Terminal Compromise - Winn Schwartau (fiction book recommendations TXT) 📗

bullshit.” He

pounded on the desk.

“She’s already on another assignment,” Marvin said calmly.

Miles couldn’t completely hide the dejection, the feeling of

loss, no matter how loudly he denied it. “Fuck her!” Miles

exclaimed. He walked over to the high tech bar and made himself

another strong drink. Perfect drink to get dumped by. “Another?”

he asked Marvin who handed Miles his glass for a refill.

“As I was saying,” Marvin said, “this country owes you a thanks,

beyond any medals or awards, and unfortunately, there is no way

we can publicly express our appreciation.” Marvin sat down with

his drink and addressed Miles.

“Hey,” Miles said holding his hands in front of him. “I knew

that going into the deal. I did my job, for my country, and

maybe I lose some face, but I didn’t do this for fame. Retiring

in style, maybe the Alps is a nice consolation prize.” The pain,

so evident seconds ago about Stephanie, was gone. Miles gloated

in his achievement.

A low warble came from the phone on Marvin’s desk. He read a

message that appeared on the small message screen attached to the

phone and struck a few keys in response. At that moment, the

double doors from the Office-2 reception opened and in came

Tyrone Duncan and two other FBI agents. Miles turned to see who

was interrupting their meeting. It was the same man who had

arrested him a few weeks before.

Miles gulped deeply and felt his heart skip a beat. ‘What the

hell is going on’, he thought. He quickly glanced at Jacobs. His

pulse and respiration increased to the point of skin sweat and

near hyper-ventilation.

Tyrone spoke to the Director. “Mr. Jacobs, we are here to see

Mr. Foster.” Jacobs gestured to Miles in the deep chair across

from the marble desk.

Miles’ mind raced. What was Marv doing? And Duncan again?

“Mr. Foster,” Tyrone Duncan said. Miles looked up. “You are

under arrest for violation of the espionage and sedition laws of

the United States of America. In addition, you are charged with

violating the Official Secrets Act and . . .” Tyrone read off

94 federal crimes including racketeering and 61 assorted counts

of conspiracy.

As Tyrone read the extended list of charges, Miles shook to his

core, turned to Marvin in abject terror. His face cried out,

‘please, help me.’ Jacobs watched with indifference as Tyrone

continued with the new charges.

“You have the right to remain silent . . .” Tyrone read Miles

his Miranda rights as he lifted him from the chair to put on the

cuffs.

“Marv!” Miles shouted in panic. “This is a joke, and it’s not

funny . . .Marv . . .Jesus Fucking Christ!” Miles struggled like

an animal. He thought he was free. “I’m the fucking fish food.

Aren’t I? Marv,” he shouted even louder. “Aren’t I?”

“It seems to me that you’ve dug your own grave, son. I can’t

tell you how disappointed I am in your actions.” Jacobs played

the role perfectly.

“You fucking liar! The President doesn’t even know about what I

did for you? Does he?” Miles was screaming as Tyrone and another

agent restrained him by the arms. “Why not? You told me that

this project had approval from the highest level.”

“Are you mad?” Marvin sounded like a caring parent admonishing a

misbehaving lad who knew no better. “Do you think that he would

have approved of such a plan? Ruin his own country? Is that why

you went to Homosoto? Because we said you were crazy?”

“You told me he approved it!” Miles screamed at Marvin. “You

lied! About that, about Stephanie, what else have you lied to me

about?”

Jacobs sat silently as Tyrone turned the handcuffed Miles toward

the door.

“Why don’t you just admit it? I’m the fucking fall guy for your

scheme, aren’t I?” Miles shouted. “Admit it goddamnit, admit it!”

Jacobs looked down at his desk and shook his head from side to

side as if he were terribly disappointed.

“I’ll get you, I will get you for this,” Miles shrieked. “I

trusted you, like a father and then you fuck me. Fucked me like

every other dumb shit that works here.” His vicousness intensi-

fied. “Suck my dick!” he shouted with finality.

Tyrone tugged at Miles to keep him from the Director’s desk. “Is

there anything else Director Jacobs?”

“Yes, Agent Duncan, here.” Jacobs opened a drawer and pulled

out a large envelope, marked with Miles’ name. Miles stared at

it, eyes bulging with fear. Tyrone looked questioningly at

Marvin.

