MindWar (Nick Hall Book 3)

by Douglas E. Richards

  More importantly, in the past year, and especially in the past few days, he had made many choices, had crossed many lines, that would have ethicists rolling in their graves. So who was he to cast the first stone?

  Hadn’t he made the decision to sacrifice Justin Girdler’s life? If Browning hadn’t intervened, Girdler would be dead, and so would he.

  Thank God the others on the team couldn’t read his mind, because this was something he intended to keep secret forever. Let them think the story he told of Victor simply wanting to punish them all and release them had been true, and never learn of his betrayal.

  Cochran had betrayed the team, yes, and had taken a big risk that had ended catastrophically, but he had done this in the hope of saving millions of lives. So weren’t Hall’s actions far worse? He had betrayed the team for selfish reasons, to save a woman he couldn’t live without. He had betrayed a man who trusted him with his life, who would march into hell for him—had marched into hell for him.

  And Cochran had done everything he could to mitigate possible negative consequences. He had established a failsafe, not knowing that Bostic would read his mind and defeat it. And it was likely that his action did save millions of lives.

  He had also performed brilliantly during the USD crisis. He was the leader of the free world, yet devoted tremendous time and effort to THT, and had left politics at the door. He had been a gentleman in every way, straightforward, dependable, indispensable.

  The Iran situation had backed Cochran into a corner. He had made the only real choice available to him. It could even be argued that none of this would have happened if Hall hadn’t repeatedly shown absolute inflexibility with regard to the ESP data, not caring what else might be at stake. Had the president felt able to share his decision with Hall, the data would have been transferred more securely, and maybe Hall could have coached Bostic and gone to Iran to keep tabs on him.

  “I can’t say I’m happy about where we’ve ended up,” said Hall, breaking a long silence. “And I can’t speak for the others here, Mr. President. But as for me, I do forgive you. And I won’t hold this against you going forward.”

  Had the rest of the group been eating cereal at the time, the table would now be wet from expelled food. The team had considered many reactions he might have had, but this wasn’t one of them.

  Cochran looked unsure, as though this might be some kind of sick joke. Instead of responding, he waited for Hall to continue.

  And Hall did. He walked through the thoughts he was having that led him to forgive Cochran, leaving out his own betrayals. Cochran had done what he thought best, with unimpeachable motives. He had been backed into a corner. Had Hall been less dogmatic in his objections, this may not have happened. And it wasn’t as though any of the negative outcomes had been intended. Cochran had considered the dangers that Bostic might present, but had never even imagined that a player like Browning could have hijacked the data without his knowledge, nor the breathtaking speed and severity of the consequences.

  “This group of people deals with monsters on a regular basis,” said Hall. “We’re the smallest government agency in America, an ant against Godzilla, and we’ve taken a series of devastating body blows. No one has more reason to feel overwhelmed and pessimistic. But we’ve always managed to stay optimistic instead. We’ve always shown an ability to get back on the horse. So let’s take a few days to be angry and pessimistic about the mess we’re in, and then come off the mat fighting. Claw our way out of this like we always do.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” said Megan enthusiastically. “And what other choice do we have? We broke it, so now we have to buy it.”

  “I’ve been insulated from the recent horrors this team has experienced,” said Heather, “but I think we have a lot to still be thankful for. Everyone physically in this room with me now should have died in Dixie National Forest. It’s a miracle that you didn’t. And like the general said, every day from now on we’ll be better prepared, better able to turn this around.”

  Girdler sighed. “Heather is right,” he said. “And the truth is, we reached rock bottom before yesterday, we just didn’t know it. We fiddled while Rome burned. If not for the losses of five good men, yesterday would have been a blessing in disguise. Two days ago Browning was out there, getting stronger, making his plans, but we were totally clueless. Now at least we know what we’re up against, which at least gives us a fighting chance.”

