Cyber Terror
Page 19
Eli Kennington had got to know too much about Jordan, Kate and Unit Red. Angel had little choice but to bring him in to replace Raven. His expertise with computers was not in doubt. His dedication was not in doubt. His curiosity in Jordan’s technology could be satisfied safely within Unit Red. And he was a loner. He was ideal.
Deciding that he’d go through the victims’ names online, Jordan changed the subject. “What about Raven?”
“I’ve had words with the hospital,” Angel answered. “They’re certain she’s not going to make it. Too badly injured.”
Jordan was downhearted. Too many people had already died while he was on the case. 214 passengers on Flight TOM4762, Phil Lazenby, Victoria Truman and Justice Edward Jackson. Now, Raven would make 218. Before Jordan had been assigned to the Short Circuit investigation, there had been other victims. Paige Ottaway, Carlton Reed and a lot of other air passengers in Ecuador. Jordan shook his head and sighed. He couldn’t now summon up much sympathy for Raven. Besides, if she were to live, she’d be an embarrassment to Unit Red.
“You did well,” Angel told him. “Do you know how many she would’ve slaughtered if she’d set off a nuclear explosion in East Anglia?”
“No.”
“Thousands. And she was planning more. She was planning chaos. It could’ve run to millions. But, no, civilization remains intact. Society carries on.”
“Yeah.” But those 218 who’d lost their lives on his watch nagged at Jordan. Somehow, they outweighed the anonymous and untold lives he’d saved.
“The diagnostics say you’re fully fit for purpose,” the technician announced.
Jordan nodded. What was the purpose of a fourteen-year-old boy? To explore. To push the boundaries. To discover his talents. To work out what to do with his life. To have fun. Jordan had bypassed most of that, of course. He’d sacrificed it. The purpose of his life was already clear. He protected the nation.
Looking up from a screen showing Jordan’s enhancements, a delighted Eli said, “You see like an owl and smell like a dog.”
At last Jordan managed a smile. “That’s not very nice – telling me I smell like a dog.”
Eli remained straight-faced. “My meaning was obvious. You can smell as well as a dog.”
Jordan laughed quietly. Working with Unit Red’s newest agent was going to be interesting.
MALCOLM ROSE ON
THE SCIENCE BEHIND
JORDAN STRYKER
When I want to come up with a new idea for a story, I usually look to science because scientists are always discovering and creating new things. Some exciting advances are bound to be just around the corner. For a few years, I have been keeping an eye on the coming bionic age. There are so many new developments I’m fascinated by: brain implants that give vision to the blind and hearing to the deaf, robotic limbs controlled entirely by the mind, touch-sensitive skin for artificial hands, designer DNA, power-enhancing drugs, developing replacement body parts through stem cells, terahertz technology, a bat-like echolocation device to help the blind, generating electricity from body movement, smart clothing, and drugs to wipe painful memories. It’s clear that human re-engineering is under way.
Some of these body enhancements are already hitting the news. When soldiers return from war zones with dreadful injuries – often missing a limb after an encounter with a bomb – their medical treatment can grab the headlines. In writing the Jordan Stryker thriller series, I’ve been inspired not only by what modern medicine and technology can do for people, but also by their determination to cope.
I have seen today’s artificial arms in action. By the power of thought alone, they can hold food, stir tea and pick up a small key. Whilst this cutting-edge science enables the disabled, it does not allow them to bust through doors like Jordan does with his bionic arm. In creating Jordan Stryker, I have not limited myself to today’s exact medical technology. I have allowed myself to imagine where the science of body enhancement might take us in the next twenty years or so. By then, there will be some amazing developments. I’ve simply allowed Jordan to have the technology right now. I’ve also given him some of the grit shown by real-life victims of serious injury.
I haven’t given Jordan the fantastic powers of a superhero. That would have been interesting and exciting, but not what I wanted to write about. When Jordan walks up a wall, it’s because super-grip shoes are on the way to becoming practical, not because he’s transforming into a superhero.
At least one expert thinks the first bionic eyes will be developed by 2020. Of all Jordan’s abilities, I have peered into the future most with his artificial eyesight. I suspect that the power and range of his fictional vision will not become reality for many years.
Several scientists are already talking about a time when people will merge with machines. This would be called the singularity. I don’t know whether it will happen or not, but I wonder if it is to be welcomed or feared. If a human being and a machine become a single thing at some point, the hybrid will probably be really smart and live for ever. This seems too fanciful for Jordan, but he’s certainly a step on the way to this awesome and unsettling future.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Malcolm Rose was born in Coventry and began his career as a research scientist. He started writing stories while studying for his DPhil degree in chemistry, as a means of escape from everyday life. He is now a full-time writer best known for his gripping science-based thrillers and forensic crime series. He has been awarded the Angus Book Award twice and the Lancashire Children’s Book of the Year. His novel, Kiss of Death, was chosen for the national Booked Up reading scheme, and was shortlisted for four prizes, including the Salisbury Schools’ Book Award.
For more information about Malcolm Rose visit his website: www.malcolmrose.co.uk
To find out more about the Jordan Stryker series visit: www.usborne.com/jordanstryker
Don’t miss out on
JORDAN STRYKER’S first mission:
A massive explosion destroys the south-east of England. The near lifeless body of Ben Smith is plucked from the carnage…
Deep within the secret headquarters of the mysterious government agency, Unit Red, Smith is rebuilt as…Jordan Stryker. New technology gives him unbelievable new powers, and now he has a mission: to hunt down the perpetrators of one of the biggest crimes ever known.
Can Jordan outwit the evil masterminds and violent gangs who will use any means to destroy their enemies?
“Buzzing with the thrills and spills of a James Bond blockbuster…” Lancashire Evening Post
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