Counting from Zero (16 page)

“You'll see soon enough,” he replied.

They climbed out into the evening, enjoying the warmth of the desert.
 
Mick took off his jacket and slung it over his shoulder and they walked into the hotel together.
 
They walked past the ridiculous statues, silly decorations, and ever-present slots and tables.
 
They veered to the right and went into an area with shops.

“Are we going shopping?” Kateryna asked.

“Patience,” Mick replied.
 
They turned a corner and Mick stopped.
 
Kateryna did the same as they both looked at the
six meter
tall statue of a man in front of them.

“Wow!” Kateryna said.
 
“I've seen Michelangelo’s before, but this is amazing.”

“Yep, a full size copy of David, even carved out the same kind of marble.”
 
They both stood and stared for a few minutes,
then
slowly walked around the perimeter to get a side view, then back view.
 
A few people stopped for a look, but most just passed by obliviously.

“Even in this setting...” Kateryna began,
then
paused.
 
“Thanks for sharing that,” Kateryna said when they wandered off a few minutes later.
 
“That was so unexpected.”

“You're welcome.
 
I've seen the original, and you can't even get near it due to the crowds,” he offered before continuing.
 
“I'm used to wandering around Vegas alone, so this is a different experience for me, but a nice one.”

“Don't you hang out with Lars here?” she asked.
 
Mick looked at her, and she quickly understood.
 
“No, I guess not.”

They left the casino and walked along an outdoor path.

“So, did you grow up in Romania?” Mick asked.

“I did, until I was fifteen.
 
It was really, really different.
 
It’s hard to explain.
 
I did well at school, in maths and science, of course, and was even in the Union of Communist Youth, would you believe?”

“Was that similar to the Komsomol in Russia?”

“Yes, exactly,” she replied, surprised.

“Were your parents party members?”

“No, they weren't.
 
I didn't want to join but
I was approached by my favorite teacher
when I was thirteen.
 
She told me I could go far if I joined and applied myself.
 
I thought my parents would try to talk me out of it, but they didn't.
 
But, I never really got into it, the whole class struggle, thing – it never made any sense to me, none of it.
 
Perhaps that were true of everyone, and everyone was also just playing along, giving the right answers – I don’t know.
 
It might have rubbed off on me a little; these days I find progressive politics much more appealing than the mainstream.
 
When Ceauşescu was overthrown, my parents suddenly had an opportunity to leave, and they jumped at the chance, even though they had to leave all of their money and possessions behind.”

“Wow!
 
That’s hard to imagine.”

“Yes, I had hoped we would come to America, but we went to Canada instead.
 
I wanted to go to Toronto, but we went to Montreal.
 
So then I had two foreign languages to learn...”

“Well, you've learned one of them well, at least,”
Mick
replied.
 
She wrinkled her nose.

“I don't think so.
 
I get by, but I often feel frustrated that I don't have the exact word I want.
 
I would love to be able to talk the way you do.”

“The way I do?
 
Really?
 
Do you mean my accent, or my expression?”
 
It was Mick’s turn to be surprised.

“Both, but especially your expressions.
 
You know, sometimes I look up words you use later to see their full meaning.”

“Really?
 
You don't have to do that.
 
You can just ask me.”

“I know, but I like to look them up myself – just to make sure you used them correctly!”

Mick pretended to gasp and Kateryna smiled.
 
They had stopped at the edge of a large body of water, with a huge casino hotel glowing in the distance.
 
A number of others were also standing around.

“The Bellagio,” Mick indicated with a nod of his head,
then
glanced at his mobile.

“You grew up in London, right?” Kateryna asked.

“Right, in Kilburn.
 
I was born there and lived there until I was ten.
 
My parents were born in Ireland, so we lived in a kind of Irish ghetto – it was fun!
 
I wandered the city by myself on buses and the Tube when I was about eight years old.
 
Can you imagine that today?”

“No, no one does that today.”

“My niece, Sam, is ten and lives in Boston, but it will be quite a few years before she can even walk around the block in her neighborhood.
 
Maybe my sister will let her ride the subway when she is twelve or thirteen.”
 
Mick paused, waiting for what would happen next.

With a loud pop and an incredibly high shot of water, the fountain started its music show.
 
Kateryna jumped at the sound, then laughed and put her hand on her chest.
 
She watched, mesmerized, as the illuminated jets danced across the water, waving and shaking.
 
Mick didn't recognize the song, but it was definitely a country and western, which didn't thrill him.
 
He noticed Kateryna tapping her toe and moving her hips to the music.
 
When the chorus started, he noticed her singing along.
 
He stared at her lips as she sang the lyrics “...
 
this kiss, this kiss...” Smiling, Mick joined in singing on the second verse (it was a country and western song after all, and hence had copious repetition).
 
Kateryna noticed, smiled back and sang along a little louder.
 
Some Koreans standing nearby also joined in, apparently thinking this was an American custom.
 
