The Origin Point: A Future Tech Cyber Novella (9 page)

"Marco Manuel knows a journalist has seen
the files and a hacker has infiltrated Horizon, nice work," Carter
said as he fell onto the couch and pulled Apex down with him.

"He knows and so does Secretary Davenport,"
Apex responded.

"Anyone else?"

"Not as far as I can tell."

"They're keeping the story to themselves.
Interesting, but what next?"

"My guess is you are next. Have they
contacted you?"

"No."

"Even more interesting. They have not yet
told you your program has been hacked? What could they be waiting
for?"

"Maybe they're trying to fix the problem
internally."

"I don't like that idea."

"Neither do I. Means they are gaining
confidence, independence. You should go home for a while. Keep a
low profile."

"I don't think I have to leave."

"You don't have to be in D.C. to do what
you're doing."

"I do if I want to silence Dallas
Winter."

"Silence her? Really?"

"Well, I at least want to keep an eye on her
for a little while longer. I do not like the fact she might not
have understood the warning I was trying to give her. Her writing
has always been strategic national security stuff. I didn't think
she'd want to get into a junior reporter's investigation of lost
files. I might have to visit her in person to make her understand
we do not need her help."

Carter sat up, his hands on Apex's arms as
he pulled her body to face him. "No way. Confronting her in person
is too risky. You have a face you know, someone might recognize
you."

"I don't look anything like I did when we
were first married."

"You do to me."

"Only because you see me every day. Hardly
anyone else does. Don't worry," she responded, wiggling out of his
hands and moving her body into the crux of his arm. "I know what
I'm doing."

"None of us know what we're doing. At no
other point in history have a group of private citizens, in public
positions, worked to develop a system to monitor the entire world.
We do not even know the legal implications of the entire
process."

"The Attorney-General said 'go for it.'"

"Yes because the Attorney-General thinks
'it' is nothing but a discussion exercise. She has no idea the
depth of permanent activity already taking place. One of my
companies does the vetting for the software. On my flight here, I
finally had time to read through their reports. And I must say, I
am impressed with how much work has been successfully completed.
I'm telling you baby, this thing is going to happen."

"Okay now you're freaking me out," Apex
worriedly said as she sat up to face him. "How were a bunch of
government bureaucrats able to move so fast?"

"Because GCS picked the right bureaucrats
out of the whole lot of them. Marco and Julia are kind of
diabolical masterminds. Together they plotted out a cover for every
single government department's contribution to the 2100 policy
papers, which as we know is really the 21st century cyber
surveillance rollout plan. Every department head assumed they were
participating in a thought piece or policy research and provided
enough information and money to drive the project forward. With
businesses, they essentially did the same thing. They gave CEOs and
CTOs a few 'if' scenarios and asked for a response. With those two,
each answer was also a roadmap into the company's potential
complicity in the larger scheme. And on an international scale,
Julia made the research a sort of competition for junior Foreign
Service officers. She made these new kids in embassies all over the
world think they each had a unique assignment from the Secretary to
discover particular aspects of the host country's cyber
infrastructure. Again, she worded the questions in a targeted
fashion. Some of her officers even managed to obtain classified
documents developed by the Chinese for local officials. The details
explained how cyber security should be implemented for resource
mines, ports, airports and even highways toll booths. Their results
are extraordinary stuff. Another team put the information together
in concise briefing documents. Those two have created a record
unprecedented in history. Effectively their findings are the
foundational blueprint for the connection of the entire operating
world through the U.S. government, business and overseas missions.
And you know, once the federal government is set, state and local
governments will fall in line. The federal government can pay them,
in the name of national security, to connect all of their servers
to the national system. I'm completely stunned by their competence,
the whole process is more developed at this point than we even
imagined."

"You've seen all of these reports and
documents?"

"Yes of course. Everything is on one of my
servers. But as far as I can tell, Winter only saw the aggregated
summary report and probability scenarios. I'm sure she's not aware
of the sources for all of the information and the
recommendations."

Apex stood up and moved towards the window,
her face marked by tightened concentration. "Cart, we cannot let
them build out this system. They've co-opted so many players and
overwhelmed a bunch of complacent idiots who do not understand the
implications of this plan. Putting the whole world under
surveillance, can you imagine?"

"The project is more than the viewing
coverage. People will be connected through everything they do. Any
purchase made, banking, just using a cell phone will create a
record of your activities in your personal profile in the central
database. This is total infiltration of our daily world. 'The
Internet of Things' now includes every human being...as a
thing."

"
Cosa
."

"Exactly, Spanish for thing."

"But what will this 'thing' do to us as
human beings? I mean will we become more trustworthy because all of
our activities are recorded or more paranoid for exactly the same
reason?"

"I think neither. I'm guessing most people
will become indifferent to the world around them. You see their
acquiescence happening already. Everyone likes to claim humans are
social animals, but have you been on a subway lately? Dead silence.
Everyone has their ear buds plugging their ears and they are all
looking down. In public, people barely acknowledge each other, they
do not interact, every person is within their own...pod. In the
future, when this project is completely rolled out and each human
can allow the system to control personal movements, why would
anyone make an effort when you can just wait for the system to spit
out ideas and follow the instructions the program provides to
you?"

Apex shuddered. "We can't let that happen.
People have to be made to understand the system's true
functionality."

"I don't know. People are pretty far-gone
already. I'm not sure there is an opportunity to pull them
back."

