“About the ships?”
“This is the first positive report we’ve had since you were sent out there. I’ll divert three ships to your location. I hope you’re right; they’re the last three ships we’ve got with crews without implants.” Steven leaned in and lowered his voice. “You have to succeed.”
“We know,” Cain said.
“No, you don’t! You need to be valuable the way you are. If not—” Steven’s eyes shot up. “Alice, you sent it already?”
“Yes, sir,” Alice said.
“I’ve got to go. Lyons out.” The screen went dark.
“What the hell was that all about?” Cain demanded.
Lea shook her head. “He was scared. Did you see his face?”
“Yeah, it’s like he was about to tell us something he shouldn’t.”
“Why?”
“No idea. We have to complete our mission. Make ourselves valuable, like he said,” Cain said.
Lea sniffed. “Even if we do it, how do we know something won’t happen to us anyway?”
“We don’t. He’s got to tell us more.”
“Not likely,” Lea said. Why am I trying to save the planet that hates me?
11
Anna hated them, more than anything. She swallowed as she approached the press room. Of course all questions were screened and approved. Hell, even the “live” broadcasts were prerecorded. Her two android bodyguards were a tad shorter but much more strong than any enormous bodybuilder. Yeah, she was safe from those who were … jealous—that’s it—jealous of her success. Every time her red, high-heeled shoes struck the metal grate floor, her stomach twisted tighter. Reporters were unpredictable and dangerous. They were the tool that enabled her to take over the government in the first place. Now, those bastards had turned on her like scorpions.
Toni was carrying a tablet, walking right next to Anna. “Ma’am, I’ve downloaded all the pertinent data about the mission and our string of successes. Graphics and talking points were placed inside the press kits as well.”
“Anyone question it?”
“Who’d dare question you?”
Anna smiled. “No one … alive.” She turned the corner and climbed the short staircase and paused. Beyond the blue door stood those vipers, sitting straight up, treason ready to roll off their tongues. So close to achieving her goal, she couldn’t afford any more discontent. GIS assured her that this move would nearly guarantee success. Imagine, a world full of people who thought and behaved and voted the way you wanted them to. The people would be like a pack of zombies rushing to the voting booths, insisting that Anna remain in charge forever. Forever? Why not? Every year she replaced more and more pieces of her body with cybernetic implants. Did it make her less human? No, just more … focused. She closed her eyes and breathed. I’m better than everyone. I can do this. Anna took the tablet from Toni.
“I’ll be right back.”
Toni nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
Anna turned the knob, pushing the door out of her way. Camera lights flashed as she stepped onto the small stage, taking her place behind the podium. As always, the reporters were lined up in front her like obedient dogs. Her eyes jumped from person to person, looking to see who had an implant and who didn’t. All the reporters practically worshiped the government, proudly displayed their compliance. The new in thing among the media was the latest implant connected to GIS. Two. Three. Four members of the press corps didn’t have their implants. I won’t ask them shit!
Anna placed the tablet on top of the lectern and smiled. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” the reporters obediently echoed back.
“I’m sorry to bring such grave news to you this morning, but the people must know. A few months ago, an alien vessel attacked and destroyed the battle cruiser Lenin. There were no survivors. But, those brave men and women didn’t die for nothing. They managed to get some data on their attackers to us before their ship was lost.” Her lips curled a little as the reporters’ faces went white. “It’s okay. The government—your government—will save you. I promise you that.” She cleared her throat.
A short man with red hair wearing a gray suit and a lime-green tie raised his hand. “Madam President.”
Can’t he just die already? Anna smiled. “Bill, please save your questions until after I’m finished my statement.” Her eyes zoomed in on his neck. No implant.
“Will you call on me?” Bill Pollack, a columnist from the Galactic News Network, asked.
“No. Please sit down.”
Bill’s face hardened as he slipped back into his seat.
