyougoingtowearthatgartersetunderit?teasedJeremyas
hestartedtocomearound.
Ibroughtseveraldifferentones. ThoughtImightneedallof
them,shegiggled.
WhileI'vegotyoulikethis,IneedtotalktoyouaboutNew
Year'sEve.
Whataboutit?Thatisfourmonthsaway.
You received the email with the pictures of my roommates,
didn'tyou?
Yes.Ihadn'treallyknownwhatyouwereuptowiththat.
Iwasn'ttryingtosetupafoursome,Jeremy..justcoolyour
jets.Theyinvokedthegirlcodeonme,soweneedtotalkaboutNew
Year'sEve.
Jeremyhadbeenaroundlongenoughtoknowthatinvokingthe
girlcodetendedtobringaboutlessthanhappytimesforaguy.

WhatHill

19

Youstillhavesomegoodlookingsinglefriendsfromcollege
whoareatleastassuccessfulasyou,don'tyou?
NowJeremyunderstoodwherethiswasgoing.Youwantusto
gooutasagrouponNewYear'sEve?
Sort of. Myroommateswant datesforanallinclusiveNew
Year'sEvepartyatsomeposhhotel.Theyhaven'tchosenthehotel
yet.
Thiswasstartingtosoundlikeaguywasgoingtohavetoguilta
friend into going out with his sister. Stacie could see the look
formingonhisfaceandcontinued,They'vebothpromisedtoputout.
Fortwoofyourfriendsthisisgoingtobeasurething.Theysimply
havetowearanicesuit,makethereservations,andshowup.
Wow!thoughtJeremy.Sheleftmenowiggleroomwhatsoever.
Finally,hedecidedtorisktherestoftheweekendwiththeone
questionhecouldusetogetoutofthis.Aretheybothonthepill?
Staciesatupwithashockedlookonherface,gasped,punched
JeremyintheribsandexclaimedHowcanyouaskthat?
Recovering,Jeremysatup,lookedherintheeyeandsaid,Itis
goingtobethefirstquestionI'masked.
Stacieknewitwastrue.Shejust hadn'tthoughtshewouldhaveto
giveuptheinformation. Intruth,shehadforgottentomakethem
promisethatpartaswell,andnowshewasgoingtobeforcedtomake
acommitmentforthem.Theyare,butthatdoesn'tmeantheywon't
want...
Jeremy interrupted her by holding up his hand. That's all I
wantedtoknow.
But,Stacietriedtoprotest.
Don't.

WhatHill

20

Thereitwas.Shehadviolatedthegirlcodebytakingthechoice
awayfromthem.Bothdateswouldbeinfuriatediftheyhadtousea
condomnow.
***
Kathrynwassittinginherofficefuming.Migrationofthefinal
datacenterhadnotgonesmoothly.They'dhadnosignificantproblems
migrating the other data centers, but this last one was under the
impression they were being expanded, not migrated. As a result,
everyoneworkingthererefusedtoassistineventheslightestway.
Thejobtomigratefinaldatachangesneverran.Somebuffoononthe
teamthoughtbecausethediskfarmswereintegratedthatallofthe
data should be there anyway and there was no need to migrate
anything.Boy,weretheywrong!
OnSundaymorningwhenthesystemrestarttesthappenedand
thelastdatacenterwasn'tbooted,nothingworked. Eachsystemin
thatgrouphadasecurityIDfilewhichhadtobeexchangedduring
system startup to allow the disk farm to be shared. Nobody had
mentionedthatlittletidbit,sowhentheytriedtostarttwodatacenters
inIndiainsteadofoneinIndiaandoneintheU.S.onlyhalfofthe
banklocationscouldlogon.
Whydidn'tthefailoverwork?Nobodybotheredtoturnoffthe
communicationsequipmentintheU.S.location.Intheorytheywould
haveallfailedovertotheIndianlocation,butasequenceofevents
stopped that from happening. The first problem was the
communicationsequipmentwasstillrunning.Itwouldhavenoticed
thesystemwasn'trunningifsomeonehadturneditoff.Theynever
turned off the other system, they simply stopped the application.
NoneoftheITstaffworkingattheU.S.datacenterhadreportedfor
work onSunday. Nobody hadbothered tocontact Kathryn soshe
could start ringing Kent and Margret's cell phones. This was a
debacleandsomeonewasgoingtobecallingKathrynonthecarpet
forit.

WhatHill

21

Toaddinsulttoinjury,Kathrynhadcomeinlatethismorning.
Shedidn'tarriveattheofficeuntil9:30AM.Shedidn'tfindoutabout
theproblemfromherownteam,either. ShefoundoutwhenKent
calledhercellphone.Someonewasholdinghisfeettothefireandhe
wasofferingupKathryn. Somuchforallofthoseshortskirtsand
heelsshehadlefttokeepKent'smindelsewhere.
KathrynwasonhercellphonetoMargretasshewasheadingout
to her car. She grabbed a couple of the young studs who were
supposedlyintelligentenoughtobeonthisprojecttobringwithher.
Theyweresupposedtohavebeenat thedatacenterthisweekend
alongwithoneothertosupervisethemigrationandthesubcontractor.
Thethirdyoungstudwhowasontheshortlisttobeoutthedoorhad
calledinsickthismorning. Hewouldprobablygethistermination
noticebycourierlatertoday.
AddingmoreinsulttoinjurywasthefactKathrynhadtheworst
caseofcrampsshehadeverhadinherlife.Shehadbeenuphalfthe
nightwiththem.Thatwasthereasonshewaslatethismorning.She
toldthestudstodrivetheirowntransportationovertoFirstGlobal.
Shedidn'ttellthemtheywouldn'thavejobsbytheendofthemeeting
assheneededthemcooperatingnow.
Whathappenedthisweekend,Margret?
Idon'tknow.Youweresupposedlyhandlingthismigration.I
wasjustaroundtoadvise.
Whydidn'tanyofyourpeoplereporttoworkonSunday?
TheyallresignedonSaturdaywhenthemigrationstarted.They
assumedtheywouldn'thavejobsoncethemigrationwascomplete
sinceeverybodyelsehadbeenletgowithintwoweeksoftheirdata
centerbeingmigrated.
Don'ttheyrealizetheywon'tbeabletouseyourcompanyasa
referencewhentheygolookingforotherjobs?

WhatHill

22

We never provide references, only confirm dates of

employment.Wedon'tevenconfirmsalaryinformation,justjobtitle.
Nowaytolegallydenyprovidingthatinformation.
I'llbethereintwentyminutes.Whathasbeendonetorectifythe
situationsofar?
Ihadsomeonegoinandpowerdownthemachinesatthedata
center.Mostofthebranchlocationsarenowupandrunning,butwe
arerunningonasingledatacenter.Thishastoberesolvedinunder
twentyfourhoursnow.Theprimaryoutagewaslessthanthe twelve
hour window, but we have less than twentyfour hours left to get
anotherdatacenterupandrunning.
Therewasthatruleagain.TheoneMargrethadswattedKathryn
betweentheeyeswithnearlyayearago.
Isthehighbandwidthconnectionstillup?Margretasked.

Ihavenoideaatthispoint.Ihavetwooftheteamwhowere
supposed to supervise this coming with me. If this isn't resolved
shortlytheyaren'tgoingtohavejobs.
Letmeguess:thesearetheguysyouhadoverinIndiabefore?
Yes,respondedKathrynandhungup.
Margret wasn't slow. Kathrynhadtogiveherthat. Shehad
caughtontothefacttheircareerswouldendlongbeforetheirlives
aftergettingahintabouttheirexploitsintheredlightdistrict.
AwhilelatertheywereallseatedintheconferenceroomatFirst
Globalheadquarterstryingtofigureouthowtoundothismess.
Ifwebringupthecommunicationsequipmentandthemachines
wewillberightbackinthesameboat,saidMargret.
Arewesureweonlyneedonefilecopiedover?Kentasked.

WhatHill

23

Everyone in the room was shocked he grasped that much of the

situation.
Wewon'tknowuntilwetry,respondedMargret. Sincewe
cannotbringuptheexternalcommunicationsequipment,wecanonly
bringupthemachine,FTPthefiletoanotebook,thencommunicate
outviawifiordialup. Doyouhaveanemailaddressofsomeone
theycansendittoatthesiteinIndiawhichneedsit?Margretasked
lookingatKathryn.
Yes,thosetwobothhaveemailaddresseswecansendtoand
cellphonenumberstheycancalltoensurethefilegotthere.Isthere
anyoneatthedatacentertheycanworkwithnow?
One of the IT workers from this office is over there now.
Margretscratchedoutaphonenumberforthemtocallandtoldthem
tousethephonehereintheconferenceroom.Shethenturnedtoher
laptopandfollowedthroughthelinksonthecompany intranettofind
the system startup documentation for the data centers. Once she
founditshelookedatKathryn.Telloneoftheskirtsyoulefthere
whohasanaccountonthesystemtobringhernotebookinhereand
workwiththesetwo.
Kathryndidn'tevennoticetheslight.Shegotupandwalkedout
togetoneoftheskirts.Kentdidnoticeit,though,andsaid,Margret,
thereisnoreasontoinsultpeople.Theyaretryingtohelpus.
Theyaretheoneswhogotusintothissituation,Kent. This
shouldhaveallbeenfixedonSunday.Wearenowlessthansixhours
from the FDIC showing up at our doorstep asking for a full
accountingofthesituation.Areyougoingtobetheonewaitingfor
thematthedoorstep?
It'snotsobad.Wehaveasystemstartupproblem.
We have a twentyfourhour recovery period per the FDIC
regulations. Afterthat,wearenolongerinsured. I'mcertainlynot

24

WhatHill

goingtobeintheroomwhentheboardofdirectorsgetsthatlittlebit
ofnews.
Invoking the board of directors, Margret now had Kent's
completeattention.Whatdoyouneedmetodo?
IneedyoutotalktoCarolandletherknowwehaveasituation.
ThenIneedyoutoaskherifshewantstobeinherewhileithappens
orifshewantsplausibledeniability.
Kent'seyeswentwide,buthegotupandleft.Kathrynreturned
withoneoftheskirtswhosatwiththeguys.Margretlookedather
and said, Send me an email so I can reply with the link to the
informationtheyaregoingtoneed.
Withtheemailsexchangedandthepersonatthedatacenteron
the speaker phone, the team set about getting the system started.
Theyusedthebootoptiontoavoidstartingthebankingapplication
automatically.
Pete,said Margret,Ineedyoutocopythesecurityfileoffto
yourlaptop.Istheinternalnetworkstuffstillrunning?
Withinthelabitis. I'musingaterminalemulatorfrommy
notebooktomonitorthesystem.
OK. The others here are going to tell you what file to find
keystrokebykeystroke.Onceyouhaveit,ZIPitandtheywillgive
youanemailaddresstosenditto.Isthecablemodemstillworking
there?
Idon'tknow. Ionlyhaveonenetworkportandthereisn'ta
wirelesshubonthatthing.
Iknow.Wedidn'twantthemsurfingtheWebinamannerthat
wasn'tmonitored.Isthereamodemcompatiblephonejack?

Thereisabankofmodemsoverhere.Icanjustkeephooking

WhatHill

25

upuntilIfindonethatworks.
Good. YouhavetheremoteVPNsoftwareonthatnotebook,
don'tyou?
Yes,itishowIdosupportatnight.Iwillbeabletosendthe
emailonceIhavethefile.Isthatallyouneedmetodo?
Sadlyyouaregoingtohavetostaythereuntilwegetthesystem
inIndiaupandrunning.
Inthatcase,youarebuyingmelunch.Sendsomeoneovernow
so they can answer the door. There is nobody here, not even a
receptionist. FedExalreadyshoweduptodroponeset ofbackup
mediaoffandcollectanother. Ihadtotellthemwedidn'thavean
outboundtoday.
KathrynlookedatMargret.Doyouhavealinkwithdirections
andastreetaddressonthatsite?
I'mlookingforthatnow.Hereitis.
Good.Sendittoher,Kathrynsaidlookingattheskirt.Once
yougetit,forwardittobothoftheothersouttherewithamessageto
printitoutandgetinherenow!
Fiveminuteslaterbothoftheotherskirtscautiouslycreptinto
theroom.
Pete,saidKathryn,Ihavetwogirlsherewhowillbecoming
overtoanswerthedoor,phone,andhelpyouanywaytheycan.Do
youwantthemtopickuplunchonthewaythere?
No,theycouldpickupaplainbagelwithregularcreamcheese
andabottleoficedtea,though.Tooearlyforlunch.Dotheyknow
howtogethere?
They have the directions from the intranet in their hot little
hands.Isthereanextensionwhereyouaresittingthattheycancall
whentheygetthere?I'massumingtheycan'twalkrightin.

26

WhatHill

Yes,x5491.Iftheycan'tgetthrough,havethemcalloneofyou
thereintheconferenceroomonyourcell.Idon'tknowifthePBXis
workinghere.

Margretscratchedhercellphonenumberdownonthepaperfor
thegirls,asdidKathryn,thentheysentthemontheirway.Savethe
receiptsifyouwanttobereimbursed,Kathryntoldthegirls.
Therewasthesoundofamodemdialinginthedistance.Afew
minutes later there was some muttering on the end of the phone.
FinallyPetespoke.TheemailisonitswaytoIndia. Theyshould
have it in another minute or two. You know, I'm looking at the
system startupfilesandtheapplicationstartupfiles. It lookslike
aboutsixofthemwerechangedlastweek.Didwehavesomething
thatwentintoproductionthen?
Yes,respondedMargret.Abunchofchangesfortheboardof
directorswithrespecttohowthingswerereported. Thosechanges
should have propagated out to the Indian site, too, since it was
runninginunisonwiththissite.
Intheorytheyshouldbethere.Tellyouwhat,I'mgoingtodo
somecuttingandpastingbetweenwindowsonthisthingandsend
anotheremailtothatsameaddresswithinstructionsforthemtoverify
thedatesonthesefilesontheirend.Thesefilesareonalocaldrive
here.ThatiswhyI'mconcerned.
Soundslikeaplan,Pete,respondedMargret.Can'thurttobe
certainbeforewepullthetriggeronapplicationstartup.
Kentreturnedtotheroom.Carolsaysshewon'tjoinusinthe
warroom,butwouldliketoseethethreeofusinmyofficeifwe
haveamoment.
Pete,Margretcalledout. I'mgoingtoleavetheroomwith
KathrynforaquickmeetinginKent'soffice.IfI'mnotbackandyou

WhatHill

27

needmeyouhavemycellphone.
That'sfine. Itwillbeabouthalfanhourbeforetheycanget
thingsverifiedandsendbackanemail.
Withthat,thethreewalkedouttoKent'sofficewhereCarolwas
waiting.
Idon'twantdetails,buthowbadisit?Carolasked.
They needed toget an updated securityfile over tothe new
systeminIndiaanddidn'tdoit. Onceitistherewewillprobably
havetoruntheprogramtoupdatethesystemIDinit.Theremightbe
acoupleofstartupscriptswhichneedtobecopiedoveraswell,
respondedMargret.
Thanksfornotgivingmeanydetails,remarkedCarol.
Margretgaveafaintsmile.Itisnotatrainwreck.Ijustdon't
knowifwecansortitoutwithinthetimeframewehaveleft.
That'swhyIwanttotalkwithyou.Wehavesomeseverelegal
exposure here. I need to find out exactly what happened this
weekend. Ifthisgoesonmuchlongersomeoneisgoingtohaveto
answertoaboardofinquiry.
Kathryndidn'treallybelievethisendoftheworldstuffshewas
hearinguntil she heard it from a lawyer. Thiswasjust asystem
outagetoher. Embarrassingyes,butwithlegalimplications? She
hadn'tthoughtitpossibleuntilnow.
Margretstarted,WhenIcameinthismorningIhademailfrom
everyone working at the data center tendering their resignations
effectiveimmediately.Itappearswhenthemigrationteamshowedup
Saturdaymorningithonkedoffthedatacenterworkers. Theysent
metheirresignations,loggedout,andwenthome. Thedatacenter
wascompletelyunstaffedfromaround9:30AMSaturdayuntilnow.
KentactuallypaledwhenMargretissuedthelaststatement.

WhatHill

28

Kathryn continued, I have not gotten a full report from my

people. The two I need to speak with are in the room working
through this. They were supposed to notify me if there was any
problem.Inevergotacall.
Iwouldthinkallofthestafffromthedatacenterwalkingout
wouldqualifyasaproblem,saidCarol.
SowouldI,continuedKathryn.Theydon'tknowit,butonce
theyhavefiledwhathappensinwritingtheynolongerhavejobs.
Nowfortheuglyquestion,Kent,Carolcontinued.Whydidn't
wehaveanystaffoverseeingthemigration?
Ihadthedatacentermanagerandtheentirestaffofthedata
center.Ihadnoideatheywereallgoingtoquitatthesametimeas
someformofprotest.
Doweknowwhattheywereprotesting?
Kathryninterjected,FromwhatIhaveheard,theywereunder
the impression the data center was going to be expanded, not
migrated.
Wherethehelldidtheygetsuchanidea!Kentexclaimed.
Probably from doing the legwork for a report the board
requested.Theywantedtoknowthecurrentlyavailablefloorspace,
cost per kilowatt hour of electricity, and additional floorspace
availableinthebuildingshouldacenterneedtobeexpanded.They
also asked for a list of all employees working there who have
undergonesecurityclearanceinaccordancewithFDICregulations,
saidCarol.
Whywastheboardaskingforthat?Kentpipedup,confused.
Itispartofanannualauditforinsurancepurposes.Itismore
importantnowthatwearen'tfarfromhavingaregulationthatalldata
centers be staffed by personnel having a government security

WhatHill

29

clearanceofSECRET. Itisthelowestlevelyoucangetfromthe
DOD,buteveryonewithsignificantaccesstothebankingsystems
musthaveitiftheregulationgoesthrough,continuedCarol.Right
nowitissomethingthatdramaticallyreducesourinsurancerates.If
everyone with privileged access to the system has this security
clearanceourinsurancerateisonetwentiethwhatitwouldbewith
personnelwhodon'thavesuchaclearancebackgroundcheck.
Kentwasreallypalingnow.Nobodyhadtoldhimtheinsurance
rateswouldgoup twentyfold. Kentdidn'thavethecommonsense
God gave little green apples, which means he didn't have sense
enoughtoaskwhentheprojectplanwasbeingputtogether.Hewas
quietlyhopingthiswouldn'thappenuntilafterhispromotionsohis
replacementcouldtakethefall.Healsomadeanotetostartlooking
foranewjoboncehegothisnewtitle,assuminghewasn'tonthe
board.
Kathryn,sensingtheficklefingeroffateheadingherway,asked,
Whatistheprocessforgettingthisclearance?
It'sastandardDODclearancecheck. Fingerprinting,criminal
background check of yourself andfamily,credit check in some
casesapolygraphisrequired.Allapplicantsmustbesponsoredbya
companyeitherdoingbusinesswiththeDODorinanindustryhaving
thisregulation.AllapplicantsmustbeU.S.citizens,eithernaturalor
naturalized.

Right now that is not our concern, Carol continued. The

regulationmaynotbecomemandatory,andtheinsurancerateswillbe
what they will be. Our concern right now is piecing together a
timeline of what transpired so we have it all documented for the
federalregulatorswhentheyarrive.Yes,I'massumingaworstcase
scenarioofusnotgettingthesystemoperationalintime.

WhatHill

30

CarollookedatMargretandsaid,Whenyouhaveyournextlull
inthere,Ineedtocomeinandgetstatementsfromthosetwoguys.
WecanmutethephonesoPetedoesn'thavetohear.
Statements?stammeredKathryn.
If for any reason our systems aren't running at the start of
business, we have to run a midday audit to ensure all funds are
accountedfor.NotfixingthisonSundaycausedashitloadofwork
for a lot of people. On Sunday, nobody would have known and
nothingwouldhavetohappen,CaroltoldKathryn.Nowwehave
tocomplywiththeletterofourinsuranceagreementornothingwill
becovered.
Fine.DoyoumindifIhavesomecounselfromBigFourinthe
roomaswell?
Notatall.Justbesuretheyareskilledwithdepositions.
And I thought my cramps were bad this morning, thought
Kathryn.
***
Hansstrolledintotheroomtheywereusingasthemeetingroom
andgeneralroomforthosenotstationedheretoworkfromtimeto
time.HewasshockedtoseetheBritintheroom,butnotsurprised
the man in the suit hadn't made it yet. For a man who did
international operations,he was picky about what countries he set
footin.
Therewasn'tmuchtothismeeting. ItwasaHelloandthanks
forcomingmeeting,reallyjusttoensureeveryoneknewwherethe
newtemporaryheadquarterswas,thesatellitephonenumbersitwas
using,andwhoelsewasonthisteam.

WhatHill

31

Hans looked at the Brit and said, The man in the suit not
coming?Heknewhewaspunchingabutton,butbesttopunchitin
frontoftheotherssotheywouldallbeawareofthisguy'stemper.It
tookalottosethimoff,butwhenyoufinallydid,hewentofflikea
fuelairbomb,burninglongandhot.
No,respondedtheBrit.Thelittlebuggerisnotcoming!He
is still in Pakistan waiting for Pakistani intelligence to get done
picking up all of the body parts they can find at the other
communications hub. They are never going to find anything.
Satellitephotosshowacraterroughly fifteen feet wide. Anything
inside was scattered half a mile down the hillside if it wasn't
incinerated at time of detonation. He just doesn't want to bloody
comehere.
SomeoftheotherteammembershadnevermettheBrit. The
oneswhohadsattherewithsmirksontheirfaces.Theyknewwhat
hesaidwastrueandtheyknewhewasjustgettingstarted.Thiskind
ofangerwouldbrewinhimallday.Ifyoudidn'tsuddenlybecomea
focalpointforit,thespectaclecouldbeentertaining.
Hansinterrupted,Forthoseofyouwhodon'tknowhim,wecall
thisman'theBrit.'Hewillbeassistingyouinprocessingtheemail
communications.Thosewhoknowhimknowhewasinstrumentalin
ourpreviousemailhuboperation.
TheBritgaveadistractedwavetotheroom.
Hansbeganpassingoutslipsofpapertoeveryone. Theseare
thesat phone numberstothisplace. We onlyhavetwo. Idon't
expectwewillbeherethatlong.
TheBritpipedup,Insideofthreeweekswewillknowifthisis
a long haul or a short grab. Everyone looked at him, so he
continued. If they send someone new to the trainer, then the
thinkingisthatthisisreallyalltheyhaveleftforwhateverreason.
Wewilltakeitoutandblindthemforawhile.Wewon'thaveenough

WhatHill

32

onthenewhuboperatortotryandturnthemaswedidbefore.We
couldn't get lucky enough for alQaeda to choose someone that
spinelessagain.
What if they do send someone? asked one of the team
members.

Thenwehavetogrindthisoneout,takingdowneverycellthey
lead us to and searching for some link across communications
networks.OtherthanthefirsthubweworkedinPakistan,wehaven't
foundanotherhubhandlingcellsinAmerica.Thecellsthesetwoare
handlingseemtohaveallcomefromthatfirsthubinthemaddashto
restorecommunicationslines.
So,theyeitherhaveveryfewoperativesinAmerica,another
hub,orhomegrowncellsthatdon'tcommunicatewiththeleaders
here,Hanscontinued.Withinthreeweeksweshouldatleasthave
an answer for these two hubs. We may not be able to help the
Americansfurther.
TheBritstartedspeakingandHansjuststeppedoutoftheway.
Yes,Iwillbehelpingyoudecipheremailsandtrackthembackto
pointoforigin. Iwillbeoneofseveraldoingthat. Ourrealfocus
needstobeonthetrainer,though. Forgetwatchingwherethenew
huboperatorgoesandwhathedoes.Heisworkingtooclosetothe
trainerandhandlingfartoobigofaloadtostillbeunderhiswing.
Oneoftheteampipedup.Ihavejustbeenhiredathiscompany
andhewillbemybossthere.
Good,saidtheBritandHansinunison.
TheBritcontinuedWithoutbeingobvious,weneedtofindout
ifhehasanyhealthissueslikeabumticker,etc.Weneedtoruleout
abiologicalreasonforhimpassingthereins.

