Tower of Terror

'What do you mean?'

'We are in the business of international finance and management. We operate on a vast, worldwide scale. In some ventures, we are partners with nations. If WorldFiCor were to be granted nationhood, our company's income on operations and investments would exceed the tax revenues of most nations.

Early in our company's history, I realized what an attractive target we would be. Though we do not have tanks and jet fighters, we have a security service superior to those of most nations. However, that service operates in our foreign branches. We had hoped that, in New York, the United States Armed Forces would protect us from military assault. I can assure you, whatever the outcome of this crime, it shall not occur again.'

'Terrorists can strike anywhere,' commented Lyons.

'Our foreign offices have never had this problem. We have not allowed it.'

'I understand. Now the guards, your company guards who were on duty at the time — they have told us the terrorists unloaded several large shipping crates. We have to assume these crates contain in excess of a thousand pounds of explosives. Though I don't think they can destroy the entire Tower, they could...'

'A thousand pounds of dynamite!' Utek, Vice-President of Data Systems, turned white. 'No one told me!'

'C-4,' Lyons corrected him. 'It's a military explosive, more explosive in fact than dynamite. That much C-4 could do serious, possibly terminal damage to the Tower. It is certainly enough to kill every person in there. We'll need complete — and secret — cooperation from some of your company's personnel.'

'I'll tell you what the threat is!' Utek stood, pointed at Lyons. 'I'll tell you. It is complete and utter chaos! Those maniacs could ruin us! You cannot comprehend what this means...'

'I can comprehend what will happen to those people if that C-4 goes off. We wouldn't find enough of them to fill a sandwich bag.'

'What do they want?' Utek demanded, glaring at Lyons. 'How much? We'll pay. A million? Ten million? It's petty cash compared to what it'll cost the company to reconstruct the data for this fiscal year alone.'

'They don't want money! That's the problem. We're dealing with terrorists. They won't negotiate, they won't talk, they...'

Davis quieted both Utek and Lyons with an upheld hand. 'Gentlemen! Of course we're concerned about our personnel. But, Mr. Stone, I don't believe you truly do understand the nature of this threat to our operations.

Our Tower is not merely an office building. It is a data center. It operates twenty-four hours a day. It generates its own power. It is meant to be safe from earthquake, or natural disaster. It has to be. That Tower, and our system of satellite communication, serves two thousand worldwide offices. Any transaction anywhere on this globe is relayed, recorded and analyzed instantaneously.

If anything happens to the Tower, we are, quite simply, out of business. And that would create very serious repercussions in the economy, in employment, in the morale of the multinational business community. It would take years to recover. This is a very serious threat to the economic security of the United States and its allies.'

Lyons looked at his watch. Thirty-nine hours, twenty-one minutes to go. 'I need access to your personnel records, if that's possible. I need the blueprints of the Tower. If the architect and general contractor are available, that's great. The heads of building maintenance and security, too. And it all has to be secret. Total cooperation and no questions.'

'Of course, Mr. Stone.' Davis walked Lyons to the door, opened it for him. They entered the mansion's central hallway. Persian carpets covered the polished marble floors. The butler walked a few steps ahead of Davis and Lyons.

'Within this hour,' Davis said, 'we'll have the blueprints for you. The personnel records will be more difficult. We'll need to have that information transmitted from Kansas. Our long-term data storage banks are in the salt caverns there. And that information will be no more recent than twelve months ago, the end of the last fiscal year. The fiscal year runs July first to June thirtieth rather than January first to December...'

'I know.'

'Of course. I simply don't want any confusion. We will also prepare a map of the floors and areas devoted solely to data services, and instructions for those officers forced to enter those areas, so that they will not inadvertently endanger the survival of the data systems. We will also have an emergency crew standing by in case of damage to the systems. You must understand what a disaster this could be to our corporation, and to the capitalist enterprise in this country. Is there anything I've forgotten?'

The butler opened the ten-foot-high hand-carved entry doors. Lyons squinted against the afternoon light.

'Yeah. How about the names of the people that the terrorists have trapped in the building? Can't forget about theirsurvival, can we?'

5

This is how it happened, hours earlier.

On the fifty-third floor of the Tower, Charlie Green, Director of Eastern European Accounts for the World Financial Corporation, watched a video display screen. Saturday morning — what a time to be watching blocks of numbers and commodity codes rolling upwards on a screen and listening to a Russian clerk calling long-distance from Hungary! The Russian spoke English with a heavy French accent.

'Mr. Green, this is a State problem. It does not concern your company. If you will be patient...'

'One hundred and fifty thousand United States dollars this joker carries off in his briefcase, and it doesn't concern us? Please explain that, comrade!'

'I assure you, the security forces of the People's Socialist Republic of Hungary will not allow the money to leave the country.'

'Where is the money? We're not talking about bankruptcy, but I want to know about the cash. He had the money in the briefcase, and police have him. Do they have the money?'

'The matter will be investigated completely, I assure you. The dollars United States will be returned to your company. It is very important for the State to clear this problem.'

'If you want to do business with WorldFiCor again, your government willclear this problem. Do we understand each other?'

'You have my complete understanding.'

Green hung up, left his desk. He wore gray sweatpants, a bright red sweatshirt. His running shoes felt clammy on his sockless feet. His suit hung in his office closet. More than twelve hours before, the Vice-President of European Operations had told him they had a problem with an account in Hungary. Would Mr. Green check on it before he left for the weekend?

'Sure, I'll check on it. I'll chase the jerk to Siberia, is what I'll do,' he said to the air.

'Did you call me, Mr. Green?' Mrs. Forde, his senior office assistant, came into the office. Mrs. Forde, a forty-year-old mother of two, trim and athletic in her tailored gray skirt and jacket, held stacks of printouts. In the outer office, automatic typewriters printed information from Hungary as it simultaneously appeared on the video display.

'The commies are driving me blinkers,' Green said.

'How can I help?'

'You can't,' he told her, and tried to put his hands in his pockets. There were no pockets on his sweatpants. 'Yes you can. Is there a delicatessen where I can get breakfast? How about you? Have you had a chance to eat this morning?'

'No, thank you, sir, I'm skipping.'

'You? Why, are you dieting?' Green glanced at her. She had a figure like a twenty-year-old. Maybe better.

'Oh, no, sir,' she smiled. 'Last night, it was dinner, a concert, disco dancing, then a party with so much to eat. Would you like for me to send one of the temporary girls?'

'No. I'll be back in half an hour.'