Zero Hour

“They also went after the Russian president, whom our Sword ops saved from cold-blooded assassination.”

“So we could sink our hooks into him and his government,” Nimec said. “It’s part of a grand scheme we’ve hatched to muscle up on vulnerable, cash-strapped societies for our own omnicapitalistic motives.”

“Omnicapitalistic?”

“Don’t look at me,” Nimec said. “I’m still trying to figure out quasi-militaristic.”

Megan shook her head.

“These WOW people,” she said. “May I assume they offer their bright ideas about what we should do to defend ourselves against attack?”

Nimec gave a nod.

“Their position’s that sharing art, music, and poetry is always the best response to violence.”

“Always.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Against any aggressor.”

“Uh-huh.”

“In every instance, whatever the circumstances.”

“Something about it elevating the human condition, right.” Nimec shrugged. “Bongo dancing might be recommended, too, but I’d have to check online to be positive.”

Megan gave him a look and then went back to shaking her head.

“We weren’t being singled out alone, if that makes you feel better,” Nimec said. “They’ve got a whole list of evildoers who are keeping everybody else from the next step in evolution. Corporations, political parties… there’s even some writer who cranks out paperback thrillers, I forget his name.”

Megan was quiet a moment. She tucked a loose tress of auburn hair behind her ear.

“Okay,” she said. “How does this nonsense connect to Ricci?”

“Last week a couple of women tried to get through security at our Cupertino R and D plant,” Nimec said. “No fancy tactics involved. They piggyback their way into a main entrance around lunchtime, when they know there’s a lot of foot traffic. Wait for employees to get smartcard authorization, slip in behind them.” He shrugged. “Our tailgate sensors picked them up at the door, tagged them as intruders. Then security watched to see what they were up to. The procedure’s routine… we have visitors all the time who don’t bother checking in at the guard desk for a pass. Act like it’s an inconvenience we impose on them for no good reason, and they’re in too much of a hurry. Usually it turns out the person’s okay — a salesman, a staffer’s friend or relative — and he or she just needs to learn that kind of thing won’t wash in our facilities.”

“And this time?”

“The guards caught them trying use our computers and held them for the cops.”

“Do we know what they were trying to access in those machines?” Megan said.

Nimec shook his head.

“Security closed in too soon, a mistake I won’t let them forget,” he said. “But we did find out the women are members of a certain group I’ve been talking about.”

Megan raised her eyebrows.

“No,” she said.

“Yeah,” Nimec said. “And there’s more. You remember those jerk kids who got busted trying to crack our system a few months ago, plaster our Web site with smut?”

“The two UCLA students,” Megan said. “Brothers, weren’t they?”

Nimec nodded.

“They did recon for months,” he said. “Internet port scans, network sweeps, everything they could do to probe us. At its peak it was happening once, twice an hour. Our techies figured an attack was coming, waited for our intruder detection software to backtrace their IP signatures, fed them phony passwords and entry codes. When the college boys tried using them to compromise our system, we nailed them.”

Megan looked at him again.

“Pete, are you telling me they were… ah, how shall I put it… agents of WOW?”

“Something like that,” he said. “Probably less stupid than calling them Brothers Opposed to War.”

“BOW,” Megan said. “Cute, Pete.”

Nimec shrugged. “Anyway, one of the ladies that got nabbed in Cupertino happens to be Mom,” he said.

Megan sighed heavily.

“Tell me that Ricci’s their dear old dad, and it’s your fault if I keel over sideways with an embolism.”

Nimec smiled.

“The day before yesterday, we got a phone call from the feds about the case they’re building… this was late, after I’d let Ricci know about our conference and headed on home,” he said. “What I started explaining to you before is that Ricci’s the one who took the call. Spoke to the lead investigator, who told him about a meeting scheduled for early the next morning between the FBI and prosecutors from the attorney general’s office. They offered to let us have somebody sit in and listen, give input, whatever — a last-minute courtesy invite. The law still hasn’t caught up to computer crime, and they’re looking at different statutes that are already in the books, figuring out what sort of case they can build. Ricci thought he ought to head out to the capital, and you won’t hear me argue he was wrong.”

Megan considered that. “He could have given you notice,” she said. “Phoned, e-mailed, dropped a quick memo on your desk. Done anything but leave us in the dark.”

Nimec nodded.

“Agreed,” he said. “I’ll talk to him and ask why he didn’t.”

“While you’re at it,” Megan said, “you might want to find out about the bruises he’s been sporting on his face and knuckles since Monday morning.”

They exchanged looks in the momentary silence.

“If they got there over the weekend, on his own time, I’m not sure that’s any of our business,” Nimec said.

“I’d like the chance to make an informed judgment,” Megan said. “There’s been a developing pattern of conduct with Ricci. No, scratch that. A worsening pattern. Whatever’s behind it, you know it isn’t good. And it won’t help to lay cover for him.”

“You think that’s what I’m doing?”

“If ‘looking away’ is easier for you to swallow, I’ll go with it,” Megan said. “Let’s not play word games here. We both know Tom isn’t right. He hasn’t been for a while.”

“And so you’re express-mailing him east.”

Megan started to say something, appeared to reconsider.

“What precisely bothers you about my decision, Pete?”

Nimec shrugged.

“Nothing to fuss over,” he said. “It’s just that you making it on the spot caught me by surprise.”

“The truth is, I caught myself by surprise… but I wouldn’t take a do-over if I could,” she said. “It was really two thoughts coming together on their own. I’ve been thinking a change of scenery might be in order for Ricci. That some distance might give us all a clearer perspective on what’s wrong, and maybe some ideas about how to fix it. When he didn’t arrive for the conference, that part of it solidified in my mind. And as things developed, and I saw there was no wearing down Noriko’s opposition, I decided it would be best to send someone from our office to New York.”

Nimec grunted.

“I noticed she rubbed you the wrong way,” he said.

“Noriko sees the Sullivan matter as a disruption to her work. She makes no bones about resenting our interference. And I feel she needs to be kept honest.”

“Doesn’t change how you came off,” Nimec said. “A few hours before the conference you were at my gym preaching patience. But you undercut her. Did it in front of me and Rollie.”

“It isn’t anything personal,” Megan insisted with a shrug. “I have high regard for her abilities, Pete. But let’s say there are some people who need to be shown the stick before the carrot.”

Nimec looked at her a moment, pulled at his ear.