  The president continued to watch in amazement as the team took Hall’s lead and fought to throw off the yoke of anger and hopelessness that had dominated their emotions.

  “Mistakes have been made,” said Megan. “Pandora’s Box has been opened. And we know it can only be closed again at great cost. But we need to always remember the good this team has done. Think of all the terror plots Nick has disrupted. The lives we’ve personally helped save. Thousands at the Academy Awards. Thousands of little girls at USD. Millions the president’s actions in Iran likely saved. And while Victor didn’t place as many implants as we’d hoped, he still placed a large number.”

  Siegel nodded. “The window we now have on the seats of power in Russia, China, and North Korea is unprecedented. I haven’t shared all of the intel we’ve been getting, but it’s been extraordinary. And like Nick said, his efforts have helped us decimate the terror network in America.”

  The president finally decided to chime in. “See what you’ve done, Nick,” he said with a smile. “You’ve taken our dour moods and turned them hopeful. You’ve helped us take stock. And you’ll never know how much your forgiveness means to me. Thank you.”

  Hall nodded in acknowledgement.

  “I’m not trying to reverse the mood back again,” continued Cochran, “but I did want to point out that Victor could turn out to be a bigger problem than Browning or ISIS. Browning at least is trying to contain ESP until he’s ready to bestow it as a gift to humanity. But Victor sells assets. So even though he’s chosen not to use ESP, he could begin disseminating it at any time.”

  “You make a good point,” said Hall. “But I think we might actually be able to turn Victor from a liability into an asset.” He raised his eyebrows. “I think we can team up with him.”

  Siegel coughed. “Come again, Nick?” he said. “I know you forged a truce at his compound, but this was temporary and born out of necessity.”

  “I haven’t told this to anyone yet,” said Hall, “but out in the woods—Victor saved my life. Which means he saved all of our lives. If I had died then, everyone else would have followed.”

  Cochran’s mouth dropped open. “Unbelievable,” he said.

  “He’s the most complicated man I’ve ever read,” said Hall. “A ruthless killer, but also fiercely loyal, and able to adhere to a strict sense of principles. We’ve come to a level of mutual respect. And Bostic is after him, too. He needs us.”

  “The enemy of my enemy . . .” said Girdler.

  “Same line he used on me,” said Megan.

  The corners of Hall’s mouth turned up into the hint of a smile. “Just because it’s cliché doesn’t mean it can’t be true. Here’s another relevant cliché: war makes strange bedfellows. Before Victor saved my life, Megan saved his. But she saved more than his life. She saved him from a lifetime of involuntary servitude to a man he loathes. We can trust his word. And we can use him. Browning will be coming after him and two people he loves. He also knows what Browning is planning for the world, and believes it to be a doomsday scenario.”

  “How would you see this alliance working?” said Cochran

  Hall paused in thought. “First, to help get him to agree to our terms, Mr. President, I’d like you to offer him immunity from prosecution in the US. Erasing the slate and letting him access his holdings.”

  Cochran’s eyes narrowed. “For that to happen, these terms of yours would have to be pretty damn favorable.”

  “Here’s what I have in mind,” said Hall. “First and most importantly, we would insist on getting our data bac
k. If we can do that we only have the Browning leak left to plug, and Victor can’t make any more mind readers. Second, he devotes all of his energy to helping us defeat Browning. Third, he would have to agree to go legit. He isn’t interested in money anymore, and is leaning toward the scientific side of what he does already. And he likes a challenge.”

  “Teaming up to stop a threat like Browning is certainly that,” said Siegel.

  “He’s one of the few people around with insight into the man,” said Hall. “Not only would we get Victor’s genius, he’s probably the first target Browning will go after once he recovers, so we can also use him as bait.”

  The president considered. “If we really could get our data back and eliminate him as a threat,” he said, “I’m in for sure. If he can help us stop Browning, so much the better. Get him to agree to this, and he’ll have his immunity.”

