‘Are you sure.’ Mayflower said with a sceptical tone.
Her Husband kissed her. ‘I better go and make preparations to leave.’
‘Before we brief you on anything ma’am I am going to have to ask you to hand over your mobile phone.’
Mayflower looked at Parsons. ‘Why?’
‘Given what happened earlier this morning when Dystopia managed to hack the Cobra briefing room and shut down GCHQ we can only assume they are able to access any phone, including yours.’
The Prime Minister walked over to her desk and picked up her smartphone.
‘Have you any other electronic items in this room Ma’am? Tablets other phones, laptops.’
‘No I try to keep this room clear of any electronic items. It helps maintain the character.’
‘A wise precaution Prime Minster.’ Baldwin remarked.
Parsons took the back off the phone and removed the battery. ‘It will be impossible for Dystopia to monitor us.’
‘What have you got?’
Parsons handed her a file. ‘We have just received a toxicology report from Boscombe Down. The people that carried out the attacks across the country yesterday were controlled, just like Dystopia claimed.’
‘Controlled.’ Mayflower answered with a bemused tone. ‘How?’ She opened the file.
‘The chief medical examiner found a tiny object at the base of each person’s skull. We believe it may be the root cause of what made these people attack in the manner they did.’
Mayflower stared at the file blankly. ‘I am no doctor what exactly am I looking at?’
‘The object which was located at the base of the skull is a nanochip. An incredibly small piece of technology.’
‘And what does this nanochip do?’
‘It rewrites the brain’s functions, sending out a series of commands.’
‘How is this kind of thing possible?’
‘There have been a number of classified projects over the years that have explored the possibility of linking the human brain with technology. Most of these projects have fizzled out to nothing, resulting in dead ends. A team of analysts at Boscombe Down have been going over various projects which have run over the years and have found a match.’
‘What have they discovered?’
‘In 1973 the military were involved in a project codenamed Trojan Horse. Details are sketchy at best. Most of the files belonging to this project were lost. I’m afraid it was before the modern computer age.’
‘So what was Trojan Horse all about?’
‘The Cold War was suffering one of its darkest hours. Both Russia and America were at each other’s throats. Each trying to find out what the other was planning. Spies were being discovered right left and centre, it was chaos. Then a government scientist came up with a method in which we could use to infiltrate the Soviet Union without detection.’
‘I take it this microchip had something to do with it.’
Parsons nodded. ‘A government scientist created a chip that could sit at the base of the skull and relay images back to a base of operations.’
Mayflower looked at Parsons. ‘Forgive me Mr Parsons but we are talking about the early seventies. I remember that era very well. The television in my parent’s house was the size of a washing machine. I’m pretty sure that the technology you describe wasn’t about back then.’
‘We have yet to find all the pieces to this puzzle Prime Minister.’
Mayflower thought for a moment. ‘Ok, so what has this project got to do with what’s going on today?’
‘Two years ago a young bio-tech scientist reimagined Trojan Horse. He claimed that in order to defeat Isis and other terror groups we needed a way inside. He started to research different ideas, which is how he came across information regarding to Trojan Horse. He believed that it could be possible to take an individual belonging to a terror group and implant a chip that would enable our satellites to monitor their every move. Not only that but the chip would be able to tap into his visual cortex and broadcast a signal which would enable our forces to see exactly what he was seeing.’
Was it successful?’ Mayflower asked.
Parsons glanced at Baldwin. ‘We never got the chance to test it in the field ma’am.’
‘And why is that?’
‘About a year ago the scientist began to argue that the chip could be used for much more than a monitoring device. He began to theorise that the chip could connect wirelessly to the internet. A soldier on the ground would have access to a vast communication network. According to our lab people at Boscombe Down, the scientist started a series of experiments to link the chip to a laptop computer. At first he used mice then moved on to rats. His achievements were quite remarkable by any standards. He was able to control these animals from a laptop. After the first successful trials he wanted to make the leap from animal to human trials. That’s when his superiors turned him down.’
