約束の期日が来た。
風呂から上がり、脱衣所で集会に参加するための身支度を始める。
とは言ったものの、猫になって参加するのであるからオサレな服やアクセサリーなどは必要ない。裸一貫、髭の手入れだけで十分であるが、何分猫っ毛なので少々手間取る。頸は良く回るものの手が使いづらひ、この手ではパソコンのキーボードを打つのがせいぜいである。何事も一長一短あるものだ。
おっと、こんなことをしていては遅刻してしまう、さっさと出掛けることにしよう。
人間で在れば玄関から出るところであるが、猫の身体では難しいのでトイレに移動してそこの窓から出ることにした。泥棒避けの格子が付いているが、なに、猫なら簡単にすり抜けられる。スルリと抜け出してアパートの廊下へ躍り出たら、今度は階段を使って1階の玄関まで一気に駆け下りる。
さてと、ココでまず第一の関門、自動ドアだ。ココを抜けなければアパートの外に出ることは出来ない。出るときは簡単、赤外線センサーを反応させれば自動で開くが、はたして猫の身体で上手くいくであろうか。
センサーの照準を見定め右往左往、猫じゃ猫じゃでも踊りたい気分であるが、あまり怪しい動きをすると人間どもに怪しまれてしまうので控え目に腰を振ってみる。
しばし踊りを続けていると、モーターの駆動音と同時にドアがスライドを開始した。よし、上手くいったぞ。人目に付かぬウチに表に出てしまうことにしよう。
アパート前の通りへ出て一旦足を止めてから辺りを見回してる。
「おお、コレは」
当たり前のことであるが人間のときとはまるで違う、猫の目がこれほど便利だったとは。
夜でありながらも視界はクッキリと鮮明。それはもう毎日のやうに見慣れているはずの風景画がまるで別世界のように新鮮に感じるではないか。夜空には雲の切れ間から薄っすらとお月さんが顔を覗かせている。夕方ににわか雨が降ったものの、今は上がって道路もすっかり乾いたようだ。少し冷えてきた風が髭を撫で付けてくる。
「よし、いざ行かん」
軽快な足取りで目的地へと向かう。当然吾輩は猫なのでお行儀良く碁盤目の道路を進む必要は無い、ご近所の庭や塀の上を堂々と突っ切って真っ直ぐ進んで行く。超人的な身体能力を手に入れた吾輩は、体長の何倍もある障害物でもヒョイと一跳びするだけで簡単に乗り越えてしまう。この軽やかさも一度味わってしまうとクセになるな。まるで月面を歩いているようで、鉄のような体を引きずって歩く人間どもが憐れに思えてくる。
ただし車には気を付けた方が良い。ヤツらは人にあらずんば遠慮なく轢き殺しに来るし、トラックなどに至ってはジェット機が突っ込んで来るやうなもので、猫の身体だと近くを通っただけでコッチが吹っ飛ばされそうになる。慣れないうちは大きい通りを歩くのは止めておこう。
猫の姿と共に新しい発見を楽しんでいるうちに某レストランまでたどり着いてしまった。
今日は定休日なので明かりは点いておらず、住宅街の奥にひっそりと佇んでいる。週末なのにお休みとはなかなか根性のある店だ。まあ、目的地はこの裏の空き地なのでお休みでも問題ないのであるが、ちょっくら店の脇を通って裏手へ廻らせてもらおうと思ったその時。何やら奇妙なモノが視界に映ったのでふと立ち止まる。
お店の入り口――。『NOIR』と書かれた看板の後ろに何か吊るしてあるようだ。
はて、ココは洋食屋さんのはずであるが、何故か場違いな干し柿がぶら下がっている。これは一体、何かの魔よけかしらん。はたまた猫目だけに見える亡霊か･･････。
見てると何だか気味が悪くなってきたのでサッサと空き地へ行くことにしよう。
猫だと思って甘く見たか。思いのほか店の壁と塀の隙間が窮屈で、通り抜けるときにちょっと身体が汚れてしまった。ヤレヤレ、帰ったらまたシャワーを浴びないと。
裏手へ回ってみるとお店の勝手口があり、反対側の空き地とはブロック塀の一部が取り壊されて地続きになっている。コイツは有難いことだ。
とりあえず頭だけをヒョイと覗かせて空き地の様子を窺ってみる。
ふむ、もともと民家が建ててあったのを取壊して更地にしたようだ。中央は開けているが隅っこの方は大分雑草が伸びてブロック塀には蔓が張っている。
「あら、こんばんは」
ふと、天の方から声が聞こえてきたので見上げてみると、塀の上に一匹の猫が横たわっている。
その姿を見た瞬間。吾輩の中に眠る詩人の境地が蘇って来た。
朧月夜に流れる黄金色の体毛、ふくよかながらマニアックな肉付きと真実を見つめる青い瞳。――可憐だ。人間であれば絵筆を取って画を一枚描き上げるところであるが、猫となってしまった今では叶わぬ夢か。
「やあ、お月さんが綺麗ですね」
「ええ、ほんとうに」
「あなたが今日の新人さん？」
「さよう、満毒斉でござる」
月が静かに見守る中でしばし見つめ合う。長い宴の夜が始まりを告げようとしている。
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FBI’s dark web investigations hampered by inefficiencies, overlapping objectives of different units
The FBI should set up a “formalized bureau-wide dark web strategy” to address operational shortcomings in how it
tackles illegal darknet activities, a Department of Justice (DoJ) audit
has recommended. The DoJ’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) figured the
status quo – whereby FBI units involved in dark web
investigations develop their very own strategies in isolation –
led to inefficiencies, overlaps in remit,
and misallocated resources. Following a audit (PDF), the OIG
has issued five recommendations that should clarify “investigative responsibilities among operational units, cause more effective and affordable approaches to investigative tool development and acquisition, provide strategic continuity during periods
of turnover, and provide baseline data collection guidelines which will enable the FBI to raised report its dark web accomplishments.”
Investigative shortcomings
Highlighting the urgency of the proposals, the redacted
report stated that darknet marketplaces used to sell and distribute malware,
data breach records, drugs, firearms, and child sexual
abuse material are “one of the greatest impediments to [the bureau’s] efforts to
disrupt cybercriminal activities.
The OIG unearthed that operational units’siloed strategies had “varying examples of comprehensiveness” and some were not even documented, with the Hi-Tech
Organized Crime Unit’s strategy for pursuing opioid traffickers credited as “the most comprehensive.
The Hi-Tech Organized Crime Unit and Major Cyber Crimes
Unit, meanwhile, had “overlapping strategies” that can lead
to “redundancies, inefficiencies, or investigative assignments that aren’t properly aligned with skillsets,
capabilities, tools, and resources.
The OIG also noted that the Remote Operations Unit’s
efforts to produce and acquire investigative tools have been hamstrung by budgetary cuts, and
that the team had prioritized tools useful for national security
investigations, leaving operational units “with out a mechanism” for
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