Chapter 8
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA
Professor Hagen’s Palo Alto, California, home was a vintage Craftsman, and was in a constant state of remodeling and incomplete additions. He returned from the kitchen with a cup of coffee and stood in front of his desk.
“Call Kip Wilde, please,” Hagen said.
Kip appeared on the video call. He looked disheveled. On a computer display behind Kip were was a montage of images of the Convergere.
“What time is it?” Kip said.
“Early. So the director of the AICW called. They want to fly us to Mendocino County to look at what she described as a large, seemingly abandoned data center.”
“What the hell for? I don’t have time.”
“Evidently, they think it’s a national security concern. The possible source of that huge surge the other day that brought down the Weste
