Part 9 (2/2)
”Do my ears deceive me!? Is one of my Chief Researchers using an Enemy Product in MY lab!?!”
”Now, he told you it was bad, Bill.” George Cunningham said.
”What in the Sam Hill are you doing here, George!? Is this more of that conspiracy-theory c.r.a.p you were trying to sell me last month?” Dornan yelled.
”Well it doesn't look like c.r.a.p, now, does it Bill? If I took that contaminated disk and popped it into my desk station, the whole network would cras.h.!.+ Tell me I'm blowing smoke now!” George yelled.
”Jesus Christ, what's the spread rate on this thing?” Wild Bill looked wild in a desperate sort of way, now.
”Zero.” Spiky Hair reported. ”The computers die before the infection can spread.”
”Well that's something, anyways. G.o.d Bless stupid hackers.”
”Don't count your chickens, yet, Wild Bill.” Uhura said.
”What's that mean?” Wild Bill had an idea what was coming and didn't want to hear it.
”I could modify this thing to lie dormant for a few days, and pa.s.s itself on to every system that ours had contact with. When it finally went off, it'd take down half the net.” Uhura said.
”Did you write this thing? Is that your game? Are you tryin' to shake me down, young lady!?” Wild Bill roared.
”Don't be dumb. Would I be standing here talking to you if I did this?” Uhura said.
”I won't be spoken to like that on my own spread, little lady!” Wild Bill shouted.
”Could Shane Chee have written this?” Angelo asked George Cunningham.
Cunningham looked at Angelo pointedly. ”Possibly. Randi forwarded some code to me that looked a little like this. She said that something smelled funny. She wanted me to hold her evidence until she could put together a better case.”
”Do you know how she died?” Angelo asked him.
”The report on the net said she went off the road while under the influence of drugs.” George said.
”Do you think she found what she was looking for?” Angelo asked.
”And then had an accident?” George shook his head grimly. ”It sounds like a bad conspiracy theory. Isn't paranoia a symptom of drug abuse?”
At that point the shouting match between Uhura Young and Wild Bill Dornan reached a crescendo. Wild Bill took off his coat and struck a bad boxing pose, all the while demanding a posse to remove these people from his ”spread.”
Uhura was cursing vilely in Swahili, sounding like a spitting cat.
”Mr. Dornan, you have a big problem. I think that Shane Chee and John Marlowe are responsible. If you don't take quick action, you and your organization might be severely damaged.” Angelo warned the magnate.
”Aw to h.e.l.l with you and your dopey conspiracy! Just get yourself and your dumbs.h.i.+t dummied up virus out of my sight before I call some real cops in here to bust your a.s.s!!” Wild Bill shouted.
”But, Bill! This thing could murder us in the market place!” Spiky Hair cried.
”You watch your mouth around me punk, or you'll be back out on the street selling hacked Nintendo cartridges before you know what hit you! Now I've said my piece, get 'em the h.e.l.l out!” He rounded on Angelo and Uhura ”And thanks for the warnin'! If you try to palm that d.a.m.ned fake virus off on the net, me and my lawyers'll be around and you'll both wind up on the streets, I make sure of it!” With that he turned and stomped out of the lab.
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