Newton's Ark (The Emulation Trilogy)

by D. A. Hill

  “What’s going on here?” Lopez demanded. From the fear and resignation in his eyes Regina could tell she had arrived just in time—to her trained eye it was clear Cyrus Jones was close to breaking.

  “FBI ma’am. Special Agent Robinson,” the agent seated closest to the door answered as he tapped his chest. “Special Agent Perelli,” he continued pointing at the other agent. “And you are Major?” he asked recognizing her rank.

  “Lopez. Military Intelligence.”

  “This is a matter of national security Major. Outside your jurisdiction,” Perelli replied arrogantly. He had the build of an ex-football player accustomed to throwing his weight around. Obviously the bad cop in their good cop-bad cop routine. If he thought he was going to intimidate Regina Lopez then today he would discover that he had met his match.

  Special Agent Robinson tried to smooth things. “Major, let me explain our interest in Mr. Jones. Purely out of professional courtesy you understand.”

  “Please do.” She could not let on that she already knew why they were here. Plus she needed to know how much they knew. Perhaps with a bit of luck they did not have anything concrete on Cyrus. Not likely, but not impossible; on a high profile case the FBI would be chasing down hundreds of leads, most of them dead ends. This could be just a fishing expedition.

  “We have reason to believe that this man is harboring the woman responsible for leaking the Asteroid Papers. We also suspect that he assisted her in obtaining them illegally.”

  “Why would he do that Special Agent?”

  “Because the woman is his sister.”

  Lopez snorted in derision. “Mr. Jones has been an exemplary employee on a highly classified national security program for the past fifteen years, but only now he decides to go rogue? To what end?”

  “That’s what we are here to find out,” Robinson replied.

  “I have been watching this man night and day for the past four months. He’s a programmer. The king of geeks. If he’s not at his computer he is sleeping, eating or drinking way too much coffee. He never goes anywhere or does anything. Most boring man alive.”

  Cyrus winced at that last statement. Was that really what she thought of him?

  “And I’ve certainly never seen this supposed sister he’s harboring. Given that Mr. Jones lives on company premises he must be keeping her in the trunk of his car. Except he doesn’t even have a car!” By now she was talking through gritted teeth, giving back a fair dose of intimidation herself.

  “Nevertheless, Mr. Jones will be coming with us,” Special Agent Perelli said.

  Underneath his arrogance Lopez could see he was a little less confident than before. Good. It looked like they did not have the complete picture; that meant there was a chance she could bluff them. “I don’t think so,” she replied firmly, in a tone that said you boys are in way over your heads.

  She handed the agents her pad. “My orders, personally signed by the Secretary of Defense you’ll note. As Chief of Security on this program, a program approved I might add by the President himself, I am personally responsible to Secretary Branston for everything that goes on here. Everything.” She could see the hesitation in their eyes. Time to deliver the coup de grâce. “We can call the Secretary right now if you like. I’m sure he’ll be happy to resolve this little jurisdictional dispute. But I’m thinking that you look like a couple of smart guys, so you know this is a shit-fight you don’t want to have.”

  Regina Lopez had given them both barrels with as much bluster as she could manage. She held her breath as she waited to see if it worked; she did not have a Plan B if they called her bluff. There was no way Branston would support her. He would probably rejoice at the opportunity to dance on her grave.

  Special Agent Robinson was clearly the brains of the operation. “That won’t be necessary ma’am,” he said as he signaled to his partner that they should beat a tactical retreat.

  “You haven’t heard the last of this,” Perelli spat as they left.

  —o—

  “Mr. President, we have to stop this March on the Arks nonsense in its tracks,” the Secretary of Defense pleaded. “We’ve closed down the social networks but it seems it was too late. It’s organized now. If we don’t do something, thousands of people are going to turn up demanding to be let in.”

  “What else would you have us do?” Carlson asked.