WhatHill

33

The other team members hadn't really thought about the big
picture. Theyweren'tnormallyincludedinsuchdiscussions. The
Britwasgainingcredibilityintheireyes.
Andifheplayssoccerwithusduringlunch?
Thenwereallyhavetolookathim.Heiseithermovingoutor
movingup,saidtheBrit.
Up?
Wehavebeenusingweteraseboardswithlittlehierarchytrees
onthemtotryandmapthisorganization.Thatdoesn'twork.Once
yougetbeyondbinLadenandhisinnercirclethereisnotree.Allof
thecellsareautonomous.IftheinnercircleofalQaedachoosesnot
toblessandfundanoperationtheywillsimplygettheblessingand
fundingfromsomecleric,continuedtheBrit.
Perhapsyouguyshaven't beenwatchingthenewslately,but
coalitionforceshaveblownupafewpeoplewhousedtobeinthe
innercircle.Thereisnoclearlineofsuccession.Basicallysomeone
alreadyintheinnercirclemustselectyoutobecomeapartofthe
innercircleandtheothersorbinLadenmustagree.Thereplacement
memberscouldcomefromanywhereinthebloodyworld.
Thisrealizationflooredmostoftheroom.Hanshadtoadmithe
hadn'tentertainedthat ideaandhehadn'theardsuchanideafrom
Vladimir.TheBritwasonaroll,though,andhekeptgoing.Since
therollwasinformative,Hansdidn'ttrytochokeitoff.
WeknowthatsometimeagobinLadenlosthisheadgeek.The
manwasarrestedandinterrogated. He'snotalotofusetoanyone
now.Thismethodofusingemailoperatorswasprobablyapilotor
fledgling idea when he was nabbed. That trainer may have been
tappedasareplacementsimplybecausealQaedaneedsthismethod
ofcommunicationsandheistheonlyoneleftwhoknowshowit
worked.Iftheypullhimbackandmovehimup,itwillmostlikelybe

WhatHill

34

becausetheyknowtheyneedtoredevelopthisideaanddeployitona
larger scale. Satellite communications tends to attract a lot of
missiles,whichshortenstheirlifespan.
Theroomgotagoodchuckleoutofthatone.
OK,startedHans. Thiswasameet andgreettoday. Just
neededyoualltoknowwheretheplacewasandhowtoreachit.If
anything goes wrong here, we don't have friends in government.
Thereareacoupleofchoppersnotfarfromhere,buttheywon'tbe
abletostickaroundforlong. Isthereanythingnotinyourwritten
statusreportsthatneedstobeonthetablenow?
Everyonelookedaround.
Good.Getbacktowork.Fillinyourteammatewhoisstillat
workwiththenewhuboperator.Thoseofyouhandlingemailcircle
aroundtheBrit.
HansthensatdownanddashedanemailofftoVladimirwiththis
newpossibility.Hecopiedthesuitonitoutofpoliteness.
***
John was having an impossible day. The final data center
migrationdidnotwork.Hissitewashandlingthefullbankvolume
onamachinethat was partitionedtohandle slightlyover halfthe
bankingvolumeeasily. Addinginsulttoinjuryhisboss'sbosswas
callingtryingtofindoutwhytheotherdatacenterhadnotcomeup
thismorning.
Idon'tknow,Johnansweredforthe fifteenthtime.Minehas
beenrunningforoveraweekjustfine.Rightnowitisgaspingforair
trying to handle the complete banking transactional volume for a
MondaymorningintheU.S.Doyouhaveanyideajusthowmany
cashstationtransactionstherearetopostrightnow?
Well,findoutandgetbacktome,saidthevoiceontheother
endofthephoneline.

WhatHill

35

Idon'tevenknowwherethatdatacenteris,letalonehaveits
phonenumber,respondedJohn.Idon'tevenhaveenoughpeopleat
worktodaytohandlethethingswenormallyhandlewithoutgetting
tiedupinthismatter.I'vebeentoldBigFourConsultingisworking
withthebanktosolvetheproblem.ThatisallIknownowandallI
knewtwohoursagowhenyoucalledthefirsttime.Ihavetogofillin
foroneofmyemployeeswhodidn'tmakeitintoday. Youwere
supposedtogetmemoreworkershere.Howisthatcoming?
Johnknewexactlyhowitwascoming.Theemployeeshadvoted
tobringinaunionandthecompanywasrefusingtopayunionwage.
Unionscurrentlyhadalotofcloutwiththegovernment.Therewere
soontobesomegovernmentofficialsdraggingthecompanyheads
intoaroomwiththeunionofficials.Iftheunionslappeddownthe
same contract they had signed at several other places with
governmentnegotiatorshelping,itwouldbeakangaroocourt. The
governmentofficialswouldsimplytellthecorporationthiswasthe
samecontractapprovedatfourothercompanieswithinareasonable
distanceofhereandthattheymustagreetoit.
Everybody here knew the place needed more workers. The
consultingcompanyhadbroughtintwomoredatacenter offshoring
projects. John needed at least three more people to handle the
networkcommunicationsconfigurations,letaloneregularcomputer
operators.

Judgingfromthenumberofdevelopersrequestingprintouts,they
must be selling a lot of software development work with these
contracts. John was rather shocked when several highspeed
continuousformprinterswereinstalled.Hehadreadaboutgreenbar
paper, but never actually seen tractorfed paper like that until the
printerswereinstalled.Theywereallmannerofnoisyandgenerated
alotofpaperdust.Itturnedoutsomethingsstillneededtobeprinted
thatwayandsomeprogrammerspreferredgettingtheirlistingson

36

WhatHill

continuous form rather than off a laser printer. The laser printer
could do far more formatting, but the line printer was faster and
continuousformkeptallofthepagesinorder.Laserprintedlistings
wereimpossibletokeepinorder,theyhadtoldJohn.
Thereallybadpartabouttodaywasn'tthatJohn'sdatacenterwas
understaffed.Itwasn'teventhefactJohn'sdatacenterwasn'tinthe
leastwayinvolvedwiththeproblem.ThebadpartwasJohn'sboss
hadpulledaduckandcovermove.HeofferedupJohn'snameand
pointedhisbossinJohn'sdirection. Now,theyknewhisnameand
his voice. John made a mental note to send an email tonight
requestinganewidentitykit.

MoneyandThings
Lennywasratherfrazzledwhenhefinallygotbacktotheoffice.
He knew the sun was up, but the sun had been up for well over
fourteenhoursanditwasstillmorning.Hedidn'tquiteknowwhich
morning, but it was morning here in the U.S. The receptionist
broughthiminafaxashesatathisdesk. Sheclosedthedoorto
Lenny'sofficeonthewayin. Ohmy, thoughtLenny Thiscan'tbe
good.
Lenny,Idon'taskmuchaboutwhatisgoingonhere,andIdon't
wanttoknowanydetails. AllIwanttoknowisifIshouldstart
bringingmypassportintoworkwithmealongwithenoughcashfora
planeticketoutofthecountry.Iknowwedosomeshadythingsand
I'mstartingtofeellikeitmightbegettingtoobig.
Lennyhadtolaugh.Jennifer,hechuckled,Weareopeninga
branchinKyyivspecificallysoitdoesn'tgettoobighere.I'mtrying
totalkJeremyintorunningitforafewyears.Thatfaxshouldhave
alloftheinformationabouttheofficelocation,companyname,and
placeswewillhavebankaccounts.Wouldyouliketoflyoverwith
Jeremytohelpsetitup?Wecouldmuddlethroughforacoupleof
weekswithyouovertherehelpinggettheplaceorganized.
That'sadangerousoffer,respondedJennifer.
Howso?
Iftheydocomeafterussomeday,Iwillappearassomething
morethanasecretary.
WecouldchangeyourtitletoOfficeManagerifthatiswhatthis
isabout,grinnedLenny.
Morewordsandthesamemoneyisn'twhatIcameintotalk
withyouabout.I'mbeingserioushere.
SoamI.Youdeserveabumpinyourincomegivenallyoudo

forus,andacompanypaidtripmighthelpyourelax.
Mightcostmemymarriage.He'sgoodlookingandtheyliketo
drinkalotinRussia.

MoneyandThings

Nowtheybothlaughed.Whatyoutwodoonyourowntimeis
yourownbusiness.Don'task,don'ttellismypolicythere,chuckled
Lenny.
That hasn't worked so good for the military, quipped back
Jennifer.
Well,respondedLenny,WhenJeremygetsinlatertodayI
willbehittinghimuptodoit.Sinceyouwillbetheonecallingour
travelagent,simplyletmeknowifyoubookedtwoflightsorthree.
Three?
IwillhavetosendoneoftheITguysalongtogetanetwork
linkupwithourdatacenters. W e'llalsoneedthemtodecideifwe
shouldgiveupoursecondsitehereandsimplyhaveitoverthere.I
hadn'tthoughtaboutthatlastpartuntiljustnow.Itwouldmakesense
todothatiftheofficehassufficientpowerandspace. Mighteven
coverthecostoftheofficespace. Scheduleameetingwithmyself
andtheITguystodiscussit.
YouwanttheITwomenthere,too?chidedJennifer.
Itwasagenericguy,respondedLenny.
That'sfine,we'llkeepitbetweenusgirls,Jenniferquippedas
shewalkedoutofLenny'soffice.
Lennylikedher.Shehadtherightattitudetoworkinaplacelike
this. Theonlytimesheeverquestionedthingswaswhentherewas
somethingtoworryabout. Indeed,there wassomethingtoworry
abouthere,butLennycouldn'tbringhimselftotellher.Hedidpick
upthephoneandcalltheservicefirmhandlingtheirpayrolltochange
Jennifer'stitletoOfficeManagerandgivehera$10Kannualraise.
Waituntilshegetshernextdirectdepositstub,thoughtLenny.
JustasLennyfinished,Jeremywalkedin.Theboylookedworn
out.Gladyoucamein,Jeremy,itlookslikeyoucouldusetherest,
jokedLenny.

MoneyandThings

Itakeitfromyourgoodmoodyouarestillsleepdeprivedfrom
yourflightback,respondedJeremyinkind.
I will never understand why airlines let people with small
childrenonboard,saidLenny.Iswearthatbratcriedalltheway
here.
Jeremylaughedandsaid,Weshouldgathertheothers.
Getthem.Iwillbeintheconferenceroomshortly.
Afewminuteslatertheywereallseatedintheconferenceroom.
Jeremy began his verbal report. First Global has completed
migratingalloftheFrenchbankingoperationstothenewsoftware
from PythoCorporation. Weshouldbehearinganannouncement
abouttheproductsoon.Idon'tknowhowmuchlongeritwilltakefor
FirstGlobal tocomeoutwiththeirannouncement aboutbeingthe
firstcustomer.
Justthen,Jeremy'scellphonerang.Helookedatthenumberand
sawitwasStacie.Hello,I'minameeting,canIcallyouback?
No. I just stepped out to call you. The last data center
migrationthatwassupposedtohappenthisweekendwasadisaster.
Kathrynisovertherenowwithafewothers. Soundsliketheyare
lookingforassestobounceoutthedoor.Idon'thaveanymoreand
probablywon'tuntiltonightortomorrow.Iknewyouwouldwantto
know.Bye.
Jeremy hung up then looked around the room. Well, I was
goingtotellyouthatFirstGlobalwasmigratingthelastdatacenter
thisweekend.Thatphonecalljustinformedmethemigrationwasa
disasterandtheyarelookingforpeopletofireoverit.Ithoughtwe
weresetfortheshredtostartanytimewewanted,butitlookslikeit
mayhavetowait.
Lennythoughtforamomentandsaid,Itmayhappenbeforewe
can get involved. There is an outage time limit restriction for

MoneyandThings

insurancepurposes.Iftheydon'tgetthingsrunningintime,federal
investigatorswillbepayingthemavisit.
Iassumetheyhadafallbackplanforthismigrationastheyhad
withtheothers,saidJeremy.Butjusttobesure...hepickedup
theconferenceroomphoneandcalledJennifer.
Yes.
YourbankisFirstGlobaloradivisionofit,isn'tit?
Yes,whydoyouask?
Wewerewonderingifwecouldgetyoutodriveoverthereand
trytocashacheck. Weheartheymightbehavingsomesystems
problemsandwouldlikesomefirsthandinformation. Justputthe
phonesonoverheadring.
Sure.AnythingelsewhileI'mout?
Oh,don'ttemptmetoaskforbagels,repliedJeremy.
Funny.IsLennythere?
Yes.
TellhimtheITmeetingisat2:00PM.
OK,thanks.
Lenny,theITmeetingisat2:00PM.
Good. We might as well jump into the next topic then.
Gentlemen,wehavejustbeguntheprocessofopeningabranchin
Kyyiv.
Theothertwoanalystslookedstunned. TheyknewLennywas
outforafewdaysonshortnotice,buthadnoideahewassomewhere
inRussiaopeninganewbranch.
Ijustreceivedthebulkoftheinformationonthenewofficeand
companynamethismorning.I'mtryingtoguiltJeremyintorunning

MoneyandThings

itforawhile,soyouneedtohelpmeonthatorIwillhavetoguilt
oneofyou.
Don'tlookatme,saidoneoftheanalysts,.I'vegotafamily.
ThesecondanalystlookedatJeremyandsaid,Congratulations,
Jeremy!Youreallydeservethepromotion!It'sagreatcareermove!
LennyroaredasJeremyhunghishead. Hehadhopedtotalk
withLenny about this before he turned a fullcourt press onhim.
Thecompanywillhavetosetmeupwithafurnishedtwobedroom
apartmentandIwillneedtoflybackheretocloseonthesaleofmy
townhome.Ialsowillhavetohavetimetogetmystuffintostorage
and other stuff packed for shipping, Jeremy said in an almost
defeatedtone.
Bothanalystssaidinunison,IfLennygivesussometimeoff
workwecanhelpyoupack.Atthismomentneitherofthemenvied
Jeremy'scozyrelationshipwithLenny. Thepricetaghadjustbeen
revealedanditwastoosteepforeitherofthemtopay.

Jeremyhadthoughtaboutitlastnightwhenhegotback.Hehad
evensentanemailtotheRealtorwhohadhelpedhimfindthisplace
andaskedhertocallhimsometimetoday.Thehousingmarkethad
beengoingupsteadilysinceheboughtthattownhomesohestoodto
netatidyprofitonitossiblyenoughtomorethancovertwoyears
ofstorageonhisstuff.
Ihavenoideahowyougoaboutgettingatwoyearworkvisain
RussiawhenyouareaU.S.citizen. Thatiscompletelyuptoyou,
Lenny.
Lennynodded.HewouldfaxVladimirandaskhimifitshould
behandledfromhisendorifthelawfirmLennykeptonretainer
shoulddealwithithere. Lennyfumbledthroughthefaxandsaid,

MoneyandThings

Wewillhavetogetsomenewbusinesscardsprintedupforyouwith
the new branch name. One side inEnglishand the other side in
Russian.YournewtitlewillbeBranchManager.
MymeetinglatertodaywiththeITstaffistogetoneofthemto
gooverthereforafewweekswithyouandsurveytheofficewehave
acquired.Theywillneedtosetupnetworkcommunicationsbetween
hereandthereataminimum.I'malsogoingtorunthepossibilityof
movingourseconddatacenterthere. Weatleastneedtolookinto
theoption. Imayormaynothavetooffersomepeoplefromthe
seconddatacenterjobsoverthereiftheywillgo.
Jeremy sat there looking rather shellshocked, then finally
muttered,Ican'tbelieveIjustagreedtodothis.
Weheardyou!saidtheothertwoanalysts.
Lennylaughedagain. Hewasn'tevengoingtoaskaboutthe
secondbedroom. Hewouldsimplyincludetherequirementsinhis
nextfaxtoVladimir.
Don'tworry,Jeremy,itwillonlybetemporary.Mycousinhas
expressedsomeinterestinrunningtheplacewhenhegetsoutofhis
currentoccupation. Evenifhedoesn'tyoushouldhavefoundand
trainedsomeoneinsideoftwoyears.Youcouldprobablyhangonto
thetownhomesoyouhadsomeplacetocomebackto.

No.IfI'mgoingtodothisIwanttosellthetownhomewhile
themarketisstillgoingup. Webothknowthehousingbubbleis
goingtoburstatsomepoint.BythetimeIgetbackitshouldhave
happened.Iwillbeabletogetanicerplaceforlessmoney.
Keepfindingplayslikethis,Jeremy,andmoneywon'tbeoneof
yourconcerns,saidLenny.

MoneyandThings

Moneywasn'tamajorconcernofJeremy'sasitwas. Hewas
young,single,anddidn'tpartyalot.Whilehehadstartedhereata
measly$40Kperyearandhadclimbedto$50Konlyrecently,hehad
beenputtingasmuchashecouldinhispersonal tradingaccount.
EverygoodplayLennylethimknowabouthehadalsoplayedinhis
ownpersonalaccount.Whatstartedoutasapathetic$3Khadbought
himhistownhomeandhiscurrentcar,andtherewasstillover$100K
inthataccount. JeremyhadalreadyboughtabigpositioninFirst
GlobalBankanticipatingabumpfromthesoftwareannouncement.
Afterthenewshehadjustreceived,though,hewashopingtheycould
gettheirnextquarterliesoutbeforetherewassomeformofpublic
investigation.Thatwouldgivethestockalittletomediumbumpon
itsown.Jeremymighthavetomakethesafeplayandgetoutthen.
Making eight dollars per share on 3,200 shares in just a couple of
monthswasstillanincrediblerateofreturnfortheaverageJoe.
Jeremyhadbeensolostinhisthoughtshehadn'trealizedthe
othershadlefttheconferenceroom.Hegotupandwentbacktohis
desktryingtogetfocusedonworkagain.Lookingthroughhisemail
hesawanotefromLenny.

Jeremy,
Idon'tknowifyouheardme,butJennifermightcomewithyou
forthefirsttwoweekstohelpsettheplaceup.
The other two have identified Granite National Bank as a
potential market for Pytho software. They have several
locationsandseemtobeinabitofabindwiththeFDIC.
Lenny

Thisisgettingtobequitealittle menagerie, thought Jeremy.

MoneyandThings

Me,Jennifer,someonefromIT.WhoknowswhoelseLennywillthink
tosendwithme?
***
NikolausgreetedAbelwithafirmhandshakewhenhecameto
Nikolaus'soffice.Abelhadbeenaloyalpartymemberwillingtodo
whateverwasaskedofhim. HecurrentlywasaseniorVPatthis
corporation'slittletalkedaboutgenericdrugdivision.
Itisgoodtoseeyouagain,Abel.
Andyou.Ithasbeenquitesometimesinceyoucalledmeinto
service.
Well,Ishallbecallingyouintoservicetoday,saidNikolausas
heclosedhisofficedoor.BothmensatdownandNikolaushanded
Abelsomepapers.
IneedthiscompanysetupasadistributorinRussia. Hereis
theircontactinformation,lettersofcredit,etc. Theyneedaccessto
theonlineinventoryandorderingsystemforalloftheitemswesellto
anybodyandalistofitemswewillbeshippingtojustthem.
Willmycompanybemakingtheseproducts,stockingthem,or
shippingthem?
No. Theseproductswillcomeoutofthesecuredlocation. I
havethelistofthemherewiththeircostsandtheonlydescriptionthat
willbeavailable.Theyaretheonlyonestoseetheseitems.
No problem with that. I will have to coordinate with some
people here at the main headquarters to get them access to the
inventorysystem.Iwillassignoneofmystafftosetthemup.How
bigofaterritorydotheyget?
Doesn'tmatter.Simplyensurethatallthreeoftheirdistribution
locationsareinthesystemforshipping.
Thisissomeratherlowpricingforspecialtystuff.AmIgoing

MoneyandThings

tohavetoexplainittoanyone?
No.Sendthemtomeiftheyask.
ShouldIflagthemfornomarketingcontact?
Ididn'tknowwehadsuchacapability.
Wedonowthatyouhavethesecuredlocationandthekindof
customerswhogoalongwithit.
Can we flag them for marketing contact from your division
only?
Ibelievethatisanoption.Aretheyactuallygoingtobuyour
products?
Theyexpressedastrongdesiretohaveaccesstoeverythingyou
make.Hereisthecontactinformationforanindividualtheycanchat
with.Heisalsoexpectingproductcatalogs,marketingliterature,etc.
They haven't expressed an interest in the primary products of the
corporation,butyoushouldhaveyourpeoplecontacthimandverify
thatbeforeflaggingthem.
Willdo.Icansetthemupwithhalfamillionincreditwithout
havingtodotheletterofcreditchecking. Oncethatgoesthrough
theymaygetahigherlimit.Iassumeyouneedthisdoneyesterday?
Within the next two days, yes. The specialty products are
almost ready for shipment from the secured location warehouse.
They want the products shipped on the same truck as their other
products,though.Youwillhavetohandlehowtocoordinatethat.
Normally,thatdoesn'thappen,withitemsfrom there. Iwill
havetoseeifthatwarehouseallowsforit.Wehavewhatiscalleda
'transfership'capability. Wewillpickandpackanorderleavingit
waitingonthedockforanarrival from anotherwarehousebefore
sendingthetruckout.Iassumeyouwantthisstuffloadedinthefront
forwhenitcrossestheborder?

