The Virus (English version)

For ‘Awakening’ the short story and prequel of ‘The Virus’ go down this page.

The English version is coming soon!

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Het Virus (Dutch version)

Voor ‘Gijzelingwekkend’ het kortverhaal en prequel van ‘Het virus’ ga naar beneden deze pagina.

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‘The Virus’ is co-authored by Alain Dierckx, a good friend.

 

 

Alain Dierckx lives in rural Eppegem, a sub-municipality of Zemst. After a career of many years as a manager in various organizations, he has decided to devote himself to his passion for writing.

On the one hand, he participates as a consultant in various companies in digitalization projects, where he takes care of all internal and external communication.

On the other hand, as an independent copywriter, he offers a helping hand to small and starting entrepreneurs. With a monthly workshop, among other things, he teaches them how to write professional texts for their website.

However, he gets the most pleasure from writing stories. This has resulted in four books so far, three police novels and a thriller.

Website: www.alaindierckx.com

X: @alain_dierckx

 

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‘Het Virus’ waar te koop? (Dutch)

Bekijk een inkijkexemplaar via deze link.

U kan een gesigneerd exemplaar (in paperback versie) bij mij (Eddy Willems) rechtstreeks aankopen door mij een mailtje te sturen.

Gelieve daarin aan te geven dat u het boek wil kopen tesamen met jouw naam en adres gegevens.

U krijgt van mij dan een mailtje terug met instructies om 22 euro (inclusief verzendingskosten in BE/NL) naar mijn rekening over te schrijven.

Van zodra de overschrijving ontvangen is, zend ik u het signeerde exemplaar toe.

‘Het Virus’ is ook te koop in e-book versie en in sommige winkels ook nog in paperback versie:

Uitgeverij Lannoo

Boekhandels Vlaanderen Overzicht

Standaard Boekhandel

Bol.com

Fnac

Staat jouw boekhandel er niet tussen, stuur ons een mailtje via ons contactformulier en we voegen je toe!

 

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‘Het Virus’ recensies (Dutch)

Wat lezers, critici en de pers schrijven over ‘Het Virus’ …

Chicklit – (8 April 2021) – Toprecensie – De schrijfstijl van Willems & Dierckx is erg aangenaam en gemakkelijk leesbaar. Ze zijn goed op elkaar ingespeeld en hebben duidelijk kennis van zaken. Ze proberen de lezer voldoende uitleg en achtergrond te geven om de technische informatie toch goed te snappen. Grappig detail dat Eddy Willems zichzelf terug laat komen in het boek en dat ook zijn zoon Frank, vrouw Nadine en zijn twee vrienden echt bestaan. In het boek vormt Eddy Willems met zijn twee vrienden Righard Zwienenberg en Luis Corrons samen The Three Amigos. Het markante trio is een leuke aanvulling op het verhaal. Het maakt het geheel net iets kleurrijker en zorgt voor een verbinding met het heden. Samengevat is Het virus een zeer aangenaam boek voor liefhebbers van thrillers en misdaadboeken. Een vervolg op Het virus en een samenwerking tussen Willems & Dierckx zou zeer welkom zijn.

Coole Suggesties – (23 maart 2021) – Dit boek laat op een bijzondere manier zien hoe de toekomst er over 15 jaar kan uitzien. Het is technisch, zonder al te veel technische termen (in ieder geval geen die niet worden uitgelegd) en een sluimerend gevoel van onbehagen. Je hebt hier geen echte cliffhangers, plottwists of vette actie. In Het Virus draait het vooral om het volgen van het criminele spoor. Het is toegankelijk geschreven, voor veel mensen een eye-opener en een fijne spanningsboog. Een echte pageturner is het overigens niet: het verhaal kabbelt vrolijk voort.

CyberSecurity Magazine – (24 december 2020) – Toprecensie – eerste Engelstalige recensie door een Duitse journalist – While the story sounds like your usual James-Bond-movie, it has it twists and turns, which ensure that you will never be bored by the story, even though some storyline leaps do exist. The main characters are also realistically depicted, something which probably can be related to the influence of Alain Diercx, who has authored fictional stories before. The expertise of Eddy Willems, on the other hand, shines in those scenes where computer technology and specifically anti-virus topics come up during the book. His experience and knowledge on cybersecurity definitely shows and adds a certain learning effect to the book. To summarize, if you would like to read an entertaining, yet realistic story which will give you some insights into the cybersecurity world, “Het Virus” is for you.

Perfecte Buren – (17 december 2020) – Toprecensie – Onze favorieten 2020 … Severine – Mijn nummer één: Het virus van Willems & Dierckx. Het beste boek van 2020 is er voor mij eentje van eigen Vlaamse bodem. Een zinderende thriller die je wijst op de – vaak onderschatte – gevaren van internet. Het verhaal voelde erg geloofwaardig aan, en gaf een realistisch beeld over de nabije toekomst. Iets wat toch altijd afwachten is voordien. Wederom een gezamenlijk debuut dat zich direct als een topper heeft ontpopt! Voor mij is ‘Het virus’ absoluut een topboek.

In de boekenkast – (16 december 2020) – Toprecensie – Wat knap is, is dat de auteurs (met hun achtergrond als communicatieadviseur en securityspecialist) niet verzanden in onbegrijpelijke technologische termen, maar het verhaal juist heel helder en begrijpelijk hebben weten te houden. Als lezer word je meegenomen in de enerverende wereld van cybercriminelen, virussen en de technologie van de toekomst, zonder dat het veel moeite kost om dit alles te kunnen volgen. Het virus van Eddy Willems en Alain Dierckx is een boeiende thriller over een vorm van criminaliteit, die ook in onze wereld een steeds grotere rol zal gaan spelen. Dit boek krijgt 4 sterren van mij.

