Nano Surveillance (Dave Henson Series Book 1) (21 page)

Chapter 56 (March 25, Monday 8:00pm Eastern Daylight Savings Time)

Doug Spade, a research scientist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington DC, stood looking down at the silver canister sitting on the lab bench. Less than an hour ago he had been settling in for the night watching television with his family at home when he had received a phone call. The call had come from somewhere within the Pentagon and the message had been brief. He needed to immediately report to the labs.

Doug had a PHD in Electrical Engineering and had spent most of his illustrious 25 year career as an expert in military surveillance communications and related technologies. He was also considered the NRL’s leading expert in nanotechnology.  As he examined the canister, General Jarod briefed him on where the canister had been confiscated from and what he thought it may contain. Another man standing next to the general, who had not been introduced to Doug, simply listened while the general spoke.

“We believe this canister contains some type of nano particles or materials that are being used for surveillance of the U.S. government,” said General Jarod, as Doug lifted the container and looked carefully at the nozzle end of it.

“Well, I can tell you right up front the canister may have once carried nano material,” responded Doug, as he examined the nozzle end of the canister carefully. “However, it doesn’t contain any now. I can see the nozzle release seal has been broken, indicating the contents of the canister has been expelled.”

“You’re saying there is nothing in the canister to analyze?” barked the general. “We pulled it right from NSurv’s lab. How can it be empty?”

“No, I’m not saying that it is empty. I’m saying that the nozzle on this canister has been previously activated and that the bulk of its contents have been discharged. That is not to say, however, that there isn’t still trace remnants of the material still left in it.”

“How about the other two canisters here?” The General pointed to the other two canisters that Barbas’s men had found on the sea floor near the Kosmos.

Doug placed the canister down that he was holding and looked at the other two sitting on the lab bench. As he picked each of the two up he could hear water sloshing around in them.

“Likewise, each of these canisters has been discharged as well and apparently sea water has seeped in.”

“Can you examine the remnant contents and determine what’s in them?” asked the general.

“Yes I can, but I already have a good idea of what I’ll find in them, at least up to a point.” Doug let his statement hang in the air for a few quiet seconds. Just as the general looked like he was going to explode on him Doug continued.

“As you suggest, I will wager that we’ll find remnants of a form of nano particles, or more commonly referred to in the nanotechnology industry, nano-dust. To date, nano-dust has been limited to mainly a theoretical concept. However, I have heard rumors in the industry over the past year that there has been a company out there that has been able to actually manufacture and control nano-dust. Knowing a little about Dave Henson and some of his colleagues at NSurv, I wouldn’t be surprised that it may have been this team that actually has realized nano-dust technology. They’re all sharp guys there.”

“What do you think is possible with this nano-dust, and particularly from a surveillance perspective?” asked the General.

Doug laughed nervously at the general’s question. “Virtually anything from a surveillance perspective could be possible with it. Theoretically the nano-dust could be configured and controlled to emulate any type of sensor, including a video or listening device, a chemical sensor device, or a motion detector. There is no limit to how the dust could be used in surveillance applications. Moreover, it could also be used for many other types of applications, including lethal weapons at a nanoscopic level, a form of biological warfare, if you will.”

“Nano-dust is the ultimate in hive particle material for enabling the remote construction and control of any type of Micro-Electrical-Mechanical-System (MEMS), or more specifically in the nano world, NEMS, Nano-Electrical-Mechanical System. MEMs / NEMS technology is a field that is involved in the manufacture and control of micro, or in this case, nano-machines. With nano-dust, NEMS can be taken even one step further. Instead of being just one time programmable, which is typically the case with MEMs technology, nano-dust NEMs can be reconfigured on the fly for different types of systems and applications. For example, one minute a nano-dust hive could be configured as an audio sensor, and the next minute reconfigured as a thermal sensor.”

“If NSurv has really perfected the ability to manufacture nano-dust, and just as importantly configure and control it, then we’ve entered a whole new world as a species.”

“What do you mean by that?” pressed the general.

“That with this technology every aspect of our lives could not only be monitored, but also controlled.  And if so desired, even terminated. This technology, once in the hands of radical organizations and governments, would make the world’s concern over nuclear weapons proliferation over the past century, seem like child’s play.”

