Read Online Aztec Century by Christopher Evans - Free Book Online Page B

empowerment?’
    ‘Naturally I can’t supply this information. By its very nature it has to come from you.’
    ‘You’re saying that full access to your capabilities is limited to those who have some kind of key or special operating routine.’
    ‘Again you’re correct.’
    ‘And is there any way for me to override this?’
    ‘None that I’m aware of. It’s a perfectly reasonable security precaution, wouldn’t you agree?’
    Bevan turned to me. ‘Did you get the gist of that?’
    ‘I think so.’
    ‘We’re burglars, see. We’ve opened the front door and got into the house, but all the valuables are stored in a safe with a combination lock whose number we don’t know.’
    ‘I understand. Surely there must be some system for finding out?’
    ‘You heard what he said. No chance.’
    ‘You could try. Please.’
    ‘Do you know any more than you’re telling me?’
    I shook my head.
    He looked unconvinced, but turned back to the console.
    For the next half hour or so, he battled with the keyboard and attempted to coax, trick and force information from ALEX. ALEX remained polite and even friendly, but it was to no avail.
    ‘Forget it,’ Bevan said at last, slumping back in the chair.
    From the screen, ALEX looked benevolently on.
    ‘Never mind,’ I said. ‘At least you tried. Let’s forget it for tonight.’
    As he moved to switch off the terminal, I said casually, ‘You can leave it on. I think I’d just like to talk to ALEX alone for a while.’
    He flicked the switch and the screen went blank.
    ‘You wrote it all down. It should be easy for you.’
    Was he suspicious of me? He swallowed a yawn and stood up.
    ‘I really appreciate all your help,’ I said.
    Without replying, he slouched off to his apartment.
    I waited for ten minutes, then crept over to the door and quietly locked it. Switching on the terminal again, I painstakingly went through the routine I had scribbled down.
    I was only half-way through when the screen started flashing OPERATOR ERROR. I started again, and achieved the same result. After the third abortive attempt, I knew there was no alternative but to go back to Bevan.
    I unlocked the door, knocked, and opened it. Bevan was sitting in an armchair in a pool of yellow light from a table-lamp, his head wreathed in blue smoke.
    ‘Not so easy, is it?’
    ‘I don’t understand where I went wrong,’ I admitted.
    ‘You’re bound to miss things when you’re a novice. Think you could drive a car just by watching someone and writing it all down?’
    ‘I want you to bring ALEX back.’
    ‘Need to have a heart-to-heart, do you?’
    I nodded.
    He crushed out his cigarette. ‘All right, then.’
    Filled with gratitude, I returned to the suite and punched the REPLAY button on the player. Even before the music began, Bevan had reactivated ALEX.
    ‘So, then,’ he said to me. ‘What now?’
    If I asked him to leave now, would he go? Did I have any justification for doing so?
    I took a deep breath, a sigh in reverse, and said, ‘The codeword’s
axolotl
.’
    Bevan grinned. He was sitting in the swivel chair like somedissolute Buddha, his belly poking out between the straining buttons of his shirt. He spun round and spoke the word into the microphone.
    On the screen, ALEX smiled.
    ‘Now I can accommodate you
,’
he said.
‘Tell me what information you require.’
    Over the next two hours, we delved deep into the Aztec informational network. Bevan had ALEX summon up a host of data from classified files – details of troop dispositions throughout the country, an inventory of armaments, a level-by-level plan of the complex, which included surprise confirmation that none of our rooms were monitored, either by sound or vision. The information came up on the screen in the form of bar charts, Venn diagrams, full-colour graphics and simple lists which scrolled slowly past our avid eyes. There was far too much to absorb in one sitting, but I noted down what I could.
    I marvelled at the