Brain Jack

Trust me once you read the two items I write you will want to read this book.

All rights go to the author.

Prologue

Right now,as you read this prologue, I am sifting through the contacts of your computer. Yes, your computer. You. The one holding the book.

I am reading your e-mails, looking at your ditgital photos and images you have downloaded off the Net, opening your most private documents and having a good read, or a good laugh, depending on the content.

To be honest, most of it is utterly boring. Except for a few files. You know the ones I mean.

I know you don't believe me, and I prefer it that way, but think about this.

When you bought this book, you used a credit card or a debit card. That created a record in the massive computor systems that the banks use. The systems they claim are impregnable.

But they are on the Net. And nothing is impregnable on the Net.

So I monitor those systems for transactions with the ISBN of this book-that's the International Standard Book Number. You'll find it on the publisher's copyright page on iv. Have a look now. It's 978-0-375-84366-2.

When your transaction went through, I got an alert from one of my monitoring progarms,and, as I had nothing better to do, I dug a little deeper.

I got the credit card number from the transaction log, and that, with just a quick poke around in the "highly secure" databases of the bank, gave me your home address and telephone number.

I cross-matched that with the Internet service providers in your area to find your broadband connection. Then I checked to see if you have a static IP(that's the electronic address of your home computer). You don't, so I raided your ISP's DHCP server to get your computer IP. It didn't take me long to find out where your computer lives on the Internet.

Your router's firewall was a joke-and not even a very funny one. The built-in firewall on your PC was another story, though.

That held me up for a couple heartbeats. I had to use your peer-to-peer file-sharing client to slip a Trojan past your security and gain remote-administrator access, shape- shifting a little as I did it so as not to attract attention from your antivirus software. No matter. It took me less than ten minutes from seeing the transaction to obtaining complete access to your hard drive.

So now, while you're reading this, I'm looking through your computer and having a great old time. You could race over and turn your computer off, but you'd already be too late.

I could delete a few files, but I probably won't. I could change your passwords and lock you out of your own system, but I can't be bothered.

And I won't crash your system or delete the contacts of your hard drive or anything like that. I am not malicious or evil, or even particularly bad.

I'll just quietly leave and erase any trace that I was ever there.

But I know you now. I know who you are. I know where you live. I know what you've got. And if the time comes that I need something from you, something that you might or might not want to give up, I'll be back.

That time is coming. Sooner than you think.

But in the meantime, don't worry about me.

I'm not worrying about you.

Right now, I've got much bigger problems to think about.

Here's the epiloge

You probably think you can relax now.

In some ways I suppose you are right. I am no longer very much interested in the contacts of your computer, although, believe me, if I wanted what's there, I could take it, easier than ever before.

But I have a new job now, and it keeps me pretty busy. Too busy to worry about you and your hard drive and the e-mails you've been sending, Yes, those e-mails.

What concerns me now is much more profound than that.

Much more personal.

Previously, I can look into your computer; I could see your files. Now I can look into your mind. I can see what's in your heart.

Just think about that. Before you decide to act. Before you decide to hurt anyone or cause them grief.

I'm watching you. Not right now, and not all the time, but sometimes. The thing is, you never know when.

So be good.

Be nice.

Be honest.

Live your life as if it matters how you live it.

Because it does.