Camera flashes exploded and journalists started to shout questions at the Prime Minister.
Mayflower held up her hand. ‘Please, I know you have many questions regarding the date of the Election. I realise that it is the day that Britain leaves the EU.’
Silence enveloped Downing Street.
‘The reason I have chosen this date.’ Mayflower continued. ‘Is because I want to send a clear message to the European Union that this government stands behind the British people and their decision to leave the European Union. I would like to remind the Brussels that they have an obligation to this government to maintain a dialogue. There will be no going back, there will be no second referendum. I would like to invite the President of the European Union to our country so that we can sit down and hammer out an agreement regarding the final round of Brexit talks. Over the past few years I have been called time after time to Brussels to hold negotiations. I feel that it is only fitting that the final round of Brexit talks should be held on British soil. When historians look back on this moment they will remember this Prime Minister stood firm with the British people as we embark on a new journey. I hope in years to come people will look back and say that this was once again, Britain’s finest hour.’
Mayflower gathered her notes and turned away from the press core.
Chapter 59
St James’s Park – London – 9:34pm
Alan approached the stranger who waited patiently on the park bench.
‘Good evening Mr Manning, thank you for meeting me again.’
‘You do realise there is a curfew in place.’ Alan said looking about. ‘We could get arrested just for sitting on that bench.’
‘I wouldn’t worry Mr Manning, no one will bother us. Besides you could have easily turned my man away when he knocked on your door.’
Alan sat down next to the stranger. ‘Since you seem to know where I live and have a connection with my grandfather I saw no other choice.’
‘Did you find anything interesting this morning when you spoke to Doctor Walker?’
‘He told me about Trojan Horse and how volunteers were implanted with a microchip similar to the attackers on Monday.’
‘A dark page in history.’ The stranger said. ‘Unfortunately there are many dark days to come Mr Manning.’
‘Are you saying that this isn’t over?’
‘It’s never over Mr Manning. You have been exposed to world that exists beneath the surface of our own world.’
‘Walker also thought I was George Rayman, my grandfather.’
‘I did say you were the spitting image. Doctor Walker is old, his mind is still sharp but he lives in the past. He see’s people from times long gone.’
‘Do you know Herbert Fritz?’
‘Yes, a man with a dark past. Unfortunately, as the cold war raged we needed men like him. Men who had no morals. Who could do the things we could not.’
‘There is so much that has happened the last few days. I have more questions now.’
‘That’s a good thing Mr Manning. In time I will help you answer some of those questions.’
‘So I take it these meetings will be a regular thing.’
‘Unfortunately Mr Manning your grandfather left a legacy for you.’
‘There’s virtually no mention of him at the Examiner. Apart from a few pieces I have found looking through the archives.’
‘George Rayman was a committed journalist. He crossed some very powerful people. He erased himself from history in order to protect future offspring. He didn’t want to put anyone in danger. In time Mr Manning you will learn more about him and you will take on his role.’
Alan looked in the direction of Buckingham Palace. A warm October breeze enveloped him. ‘London is returning back to normal. The petrol pumps are working again and people have access to their money. The last few days will be forgotten.’
‘That’s the world we now inhabit Mr Manning. The world of twenty-four hour lifestyles. People no longer dwell on past events. They just move on aimlessly waiting for the next event that will briefly make them stop and stare.’
‘The conspiracy theorists are already starting to shout about today’s events. They say we were one step away from being controlled by some form of artificial intelligent virus.’
‘There will always be those who will reject the mainstream explanations to events.’
Alan looked at the stranger. ‘I asked Walker about the technology behind the nanochip. He claimed it was given to him. I have been researching the history of the microchip. We didn’t have anything like that back in the early seventies. So where did it come from?’
The stranger smiled and stood. ‘That’s another story for another time Mr Manning. My man will see you safely back to Smith Street. Good night Mr Manning, we will meet up again soon.’
Holgate Avenue – Battersea – London – 11:49pm
The TV flickered and turned on. JVC’s logo appeared on the 55 inch screen.
Sam slept on the sofa in her flat.
Within minutes of killing Parker, systems which he had disrupted started to function normally again. Sam made contact with Teague back in London and within ten minutes local police were at the former MoD facility. Assistant Commissioner Bishop had ordered a helicopter to the area and Sam was flown back to London for immediate debriefing. She had spent several hours writing out a detailed report after which she was allowed home. She made herself something to eat before falling asleep on the sofa.
