The Phoenix Agenda: A Thriller (A Rossler Foundation Mystery Book 6)

by JC Ryan

  When the iPhone eventually arrived at the Rabbit Hole and Raj opened it, Sam smiled and said, “Just think about all the criticism the late Steve Jobs had to endure for outsourcing the iPhone manufacturing to China. The man was a genius, years ahead of his time. The world should thank him for the foresight he had.”

  “I agree with you, Sam. I've never been a big fan of Apple products, but after today I’m seriously reconsidering my stance on that.” Daniel laughed.

  Sarah wanted to know how the Tectus associates managed it. “Do we have any idea how our Chinese friends pulled this off? It wouldn't be easy to get into that fortress. It might be worthwhile to know. You never know when we might need to use similar tactics.”

  No one had the slightest idea. They would think about that later, but for now they had much more urgent work to do. All that mattered was that they had the final piece of the puzzle in their hands.

  You must obey my commandments

  When the iPhone arrived at the Rabbit Hole, the implementation of Peter and Owen’s plans were already in full swing. They'd bought their plane, which was in the hanger at the flight training school in Billings from where Owen graduated. It would remain there until they had completed the airstrip and hanger at Mount Ararat, the construction of which was already underway with an estimated completion within two weeks.

  Peter and Kelly were collaborating via their mirror phones, talking and sending pictures and drawings back and forth to finally choose the spot for their house. It was a location with a beautiful view of the mountains and surrounding areas, a few yards from a small stream, and literally on the border of the Gallatin National Forest.

  The five-bedroom kit home had already been delivered onsite, and the contractors guaranteed completion within four weeks. They had no requirements for telephone or power lines, and water would be provided by their well. Thanks to all the 10th Cycle technology available to them, they were going to be totally off the grid.

  The Supreme Council’s financial announcement, according to the latest directives given to their media partners, was five weeks away.

  Kelly had given notice to the owner of their apartment and handed her resignation to the CEO of WONN. The latter caused an enormous upheaval. The CEO wanted to double her salary package, even offered her a promotion and unheard of benefits, but she politely declined. She explained that a severe health issue faced her, and that it would be impossible to continue. She was not lying about it; it was going to become extremely unhealthy to live in a city very soon.

  She expressed her deep regret for the inconvenience her resignation would cause, and conveyed to the CEO that she would not like to burn any bridges. She would dearly like to come back, if she could overcome her health issues. This last request swayed the CEO, and he agreed to keep the doors open for her.

  The news about her resignation leaked out quickly, and within days the media were rife with speculations about the reasons for her departure. There was even an inquiry or two directly from the Supreme Council. However, Kelly weathered all the storms around her. Within two weeks, things calmed down, and people accepted the fact that they would not see their favorite TV host anymore. She would arrive in Billings two weeks before the expected announcement.

  ***

  Roy and Raj, with their teams, studied the cylinders and software from the iPhone received from China. Raj and his team’s earlier access to the reports produced by the software helped them quickly gain an understanding of the code and how the program worked.

  Roy and Jack analyzed the cylinders and learned their purpose and functions very quickly. Within a week of receiving the iPhone, the quality control process was mapped out. Every component in the cylinders was identified and associated with a function, except for one, which still escaped discovery – the shutdown routine.

  Roy called Raj over to his lab. He had one of the cylinders loaded into the electron microscope and pointed Raj to it. “Have a look at that. What do you make of it? I’m at my wits end,” he said.

  Raj looked at it, zoomed the focus in and out a few times and then shook his head, “I have no clue what it is that I am looking at. Have you got any ideas?”

  Roy replied, “Yes, I have a lot, but none of them makes any sense. The most logical one I can think of is that it's the on-off switch. The only reason I am thinking that is because it's the only part in this damn thing we haven’t been able to identify. But if that is a switch, I have to say that I have never seen anything like it. I don’t even know where to begin to figure out how it works.”

  Raj looked again and after a while he said, “It seems like a molecule consisting of three atoms, suspended in mid-air in the center of that nanotube. Is that what you saw as well? Or am I crazy?”

  “No, you’re not crazy, at least I hope not, because if you are, then so am I. That’s exactly what I saw, and that’s the cause of my frustration. What’s the purpose of that? As I said before, we know that everything in that cylinder has been assigned a function, and that thingamabob is the only one we haven’t assigned. The only thing we don’t have is the off switch so that MUST be the off switch. Right?” Roy tried to justify his logic.

  “I will agree with you only if you can eliminate the possibility that you could have missed the switch in any of the other components,” Raj replied with a smile.

  Raj could see that his friend was bone tired and suggested they both get some rest and tackle it again in the morning. They both left, but found it difficult to get their brains to stop working.

  The next morning they were back to the problem, now joined by Ryan, Jack, and other team members. All had a look through the microscope and saw what Raj and Roy saw; a molecule consisting of three atoms suspended in mid-air in the center of a nanotube. They went through the components in the cylinder again making sure everything was accounted for. The only thing missing was the switch, which they knew had to be there. This, therefore, must be the switch.

