At the office

-Hi Simone!
-Hello Alain.
-I got your email...
-(What a surprise...)
- ...and I have to say that your topic seems to be astonishingly unusual...
-(what a surprise...)
-...However, I and some other members of the publishing team thought that it could have potential...
-(What a surprise...)
-...So we decided that we send you to Helsinki to do this conspiracy or terrorist piece that you suggested...
-(What a surprise...)
-...As we have the feeling that it could sell well...
-(What a surprise...)
-...So, what do you say?
-Oh, thank you Alain, thank you, this is all too much!
-Well, we thought that we should give you this once-in-a-lifetime-chance.
-Oh, I don’t know what to say!
-Just don’t let us down Simone.
-I won’t!

Girls take a note here. What ever you want in life, you have to go and get it by yourself. You saw how it went. I had that guy around my pinkie and made him think that it was he who had this great article idea and it was him who made it possible. To the very end poor Alain thought that he was being generous but I just pushed his buttons and made him do what I wanted – get into a plane to Helsinki.

-Bye Trish!
-Bye Simone. Have a safe trip.

At the airport

It really pisses me off to be sent to Helsinki like this. I guess that guy has to do what man has to do, or how it went...

Anyhow, I have been thinking about my career a lot and I just don't get that dude. Smart career move my ass... I'll show him on next season.

I hate travelling but I love airports. Somehow being on an airport already gives the same feeling that you get while travelling. So many different looking people, different languages and cultures...

Take that goon in front of me, for example. Caucasian - obviously - but I have no idea what is he up to, where is he coming from or where he's going. If I'd see him on my home turf, it'd be just another colour-blind dude, wearing a monkey suit. Hah, no way I'm putting on such idiotic wardrobe. Carrying a metal briefcase into metal detector, sucker! Have a nice time with the anal probe, European passport or not, no way customs is going to let that slip by. Hah, hah, you sure made my day monkey boy.

Burning of the midnight lamp

2 AM - Oh how I love these late nights. VCR clock is blinking in dulling monotonic manner. Fan is out of order and temperature is soaring. Streets are dirty and crowded by drunks. Deadline is coming on strong and good old Whiskey is moaning to get some canned delights.

I don't mind about those deadlines, quite contrary, I love them. Usually it is very easy to keep up with the schedule, but every now and then something far bigger comes along and it is impossible to let it slide.

I noticed it when I was jumping from CIA to FBI databases. There was something there, too subtle for even system administrators to notice. Well, that is not such a high remark for the admins as they never spot me either. It takes one ultra cool stealth foxy to notice another low-flying intruder.

Couldn't really put my finger on it. There was something, I for sure wasn't there alone... I had to use all my tricks to track the stream to Nigeria. Now that's a country that rings several bells - any one needing some free reserve cash that should be deposited somewhere, just pay the transaction costs etc. Reminds me to finish the story about that cartel in Niger... Anyways, end of the line and nothing was solved. It is unlikely that some mud hut would have broadband. Wonder what is going on? Someone is seeing way too much trouble to cover this up. Almost like me... Makes me scared, I use the info to write mini Watergate stories, which pull the pants down for few not too nice people, but what if this new lead is using all that information to do something more serious than writing?

I put the information from the tracer program into my data refiner and something odd came up - Helsinki 2005. Why Helsinki? What is going down there? I had to finish my story at hand and get editor to develop an interest towards this remote European capital. I was going to be there to dig out more.