‘Where is this scientist now?’ The Prime Minister asked.
‘We do not know.’
‘You do not know.’ Mayflower sighed.
‘About eight months ago he disappeared taking the chip and all materials relating to Trojan Horse.’
‘And you’ve only decided to tell me about this now.’ Mayflower remarked.
‘We didn’t think it was relevant to the current situation ma’am.’
‘Until now.’ Mayflower said looking at Parsons. ‘Is there anyone from that era that might know something about this Trojan Horse?’
‘We have one name from the original research Project. A Doctor Angus Walker. Fortunately Doctor Walker is still alive. The bad news is he’s living in a care home in Surrey. I was going to interview him personally with Mr Baldwin.’
Mayflower nodded. ‘What about the scientist that disappeared. Have you any idea what happened to him?’
‘We had a theory that he had done an Edward Snowden and gone over to the Russians. However nothing has turned up.’
‘Do you think this scientist could be behind Dystopia?’
Baldwin nodded. ‘I’m sure he has something to do with Dystopia. We have theorised that he is working with other hackers. There has to be a network of these hackers all coordinating their attacks.’
‘And you say he used this chip to make those people do the things they did yesterday.’
‘That is out initial belief ma’am.’
‘How close are we to finding this network?’
‘We’re not.’ Parsons replied. ‘With GCHQ out of the picture we are blind. The NSA isn’t having much luck in locating their base of operations. They are completely invisible.’
‘Why exactly wasn’t I told about this rogue scientist?’ Mayflower enquired.
‘You have to understand Ma’am that many of the projects run by the military are highly classified. This project began in the early seventies. It would have been classed as obsolete information.’
Mayflower nodded. ‘In other words, in case I am kidnapped I won’t know anything. So I won’t be able to give away vital information.’
‘Yes ma’am.’
‘Who else knows about this microchip?’
‘The coroner who carried out the initial autopsy yesterday on the London attackers first came across the nanochips. We have all his findings and have made him sign a non-disclosure agreement.’
‘How is this Dystopia able to pinpoint key areas and just shut them down?’
‘We believe that they may have modified the Oppenheimer Virus.’ Baldwin explained.
‘They knew we were at the Cobra briefing room, which means they can be everywhere at once.’ Mayflower speculated.
‘What are you saying Prime Minister?’ Parsons asked.
‘One thing Dystopia keep repeating is that they are everywhere. Which would mean they can monitor the entire internet all at once.’
‘We believe that to be the case.’
‘The chip this scientist stole, can it be replicated?’
Parsons nodded. ‘The sci
entist managed to replicate several thousand of these chips. It’s possible that he could have replicated thousands more in the time that he’s been missing. From what little we know about Trojan Horse, he created a master chip which controls all other chips.’
‘One ring to control them all.’ Mayflower said smiling.
Parsons nodded. ‘A good way of looking at it Prime Minister.’
‘If this scientist was able to replicate thousands of these chips then there is no telling who might have a chip embedded at the base of their brain.’ Mayflower said. ‘Which would explain why one of our own police officers turned against us yesterday. Is there any way to tell if someone has this chip inside of them?’
‘Unless we perform a complete cat scan on people there is no way of telling who has one of these chips.’
‘What kind of delivery system is this scientist using to dispense this chip?’
‘It’s already been speculated that individuals could have ingested the chip in drug form. Scotland Yard are following up a lead on a new designer drug that’s reportedly being used around London.’
‘Do you have a name for this missing scientist?’
‘His name is James Parker, he’s a former Oxford graduate. We are assembling a team to go and talk to anyone who knew him. It might give us an edge on his whereabouts. We should have a complete profile on him within the next few hours.’
‘Why don’t we issue a press release and ask for help from the public?’ Mayflower suggested.