Perfecte Buren – (1 december 2020) – Toprecensie – Eddy Willems en Alain Dierckx hebben een hele aangename en beeldende schrijfstijl. Je merkt ook totaal niet dat het boek door twee personen is geschreven. En al helemaal niet dat dit hun gezamenlijk debuut is. Het verhaal leest heel erg vlot en de korte hoofdstukken helpen hier ook zeker bij. Interessant is ook dat bepaalde zaken uit de verhaallijn van het personage Eddy gebaseerd is op waargebeurde feiten. Dat is absoluut een pluspunt en maakt het verhaal nadien nog net wat specialer. Voor mij is ‘Het virus’ absoluut een topboek. Ik ben grote fan van dit cybercrime genre, dat fascineert mij enorm. Wanneer je dit dan combineert met een geniaal plot en sympathieke personages, krijg je een boek zoals dit. Ik heb er enorm van genoten en hoewel de identiteit van de daders voor mij niet echt een verrassing was, klopte het gehele plaatje achteraf wel volledig voor mij. En alles voelde erg geloofwaardig aan. Iets wat toch altijd een heikel punt is bij verhalen die zich in de (nabije) toekomst afspelen. Een leuk extraatje is dat je nadien nog een kort verhaal online kunt lezen, over iets wat in het boek wordt aangehaald. Dat heb ik dan ook gedaan, en vond ik heel leuk. Zo kon ik nog wat langer nagenieten. Willems & Dierickx zijn cum laude geslaagd met hun gezamenlijk debuut. Daarom geef ik ‘Het virus’ het maximum van vijf schitterende sterren!

IT Daily België – (20 november 2020) – Cybersecurity als roman: hoe ‘Het Virus’ tot leven kwam. Interesse in het onderwerp is enige vereiste om het boek te lezen. Volgens Willems moet het boek de awareness rond security verhogen. Achteraan het boek zitten twee aparte pagina’s waarin hij uitlegt waar security op neer komt. Het is belangrijk om te begrijpen dat menselijke fouten haast altijd aan de basis zitten. Dat is ook de basis van Het Virus.

Computable België – (12 november 2020) – Cyberthriller van opmerkelijk schrijversduo. ‘Het boek heeft in elk geval wél de verdienste om een best complexe kwestie als malware en virussen voor een breed publiek inzichtelijk te maken, én op een toegankelijke en onderhoudende manier te wijzen op de gevaren ervan. Gevaren die zeker niet uit de lucht zijn gegrepen. Kortom, ‘Het virus’ is interessant voor it-profielen, voor de technologische component van het verhaal, en ook security-leken zullen er iets van hun gading in vinden.’

RingTV België – (11 november 2020) – Spoel verder via de link naar 13:25 en bekijk de clipping over ‘Het Virus’ in de boekenrubriek van Ring TV: ‘Schrijversduo van de streek komt met zeer toegankelijk geschreven SF cyberthriller!’

 

Computerworld Nederland – (21 september 2020) – ‘Als je van je werk je hobby maakt: security evangelist schrijft technothriller.’ – Voorbeeld van de persaankondiging die opgepikt werd door verscheidene online websites in België en Nederland.

DataNews België – (21 september 2020) – ‘Belgische security evangelist komt met cyberthriller over moorddadig computervirus!’ – Voorbeeld van de persaankondiging die opgepikt werd door verscheidene online websites in België en Nederland.

Staat jouw recensie er niet tussen, stuur ons een mailtje via ons contactformulier en we voegen jouw recensie toe!

 

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Awakening – a short story : The prequel of ‘The Virus’ (English)

 

For the Dutch version go down this page

Voor de Nederlandstalige versie ga naar beneden deze pagina.

 

The intention of this story is to outline my vision of what the digital world might look like in the year 2033 and what cyberdangers that year might bring. What might really happen in the near future? Will we have learned from our mistakes?

Disclaimer 1: Although several people mentioned in this short story really exist, the story is completely fictitious. My thanks to Mikko Hyppönen, Righard Zwienenberg, Luis Corrons, and of course my wife Nadine Van Grunderbeeck and my son Frank Willems for letting me use their names. All the events described here, and statements and actions attributed to those real people are purely the products of my imagination. I really enjoyed writing this story, but to avoid any misunderstandings let me assure you that I don’t know anyone called Lien Sander, Meredith Weston, Helen Dench, Anthony Dice or, of course, Larry Lane. Any resemblance to real people with any of those names is purely coincidental.

Disclaimer 2: This short story was written by myself and published in the book ‘Cybergevaar’ published by Lannoo (2013). ‘Cybergevaar’ was translated and revised in German (Cybergefahr – 2015) and English (Cyberdanger – 2019) and published by Springer. ‘Het Virus’ contains several references to this story. Ultimately, ‘The Virus’ is a sequel to this short story. Please note: this story was an experiment at the time and does not correspond to the current writing style of  ‘The Virus’.

Disclaimer 3: Nothing from this story may be copied or reproduced without the permission of the author and the publishers Lannoo and Springer.

 

1 A possible customer

 

Lien Sanders has no idea what’s going on anymore. Just now she is in the conference room at the offices of her client Bio Dynamics, when she suddenly feels a sharp stinging in the eyes, caused by the smart contact lenses she is wearing. Her eyes are -dry and the contact lenses rub like sandpaper against the cornea. She has no choice but to take out the lenses and give her eyes a break.

Frank Willems, Managing Director of the Frank Talking Communications Agency, sees his colleague’s discomfort and laughs: “You must have another ocular virus,” he suggests. Lien does not find it funny. She often calls her boss “Mac Malware,” since he immediately suspects malware to be the problem when things go wrong. Apparently, he has acquired this habit from his father, now retired but formerly a well-known virus expert. Fortunately, you can also talk to Frank about other topics. And that’s just as well, because he is now responsible for more than 100 communications companies. Tomorrow, the agency will even be acting for NATO for the first time.

NATO: who would have thought it?!? Obviously, the organization believes that the time has come for a change after several “communications breakdowns and stumbling blocks”, as the Secretary-General puts it. This is a verbose but carefully neutral way of expressing concern about the power wielded by the new superpowers, the Philippines and Zimbabwe, in trying to make their public image more palatable.

However, Lien is not at all amused: She spent a great deal of money on these lenses only recently. It will be annoying, to say the least, if she has to take them back to the dealer.  After all, the new Lenovo lenses are unusually practical, in theory: They offer so-called “enhanced reality” with lots of relevant information, readily available and readable beyond the limits of her field of vision. That is an area in which Apple still has much to learn. An inflammation of the eyes would be fatal, she would hate to have to wear conspicuous smart glasses like Frank’s.

Lien puts the lenses on the small table next to her. The table in the conference room, which is also used as a virtual conference table, is a no-go area, because all smartphones, tablets and other devices used by participants in the conference have been placed there. That’s no place for her new lenses. So far, she has only saved private files onto these lenses, such as the photos from last night’s wild party. These photos are definitely not for the eyes of Frank and the other male participants.

