The Zul Enigma Read Online Free PDF

the
spot,’ Drew said.
    ‘ Sí ,’ said Carlos
closing his menu, ‘make it two.’
    As Anaïs delivered a
fresh round, Carlos heard his name being called. He looked over his shoulder
and behind him was a man in his early forties, a colleague from work.
    ‘Hey, Hans!’ Carlos slid
off the bar stool and they shook hands. ‘Drew, this is Hans Baade, our new
Network Security Manager. Hans, this is an old friend, Drew Roberts. Join us
for a drink?’
    ‘No thanks, Carlos. I’ve
got a coffee over there.’ Hans nodded to the far side of the restaurant. He
smiled at Drew and edged his spectacles up onto the bridge of his nose. ‘This
is a popular place. Have you eaten here before?’
    ‘No. I’m not from around
here. I live in the States.’
    ‘You don’t sound
American.’
    ‘I’m not. I’m a Brit.’
    Carlos nodded in Drew’s
direction. ‘We met at uni in California and went on to NASA together. Drew
still works there.’
    ‘I’m with the Goddard
Space Flight Centre. Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission. I’m responsible for
the implementation and instrument management.’
    ‘Sounds interesting.
What’s the mission about?’ Hans asked.
    ‘In layman’s terms? We
want to discover more about how the sun is fucking with our space exploration
missions, satellite operations and our power distribution and communications on
Earth.’
    ‘Oh!’ Hans said, taken
aback.
    ‘The launch date’s
coming up soon, sí ?’ Carlos asked.
    ‘May 14. Kennedy Space
Centre. You wouldn’t believe the pressure. Two months to go and counting,’ but
Drew didn’t look the least bit stressed.
    ‘How can they spare you?
Are you here on business?’ Hans asked.
    ‘No. My aunt died. In
England.’
    ‘Aunt Hetty?’ Carlos
said looking up, ‘hey, I’m sorry to hear that.’
    ‘Yeah. My last remaining
relative. And guess what? I’m her only beneficiary. I had no idea how rich the
old biddy was.’
    ‘You’re kidding. She
never spent a peseta.’
    ‘That’s how she got so
rich,’ Drew grinned. ‘Anyhow Hans, to answer your question, I’ve got a terrific
team behind me,’ and he turned to Carlos. ‘Remember Helen? Helen Hunt?’
    ‘I think so…’
    ‘I left her in charge.
She’s doing a great job.’
    Hans touched Carlos’s
elbow, ‘Drew, excuse us? I need a quick word. Business,’ and he guided Carlos
out of earshot.
    ‘The lads called me
about the Incident Reports,’ he said bending his head down so he could speak
directly into Carlos’s ear.
    ‘Any news?’
    ‘We’ve run a routine
check on the e-mail address but haven’t been able to identify where the
messages originated. I’ll get back to you first thing tomorrow.’
    ‘Will you have traced
them by then?’
    ‘I hope so.’
    ‘Okay. Thanks for the
up-date.’
    Carlos sat back down at
the bar.
    ‘He’s a bit of a nerd.
What was all the whispering about?’ Drew asked.
    ‘It’s confidential… but
it looks like our security’s been compromised.’
    ‘That doesn’t sound
good.’
    ‘Tell me about it! Just
after you called, I got this crazy e-mail…’
    ‘ Prego, signore ,
your table is awaiting.’
    ‘Thanks Luigi.’ Carlos
turned to Drew. ‘ Vamos .’
    A waiter delivered another round of Margaritas and a split second later Luigi
returned with two empty wine goblets and a bottle of Chianti in a wicker
basket, as Carlos and Drew discussed the day’s main news: devastation caused by
the latest volcanic eruption that had disrupted flights all over Asia and, once
again, escalating conflict over the control of oil and gas reserves.
    ‘Too many people on the
planet, that’s the real problem,’ Carlos said. ‘How can it keep supporting an
exponentially growing population?’
    ‘Fertility rates are
dropping and the West is doing its bit, but the rest are all breeding like
rabbits.’
    ‘We’ll end up paying the
price.’
    ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘Right now we’re at the
edge of another world war.’
    ‘Carlos, they won’t let
it