“Youneverdidkeepyourpromise,”MeiLinsaidsuddenly.Caldwellalmostchokedonhisfood.
ItwasdefinitelyonewaytobreaktheiceandshewasbeginningtogetunfortablewiththeintensityofCaldwell’sstare.AsmuchasCaldwelldidn’twanttoadminit,MeiLinhadturnedouttobeevenmoreattractivethanwhenshewasateenager.Herfeatureswerealotstronger,moreintense.Herbodywaslithelikeaballetdancerwithwell-tonedmuscles.Herfacewasalotmoreassured.Tonight,shewaswearingastraplesstopwhichtoldanyonewhocaredtolookthatshespentalotoftimeinthegymandthedojo.Shehadwideelegantshouldersandapactmidrifftaperingofftoaslimwaist.Hereyeshadn’tchangedmuch.TheywereslightlydarkerinthesubduedlightoftheVietnameserestaurantlocatedastone’sthrowfromShekOBeach.
CaldwellknewthatdeepinsidehehopedthathismemoriesofherwerenotmanufacturedbyHYDRA.Hefounditdifficulttokeephiseyesawayfromherface,willinghertobeetransparentsothathecouldseethroughher.Whateverhehadfeltforherinthosememoriesofallthoseyearsagowasstillflowingbelowthesurfacelikeprecipitationinawatertable.
“It’salongstory.OneIonlyfoundoutmyselflessthanforty-eighthoursago.”
“Soyoukeepsaying.I’mlistening,”MeiLinsaidsimply.Therewasalookofintenseemotionalpainonherface,thekindthathadbeenpainstakinglyburiedonlytohaveitreluctantlydugupagain.Herthinpinklipswerepursed.Hereyeshadturnedintopoolsofsquidink,opaqueandtotallyunreadable.Wassheacting,bolsteringtheperceivedauthenticityofhisrecentlyacquiredmemoriesofher?
“ThetruthisIdon’tknowwhathappenedtomeafterthedayImetyou.YouseeIhadmymemoryerasedbyHYDRAsixyearsago.”Caldwellpausedfordramaticeffectandtostudyherreaction.
“Youdon’texpectmetobelievethatdoyou?HYDRAdoesn’tdothosekindsofthings.Atanyrate,thereisnodataofthisinyourfile.”Wasshekeepingupthepretences,toeingtheofficialline?
“Andthatmeansitdidn’thappen,right?Youwillbesurprised.IthinkyouwillbelievemebythetimeIamfinished,”Caldwellsaidwiththinly-veiledsarcasm.
“OK,goon.”Therewasaspecterofincredulityinhereyesbutitdidn’tlooklikeithadanystayingpower.Caldwellfeltthattheicehadbeensomewhatbrokenandhewouldbeabletomakesomeprogressinmakingherbelievehim.Yet,hewasanythingbutplacent.Hecouldnottrusther.
“AsfarasIwasawareIknewnothingaboutFoulerorHYDRAuntilyesterdaymorningwhenIwenttotheDocklandstomeetahackerfriendIknewonlyasGlyph.Untilthen,Glyphhadbeenanonlineassociateonly.Wehadnevermetintheflesh.Ifitwasn’tforGlyph,andtheworkthathepassedontome,IwouldstillbesleepingroughunderWaterlooBridge.”
“Youweresleepingrough?”
“Yeah,ahomelessmunebelowWaterlooBridge.Theauthoritiesturnedablindeye.Welivedoffthestreets.Terribletimesbutmadesomelifelongfriends.”
“Howdidyouendupthere?”TherewassomethingCaldwellrecognizedasempathyinhereyes.
“Truthis,IwokeuponedayandthereIwas.TheareabelowWaterlooBridgehasareputationasaplacetoabandonunwantedinfantsandIguessfolkswhohavehadtheirmemorieserased.Basically,unwantedmembersofthehumanracewhothesystemcannotbringitselftomurderincoldblood.”
“Nowonder.”
“Nowonderwhat?”
“NowonderI’vebeensomiserablemostoftheseyears.”
“Howdoyoumean?”
