Permanent Record

Snowden transfers to Hawaii, where he works in a long underground tunnel, a former airplane factory turned into an NSA facility. Snowden and Lindsay hope that coming to Hawaii will let them to “start over yet again” (170). They believe the climate and relaxed lifestyle will benefit Snowden’s epilepsy; also, the NSA facility is within biking distance of their home, which means Edward no longer has to drive. Now 29, Snowden is still contracted by Dell, has stepped a rung down on the career ladder to reduce stress, and is slowly reaching the decision which will define the rest of his life. The NSA places him in charge of document management, to implement a system that sets permission levels for document access. He decides to read many of these documents himself, certain they will confirm his worst suspicions.

Lindsay convinces a reluctant Snowden to attend a luau, where an old man tells the ancient creation stories of the islands’ indigenous peoples. One involves three islands considered so pure by the gods that they must be hidden from humanity, lest they be spoiled. The gods lift the islands into the air, where they float among the clouds. Snowden compares this myth to his own search for the truth: