Chapter 23

Thanks to Wafer’s good work, we landed like a thistle in the middle of an outstretched palm. The coordinates had been perfect, and Solomon’s preview of the storage room showed a clear space with ample room to put the TDM down. Teknos had studied the plans most intently, identifying this room as long-term storage for large equipment and excess furniture. Because most offices now consisted of a chair and a console which housed the computer and served as a work space, he didn’t think anyone had set foot in here for years. After all, what need did they have anymore for drawers, filing cabinets, copiers, faxes, and other such equipment revolving around paper? Everything was created, stored and sent through computers. Most of the archaic furniture they had stored up here and never bothered to throw out had sat around for more than seventy-five years.

The large space in the middle had previously been used to assemble furniture and equipment. It probably hadn’t been used for nearly the same length of time, so we didn’t have to worry about any workers dropping in. Even the cleaning was done automatically by some very sophisticated central vac system, so there would be no cleaning crew to worry about.

For us, it was perfect. As there was no equipment and few remaining supplies, there was plenty of room to stack all of the ‘extras’ we brought along. We spent the next hour or so setting up our little camp. I felt like a Boy Scout without the bugs and the dirt.

The only ‘cooking’ tool we would need was a super advanced form of microwave oven, which could cook in almost any way imaginable. We wouldn’t be doing anything fancy, however, as Katherine had provided us with ‘instant’ meals. I thought the microwave meals back in my day had been pretty good. Because I hated to go out, I had practically lived on pre-prepared meals. But these were like something out of a gourmet restaurant. And Katherine had assured me the nutritional value was extremely high, while the fat and other negative content was virtually nil. I was thrilled to hear what fantastic progress the frozen food industry had made. I wondered if engineers had solved the problem of getting the heating and cooling in office buildings properly balanced to everyone’s satisfaction. Mini micro climates?

Solomon’s timing had, as usual, been excellent. After we left the Max Planck Deli, we had gone to the lab and packed all of our travel items very carefully onto the TDM. By the time Solomon programmed the machine and we had made our jump, it was fairly late evening in Tokyo. Because of the people the Admin Building housed, as well as the many secrets kept there, we weren’t sure whether or not the building might have the Security Force patrolling it in addition to the usual security devices. There would certainly be people working late as was usual in Tokyo, and especially in that building. Solomon figured if we arrived at a late hour there would be fewer people around to hear any noise we might make. What’s more, if we set up during the night, we would then sleep through the day and be ready to start our reconnaissance the following night.

Along with the items we needed to live on, we brought a number of devices to help us detect surveillance and defense mechanisms. I was sure some of these things were similar to what the Numbers Brothers had used on their visit to my condo. Wafer and Solomon had spent many hours training me to use the various widgets, and I had a lot of faith in their effectiveness. I was hoping there wouldn’t be any major surprises in the defenses of the Admin Building, such as something that might ruin the rest of my life.

Before we started unloading, we put on latex gloves so thin they were almost invisible, but so strong you would have to use a knife to tear them. Along with giving us a firm grip on the equipment so we wouldn’t drop anything, they would also eliminate the possibility of fingerprints. We were wearing similar clothing, including hoods that covered most of our heads, so we wouldn’t leave behind hairs, skin flakes, or other ‘shedable’ body elements that could allow the Security Force labs to identify us by DNA. Although they obviously couldn’t identify me, my DNA might still link me to Solomon, so we thought it best for me to take the same precautions as he did. Even though we would try to avoid talking in areas where listening devices were likely to be, we were also wearing voice distorters.

As we unloaded the pieces of equipment, we tested each one meticulously. The main reason was to give me a refresher lesson in how to use them. Partly, however, it was to make sure each one of the really delicate instruments still worked perfectly after our trip through the local Time/Space Continuum. Solomon had certainly made great improvements in the duplication abilities of the existing teleporter technology, and even more in the version that went into the TDM. Nevertheless, it was vitally important to double-check their performance. Although I had never in my wildest dreams imagined myself in some kind of spy movie, I knew my life might indeed depend on the accuracy of these tools. It was a frightening thought, and a great incentive for getting every single detail right.

