An officer at the Russian embassy—a man known as Calculus—has approached the FBI offering to sell a list of Americans who are giving confidential information to the Russian SVR. But before a deal can be made, Calculus is recalled to Moscow, and the Bureau fears the Russians will be hunting down and killing the traitors unless the FBI can find them first. FBI agent-turned-bricklayer Steve Vail thought he was done with the agency, but the Bureau has another unsolvable problem, and it has Vail's name written all over it. Finding the hidden turncoats, however, won't be easy—in fact, it could be downright deadly. And even with the help of FBI Assistant Director Kate Bannon, the Bricklayer's going to have to come up with a few new tricks of his own if he hopes to survive. Agent X: a white-knuckled thrill ride that crackles with an electric authenticity only a writer who's a real-life FBI veteran can provide.

The gripping action thriller from New York Times bestselling author and former FBI agent Noah Boyd. Steve Vail has brains, brawn and balls – and is back for his latest mission.

From the Foreword: "This book exemplifies one of the most successful approaches to modeling and simulating [the] new generation of complex systems. FLAME was designed to make the building of large scale complex systems models straightforward and the simulation code that it generates is highly efficient and can be run on any modern technology. FLAME was the first such platform that ran efficiently on high performance parallel computers and a version for GPU technology is also available. At its heart, and the reason why it is so efficient and robust, is the use of a powerful computational model ‘Communicating X-machines’ which is general enough to cope with most types of modelling problems. As well as being increasingly important in academic research, FLAME is now being applied in industry in many different application areas. This book describes the basics of FLAME and is illustrated with numerous examples." —Professor Mike Holcombe, University of Sheffield, UK Agent-based models have shown applications in various fields such as biology, economics, and social science. Over the years, multiple agent-based modeling frameworks have been produced, allowing experts with non-computing background to easily write and simulate their models. However, most of these models are limited by the capability of the framework, the time it takes for a simulation to finish, or how to handle the massive amounts of data produced. FLAME (Flexible Large-scale Agent-based Modeling Environment) was produced and developed through the years to address these issues. This book contains a comprehensive summary of the field, covers the basics of FLAME, and shows how concepts of X-machines, can be stretched across multiple fields to produce agent models. It has been written with several audiences in mind. First, it is organized as a collection of models, with detailed descriptions of how models can be designed, especially for beginners. A number of theoretical aspects of software engineering and how they relate to agent-based models are discussed for students interested in software engineering and parallel computing. Finally, it is intended as a guide to developers from biology, economics, and social science, who want to explore how to write agent-based models for their research area. By working through the model examples provided, anyone should be able to design and build agent-based models and deploy them. With FLAME, they can easily increase the agent number and run models on parallel computers, in order to save on simulation complexity and waiting time for results. Because the field is so large and active, the book does not aim to cover all aspects of agent-based modeling and its research challenges. The models are presented to show researchers how they can build complex agent functions for their models. The book demonstrates the advantage of using agent-based models in simulation experiments, providing a case to move away from differential equations and build more reliable, close to real, models. The Open Access version of this book, available at https://doi.org/10.1201/9781315370729, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

'Excellent . . . thanks to this we now want two new X-Files shows' SFX magazine How did Fox Mulder become a believer? In the spring of 1979, seventeen-year-old Fox Mulder has bigger problems than applying for college. Five years ago, his younger sister disappeared from their home and was never heard from again. Mulder blames himself, and his mother blames his father, who has retreated into his top-secret work for the State Department. In Fox's senior year, his dad has moved him to Washington, DC?away from his friends on Martha's Vineyard. While Mulder doesn't mind the fresh start and not being known as "that kid with the missing sister," he's still obsessed with finding Samantha. So when a local boy turns up dead and another child is abducted, Mulder can't stop himself from getting involved. Could there be a link to his sister's case? As he uncovers the truth, Mulder and his friends find themselves on the trail of a serial killer. Sucked into a world where conspiracies, the occult, and madness overlap, Fox Mulder starts to believe.

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING NINA DOBREV AND AARON ECKHART “Terrific pace, surprises galore….Move over Jack Reacher, here comes The Bricklayer.” —James Patterson Someone will kill and kill again if it means he can fool the FBI . . . Ex-FBI agent Steve Vail is more than happy to leave the Bureau behind, but they aren’t through with him yet. A group called the Rubaco Pentad is holding the FBI up for buckets of cash, with an escalating body count as leverage. The Feds are stumped. Some signs point to a corrupt agent while others lead to completely dead ends. Vail has built a reputation for being able to find anybody anywhere. Now, with no official ties, he’s the perfect choice for this under-the-radar investigation. But as Vail well knows, going after people who use killing as a bargaining chip is asking for the worst kind of trouble. The Bricklayer is a gripping debut of an iconic new hero, and is brought to us with the startling authenticity only a real insider can provide. Noah Boyd has created a mind-twisting maze of clues inside a nonstop thrill ride that is guaranteed to keep readers on edge until the final page. "Non-stop action and non-stop authenticity make this a real winner." —Lee Child Don't miss Steve Vail's next pulse-pounding thriller from Noah Boyd: Agent X, available now!

An astounding collaboration between Agent Provocateur, Mike Figgis and Kate Moss, "The 4 Dreams of Miss X" breaks new ground. Genius innovators in haute couture, AP have commissioned Mike Figgis to portray Moss in her first acting role, resulting in four unique films: "Shadows", "Scale", "Exhibitionist and "Narcissus" - "The 4 Dreams of Miss X". Shot in night vision, these films are intensely intimate: a beautiful woman's private dream experiences. Two films have been released online in 2006, with the final two released in January and March 2007. Brought together for the first time on DVD, you can now enjoy Kate Moss' first ever speaking role at home and full screen.