by John Akers
“Yes,” she said, “I was a little surprised he didn’t at least make a token appearance, although it was late notice.”
“True, but I asked several people there when they’d last seen him, and no one had seen or heard from him since the late afternoon. I went so far as to contact his housekeeper, but she hadn’t seen him since he left for work yesterday morning. She said she’d gone out around 7:00 to eat dinner with some friends, and when she returned around 10:00 his car was still gone. She went to sleep soon after. When she went to clean his room in the morning, it looked as if he’d slept in it. He wasn’t in the house, though, so she assumed he’d gotten up and gone to work early.”
Emma thought for a moment. “I see. Well, there have been a few times when he’s gone off unannounced to work on his own without distraction. Is it possible that’s what happened?”
“It’s possible, but I doubt it. We’re at a sensitive stage with Project Simon, and his involvement at this particular juncture is critical. He knows that better than anyone. Plus, it’s not just that he’s unresponsive—he’s gone totally off the grid. I asked Denise and Qathi, and they couldn’t recall him ever doing that before. I didn’t want to ask anyone else for fear of alarming everyone prematurely, but to be honest, I’m worried, Emma. Something doesn’t feel right.”
Emma held the fingers of one hand to her mouth. “Now you’ve got me worried too.”
“Anyway, I was calling to see if you’ve had any contact with Oreste, or know where he might be?”
“The last time I saw or spoke to him was when he left work on Friday evening, around seven o’clock.”
“Do you know where he was going?”
“Yes, he was going to have dinner with an old friend from college, Cevis Pierson.”
“Ah, that’s something then. Would you mind trying to get in touch with Mr. Pierson to see if he did, in fact, meet with Oreste? And if they did, if he has any idea where Oreste went afterward?”
“Absolutely. I’ll call him right away and get back to you.”
“Thanks very much, Emma. Also, I’m sure I don’t need to say this, but please don’t discuss this with anyone else. There’s a great deal of highly classified intellectual property at stake here, not to mention the impact this could have on investor confidence in Omnitech.”
“Of course, Jean, I understand. I’ll be back in touch as soon as I talk with Cevis.”
“Thanks, Emma.”
As Emma ended the call, she realized her heart was beating rapidly.
“Darlene, call Cevis Pierson. Flag it as urgent.”
Chapter 33
Sunday, March 18, 9:30 AM PT
March 18,
Los Altos Department of Police
Douglas M. Watson - Chief of Police
The Honorable Thomas G. Rockwell
Special Agent in Charge
U.S. Department of Justice
Federal Bureau of Investigations
450 Golden Gate Avenue, 13th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102
Dear SAC Rockwell,
This department has been investigating more than two thousand incidents involving malfunctioning home appliances since last Tuesday. As of 9:00 a.m. this morning, a total of 33 people have died, and more than 500 have suffered injuries as a result of the incidents. However, the incidents have spread well beyond their point of origin, and now are being reported throughout Silicon Valley and the Bay Area.
Initial investigations conducted by a three-person cyber-forensics team from our county Criminal Investigations unit suggest previously unknown security vulnerabilities have been used to control tens of thousands of devices, perhaps more, to track and attack certain people. As yet, the specific mechanism(s) by which the infected devices were breached has not been identified, but encrypted blocks of non-native code were found on the NVRAM of every compromised device examined to date. An attempt was made to decompile the code and, while most of it was obfuscated, we found the creator(s) named the virus “Chaotica.”
The vast majority of compromised devices appear to be more than 10 years old, made before improved internet security standards were mandated by the Hartley-McAdams Internet Security Act. The infected devices have been used to perform malicious and destructive acts by circumventing security bounding parameters for core device functionality. So far it appears that newer devices with more rigorous security protocols, such as the Univiz, have not been impacted.
At present, we have no motive for why certain individuals have been targeted while others have not, nor do we know how the behavior of infected devices is coordinated. We believe the attacks are intentional and fall under the categories of destruction/damage/vandalism of property, aggravated assault, and murder/non-negligent manslaughter.
Section 540B (Federal Serial Killings Provision) of Title 28, United States Code 533(a), authorizes the head of a state or local law enforcement agency to request federal assistance when investigating a suspected serial homicide. Given the scope of the current investigation, the need to determine the full extent of the threat, and the likelihood that considerably more resources may be required to find the offenders and bring them to justice, I am writing to initiate a formal request for assistance from your agency.
I appreciate your prompt consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
Douglas M. Watson
Chief of Police
Office of the Chief of Police
110 E. Main St
Los Altos, CA 94022
(650) 354-5257
Chapter 34
“The virus has been activated?” said Elena. “But the Infinet told us we had more time!”
“Nothing’s ever for certain, you know that. Even the Infinet can’t predict the future perfectly.”
“Why in the world would Alethia make a point of telling you now, when we’re 20,000 leagues under the sea?”
“I have no idea. I tried to respond, but all I get is a ‘not connected’ indicator. In her message she said it doesn’t change anything, that we must carry on exactly as planned.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “That’s probably why she delayed delivery of the message, so that it would be impossible for us to deviate from the plan.”