“I believe you will find enough in there to put Mr. Foster in

Tokyo with Mr. Homosoto at the time he died.” Tyrone took the

package. “I think the Tokyo Police would be most interested in

making a possible case for murder.”

Miles screamed, “scum bucket! You’re fucking nuts.” His vicious

verbal assaults were aimed directly at Marvin who ignored them.

“You know I had nothing to do . . .goddamn you! I spend five

years of my life helping my country and you . . .”

“I think very few would agree that what you’ve done can be con-

sidered helpful.”

“I will get even! Even, do you hear!” Miles’ voice was getting

hoarse from the outrageous tirade.

DIRNSA Marvin Jacobs raised his right hand to Tyrone indicating

that Miles was dismissed. Miles continued bellowing at Marvin

and Tyrone and the two other agents tried to keep him in tow.

When they had left, and the door closed behind them, Jacobs

pushed a button on his phone and spoke casually.

“Miss Greeley? Could you please get me a 2:00 P.M. tee off time?”

Epilogue The Year After

The newspaper headlines during the first year of the attack

revealed as much about the effects of the attacks on American

society, its politics and economy as could any biased editorial.

They ironically and to the dismay of many of those in the govern-

ment, echoed the pulse of the country, regardless of the politi-

cal leaning of the Op-Ed pages.

Foster Indicted By Federal Grand Jury

Faces 1800 Years If Convicted

Washington Post

Economy Loses $300 Billion in First 6 Months

$1 Trillion Loss Possible

Tampa Tribune

Senator Urges Sanctions Against Japanese

Washington Post

NSA Admits Its Own Computers Sick

New York City Times

NASA Launch Stopped By Faulty Computers

Orlando Sentinal

McMillan Indicted – Skips Country

Employee’s Testimony Crucial

New York Post

Credit Card Usage Down 84%

Retailers In Slump

Chicago Sun-Times

OSO Denied Access to Government Contracts

Investigation Expected to Take Years

Los Angeles Times

Most Companies Go Unprotected

Do Nothing In Spite of Warnings

USA Today

Commercial Tempest Program Kicks Off

Safe Computers Begin Shipping

Houston Mirror

Secret Service Stops Freedom

BBS Software Company Built Viruses

Tampa Tribune

New York Welfare Recipients Suffer

No Payments For 3 Months: 3rd Night of Riots

Village Voice

Allied Corporation Loses 10,000 Computers

Viruses Smell of Homosoto

Dallas Herald

ACLU Sues Washington

Class Action Privacy Suit First of a Kind

Time Magazine

3rd. Quarter Leading Indicators Dismal

Deep Recession Predicted If 4th. Qtr. Is Worse

Wall Street Journal

Supreme Court Rules on Privacy

4th Amendment Protects E-Mail

San Diego Union

Waves of VCR Failures Plague Manufacturers

OSO Integrated Circuits Blamed

San Jose Register

Mail Order Ouch!

Thousands of Dead Computers Kill Sales

Kansas City Address

Chicago Traffic SNAFU

New York Tie Up Remembered

Chicago Sun Times

Homosoto Worked For Extraterrestrials

Full Scale Alien Invasion Imminent

National Enquirer * Power to the People by Scott Mason

The last few months have taught me, and this country, a great

deal about the technology that has been allowed to control our

lives. Computers, mainframes, mini computers, or millions of

personal computers – they do in fact control and monitor our

every activity, for better or for worse. A marriage of conven-

ience?

Now, though, it appears to be for worse.

I am reminded of the readings of Edgar Cayce and the stories that

surround the myth of Atlantis. According to Cayce and legend,

Atlantis was an ancient ante-deluvian civilization that developed

a fabulous technology which achieved air flight, levitation,

advanced medical techniques and harnessed the sun’s energy.

However, the power to control the technology which had exclusive-

ly been controlled by the high priests of Atlantis was lost and

access to the technology was handed to the many peoples of that

ancient culture. Through a series of unintentional yet reckless

events, the Atlanteans lost control of the technology, and de-

spite the efforts of the Priests, their cities and cultures were

destroyed, eventually causing Atlantis to sink to the bottom of

the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.

Believing in the myth of Atlantis is not necessary to understand

that the distribution of incredible computing power to ‘everyman’

augers a similar fate to our computerized society. We witnessed

our traffic systems come a halt, bringing grid