In Too Deep(36)

I sighed and hit the power button, letting it cycle up. "Two reasons. First, because the man who created Albertine created it as part of a worm that propagated through the entire network. Every mainframe, every home computer, every system on the planet has a copy of this worm on it. Hell, Microsoft unknowingly sent it out as part of a security update for Windows 7. One of the code pieces for that worm is that every six months, the primary Albertine computer, this computer, must be detected and networked with. If not, the creator's wish is enacted. This laptop serves as a deadman switch for the whole damn thing. The other thing is, Albertine is keeping me safe."

"What do you mean?" Melina asked.

"Who do you think created Albertine?" I replied. "The Chinese? Albertine was created here in the United States. Unfortunately, I didn't get a hold of it before the creator had uploaded the virus. You see, what we commonly think of as the US government isn't monolithic at all. Even the divisions you see every day, Republican and Democrat, different departments, all that, it's only a minor front on the real issues. The real issues are the dark matter."

"Now you've lost me. Dark matter? Minor fronts? You’re sounding like a crazy person here Cam.”

I sighed, trying to organize my thoughts. Hell, I had an IQ of one ninety-seven, and it twisted my head the first time I saw the whole thing. "Sorry, this is complicated, and I'm trying to condense what I learned over years into a single monolog. Dark matter is the term we used, it comes from physics. It's a type of matter that has no way to be detected, except that it has mass and it can affect gravity. We can't even prove it really exists, or if it’s just a mathematical ghost that scientists use to explain gaps in their ideas. But in any case, dark matter can affect the entire universe, yet we cannot see it.”

"The same can be applied to some of these groups, these individuals. I was — I am — one of them. They act as shadow puppet masters, pulling the strings on the groups we can see. What makes it difficult is that sometimes a puppet master will have strings that seemingly work at odds. I once had dinner with one of these men. He was the leader of a group that not only controls the NRA, but also one of the most anti-gun elements of the Democratic party. In any case, Albertine was created by one of these dark matter elements. If I didn't have Albertine, that group would try to kill me. I've kept them at bay for the past few years because of this."

Albertine beeped behind me, its startup completed. "Please identify."

I typed in my fifteen character password in, then turned. "I'm the only person who can access this computer. In addition to the password I just used, it has other security measures installed. In time, I'd like to teach them to you."

Melina looked at me as if I were crazy. “I don’t want anywhere near that thing!”

I nodded and started the verification program on the bitch goddess Albertine. It would only take five minutes, I was paying through the nose for a super-fast line that allowed Albertine to get its work done quickly. "Melina, after what you saw today, you see that there are still those in the world who would try to take Albertine from me. I took it away from the dark matter players because I know they can’t be trusted. They think that, if they have six months to poke around at this system, that they can crack it, or find a way to fake the worm, or maybe just unleash it themselves in such a way it only affects their enemies. They're all wrong, plain and simple. I thought after the last attempt on me they'd have backed off, but obviously not. I need someone I can trust, someone I know is on my side. I need you."

There, I'd said it. The thought that had been burning inside my head for days, ever since I knew that Melina was being tailed by someone. More than the fear of what Albertine could do, more than the fear for my own personal safety, I feared for her. I feared losing her.

Melina looked at Albertine, sitting so innocently on a side table of my office, then at me, then back at the computer, her dark eyes pondering. "I'm a pharmacy tech. I've graduated junior college. Now you're telling me about conspiracies, god-like computers connected to your home, and people who obviously have no problems trying to kill you, or me. And you want me to be part of this?"

I shook my head. "I never wanted anyone else to be part of it. The last time, before I met you, I thought they'd gotten the message. They try to tamper with the safe, the contents are incinerated. They try to tamper with Albertine itself, the computer has so many backups built into it, the worm is triggered. There's no way to defuse it, no way to change it. I've been trying to learn ways that maybe I can put a buffer into the system, another worm that works with Albertine in order to nullify it. In the meantime, I lived two lives. By day, I was a teacher and basketball coach. In my spare time, I studied programming and computer science. I went to the resort as part of my annual vacation because I needed a week and a half to not have Albertine be a gigantic part of my life."

Melina nodded, then put her chin in her hands, staring at the laptop. It beeped, telling me it was done with its checkup with the networks of the world, and I clicked for it to shut down. The system went black, and I unhooked it from the cable connection. Closing the laptop, I put it back in the safe and locked it, my knees popping when I stood up. I closed the closet door and turned around, not saying anything.

Melina sat there for another minute, then sighed. “As crazy as it is, I believe you. But I need to think, Cam."