  “Send people back to work. Refuse to let them travel. Whatever we have to.”

  “On what basis Harry?” the President answered. “We’ve already threatened people with starvation and ineligibility for the lottery if they don’t work. What more can we do?”

  “Declare a hundred mile exclusion zone around the arks,” Harry Branston replied. “Close the interstates and major highways to all but authorized traffic.”

  “And use deadly force on anyone who disobeys?” the President asked rhetorically. “Kill more people to save people? No. I won’t authorize a massacre Harry. You can use whatever force is necessary to defend the perimeter. Do what we can to warn people of the consequences, but until people actually cross that threshold, no one shoots anyone. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yes Mr. President,” Harry Branston replied through gritted teeth. He understood, but he did not agree. This was going to be a disaster. All Carlson was doing was saving a few lives now in exchange for sacrificing many more lives later.

  —o—

  Newton arrived within thirty seconds of Lopez’s call telling him they had a big problem. “What’s happened?” he asked breathlessly, bent over with his hands on his knees, having run all the way from his office.

  “FBI agents were here questioning Cyrus.”

  “About what?” Newton asked, hoping that it was not what he thought it was, but knowing it would be.

  “About Jenny,” she answered.

  Cyrus looked at her in shock. “You know about Jenny?”

  “Yes Mr. Jones, I know about your sister and the Asteroid Papers. I know how you helped her obtain those documents. Very stupid move by the way. And I know that she’s now in hiding at our underground facility.”

  “How did you come by this information Major?” Newton asked. He was not surprised—she was a highly regarded intelligence operative—but he was curious.

  “I followed Cyrus the day he took her out there. The way he charged past me coming out of your office aroused my suspicions. I waited until Cyrus left and then spoke to her. Poor woman was overwhelmed with guilt. Told me everything.” She turned to Cyrus. “She’s sorry she got you involved in this by the way.”

  “Why did you lie to those agents?” Cyrus asked. “You could have just covered your own ass and turned me over.” He did not like the idea of Lopez going to prison for him, of being in her debt. He had done nothing to deserve her protection. He would not have harbored any resentment if she had left him to swing in the wind. But for Jenny’s sake he was glad she had not betrayed them.

  “Mr. Jones let me tell you something,” she said sternly. “Regina Lopez is not the ass covering type. Do I make myself clear? I have my reasons. That’s all you need to know.” What was she going to say? That if Newton’s Ark went down her father would go with it? That she had already betrayed her country by not turning Jenny over immediately and was now committed to continuing on that path, whether she liked it or not? That she was forming an irrational emotional attachment to this project and the people on it? She was not going to bare her soul like that. Not to him.

  “Whatever your reasons Major, I owe you a debt I can never repay.”

  Regina should have accepted his gratitude with grace but for some reason felt she could not. “You don’t owe me anything Mr. Jones. As I said, I have my own reasons.”

  Cyrus said nothing more while Regina Lopez explained to Newton how she had bluffed the FBI agents. “They will figure it out sooner or later. They’ll definitely be back and I won’t be able to stop them the next time.”

  “Thank you Major,” Newton said. “Thank you very much
.” He had not missed the fact the Regina Lopez had gone way out on a limb for Jenny and Cyrus. And for him and Newton’s Ark. Way out. “We need to get Cyrus into hiding before they return. I think I’ll let you take care of that if you don’t mind Major. That way we can be sure nobody is being followed this time.”

  —o—

  The checkpoint on US Highway 40 at Hot Sulphur Springs ten miles west of Granby should have been been able to hold back the approaching convoy. It was a natural defensive position, located in a deep canyon, and this was a bunch of civilians they were talking about, civilians in cars and pickup trucks. The failure was not one of planning but a failure of imagination. They had not considered the possibility that some lunatic in a semi-trailer would make a suicide run, crashing through the checkpoint in the middle of the night when the troops on duty were bored by weeks of inaction and half asleep. Once he was through that was it, there was no holding back the tide as a never-ending stream of vehicles charged forward toward Granby and the headquarters of the ark. They should have stopped the convoy sooner but they had their orders, orders that had come down from the very top—do not engage with lethal force until and unless they breach the perimeter.

