Page 85 of Girl, Empty
‘He walked up, Mia.He opened the doors and walked up.If it’s electronic, that kid can open it.The prisons need to be really careful with him.Don’t put him in one of those fancy glass holding cells either.He needs iron bars, steel chains, padlocks.’
‘The good stuff.’
‘Yeah.I want to ask him justhowhe did all of this craziness.If he can break into any building he wants, how many other people can too?Can he controleverythingon a network?How long does it take?I’ve got questions and lots of ‘em.’
‘You sure have, but I think the answer is simple.’
Ella looked at her.‘It’s definitely not simple.’
‘Sure it is.He’s a nerd.He hacks them.Even if he explained how he did it, you still wouldn’t understand.’
Ella conceded her point.‘Probably.’
‘Why is there a pencil with blood on it here?’
‘Ask Kevin about that.Calvin wanted him to sign a confession saying he killed his dad, but Kevin refused.He stole the pencil then stabbed Calvin with it.That’s what took the fight out of him.After that, I just punched him.’
‘Classic.He got stabbed with a pencil?’
‘Seriously.’
‘Wish I’d have seen that.’
Ella laughed, then plucked the pencil between two fingers.‘I shouldn’t touch this, really.It’s evidence.’
‘Evidence of an asshole being stabbed.’
‘Funny thing, isn’t it?All this technology, all these digital locks and surveillance systems and network security protocols.Look what stopped him.'
‘A pencil,’ Ripley said.‘Except it wasn’t a pencil, was it?’
‘How do you mean?’
'It was people that stopped Calvin Roth.Terrence, Mark, and Amanda provided the CCTV footage.Susan told you he'd be here.Me and Riggs killed the power to this place.You and the team broke down the doors.Kevin stabbed him.Technology was our tool, but at the end, it wouldn't have happened without people.Roth thought code could solve his problems, but code wouldn't drive 80 miles to a house that may or may not have a demented woman inside.'
Ella considered this.'So you're saying we won because we're analog?'
'I'm saying we won because we're human.Technology doesn't exist in a vacuum.Calvin forgot that.It's just an extension of human will, creativity, connection.He tried to use machines to solve a human problem, and look what happened.'
Ella stared at Ripley and wondered if she hadn’t been replaced with someone else when she wasn’t looking.In their years together, Ella didn’t think she’d heard anything so profound.‘What?Where did that come from?’
‘I had a lot of spare time when I retired.I did some reading.’
Up ahead, Riggs appeared with a small, metal contraption in a plastic bag.He came over to the agents.
‘Hey, look at this.’
‘Looks like a metal abacus,’ Ella said.
‘This is way more than that.This right here is a micro-EMP.’
Ripley said, ‘My ex-husband had one of them.Riggs, stop with the acronyms.I’ve heard enough acronyms to last a lifetime.’
‘It means electromagnetic pulse.’Riggs pointed to a little lever on the side of the device.‘Roth had this in his jacket.When he pulls the lever, it sends an electromagnetic pulse to the whole area, which affects pretty much anything metal.It’s like a huge magnet.’
‘So my pistol jammed.’
‘Yeah.The magnet made the striker stick to the sear trigger.Pretty wild, huh?’