Doug’s last sentence hung in the air for a few seconds before the general spoke.     

“How soon can you have the interior of those canisters examined and provide us with a report on what’s in them?” asked the general gruffly. “And are they even safe to examine from both a health and security standpoint?”

“I can have a full report to you by tomorrow evening at this time. From a health safety concern, I don’t think NSurv is out to kill anyone. Also, in order to configure the nano-dust, there needs to be a hive “critical mass”, if you will, to work with. These canisters are effectively empty. I can assure you, there is no risk to anyone, with the small amounts of nano-dust that may still reside in them, of a sensor being remotely created. A controller would need to be relatively close by to configure it.”

“Alright, get on with it. We will be back here tomorrow evening ready for a full report.” With that, the general and the other man abruptly departed the lab leaving Doug staring down at the canister.

Chapter 57 (March 26, Tuesday 8:00am Eastern Daylight Savings Time)

It was early morning in Washington DC and President Coleman was meeting with a TMA fence-sitter congressional member in the Oval Office. Congressman Jim LaPointe from New Hampshire was a Republican. However, unlike Republican congressional members from the Midwest and South, he was a malleable Republican. Fortunately for the administration, over the past couple of decades the great state of New Hampshire had finally drifted solidly into the “blue state” column. And although Congressman LaPointe was a Republican in this now blue state, he was frequently characterized by his fellow congressional Republicans as more of a RINO (Republican in Name Only) than an actual true Republican ideologue. He had frequently supported the President’s legislation bills over the years, and consequently many of his Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill detested him. However, their opinions of the congressman were not of his concern. It was the voters from New Hampshire that mattered only, and he was currently serving his 8th term in Congress. He apparently represented the majority of Granite Staters as they wanted to be represented. Not to mention, he knew how to funnel large sums of beltway pork back to his state.

The President already knew that today’s meeting with him was going to be another shining example of this man’s unique skill of bringing home the pork. President Coleman was fairly confident that Congressman LaPointe was already lockstep with his Transportation Movement Act policy, and his views on reducing the countries carbon footprint, based upon his voting history in Congress. However, to LaPointe’s credit, he had effectively not yet verbalized this fact to him or any of his aides. On the contrary, he had adroitly signaled he was on the fence with the TMA bill. Congressman LaPointe was not only a successful politician. He was also a great poker player. He kept his mouth shut, his eyes down, and his cards close to his vest, whether on Capitol Hill or behind a poker table in Las Vegas. From a politician’s point of view President Coleman couldn’t help but respect the man for his craftiness. But on the other hand, he knew today’s meeting was going to cost him big, and more specifically the taxpayer, to procure his vote.

Chief of Staff Ken Hardy stepped into the Oval Office and went to take a seat across from the President and next to Congressman LaPointe.  As Hardy approached the two men, Congressman LaPointe stood up from his chair and greeted Hardy with a firm handshake. In typical politician fashion, as he shook the Chief of Staff’s hand with his right hand, he placed his other hand lightly on Hardy’s shoulder. As if they were close friends, which they were not.

As Ken Hardy and LaPointe sat down President Coleman said, “Well gentlemen, we’ve got some business to discuss and I’ve got limited time this morning so I am going to cut to the chase.”

Both men nodded agreement to the President’s statement.

“As you’re aware Congressman LaPointe, the Transportation Movement Act legislation is expected to be introduced in the House next week by my party’s congressional leaders. As I’ve already told the American public during my speech to the nation a couple of weeks ago, I know in my heart that the Transportation Movement Act is the right thing to do as a country and as a human being. We need to show by example to the rest of the world that as a nation we mean business, when it comes to protecting the planet from greenhouse gases and climate change. The TMA is the vehicle for demonstrating our commitment to the world for these concerns, and consequently why I am asking for your support of it.”