As critical as the equipment detecting security devices were, our most important instrument measured the distance an indirect microwave signal could travel. Even with my limited technical background, I could easily understand that detection equipment either showed the presence of a security device or it didn’t. Maybe it also told the exact nature of that device. There wasn’t much more I needed to know. However, we had only briefly discussed the theory and precise operation of the microwave signal measuring device, so I asked Solomon to go through the whole thing with me once again just to make sure I had it exactly right.

“Okay,” I said, as we sat comfortably in portable chairs in front of the device. “You said I may only have to get close to the Master Server, not actually inside the room housing it in order to plant the virus. Could you please tell me again why that is?”

“Of course,” he said patiently, knowing what rode on the results of this reconnaissance, and wanting to make me as competent as possible. After all, if we managed to find a way inside the MS building, he wouldn’t be coming along. “You said that, in your time, you had to physically plant some file into the target computer’s environment. Then the computer operator would actually have to open that file to activate the virus, right? Well, as we discussed, it may well be possible to implant this corruptive program into the Master Server more like the true airborne viruses you described, rather than the way it was done in your time. Because we can encode the entire program into a microwave signal, the key will be getting close enough to the computer to have it receive our signal and accept it as a piece of data.”

“And once it’s in, there won’t be any need for an operator to access the file to trigger it, right?”

“Exactly. If we can get it in, Wafer is pretty certain the voracious nature of the Master Server will automatically try to process that supposed bit of data into its normal channels, which will activate the program. After all, almost everything within the heart of the Master Server is automatic. Once some information has actually made its way into the operating system or the central data banks, the machine will assume it must belong there, right?”

“We hope. And how close do I need to get to shoot the bug off?”

“That’s the unfortunate part of this,” Solomon said, twisting his mouth with a sense of frustration. “The signal will travel thousands of miles without any loss of integrity no matter how much it’s altered in intensity or direction. However, it cannot penetrate a deliberate shield, such as a thick wall made of modern alloys. Which, of course, describes the MS building. So we don’t know how far it will have to travel. That depends upon how far away from the Master Server the last layer of shielding is. We just have to find out how far away that last wall is, get past it, and the signal will find its way into the Master Server.”

“Sounds good to me. So, you want to show me again how this widget works?”

We spent half an hour going through the various controls. Solomon carefully described how to interpret the readings indicating the distance the signal could travel depending on how many turns it might have to take, what material the walls were made of, and so on. By the time we finished, I was feeling pretty confident I could handle the machine on my own.

“Okay. So let’s see what we can do about getting it in, shall we?”

Solomon looked at me. “I’m sure you’re eager to begin, but we’re right on schedule. We’ll have to think about becoming quiet soon and getting our sleep. In the meanwhile, why don’t you spend a little more time practicing with those detection devices? I’m going to preprogram the TDM for our return trip, just in case we need to make a very quick exit.”

“You’re right, of course.” I smiled thinly. “Although I have to admit it’s not eagerness to go exploring as much as a burning desire to get this whole expedition over with so we can get the hell out of here. Safely, I hope.”

Solomon returned my wistful smile. “I’m just as frightened as you are, Barney. In spite of this Revos thing, I’m not in the least the hero type. But, just like you, I know we have to take a few risks if we want to accomplish the goal we’ve both set. Let’s just try to keep calm and hope that somehow we make it through.”

“Yes. You’re right, Solomon. I’ll do my best to keep my nerves in check. Like you. You’re pretty inspirational, you know that?”

“If I’ve got good blood in me, it’s partly because of you. Maybe we can inspire each other.”

With our mutual ego pumping session completed, he turned back to the control panel and started programming the TDM. I tried to concentrate on the instruments that could mean the success or failure of our mission.

My concentration wasn’t as great as it might have been. As I tinkered with device after device, it occurred to me many of the modernistic widgets were very similar to inventions during my era, as crude as those boxes may have been. In fact, some of them were suspiciously like equipment developed by some of the companies I owned. Had owned? Whatever. Finally, the coincidence of it all was too much to escape even my non-technological mind.

