After two days of twenty-four computers utilizing hundreds of core processors, Mr. Henry received an alert that the decryption process was completed.

Mr. Henry underestimated how long it would take to decode the blob of ciphertext that Agent Appleton gave him. The size of the file wasn’t very large, but its encryption algorithm was based on SHA-256, an older but effective form of encryption.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The payload consisted of a folder archive with some source code and some sort of log. Mr. Henry proceeded to run it through his analysis program. The output suggested that multiple people contributed to the code.

Mr. Henry called Agent Appleton.

“I think you need to get over here right away.”

“What did you find?”

“Several things, but I’d rather not talk on the phone.”

“I can be there in the late afternoon.”

“Get here as soon as you can!”