  By lunchtime, they were still scratching their heads. Sam, Luke, Salome, Sarah, and even Peter, who was visiting for a few days, turned up in the lab to find out what progress they'd made. They explained what they found and where they were stuck. “What do you think keeps that molecule in suspension?” Daniel wanted to know.

  “An electromagnetic field,” Roy replied.

  “Would another, stronger electromagnetic field or pulse make that molecule move?” Daniel continued his questioning.

  “Yes, definitely it would, but what are you thinking?” Roy asked.

  Daniel explained, “I am just wondering if it is possible that if the molecule touches the side of the tube it could trigger the switch mechanism? But wait, I am way out of my league here. I have no idea what I’m talking about.”

  Roy looked up, stared at Daniel for a long while and started smiling, “You might be out of your league, but you just gave me an idea. I am now sure that’s the switch and that molecule triggers the switch when it touches the sides of the tube. However, I don’t think it is through an electromagnetic field or pulse. If that were the case, the chip could be switched off when people came close to any electrical devices with a stronger electromagnetic field.”

  Roy looked around the room as if to invite ideas. None were forthcoming, so he suggested to Raj they test an electromagnetic field to see if it moved the molecule. As expected it did, but it didn’t trigger any reaction from the nanotube.

  “I think there’s something else that makes it move in a certain predetermined pattern, and that would trigger the switch,” he murmured.

  “What about sound?” Sarah wanted to know.

  “That would … shit! Yes, of course! That’s it! You’ve got it!” he yelled. Then he ran around the table and kissed the flabbergasted Sarah full on the mouth, to the shock and surprise of everyone, who were shortly after rolling with laughter.

  By the time they got their laughter under control, Salome matter-of-factly remarked, “Roy, my dear. You will definitely have to stop kissing women every time you make
a new discovery. They’re getting scared of you!”

  Daniel tapped him on the shoulder and in a mock serious tone said, “I would like to have a quiet word with you, buster. See you in the gym at five.”

  “Huh, what?” Roy replied, acting as if he didn’t know what just happened. He was already busy changing the settings on the microscope to focus on that nanotube. Within a few minutes he shouted, “Bingo! Gotcha!”

  Peter, who had caught on to the humor of the people of the Rabbit Hole, shouted. “Ladies beware. Roy is on the loose again!”

  Roy, however, had a better presence of mind than a few minutes ago. “Okay, don’t worry, I’ve got it. There are conduits on the side of the tube wall. The molecule will spin, and when its orbit expands enough, it will land in those grooves and go to the bottom. When it reaches the bottom, it will trigger the switch. Like a bullet spinning along the grooves in the barrel of a gun.”

  “Raj, we need to find that sound file now,” Roy said.

  Raj and his entire team gathered around the computer he had with him, and within a few minutes, they found reference to a sound file in the code of the quality program. They located the file and opened it but heard nothing. They connected the cylinder to the computer, started the program and found the code that activated the sound file while Roy watched the switch closely under the microscope. A split second after the sound file was activated, the switch was in operation.

  “There you’ve got it! Where is Sarah? I’d like to kiss her,” he said with a broad smile on his face. Everyone burst into laughter again. Salome just shook her head, her face covered by one of her hands. Roy certainly had crawled out of his shell since she first met him and she liked it.

  Though everyone was somewhat impressed, Peter was dumbfounded again. He still couldn’t get used to how these people were able to take a problem head-on, and, through sheer brilliance, just make it go away.

  “Do we have to know what is on that sound file? I mean do we have to try and listen to it?” Sam asked.

  “Yes, we have to know that,” Roy replied as he looked at Raj.

  Raj tried a few times while he had earphones on and then mumbled something to the effect that it was most probably at a frequency inaudible to the human ear. He made a few changes to the sound player and file and all of a sudden, his facial expression changed from anticipation to shock and disgust.

  Everyone was watching him. He slowly took the earphones off, turned the volume on his computer up, and said, “Be ready to be sickened.”

  I am John Brideaux

  I am God

  You must obey my commandments

  The unmistakable voice of John Brideaux came over the speakers of the computer. The words shocked and appalled everyone.

  “What a vile human being. That was the sound of evil.” Sam articulated the words on everyone’s mind.

  Dot the i's and cross the t's

  Finally, with the discovery of the chip’s shutdown procedure, it was time to dot the i’s and cross the t’s. They had two weeks left before the announcement and at least four weeks to Operation Pincer.

  Sam and his team decided that the final date for lifting the Harpers out would be determined once they were sure the conditions favored them, and they could execute the operation with as little risk of detection as possible.

  Peter had a meeting with Rube and Sombra some weeks before he left New York when he briefed them about the pending financial disaster and the expected turmoil in the aftermath. He asked them to pass the information on to their Tectus members. The two of them had been urbanites their entire lives and were worried. He gave them all the advice he could, and told them that Owen was looking for someone to manage his farm in Nucla if they were interested. Initially, they were a bit skeptical about the idea of living on a farm so far away from the city lights. They said they’d think about it. But then, two days later they called Peter and told him they were interested after all. They asked if he would talk to Owen about it.

