Consequence (26 page)

The
booth is neat and well organized. The room is outfitted with adjustable office chairs, the kind you buy at Office Depot. There is a large wooden table, too heavy to throw. There is a carpet on the floor. There are no marks on the walls.
is led into the room by two military policemen. They remove his handcuffs and place them on the table.

The NSA collects, processes, and disseminates intelligence information from foreign signals for intelligence and counterintelligence purposes and to support military operations. This is what the NSA website says. What it means is that, while imperfect, the NSA is capable of providing accurate information on foreigners and their activities. Unlike the CIA, the NSA doesn't draw conclusions or make assumptions. Signals intelligence is unambiguous.
There is no doubt about his guilt. He wasn't seen running from the scene of an explosion. He isn't just suspected of anti-Coalition activities. His jealous neighbor didn't turn him in because of an old grudge. It doesn't matter if he's Sunni or Shia. He has done terrible things to his fellow countrymen, and he has done terrible things to U.S. soldiers. There is hard evidence to prove this. This will not be an
about determining guilt. This will be about gathering critical information from a man who wields great power and has done terrible things on the streets of Iraq.

9.7

I return to Minesweeper and the Pie Chart of Death. The pink section is beginning to overtake the blue. I read emails from other NSA employees and play Ping-Pong on the sheet of plywood. That night, I drink the rest of the alcohol Karin concealed in the box of Fig Newtons. I send her a message asking for more. I tell her to forget the miniature bottles. Buy a bottle of mouthwash. Pour it out. Replace it with liquor. Send two.

The next day I'm pulled aside by the CSG supervisor.
I get sick in the portable toilet and tell God to wait outside.