Digital Fortress Chapter 59-62

Chapter 59Susan r to each oneed for Commander Strathmores hand as he helped her up the ladder onto the Crypto floor. The image of Phil Chartrukian lying broken on the generators was burned into her mind. The thought of wring hiding in the bowels of Crypto had left her dizzy. The truth was inescapable- tweet had encourageed Chartrukian.Susan stumbled past the shadow of TRANSLTR back toward Cryptos main exit-the door shed come through hours earlier. Her huffy punching on the unlit keypad did nonhing to move the huge portal. She was trapped Crypto was a prison. The dome sat like a satellite, 109 yards away from the main NSA structure, friendly only through the main portal. Since Crypto made its own authority, the switchboard credibly didnt even sleep together they were in trouble.The main powers out, Strathmore said, arriving bottom her. Were on aux.The backup power supply in Crypto was designed so that TRANSLTR and its cooling systems took precedence every attitude all other s ystems, including lights and doorways. That way an untimely power outage would not interrupt TRANSLTR during an pregnant run. It also meant TRANSLTR would neer run without its freon cooling system in an uncooled enclosure, the heat generated by three million processors would rise to treacherous levels-perhaps even igniting the silicon chips and resulting in a fiery meltdown. It was an image no one dared consider.Susan fought to get her bearings. Her thoughts were consumed by the whiz image of the Sys-Sec on the generators. She stabbed at the keypad again. Still no response. end the run she demanded. Telling TRANSLTR to break down searching for the Digital shield pass-key would shut down its circuits and free up enough backup power to get the doors works again.Easy, Susan, Strathmore said, putting a steadying hand on her shoulder.The commanders reassuring touch lifted Susan from her daze. She suddenly remembered wherefore she had been going to get him. She wheeled, Commander G reg tangle is jointure DakotaThere was a seemingly endless beat of silence in the dark. Finally Strathmore replied. His voice sounded more confused than shocked. What are you talking about?Hale Susan whispered. Hes North Dakota.There was more silence as Strathmore pondered Susans words. The tracer? He seemed confused. It fingered Hale?The tracer isnt back yet. Hale aborted itSusan went on to explain how Hale had waitped her tracer and how shed found E-mail from Tankado in Hales account. Another long moment of silence followed. Strathmore shook his head in disbelief.Theres no way Greg Hale is Tankados insurance Its ill-considered Tankado would never trust Hale.Commander, she said, Hale sank us once before-Skipjack. Tankado trusted him.Strathmore could not seem to find words.Abort TRANSLTR, Susan begged him. Weve got North Dakota. Call grammatical construction security. Lets get out of here.Strathmore held up his hand requesting a moment to think.Susan looked nervously in the dir ection of the trapdoor. The opening was alone out of sight behind TRANSLTR, hardly the reddish glow spilled out over the black tile like fire on ice. Come on, call Security, Commander Abort TRANSLTR Get us out of hereSuddenly Strathmore sprang to action. Follow me, he said. He strode toward the trapdoor.Commander Hale is dangerous He-But Strathmore disappeared into the dark. Susan hurried to follow his silhouette. The commander circled around TRANSLTR and arrived over the opening in the floor. He peered into the swirling, steaming pit. Silently he looked around the darkened Crypto floor. Then he bent down and heaved the heavy trapdoor. It swung in a low arc. When he let go, it slammed shut with a deadening thud. Crypto was once again a silent, blackened cave. It appeared North Dakota was trapped.Strathmore knelt down. He turned the heavy squash lock. It spun into place. The sublevels were sealed.Neither he nor Susan heard the faint steps in the direction of leaf node 3.Chapter 6 0Two-tone headed through the mirrored corridor that led from the outside patio to the terpsichore floor. As he turned to check his safety pin in the reflection, he sensed a figure looming up behind him. He spun, scarce it was too late. A pair of rocklike arms pinned his body face-first against the glass.The punk tried to twist around. Eduardo? Hey, man, is that you? Two-Tone felt a hand brush over his notecase before the figure leaned firmly into his back. Eddie the punk cried. Quit fooling around Some guy was lookin for Megan.The figure held him firmly.Hey, Eddie, man, cut it out But when Two-Tone looked up into the mirror, he saw the figure pinning him was not his friend at all.The face was pockmarked and scarred. Two lifeless look stared out like coal from behind wire-rim glasses. The man leaned forward, placing his mouth against Two-Tones ear. A strange, voice choked, Adonde fue? Whered he go? The words sounded somehow misshapen.The punk froze, paralyzed with fear.Adonde fue? the voice repeated. El Americano.The the airport. Aeropuerto, Two-Tone stammered.Aeropuerto? the man repeated, his dark eyes watching Two-Tones lips in the mirror.The punk nodded.Tenia el anillo? Did he have the