Contract with God aka The Moses Expedition

72

NEW YORK

Wednesday, 19 July 2006. 11:39 p.m.

‘Are you sure you don’t remember anything?’

‘I’m telling you. He made me turn around and then he punched in some numbers.’

‘We can’t go on like this. There are still about sixty per cent of the combinations to go through. You have to give me something. Anything.’

They were next to the lift doors. This panel was certainly more of a challenge than the last one. Unlike the panel operated by a palm print, this was a simple number pad like an ATM machine and it was virtually impossible to extract a short numerical sequence from any sizable memory. To open the lift doors, Albert had connected a long, thick cable to the entry panel, intending to crack the code using a basic but brutal method. In the broadest terms this consisted of having the computer try all possible combinations, from all zeroes to all nines, which could take quite some time.

‘We have three minutes to get into this lift. It’s going to take the computer at least another six to go through the sequence of twenty digits. That’s if it doesn’t crash in the meantime because I’ve shifted all the processor’s power into the deciphering program.’

The fan in the laptop was making an infernal racket, like a hundred bees trapped in a shoebox.

Orville tried to remember. He turned around, faced the wall and looked at his watch. No more than three seconds had gone by.

‘I’m going to limit it to ten digits,’ Albert said.

‘Are you sure?’ Orville said, turning back.

‘Absolutely. I don’t think we have any other option.’

‘How long will it take it?’

‘Four minutes,’ Albert said, scratching his chin nervously. ‘Let’s hope it’s not the last combination it tries, because I can hear them coming.’

At the other end of the hall someone was banging on the door.