pzb.drawingblood-第43章

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　　Stefan　stood　by　the　door　wringing　his　hands　and　staring　at　her　in　sweaty　panic。　Eddy　realized　with　something　like　awe　that　he　might　never　have　been　alone　in　a　room　with　a　girl　before。　The　thought　was　oddly　touching。　She　would　have　to　remember　not　to　make　any　sudden　moves；　otherwise　she　might　frighten　him　clean　away。
　　〃Zach's　not　here；〃　she　told　him。　〃He　doesn't　actually　live　in　New　Orleans　anymore。〃
　　〃I　heard　he　might　have　gotten　busted。〃
　　〃Who　said　so？〃
　　〃I　hear　things。〃
　　That　much　she　didn't　doubt。　〃He　wasn't　busted。　He　got　away。　But　he's　okay…I　got　a　message　from　him。〃
　　The　hacker　looked　aghast。　〃He　didn't　call　you　here！〃
　　〃No。　He　put　a　message　in　the　paper；　in　secret　code。〃　She　showed　him　the　folded　page　of　yesterday's　Times…Picayune。　Goddess　in　a　bowl　of　gumbo；　indeed。　〃See；　I　think　this　means　he's　in　North　Carolina；　maybe　heading　for　New　York　next。〃
　　He　scowled　at　the　paper。　〃Secret　code？　This　is　kid　stuff！〃
　　〃I　suppose　shutting　down　the　911　system　is　mature；〃　Eddy　said　coolly。　Zach　had　told　her　how　Phoetus　bragged　on　the　boards　that　he　could　overload　every　emergency　telephone　circuit　in　the　city　if　he　wanted　to。
　　Not　seeming　to　register　the　insult…or　perhaps　not　considering　it　an　insult…Stefan　edged　past　her　into　the　room。　〃Where's　the　phone？〃
　　She　pointed　to　Zach's　desk；　which　was　still　piled　high　with　books　and　papers　but　looked　rather　forlorn　without　the　puter　and　boxes　of　floppy　disks。　Zach　had　left　his　printer　behind；　though；　Eddy　guessed　she　would　drag　it　out　and　hock　it　sometime　soon。
　　Stefan　took　the　receiver　from　the　hook　and　pried　off　the　plastic　earpiece　before　Eddy　could　protest。　He　removed　a　small　black　box　from　his　pocket　and　clipped　some　wires　running　from　it　to　something　inside　the　phone；　then　peered　owlishly　at　the　box。　〃Well；　nobody　else　has　a　tap　on　this　line；　but　the　government　might。　They　can　tap　straight　from　the　phone　pany　if　they've　got　a　warrant。　Assume　it's　bugged。〃
　　〃What　did　you　do　to　it？〃
　　He　held　up　the　black　box。　〃This　is　called　a　multitester。　It　reads　your　standard　off…hook　voltage。　If　ifs　too　low；　there's　probably　another　device　sucking　volts　off　your　line。〃
　　〃Oh。〃
　　Stefan　had　bee　briefly　animated。　Now　he　seemed　to　sink　back　into　his　sniffling；　nervous　fugue。　〃Look；　I've　got　people　after　me　too。　Why；　if　They　knew　I　was　here…〃
　　Eddy　had　closed　the　door　as　Stefan　entered　but　had　not　yet　bothered　to　lock　it。　There　was　an　iron　security　gate　at　the　street　entrance　that　led　up　to　the　apartment；　and　while　French　Quarter　residents　were　generally　careful　about　locking　all　their　doors；　the　gate　offered　some　semblance　of　privacy；　some　illusion　of　safety。
　　This　illusion　was　shattered　as　the　door　flew　open　and　banged　against　the　wall；　making　a　dent　in　the　soft　plaster。　All　the　policemen　in　the　world　seemed　to　e　pouring　into　her　tiny　apartment。　Eddy　had　no　idea　how　many　there　actually　were。　All　she　saw　was　the　guns；　great　oily　insectile　things　unholstered　and　dripping　death；　pointed　straight　at　her。
　　Eddy　crouched　and　wrapped　her　arms　around　her　head　and　screamed　〃NO！　NO！〃　She　couldn't　help　it。　She　had　always　had　an　instinctive　terror　of　guns；　perhaps　in　another　life　she　had　been　a　revolutionary　sentenced　to　the　firing　squad　or　a　gangster　cut　down　in　a　street　battle。
　　Behind　her；　she　heard　one　of　the　most　brilliant　phone　systems　guys　on　the　planet　burst　into　tears。
　　
　　The　raid　team　totaled　fifteen　men：　Secret　Service　agents；　BellSouth　phone…security　experts；　and　curious　New　Orleans　cops　along　for　the　ride。　Most　of　them　faltered　at　the　sight　of　the　two　cowering　kids。　Several　guns　went　back　into　their　holsters。
　　The　German　machine　pistol　carried　by　Agent　Absalom　Cover　wasn't　one　of　them。　He　kept　it　trained　on　the　suspects　and　watched　them　writhe。　Either　of　these　two　could　be　Zachary　Bosch；　or　the　person　hiding　behind　that　name。
