‘Which brings me to my next theory.’
‘Which is?’
‘What if these people were being controlled by this object? And the object itself was receiving some kind of signal from elsewhere.’
Alan smiled. ‘You’re saying that someone else was controlling these people. That’s totally going over the edge.’
‘Dystopia has already claimed that they controlled these people. I have been doing a little research. Scientists in California have developed a microchip that sits on the brainstem sending signals to the visual cortex.’
‘For what purpose?’
‘Medical research into helping blind people see again. It is in its early stages at the moment but last year they implanted one of these chips into the brainstem of a totally blind woman. She regained thirty percent of her eyesight. Not much I know but it has got the scientific community excited. The chip they embedded in her brainstem also emitted a signal. The doctors who operated on her were able to see what she was seeing through a TV monitor.’
‘So who could create this kind of technology and what could they use it for?’
‘If I were to hazard a guess I’d say this is military in design. Top level shit, stuff that you don’t see in your average science journal.’
‘If it is military then what could they do with it?’
‘If this object works the way I think it works. A chip like this could be used to do all manner of things. They managed to restore thirty percent of that woman’s eyesight last year. Technology like this would give the military a huge advantage. You could see what’s going on wherever an individual is in the world. This chip could tap in to the visual cortex and relay what the individual is looking at. Which means that any soldier on a battlefield would be able to relay vital data back to base.’
‘How did they come up with technology like this? And how did Dystopia get their hands on it?’
‘For decades the military have been developing technology to make a better soldier. Weapons technology has come along way since the gulf war. There are defence companies in the UK investing massive amounts of money into energy based weapons systems. It stands to reason that they are working on ways to enhance the soldiers on the ground. Technology like this could render the use of helmet based cameras obsolete. As for how Dystopia got their hands on it, I’ve no idea.’
‘This kind of technology could be used beyond the battlefield.’ Alan speculated.
Railson nodded. ‘Corporate espionage, political espionage. No one would ever know you were implanted with a chip. I have a contact in Central London university. His name is Malcolm Cook. I sent him an e-mail this morning regarding what I found. He e-mailed me back and told me that he’ll look at the information I supplied him with and would get back to me as soon as possible. If you want I can set you up and interview.’
Alan nodded while looking at the x-ray. ‘This is definitely out of the box stuff. This Dystopia group is nothing like any other terror group I’ve heard of.’
‘Did you catch the other stuff Dystopia claimed?’
Alan nodded.
‘A lot of people will be happy tomorrow morning when they check their bank accounts. I wish someone would drop forty grand into my account.’
‘I can’t see the banks letting them keep the money. If Dystopia does carry out their threats the bank accounts will be frozen.’
‘The BBC has just been talking to one of the premier club owners Dystopia said they would target. So far he denied any wrong doing.’
Alan glanced down at his notes. ‘Well I can’t hang around here.’
‘I’ll put all my findings on a USB stick and we’ll meet up. Make sure you dump that ID I gave you.’
Alan stood. ‘Will do.’
‘Remember not a word of what I have told you gets out just yet. You’ll have to wait until this whole thing blows over.’
‘Understood.’ Alan replied.
Chapter 21
BBC News – BREAKING NEWS – 9:15pm
‘We have a breaking new story for you. Facebook has just released a brief statement saying that their site has been targeted by unknown hackers over the last twenty four hours. They have yet to say whether or not this is connected with Dystopia. We will bring you an update on that story when we have more.’
Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (COBRA) - 70 Whitehall – London – 9:25pm
The Prime Minister and ten other men and women sat around the large conference table. They had just watched the video that Dystopia posted on social media. She made eye contact with the people in the room. ‘Ok what is the latest?’
‘I have just got off the phone to the Met.’ Fuller said. ‘They believe that they have found a lead to last night’s attack in the nightclub. They are organising a team to launch a raid on a property in Fulham.’
‘At last a bit of promising news.’ Mayflower said. ‘What about other actions taken by Dystopia?’
‘Dystopia have carried out the first of their threats.’ The Chancellor, James Prosser said.
‘What kind of damage have they done?’
‘All of the premier league clubs have contacted the police. Bank accounts belonging to club funds, managers, football players have been emptied. They’re trying to play things down at the moment but the media are like a pack of wolves.’
‘What kind of money are we talking about?’
‘A survey taken last year revealed that the Premier league made in excess of four point three billion. By the end of this year we are predicting it’s revenues to be around six point five billion. This hack is unprecedented, we are also getting reports that a number of offshore accounts have also been emptied.’
‘What exactly to you mean offshore accounts?’
Prosser took a moment to compose himself. ‘A number of players and managers have offshore bank accounts.’
‘You mean they’re tax dodgers.’ Mayflower said bluntly.
‘The money earned by these players is honest money ma’am.’
‘Don’t give me that shit. We live in a country where a nurse is paid just above the living wage. Yet someone who kicks a ball around a field for ninety minutes gets paid obscene amounts of money, how is that honest?’