MoneyandThings

8
Youwouldassumecorrectly.

Ifyoutalktothemagain,tellthemtoflagtheirordersas'ship
complete'whentheyplacethem.Iwilltellmypeopletodothesame.
Itistheonlywaythe'transfership'processwillkickin.Bydefault
wedoasplitshipment,butthatisprobablymorethanyoucareto
knowaboutourlogisticssystem.
Itisenoughformetoknowthatyouknow,grinnedNikolaus.
Iwillgetonthisnowandletyouknowwhentheyhavebeenset
up,Abelsaid,gettingup.
I'msurprisedyoudidn'taskwhatthiswasallabout.
Idon'tcare.Rightnowmyonlyconcerniswhichdistributorwe
aregoingtohonkoffbygivingupsomeof theirterritorytothis
distributor.Oneoftheirlocationsisinthemiddleofaterritoryheld
byoneofourbiggerdistributors.Ihavetogetlegalinvolvedtoseeif
wehaveanywiggleroominthecontract.
Wegiveexclusiveterritoriesforgenerics?
Generallyno,butwhenyouhandletheprimaryproductlineand
haveanexclusiveterritoryitisgenerallywrittenintothecontractyou
getthesameterritoryforthegenerics.Whenitcomestimetomakea
case,I'mgoingtohavetopointthematyou.
Understood. I will simply tell legal that this distributor is
participatinginoneofourblackopsprojectsandtheyaskedtoget
accesstothegenericsinordertofilloutthetruckwithsomebusiness
thatcustomswouldn'tquestion.
Soundsgoodtome,saidAbel.
It had better be good because it is the truth, responded
Nikolaus.
***

MoneyandThings

KathrynandMargretwereintheconferenceroomtillalmostnoon
on the Monday morning after the disastrous data center migration
attempt.Finally,onceallofthestartupfileshadbeenverifiedandthe
newsecurityfileinstalled,thesecondIndiandatacentercame online
runningtheapplication.Themachineloadbalancingoperationbegan
andtheintradayauditjobwasscheduledforabout1:00PM. The
communicationsloadbalancerrecognizedit,hadanothermachineto
route requests to, and started splitting them off. The machine in
India,whichhadbeenshoulderingtheentireload,haditsutilization
dropbelow90percentandresponsetimesbegantoimprove.
MargrettoldPetetopowerthingsdowninthedatacenterand
comebackafterthegirlstookhimoutforasitdownlunch.Shetold
him tobesureandpickaniceplaceasBigFourConsultingwas
buying.
ThelegalteamfromBigFourhadarrivedaboutanhouragoand
hadbeenholedupinCarol'scubical.TheonebriefcommentMargret
heardfromCarolwasthatthesewerecontractlawyersandnotskilled
in giving depositions. They may have been deposed a few times
themselves,buttheyhadneverconductedadeposition.
Atanyrateitwasinthelawyer'shandsnow.Theskirtwhohad
beenhelpingwastoldshecouldgobacktoherdesk.Margretcalled
Carolfromtheconferenceroomtosayitwasallhersnow.Kathryn
toldtheothertwotowaithereandanswersomequestions. Ifthey
hadhalfabrainsheexpectedthemtotry topineverythingontheone
whocalledinsickthismorning.Thatwouldn'tchangeanything.All
threeofthemweresupposedto havebeenthereonSaturdaymorning
andtohavecontactedKathryniftherewereanyproblems.
Once they were out of the conference room Kathryn asked
Margret,CanIusethephoneinyourofficewiththedoorclosed?I
needtospeakwithsomeoneinHRabouttheprocessandtoletthem
knowthelawyerswillbeinwiththemshortly.

MoneyandThings

10

Certainly,repliedMargret. Idon'tknowifthetwoofthem
willbeenough,though.ItdependsonwhatCarolcomesupwithfor
ourFDICnotificationletter.Theymaywishtocomehereandhavea
chatwithus.Idon'tknowhowsheisgoingtoglossoverthefactour
entiredatacenterstaffquitinprotest.
TheoneandonlyquestionIhaveforthemisdidtheyevenshow
uponSundaymorning?Theonlyexplanationthatmakesanysense
atallistheyconnedtheoneguyintohandlingitwhocalledinsick
today. Idon'tknowifhecalledinsickonSundayaswell,butthat
wouldmakeitallfittogether.Iassignedallthreeofthem,butifthey
thoughtonlyoneneededtobethereandtheonewhowassupposedto
be there bailed on them, it would explain things. Nobody called
becausenobodywasthere,concludedKathryn.
Margretwenttolunchandcamebacktoseesecurityescorting
thetwogentlemenoutofthebuilding. ShesawKathrynandwent
overtoher.Wetoldthemwewouldshiptheirpersonalbelongings
tothemfromouroffice.Itooktheirbadgessotheycannotgetinour
building.Ourlawyerswantedthemescortedoutofyourbuildingto
reduceourliability.
Andwhatofthethird?inquiredMargret.

Ican'tfirehim.HedidcallinsicklateSaturdayafternoon.He
calledtheofficeandbothoftheircellphones. Theydidn'ttakehis
calltheyadmittedtothat. Theypartieduntil4:00AMandslept
throughit.Thethirdguyhadalegitimateexcuse.Hejustcalledinto
workfromthehospitalstillgroggy.OnSaturdaynighthewastaken
intothehospitalwithwhatturnedouttobeanappendicitis.Theydid
surgeryearlySundaymorningoncetheyfiguredoutwhatwaswrong

MoneyandThings

11

with him. His appendix had actually burst so he will be in the

hospitalanotherthreedays.
Wow,respondedMargret.Hemanagedtomakethreephone
callswithaburstappendix?
Thewonderofyouthfulendurance,saidKathryn.Itgetseven
better,though.Hedidn'thavemycellphonenumberonhimbecause
itwasinthefolderathomeandhewasonhiswaytothehospitalina
friend'scar.Thevoicemailheleftwasforme.Ourvoicemailsystem
issupposedtoeitherringortextourcellphoneswhenwegetanew
voicemessage.Ididn'tgetamessagebecauseitwasneversent.The
voicemailsystemwasbeingupgradedovertheweekend.
Carolhasallofthis?
Mostofit,yes. Sodoourlawyers. Theseguysdidn'teven
bothertotrycallinginsick.Iguesstheywon'tbesuchgoodpalswith
theguywhoiskeepinghisjob.HRisputtingitintheirjacketthat
theywerefiredforcause. IbelieveCarolisgoingtostatethatyou
were changing out machines over the weekend, a problem was
encountered,butthetwopeopleinchargeofmonitoringandnotifying
didn't bother to show up for work. Their employer has since
terminated them and the new machine was in place in a timely
mannerwhiletheseconddatacentershoulderedtheburden.Weare
goingtohavetoadjustthecapacityofthemachineatthatdatacenter
soifthisweretohappenagainitwon'tpegat98percentutilization.
Monday morning is the worst possible time for this,
volunteeredMargret.Sincethebanksystemsaretraditionallydown
onSunday,theATMwithdrawalsanddepositsgetqueuedupatthe
servicebureauallday.Theyhitusassoonasthesystemscomeback
up,usuallysometimeSundayevening.
Youallowwithdrawalswithoutyoursystemsbeingup?asked
Kathryn.

MoneyandThings

12

OnSunday,itdoesn'tmatterwhatlimityousetforyouraccount,
youcanonlygetupto$200.Afewhaveexploitedthepolicy,butnot
thatmany.WearenotusuallydownthatlongonSundayandusually
itisonedatacenteratatimesoitisaverynarrowwindowforthem
tohit,notalwaysatthesametimeofday.
Oh.
We also have a job which usually runs before shutdown
suspendingthecardsofanyonewhoisoverdrawnorhaslessthan
$200intheiraccount,soitusuallyisn'taproblem.
MargretwentontofindoutfromCarolifshehadallsheneeded.
Yes,respondedCarol.IhavefiledthereportwiththeFDIC
tellingthemwewerechangingoutmachinesandhadaproblemwith
asecurityfilethattookusawhiletotrackdown.
Soyoutoldthemnothingaboutthemachinebeingoffshored?
Didn'tputitinthereport,no.We'llwaitandseeiftheyinquire
further.WewereupwithintheallottedtimesoIdon'tthinktherewill
beanyfurtherinquiry.
Good.
AfewhourslaterKentwassittinginhisofficewhenthephone
rang.Hefearedtheworst.Hewassurprisedwhenthecallwasfrom
ananalystfromLangstonGrouplookingtointerviewhimoverthe
phone.Kentknewthiswaspartofthearrangement.Hehadacheat
sheetofthingstosaypreparedbyKathryn.Hedugitoutandbegan
respondingtothequestions. Oddhowthecheatsheetmatchedthe
order of the questions almost exactly. When the interview was
complete Kent asked, I take it Pytho Corporation is about to
announcetheirsoftwareproduct?
Theyannouncedthismorning.Thisinterviewwillappearinour
newslettergoingoutnextweek.

MoneyandThings

13
***

Vladimirwassittinginhisofficegoingthroughthefaxeshehad
receivedfromLenny. HesentmostofthemontoDimitriandtold
DimitritocontactLennydirectly.Theyshouldbeabletoobtainan
apartmenteasilyenough. HeknewDimitri'speopleownedseveral
buildings.Thevisawasamatterofgreasingthecorrectsetofpalms
toexpeditetheprocess.
Oncethatmatterwasdealt with,Vladimirturnedtotheemail
messagescopiedfromthealQaedahubaccounts.Heknewtheteam
wasfocusingmainlyonthemessagescomingin.Theyweretryingto
locate more cells to take down and possibly another email hub.
Vladimirhadbeenacovertgeeklongenoughtoknowtheoutbound
messagesweregoingtoholdthemostusefulinformation.
Hehadaparticularinterestinthetrainer.Perhapsitwasbrought
onbysomegeekbravadoduetohowlongittookNikolaustoactually
getasimpleTrojaninstalledontheoperator'smachine.Indeed,ifthe
trainerhadn'tbeenstupidenoughtoallowatrustedconnectionand
accountforthepersonhewastraining,Nikolausmightneverhave
gottenin. Whoeveritwas,theyhadeverythinglocked. Theyhad
evenpluggedthetensofthousandsofsecurityholesknowntoexistin
Microsoft operating systems and products they were running.
Nickolaushadtogivewhomeveritwascredit,theyhadmanagedto
dowhateventheEvilRedEmpirecouldn'tdo.
AnotherthingwhichhadpiquedVladimir'sinterestinthetrainer
wastheanalysisHanshadjustsenthim.ApparentlytheBritthought
thetrainermightbeonhiswayupintheorganization. Ifthatwas
true,thentheycouldn'tallowanythingtohappentothetrainerorlet
himgetsuspicious.Theoddswereveryhighanynewinducteeinto
theinnercircleofalQaedawouldbegrantedafacetofacepowwow

14

MoneyandThings

with bin Laden himself. All they needed to do was plant some
trackingdevicesontheguy:Hiscomputer,abaghenormallycarried,
possiblyeventheheelofashoehewore. Peoplehadbeenchasing
rumorsinthemisttryingtofindthatpieceofshitcalledbinLaden,
and this email operator could serve as a homing beacon for the
missiles.
Vladimirthenhadahorriblethought. Hehadtowriteitdown
andemailHans.

Hans,
Weneedtoplantsomepassivereflectivetrackingdevices
onthetrainer.Hiscomputer,abaghecarries,etc.Yourteam
shouldbeabletogainentryeasyenough.
Itismostimportantthatifheiselevatedintheorganization
wedonotinformthehigherups.BesuretheBritknows.Don't
even tell the man in the suit. He will be obligated to tell
PakistaniintelligenceandtheywilleitherwarnbinLadenorrun
totheAmericanswhowillwanttocapturehimalivetostand
trial.Eitherwaythepuddleofshitwillgetawayonceagain.
Ifheiselevated,letthisguybeahomingbeacon. Iwill
takecareofgettingmissilessenttodisposeofhim.
Vladimir

Withthatlittlebitofventingtakencareof,Vladimirreturnedto
skimmingthroughtheoutboundmessagesfromthetrainer.Handling
hisemailwaseasy. Hehadsomehowtransferrednearlyallofthe
cellshewashandlingtohistwotrainees. Vladimirwishedhehad

MoneyandThings

15

beentrappingthisperson'soutboundemailsbeforetheyhadmanaged
tocompletethetransfer.Nobodyonthisteamknewhowthecellsin
thefieldwereinformedofanewemailhubtransfer.Theyweretoo
busytryingtofindcellstoroundupanewemailhub.
Theyweren'tlookingforthetoolthatwouldgivethemallofthe
hubs.VladimirwaslookingfortheRosettaStone.Hesuspectedthat
somemessagewassentwithaspecialphraseembeddedinittelling
thereceivertosendtoanewemailaddress. Vladimirneededthat
phrase. Heknew of one team in America that was storing every
suspectedterroristemailinahugediskfarm.Theincomingsystem
whichfilteredspamhada500TBdiskfarm. Thebackendsystem
had four disk farms of 1,000TB each. The cooling and power
consumptionmustbeastronomical.Vladimirdidn'tcurrentlyhavea
contactwiththatcovertteam,buthecouldgetone. Heknewthe
team existedandheknewbothHansandtheBrithadcontactsin
AmericancovertOps.Thetrickwasinfindingthephrase.
FinallyVladimircouldtakethislineofthoughtnomore. He
pickedupadisposablecellphoneandmadeaninternationalcallto
Hans.
Yes,answeredHans,notwantingtogiveanythingaway.
It'sVlad,Hans.
Justreadingyouremail.Areyouseriousaboutthis?
Deadly,butthatisn'twhatIcalledabout.
Whathasyouinadither?
DoweknowifthistrainerwashandlingcellsitesinAmerica
beforehetransferredthingstotheothers?
Wearecertainofit.
WhatarethepossibilitiesofyoubaggingNedimforasessionof
questioningagain?

MoneyandThings

16

Me,personally,damnedlow.Thesuitislookingforreasonsto
stayinPakistan,sohemightbeupforit.Why?
YouguysarelettingtheRosettaStoneslipthroughyourfingers.
Thereissomemessagesentouttocellsinthefieldwhichtellsthem
touseacertainhubemailaccount.Allwehavetodoisidentifywhat
thatphraseisandwecanshutthesetwotraineesdown.
OK,slowdown.Whatthehellareyoutalkingabout?
Nedim was handling a certain group of American email
addresses. When Nedim was outed those addresses went to this
trainer,correct?
Yes.
I suspect another email was sent to those addresses, either
directlyorindirectly,whichtoldthemthenewemailhubtouse.We
havetheemailaddresses,whatIneedisthephrase.
Don'tyoualsoneedtheemail?
Youcangetthatforme.
Sure, I'll just shit it out right here on the desk for you, no
problem.
Nevertalkaboutshittoamanwhoridesawheelchair.
Sorry,butyouknowwhatImeant.
Yes,andIneedyourfullattention. Thereisacovertteamin
Americawhichhassomemassivediskfarms. Theirmissionisto
archive every suspected terrorist email message. If the American
publiceverfoundoutaboutittheywouldgoballistic.
That'salotofemail.Howaretheygettingitall?
Thereareonlyacoupleofinternationalbackbonesgoinginand
outofthatcountry.Thesesitessitonthemandsnagacopyofevery
emailgoingthrough.Theyhaveanupfrontsystemwhichfiltersout

MoneyandThings

17

theknownspam.Thetextonlymessagesarerunthroughakeyword
system to see if they need to be archived. Any email message
containinganimageisarchived. Anyemailmessagecontaininga
compressedfileoranimageisarchived.
That'salotofstorage.
Theyhaveseveraldiskfarmsofmorethan1,000TBeach.Of
coursetheyusesomeformofdatacompression,butyes,eventuallyit
spillsover.
Howdoesthishelpus,exactly?
Wehavealistofemailaddressesintheircountry.Ifwehave
the phrase or keyword which tells someone to change
communicationshubs,weshouldbeabletogivethembothandhave
them do a search of all email messages going to those addresses.
Theyshouldbeabletodotheimageextractionandsearchforthe
keywordorphrase.Weevenknowtheemailaddresstheyareusing
for the hubnow, sowe could give them that tomake certainthe
informationwehaveiscorrect.
Howdoesthishelpus,exactly?
Onceweverifyitandtheycomebackwiththehit,theycanscan
all other suspected emails in their database for this keyword or
phrase,thenhandthehubemailaddressovertous.Italsomeansthe
cellsforthehubformerlyintheKhyberPasscanleadustoanew
hub. Ithelpsusbecausewecansimplyoffthisnewguyandsee
wherehispeoplegetrouted.
Say we squeeze this phrase out of Nedim, the Americans
magicallygoalongwithyourrequest,andtheyverifythephraseis
correct. Whathappenswhenwetakeoutthecurrentnewhuband
thosecellsgonowhere?
Ifwetakehimoutinawaythatdoesn'talertsuspicionitmeans
thattheyhaven'tmanagedtogetmorehubsinthefield.Wecantake

MoneyandThings

18

thetraineratwill,leavingthemcompletelyblind.Theywillhaveto
gobacktodirectemailsandcellphonesuntiltheycancomeupwith
somethingelse.Wealreadyknowhowtoinflictcasualtiesonthem
whentheycommunicateinthatmanner.
Iwillrunthisbythesuitandseewhathethinks.Toobadyou
didn'tcomeupwiththisideabeforehegotouted. Mysuspicionis
thatNedimiscurrentlyundertoomuchsurveillancefromtoomany
groupstoriskbagginghim.EveryoneiswaitingforalQaedatokill
him.
Thatwasmysuspicionaswell.
RunthispasttheBritaswell. Hemightbewillingtoriskit
evenifthesuitsaysno.Thenagain,ifhehasthisideainhisheadit
willstophimfromoffingthecurrenthubuntilafterwe'vetriedto
squeezethem.
Thereisanotheroption. IfI'mabletomakecontactwiththe
Americans,Icangivethemacoupleoftheemailaddresseswhichwe
knowswitched,andtellthemtopullfivedays'worth,fromaspecific
dateforward,ofemailmessagessenttothemondecipheringimages
lookingforthisnewhub'semailaddress,thenaskthemtosharethis
information with us and run the same search across their entire
database. Itmighthavegoneoutinasimpletextmessage,andit
mighthavebeendoneviaphonecall.
True.Theinformationwouldbemorevaluableifwemanaged
to obtain it without going the Nedim route. If he really is being
watchedthatcloselytheriskishigh.
Ifitturnsoutyouarecorrect,whatdoyouproposewedo?
Thenewoperatormustdieinaverypublicandordinaryway.
Hitbyatruck,officefire,bestandingwithintheblastcircleofa
suicidebomberorsomethinglikethat. Somethingwhichcannotbe
tiedbacktothisoperationyetshowyenoughtomakethenews...

MoneyandThings

19

unlessyoucanfigureoutawayforhimtohaveaheartattackwhile
talkingwithhistrainer.
Howoftendoyouthinksomethinglikethatwillwork?
Dependshowcreativeweget.Itallhingesonthetransferbeing
sentinanemail,though.Ifitisaphonecallwewillbepumpinga
drywell.
Agreed.
Withthat,Vladimirhungupandreturnedtoscanningthroughthe
outboundemails. Theneedtofindoutwhatthistrainerwasupto
burnedstronginhim.Hecouldn'texplainwhy.Yousimplydevelop
asenseaboutthesethingsonceyouhadspentalongtimeincovert
operations.Hespentnearlyanhourgoingthroughtheaccumulated
outboundmessages,thenhecameacrossoneusinganimagehehadn't
seenbefore.
Whatisthis?hethought.Hewentsearchingthroughthenetwork
directorywhichheldalloftheknownbaselineimages.Itturnedup
nothing.Hetriedsomesoftwarehehadsearchingforsinglebiterrors
inthefileandfoundquiteafew. Nowhehadthelong,drawnout
processoftryingtoreconstructthebaselinemessage.Hesentaquick
emailcontainingthemessagetoHansandaskedhimtokeepaneye
outforabaselineimageoranotherofthisimageinanemail.Hewas
certainthisimagecontainedsomethingdramaticallyimportant.Ithad
originatedfromthetrainer'smachine,buthadnotcomein.
Thetrialanderrorprocesswentonforhours.Evenwithallof
thesoftwareandknowledgeatVladimir'sdisposal,itwasdifficultto
pullamessageoutofaphotoifyoudidn'thavethebaselineimage.
The baseline image would have been the raw photograph with a
simplewordorsentenceencodedinitalready.Afterthatyousimply
hadthebit differencesbetweenthetwoimages. FinallyVladimir
managedtopulloutwhathebelievedwasthemessage.

MoneyandThings

20

Need new identity kits for myself and team. Operation

to move forward soon.
***
NikolausreceivedhisphonecallfromAbelstatingthingswere
currentlysetup. HegaveNikolaustheuseraccountandpassword
alongwiththeWebaddressforthedistributortoconnect.Itwould
take more time before they could use the XML interface to send
orders,receiveinvoices,andcheckinventories,but thiswouldget
themgoingfornow.Theyhadahalfamilliondollarlineofcredit,
butthatwouldchangeoncethefinancedepartmentgotdone.
TherecouldbelittledoubtthatAbelwasaloyalpartymember.
Hehadbulldoggedthisthroughinjustoveraday.Nikolauspicked
upadisposablecellphoneandcalledDimitrionthenumberhewas
given.
Hello.
Your distributor has been set up. I have the password,
username,andWebsiteaddressforyou.
Excellent.Havesomeoneemailittothecontactwegaveyou.
Hewillget rightonplacinganorder. Areyoureadytoshipour
customproducts?
Thosewereallpackagedyesterday.Youdohaveonlyahalfa
milliondollarcreditlimittostart.Financehasn'thadtimetodothe
creditprocessing.
Noproblem.Informhimofthatintheemail.Imustwarnyou
thathewillprobablyburnmostofthatenteringanorderforregular
stuff,ifnotallofit. AsIsaid,theyhavealargemarketforcheap
generics,butsimplycouldn'tgetthem.
Iheardoneofourdistributorshadoneoftheterritoriesand
mightissuealegalchallenge.Wearepreparedtohandlethatonthis
end.Theyhadnotbotheredtobuymuchofthegenericstuff.

MoneyandThings

21

Good. NowthatIthinkofit,thingsmightgosmootherifthe
firstshipmentandpaymentisforthegenericstuff.Weneedtoget
customsusedtoseeinglargeordersthatareawasteoftheirtimetogo
though.
Aslongaswemanagetogetyourcustomproductstakencareof
inthenextmonthorso,thingsshouldwork.
I'mgladyouareeasytodobusinesswith.Thisshouldbeavery
profitableundertakingforbothofus.
Ihopeso. Bytheway,theydon'thandlebloodproducts,do
they?
Icanask,why?
Wearegettingquiteasupplyofwholeblood,clottingagent,
andplasmabuiltup.Iftheyaresupplyingsomehospitalsitwouldbe
niceiftheycouldtakesomeofthoseoffourhandswhiletheyarestill
fresh.
Iwillmakeacallnow.
Thankyou.
Nikolaus hung up the disposable phone, looked at the battery
level,thentosseditinthetrash.Nosensekeepingsomethinglikethat
aroundorrechargingit,hethought. Neverknowwhenthiswillall
blowup.
Whenhereturnedtohisdesk,hegotbacktoworkonhisnew
missioninlife,buildingasecuredcampinChina.Abelhadprovided
him with additional information about the area where the existing
gauzefactorywas. Therewasalreadyaworkerdormitoryonsite.
TheoddthingaboutbuildinginChinawasthathousingwassoscarce
youhadtobuildacompanytowntosetupafactory,atleastifyou
weren'tChinese.
Therewasaverylargeplotoflandthegenericscompanyhadan

22

MoneyandThings

optiononanditwasabouttherightsizeforasmallersecondsecured
facility. Healreadyhadhispeopleapproachtheircontactsinthe
Chinesegovernmentaboutbuildingafacilityonthatplottohousethe
drugsfortheirplan.Theywerealltooeagertogiveanapprovaland
promisetokeepwhatthesitedidconfidential.TheLuttonbombing
hadthemwonderingabouthavingallofthisstuffstoredinoneplace
aswell.

CrazyManwasRight
Johnhadbeenwalkingoneggshellsforthepastthreedays.His
request for new identity kits and traveling money had gone
unanswered.Thestressofworkingnearly eighteenhoursperday,and
actuallyhavingtoworkratherthansupervise,wasalsotakingitstoll
onhim.Thecompanyhadfinallyhiredafewpeople,buttheywere
almostnontechnicalbydefinition.Theyhaddonethistogetaround
the union contract. They were all parttime people without any
degrees.Theyweregoingtohirethemaximumnumberofparttime
peopletheycouldfindattheshitwagestheywereofferingandnot
replaceasingleunionworker.Thegreedybastardsdidn'tcarewho
keeledoverinhere.
TrainingthenewpeoplehadbeenabigdrainonJohn'stime.He
had little time to think about his plan or to do much about
implementing it. He had quietly opened up the firewall on three
separateportstoallowhismachinetoconnectfromhome,orliterally
anywhere. In theory, the attack could be carried out from his
apartment,butnotifthecompanymanagementfoundtheopenports
inthefirewall.Johnhadbeengoodaboutcoveringhistrackswhen
hedidthat,logginginviathegenericsystemsmaintenanceaccount
theothersusedtodotheirwork.Still,itwasagamble.Iftheyrana
securityaudit,theywouldfindtheportsandclosethem.They might
ormightnottrytofindoutwhotookthesecurityoffthoseportsand
why, but with the ports closed he would be forced to be in the
building(alongwiththethreeothers)tocarryouttheattack.
Asecurityauditwasfastbecomingabigrisk.Therewasalotof
falloutfromthefaileddatacentermigration.Eventhoughthecenter
wasupandrunningthefollowingday,alotofpeoplewerebeing
called on the carpet for it. Even John's boss had told him the
Americanshadowneduptoitbeingtheirfault.Theyhadfiredtwo
people responsible for it and were looking at taking legal action

againstthedatacenterthatquitthedayoftheconversion.

