leave now? Guard!”
“I know what you’re planning, Karl. You think that you’re going to get out of here, quietly track down Knight, and even the score. But that’s impossible. We’re giving you a chance here—a chance to put all that behind you, and maybe even start again. You should do something with your potential, instead of—” he gestured at the surroundings, “—instead of this.”
I stared at Philips. He seemed surprised by my attitude, but not concerned.
“North thinks you’re an addict. And he feels cheated by the way you talked your way out of a serious custodial sentence. He’s going to settle his own score. Do this for me, and I’ll make sure the next time he bothers you, at least you’ll have a get-out-of-jail card.”
So, North hadn’t moved on. I never understood North’s stance; to him, it was personal. He really was out to get me. Even after I had bartered my way out of trouble, North had managed to keep me pending release for over six months. I blew a long breath out through my nose, trying to make it as dramatic as the routine that Philips and Garman were giving me.
“How long will it take?” I asked.
“That depends how quickly you can draw Malik out. Given his increased activity, I think we can do it in a few weeks.”
“If I do this, I want something more than goodwill in return. I want that ‘start again’ you just mentioned.”
Philips nodded. He seemed to have expected a negotiation.
“I want a new ID, like with the Witness Protection Program. Karl Ripley won’t be able to get a job—not with computers anyway—but John Doe will. And I want to go to college and get a degree. I want a normal life.”
There was a pause while Philips looked thoughtful and Garman looked annoyed. But I knew they would be expecting me to negotiate. My recent court appearances no doubt left them with that impression. North had presented thousands of pages of evidence, and had petitioned for what amounted to the court making an 8
example of me. But what it came down to in the end was the plea. I had talked my way out of it, like I had talked dozens of people out of their passwords.
Phillips’ eyes moved across the ceiling, as if he was making a mental calculation.
“Just the tuition fees alone would exceed fifty thousand dollars,” he said.
“I can do it in a year. I know every single item on the syllabus, and I can graduate early. That’s less than twenty thousand.”
“Even if that were true, that’s still a lot of money.”
I shrugged and said, as meekly as I could, “If the FBI can’t afford it, maybe Malik can.”
Philips stared at me and scratched his forehead. Then he smiled, as if allowing himself to be amused. Good-natured Mr. Philips grinning while he threw the football back over the fence to young Karl.
“All right,” he said at last, with a nod. Then he added, “On the condition that we get Malik. If we get nothing, then you get nothing.”
“Sure.”
I allowed myself a little smile, too. Philips said something about picking me up in the morning. But I wasn’t listening. Already my thoughts were whirling around, trying to slot this development into the plan that I had been working on for the last six months: a little something for Knight. North was going to be watching me; I had guessed that. But now I was a white-hat hacker working for the FBI, and that changed things.
I came out of my reverie when the door clanked, and the guard came back in.
“Good-bye, Karl,” Philips said. “We’ll be here tomorrow at ten a.m.”
I said good-bye. The guard led me through the door, and back into the corridor. Though it was autumn, the sun coming through the barred windows was bright, and the corridor was warm. Looking through the mesh-covered security windows, I could see the guards at the gate, just the wrong side of the real world. The stroll back to my cell seemed like a practice run for the next day’s walk to freedom.
The guard next to me said nothing
“I know what you’re planning, Karl. You think that you’re going to get out of here, quietly track down Knight, and even the score. But that’s impossible. We’re giving you a chance here—a chance to put all that behind you, and maybe even start again. You should do something with your potential, instead of—” he gestured at the surroundings, “—instead of this.”
I stared at Philips. He seemed surprised by my attitude, but not concerned.
“North thinks you’re an addict. And he feels cheated by the way you talked your way out of a serious custodial sentence. He’s going to settle his own score. Do this for me, and I’ll make sure the next time he bothers you, at least you’ll have a get-out-of-jail card.”
So, North hadn’t moved on. I never understood North’s stance; to him, it was personal. He really was out to get me. Even after I had bartered my way out of trouble, North had managed to keep me pending release for over six months. I blew a long breath out through my nose, trying to make it as dramatic as the routine that Philips and Garman were giving me.
“How long will it take?” I asked.
“That depends how quickly you can draw Malik out. Given his increased activity, I think we can do it in a few weeks.”
“If I do this, I want something more than goodwill in return. I want that ‘start again’ you just mentioned.”
Philips nodded. He seemed to have expected a negotiation.
“I want a new ID, like with the Witness Protection Program. Karl Ripley won’t be able to get a job—not with computers anyway—but John Doe will. And I want to go to college and get a degree. I want a normal life.”
There was a pause while Philips looked thoughtful and Garman looked annoyed. But I knew they would be expecting me to negotiate. My recent court appearances no doubt left them with that impression. North had presented thousands of pages of evidence, and had petitioned for what amounted to the court making an 8
example of me. But what it came down to in the end was the plea. I had talked my way out of it, like I had talked dozens of people out of their passwords.
Phillips’ eyes moved across the ceiling, as if he was making a mental calculation.
“Just the tuition fees alone would exceed fifty thousand dollars,” he said.
“I can do it in a year. I know every single item on the syllabus, and I can graduate early. That’s less than twenty thousand.”
“Even if that were true, that’s still a lot of money.”
I shrugged and said, as meekly as I could, “If the FBI can’t afford it, maybe Malik can.”
Philips stared at me and scratched his forehead. Then he smiled, as if allowing himself to be amused. Good-natured Mr. Philips grinning while he threw the football back over the fence to young Karl.
“All right,” he said at last, with a nod. Then he added, “On the condition that we get Malik. If we get nothing, then you get nothing.”
“Sure.”
I allowed myself a little smile, too. Philips said something about picking me up in the morning. But I wasn’t listening. Already my thoughts were whirling around, trying to slot this development into the plan that I had been working on for the last six months: a little something for Knight. North was going to be watching me; I had guessed that. But now I was a white-hat hacker working for the FBI, and that changed things.
I came out of my reverie when the door clanked, and the guard came back in.
“Good-bye, Karl,” Philips said. “We’ll be here tomorrow at ten a.m.”
I said good-bye. The guard led me through the door, and back into the corridor. Though it was autumn, the sun coming through the barred windows was bright, and the corridor was warm. Looking through the mesh-covered security windows, I could see the guards at the gate, just the wrong side of the real world. The stroll back to my cell seemed like a practice run for the next day’s walk to freedom.
The guard next to me said nothing
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