“Ah, that’s much better,” Lien says enthusiastically, glad to be relieved of the irritation caused by the lenses. “Good to know,” replies Frank. “We have to get down to some serious work now. We still don’t know enough about the customer, what he expects from us or how he wants to position himself in terms of communication.  We need to understand all that before we can develop an action plan.” He has good reasons for not yet sharing with her some of his other thoughts. He suspects that this customer, Bio Dynamics, is especially interested in Frank Talking, because it has heard that the agency is to take over all NATO’s communications with the outside world. Bio Dynamics has a broad portfolio that they hope one day to be able to sell to NATO. Every contact that brings Bio Dynamics a little closer to the Big Cheeses in Brussels is therefore considered worth its weight in bitcoin. Frank is sure that Lien is expecting great things from her career with Frank Talking – after all, she is a decidedly intelligent woman with an incredible talent for communicating positive and negative messages. Besides, he wants to see whether she, too, understands why Bio Dynamics is so interested in them. Lien does not seem to suspect anything: she applies her eye drops again, and puts her lenses back in.

Before the crew from Bio Dynamics enters the conference room, she discreetly checks out her photo album from the evening before.

“Well, what a waste of time that was!” Lien remarks after the meeting. “They must have known how complex the services you offer are, and would have done better looking for someone with experience in their own sector. I wonder why they came to us? They didn’t even give us enough time to present ourselves properly and explain how we work.  That felt to me like an exercise in deploying a hidden agenda. And what’s that about, inviting us and all our colleagues and customers to their company party? But they’ve completely miscalculated: I wouldn’t dream of taking anyone from NATO along. Who do they think they are? That wouldn’t be an option even if that old crooner Justin Timberlake is giving a private concert. I’ll just take our marketing assistant.”

Frank gives her a satisfied look. Yes, he knows his colleague well – he wasn’t wrong about her intelligence and intuition.

 

2 The meeting

 

The next day, at NATO, Frank and Lien find themselves at the center of an unaccustomed burst of activity, and they don’t understand why. It all starts with the incredibly strict security controls they have to undergo on entering the building. First, they have to go through a metal detector in the lobby, and then their briefcases are thoroughly searched. In addition, all of their electronic devices are turned on and checked painstakingly for malware. This is an annoying procedure that seems to take forever as Frank carries about 20 devices that are capable of connecting to the Internet. Lien only has 15, but each one has to be examined individually.

Finally, it’s done, and at last they can focus properly on their communications strategy, carefully formulated in accordance with the wishes of the highest-ranking representatives of NATO. Everyone participating in the meeting is clear that the number one priority is to make the most of all the positive news to have come out of NATO in the last few years. The media must be flattered and coaxed into forgetting all the communication problems of the past.

Frank and Lien are convinced that this is the strategy that will succeed. In the end, it is all about communicating plenty of positive messages. For example, there is the message that, for the first time in NATO history, a woman has been appointed Secretary-General. Frank still finds it amusing that she is addressed as a “general secretary”, but, fortunately, only remarks on it today when he is alone with Lien, who looks daggers at him. As the next step, it needs to be pointed out that NATO has, the recent past, done its utmost to make the world safer. That could only be achieved through stricter controls, but as we now know all too well, that’s the price of security.

There is a short break, during which everyone checks their video mails. Frank and Lien make the most of the opportunity to admire the conference room in all its glory. On the wall facing the the floor-to-ceiling windows are a variety of screens that broadcast live what is happening in the most important places in the world. These include places of strategic and military importance, such as the White House and the Kremlin, but also tourist destinations like Times Square in New York and the Champs Élysées in Paris. The screens are strung together like pearls on a string, and the wall resembles an oversized poster that clearly conveys the message at the heart of NATO: “Everything is under control.” Frank Talking also wants to put this slogan to use by communicating the pleasing aspects of current world events in accordance with this motto. There are no more bomb attacks, no cases of cyberespionage, only a few regrettable incidents in remote regions.

Up to then, recalls Frank, there has been a great deal of resistance to overcome. Innumerable nations and companies had, initially, strenuously resisted the attempts by NATO, the G12 and the European Community to establish a presence in cyberspace, to improve their monitoring of Internet traffic and, if necessary, have the ability to take immediate remedial action.

In the end, NATO got its supervisory mandate and has been controlling the internet for about five years now. Since then, there have been few significant cases of cybercrime – a major turning point in digital history.  Of course, this meant making some significant adjustments. Russia and China were also given a seat in NATO as well as most Asian and African countries. And, of course, that initially led to heated discussions between the world’s various archenemies. But after a few years, all ideological obstacles were finally taken off the table and at last the digital control offensive was given the green light.

“The message is clear,” says Meredith Weston, NATO’s communications strategist. “NATO has everything under control. Control is a good thing. The world is now a peaceful place, and we owe that to NATO.”

“For a dove of peace, she packages her message quite aggressively”, thinks Frank, but keeps that thought to himself. Then he sits down with Lien and Meredith at the conference table and they start developing various concepts. They let the peaceful pictures that flicker across the screens in the background inspire them as they start the brainstorming. It is no easy matter to sell the idea to the rest of the world that NATO’s control of Internet traffic and even road traffic is a major contribution to world peace. (For example, NATO can control traffic lights and other dynamic traffic management systems in and around its headquarters, if a terrorist threat makes it necessary.) But if there is an agency that is up to this task, then Frank is convinced that Frank Talking is the one.

 

3 The dinner

 

Over an excellent restaurant dinner, Frank shares his thoughts with Lien. She agrees that things went much better in the afternoon than at the disappointing Bio Dynamics meeting the day before. Yet they are not entirely clear as to which media should convey their message. “Facebook is something for seniors,” Meredith had said. “But a hologram in the room with a message about security would probably be too much of a good thing, “Lien countered.”We could advertise a competition, where you can submit a song about NATO,” Frank interrupted with a grin, and began to softly sing “N-A-T-O” to the the tune of the Village People’s ‘YMCA’. The two women looked puzzled – they were too young to know that hoary old hit.

Now Frank and Lien review the day’s discussions once more and seize upon the idea of the song contest again. “We could get the finalists from all the countries to play together and organize the biggest jam session of all time”, says Frank, expanding on his idea. Lien prefers the idea of “crowdwriting”, in which every citizen of the world is called upon to write a chapter of the greatest story ever written. “If all the citizens of this safe new world are not only online, but also emotionally connected with each other, anything and everything is possible. And that’s exactly what we want to do with the campaign,” Lien sums up. Frank is excited by Lien’s concept and they decide to put their heads together to put it into action.

Pleased with this decision, they devote their attention to dessert and talking about the impression the NATO building has made on them. “I am astonished by the sophisticated technical potential of this complex,” says Lien admiringly.

