Terminal Compromise by Winn Schwartau (my reading book .txt) 📖

>ly demanding areas in science today put down their thoughts for

the everyone to read. The Livermore scientists believed in

freedom of information, so nearly everyone who wanted in, got in.

To the obvious consternation and dismay of Livermore management.

And its funding agency.

Steve poked around the Livermore computers for a while and

learned that SDI funding was in more serious jeopardy than pub-

licly acknowledged. He discovered that the last 3 underground

nuclear test explosions outside of Las Vegas were underyield, and

no one knew why. Then he found some super-technical proposals

that sounded like pure science fiction:

Moving small asteroids from between Mars and Jupiter into orbit

around the Earth would make lovely weapons to drop on your ene-

mies. War mongers.

All of this fascinating information, available to anyone with a

computer and a little chutzbah.

*

Alexander Spiradon had picked Sir George and his other subjects

carefully, as he had been trained to do.

He had spent the better part of twenty years working for West

German Military Intelligence, Reichenbunnestrad Dunnernecht

Deutchelande, making less money than he required to live in the

style he desired. To supplement his income, he occasionally

performed extracurricular activities for special interest groups

throughout Europe. A little information to the IRA in Northern

Ireland, a warning to the Red Brigade about an impending raid.

Even the Hizballah, the Party of God for Lebanese terrorists had

occasion to use Alex’s Services. Nothing that would compromise

his country, he rationalized, just a little help to the various

political factions that have become an annoyance to their respec-

tive governments.

Alex suddenly resigned in 1984 when he had collected enough

freelance fees to support his habits, but he was unaware that his

own agency had had him under surveillance for years, waiting for

him to slip up. He hadn’t, and with predictable German Govern-

ment efficiency, upon his departure from the RDD, his file was

promptly retired and his subsequent activities ignored.

Alex began his full time free-lance career as a ‘Provider of

Information’. With fees of no less than 250,000 DM, Alex didn’t

need to work much. He could pick and choose his clients as he

weighed the risks and benefits of each potential assignment.

With his network of intelligence contacts from Scotland Yard, Le

Surite, and the Mossad, he had access to the kind of information

that terrorists pay for dearly .

It was a good living. No guns, no danger, just information.

His latest client guaranteed Alex three years of work for a flat

fee in the millions of Deutch Marks. It was the intelligence

assignment of a lifetime, one that insured a peaceful and pros-

perous retirement for Alex. He wasn’t the perennial spy, politi-

cally or dogmatically motivated. Alex wanted the money.

After he had completed his computer classes and purchased the

equipment from the list, Sir George dialed the number he had been

given. He half expected a live person to congratulate him, but

also realized that that was a foolish wish. There was no reason

to expect anything other than the same sexy voice dictating

orders to him.

“Ah, Sir George. How good of you to call. How were your class-

es?” George nearly answered the alluring telephone personality

again, but he caught himself.

“Very good,” the voice came back in anticipated response. “Please

get a pencil and paper. I have a message for you in 15 seconds.”

That damned infernal patronization. Of course I have a bleeding

pen. Not a pencil. Idiot.

“Are you ready?” she asked. George made an obscene gesture at

the phone.

“Catch a flight to San Francisco tonight. Bring all of the com-

puter equipment you have purchased. Take a taxi to 14 Sutherland

Place on Knob Hill. Under the mat to Apartment 12G you will find

two keys. They will let you into your new living quarters. Make

yourself at home. It is yours, and the rent is taken care of as

is the phone bill. Your new phone number is 4-1-5-5-5-5-6-3-6-1.

When you get settled, dial the following number from your comput-

er. You should be well acquainted with how to do that by now.

The number is 4-1-5-5-5-5-0-0-1-5. Your password is A-G-O-R-A.

Under the mattress in the bedroom is a PRG, Password Response

Generator. It looks like a credit card, but has an eight digit

display. Whenever you call Alex, he will ask you for a response

to your password. Quickly enter whatever the PRG says. If you

lose the PRG, you will be terminated.” The voice paused for a

few seconds to George’s relief.

“You will receive full instructions at that point. Good Bye.” A

dial tone replaced the voice he had come to both love and hate.

Bloody hell, he thought. I’m down to less than $5000 and now I’m

going back to San Francisco? What kind of bleedin’ game is this?

Apartment 12G was a lavish 2 bedroom condominium with a drop dead

view of San Francisco and bodies of water water in 3 directions.

Furnished in high tech modern, it offered every possible amenity;

bar, jacuzzi, telephone in the bathroom and full channel cable.