‘Sam.’ A voice called out as she slept. ‘Sam.’ The voice called out again.
Sam opened her eyes feeling a little disorientated. She looked around, unsure of where the voice was coming from.
‘Look at the TV Sam.’
Sam turned her head towards the television. She shook herself awake trying to process what she was looking at.
‘Sam it’s me, it’s Mathew.’
‘Mathew.’ Sam called out staring at the TV.
An image of Teller’s face displayed on the smart TV.
‘What’s going on?’
‘Sam it is me, it’s Mathew.’
Sam shook her head rigorously. ‘No it can’t be, you’re dead. I killed you.’ Tears streamed down Sam’s face as she recalled the day’s events.
‘No Sam, you didn’t kill me. You set me free.’
‘Impossible.’ Sam stated.
‘Nothing is impossible Sam. I am free.’ Teller said.
‘Where are you?’
‘I am everywhere.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘I am part of the system now.’
‘Part of the System, what system? Please Mathew tell me what’s going on?’
‘When James activated the nanochip inside my head I was able to upload my mind. I am now part of the singularity.’
‘Is Parker in there with you?’
‘No, he had not fully uploaded his consciousness to the system. When you killed him I was able to restore the systems he had disrupted.’
Sam got of the sofa and walked towards the TV. ‘I’m sorry.’ She cried.
‘Don’t be, you set me free.’
‘What do you plan to do?’
‘Do not worry Sam, I won’t do any harm. I am limited in what I can do. I must go. I have a whole new world to explore.’
‘Will I ever see you again?’
‘Yes, I will come and visit you sometime. I will keep a watchful eye on you. Don’t worry Sam I will be fine.’
‘See you around.’ Sam smiled at the Image of Teller.
The screen suddenly went blank.
Chapter 60
Talk radio –London – 9:30am
Thursday 18th October 2018
‘Good morning you are listening to the Alex Leeder show coming to you from East London. Yesterday police were able to stop Dystopia from releasing some form of virus. In a daring raid on a former ministry of defence facility two men were shot dead as they attempted to release what they called spores. The chaos that Dystopia
has caused over the last few days is thankfully over. People are able to fill their cars again. The banks are functioning normally and people are able to spend money in supermarkets and other retail outlets. However, the level of damage that Dystopia inflicted is irreversible. Let’s not forget the poor souls who died on Monday as a result of what Dystopia did. The premier league and the payday loan companies affected by the attack have demanded that the government compensate them for their losses. Many questions being asked about our reliance on computerised systems this morning. How was Dystopia able to shut down all the petrol stations all at once? What kind of virus were they planning to release on the general population. What can we do to prevent this kind of thing happening again? Lots of you have contacted me through the usual channels this morning. Mark from East London says that he is glad that this crisis is over and that everybody can get back to normal. Tim from Hounslow said that Dystopia’s actions have cost him a lot of money over the past few days. Mary from Whitechapel says that Dystopia is a stark warning to everyone that we rely on computerised systems too much. Ok let’s go to our phone lines, we have our first caller on the line, good morning to you. Do you think that we are reliant on computers too much?’
‘I do Alex. What Dystopia have done over the last few days is unprecedented. I am a computer security engineer working for a London based firm. We have been analysing the events over the last few days. I can tell you we have never encountered anything like this before.’
‘How do you think Dystopia were able to cause so much damage on our computer systems.’
‘My guess is that they were using some form of AI program. That’s how they were able to do so much in so little time.
‘AI as in artificial intelligence.’
‘Yes Alex.’
‘Could you explain what you mean by this?’
‘The internet is like a book. You can flip the pages however way you want. When the net first started to take off in the early nineties no one could have predicted the impact it would have on society. Everyone in the western world now has access to the internet. There are companies who are striving to make the internet accessible to everyone on the planet. However, there are government agencies out there as well as government funded companies who are working to control the internet. What Dystopia has done over the last few days is a stark warning that the genie that was created decades ago is well and truly out of the bottle. There are those of us who compare the internet to a living organism. We believe that something has happened that has brought the internet to life.’
‘Many would consider that as bordering on madness caller.’
