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Daemon

Daemon

Titel: Daemon Kostenlos Bücher Online Lesen
Autoren: Daniel Suarez
Vom Netzwerk:
us?’
    ‘We’ve only begun our analysis, but the most significant function we’ve discovered is in the Daemon’s Ragnorok class library. It’s a function named
Destroy
. It accepts a country code and a tax ID as arguments. We believe that invoking it destroys all the data in the target company.’
    The general thought about this. ‘My God … why would he give that to us?’
    ‘We don’t know yet.’
    ‘You said there was a video. What did the video contain?’
    Philips took a deep breath. ‘Something you need to carry up the chain of command.’
    In the boardroom of building OPS-2B, the group of agency directors sat arrayed around a broad mahogany conference table. The tension was thick as ominous looks passed from one director to the next. Their host opened the emergency meeting.
    NSA: ‘Gentlemen, you are all aware of the gravity of the current situation. I’ve brought in representatives from both Computer Systems Corporation and its subsidiary, EndoCorp, to provide additional technical expertise in this matter. These are the same folks who built the FBI’s new case management system. They are cleared UMBRA, so we may speak freely. Some of you have already worked together at NBP-1.’
    Both representatives gave dour nods. They were in theirforties and looked more conservative than the window mannequins in the FBI gift shop.
    NSA: ‘What you’re about to see is a matter of the utmost secrecy. Were this information to be made public, there is every likelihood that the world economy would falter.’ He let it sink in. ‘A-Group has decrypted a video message from Matthew Sobol.’
    An animated buzz spread through the room. He waited until it died down.
    NSA: ‘We’re going to screen that video. Watch it carefully, and we’ll discuss it afterward. Lights, please.’
    The lights dimmed, and a plasma screen set into the wall glowed to life. In a moment Matthew Sobol appeared in highdefinition color. The image was so clear it seemed as if a window had opened in the side of the somber boardroom. Sobol stood outdoors, in the sun on high ground overlooking the ocean. He was dressed in khakis and a pressed linen shirt. He looked normal, healthy, the breeze tossing his hair.
    Sobol betrayed no emotion. He stared into the camera for several moments before speaking. ‘They built a twenty-trillion-dollar house of cards. Then they told you to guard it. And they call
me
insane.’
    Sobol started to walk along the cliff’s edge. The camera followed him, Steadicam-like, in medium close-up. ‘Technology. It is the physical manifestation of the human will. It began with simple tools. Then came the wheel, and on it goes to this very day. Civilizations rise and fall based on technological innovation. Bronze falls to iron. Iron falls to steel. Steel falls to gunpowder. Gunpowder falls to circuitry.’ Sobol looked toward the camera again. ‘For those among you who don’t understand what’s happening, let me explain: the Great Diffusion has begun – an era when the nation state dissolves. Technology will cause this. As countries compete for markets in the global economy, diffusion of high technology will accelerate. It will result in a diffusion of power. And diffusion ofpower will make countries an ineffective organizing principle. At first, marginal governments will fail. Larger states will not be equipped to intercede effectively. These lawless regions will become breeding grounds for international crime and terrorism. Threats to centralized authority will multiply. Centralized power will be defenseless against these distributed threats. You have already experienced the leading edge of this wave.’
    Sobol stopped walking and gazed longingly out at the ocean. In a moment he turned to the camera again.
    ‘My Daemon is not your enemy. And thankfully it cannot be stopped. By anyone or anything. It is neither good nor evil. It is like fire, and it will burn those who do not learn to use it. It will burn the enemies of reason. It will burn the hypocrites and the fools. Use the tools I’ve given you, and the Daemon will become a valuable resource. Or, if you prefer, don’t. Remember that the Daemon is now firmly established throughout the world. Other cultures will use these tools, even if you do not.’
    He stared straight into the camera. ‘There will be violence soon. It will shock you with its scope and ferocity. Don’t waste your time interceding. It isn’t directed at you. It is directed at other

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