The Origin Point: A Future Tech Cyber Novella (4 page)

Julia was tasked to spearhead GCS's goals
with an international team of handpicked thinkers overseeing the
research, creation and implementation of a detailed plan for the
project which when completed would be a unified foundation for
surveillance and online tracking of individuals. In her assignment,
she sought and expected to leave her lasting legacy entrenched in
computer code. Civil liberties and privacy issues aside, an
opportunity existed to secure the future by committing to using
technology to protect public safety on every level. To ensure the
palpability of these ideas, she privately united other influential
voices in national security, defense, business, academia and
government to propose extending the system beyond surveillance to
complete integration of individual online activity. The idea would
encourage citizens to voluntarily attach to the system in exchange
for a simplification of their everyday tasks. The win-win proposal
gave citizens, efficiency and expediency, and governments, their
information.

"I know the GCS agenda is intense but the
project cannot be reliant on elected officials who change every
four years," Julia stated as she uncomfortably shifted in her
chair. She was shorter than an average woman but her statuesque
voice made her sound much more commanding than expected on sight. A
scrapper from a violent inner city neighborhood, she had pounced on
education as her ticket to upper mobility, and literally fought to
be allowed to attend a magnet high school for industrious
achievers. The Ivy League followed for her undergraduate and law
school degrees followed by first joining the Foreign Service, and
then leaving to go into business. Invited back to run the State
Department, she had served on the frontlines of the most dynamic
changes rippling through the world. Not only was the West engaged
in a thousand-year war with extremists, but also the rise of new
wealth launched by China was changing the economic face and
political influences of the world. Julia endeavored night and day
to convince her colleagues that America's complacency and late 20th
century view of global geo-politics would not hold against the
challenges of 21st century realities. "We need to have a continuous
multi-decade rollout plan adapting to changing technology and
political events," she continued.

"I'm aware of our goals," Marco convincingly
responded.

"Then why are you letting a reporter in to
Horizon to snoop around and ask questions about an operation we
have managed to keep secret from everyone?"

"I needed a safe place to look at her files.
Horizon does not even exist on maps. The complex is camouflaged
from satellite surveillance."

"You are taking her right into the
building."

"In a blindfold, through underground
parking, she'll have no idea where she is."

"And if she snoops around?"

"I think this one can be convinced to mind
her own business in the name of national security."

"Oh yeah, why?"

"She was my tenth grade science partner,"
Marco sheepishly replied.

"What? Who?"

"Dallas Winter at the National
Republic."

"And you're still buddies?"

"Yeah, in a manner of speaking."

"I know about Dallas Winter, she's one of
this town's most relentless journalists. How deep does this
friendship go?"

"Deep enough."

"Deep enough to keep her silent...a
journalist of her caliber?"

"Yes, I think so."

"To make sure she does not learn any aspect
of our operations?"

"Are you referring to a specific
concern?"

"The money."

"The money?"

"We have finally earned the trust and
confidence of those who will provide the money, and you're going to
rattle them by letting a reporter into Horizon."

"No one will rattle them."

"We have worked more diligently on this part
of the plan than any other, Marco. We needed to ensure the project
had an independent source of funds to supplement unpredictable
government resources. Investors, business people, global financers,
even Hollywood producers are agreeing to finance the project's
experimental initiative in exchange for a seat at the decision
table...the secret decision table." Without governments to rely on
for sufficient available on-demand funds, GCS had decided to
cultivate permanent fundraisers, outside all government entities,
to provide additional money whenever the project ran short. The
group's singular mandate was to ensure the system protected
national security at all cyber and physical world levels. But other
objectives, supported by broader business goals, conveniently
aligned within the same technical structure and could be
implemented as required on behalf of the financial backers. "We
have to be able to ensure our money that the road ahead is clear,
without the potential for fallout or blowback from wandering
journalists."

"I can manage her. But when I convince her
the files are not FedSec, she'll want to research more and show the
documents to every other government department, not to mention all
the think tanks in town."

"You think she's going to put those
documents, with those titles, into wide circulation?"

"Not if we give her something in
exchange."

"Like what?"

"The files literally are not FedSec. I'm not
lying about my department's involvement, but I'll be concealing my
knowledge of the actual origin. Because she might guess I know
more, I want to give her the one thing every reporter wants."

"Oh I knew there would be a catch. What will
she want?"

"The story."

"I hope you are not implying the typical
meaning of that statement. This is not a story we can give."

"Not as we understand the details. But we
can give her a piece, building on information the public already
knows."

"Isn't Winter too smart to accept being
handled?"

"Yes, but we will not handle her. She'll get
a story, but we'll control the content."

"How will we manage her content?"

"She does not have all the files, at least I
do not think she has. But she's received a preview. If we keep her
information contained, we keep the story contained too."

"Contained how?"

"Look, everyone in the world is speculating
about the future. There are stories every day about government
ideas for regulating privacy or controlling civilian drones. I
think she can be made to understand she's looking at proposals for
piling into the debate."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, why not? It's the most plausible
explanation."

"Next to the truth."

"Well we both know she can never know the
truth."

"But can she become a problem if she begins
to suspect a bigger story. I mean, who are you going to claim
created those policy papers, she'll still want a name."

"Okay we'll give her a name. One of those
obscure European discussion meetings held every year in an alpine
village."

"Seriously?"

"Why not? Maybe a low level government
official attended and happened to use FedSec's template to create
his discussion papers."

