‘But they do now.’
Myers shook his head. ‘My source won’t be telling anyone about anything. I’ve left no loose ends’
‘Good,’ Joiner said in distraction, ‘very good.’ He pondered the news he’d just been told. ‘How the hell has the hacker found out about Ares?’
‘This is where things get strange. I’m not sure he’s found anything out about it at all. In fact, I’m sure he hasn’t; only that it’s something he’s interested in.’
Joiner arched a brow.
‘Quite,’ Myers said. ‘That he knows about it at all is worrying, but it appears the hacker is interested in quite a lot more than just Ares. After gaining entry to these files I managed to procure anonymous access to a GMRC mainframe in order to process what the Germans couldn’t.’ Myers turned back to the screen and opened another file. ‘It turns out the hacker has created a vast network of computers using our own software against us.’
‘Forget the technicalities,’ Joiner said, growing agitated, ‘get to the point.’
‘Do you remember when the hacker broke into our servers some years back?’
‘How could I not?’
‘It seems he’d penetrated far deeper than we thought. So deep, in fact, when it came to cleaning house to prevent another such incident from occurring we failed to ensure we’d eradicated the infestation.’
Joiner stared at Myers in disbelief. ‘You’re telling me the hacker still has access to our servers?’
‘It appears so. To what extent it’s hard to tell without overhauling the entire system.’
Joiner closed his eyes as he tried to calm himself. If the Committee finds out about this I might as well tie a noose around my neck now. He lent back in his chair and fixed Myers with a penetrating gaze. ‘What has he found? What does he know?’
‘It’s difficult to say—’
Joiner banged the table. ‘Then guess!’
The CIA agent gave a startled blink at his director’s ferocity. ‘So far his activities seem limited to random communications and non-critical services,’ Myers said, ‘nothing that could really be used to expose the GMRC’s Subterranean Programme, or any other of its classified divisions.’
‘So he’s found nothing?’ Joiner said, his voice scathing.
‘No, not nothing – in fact he’s found something that helped me in my search for answers.’ Myers gave the screen a double tap and a massive organisational chart appeared. ‘This,’ he said, gesturing at the graphic, ‘is a representation of peer-to-peer networks of every mid-level to senior employee in the GMRC.’
Joiner glared at the mass of meaningless interconnecting lines.
‘It might not look much,’ Myer said, ‘but,’ – he touched the screen again to turn large portions of the lines into various colours, and then once more to isolate red, green and blue networks – ‘these three colours represent a series of hidden coded messages and money transfers within the GMRC. From what I’ve been able to work out so far, it appears the hacker has located three distinct organisations operating within the GMRC without its knowledge.’
‘Sovereign spies, corporate espionage,’ Joiner said, unimpressed, ‘this isn’t news.’
Myers shook his head. ‘No, it’s more than that. The sheer scale of it is unprecedented. Whoever these groups are, they have their own agendas we know nothing about.’
Joiner had a good idea who they were and one had to be the Committee, perhaps not directly, but those that worked for them, those that would do anything for money and the lure of power.
‘Using these networks and official GMRC databanks,’ Myers continued, ‘I was able to confirm Sylvia Lindegaard as a prominent player in at least one of these secret organisations. I was also able to track her movements in great detail. It seems Ms. Lindegaard has been far busier than just obliterating the space stations and intercept missions. Over the years she has been directly or indirectly connected with at least a quarter of all the major failures in the GMRC’s Space Programme. Coincidence? I think not. With more time I believe I could connect her with many more.’
Joiner folded his arms. ‘You’re saying this Lindegaard could be responsible for sabotaging every mission designed to save the surface of this planet? One person?’
‘Maybe not all, and no, not just her, but whoever she works for. Whoever she gets her orders from. They want to the see the surface burn; they want the world as we know it to end. While we’ve been busy fighting this hacker and everyone else, we missed the enemy within. We’ve been deceived from the start,’ Myers said in despair, ‘and now it’s too late.’