“Founditimpossibletobehappy.Feltlikeahugepartofmewasmissing.Idon’tknowwhy,butIhadafeelingyouweresuffering.Beforehepassedaway,Itoldmygrandfatheraboutmeetingyousoonafterthatday.HeaskedmetotellhimasmuchasIknewaboutyou.ItoldhimeverythingIknew,whichwasalotsinceI’dbeeninlovewithyouforyearsbeforewemetthatdayoutsidetheschool.Ievengotafriendtogetmeaprintoutofyourschoolrecords.Mygrandfatherisatrainedfortunetellerandfengshuimaster.HesaidyouwouldfindmuchsufferinginLondonbutwillonlyfindpeaceandhappinesswhenyoureturnhometoNewChina.WhenyounevercontactedmeIguessedyouwerestillinLondon.”
Wasn’tshelayingitonabitthick,allthisstuffaboutbeingunhappy?ShelookedperfectlyOKtohim.
“IwishnowIhadcontactedyou.Icouldhavesavedmyselfalotofhasslebyjustquittingtheagencyandingbackhere.”
“IwantedtofindyoubutbythetimeIgotyourfamily’sphonenumberfromtheschoolrecords,youweregoneandyourparent’shouseonCaineRoadwasalreadyupforsale,accordingtothepropertyagentwhopickedupthephone.”
“Ahright.Thehouse.Foulerdidn’tsayawordaboutthat?WhatdoyouknowaboutFouler?”
“HYDRA.GlobalHeadofOperations.Inhisyouthhewasoneofthemostinfamousphreakerstoeverwalkthefaceoftheearth.Hisforte,apparently,wastobringdownentiretelemunicationsnetworks,untiltheauthoritiescaughtupwithhimandmadehimanofferhecouldn’trefuse.Didsometimeinare-educationfacilityandjoinedHYDRAsoonafterwardsinS&D.Quitearesume.Infact,HYDRAisnowprobablyhisownpersonaloperation.Hekeepsthenamefortheinternationalrecognitionfactorandthefactthatitopenscertainhigh-leveldoors.IsuspectthattheumbrellaagencycutHYDRAloosealongtimeagoandnowitisfundedwithFouler’sownmoney.”
“Interesting.Alotofthingsarebeginningtomakesense.Anyway,wherewasI?Right,IwasmeetingwithGlyphinapubwhenthesetwoJapaneseYakuzathugsstartedtakingshotsatus.Glyphgothit.Imanagedtobreakoutthewindowontothestreet.TheJapanesewerejustabouttokillmeorkidnapme,whoknows,whenthisblackelectriclimopullsupandIambundledin.InsideisFouler.HetellsmethisstoryabouthowIusedtobesomehotshotinS&Dbutsomehowgrewaconscienceandthreatenedtoouttheagency,topublishitsdarkestsecretsincyberspace.Hesaidtheagencyhadnochoicebuttowipemymemorycleananddumpmeonthestreet.IendedupunderWaterlooBridgeaboutsixyearsagowithlittleornomemoryofmypast.”
“Isee.”
“InthelimoFoulertellsmewhatIhadsuspectedearlier,thattheJapanesewereafterthiscustomconsole,whichwassenttomebyoneKenzoYamamoto,adealerininformation.Somesayhewasintodatablackmail.”
“WhydidthisYamamotosendthisconsoletoyou?”
“AtTheHUB,essentiallyahackerbulletinboardIwasamemberof,hewasoneofourbiggestclients.”
“AndhowdidyougofromsleepingroughunderWaterlooBridgetoTheHUB?”MeiLinwasstillnotbuyingthestorypletely.