  —o—

  “I’m not confident we can keep the underground facility secure for two years,” Regina Lopez said. She pulled herself up. She was putting a positive spin on things. Better to give them a clear picture of reality. “Actually I’m sure that we can’t.” As Chief of Security it was her responsibility to figure out the plan to secure the bunker against both natural and human incursions. She had spent days going over every possible vulnerability—the main entrance, the ventilation shafts, the emergency escape tunnel—to see how they could secure them.

  “I find that hard to believe—this is a nuclear missile silo after all,” Cyrus said, his natural tendency to speak his mind winning the race with his better judgment. “Isn’t it the next best thing to Fort Knox?” Moments after the words left his mouth he realized that he had just stepped on Major Lopez’s toes. “I’m sure you’re right Major. But it might help if you explain it to us,” he added humbly. He was not usually that sensitive to people’s feelings, but for some reason he did not want to upset her, especially after she had saved him and his sister.

  “The problem, Mr. Jones, is that this facility was designed to resist a nuclear attack just long enough to launch its own missile,” Regina began, trying hard not to let Cyrus irritate her. She was quite sure he did not do it on purpose, but it was still annoying. Just when she thought they were starting to get along, she would let him get to her like this. She knew it was ridiculous, but seemed unable to prevent it. She told herself to put that aside and continue. “It was part of a doctrine appropriately known as MAD—Mutually Assured Destruction—which said to a potential enemy, don’t try a first strike because enough of our nuclear missiles will survive that we will wipe you out as well. Back when this facility was built that enemy was the Soviet Union. I have no idea who it is now.”

  America’s ongoing struggle with China was in many ways a re-run of the Cold War, but for some reason it had not proceeded down the path of nuclear standoff. And to the extent that the United States wished to maintain a nuclear deterrent, it had long ago shifted the focus to submarine-based missiles. Nevertheless successive administrations had refused to decommission the last remaining land-based missiles, despite their strategic and technical obsolescence.

  “That creates a number of weaknesses. First the designers weren’t worried about a local attack. We don’t have to worry about a division of angry Soviets turning up at the door either. But what about wandering hordes of starving and desperate people? Second, surviving a mega-tsunami washing over the top of the facility wasn’t one of the design requirements. Third, they didn’t envisage when this place was built that it would have to run itself because the occupants were nothing more than electrical impulses inside a computer. They barely even had computers back then. This facility is designed to be occupied twenty-four-seven by living, breathing people. And it isn’t designed to be self-sufficient for any extended period. It needs very significant logistical support from the outside. Even if most of the mechanical equipment wasn’t ancient, which it is. Just keeping it running will require skills and parts we don’t have access to.”

  “Is there nothing we can do to address the vulnerabilities?” Newton asked.

  “If we had more time I’d say yes,” Lopez replied. “But as you know time is fast running out and there are multiple issues to address.”

  Newton had not been worried about this problem until now, but he always liked to have a contingency plan which is why he had asked Carlson to include the missile. Now he realized that he had been guilty of the same sin as the administration—unjustified optimism. Before springing his most radical proposal though, he figured he should first ensure the rest of the team accepted Major Lopez’s conclusions. He called on Johannson, who was responsible for the physical facility, to give his assessment.

  “I’ve reviewed the situation with Major Lopez and I concur—we do not have anywhere near enough time to address these deficiencies,” he said. “Even if we did, we don’t have the resources. It has become almost impossible to obtain construction materials and even with construction bots doing the heavy lifting there’s a certain amount of skilled labor required. Unless we have food to trade, which everyone’s stomach will remind them we don’t, nobody is going to come work for us.”

