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administration, the
policy, and the credentials of those who wrote the detailed
implementation plan."
    "You're saying the documents are not
important, and I should what...search for another source?"
    "No. Dal, there's no story here. What are
you going to do, knock on every think tank's door and ask if
someone lost a flash drive? I imagine such amateur behavior is
beneath the talents of a journalist of your caliber."
    "What do you recommend?"
    "Well I know you like to follow your
instincts. But why not ask the restaurant to put the drive in
lost-and-found and wait until a customer picks it up. If someone
was working hard on putting all the research together they'll want
to claim their property before another idea wonk steals their
opinions."
    "Lost-and-found?"
    "Yes."
    "For documents professing racism and sexism
may be coded into online websites and government departments? For
policies about weaponizing civilian drones?" Marco stiffened. "You
think these are lost-and-found ideas? Marco, I have never even
heard of some of these plans. The one for replacing the entire
public school system with computers is almost completely mapped out
in detail, for every state."
    "Washington is full of people who perform
comprehensive research and planning, Dal. They live off the
challenge. They want to be the first to tell the government they
thought of all the possibilities, and the ones to hand the full
story to the right members of Congress to discuss in committee.
Details do not make the content real."
    "These documents look real."
    "Listen, I cannot spend all day discussing
this with you. Either you believe me or you don't. But you're my
friend Dal, so listen to a friend's warning. I highly recommend you
do not publish these documents or any of the content or even repeat
the names of the titles of the files. And I am specifically warning
you not to make any reference to FedSec or FedSec's template or
discussions with FedSec's director in connection with these files.
Do you understand?"
    Dallas stared at him, searching his face for
a hint of leeway. "What are these files, Marco? I can tell you know
more than you're saying."
    "What files?"
    "Marco."
    "I do not know what you are talking about.
The content on this drive is not FedSec documents. Do you
understand?"
    "Whose documents are on the drive?"
    "I do not know."
    "Yes you do."
    "Do you want to accuse the director of
FedSec of lying? If so, we will be walking down a different road,
my friend."
    "I'm not accusing you of anything."
    "Good, now what are you going to do
next?"
    "What do you mean?"
    "You know what I mean."
    "I'm not sure what I'll do next."
    "I'll give you some advice. I'm going to let
you go which one day you may discover is an extraordinary gesture
on my part. You're going to go home and continue with your life. I
once again highly recommend you do not talk about the document
contents or this meeting or anything at all connected to the last
few hours from the time the drive was handed to you." Marco paused.
"Actually who did hand you the drive?" Dallas did not respond. "Do
you want to force us to find out?"
    "What will you do?"
    "Depends on the circumstances. Was the
individual an unknowing citizen?"
    "Yes, totally innocent. Some cleaning lady
found the drive in Infrared and gave it to the restaurant's owner
Fresno Tyler and he gave it to me."
    "Why would he give you these documents?"
    "Because he..." Dallas stopped. "Why do you
want to know?"
    "Why do you think?"
    "Marco no," Dallas's insisted, her voice
rising in panic. "Frez has nothing to do with my investigation into
these files."
    "Did he give the drive to you because he
read the contents?"
    "Marco, no. His involvement is totally
innocent. He has no idea what he saw."
    "We'll be the judge of that."
    "What do you mean?"
    "We cannot have people claiming to have read
FedSec documents when the material is not from FedSec."
    "What are you going to do?"
    "Focus on the advice I have given you. You
do understand the advice I