  “I’ll give it my best,” said Hall.

  The president nodded, almost contentedly. “I know you will, Nick. You never give anything less.” He paused. “Speaking of which,” he continued, “I know you need more recovery time. I did promise you a relatively short meeting, so I think we should end things here.”

  He turned and addressed the entire group. “Thanks to you all. I have to say, when this meeting began I couldn’t see any light at the end of this tunnel. But despite Nick’s troubling revelations, I’m now hopeful that we can turn this around yet. The challenges are immense, greater than ever, but so are the talents of this team. The path ahead will be grueling and treacherous, but so was the path behind. And yet we found a way.” He paused. “God willing, we will somehow find a way again.”

  Hall considered these inspirational words. He was so weary. And the challenges ahead were more daunting than ever—which was truly saying something. The odds couldn’t be stacked more steeply against them.

  But they had defied the odds on so many occasions. He had read thoughts of fate in several minds recently. Browning thought destiny was securely in his corner. When Megan had saved Hall, though, even Victor had begun to wonder if fate wasn’t squarely on THT’s side of the ledger. And Megan had used this term herself when Hall had been certain he would never see her again. She had expressed her belief in both him and in fate, and that he had done too much good for his life to end in this way.

  So was there such a thing as fate? Or was it all about luck and talent? And what about the good men who had died? Destiny had failed to protect them.

  It was impossible to say. The only thing he and his colleagues could do was rage against the forces trying to destroy THT, trying to destroy civilization, and hope for the best.

  As much as he might wish his powers also allowed him to see the future, there was no way to know if this would be enough. There was no way to know if fate truly was looking out for them.

  As much as Nick Hall wished it were otherwise, the outcome of their struggle against these destructive forces would only be known in the fullness of time.

  But fortune favored the prepared. So whatever might be coming at them, he, for one, intended to be ready for it.

  From the Author: Thanks for reading MindWar. I hope that you enjoyed it. As always, I’d be grateful if you would rate the novel on its Amazon page here, as a high number of ratings really helps drive the success of a book.

  I’ve been told the Nick Hall books can be enjoyed in any order, so if this is your first, please consider giving Mind’s Eye or BrainWeb a try. Also, I’ve included a list of all of my books at the very end of this section.

  Finally, feel free to visit my website (where you can get on a mailing list to be notified of new releases), Friend me on Facebook at Douglas E. Richards Author here or write to me at doug@san.rr.com.

  MindWar: What’s real and what isn’t

  As you may know, I conduct fairly extensive research for all of my novels. In addition to trying to tell the most compelling stories I possibly can, I strive to introduce concepts and accurate information that I hope will prove fascinating, thought-provoking, and even controversial.

  MindWar is a work of fiction and contains considerable speculation. I encourage interested readers to explore these topics on their own to get a more thorough and nuanced look at each one, and weigh any conflicting data, opinions, and interpretations. By so doing, you can decide for yourself what is accurate and arrive at your own view of the subject matter.

  The Nick Hall novels present some unique challenges to me as a writer. Thrillers are known for their surprises and twists and turns, but to make these happen authors typically need their characters to be able to keep secrets from one another. The presence of a mind reader, from whom nothing is secret, does make this more challenging, and multiple mind readers increases the difficulty even more. Passages in which two mind reading antagonists inhabit the same scene together, given that they can read each other’s minds as well as those around them, can be even thornier to write. Even so, I felt that the introduction of additional mind readers was critical to the evolution of the series and to moving the story forward.

  With this said, I’ll get right to it: what’s real in MindWar and what isn’t. If you aren’t interested in an early category and want to skip ahead to one that might interest you more, I’ve listed the categories I’ll be covering in order of their appearance.

