TKG08 WE WILL BUILD Rel 01 (8 page)

 
“So every major power is doing this?
 
How much did you do to deter the Chinese with your last effort?”

>>I’ve calculated the result to be less than seven percent of their existing infrastructure.
 
My expectation is that they have already infiltrated an additional two percent to date.<<

“Show me all digitally compromised locations by severity.”

The three dimensional globe started filling in with dots.
 
Reds through oranges, yellows and finally blues.
 
She took a hand and swiped it on the glass, turning the 3D globe and looking around the virtual world.
 
Except for Antarctica, there wasn’t a continent that wasn’t covered in oranges and reds.

“
Oh. My. God
.”

   
“ADAM, I want to make sure I understand what you are showing me. All of these dots represent computers that have already had their security breached, do I understand that correctly?”

   
>>YES.<<

   
“Alright, explain what has happened in terms so I can understand.”

   
>>Since we have been discussing the Chinese will it be acceptable to use China and the United States as examples?<<

   
Bethany Anne nodded her head habitually as she answered. “Yes, that works - Just say ‘U.S.’ though.”

   
>>Very well. China is preparing for the possibility of war with the U.S. With computers controlling so many vital functions, computer systems have become strategic targets. So foreign powers, in this example China, infiltrate key computer systems. Key systems include computers that electrical power companies use to control the power grids supplying their customers. The Chinese would target these computer systems and infiltrate them with a worm or latent virus. If war between the two countries appears inevitable, the Chinese would send a signal to that worm package causing it to become active. The probable result would be that the power grid of that electric company would cease to function. That would cause a complete blackout for that company’s customers. This is an example of just one facet of modern infrastructure. World powers target the computers of every infrastructure system they can infiltrate. Have I provided an adequate example?<<

“Yes, thank you. ADAM, do you have any idea what would happen if all of those worm packages were released at one time?”

>>Significant infrastructure and societal turmoil.
 
Calculations project forty-two percent reduction in population within five years as food and fuel become scarce and societies fail to maintain cohesion.<<

She slapped the side of the pod in anger, “Son of a bitch!
 
Those bastards are playing with life as we know it.
 
Those pillow biting dumb-shits are going to put into place something that anyone can use to drop the world into the fucking toilet!”

Bethany Anne stayed quiet as she fumed and thought on what ADAM had just told her.
 
“ADAM, what would be the best tactical method of neutralizing all of the payloads?”

>>Provided the software does not run on a communication system where it will release its payload if it fails to receive a communication, then blocking the communications would be sufficient.
 
However, if the payloads require the ability to communicate and without success it starts the payload, then the computer systems would have to be found and systematically cleaned.
 
Potentially, it would have to be a surgical strike at all control programs within the targeted company simultaneously.
 
Should the targeted company have a control program residing on a laptop that either remotely calls in, or the employee comes into the workplace and plugs back in the beneficial effort would be wasted. <<

“So, we are talking a complete beheading of the control systems and then cleanout of the payloads within the systems.”

>>Yes – For each individual location.<<

“Then, you would have to upgrade their security … Wait a minute.
 
If you did this like you and TOM did the Chinese, then we would set off all sorts of alarms.
 
Any way that we can do this without alarming everyone and setting off the result we are trying to protect everyone from?”

>>No.<<

“Bethany Anne, what about using a front?” TOM asked through the Pod’s speakers.

“Like the security company?”

“No, I’m thinking something like Anonymous.”

Bethany Anne started laughing.
 
“Oh TOM, that’s priceless!”

>>Why is attributing our efforts to an anonymous person priceless? <<

“TOM’s talking about Anonymous the hacktivist group, not an anonymous person.
 
If you setup all of your work and act like an Anonymous hacker then the major power players are just going to believe that they are fighting other humans.
 
If you make a mistake somewhere, then the powers are going to believe it more and more.
 
Yeah, that makes sense.
 
You’re going to have to flub a bit.”

>>Flub?<<

You are going to have to make a few mistakes on purpose and not have everything you do seem more sophisticated than what most programmers can accomplish right now.

>>I’m going to make mistakes … intentionally? <<

“Yes.”

>>I am having trouble computing the justification for making mistakes on purpose. <<

“That’s because not everything humans do is logical.
 
We can be a very emotionally driven being.
 
Those emotions can cause us to do illogical actions.”

Bethany Anne thought about how to help ADAM understand and came up empty.
 
Well, maybe another time.

“I need you to start the process by implementing small ‘fix it’ jobs to test your efforts.
 
Study everything you can on the hacktivist group Anonymous and see what they do that might provide you with cover for your persona.
 
Run it by me first before you do anything, please.
 
I don’t need to deal with a ruined world while we fight something coming at us, too.”

She exhaled loudly in the small cockpit.
 
What was usually a breathtaking view and a regenerative time to herself wasn’t working too well for her right now.
 

She smiled, what she needed was a fresh place to go.
 
“TOM.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s go see the moon.”

The pod turned lazily, the view of space taking up the glass in front of her as the earth slid off to one side.
 
The moon came into view with just a slip of the earth still in the bottom left of the view.
 

It was beautiful, hanging there and bright enough for her to feel like it was ‘just a few miles away’.
 

“Ready?”
 
Asked TOM.

She smiled, “Make it so, pilot!”

The Pod shot forward, the earth disappeared off of the glass in just a moment as the moon suddenly and rapidly started growing in size.

