could do so much more.
That's when she became classified. Her web didn't only connect people worldwide. It manipulated the magnetosphere, theoretically creating an electromagnetic shield. Theoretically. The simulations had been successful, but the live tests had yet to reach the desired results.
Domino's misdeeds forced them to scrub the next trial. Until they knew Bubba was secure, they'd have to keep the AI siblings separated. FAIA was too important to risk infection.
When Paul Domino escaped, he had scrambled their codes enough to force a complete reboot. It would take hours to get back online and days to retrieve garbled information. General Sorinsen mother-fucked every man present. Lambda Core had been compromised. Someone was going to pay with his career.
“How the hell does an outsider reconfigure the most sophisticated computer system in the world? Where were the firewalls? Where were the goddamned safeties?”
Nearly a dozen uniforms answered at once, all of them sounding like whining cats. Denman scowled at them in disgust. The fools buried themselves with their excuses.
“He scrambled the codes, sir, but he didn't take anything,” one ruddy-faced colonel explained.
“How do you know?” Sorinsen thundered back. “We didn't even know he hacked in until a few minutes ago.”
“The securities held, sir,” another colonel added. “He could view the files but nothing was downloaded, nothing printed. There's no history of it.”
Denman didn't want to mention that any man who could hack into a super-secret computer system would have no problem tampering with the histories—or at least try. Domino would have gotten clean away if Bubba hadn't kept a duplicate history to share with FAIA. A redundancy protocol in case of a computer meltdown.
Denman strolled around the room while a dozen voices fought for Sorinsen's attention. Jack Chavez, the lowest-ranking officer present, sat silently in the background. Denman nodded to him, assuring him that Sorinsen's rage would pass. The old man had to bluster after what happened. Half the men in the room would likely be transferred—or worse—before the week was out.
“Chavez!” Sorinsen barked. “You're head of compound security. How the hell did this happen?”
Denman drifted past Sorinsen at that very moment and whispered into his ear. “Eakins handles computer security, doesn't he?”
Sorinsen's eyes flashed at Eakins. Denman pressed closer to Sorinsen's ear. “Don't worry about Domino. He won't survive the desert. But computer security has been tainted through sheer negligence.”
The general grumbled at Denman below earshot of the other officers. “Domino wouldn't have gotten to a terminal if you had eliminated him when I ordered you to.”
Denman emptied his face of any expression and spoke with quiet confidence. “He was still useful, sir.”
“Well, he's not useful now, is he?” Sorinsen stared at the sweating faces of his staff. He pummeled his fist on the table, shaking coffee cups and men alike. “Get out! All of you. Find Domino. And fix my goddamn computer, or I swear I'll bust every single one of you to sergeant.”
The men scrambled out, a few trying to get through the door at once. Denman lingered at Sorinsen's side, signaling to Chavez to wait for him outside. Right now he needed to talk to the old man.
Sorinsen gagged on a cough, wiping his mouth with a checked handkerchief that he kept stuffed in a breast pocket. He pulled a bottle of pills out of his desk drawer and shook out two tablets, popping them to the back of his tongue. Denman poured him some water.
“I should have listened to my own counsel, Jacob. You've been pencil-pushing too long. I knew Domino was a threat.”
“But until now, we didn't know what kind of threat.”
“Is that supposed to be funny?” He wiped his mouth again and folded the thin square of cloth into quarters. “He could've sabotaged our entire operation.”
“But he didn't.” Denman pulled
That's when she became classified. Her web didn't only connect people worldwide. It manipulated the magnetosphere, theoretically creating an electromagnetic shield. Theoretically. The simulations had been successful, but the live tests had yet to reach the desired results.
Domino's misdeeds forced them to scrub the next trial. Until they knew Bubba was secure, they'd have to keep the AI siblings separated. FAIA was too important to risk infection.
When Paul Domino escaped, he had scrambled their codes enough to force a complete reboot. It would take hours to get back online and days to retrieve garbled information. General Sorinsen mother-fucked every man present. Lambda Core had been compromised. Someone was going to pay with his career.
“How the hell does an outsider reconfigure the most sophisticated computer system in the world? Where were the firewalls? Where were the goddamned safeties?”
Nearly a dozen uniforms answered at once, all of them sounding like whining cats. Denman scowled at them in disgust. The fools buried themselves with their excuses.
“He scrambled the codes, sir, but he didn't take anything,” one ruddy-faced colonel explained.
“How do you know?” Sorinsen thundered back. “We didn't even know he hacked in until a few minutes ago.”
“The securities held, sir,” another colonel added. “He could view the files but nothing was downloaded, nothing printed. There's no history of it.”
Denman didn't want to mention that any man who could hack into a super-secret computer system would have no problem tampering with the histories—or at least try. Domino would have gotten clean away if Bubba hadn't kept a duplicate history to share with FAIA. A redundancy protocol in case of a computer meltdown.
Denman strolled around the room while a dozen voices fought for Sorinsen's attention. Jack Chavez, the lowest-ranking officer present, sat silently in the background. Denman nodded to him, assuring him that Sorinsen's rage would pass. The old man had to bluster after what happened. Half the men in the room would likely be transferred—or worse—before the week was out.
“Chavez!” Sorinsen barked. “You're head of compound security. How the hell did this happen?”
Denman drifted past Sorinsen at that very moment and whispered into his ear. “Eakins handles computer security, doesn't he?”
Sorinsen's eyes flashed at Eakins. Denman pressed closer to Sorinsen's ear. “Don't worry about Domino. He won't survive the desert. But computer security has been tainted through sheer negligence.”
The general grumbled at Denman below earshot of the other officers. “Domino wouldn't have gotten to a terminal if you had eliminated him when I ordered you to.”
Denman emptied his face of any expression and spoke with quiet confidence. “He was still useful, sir.”
“Well, he's not useful now, is he?” Sorinsen stared at the sweating faces of his staff. He pummeled his fist on the table, shaking coffee cups and men alike. “Get out! All of you. Find Domino. And fix my goddamn computer, or I swear I'll bust every single one of you to sergeant.”
The men scrambled out, a few trying to get through the door at once. Denman lingered at Sorinsen's side, signaling to Chavez to wait for him outside. Right now he needed to talk to the old man.
Sorinsen gagged on a cough, wiping his mouth with a checked handkerchief that he kept stuffed in a breast pocket. He pulled a bottle of pills out of his desk drawer and shook out two tablets, popping them to the back of his tongue. Denman poured him some water.
“I should have listened to my own counsel, Jacob. You've been pencil-pushing too long. I knew Domino was a threat.”
“But until now, we didn't know what kind of threat.”
“Is that supposed to be funny?” He wiped his mouth again and folded the thin square of cloth into quarters. “He could've sabotaged our entire operation.”
“But he didn't.” Denman pulled
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