Character Relationship Map: The Net

Characters

• Angela Bennett (played by Sandra Bullock) — protagonist

  Freelance systems analyst framed for murder, fights to clear her name using tech skills.

• Jack Devlin (played by Jeremy Northam) — protagonist

  Seductive thief who steals Angela's disk, frames her, and triggers the conspiracy.

• Jeff Gregg (played by Gerald Berns) — minor

  CEO of Gregg Microsystems, creator of the Gatekeeper software used in the conspiracy.

• Michael Bergstrom (played by Ken Howard) — supporting

  Under Secretary of Defense murdered to hide HIV test results and Gatekeeper usage.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Jack Devlin → Michael Bergstrom (Conflict Conspiracy-Linked Threat) — Jack belongs to the criminal network surrounding Bergstrom's murder.

  Bergstrom's death is part of the conspiracy that Jack serves as a contract killer for, although the plot does not state that Jack personally killed Be...

• Jeff Gregg → Jack Devlin (Alliance Shared Conspiracy) — Both are tied to the operation that exploits sabotaged computer systems.

  Jack is identified as a contract killer for the cyberterrorists, while Gregg is exposed as connected to the cyberterrorists' Gatekeeper scheme.

• Michael Bergstrom → Jeff Gregg (Conflict Opposing Interests) — Their opposing positions connect Bergstrom's death to Gregg's business scheme.

  Bergstrom had opposed federal use of Gatekeeper, while Gregg's conspiracy depended on selling Gatekeeper and gaining access through its backdoor.

• Angela Bennett → Michael Bergstrom (Narrative Investigator And Victim) — Bergstrom's death becomes a key clue in Angela's investigation.

  Angela accesses Bethesda Naval Hospital's computers and learns that Bergstrom's HIV test results were altered, causing a fatal misdiagnosis.

• Angela Bennett → Jeff Gregg (Conflict Conspiracy Adversary) — Angela exposes the corporate figure behind the technological conspiracy.

  Angela connects the cyberterrorists to Gregg Microsystems and uncovers Jeff Gregg's scheme to sell Gatekeeper after computer systems are sabotaged.

• Angela Bennett → Jack Devlin (Conflict Adversary) — Angela fights Jack after he helps erase her identity and turns her into a murder suspect.

  Jack seduces Angela, arranges the theft of her purse, steals the disk, and later escapes with it while framing her through a false arrest record.

Story Analysis

A systems analyst fights technological identity erasure while exposing a conspiracy built around Gatekeeper software.

Plot Progression

1. The Dangerous Backdoor — Angela Bennett receives a disk containing a backdoor into Gatekeeper. The disk's sender dies in an aircraft crash before their planned meeting.
2. Vacation Becomes A Trap — Angela meets Jack Devlin in Cozumel and is drawn into a staged theft. She escapes an attempted killing but is left unconscious after a crash.
3. A Life Deleted — Angela wakes to find her records erased and her identity reassigned. A demand for the disk confirms that the attack is organized.
4. The Digital Conspiracy — Angela investigates Bergstrom's death through hospital computers and connects the Pi backdoor to the Praetorians. The conspirators eliminate a crucial helper and continue pursuing her.
5. Destroying Gatekeeper — Angela traces the operation to Gregg Microsystems and sends evidence to the FBI. She destroys Gatekeeper, defeats Jack, restores her identity, and sees Gregg arrested.