Binary code: Mystery number one - страница 42

– What kind of tests? – Ruthra asked tensely.

Zhidkov pretended to miss the question.

– Do you know what a big gathering is? – He asked, smiling, and answered: "A big gathering is when all the secret authorities come out of their skechers and onto the center deck.

"He was using a sailors' slang expression. He was among the carriers of the Chegeta," Rutra decided.

Rutra had just begun to settle into his new life when, on another visit, Vasilievich, in order to "ponder over coffee," as he liked to put it, said:

– Moving on to the next phase. Today we have legalization.

– What the hell is that?

– That's what we do legally.

– And what's that?

– You're giving a lecture to the students today. Understand?

– I understand," Ruthra replied without further question.

– Come on, I'll introduce you.

– Wait, I didn't prepare.

– It's okay, you tell them about the NSA's methods, it'll be great for them.

They went up to the upper level, went to the secret part of the university, where, under the legend of the Institute of Statistics, they were engaged in training specialists for the secret services. Vasilievich introduced Rutra to the undergraduate and graduate students as Paschovsky, a doctoral candidate at the U.S. National Defense University.

A lecturer came up to the pulpit and spoke about new methods of systematizing and analyzing information. Having finished his short speech, he introduced Rutra to the audience once more. Apparently, he had been trained at Zero as well. "So I'll probably meet him again," Rutra thought.

The lecturer stated:

– The following will be told to you by an expert who works in the United States and personally advises the NSA. Mr. Paschowski, please.

Rutra stepped up to the pulpit, looked around the audience, said hello, and, giving his speech an American accent, began to narrate:

– The US National Security Agency, the NSA, is the most powerful data collector. There is a secret agreement under which a group of the world's leading countries have agreed to give the NSA permission to analyze the data flows of their citizens and services both at home and abroad. The rest, as the NSA believes, I will tell you in confidence, you don't have to ask.

Ruthra smiled a little at the last sentence, giving his statement a joking tone that was meant to be taken as truth. The room chuckled approvingly, and Ruthra wondered if he had said more than he should have, for he now knew for certain that in the Echelon 2 system it functioned as a single system. He decided to define his position:

– It seems unbelievable, but NSA spies can use analytical data for their own or third parties' benefit, as they listen and view everything. Edward Snowden, a National Security Agency official, orchestrated the leak of classified documents detailing how the U.S. government uses information technology to spy on potential terrorists. The Secret Service collects millions of phone calls, emails, photos and videos from Google, Facebook, Microsoft and other communications giants. But what do agencies like the NSA then do with that information?

Rutra thought for a moment about how to present his position on the case, for he now knew that Echelon 2 had orchestrated the Snowden story so that Echelon 1 would realize that it would not be possible to use the information to their advantage, that there were structures beyond their control. So they were still puzzling over how that had happened. After a moment's thought, Ruthra continued: