XXV - Computers

Kamon was in the outer area of his Senate office anxiously awaiting Elbe's arrival. The young man finally walked through the door.

"Elbe," Kamon said, "would you come into my office, please?"

Kamon led the way into his private office. He closed the door behind them. He motioned to a chair. "Sit down, Elbe." Kamon sat behind his desk. His tone was somber. "Elbe, I don't want anything that's said in this office to go outside this room -- EVER. In fact, this conversation never happened. If you ever claim it did, I'll deny it, not for my sake, but for yours. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," Elbe answered, but he was clearly confused.

"If at anytime during the course of this conversation," Kamon went on, "you feel uncomfortable and wish to leave, I'll understand. Don't feel pressured. This is not a part of your employment. On a very personal level, I need your help. This would be a great personal favor, one that I could never repay. Alright?"

Elbe nodded. "Yes, sir." He remained confused, though honored. He felt close to the councilman at this moment, the man he most admired in all the world.

"What do you know about Ingraham Memorial Temple Prison?" Kamon launched into the subject on his mind.

"It's where they keep prisoners convicted of state religious crimes," Elbe answered. "Many of them are notorious." Elbe hesitated, then finished. "It's also where Jasmine is being kept."

"I'm interested in the security at Ingraham," Kamon explained. "How the guards operate and, more importantly, the security systems themselves. How does anyone move around inside the prison? What controls the locks? That sort of thing. I get the impression that the place is highly computerized. I was hoping you might know something about that."

"Well," Elbe began, "I don't claim to know a lot about Ingraham, but your impression is correct, Councilman -- computers are a vital part of security at the prison. It's actually a quite fascinating development. Ingraham Memorial Temple Prison was built over two hundreds years ago. Most of the huge wooden stakes making up the perimeter of the fortress are part of the original construction. A few of the buildings inside date that far back as well. The system of locks was fairly standard over the years. However, five years ago, all the locks were replaced. A physical key is no longer needed. All the new locks are electronically controlled by a state of the art computer system. Biometric retina scanners are used to identify those individuals with authorization to open doors in various sections of Ingraham. If the individual has sufficient authorization, she types in some commands at a terminal and the lock opens."

"Retina scanners?" Kamon's intense interest was obvious. "How does that work?"

"A light beam is reflected off a guard's retina," Elbe explained. "Her unique pattern of blood vessels is recorded in digitized form. This pattern is then converted to an algorithm and stored in a database. The blending of an older facility like Ingraham with technology as modern as this is really quite fascinating."

"The computer system at Ingraham," Kamon suggested, "can you gain access to it?"

"That would be illegal, sir."

"I'm aware of that, Elbe. Probably very little of what we'll be discussing is legal. That's why I'm insistent that this conversation is not happening. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Elbe answered tentatively. Then, "No, sir."

"I'm getting Jasmine out of there," Kamon stated bluntly. "I don't care what I have to do to get that done. Now do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"And I don't want anyone to ever think or suspect that you had a hand in this," Kamon reiterated. "Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"So," Kamon said, "can you gain access to the computer system at Ingraham?"

"I believe it's theoretically possible, sir. Most of the computer systems in Positron are linked, like a Harel spider web. The purpose is for the members of government and the clergy to have access to the vast amounts of information stored on data bases. Ingraham would need that data as much as anyone. That would be the link in."

"Try it," Kamon commanded.

Elbe's eyes went to the computer terminal in Kamon's office. "From here, sir?"

"Yes," Kamon answered.

Elbe rose and went to the terminal behind the councilman's desk. Kamon stepped out of his way, grabbed another chair and took a seat beside his aide.

"Use my sign on, Elbe," Kamon further ordered.

"It's highly unlikely this would be traced, sir."

"Nevertheless, use my sign on," Kamon said. "You're not to take any chances, remember?"

"Yes, sir."

Thirty minutes passed. Kamon watched in silence as Elbe tapped away on the keyboard. He noted the intensity on Elbe's face. The young man was easily absorbed by the complexities of the computer systems in Positron. A frown would occasionally appear on Elbe's face, a pause, some light tapping on the keyboard, then furious movement of his fingers.

