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KINGPIN

Max let them in, already apologizing. He only meant to help, he explained.

They chatted amicably. Max, happy for an audience, grew expansive, describing the twists and turns of his attack and listening with interest as Smith described how he’d tracked Max through the pop-up messages Max had used to alert himself when a system was subverted: The messages went to a Verio dial-up, and a subpoena to the ISP produced Max’s phone number. It hadn’t been difficult. Max had convinced himself he was doing something positive for the Internet, so he hadn’t done much to cover his tracks.

The feds asked if anyone had known what Max was up to, and he said his boss was involved. Matt Harrigan—Digital Jesus—had not completely given up hacking himself, Max said, adding that Harrigan’s company was about to get a contract with the National Security Agency.*

At the agents’ behest, Max wrote out a confession. “My motives were purely for research and ‘to see if it could be done,’” Max wrote. “I know this is no excuse, and believe me, I am sorry for it, but it’s the truth.”

Kimi came home from school to find the feds still tossing the house. Like grazing deer, they looked up in unison as she entered, dismissed her as unthreatening, and turned wordlessly back to their work. When they left, they hauled Max’s computer equipment with them.

The door closed, leaving the newlyweds alone in what was left of their home. An apology formed on Max’s lips. Kimi cut him off angrily.

“I told you not to get caught!”

The FBI agents saw an opportunity in Max’s crime. Trahon and Bee-son returned to Max’s home and gave their former ally the score. If Max

* Harrigan’s involvement is in dispute. Max says he planned the BIND attack with Harrigan at the MCR office and that Harrigan wrote the program that built the target list of government computers. Harrigan says he was not involved but was aware of what Max was up to.