‘If we do that ma’am there’s no telling what this Parker will do. If he has the capability to shut down all the petrol pumps then he could have the capability to go after the power grids next.’
‘Are you sure Mr Parker is part of Dystopia.’ Mayflower asked.
‘We’re sure he’s part of their network. The room he occupied at Boscombe Down was searched. Several George Orwell novels were found.’
Mayflower nodded. ‘Dystopia mentioned Orwell during one of their broadcasts.’
‘There was also a printout of an obscure book found in Parker’s room. Something called Utopia.’
Mayflower nodded. ‘Of course I should have seen that.’
‘Prime Minister?’ Parson queried.
‘I studied history in Cambridge gentlemen. Utopia is a name given to a book written during the time of Henry VIII. Thomas More was one of the king’s most trusted advisors. Utopia was supposed to have described the perfect world where man should reside. A garden of Eden type place where everyone lives in harmony. Scholars have been studying it for centuries trying to understand its true meaning. I wrote a short paper on it during my time at Cambridge.’
‘Mr Parker suffered from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He was obsessed with opposites.’
‘Which is why he came up with the name Dystopia, it’s the opposite of Utopia.’ Mayflower said.
‘We’re hopeful that we may have a lead within the next few hours.’
‘Mr Parker has implanted himself with the master chip which controls the others?’ Mayflower speculated.
‘We believe that is the scenario. Since he had full access to materials relating to Trojan Horse we are sure that he could have controlled those people who carried out the attacks yesterday. And let’s not forget that Dystopia has already claimed to have controlled these people.’
Mayflower mulled over the situation. ‘I want you both to track down this Angus Walker and interview him yourselves. I want you to find out all you can about this Trojan Horse. In the meantime I have a plane to board. The Brexit talks must be allowed to continue.’
‘We have a helicopter waiting on Horse Guards parade ground ready to take you to city airport.’ Parsons revealed.
Chapter 35
2:00pm
‘We are Dystopia. By now, everyone has bared witness to the power we possess. Your government is working hard to find us and to wipe us out. We have cut off access to your fuel pumps, targeted the criminal wealthy. There is nothing you can do to stop us. We will choose target after target. We will bring this country to its knees. Earlier today your Prime Minister held an Emergency briefing with Cobra. We hacked that meeting. Your Prime Minister vowed to use the security services to track us down and destroy us. Since eleven o’clock this morning we have had full control of GCHQ. We will not release control until the voice of the people is heard. Society stands on the brink. We will release more statements in the coming hours. For now, your puppet news media services are free to report on us however they see fit. We are Dystopia.’
Townley Road – Bexleyheath – London – 2:15pm
Alan stepped through the front door of the smart four-bedroom semidetached house.
‘Thanks for coming.’ Tyler said. ‘I wasn’t sure you would turn up after what I told you yesterday.’
Alan smiled. ‘I am a journalist Mr Tyler. It’s my job to report on everything.’
‘We can talk in my den.’ Tyler said pointing the way up the stairs. ‘And please call me Reece.’
A woman with short brown hair appeared out of the living room.
‘This is my wife Claire.’
‘I’ll put the kettle on. You two can go up to his man cave and talk.’ Claire offered.
The den was located at the top of the house and was a converted attic. Alan looked out of the window. London’s skyline lay on the horizon.
‘Give it another twenty four hours and you’ll probably see smoke. Violence is starting to break out in different areas of the city. Dystopia have really done a mind job with their broadcasts. I managed to fill my car the day before yesterday. And the school is only around the corner so Claire doesn’t have to rely on her car. If things get ugly the in-laws live just outside Southampton. They have already said we can stay with them.’
‘You think it will get bad.’ Alan questioned.
Tyler nodded. ‘I decided to take a few days off. I’m owed a tonne of holidays from work. It’ll get worse before it gets better.’
Alan looked around the attic room. A large flat screen TV sat on a stand with a games console underneath. A computer desk was present with two flat screen monitors. A tower unit tucked under the desk hummed away quietly. A whiteboard stood nearby the computer desk plastered with newspaper clippings. A large poster on the wall displayed pictures of Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny.