There was a “tsk” sound, then Elena continued, “I just can’t believe the Infinet isn’t capable of solving this without the help of this one guy who—wait—shit, he’s not in his room!”
Pax took the last three steps and walked through the doorway. “Hello,” he said with a fake yawn. “What are you two talking about?”
Both Angelo and Elena were sitting down, but as Pax entered they jumped out of their chairs as if they’d become electrified. Pax was pleased to see the panicked expressions on their faces as they gaped at him, then at each other.
“Um, nothing, Mr. Pax,” said Angelo, finally closing his mouth. “How did you sleep?”
“I’m sure your biomonitors would have told you, if you’d been doing your jobs and monitoring me instead of gabbing at each other,” Pax said. Smiling, he stepped around the table, which he saw had some sandwiches and drinks on it, and sat down in his chair. He felt better than he had in a long time. Amazing what some good sleep can do for you. Too bad I have to be kidnapped in order to get some proper R&R. He nodded at the table.
“I guess it’s lunchtime?” he asked.
“Yes,” said Elena slowly. She sat down and gestured to the food. “Please, help yourself.”
Pax leaned over and picked up one of the glasses, “Vodka?”
“Water,” said Angelo.
“Tsk, tsk. The customer service on this excursion has taken a noticeable turn for the worse.” He didn’t know what was in the sandwich, but he was too hungry to care. He took a large bite and discovered it tasted like roast beef.
Angelo sat down and picked up the other two plates, handing one of them to Elena. The three of them ate in silence. Pax enjoyed their discomfort; for the first time, he felt as if he’d gained some small measure of contro
l over his situation.
Elena, who now looked a bit pale, asked, “Mr. Pax, did you overhear what Angelo and I were discussing just before you came in?”
“Maybe,” Pax said, smiling as he chewed.
“It’s important for us to know if you did.”
“Well,” said Pax, as he leisurely chewed his food. “Here’s the deal. I want some answers. I want to know who the hell you people are, and what the hell it is you want from me. And I want to know how you got that drone into my house, and how you got me out of my house after knocking me out. As you can imagine, I’m a bit perturbed by the fact that you were able to defeat my home security. I know Angelo masquerading as one of the landscapers had something to do with it, but I’d like to know exactly how you did it. Tell me all that, I’ll tell you what I heard you two saying just now.”
Angelo and Elena looked at each other again. Elena shrugged and looked at Pax. “We can answer your question about how we got past your security system. But we can’t answer your other questions. Not yet.”
Pax had known they wouldn’t answer the first question, but had asked it anyway, to make it easier for them to agree to answer the second.
“Fine,” he said. “How did you get me here?”
Angelo cleared his throat and said, “The micro drone was a top-of-the line military-grade model, commercially available in the U.S., thanks to the National Drone and Rifle Association. I made a few modifications to make it run more quietly and move very slowly, so it could bypass any motion or sound sensors. It doesn’t give off any odorants, so it wouldn’t trigger any chemical sensors, and I added a special shell from a material the Infinet designed that blocked its infrared signature. Finally, I added a firing mechanism for the neuralizer darts.
“Four days ago, I posed as a landscaper to get access to your property. I brought a large backpack containing the drone and a few thousand SARs—self-assembling robots—to your house. Through a combination of magnetism and microelectronics, they can combine to form any number of complex mechanisms. Much more rudimentary versions are being used for tasks like emergency repairs to bridges, bomb detonation, and other dangerous environments.”
“I had several social ploys prepared to gain entry to your home, but they became unnecessary after you played that prank on your housekeeper. She was so angry with you, she invited me for lunch and a tour of your home. I took my backpack with me, and while she was showing me your bedroom, I undid the zipper and dropped it on the floor by the bed. By the time we were done checking out the master bath, the drone and SARs had moved out of the bag and under the bed.”
“Impressive. So how did you get me out?”
“After the drone administered the neuralizer, the SARs formed an exoskeleton around you that stood you up and walked you out the front door. It left your face open to visual detection by the various checkpoints in your home and on your property, and its walking motion was similar enough to your own, so that it wouldn’t trigger a gait analysis alarm. As you exited the main gate, Elena and I rode up in a van, put you inside, and drove to where the ship was docked at the marina. We put you in a large container crate in the van, and then, when we got to the marina, we carried you onto the ship and shoved off.”
“You make it all sound rather trivial,” said Pax.
“In terms of the engineering, it was fairly straightforward,” said Angelo. “The biggest challenge was figuring out how to get access to your home to drop off the SARs.”
“All I can say,” said Pax, “is that whatever it is you’re so desperate to show me had better be the Ark-of-the-Covenant awesome, or I’m going to be even more pissed than I already am.”
Elena said, “Now, tell us what you heard of our conversation in the hallway just now.”
Pax repeated what he’d heard, word for word. Afterward, Elena looked both angry and ill. “You were eavesdropping on us for quite a while.”
“Well, the TV in my room was out of order, so…”
“It’s our fault, not Mr. Pax’s,” said Angelo. “We can’t blame him for trying to get more information.”