The President paused for effect, and as he did, Congressman LaPointe commented, “In principle, I do support your view to end man induced global climate change. Who wouldn’t? However, it’s in the process of implementation with the TMA that concerns me. More specifically, the Act’s timeline of implementation and how the American worker is protected. You need to appreciate my constituents’ perspectives stated the congressman. New Hampshire is a fairly rural state where most people depend exclusively on their vehicles for getting places, including work. With the dramatic increase in unemployment over the years many Granite Staters are driving long distances to find work and maintain their jobs. Your TMA doesn’t seem to offer much in terms of new public transportation for New Hampshire, nor does it promise any new type of industry that would produce jobs for my constituents. Look at it from my perspective. It’s tough to pitch the TMA’s global benefits to the folks back in my state while also telling them that they will need to buck up and pay higher taxes to use their vehicles. Add to that the TMA offers nothing in terms of jobs for the state and it becomes an untenable proposition for me and my constituents. I’ll be out of a job by next election if I sell this plan to them as is.”

The President smiled faintly at the Congressman. He knew the pitch for a handout was about to come forth from LaPointe.

“My administration has taken great care to ensure that American jobs are protected and that the timeline for instituting the various phases of the Act is gradual to minimize impact to the public. For example, the TMA bill includes language specifying that at least 50% of the contracts for the construction of railways, MAGLEV engines and rail cars, and other related equipment and services will be with national companies. And in terms of your timeline concern, the bill includes a gradual phase in of the mileage transportation tax on automobiles. Thus, people will have a couple of years to adjust their lifestyles in reducing their dependence on their automobiles.”

“But what’s in it specifically for my district, and quite frankly me?” interjected the congressman.

The President was about to respond to the congressman with his standard rebuttal that people need to begin to sacrifice for the greater good, but then abruptly stopped just as the first words began to roll off his tongue. He realized mid-thought that he was going to lose the congressman if he didn’t make the Act more sellable for the congressman and didn’t specifically sweeten the pie for the congressman himself. He knew the congressman came from money tied to a family business in concrete and commercial construction, and that the operations were located in the seacoast region of New Hampshire. 

Feigning deep concern, the President responded, “I fully appreciate your concerns Congressman LaPointe, and I think we can do something about them. As you know I hold deep affection for New Hampshire, and I am greatly indebted to the people of your state. I am forever grateful for my wins in the first in the nation’s primaries, as well as New Hampshire’s support of me in the general elections. I also appreciate the close proximity of New Hampshire’s southern border to Boston, Massachusetts. Consequently, I think we can include in the TMA plans a new MAGLEV rail system between Boston and the New Hampshire seacoast city of Portsmouth.”

The President stopped speaking and looked the congressman in the eyes and asked pointedly, “Would that make the Act more sellable to your constituents?”

The congressman hesitated for a couple of seconds before answering. “Yes, adding a new MAGLEV rail service between Boston and Portsmouth would certainly make it more sellable to the New Hampshire public. However, it really doesn’t fully address the jobs concern I have.”

“But certainly you can see that with a new high speed rail service between Boston and Portsmouth that the possibility of your constituents finding new work in the greater Boston area is greatly improved,” parried the President.

“Yes, the rail service will most definitely improve the job prospects for white collar workers, however, it does little for the blue collar and unskilled workers of New Hampshire,” responded the congressman. 

The President looked silently at the congressman for what seemed like minutes, but in reality were only a few seconds. “I understand your point,” responded the President.  “What if in addition to the rail service, we include funds in the TMA budget for the construction of a new rail terminal in the city of Portsmouth. This would create many new local jobs for your constituents, and would allow local construction businesses to thrive for the next several years.”

The congressman smiled ever so slightly at the President and Chief of Staff. “Yes, I think these modifications to the TMA plans would certainly allow me to sell the Act to my constituents in confidence.”

“Well then, I think our business is done here,” said the President as he stood up from his chair and extended his hand out to the congressman with a broad smile. I’m now counting on your support of the TMA Congressman LaPointe. Do I have it?”

The congressman reached out with both hands and shook the President’s hand. “Yes, Mr. President. Yes you do.”

“Excellent. Hardy here will be in touch with you to show you the additional language placed in the TMA in regards to what we just discussed.”

The President then walked around his desk and walked the congressman out of the oval office. As he did, he gave the congressman a gentle pat on the back in the process and thanked him for his support. Chief of Staff Hardy just smiled at the two men’s backs as the congressman was escorted out. Another one off the fence and in our pocket thought Hardy.