TKG08 WE WILL BUILD Rel 01 (7 page)

Marcus looked at the drawing, “I’d need to figure out the insulation value for the reduced signature thermal coating we spray on the outside and then we would need to think about rotating the containers due to the sun.”

“Hell,” Bobcat said, “I thought that would be something that you could do off the top of your head.
 
It isn’t like we are asking you to design ablative armor or something.”

Marcus looked at him, his mouth open.

William shook his head in disgust, “You did it again, you ‘pucking frick’.”

Jeffrey looked at the three of them, “What did he do?”

Marcus held out his hand and William returned the marker allowing Marcus to start jotting down notes on his board.
 

Bobcat turned to face Jeffrey, “I’m trying to read as much science fiction as possible right now.
 
A lot of what we need is already posited in those books.
 
I read about ablative armor in a couple of books so I thought about using the term here.
 
I just tripped an idea in our esteemed rocket scientist’s brain and sent him down some path, God only knows where.”
 
Bobcat turned to smile at William, “Point for me.”

William nodded his agreement.

Jeffrey thought about how this weird group worked so well together.
 
Now, he was going to add to the mix.

“Ok guys, I’ve been tasked with ramping up the capabilities.
 
I know you have the flying Bobcat,” he turned to William, “the manufacturing and assembly,’ and then to Marcus who continued writing but did nod his head that he heard, “and the rocket science-y stuff, Marcus.
 
However, I think we are light in other areas including a lady that is focused on regenerative plant growth systems if she will join us.”

“Why would she join us, or why might she not?”
 
William asked.

“Well, she’s ex-Nasa,” Jeffrey heard Marcus snort, as he continued writing. “But she left NASA due to politics and took what she knew about growing food and is in Africa at the moment.
 
So, she may or may not care to deal with growing food in space again.
 
I think that about sums up both questions.”
 
William nodded, “Also, we are going to need some people who are willing to chance outer space.
 
I’ve talked with Bethany Anne and she has agreed to my assessment that you guys can’t be in the first group out of here.”

Jeffrey thought he might get a little push back on that, but it was Marcus who started the ball rolling, “That’s fucking preposterous!”
 
He threw down the marker turning around and pointing at Jeffrey, “What do you mean we can’t be in the first group out of here?
 
I’ve worked my whole life, which is a fair bit I might add, to be up there.”
 
He pointed towards the ceiling. “How long do I have left?
 
I could keel over tomorrow and then where would I be?”

“Probably six feet under, is my best guess.”
 
Bobcat chimed in.

“Not sure about that,” William retorted.
 
“The ground around here is too rocky.
 
I think we stuff him in a Pod and consign his grumpy ass to the sun.”
 

Marcus faced William, “Keep that up and I’ll bring the sun to your happy ass!
 
You won’t be able to sit down for a week.”

William turned towards Bobcat, “Damn, these rocket guys are always about flames and burning shit.”

“Word.” Bobcat replied.

“And you!”
 
Marcus turned towards his other partner, “I’ll withhold the modifications to Shelly we were going to work on.
 
That bird will have to twaddle along at her rated speed like any good dark pigeon!”

“It’s ‘Black Hawk’ and for the love of god, man.
 
Take a chill pill.
 
I’m on your team, no need to pull out of helping Shelly, that’s just mean.
 
She’s not done anything against you. Tell me you didn’t enjoy the ride last week?”

“Well,” Marcus grumped, “it was good.”
 
Bobcat thought the worst was over, “But not as good as space would be!”

Oh shit, Bobcat thought, here we go again.

Jeffrey asked, “Have you guys been up there yet?”

Marcus turned, “Up where?”
 
Jeffrey turned his hand and pointed a finger up. Marcus answered, “Only for a minimum amount of time when we were testing something.
 
We are always on a timeline.”

Jeffrey shrugged, “So, let’s go.
 
Seems like we might need to do a little research right?”

Bobcat threw back his chair, Marcus bent to get the marker off the floor while William shoved his chair under the table.

“Don’t just stand there man!”
 
Bobcat said, “We are going to play hooky!”
 
Bobcat walked over to the fridge and pulled out a six pack, paused for a moment then reached in and pulled a second six-pack out of the fridge and closed it.
 
He turned around and started back towards the guys.
 
Bobcat noticed Jeffrey eyeing the beers and answered Jeffrey’s unasked question, “It’s for research.”

Jeffrey said, “Ok.
 
What about the second six pack?”

Bobcat lifted it up and smiled, “You always need a second round of research.
 
Even Marcus will tell you not to trust the first results.”

Marcus’s voice came out of his office, “That’s true!”

Jeffrey just shook his head. These guys were changing him more than he was changing them

The speaker squawked, “Marcus?”
 

Jeffrey heard him call out in his office, “Yes?”

“It’s Wayne.
 
I have Ms. Tina here to see you about an astronomy discussion?”

Marcus popped his head around the corner of his office door, “Oh damn, I forgot about that.
 
What should I do?”

Jeffrey was the only parent in the group, “You ask her Mom if you can take her on a field trip.”

“To outer space?”

“Yes.
 
Although if you describe the reason for the fieldtrip as something scientific and have been completely honest and if she doesn’t ask, well that’s on her, right?”

“You get in trouble with your wife, don’t you?

 
Jeffrey answered, “All the damn time.”

Bethany Anne was working out in her area again.
 
She needed to get her form back in control.
 
Her night spent with Michael had been … a lot.
 
A lot to enjoy, and a lot to take in.
 
Leaving his house had taken a huge amount of willpower.
 
