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“Yes, this is definitely Adam’s computer. It’s a hacker’s dream. He’s got a sophisticated and completely custom operating system that I’ve never seen before. And it’s encrypted to the hilt.” He hit a few keys, testing the security. “This is one of the strongest encryptions I’ve ever seen. All this from a nineteen-year-old.”
Mike said, “Impressed, are you?”
“Very. This is beautiful work.”
“Can you beat it?”
Nicholas cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, I can beat it. He may be fresh and new, but I’ve been around the block a few times. Let’s see how his new work stands up to my old-school hacking skills.”
He uploaded his decryption program and set it to run.
While Nicholas worked on breaking into Adam’s computer, Mike looked through his bag. “Underwear, toothbrush, and look here, about five thousand in cash. Where’d he pick that up?” She dug deeper. There was a burgundy-colored passport in the bottom of the bag, issued from the United Kingdom, in the name of Thomas Wren. “This is how he got here. A false passport. It’s a good one, too.” She gave it to Nicholas, who looked it over, then made a quick call. Five minutes later his mobile rang. Customs at Heathrow showed Thomas Wren had entered the UK in the wee hours of the morning, off British Airways flight 176.
Nicholas said, “Adam flew first class, mind you, on a commercial flight out of New York. He’s got a good disguise, no wonder the NGI database didn’t pick up on it.”
She thought of how he’d looked at Ariston’s yesterday morning and shook her head. So much had happened. Yesterday felt like ten years ago. She watched the rain lashing down, obscuring even the cars parked in the neighboring drive. The media must really be committed over here to run around in this weather. She didn’t know if she could get used to this all the time.
Nicholas’s mobile rang. He listened, agreed, and punched off. “Penderley’s preparing a statement about Leyland. He told me to hurry with the computer, see what we have. He says the media has picked up on our presence here. Look here, Mike.”
She stared down at the screen. File after file opened, stacking window upon window of encrypted code, each being run through Nicholas’s powerful program and coming out the other side in plain text. It was in computerspeak, techy code she couldn’t read, but Nicholas clearly could. Not only read it, but understand what it meant.
Nicholas paged through the files for a few moments, then he said, “Yes!” His face changed. He shook his head, his look disbelieving.
“What is it?”
She saw alarm in his eyes. “What? What is it?”
It was as if he had to force out the words. “I know what the weapon is, Mike. We must stop Havelock. We must stop him now.”
68
Nicholas stood, slapped the laptop closed. “We must get to Loch Eriboll immediately. You know Havelock used Sophie as leverage to get Adam to tell him the coordinates. He has them or he’s close to getting them. We have to get the key before Havelock.”
Mike grabbed his arm. “What is the weapon, Nicholas?”
He grabbed Adam’s computer. “Let’s find Penderley, he needs to know this, too.”
She ran after him down the stairs to the kitchen, where Penderley was hovering over a crime scene tech.
“What is this? What have you found out?”
Nicholas motioned both Penderley and Mike into the elegant dining room. “Both Adam Pearce and I cross-hacked the files of Manheim Technologies, we both have his research. I didn’t have the time to look deeply at it, but Adam did. He left me a pretty clear trail of bread crumbs.
“Sir, I told you about the implant we found in one of his men’s heads. Havelock’s been making micro-nukes—it’s all here. The nukes are so small, they could be taken and remotely detonated.
“We know he’s been gathering polonium-two-ten. It’s because he wants to use it as the base for a much bigger weapon. He’s well past the theoretical stage. All Havelock wants now is a bigger payload.”
Penderley frowned at him. “What payload? Be clear, man.”
“Havelock is after a very old radioactive isotope at least one hundred times stronger and more lethal than polonium-two-ten.”
Mike said, “What do mean more lethal? A single drop of polonium-two-ten will kill you.”
“Yes, but we’re not talking simple polonium here. If Havelock can get his hands on this ultra-robust polonium, and combine the two, we’re talking about micro-nukes, hidden in plain sight, that could kill millions. This is our worst nightmare.”
Penderley shook his sleeve. “Explain this ultra-robust polonium? Who came up with that?”
“Marie Curie.”
