“Right,” Cliff said. “That’s why our drives are always maxed out.” Not true. They had enough storage capacity to run a small, third world country. Like France.
Steve had a look on his broad face like he had something important on his mind, but he wasn’t sure how to ask the question. Finally, he stooped down low, looked around behind him, and whispered, “Aren’t you working the ABL project?”
Cliff stood up and peered over his cubicle at the spaces on either side. They were both empty. Then he sat and turned to Steve. “Even if I was, I couldn’t tell you.”
Steve smiled. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“No—”
“Don’t worry. I’m not gonna tell anyone.”
The ABL project was a government contract for Airborne Lasers that Cliff had worked on for the past two years. It was highly compartmentalized among various government agencies, the Air Force, and at least three private corporations-with Brightstar the lead contractor. The system was in place for major testing of their new software in the next few weeks.
“What do you want from me, Steve?”
“Nothing. Just making conversation.” He hesitated and glanced behind him. “A bunch of Group Five are going out for drinks after work tonight. Down at the Hard Drive Bar. Thought you might like to join us. Five o’clock.”
Group Five was Steve’s team; his was Group Seven. They usually didn’t mix for fear of slipping up and mentioning their current projects.
“Better not,” Cliff said. “I have a date tonight.”
Steve look surprised. “With a girl?”
“No, a dog. What the hell do ya think?”
“Damn. Communications needs to put out a press release. Programmer gets date.”
“Bite me!”
“Is that B.Y.T.E.?”
Cliff stared at his friend for a moment, and then said, “Thanks for the invite.”
Steve took that as his cue to leave. “Bring her by. Group Five is a wild bunch.”
Cliff nodded and waved as his friend left. Then he stood up to make sure he was really gone, and spotted him making his way toward the restroom.
He took a deep breath and noticed his hands shaking. He shook his hands until they settled down. Then he went back to his computer, found the files, and stopped. Could he do this? He sighed and clicked away at his computer. First he bypassed the firewall software to make sure he could send without being interrupted. Then he entered the router and disabled the physical firewall.
Now he had thirty seconds.
He clicked the keyboard furiously, sending the files. But, even zipped, they were large and needed time.
Twenty seconds.
The physical firewall would automatically reset after thirty seconds and could alert security that files were leaving the internal system.
Fifteen seconds.
And there was still forty percent to send.
Come on, come on.
Ten seconds.
Lag. Damn it. Thirty percent left.
Five…four…three.
The Files Sent message came up, and Cliff quickly worked his way out, enabling the software firewall as he got out. That was too close, he thought. Now his whole body was shaking and sweat streaked his forehead. Damn. He clicked into his registry and found the record of his sending the files. He deleted that and the backup. That was too close. Maybe Steve’s little reminder had saved his ass this time. “Back it up and make a copy.” The Brightstar system was programmed to do just that, even if the users forgot.
He checked his watch. It was almost time to quit for the day. He had to compose himself. He wiped his forehead with a tissue and breathed in deep, just like Li had told him. Settled, he shut down his computer and gathered his jacket from a corner stand. Now he just had to stay calm long enough to get through security.
At home in Fremont, Cliff got onto his computer. He quickly accessed the files he had sent, and, satisfied that they would be safe in their new home, he got off the computer and went to his refrigerator for a beer. He shook his head at the contents of his refrigerator. There was a six pack of a microbrew from Bend, Oregon, and that was ironic. His old college friend from the University of Oregon had sent him the beer from his hometown. Cliff had gone there skiing two months ago, just before Christmas, and had set up a server in the man’s house in the quiet sub-division along the Deschutes River. His friend had no idea that Cliff had just sent him some of the most classified programming in the world. Programs that would control the firing system of the Airborne Laser, and eventually the entire land-based laser system. But he had sent more than just programming. More than just the project that he was working on. He had sent schematics of the entire Airborne Laser project. Files that were supposed to be compartmentalized. But fear of loss had worked in his favor. Brightstar had been so worried about losing data to computer failure, that they had opened themselves up for a loss far more damaging. That is, if he went through with it.
He checked his watch. He had just forty-five minutes to meet Li at her house in Union City. His heart raced just thinking about their meeting.
He hurried from his house and drove off in his Camry.
Just as she informed him, he took a different route to her place, doubling back and constantly checking his rear view mirror for a tail. It was all so cloak and dagger, considering he had really done nothing wrong to this point. Nothing had transferred hands.
As he got closer to her house, excitement entered his body. He wanted to be with her again. Needed to be with her again.
He parked down the block a ways in front of a house for sale. The neighbors would think he was checking out the new house. Nothing more. No reason to call the cops for a strange car parking there.
He got to Li’s house and she opened the door for him. She was so beautiful. Her long dark hair flowed straight to the top of broad shoulders. Although she told him her family was originally from Hong Kong, her eyes seemed more Mongolian to him. At least according to the Discovery Channel special he had watched a few years ago.
“You’re two minutes late,” Li said. Then she smiled and kissed him before retreating toward the living room.
He watched her perfect, slim body move across the room and settle into the leather sofa. She was wearing loose silk pants, and, even though they were black, he could tell through the back lighting that she wasn’t wearing anything under them. On top she wore a Stanford sweat shirt with the sleeves pushed up to the elbows.
The stereo played Bach lightly in the background. Cliff took a seat on the sofa next to her. He wanted her so badly, but he knew not to push the issue. She would want answers first.
“How is your mother?” Cliff asked her. She had gone back to China for a while when she had found out her mother was sick.
“She’s better.”
“Glad to hear that.”
She narrowed her eyes toward him. “How close are you?” she asked.
He didn’t want any of this to end. “Very close.” He ran his hand along her thigh.
She stopped him, grabbing his hand. “How close?”
He thought for a moment. “What about the money?”
“You give me the files, I give you the money.”
“You give me the money, I give you the files.”
“So, you have them?”
Damn. He had to think fast now. “I have access to them. I’ve…found a way.”
She took her hand from his and ran it across the erection that had grown in his pants. “I need the files tonight. You transfer the files and I’ll transfer the money.”
It was a never-ending cycle. How could he get the money before he gave her the files? Then just last night he had come up with a way, which is why he had transferred the files today. He explained the plan to her. When he was done, she simply smiled and nodded agreement. Then she unzipped his pants and took him in her mouth.