  “Does anyone need to discuss this further or shall we turn to solutions?” James Newton asked. There were no objections.

  He was just about to mention the missile when Johannson stepped in. “I can’t help noticing we have an intercontinental ballistic missile still in the silo here. I doubt the Air Force left it here by accident, so I suspect James has a use for it...”

  “Interesting you should mention that,” James Newton responded with a smile. “Let me ask you all a question. If we are going to survive this coming calamity inside a computer, does it actually matter where that computer is?”

  The room was silent for a moment while they tried to figure out what James Newton meant.

  Cyrus was the first to speak. “Holy cow! Space. You want to use the missile to launch the computer into orbit!”

  “I had thought of it only as a contingency,” Newton answered. “I didn’t expect we’d need it since like you, Cyrus, I had imagined this facility would be quite secure. My thinking was that we would mount the computer on the missile but leave it in the silo. Unless the situation became completely untenable, which seems to be exactly where it’s heading.”

  “Is it even possible?” Manny asked.

  “I think so,” Dr. Lee answered. “I read somewhere that several of these missiles were converted to deliver payloads into orbit back around the turn of the century. If I remember correctly most of them used additional boosters, but even the standard three-stage Minuteman III, which is what we have here, should be able to deliver a small payload into orbit.”

  “Impressive display of knowledge Dr. Lee,” Cyrus said, causing a twinge of jealously on Regina Lopez’s part. She tried hard to ignore it which only made her more aware of her own irrational feelings.

  “Not really,” Dr. Lee answered with a hint of false modesty. “I am a nuclear physicist after all, plus my mother was a nuclear safety officer with the Air Force. This is not the first time I’ve been to a missile launch facility. So it’s not that surprising I’d know something about nuclear missiles. But I’m no expert, so I don’t know exactly what size payload we could deliver or into what orbit.”

  “I have somebody who can answer that,” Newton said tapping his pad. The holo-image of a man appeared projected from Newton’s pad. “Hello Uncle James,” he said with a Scottish accent, not thick and unintelligible, but quite noticeable. Cyrus wondered why Newton’s nephew had a Scottish accent—McKay was a Scottish name, but he didn’t exactly look the part; Cyrus guessed that his mother must be Newton’s sister and his fat
her the Scot.

  “Everyone, this is Colin McKay. Formal title payload specialist, but rocket scientist is a better description. Colin we’ve decided to exercise the contingency plan we discussed. How soon can you join us here in Colorado?”

  “At least a week,” he answered. “I will have to drive from Florida and first I have to find enough stuff of value to trade for fuel and food along the way. I’ll also be considered a fugitive as soon as I fail to turn up for farm work.” That explained why he was dressed more like a farm hand than a scientist.

  “We need you as soon as possible, but are you sure you still want to join us?” Newton asked. “It sounds very risky.”

  McKay did not respond immediately. Even via the holo-link they could all see that something was wrong. “There’s nothing here for me now,” McKay answered bitterly. “Stacy’s gone. My bonnie lass is dead.” He turned his head away, wiping the tears from his eyes.

  “Oh my God,” Newton said shocked at the news that his nephew’s wife was dead. “I’m so sorry,” he added kicking himself. He should had brought his nephew and his wife to Denver long before it got to this point. He had been so focused on the immediate tasks at hand and assembling the team he needed to complete them that he had failed to think far enough ahead. “What on earth happened Colin?”

  “She refused to work in the fields. They shot her.”

  Regina looked away. It was bad enough seeing someone she cared about in emotional pain, but when it was a complete stranger like this she felt she was intruding into something very private.

  “What?” Newton replied outraged. “That’s not what the President announced. They can’t do that.”

  “Well they did,” Colin replied. “I thought they would just cut off her rations and let her starve, but they accused her of inciting others to stop work. It was nae true, but an accusation is more than enough evidence these days. A human life is nae worth much anymore. But enough of that. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”