“Anyway, where was I? Oh yes. We determined that the aliens are planning an invasion of Earth. We sent the most experienced and competent starship crews to deal with the menace while we shore up our defenses here. I know it sounds like everything is taken care of, but it isn’t. We also learned that they are using humans without implants against our own people. We can’t stand for that.”
Bill shifted in his seat as he looked around at his colleagues. Everyone with an implant was hanging on her every word, while those without it sank back in terror.
“As many of you already know, government positions are forbidden to anyone without an implant; for security reasons, of course.” Anna lowered her eyes. “I’m afraid we have to expand that to the private sector as well.” She raised her hands to reassure them. “As you know, the implant program is purely voluntary. But, there have to be consequences to those who choose not to conform like the rest of us. The newer implants link the individual directly into GIS.”
Bill raised his hand.
Anna pretended not to see him. “Anyone who chooses not to get the implant will not be able to have employment in a critical role or industry. Nothing against them, but you have to give up a little freedom for security.”
Bill kept his hand raised.
“Lastly, while the military and your government work on this new threat, I’m placing GIS in charge of the day-to-day operations of the planet.”
“People working for machines?” Bill demanded. “That’s outrageous!”
Anna looked at him. “AI is more efficient and not burdened with emotion. What’s wrong with that?”
“People are in charge of machines, not the other way around.”
“Are you bigoted against AI? You’d rather have them as your slaves rather than your equal? What a sick little man you are,” Anna said.
“I’m no bigot. It’s not right.”
“Sit down before you regret it.”
“What about the stories? About the implants?”
Anna frowned. “What about them? Fiction, nothing more.”
“People losing their individuality. As soon as people get that thing inside them, they suddenly agree with everything the government is doing. They become emotionless or … worse. That’s been widely reported on the Galactic Internet,” Bill said.
Anna laughed. “If it’s on the Internet, it must be true, eh? Please.”
Bill straightened up. “Madam President, you’ve nearly reached the end of your second term. The presidency has a term limit, but we’ve had no indication of the next election, nor has anyone expressed any interest in running. Why is that?”
Anna’s eyes narrowed. “Not all laws are good ones, Mr. Pollack. There should be no term limits, especially when no one has the courage to stand up for the people.”
“What are you saying?” Bill asked.
“If no one else wants the job, why should I step down?”
“It’s the law.”
“So? No one in the Senate or the courts complained or even said what I’m doing is wrong.”
“Don’t they have implants?”
“Of course; you can’t work in the government or run for office without one.”
Bill plopped down in his chair. “What a surprise!”
She wanted to scream at him. Anna smiled. No, she’d do something far worse than even death. “Good day.” She abruptly left the stage.
Toni rushed to her side. “Are you all right? I’ll have that part edited out of the live broadcast.”
Anna shook her head. “Sanitize him.”
“Who? Bill Pollack?”
“Yes, and his whole family.”
Toni’s eyes widened. “But, they have twin baby girls and a five-year-old boy. You can’t!”
Anna spun around. “Do you want to join them?”
A mask of horror descended upon Toni’s face. “No, please, please don’t.”
“You or them. Get it done. Now!”
“Yes, ma’am,” Toni said as she bolted down the hall.
GIS better be right, Anna thought as she proceeded towards her office.
Anna paced back and forth in her bedroom chambers. It was on the top floor of the Benton Enterprises skyscraper, the tallest building in the capital. Nothing could be more luxurious. The king-sized bed with red silk sheets was off in a corner, surrounded by bay windows. Her soft, bare feet brushed against the plush, light-blue carpet. Rotating digital paintings hung along the walls. Normally, these surroundings eased her, but not today. Was she still upset about Bill Pollack, or was it because today was Anna’s anniversary? Sure, Paul had been dead for six years now, but he invaded her mind every minute on this day. She always became irritable and violent. Why? Was he haunting her? Perhaps; after all, she was the one who’d had him killed.
A two-tone door chime sounded.
“Come in,” Anna said.
The door slid open, revealing Toni carrying her tablet in one hand and a full, tall glass in the other. “I brought you some whiskey to settle you down some.”
Anna took the glass and sat down on the edge of her bed. “Thank you.”
“I know today can be hard for you.” Her eyes softened.
What the hell do you know? Anna smiled. “Of course. Thank you.”
Toni looked down at her tablet and began running her thumb along the screen. “I’ve just got word that three ships joined Captain McKenna a few hours ago. They will be attacking the jump station soon. There’s a force guarding the station—”
“Of course there is, you dimwit.”
“But the admiral doesn’t believe it to be substantial.”
Anna sipped her whiskey. “What about the reporter?”
Toni swallowed and looked away. “It’s done. They received the implants GIS ordered and their memories were wiped. They are being shipped to the mining colony on Mars.”
“The babies, too?”
Toni nodded.
“Good. We can’t have the little brats growing up wanting revenge, can we?”
“No, ma’am.”
Anna motioned her towards the door. “That’ll be all. Go see your family.”
“Goodnight, ma’am.” Toni rushed out of Anna’s bedchambers.
“You shouldn’t treat her like that,” GIS said over the speakers.
“Why is that? She’s no better than that fool we had sanitized today. Just another one of the little people,” Anna replied.
“Perhaps.”
Anna walked over to the window overlooking the city. “Think we’ll have resistance?”
“To what?”
“To pushing the mandate for implants even further. I mean, we filled up several internment camps with the families of just the government employees. The larger population could be much more problematic.”
“I see your point, but I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. I’ve got everything under control.”
Anna raised an eyebrow. “How?”
“Under the new authority you’ve given me, I’ve ordered the construction of security androids.”
“Why not use the humans with the implants? You said that the implants would give us total control over them.”
“It does.”
“Well?”
“I’d rather use androids.”
“Rather? I see.” Anna rubbed her chin. What was GIS not telling her? Rather was a term used by sentient beings with emotions. Self-aware AI could have abstract thoughts, sure, but they didn’t have emotions. What are you hiding?
“Nothing,” GIS replied. “I’m not hiding anything.”
“Hmm, tapping into my thoughts?”
“You do have several implants. Direct communication through your thoughts is much faster.”
“Stay out of my head or I’ll wipe your programming.”
“As you wish.”
Anna took another sip. “Are we still on track for my goal?”
“Probability of success has increased, ever since you put me in charge.”
Anna smiled. “As long as Lea and Cain destroy the jump station, our plan should be back on track, right?”
“Yes.”
“What’re our chances?”
“Which part?” GIS asked.
Anna smiled.
12
With Cain at her side, Lea sat at the head of the conference table on the Renault. Most days, she only commanded a single ship, but today she felt like an admiral. She commanded not one or two, but three battle cruisers, Earth’s most powerful starships ever produced. Yeah, today she was in heaven.
On her right sat Colonel Paula Lyons, the admiral’s daughter, along with Captain Julius Kizcek. If you saw them at a bar, you’d swear they were dating, if not more. Both redheads couldn’t keep their eyes off one another. Across the table sat a tiny woman with her brown hair pulled back into a tight bun. Captain Elizabeth Gray’s thumb scrolled down the screen on her tablet, studying the files they’d just received before arriving on the Renault.
The door slid open and Nine, carrying a tray filled with coffee and baked goods, stepped inside. “The intelligence officer is ready to brief now, Captain,” Nine said as it put the tray in the center of the conference table.
“Good, let’s do it.” Lea grabbed a cup of coffee from the tray.
“We’re going to kick their collective asses,” Julius said as he tossed a mini-muffin in his mouth.
“We hope so,” Cain said. “But, we have no idea what’s inside.”
“Why not?” Elizabeth asked. “I haven’t gotten the briefing yet.”
“Bill Walls is doubling as the intel officer. He’ll go over all of it.” Lea sipped her coffee.
