by B. Michaels
“Muhammad, I like the buzz you created in announcing Babylon. I’ve been thinking. I want to rebrand this country. Iran sounds weird to Westerners. I think the West should refer to this country as it did for millennia. I want them to address us as Persia again.
“Iran brings terrible memories to mind for the West, especially in America. Most Americans associate Iran with the storming of the US Embassy in 1979. The name change will show a clean break from the mullahs. What do you think?”
“Farhad, I believe that’s an exceptional idea. With the rebirth of Babylon and Persia, we’re signifying that our aim is to rebuild two old empires—empires that once ruled the entire known world. Only this time, Babylon and Persia will be allies. Speaking of working together as partners, update me on Suleiman.”
“It couldn’t be going any better,” said Javan. “AVICENNA is the most secret program within the Guards. Suleiman is cutting through the American’s encryption, like first-grade math students wrote the algorithms. We’ve completely infiltrated the NSA, CIA, and GCHQ. And we’ve exfiltrated their data, without them even knowing they’ve been hacked. We also stole millions of passwords to critical US systems. With those passwords, we don’t even need to crack the encryption.
“We’ve copied data at all levels of classification. This includes SECRET, TOP SECRET, and all their compartmentalized programs. Rodina is working to process the data, with the help of Unit 24 analysts. It’s tons of information. We’re like kids eating through an endless bowl of ice cream.
“The first thing we did is search through the data to find Iranian and Iraqi spies. I’ve already imprisoned a number of disloyal Revolutionary Guards in Evin. Did you know that even some mullahs were spies? Here’s a report on Iraqi agents on the US payroll.” General Javan handed Rahmati the report.
As Rahmati thumbed through it, Javan continued, “Some of the agents are known only by a code name. We’re still working to identify all traitors, but there’s enough information to get started.”
“Yes,” replied Rahmati. “I’m going to come here once a week until the fiber is operational between Babylon and Tehran. There are a lot of names here; Abu Ghraib is going to fill up quickly. This will give me the head start I need, as I consolidate power.”
“I think coming here in person is best,” said Javan. “I don’t even want to trust couriers with this information. After we deal with the US and UK spies, we’re going to dig into the details of all their current clandestine programs. Then we’re going to go after Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel, Germany, and Japan.
“On the industrial side, we’ve compromised all the major American defense and Silicon Valley companies. We can start selling the secrets to the highest bidder. We’ll split the proceeds of the sale between Iraq and Iran.”
Rahmati smiled and said with a glint in his eye, “You mean between Babylon and Persia.”
*
General Shields lethargically plopped himself on the couch. He was resting at his home on Fort Meade. He savored the smells of Thanksgiving dinner, just cooked by his wife. Shields told the TV to, ‘watch Cowboy game.’ The Dallas Cowboys were getting ready to play the Green Bay Packers. He reached for his glass of scotch.
After Charlie’s murder, holidays were always difficult. Thanksgiving was the hardest. General Shields and Charlie had watched football on Thanksgiving since Charlie was a little boy. Charlie was an exceptional athlete with a very disciplined mind. He played football and baseball in high school. Then he took his athletic prowess to the Navy and completed the SEAL program.
General Shields was surprised. He thought it would be easier. Even though Abu Mosulaydi and Abu Omar were dead, the General felt little comfort. As a wave of sadness crashed against his heart, the TV station broke in with a news flash.
Major General Farhad Javan, the head of the Revolutionary Guards, was due to speak to the Iranian people 8:00 p.m. Iranian time. This was one-half hour from now on the East Coast. Shields leaped from the couch, said goodbye to his wife, and headed for NSOC.
*
Arriving at NSOC, General Shields greeted Phil Callahan.
“Geez Phil, what’d you do to get the Thanksgiving Day shift?”
Phil smiled and began briefing the General. “Unfortunately, we only know as much as the media. Our last contact, with our highest ranking source in the Revolutionary Guards, was a little over 48 hours ago. CIA hasn’t heard a word from him since. In fact, all of our assets—even the mullahs on the payroll—are silent. That’s the HUMINT side. On the SIGINT side, we don’t have much either.”
