Now.”
“That’s not how this works.”
“Well, it’s how I work. I’m sort of funny that way.”
“We’re the people who just saved you from certain death. That’s all you need to know about us.”
“As far as I know, you kidnapped me, blew up my cabin with a stick of dynamite, and put together some drone highlight reels.”
Odin looked back at Foxy.
Foxy shrugged. “She’s got a point.” He lowered the kora and dug into his bag. In a moment he produced a folder, which he passed forward.
Odin took the folder. “I don’t have any latitude to tell you who we are. That could put our mission in jeopardy.” He withdrew a document, glanced at it, and then passed it along to her. “Are you familiar with any of these people, Professor McKinney?”
Still irritated, she hesitated before accepting the piece of paper. It was a printout of the front page of The New York Times, just a few days old. The headline read SIX DIE IN STANFORD BOMBING . The names of several of the victims had been helpfully highlighted in yellow by someone: Lei Li, Vijay Prakash, Gerhard Koepple . . .
“God, there’s been a bombing at Stanford now too?”
“Were you familiar with these researchers or their work?”
“No. I’ve never heard of them.”
“You’re sure, Professor? Never bumped into them at a conference? Never read any of their academic papers?”
“No, I haven’t. I’m sure.”
Odin took the printout back. “You have one thing in common with these researchers, Professor. Both your work and theirs was found on a file server in Shenyang, China. Part of a cyber espionage pipeline that was spiriting advanced technology out of the West. At first we suspected North Korea’s Unit 121, a cyber warfare group, but that’s not where the trail led us.”
She was speechless.
“The people who stole the Stanford researchers’ work also made a point of taking yours.”
“But my research isn’t secret. I make it available to the entire scientific community.”
“Well, they had your work and your tools before you published. Which means they broke into Cornell’s network. Which means you were one of only two researchers in the world they were interested in. We have people searching for the network breach at Cornell, but what I’m concerned with is what knowledge you have that they wanted. And now that they’ve tried to cover their tracks by killing you, we know it’s important to whatever they’re planning.”
“This is insane. I study insects.”
“You develop behavioral computer models as part of your research.”
“Yes. Simulations—modeling the social systems of certain insects.”
“In fact, you’re currently developing a computer model that simulates the swarming behavior of weaver ants.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “And that’s what they’re after?”
“Your work has direct application to a strategy being pursued by America’s enemies. I came here to brief you, Professor McKinney.”
“What do you mean ‘brief me’? Brief me about what?”
“About the terror bombings in the United States.”
“What about them?”
“They’re not terror bombings.”
She stopped short and looked around. No help.
“Over the past several months someone has been carrying out drone strikes in the continental United States. They’re not intended to terrorize. They’re targeted assassinations, meant to eliminate specific people. This is next generation warfare, Professor, and we’re facing a very sophisticated adversary. Someone who’s trying to remain hidden—and who thinks you know too much about their systems.”
Again she was speechless.
He stared back at her, unreadable.
She finally nodded her head ruefully. “Did you really think we could just fire missiles into other countries, assassinating people from the air, without it coming back to haunt us? You flouted international law, and now you act amazed that—”
“Be that as it may—”
“I appreciate you rescuing me, but I
“That’s not how this works.”
“Well, it’s how I work. I’m sort of funny that way.”
“We’re the people who just saved you from certain death. That’s all you need to know about us.”
“As far as I know, you kidnapped me, blew up my cabin with a stick of dynamite, and put together some drone highlight reels.”
Odin looked back at Foxy.
Foxy shrugged. “She’s got a point.” He lowered the kora and dug into his bag. In a moment he produced a folder, which he passed forward.
Odin took the folder. “I don’t have any latitude to tell you who we are. That could put our mission in jeopardy.” He withdrew a document, glanced at it, and then passed it along to her. “Are you familiar with any of these people, Professor McKinney?”
Still irritated, she hesitated before accepting the piece of paper. It was a printout of the front page of The New York Times, just a few days old. The headline read SIX DIE IN STANFORD BOMBING . The names of several of the victims had been helpfully highlighted in yellow by someone: Lei Li, Vijay Prakash, Gerhard Koepple . . .
“God, there’s been a bombing at Stanford now too?”
“Were you familiar with these researchers or their work?”
“No. I’ve never heard of them.”
“You’re sure, Professor? Never bumped into them at a conference? Never read any of their academic papers?”
“No, I haven’t. I’m sure.”
Odin took the printout back. “You have one thing in common with these researchers, Professor. Both your work and theirs was found on a file server in Shenyang, China. Part of a cyber espionage pipeline that was spiriting advanced technology out of the West. At first we suspected North Korea’s Unit 121, a cyber warfare group, but that’s not where the trail led us.”
She was speechless.
“The people who stole the Stanford researchers’ work also made a point of taking yours.”
“But my research isn’t secret. I make it available to the entire scientific community.”
“Well, they had your work and your tools before you published. Which means they broke into Cornell’s network. Which means you were one of only two researchers in the world they were interested in. We have people searching for the network breach at Cornell, but what I’m concerned with is what knowledge you have that they wanted. And now that they’ve tried to cover their tracks by killing you, we know it’s important to whatever they’re planning.”
“This is insane. I study insects.”
“You develop behavioral computer models as part of your research.”
“Yes. Simulations—modeling the social systems of certain insects.”
“In fact, you’re currently developing a computer model that simulates the swarming behavior of weaver ants.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “And that’s what they’re after?”
“Your work has direct application to a strategy being pursued by America’s enemies. I came here to brief you, Professor McKinney.”
“What do you mean ‘brief me’? Brief me about what?”
“About the terror bombings in the United States.”
“What about them?”
“They’re not terror bombings.”
She stopped short and looked around. No help.
“Over the past several months someone has been carrying out drone strikes in the continental United States. They’re not intended to terrorize. They’re targeted assassinations, meant to eliminate specific people. This is next generation warfare, Professor, and we’re facing a very sophisticated adversary. Someone who’s trying to remain hidden—and who thinks you know too much about their systems.”
Again she was speechless.
He stared back at her, unreadable.
She finally nodded her head ruefully. “Did you really think we could just fire missiles into other countries, assassinating people from the air, without it coming back to haunt us? You flouted international law, and now you act amazed that—”
“Be that as it may—”
“I appreciate you rescuing me, but I
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