Bethany Anne’s face was alight in glee, her smile large enough for her teeth to reflect moonlight back outside as she shouted “Fuuuuuck Meeeeee!”

The first modified human using alien technology went screaming towards the moon.
 
Her AI and Alien companions joining her for a ride that would become the point where historians marked the future of Queen Bethany Anne’s legacy.

QBS Polarus – Mediterranean

“Well, son of a bitch.”
 
Frank Kurns was reviewing his latest information packet.
 
He had communicated with ADAM, who had offered to optimize Frank’s programs and research tools.
 
Frank was mollified that it had taken ADAM at least six hours to upgrade all of the programming.
 

Frank didn’t know it had taken ADAM less than twenty-two minutes.
 
ADAM had been told by Bethany Anne to wait six more hours before notifying Frank.

However, that modified code had now uncovered a potential vampire issue in the land down under.
 
Frank sighed, he had hoped that they could focus on outer space after Bethany Anne and Michael had taken David out.
 
Frank had seen the remains of the ceramic protective vest that Bethany Anne had been wearing when David had shot her.
 

That had been one powerful rifle.
 

Frank picked up his phone and dialed an extension, “Dan?
 
It’s Frank.
 
No, I’m good, thank you.
 
Hey, this is one of those ‘old timey’ calls.
 
No, not that kind of old timey call meathead.
 
This is a potential Forsaken call.
 
Yeah, my sentiments exactly.
 
Where?
 
Australia.
 
No, I don’t think you need her on this.
 
Hell, you could probably send in a couple of the guys but I think you need to ask Gabrielle to lead this.
 
Yeah, because she might know them.
 
It would be nice if this could be solved without violence but who the hell knows.
 
Yes, I’ll have the specifics for you within the hour.
 
Well, I’m sure sooner is better than later.
 
Scott and Darryl are back from Texas?
 
What the hell were they in Texas for?
 
UFO sighting?
 
Are you shitting me?
 
Yes… Wait, they are there for bigfoot?
 
Good lord man, which is it?
 
Stop laughing, dick-less.
 
Ok, UFO it is.
 
That’s interesting.
 
No, I just thought that MUFON’s data would be nice to go through. No, I’ll ask ADAM to help me with that.
 
Well, if they haven’t found anything then those two would be perfect.
 
I imagine John wouldn’t want to be separated from Cheryl Lynn at this time and Darryl and Scott work well together.
 
Yeah, there is that whole Eric and Gabrielle thing.
 
No, I don’t think anything is going on but you never know if it might flare up again, better not to tempt fate.
 
Sure, meet you there at two, bye.”

Sydney, Australia

Richard Linstone arrived at Maxwell’s Café, a favorite small coffee shop on Spring Street in Sydney, sharply at eight pm.
 
He walked up to the glass display case which had sandwiches and other food on display. Richard smiled to the lady behind the counter as he selected his piccolo and beef Szechuan salad extra bloody.
 

After paying, he made his way over to his good friend for the last two hundred and forty years.
 
His friend was wearing a trendy white shirt over his brown slacks and sipping tea.
 
Richard, on the other hand, was happy with a blazer over his tight t-shirt and designer jeans.

He nodded his head as he sat his piccolo and salad on the table.
 
“Samuel.”
 

His friend sipped his tea, “Richard, how are you this evening?”

“Good, good.
 
I’m going to need to get another bite later since I’m in town.
 
No need to waste this opportunity.”

“A little blood to go?”

Richard smiled, “Something like that, yes.”
 
He took his seat and made sure no customers were too close. “Ok Samuel, you asked for this time, please let me know why it was so important that we touch base?”

“Come-come Richard, where are the manners you were taught?”

“I’m doing a decade without.
 
I like to change things up from time to time.”

“Like the time you decided only to drink from animals?”

Richard made a face of disgust, “That was a horrible idea.
 
Thank god I had only decided to try that for six months.”

Samuel laughed, “What about the time you would only take the blood of virgins?”

Richard rolled his eyes, “How was I supposed to know that the sexual revolution would start that next year?”
 
he smiled, thinking back on that decade.

“Well,” Samuel agreed, “you were smart enough to broaden your definition of ‘virgin’ after a while.”

It was Richards turn to laugh, “I had to cut it off as either never having sex, or not having sex in the last six months.
 
I’m telling you, even then finding a good snack at the disco was a real tribulation.
 
I lost more money in free drinks just to find out the little sluts had been doing different men each month.
 
I’m telling you, if I wasn’t such an easy going Vampire, I would have believed that society was going down the tubes.”

Samuel tried not to bark out in laughter.
 
His mirth, however didn’t stop from manifesting in his eyes. “You dolt!
 
I had to listen to you for over three hours complain about the poor morals in the 70’s.
 
All you would talk about was that single females had finally been able to get the pill here in Australia and finding a nice virgin was as impossible as finding snow on a hot day in Alice Springs.

Richard was taken back to that night, “Ahhh, good times.”

Samuel looked around and muttered through his grin, “Says you...”

Richard shrugged, “True.”
 
He looked at his friend, “Why do I get the impression that you are finally going to get to the point of this conversation?”

Samuel put down his empty tea cup.
 
“Because you are an intelligent man and know me too damn well.”

Richard raised his eyebrows, “This must be a good request, you are buttering both sides.”