CrazyManWasRight

ThatwasnotgoodnewstoJohn. HehadreadenoughInternet
newsandwatchedenoughbusinessreportsonsatelliteTVtoknow
justhowcourtcaseslikethatworked.Theformeremployeeswould
getlawyerstofileaclassactioncountersuit.Therewouldbelotsof
newsreportsandmediacoveragestatingthedatacenterwasbeing
offshored.TheymightevenidentifyJohn'sdatacenter.Management
wouldfreakandlockdownthisfacilitylikeafortress.
TheUtopianvisionJohnhadforthisattackwasthatheandthe
three others would enter a conference room under the guise of a
software deployment meeting. This would be entered on the
calendars just like any other deployment meeting. Since it was a
softwaredeploymentmeeting,nobodywouldthinktwiceaboutthe
developershavingtheirnotebookcomputersintheroom.
Atthestartofthemeetingtheywouldstarteachofthejobsthat
transferredmoneyoutoftheaccounts. Oneofthedevelopershad
comeupwithawonderfulidea.Ratherthanbeginabulktransferof
allmoneys,theyhadwrittenaprogramwhichwouldrandomlytake
transactionamountswhichoccurredoneachaccountoverthepastsix
months. Instead of going to their original destinations these
transactions would be sent to the accounts in Syria, Iran, and
Switzerland. Johnhadalreadytaskedoneofthecell leaderswith
gettingtheaccountssetupandgettingsoftwareinplacesowhenthe
moneystartedcomingintheycouldinstantlytransferitoutviathe
drugdealermoneylaunderingsystem.
Themeetingwouldbeheldneartheendoftheworkday.After
they had monitored the jobs a little while, they would simply go
home,packtheirbagsanddisappear. Evenifthebanksbeganto
catchontotheheist,tensofmillionsifnotbillionswouldbegone.
Tryingtogetitallinonelumpsumwouldsenduptoomanyredflags
inthesoftware.Theywouldallbecaughtandthetransactionswould
bereversedbeforethemoneycouldbesnatchedoutoftheaccounts.
OnethingJohnhadlearnedindoinghisresearchforthisattack

CrazyManWasRight

wasthatthereislessprintedmoneyworldwidethanthereiswealth.If

everysinglepersonwenttotheirbankandstockbrokertryingtoall
gettheirfundsincash,roughlyhalfofthemwouldhavetotakeIOUs.
Theydidn'thavetogetallofthemoneytostartaglobalpanic,just
enoughtoforcearunonthebanks.
ThishadbeenahardsellforJohn.Alotofmoneyhadcomein
post9/11 and the upper echelon of alQaeda did not have much
interestinanyattackwhichdidn'ttakethelivesofinfidels.Johnhad
decidedhewasgoingthroughwiththiswhetherhegottheblessingof
theleadersornot.Apparentlytheyhadcometothesameconclusion
sincetheysenthimemployeesandpeopletotrainfortheemailhub
operations.
Johnbelievedtheonlyreasonhedidn'tgetanewpersontotrain
afterthehubinPakistanhadbeensorudelytakenoutwasthefacthe
hadsent an email statingtheoperationwas tohappensoon. The
othersonJohn'steam hadtoldhim their cell leaders hada lot of
supportforthisproject.Weaponsandpeoplewerebeingchewedup
inAfghanistan. Itcostcashtopurchasesmallarmsandexplosives.
Their Russian suppliers had all but stopped selling them anything
good.NowtheyweredealingwiththeMuslimcountriessurrounding
Afghanistan,butthepriceswerehigherduetotheriskforthemand
thefacttheywerebuyingfromtheRussiansandactingasmiddlemen.
AstrikelikethiscouldprovejusthowdangerousalQaedareally
was.Theyhadbeenunabletoacquiredecentbiologicalweaponsor
anynuclearweapons,butthecashfromthismighttemptsomeofthe
moreunstablegovernmentsintheregion.Itwouldalsoallowthemto
setupadisposalcompanyforchemicalandnuclearwaste.Theyhad
some homegrown supporters in countries where that was a
commercial business,most notablyintheUnitedStates: Squeaky
cleanindividualswhocouldgetthelicenseseasilyiftheyhadenough
cashlyingaround. Aswithmostwars,moneyandindustrywould
eventuallywintheday. Ifyouhadthemoney,youcouldbuythe

CrazyManWasRight

industry.
Therewereonlytwothingsholdingupthisoperation.Thefirst
thing was the lack of identity kits. Security cameras made those
mandatory.Theywouldhavetogetoutofthecountrybeforethiswas
discovered. The second thing was that new banking software
installedforFrenchoperations.Theprogrammersneededsometime
towriteaseparatejobtohandlethatdatabaseandapplication.
One of the programmers had lamented to John about no cell
thinking of buying a blackmarket creditcard imprinting machine.
The database contained all of the information for nearly a billion
ATMaccountsalongwithmillionsofbankissuedcreditcards.They
couldprintuptheirowncardsandtakethemoneyalittleatatime.
John was hit with a better idea. Why not create an ASCII
delimitedfileofalltheinformationandtakeitwiththem?Sincean
ASCIIfilewaspuretext,whichcouldbeimportedintoaspreadsheet,
database, or any other application they chose to use, it would be
perfect. Thereweredozensofchatrooms online wherepeoplesold
identities.Granted,theygotonlyabout tendollarspercardforthem,
butitwouldbeamethodofgettingsomecashwhiletravelingthe
worldindisguise. Heinstructedtheprogrammertocreatesuchan
extractfromeverysystemonefileforeachsystem,thenquietly
sneakitout.Theywouldallhaveoneortwoofthefilestofundtheir
escape.
TherewerefewillusionsinJohn'smindaboutthisoperation.No
placeinIndiawouldbesafeforhimnomatterhowmuchmoneyhe
had.HisnewidentitykitwouldneedtocomewithanH1BVisato
theU.S.ThereweresomanyIndianITworkersthere,nobodypaid
attentiontothem. HecouldhideintheforestofNewYorkfora
while,thenmoveofftotheMidwestortheWestCoast.Identitykits
ornot,Johnsetthemeetingtwoweeksout.Itwasnotunusualforhis
scheduleortheprogrammer'sschedulestobethatbacklogged.

CrazyManWasRight

3
***

Nikolaususedhisownlogintochecktheinventorylevelsofthe
specialproductsforDimitri'sdistributor.Theyhadtakenacoupleof
containersofRussiancurrency,acontainerofeurosand,oddly,even
a container of Indian currency. Nikolaus didn't want to know
anythingaboutwhattheyweredoingwithit,hejustwanteditgone.
Hewassomewhatpeevedthey hadn'ttakentheonecontainerofSouth
Africancurrencytheyhad.Hewasaboutreadytoburnthatmoney.
He had asked everyone in the party who ran any kind of covert
operationiftheyhaduseforitandtheyhadallsaidno.
Itwasoddtostillhaveallofthoseeuros.Nikolaushadtakento
payingtheteamdoingtheharvestingincash. Itwasabigbagof
euroseveryweekandstilltheyhadabunchbailedupandwaitingto
beboxed.Atleasttheyhadgottenmorestrictintheirorgandealings.
Americandollars,euros,orRussianrublesweretheonlyformsof
paymenttheyaccepted.Deliverieswerenowaccompaniedbyspecial
paramilitaryunitswhomadesurethetermsweremetorthebuyersno
longerhadneedfororgans.
Gettingridoftheoddcurrencieswasstillgoingtobeaproblem.
NikolaushadcalledHansandaskedhimforashippingaddressto
sendsomespecialcargo.
Whatkindofspecialcargo?
Localcurrencyincontainerswhichstateitismedicalsupplies
andnottobeopened,respondedNikolaus.
Howmanycontainers?
Four.
Willtheyfitinthetrunkofacar?
Notallfourtogether.
Shipthemoneperweektotheapartmentwherethethreeguys

CrazyManWasRight

arestaying.Theycancartthepackagehere.Thislocationreallyisn't
securetobeleavingthatkindofcasharound.
Useittogreasewhateverpalmsneedgreasing.Oneofthesales
fromtheotheroperationgotpaidinthatcurrencyandwearen'tsetup
touseitorconvertit.Thelaundrydidn'tleapatcleaningit.Since
youareincountryyoucanpayyourpeopleinlocal currencyand
bribewhoyoumust.
Itwouldbenicetohaveadecenthotel,thoughtHans.Icankeep
alowprofileandhaveaplacewithflushplumbingforachange. Tt
wouldbenicetotakeahotshowermorethanonceperweekaswell.
This time the people doing the surveillance had it good and the
headquartershaditbad. Therewasonehydrantstickingoutofthe
groundforwateranditdidn'thavemuchpressure.Nowayyoucould
takeashower,eveniftherewasashowerorahose.
Howisthatgoing,ifyoudon'tmindmyasking?
Beyondcapacity. Tooktheriskofbringinginnewpeopleto
boostcapacity,butquiterisky.
Youneedasecondlocation.
I'malreadyonit.Presentingtotheboardlatertoday.
Beayearbeforeitisupthough,won'tit?
Sixmonths.Muchsmallersiteandamuchbiggerconstruction
crew.
Won'tthatbedifficulttohide?
Theyarebeingprovidedbythegovernmentofwhereitwillbe
built.Theyusethemformuchoftheirmilitaryconstruction.
Oh.Youmanagedabighook.
Awhale.
Goodfishing,then.

CrazyManWasRight

Nikolauslaughed,thenhungup.Hisstresslevelwasdropping.
Whilethemoneylaunderingwasgoingslowerthanhewanteditwas
stillgoingtoaddseveralmilliontothebottomlineofthecompany
thisquarter.
That remindedNikolaustochecktheinventoryofblood. He
loggedinagainandfoundithadbeencutinhalffromitsprevious
levellastweek.HepickedupthephoneandcalledAbel.
Hello.
HelloAbel,Nikolaushere.IsthereanywayIcanseewhatthis
newdistributororders?
Areyouloggedintoyourinquirypage?
Yes.
Alongthetopmenuthereisanoptionforreports. Putyour
mouseover it and adrop downmenuwill appear. Shouldbean
optionforaccounthistory.
Ah,thereis.
SelectitandkeyintheaccountnumberIgaveyou.Itshould
bringupalistofinvoicesafteraskingyouadaterange.Youcanlook
ateachinvoiceindividually.Thatwillprettymuchmatchtheirorder,
unlesswehadtobackordersomeitemsforthem.Doyouneedmore
information?
No,thisisgoodenough.Thankyouverymuch.
Alwaysgladtobeofservicetotheparty.

Nowondertheyhadn'ttakenmuchinthewayofcurrencyoff
Nikolaus' hands. Nearly half of their credit limit was used up
orderingblood. Anotherquarterofitwenttothegenericproducts.
They only had chump change left to order their private products.

CrazyManWasRight

Dimitri wasn't kidding about this distributor starving for quality

generics. Theyhadorderedenoughcoldformulaandantibioticsto
treatacity.Hewonderedwhatwouldhappeninafewweekswhen
theircreditlimitwasadjustedasaresultoffinancefinishingtheir
creditcheck.Hell,theyordered1,000boxesofgauzepatches!Other
thanthebloodandplasma,noneofthestufftheyorderedretailedfor
morethanU.S. fivedollars.Nikolauswasinterruptedbyanemail
notification. He opened the message as he saw it was from the
contactatthenewdistributor.

Hello,
I just wanted to thank you for allowing us to distribute your
products.Wehavebeentryingtofindalineofqualityproducts
foraverylongtime. Ican'twaitforyourcreditdepartmentto
finishtheircheckonussowecanorderallofthethingswe
reallyneed.
Weareupdatingourcatalognowwithallofyourproductsand
sendingitouttoallretailandhospitallocationswesupply.By
thetimeourcreditlimitisincreasedweexpecttohaveavery
largeorderwaitingforyou.

Itwouldbeatleastaweekbeforetheircreditlimitwasbumped.
NikolaushadforgottenhowbadoffsomepartsofRussiareallywere.
HeassumedDimitriwouldbeprovidingthecreditreferencesinone
wayoranotherandthatthisinfluxofgenericmedicalsuppliesinto
theregionwashismethodofbuyingoffthepublic.Still,doingsome
goodalongthewayneverhurt.Afterall,wasn'tthathowtheother
countriesweregoingtobesuckedintothisoperation?Theywereall
buyingbloodcomponentsandtheirverywealthywerebuyingorgans
toextendtheirgreedylives.

CrazyManWasRight

7
***

The Brit was using every trick he knew to locate the actual
destinationoftheemailaddresswhichhadVladimirallina dither.
The Brit still didn't know who Vladimir was, only that someone
remotely going through the outbound email had stumbled across
somethingbig.Heusedeverymaildistributionsiteheknewhowto
hackintotosendeverykindofspamhecouldthinkofwiththeping
utilityembeddedinit.Hesimplyneededtheremotelocationtogeta
pingtoworkfrom. Theoutboundemailhadhappenedbeforethe
trainer'smachinehadbeenfullycompromised.
Finally,heturnedtoHansandsaid,Canyouhaveyourremote
guru connect in and send an email to this same address from the
trainer'smachine? Wecangetthepingutilitytothemthatway,I
think.
Icanask,butIthinkhewouldhavedoneitalreadyifhecould.
Hewasneverabletogetallthewayintothatmachine.Hemightbe
abletosenditfromtheemailservicedirectly,though.
Whydidn'tIthinkofthat?
Canyoudoit?
Yes,butIwillhavetodoafullpenetrationofthesitewhichhe
hasalreadydone.Hecangettheemailouttoday.Nocontent,just
thepingutility.
He'sreallygotyougoingwiththis,hasn'the?
Somewheretheyhaveanidentityshop. Iamassumingitisa
goodoneandusedregularlysinceourtrainerrequesteda new kit.
Thatmeanshewasgivenonetocomehere.Iftheyhaveashopthat
good,itprobablyhastodowithanintelligenceserviceinoneofthese
hostilecountries.Giventhereluctanceofthemaninthesuittoleave
Pakistan,I'massuminghefearsitishisowncountry. Yourmanis

CrazyManWasRight

worriedaboutthataswellsincehedidn'twantyoutofeedanyofthe
trackingstorytohim.
Justaswellsinceitisabustnow.
Still.Hesoundsratherseasoned.Ilikethewholeideahecame
upwithaboutgettinghelpfromtheAmericans. WhatIwouldlike
even more is to know how he knew about that operation. I was
unawareofit,butitisrealnonetheless.
Youverified?
Yes.
Youdidn't.
No.I'mleavingthatuptoyou.Youaretheleaderhere.It'sa
damnedgoodideaaslongaswedon'thavetogiveuptoomuchabout
whatwedo.
Iwouldhavejumpedonitalready,butIworryaboutthatlast
littlebit.
Don'twaitmuchlonger.Iknowitsoundslikelimitlessstorage,
buttheydonearlyafullturnovereverythreemonths.
Hanslookedathim.
Yes,thereisthatmuchemailontheInternet.Thewordsearch
tendstopullinalotofneedlesschatterandeveryoneissendingnaked
pictures of themselves around the globe. Some poor schmucks
actuallyhavetositandwadethroughallofthatstuff.
Hans contemplated the absolute torture it would be to weed
throughmillionsofemailsperdayandashiverwentdownhisbody
itwasvisible,hecouldn'tcontrolit.
Nastythought,isn'tit?
Yes.

CrazyManWasRight

Suddenlyoneshoweraweekdoesn'tsoundssobad,doesit?
Notatall.
Ifwhatyouaretellingmeistrue,theyprobablydon'thavethe
messagesweneedinstorageanymore.
Iwouldbelievethattobetrue.
Whatgoodiscontactingthem,then?
Nonewcommunicationstraineehasshownupforourtrainer.
Ourexistinghubhasanewroommate.I'llwageryouaweekinanice
hotel with room service this new roommate will suddenly have a
machineshowinguponourpingserver.

Hehasalreadyreceivedacomputerandbeengettinglessonson
howtoinstallsecurityonit.Igiveitthreedays,maybefour,before
heislearningtheropesofemailforwarding.
Makeyouadeal.Inthreedayswetakethemboth.Taketheir
computers,theirnotes,everythingtheyhave. Bundlethemupand
sendthemtotheinterrogationcamp. Wecantakethemwhilethe
otherisatwork.
Thatsoundslikeastatement,notadeal.
Thedealis,wedon'tgototheAmericansthistimewithwhatwe
have.WesimplygivethemalloftheAmericanemailaddresseswe
have and tell them we know someone reading email from each
accountisanalQaedamember. Wedon'ttellthemhowweknow,
justthatwehaveproofwhichcannotberevealednow. Whatthey
choosetodowiththisinformationisuptothem.
Youknowtheyaregoingtoaskforeverythingwehave.
Ihavedirectoriesfulloftranslatedmessages,originalmessages,
etc. WecouldburnaCDforthemandsaythisisallwecangive

CrazyManWasRight

10
themrightnow.
Thesuitwouldshitabrick!
He'llneverknow.

ThatstunnedHans.Youdon'ttrusthimanymore?
I think he is the good soldier who files all his reports with
Pakistaniintelligence.Ithinktheyhavebeenleakinginformationand
holdingusback.Webothknowthegovernmentitselfhasalotofal
Qaedabackersinit.
SofareverythingtheBritsaidwastrueandHansknewit.
LetmeburntheCD,passitonwithwhatI'vesaid,andtellmy
contactnottocomelookingformore.Itisallwecanrisklettingslip
out.Ifyouthinkouroperationiscovert,justthinkhowbaditisfor
theiroperation.Illegallyeavesdroppingonresidentsinacountryfull
ofunemployedlawyersandmediamogulslookingforagoodtabloid
story.'BigBrother'sellsalotofcopyoverthere.Thepersonwho
gavemetheconfirmtookanamazinggamble. Ineedtogivethem
somethingtoworkwithaspaymentinkind.Ifyoudon'twantmeto
givethemalltheAmericanemailaddresses,tellmehowmanyandI'll
limitit.IdefinitelywanttopassalongtheGoldenGateBridgeand
SearsTowerstuff,though.
Nowwearegettingtothebottomofit,Hansthought.Heneeds
tobuybackthefavor.Still,whathewasaskingwasthesmartplay.
GetthatinformationintothehandsofAmericanstodaysotheycould
startlookingthroughitandbeginmonitoringoftheemailaccounts
whichwereabouttolosetheirhub.
Itakeityourcontactishere.
Afewhoursawaybybus,repliedtheBrit.Theyarerunning
surveillanceonan offshoreconsultingcompanytheybelieveisowned
byalQaeda.

CrazyManWasRight

11

ThatmadeHans'eyesgowide.
Myreaction,too.Thecompanyhasbeensendingworkersinto
theU.S.underH1BworkVisas.
MyGod!exclaimedHans. It'samajorpipelineforsuicide
bombers.
Itwasonlyamatteroftimebeforetheycameupwiththeidea,
respondedtheBrit.
Whydon'ttheyjustendtheH1Bprogram?
Ah mate, you don't understand corporate greed and the
politiciansitcontrols.
***
IthadbeenabrutalweekforJeremy.Hehadputhistownhome
upforsaleandmovedmostofhisstuffintoastorageunit. Lenny
wasgivinghimasmuchtimeoffworkasheneededtogetthething
onthemarket.Hiscoworkershadbeenonlytoogladtohelpcarthis
thingsoutofhishouseandintothemovingtruck. Theyhadeven
comealongandhelpedputtheboxesintothestoragelocker.Painters
hadbeeninaswellascarpetlayers.Jeremynowsleptinasleeping
bag in his bedroom and ate only carry out. The open house this
comingweekendwouldprobablybringanoffer.

Allofthishadbeenbothstressfulandexasperating. Nothing
churnedhisstomachlikeLennyhandinghimtheenvelopecontaining
allhisdocumentationforatwoyearworkvisaintheUkraine.Itwas
really final then. The IT worker had left the day before to start
gettingthenetworksetupandlookintothebuildingofacomputer
room. ThefollowingdayJennifergaveJeremyhisplaneticketand
arrangedfortheshippingofhisclothesandotherpersonalitemsto

CrazyManWasRight

12

thenewapartment. Yes,shehadgivenhimtheaddressofitand
given him a phone number to call as soon as he touched down.
Dimitri was sending some people to help them through customs.
BecauseJeremywascomingthereonatwoyearvisahewasgoingto
needsomeonetohelppushthingsthrough.
Jeremy's two coworkers offered to take him out for a final
Americanlunch,buthepassed. Heneededtogetsomemorestuff
donebeforehecouldleave.ThetwoemployeesLennyhadattheoff
sitedatacenterhadbothbeenofferedjobsintheUkraine.Theperson
with a family declined, but the younger kid fresh out of school
jumpedatthechance.Becausehewouldn'thaveahousingexpense,
justfoodandlaundry,itwasamajorincreaseinincomeandachance
tospendayearinaforeigncountry.
JenniferstrolledbyJeremy'sdeskandsaidtohim,Don'tlookso
sad.Iwillbetherefortwoweekswithyou.It'snotlikeyouwon't
knowanybody.
Thefirstweekwillbesheerhelljusttryingtogetaround.The
secondweekIwillbetryingtobringinanalysts.Bythenyouwillall
begoneandIwillbestuckthere.
Do you want us to hire a receptionist open to 'other related
duties'comingwiththejob?
Jeremylaughed.
Ohwell,IwillwanttocheckoutyourapartmentbeforeIleave.
PerhapswecantakecareofthatmassageandmealbeforeIgo?
That got Jeremy'sattention. Hecouldtellbythetoneofher
voiceitwasn'tatease.Helookedherintheeye.
I'mwed,notdead,sheresponded.
Youjustmadethetripalittlebrighter,hesaid.
Good,I'llpacksomestockingsthen.

CrazyManWasRight

13

Won'thubbywonderwhyyouarepackingthem?
Youreallyareaboy,aren'tyou?Myhusbandhasn'tpackeda
suitcase or watched it being packed since we got married, she
laughed.
He laughed, too. I suppose you managed to get everyone
stayingatdifferenthotelssotheywon'tknowyoudon'treturntoyour
roomafewnights.
If you must know, the others are staying at a hotel within
walkingdistanceofthenewofficeandI'mstayingatahotelabouta
milefromyourapartment.
Nicebitofplanning,Jennifer.Sureyoudon'twanttoworkas
ananalyst?
Noway,shelaughed.I'vebeenmarriedover eighteenyears.
I'mdueafling.Sinceyouwon'tbecomingbackforatleastayear,
otherthantocloseonyourtownhome,aflingiswhatitwillbe.
Atyourservice,m'lady,Jeremysaidmockingly.
Justrememberthat,shesaidwithasmileasshewalkedaway.
The one thing Jeremy had left to do was to set up a trading
accountforStacie.Heput$5Kofhisownmoneyinit.Hehadlifted
herSocialSecurityanddriver'slicensenumbersfromherwhileshe
wasinthespaatSalish.Hewouldhavesetuptheaccountthen,but
hehadforgottentobringhisnotebookwithhim. Heoptedtohave
themovernighttheformsforsignaturetoStacie'sapartment.
Jeremyloggedintohispersonalemailaccount.HesentStaciean
emailgivingherhisaddressintheUkraineandthephonenumberfor
thenewoffice.ThenhepickedupthephoneandcalledStacie'scell
phone.
Hello.
Hi.

CrazyManWasRight

14

I wondered if you were going to call me before you left.

Missingmealready?
Yes.
Shelaughedinresponse.
Isentyouanemailwithmycontactinformationthere,butthat
is not why I'm calling. I took the liberty of setting up a trading
accountforyou.
Idon'tmakeyourkindofmoneytogamblewith.
I put in $5K of my own. You will be getting an overnight
deliverybefore9:00AMtomorrow.Gointoworklatesoyoucanbe
there. Youjustneedtosigntheformsandsendthembacktothe
onlinebroker.
Staciewaskindoffloored.Soitisreallyyouraccountinmy
name?sheasked.
No,itisyours.Thereisnoreasonyoushouldn'tprofitfromthis
aswell.Besides,ifyoucometostaywithmeitwillgiveyousomeof
yourownmoneytowalkaroundwith.
Staciedidn'treallyknowhowtorespondtothat.Fromwhatshe
knewabout theplay,theaccount wouldnearlydoubleinthenext
couple of weeks. She knew that there were other plays going to
happenafterthisone,andshehadageneralideaastothekindof
moneyJeremynowhad.Finally,shesaid,Thatisthoughtfulofyou.
Iguessyouwillhavetoseeiftheyhavelingeriestoreswhereyouwill
beliving.
SomehowI'mthinkingtheywon'thaveanythingtocompareto
what you showed up with at Salish, he laughed. Expect the
packagetomorrow.
Iwill.Youhaveasafetrip,anddon'tforgetaboutNewYear's.
Alreadyonit.Onelastthing.Ifyouhaveanyinfluencewith

CrazyManWasRight

15

thosewhoarehelpingtargetsalesofthePythosoftwarepackage,you
shouldpointtheminthedirectionofGraniteNationalBank. They
aren't ahuge bank. Operate onlyinthe U.S. They have alarge
programmingstaffandareonanFDICwatchlistrightnow. The
savingstheycouldgetfromthepackageandbeingabletoletgomost
oftheirITstaffwouldgetthemoffthelist.
Idon'tknowhowcomfortableIamwiththat,butIwillseewhat
Icando.
PythoneedstomakeaU.S.saletogetrevenueflowing.Should
beagooddealforall.
I'lldropahintandseewhereitgoes.
Youreallyaremorethanaguyshouldaskfor,hesaid.
ThatlinehadStacieblushinglikeaschoolgirl.NewYear'swas
startingtobetoofaroff.
AfterhangingupJeremysentanemailtooneofhisbuddiesfrom
college. Theguywasdoingprettywellinsomesalespositionand
wasn't seeing anyone steady. He had been a football player in
college,butnotgoodenoughtoturnpro.

HeyBuddy,
Youprobablywon'tbelievethisemail,butitistrue.Ihavebeen
hookingupwithStaciefromtimetotime. Shehasapairof
roomies.TheywanttogooutasagrouponNewYear'sEveto
one of those allinclusive, grand hotel celebrations. They
haven'tpickedthehotelyet. I'mattachingpicturesofthetwo
girls.
SinceyouarethefirstoneI'masking,yougetyourchoice.All
youhavetodoismakethereservationandwearanicesuit.

16

CrazyManWasRight

Bothladiesareonthepillandpromisedtodotheirdate.Long
story, don't ask. Don't know if they will make you wear a
raincoat,though.
If you are interested, email me back and I will forward your
emailaddresstoStaciesoshecanputyourchoiceintouch
withyou.
Jeremy

Next,hesentasimilarmessagetoanotherbuddyfromcollege
who was running his own lawncare and snowremoval business.
Ordinarilyyouwouldn'tthinkthatsuchabigthing,buthehadsome
highend homes and two golf courses in his client list. He was
makingwaymorethanJeremy'ssalarynow,butnowherenearwhat
Jeremywaspullinginifyouaddedinthestocktrading.

Finally,hegotbacktofocusingonKyyiv.Hehadtohanditto
thegroupgettingtheofficetogether:theyhadthephonesturnedon
alreadyandtherewassupposedtobefurnitureintheplace.Hehad
purchasedacoupleof220to110powerconverterssohewouldbe
abletousehisexistinglaptopuntiltheITguyscouldgethimalocal
onesetup.ThosewerepackedintheboxesJenniferhadshippedto
thenewapartment.Hehopedthatstuffactuallyarrived.Ifitdidn't
hewasgoingtohaveonlythetwooutfitspackedinhisgarmentbag
untilhecouldfindaclothingstore.
Now Jeremy put on his headset and began going through the
Russianlanguagesoftwarehehadpurchased. Hehadspentthelast
twonightslearningitandimagineditwouldbehisprimarysourceof

CrazyManWasRight

17

entertainmentforthefirstfewweeksthere,oratleastafterJennifer
left,unlessshewasseriousaboutareceptionistopentootherrelated
duties.
Jeremy was listening to the software say phrases in both
languagestohim,buthismindwasgoingthroughthelistofthings
thatneededtobedone.Hehadgonetothepostofficeandgottenhis
mailforwardedtotheoffice.Jenniferhadagreedtogothroughitand
forwardwhatneededtobesenttohim.Hehadloggedintohiscredit
cardWebsitesandchangedhisbillingaddresstotheapartmentinthe
Ukraine. Naturally that brought a phone call from the security
departmentateachcompanytoverifythechange.Thankfully,hehad
cutdowntotwocreditcardsawhileago.
Movingisbadenough,hethought,butgoingtoanewcountryis
arealpisser.ReplacingsomethingIforgetwillbealmostimpossible
until Ilearn the language. He had noidea what was around the
apartmentforstoresorfood.True,hecouldrelyonsomeofDimitri's
peopleforawhile,buthewascertainthatkindofhelpwasgoingto
beshortlived. Hethenrememberedthephonebillinhiscomputer
bag.Hepulleditoutandcalledthephonecompanytohavehisphone
turnedoff.Thenhecalledthecablecompanyandwentthroughthe
processagain.Hewasjustfinishingupwhenhiscoworkersarrived
backfromlunch.Thankfully,waterandpowerwouldbehandledby
thenewownersasoneofthesaleconditions.
***

Stacieworethenecklaceandearringstoworktoday.Shewore
themwheneversheknewshewasgoingtohavemeetingswithsome
ofthehigherups.Herroommateshadabsolutelydiedwithjealousy
whentheysawthem.Hercoworkershadevencommentedonthem
enthusiastically. ThecellphonecallfromJeremyandherblushing

CrazyManWasRight

18

hadafewofthemgatheringaroundforgossip.Theicingonthecake
hadtobewhenKathrynwalkedbyandaskedwhatwasgoingon.
Thosecostabundle,shesaidmatteroffactly.
Ihaveamanthatabsolutelylovesme,shereplied.Acoupleof
theengagedgirlslookedlonginglydownatthelittlechipontheir
fingerwhentheyheardthatresponse.
Whatdoeshedo?Kathrynasked.
I'm not exactly certain, said Stacie. He is moving to the
Ukrainethisweekbecausehiscompanyisopeningupadivisionthere
andheisgoingtorunit.I'mgoingtovisithimonmynextvacation.
Sounds like someone is going to be walking down an aisle
soon,Kathrynresponded.
Ihaven'tlookedthatfarahead,Stacieblushed.
ThegirlsbehindKathrynallsaid,Yeahright!inunison.
EveryonelaughedandKathrynwalkedaway.
Thatwasaclosecall, thoughtStacie. IneedtoemailJeremy
tonightandcomeupwithanagreeduponcoverstory.Iamnotgood
atthis!
StacieturnedbacktohercomputeranddidaWebsearchfor
GraniteNationalBank.Afewclicksonthebankhomepagebrought
upa page where they were priding themselves ontheir thirtyfive
memberITstafftoensuretheircustomerswerealwaysaheadofthe
curvewhenitcametonewbankingsoftware.Sheprintedthatpage
outandcontinuedonwithhersearches.Afterabouthalfanhourshe
finally stumbled onto a site containing the FDIC watch list. She
foundtheentryfor Granite National Bank andprinted that out as
well.Goingbacktothebankhomepage,sheclickedonthelinkfor
locationsandfoundtheynowhad eighteen locationsopenwithtwo
moretoopensoon.Onceagaintheprinterwascalledintoservice.

CrazyManWasRight

19

SheputalloftheprintoutsintoafolderandwalkedtoKathryn's
office. Shedidn'thaveareallygoodfeelingabout thisgivenher
earlierperformance,butshehadpromisedJeremytodropahint,and
thiswastheonlywaytocoverwherethehintcamefrom.
Kathryn?
How'stheblushingbride?chirpedKathryn.
BlushingwasexactlywhatStaciewasdoingwhensheresponded
with,We'veonlybeenawayacoupleofweekendstogether,sheesh!
Kathrynlaughed,Sometimesthatisallittakes.
Anyway!IcameintoaskyouifyouarehelpingPythotarget
otherbanksforsales?
Icouldbe,why?
Stacieopenedthefolderandpulledoutthepagesshehadprinted
onGraniteNationalBank.FirstsheshowedtheFDICwatchlist,then
thepagewiththirtyfiveITworkers,andfinallythepageshowingall
oftheirlocations.
Howdidyoucomeupwiththis?
IheardyoucommentingthattheyneededtomakesomeU.S.
salestogettheiroperationgoingbetter.Whobettertopitchtothana
bankalreadyonawatchlist whichcouldsavealotofmoneyby
dumpingtheirITstaff?
Kathryn was gaining more respect for Stacie every time she
talkedwithher. Thiswasdefinitelyworthputtingtogetherapitch.
EvenifPythodidn'tmakethesaletherewouldbeconsultingdollars
initforBigFour.Iftheydidmakethesale,therewouldprobablybe
evenmoreconsultingdollarsinhelpingtraintheusers.
I'llmakesomecallsandseewherethisgoes,shetoldStacie.
It's definitely worth looking into. Have you come up with any
others?

20

CrazyManWasRight
Notyet,butIcankeepdiggingifyouwant.
Pleasedo.Wemightaswelltrytoleverageyourtraining.

With that, Stacie walked out the door and back to her desk.
ThankfullyshehadbookmarkedtheFDICwatchlistbecauseshewas
nowgoingtohavetogothrougheverybankonthatlistandcheckthe
sizeoftheirITstaffs.

SpeedingWithoutBrakes
Nikolauswassittinginhisofficewhenthephonerang.
Hello.
HelloNikolaus,Abelhere. Ijustwantedtoletyouknowthat
thecreditlimithasbeenraisedto$2millionforthatdistributor.Just
gotthewordalittlewhileago.Ichecked,andtheyhavealreadypaid
usfortheirfirstshipment.Afewmoretransactionslikethatandtheir
limitwillautomaticallygoup.
Goodtohear.Hasanybodyinformedthem?
Iaskedoneofmystafftodoitnow.Iseetheyareonthephone
soIimagineitisbeingtakencareofaswespeak.
Excellent. I have a feeling they are going to bring your
subsidiaryalotofnewprofit.
Icanonlyhope.Wedon'tgetthebonusesorthemarginsyou
guysget.Weneedmassivevolumetomakeanykindofmoneyatall.
Weshallseewhattheirnextorderlookslike.
Agreed.
Thiswasshapinguptobequiteaday.Theboardhadsignedoff
onthesecondsecuredsitealmostbeforeNikolaushadpresentedthe
idea. TheLuttonbombingshadthemworriedaboutkeepingallof
theireggsinonebasketaswell.Thedesignershadalreadyfinished
the specifications for the site and they were sent off to the
constructioncompanieswhowouldbehandlingtheconstruction.Just
this morning the liaison provided by the Chinese government had
calledtoinformhimthenecessarymonieshadbeenreceivedandthe
firstcrewwasoutpreppingthesite. Themajorutilityconnections
shouldbeouttothesiteinsideofaweek.
Idon'tknowifyouaretheonetotalkwithaboutthis,Nikolaus

began,butIwaswonderingiftherewasanywaywecouldspeedup
theconstructionprocess?

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

Dependsontheweather.Wehaveregulationsabouthowmany
hourstheworkerscanreport ontheirtimecards,but someofthe
crewshavebeenwillingtoworkextrahourswhentheyarepaidin
cashwithout reportingthetime. Usuallytheyendupworkingan
eveningshiftunderthelights.Ofcourse,youwouldneedanonsite
concretemixerforthattobefeasible.
Couldonebeobtained?
Easily,forthecorrectprice.
Are you willing to handle obtaining it and paying the crew
memberswillingtoworktheextratimeatnight?
Notforfree.
Oh,ofcoursenot.
Howwouldyougetthemoneytome? Itwouldbealotof
cash.
Willthecrewaccepteuros?
Itcouldbeconvertedeasilyenough.
HowaboutSouthAfricancurrency?
I could find someone from the South African embassy to
exchangeitforme.
Good.Doyouhaveashippingaddress?Iwillpackthefundsin
medicalsupplycontainersandshipittoyou.
Youdon'tevenknowhowmuchIneed.
IassumewecouldrevisitthattopicafteryouseehowmuchI
sendyou.
Themangavehimanaddress. Nikolaususedadisposablecell
phoneandcalledacontactatthesecuredlocation.Hetoldhimtopull
allofthecontainerscontainingSouthAfricancurrencyandtwoofthe

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

containers containing euros, and to cover the bar codes on the

containerswithsomeotherlabel. Thenhegavehimtheaddressof
wheretoshipeverything.Healsotoldthemantoadjusttheinventory
forthosetwocurrenciesaccordingly.

Even if this only speeds us up three days, he thought, it was

worthittofinallyberidofthatSouthAfricancurrency.Hehadbeen
sittingonthatstuffalmostayearnowandcouldfindnotakersforit.
Withthatdone,Nikolausdecidedtoamusehimselfandseeifthe
distributorhadalreadyplacedanotherorder.Whenheranthereport
hewasstunnedtoseetheyhadplacedtwoorders.Oneapparentlyas
soonastheyhadwiredthemoneytopaythefirstinvoice,andanother
assoonastheyhadbeencalledaboutthecreditlimitincrease.
Afewmouseclicksshowedtheyweretakingonlytwoandthree
containers at a time of the currency, but nearly emptying the
warehousesofthegenericproducts.Thesecondorderhadmovedup
togenericprescriptiondrugsforcholesterolandsomeothercommon
heartconditions. Afewmoreorderslikethisandthebrandname
divisionwasgoingtodemandtheygetaccesstotheircatalog.They
hadorderedalmosttheirentirecreditlimit.
***
TheBritburnedaCDcontainingalloftheinformationtheyhad
pertainingtoalQaedaoperationsinAmerica.Healsoburnedacopy
oftheCDandgaveittoHansafterhandwritingonitthedateandthat
itwasgiventotheAmericans.HetoldHanstosenditsomeplacefor
safe keeping. Hans looked at him rather funny and the Brit
responded,Atsomepointthisisgoingtoallblowup.Wearegoing
toneedtoknowwhatwetoldtowhomwhenthehammerfalls.Right
now,therestoftheworldhasn'tdecidedtothrowouttheRulesof

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

Engagementandopenbackupthewholesaleslaughtercounter.No
offense,butthelasttimewedidthatwasagainstyourpeopleand
thereisalotoffallouthappeningfromiteventoday.
Hansnodded,knowingitwasthetruth.Therehadbeenalotof
softlife educatedtype people writing articles about the Allied
bombingcampaignwhichexterminatedentireGermancities.Alotof
partymembersbackhomestillcarriedsomeresentmentaboutit,but
oddlynotasmanyasHanswouldhaveexpected,andfarfewerthan
inthecountrieswhichhadactuallycarriedoutthebombings.
You honestly believe there will be another international war
crimestrialoverthisandwewillbesittingindefendant'schairs?

No.IthinkyouandIwilleithermanagetodisappearorwewill
bothbesittingatgroundzerowhentheleadersofthisdecidetotieoff
looseends.Givethistosomeonewhowillkeepitinasafeplaceand
letitsurfaceifwehappentobetiedoff.
Withthat,theBritleftandenduredafourhourbusrideoneway
tomeethiscontact.Peoplefromcivilizedcountriestendtohatebuses
andusethemonlywhentheyha ve to. Asbadasthebusesarein
thosecountries,theylooklikeashinynewMercedescomparedtothe
bustheBritwasridingon.ThankGodthewindowsopened.Noair
conditioning,thebuswaspacked,andsomepeoplehadanimalswith
them.
HearrivedatyetanotherITcenter: oneclusterofshinynew
modernbuildingssurroundedbysqualor. Hefoundaplaceonthe
streetthatwasn'ttoocrowdedandopenedupadisposablecellphone
tocallhiscontact.
Hello.
Ihavesomeinformationforyou.Canwemeet?
Where?

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

Ijustgotoffthebus.
Oh.I'llbethereintenminutes.
Thecontactarrivedrightontime.TheBrithandedhimtheCD.
What'sthis?
AllwecurrentlyhaveonalQaedaintheU.S. Don'taskfor
moreorwhereitcamefromasIcannotsay.
Understood.
ThemanputtheCDinhisshoulderbagthenasked,What'sthe
bird'seyeview?
EmailtraffictoandfromalQaedamembers.Attackplansfor
boththeGoldenGateBridgeandtheSearsTower.
The Brit watched his contact's eyes widen involuntarily, then
asked,Enoughforanarrest?

Ifyoudon't havetodivulgeyoursourceandgothroughthe
courtsystem.Morethanenoughtogetawarrantandsearchforlegal
evidence. Doubtyouwillfindit,though. Mostoftheseoperatives
seemtouselibrariesandInternetcafstocommunicate.
Thathasbeentheproblem,butrightnowwehavetogothrough
dueprocess.
Well,ifyoucanarrangeforacovertflightinandout,Iknow
some people who could snatch some of these operatives for you,
interrogatethemoffU.S.Soil.Thenyouwillneverhearfromthem
again.
Idon'thavetheclearancetoauthorizeityet.Shouldbecoming,
though. WeshallseewhatthehighIQboysthinkofthisstuffand
whattheyarewillingtoriskonit.

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

4
There'smyreturnbus.Goodhunting.
Andtoyou.

TheBritclimbedaboardforanotherhot,sweatyandsmellyfour
hourbusridebacktoheadquarters.Hemadeamentalnotewhenhe
gotbacktogotooneoftheapartmentsandtakeashower.
***
Hanshadjustreturnedtotheheadquartersfromshippingoffthe
CD to Vladimir. Of all the people Hans knew on this operation,
Vladimirwasthemostlikelytokeepsomethinglikethatsafeina
mannerthatensureditwouldbediscoveredwhenthetimewasright.
HewasprettysureVladimirwouldbeoneofthelooseendstiedoff
withthemifthisallwentbad,buthiscontactsintheRussianmob
wouldensuretheworldfoundoutaboutwhattheAmericansknew
andwhen.
ThephonestartedtoringbeforeHanssatdown.Itwasthethree
manteamfromtheapartmentcomplex.
Hello.
Apackagejustarrivedhere.
Good. Iwasexpectingit. Bringitoverwhenyoucometo
reportin.
It'sabitlargeforoneguytocarrythroughthestreetunnoticed.
Willitfitinthetrunkofacar?
Itshould.
Bringacabmostofthewayandcarryitfromthere,then.
Willdo.
Thanks.
Wait!

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

What?
Iwasreallycallingtotellyouanotherpersonjustshowedupin
thehubresidence.Itlooksliketheysentanothertraineetothishub
insteadofsendinghimtotheoriginaltrainer.
LooksliketheBritwascorrect.Iwillinformthemaninthesuit
andwewillscheduleatimetonabthem.
Canyougetsomedartpistolsorsleepinggas?
Why?
Wehavebeenthinking.Someonewillnoticeinthisapartment
complexifwemakeanynoisetakingthemdown.Sleepinggascould
be fed in through the holes we already have while their air
conditioningisrunningsotheydon'thearthehiss.
Youdon'tthinkpeoplewalkingaroundingasmaskswillget
noticed?
Thatiswhywealsothoughtaboutdartguns.Weneedtocart
themoutunconscious,thenoccupytheirapartmentforafewdays
quietlycollectingtheirmachines,orrunningthemourselves.
BringthepackagetomeandIwillasktheBritaboutobtaining
someequipment.
TheyhungupandHanswroteanemailtothemaninthesuit.He
copiedVladimironitaswell.

All,
Asecondtraineehasarrivedatthehub. Needtoschedulea
grab.Teamwantstotakethemquietwithtranquilizersofsome
kindandcontinueoperatingthehubforalittlewhile.

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

6
Hans

Withtheemailsent,Hansstartedreadingthroughhisownemail
tokilltimewaitingforthepackage. Hehadwisheditcouldhave
been shipped here, but that simply wasn't an option. Any large
packagearrivingatthislocationwouldbeamajortipofftothelocal
authoritiessomethingnaughtywasgoingonhere.Yousimplydidn't
seeFedExandUPStrucksinthisarea.
Halfway through his email he heard the sound of someone
droppingapackageoutsidethedoorandsomecussing. Hegotup
andletintheteammemberalongwiththepackage.
Didwegetananswerbackyet?
Itwillprobablybeadayortwo.Westillneedtimetoobtaina
vehicleandsomeformoftranquilizerandmapoutanexitstrategy.
Youforget,thegovernmentdoesn'tknowwearehere, nordoesit
condoneouroperation.
ProbablyhavetohaveaboatmeetusatMangalore,repliedthe
teammember. Notjustanyboat. Ithastobeabletomakeitto
Pakistan.
Exactly.
Doyouthinkwecouldcharteraplane,drugthem,andflythem
backincoffins,atleastuntilwetakeoff?
Quiteabitofriskforafewguyswhoprobablycannottellus
morethanwealreadyknow.
True. IdoubtwecouldtalkthesuitintoflyingaHueyoutto
meettheboatoncewehitinternationalwaters.Harnessandcablethe
guysupintoit,keepthemdrugged,andflythemtothe airstripfora
ridetotheinterrogationcamp.

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

They may want to interrogate them in Pakistan for a while

beforesendingthemon. Thereisonepieceofinformationweare
lookingforthattheymightbeabletotellus.
AmIallowedtoknowwhatthatis?
Howtheydothetransferbetweenhubs.Thisnewoperatorand
theonealreadyintrainingwillgetsomeoftheemailloadfromeither
theoriginaltrainerortheonecurrentlytrainingthem.Howdothey
notifythepeopleinthefieldthattheyaretouseanewhub?
Wearecurrentlytrappingallemailmessagesinbothdirections,
arewenot?
Yes.
Simplywaittwoweeks. Wewillhavethemessagestrapped.
Letourteamtrycrackingthembeforewesnatchandinterrogate.
Thatmightwork.
WhileI'mhere,doyouhappentohavesomelocalcurrency?
Wedon'twanttopassaroundforeigncurrencyandthereisn'tmuchof
aplacetodoconversions.
Hansopenedhiswalletandgavehimallofthelocalcurrencyhe
had.
Whatwillyoudoforfood?
Iwillhavemoretomorrow.Iwillprobablyhandyoueachan
envelopetomorrowsoyouhaveoperationalfunds.
Abouttime.Rentwillbeduesoon.
With that, the man left and Hans took the package to a
windowlessroominthebuildingtoopenit.Thecardboardhecould
easilyburntogetridof,excepthemightuseitunderhissleepingbag.
Giventhewaythisoperationfunctionedhecouldn'tstayinahotel
thatfaraway. Thethoughtwasappealing,buttherewouldbetoo

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

muchriskandtoomuchlosttime.Whatifoneofthebandofroving
hoodlumssawthesatellitedishesanddecidedtorobtheplace?No,
somebodyhadtobehereatalltimesnow.

Insideoftheboxwasabigyellowhardplasticshippingcase.It
had every kind of language label on it indicating it was medical
suppliespackedindryiceandnottobeopenedinanuncontrolled
environment.Hecutawaythefrontsideofthecartonandpulledthe
containerout.Twotumblerlocksbuiltintothecasehelditclosed.
Hanspicked up the satellite phone and called Nikolaus at his
office.
ThisisNikolaus.
Hanshere. Yourpackagearrived,butIneedthepairofthree
digitcombinationstoopenit.
Hold,please. Therewasashufflingofpapers,thenNikolaus
said,Doyouhaveapen?
Yes.
911and888.
Notverysecure.
Youdidn'tguessthem.
Ididn'ttry.WhatiswiththeChinesegoodfortunenumber?
Iwasfeelingwhimsicalaboutthenewsecuredlocation.
Wow!Youdidgetawhale.
Theyareevenhelpingbuildthefacility.Onemoreyearofthis
andeverybody'shandswillbetoodirtytowipeclean.
Hanstriedthecombinationsandthecaseunlocked.Heliftedthe

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

lidandgavealowwhistle.Twinkies.
What?
Itiswhatsomegrifterscallshrinkwrappedbundlesofmoney.
Twinkieswithgreenfillingisthewholephrase,buttheyareusually
talkingaboutAmericandollars.
Well,therewillbeanothercaseofTwinkiescomingtoyounext
week.
Holdoffonthatforawhile.
Why?
Thecurrenthuboperatorjustgotanothertotrain.Waitingfor
instructionsfromthehigherupsonwhentograbthemandhowtoget
themoutofthecountry.Wemaybetyingthisoneoffinaweek.
Oh.
Thiswillmaketheescaperouteeasiertoplan,though.
Howmuchishere?
Idon'tknow.
What?
Iknowwhatthetotalamountwehadwas.Ihavenoideahow
muchisineachcontainer.
Oh.
Goodhunting.
With the conversation over, Hans started looking around for
someenvelopes.LargeManilaenvelopes.Eventhatwasn'tgoingto
useupanentireTwinkie.Hedefinitelyhadtoburntheplasticbefore
anyonesawit.Thecontainerwouldhavetostayhiddeninthisroom
withjunkpiledontopofit.Whenhefinishedstuffingtheenvelopes
herememberedtoreloadhiswallet.Therewasstillashortstackof

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

10

cashleftoverfromthefirstTwinkie.HeputaTwinkieinthebottom
drawerofhisdeskandtheBrit's.
Hans relaxed for a little while eating an MRE and thinking.
FinallyhegatheredupthemealpackagingalongwiththeTwinkie
wrapper,tookallofthetrashoutsidetothelittleburnpilehehadset
upandwatcheditallburn.
SometimelaterwhenHanswasdozingoff,theBritreturnedto
headquarters. He only needed to report in, then he could bum a
showerfromtheapartmentwherethethreeguyswerestaying. The
soundofhimcominginwokeHansandareflexhadhimdrawinga
weapon.
Nicetoseeyou'vestillgotit,saidtheBrit.Whysojumpy?
Oneofushastobehereatalltimesnow.
TheBritgavehimapuzzledlook.Hansgotupandwalkedtohis
desk.Hepickeduptheloosecashhehadleftlyingthereandbrought
itbacktotheBrit.
Getyourselfaroomforthenightalongwithagoodmealanda
hotshower.I'lltaketonight'swatch.
TheBritcockedaneyeathim.
Wereceivedsomeliquidassetstomaketheoperationgomore
smoothly. Giventheequipmentwehavehereandthewaypeople
havebeenknockingoveremptyplaces,wecannottaketherisk.It's
notjustourequipmentanymore.
Fine.Imadethedrop.Theywon'taskformore,buttheymay
askustodoasnatchforthem.
Youdidn't...
Relax. They have to go through due process if they bag
anybodyontheirsoil.Iftheyturnablindeyetoaforeignerandhis
planetheyhavedeniability.Italldependsonhowmuchtheybelieve

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

11

whatisonthedisk. Theirabilitytobelieveseemstobewidening
givenwhattheyarefindingwiththeirownsurveillance.
Theyvolunteeranything?
No.Justthatattitudesarechangingatthetopandtheyexpectto
beabletoauthorizewidescaleroundupssoon.
Wejustaskedforauthorizationtoroundupaswell.
Anewtrainee?
Aye. Showeduptoday. Sentarequestoffaskingforawhen
andanexitplan.Haven'theardaresponseyet.
Thatremindsme.Needtoseeifyoucanbuyusavehiclewe
couldhidethreepeopleinthatcouldmakeittoMangalore.Theteam
also wants you to get some dart pistols or other fastacting
tranquilizercapability.You'vedonequiteafewopshere,soIassume
youhavethecontactsforsuchthings.

TheBritheldupthehandfulofcashandsaid,Thiswon'tbe
enoughtogetallofthat.
Openyourbottomdeskdrawer.
That'llwork.WhatisinMangalore?
Nothingyet. Wearespeculatingwewillhavetobribesome
kindoffishingboattogetusouttointernationalwaterswhereaHuey
canrendezvousandhoisttheguysupforaflighttoPakistan. The
teamishopingtorunthecurrentemailhubthemselvesforalittle
whilebeforepackinguptheequipment.
Andtheoriginaltrainer?
Noword there,either. Withthese out of theway wecould
watch him a lot more closely. Try to snag the courier when the
identitykitisdropped.

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

12

Thecouriermightbeadeadend,butwecouldtryfollowinghim
toseeifhevisitstherestoftheteamafterthetrainer.Doyouhave
someofthosesmalltrackingbadges?
Yes, but we only have a couple of readers. What are you
planning?
Wecanhavemorereadersheretomorrowifweneedthem.I'm
hopinghegetsallthreeidentitykitsdeliveredtohimoneormore
daysbefore.Wecandoablackbagoperationintohisapartmentand
plantthebadges,thentrackwhogetsthem.
Youalmostneedaircoverforthat.
Weknowwhereheworks. Weknowhegoesnoplaceelse
excepttobuygroceries. Ifheismakingtheexchange,itwillbeat
work. We onlyneed people outside waiting for the kits tocome
walkingout.
Iwonderhowwellthecourierwillknowthetrainer.
Somehow,beforewegottohismachine,thetrainergotphotos
ofhisteamtotheidentityshop. Perhapstheyalreadyhadthemon
filebecausetheyhadissuedthemallkitstocomehere.Eitherway,
thelastcourierisgoingtohaveaphototolookatbeforehemakesthe
drop. If we happen to see someone standing in the parking lot
lookingataphotoofthetrainerwecouldnabhim,tagtheitems,and
dothedropourselves,butwewon'tgetthatlucky.
Well,theyarepayingmoreattentiontotheformertrainernow.
Theyknowtheoutcomefortheotherapartment,buttheywanttowait
uptoaweektonabthem.
Why?inquiredtheBrit.
Theywanttohavealloftheemailfromthecurrenthuboperator
overthatfivedaywindowwheretheytransferafewaddressestoone
ofthenewhuboperators.Weknowitisarealitynow,andtheywant
toseeifyouandtheotherscancrackit. Weneedthemessagesin

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

13

possessionevenifyoucannotcrackitsowecantestwhattheytellus
duringinterrogation.
Soundplan.Theywantustotakethemoutquietsothereisn't
talkintheapartmentcomplexwhichmakesthetrainernervous.I'm
notbigontheideaofthemrunningthesecondhubforafewdays.
Whathappensifthetrainerstopsbytochat?
Hehasn'tsofar.
HemightwanttosaygoodbyethenightordaybeforehisOP
goesdown. Ifwedon'thavehisentireteamidentifiedbythen,we
willendupwithhimincustodyandanotherLuttononourhands.
TheBritwasstillabitsensitiveaboutLutton,buthisanalysis
wascorrect.True,itisarisk,butonewewillhavetotake.Ifwe
canidentifythemessagerequiredtomigrateanoperativetoanew
hub,wecouldsetupourownhubandpossiblytrackthingsbackto
binLadenhimself.
SomehowIdon'tthinkthatguywilltypehisownemail. We
seemtoalwaysfindandkillthosejustunderhim,butneverhim.
Either way, we will be feeding your American contact more
intelwhenwehavethemessage. Perhapswewillgettodosome
wholesaleroundupsontheirsoil.
Soundspossible.
***
Heididraggedherself,herdirtyclothes,andatwoliterbottleof
wine up the steps to her apartment. Technically, it was a condo
becausesheownedit.Themanwhoheadedupthecondoassociation
wasagoodandloyalpartymember. HeneverhassledHeidiabout
associationduesbeinglate.Hewouldsimplydropahandwrittennote
inhermail slot whenever shewas really latewithpayments. As
Heidi shoved her dooropenpast all ofthemail onthefloor, she
realizedthat shemustbelateagain. Thereweretwohandwritten

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

14
notes.

Settingeverythingdown,sherummagedthroughherwritingdesk
foranenvelope.Onitshescrawledanoteforhimtotakecareofher
duesasshewouldbegonealot.Whenevershelefthimanenvelope
likethishewouldkeepaneyeonherplaceaswell.Theheadofthe
associationwasinhislateseventiesandenjoyingasemiretirement.It
madehimfeelusefultorunthecondoassociationandkeepaneyeon
people'splaceswhentheyweregone.Shepulledawadofcashoutof
herpurseandstuffedabouthalfofitintheenvelopebeforesealingit.
Thenshedraggedherselfdowntwoflightsofstairstostuffitthrough
hismailslot.
Hewasprobablyhome,butHeidididn'tfeelliketalkingtonight.
Tonightshewastakingahotbathanddrinkingthatentirebottleof
wine.Theconstantpaceofexecutionatthecampwastakingitstoll
onHeidi.Nikolaushadstoppedinandofferedhertwodaysoffwhen
hetookonelookatherface.Heactuallytoldtheentirefirstteamto
taketwodaysoffwhentheyfinishedthebatchofpatientstheywere
currentlyworkingon.Hethencalledhiscontactattheinterrogation
centerandtoldthemtoslowdowntheshipments.
Heidididn'tbothergettingaladylikewineglasswhilehertub
wasrunning.Shegrabbedthebiggestwaterglassshehad,putsome
icecubesinitandfilledittotherimwithwhitewine.Shehadseen
toomuchredoverthelaststretchofdays.Sheknewsheshouldgo
throughhermail,butrightnowshejustwantedtosoak.
Anhourlater,hertubgrewcoldandherglasswasempty.She
drainedthetub,toweledoffandputonarobe.Withherwineglass
refilled,shepiledhermailonthetable,thenstartedaloadoflaundry.
Returningtothetableshe dragged overherkitchengarbagecanand
beganchuckingthejunkmail.Nomatterwhatcountryyoulivedin
orwhatnameyouhad,itseemedjunkmailalwaysfoundyou.
Eachbillshecameacrossshewroteacheckouttopayandputa

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

15

stamponthereturnenvelope.Itseemslikeyouwerealwaysgonethe
weekmostofyourbillsarrive, shethought. Shehadnoideahow
muchmoneywasinhercheckingaccount.Whatevercompanywas
paying her this time was directdepositing her paycheck into the
checkingaccount. Shemadeamentalnotetolookatthestatement
nexttimeonecamesoshewouldhaveageneralidea.

Finallyshegotdowntoahandwrittenenvelopewithnoreturn
address.ItwaspostmarkedfromsomeplaceinAmerica.Sheopened
theletterandbegantoread.
Hello,
It was good to hear from you. The team is now back on
leave, so we are starting to hear things. Doesn't sound
bad yet, but we do have a general idea what you are
involved in. We will be there to get you when you need
us. Call this number when you need us and leave a
message.

Atthebottomoftheletterwasaninternationalphonenumber.
Heidiclippeditandputitintoaspecialpouchinherpurse.Shedidn't
knowwhen,butsheknewshewasgoingtoneedthatnumber.They
weresimplyprocessingtoomanypatientsatthesecuredlocationto
keepitquietmuchlonger.Nikolaushadtoldherhesentcashunder
thetabletotheChinesetoaddasecondshiftattheconstructionsite
alongwithanonsiteconcretemixer,butconcretestilltooktimeto
cure.Itwasstillgoingtobeatleastanotherfourmonthsbeforethe
sitecouldbestaffedandbeginreceivingprisoners.
Heidistretchedoutonherbedfeelingmuchmorerelaxednow
thatshehadthelastglassofwinefromthebottlepouredandtherest
ofitconsumed.Whenshewokeupshewouldgettoseewhatscience

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

16

experimentsweregrowinginherrefrigerator.Beinggonefornearly
sevendaystookitstollinthegrocerydepartment.
***
Jeremy's little entourage touched down in Kyyiv (Jeremy,
Jennifer,andaprogrammertoinstallsoftware.)Thefirstthinghedid
wasopenupthedisposableinternationalcellphoneheboughtand
callthenumberJenniferhadgivenhim.Themanwhoansweredwas
alreadyattheairportandwaitingforthegroupatcustomswithtwo
others.Jeremywentwiththeotherstothebaggageclaimareatopick
uptheirluggage.

Boris had asked for and received digital photographs of each

personcomingalongwiththeirnamesandotherinformation. Each
wasonaseparatesheetofpaperanddividedbetweentheothertwo
men,whowereimmigrationlawyers. Nobodyexpectedthemtobe
needed,butDimitriwasn'tgoingtotakeanychances.Themenwere
beingpaidwelltostandtherewithbriefcases.
The others breezed through customs, but Jeremy had a more
detailedquestioning.Hewascominginonatwoyearworkvisaso
theywererequiredtoputonagoodshow.Hisluggagewasinspected
andhewaspatteddownandwanded.
Finallytheygottothequestioning.
WhyareyoucomingtoUkraineforajob?
Myjobcamehere,nottheotherwayaround.
Whatisityouplanondoingwhileyouarehere?
Jeremy pulled out one of his new business cards and his old
businesscardsandhandedittothem. Mybosswantsmetoopen
anotherinvestmentdivisionintheUkraine.I'mtogetitoperational

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

17

byhiringlocalpeopleandtrainingthemwell.OncetheyaretrainedI
cangohome.Weassumeitwilltakeabouttwoyearsforsomeoneto
learnthebusinessbecauseI'mthefastestlearnerheeverhadandit
tookmeeighteenmonths.
Whatkindofinvestmentsdoyoudo?
Stockmarketmostly. WemaystartinvestingintheRussian
stockmarkets,butfornowwearefocusingontheAmericanstock
marketsandopeningthemuptomoreinvestorsfromRussia.
People in Russia do not have the kind of money you rich
Americanshave.
Theywouldiftheyinvestedcorrectly.Weput$500millioninto
thisbranch.Weareheretorideitout.Mybossstartedthiscompany
withnothingmorethan$10,000,nowwemanagearoundabillionin
assets.Weknowhowtodoinvestingcorrectly.
Youhaveproofofthisinvestment.

It was at this point Dimitri stepped forward and opened his

briefcase. At first the customs officials made a reach for their
weaponsthinkingthiswasgoingsomewhereelse.IamDimitri.I
workforthecompanywhichhelpedestablishtheirnewoffice.He
pulledoutthepaperworkfromthebankshowingtheestablishmentof
acompanyaccountunderthenameofJeremy'snewbranchandthe
wire transfer of $500 million. He also pulled out an office lease
documentshowingthecompanyhadleasedtheofficeforfiveyears.
Wherewillyoubestayingwhileyouarehere?thecustoms
officialsaskedJeremy.
Dimitripulledouttheapartmentleasedocumentshowingatwo
yearleaseonatwobedroomfurnishedapartmentleasedtothesame
company.

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

18

Thecustomsofficialdoingtheinquirypulledoutaclipboardand
putaformonit. HelookedatDimitriandasked,Maywekeep
these?
Yes,ofcourse.Theyarecopies.
Good.
Doyouhaveaphonenumberforthefile.
Thenewofficephoneisonthebusinesscard.Ihaven'tpicked
uparegularcellphoneforthiscountryyet.Iwasprettycertainmine
wouldn't work here so just have a prepaid I bought at the airport
now.
Theofficephonewilldo.Heputallofthepaperworktogether
with the clipboard and turned to one of the others speaking in
Russian. Theotherseemedquiteperturbed. Dimitrivolunteeredin
English:Oneofthosetwocanfilltheformoutforyouifyouwish.
Theyareimmigrationlawyerswepaidtobehere.
That brightened both men's day. Being able to order an
immigrationlawyertodoamundanetaskwasatreatmostoftheirilk
didn'tget.
You should have said something earlier, said the customs
official. He stamped Jeremy's passport then looked at Dimitri.
Whichonedoyouwanttofillthisout?
Yourchoice,Dimitriresponded.

Themanwaveredhisfingerbetweenthetwomenasifhe were
playing a game of eenie meenie and finally pointed to one and
motioned him forward. The man next to him smiled, but said
nothing.Youdon'tlaughuntilyouareoutofearshotwhensomeone
justdrewtheshortstraw.Neithermanhadfilledoneoftheseforms
outinyears.Theyhadofficestafftodrawtheshortstraw,justnot

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

19

today.
The customs official waived Jeremy and Dimitri on. When
Jeremygotawayfromthecustomsdeskwithhisluggagehenoticed
thattheothershadalreadyleftandaskedDimitriaboutit.
Glebhasalreadytakenthemtotheirhotels.Wewilltakeyouto
yourapartment.Inaboutthreehourswewillcomebyandpickyou
upforsupper. Yourteamwillbepickedupaswell. Dresscasual.
Bluejeans arefine ifyoubrought them aslongas they aren't all
rippedup.Wearetakingyoutoafamilyrestaurantsoyoucangeta
tasteofgoodUkrainianfood. JeremylookedatDimitriandDimitri
said,Don'tworry,wineandvodkawillflow.
Bothmenlaughed.Tomorrowmorningaround9:00AMlocal
timewewillsendacartopickupyouand...Jennifer,isit?
Jeremynoddedtoconfirmthename.
Theothershavebeeninstructedwhichwaytowalk.Itisonlya
coupleofblocks. Ifitisraining,ofcoursetheycanhailacab,but
yourITpersonhaschosentowalkeachday.
When they arrived at the apartment building, Jeremy was
prepared for the worst. He was coming down from a twostory
townhomewiththreebedroomsandafullbasementtoatwobedroom
apartment.Theroomswerequitesmall,butoverallthelayoutwasn't
bad.Thekitchenhadonlycabinetsbetweenitandtheliving/dining
area. Aswith alotofAmericanapartments,therewerenodividing
wallsbetweenthoseareas.Youweresupposedtodividethemwith
furniture. Itseemedadequateforhisneeds,andcamewithwasher
anddryeralongwithdishesandutensils. Hecouldgetsomemore
blanketsandthingsoncehefoundastore.
Jeremyputawaywhatclotheshehadinhisbags. Therewere
twolargeboxesinthelivingroomsomostofhisstuffhadmadeit
over.Hedidn'tknowwherethethirdboxwas,butit mightstillbeat

20

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

theoffice.
Theapartmenthadprovidedawelcomefolderbutitwasallin
Russian.JeremyhadseenaMcDonald'sonthewaytotheapartment.
Hesuspectedmostofhismealswouldbecomingfromthereuntilhe
learnedtospeakthelanguagebetter.Heopenedoneoftheboxesand
rummaged forhispoweradapter. Therewas alittle writingdesk
whichhadwhatappearedtobeacablemodemonit.
Witheverythinghookedup,hetriedgettingtotheWebpageof
hispersonalemail.Thiswasgoingtobeaveryboringstayifallhe
coulddowasplaygamesonhisnotebookwhileathome.Heneeded
to be able to get to the Internet from home. There was much
anticipationashehitreturnafterenteringintheWebaddress.There
wasmuchjoywhenhegottothesiteandcouldlogin.
Not wanting to lose track of time, he logged out and started
puttingawaytheclothesfromtheopenedbox.Hewouldhavetodeal
withthesecondboxaftersupper. Didtheyevencallitsupperover
here? hethought. Oncethatwascompleteheflattenedoutthebox
andsetitbythedoor.Itwasnowtimetogetcleanedupforsupper.
Withhisshaveandshoweroutoftheway,Jeremywentbackto
checkinghispersonalemail.Hiseyeswereimmediatelydrawntoan
emailfromhisbuddyhehadgivenfirstdibsto.

Heydude,
You're right. Unbelievable email coming from anyone else.
SinceIknowbothyouandStacie,countmeinforNewYear's.
I'lltakethebrunette.Iattachedapictureofmejustincaseshe
doesn'twantthistobeacompletelyblindsituation.Feelfreeto
passalongmycellphonenumberaswell.

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

21

JeremylaughedandforwardedtheemailtoStacie.Forasubject
line,heputOneDown.Sincetherestillwasn'taknockatthedoor,
heopenedtheemailfromhissecondpaltoreceiveaNewYear'sEve
offer.
Yougavefirstdibstohim!Youratbastard!!
Hecanhaveanyonehewantsaslongasitisn'ttheredhead.
I'vealwayswantedtoaddaredheadtomyrsum.Iknow,
I'mapig,butatleastI'mnotcheap.
Passalongmyemailandcellphone.I'llsendthemapictureof
myselfwhentheydropmeanote.
SeeyouNewYear'sEve.

JeremyforwardedthisemailtoStacieaswell.Inithetooktime
towriteafewwords.

LookslikeweareallsetforNewYear'sEveifIcangetaflight
home.Landedhereawhileago.Cariscomingbytopickme
upforsupper.Apartmentissmallbutrathernice. Gettosee
theofficetomorrow.

Hedidregretwritingsofewwordsandfiguredhewouldpaya
priceforitlateron,buthedidn'tknowhowlonghehad.Hehearda
knockatthedoorandloggedout.Uponanswering,Jeremylearned
hisdriverwashere.
Themealwaswaytoomuchfood.Everybodyfocusedonhaving
agoodtime.Therewasnopressuretomakeasaleorcloseadeal.

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

22

JeremyhadtalkedwiththeITpersonwhoseemedquitepleasedwith
theofficelayout.
Itwasasmallthreestoryofficebuildingandmostofthesecond
floorwastheirs. Sincethecompanywantedtoputinacomputer
room,theyhadtakenovertheleaseofacompanydirectlybelowthem
andtheraisedfloorwasalreadygettinginstalled.Electricianswere
showing up tomorrow to route in the power. An order had been
placedforanewcomputeranddiskarrayjustliketheonetheyhadin
theremoteoffice.

