BooksBarbecue
Back The Utopia Experiment Save as PDF
Chapters (84)
  1. Title Page
  2. Welcome
  3. Prologue
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. 64
  68. 65
  69. 66
  70. 67
  71. 68
  72. 69
  73. 70
  74. 71
  75. 72
  76. 73
  77. 74
  78. 75
  79. 76
  80. Epilogue
  81. About the Authors
  82. The Covert-One Novels
  83. Newsletters
  84. Copyright

Another nicely phrased challenge. Smith decided to reinforce it. “He’s right, Randi. It’s a tough problem. Maybe we should go see that kid from Anonymous. I hear he’s—”

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t look into it! Did I? Did I? I don’t think so.”

“Well, we—”

“Look, there are a few things in the Merge hardware that I don’t completely understand,” Marty said, suddenly desperate to prove his superiority over his Anonymous nemesis. “I assume they’re future upgrade paths or maybe something to do with battery management. But if they’re not being used, maybe they’re not locked down by the operating system. It’s possible I could get control of them. And I’ve only been thinking about this for less than a half an hour! You can’t expect me to work that fast! No one can!”

“That’s the Marty I know and love,” Randi said. “So here’s your assignment, Marty. Make that thing do something evil.”

*  *  *

THE DOOR BEHIND THEM closed and both Smith and Randi immediately slowed, looking around the quiet yard for any sign of the security systems they’d tangled with on the way in.

“You don’t think he’d…”

Smith shook his head. “I think even Marty knows better.”

She nodded, but let him take point in case the fish catapult should suddenly appear. “What now?”

“Dresner,” Smith responded. “If Marty and my people are right, no one does anything without his approval.”

“They could have missed something.”

“Maybe. But just between you and me, we’ve thrown everything we have at this and come up completely empty.”

“Looking to cut Dresner out of the loop?”

Smith shrugged. “Not specifically, but it makes sense for us to have as much control over our system as we can. You can’t be too careful.”

“Do you think Dresner’s responsible for what happened in Afghanistan?”

“Based on everything I know about him, it seems far-fetched. But it’s worth looking into.”

“What about the guy who wrecked the Triumph?”

“Hopefully, Star’s making some progress. But if not, I have some ideas of my own on that subject.”

They made it to the gate and were both relieved to be through it and back out on the street. Damp and muddy, yes. But not picking smelt out of their hair.

“Then we’re off to Germany,” Randi said.

“Germany? Why?”

“Because I have a friend there that I think can help.”

39

39

Berlin
Germany

IT WAS A PART OF BERLIN that Smith had never been to—old warehouses and dirty streets lit by security lights that came to life as their car drifted by. Randi, on the other hand, seemed to know where she was going, so he leaned back and closed his eyes.

The car came to a stop and he jerked upright, not sure if he’d been asleep or not. “Are we there?”