Money - The Root of All Evil

Money ”The Root of All Evil

The next week flew by for Saul, mostly due to his finals he had that week. In fact, most of the kids in the group had tests that week and very little actual planning had taken place for the next meeting. Apparently, they were just going to meet at the coffee shop to have a LAN party and order in pizza. Saul was looking forward to finding out if this whole wireless thing had been a hoax or not. He had tried to determine which of his friends it could have been, but had come up blank.

After his last class on the day of the meeting, Saul packed up his normal school gear and headed to the coffee shop. The spring air had been warming up and he realized he didn t need his coat, so he tucked it into his laptop bag. The walk to the coffee shop was short and Saul was the first one there. After a quick glance around the room to see if the mysterious stranger was there, Saul grabbed a seat in the back where the meeting normally was held.

It was about 30 minutes later before Bender and a few other friends showed up to start the party. Each person had their laptop bags stuffed with networking cables, hubs, and games . The game of choice was Unreal Tournament 2003. Bender normally ran the actual server off of an old Linux laptop he had picked up. He had installed a newer 120 gig hard drive and loaded it up with every available map he could find. Saul enjoyed these occasional jaunts into mayhem because it helped him relieve his built-up stress.

As Saul unpacked his laptop, he found the report he had created and looked around the room again. I wonder if he ll really show or if I ve been had by one of these guys. He laid the report next to his laptop, just in case, and pulled out his networking gear. One of the girls in the group was going to call for pizza, so Saul gave her his money and booted up for some well-deserved violence.

The pizza came and went. Multiple cups of java were consumed and just as many trips were made to the bathroom. It was four hours later when Saul noticed that some of the group members were packing up to head home. As he looked around the room, he saw a familiar figure sitting at the same table reading a newspaper.

The remaining group members were all engrossed in their game, so Saul grabbed the report and made his way over to the man in the suit. Hello, I m Saul. Did you want this wireless report?

Hello Saul, the man replied. My name is Michael and I ve been hired by our employer to act as a go between. He s a very busy man but wanted to ensure that you were paid for your work. May I see the report, please ?

Saul laid the report on the table next to the man. I think it s pretty much what he asked for, but if it s missing something let me know.

What s this? the man asked politely.

Oh, that s the map I created. It shows the range of the wireless signals being transmitted by the hospital. The cool thing about this particular network is that it s central to the area around it, so anyone around that plaza can easily pick up the network. Saul replied.

Hmmm, that s interesting, the man said. I ve got your money with me. We ve decided to pay you under the table to avoid any tax liabilities for your work. I hope that s okay.

That works for me, commented Saul. I can easily put that into my own account.

Saul, there is another piece to this work that we d like you to perform, if you re willing, he continued . We re very concerned about the security team at the hospital. We have very strict guidelines about network security and patient privacy and we re not quite sure the team is taking these obligations seriously.

Okay, what do you want me to do? asked Saul.

Here s another document that explains everything in detail. If you have questions, please send them to the e-mail at the bottom, replied the man. All I ask is that you don t share this information, including the e-mail address, with anyone else.

I can do that. Thanks for the money

And thank you for the work. Now you should probably get back to your game. It appears your friend has noticed your absence. He nodded toward the group of kids across the room.

With that, the man stood up, said goodbye , and left the coffee shop. Saul hurriedly stuffed the two envelopes into his pocket to review later. So it wasn t a hoax! He could hardly contain himself, but was careful to act natural as he walked back to the table to pack up his gear.

Hey man, where d ya go? asked Bender when he returned.

Eh, I wanted to see if they had something to snack on up at the counter, but nothing looked good. Then I thought I saw someone I knew, but it wasn t anyone, replied Saul. Dude, I think I m going to pack up for the night. I m exhausted.

Cool man. Be careful getting home, Bender smirked. You know how these streets can be at night!

Saul laughed and walked around the table to pack up his laptop. I can t believe I have $2,000 in my pocket. And he wants more work done! That s awesome ! Stuffing the last of his gear into an already over-packed bag, Saul grabbed his coat and headed for home.