General Shields jutted his chin and barked, “Phil, I came here to get a briefing on Iran, one of our principal adversaries over the last 40 years. I could’ve received the same information from CNN.”
An embedded CIA analyst summoned his courage and said, “General Shields, with every hour that goes by, it becomes increasingly more probably that there’s a mole somewhere. During our last contact with the Agency’s best asset in the Guard’s, we were told that General Javan was the acting leader of Iran. We all know the close ties of Javan to Rahmati.”
At the top of the hour, General Javan took to the airwaves.
Javan said that the Crescent Revolution had come to Iran. He announced that, in the interest of security, he was assuming leadership of the country. He was going to try all the clerics—including Ayatollah Saatchi—for crimes against the Iranian people. General Javan said that he’d work with the Iranian Parliament to craft a new constitution that removed all mullahs from issues of state. Clerics would no longer rule Iran.
After a period of stability, Javan assured his audience that he would authorize elections. Finally, General Javan said that Iran looked forward to being a prominent citizen in the world of nations. With open arms, he welcomed foreign investment in Iran. Then he announced that he was changing the name of Iran back to Persia.
As Javan put the finishing touches on the speech, Lin Lu walked into NSOC. “I came as soon as I heard the announcement. I thought you could use my support. That was some speech! I never thought I’d live to see the end of the theocracy in Iran. I think it’s wise to reset the country back to Persia. It’s only been called Iran for 60 years. It was Persia for nearly 2500 years.”
“Yep,” said Shields. “Thanks for coming in Lin. I’m sure POTUS is going to schedule a teleconference soon. In the span of six days, the Crescent Revolution has overthrown two governments in the Middle East. If this is anything like the Arab Spring, I don’t think the dominoes are done falling.”
*
Back in Baghdad after his morning meeting in Tehran, Muhammad Rahmati also watched General Javan’s speech.
“I can’t believe he did it. Javan just became the Potentate of Persia.” Rahmati was conversing with Hadi Hadari.
“We’re going to do great things together. I’m so glad you accepted my offer. You’re the right man for the job.”
Hadi Hadari, former Immortal Deputy Commander, had just been named the head of Rahmati’s newly re-formed Iraqi Intelligence Service—IIS. Rahmati wanted to shape the IIS as an organization that mimicked the Quds Force. Rahmati was going to persuade Javan to allow more former Immortals to enter Iraq.
“Mr. Prime Minister, it’s a pleasure to serve you. I’d follow you anywhere…and I have,” laughed Hadi.
The Prime Minister walked to the map of the world in his temporary office. He placed his index finger on Babylon, and then swept his open palm to the left, all the way to the Mediterranean Ocean. “Can you see it? Can you see a new Islamic empire growing and spreading—with its heart in Babylon?”
Hadi nodded his head. “I can. Allah created you for this job, Muhammad.”
Hundreds of applications for amnesty from Baathists were stacked in a tall pile on his desk. Rahmati felt that getting the Baathists, even Baathists that were key members of the Caliphate, was necessary to stabilize the Iraqi government.
At the same time, this would destabilize Daesh.
The Baathist’s were exceptionally important to ruling Iraq. They were the only individuals that had governed Iraq since the mid-1960’s. Rahmati felt that de-Baathification was the single dumbest thing the Americans ever did in the Iraq War. It was as if a foreign country invaded America and outlawed Republicans, Democrats, and the US Army—while still expecting the country to function smoothly.
“Hadi, I’m going to count on you to rein in the Baathists. It’s a complicated issue. Baathists under Hussein certainly weren’t choirboys. They excluded and persecuted Shiites. There was massive corruption. But, the Bush Administration’s disbandment of the Baathists was idiotic. What a cowboy. Once kicked out of the government, the Baathists had nowhere else to turn but to Sunni insurgents.
“They’ve supported Al Qaeda, ISIS, and now…the Caliphate. You really can’t blame them. If they couldn’t get their government jobs back, they’d just create a Sunni portion of Iraq. At least they’d have something to rule.”