Thenetworkingequipmentwasinstalled,buttheydidnothavea
T1connectionout,onlyacablemodem,whichwasshared.Dimitri
had made arrangements for the telco company to install a T1 for
them,butitwasgoingtotakeseveralweeksevenwithbribesbeing
paid. AdockingstationhadbeeninstalledonJeremy'sdeskforhis
notebookandalloftheotherdeskshadlocallyassembledcomputers
up and running on the company network. Things were going far
smootherthanJeremyhadexpected.
***
Stacie was nervously pacing back and forth in her apartment.
Shewasdressedandreadytogotowork,butwaswaitingforan
overnightdelivery. Shehadcalledintotheofficetoletthemknow
shewasrunninglate,butdidn'tsaywhy.Intruthshedidn'tneedto
callinasshewasn'tscheduledforanymeetingsbefore10:00AM.
Shecertainlyhopedtobeinbythen!
FinallytherewasaknockatthedoorandStacienearlyjumped
outofherskin.Shedidn'tknowwhyshefeltsonervousaboutthis.
Herhandshookasshesignedtheelectronicdeliverymachine.With

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

23

thedeliverymangone,shequicklyopenedthepackageandbegan
fumblingthroughthedocuments.Therewasn'tanytimetoreaditall.
Thankfullytheyhadincludedtwocopiesofeverything.Shewasto
signandreturnone.Shefoundthefourplacessheneededtosignand
verifiedherSocialSecuritynumber.
Somethingabout thisfelt soillegal toher,but people opened
stocktradingaccountsallofthetime. Shehadlookedthroughthe
employeehandbookonlineandnothingintheresaidshehadtoreport
to Big Four Consulting any trading account she opened or stock
tradesshemade.Besides,Jeremywasright.Sheshouldprofitfrom
thislittleventure.Itmightbetheonlychanceshehadtoscorereally
biginthestockmarket,evenifitwasusingJeremy'smoney.
Includedinthepackagewasadepositslipsoshecouldaddmore
moneytoheraccount.Beingalowlypaidsinglegirl,Staciehadonly
about$3,000sittinginhercheckingaccountshedidn'tneed. She
wroteoutacheckfor$3,000makingitpayabletotheclearingfirm
andincludedthatwiththebundletogoback.TheUPSstorewasa
blockaway.Shecircledtheovernightaddresstheyhadprovidedfor
returnshipping,gatheredeverythinguptogobackandwalkedoutthe
door.ShemadeamentalnotetoemailJeremytonightabouttheextra
moneyshehadplacedintheaccount.
Thisallseemedsonaughty,buttechnically,herpartwasalllegal
asfarasshecouldtell.Atanyrate,ifthingswentbad,shewasgoing
toneedthemoney.
***
Kathrynwas sittinginher officewiththesales rep forPytho
Corporation.ShehadwantedStacietobetheretotakecredit,butthe
girlhadcalledinsayingshewasrunninglate.
Thankyouforcoming,George.
Noproblem.Alwayshappytoshowupwhenthereisahotlead

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

24
tobehad.Howisthecar?

Whentheweatherisniceenoughtohavethetopdown,itis
wonderful.Whenitisraining,itisprettynoisy.
That'swhyconvertiblesdon'tsellsowell.Everyonelovesthem
ontheperfectdaysandcan'tstandthemtherest,helaughed.
Niceandsubtlewayoftellingmeyou'vealreadypaidforthis
lead,thoughtKathryn.
I'llcuttothechase.Oneofourconsultantswhohelpedoutwith
thetrainingtookituponherselftodosomelegworkforyouandcame
upwithGraniteNationalBank.ShehandedGeorgethe printoutsand
hescannedthroughthem.
Looks like they need it but couldn't afford it, George
responded.
Financingcanalwaysbearranged,George.Firstyouhavetolet
themknowtheyneedit.Wehadanaccountrepforthematonepoint.
ItookituponmyselftogetyoutheITdirector'snameandphone
number.ShehandedGeorgeanothersheetofpaper.
YouneedaU.S.banktobeginrecoupingyourinvestment,she
continued. Do you know that Kent's interview is coming out
tomorrow?
George'seyespoppedopen.
That'sright.Callthemtoday,George,andletthemreadaboutit
tomorrow. IftheITdirectorshutsyoudown,wehavecontactson
theirboardofdirectors. Wecouldstillmakeapresentation,butit
wouldbebetterifthiscamethroughchannels.

SpeedingWithoutBrakes

25

TossingtheDice
Twodayswentbywaitingforaresponsefromthemaninthe
suit. It was unlike him to simply not acknowledge a request for
instructions.HansinstructedVladimirtostartwatchingtheoutbound
messagescloselyfromtheemailhub.Thesurveillanceteamhadbeen
watchingtheprogressofeachnewtraineeandtakingverydetailed
notesabouthowsecuritywassetup.Livevideoandsoundfeedhad
beenagoodidea.Assoonasthetraineeshadgonetosleepwiththeir
machineson,theteamcalledHans,whocalledVladimir.Inunderan
hourVladimirhadinstalledallhissoftwareontheirmachinesand
couldmonitorthematwill. Eachtimetheystartedtheywouldbe
hittingthepingserverhewasrunning.
Onthefollowingday,emailstartedcomingintothefirsttrainee's
machine.Thesurveillanceteammadecopiesofallvideoandsound
footageforthepastfourdays.Theyhadn'tseenanythingoutofthe
ordinary,butperhapstherestoftheteamcouldspotit.Acopywas
putontheoperation'sserversoVladimircouldaccessit. Everyone
wasfranticallylookingforwhatcausedtheswitchinhubaddresses.
Nobodywasfindingtheemailwiththemessage.
Hanshadsometechnicalskills,butheknewhecouldn'tplayat
thelevelofeithertheBritorVladimir.Fivedifferentemailaddresses
were nowtransmitting messages tothe new hub. Everybody was
grindingthroughthosemessagesbytebybyte. Vladimirwasgoing
throughthemessagesasthey appeared onthepingserverhe was
running. Absolutely nothing was showing up. Hans sat there
watching the surveillance video looking for something out of the
ordinary.Hecouldfindnothing.Thenagain,therewasalotofdead
time, so he started keeping a timeindex spreadsheet while going
through.Atleastitwouldsaveothersthetroubleoffastforwarding
throughthedeadtime.
Everyonewastakenquitebysurprisewhenthemaninthesuit

walkedin.
Ididn'texpecttoseeyouhere,saidHans.
It'snicetowalkinandseeeveryonesohardatwork,replied
themaninthesuit.Yes,evenhere,heworehissuit.Catchmeup.

TossingtheDice

Weareall poringoverthelastfewdaysofmessagesfromone
huboperatorbeforetheystartedgoingtoanotherhuboperator.Well,
I'mwatchingthesurveillancevideotoseeiftheymadeanyphone
callsordidanythingunusual.TheBritiswellbeyondmeinthetech
world.Sofar,wecannotfindwhatistriggeringthecellmembersto
sendemailtothenewlocationconsistently.Theyflashcuttothenew
hubandhaven'tslippedupsendingemailtotheoldsince.
TheBritstoodup,stretched,crackedhisneckandbackthensaid,
Ineedtowalkaround.IreallyneedaproperpintwhenI'mdoing
thiskindofdigging.Ican'tfindanythingintheimagethatcontains
thenewemailaddressoranyinstructiontoswitch.Accordingtoour
translationscript,thesearetheregularcommunicationsthatgoback
andforth.
Letmetakealookattheemail,saidthemaninthesuit.
Bemyguest.I'llstartyouoffthewayitappearswhenviewed
inanemailreader.
Pleaseturnofffullheaderviewing.
A couple of clicks later a normal email screen displayed the
message.Themaninthesuitreadthemessageandbegantochuckle.
Whatissofunny?askedtheBrit.
Whenever my best minds can't find something, they are
generally overlooking a stupid. In this case you gave your
opponenttoomuchcredit.Thenewemailaddressisinthe'replyto'
andtheHolyQuranquoteiswhattellsthemtouseitwhiledeleting
theother.
Idon'treadArabic,whatdoesitsay?

As for those who disbelieve in our

communications, We shall make
them enter fire; so oft as their skins

TossingtheDice

are thoroughly burned, We will

change them for other skins, that
they may taste the punishment.
(4:56)

Youwerebusylookingforanumbrellagunwhenalltheyused
wasaclub.
Itcouldn'tbethatbloodyobvious!screamedtheBrit.Ireally
needabloodypintnow!Whycan'tweeverbestationedinacountry
thatdrinks?
Themaninthesuitsimplysmiledandwalkedovertothecarry
onbaghehadbroughtwithhim.Heopeneditupandbegantaking
outbottlesthatwerewrappedintowels.SixbottlesofBassAle.The
Britwasabsolutelydrooling.Theyaren'tcold,buttheyareyours,
themaninthesuitsaid.
Hans had stopped typing his email to Vladimir to watch this
show.Themaninthesuitdidn'tdrinkandwasagainstitentirely.He
musthavefearedforhislifebuyingbeerandbringingithere. The
Britwasalreadygatheringeverybigcontainertheyhadtoputcold
waterfromthewellin.Hanshadtolaugh.
Nothing diminished the Brit's performance like the lack of a
properpint.HewasOKforaweekorso,butthenhewashardtobe
around. Henevergotdrunkwhenhewasinthefield. Hesimply
neededaproperpintattheendofthedaytokeephimselffunctioning.
Itliterallywasjustonepint.Hanshadnevermetanyonewhocould
stopatonebeeruntilhemettheBrit.
Themaninthesuitwalkedovertohimandsawwhathewas
typing.Doyouneedmetorepeatthephraseheasked?
Pleasedo,Hansresponded. Sorry,Iwasbeingamusedand
forgotwhatthephrasewas.

TossingtheDice

WiththemessagerecitedandtheemailofftoVladimir,heturned
tothemaninthesuitandasked,Didyoubringordersforthenab?

Weareclearedtonabthesehuboperatorsandtorunthehubfor
awhileifwethinkitwillbenefitus.Idon'treallyseehownowthat
wehavefoundwhatwewerelookingfor,butthatmuchiscleared.
Startingtoday,Ihadmostofthesurveillanceteammonitoring
thetrainer.Wewanttonabwhoeverbringstheidentities.

Thatwedo!chimedintheBrit.Theyhaveanactualidentity
shopcrankingthosethingsoutandIwantacrackatfindingoutwhere
theyaremade.Allthewhilehewasspeakinghewasspinningone
bottleslowlyinabucketofcoolwater. Therestweresoakingina
pail.
Ithoughtyouwouldbetryingtoprovehimwrong,smirked
Hans.
Can'tbedone.Idon'treadArabic,butthatexactphrasewasin
everyfinalemailmessagethatwentout.Ourprevioushuboperator
hadinformedusonlythatavalidphrasemeanttherecipientshould
usetheemailandaninvalidphrasemeanttheywereadecoy.Until
now,weneverknewanyofthosephraseshadmeaning. Wecan
proveitsoonenoughifweletthoseguysliveanothercoupleofdays.
Thesecondtraineewillbereceivingafewcellstohandleinpilot
mode. Wewillseethesamesequenceoccurwiththesamephrase
andnewemailaddressinthe'replyto'address.Itistoobadwedon't
getabetterscreenshotwiththesurveillancecameras.
Wedon'tyethaveanexitplan,saidthemaninthesuit,soI
expectyouwillgetyourfewdays.

TossingtheDice

The Brit responded, I picked up a car which can hide two

druggedoutpeopleinthetrunk.Ifyouwanttotakeallthreeatthe
sametimethethirdwillhavetorideonthefloorofthebackseat.Itis
ingoodenoughshapetomakeittoMangalore.
WhyMangalore?askedthemaninthesuit.
Itistheclosestplacewithaportwecangettobyroad. We
werethinkingyoucouldchartersomekindoffishingtrawlerorother
boatthatcouldgetusouttointernationalwaters,offeredHans.
Thenwhat?
WeassumedyouhadenoughconnectionsyoucouldgetaHuey
toflyoutandcableupourguestsforatriptoPakistan.Afterthat,we
assumedyouhadawaytogetthemout,answeredtheBrit.
HereIhavelittleinthewayofconnections.Iassumeyouare
alreadyprocuringtheequipmentneededtoknockthemoutandget
themoutquietly.Ialsoassumeyouwishtodothisquietlybecause
you were planning on leaving the original trainer in place for a
while.

Atleastuntilweknowtheidentitykitshavebeendelivered,
saidHans.
Kits?
Hehasateamthatwecannotidentify.Wehavesomepassive
tags,butaretryingtogetmorescanners.Weassumetheyallwork
withhim,butdon'thaveasingleclueastowhotheyare.
Ihaveplacedanorderwithasupplierhere,volunteeredthe
Brit. Ishouldhavethemtomorrowalongwiththechloroformand
handcuffs. Ofcourse,oneofyouwillneedtocheckintomyhotel,
preferablyonthesamefloorsoIcandropthestuffinyourroom.I
won'tbeabletocomebackhereonceImakethepurchase.Youwill

TossingtheDice

havetosneakitbackhere.Wereallyneedasecondcar,though.
Why?askedthemaninthesuit.
Thetwotraineesusuallyonlyworkforalittlewhilewhentheir
trainerisatwork,thentheygotosleep.Oncehegetsbackhegives
themalittlemoretrainingandtheypracticewhilehesleeps.Iwant
totakethetwowhiletheyareasleepandtheotherisgone.Wecanbe
waitingfortheotherwhenhereturnsfromwork.Doingthatmeans
wewanttwocars.It'salongdrivetoMangalore,saidtheBrit.
Thisassumeswecanfindashipthere,andasmallboattogetus
outtotheship,saidthemaninthesuit.
Iwon'tbeabletoreturnhere.Areyoutellingmeyouwantme
togothereandmakethosearrangementsaswell?
Doyouhavethatlevelofcontactinthiscountry?askedthe
suit.
Prettyclose,butanotherTwinkiewillhelpensureit.
Twinkie?
Hansopenedthebottomdrawertohisdeskandpulledoutthe
Twinkiehehadstackedthere.HetossedittotheBrit.Themanin
thesuitgotastunnedlookonhisface.
One of our sponsors sent us some liquid assets in a care
package. Alllocalcurrencysowedon'tstandoutanymorethanis
necessary.

Doeshehaveanothercarepackageavailable?askedthemanin
thesuit.
OnlyinIndiancurrencythatIknowof.Why?
Oh. Iwasgoingtohavehimshiponetotheheadquartersin
Pakistan to rent your Huey. Indian currency is near worthless in

TossingtheDice

Pakistan.
If you have another one of these I can get it exchanged for
euros,volunteeredtheBrit.Theychargealottodotheexchange,
buttheydon'taskanyquestions.
AsmallerbrickofeuroswouldbehelpfulsomethingIwillbe
abletostashonmypersonwithonlyalittlebitinmycarryonbag.
Do you have some loose local currency I can use to rent a hotel
room?thesuitaskedHans.
I feel like a dad handing out allowances, said Hans as he
openedhiswallet.
TheothertwomenlaughedandtheBritchimedin,Butdad,I'm
buyingyouanothercar.
Nowtheyalllaughed.Intruth,itwastheonlytimeHanscould
remembereverseeingthemaninthesuitlaugh.
Withthemoneyhandedout,themaninthesuitmused,Itis
possiblewealreadyknowwhohisteamis.
Howso?askedHans.
Itmightsimplybetheotheroperators.Theymightallbeabout
todispersetodifferentpartsoftheworld.GiventhelossofNedim
andtherathersuddenlossofthehubinKhyberPass,theymightbe
tryingtospreadouttheirhubsjustincase.
Thatisapossibility,saidtheBrit.
I don't buyit, responded Hans. He has had absolutely no
contactwiththeotheroperatorsincetheguymovedout.Thereisno
wayforhimtoknowhowthetrainingoftheothersisprogressing.
Hehasateamelsewhere,probablyatworksincethatistheonlyplace
hegoesotherthantobuyfood.Ourmaninsidehaslearnednothing
aboutwhattheyareplanning.Theonlythingweknowisthatitisnot
asuicideattackinvolvingthem.

TossingtheDice

Well, involving them wearing the bombs anyway, the Brit

concurred.
Haseitherofthemhadanyvisitorsatall?askedthemaninthe
suit.
None,respondedHans.
Wehavevideoontheoneapartment,soweknowbombsaren't
beingmadethere.Wishwehadvideoontheotherapartment,said
thesuit.
Wehaveataponhisphone,buthenevermakesacall,saidthe
Brit.
Well,onceyouhavetheexitplaninplacenotifyusandwewill
dothetakedownofthesethree,saidthesuit.Itmightbegoodfor
thesurveillanceteamtooccupybothapartmentsforafewdays.Ifwe
areallwrongandthatishisteam,someonecarryinganidentitykit
willshowuptheresoon.
It'saplayworthmaking.Wewilllearnalotmoreaboutwhat
theyweredoingbygettinganimageoftheirmachinesandsendingit
ontothetechnicalteam,saidHans.
Wewillhavetogothroughitourselvesifwewantitdoneina
timely manner. The technical team has been swamped with
computersandcellphonesfromtheBritishandother roundupssaid
thesuit.Whathotelareyoustayingin?heaskedtheBrit.
Firstoneyoufindonthisroadheadedintotown.
WritedownyourcellphonenumberandIwillcallyouonceI'm
inaroom.
Paperandpenchangedhands,thenthemaninthesuitleft.The
Britfinishedhisonebottleofbeer,baggeduptheTwinkiesandwas
abouttoleavewhenHansspokeup.IneedanothercaseofMREs
herewhileyouareoutshopping.

TossingtheDice

Willdo,mate. Whydon'tyoucallthesurveillanceteamand
havethembringyousomefoodontheirwayovertofilereports?At
leastsomelocalbreadandbottledtea. Youcan'tkeepmuchelse
here.
HencemyneedforMREs,butthebreadisn'tabadidea. It
keepsafewdaysonashelf.
***

TheparttimereceptionistDimitrihadallowedthemtohirehad
beenagodsend.Susan(itwasn'thername,butsheagreedtoletthem
callherthatsinceitwascloseenough)spokesomeEnglish,enough
shecouldunderstandmuchofwhatJeremysaid. Shehadhelped
Jenniferplacethejobadsforanalysts online andinthelocalpaper.
Shecoulddrive,butdidn'townacar.Thatsmallmatterwasquickly
takencareofatalocalcarrentalplacewheretheyleasedacarbythe
month for her to drive. The rental place carried all necessary
registrationandinsurancesoitwascleanerforthecompanytoleaseit
thatway.
Quitepossiblythenicestthingshedidforeveryonewasfinda
map of the local area online and circle things. Each circle got a
numberandonthefollowingpagetherewasadescriptionofwhat
thatnumberwas.Sheflaggedfourrestaurants,adrycleaner,andtwo
storeswhereJeremycouldbuyfood.Lunchwascateredtotheoffice
everydayshewasthere.Dimitrihadputthemintouchwithapayroll
servicetogetpeoplesetuponpayroll.
JeremyhadexchangedseveralemailswithLennyoverthecourse
ofthesecondday.HehadalsoreceivedtheemailfromStacieabout
adding additional money to her trading account. As soon as it
appeared he bought her some more First Global stock. He had
basicallyspentallthemoneytheyhaddepositedintotheaccountand
someoftheircreditbuyingFirstGlobal.

TossingtheDice

ThedayaftertheyhadobtainedacarforSusantodrive,shetook
Jeremytoabankthatwaswithinwalkingdistanceofhisapartmentso
hecouldsetupalocalbankaccount. Heneededhertohelpwith
translation, as not many there spoke English and his Russian was
horrible.ThateveningshedroveJeremyandJennifertothestoreso
Jeremycouldgetfoodandotherthingsforhisapartment.Atleastthe
storewaslargeenoughtotakeVisa.
OnceJeremywashomeandthegroceriescartedinsheofferedto
driveJenniferhome.Jenniferdeclined,sayingshewasgoingtocook
somethingforJeremyoncetheygotthegroceriesunpacked.Therest
oftheteamhadoptedtoeatanddrinkintheirhotelatthecompany's
expense. Oncethereceptionistwasgone,JennifergaveJeremythe
keytoherhotelroomandtoldhimtofetchtheblackbackpackfrom
there.
Don'tlookinside.Justdowhatyouaretold,sheadmonished
him.

Hechuckledandsetaboutwalkingtothehotelleavinghertoput
awaythegroceriesandcookamealforhim.Themealwasbasically
donebythetimehehadmadetheroundtrip.Walkingamilekillsa
lotoftime. Itwasgettingdarkoutbythetimeheknockedonthe
doortohisownapartment.Hemadeamentalnotetogetsomespare
keysmade.
TheplacesmelledincrediblewhenJenniferlethimin. Hehad
eatensomefineRussianmealsoverthelastfewdays,buthewas
dyingforsomeAmericancooking.EvenMcDonald'swassounding
likegoodAmericancookingtohimatthispoint.Hemadeapointto
complimentJenniferonthemealseveraltimes.Whentheyweredone
andjustdrinkingwineshetoldhimtogatheranddothedishes.
It wasn't really something Jeremy had thought about. There
wasn'tadishwasherinthisplace asinmostAmericanapartments.He

TossingtheDice

hadwonderedwhytheyhadboughtabottleofliquiddishsoap.Now
heknew.
Jenniferdisappearedintohisbedroomwiththeblackbackpack
andclosedthedoor.JustaboutthetimeJeremyhadfinishedwashing
everything,heheardhercallhisname.Henearlydroppedtheplate
hewasdryingwhenhesawher. Shehadpackedalotmorethan
stockings!
Afteranamazingnight,JeremyheardJennifergetupearly. It
wasbarelylightoutandshewasdressing,thenstuffingthingsintothe
backpack. Apparentlythebackpackhadalsocontainedgymshoes
andajoggingoutfitbecausethatiswhatshewaswearingandJeremy
didn'trecognizeitashis.Shekissedhimlightlyandapologizedfor
wakinghim,butsheneededtogetbacktoherhotelandgetcleaned
upforwork.
Idon'tthinkthebosswilldockyourpay,hesaidgroggily.
Shelaughedandsaid,Idon'tspeakenoughRussiantotellSusan
to wait for me. Part of Susan's duties with the car was to play
chauffeuronthedayssheworked. Makingherworkeverydaythe
teamwastherewouldhavebeenaburden,butshewasonbreakfrom
university and wouldn't return to taking classes for another few
weeks.Jeremypromisedsheonlyhadtoworkwhenshedidn'thave
classoncethesemesterstarted. Herfriendsallwantedtoworkat
Jeremy'scompanywhensheshowedthemthecar.Noneofthemhad
acar,butmosthadadriver'slicense.