“I can see that, but after all, it houses one of the most important and powerful organizations in the world. And businessmen, especially those who appreciate good food, have now understood and responded accordingly,” says Frank, as he takes of the restaurant’s furnishings and facilities, and takes a look at the delicious food that real waiters are carrying past their table. There is no digital menu here, and the diner’s order is not forwarded digitally to the kitchen, as with most other restaurants, but a flesh and blood person takes care of the customer’s wellbeing. For the first time, he realizes the value of this personal contact. Anyway, today was more than successful, Frank notes with satisfaction. After a delectable non-alcoholic cocktail for Lien and a ten-year-old whiskey for Frank, they decide to bring the evening to a close and go to their hotel rooms. Frank thought it would be a good idea to stay over in Brussels and start the next day at seven with a brainstorming breakfast. “So much has changed in the past few years, but one thing hasn’t. It’s mostly the Americans who like to swap ideas around a sociable meal,” laughs Frank, and says goodnight to Lien. In his room he decides that he would like to be woken up with impressions of nature: an alpine landscape with the the lapping of a stream and the sound of a few cowbells… This will be a good start to the day.

Minutes later, he is already sound asleep. But it is neither the tinkle of cowbells nor the splashing of a stream that wakes him, but the shrill beep of his smartwatch. Still half-asleep, he looks at his watch and immediately recognizes the caller. “Dammit, Lien, it’s half past four in the morning, “he croaks, holding the watch to his ear. “I hope you have a good reason for disturbing me in the middle of the night!” And indeed she does. At first, he barely understands what she’s saying because she’s sobbing so bitterly, but gradually her words start to make sense. “Frank, I think I’ve brought the whole of NATO to a standstill.”

 

4 What happened?

 

“So tell me, what happened?” asks Frank impatiently in the car that takes them to NATO headquarters.  “With the best will in the world, I didn’t really understand what you were trying to tell me through all the crying. I’ve never known you to be so emotional.”  “Well, let me explain,” replies Lien, who seems to have regained her customary composure. Like yesterday, she is wearing the sort of highly professional outfit favoured by successful businesswomen, except that she has replaced her smart lenses with Google spectacles. For the first time, it occurs to Frank that Lien has blue-gray eyes, and not greeny-brown, as he has always thought. Apparently, her lenses not only store information, but also distort it. He surprises even himself by being distracted at such a moment by such a trivial issue. Then he pulls himself together and eagerly listens to her extraordinary story.

“I was fast asleep, and then someone started banging on my door. My first thought was that there was a fire, so I leapt out of bed and opened the door. I’d hardly got it open before two strong-arm types in tailored suits stormed into my room, followed by two other suits, lighter guys who were probably in their fifties. They pushed me into a chair and demanded that I hand over my lenses immediately. But before I did that I wanted to know who they were, and why they’d got me out of bed in the middle of the night. When I put my glasses on, I immediately recognized the smaller of the two older men: It was Anthony Dice, Head of NATO Security, and then I realized how serious the situation was. After I gave him my lenses, Mr. Dice explained the reason for his “unannounced visit”. Shortly after 22.00, NATO’s computer systems began to go crazy. The traffic lights around the building started switching from red to green in five-second cycles. Heads of state all round the world got an ecard from the Secretary General with a highly suggestive message and “Greetings from the Brussels district of Evere”. That was by no means all, but I’ll save the details for later. NATO immediately called in all the available analysts and computer experts to work out what was going on. It was clear that some sort of malware was responsible, but knowing that wasn’t enough to reverse its effects. That’s why they were under pressure to find the culprit immediately. And after a few hours, they had the answer: my lenses…”

“That’s impossible!” Frank interjects. “First of all, there’s no way you would do something like that. And anyway, what about the security check? I’ve never experienced as thorough a scan as the one we went through yesterday, physically or digitally.

“But that’s how it is,” sighs Lien, “and besides that, they were convinced that I’d deliberately smuggled the virus in. I was interrogated for three hours solid. They wanted to know to the very last detail what I’ve been doing in recent years. Why did I take a holiday in Iran and was it really a private trip?  “Because it’s a beautiful country,” I said, and it really was the most beautiful vacation of my life. Then they wanted to know about everyone I’d ever worked with, when I worked for the Russian aircraft manufacturers MIG Citizen Corporate. And did I know that MIG used to produce fighter aircraft? Uh, hello? Of course I know that: I was actually assigned to communicate their radical change of course to the outside world. Obviously, I succeeded in that, because tonight was the first time in ages that anyone has ever mentioned MIG’s past history and activities. It looks as if they have been watching me for a while and knew almost everything about me. Fortunately, they seem to have missed my Chinese boyfriend from university, otherwise I would probably have had to face another half hour of questioning. Thankfully, I’ve never mentioned him on social media and Chinese social networking is a law unto itself.”

“Did they also ask about Bio Dynamics?”

“Yes,” replies Lien, “they wanted to know which members of staff I visited in the past few days and who I’d talked to on the phone. Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering,” replies Frank, trying to sound casual, but he knows for sure that something isn’t right. All at once he feels uneasy, but he isn’t sure why.

 

5 The interrogation

 

When Frank and Lien arrive at NATO headquarters, they are checked even more thoroughly than they were last time. Not surprisingly – after all, Lien is officially considered the prime suspect, and Frank, as her business partner, is also under suspicion. “I have a shrewd suspicion that we will not be talking today about our new campaign, “he whispers to Lien.

She does not reply, but guiltily lowers her eyes. Frank didn’t mean his comment reproachfully, because he is convinced that this is something that could have happened to anyone, and he is still hoping that this whole problem can be fixed today.

As soon as the security is completed, over, they are taken to a room far away from the one they used the day before. Here, there are no video screens or attractive pictures of farflung corners of the earth. Three of the walls are painted white, and there is a mirror stretching the entire length of the other wall: no doubt a one-way mirror. It occurs to Lien that she’s in for more endless hours of interrogation, perhaps with an unhealthy dose of the ‘Good Cop, Bad Cop’ routine. But it turns out better than expected. Along with Meredith and Anthony Dice, there is just the one guard in the corner. Frank sees this as a good sign: perhaps they already know that Lien didn’t deliberately infect the NATO systems.

