G. H. Stone: Fatal Error

Silas Ek was being logical again, Jupe thought, and the Investigators were getting nowhere fast.

“Okay,” Jupiter said, trying a different tack, “Let’s talk about Norton Rome. What was the guy doing in Rome’s apartment?”

Silas Ek took a deep breath. As Jupe had noted earlier, Norton Rome’s name seemed to make Ek nervous.

“What are you, anyway?” Ek asked. “Detectives?”

“As a matter of fact,” Jupe said, “we are!” He handed Ek a Three Investigators business card.

Ek read the card and flicked it with his thumb. “So you’re investigating Nort?”

“His disks infected our system with a computer virus. Now you’ve got a virus. We’re worried it might’ve spread all over!”

“Yes,” Ek said thoughtfully, “I can see you’re worried. But I can tell you with certainty that our virus has gone nowhere else. You’d best concentrate on whom you’ve infected.”

The security chief pulled out his wallet, and a slip of paper fell from his pocket. Jupe picked it up while Ek slid the Investigators’ card in with a stack of others in his wallet.

Jupe started to hand the paper to Ek. Then he spotted three words: WELCOME TO CHAO$!

“Give that to me!” Ek demanded, and grabbed the paper back.

Jupe didn’t need the paper to complete the message. WELCOME TO CHAO$! PAY FIVE MILLION DOLLARS, OR YOU AND YOUR DATA WILL BE ERASED!

Jupiter stared at the angry Silas Ek. Suddenly all the weird and violent events made sense!

Bob stared at Jupiter. “what’s up, Jupe?”

“Guys,” Jupiter said slowly, “I know what the connection is between our virus and Oracle’s virus.”

“What?” Bob demanded.

Jupiter explained, “You remember that message on our PC… the one that demanded five mil? Well, it wasn’t meant for us — it was meant for Oracle!” He faced the security chief. “And Mr. Ek is nervous every time we ask about Norton Rome because it’s Rome’s message. Norton Rome is blackmailing Oracle for five million dollars! ”

Silas Ek glowered. “That’s ridiculous, young man.” Jupe shook his head. “Then why’d you go looking for Rome at his apartment?”

“What makes you think I did?” Ek snapped. “The apartment manager described you,” Jupe said. “Look, sir, I’ve read about programmers blackmailing their employers, and that’s what Rome’s got to be doing to Oracle. He wants five million or his virus will wipe out your computer system. We probably have the same virus you do. Rome must’ve transferred it and the threat to our game disks, but I don’t know why.”

“Maybe it was an accident,” Bob said. “It’s easy to copy something and not know it. I’ve done it and not noticed for days!”

Jupe asked the security chief, “What’s Rome promising in return if you pay the blackmail money?”

Silas Ek’s face was ashen. “I suppose I’m going to have to tell you.” He sighed. “It’s not a matter of if. It’s when we pay the blackmail. We can’t afford to lose any more data. If we give Rome the money, he’ll give us the antidote to the virus.”

“Antidote?” Pete looked questioningly at Jupe. “A program to erase a specific virus,” Jupe explained. “See, there are antidotes around to fight known viruses. But since Rome made up his own, no one else knows it. He’s the only one who can kill it now.”

“What a mess,” Bob said.

“Yes,” Ek said glumly. “You’re smart young men, but I have to ask you to back off on this. Forget Rome.”

“No way!” Pete cried.

Ek shook his head. “You can’t help Oracle, but you can hurt us by attracting the press or screwing up the deal. If we pay off Rome, we can get back to work. We’ve kept this secret, even from most of our employees. Please promise not to tell anyone… and not to interfere.” Just then a young woman’s voice called across the Oracle grounds. “Si — lasss! Si — lasss! Look, Hack. There he is!”

The little group turned. And the Investigators stared, stunned, as the two famous Cosmic Trek stars — red-haired Hack den Zorn and blond Qute den Zorn — walked toward them.

“It’s… it’s… ” Bob tried.

“Y-y-yeah… ” Pete stammered.

Silas Ek shook hands with Hack, who was six feet five and dressed in doublet and tights. Big-jawed and muscular, Hack wore a sword in a jeweled scabbard at his side.

“Qute and Hack are here to film a soft-drink commercial,” Silas Ek explained. He introduced the eighteen-year-old twins to the Investigators, whom he described as visitors. Jupe decided that shaking Qute den Zorn’s hand was something he wouldn’t mind doing again.

“We’re early,” Qute said, and swished her long velvet skirt. “Hack got the time wrong, and he made me hurry so much I forgot my biology book. Life!” She gave Ek a kiss on the cheek.

The Investigators couldn’t take their eyes off her. Her pale corn-silk hair fell loose to her bare shoulders. She was nearly six feet tall and had an elegant, high-boned face. But why was she worried about a biology book?

As if she could read the guys’ minds, Qute explained.

“Now I can’t study between takes, which is bad news ’cause my tutor’s scheduled a big test tomorrow,” Qute smiled a frustrated smile.

“I told you, no sweat. You’ll ace it easy.” Hack turned to the Investigators and said, “You wouldn’t believe her memory. It’s like a data bank. And she reads everything !”

Qute rolled her eyes.

Silas Ek grinned. “Qute’s a brain. But she’s quiet about it.”

“Not my idea,” said Qute to the Investigators. “It’s our publicist. He’s convinced it’ll ruin my image if people know I’m smart.”

“He could be right,” said Hack cautiously.

“Nuts! Why should I stifle myself for an image? I swear, I’m going to drop out of Hollywood and go to college.”

“Qu — ute,” groaned Hack. The Investigators could tell that the twins had had this discussion many times before.

“Seriously,” Qute went on. “I wouldn’t be the first star to do it. I can always make movies in the summer.”

“And your fans will wait for you!” Bob said loyally.

“But who’s gonna believe you’re a helpless princess on the screen when you’re cramming biology the rest of the year — and your hobby is collecting weird science facts?” teased Hack.

“You collect facts too?” said Jupe without thinking. Then he blushed, embarrassed.

Qute turned her blue eyes on Jupe and studied him hopefully. “All the time,” she said. “Like: A teaspoon of seawater has as many molecules in it as there are teaspoons of water in the Atlantic Ocean. That’s from The Odd Book of Facts .”

Qute looked at Jupe expectantly.

“Go on, Jupe,” urged Bob. “Say something. She isn’t the only one who reads encyclopedias!”

“Yeah,” added Pete. “Show her your photographic memory!”

Jupiter seemed to come to life. He was shy around girls, but never around facts. “How about this?” he asked Qute. “Saturn has such a low density that if you dropped it into a bathtub it’d float like a bar of Ivory soap. That’s from Contemporary Astronomy .”

Qute laughed with delight. “Jupiter! Where have you been all my life!”

Jupe drew himself up to his full five feet eight and three-quarters inches and grinned. “Recycling just one run of the Sunday New York Times would save 75,000 trees. Zero Population Growth Reporter. ”

“Good one!” said Qute.