Read Online The Lights of Tenth Street by Shaunti Feldhahn - Free Book Online
Authors: Shaunti Feldhahn
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with. Their technology is outdated, they’re overloaded with new demands, and their abilities lag far behind their new requirements … much less their old ones. A longtime informant recently confirmed that our law enforcement agencies have been given official—if confidential—orders to prevent violent terrorist actions even
at the expense of
pursuing other illegalities such as drugs, prostitution, and the like.
“Given this reality, Proxy believes the time is ripe for this organization to expandits activities. At first, we contracted, intimidated by the visibility of law enforcement. But now we believe distribution and profits can be increased by at least 20 percent with very little increased risk. Here’s how we foresee using your networks in the coming year.”
Tyson outlined the plan, step by step, and he could see the faces before him changing. Several still looked confused, but most grasped the possibilities. And a few savvy businessmen asked astute questions, carefully considering his answers. Good. Good.
An hour later, Tyson turned off the screen. “We recognize that more analysis is needed before we decide which markets and distribution channels hold the least risk and the most promise. Therefore, we’re putting together a special task force to consider all the options and will present our findings and recommendations to you within the month.”
Several of the captains began to raise their hands. Tyson pretended not to notice and busily tapped his presentation papers together on the podium. “As you leave, please remember to pick up the latest CD-ROM with the quarterly spreadsheets and your new codes. Thank you for coming.”
As he stepped down off the stage, he was besieged by several of the leaders.
“What do you mean ‘a special task force’?”
“If you think you’re going to push me aside …”
“Who will serve on this thing? If it’s Magnus instead of me, I swear—”
“Gentlemen,
gentlemen!
” Tyson held up his hands and gave his best placating smile. “This task force is merely an administrative formality. We need to crunch the numbers and ensure that our market recommendations to you are accurate. After all, we’re here to serve you.”
Several voices rose again. “But you can’t …”
Tyson heaved an exaggerated sigh. “Okay, listen. If you feel that you have a head for statistics and really want to spend several weeks doing regression analyses of purchasing trends, then by all means let me know.” He made a pained face, and several of the captains chuckled and relaxed slightly. “But otherwise, we’ll appoint just a few people who have a track record in this sort of thing and get back to you soon on our recommendations. Sound fair?”
As the group nodded and turned away, Tyson went looking for his intended targets. Within a few minutes he had discreetly invited all five of them to attend a private meeting in his office after the others had left. As expected, no one declined the invitation.
He stepped into a quiet corner and pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. Proxy was expecting an update, a message in his anonymous, internet-based voice-mailbox.Tyson flipped open the phone and pushed a few buttons. He glanced around to ensure he would not be overheard.
The electromagnetic wave signal from Tyson’s phone left the third floor of the building, sped to a nearby cell tower, and was relayed to a switching office, where the signal was instantaneously routed into the nations vast telecommunications network. The signal—like the millions of others being handled at that same moment—raced through multiple relay circuits and was beamed to a communications satellite five hundred miles above the earth.
The geostationary satellite’s transponder received the uplink, and its electronic brain checked the ultimate destination—an internet voice mailbox hosted by a foreign company. The electronic intelligence amplified the signal and bounced it to the next satellite
at the expense of
pursuing other illegalities such as drugs, prostitution, and the like.
“Given this reality, Proxy believes the time is ripe for this organization to expandits activities. At first, we contracted, intimidated by the visibility of law enforcement. But now we believe distribution and profits can be increased by at least 20 percent with very little increased risk. Here’s how we foresee using your networks in the coming year.”
Tyson outlined the plan, step by step, and he could see the faces before him changing. Several still looked confused, but most grasped the possibilities. And a few savvy businessmen asked astute questions, carefully considering his answers. Good. Good.
An hour later, Tyson turned off the screen. “We recognize that more analysis is needed before we decide which markets and distribution channels hold the least risk and the most promise. Therefore, we’re putting together a special task force to consider all the options and will present our findings and recommendations to you within the month.”
Several of the captains began to raise their hands. Tyson pretended not to notice and busily tapped his presentation papers together on the podium. “As you leave, please remember to pick up the latest CD-ROM with the quarterly spreadsheets and your new codes. Thank you for coming.”
As he stepped down off the stage, he was besieged by several of the leaders.
“What do you mean ‘a special task force’?”
“If you think you’re going to push me aside …”
“Who will serve on this thing? If it’s Magnus instead of me, I swear—”
“Gentlemen,
gentlemen!
” Tyson held up his hands and gave his best placating smile. “This task force is merely an administrative formality. We need to crunch the numbers and ensure that our market recommendations to you are accurate. After all, we’re here to serve you.”
Several voices rose again. “But you can’t …”
Tyson heaved an exaggerated sigh. “Okay, listen. If you feel that you have a head for statistics and really want to spend several weeks doing regression analyses of purchasing trends, then by all means let me know.” He made a pained face, and several of the captains chuckled and relaxed slightly. “But otherwise, we’ll appoint just a few people who have a track record in this sort of thing and get back to you soon on our recommendations. Sound fair?”
As the group nodded and turned away, Tyson went looking for his intended targets. Within a few minutes he had discreetly invited all five of them to attend a private meeting in his office after the others had left. As expected, no one declined the invitation.
He stepped into a quiet corner and pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. Proxy was expecting an update, a message in his anonymous, internet-based voice-mailbox.Tyson flipped open the phone and pushed a few buttons. He glanced around to ensure he would not be overheard.
The electromagnetic wave signal from Tyson’s phone left the third floor of the building, sped to a nearby cell tower, and was relayed to a switching office, where the signal was instantaneously routed into the nations vast telecommunications network. The signal—like the millions of others being handled at that same moment—raced through multiple relay circuits and was beamed to a communications satellite five hundred miles above the earth.
The geostationary satellite’s transponder received the uplink, and its electronic brain checked the ultimate destination—an internet voice mailbox hosted by a foreign company. The electronic intelligence amplified the signal and bounced it to the next satellite
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