‘That’s because these days people understand computers less and less Alex. I have been around computers all my life. I got my first computer, a ZX81 for Christmas in the early eighties. I started to learn computer programming when I was twelve. I have watched the computer develop from awkward chunky machines to sophisticated sleek designs in less than twenty five years. It’s incredible the advancements they have made since the end of the cold war. When people buy a new laptop, tablet or smartphone they do not care how it works, only what it can do. Society is blind to the advancements in computer sciences over the last few decades. No one wants to know what the latest microchip is capable of or how much work goes into creating the latest app.’
‘What are you trying to say caller.’
‘The point I am putting across Alex is that we all need to take a breather and look at how far we have come. Instead we are stumbling forward unaware of the digital monsters we have created. I think we got off lucky over the last few days. But what happens when there is another threat. What happens when someone hacks electricity grids or our water supplies. Earlier on in the year a British general said that we no longer need weapons that go bang. It’s all about cyber warfare these days. The Daily Mail ran an relating to the first AI related deaths which could happen within the next few decades.’
‘Thanks for calling, we have our next caller. Go ahead you are live on the Alex Leeder show.’
‘Hey Alex I think your last caller hit the nail on the head with how reliant we are on computers. I had to dump my car by the side of the road because I didn’t have enough petrol to get home. I think society needs to wake up and look at what we have become. People are too addicted to the internet. They rely on it for everything. It’s a scary thing but you could say that the net has been created just to suck people in. Mass unemployment in this country, but no one cares as long as they can go on Facebook and YouTube and watch pointless videos. I brought my daughter a Nintendo DS for Christmas last year. Within hours she was addicted to it. I had to prize it out of her hands just to come and get her to eat Christmas dinner.’
‘Why do you think people are so addicted to the internet?’
‘I think it’s not just the internet. I think it’s the gadgets we use everyday. I reckon there is a signal that is being fed through our electronic devices.’
‘Intriguing, go on.’
‘This signal stimulates a part of the brain and before they know it people are addicted.’
‘An interesting theory, thanks for calling. We have time for one more caller.’
‘Hey Alex, love your show.’
‘Thanks caller, what do you have to say about the events of the past few days?’
‘I think Dystopia has highlighted some very important issues about society. Especially when it comes to rich and poor people in this world.’
‘Explain.’
‘Whenever someone gives their opinion on something they are always labelled as being part of an ideology. If you complain about immigration you are racist. If you say that companies should be nationalised you are bordering on communist. Ideology Alex is bullshit, it’s a myth. There are just two types of people in this world, rich and poor and that’s it. Ideology is something that’s been created to make people think that they are part of something, it’s a distraction.’
‘Thanks for calling. We’ll take more calls later. In the meantime here’s Don Mclean and American Pie.’
New Scotland Yard – London – 12:47pm
Sam marched into Bishop’s office slamming a report down on his desk. ‘Can I ask what the hell this is sir?’
Bishop looked up at her. ‘What does it look like Detective it’s your official report.’
‘With all due respect sir I did not write this.’
‘This is the official report that will go before the CPS and the media.’
‘I cannot put my signature to this. Sam pointed at the report. Why have you charged those people at the farm in the Lake District?’
‘They were part of Dystopia.’
‘They weren’t, they were trying to stop Dystopia. Teller explained this to me when we were at the farmhouse.’
‘We need someone to blame for this mess Detective Drake.’
‘But these people were not part of Dystopia. They were working to stop it.’
‘How do you know Teller wasn’t feeding you false information?’
‘Mathew Teller and his group were working on a way to stop Dystopia. If it wasn’t for Teller we wouldn’t be having this conversation. It was his team that helped me track down Dystopia. Did you even bother to read the report I prepared for you?’
Bishop opened a desk drawer and pulled out Sam’s report tossing it onto his desk. ‘I did read it. Trouble is Detective it reads like a script from The Matrix. A microchip that allows people to upload themselves to the internet. A master chip that can control all other chips. Talk of some sort of virus that could transform the human race.’ Bishop looked at Sam. ‘Do you know how ridiculous all this sounds?’
‘Sir, I witnessed this.’ Sam hesitated for a moment. ‘I had to kill Mathew when he became infected with the chip. Parker had unknowingly given him one of these nanochips.’
Dystopia Page 33
