Dystopia

by Jason Chapman

  ‘Why would the government get involved in a smallpox outbreak?’

  Tyler shrugged. ‘Unless we have a living witness we’ll never know. The son of Sir William now owns the castle. George Ingles is a bit of an eccentric. He gives tours around the village and the castle. He goes around giving lectures on UFOs. I am going camping when the kids break up for their summer holidays next year.

  Alan stared at the screen processing the information Tyler had revealed.

  ‘You don’t believe me.’ Tyler said noting the look an Alan’s face.

  ‘This is different to what I learnt earlier today.’

  ‘Which was what exactly?

  Alan looked at Tyler. ‘Can I trust you?’

  ‘Sure.’

  Alan produced the USB stick Railson had given him. ‘I have a contact at the hospital where they held the bodies of the attackers. He did an autopsy on the man from the nightclub and found something.’ Alan handed Tyler the USB stick.

  Tyler studied a photograph located on the stick. ‘They look like scales he said pointing at the monitor.’

  ‘That’s what my contact described them as. He said they were similar to the scales on a chameleon.’

  ‘A reptilian.’ Tyler stated.

  ‘A what?’

  Tyler smiled.

  ‘What so funny?’

  ‘Something at just crossed my mind that’s all. There are people who believe that a race known as the reptilians walk amongst us. Apparently they have the ability to change shape.’ Tyler paused. ‘I have never believed in that crap. Talk of the royals being aliens. Delusions of a former sports presenter.’

  ‘I thought those of you who believed in UFOs were on board with that kind of thing.’

  ‘No.’ Tyler replied. ‘I am open to many possibilities but there are just some things which are too farfetched to believe. If you want my opinion the reptilian theory comes from a TV series from the eighties called V.’

  ‘I think I remember that. Didn’t they have large shoulder pads and red uniforms?’

  ‘Yeah, my dad called it space Dallas, after the oil soap. The trouble with people is they will swallow everything they are fed. Especially if it comes from Facebook or as I like to call it Fakebook.’

  ‘Not a fan of social media I take it.’

  ‘Not really, but like most people I use it for making contact with similar minded people. I hope this Dystopia shut down every social networking site when they’re finished with what they are doing.’

  ‘So what about the chip at the base of the brainstem my contact found. You’re obviously into conspiracies. Is it possible for a chip like this to exist?’

  ‘Definitely, the government has got up to all sorts of no good in the past. Technology like this has been around for decades.’

  ‘Ok so let’s speculate. This Dystopia has somehow got hold of this technology and is now using it to control people. What would be their ultimate gain?’

  ‘I think they have already reached their ultimate gain. They’ve brought this country to a stand still. Raided bank accounts of the rich, plus paid thousands of poor people forty grand. I was watching the news before you arrived. I cannot believe they have managed to cripple GCHQ. Everyone on social media is talking about it. They are probably planning something a lot bolder. What’s worrying is that they seem to be able to do anything they please. I’ve been listening to the Alex Leeder show all day long. There are many terrified people out there. Some people claim that Dystopia have the means to shut down all the nuclear power stations across the country resulting in fifteen Chernobyl style disasters. I heard one bloke rant on about how Germany is responsible. They’re punishing us because we voted out of Europe.’

  ‘My contact states that the chip could have been ingested, or snorted. You mentioned the man who attacked the London Stock Exchange earlier being addicted to pills.’

  Tyler nodded.

  Alan glanced at the screen. ‘You say that this technology has been around for decades. How is this even possible?’

  ‘There are loads of theories about this kind of technology and where it came from. Since the cold war ended there has been an explosion of technological advances. Immediately after the Soviet Union fell technology like mobile phones started taking off. First we had the simple handsets, then we had handsets that had colour displays. These ultimately paved the way for the smartphone. It’s been nearly thirty years since the end of the cold war. The tech we use today is almost unrecognisable to what we used back then. Computers were chucky things. Along with TVs and other technology. Now look at us, everything is sleek, flat screened and light as a feather to carry. It will be interesting to see how things will look by the year 2050. Everything will be self-sustainable and run on electric, cars, trains, lories, airplanes. There are so many tech billionaires investing money in future technology.’ Tyler glanced at the monitor. ‘Medical technology will advance so much we’ll have nanobots roaming around our bodies repairing any damage done or regenerating cells so that we can live forever. Forget looking towards the future, it’s already here, for some of us anyway.’

  ‘Some of us?’

  ‘We may be a technologically advanced society but only half the planet benefits. These so called tech geniuses like Bill Gates claiming to be working towards banishing world hunger aren’t in a rush to achieve these goals. People still starve to death in Africa. People are being worked to death in China and other parts of the world to mine the minerals needed to build the smartphones and tablets we in the west all love. We could easily end poverty and world hunger overnight but we don’t. The rich standing on the broken backs of the poor so that they can do anything they want. I was doing research before you arrived and came across a book called Utopia. It was written by Sir Thomas More in 1516 and describes a perfect world or a garden of Eden in which we all live in harmony. Some harmony.’ Tyler mocked. ‘We are living in a more Dystopian society where the ruling rich elite crush the poor.’