“As you can imagine, we want to resolve the matter as quickly as possible, without letting any cats out of the bag, let alone out of this building, “says Anthony Dice calmly. “You, Ms Sanders, have brought this virus in here, which is why you are our best chance of finding out who is responsible for this chaos. And, yes, chaos is exactly the right word,” he adds with a sour expression. “Our systems are completely out of control. So far, the effects have been fairly innocuous, and the culprit has chosen to restrict his actions to pranks, but that might change at any time. Since last night, the air conditioning has already been increased twice to the maximum permissible value of 28 degrees Celsius, and once turned back to the permitted minimum, fourteen degrees. Ten times more sandwiches than usual were ordered today. The video stream to the White House is running Die Hard 3 and the volume is turned right up on all the ‘Yippee Ki Yays’.

Frank, Lien and Meredith can hardly suppress a grin: whoever the culprit may be, he has a sense of humor!

Just for a moment, Anthony Dice turns his face away from them. (Maybe to hide his anger? Or because even he has to hide a smile?) And then he continues: “Our systems do what they want, and do not respond to any of our commands. We can’t just stand by helplessly and watch the offenders manipulate the system. Yes, the offenders – this can hardly be the work of an individual. And quite honestly, I have more than enough of this. So, Ms Sanders, you will tell us immediately where your lenses might have been infected.” And with those final words, Dice looms menacingly over Lien, probably to demonstrate to her how serious he is.

But Lien has by now recovered her composure and counters: “I would certainly have told you long ago if I knew from where I got this virus. And please do not talk as if I’m responsible for all this. I’m not as careless with my lenses as you suggest, especially when they’re brand-new and very expensive.” Lien actually wants to say more, but then she breaks off abruptly, suddenly remembering something. “Come to think of it, I did take out my lenses for a moment the day before yesterday at Bio Dynamics, because the air suddenly became incredibly dry. And right after it got really humid, almost like it is here. Could it be that …?”

Anthony Dice does not let her finish her sentence. “Inform the police immediately”, he snaps at the guard in the corner of the room, “they should move in on Bio Dynamics right away. Tell them they need as many officers as possible. “Then he asks Frank and Lien for the company’s address. Frank checks the GPS on his watch and calls: “2 Solar Panel Street, in Diegem. A skyscraper. Twelfth floor.” He notices how quick and staccato his own speech is. It seems that he, like Anthony, is caught up with the excitement of the chase.

 

6 BIO Dynamics

 

Soon after, five police wagons, each with two officers and two robots on board, are heading for Diegem. All the NATO staff, along with representatives of Belgian State Security, as well as some foreign experts who have been flown in to work together to find a solution, are assembled in the large cinema hall so that they can track the police raid live. Everyone is terribly excited, chewing their nails, rubbing their hands nervously and fidgeting backwards and forwards on the cinema chairs. They watch every move on the big screen with rapt attention, caught up in the mad rush across Brussels: the men, women and robots swarming around and into the Bio Dynamics building; the sprint up the stairs (wisely, they didn’t take the elevator, since the enemy is obviously technically skilled). They watch intently as the officers pound on the close office door, demanding that the occupants open up. Breathlessly, they wait for the laser apparatus burn a huge hole in the door and see the officers climb through it. But then they see the stunned expressions of those same officers as they realize that they’re standing in a completely empty office.

Suddenly the live broadcast picture changes: instead of the empty office in Diegem, they see a man in close-up, and Frank recognizes the goatee beard and turtleneck sweater of the CEO of Bio Dynamics, Larry Lane. It’s a look that dates back to the last century, but the technology he is using is bang up to date, and his grin is menacing.

“How nice that you could arrange to meet there in one room,” he says. “That’s a great help, because now I only need to explain myself once, and I can be sure that you all get the message. You all have the dubious pleasure of being the victim of the greatest ransomware attack of all time. Your systems have all been disabled by my people. If you want to get access to them again you will need to pay me the biggest ransom in history, but you’ve probably already realized that. I want to make it clear that I am neither a religious fanatic nor a nationalist extremist. The only thing that interests me is money. Lot of money. What is your organization worth?”

He strokes his beard theatrically, while pretending to think about the price. “How much money does the richest person in the world have? 750 billion dollars? How about if we just round it up? One trillion is a nice, round figure. Just think about it: I’ll contact you again in one hour.

 

7 Hacking NATO’s impregnable network

 

Everyone stares blankly at the movie screen, now empty. Was that real? Or have they somehow been just hallucinating? How did this happen? The team leaders are pulled into a videoconference with key heads of state and their security experts, in order to discuss the situation. Two questions are inevitably raised. First, how did Larry Lane manage to crack NATO’s seemingly impregnable system? And secondly – and far more importantly – what do they do now? Do they have to meet the demands of this terrorist? Or should they get down to looking for a solution? But a solution to what problem, exactly?

The IT team that will analyze the infection has taken Lien and Frank to a different Room. For the umpteenth time, they are asked all the same questions. Why did they visit Bio Dynamics? Who did they meet there? What was discussed? Did Lien feel somehow differently when she put the lenses back on? Frank shakes his head in disbelief at the last question: you don’t physically feel a digital virus as you would feel the first symptoms of flu slowly spreading in the body. But his father always says, “You cannot imagine how many myths about malware are still around today.” Suddenly Frank has an overwhelming urge to call his father and tell him about the predicament he and Lien are in.

Meanwhile, the IT team has come to a further decision. Almost an hour has passed since Lane’s video message, so the Chief of Staff decides to ask for a postponement of the deadline. He will say that in such a short time it was not possible to contact all the stakeholders and decision-makers. Given that extra time, he hopes that they will be able to find a solution to the problem.

Exactly an hour after his previous appearance, Lane is back onscreen in the movie theatre. “So? Have you been able to reach a decision? Are you going to make me both the richest and the happiest man in the world? Or do you intend to bring the rest of the world to ruin?”

Helen Dench, Secretary General of NATO, has just arrived at NATO headquarters after a short flight in her HeliCar, a brand-new “amphibious vehicle” that can also be driven like a normal car, and is also capable of short flights like a helicopter: indeed, she only left it a few minutes ago on the roof of the headquarters building. So now she takes the floor.

She asks Lane urgently for another 24 hours, in order to reach a consensus and get the ransom together.

Lane seems to have anticipated this request, because he grins broadly and sneers, “That’s nonsense and you know it. You just want to spend time searching for a cheaper solution for your little problem. What you’re asking for is an insult to my intelligence. But I’ve no wish to be unpleasant about this: I’m miles ahead of you technologically, so I don’t have anything to lose by granting your request. But let’s be clear about this: I have the whip hand here, and I set the conditions.  But as a matter of good faith, I’ll even tell you a secret for free: there are now thousands and thousands of infected computer systems under my control. For every malicious program you remove, ten more viruses will instantly swarm and infect the next system in the chain. What’s more, you cannot get access to your own systems, whatever you try to do,” chuckles Lane mischievously. But all at once his tone of voice turns serious: “Okay, you get your 24 hours respite. But his is my first and last warning to you, not to lie to me again.”