“Therewereafewlow-levelhackersinWaterloowhousedtoretrieveoldputerpartsfromcorporategarbagedumpsandre-buildworkingmachines.Theydidthistomakealiving,resoldtheputersatfleamarketsandthelike.Occasionallysomeonefoundsomevaluabledataresidinginsectorsonthosediscardedharddrives.Anyway,oneofthoseguysgavemethisnetbaseaddresswhileweweregoingthroughthejunk,saidIcouldfindhackingjobsthereifIcouldteachmyselfhowtodoit.Atthetime,IwastryingtoputtogetheraputerIcouldactuallyuse.IhadnoideawhyIhadthisinsatiableneedtobuildonebutintheendIdidanditturnedoutIhadapropensityforthethings.Ihadnoideaatthetime.Now,Iknowwhy.Soeventuallygottomessagingthisguyonthenetbaseandwekindofstartedanonlinefriendship.AroundthattimeIstartedhackingtheUnionsystemsinabidtofindoutaboutmypastbutIalwayscameupblank.Afewmonthslater,IgotacceptedintoTheHUBanddiscoveringthisnewworldpersuadedmetotryandbreakoutoftheviciouscycleofWaterlooBridgeafterclosetofouryearsthereandmakesomekindofalifeformyself.IsetupanofficialnetbaseasC/COnlineInvestigations.MyfortewastofindmissingpeoplebutIalsodidotherjobsthatwentintograyerterritories.AfteralmostayearofborrowingpowerandconnectivityfrompublicinfrastructurebelongingtobothUnionElectricandUnionTele,ImadeenoughmoneytoleaveWaterlooBridge.IstartedgoingwherevertheworkwasintheUnion,Antwerp,Maastricht,Vladivostok.ThenGlyphpickedupaclientwhohadenoughworktogoaroundandsoonweweredoingquitewellforourselveseventhoughGlyphastheownerofTheHUBtookthelion’sshare.ThatclientwasKenzoYamamoto.AsithappenedKenzoneededsomejobsthatGlyphcouldn’tdeliveronandhereferredhimtome.AfteralotofrigmaroleestablishingthatIwastrustworthy,Istarteddoingtheoddjobforhimwithsomesuccess.Untilaboutnineweeksago,hisprojectskeptmeinenoughEurocredittoberegularlyholedupincapsulehotelsaroundtheUnion.”
“So,whathappenednineweeksago?”
“IgotananonymousjobthroughtheHUBtostealtheprivatebankingclientlistoftheSumitomoBankinTokyo,pletewithaccountnumbers,passwords,credithistoryandsoon.Thisislowlevelwork,stuffIcanusuallydowithmyeyesclosed.Yet,therunwasapletefailure.IhadintrusiondetectionbotsfollowingmeallthewaybacktotheUnion.Imanagedtoavoiddetection,butinexplicablynewsofthefailedrunwaspropagatedallovertheUnionhackerbulletinboards.ThegeneralgistwasthatIhadpromisedthesecurityoftheHUBandthelivelihoodsofthehackers.Ibecamepersonanongrata.Workdriedup,”
“AndKenzowasbehindthewholething?”
“God,youaresharp.Ididn’trealizeatthetimebutIfoundoutfromtheconsole,fromtheavatarKenzorecordedbeforehedied,thathehadbeenbehinditall.”
“Andtheconsole?Howdiditeintoyourpossession?”
“YesterdayitshowsupinthepostwithKenzo’scallingcard.HesaysI’llneeditforanupingmission.Youcanimagine,thissoundedlikethebigdeal.Itwasanopportunitytostoplivinginfoam-paddedplasticlockersthatcountedyourlifedownbytheminute.AndIamrunningoutofcreditwaitingforKenzotosurfaceagainwhenGlyphmessagesme.WemeetandhetellsmeKenzoisdead.AndtheYakuzashowuptryingtoretrievetheconsoleandprobablydispatchmetomymaker.ThenFoulershowsupsayinghehasthekeytomypast.Heisacleverman.Heunlocksenoughwiththesetriggershehasinhispockettomakemerememberthatdaywhenheunofficiallyhiredme,thesamedayImetyouandeveryclichéofHongKongyoucaneverthinkof.IfIhelpthemonthismissiontodiscoverthefunctionoftheconsoleIcanhavemypastback,ajobatHYDRA.”
“Hemadeyouanofferyoucouldn’trefuse.”
“Basically.AndontheplaneIgetabunchofoldmemoriesre-activated.JustwhatIneedforthismission.”
“That’slikemnemonicblackmail.”
“Concisewayofputtingit.Yeah!”
“Soyoustillcan’trememberwhyyounevermessagedme?”