  Owen was more than happy for the two of them, with their partners, to manage his farm. He’d already sold all the livestock so there wasn’t much to manage, other than to take care of the property and enjoy the views, fresh air, and the freedom of farm life.

  The airstrip and hangar at Mt. Ararat were completed, and the Baron 58 was safely in its shelter. Peter and Kelly’s container house was nearing completion; there were just a few more days of work. Kelly arrived at the Billings Logan Airport the day after Peter took delivery of the house.

  In keeping with tradition, to her great delight, Peter carried her over the threshold. She was thrilled with her new home. It was much more spacious and comfortable than she'd imagined.

  Two days after Kelly’s arrival - one week before the announcement - Peter and Owen made a trip to Nucla. There they met with Rube, Sombra, and a few other Tectus members to agree on the final details of their plans. Using the Baron 58, it was a trip of a little over three hours for them instead of the more than thirteen hours by car that Owen was used to.

  They arrived at the farm the day after Rube and Sombra, who'd come with two of the most senior members of Tectus. These were a former Navy SEAL, Dennis McMahon, and Eric Winchester, a former Colonel in the Marines.

  When Peter and Owen arrived, they were surprised to learn that the four men, who'd never been to the Western Slope of Colorado, loved every moment of it, although it had been only twenty-four hours since they'd got there. Rube and Sombra were now actually excited about the idea of living on the farm. Dennis and Eric told them that they would be more than happy to swap places, if they ever wanted to change their minds.

  They were all seated in the living room to commence the two-day planning session. First, Peter gave them a synopsis of the impending financial chaos and made sure they all understood what they should be doing to safeguard themselves and their loved ones, as well as the members of their organization.

  Next, the details of Operation Pincer were discussed. Peter was the mission leader, and he walked them through the plan step-by-step, including the exact timing and the people involved. He invited Dennis and Eric to comment on the plan as he talked. Their military background was highly regarded, and their input would be much appreciated.

  Tectus would make seven of their members available to assist Peter on D-Day. Rube, Sombra, and three others would help to operate the technical equipment while two others would be drivers. On D-Day minus one, some of the technical equipment would have to be positioned and tested. On D-Day, Sam and his operational team would have voice and visual communications with all team members onsite. The details of Plan-B were discussed, as well as the steps that would be taken if things went south and the mission had to be aborted.

  Next on the agenda was the evacuation of some family members of the residents of the Rabbit Hole.

  Tectus was in charge of Operation Fugere, as they named this mission, based on the Latin word that meant ‘to flee’. Eric was the mission leader of this one. As Eric took them through the plan, it was clear that they also had their plots worked out down to the tiniest detail. They had eight families, a total of twenty-five people, to evacuate. Their operation would kick off the moment President Harper and his wife were airborne. They had made contact with each of the families and made sure they knew exactly what to do and were ready, willing, and able to go when they got the message. The families had been told to stock up on supplies to survive the anticipated chaos and shortages that would follow the announcement.

  Operation Fugere was a complex mission that required the simultaneous evacuation of the eight families from eight different locations across the country. The families were to be transported to various safe houses and accommodated there until they could be moved to their final destination, the Rabbit Hole. That remained a secret to everyone. Not even the four Tectus representatives knew about the name or the location. They also knew not to inquire about it.

  Eric and Dennis requested assistance from some of their former military comrades. There
were many of them these days who were more than happy to help get rid of the new government. Peter was happy with their plans, as they were with the Operation Pincer plan.

  Owen and Peter handed them a bag full of the latest technology equipment and communications devices, demonstrated everything to them, and gave them training videos and user guides to help them train their team members.

  Nero fiddled while Rome burned

  The Supreme Council’s pilot program in Samoa was a resounding success. It was a small country and they managed the transition very well.

  However, they miscalculated the reaction they would get in the rest of the world. They were pleasantly surprised by the enormity of the chaos they created. That was exactly what they wanted. The bigger the chaos and suffering, the better the conditions for them to step in and finally get control over all people on the planet.

  The Supreme Council chose a Friday to make their announcement. All credit card debt, overdrafts, mortgages and personal loans vanished in an instant. The debt of those who were not chipped would be erased the moment the chip was activated inside their bodies. All people with a chip were debt free by the end of the announcement.

  All monetary transactions would be handled through the chips and scanners. The Liberty Dollar was introduced. It would be accepted as payment for goods and services everywhere in the world, and no cash or cards would be necessary – or allowed. Chip scanners would process transactions.

  Any business owner who would not accept the new currency was guilty of a crime carrying the death penalty. Similarly, all salaries would from now on be paid in Liberty Dollars only, and no other payment method was allowed. Any employer who didn't obey the directive would be guilty of a crime punishable by death.