Suddenly the screen splits. In the lefthand frame is Lane’s sneering face, and on the right, they see the road that connects NATO with the center of Brussels and what used to be Belgium’s national aiport. Since the price war between various airlines in 2025 resulted in many flights moving to other airports, Ostend and Charleroi share this role. Nowadays, Brussels Airport is reserved for the use of military transport and private flights by the President and other key figures such as NATO leaders. There is usually relatively little traffic on this street. Lane continues: “As you may have noticed, I’m now the one who controls the traffic lights around the NATO access roads. Presumably you can still remember the day it was decided that NATO would take control of road vehicles?” Some Chiefs of staff glance meaningfully at each other. Yes, that had been seen as a breakthrough. But all of a sudden, the screen shows one of the driverless vehicles accelerating and running at full speed into the car in front. Every face in the room is with distorted with shock at the sight: this is the first accident involving a driverless car in five years!

“What none of you considered, obviously, is that driverless vehicles constantly interact with smart traffic lights. Not with the intention of controlling the car, but just to exchange information. While the car advertises its location, the traffic light tracks its current position. The only reason traffic lights are not allowed to control the car’s actual movement is that so many countries had moral and ethical concerns. But morality is not my problem.” As if to underline his words, another vehicle leaves the queue in front of the traffic light, turns the wrong way, and after turning several somersaults finishes up in the middle of the street.

“One more thing: did you realize that I’ve also taken control of the air traffic control center next door to you at Eurocontrol?” asks Lane, and his mocking undertone causes everyone in the room to break into a sweat. “That’s right, that’s the great thing about the world today. Humans, animals, inanimate objects: they’re all interconnected. We used to say that all roads lead to Rome, but now we should really be saying that all roads lead to each other. Except that when it comes to the road to fortune, following the money only leads to me!” He gives one last diabolical grin (which he undoubtedly copied from some action movie), then the picture turns black. The faces of everyone present reflect the same panic and despair.

Fortunately, Helen Dench is still present, and immediately takes the floor again. “There’s no question that the situation is serious, but our IT and security departments are working hard to find a solution so that we can regain access to our systems.” At that precise moment Frank’s smartwatch beeps, and he hurries out of the hall.

 

8 Calling Dad!

 

“Hello, son, what’s all this I’m hearing?”

Frank is overjoyed. It’s years since he’s been so happy to hear his father’s voice.

“Dad! Have you heard what’s going on here?”

“Yeah, sure, you evidently don’t know where I am right now – I’m in Barcelona at the Virus Bulletin conference. There’s going to be a sort of end-of-career party to celebrate my retirement. But the only thing anyone here wants to talk about is what’s going on right now in Brussels. ”

“I’ve never come across anything quite like this,” sighs Frank.

“What exactly happened? There are three different versions of the story circulating at the conference.”

Frank tells him the whole story and when he is done, his father says, almost admiringly, “Oh yes, ransomware!”

“Excuse me?!? Could you temper your enthusiasm in the face of this crisis? This could be a worldwide catastrophe – or do you see it differently?”

“Oh, I am well aware of the danger. After all, son, you’ll remember me telling you time and time again in the past how dangerous cloud services and global networking are. You’ll have to excuse me if I can’t quite resist an ‘I-told-you-so’. But it’s incredible that I am now celebrating the end of my career – well, after the end of my career, but that’s another story – fighting a potentially catastrophic case of ransomware. That’s how my career in security started, remember?”

Frank still remembers all too well: after all, he has heard the story of the “AIDS floppy disk” more than twenty times, till it is literally burned into his memory.

“But let’s get to the point, my boy: can we help you at all? After all, just about every antivirus expert in the world is here with me in Barcelona. Everyone who is anyone in security is right here!

It takes Frank a moment to realize all the implications of what his father has just said. He is right in the middle of what is probably the biggest cyberattack of all time, and at the same time his father is sitting with the cream of malware researchers and fighters against cybercrime in Barcelona. If the situation were not so dangerous, one might say, “Too good to be true!”

“Hang on a minute, Dad, and I’ll call you back right away.”

“Okay, Frank, but don’t take to long. In an hour I’m going with some friends to eat at the El Bulli tavern. I’ve been looking forward to it for weeks!”

Frank hurries over to Anthony Dice and consults briefly with him and several other Chiefs of Staff, and then picks up his phone again. “Dad, you’re not going to El Bulli! Grab the best guys you know and get to the airport. There’ll be a NATO jet there waiting for you.”

 

9 The team of security experts

 

“Won’t your father be unhappy at having to miss out on El Bulli?” asks Lien anxiously. “He must have made those arrangements ages ago.”

“No chance!” laughs Frank, “He would hate it if he missed out on fighting the biggest cyberattack of all time. That will appeal to him much more than all the tapas El Bulli can put on the table. And as it happens, it sounds as if the food on the plane will be quite tasty, too. Not that they’ll have much time to eat: they’ll be landing at Brussels airport in about half an hour.”

About an hour later, Eddy Willems comes into the NATO building with Mikko Hyppönen, still a ridiculously busy security expert and an experienced keynote speaker who has lectured at innumerable security conferences. Also in the group are Righard Zwienenberg and Luis Corrons – both good friends of Eddy’s and renowned IT professionals who have worked in the industry for several decades. Anthony Dice is not sure whether to breathe a sigh of relief or sigh with anxiety. Sure, these men have years of experience, but do they also keep up-to-date with the latest malware techniques and trends? The fact that they have all come straight from the Virus Bulletin conference does reassure him a little. It’s probably because of his job that he’s basically cautious rather than optimistic.

 

10 The attack analyzed

As Lien already feared, she now has to tell her story for the fifth time. The only good thing is that this time she doesn’t forget anything. With the other interrogations, she always found that there were a few significant details that she only remembered afterwards, but now every last detail is readily retrieved from her conscious memory.

