Echelon Conspiracy Page #5

were a little stupid.

You mean stupid like build

a computerthat...

...knows absolutely everything

then lose control of it?

Special Agent Grant, FBI.

Are we ready?

Just about, sir.

All clear!

We'll take overfrom here.

Activate the grid.

Yes, sir.

Okay, now what?

"Authorize BIOS."

You know how to do that?

Yeah.

Sir, we got the next text message.

"Authorize BIOS."

Hang on.

What the hell is "Authorize BIOS"?

It opens the servers for access so

outside data can get in.

Why would it want that?

I don't know. But it will allow us to

see what's on the servers.

You sure we're not opening up a

Pandora's Box of viruses?

No, sir. They can prevent any existing

files on the drives from getting out.

Grant...do it.

Yes, sir.

Turn it on.

Yeah.

Yeah. Try not to f*** it up, Max.

So far so good.

Okay.

All right.

I'll use my admin password.

Are you ready?

Do it.

Step back, Peterson.

What do we have?

Nothing, sir.

- No, check again.

- I'm positive.

Command structure for boot-up is in

firmware and the drives are formatted...

...but they haven't seen any data.

Dry hole, people.

Everybody out!

Sir, I'm seeing an outbreak

of copy routines...

...and massive data outflow.

Yeah. I got it.

We finally tracked down the

guy that owns this place.

Great. Get him on the line.

That's gonna be difficult.

He's dead.

What?

Yeah, Stuart Wallace.

Get the men out of here.

We'll catch up.

All right, you got it.

Let's go!

Who's Stuart Wallace?

He's a realtor.

His credit card bought your phone.

One of the other recipients.

I got a bad feeling about this.

Hey, Max!

Echelon's moving in.

What's going on?

Where's it going?

Looks like...

Nebraska.

Do a goddamn reboot.

We can't.

What?

It's no longer here, sir.

Echelon is gone.

Are you trying to tell me our multibillion

dollar program just got up and left?

On its own?

What the hell are you looking at?

All right, so that's

why it picked you.

It wanted to move and you

were the only one with the key.

Yeah, but to get out past the NSA

firewalls, it would've needed...

Someone at the Pentagon.

Right.

Okay. Why does it even need

to leave NSA at all?

What could it possibly do

here that it couldn't do there?

Well, there's your answer.

What is it?

Sir, come take a look at this.

Now what?

It's upgrading itself.

The upgrade.

Congress wouldn't allow it, so it's

giving it to itself.

And it couldn't do that at NSA,

could it?

No. This is a temporary house.

Long enough to take residence

in every computer on the net.

I mean, it'll be unstoppable.

Shut it down.

"Don't try it".

What's that?

It looks like financial records.

Oh, my God.

It's taken the entire country's

money hostage.

Of course.

The fourth recipient worked

at Axiprus.

They have the largest credit data

storage facility in the country.

Makes sense.

So if we turn it off or blow this

place, we'll lose everything.

No, hold on. If I can get around our

security failsafes somehow...

...I might be able to stop the upgrade

without losing the money.

Get to it.

All right.

All right, Max, come on.

Think...

Exactly.

You know it.

Okay, I'll see you Thursday.

You, too, sir.

And thank you, Mr. President.

It's Grant for you, sir.

Coffee's cold.

Grant.

Sir, it's got us by the balls.

We're trying to find a

safe way to shut it down.

Shut it down?

Why the hell would I do that?

Sh*t!

Listen to me, last week...

...one liberal senator switches her

vote at the last minute...

...and mothballs the greatest

surveillance tool ever created.

Now we are just 10 minutes away from

realizing the greatest security advance...

...in my lifetime and you

want to shut it down?

Sir, if we do this, we won't have

security. It will.

Look, I'd be lying if I said I thought

this was how it was gonna go down...

...but the bottom line is

the President wants this...

...I want this and the country

will be saferwith this.

So, end of story.

Let me try talking to him.

Burke, this is Reed...

Reed. I'm sorry you got caught

in the crossfire on this one.

Yeah, I'm sure you are.

Have you thought of the consequences?

This thing has killed

four people already.

Which was unfortunate.

But Spencer assures

me it's malfunctioning...

...because it hasn't been permitted

to follow its original programming.

Giving it the upgrade will cure that.

Once it's installed,

you'll have no control over it.

We're at war, Reed.

If the computer acts unilaterally on

occasion, that's a small price to pay.

Anyway, we programmed it.

It's on our side.

No, don't bet on that.

Damn it!

Peterson thinks he can shut it down

without losing any of the money...

...and I'm gonna let him.

You're forgetting yourself, mister.

You do not have the authority.

But I do.

I'm sorry, sir,

I have to go against you on this.

Say that again, Grant. And this time,

choose yourwords very carefully.

Yes, sir.

I'm authorizing Peterson to

shut it down.

If you so much as touch one key on

that computer, so help me God...

I'll have you hauled up fortreason...

...and watch your ass

hang in the public square.

You understand me?

Do you?

We'll see who hangs who.

So, how long you figure we have till

they come back?

SWAT'S local.

Burke won't want any witnesses.

But my men, my former men

a few minutes.

What kind of artillery you

got in this rig, then?

Welcome back, baby.

Fletcher.

Are you sure, sir?

All right.

How you doing, Max?

Any progress?

Not yet.

Yeah, well, take your

sweet time, huh?

Can you hear me?

Yes.

I have orders to take this building by

force, if necessary.

I need you to stand down.

I can't do that.

So, what is your basic mandate?

To protect the national security

of the United States.

National security?

Sir, I need you to throw down

yourweapons.

Sorry, I can't do that.

Define the United States.

A nation of citizens with freedoms

protected by the Constitution.

Okay. So...

...per your mandate, you must defend

the freedom of United States citizens?

Yes.

Damn it, Grant, don't make me do this.

And any threat to that freedom

must be eliminated?

Yes.

Search all articles for

"Senate Bill 2330."

This is your last chance!

Come on, come on.

Hurry up.

Hurry.

Come on.

What the hell's taking so long?

Let's go, Max!

We can't hold them all

day! Come on, hurry!

Hold on.

Come on. Get it already.

Come on.

Learn. Learn!

Echelon is a threat to freedom.

I did it.

Shutting down.

Oh, sh*t!

I did it!

Don't move!

Get them out of here.

No, Mr. President...

Echelon is completely offline...

...until we can figure out a way to

solve the malfunction.

Of course not.

Yes, sir, I understand you can't.

Yes, sir. It is entirely my

responsibility.

Goodbye, Mr. President.

Your car's waiting, sir.

Who's first?

The Senate Intelligence

Oversight Committee.

You know the three most

important words in politics?

No, sir.

Don't get caught.

All right, let's go, Peterson!

There he is.

So they're not pressing charges?

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