The cloud and the clock

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2

-Mark! Hey, Mark!

-Claude, what happened? Are you sick?

-You have to come here, you just have to. I have a computer problem and only you can help me solve it.

-Now? But you are out of your mind. Do you know what time it is?

-I know, I know, it's very late. Please Mark, come on, an extraordinary thing has happened ... something never seen before. Come here now, I need help urgently.

-Unfortunately, I can't tell you no. Okay, okay, I'll be there soon.

Sitting in front of the computer, almost hypnotized, Claude stared at the screen with an astonished expression, his eyes wide open and his hands motionless on the keyboard. He looked at the monitor with his eyes following luminous movements drawing light graphics on the screen and did not notice Mark standing behind him.

-Claude! What is this stuff?

-Mark, how did you get in?

-I still have the keys to this apartment, don't you remember? We have been sharing it for five years!

-Yes, Of course. Please consider this image ...

-Wow! What is this?

-Look and tell me what you think.

Mark took his place next to Claude, in front of the computer, and scrutinized the video: in a short time, his face changed expression, just like Claude’s.

-I swear, I've seen nothing like it. Twenty years of high-level computer programming, but I have seen nothing like this. The pixel resolution is super high, atrocious, and those 3D effects, with the planes intersecting each other on multiple levels… tell me, how did you get to this point?

-I'm doing that job I told you about a few days ago, it was commissioned by an important company. I need to connect to a top secret data cloud platform.

Mark looked at him with a penetrating gaze: -Be careful, eh, if it's compromising stuff.- Don't get your fingers burnt.

-You taught me the secrets of the trade.

-Exactly, I don't want to have you on my conscience. I keep away from dangerous jobs, you don't know what can happen to you. I am sure I taught you that too.

-I know, I know ... but how could I turn it down? The offer was very tempting, I wanted to try something new. I was undecided imagine this, I also asked Professor De Grecis for advice.

-You must be crazy. What do you think that old crazy man thinks of our computer programs?

-Well, for me he was a guide, a teacher of life.

-And what did he tell you?

-To be careful, just like you.

-Okay, okay, you are stubborn and you accepted. So, tell me how did you get to this screen?

-Let's proceed in an orderly fashion. - Claude took a deep breath - I went into MS-DOS, as we always do when we want to get to the data cloud platforms. I used the steps you have used other times to get into the programs and everything went smoothly. I used various programming languages, then occasionally, when I needed the access passwords, I looked for them on the other computer, through the software that allows you to decode encrypted passwords.

-So far so good. And then?

-Then I must have entered the wrong password. I noticed it as soon as I finished writing it, I wanted to delete it and correct it, but the program had started and brought me to another screen, containing unknown strings.

-Unknown? Are we talking about a compiler language or a machine language?

-Neither, I'm afraid. I ran the last string… and this screen you have before your eyes appeared.

-Did you note the wrong password?

-Yes sure. It is wrong for what I wanted to do, but it is the right password for this screen… Mark, please check. What do you think?

-Well, I've seen a lot of strange things, but this one surpasses them all. Stairs, tower buildings, windows… and everything is in motion. It reminds me of something, but I don't know what it is. Wait, wait a minute, that's what it is: it looks like an Escher painting, maybe Relativity, or something like that.

-Yes, but this moves, and it is interactive. Look at this little man at the base of the ladder, we might click on it.

-Try it, let's see.

-Here, I clicked, the door is opening, there is an encrypted message on two lines, could you decode it?

-Wow, imagine this! I will copy it and then let you know, it should not be difficult to discover what it means. Anyway, I have to say, it's all very strange.

-Right, huh? I think so too. I wonder if it's a game, or something more dangerous.

-It could be both: we'll never know if we don't get inside. I'll try to solve the mystery of the message, and then how about popping into the lab and putting on the simulators? I'd like to climb those stairs and walk in through that door.

-I have to write down all the steps I took to get here, otherwise we won't be able to find the screen again. Meanwhile, try to find the meaning of the message. Shall we talk about it tomorrow?

-In two or three days, I'd say. Decoding takes time and requires multiple attempts. I'll call you as soon as I get a grasp on it, okay?

-Ok, ok. Mark?

-What else do you want to know, Claude?

-Nothing. I'm scared.