Eddy and his colleagues are actually impressed by how perfectly planned Larry Lane’s attack is. Immoral though it was, the way in which he engaged with Frank Talking and misused the agency in order to achieve his own ends was skilfully executed. Phase one, the preparation of the infection, was almost perfect. And then there’s the way in which he then penetrated the system and used an ingenious combination of backdoors and vulnerabilities that they cannot help but admire. “I have to say, Lane has done his job with extraordinary efficiency. I have never seen an APT like this, “says Righard Zwienenberg. “Yes, he really seems to have thought of everything. I think it’s more A than P”, agrees Eddy Willems. Frank and Lien look at each other quizzically, because they have no idea what the experts are talking about. Anthony Dice interprets their expressions correctly and starts to explain, seeing a good opportunity to prove his own expertise. “APT stands for Advanced Persistent Threat, meaning a sophisticated and ongoing threat. Your father is saying that this attack was launched using the most advanced technologies. After such thorough preparation, it was dead easy for Lane to penetrate the system. Is that right, Eddy?”

“I couldn’t have put it better myself,” Eddy replies. “And it’s gratifying to know that NATO still employs people who are familiar with the basics of classic malware technology.  Today the jargon used is targetware as a way of covering every possible targeted attack, but sometimes it’s useful to apply a more specific term in order to understand exactly what’s going on.”

“What I still don’t understand,” says Anthony Dice, getting back to the point, “Is how this malware could be smuggled past all the malware protection programs that we used when Mr Willems and Ms Sanders were admitted to NATO headquarters?”

“I suspect that the actual malware had yet to be activated,” replies Mikko Hyppönen. “I’m convinced that either a timer or the scan on entry to the building launched the malware. Since there was a gap of just a few hours between your leaving for dinner and the discovery of the malware, I’d guess the latter.”

“That wouldn’t surprise me with malware as tricky as this,” Eddy tells him, “But the most important question is: how do we turn it off?”

The four participants in the Virus Bulletin conference are now working together with NATO’s security experts on this problem. Fortunately, the whole room is kept isolated from the main systems, and so is secured against eavesdropping. “Lucky that I insisted on that precaution,” thinks Anthony Dice.

They brainstorm furiously, running through all sorts of potential risks and problems (which takes quite a long time, because they must take into account all the systems to which NATO has access) and also review what NATO’S security experts have tried to do so far in order to turn off the ransomware. That takes quite a while, since a long list of countermeasures have been tried, even though none of them have worked. Finally, they think about what measures they can still attempt.

“Have you tried all the available virus sniffers?” asks Mikko Hyppönen. By this he means small programs that are routed through the network in order to track down malware. Some of these are not only good at tracking, but are also capable of analyzing malware, and sometimes they already contain enough information to solve a malware management problem. “In this case, it would be very nice if they could relieve us of the need to analyse the malware directly: we can do the rest ourselves.”

“But we can’t get into our own network, so how can we send out sniffers?” asks Dice.

“Maybe we can also find this same malware in another network and can try it out there. If it works, we can do it again with the critical systems.”

“Good idea!” everyone responds, and one of the security experts is sent to another team so that this idea can be put into effect.

An hour later, Anthony Dice receives a call. He picks up, listens and takes a deep breath. “Our expert has tried everything, but he just isn’t getting anywhere near the malware. Although, he has found some satellite malware programs, which seem to be used to monitor activity, but they’re really too well protected against analysis. What should we do now?”

“We could also try to get into the network system of a driverless car,” Luis Corrons interjects forcefully. “Since the traffic lights send commands to the cars, it’s possible that it would work the other way round.”

“That sounds like a good idea: I’ll get someone on it right away. Perhaps we should try it with a Chinese car? They are definitely well equipped and always carry the most technically sophisticated and up-to-date equipment. And since China and NATO are such good friends, they certainly won’t object,” says Dice, desperately trying to be witty.

Only fifteen minutes later, the phone rings again and his face turns even more thunderous than the last time. “Dammit, he managed to get the sniffer into the traffic control system, but when our man tried to get deeper into the system from there, and before he knew what was happening, the car was propelled 50 yards further on into a concrete wall.”

“Oh, heck… our own weapons are being turned against us,” sighs Anthony Dice. “It could take days to write our own malware and insert it into the system. And we don’t have that much time.”

“Besides, we do not want to fix this by developing malware,” chime in all four of the Virus Bulletin Musketeers as one, ” that just wouldn’t be ethical!”

“What else can we do, then?” Dice asks desperately. Everyone stares as if spellbound at the electronic whiteboard, on which all the options, risks, and technical specifications for the malware have been listed.

Eddy rubs his chin and almost casually asks, “Have you ever thought of trying to turn the systems off and on again? That’s one of the biggest problems at the present time: All systems, large or small, from the mainframe to the smart lens, run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Everyone wants it that way. And of course, cybercriminals also assume that’s how everything works. And maybe that’s exactly the point at which we can hook in our own processes.”

“I don’t understand,” says Anthony hesitantly and a little bit anxiously. “Just in case you forgot, Lane is in control of our systems, not us. Which means that we can’t perform a remote shutdown.”

“Sure, but have you ever tried just turning the system off by hand? We just pull every plug we can find, and then we reboot the system. Maybe that’s enough in itself for us to regain control.”

“Is that even possible?” one of the security experts wants to know. “Can we access all our internal and external server systems at all? I guess all the doors to the server rooms were closed by our systems when the malware was triggered.”

“No, that might actually work,” says Anthony Dice enthusiastically. “When the doors to the server rooms were closed, there were a few guys from the IT team still in there, trying to recover the systems via the administration consoles. Presumably they’re still trapped in there.

“A stroke of luck for those lads,” Luis laughs. “Now they have the opportunity to be the heroes who save the day, if everything works out!”

 

11 Disabling the malware

 

The only question to answer now is how they get into to the server suite to tell the IT team. Then someone suggests that they write the message with a good old-fashioned felt-tip on a whiteboard and hold it up to the window. The technicians look pretty puzzled at first. In all the years they’ve worked there they have never pulled a plug out or turned off a device by hand. On the contrary: turning off a server (unless there’s a legitimate need to disconnect it) is punished with a hefty fine. The culprit is expected to invite the whole IT team to dinner in the most expensive five-star restaurant in Brussels! But then it dawns on them that this is their last chance! They agree that they must switch off all devices as fast as they can, so that Lane and his team don’t notice what’s happening.

Nerves stretched to breaking point, the entire NATO team, plus the four Virus Bulletin veterans, watch as the server team – fortunately, all very athletic guys in their twenties – sprint along the line of servers, turning off every device. Everyone is anxious, and only now does Frank realize that Lien has been squeezing his hand painfully hard. It all takes just 20 seconds. “And that,” says Lien, sighing with relief, “is how to get into the Guinness Book of Records for 2034, if only because they’ve just invented synchronized server powerdown.”