“But you know what this could mean,” she said to Angelo.
“Of course. But it’s our fault. We should have been watching him closer.”
“I don’t know what it could mean,” said Pax. “How about letting me in on the secret?” When Elena looked at him as if she was about to punch him, he said, “Or just point me in the direction of anything else I can do other than listening to you two argue?”
“There’s the quiet room,” said Angelo.
Pax arched his eyebrows. “The quiet room? Really? That’s great, because I could really use a break from all the rest I’ve been getting the past 24 hours.”
“It’s probably big enough to use as a sparring room, if you’d like me to give you a lesson,” Elena growled.
“Thanks, but, I think I’ll pass,” Pax said. “All right, show me the room, then you two can get back to bickering.”
Angelo chuckled and went out into the hallway and Pax followed. This time Angelo stopped halfway down the hall. Another door opened, and Angelo moved aside so Pax could enter.
Inside was a dimly lit circular room the same size as his bedroom. A knee-high ledge with a few brown and beige cushions on it ran around the perimeter. In the center was a circular dais with a bowl-shaped recess at the top, inside of which was a glowing red chunk of incense from which a thin trail of smoke rose slowly up to the ceiling. Low, hypnotic music played softly in the background.
“Wow. You all have outdone yourselves this time,” said Pax. “I thought the ship was impressive, but this? Now I understand why you sank that hunk of junk.”
“I think you’ll find there’s more to this room than meets the eye,” said Angelo.
“Sure there isn’t a movie or something I could watch instead?”
Ignoring him, Angelo said, “Come on back to the front whenever you feel like it.” He ducked back out the doorway, then it sealed shut.
Pax sat down on the ledge, facing the front of the sub. It was firm but comfortable. He realized he was doing exactly what they wanted, but he couldn’t sleep any more, and the chances of their divulging any further information after their earlier screw-up was next to nothing.
He closed his eyes and tried to relax. For a while it didn’t work; he couldn’t quiet his thoughts. What virus were they talking about? Who was the mechanic, and who was Alethia? Elena had been upset, and Pax had seen enough of her to know that she was someone who didn’t rattle easily.
Eventually, Pax found himself becoming increasingly attuned to the music and the smell of the incense. The tune was simple, just a slow tabla drum with an instrument he recognized as an Indian sarod: the lower-pitched, mellower, cousin of the sitar. The sound rose and fell in mysterious, undulating waves, and his breathing seemed to slow down its pace to match that of the music. He couldn’t place the incense smell; it was like a mixture of citrus and pine with something darker and sweeter, like syrup. The scent passed down his throat and into his lungs, then seeped from his lungs slowly out into his body, causing his muscles to relax and his senses to become heightened.
After a long while, Pax realized he’d been so absorbed in his breathing that no other thoughts had intruded for some time. It was a nice feeling. He noticed he was starting to feel sore from sitting, so he knelt down, then lay down on the ledge and put one of the pillows under his head. It felt soft and comfortable, and soon once again he was fast asleep.
Chapter 35
Sunday morning, 7:09 AM PT
Cevis Pierson was sitting in his oversized leather recliner reviewing the latest edition of Nature when his UV assistant, Cyrus, said, “You have a call from Emma Kirkland, Mr. Pierson.”
Although Oreste had only mentioned her name a few times over the years and he’d never spoken with her directly, Cevis remembered immediately who she was. The fact that she was contacting him directly for the first time so early on a Sunday morning unsettled him. “Put her
on,” he said.
The call indicator on his UV display switched to green and Cevis said, “Hello?”
“Hello, Mr. Pierson? This is Emma Kirkland, from Omnitech. Mr. Pax’s assistant?”
“Yes, good morning, Ms. Kirkland. And please, call me Cevis.”
“Certainly. And please, call me Emma.”
“I will. How can I help you, Emma?”
“I’m sorry to bother you so early on a Sunday morning, but it’s about Oreste. A colleague at work has been trying to contact him regarding an important project they’ve been working on, but his Univiz has been completely offline for more than a day.”
“Offline?” exclaimed Cevis.
“Yes, and no one seems to know where he is. The last time anyone saw him was when he left the office Friday afternoon to have dinner with you. His colleague asked me to find out if you two did have dinner, and if you happen to know where he is now.”
Cevis paused a moment before responding. “Yes, we did have dinner.”
“Oh, good!” said Emma. “Do you mind my asking where you went?”
Cevis paused a moment before responding. “Not at all. We ate here, at my house. He stayed for some drinks and left around midnight.”
“Do you happen to know if he was planning to go home afterward?”
“I’m certain he did—he took my helicopter back to his house.”
“That’s a start, at least. Do you know where he might be now?”
“No, I’m afraid I don’t. I haven’t spoken with him since.”
“Has anyone tried to contact him at his home?”
“Yes, his colleague did. According to the housekeeper, his bed looked as though he’d slept there Friday night, but he was gone before she got up the next morning.”
“I see.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, how did he seem during your dinner?” asked Emma.
