The Actor

A meeting in the park

At the appointed time, waiting on the appointed park bench, Chris failed to recognize the man until he was almost standing over him. Dressed in jeans and a tee-shirt that read Game On, there was little to distinguish him from other park users. In his casual attire, he looked less like a scientist than he did a tradesman: perhaps not a bricklayer but possibly a signwriter. Chris rose and they exchanged a brief handshake before sitting down, side by side.

"I was starting to think I would never get to meet you in the flesh."

The man nodded his acceptance of this sentiment. "I've had work to do. One reason for releasing the brain map was to buy time. I've been spending that time doing the job I should have been doing before all the distractions came along. It's the sort of work that requires no more than a pencil and paper and an absence of interruptions. I'm told you're a mathematician, no doubt you'll understand."

Chris could have pointed out that he wasn't that sort of mathematician. Sensing the other man had no patience for chit-chat, he instead made a polite remark, expressing his hope that the work was going well.

"The brain map was a major milestone, but it was a one-off that took months to prepare. To be of any practical use the scanner needs to work on a timeframe of days or hours, hopefully minutes. We're not there yet, but progress is being made."

Chris just nodded and waited for the man to continue.

"I'm here today because I thought we should meet. It's an archaic notion, I know, but sometimes face-to-face contact is best."

"More private, you mean?" Remembering his phone, Chris pulled it out of his pocket. "I got this last night. Was there anything in particular you had in mind ..."

"No. It's a safe phone. One that's not associated with anyone connected to any of this. You found the number in the address book?"

"Yes."

"It's a forwarding service. An anonymizer. Call that number and from there you can redial anyone else without the call being traced back to you. Just a basic precaution."

Chris nodded to show he was impressed. "Fair enough" He put the phone back down on the seat next to him.

The man spoke next. Again without preliminaries. "Putting your name on the brain map recipient list was done on a whim. You were far from an obvious candidate. But you seemed to have the right ideas, backed up by some relevant expertise."

"And now? Are you about to tell me you regret your decision?"

"Not at all. To begin with I was merely intrigued by your plan. It has a certain – I suppose you would say cuteness to it."

"An interesting choice of word."

"But having considered the matter further, I can see how it could play an important role in our wider plans."

"Oh?" His surprise genuine, Chris could think of no better response.

"I'm afraid I can't go into details. There is a lot more going on here than you can be allowed to know about – for much the same reasons why I don't want to know the specifics of what you have planned. But I would like to help you if I can. More to the point, I have a message for you."

"I see," said Chris, feeling a sudden weight of responsibility, but also encouraged by this promise of information.

"The company you identified? The lab-on-a-chip software people, their Yakuza connection – that was well done. Something we didn't know about."

"Glad to help."

"I heard you were hoping to identify someone at the company, someone who might help you?"

Chris gave him a brief summary of Jenny's plan to meet with Toru.

"When is this going to happen?"

"Later this week."

The man gave this some thought. "Let me know how it goes. You can get a message to me through Travis."

"Okay. You said you also have a message for me?"

"There is someone else you should meet. An academic. Working in a field that could be of use to your plans."

"We've already talked to Professor Singh."

"Not the professor. One of his colleagues. Again, contact Travis for the time and place."

"Thank you." Chris paused, a question in his mind. "Um, speaking of Travis, there is one other thing. Not so long ago he introduced me to some other friends of his. Do you know who I mean? He said they had helped you with these gangsters in the past, albeit under cover of extreme anonymity."

The man regarded Chris with a dispassionate look. "The hackers? That was Travis's doing. All I know is that they have provided us with useful information in the past. Could they help you too?" He shrugged. "Quite possibly. They are very discreet – for obvious reasons – but since I don't know who they are, I can hardly vouch for them."

"They offered their skills, but at a price ..."

The man held up a hand. "More than I need to know, I'm afraid. Look, these people – the Yakuza, I mean– you need to keep in mind that they aren't the real enemy. Ultimately they are just a distraction. So using them the way you are – as a means to an end – that's the right way to approach things. But don't forget either that by doing so you are putting yourself in serious danger. To keep safe you need to heed the example of these hackers. Keep yourself as anonymous as possible."

"You know who we are."

"And Travis and Alex. But no one else. These other people Travis will be introducing you to – they've been warned not to ask questions." His voice became more thoughtful. "It's a sign of the times, I suppose, that people are a lot less surprised by this than once they might have been."

He stood up and walked away. No handshake, no parting glance. Chris could do nothing but watch him go.