Chapter Twenty
So, the truth is out, Joiner thought, staring at the photos on his desk. Someone, probably the Committee, has arranged the mass extinction of every living thing on the surface of the planet, along with the destruction of humanity’s greatest civilisations, or at the very least they’ve helped it on its way with a hefty shove. The notion was sickening, but it didn’t change his current predicament, nor would it change the fate of those left to die on the surface. He’d always accepted the billions of deaths as necessary – and perhaps unavoidable – collateral damage. What was done was done, he needed to move on and that meant securing his position with the Committee. He needed something for leverage. What he needed was more information.
‘Shall I continue?’ Agent Myers said, breaking the silence.
Joiner removed his glasses to polish the lenses. When he’d gathered his thoughts he gestured for his subordinate to proceed.
‘Due to the secrecy surrounding the R&D Division,’ Myers said, ‘I realised if we ever wanted to find anything out quickly, I had to use a more direct method of data acquisition. After I’d got to grips with the hacker’s activities I was able to use the networks he’d found to narrow my search for those people who actually worked on Project Ares. And what I came up with,’ – Myers turned back to the wallscreen and opened up a large window – ‘was this.’
A black and white picture appeared on the display. A chair had been placed in front of the infra-red camera and the muffled sound of a voice grew steadily louder.
Still off camera, someone gasped for air as if something had been removed from their mouth. ‘What is the meaning of this!’ said a man with a Russian accent. ‘Do you know who I am?! I’m a senior scientist with the GMRC. You have no idea who you’re dealing with!’
Two large men in masks dragged a struggling figure before the camera and strapped him to the chair.
The man’s wide eyes searched the dark as he sought his captors. ‘What do you want with me!’ he said as the men left. ‘People will be looking for me; you won’t like it when they find you!’
A bright lamp blazed to life and the camera switched to a normal image. The man, now surrounded by shadow, blinked at the blinding light that was focused on his face. When he regained his senses he squinted into the dark behind the light, seeking, and failing, to locate whoever held him prisoner.
‘Who are you?’ he said, his voice shaking with poorly disguised fear. He turned his head as if hearing something to his right. ‘What do you want from me?’
‘We want what you know,’ a voice said, a voice that Joiner recognised as that of Agent Myers.
‘I don’t know anything, you have the wrong man.’
‘I thought you were an important person, a senior GMRC scientist?’
The man’s expression turned desperate. ‘I lied, I work for a private company, I—’
‘Your name is Dr. Vladan Marković. You are a forty-five year old senior research scientist originally from the Ukraine and you work for the GMRC’s R&D Division. You were formerly a resident of EUSB Sentinel, but you are, according to your papers, on reassignment to EUSB Superior.’
The man opened his mouth as if to say something and then closed it again.
‘Now, Dr. Marković, I work for the GMRC’s I.D., you know who that is, don’t you?’
The doctor looked like he was going to pass out. ‘Intelligence Divisi
on,’ he said, his bottom lip trembling.
‘Yes. Now, if you cooperate with me I’ll ensure your transfer to your new base will go off without a hitch. Fail to cooperate and your dental records will be the only way the police will be able to identify your body. Do we understand each other?’
A bead of sweat trickled down the side of Marković’s face.
‘I SAID, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!’ Myers shouted.
The scientist shrank back in terror. ‘YES!’
‘Good,’ Myers said. ‘Project Ares, tell me what you know.’
‘Project what?’ Marković said.
A loud bang and a flash of light made the scientist scream.
‘The next bullet goes in your head,’ Myers said, ‘I haven’t got time for games. Ares, what do you know? Live or die, you decide.’
A sob escaped Marković’s lips. ‘They’ll kill me if I tell you.’
‘I’ll kill you if you don’t.’
‘Please,’ he said, ‘don’t make me do this.’
