home.”
“Simon, I apologize for coming here like this,” Randall
began. “But the situation is what it is. What do you know about Max Donovan?”
“I know what you told me. I know that I work for him,” I
said, scoffing. There wasn’t any point in tipping my hand yet. “What is this
all about?”
“Max Donovan is a black hat,” Randall offered. “He’s one of
the bad guys. He cracks corporations for profit and then sells the information.
He’s a techno-terrorist.”
“That’s a lie. I’ve never seen anything to indicate that.”
“Really?” Randall asked. “What’s his involvement in the
DHS?”
“DHS?” I asked, as if it were news to me. “Homeland
Security?”
“Stop it, Simon. I know you’re working on the project.”
I studied Randall, wondering if he was bluffing, knowing
that he wasn’t. I considered the possibility that he wasn’t really fishing for
information.
“I’m working on a federal project, yes. How does this
concern Blackthorn business?”
“Let’s stop playing games here, son. I know that Donovan is
working with the DHS. I know he’s doing security audits. I know that you helped
recruit and build the team that’s testing security.”
“You know a lot,” I said.
“What you don’t know is that the team you built has been
turned.” “Turned?” I asked, genuinely not understanding.
“Your DHS team… they’re assets. Assets that can work for
either side. Max Donovan told you they were assets to be used to improve
security. I’m telling you that Donovan is using them to exploit security.”
“And how do you know that?” I asked.
“Because he’s offering to sell the information to me,”
Randall replied.
I pondered that information for a moment. What Kendrick was
saying wasn’t impossible. It confirmed what I’d seen in the memo. And why else
would Kendrick be approaching me unless it was true?
“Wait… when did you know this about Max?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“When did you know that Max was a black hat? That he was
selling information?” I asked.
Kendrick weighed me and I knew the answer before he said a
word.
“You bastard…” I breathed. “You recruited me… you knew from
the beginning.”
“I didn’t know, Simon… I swear it to you,” he said.
I didn’t say anything to him at first.
“You suspected.” It wasn’t a question.
“I didn’t know for sure,” he shrugged.
I stood suddenly and Randall rocked back in his chair,
unsure if I was going to come for him or not. To be honest, I didn’t know
myself.
“You… did this… to keep me in,” I breathed. I tried to
temper my voice, to keep myself under control. “My wife is dead because of my
devotion to the work I did for you and after she was gone, you wanted to keep
me in…”
“Simon, I…” Randall began.
“No, not another word…”
“People could die because of what Max Donovan is going to
do,” Randall said.
“People have already died because of what you’ve done,” I
shot back. “Get out of my house. Get out of my life.”
Randall Kendrick stood slowly, his shoulders slumped. He was
defeated. I had turned him away. The one person he’d turned to time and again
and I’d turned him down flat.
“Randall…” I said, as he reached the door. He turned and
looked at me, his eyes reddened and sad. “I need to be clear about something
now. We’ve been friends for a long time. But this… you betrayed me, man. You
betrayed my trust. You’ve invaded my house and staked out my yard with agents
like I’m a terrorist. I want to be fair about this and draw the line where it
needs to fall. If you come near me or my family again, I will set your world on
fire and watch it burn. Can you understand that?”
I’d been calm in telling him this, my intention to give fair
warning, not to threaten. Randall nodded and then the smallest smile crept
across his face.
“Simon, we’re more alike than you know.”
And then he was
“Simon, I apologize for coming here like this,” Randall
began. “But the situation is what it is. What do you know about Max Donovan?”
“I know what you told me. I know that I work for him,” I
said, scoffing. There wasn’t any point in tipping my hand yet. “What is this
all about?”
“Max Donovan is a black hat,” Randall offered. “He’s one of
the bad guys. He cracks corporations for profit and then sells the information.
He’s a techno-terrorist.”
“That’s a lie. I’ve never seen anything to indicate that.”
“Really?” Randall asked. “What’s his involvement in the
DHS?”
“DHS?” I asked, as if it were news to me. “Homeland
Security?”
“Stop it, Simon. I know you’re working on the project.”
I studied Randall, wondering if he was bluffing, knowing
that he wasn’t. I considered the possibility that he wasn’t really fishing for
information.
“I’m working on a federal project, yes. How does this
concern Blackthorn business?”
“Let’s stop playing games here, son. I know that Donovan is
working with the DHS. I know he’s doing security audits. I know that you helped
recruit and build the team that’s testing security.”
“You know a lot,” I said.
“What you don’t know is that the team you built has been
turned.” “Turned?” I asked, genuinely not understanding.
“Your DHS team… they’re assets. Assets that can work for
either side. Max Donovan told you they were assets to be used to improve
security. I’m telling you that Donovan is using them to exploit security.”
“And how do you know that?” I asked.
“Because he’s offering to sell the information to me,”
Randall replied.
I pondered that information for a moment. What Kendrick was
saying wasn’t impossible. It confirmed what I’d seen in the memo. And why else
would Kendrick be approaching me unless it was true?
“Wait… when did you know this about Max?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“When did you know that Max was a black hat? That he was
selling information?” I asked.
Kendrick weighed me and I knew the answer before he said a
word.
“You bastard…” I breathed. “You recruited me… you knew from
the beginning.”
“I didn’t know, Simon… I swear it to you,” he said.
I didn’t say anything to him at first.
“You suspected.” It wasn’t a question.
“I didn’t know for sure,” he shrugged.
I stood suddenly and Randall rocked back in his chair,
unsure if I was going to come for him or not. To be honest, I didn’t know
myself.
“You… did this… to keep me in,” I breathed. I tried to
temper my voice, to keep myself under control. “My wife is dead because of my
devotion to the work I did for you and after she was gone, you wanted to keep
me in…”
“Simon, I…” Randall began.
“No, not another word…”
“People could die because of what Max Donovan is going to
do,” Randall said.
“People have already died because of what you’ve done,” I
shot back. “Get out of my house. Get out of my life.”
Randall Kendrick stood slowly, his shoulders slumped. He was
defeated. I had turned him away. The one person he’d turned to time and again
and I’d turned him down flat.
“Randall…” I said, as he reached the door. He turned and
looked at me, his eyes reddened and sad. “I need to be clear about something
now. We’ve been friends for a long time. But this… you betrayed me, man. You
betrayed my trust. You’ve invaded my house and staked out my yard with agents
like I’m a terrorist. I want to be fair about this and draw the line where it
needs to fall. If you come near me or my family again, I will set your world on
fire and watch it burn. Can you understand that?”
I’d been calm in telling him this, my intention to give fair
warning, not to threaten. Randall nodded and then the smallest smile crept
across his face.
“Simon, we’re more alike than you know.”
And then he was
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