ring?Terrified, Two-Tone shook his head. No.Viste el anillo? Did you see the ring?Two-Tone paused. What was the right answer?Viste el anillo? the muffled voice demanded.Two-Tone nodded affirmatively, hoping honesty would pay. It did not. Seconds later he slid to the floor, his neck broken.Chapter 61Jabba lay on his back lodged halfway inside a dismantled mainframe computer. There was a penlight in his mouth, a soldering iron in his hand, and a large schematic blueprint propped on his belly. He had just finished attaching a new draw of attenuators to a faulty motherboard when his cellular phone sprang to life.Shit, he swore, groping for the receiver through a pile of telephone lines. Jabba here.Jabba, its Midge.He brightened. Twice in one night? People are gonna start ta lking.Cryptos got problems. Her voice was tense.Jabba frowned. We been through this already. Remember?Its a power problem.Im not an electrician. Call Engineering.The domes dark.Youre perceive things. Go home. He turned back to his schematic.Pitch black she yelled.Jabba sighed and set down his penlight. Midge, first of all, weve got aux power in there. It would never be pitch black. Second, Strathmores got a slightly relegate view of Crypto than I do right now. Why dont you call him?Because this has to do with him. Hes hiding something.Jabba rolled his eyes. Midge sweetie, Im up to my armpits in serial cable here. If you need a date, Ill cut loose. Otherwise, call Engineering.Jabba, this is serious. I can feel it.She can feel it? It was official, Jabba thought, Midge was in one of her moods. If Strathmores not worried, Im not worried.Cryptos pitch black, dammitSo maybe Strathmores stargazing.Jabba Im not kidding around hereOkay, okay, he grumbled, propping himself up on an elbow. M aybe a generator shorted out. As soon as Im done here, Ill stop by Crypto and-What about aux power Midge demanded. If a generator blew, why is there no aux power?I dont know. Maybe Strathmores got TRANSLTR running and aux power is tapped out.So why doesnt he abort? Maybe its a virus. You said something earlier about a virus.Damn it, Midge Jabba exploded. I told you, theres no virus in Crypto Stop world so damned paranoidThere was a long silence on the line.Aw, shit, Midge, Jabba apologized. Let me explain. His voice was tight. First of all, weve got Gauntlet-no virus could possibly get through. Second, if theres a power failure, its hardware-related-viruses dont kill power, they attack software and data. Whatevers going on in Crypto, its not a virus.Silence.Midge? You there?Midges response was icy. Jabba, I have a telephone line to do. I dont expect to be yelled at for doing it. When I call to ask why a multi billion-dollar facility is in the dark, I expect a professional respons e.Yes, maam.A simple yes or no ordain suffice. Is it possible the problem in Crypto is virus-related?Midge I told you-Yes or no. Could TRANSLTR have a virus?Jabba sighed. No, Midge. Its totally impossible.Thank you.He forced a chuckle and tried to lighten the mood. Unless you think Strathmore wrote one himself and bypassed my filters.There was a stunned silence. When Midge spoke, her voice had an supernatural edge. Strathmore can bypass Gauntlet?Jabba sighed. It was a joke, Midge. But he knew it was too late.Chapter 62The Commander and Susan stood beside the closed trapdoor and debated what to do next.Weve got Phil Chartrukian dead down there, Strathmore argued. If we call for help, Crypto will turn into a circus.So what do you propose we do? Susan demanded, wanting only to leave.Strathmore thought a moment. Dont ask me how it happened, he said, glancing down at the locked trapdoor, simply it looks like weve inadvertently located and neutralized North Dakota. He shook his head in disbelief. Damn lucky break if you ask me. He solace seemed stunned by the idea that Hale was involved in Tankados plan. My guess is that Hales got the pass-key hidden in his terminal somewhere-maybe hes got a copy at home. Either way, hes trapped.So why not call building security and let them cart him away?Not yet, Strathmore said, if the Sys-Secs uncover stats of this endless TRANSLTR run, weve got a whole new set of problems. I want all traces of Digital Fortress withdrawd before we open the doors.Susan nodded reluctantly. It was a good plan. When Security finally pulled Hale from the sublevels and charged him with Chartrukians death, he probably would threaten to tell the world about Digital Fortress. But the proof would be erased-Strathmore could play dumb. An endless run? An unbreakable algorithm? But thats absurd Hasnt Hale heard of the Bergofsky Principle?Heres what we need to do. Strathmore coolly outlined his plan. We erase all of Hales correspondence with Tankado. We e rase all records of my bypassing Gauntlet, all of Chartrukians Sys-Sec analysis, the Run-Monitor records, everything. Digital Fortress disappears. It was never here. We bury Hales key and pray to God David finds Tankados copy.David, Susan thought. She forced him from her mind. She needed to stay focused on the matter at hand.Ill shell out the Sys-Sec lab, Strathmore said. Run-Monitor stats, mutation activity stats, the works. You handle Node 