“Thatpartofmymemoryislockedup.AlthoughIsuspectitwasanearlierprocedureatHYDRAthatwipedcertainmemories.IthinkFoulermayhaveerasedsomeofmypreviousmemoriesofHongKongwhenIjoinedHYDRA.Ifwedon’tfindthisChinesenetworkitwillprobablybelockedupforever.”
“Ithinkyoucandoit.Youalwayshadtalent,evenatschool.”
“SohowdidyouendupatHYDRA?Coincidence?”Caldwellaskedher.ItwashisturntodelivertheSpanishInquisition.
“Iguess.LeftHongKongInternationalSchoolandreadAIStudiesatTsinghuaUniversityinBeijing.Itwasthedonethingthen,tostudyinChina.Afterall,HongKongwasbutashadowofitsformerselfandyoungpeoplelookednorthwardsfortheircareers,culturefix,inspirationandeverythingelse.Don’tknowwhyIchoseputers.Subliminally,Iamsureithadsomethingtodowithyou.ItwasawayofmakingupforthefactthatIhadprobablylostcontactwithyouforever.Anyway,IfoundoutIwasprettyOKatitonceIgotovermyinitialprejudicethatputerswereboring.AndAIkindofputsahumanspinonputingsothatwasinteresting.Oneday,towardstheendofmyfinalyear,IwassittinginacoffeeshopneartheSanlitundiplomaticareainBeijing’sChaoyangDistrictreadingsomeboringbookonneuralnetworkswhenalargemanwithstraw-coloredblondehairstrikesupaconversation.”
“DeWitte.”
“Yes.Hesaidneuralnetworkswereveryinteresting.AskedmewhatIwasdoing.ItoldhimIwasabouttograduatewithadegreeinArtificialIntelligenceanddidn’tknowwhatIwasgoingtodowithit.HeaskedifIwouldliketheopportunitytoworkonsomeoftheworld’sleadingsystems.HeaskedalotofquestionsaboutmyfamilybackgroundandwaspleasedwhenItoldhimtherewasonlymeandmygranddad,relativelyrecentmainlandmigrantstoHongKong.Parentsweredead,threegrandparentsdeadandmeanonlychild.AlotoftestsfollowedinHongKongbutbasicallywithinsixmonthsofthecoffeeshopencountergranddadandIwereUnioncitizensandIwasworkingforHYDRA.FirsttherewasintensephysicaltraininginTokyoandthenatTheSeminary.ThenitwasbacktoHongKong.Startedoffpushingalotofpaper,thenbecameananalystwritingreportsonemergingtechnologytrendsinNewChina,mostlymilitary-related.”
“Thatisinteresting,”Caldwellsaid.
“Notnearlyasamazingasyourstory.Iamsorryyouhadtosuffersomuch.YoumustreallyhateFouler.AndhereIwasbeingangrywithyou.Ihadnoright.Iwasaskingtoomuchofyoufromasingleencounter.”
“Asinglespecialencounter,”Caldwelladded,notknowingwherehewasgoingwiththis.
“Yes.Butthatwasmanyyearsago.”
“True.”
“Andthingschange.”
“Theonethingwecanallbecertainofischange.”
“Sotrue.”
“Soareyoumarried?Boyfriend?”Caldwellventured,emboldenedbythedirectionoftheirconversation.
“Ifthatcounts,youweremyfirstandonly.”
“Sorrytohearthat.”
“That’sOK.ItwasmychoiceentirelyandIamstillyoung.Ifiguredcareerfirst.ManyyounggirlsinAsiadoadoptthisapproach,preferringtodealwithaffairsoftheheartaftertheyhavesortedouttheircareers.Sowhataboutyou?”
“IhaveafriendinGreaterLondoncalledKatwhoIamveryclosetobutnotlikeagirlfriend.Wearemorelikebrotherandsister.Shekindofsavedmylifeonce.Iguessthesedays,relationshipsarealmostimpossible.Peoplearetooplex,therepercussionstoomany.”
“True.Well,it’sgettinglateshouldwegetthebill?Westartbrightandearlytomorrow.”
CaldwellhadnocreditsoheletMeiLinsettlethebillandtheywalkedbackinsilencealongShekORoadtothesoundofwavescrashingonthebeachbelow.
wＷw：xiaoshuotxt？nett,x\t,小,说天,堂