‘It’s a lot more complicated than that ma’am.’
‘Is it, Dystopia doesn’t seem to think along those lines. If they have plundered the accounts of football players then what’s to stop them from going after other people. Celebrities, politicians, prominent business people. They could drain the financial holdings of this country overnight. The Paradise Papers affair last year exposed illicit activities of many people. This could be ten times worse.’
‘So far they have targeted the football industry and have emptied other accounts belonging to a number of other people including foreign nationals. We believe that these are the so called criminally wealthy that Dystopia mentioned. It’s obvious Dystopia is some disgruntled organisation hell bent on targeting the wealthy.’ A man sat opposite the Prime Minister said candidly.
Mayflower glared at him. ‘Thank you for that observation.’ Sarcasm was evident in her tone. ‘And you are?’
‘Sean Pritchard, ma’am.’ The man introduced himself. ‘I’m a senior analyst with Lloyds of London.’
‘And what’s your take on what is going on?’
‘Dystopia is showing restraint, which means they will stick to an agenda.’
‘What about the payday loan companies they said they will target at midnight. What’s the likely fallout to be?’
‘Most financial companies who operate solely online have back up protocols. If a website is hacked then they usually have the data regarding customer details stored on a secure server. A number of companies specialising in keeping data safe are being paid by many of these payday loan companies.’
‘And what’s to stop this Dystopia gaining access to some of these data companies.’
Pritchard smiled. ‘It’s virtually impossible to access the records. Even the best hackers on the planet would ta
ke years to find a way inside.’
‘You sound pretty sure of yourself Mr Pritchard.’ Mayflower said.
‘Prime Minister, there have been a number of think tanks which have done extensive research on this kind of scenario. Most experts agree that any group who has acquired the skill to carry out high level hacks will make a crucial mistake. When they do our security services will be able to find their base of operations and move in.’
‘Were you even watching that video Mr Pritchard? They said they have no base of operations. Our security services will not be able to find them.’
‘Scare tactics Prime Minister. They will be operating from somewhere.’
‘What about their other threats. They claim that they will dump forty thousand pounds into the bank accounts of the country’s poorest people. And distribute money amongst charities.’
Pritchard shook his head. ‘Even if they do manage to do that Prime Minister, the banks will automatically freeze any account that has a large amount of money paid into it. No one will be able to draw money out or make an online transaction.’
‘Leaving people without money.’ Mayflower pointed out. She looked at Prosser. ‘Exactly how many people are we talking about?’
‘Figures suggest that there are a small fraction of families who are solely dependent on benefits. The media tend to exaggerate things by claiming that there are millions of people who rely on benefits alone.’
‘How many families?’
‘About thirty thousand families including single parent families, along with individuals who have no family.’
‘I’m no maths genius but forty thousand multiplied by thirty thousand is one point two billion.’
Prosser nodded. ‘Yes ma’am.’
‘Dumped into people’s bank accounts.’ Mayflower looked at Pritchard. ‘You honestly think I’m going to stand by and just stop these people from getting access to money.’
‘The money isn’t theirs Prime Minister.’
‘If you think I will approve any bank accounts being frozen then you can think again. I want people to have access to their money first thing in the morning.’
‘We cannot let this Dystopia do whatever they want Prime Minister.’ Pritchard argued. ‘If thirty thousand people suddenly get forty thousand pounds. It could have a profound effect on inflation. There would be hyperinflation.’
‘Actually Mr Prichard you are over exaggerating.’ Prosser said. ‘A study was conducted several years ago with a similar scenario. If everyone with a bank account in the country had one million pounds paid into their account. Then we’d see a catastrophic failure of our industry and financial sectors. People automatically quitting their jobs, and hyperinflation would occur as companies raised the prices tenfold. However, thirty thousand people getting paid forty grand shouldn’t cause too much of a disruption. It would be similar to Black Friday.’
Pritchard glared at the Chancellor. ‘Nevertheless these people cannot be allowed to keep the money. If the banks freeze their accounts I’m sure we can arrange for these people to get access to their benefits.’
‘There’s also the impact this could have on the general population. People relying on government handouts already get a lot of bad press. They may see this Dystopia as a modern day Robin Hood, but many people will feel left out. This could even spark rioting.’
Mayflower pondered the moment. ‘As much as I hate to admit it, I see no other choice but to let this run its course for now.’
‘Surely Prime Minister you’re not suggesting we bow down to Dystopia.’ Pritchard said.
‘No Mr Pritchard I am not suggesting that. However, at this moment in time our efforts to stop Dystopia have been futile. Our security forces have come up with nothing. It’s as you just stated, hopefully they will make a mistake which will give us the advantage then we will strike back.’ Mayflower stood up. ‘I have to prepare for tomorrow’s trip to Brussels.’
Chapter 22
Mendora Road – Fulham – London – 9:47pm
Sam adjusted her vest and checked her weapon. She had been sat in the back of the van for around twenty minutes. Police officers were going door to door advising people to move to the back of their houses. However, this did not stop residents peeping through curtains of front bedrooms pointing camera phones at the house they were about to raid.
