He reviewed his notes, disorganized but pointing to the same question. After skydiving, the first answer came to him: he was mortal; his existence had an end. He read Ronald’s notes for that occasion, still unread. Who am I? he thought. He stood and walked to the window, looking at the sea. Who am I? The answer was not easy.

He realized the question touched epistemology in connection with metaphysics. Consciousness of oneself as an entity in reality. He knew this, and recalled the contradictory views of Plato and Aristotle. The latter said man’s soul was reason, but it died with the body. The former said the soul existed apart from the body, reincarnating again and again. Aristotle’s soul was mortal; Plato’s, immortal. Contradictory answers to the same question. But one cannot be mortal and immortal at once; reincarnation cannot exist and not exist at once; God cannot exist and not exist at once; life after death cannot exist and not exist at once. A is A.

After reflection, he concluded that choosing to live as mortal or immortal was personal, but every choice had absolute consequences. The worst option was to avoid choosing.

Leaving the dressing room, he saw a message from Victoria: I LOVE YOU. He recalled the train from Manchester to Cambridge. They had always wanted to make love on a moving train.

NUCLEAR TENSION CONTINUES. NORTH KOREA THREATENS JAPAN WITH DELETING IT FROM THE MAP, he read on his phone.

A new message arrived: SIROB: 6:00 pm. He would meet him later. After progressing through the book, Alexandre headed to the cafe in sweatshirt, hoodie, and sunglasses. Boris sat at the back table.

“I deciphered Ronald’s message,” Boris said. “It’s written in Spanish.”

“What does it say?”

“Code on pendrive,” he answered, and explained the letters were arranged alphabetically.

“Now that you say it, is easy to uncoded it,” Alexandre said. “What does it mean?”

“I suspect Ronald found a code, possibly military, tied to a large-scale operation.”

“What evidence?”