Rahmati knew that Baathists, especially the Baathist military leaders, were responsible for much of the Caliphate’s success. If he could drive a wedge between Baathists and the Caliphate, Rahmati reasoned he could get rid of the Caliphate in Iraq for good. Suleiman was the ace up his sleeve. He could use the quantum computer to monitor the Baathists, once they were in the government. And he could also unleash Hadi’s IIS on them.
“Hadi, have your team review all of these applications for amnesty. I need you to watch these guys carefully. Take anyone that gets out of line to Abu Ghirab.”
“Yes, sir.”
“One thing I can tell you, we can’t let our internment of Wahhabis create Jihadi University’s, like the stupid Americans. Baghdadi, the first Caliph of ISIS, was created at Camp Bucca. During his imprisonment from 2005 to 2009, he built his network and radicalized many future Daesh.”
Hadi concurred. “I won’t let that happen.”
Once Rahmati destabilized the Caliphate, he could work jointly with the Persians and Syrians to completely annihilate the Caliphate. At the very least, his goal was to drive the Caliphate from the Middle East to Africa. Iraq, Syria, and Persia would be stable. Rahmati would have a firm platform upon which to expand his Islamic empire.
Chasm Waxing: Part III – The First Confrontation
Chapter 31 – The A-Car
10:00 a.m. (EST), Tuesday, December 29, 2020 – Greenwich, CT
A-Car Showroom
“Have you downloaded the A-Car App to your phone?” asked the A-Car salesman.
“Yes,” replied Josh.
“Go ahead. Open the App and summon your A-Car. You can do the same with this keyless fob.” The sales rep handed Becca the fob. It resembled a miniature version of the A-Car. Two minutes later, Josh’s A-9000 pulled up and stopped within three feet of the couple.
The first thing that Becca noticed was the empty driver’s seat and the presence of a steering wheel. Spotting a car driving on the road without a driver still turned Becca’s head. Seeing the A-9000’s steering wheel made her realize that her attempt to dissuade Josh had failed. Even though insurance for a 100% autonomous car—a vehicle without a steering wheel—was cheaper; Josh ordered the optional steering wheel.
The A-9000 model was a four-door, crossover SUV. The SUV comfortably seated five passengers. It sported an exceptionally large trunk. The pearl-white car’s sleek, modern lines shimmered in the sun.
“This car reminds me of a moon buggy I built with Legos as a kid,” said Josh.
“Hello, Josh. Hello Becca,” said the A-Car’s IVR System. The IVR’s voice came from a small, roof-mounted speaker. Multiple embedded sensors—camera, laser, radar, and sonar—allowed the A-Car to see 360 degrees, to a distance of 1000 feet.
Not moved by Becca’s desire for frugality, Josh ordered every bell and whistle available for the A-9000. Becca only pushed for one option, the hybrid gas-electric powertrain. The A-Car’s range was 475 miles on a single electric charge. Becca wanted the additional security of a gas engine to give her disinformation campaign more options.
Becca reminded Josh that the purpose of the A-Car was to add realism to their cover story. The autonomous automobile played a vital role in conveying continuity to their pattern of life operations, after they fled the country. Once back home, they weren’t going to drive the A-Car themselves. The A-Car was to be assigned to the A-Grid.
The A-rep continued, “You can interact with the car in three ways. Voice—the car’s IVR system works both inside and outside. It recognizes the voices you add to its access list. Also, you can use the fob Becca is holding. Or, you can use the Internet—your phone, tablet, laptop, or A-Watch.”
Affixed to the A-Car’s driver and passenger side doors were configurable, non-glare signs. Currently, they read, ‘Josh and Becca just bought me!’ While Nucleus Corporation could deliver A-Cars to their customers, Becca and Josh wanted the full purchase experience from the showroom. A-Cars were the hottest selling vehicle in America. Their sales floors were drawing substantial crowds. Today’s line to get a glance at the A-Car snaked around the building.
“That’s so cool,” said Becca. “Show me the drone.”
“On the fob, tap the back hatch three times, and then swipe,” said the A-rep. A hatch opened on the back of the A-Car’s roof, revealing a small drone. Immediately, the drone took off.