The back of the doors to the van opened and an armed officer climbed in. ‘We are ready to go on your orders ma’am.’
Sam briefly composed herself before nodding. ‘Ok, we go in fast. No shots fired unless absolutely necessary. We need the suspect alive.’
‘Understood ma’am.’
Five armed officers including Sam jumped down from the back of the van. The street had been blocked off in both directions. People started to gather at both ends of the street.
A police officer with a battering ram led the way. For a few moments they stood at the front door of the property. Weapons were given a final check.
Sam gave the order. ‘Go!’
The front door to the property caved inwards. The officer with the battering ram quickly stood to one side as two armed officers entered the hallway, their guns pointing the way. ‘Armed police!’ One of them shouted as a young woman appeared out of the living room.
‘Armed police! On your knees, put your hands behind your head!’
The terrified young woman dropped to her knees screaming.
Another officer headed towards the kitchen.
A man was stood by a cooker.
‘Armed police, on your knees now!’ He screamed at the man.
Sam followed two armed officers up the stairs. The first bedroom door they came to was partly open. An armed officer burst through the door. A young man wearing headphones staring at a large TV occupied the room.
Uniformed police poured into the house. The young woman in the hallway was hauled to her feet and frogmarched out of the door to a waiting police van. The man in the kitchen was also escorted out of the house.
One bedroom door remained shut on the first floor of the property. Sam clutched her weapon and slowly walked towards the door. Her heartbeat increased as she played the video of the attack in her mind. She composed herself before reaching for the door handle.
Sam burst through the door. ‘Armed police.’ She shouted.
A young woman lay on the bed. Her lifeless eyes devoid of any pupils stared up at the ceiling.
‘Armed police, on your knees, put your hands behind your head.’ Sam ordered.
The woman didn’t move.
Sam moved closer to the bed.
Another armed officer entered the room pointing his weapon at the woman lying on the bed.
Sam stared at the woman for several seconds. She holstered her weapon and moved to the side of the bed.
‘Ma’am, if she even blinks I will open fire.’ The armed officer stated.
‘Wait.’ Sam said staring down at the woman. She reached out and put two fingers on the side of the woman’s neck. ‘She’s dead.’ Sam concluded sensing no pulse. She stepped back from the bed. ‘Get forensics in here immediately. I want this room bagged and tagged.’
Billingsgate – London – 10:03pm
Tony Mirren sipped from a glass of whiskey. He made eye contact with seven men that occupied the room. ‘So, the time we have all dreaded is finally upon us.’
‘We all knew this day would come. The question is now how do we proceed.’ A member of the group said.
‘We see how events play out.’ Another group member answered.
‘You know we could have stopped this from happening.’ Mirren said.
‘We cannot interfere; this event was always going to happen. We know it will set off another chain of events.’
‘And what of Mr Manning.’ A senior group member said.
‘Alan has no idea of the future that awaits him.’ Mirren answered.
‘Have you heard from the committee yet?’ Another group member asked.
‘Mirren shook his he
ad. ‘Not all the players have taken their place on the board yet.’
‘Are you talking about our friend from afar?’
Mirren nodded. ‘Amongst others.’
‘And the American?’
‘He’s in the wind, no one has seen him in years. Given his unique abilities he could show up at any time.’ Mirren took another sip from his glass. ‘We will watch these current events play out. Then we will prepare for the times ahead.’
BBC News – BREAKING NEWS – 10 36pm
‘Good evening you are watching the BBC news channel. We have more on that story regarding a statement released by social media earlier. Facebook have confirmed that their site has been the target of a serious breach. Let’s go live to our social media correspondent outside the UK headquarters of Facebook in Tottenham Court road, Matt Whitby. Matt what can you tell us?’
‘Tom, as you have just said Facebook have released a statement regarding claims they have been hacked. They have yet to say if Dystopia is responsible for the hack. But given what Dystopia has claimed this is very likely to have been the case. In a brief statement to the media they have said that they have a team of analysts trying to tackle the situation. There is growing rumour that Mark Zuckerberg himself is due to fly into the UK tomorrow and oversee the efforts to try and tackle the problems that Dystopia are causing.’
‘What does this mean for the company if they cannot regain control of their site?’
‘This could spell disaster for Facebook. They have over two billion users worldwide. The fear is that Dystopia could extend its reach beyond the UK. At this present moment it seems that Dystopia are concentrating their efforts solely on UK users. We understand that anyone outside the UK with foreign Facebook accounts have yet to be effected. I have just been speaking to a senior analyst who insists that Facebook is doing everything in their power to bring an end to this situation. This is just a long line in a series of high profile incidents with the social networking giant. Many people will have the scandal involving Cambridge Analytica that happened in March of this year still fresh in their memory. Also Mr Zuckerberg having to face the US Congress in April. Facebook does not need another hammer blow like this.’
Dystopia Page 10
