doing. The AI and game-playing concepts were easier, and we got tangled in a complicated argument about gaming concepts.
We gave up at lunchtime, and I went looking for Maggie. She was in the director's office working with a business terminal. The director was hovering in the outer office, pretending to supervise a harassed-looking secretary.
"Ah. There you are," she said when I walked in. "All done?"
"Yeah. We ought to get a cheeseburger or something."
The director fussed over her as we went out, and shook my hand. As he turned back and Maggie went out through the door, his face flattened in a distinct look of relief.
"I think that guy was happy to see us go," I said.
"Yes," she said. "I scare him. Can't think why."
At Anshiser's we went through the wait-in-the-sitting-room routine again, and I spent some more time looking at the Whistler. When she came and got me, I thought I'd figured out how he did it.
"Maggie said you were a little worried that I might be nuts," Anshiser said cheerfully, when we walked into his office.
I glanced over at her and she grinned. "Yeah, a little."
"Good. If you didn't, we'd be worried about your stability. But we want you to understand how strongly we feel about this. I think about it constantly. I can't sleep, I can't do business. It might be crazy. But we've talked it out and we don't think so."
"So what do I do? Specifically?" I asked, dropping into his visitor's chair.
"First, we want your agreement that if you decide not to take the job, what we discuss never goes out of this office."
I wouldn't talk anyway. Talk wouldn't get me anything but a conspiracy indictment. I relaxed and crossed my legs. "Sure. If you want to take my word for it."
"Our research indicated that we could."
"I'd like to know about that research," I said. "How did you find me?"
"Dillon found you. Dillon is the best researcher in the United States. The Library of Congress calls him," Anshiser said. "When we found out what had happened, that String had been stolen, we knew we'd probably lose the competition for the contract. Oh, we wriggled and turned and twisted, and talked to lawyers and patent specialists, and the answer kept coming up the same. So I assigned Dillon to the problem. I told him to forget any parameters at all-just find a solution. As it happens, there is one. Maybe. It just isn't legal."
I glanced over at Dillon and the gray man smiled again. "That's true," he said.
Anshiser continued. "To save ourselves, we have to put their ass in a sling. Then, maybe, I can work some kind of deal."
"What kind of deal?"
"We'll have to see. An acquisition. Maybe we can buy them. Maybe a merger. I don't know. But I need an edge."
"I thought these guys were your blood enemies?"
"I can live with enemies. I just can't watch the company go down. If I can hustle them into a merger, I can take care of them later. Right now, there's no reason in the world they should talk to us. We need to give them a reason."
He turned back to the desk and picked up a black-bound typescript. "This is Dillon's report. In general, it says the best way to stop Whitemark is through their computer systems-design systems, accounting systems, information systems, scheduling, and materials. Altering them, destroying them, faking them out."
"This is a defense industry," I said. "If we're caught, they'll drop us in Leavenworth for the rest of time."
"Ah. Now that's something Dillon's report covers quite thoroughly," said Anshiser. "I will give you a contract outlining the kind of attack I want. If you are arrested, you will present the authorities with a copy of the contract. I will voluntarily confirm that I hired you to do this work. You will instantly become a very small fry."
"And you join me at Leavenworth."
"No. I don't think so. I'm not absolutely sure, of course, but I don't think so. If I am arrested, or any of my people are arrested, I will publicly discuss the contributions I have given our president over the past
We gave up at lunchtime, and I went looking for Maggie. She was in the director's office working with a business terminal. The director was hovering in the outer office, pretending to supervise a harassed-looking secretary.
"Ah. There you are," she said when I walked in. "All done?"
"Yeah. We ought to get a cheeseburger or something."
The director fussed over her as we went out, and shook my hand. As he turned back and Maggie went out through the door, his face flattened in a distinct look of relief.
"I think that guy was happy to see us go," I said.
"Yes," she said. "I scare him. Can't think why."
At Anshiser's we went through the wait-in-the-sitting-room routine again, and I spent some more time looking at the Whistler. When she came and got me, I thought I'd figured out how he did it.
"Maggie said you were a little worried that I might be nuts," Anshiser said cheerfully, when we walked into his office.
I glanced over at her and she grinned. "Yeah, a little."
"Good. If you didn't, we'd be worried about your stability. But we want you to understand how strongly we feel about this. I think about it constantly. I can't sleep, I can't do business. It might be crazy. But we've talked it out and we don't think so."
"So what do I do? Specifically?" I asked, dropping into his visitor's chair.
"First, we want your agreement that if you decide not to take the job, what we discuss never goes out of this office."
I wouldn't talk anyway. Talk wouldn't get me anything but a conspiracy indictment. I relaxed and crossed my legs. "Sure. If you want to take my word for it."
"Our research indicated that we could."
"I'd like to know about that research," I said. "How did you find me?"
"Dillon found you. Dillon is the best researcher in the United States. The Library of Congress calls him," Anshiser said. "When we found out what had happened, that String had been stolen, we knew we'd probably lose the competition for the contract. Oh, we wriggled and turned and twisted, and talked to lawyers and patent specialists, and the answer kept coming up the same. So I assigned Dillon to the problem. I told him to forget any parameters at all-just find a solution. As it happens, there is one. Maybe. It just isn't legal."
I glanced over at Dillon and the gray man smiled again. "That's true," he said.
Anshiser continued. "To save ourselves, we have to put their ass in a sling. Then, maybe, I can work some kind of deal."
"What kind of deal?"
"We'll have to see. An acquisition. Maybe we can buy them. Maybe a merger. I don't know. But I need an edge."
"I thought these guys were your blood enemies?"
"I can live with enemies. I just can't watch the company go down. If I can hustle them into a merger, I can take care of them later. Right now, there's no reason in the world they should talk to us. We need to give them a reason."
He turned back to the desk and picked up a black-bound typescript. "This is Dillon's report. In general, it says the best way to stop Whitemark is through their computer systems-design systems, accounting systems, information systems, scheduling, and materials. Altering them, destroying them, faking them out."
"This is a defense industry," I said. "If we're caught, they'll drop us in Leavenworth for the rest of time."
"Ah. Now that's something Dillon's report covers quite thoroughly," said Anshiser. "I will give you a contract outlining the kind of attack I want. If you are arrested, you will present the authorities with a copy of the contract. I will voluntarily confirm that I hired you to do this work. You will instantly become a very small fry."
"And you join me at Leavenworth."
"No. I don't think so. I'm not absolutely sure, of course, but I don't think so. If I am arrested, or any of my people are arrested, I will publicly discuss the contributions I have given our president over the past
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