Free Cyber Terror by Malcolm Rose Page A

where I broke in. A defeat’s where I didn’t get past security.”
    “What’s a draw?”
    “I didn’t get in, but there’s at least one loophole still to try. Look,” he said as he scrolled down, “there’s that Scottish power station. Cockenzie. A
win.”
    Jordan nodded, but concentrated on the fixture list. On Monday 5th March – the date of the Edinburgh aeroplane crash – Dipak’s log showed that he was trying to muscle his way
into the Indian government’s website. Last night, at the moment when Jordan’s car began to move mysteriously with its shocked passenger trapped inside, Dipak was wrestling with an
online electronic store. The day before, when Victoria Truman’s high-tech home went up in flames, there was no record of what Dipak was doing. When Jordan queried it, Dipak said he was simply
on his way home from work.
    Jordan knew that Dipak was familiar enough with computers to invent a false log of his activities, but it looked genuine and he’d had no time to fake it. “Have you heard of
Forew?” Jordan spelled it out to make sure.
    “Yes.”
    Jordan’s heart leaped. “What is it?” He held his breath.
    “Shorthand for foreword. You see it a lot on the web.”
    “Oh.” Jordan’s anticipation evaporated at once because Raven had already mentioned that.
    “Have you seen what you want?” Dipak asked. “No aeroplanes or air traffic control systems.”
    “I guess so.”
    Dipak gazed at him. “Are you going to keep your word?”
    “Yes,” Jordan answered. Then he added a threat. “Unless I find out you haven’t been on the level with me.”
    Dipak nodded towards the screen. “I’ve shown you everything. Honest. Totally open.”
    “I hope so,” Jordan replied. “I’ll leave you to it now. But you’ve still got some explaining to do.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “You’ve got to tell your mate what happened to his car.”
    HiSpec MicroSystems had refused to cooperate. According to Raven, the cagey company was not willing to provide a list of its employees. So Jordan had come up with a different
tactic to find out who worked there.
    But, standing outside HiSpec’s factory on the outskirts of Cambridge, he might have been looking at a fortress or a prison. Even late at night, floodlights blazed all around the premises,
illuminating the car park and every approach. Jordan could see two guards in the security block at the front of the main building. Set to maximum, his eyesight picked out closed-circuit TV cameras
at every corner. Breaking into the company and stealing a list of its staff suddenly seemed ridiculous and impossible.
    Frustrated, he walked away with a sigh.
    But he wasn’t downhearted for long. He had another idea for discovering who worked for the electronics giant. All he needed was help from someone like Merrick Breeze or Dipak Hardikar. He
chose Dipak.

 
10 CYBER STORM
    On his mobile, Jordan said to Angel, “I’m staying in the Suffolk safe house tonight so I can see a hacker in the morning. He’ll get me into HiSpec’s
files.”
    “A virtual break-in has its advantages. Was it Raven’s idea?”
    “No. Mine.”
    “Can you be sure your hacker’s not Short Circuit?” Angel asked.
    “Not totally, no. But I don’t think so.”
    “Stay focused, Jordan. Don’t drop your guard.”
    “Okay. But...”
    “What?”
    “I think I’ll have to bribe him to get what I want.”
    “Bribe him with what?”
    “I’m using him because he’s an illegal immigrant,” Jordan said. “I bet he’ll do anything for a British passport or whatever he needs to stay in this
country.”
    “A thousand pounds would be easier.”
    Jordan replied, “The passport’s worth a lot more to him.”
    “Well...”
    “You did it for the new me.”
    “All right. If he delivers the goods, put all his details into the system – including a mugshot – and I’ll pull a few strings. Now,” Angel continued,
“I’ve got a couple of jobs for you while you’re up