“It just struck me,” I interrupted Solomon’s careful proceedings. “I thought I was so clever and thoughtful investing in companies that might eventually help your research. Yet you led me to do exactly that through your list of companies! You really had all this carefully planned, didn’t you?”

Solomon looked up in surprise. “No, you were very clever and thoughtful,” he protested. “Sure, the list helped point you in the direction I wanted, but the list was essentially of companies that would make you a lot of money. You decided for yourself to invest in companies that would help me, technologically. Actually, I don’t know which was the ‘chicken’ and which was the ‘egg’ in that case. Remember, I researched your life and investments very thoroughly before preparing the list, so who was in fact the instigator in this process? I honestly don’t know. It’s another one of those wonderful paradoxes of Time.”

I felt a little bit happier at this news. “So some of the companies I started on my own actually led to something helpful to you or to the advancement of science?”

“Absolutely! In fact, that little research institute you set up in Oakland to look for alternative energy sources was critical to the eventual working model of the TDM.”

“The one looking for ‘futuristic’ energy types?”

“That’s the one.”

“Why, what did they come up with?”

“They eventually created a method of reproducing a primitive version of a ‘black hole’, which produces a fantastic amount of energy for use in various physics applications. It took quite a while to refine the process, and especially to harness the output. But that was the origin of the TDM’s power source.”

“Just physics? How come not in more ordinary applications?”

“The energy is too volatile to be harnessed into some common usage like electricity. At least for the foreseeable future, it will only be useful for processes involving radiation and stimulation of particles at the quantum level – which, of course, makes it perfect for my purposes. However, it’s also proved extremely promising in medical diagnostics, sort of like very advanced MRIs or CT scans.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear it was at least helpful in improving medicine – not that I’m unhappy about your machine being able to use it, of course. I just really wanted to help ordinary people live better lives, not necessarily lead to a time machine.”

“Well, you certainly did. And, in my era, it may help many more ordinary people live better lives in terms of freedom and mental health.”

I smiled at that thought. “Yeah. Maybe it just might.”

“In the meanwhile, I’m finished. And I’m tired. I think it’s time we got some sleep.”

Without another word, I got ready and climbed into my sleeping bag, which seemed to have changed very little over the centuries. I guess it was still designed for adventure. It took me a long time to fall asleep, hoping my life would not soon end in too much adventure.

# The next evening came way before I was ready for it. As Solomon knew exactly what I was feeling, there was no need for talk. We had our evening meal, then silently packed up the gear I would need.

Solomon had spent most of the afternoon trying to jury-rig the recognition plate on the storage room door so it wouldn’t open to any touch but his. That was obviously pretty tricky, as he had to bypass the building’s computer system without setting it off. Even if he was a genius, this wasn’t his field of expertise. I heard more muttering from him (and maybe even a little swearing under his breath) than I had ever heard before. Naturally, I didn’t say a word about that.

We knew exactly where all of this building’s defenses were and how to circumvent them. Still, as planned, Solomon had me practice using the equipment as we walked carefully down the empty hallways. Without saying a word because of the microphones in the walls, Solomon pointed out places where I should use various detection devices, and helped me make minor adjustments when needed. While testing the equipment, I was also sensing for the presence of humans. I was pretty sure I detected someone in a room at the far end of one of the corridors. As the person wasn’t likely to be in any position to discover us, we pressed on without bothering about him or her.

Even knowing what to expect, the equipment’s results were impressive to me. I thought again of Solomon’s analogy to someone from an earlier time trying to comprehend the technology of my own era, and attempted to just take it for granted and use the equipment properly.

We made it out of the Admin Building without the slightest incident. Even though it was nearly a foregone conclusion, we both breathed a sigh of relief as we walked into the open air.

The building housing the Master Server occupied a very large block. That made it pretty easy to survey the entire exterior for possible entrances, although we had to examine it as inconspicuously as possible. The area was essentially just government buildings several blocks from any normal shopping district. In spite of that and the hour, the slidewalks were still crowded. These must simply be people passing from one shopping district to another, going from their evening activities back to their apartments, or going or coming from odd-hour work shifts. In the most crowded city in the world, their numbers were still incredible.