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you been able to determine what that is?”
    “Not a clue. It’s compiled code. The only way we can know what it’s designed to do in the short term is to run it. We don’t have time to reverse-engineer it," Sam replied as they approached his workstation. “Why don’t we take a look and see what we’ve got?”
    The program had terminated with a single file sitting in the designated output directory. Sam opened it in a hex editor, read it for a moment before turning to Jack. “It’s a complete ELF header. Can’t tell you if it’s a complete program. It’s a pretty small file so it may not be, but it could be. We should run it.”
    “You will do no such thing. What we will do is inform Colonel Web of what we’ve found. Come with me.” Jack really hadn’t gotten it through his head that Sam was no longer military, or that when he had been, they were peers.

    When they arrived at Web’s office, he was on the phone, but motioned them into the room and directed them to sit while he wrapped up the call. “Send me the new projections as soon as you have them.” Web hung up the phone and turned his attention to them, “I hope you’re bringing good news.”
    “Actually…” Sam started to reply before being interrupted by Jack.
    “We have news. It’s unclear if it’s good or bad.”
    “Well, make it as clear as you can. I don’t have to remind you that we are running out of time.”
    “We’ve found at least a fragment of a computer program within the data stream coming from the anomalies. There is a possibility that the program could be executed on one of the servers in the analysis cluster. We do not know what the program would do if executed and we do not have enough time to determine what it would do through analysis by other means before the objects will impact. Bottom line: we can run it blind or not run it at all.” Jack did a very credible job of appearing to understand what he’d just said. It was a talent, Sam supposed. Not one he cared to acquire, but a talent, nonetheless.
    Web closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. Jack and Sam waited. Several seconds passed before Web opened his eyes and asked Sam, “What are the risks if we try to run this program?”
    “That’s not an easy question to answer,” Sam started. “Chang’s team has done everything they know how to do, and they are among the best at this, to isolate the systems we are using to analyze the visitor’s message, but we cannot be sure that there aren’t holes in their containment strategy. It is possible that executing this program could result in a propagation of whatever payload it contains, but that seems unlikely.”
    “Why unlikely?” Web asked.
    “Because they made it hard. Why make us figure it out if they can just do it? We started this conversation. It looks like they’re trying to continue it. If they wanted to hurt us, what, exactly could we do to stop that from happening? We’d be like monkeys fiercely dancing on a rock, waving sticks over our heads, at best. No, that’s too generous," Sam paused for a moment before continuing, “We’d be like ants trying to protect our ant hill from a farmer’s tractor. So, Occam’s razor: if they could have accomplished the same end without requiring our assistance, why bother acquiring it?”
    Jack saw an opportunity, “But you and Dan both believe the message contains multiple ways in which a recipient might understand it. Doesn’t that align with a strategy that would pursue multiple points of entry into our networks?”
    Sam reluctantly revised Jack’s IQ up by a point or two. He was feeling generous. “Yes, Jack, it does. The question is, are they trying multiple methods of communication or attack? I can’t answer that question directly, none of us can, but I go back to my primary point: with the technical capabilities they’ve demonstrated, why bother being sneaky?”
    “I see your point, Sam, but I think you’re missing Jack’s. Our military has