- •Dan Brown Digital Fortress
- •Prologue
- •Chapter 1
- •Chapter 2
- •Chapter 3
- •National security agency (nsa) crypto facility authorized personnel only
- •Hl fkzc vd lds
- •Im glad we met
- •Chapter 4
- •Chapter 5
- •Employee carl austin terminated for inappropriate conduct.
- •Time elapsed: 15:09:33 awaiting key: ________
- •Chapter 6
- •Chapter 7
- •“Transltr?”
- •Chapter 8
- •Keep the change.
- •Chapter 9
- •Time elapsed: 15:17:21
- •Chapter 10
- •Chapter 11
- •Chapter 12
- •Chapter 13
- •Chapter 14
- •Chapter 15
- •Chapter 16
- •Chapter 17
- •Chapter 18
- •Chapter 19
- •Chapter 20
- •Chapter 21
- •Chapter 22
- •Chapter 23
- •Chapter 24
- •Chapter 25
- •Subject: p. Cloucharde‑terminated
- •Message sent chapter 26
- •Chapter 27
- •Dinner at alfredo’s? 8 pm?
- •Chapter 28
- •Chapter 29
- •Please accept this humble fax my love for you is without wax.
- •Tracer searching . . .
- •Tracer abort?
- •Chapter 30
- •Chapter 31
- •Chapter 32
- •Chapter 33
- •Chapter 34
- •Tracer aborted
- •Error code 22
- •Chapter 36
- •Tracer sent
- •Search for: “tracer”
- •No matches found
- •Search for: “screenlock”
- •Great progress! digital fortress is almost done. This thing will set the nsa back decades!
- •Rotating cleartext works! mutation strings are the trick!
- •Chapter 37
- •Chapter 38
- •Chapter 39
- •Chapter 40
- •Chapter 41
- •Subject: rocio eva granada‑terminated subject: hans huber‑terminated
- •Chapter 42
- •Chapter 43
- •Crypto‑production/expenditure
- •Chapter 44
- •Chapter 45
- •Chapter 46
- •Chapter 47
- •Chapter 48
- •Chapter 49
- •Chapter 50
- •Crypto sublevels authorized personnel only
- •Chapter 51
- •Chapter 52
- •Chapter 53
- •Chapter 54
- •Chapter 55
- •Chapter 56
- •Chapter 57
- •Chapter 58
- •Chapter 59
- •Chapter 60
- •Chapter 61
- •Chapter 62
- •Chapter 63
- •Chapter 64
- •Chapter 65
- •Chapter 66
- •Chapter 67
- •Chapter 68
- •Chapter 69
- •Chapter 70
- •Chapter 71
- •Chapter 72
- •Abort run
- •Chapter 73
- •Chapter 74
- •Chapter 75
- •Chapter 76
- •Chapter 77
- •Chapter 78
- •Chapter 79
- •Chapter 80
- •Chapter 81
- •Chapter 82
- •Chapter 83
- •Chapter 84
- •Chapter 85
- •Chapter 86
- •Sorry. Unable to abort. Sorry. Unable to abort. Sorry. Unable to abort.
- •Tell the world about transltr only the truth will save you now . . .
- •Only the truth will save you now
- •Enter pass‑key
- •Chapter 87
- •Chapter 88
- •Chapter 89
- •Chapter 90
- •Chapter 91
- •Chapter 92
- •Chapter 93
- •Chapter 94
- •Chapter 95
- •Chapter 96
- •Chapter 97
- •Chapter 98
- •Chapter 99
- •Chapter 100
- •Subject: david becker‑terminated
- •Chapter 101
- •Chapter 102
- •Chapter 103
- •Chapter 105
- •Chapter 106
- •Chapter 107
- •Chapter 108
- •Chapter 109
- •Only the truth will save you now enter pass‑key ______
- •Only the truth will save you now enter pass‑key ______
- •Chapter 110
- •Chapter 111
- •Chapter 112
- •Chapter 113
- •Chapter 114
- •Chapter 115
- •Chapter 116
- •Chapter 117
- •Only the truth will save you now
- •Chapter 118
- •Quiscustodietipsoscustodes
- •Chapter 119
- •Illegal entry. Numeric field only.
- •Chapter 120
- •Pfee sesn retm
- •Pfee sesn retm mfha irwe ooig meen nrma enet shas dcns iiaa ieer brnk fble lodi
- •Pfeesesnretmpfhairweooigmeennrmaenetshasdcnsiiaaieerbrnkfblelodi
- •Chapter 121
- •Chapter 122
- •Primedifferencebetweenelementsresponsibleforhiroshimaandnagasaki
- •Chapter 123
- •Prime difference between elements responsible for hiroshima and nagasaki
- •Chapter 124
- •Prime difference between elements responsible forhiroshima and nagasaki
- •Chapter 125
- •Chapter 126
- •Chapter 127
- •Enter pass‑key? 3
- •Kill code confirmed.
- •Chapter 128
- •Epilogue
Chapter 13
Tokugen Numataka stood in his plush, penthouse office and gazed out at the Tokyo skyline. His employees and competitors knew him a sakuta same‑the deadly shark. For three decade she’d outguessed, outbid, and out advertised all the Japanese competition; now he was on the brink of becoming a giant in the world market as well.