  ‘Well you certainly have an opinion on a lot of matters.’ Alan said.

  ‘I’m just one voice drowning in a chorus. Social media claims to give people a voice but It’s all crap. No one wants to listen these days. People are two busy looking at bloody cat videos and sucking up to the Kardashians.’

  ‘Getting back on track.’ Alan interrupted. ‘Have you ever heard of something called Trojan horse?’

  ‘Yes, it was some sort of secret project. Something to do with mind control or remote viewing back in the seventies.’

  ‘What’s remote viewing?’

  ‘Something the CIA was supposed to have worked on in the 50s and 60s. The goal was to use people to spy on the Russians. These people were supposed to have had psychic abilities that allowed them to project themselves across the world. It is unproven pseudoscience if you ask me. There have been many people who have come forward over the years claiming they were part of the experiments. But no one has yet been able to prove remote viewing actually exists. If you subscribe to Netflix watch Stranger Things. The first season covers the subject of remote viewing.’ Tyler pointed at the monitor. ‘A chip that could tap in to both the visual cortex and the ear drum could do the same as remote viewing. It could transmit a signal giving a viewer complete access to whatever the person implanted with the chip was seeing and hearing. This is some next level shit. Who else knows you have this information?’

  ‘At the moment just my editor and my contact at the Hospital where they held the bodies yesterday. He says they were shipped to Boscombe Down.’

  ‘No way.’ Tyler smiled. ‘Terrorist attack my arse. The government would only ship the bodies there if this was something else. Boscombe Down is the leading research centre in the UK for deadly infectious diseases.’

  ‘This isn’t a disease.’ Alan said.

  ‘I know and that’s what makes it intriguing. My guess is that the modern government we have today is clueless as to what their predecessors got up to fifty years ago. They’ve sent the bodies out there to be s
tudied. In the meantime the police have labelled yesterday’s attacks as terrorism so no one is none the wiser. Are you going to publish this?’

  ‘Not yet, my editor wants to hold off. He wants me to interview someone who was involved with Trojan Horse during the seventies. I’m heading down to Surrey first thing in the morning to track down a man called Angus Walker who was allegedly one of the lead scientists on the project.’

  ‘Mind if I make a copy of this stick. I promise no one else will see it.’ Tyler asked.

  Alan considered Tyler’s request for a few moments before nodding.

  Tyler clicked on the mouse a few times. ‘I wouldn’t mind going with you to see this Angus Walker.’

  ‘I suppose you can, it wouldn’t hurt to have an objective witness.’

  There was a knock on the door and Tyler’s wife appeared with a tray. ‘Tea up boys.’

  Tyler stood and walked over to his wife taking the tray off her. ‘Thanks love.’ He put the tray down and rubbed his forehead.

  ‘Another headache?’ Clair asked.

  Tyler nodded. ‘It seems more intense this time. I’ll go and take my tablets.’

  ‘How long have you two been married?’ Alan asked making polite conversation.

  ‘Eight years.’

  Alan looked around the room at the various posters. ‘Are you interested in the same things at Reece?’

  ‘I don’t mind some stuff.’ Claire said. ‘Reece does tend to go overboard with it sometimes. Nevertheless, I support him. I should be grateful, most city workers drink heavily or worse.’

  ‘Did you know the man at Reece’s work who carried out the attack yesterday?’

  ‘No, Reece would come home and mention him sometimes. They weren’t friends or anything like that. I know that Reece didn’t like him.’

  ‘Why does he have headaches?’

  ‘He suffers with depression; he has to take tablets to bring him down. He often comes home in agony.’ Claire looked at one of the posters on the wall depicting a spacecraft hovering above a house at night. ‘He deals with his depression with this.’

  Alan looked at the poster. ‘Does he believe he’s been abducted?’

  Claire nodded. ‘I tolerate it because I love him.’

  Tyler entered the room.

  ‘I need to get back to the Examiner.’ Alan said checking his watch. ‘I’ll pick you up in the morning.’

  ITV News – 3:00pm

  ‘Good afternoon, you’re watching a special ITV news bulletin. In the last hour the cyber terror group calling themselves Dystopia have released a damning statement. In their social media broadcast they claimed that they not only hacked a top secret COBRA meeting earlier this morning but they also have control of GCHQ. We go live to Timothy Warwick who is currently outside GCHQ headquarters in Cheltenham. Tim what’s the latest from where you are?’

  ‘Alex GCHQ have yet to release a statement regarding the latest claims made by Dystopia. If this turns out to be true then it will be devastating for the UKs top security service. Many people know GCHQ as a world leading security service that deals with most of the UKs cyber security. They are responsible for keeping hackers at bay. But in this case it seems they have been the victims themselves of a hack.’

  ‘What could Dystopia do now that they have control of GCHQ?’

  ‘Not wanting to sound too gloom and doom but anything they want. If they have locked down GCHQ then they could devastate the international cyber security companies. Many will know that GCHQ communicates with many of the American security agencies. When Edward Snowden travelled to Russia he exposed GCHQ as being part of the national security agency’s spy operation known as Prism. Many people have said that GCHQ have too much power and must be brought to heel. If Dystopia has access to GCHQs most secret files then they could release them to the public which would cause irreversible damage as well as let other terrorist groups have access to information they have been keeping for years. All we can do at this moment is wait and see what Dystopia do next.’