　　Agent　Cover　had　wanted　Bosch　for　a　long　time。　Other　hackers　goaded　him　unmercifully；　threatened　his　credit　and　disrupted　his　phone　service；　left　taunting　messages　in　his　E…mail；　had　done　all　but　beard　him　in　his　New　Orleans　field　office。　But　Bosch　was　smarter　than　ten　such　crooks；　and　far　more　dangerous。　He　didn't　brag　much。　He　didn't　leave　cute　little　clues　in　his　wake。　He　just　breezed　through　systems　nobody　should　be　able　to　get　into；　stealing　information　and　wreaking　havoc；　and　he　covered　his　tracks　like　an　Indian。
　　Finally　a　fifteen…year…old　software　pirate　under　interrogation　had　given　them　the　keys　they　needed　to　trace　him。　Scratch　a　hacker　and　find　a　rat；　ask　him　the　right　questions；　marvel　a　little　at　his　amazing　technical　feats；　and　turn　him　into　an　eager　rat。　Some　of　these　kids　were　terrifyingly　smart；　but　they　were　still　kids。　And　Agent　Cover　believed　all　kids　were　basically　amoral。
　　He　got　his　warrant　and　moved　in　fast。　Bosch　couldn't　have　had　time　to　slip　between　his　fingers。
　　Still；　once　the　first　flush　of　adrenaline　began　to　wear　off；　he　found　himself　looking　doubtfully　at　the　two　bawling　kids。　He　hadn't　expected　Bosch　to　fold　so　easily。　Most　of　these　teenage　whiz　kids　turned　to　jelly　when　they　saw　a　few　guns　and　badges；　but　then　most　of　them　had　only　broken　into　a　system　or　two　and　browsed　through　sensitive　files；　maybe　used　a　stolen　phone　code　here　and　there　or　downloaded　some　software　they　shouldn't　have。　Most　of　them　weren't　brazen　enough　or　criminally　inclined　enough　to　rip　shit　off　on　the　scale　that　Zachary　Bosch　had。
　　Cover　took　one　last　loving　look　at　his　Heckler　&　Koch　and　tucked　it　back　into　the　holster　inside　his　jacket。　He　hadn't　needed　a　gun　on　a　hacker　raid　yet。　These　kids　loved　to　brag　on　the　boards　about　how　they　would　go　down　shooting；　but　the　deadliest　weapon　Agent　Cover　had　found　in　a　hacker's　possession　was　a　dental　probe　the　kid　used　for　jimmying　phone　jacks。
　　As　he　approached　the　suspects；　the　punked…out　Asian　girl　lifted　her　head　and　stared　at　him　in　teary　defiance；　like　a　gut…shot　deer　watching　a　hunter　loom　over　her　in　the　bloody　snow。　She　had　enough　crap　dangling　from　her　earlobes　to　set　off　a　metal　detector；　and　her　hair　looked　like　she'd　cut　it　with　a　weed…eater　in　the　dark。　Cover　always　wondered　what　had　been　done　to　these　kids　in　early　childhood　to　make　them　want　to　look　the　way　they　did。　He'd　busted　one　hacker　who　had　a　blue　mohawk　and　scorpions　tattooed　on　the　shaved　sides　of　his　skull。　Scorpions！
　　The　tall；　sickly…looking　boy　bolted　for　the　bathroom。　Two　of　the　cops　were　right　behind　him。　Cover　heard　the　toilet　lid　bang　up；　the　thick　liquid　sound　of　vomiting。
　　〃Hey！〃　One　of　the　cops　stuck　his　head　back　in；　an　expression　of　dismay　plastered　across　his　broad　shiny　face。　〃He　just　chunked　his　wallet　an'　keys　in　the　crapper！〃
　　〃Fish　'em　out。〃
　　〃But　they're　floatin'　in　a　puddle　of　puke…〃
　　〃Fish　'em　out；〃　Cover　repeated。　The　girl　was　watching　him　with　a　mixture　of　terror　and　loathing。　The　rush　of　forced　intrusion　left　him　and　he　felt　suddenly　weary。　From　the　bathroom　he　heard　〃Awright；　you　little　crook；　fish　'em　out；〃　followed　by　another　round　of　puking。
　　The　U。S。　Secret　Service　was　charged　with　all　manner　of　important　duties　and　missions；　any　of　which　Ab　Cover　might　have　been　assigned　to　upon　his　graduation　from　the　Federal　Law　Enforcement　Training　Center　at　Glynco；　Georgia。　He　could　have　protected　the　President　from　freaks　and　mies　and　assassins。　He　could　have　guarded　the　precious　metals　in　Treasury　vaults；　or　fought　the　clearcut　war　on　counterfeiting　and　forgery　of　U。S。　currency。
　　Instead；　he　was　part　of　an　ongoing　crackdown　on　puter　crime　that　had　begun　with　Operation　Sundevil　in　1990。　Based　in　Arizona；　Sundevil　had　targeted　hacker　abuse　of　credit　card　numbers　and　phone　codes。　More　than　forty　puters　and　twenty…three　thousand　floppy　disks　had　been　seized　from　private　citizens　across　the　country。　Since　then；　the　Secret　Service　had　acquired　a　taste　for　the　slippery　little　anarchists　who　loved　to　hide　behind　their　keyboards　in　their　dark　dens　of　iniquity；　but　could　be　so　rewarding　once　they　were　dragged　out　into　the　sun。
　　So　instead　of　guarding　the　President；　Cover　busted　funny…looking　misfit　geniuses　who　weren't　usually　old　enough　to　go　to　prison　for　crimes　that　nine　tenths　of　the　American　public