“You can deploy the drone at speeds of less than 5 miles per hour. It’s perfect for when you want to investigate why traffic is stopped. Or, maybe you wish to check the area around your A-Car in a dark parking lot. You can watch the video feed on your phone or the car’s interior touchscreens. Once you start moving faster than 9 miles per hour, the drone automatically returns.”
A-Cars were the only fully autonomous vehicle certified by 49 of the 50 states. New York was the last holdout, due to aggressive lobbying by the taxicab and limousine industry. Robot cars sent shivers down the spines of a diverse array of interests.
“Let’s look inside,” said Josh, depressing all the doors on his A-Car App.
Driver and passenger scissor doors somersaulted forward. They revealed black, leather bucket seats for the passenger and driver. The front seats could swivel 180 degrees. The gull-wing doors in the rear also spread wide open.
Josh and Becca got into the A-Car. “This is like a tablet with wheels,” exclaimed Becca. The A-Car utilized the Nucleus operating system, A-OS, as its computing platform. A-OS Apps ran on video panels in the A-Car’s doors and dashboard. Currently, the panels displayed the live drone feed.
Eye movements, hand gestures, voice, and touch were all ways to control apps—depending upon the apps design. The A-Car’s windshield and side windows could display information as well, similar to a fighter jet’s heads-up-display.
“There’s a way to make sure the voice recognition system is disabled, right?” asked Becca, thinking about the upcoming mission’s operational security.
The rep nodded his head.
“Let’s show it to your dad.” Becca thanked the rep and typed in Mr. Adler’s address into A-Map App, via the A-Car’s touchscreen. She turned the music all the way up. The couple rotated their seats. With their backs towards on-coming traffic, the A-Car took off.
There were many motivations for the purchase. First, the A-Car was a critical component of their cover story. Also, Nucleus Corporation was touting A-Car financing to increase Blockchain trust ratings rapidly. The trust ratings worked similar to a credit score. Nucleus thought the Blockchain offered them a unique opportunity to move into the financial services industry.
Josh’s loan agreement and payments were encapsulated in a smart contract, enforced by software. The software automatically interacted with the Blockchain and the A-Car. If Josh missed a payment, Blockchain trust points would be deducted. If Josh failed to pay after the grace period, the smart contract would remotely disabl
e the A-Car. If Josh defaulted on payment, Nucleus could simply repossess the car, autonomously driving it to the nearest A-Car showroom or A-Station.
There was one last motivation. Once all the subterfuge ended, Josh wanted to add the A-Car as a node on A-Grid. A-Grid was Nucleus Corporation’s ride-hailing network. For any fare within the network, Nucleus received 25% of the revenue—75% went to Josh. If the ride-share passengers opted-in to receive in-car advertisements, Nucleus and Josh split the ad revenue in half.
Given Nucleus’ domination of the on-line advertising business, they were strategically positioned for ads in the new auto platform. In fact, auto was a word with as much buzz as mobile, nearly 10 years earlier.
Nucleus worked extremely hard to link their auto platform with finely detailed A-Maps. Upon entering the route, advertisers paid premiums for ride-sharers that fit their demographic profile and were within a targeted geolocation. Advertisers often subsidized the entire ride for opt-ins.
A-Car fully indemnified the A-Car owner for accidents in which their software defined car was at fault. So far, this occurred in only a handful of occasions. Autonomous cars were safer than human drivers. Self-driving vehicles were transforming many industries, from public transportation to shipping.
From its roots in the Atom search engine, Nucleus Corporation was a stunning success. Its vast product line included; A-Mail, A-Tube, A-Maps, A-HoloGlasses, A-Glasses, A-Tunes, A-Car, A-Scope, A-Grid, and A-Watch. All of them ran A-OS, a Linux-based operating system. The company was indeed living up to its tagline. Nucleus was the ‘the center of your life.’
“This is crazy,” whispered Josh. “We’re sitting in a car that’s using the same deep learning algorithms to drive autonomously that we used to find the Ark. The neural networks that understand language are architected slightly different than the convolutional neural networks that recognize video, but the overall approach is the same. I’m upset with myself for not using the driver-less car example with General Shields. I don’t think he truly understands AI.”