"There has to be."

"How?"

Apex considered a thought. "Maybe the
media?"

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe I shouldn't be trying to scare Dallas
Winter. Maybe I should be trying to build her cooperation."

Carter jumped up. "What are you saying?
Don't even think about bringing someone else into our
confidence."

"Relax and hear me out. Winter can help us
navigate the media. Scaring GCS into believing they could get
caught is another weapon against them."

"No!" Carter shouted in ramp anger. "Our
weapon is technology. We use technology to defeat them in their
tracks."

"Cart, from your own assessment, technology
will not be enough. They can always buy technology. They can hire
excellent programmers and build the tools they need to carryout
their plan. If you decided not to help them, or they think your
product is corrupted, they'll hand the software contracts to
someone else. We have to scare them where it hurts."

"These people are not going to be scared. I
just told you, they have set this implementation up to cover the
country and the world, and they know the system has to be organized
in a fashion that can last long after they are gone. The entire
foundational process has been laid. Soon Marco and Julia won't even
be working on the details anymore. The whole project will develop
on its own."

"How could a system develop on its own? You
need drivers for this kind of roll-out, someone has to manage the
process."

"Oh, they'll find someone to manage the
administration, but the role will be secondary. The actual
software, the ins and outs of the programming will be on auto
pilot."

"What is this a Hollywood movie where the
machine is in control?"

"No, the machine will behave exactly as
coded. But the functions will include certain automated processes
especially for transitions related to the expansion and adaptation
to new technologies."

"Okay Carter, now you are freaking me out
even more. You are telling me, a couple of government bureaucrats
have been able to move COSA to the point where the system can
manage itself, including understanding the impact of emergent
technologies and how to implement advanced applications?"

"Not quite, COSA is not artificial
intelligence. At this point in history, the system is actually
human intelligence. I'm telling you, Julia and Marco are no one's
idle government bureaucrats. They are two of the most extraordinary
brains the federal government has ever had the fortune to employ.
In fact, they are so good, they can do two major jobs at the same
time. Julia can run State with her eyes closed, and work her team
to move COSA along at lightening speed. What has happened here is
they have established the foundation of the program to default into
progressing with future technologies and operating with limited
interference. The structure is like...like an NFL team,
professional football."

"What?"

"The game adapts every time someone uses an
innovative play or move on the field. You don't have to issue a
directive, other players and coaches will copy successful outcomes.
Sure the rules change, but only after the new moves and plays have
been adopted. Julia and Marco have kind of built this idea into
COSA. The system will react to repetitive behavior and success. The
adaptations will come from measured outcomes. The response is not
A.I., the system has been programmed to build upon its...actually
our...own actions."

"Sounds like A.I."

"Not as I know you understand the term."

"But the machine will be executing on
actions humans have not requested."

"Yes and no. The automation operates in a
way we have requested, like receiving software updates on your
phone."

"You can reject software updates."

"True, but I doubt you would."

"This is still a level of non-human
decision-making over a lot of humans."

"I know."

"Humans who are not going to get the chance
to vote on this outcome."

"Right."

"Even more reason to get Winter on a story
to kill the system before the functionality really starts
moving."

"Winter will be the one who will be
killed."

"Oh c'mon Cart, you don't really believe GCS
people are dangerous criminals."

"Unfortunately, I do. Suspend your beliefs
about how people are supposed to behave. GCS has been developing
and planning a global program to continue without them. At this
point in the implementation, any action taken to stop the rollout
will simply be an exercise for the system's defenses. Any person
who blows their cover will be eliminated. We cannot fight their
plans in the physical world. Our only chance is through the
technology. We must have superior technology, which comes through
our brainpower. I've thought a lot about this and we have to focus
on building the capability defense not for today's petty battles,
but for the broader war to come. As the system gets built out,
you'll be able to pick the pieces apart. You won't be able to bring
the entire operation down, but there's nothing wrong with constant
destabilization."

"You want me to let this
thing...COSA...rollout without a fight?"

"You will be fighting. But attacking the
whole structure will be useless. You'll have to settle for parts.
Believe me, targeted attacks are the best we can do."

"I don't agree."

"I have more information on this than you
do."

"I don't care."

"Why?"

"I think you've been spending too much time
with your government buddies."

"Hey, wait a minute I hav—"

"You're feeding me the line they would want
me to have. You want to see this system rolled out with your
technology."

"That's not fair. I—"

"You're betraying our plans, Carter."

"No I'm not."

"You're betraying me."

"No!"

"You go ahead. See what you and your
government friends can do but I'm not part of your surrender."

"C'mon A—"

"I think you should leave."

"You and I have a different li—"

"Leave right now."

Carter hesitated, but the look on Apex's
face signaled a bitter anger in front of dense suffering. He could
feel her calculating how much his words had taken away from the
many other pronouncements he had uttered to galvanize them both
towards a common goal. Considering his precarious position, he
conceded to her immediate wishes. "All right I'll go, but I'll be
in D.C. We need to talk. This discussion is not over."

Standing with her hands braced behind her on
the windowsill, Apex did not reply. As Carter took a step towards
her, she backed up against the wall. He stopped, turned and walked
out of the room.

As he departed, Apex let out a deep breath
and burst into tears. "Carter," she softly cried. "You have to
understand, we cannot give up this fight." A minute later, wiping
the tears from her face, she walked over to her desk, and picked up
her mobile to call Dallas Winter.