  Privacy in our modern world

  Computer assisted mind reading and telepathy

  Sensors and the Internet of Things

  Drone catching drones

  Malala Yousafzai

  Amnesty International report on ISIS’s ethnic cleansing

  The University of San Diego

  Salt Lake City

  Privacy in our modern world

  Your phone can track your location each and every second of the day. Your grocery store knows what you eat. Amazon knows more about your interests and lifestyle than your best friend. Google knows everything you’ve ever searched for. And Facebook—is there anything it doesn’t know about you?

  Hackers can readily read your private e-mail messages. Cameras have grown ever cheaper and smaller and have become ubiquitous, not just in malls, streets, and other public locations, but in every pocket and purse in the civilized world.

  Meanwhile, ever more sophisticated data analysis programs are able to draw conclusions from the limitless information about you that is being collected. There is a famous story about Target, the retailer. Apparently Target sent fliers to a teen girl, alerting her to specials on baby items, which aroused the ire of her father. Why? Because of course his daughter wasn’t pregnant. Except that she was. Target and its supercomputers had gotten it right. The father . . . not so much.

  So how did the computers know? Turns out pregnant women tend to buy calcium and magnesium supplements, extra big bags of cotton balls, and switch from scented to unscented lotions and soap, among dozens of other telltale buying habits.

  As sensors and the Internet of Things (covered separately) grow ever more invasive, and computer power and memory grow ever greater, our privacy is vanishing.

  In September of 2016, Snapchat announced the release of Snapchat Spectacles, stylish sunglasses capable of recording video that is automatically uploaded to the cloud. Sony recently filed a patent regarding contact lenses that can do the same thing. In MindWar, Nick Hall can record everything he sees, but the day is not far off when this capability will become a reality.

  I, for one, find this a bit disconcerting.

  But getting back to Snapchat Spectacles, according to the UK publication, The Sun:

  The devices have already sparked surveillance and privacy fears among social media users. Tremecca D. Doss, an American attorney, wrote: ‘Very interested to see if new privacy and surveillance issues in the workplace and at schools arise from Snapchat Spectacles.” Another Twitter user wrote, “When we’re under 24/7 inescapable surveillance, we will have done it to ourselves.”

  Young people living today are the most surveilled generation in human history, and it’s not n
ecessarily the government or spooks that are doing the snooping.

  I continue to be amazed at how comfortable young people are with living in a fishbowl, exposing aspects of their behavior and personality that most in my generation would never dream of doing, and desperate to share their every thought, experience, opinion, and selfie to the world (not to mention photos of their every meal, which I still don’t quite get).

  The good news is that despite this willing erosion of privacy, we’re still free to hate our bosses without them knowing, fantasize about men or women who are not our spouses, and tell a screeching friend that her singing voice is beautiful.

  My own belief is that our society can continue to thrive, even as privacy continues to erode, but if we are ever able to read each other’s innermost thoughts, if our last bastion of privacy is ever violated, society will be unable to adapt to this new state of affairs.

  Computer assisted mind reading and telepathy

  Recently scientists and entrepreneurs have made a number of breakthroughs that allow people to control such things as drones, video games, and prosthetic limbs with their thoughts alone, and this technology is rapidly improving and expanding. It isn’t difficult to imagine a day in which computer assisted mind reading and telepathy become a reality—in fact, I’ve now written three novels imagining this very thing. J

  To give you a quick flavor of the future we appear to be heading toward, I’ve pasted very brief excerpts from three articles below:

  Zuckerberg on telepathy: you'll capture a thought and share it with the world.

  The Guardian, June 14, 2016.

  First Facebook had pictures. Then it had videos. And soon it will have virtual reality. But some day, CEO Mark Zuckerberg imagines a way for users to be able to transmit thoughts directly from one brain to another.

  “You’re going to just be able to capture a thought, what you’re thinking or feeling in kind of its ideal and perfect form in your head, and be able to share that with the world in a format where they can get that,” Zuckerberg said in a live video Q&A broadcast from his Facebook page. “There’s some pretty crazy brain research going on that suggests we might be able to do this at some point.”