By the end, the whole group around them was singing along as the water played and popped.
 
When the song ended, Kateryna applauded enthusiastically, and Mick joined her.

“Wow!
 
That was amazing!
 
And I love that song!” Kateryna began, turning from the fountain to Mick.

“You listen to country and western music?” Mick asked.

“Every now and then...
 
alright, I love it, and Faith Hill is one of my favorites.
 
You don't have to tell everyone, do you?” she asked.

“Your secret is safe with me, Ms. Petrescu!” Mick replied.
 
“The fountain really is beautiful, isn't it?”

“Oh, yes.
 
I'd seen videos, but it is so much better in person.
 
And I didn't expect the sound – the pops sound like fireworks.
 
You were expecting it to start, weren't you?”

“Yep, the shows are every fifteen minutes, so if we wait, we can watch another one.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

“You know, the first time I saw this fountain, it played one of my favorite songs, too.”

“Which was?”

“ 'Con Te Partiro' with Andrea Bocelli...
 
I like all kinds of music, but I'm a big opera fan.”

“I see.”

“But I do like Shania Twain,” Mick offered.

“Her music?” Kateryna asked, mostly suppressing a grin.

“No, not really...
 
her videos.”

They passed the time and watched another performance of the fountain.
 
This time, it was a Broadway musical number, but the fountain was still fascinating.
 
They stayed outside, watching, talking, and occasionally singing along for the next two hours before they set off walking again.

“Hey, we can go to the top of la Tour Eiffel!” Mick nearly shouted.
 
Kateryna frowned at him.

“I already have – the real one,” she replied.

“Well, so have I, but don't be a spoilsport.
 
It would be so romantic!” he joked, then was surprised when he saw Kateryna’s cheeks color.

Did she just blush?

For the first time, Mick began to think that perhaps this little...
 
whatever it was, perhaps wasn't only on his side.

Instead, they continued walking, not noticing Jupiter’s azimuth or the slow movement of the moon across the sky.

It was after four in the morning when they returned to the hotel.
 
They paused near the elevators to say good night.
 
Mick had a feeling that something had changed tonight.
 
He decided to take a chance.

“Coffee?
 
At the bar?” he asked.
 
Kateryna considered it for a moment then smiled.

“OK, sure.”

They sat down at the bar, which was almost entirely deserted at this hour and ordered their drinks.
 
The bartender left them alone.

“It really has been a great evening,” Mick began.
 
Kateryna nodded and sipped her latte.
 
“I can’t tell you how much I enjoy spending time with you.”
 
Mick summoned his courage.
 
“Kat, I’m attracted to you.
 
You are such an amazing woman…” he trailed off.
 
Mick waited a moment before he looked up into her eyes.
 
She met his eyes for a moment, then leaned in and gave him a short kiss on the cheek.
 
Mick had closed his eyes, and when he opened them a moment later, he was surprised to see an empty chair beside him – Kateryna had gone.
 
He spotted her turning the corner,
then
she was out of sight.
 
Confused, he replayed the last few minutes in his mind.

Am I supposed to chase after her or something?

Instead, he took another sip of his espresso, deciding that she wasn’t the type to play those
sort
of games.

Back in his room a few minutes later, Mick had trouble sleeping, so he wrote some code until he fell asleep.

Chapter F.

From the
Security and Other Lies
Blog:

What is a ‘rogue access point’?
 
Is wireless Internet access secure?
 
Raptorz_8_mebrain

Wireless Internet access security is a very important topic, and I’m glad you brought it up, Raptorz_8_mebrain.

An ‘access point’ or AP, is a generic term for a radio or wireless base station – a router with an antenna and a wired connection to the Internet or other network.
 
It allows computers to wirelessly access the Internet.
 
It is also an excellent place for someone to launch an attack on a wireless device.
 
Here’s how it works.

An attacker can create a fake or ‘rogue’ access point or base station, say on his or her computer, then can set up along the highway, or in a car in a parking lot or street, or at a coffee shop.
 
When you turn on your wireless device or move into range, your device connects to the rogue access point instead of the real one.
 
The attacker is now in a perfect position to be a ‘man in the middle’ – an uninvited third party to your Internet activity.
 
The attacker can, for example, listen in to your calls, monitor your data, read your mail, and potentially steal your passwords, bank account information, or credit card numbers.

Fortunately, there is something you can do.
 
Firstly, if your Internet traffic is encrypted, then you are most likely OK.
 
Otherwise, you can do your own encryption and authentication across the wireless link until you reach a part of the Internet that you think is secure.
 
This is what I do.
 
All my wireless access is tunneled back to a server that I trust (because I run it!).
 
Only after I have established an authenticated and encrypted link from my computer back to my server will I use a wireless Internet connection.
 
This way, if the AP goes rogue, there is nothing it can do except end my session.
 
Sometimes this is known as a Virtual Private Network or VPN, and some companies require employees to use this when they connect outside the office.