3. Delete all of Hales E-mail. Any records of correspondence with Tankado, anything that mentions Digital Fortress.Okay, Susan replied, focusing. Ill erase Hales whole drive. Reformat everything.No Strathmores response was stern. Dont do that. Hale most likely has a copy of the pass-key in there. I want it.Susan gaped in shock. You want the pass-key? I thought the whole point was to destroy the pass-keysIt is. But I want a copy. I want to crack open this damn file and have a look at Tankados program.Susan shared Strathmores curiosity, but insti nct told her unlocking the Digital Fortress algorithm was not wise, regardless of how interesting it would be. Right now, the deadly program was locked safely in its encrypted vault-totally harmless. As soon as he decrypted it. Commander, wouldnt we be better off just to-I want the key, he replied.Susan had to admit, ever since hearing about Digital Fortress, shed felt a certain academic curiosity to know how Tankado had managed to write it. Its mere existence contradicted the most fundamental rules of cryptography. Susan eyed the commander. Youll delete the algorithm immediately after we see it?Without a trace.Susan frowned. She knew that finding Hales key would not happen instantly. Locating a random pass-key on one of the Node 3 hard drives was somewhat like trying to find a single sock in a bedroom the size of Texas. Computer searches only worked when you knew what you were looking for this pass-key was random. Fortunately, however, because Crypto dealt with so much random mater ial, Susan and some others had developed a manifold process known as a nonconformity search. The search essentially asked the computer to study every string of characters on its hard drive, compare each string against an enormous dictionary, and flag any strings that seemed nonsensical or random. It was tricky work to refine the parameters continually, but it was possible.Susan knew she was the logical choice to find the pass-key. She sighed, hoping she wouldnt repent it. If all goes well, it will take me about half an hour.Then lets get to work, Strathmore said, putting a hand on her shoulder and leading her through the unfairness toward Node 3.Above them, a star-filled sky had stretched itself across the dome. Susan wondered if David could see the same stars from Seville.As they approached the heavy glass doors of Node 3, Strathmore swore under his breath. The Node 3 keypad was unlit, and the doors were dead.Damn it, he said. No power. I forgot.Strathmore studied the sliding do ors. He placed his palms flat against the glass. Then he leaned sideways trying to slide them open. His transfer were sweaty and slipped. He wiped them on his pants and tried again. This time the doors slid open a flyspeck crack.Susan, sensing progress, got in behind Strathmore and they both pushed together. The doors slid open about an inch. They held it a moment, but the pressure was too great. The doors sprang shut again.Hold on, Susan said, repositioning herself in front of Strathmore. Okay, now try.They heaved. Again the door opened only about an inch. A faint ray of blue light appeared from inside Node 3 the terminals were still on they were considered critical to TRANSLTR and were receiving aux power.Susan dug the toe of her Ferragamos into the floor and pushed harder. The door started to move. Strathmore locomote to get a better angle. Centering his palms on the left slider, he pushed straight back. Susan pushed the right slider in the opposite direction. Slowly, arduousl y, the doors began to separate. They were now almost a foot apart.Dont let go, Strathmore said, panting as they pushed harder. Just a little farther.Susan repositioned herself with her shoulder in the crack. She pushed again, this time with a better angle. The doors fought back against her.Before Strathmore could stop her, Susan squeezed her slender body into the opening. Strathmore protested, but she was intent. She wanted out of Crypto, and she knew Strathmore well enough to know she wasnt going anywhere until Hales pass-key was found.She centered herself in the opening and pushed with all her strength. The doors seemed to push back. Suddenly Susan lost her grip. The doors sprang toward her. Strathmore fought to hold them off, but it was too much. Just as the doors slammed shut, Susan squeezed through and collapsed on the other side.The commander fought to reopen the door a tiny sliver. He put his face to the narrow crack. Jesus, Susan-are you okay?Susan stood up and brushed herse lf off. Fine.She looked around. Node 3 was deserted, lit only by the computer monitors. The bluish shadows gave the place a ghostly ambiance. She turned to Strathmore in the crack of the door. His face looked pallid and sickly in the blue light.Susan, he said. Give me twenty minutes to delete the files in Sys-Sec. When all traces are gone, Ill go up to my terminal and abort TRANSLTR.You better, Susan said, eyeing the heavy glass doors. She knew that until TRANSLTR stopped hoarding aux power, she was a prisoner in Node 3.Strathmore let go of the doors, and they snapped shut. Susan watched through the glass as the commander disappeared into the Crypto darkness.