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Roger didn't know how much room Pete was going to give him with the file. And with the FBI man lurking around now, Roger halfway expected to be escorted out of the room as soon as the file was unscrambled. He had to get a look at the contents. Roger figured he'd rather take his chances with an old friend than with the FBI, so he signaled to Pete to keep it quiet. Roger then executed the de-scrambler program and watched as the formatted output filled a new file. He and Pete continued exchanging technical jargon while West's attention wandered. Boreskovich was in his own world, as usual. The two men read through the file together. As they finished reading, Roger highlighted a section and spooled it to the printer.
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| Warwick: |
Oh, my God.
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| Roger: |
Pete, you trying to tell me you didn't know about this?
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| Warwick: |
Roger, I had no idea. I don't know how it got in there.
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| West: |
What? Did you get something? Are you inside the file?
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| Roger: |
Yeah, and don't worry about security. I promise not to tell more than a few hundred close friends.
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| West: |
You had no authorization to access the contents of that file! I could put you both under arrest right now.
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| Roger: |
Maybe you would if you and the big kids back East weren't on the verge of a Senate investigation over this. I suggest you start being nice to me, West. Now go get me a cup of coffee. Cream and three sugars.
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| West: |
You're burning bridges, Tango.
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| Roger: |
A specialty of mine.
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West took Roger's coffee cup and stormed out of the room. As soon as the door closed, Roger grabbed the sheet off the printer and went down the hallway in the other direction. He was zeroing in on target Dunn. Roger meant to get some answers now that he had proof in hand.Roger was surprised to find Nancy already talking to Dunn. The two seemed to be chumming around like it was a slow day at the office and a few hours needed to be killed. This was just enough to cement Roger's opinion about Dunn. He'd known too many guys like him back in the so-called, good-old days at CIA.
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| Roger: |
Okay Dunn, I don't know what you think your doing, but it's time to start leveling with everybody. I've had just about enough of the run-around from you.
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| Dunn: |
Are you always so charming, Mr. Tango? Sounds like you got into the file. What did you find?
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| Roger: |
You know damn well what I found. Nancy, tell your friend here he can drop the act.
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| Nancy: |
Roger, I think we're all in the dark. Tell us what you got.
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| Roger: |
Here, look at this. It's a printout of the targeting profile that's loaded on 333 right now.
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| Dunn: |
San Francisco Federal Reserve? It's pointed at the Federal Reserve Bank?
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| Roger: |
As if you and your FBI friend didn't know. Tell me, what's the real purpose of this project, building an agent that topples foreign economies the way we used to take out banana republic dictators?
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| Dunn: |
That's ridiculous. You think West knows something?
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| Roger: |
You should have seen him when J. Edgar Hoover in one of those special outfits he liked to wear so much. Are you ready for the bad news now?
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| Nancy: |
It gets worse?
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| Roger: |
Hold on to your checkbooks for this one. We went through the list of data access algorithms on-board 333 and guess what? He's loaded with electronic banking solutions. Encryption - decryption like DES and Triple DES security. Just to top it off, he's also got the transaction ID codes for all six federal reserve banks. It looks to me like he could open up his own branch if he wants to.
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| Dunn: |
Why didn't Warwick tell me?
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| Roger: |
Pete didn't know about it either. Whoever put this together must have a man, or woman, on Pete's team. Somebody to do the mule work and upload the logic. We'll be able to trace it back later.
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| Dunn: |
I hope Spike Webb had better luck than you did Tango. Let's go try to contact him. We need his report before setting up a defense for the bank.
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Five minutes later, Spike limped into the control room and gave Dunn, Warwick, Nancy, and Roger his report. Dunn listened and then summarized his conclusion. It was what everyone else felt, but did not say.
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| Dunn: |
So we're no match for MEMOREX 333 in a head-to-head contest. That means we play defense for now. Everyone agree?
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| Warwick: |
No alternative.
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| Dunn: |
Right. So here's what we're doing. Nancy, would you please round up Agent West. When you find him, take him to the exit door and wait there for me. The three of us are going to visit the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank. Mr. West can do some explaining while he drives us up there.I want the rest of you to do two things. Get some defensive suggestions ready for the bank's security people. I want them to be sure that we're trying to help. I'm going to tell them everything so don't be concerned about withholding information on 333. I'll patch them in on a call to you Warwick, after we explain the situation. Then, I want you to go back to the diagnostic file again. Read it over and over to each other if you have to. We need a weakness. A way into him that he's not expecting. If we can't win a fair fight, we have to fight dirty. Get me some dirty options. All right, let's go. Nancy, I'll meet you and West at the door in five minutes.
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Dunn used the five minutes to phone his contact in Washington again. Most of the time was devoted to securing the line for privacy. His conversation with the electronically-altered voice of a man he had never met was short as always. When the two-tone beep indicated a clean line, the voice came on.
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| Washington: |
Make your report.
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| Dunn: |
Operation proceeding as planned. Moving to Phase 2.
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| Washington: |
Report logged. Congratulations, Mr. Dunn.
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