He was about to close the biggest deal of his life‑a deal that would make his Numatech Corp. the Microsoft of the future. His blood was alive with the cool rush of adrenaline. Business was war‑and war was exciting.
Although Tokugen Numataka had been suspicious when the call had come three days ago, he now knew the truth. He was blessed with myouri‑good fortune. The gods had chosen him.
* * *
“I have a copy of the Digital Fortress pass‑key,” the American accent had said. “Would you like to buy it?”
Numataka had almost laughed aloud. He knew it was a ploy. Numatech Corp. had bid generously for Ensei Tankado’s new algorithm, and now one of Numatech’s competitors was playing games, trying to find out the amount of the bid.
“You have the pass‑key?” Numataka feigned interest.
“I do. My name is North Dakota.”
Numataka stifled a laugh. Everyone knew about North Dakota. Tankado had told the press about his secret partner. It had been a wise move on Tankado’s part to have a partner; even in Japan, business practices had become dishonorable. Ensei Tankado was not safe. But one false move by an overeager firm, and the pass‑key would be published; every software firm on the market would suffer.
Numataka took a long pull on his Umami cigar and played along with the caller’s pathetic charade. “So you’re selling your pass‑key? Interesting. How does Ensei Tankado feel about this?”
“I have no allegiance to Mr. Tankado. Mr. Tankado was foolish to trust me. The pass‑key is worth hundreds of times what he is paying me to handle it for him.”
“I’m sorry,” Numataka said. “Your pass‑key alone is worth nothing to me. When Tankado finds out what you’ve done, he will simply publish his copy, and the market will be flooded.”
“You will receive both pass‑keys,” the voice said. “Mr. Tankado’s and mine.”
Numataka covered the receiver and laughed aloud. He couldn’t help asking. “How much are you asking for both keys?”
“Twenty million U.S. dollars.”
Twenty million was almost exactly what Numataka had bid. “Twenty million?” He gasped in mock horror. “That’s outrageous!”
“I’ve seen the algorithm. I assure you it’s well worth it.”
No shit, thought Numataka. It’s worth ten times that. “Unfortunately,” he said, tiring of the game, “we both know Mr. Tankado would never stand for this. Think of the legal repercussions.”
The caller paused ominously. “What if Mr. Tankado were no longer a factor?”
Numataka wanted to laugh, but he noted an odd determination in the voice. “If Tankado were no longer a factor?” Numataka considered it. “Then you and I would have a deal.”
“I’ll be in touch,” the voice said. The line went dead.
Chapter 14
Becker gazed down at the cadaver. Even hours after death, the Asian’s face radiated with a pinkish glow of a recent sunburn. The rest of him was a pale yellow‑all except the small area of purplish bruising directly over his heart.
Probably from the CPR, Becker mused. Too bad it didn’t work.
He went back to studying the cadaver’s hands. They were like nothing Becker had ever seen. Each hand had only three digits, and they were twisted and askew. The disfigurement, however, was not what Becker was looking at.
“Well, I’ll be.” The lieutenant grunted from across the room. “He’s Japanese, not Chinese.”
Becker looked up. The officer was thumbing through the dead man’s passport. “I’d rather you didn’t look at that,” Becker requested. Touch nothing. Read nothing.
“Ensei Tankado . . . born January—”
“Please,” Becker said politely. “Put it back.”
The officer stared at the passport a moment longer and then tossed it back on the pile. “This guy’s got a class‑3 visa. He could have stayed here for years.”
Becker poked at the victim’s hand with a pen. “Maybe he lived here.”
“Nope. Date of entry was last week.”
“Maybe he was moving here,” Becker offered curtly.
“Yeah, maybe. Crummy first week. Sunstroke and a heart attack. Poor bastard.”
Becker ignored the officer and studied the hand. “You’re positive he wasn’t wearing any jewelry when he died?”
The officer looked up, startled. “Jewelry?”
“Yeah. Take a look at this.”
The officer crossed the room.
The skin on Tankado’s left hand showed traces of sunburn, everywhere except a narrow band of flesh around the smallest finger.
Becker pointed to the strip of pale flesh. “See how this isn’t sunburned here? Looks like he was wearing a ring.”
The officer seemed surprised. “A ring?” His voice sounded suddenly perplexed. He studied the corpse’s finger. Then he flushed sheepishly. “My God.” He chuckled. “The story was true?”
Becker had a sudden sinking feeling. “I beg your pardon?”
The officer shook his head in disbelief. “I would have mentioned it before . . . but I thought the guy was nuts.”
Becker was not smiling. “What guy?”
“The guy who phoned in the emergency. Some Canadian tourist. Kept talking about a ring. Babbling in the worst damn Spanish I ever heard.”
“He said Mr. Tankado was wearing a ring?”
The officer nodded. He pulled out a Ducado cigarette, eyed the no fumar sign, and lit up anyway. “Guess I should have said something, but the guy sounded totally loco.”
Becker frowned. Strathmore’s words echoed in his ears. I want everything Ensei Tankado had with him. Everything. Leave nothing. Not even a tiny scrap of paper.
“Where is the ring now?” Becker asked.
The officer took a puff. “Long story.”
Something told Becker this was not good news. “Tell me anyway.”