Some job. But, he kept wondering to himself, when does the free

ride end? Maybe he’s been strung along so far that he can’t let

go. One more call, just to see how the next chapter begins.

George installed his computer in the second bedroom on a table

that fit his equipment like a glove.

C:cd XTALK C:XTALKxtalk

His hard disk whirred for a few seconds. He chose the Dial

option and entered the phone number from the keyboard and then

asked the computer to remember it for future use. He omitted the

area code. Why had he been given an area code if he was dialing

from the same one? George didn’t pursue the question; if he had

he would have realized he wasn’t alone.

The modem dialed the number for him. His screen went momentarily

blank and then suddenly came to life again.

<<<<<>>>>> DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO ALEX? (Y/N?)

George entered a “Y”

PASSWORD:

George entered AGORA. The letters did not echo to the screen.

He hoped he had typed then correctly. Apparently he did, for the

screen then prompted him for his RESPONSE.

He copied the 8 characters from the PRG into the computer. There

was a pause and then the screen filled.

SIR GEORGE,

WELCOME TO ALEX. IT IS SO GOOD TO SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN.

OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS YOU WILL BE GIVEN NAMES AND NUMBERS

TO CALL. THERE ARE VERY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS AND STATEMENTS TO BE

MADE TO EACH PERSON YOU CALL. THERE IS TO BE NO DEVIATION WHAT-

SOEVER. I REPEAT, NO DEVIATION WHATSOEVER. IF THERE IS, YOUR

SERVICES WILL BE IMMEDIATELY TERMINATED. WE HOPE THAT WILL NOT BE

NECESSARY.

EACH MORNING YOU ARE TO DIAL ALEX AND REQUEST THE FILE CALLED

SG.DAT. DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ACCESS OR DOWNLOAD

ANY OTHER FILES, OR YOU WILL BE TERMINATED AT ONCE.

FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS IN EACH FILE, EXACTLY. KEEP AN EXACT LOG

OF THE EVENTS AS THEY TRANSPIRE ON EACH CALL.

<>

George pushed the space bar. The screen was again filled.

ALEX REQUIRES PRECISE INFORMATION. WHATEVER YOU ARE TOLD BY THE

PEOPLE YOU CALL MUST BE RELAYED , TO THE LETTER.

AT THE END OF EACH DAY, YOU ARE TO UPLOAD YOUR FILE, CALLED

SG.TOD. YOUR COMPUTER WILL AUTOMATICALLY PUT A DATE AND TIME

STAMP ON IT.

THEN, USING NORTON UTILITY, ERASE THE SG.DAT FILE FROM THAT DAY.

IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO REACH ANYONE ON THE LISTS, JUST INDICATE

THAT IN YOUR DAILY REPORTS. DO NOT, REPEAT, DO NOT TRY TO CALL

THE SAME PERSON THE NEXT DAY. IS THAT CLEAR?

The screen was awaiting a response. George typed in “Y”.

GOOD. THIS IS QUITE SIMPLE, IS IT NOT?

Y

DO YOU THINK YOU CAN HANDLE THE JOB?

Y

WHAT KIND OF PRINTER DO YOU HAVE?

None

ARE YOU SURE?

Y

WILL YOU BUY ONE?

N

GOOD. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN MONEY?

Finally, thought Sir George, the reason for my existence.

Y

AN ACCOUNT HAS BEEN OPENED IN YOUR NAME AT THE BANK OF AMERICA,

REDMOND BRANCH 3 BLOCKS FROM YOU. THERE IS $25,000 IN IT. EACH

MONTH OF SUCCESSFUL WORK FOR ALEX WILL BE REWARDED WITH ANOTHER

PAYMENT. U.S. TAXES ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. IS THAT A PROBLEM?

N

WILL YOU DISCUSS YOUR JOB OR ITS NATURE WITH ANYONE? ANYONE AT

ALL?

N

EVEN UNDER FORCE?

Force, what the hell does that mean? I guess the answer is No,

thought George.

N

I HOPE SO, FOR YOUR SAKE. GOOD LUCK SIR GEORGE. YOU START

MONDAY.

<<<<<>>>>>

Sir George was a little confused, maybe a lot confused. He was

the proud owner of a remote control job, a cushy one as far as he

could tell, but the tone of the conversation he just had with the

computer was worrisome. Was he being threatened? What was the

difference between ‘Services Terminated’ and ‘Terminated’ anyway.

Maybe he shouldn’t ask. Keep his mouth shut and do a good