Finally, a triumphant smile came to Elbe's face. "Ingraham Memorial Temple Prison, sir....We're there!"

"Can you gain access to the menus which change authorizations for the locks?"

"Maybe," Elbe answered.

More tapping on the keyboard followed. Thirty minutes passed.

Kamon noted the frown on Elbe's face. "Difficult, huh?"

"It's designed to be difficult, sir." There was a hint of frustration in Elbe's voice. But ten minutes later, Elbe's fingers scurried across the keyboard. A broad grin came to the young man's face as he proclaimed, "We're in!"

"Can you give me authorization to open any lock at Ingraham?" Kamon asked eagerly.

Elbe frowned. "Your retinal pattern would need to be on file there in order for me to do that."

"It's on file!" Kamon was hopeful.

"It is?" Elbe was puzzled. "Why would that be, sir?"

"I went there yesterday," Kamon explained. "Spoke with a guard at the front gate. She made me get a retinal scan."

Elbe's fingers were already bouncing on the keyboard. "That is most fortunate, sir.....Yes! I see it. Kamon -- Councilman -- Province of Sparrow Hawk."

"Give me access to everything at Ingraham!" Kamon ordered excitedly. "I want authorization to open every lock that's there! I want rights to change anything!"

"I believe I can do that, sir," Elbe answered even as his fingers danced on the keyboard. A couple of minutes later, he announced, "It's done."

"What about the layout of the prison?" Kamon asked. "Is there any way I could get Jasmine out undetected? Even if I can open the locks, someone would eventually see us. We would have to pass by attended stations. Is there any way I could possibly avoid that?"

"I don't know, sir. Let me bring up some schematic diagrams of the prison." A minute later, Elbe had an engineer's diagram of Ingraham Memorial Prison on the screen. He went from one drawing to another. "I'm really not very good at reading schematics, sir."

"You're doing fine, Elbe," Kamon encouraged him.

Ten minutes later, Elbe spoke about what he was reading. "Did you know they had an access tunnel dug into the hill on which Ingraham was built? A secret passage way, if you will. According to this, it was part of the original construction."

"No, I didn't know," Kamon answered. "Does it still exist? Can it be used?"

"I don't know," Elbe said quietly, absorbed by the images on the screen. "I wonder why they felt it was needed. Perhaps," he speculated, "if there was ever an insurrection, the authorities would have some secretive means by which to gain access to the prison."

"Can it still be used?!" Kamon asked again anxiously.

A minute later, Elbe answered. "Yes. According to this, the door to the tunnel is a part of the electronic locking system." Elbe turned to Kamon. "The tunnel should still be there, sir. But after two centuries, I wouldn't want to guarantee that the passageway remains intact. There's no indication from these records, for instance, that electricity was ever added inside the tunnel itself. That hints at a lack of maintenance."

"But the fact that an electronic lock was added to the door of the tunnel," Kamon said, "suggests that someone thought it was still useful."

Elbe nodded in agreement. "That would seem reasonable, sir."

"Which building has access to the tunnel?" Kamon asked.

"The Chambers Building." Elbe answered.

"What about Jasmine?" Kamon asked. "Where is she being kept?"

Elbe's fingers returned to the keyboard. "Block Seven in the same building, Chambers," he announced after a minute. "Block Seven is the isolation section of Ingraham. There are no exterior windows. Lighting is poor. It is so named because there are seven rooms through which the prisoner can roam. It is used only for a condemned prisoner. The dark conditions and empty rooms are designed to remind the prisoner of the emptiness of her mortal life because of the heinous religious crime she has committed." Elbe paused. "Uh, sorry, sir. I was just relating the intended purpose of Block Seven as described by the priestesses."

"I understand that, Elbe. I know the intended purpose of Block Seven. Where exactly is it in the Chambers Building?"

Elbe studied a diagram for a moment, then spoke. "It's in the basement."

"The same level as the door leading to the tunnel, correct?" Kamon was almost ecstatic at the possibility of good fortune.

"Yes, sir."

"Perfect!!" He felt like hugging Elbe.

END OF CHAPTER