Something fell onto the scientist’s lap, making him flinch.
‘Papers, a new identity,’ Myers said. ‘You know who I work for, we can make you disappear. Now talk.’
Marković remained locked in his internal struggle before his shoulders slumped in defeat. ‘What do you want to know?’
‘Locations, personnel, goals, progress.’
‘Do you know about the other race?’
‘The Anakim?’ Myers said. ‘Yes.’
Marković nodded in acceptance, bowed his head and let out a deep sigh. ‘We all come from different backgrounds, different fields,’ he said, his voice still trembling. ‘When it started we were all excited. We knew what we were doing was cutting edge, pushing the boundaries of science. But the more we discovered the more things started to go wrong. Some of us were scared,’ – he looked up, his face full of woe – ‘we should never have started, we should never have begun.’
‘Begun what?’
‘Anything, everything. The Anakim technology. It was far beyond anything we’d ever dreamt of. They’d harnessed the hidden dimensions. Forget the quarks and leptons, gluons and photons; they’d gone beyond, into a place we didn’t understand, may never understand.’
‘Where are the laboratories?’
‘You know two already, EUSB Superior and EUSB Sentinel, and there is one other I know of, USSB Sanctuary. There could be more, I don’t know it all.’
‘Who controls the project?’
‘There are many senior officials, but the whole programme is controlled by the division director.’
‘Dagmar Sørensen?’ Myers said.
Marković nodded. ‘He oversees it personally. Every major stage goes through him, him and the generals.’
‘Generals? The military help shape the project?’
‘Yes,’ he said, his voice growing stronger, ‘but only the U.S. military; everything in Europe is purely scientific research. Had I known I’d be working for the U.S. government I would never have entered into the contract, but when I found out it was too late.’
‘You have no contact with anyone else outside the programme?’
‘No one, we’re kept under lock and key. You’re the first person I’ve spoken to outside the project for over a decade.’
‘So what is Project Ares for?’ Myers said. ‘What are its goals?’
The scientist licked his lips. ‘Do you know how big Ares is?’ Marković shook his head. ‘No, how could you. We have thousands of scientists working on Ares, thousands. EUSB Sentinel has a separate compound just for our personnel, it takes up four per cent of the entire base and the one in EUSB Superior is three times the size.’
‘So you’re saying you don’t know?’
Marković gave another shake of his head. ‘No, I know. The main goal of Ares is to break down Anakim technology into its component parts. To get it working, and understand how it works when we do.’
‘So you’ve succeeded? You’ve powered up the ancient tech?’
Joiner sat forward in his chair, his interest growing with each passing moment.
‘Some,’ the scientist said, ‘but never for long and not properly. Many think we’re using the wrong power source, others think we should quit altogether.’
‘Why?’ Myers’ voice said. ‘What has you all so spooked?’
‘Accidents have happened. A lot of people have died and …’ Marković stared into the camera’s lens, his eyes distant.
‘And what?’
‘Strange things have happened.’
‘Strange things?’
‘Yes, we’ve had a lot of people go down with psychosis, hallucinations, whole teams at a time. They say it’s to do with the God Device, but I think it’s more—’
‘The what?’ Myers said.
Marković gave a blink as if remembering he was speaking to someone outside of his decade-long incarceration. ‘The God Device. It’s what we call the single piece of Anakim tech that actually works and keeps working.’
‘I thought you’d failed to make anything work properly?’
‘We had … we have.’
‘Then how—’
The scientist laughed, the sound verging on the hysterical. ‘We didn’t get the God Device working. It was working when they found it.’
‘Already working?’
‘Yes. For all we know it’s been active since the Anakim still roamed the Earth.’
‘What is it, this God Device? What does it do?’
Marković chuckled again. ‘We don’t know what it is; we don’t really know what it even does to a large extent.’
‘You’re trying my patience, Doctor,’ Myers said in warning.