Truthfully, she snuck in a request to TOM.
 
Asking him to dampen her emotions so she could get through it.
 
She had, however, made that last kiss take forever.
 
Tabitha had hugged her goodbye and whispered to her, “At least now he won’t be moping so much!”

While Bethany Anne had been able to keep her face from giving her away, she noticed Michael rolling his eyes behind the two of them. When he noticed Bethany Anne eyeing him, he simply shrugged his shoulders in response.

That sneaky rat bastard!
 
He HAD wanted her badly.

Bethany Anne?

Yes TOM.

The spaceship has been requested to pilot three Pods up into space.

Who’s taking them up?

I see that Jeffrey has authorized Team BMW some research time in outer space, and one request from Marcus for a ‘field trip.’

Wait, what?
 
What field trip?

It seems that he has made a request of Cheryl Lynn for Tina to go with them.

Really?
 
I wonder if she is going to stay with genetics.
 
Marcus must be doing a full court press to get her interested in outer space.

Any reason she can’t do both?

Oh, I don’t care if she studies everything. I do care that she is able to cope with the work load and maintain good grades.
 
As long as a student pushes themselves, I’ll turn over the heavens to help them.

You do realize you are sending her to the heavens?

Bethany Anne paused from her workout.
I guess in a way, but it is Team BMW and you that are making it happen.

Are you going to have them ask her brother to go along?

Why is she going?

I believe she is meeting after school with Marcus.
 

Then no, I’m not going to do any such thing.
 
The world tends to help those that are pushing themselves.
 
I suggest Todd learn that now.
 
Catering to him won’t do it.

You know, I think you would make a good parent.

Bethany Anne smiled,
Thanks TOM.
 
That means a lot coming from you.

Why, because I’m an alien?

    
No jackass, because you’re my closest friend.

You know, I wouldn’t mind going up either.

Bethany Anne smiled,
Research?

Sure, if you want to call it that.

Bethany Anne left the workout area and texted Gabrielle that she was taking a Pod to go spend some time to think.

Her text came back quickly, “WHERE R U LANDING?”

She smiled, “RIGHT BACK HERE – YOU NOSY VAMP!”

Gabrielle replied, “HEY, I’D SAY DON’T DO ANYTHING I WOULDN’T, BUT THEN YOU NEED A COUPLE OF CENTURIES TO GET EVEN CLOSE ;-)”

—

Bethany Anne looked out of the Pod glass from the upper thermosphere, having already swiped the read-outs off so she could see the beautiful blue sphere below her.

Bethany Anne and TOM had figured out that with the new Etherically connected radio systems in the Pods, TOM and ADAM could route their communication to the spaceship and then back into the Pod.
 
It was a little odd for TOM to hear himself, even if the voice sounded more electronic than organic.
 
At times, Bethany Anne preferred to speak out loud with her friend.

“It’s so beautiful.”

“I agree.”
 
TOM said.

They were circumnavigating the globe and presently Bethany Anne could spot Australia and New Zealand beneath them.

ADAM?

>>Yes?<<

While ADAM could run his voice through the same connections TOM did, he did not normally chose that process and Bethany Anne had never told him to do so.

Can you interface with the Heads Up Display (HUD) and highlight the locations where the servers are located that you guys protected?

Outlines began to appear representing the land masses beneath her. ADAM made his globe a sphere, but only showed the information from their present view.
 
There were a few dots in New Zealand and more in Australia.
 
ADAM placed a count of servers cleaned, by country, off to the side.

The numbers kept rising until it stopped at a total exceeding eighty-four thousand.

Bethany Anne put her foot out on the bracket and put her chin in her hand, bracing her elbow on her knee.
 
“Why do I keep hearing about millions of machines being affected if you only found eighty-four thousand?”

>>I am only displaying the major infection sites.
 
That is not a count of the servers I cleaned or the dormant slave copies which infect the desktop machines and laptops.<<

“As a percentage, how many do you believe you cleaned up??

>>Are you asking by country, by this one group, or as a whole?<<

“Whole.”

>>I compute the clean-up value somewhere less than one percent.<<

“Mother-puss-filled…Really?”
 
Bethany Anne was shocked.
 

>>Yes.
 
All nations which have the capabilities expect that the ‘First Strike’ of a new war will be digital.
 
The Chinese were just the first major power to recognize this tactic and have become masters at it, they are constantly evolving and updating. However, all the major powers do it to some extent.”<<

Bethany Anne searched her memories for the name of a virus or something that was in the news many years before, “What about Stux-net?”

>>Stux-net is thought to be a joint Israeli-American worm used to destroy the Iranian centrifuges used in their nuclear program. In 2015, Kaspersky Labs found another highly sophisticated espionage platform created by what they called the Equation Group. Due to timing between similarly designed exploits used by both groups and their use in programs has led to assumptions they are either the same group or working closely together.
 

Presently, the expectation is that any significant war between nations will start with a debilitating strike to upset all services within the target country.
 
For example, China would release digital war packages which would reduce if not completely disrupt services such as electricity, water, gas and oil flow.
 
The necessary command packages which run the plants have been easily entered and their command and control components can be remotely coordinated.
 

A foreign country in control would be able to do something as benign as shut down the facility. Or escalate to issuing commands which could be used to cause substantial damage to infrastructure. This would trigger devastation within the country and require that civilian efforts be focused internally.
 

This would minimize any assistance these companies might have been able to bring to bear to support an outwardly facing war effort. Once the populace is focused on their own issues, the expectation is that the war effort would lose any support. The expected result is that the government would be called upon to sue for peace.<<