“Prime Quality Friendship” takes you on a journey through the lives of James Ross and Nigel Hawking, two college friends attending Massachusetts Polytechnic. During a wild college party, they stumble upon a groundbreaking mathematical discovery with the potential to destabilize the world economy. Faced with a moral dilemma, they must decide whether to use their discovery for personal gain or reveal it to authorities, a choice that challenges their friendship and continues to haunt them in later years. This gripping tale explores the complexities of ethics, personal benefit, and the enduring impact of decisions made in the heat of the moment.
Prime Quality Friendship
James Ross
I’m heading to the party with a couple of beers in hand. Nigel and I agreed to meet at the residence hall entrance earlier. I couldn’t have paid for the beer without Nigel’s money – I’m pretty broke, and my survival depends entirely on him. Despite our financial differences, we’ve been friends since our freshman year in college, and now we’re sophomores. Nigel is a good and likable guy. It’s a shame he accepted that stupid bet back in high school. I mean, how out of their minds were those guys that proposed a fake robbery to little 14-year-old Nigel? It’s beyond my comprehension.
But, leaving that behind, as I approach the hall, I spot Nigel’s bad-boy smile as he charms a girl standing next to him. I wave to him and present my generous gift of high-alcohol beverages. He glances at me, excuses himself from the girl, and approaches me.
Nigel Hawking
”Sorry milady, but I need to pick up the evening’s main guest.”
Finally, I have an excuse to leave this gal alone. How can someone major in geology and be sincerely interested in this crap? It doesn’t matter. James has shown up, at last.
“You son of a gun! What took you so long? Just kidding. I don’t care. Come on, man, hurry up. We don’t have a whole day.”
I greet James as we enter the “Chamber of Joy” (a silly name we gave to the residence hall). I love James; he’s the kind of guy you can trust, and he’ll never let you down. That’s a rare quality. Besides, he has a positive attitude, even though he’s in so much debt. Massachusetts Polytechnic may not be a bad school, but man, it’s expensive! Not much of a problem for me, as my folks have tons of money, but for him, it’s a heavy burden to carry. We take the booze upstairs and the music gets louder and louder at each step.
”Tonight’s gonna be a good night! I feel it in my bones, man!”
James Ross
“I hope so too.”
The speakers are blasting, and I can’t hear myself. We reach some doors, exchange greetings with our friends, and before I realize it, we’re in the midst of a massive party. Dancing, singing, drinking… it’s everywhere you look. While we’re having a good time, I spot three football players, all wearing their sports shirts. I take a closer look and notice the numbers – 2, 3, 5.
I think to myself:
“Damn, prime numbers, what a coincidence.”
I get a bit frustrated with myself because that’s the nerdiest thing to say. But, it’s only in my head, and no one knows. I start to think more deeply about those three numbers, and suddenly something occurs to me.
I gotta find Nigel, I gotta find Nigel…
Nigel Hawking
This part rocks! I haven’t had this much fun in a long time. I even found this nice girl I’m kissing right now! Out of nowhere, a hand appears and starts shaking my arm forcefully. I get furious and shout:
“For God’s sake, get off me. What do you want?”
I see James’ face, and I recognize that look. I know he has come up with something, and he’s eager to share it. Reluctantly, I let him quickly whisper in my ear what’s on his mind so that I can return to where I left off with the girl. But what he says is unlike anything he’s ever told me before – it makes sense, too much sense. He explains an idea for finding prime factors, and it sounds remarkably reasonable. Now, I have to choose between finding out whether he’s right or wrong or staying with the girl. I say:
“Damnit! You’re annoying James, you know that?!” I turn to the girl. “Sorry, me and my friend need some time alone.”
James Ross
I see the suspicious look on the girl’s face after what Nigel just said. I don’t have much time to think, though, because he’s dragging me out of the party and taking me to a quiet room, then locks the door. He stares at me, pulls out sheets of paper and a pencil, and says:
“If you’re wrong, James… I swear to God, I’ll choke you with my own hands, and I’ll probably end up in jail. You hear me?!”
I see the mix of curiosity and madness in his eyes. I furrow my brow and reply:
“That’s definitely true, mate! Now, let’s get started, shall we? Maybe you’ll manage to find your girl and apologize to her…”
But I shut my mouth after he gives me his “I’ll-kill-you” look. We start working on the proof.