And it immediately becomes obvious that at least one success has been achieved: the server suite doors open and out comes the IT team, cheering. Without a moment’s hesitation the lads start hugging all the onlookers. But now there is an even trickier task to undertake: the first system has to be rebooted and brought under control before the malware can be reactivated.

A tense silence falls as the security and IT experts watch the system administrator, who must start the system from external boot media, so that the malware cannot be triggered again. After a few minutes he gives them the thumbs-up, earning rapturous applause. Now the system has been recovered, the ransomware is disabled!

 

12 Larry Lane

 

Amid all the hubbub and cheering, Frank hears the ringing of his smartwatch. And now he sees that five missed calls have been flagged on the display, all from the same number. He suddenly realizes who is trying to contact him. His number is probably the only one that Larry Lane knows that he is able to dial directly. Now that NATO has control of its own telephone systems again, it’s easy to block his calls. When he accepts the call, he hears the unmistakable, angry voice of Larry Lane. “Give me the Secretary General!”

“If I’m not mistaken, you’re no longer in any position to make demands,” grins Frank. “Why not try asking nicely? Anyway, I’ll gladly pass you on, and I’ll enjoy hearing how you get on.”

Helen Dench immediately turns the watch onto speaker so that everyone can listen to the conversation. “Mr. Lane,” she says mockingly, “instead of billions of dollars perhaps you’ll accept our offer of food and lodging for at least 25 years?” “The game is not over yet,” threatens Lane. “I’ll find another way into your systems, and then you will know what a catastrophe really is!” His last few words have hardly been uttered when everyone hears a deafening noise at the other end of the line. They hear shots and a loud crash as a door falls to the floor. Excitement mounts as they hear Lane and his men being overpowered by the Security Service. The newest generation of tracking robots has found them in no time, and then it is child’s play to reel them in without bloodshed. “In cyberspace, Larry Lane was a genius, but in real life he’s a complete loser,”murmurs Anthony Dice.

 

13 Prevention

 

After the cheering dies down, it’s back to work for the whole group. Eddy and his Friends discuss with the NATO experts how such malware attacks can be prevented in the future. “Do not forget the off switch,” Eddy says again, his whole face one big grin. Frank and Lien sit down at the conference table again with Communications Strategist Meredith Weston and discuss how best to set about limiting the damage the incident has done to NATO’s public image. Perhaps they can tailor the message to focus on how successfully everyone involved cooperated in order to solve the problem? After all, experts in communications are not only capable of repairing reputational damage, but of spinning the story so successfully that those involved are actually better-regarded than they were before. In this case, though, they face a tremendous challenge, which is why Secretary General Helen Dench is also taking part in this meeting. “This is about more than just communication, this is about the whole strategy of NATO for the coming years, “she says, explaining why she is there.

A drinks reception is being organized for that evening, with everyone present at NATO Headquarters invited – including Eddy and his friends – as a way of thanking everyone who helped to reach a satisfactory conclusion to this unfortunate incident. And so this unforgettable day is coming to a happy end, but Frank is still in the mood to celebrate. He and Lien ask the four security experts whether they would like to join them for a slap-up evening meal in a nearby restaurant. “Obviously we’d love you to join us: after all, you’ve probably saved not only the whole world, but also my contract with NATO!”

“With pleasure,” replies Eddy. “But before that, I would like to satisfy my curiosity about something. Down in the basement they keep the server backups, and I’d like to take a look at all the system data and log files. Maybe then I’ll understand how the malware actually worked. After all, fighting malware is not just about how to react when a virus strikes and repairing the damage: it’s also about preventing similar incidents in the future. What do they say? ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?'”

“Isn’t that typical of my dad,” laughs Frank. “Even now when he’s drawing his pension, he just can’t resist a security puzzle. Everyone else wants to party, and what does he want to do instead? Analyze viruses. OK, but make it quick, and in the meantime, we’ll book a table.”

“We’ll come down with you,” say Luis and Righard in unison. They too want to get to the bottom of this malware, but unlike Eddy, they hadn’t dared to ask the NATO bosses if they could investigate further. On the other hand, they were basically the ones who have saved NATO and the rest of the world.

 

14 Where in the world is Eddy Willems!?!

 

“Here we are again!” Luis and Righard are back after only half an hour or so. “For the moment, we just skimmed the data, because investigating the whole thing is probably going to keep us busy for a while. The NATO experts promised to let us have all the relevant information for my talk at the Virus Bulletin conference in Barcelona tomorrow night. That’s going to blow everyone’s socks off, “says Righard and rubs his hands in sheer anticipation. “And what about my father? What’s he still doing down there?” asks Frank.

“What?!?! He was right behind us when we left the basement.” Only now do Luis and Righard notice that Eddy hasn’t followed them into the conference room. “Hang on a minute, “says Luis. “I’ll go back and get him or he’ll be spending the whole night down there.” Less than five minutes later he’s back. “There’s no sign of Eddy, and the guards didn’t see him either. They told me that Eddy was not behind us when the door that connects the basement with the offices was locked.”

“That’s odd,” says Anthony Dice. “I hate it when people go missing round here.”

“He can’t have disappeared: it’s just that we’ve managed to lose sight of him,” Meredith Weston exclaims, grinning. “I’ll just ask in the ballroom if anyone has seen him there.”

“Good idea”, say Frank and Lien, and go in with her.

A short time later, they learn that no one has seen Eddy since he went down to the basement. Anthony Dice checks the surveillance recordings. He finds nothing – no sign of Eddy anywhere in the building. When they try to ring him, they get an answerphone message. Frank says, slightly worried, “All I get from his smartphone is an ‘I can’t answer the phone right now’ message.”

“I really hate it, when someone goes missing round here,” Dice says a second time, and this time Meredith does not contradict him.

“Maybe it was all too much for him and he quietly went home. I’ll call my mother,”says Frank, holding his smartwatch to his ear and giving the command “Call mom.” A few seconds she answers.

“Mom, have you seen Dad tonight, or heard from him?”

“No, my boy. He’s supposed to be with you: why are you asking?”

“Because we can ‘t find him. Nobody saw where he went and he isn’t answering his phone. Something must be wrong, because normally he never turns of his cellphone.”

“That’s true. If he contacts me, I’ll let you know immediately, “says his worried mother. “Best to get the NATO security services on the case right away. In the meantime, I’ll contact my colleagues in the police. Is there anything else I can do? If he shows up, call me, okay?”

“I will,” says Frank, and his smartwatch disconnects from the call. He looks in alarm at Lien and says, “Cancel the table at the restaurant: I’m afraid this is the beginning of a completely different story.