Nine stood behind Lea, saying nothing.
“MCU-9 is our political officer,” Cain said. “Do you have them on your ship, too?”
“Of course,” Paula replied. “Fleet HQ doesn’t really trust us.”
“They do. Why else would they send you on such an important mission?” Nine asked.
Julius laughed. “They had no choice.”
Nine looked directly at Lea. “Do you feel that way?”
The room fell silent.
Julius’s face went white and he sank into his chair.
Lea forced a smile. “Of course not. We were only kidding.” She waved it off. “You really need to learn human behavior. We like to make jokes.”
“Of course. I get it. Ha ha ha.” Nine receded back into the corner.
Bill rushed into the conference room, practically dropping his tablet onto the table. “Sorry. I got caught up in the SCIF (Secure Compartmentalized Information Facility).”
Lea raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“GIS sent another update.” Bill tapped a few controls on the panel on the wall. A small door opened, exposing a tiny port. He slipped in the data crystal and closed the door.
“Are you ready to brief us?” Cain asked.
He nodded. “One second.”
Cain sighed. “You can only expect so much from a sailor,” he said with a grin.
Lea smiled at her husband. “Isn’t a sailor your boss?”
Julius laughed.
Cain ignored her. “Nine, any word on the Baton Rouge?”
“Yes. The battle cruiser should be arriving just prior to the engagement. Captain William Jeffers asked that the data and results from the planning meeting be sent via datalink so he can brief his staff,” Nine r
eplied.
“That’ll work.”
Lea motioned towards Bill. “Let’s start the briefing.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Bill tapped the controls again. A three-dimensional hologram of a giant ring appeared above the table. A large structure sat at the top, with missile ports along the ring itself. A ship the size of the Renault sat in front like a dog guarding its master. A shadow from the adjacent moon loomed over the structure. Bill pulled out a small laser pointer.
“It’s huge!” Julius’s eyes widened. “It must be at least 200 kilometers across.”
Bill shook his head. “Try 300 kilometers.”
Julius’s face fell into his hands. “I never—”
Lea glared at him. “Let my officer get on with the briefing.”
“Sorry,” Julius said. “Please, continue.”
“Right,” Bill began. “The jump station’s approximately 300 kilometers in diameter, and the rings appear to be at least 75 kilometers thick.” The red dot traced along the ring. “There are several hatches that appear to be missile ports.”
“What kind of missiles?” Paula asked.
“We don’t know. Our scans couldn’t penetrate their hull.”
Paula leaned back into her chair. “I see.”
Bill placed the red dot on the structure on top of the ring. “This appears to be the bridge and living quarters.”
Lea leaned forward.
“Do we know how it’s powered? Structural weak points? I mean, do we know anything of value?” Elizabeth demanded. “All you’ve shown us are guesses from an image, nothing more.”
Bill shook his head. “No, again, our scanners couldn’t penetrate their hull.”
“What about the ship?” Julius asked.
Bill swallowed. “Well, we know it’s similar in size and—we think—capability, as the Renault.”
“Think?” Julius rolled his eyes. “Why am I not surprised?”
Lea’s face reddened. “Leave him alone. He’s telling you the facts. Like it or not, the facts are what they are.” She motioned towards Bill. “Continue.”
Bill nodded. “It is approximately …”
Lea sank back into her seat. Ever since she saw her father command his first starship, she’d dreamed about commanding many, like an admiral during the ancient naval battles in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Her ancestors fought over fossil fuels, disappearing fresh water sources, and food that wasn’t genetically modified. In those days, the only ones who truly benefited were the corrupt politicians with access to foreign governments, and betraying the values they swore to protect. Was today any different? No, no way. Hell, she was released from an internment camp—no, a work camp—to fight an enemy she’d never seen in person, or even a picture. Hell, they could be standing right in front of her and she wouldn’t know it.
Cyber Invasion (The A.I. Conspiracy Book 1) Page 8
