The Enigma Source

Guano now steeled himself and answered, “You built an early prototype of, um…a financial program that was demonstrated to several influential party members and left quite an impression. It had, as I recall, a remarkable security routine called the Grasshopper Loop, which made it unbreakable to even the most persistent hackers. My government has sent me to retrieve that code and its author, in the most discreet but expeditious manner.”

Andy was nearly undone with this declaration. Su Lin smirked in a mocking manner and informed, “Well, I don’t have that, um…program, and it is also not true that it was unbreakable. The code was broken by, shall we say, a highly motivated hacker. Your quest to locate the author of the code is simply a fool’s errand. The code Master Po allegedly wrote that was purported to be unbreakable is as vulnerable as any freeware, downloadable from your favorite cell phone website.

“Take you and your abhorrent henchmen out of our house and leave us alone.”

Guano, now irked, rose out of the chair and bluntly stated, “I was sent to retrieve it and you. And I will do exactly that, with or without your cooperation.”

Before any further instructions could be issued by Guano, Andy used his huge hands to grab both henchmen’s gun hands with guns intact, pushed the assailants’ weapons to point at the other, and using his thumbs, pulled the triggers simultaneously which caused them to shoot each other. Unfortunately, the hot muzzle blast of both weapons seared Andy’s eyes, instantaneously blinding him.

Su Lin’s military training kicked in, and she dove for one of the weapons just as Guano drew his. Andy, though blinded, instinctively knew to go to ground around the now dead Chinese henchman and look for his missing Colt 45. He wasn’t sure what he could do once he was armed, sightless as he now was, but he wasn’t going to give up as long as Su Lin was being threatened by Guano.

Just as Andy located his Colt 45, two shots rang out, and the room then fell silent.