  Chapter 36

  Holgate Avenue – Battersea – London – 3:37pm

  Sam unlocked her door and walked through to a small kitchen. She took a wine glass from a cupboard and poured a glass from a half-empty bottle on the worktop. She stared at the wine for a few moments before bolting back the entire glass. Sam suddenly became aware of a presence behind her. Before she could turn a firm hand clasped over her mouth.

  Her assailant wrapped his other arm around her.

  ‘Before you try to struggle free listen to what I have to say. I’m not here to harm you, I just want to talk.’

  Fear coursed through Sam’s body. She stared at the glass cupboard window at the intruder’s reflection.

  ‘All I ask is for you to listen to what I have to say. You are free to do whatever you want after that. Arrest me or kick the shit out of me for breaking into your flat. The choice is yours. Can I trust you to just listen to what I have to say?’

  Sam found it difficult to breathe with the attacker’s hand clasped over her face. She stared at the reflection before nodding.

  The intruder took his hand away taking a step backward.

  Sam turned to face the man who had managed to gain access to her flat. Anger replaced fear as the urge to mount an attack grew.

  ‘My name is Mathew Teller.’

  ‘I know who you are!’ Sam stated cutting him off. ‘You’re under arrest on terror charges.’

  ‘Wait, if you do this whole thing will come crashing down around you. Listen to what I have to say first.’

  ‘Fine, I’ll listen in an interview room.’ Sam produced her mobile phone.

  ‘If you call your superiors Dystopia will do far worse, trust me. Do you want that to happen?’

  Sam’s thumb hovered over the dial button for several seconds before she put it back into her pocket. ‘You have five minutes then I’m calling this in.’

  ‘I’m not Dystopia if that’s what you think.’

  ‘Bullshit?’

  ‘It’s true, the statement you issued on your website is false. I’m not behind Dystopia. I’m trying to stop it.’

  ‘Really, then why haven’t you turned yourself in?’

  ‘It’s not as easy as just turning myself in. Dystopia will find me and they will kill me.’

  ‘The Met can protect you Mr Teller. We can take you to a safe house.’

  Teller laughed. ‘You don’t understand Dystopia are everywhere. They can find me in a heartbeat. They will kill me. I couldn’t turn myself in because more innocent people will die needlessly.’

  ‘Then why break into my flat?’

  ‘Because I needed someone on my side from the law. When I saw your statement on the Met’s website I hacked your records.’

  Sam reached for the bottle of wine and poured another glass.

  ‘You fought in Afghanistan twelve years ago. I read about the incident in Marjah. I read how you were left to die because you were cut off from your unit. I also read how you escaped and that you were hung out to dry by your superiors. This is after you managed to save a group of Afghan women from warring factions in the Helmand region. How you were discharged from the army after your superiors charged you with abandoning your unit.’

  Sam sensed her hand shaking. She clasped the wine glass to ease the tremors.

  Teller glanced at her hand. ‘You still suffer from day to day.’

  Sam took a swig from her glass. ‘You are well into your five minutes Mr Teller. What exactly do you wish to tell me?’

  ‘I have a plan to stop Dystopia but I need someone on board to witness what I have discovered.’

  ‘Why is that?’

  ‘Because I need someone to go on record and tell the world what we are capable of.’

  ‘We?’

  ‘I mean society and its flaws. I need someone to expose the truth of where we are heading.’

  ‘I’m afraid you’ve got the wrong woman for the job. I’m just a serving copper, not a crusader.’r />
  ‘A copper who is willing to stand up and defend those who don’t have a voice. I read your disciplinary court hearing.’

  ‘Impossible, the trial was never made public.’

  ‘I know.’ Teller said. ‘The Afghan war was dirty straight from the start. Soldiers dying needlessly. Others losing limbs, coming home and being ignored by the people who sent them out there in the first place. Using them as pawns on a political chessboard. Then there are the forgotten. The men and women like you who still bear the scars. Who will never forget the things they saw.’

  Sam glanced at the clock on the wall. ‘Your five minutes are almost up. If you have something useful to say then say it.’

  ‘I need your help to stop Dystopia causing more damage. I have a place where I have been working from. I need you to defend me when this is over. Will you do this?’

  ‘Can you stop Dystopia?’

  ‘I think I can, I just need a little time.’

  ‘You think you can. I’m sorry Mr Teller but I’m not about to risk my job just because you think you can stop Dystopia. I need more than that. Besides, the Met have a capable cyber division. They are closing in on Dystopia.’

  ‘Your cyber division is a bunch of amateur PlayStation dicks. And GCHQ is paralyzed until god knows when. You need me to tackle Dystopia, I know who’s behind them.’

  Sam stared at the man in front of her.

  ‘Please, if you help me then I’ll help you.’

  ‘How can you possibly help me?’

  ‘By making your trial public, by exposing the truth as to why you were sent to that region.’