Part 131 (2/2)
”But we're not tooled up for”
”You will receive all the help you need,” the President said with assurance ”I guarantee it” His words dared anyone to defy his command
”Yessir,” Jacobs said humbly ”What about NIST?”
”Do you need them?”
”No question”
”Consider it done I expect you all here at the saaet their attention Heads snapped up in disbelief
”One day?” coin to anize the research”
”That's the kind of talk I do not want to hear, gentlemen,” the President said Coletree turned red
”Mr President,” said Cha to war”
”Sir,” the President said standing straight, ”we are already at war You're just not acting like it According to you, the vital interests of this country have been attacked It is our job to defend the country I call that war If we are going to sell a Co like we take it seriously Toentlemen Pull out the stops”
1:15 PM, New York City
Upon returning from lunch, Scott checked his E-Mail at the Ties he received were from co-workers or news associates in other cities He also heard from Kirk on the paper's supposedly secure network Neither he nor the technical network gurus ever figured out how he got in the systeuards after Scott tipped thees from outside the paper They added what they called 'audit trails' Audit trails are supposed to record and remember every activity on the net- work The hope was that they could observe Kirk re the computer and then identify the security breach Despite their attempts, Kirk continued to enter the Times' computers at will, but without any apparent disruption of the systeers that Kirk posed no threat, but they felt that any breach was poten- tially a serious threat to journalistic privilege
Reporters kept their notes on the coh level anonymous contacts and identities, all stored within a computer that is presumably protected and secure
In reality, the New York City Times computer, like most comput- ers is as open as a sieve
Scott could live with it He merely didn't keep any notes on the computer He stuck with the old tried and true method of hand written notes
His E-Mail this time contained a surprise
IF YOU WANT TO FIND OUT HOW I DID IT, CALL ME TONIGHT 9PM
416-555-3165 THE SPOOK
A pit suddenly developed in Scott's sto hen he watched Bernard Shaw broadcast the bohdad The sense of sudden helpless- ness, the foreboding of the unknown Or perhaps the shock of hts enter the realm of the unreal
Then ca him at his office ”What hap- pened to Foster?” He spoke seriously
”True to his word,” Tyrone laughed with frustration, ”he was out in an hour He said he was co back to your party”
”Never showed up” Scott paused to think ”How did he get out so fast?”