The scientist sobered. ‘Some think it’s a way to speak to the Anakim, like a voice through history. Others say it could have been responsible for wiping the Anakim out, a doomsday device.
‘What do you think it is?’
‘It could be either of those things, or an advanced artificial intelligence. Or it could just be a living creation given the breath of life by the Anakim themselves.’
‘It’s alive?’
‘Oh, yes. At least, as far as we can tell it has conscious thought. The scary thing is we don’t know what it’s thinking, but sometimes it seems to know what we’re going to do even before we do it.’
‘Hang on,’ Myers said, ‘this thing speaks?’
‘No, not in the usual sense. It communicates through imagery. Sights, sounds, smells, feelings, sensations. It’s like living plasma, it—’
The scientist jerked in his seat.
‘Doctor?’ Myers said.
The scientist’s head snapped back and his body arched in spasm.
Myers swore and appeared on camera as the man thrashed in his restraints.
The struggle continued before the video footage stopped.
Joiner returned his focus to the room.
‘Marković died a few minutes later,’ Myers said. ‘I did all I could to bring him back, but it seems speaking about his work triggered a device implanted in his brainstem. He was dead as soon as he opened his mouth and he didn’t even know it.’
‘Basic mind control,’ Joiner said, ‘Dagmar always was old school.’
‘It’s my fault,’ Myers said, ‘I should’ve had him scanned beforehand.’
Joiner removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. ‘Yes, you should have, but it’s still good work. It seems Ares is much larger than we envisaged. Sørensen has done well to keep it hidden for so long; half his efforts must go on information control. Which will be who one of those networks belongs to. At least one of those hidden groups the hacker found will be the R&D Division trying to keep everything under wraps.’ Joiner was impressed at the enormity of the cover up and livid his teams hadn’t been wise to it. And it was only since the asteroid had hit that the veil of secrecy had begun to lift, the cracks appearing as chaos on the surface reigned. I’ll need to clean house, he thought. No, then they’d know I was on to them, better
to keep the status quo and play them at their own game. The truth would always find its way to the light, it was inevitable.
‘So Ares centres around this God Device?’ Joiner said. ‘Intelligent life that knows what we’re going to do before we do it.’
‘Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen,’ Myers said.
Joiner couldn’t agree more. ‘There is only ever room for one dominant species, one superior intelligence. Whatever they’re playing with, it could end us all.’
‘You want to destroy it?’
‘It’s the only course of action.’
Myers nodded and remained silent as his director digested the information he’d just provided.
After a while the CIA operative spoke again. ‘I did find out one more thing about Ares.’
Joiner looked up, intrigued.
‘I know which general in Sanctuary is aiding Sørensen with his work.’
Joiner’s expression grew hungry. ‘Tell me.’
‘A man you recently became acquainted with … General Stevens.’
Chapter Twenty One
‘You’re sure? General Stevens? The man’s a buffoon.’
Agent Myers nodded. ‘As sure as I can be. That network is very specific and Stevens features on it prominently.’
Joiner knew the general worked alongside the SED to procure Anakim artefacts, so it should have come as no surprise the man was up to his neck in a project that sought to profit from the ancients’ technology. That he himself had been blind to the fact was far more galling. His problems with Steadfast, Steiner, the hacker, the Morgan woman, S.I.L.V.E.R., and ultimately the Committee, had clouded his mind, compounding errors upon errors. Coupled with his other duties as GMRC and U.S. Intelligence Director, some might think it wasn’t surprising, and yet in his younger days he would have taken such an onslaught in his stride. He looked at the ageing skin on his hand and looked away.
‘Where is the bloated fool?’ Joiner said, standing.
‘I have no idea.’
Joiner pressed a button on his desk.
‘Re-routing,’ said a computer generated voice, ‘re-routing.’
An image of Joiner’s primary aide popped up on-screen. ‘Director?’ Debden said.
2041 Sanctuary (Genesis) Page 12