"No, do not mention FedSec or the
government. She'll want the name of the official. I think you
should deny any knowledge of the documents and the content."

"Really?"

"Yes, if she can recognize FedSec's
template, another viewer could too, and recreate the framework for
personal use. Having the template does not mean the document
originated at FedSec."

"I'll have to take a look at how authentic
the template really is. If the files are within our numbering
sequence, someone could definitely notice."

"Sure go ahead check all the details, but do
not let her believe you know anything about the content."

"And if she wants to keep digging?"

"Let her. She won't find the real story. In
fact, she may do us a favor. However she tries to chase down leads,
we can see if we have holes in our security or issues we have to
deal with around guarding the facts. Leave the story as vague as
possible, let her search and search, and we can follow and see how
far she gets."

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable letting her
run with her questions."

"Why? We kill two birds with one stone, make
sure Winter does not get the story, while confirming our defenses
are airtight."

"Are you sure you want to risk watching her
investigative methods?"

"The other option is to have her
arrested."

"For what? She's not dangerous or
disloyal."

"Not yet. But if her snooping becomes a
problem she could be arrested for asking the wrong questions and
threatening national security."

"No, no way, let's not make allegations. I
will keep her focused on a narrow range of issues. She'll never
have the big picture or know the whole story."

"All right Marco, but this is all on you.
You contain...and control her. Because if we see any hint the story
is grow—"

"You won't, I'll make sure she stays
silent."

"Good. I'll trust you to keep your
word."

*

Alongside the Potomac River, tucked into the
northwest corner of D.C., the exterior of the Horizon office
complex appeared to be an established group of high-rises offering
innocuous work locations for striving knowledge professionals. But
inside, three of the four buildings were gutted as each floor
housed only server stacks from floor to ceiling. The fourth
building, where two agents escorted Dallas, accommodated
functioning business offices on every floor. Dallas stared at the
tightly dressed executives and polished assistants who nodded or
politely said 'good afternoon' while passing by in the lobby. At
automatic turnstiles, the agents swiped biometric cards while
cameras recorded their every move as they reached the elevator and
rode to the 11th floor. Dallas was left alone in a stark office
with a spectacular view of the river through floor to ceiling glass
windows. Surrounding her were bookshelves containing a selection of
business and technology bestsellers, but in the middle of the room
stood an empty desk, devoid of paper, supplies, or even a small
lamp. Dallas quickly calculated the office was not a permanent
location for an occupied operational executive.

Sitting in a chair facing the desk, she took
out her mobile and began checking messages. Several minutes later,
she stood up to stand by the window and admire the view. Returning
to her chair a few minutes later, she began idly surfing the
Internet. After another forty minutes, when she was ready to cease
debating whether to send a text to Marco, the office door opened
and the director walked in. Dallas stood.

"Hello Dal," Marco said, smiling as he
stretched out a hand to her to shake and offered no apology for his
tardiness.

"Hello Mr. Director," Dallas answered
accepting his greeting. Marco moved to sit at the desk. "I have to
admit I was expecting a gray-walled windowless hole."

Marco laughed. "You watch too many movies,
my friend."

"Well your approach was a little
cloak-and-dagger."

"Comes with the job I'm afraid."

"Really?"

"Yes really. You know the era we are living
in."

"You are concerned about terrorists?"

Marco laughed again. "Yes. But I was talking
about D.C. politics and the media. You know every step we take is
being scrutinized for a story to feed the 24-hour news cycle. This
city is a fishbowl Dal, and I for one have to watch how much all
those peering eyes are allowed to see."

"Okay sure. So how does this work?"

"Don't you have something for me?" Dallas
reached inside her handbag and removed the flash drive. Without
hesitating, she handed the device to Marco. "Hmm," he suspiciously
noted while accepting the drive. "You've made a copy?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because you made no demands and are not
reluctant to give me your precious find. I assume you have a
back-up plan."

"Well you did not expect me to just hand
over evidence did you?"

"Yes I did."

"Why?"

Holding the drive up in front of his face,
Marco hesitated then shrugged as he selected a button on the desk.
"Let's see what you've got." Dallas jolted backwards when the
desktop suddenly slid away like a panel and a laptop computer rose
up in its place. Marco grinned and motioned for her to sit down.
Putting the drive into the laptop, he accessed the files and read
in silence.

Dallas did not see his expression change or
notice a sense of alarm. But his composure was expected. A FedSec
Director could hardly be expected to cry with fear if a journalist
picked up top-secret national security information. When Marco
finished reading, he looked up. "Scary headlines and generalized
content, you say this was left in a restaurant?"

"Yes, Infrared."

"Infrared? Cool place, hard to get a
reservation there. Have you been?"

"Yes. You?"

"Yes."

Dallas waited another thirty seconds. "What
are these documents, Marco?"

Marco leaned back in his chair. "As I
suspected, an individual or organization's speculative policy
thoughts."

"But the template led me straight to
FedSec."

"What can I say? You know the schematic of a
FedSec template, but so do hundreds of other people. Our
instructions are not hard to copy."

"Marco, these documents contain specific
information with detailed plans involving high-ranking people."

"Yes, people usually write policy ideas in a
format that makes the content readily digestible for government
departments. People assume the government could implement the
policy verbatim."

"And their assumption is not a problem?"

"Well depends on the administration, the
policy, and the credentials of those who wrote the detailed
implementation plan."