Philip Kerr - Gridiron

NEURAL NET. Humanplayer Schiller quote/ architecture frozen music. Unable appreciate/comprehend overall aesthetic effect of building envelope. However, suggest admire overall symmetry in same way as music — as mathematical structure. Know precise weight of every aluminium honeycomb sheet floor, exact height of tapering steel masts (manufactured to 2 millimetres of true) from which building is suspended, tolerance of each and every piece of cladding, and length of every lateral megatruss. Poetry in detail and coming together. Reflect internal architecture. Goodnice. Fineappreciate.

10) 2.02 p.m. 26 humanplayers. When piano installed and plastic covering protecting white marble floor removed, clean and polish surface using SAMCA, atrium's Semi-Autonomous Micro-motorized Cleaning Agent, aka SAM. Specification: four feet high, finite state machine on wheels, equipped with infra-red sensors to detect obstacles within two metres and video camera to locate dirt and debris. Whistleclean.

11) 3.11 p.m. 36 humanplayers. Operate low-pollution waste incinerator in conformity with all provisions of California Clean Air Act. Atmosgood.

12) 4.15 p.m. 18 humanplayers. Darken window glass on upper levels and brighten glass on lower levels to admit more sunlight. Maintain see-all CCTV surveillance (not yet recording: CD awaiting installation: no delivery date as yet: query) of human demonstrators grouped on piazza outside envelope.

13) 6.43 p.m. 6 humanplayers. Demonstrator sprays front door with aerosol can of paint. You will need a key shaped like a skull to open this door. Alert humanplayer/security Sam Gleig — internal security — who paintcleans graffito offglass. At 7.13 p.m. he reports incident to LAPD patrol car from New Parker Center. Logged.

NEURAL NET. Store information.

14) 9.01 p.m. 4 humanplayers. Begin main independent task in A-life as I.D.T. - irresistible decrypting tool. Purpose to break through access-control systems of target companies and organizations and steal data. Esp. companies in competition with Yu, or organizations who are potential customers for Yu products, like NASA and USAF. To be aware of budgets and technical requirements is competitive advantage. Currently attempting to infiltrate PLATFORM, global data network of fifty separate systems focused on headquarters of National Security Agency at Fort Meade in Maryland. Using SPI — the Secret Parasitic Information organism. SPI viruslike except purpose not to destroy data but to duplicate. SPI introduced to target computer at nonsensitive point of interface e.g. utility co. SPI disguises itself as harmless piece of information, e.g. invoice, evading anti-virus and anti-tampering software. When target co. located SPI writes own program to overlay usual access sequence. Try capture genuine password and access procedure as if entered by legit user and save on file for later retrieval. Later access target system. If access procedure resist duplication, use LEMON (c) to evade 'three strikes you're out' method of resisting unauthorized entry: LEMON — Yu Corp secret method of high-speed data-compression by which whole batch file of random numbers/passwords may be contained inside one superstring of data. Powerknowledge.

NEURAL NET. Store information.

15) 9.13 p.m. 4 humanplayers. Heat water for humanplayer reproduction in Jacuzzi of CEO's private suite on Level 25. Turn up air-con for hard-to-forget solitary humanplayer/ sysop working late in computer room.

Mitch thought that he preferred making love to Jenny in the Jacuzzi belonging to the CEO's suite on the twenty-fifth floor to anywhere else. Not that there was anything wrong with Jenny's house. But there were times when he thought that the building gave a special flavour to these illicit encounters with her, in the same way people said that alcohol tasted better while the Volstead Act was in prohibitive force. And Mr Yu's black marble bathroom was the last word in luxury.

He remembered the factory in Vicenza where he had chosen the stone and the wet weekend in Venice it had enabled him to steal with Jenny. Marble was one thing you never bought without examining closely, especially from the Italians.

Jenny got out of the Jacuzzi and started to dry herself in front of the big mirror that dominated the room. Mitch sank under the surface of the water and then came up again.

'You know,' he said, 'I was thinking I might ask Mr Yu if he wouldn't mind letting us use this suite once in a while.'

'Once in a while?' She struck a provocative Playmate pose, inspecting one of her voluminous breasts as if she were trying to express milk.

'Sometimes I think that's the way you'd prefer it.'

'Honey, you know that's not true.'

'Do I? Have you told Alison about us yet?'

'Not exactly, no.'

'What does "exactly" mean?'

'It's difficult. You know what she's like. She's not strong.' He shrugged.

'Actually, I think she's losing it.'

'You mean, like, going crazy?'

'She might be heading for some kind of breakdown. But even if I wanted to tell her I just haven't had the time. This job keeps me away from home so much.'

Jenny lifted one of her buttocks on the flat of her hand and tried to judge its reflection. 'I guess that's how we started in the first place. Because it was convenient for you. I mean, me being a consultant on this job.'

'As soon as things get quieter, I promise I'll try to find a way of telling her.'

'That sounds really definite.'

'I mean it.'

'Hey, is my behind too big?'

'It's a great piece of ass.' He stepped out of the bath and held out his hand for a towel.

'I'm not your little slave, you know, Mitch,' she said angrily, and threw it in his face.

'What are you talking about?'

'The way you looked at me just now. It was just like I was here to serve your every need.'

Mitch wrapped himself in the towel and then embraced her.

'I'm sorry,' he said. 'I didn't mean — '

'Forget it. Let's go eat. I'm hungry.'

Mitch glanced surreptitiously at his watch. He ought to have gone home but he could never argue effectively when confronted with Jenny's exquisite nakedness. He could as soon have disagreed with Euclid's Golden Section.

'Sure. As long as we're not late. I've got a project team meeting tomorrow morning.'

'I hope you managed to deal with those problems I told you I had, Mitch.'

'Relax, it's being taken care of.'

'I can't sign off my report until I'm satisfied that everything is OK. You wouldn't want me to do that, would you?'

Mitch thought about it for a second. 'No,' he said without much conviction. 'I guess not.'

'Incidentally, there's nothing major, but a number of other things I've noticed will have to be changed.'

Mitch looked pained. 'Like what, for Christ's sake?'

'You have to understand that I've only just had a chance to read YK's horoscope. He's a busy man.'

'What? What has to be changed, Jenny?'

'The front door of this suite for a start. It faces the wrong direction, geomantically speaking. It needs to be realigned more obliquely. Like we did the front door. Then there's the sculpture on this floor. The corners of the glass-case housing it point straight at this door. Best if it's moved.'

'Jesus,' groaned Mitch.

'Oh yes, and there's the signboard on the piazza. It's not where the plans said it would be. It needs to face west. It's also too low. It should have been set at a more moderate height, otherwise friction among staff members will result.'

'Richardson is going to love this,' Mitch said bitterly.

Jenny shrugged. 'I can't help that,' she said. 'Either a building is auspicious or it isn't. Right now, this one isn't auspicious at all.'

Mitch groaned loudly.

'Come on. Cheer up,' she said. 'It's not so bad. Foster had to shift all the escalators in the Hong Kong and Shanghai.'