ThelastfulldayJenniferwastherewaskindofsadforJeremy.
Inallofthehustleandbustlehehadlosttrackofthedays. First
Globalhadmadeitsannouncementaboutbeingthefirstcustomerfor
PythoCorporationanditsstockwasclimbingdramatically.Thenice
thing about the brokerage accounts his firm had was that they all
participatedinafterhourstrading. Withanotherofficeontheother

TossingtheDice

10

sideoftheworld,GroupLennycouldnowworktheirplaysaround
theclockwithoutsomeonehavingtosleepattheofficeorstayupall
nightathome. Still,JeremywasgoingtomissJennifer. Shehad
spentthreenightsathisplaceandcookedhimthreeincrediblemeals.
Withherandtherestoftheteamleavingthenextmorning,hefelt
kindoflikethevacationwasendingandhewastheonlykidleft
standingonthebeach.
Susannoticedhissadnessthemorningaftertheothershadleft.
Atfirstshethoughtitwasahangoverbecausetheyhadallgoneover
tothehotelanddrunklikefish.Whenluncharrived,shestruckupa
conversation.
Don'tlooksosad.You'renotalone.
I'malongwayfromhomeandafishoutofwaterhere,he
responded.
Atleastyouwillbebusyallnextweek.Wehaversumsto
go through and your computer operator arrives early next week.
ShouldIpickhimupattheairport?
Thatwouldbewonderfulifyoucould.Doyouhavehisflight
scheduleandaphoto?
Yes,Jennifergotthatformebeforesheleft.
HearingthenamemadeJeremythinkabouthowhisnightswere
goingtobefromnowon.Susannoticedachangebehindhiseyesand
decideditwastimetobroachthesubject.
Youhavesomeclothessuitableforgoingtoaclubtonight,don't
you?
Jeremy's mind definitely spun trying to figure out where that
camefrom.Whatkindofclub?
Adanceclub.
ItrynottodanceunlessI'mdrunkatawedding.I'mmoreofa

TossingtheDice

11

sportsbarkindofguy.
Well,youhaveplanstogotoonetonight.
Ido?
Yes. ItwasobviousbetweenyouandJennifer. Iasked. She
told me about 'other related duties.' I have boyfriend so cannot
perform. Fiveofmygirlfriendswouldlikenothingbetterthanto
hangoutwithgoodlooking,richAmerican,though.Yourneedswill
betakencareoftonight,Iamcertainofthat.
I'mnotrich.
Theyseethecar,thatisalltheyneedtosee.Mostpeoplehere
cannotaffordcar.OnethingImustsay,though,becauseIlikeyou
andlikeworkinghere.
Goon,Jeremysaid,dreadingwherethiswasgoing.
Mostgirlsatcollegealsocannotaffordtobeon,howyousay,
'pill'?
Jeremynodded.
Don'tbelievethemiftheytellyouthat.Girlshere,attractedto
money,tendtolatchontoitwithachild.
Goodinformation. Iwouldn't want anyform ofrelationship
here. There is someone I care about back home, not dating, but
sleepingtogether.IamflyingbacktoseeherforNewYear'sEve,by
theway.Idoplanontrainingpeoplehereandleavingoncetheyare
capableofrunningtheplace.ItisdoubtfulIwilleverreturn.
Well, if things don't work out with my boyfriend I would
considerperforming'otherrelatedduties',butyouneedtoprovidefor
thepill.
Youdon'thaveto,Susan. Irelyonyoufartoomuchtolose
you.

TossingtheDice

12
Iknow.That'swhyIoffered.
***

Nikolaushadjustgottenoffthephonewithhisliaisonprovided
by the Chinese government. Even with the container of
undocumentedcashbuyingeverythingpossibletopushtheproject
along,theywerestillafullthreemonthsfromhavingthesiteupand
running.
Concretesimplytooktoolongtocure. Allofthepowerand
utilitieshadbeenroughedin,butonceallofthefootingswerepoured
theyhadtowaitthreedaysforthemtocure.Thecrewerectingthe
securityfencewastheonlycrewthatcouldworkduringthattime.
Oncethefootingshadcured,bothshiftsweldeduprebarandpoured
somuchconcretetheyranoutofforms.Againtheyhadtowaitdays
becausetherewerenomoreformstobehad. It wasthepeakof
constructionseasonoverthere.Theonlycrewworkingthenwasthe
truckdrivershaulinginconcretemixandrebar.
Nodoubtaboutit,Nikolauswasinapissymoodjustlikehis
teamdoingtheharvesting. Thatsituationwasnearingopenrevolt.
Hecouldn'tblamethem. Theyworked twelve daysstraightandgot
twooff. Oneworkedalldayharvestingandtheotherworkedall
night.Theincineratorsimplydidn'tshutoff.Itwasnotsupposedto
happenlikethis. Itwassupposedtobeanothersixtoeightmonths
beforetheyweretryingtohandlethisquantity.TheLuttonbombing
hadreallyscrewedtheoperation.Granted,itmadesellingthesecond
secured location easy, but Nikolaus was thinking about finding a
placetobuildathirdnow.
Hehadsizedthesecondsiteforabouthalfofthefreezerstorage
ofthefirstsite. Thereweretwiceasmanylabsanddormroomsat
the new location. The incinerator was now a double incinerator.
Nikolausstillhadn'thadtimetoputtogetherateamtoworkthere.

TossingtheDice

13

NotalotofpeopleweregoingtowanttogotoChina.
Nikolaushadsomepeoplelookingforanabandonedfactoryor
someotherlargesitewhichcouldbetakenover. Thepartywould
purchase the land and Nikolaus would pay for the interior
modificationswithsomecontainersofcash.Therehadtobeafactory
inasomewhatremotelocationwhichtheycouldobtain. Theonly
trouble was it needed to be within driving distance of the
interrogationcamp.OK,thereweretwoproblems.Nikolauswould
needtofindateamtoworkitaswell.
Whilehewasthinkingaboutmoney,heusedhislogonID to
check inventory on the special products for Dimitri's distributor.
Egads!hesaidwhenhesawthenumbers.Thisstuffispilingup
likesnowinthewinter.

Heclicked overtothe pagewiththeir latest invoices. Every

weekthedistributorplacedclosetoa$2millionorderandpaidforit
within three days. The latest invoice showed the head corporate
officehadgotten itsway.Someofthepremiumdrugswereonthis
invoice. Theyhadtakenonlysevencontainersofcurrency,butat
least they had cleaned out most of the noneuro, nondollar
currencies. TherewerestillthetwocontainersofIndiancurrency
whichNikolaushopedHanswoulduse,butatleastalloftheother
stuffwasgone.
Theproblemappearednottobeonthedistributor'send. They
weretakingafewcontainerseachtime,justastheyhadsaid. The
problemwasthemoneycomingin.Nikolausdidnotknowhowmuch
moneywasinanygivencontainer.HisconversationwithHanshad
educatedhimaboutTwinkies. EachTwinkiewasastackofmoney
roughlyonethirdofameterhigh.Theywereonlyonebillwideand
tightly wrapped in plastic shrinkwrap. The container Hans had

TossingtheDice

14
receivedhadfiveoftheminit.

Whenyouthinkofsomeonestrongly,thereissomeforceinthe
universe which communicates that fact to them. Nikolaus was
remindedofthisforcethesamewayeverybodyelseisreminded.The
phonebesidehimranganditwasHans.
Hello,Nikolaus.
Howarethingsgoing?
Wearegettingreadytobagthreeoperators,butgoingtoleave
theoriginaltrainerinplayforafewdays. Wearestilltryingto
determinewhathisplanisandwhotheteammembersare.
Itrustinyourjudgment.
Youwouldn'thappentohaveoneofthesecarepackagesina
differentflavor,wouldyou?
Suchas?
Euros.
Yes.Onceagain,Idon'tknowhowmuchwouldbeinit.
Noproblem.Onethissizeshouldbewaymorethantheyneed.

Iwillfaxyouashippingaddress,ifyouthinkyoucangetit
shippedtoPakistan.
Whythere?
It'swhereweneedtohirethechoppertopicktheseguysupat
sea.Wedon'thavefriendsingovernmenthere.Gettingpeopleoutof
thecountrymeansfindingaboattosneakthemonandgettingthem
pickedupininternationalwaters.
We should consider using some of the care packages to
purchasealongrangedeepwaterboat,likeayacht,butafastone.

TossingtheDice

15

Iwouldn't. Weneverknowwherewewillbeorhowwewill
needtotransport.Aninepassengerprivatejetregisteredtosomeone
squeaky clean with landing rights in Nuremberg would be more
useful.Thenagain,aHueysetupfortrooptransportwouldbeeven
better.Theyhavea1,200milerangeifIremembercorrectly.Still,
you have to have some place to land it and a crew to fly it and
clearancewithairtraffic.Itisprobablybestwesimplygreasepalms
andletotherstakethetransportationrisk.
FaxmetheaddressinPakistan.Iwillhavetheshipmentarrive
theretomorrow.Someonewillneedtosignforit.
Wehaveonepersontherenow. Iwillcallandmakecertain
theyaretheretomorrowmorning.ThenIwillletthesuitknowabout
hiscarepackage.
CanIsendyouanothercarepackage?
IstillhavetwoTwinkiesleft.
***
Lennyreadthearticlefromoneofhisotheranalystsandthen
forwardedittoJeremysohecouldreaditwhenhewokeupinafew
hours. It was Kent's interview about Pytho Corporation's new
bankingproduct. Hewasevenkindenoughtostatetheyhopedto
save$12millionperyearbyswitchingtoit.Thestockwasspiking.
Thebankingsectorneededsomebrightnewsandthiswastimedjust
aboutperfectly.Thecompanywasduetoreleaseaquarterlyreportin
acoupleofweeksandallofthefinancialanalystswereracingtoraise
theirprojectionshigherthanthelastanalyst.
ItwasnicethewayDimitrihadsetupthecompanyontheother
end.RatherthanDimitrimakingalloftheinvestments,Jeremywas
handlingmostofthemthroughtheotherdivision. Therewasonly
about$100millioninplaythroughDimitri.
Hehadsentthemaveryblandemailthatauditorscouldn'tcharge

TossingtheDice

16

himontellingthemtheyshouldstartunloadingwhenthestockwent
upovereighteendollars.Ofcourse,bythetimehefinishedtypingthat
email the stock was up over twentytwo dollars and still climbing.
Lennydidsomethinghedidn'tusuallydo.Heinstructedthetrading
system to doa Market Sell of their entire First Global and Pytho
positions.Bothwerewellabovetheinitialtargets,whichmeantthere
wasnoreasontohangaround.Thosewhogettoogreedygobrokeor
gotojail.
Duetothewaytheotherdivisionwassetup,ithadtobean
isolatedentityonthesharedcomputersystem.Itranallofthesame
software,justhadadifferentdatabasetostoreaccount,position,and
transactioninformation.Lennyhadtheabilitytologinandstartthe
selling,buthedecidedtoletthatmoneyrideuntilJeremywokeup
twelvehoursfromnow.
Hepickedupadisposablecellphoneandcalledtheofficeinthe
Ukraine. When he got Jeremy's voicemail, he left a message.
Jeremy,dumpallofyourPythoandFirstGlobalassoonasyouget
in. Itisupwelloverourtarget. Watchitinafterhoursandstart
shortingwhenitlookslikeithashitaplateau.
He couldn't wait for Jeremy to start finding Russian and
Europeanstocksworthaplay.GroupLennywouldreallybeableto
growthen.Indeed,afterthisseriesofplays,theyweregoingtoneed
tofindsomelossesorissuesomeloanstogetthecashoutofthe
accounts.
Lenny decided to run the intraday positionreport. When he
scrolled downtothe bottom and lookedat total cashonhandhis
mountwentdry.
***
Staciewasdressedforsuccesstoday.Kathrynhadtappedherto
assistwiththeFridaypresentationtoGraniteNational. ThePytho
salesrephadgottennowheretryingtogothroughtheDirectorofIT.

TossingtheDice

17

Stacie'simpressionoftheguywasthatallhecoulddowasfilloutan
orderformwhenitcametosales. Kathrynmanagedtopullsome
stringsandnowBigFourConsultingwasleadingthepresentationto
theboard.
TheDirectorofITwasdeadsetagainstthisdeal. Kathrynhad
beenunsuccessfulinkeepinghimoutoftheconferenceroom. He
wasn't invited,buthebargedinanyway. Thiswasgoingtobea
cutthroatpresentation.Sincethemanhadbargedin,Kathrynwasn't
pullinganypunches.AfterGeorgegotdonewithasmallPythodog
andponyshowaboutthewonderfulnewreporting,Webaccessibility,
and international aspects of the software, Kathryn went into her
PowerPointpresentation.
Kathryn went straight for the jugular. Her first slide was a
spreadsheet showing what Granite National listed in their last
quarterlyreportasITexpenditures.Sheadmittedtousinganational
averagewhenfiguringinthecostofbenefitsforthelargeITstaff.
ShehadbrowbeatenGeorgeintolowballingthepricetothemsothe
afterpicturelookedsomuchrosier.OfcourseBigFourConsulting
would be getting a cut from helping train all of their locations.
Naturally,whenyoutotaleduptheproposalandcomparedittotheir
costnow,thebankwouldbesavingover$2millionperyear.
The Director of IT was putting up quite a struggle in the
conferenceroom,butStacieadmiredthewayKathrynhandledhim,
by answering some questions, ignoring and diverting others. Her
killer stroke was asking the board if they had heard about First
Global'spurchaseofthissystem. Shepointedout Staciehadjust
gottenbackfromFrance,havinghelpedtrainthetellersfortheFrench
rollout, which had completed in only a couple of weeks and was
runningsmoothly.
WhentheDirectorofITtookthebaitandaskedtheboardifthey
could afford to be down for a couple of weeks operating only a
handful of locations, Stacie volunteered the twoweek rollout was

18

TossingtheDice

becauseFirstGlobalhadtoputstandardizedPCsonthetellerdesks
andtheyoptedtodoitaspartofthe rolloutinsteadofinadvance.If
theirtellersalreadyhadPCsrunningattheirwindows,thenthebank
couldliterallybringtheminforaSundayafternoontrainingsession
andstartoperationsonaMonday,assumingthedatamappingand
conversion was completed either late Saturday evening or early
Sundaymorning.

Kathrynwaslovingthisgirl! Theotherskirtsandheelswere
simplytheretodrainbloodfromthebrain,butthisgirlcoulddrain
andpunch.Shecontinued,SinceyourtellersalreadyhavePCsat
theirwindows,aflashcutwillworkbestforyou.Simplyhavethem
logintothenewapplicationonMondaymorning. Ifsomehorrible
problem is discovered they can simply log back into the other
applicationandwecanmigratethetransactionstheydidovertothe
newsystemoncethatproblemisrectified.
TheonlyfriendtheDirectorofIThadontheboardspokeupto
try andsave his friend's job. This isall well andgood, but the
conversionwon'tbefreeandthecashpositionofthebankisnotsuch
thatwecandoahugecashoutlaytopurchaseanewsystemwhich
doeswhatourexistingsystemdoes.
Finally, George did something. We can set up a payment
schedulesoyoudon'tbeginpayinguntilyouhavestartedtorecognize
thesavingsofthenewsystem.Werealizeyouwillwanttohaveitin
placeforatleastaquartertogiveyoutimetoreapthebenefitsofstaff
reductionandterminatethemaintenancecontractsonyourheritage
equipment.Coupledwiththeotherbusinesschangesyourcompany
hasspokenaboutpublicly,thissystemshouldhavethebankoffthe
FDICwatchlistinlessthanayear.
Therewastheknifeintheback.Thebankwasonthewatchlist

TossingtheDice

19

andindangerofbeingseizedbythegovernmenttopreventafailure.
Migrating to this system and showing the regulatory agency the
amountofmoneythey wouldsaveinsalaryandbenefitsalonewould
buy them a good six months, if not longer. If the first payment
wouldn'tcomeuntilthequarterfollowinginstallation,theboardhad
nochoice.Wereaproposallikethisleakedtotheshareholdersafter
itwasturneddowntheywouldallbesummarilytossedout.Itwasno
longerasalespitch,itwasabumrush.
Of course the board of directors thanked them for the
presentationandsaidtheyhadtodiscussmattersamongthemselves.
TheywouldgetbacktoPythoCorporationsometimenextweekwith
aresponse.Everyoneintheroomknewtherewaslittletheycoulddo
otherthanstallthepaymentsforaslongashumanlypossible.Ifthey
optedtotakeapass,newsofthispresentationwouldbeleakedto
financialanalystsandalloverthebusinessnewsafewhourslater.
Thentheywouldbeseized.Nothinglikeholdingaguntotheirheads
tomakeasale,thoughtKathryn.Shemadeamentalnotetohaveher
brokerbuysomemorePythostock.
StaciereturnedhomeanddashedoffanemailtoJeremytelling
him about the sales pitch today and that Pytho was sure to be
announcinganothersaleinaboutaweek. Sheaskedhimifhewas
goingtobuysomemorePythostockforherbasedonthisnewsorjust
letitride. Inclosing,shetoldhimshelovedhim. Truthwas,she
knewtheywouldbothsleepwithotherpeoplewhileapart,butshe
wasstartingtofallforthisguy.Perhapsitwasjustthethoughtofthe
lifeshecouldleadwiththemoneyhewasgoingtomake. Atthis
point,shedidn'tcare.Hewasfuntobewithandgreatinbed.When
youaddedinabouttobeverywealthyitwasdifficultforagirlnotto
imagineherselfwearingaring.
***
TheBritreturnedtothehotelcarryingacoupleofknapsacksfull
ofgear.Knapsacksseemedtobecommonlocallyandnobodylooked

TossingtheDice

20

twiceatsomeonecarryingthem.Hewentstraighttothesuit'sroom
anddroppedthemoff.Outofonesackhepulledasmallbundleof
eurosandhandedthemover.
Perfect.Ishouldbeabletocarrythatamountonmypersonand
inmycarryonwithoutattractingtoomuchattention.Dowehavethe
caryet?
I'mofftogetthatnow.Shouldbebackinanhourorso.
Good.Thenyoucanmakeourotherarrangements.
On his way to buy another vehicle, the Brit's disposable cell
phonerang.Herecognizedthenumbersoheanswered.
Hello.
Quiteapileofinformationyougaveus.
Thoughtitmightcomeinhandy.
Youmentionedbeingabletoperformsomeroundupsifwecould
getyoutransportation.
It'spossible.
Therearethreecellswewouldlikeroundedup.Wecangetyou
aplanetoGermanyfromtheU.S.
Youhavemyemailaddress,doyounot?
TheHotmailone?
Thatwillwork.Sendeverythingyouhavetoit.Iwilltalkwith
mypeopleandseewhenwecangetthem.Youwouldn'thappento
haveaboataroundhere,wouldyou?
Why?
Need to extract three members from here and get them to
international waters for pickup. Planning on driving them to
Mangalore and finding someplace along the shore line to quietly

TossingtheDice

21

leave.
Therewasmutteringinthebackground,thentheconversation
resumed.
Willyourcellphoneworkthere?
Presumably. IfnotIwillpickanotherupwhilethereandcall
you.
Inthreedayswecanhavearubberduckteamonthebeach
northofMangalore. Theycantakeyouandyourgueststoasub.
Howmanypeople?
Threeofthemandmyself.
Iwillcallyouintwodaystoconfirm.
Verygood.
Thephonecall ended. Hanswasnevergoingtobelievethis.
Thatlittleinformationpaymenttheymadewasreturningdividends.
Heknewthemaninthesuitdidn'twanttheAmericansinvolved,but
theseguyswereworkingsofaroffthereservationnobodyknewthey
existed,muchlessanyreporters.Hedialedthemaninthesuit'scell
phone.
Hello.
Weneedtohaveanemergencypowwow.I'mgoingtosneakto
theoffice.CallHansandtellhimwearebothcoming.
TheBritknewthiswasgoingtobetrouble.Besttogetitallout
intheopennow.Ifthemaninthesuitdidn'twantitplayedthisway,
thenhewouldn'tleaveIndia. Here,onecouldmakehisdeathlook
likeahatecrime.Youdidn'thavetobothergettingridofthebody.

22

TossingtheDice

Anhourlatertheywereallbackatheadquarters. TheBrithad
actuallyboughtthesecondcarandparkeditbehindthebuilding.He
wasafewminuteslatebecauseofit.Atleasthebroughtsomefresh
breadandbottledteaforthemeeting.
Intwodaysweget aphonecall toconfirm wearereadyto
extract,hestartedthemeeting.Arubberduckwillmeetusalong
thecoastjustnorthofMangalore.Theywilltakemyselfandthethree
memberstoasubthatwilltakeusouttointernationalwaters.
Howdidyougetasub?Howdidyoudothiswithoutleaving
town?inquiredthesuit.
Receivedaphonecallfromsomepeopleneedingafavor.Told
themIneededafavorbeforeIcouldgivethemafavor.
Whatfavordotheyneed?inquiredHans. Heknew,hejust
wantedtohearit.
IneedyoutocheckmyHotmailaccountforthenextfewdays,
Hans. We will be getting one or more files of cells and or cell
memberstoberoundedupintheUnitedStates. Flightsinandout
willbetakencareof.Wejustneedtoprovidebootsontheground
andlocaltransportation.
These people who need the favor, they don't want any
informationaboutwherethesuspectsendup?
No.Theyjustwanttoknowwhattheyknowandbedonewith
them. Theyhavemoreevidencethantheyneedforconviction,but
dueprocesswouldbestrategicallyinconvenient.
MeaningitcamefromanillegalcovertOP,saidthesuit.
All covert Ops are illegal somewhere. These guys own big
planes, have use of airports and landing strips around the world.
TheysaygettingusfromAmericatoGermanyisnothing. Wejust
havetoperformthenabandgetthemtotheairportorlandingstrip.

TossingtheDice

23

Whydotheywantus?askedthesuit.

Incaseitgoesbad,Hanssaidwithoutlookingup.Ifthereis
anexplosion,firefight,orfilmonthenewswewillbelefthangingout
to dry. They can't protect our people once the media gets some
footageofthem.Withusbeingtheonestogetcaught,theycansayit
wasdonebyforeignnationalswithouttheknowledgeorconsentof
thegovernment.
Onethingiscertain.NeitherHansnorIshouldbeintheUnited
Stateshandlingthis.Atleastnotinthefield.Filmat elevenofaBrit
willmakeitdifficultforthemtodeny.
Yes,saidthemaninthesuit,Iftherearewhiteguysinvolved,
the press won't buy thecover story. It needs tobe Arabs and/or
Chinesedoingtheactualroundup,probablyjustPakistanis.Ifoneof
them is nabbed, my government can play it up saying they were
rootingoutterroristswherevertheyfoundthem,whichiswhatthey
hadpubliclypledgedtodo.
Eitherway,filmat elevenwilleventuallybeamajorproblem,
saidHans.
The suit concurred. I am heading back in the morning to
arrangefortheHuey.Iwillseewhatwehaveleftforaroundupteam
that can be sent. Find out how much coordination and technical
supporttheyaregoingtoprovidewhentheemailcomesin.
SpeakingoftheHuey,Hansinterrupted.
Don'ttellmeyoualreadyhaveone!
No! Iwantedtotellyouthattherewillbeacarepackageat
Pakistaniheadquartersfirstthinginthemorning.Theguywhowas
therealittlewhileagosaidhewouldsignforitandnotopenit.

TossingtheDice

24
Indiancurrencywon'tdomeanygood.
Euros.
Oh.

Ifyousendtheteamoncommercialflights,theycanexchange
theireurosforAmericandollarsattheairport.
NotanentireTwinkie.

True,buttherearecurrencyexchangesandtheycouldtaketurns
comingtoGermany escortingprisoners. TheAmericans won't be
abletoknowabouttherestoftheoperation,sobesttohaveourown
peopleontheplanetohandletheloadingofthevans.
OK,saidtheBrit.I'verelayedmyinformation.I'mgoingto
taketherestofthesebottlesandspendthenexttwodaysinmyhotel
room.Iwillputmyphoneonachargerthere.Simplyletmeknow
whattosaybeforetheycallback.
Withthat,themeetingwasover.Hehandedthecarkeystothe
suit,grabbedtheremainingfivebeersandwalkedoutthedoor.The
suitfiredupthecaranddrovebacktothehotelbeatingtheBritbya
longwhile.Heparkedwherehecouldfindparking,butitwasgetting
lateandpeoplewerebeddingdowninthestreet. Pakistanmaybe
poor,thoughtthesuit,butitdoesn'tallowthiskindofsqualor.
***
Back in the threeman team apartment, the one watching the
external surveillance cameras saw something he had never seen
before.Someoneactuallyknockingonthetrainer'sdoor.Hequickly
woketheotherssincethemanwascarryingasmallbag.Oncethey
clearedtheireyes,heplayedthosefewsecondsbackforthem.The
othertwogatheredabagandaclubalongwiththecarkeysandwent
towaitforthemaninthedark.Ifhewasjustacourier,hewouldbe

TossingtheDice

25

comingoutsoonandneverbeseenagain.

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