‘A fan of The X files I see.’ Alan commented.
‘I used to be.’ Tyler replied. ‘Not so much these days. I’m not a big fan of the last two seasons. It’s had its day.’
Alan noticed other posters of various UFOs and aliens. ‘Are you a believer?’
‘Definitely.’ Tyler replied. ‘So many people have seen things over the centuries. Something has to be out there. The fact that we know that there are planets beyond our solar system suggests that intelligent life exists throughout our galaxy. They reckon that they are on the verge of discovering life elsewhere. If you ask me it can’t come soon enough. It’s just a matter of time before they find something.’
‘Have you ever seen a UFO?’
Tyler hesitated at the question. ‘I’ve seen things, experienced things.’
‘Experienced things?’ Alan quizzed.
‘I don’t like to talk about it.’ Tyler said staring at one of the posters on the wall. ‘Let’s just say my family has a long history with these things. My grandfather was a spitfire pilot during the war. His name was Tommy Tyler. He shot down twenty three German planes during the battle of Britain. One of the most decorated pilots of the second world war. Then one day he encountered something that wasn’t German. He gave chase but couldn’t catch the thing. The air ministry at the time grounded him and slung him in a mental hospital for a few years. They claimed that the stress of being a spitfire pilot during the war had pushed him over the edge. He would tell me the story over and over when I was a young boy.’
‘You said you had information for me relating to the attacks the other day.’ Alan said changing the subject.
‘Indeed I have.�
� Tyler said walking over to his computer. ‘I have been studying the video that Dystopia first posted yesterday. Must have played it a hundred times now.’ Tyler clicked on the mouse and the video played. Alan sat down beside Tyler watching the video. Tyler clicked his mouse again to pause it. ‘This part, where they say those who have wealth will suffer the maddening death of all they have accumulated.’
Alan shrugged. ‘Doesn’t mean anything just part of their threats. They have plundered premier league bank accounts.’
‘That’s what I thought at first. But then the term they used, maddening death struck a chord. So I started doing a little digging and found something.’ Tyler clicked on his mouse again. ‘I found reference to something called the maddening death. It was first mentioned in Jerusalem during Richard the first’s crusade to the holy land.’
‘Could have been something Dystopia found online.’ Alan speculated.
‘I went on the British Museum’s website. They have the fragments of a parchment which was written by one of Richard the Lionheart’s most trusted knights. A man called Sir George Whitby. He was supposed to have been part of the Knights Templar. In his journal Whitby describes a great battle fought in Jerusalem.’ Tyler squinted at the screen. ‘With someone called the dark ones. He also goes on to describe a great pestilence that swept through Jerusalem. This plague turned ordinary people mad. Apparently, Richard and his knights barricaded themselves in a church because they were surrounded. Whitby describes those infected with what they called the maddening death as demons with white eyes.’
Alan stared at the image on the computer screen.
Tyler shifted his mouse. ‘As you can see when I play the video of the attack in the nightclub the man has white eyes. The first thing I noticed yesterday when Darren Stephens started to attack people was his eyes, they were white.’
Alan thought for a moment remembering what he had learnt earlier that morning. ‘This is just mere coincidence. A disease from the middle ages can’t be linked to what happened yesterday.’
‘That was my thinking until I found this.’ Tyler clicked on his mouse again and brought up an image of a newspaper article. ‘Back in the fifties there was an incident at a place called Ripley in North Yorkshire. The locals described an outbreak of a disease they called the maddening death. One witness described having to run from a man with white eyes. Apparently, twenty-three people died of an unknown infection. The local health authority at the time described it as a smallpox outbreak. The owner of Ripley Castle Sir William Ingles claimed it was something more sinister. Claimed the government was involved and they covered the whole thing up.’
Dystopia Page 18