Several hours later, I see the sun rising. I must say, it was interesting doing math while being completely drunk and exhausted. However, now my body feels it all, and I instantly fall asleep.
Nigel Hawking
“Go to sleep, buddy, I’m outta here.”
What he just did was crazy, and I’m feeling really bad. I stagger more or less in the direction of a bed and lay down. I can’t move an inch. As soon as my face touches the bed, my eyes close, and I pass out. I have never been so tired in my life.
Me and James wake up around 6 p.m., and after a while, we begin to realize what we discovered during our all-nighter.
“Man… I can’t believe it… Like… how?”
We both can’t produce a single sentence because we both know the profundity of our discovery. Banking systems, the DH protocol, RSA, and much more, are, from now on, nothing, but a bunch of naive math gibberish. With our method, we can find the secret numbers that lie at the core of all those cryptographic algorithms. We’re now gods who can easily disrupt the world economy. It’s simply unbelievable, and I’m not sure if either of us is ready to fully understand it, not to mention do something with this.
“James, what now?”
James Ross
“I don’t know, Nigel, I don’t know.” There are a million thoughts rushing through my head… It can be the answer to all our problems. I can pay off my debts… or erase them… or whatever I want. There’s for sure a way to clean up your mess.
I’m so excited. My whole body is shaking like I’m on drugs or something. I can’t process it. An algorithm that doesn’t take thousands of years to factorize 600-digit numbers.24 hours ago, I would laugh at someone claiming they found a method. It’s strange how life can surprise you.
Our work opens up so many doors. I can now wreak havoc on banks all across the world. I can get some money and get away with it. I know it doesn’t sound like me, but it’s a choice between spending the next 20 years paying off my student loans or enjoying life, having a family, being a rich man. It’s hard. Even for Nigel. I don’t recall ever seeing him so confused. He always struck me as the type of guy who would have an answer to everything. And even if he didn’t, he would invent an answer sooner or later.
This time was very different.
Nigel Hawking
I know James is right – this algorithm can be a way out for both of us. The problem is, I don’t see how we can both benefit from it. Of course, we can destroy the banking system and face no consequences, watching the world fall apart. We could do that. But how the hell am I supposed to convince the judge to dismiss all charges against me? I was a dumb teenager; why would anybody change their minds now?
The way I see it is to give this piece of mathematical knowledge to the authorities on the condition that they won’t press charges against me anymore, and maybe, just maybe, they’ll handle this situation properly. For the first time in my life, I don’t know what to do. Neither does James.
“Listen, man, I hate to break it to you, but we can’t just go around stealing other people’s money and say that’s okay because it’s not. It’s not fair.”
James Ross
I got mad at Nigel. How can he not see the opportunity?
“What would you know about it? A spoiled kid who never had to struggle for money or anything in his life? How can you tell me what is just and what is not when you robbed the bank, and you got a criminal record? Not just that, you’ll just live like nothing has ever happened because your parents will just lawyer up and save your precious soul.”
I can’t believe what I just said. It was harsh… too harsh. I see Nigel’s face, and I regret my words. I want to apologize, but he interrupts me.
Nigel Hawking
Did he really just say what I think he said? It can’t be… but it is. I don’t know how to react.
“You know what, man. Leave me alone. I ain’t no saint, but neither are you. Go to hell. I shouldn’t have listened to you.”
I say these last words while closing the doors. I head toward my room now. I’ve had enough of this. I need to rest and see what I can do, but I don’t feel like doing anything. Why does everything have to be so hard?
10 years later
I haven’t spoken with James since that night. I don’t know what he’s doing, but I certainly haven’t done anything. After so much court bickering, I now have to go to prison for 2 years. Would I have avoided it if I had said a word about the work we did with James?
James Ross
I haven’t seen Nigel for a very long time. I don’t care what anyone would say about this, but yes, I paid my college tuition with stolen money, and I did it in a way that no one would notice. I heard about some investigation going on. It doesn’t bother me. Why would it?
I just can’t cope with myself. What I did was questionable, but could I have done otherwise? I don’t know. Oceans of alcohol I pour into myself don’t seem to help but provide relief for a while.
Would I be in a different place if I hadn’t said those words?
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