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Authors: Martin H. Greenberg
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come up with.”
“I’d advise that you look again,” Batman said. “I have some documents I think you’ll find interesting.”
“What are you getting at, Batman?” Fenton said. “You don’t expect to stop us, do you?”
The Masked Man did not answer.
“This place is filled with our men,” Fenton went on. “You can’t hope to delay us from signing for long. And to think you’d try something like this with the President here.”
President Marshall Seldon had been standing at the far end of the room throughout this exchange. Now, smiling slightly, he said, “Let him show us his documents. This will be amusing.”
Batman pulled his cloak close to him, and, from a pocket deep in its fold, he extracted a wad of computer printouts. They showed complex circuitry and were filled with tiny numbers and Greek letters.
“Gentlemen,” Batman said, “please take a look at these.”
Kowalski was the first to reach for one. “What are these?”
“Schematics for the main computer circuitry for the ARDC weapons.”
Kowalski looked through them, his curly blond hair tumbling boyishly over his forehead. “Yes . . . yes, it all looks all right so far . . . Yes, that’s a standard Sliger circuit . . . But what’s this, it’s tied into a resonator with a provision for switchable mirror reflectivity . . . Hell, I see what you mean!”
“What is it?” the other chiefs asked, not being as adept at computer schematics as was the tall, young Air Force general.
Kowalski looked up and his face was grim. “You tell them, Batman.”
Batman said, “I believe you’ve all heard of computer viruses.”
“Of course,” Fenton said. “They are those specially designed programs that some madmen or malcontents devise to feed into computers and so render them inoperative, sometimes for long periods of time, until a killer program can be devised and introduced to get rid of them again. Sometimes the computer virus program is so deeply ingrained that even the metals of the affected computers must be changed due to imprinting error. But nobody is going to introduce any viruses into these programs, Batman. This is a whole new generation of program and it is virus-resistant except to an as yet undevised new generation of computer viruses.”
“That is true,” Batman said. “But you miss the point.”
“Which is?”
“The software for the ARDC programs is designed to generate its own virus which will first pervert its functioning, then destroy it.”
“Create its own viruses?” General Rohort said. “Like tadpoles hatching out of mud?”
Kowalski nodded grimly. “It’s there in the specs, general. We just overlooked it—as we were intended to do.”
Rohort turned to Kowalski. “You understand these matters, Flying Phil. But I can hardly believe it. Can what the masked man is saying be true?”
“It’s true, all right.” Kowalski said, a note of iron underlying the lightness of his voice. “That’s exactly what it is.”
“Gentlemen!” It was the voice of President Seldon, and it brought every man in the room to attention—and the yeoman, too.
“Yes, Mr. President?” said Admiral Fenton.
“First of all, I want to thank Batman,” the President said, “for having brought this matter to our attention. As a matter of fact we have already corrected the design flaw, Batman, and now there is nothing standing in the way of the Joint Chiefs signing it.”
“That document must not be signed,” Batman said. “And these men must no longer take their orders from you.”
“Why do you say that?” the President asked. “Stop this senseless charade now, Batman, and I think we can arrange a medal for you. How would you like an official position in my cabinet? Presidential Advisor on Superheroes. How does that sound to you?”
“It’s fine, Mr. President,” Batman said. “Except for one thing.” He stepped forward suddenly, walking directly toward the President. Even Nelson of the CIA was caught off
“I’d advise that you look again,” Batman said. “I have some documents I think you’ll find interesting.”
“What are you getting at, Batman?” Fenton said. “You don’t expect to stop us, do you?”
The Masked Man did not answer.
“This place is filled with our men,” Fenton went on. “You can’t hope to delay us from signing for long. And to think you’d try something like this with the President here.”
President Marshall Seldon had been standing at the far end of the room throughout this exchange. Now, smiling slightly, he said, “Let him show us his documents. This will be amusing.”
Batman pulled his cloak close to him, and, from a pocket deep in its fold, he extracted a wad of computer printouts. They showed complex circuitry and were filled with tiny numbers and Greek letters.
“Gentlemen,” Batman said, “please take a look at these.”
Kowalski was the first to reach for one. “What are these?”
“Schematics for the main computer circuitry for the ARDC weapons.”
Kowalski looked through them, his curly blond hair tumbling boyishly over his forehead. “Yes . . . yes, it all looks all right so far . . . Yes, that’s a standard Sliger circuit . . . But what’s this, it’s tied into a resonator with a provision for switchable mirror reflectivity . . . Hell, I see what you mean!”
“What is it?” the other chiefs asked, not being as adept at computer schematics as was the tall, young Air Force general.
Kowalski looked up and his face was grim. “You tell them, Batman.”
Batman said, “I believe you’ve all heard of computer viruses.”
“Of course,” Fenton said. “They are those specially designed programs that some madmen or malcontents devise to feed into computers and so render them inoperative, sometimes for long periods of time, until a killer program can be devised and introduced to get rid of them again. Sometimes the computer virus program is so deeply ingrained that even the metals of the affected computers must be changed due to imprinting error. But nobody is going to introduce any viruses into these programs, Batman. This is a whole new generation of program and it is virus-resistant except to an as yet undevised new generation of computer viruses.”
“That is true,” Batman said. “But you miss the point.”
“Which is?”
“The software for the ARDC programs is designed to generate its own virus which will first pervert its functioning, then destroy it.”
“Create its own viruses?” General Rohort said. “Like tadpoles hatching out of mud?”
Kowalski nodded grimly. “It’s there in the specs, general. We just overlooked it—as we were intended to do.”
Rohort turned to Kowalski. “You understand these matters, Flying Phil. But I can hardly believe it. Can what the masked man is saying be true?”
“It’s true, all right.” Kowalski said, a note of iron underlying the lightness of his voice. “That’s exactly what it is.”
“Gentlemen!” It was the voice of President Seldon, and it brought every man in the room to attention—and the yeoman, too.
“Yes, Mr. President?” said Admiral Fenton.
“First of all, I want to thank Batman,” the President said, “for having brought this matter to our attention. As a matter of fact we have already corrected the design flaw, Batman, and now there is nothing standing in the way of the Joint Chiefs signing it.”
“That document must not be signed,” Batman said. “And these men must no longer take their orders from you.”
“Why do you say that?” the President asked. “Stop this senseless charade now, Batman, and I think we can arrange a medal for you. How would you like an official position in my cabinet? Presidential Advisor on Superheroes. How does that sound to you?”
“It’s fine, Mr. President,” Batman said. “Except for one thing.” He stepped forward suddenly, walking directly toward the President. Even Nelson of the CIA was caught off
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