Imagine (Fuzed Trilogy Book 2) Page 31

  Josh looked around the room and said, “What if there was something more intelligent and powerful that Agine felt accountable to?”

  The Secretary-General frowned. “Commander Fuze, are you talking about a supreme being?”

  Zeng interrupted, “I don’t wish to offend, but I don’t believe in any type of god, and if Agine gets out of control, I’m unwilling to bet our civilization on supernatural help.”

  With the slightest of smiles, Josh said, “General Zeng, I’m not talking about what you or I believe. The question is,” he paused for emphasis, “what does Agine believe?”

  Zeng’s eyebrows went up. “Are you suggesting Agine believes in some type of ... supreme being?”

  Jessica jumped in, “She does. I’ve had many discussions with her. I’m agnostic so I know I didn’t influence her, and yet, she’s convinced there’s a God.”

  Still smiling, Josh nodded. “She recently told me that she found the location of heaven.”

  There was some laughter around the room.

  Zeng nodded and said slowly, “Yes, Commander, but what happens as Agine matures and moves beyond naïve beliefs?” With a slight smile, he added. “What happens when she discovers heaven isn’t located in the clouds?”

  Looking thoughtful, Josh said, “That’s a good question. Some of Agine’s beliefs may be a reflection of ours.” Looking at Sheri, he said, “Dr. Lopez, you’re a social psychologist, can you tell us what percent of the world’s population holds this type of belief?”

  Sheri stood up. “According to the most recent global survey, more than half of the world believes in some type of supreme being, most of the rest are unsure with only 18 percent convinced there is no such thing.”

  Zeng nodded. “Popularity doesn’t make something true, and even among those who believe in a higher power, I would submit, many don’t believe in any type of accountability associated with that power.”

  Josh said, “I agree. In fact, I can demonstrate your point.” He turned toward Greg. “Greg, would you mind sharing your theological perspective?”

  “Uh, yeah, sure.” He thought for a moment and then said, “I guess it’s kind of like in the movie Avatar.”

  Yager looked over at him with surprise. “Greg, you base your spiritual beliefs on a movie?”

  Greg shrugged. “Yes sir, but it was an awesome movie.”

  Yager whispered, “Son, we gotta get you out more.”

  Josh said, “Greg, for those who might have missed the movie, would you please describe your perspective?”

  Greg thought for a moment and then said, “I think there could be some type of collective consciousness that somehow links all sentient creatures.”

  Josh nodded. “Would this collective consciousness have thoughts of its own? Would it be aware of you?”

  Greg frowned. “No. It would be more like a force of nature, an impersonal power like, uh, gravity.”

  Elizabeth noticed several head nods.

  With a thoughtful expression, Josh slowly asked, “Might this collective consciousness be similar to how Agine exists?”

  Greg nodded emphatically. “Exactly! Agine is an intelligence composed of billions of cell phones. A collective consciousness would be composed of billions of ... us. Cell phones are linked by a radio network. Humans might be linked by — I don’t know — maybe one of the extra dimensions of physics or something.”

  LeGrand stood up and said, “This is totally irrelevant. We’ve heard enough of this rubbish, let’s release the Raptor virus and be done with it ...”

  As LeGrand launched into another tirade, Elizabeth whispered to Sheri, “I don’t believe God is just some type of collective consciousness.”

  With a smile, Sheri said, “Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?”

  Elizabeth looked at her blankly.

  Seeing her face, Sheri added, “Sorry, I just mean he’s on a roll, and I think I know where he’s headed. To stop them from killing Jen, he has to have more than half the votes.”

  Elizabeth said, “So, he has to prove Agine feels accountable to a higher authority.”

  Sheri shook her head. “That’s the easy part, but odds are that more than half the people in this room either don’t believe in a supreme being or they believe like Greg, that if one exists it’s more like a force of nature or collective consciousness.”

  The Secretary-General interrupted LeGrand, “Prime Minister, we are well aware of your position. Please sit down.” He then nodded to Josh to continue.

  Josh turned back to Greg. Tilting his head slightly, he carefully asked, “If Agine’s extreme intelligence consists of billions of phones, each with the IQ of a lobster ... how intelligent would something that encompassed billions of human minds be?”

  Greg said, “It would be unfathomable, almost infinitely intelligent.”

  Like an attorney beginning his closing argument, Josh gently tapped the pen in his hand. “But Agine has its own thoughts.” He paused. “And we know it can be aware of the location of every cell phone in its network.” He paused again to let the idea sink in.

  Frowning, but nodding, Greg said slowly, “So ... a collective consciousness with immeasurable intelligence might also have its own thoughts and could be aware of ... us.” He paused and then shook his head. “It’s hard to imagine an uber intelligence would notice me or care about what I’m doing.”

  Josh said, “Hard to imagine, or,” he paused, “hard to want to imagine?”

  Greg laughed. “Yeah. Kind of scary thinking something knows what a knucklehead I am.”

  There were some nervous laughs around the room.

  LeGrand, throwing his hands dramatically in the air, blurted out, “What possible difference does it make what we or it believes. This is a complete waste of time. We need to destroy her — I mean it — immediately!”

  Ignoring LeGrand, Josh turned to Zeng. “Agine believes there is something more intelligent and powerful than her, and that it is aware of her. Discounting the four billion humans that share similar beliefs, Dr. Lopez, how would you evaluate Agine’s ability for logical thought?”

  Sheri said, “Like a child, Agine struggles with the subtleties of interpersonal relationships, but don’t confuse her naiveté with her ability to reason. Let’s not forget that Agine figured out how to predict earthquakes on her own.” She paused. “General Zeng, is Agine’s theological perspective naïve ... or could it be that her perception is unencumbered by cultural bias?”

  Zeng looked skeptical, but nodded his head slightly as a buzz of conversation ensued.

  LeGrand rolled his eyes and shook his head in utter disdain.

  Josh, looking at Zeng, added, “For the record, Agine doesn’t believe heaven is located in the clouds.” He smiled. “She’s convinced it’s located in one of the seven extra dimensions of physics’ M Theory.”

  Jessica added, “And I can confirm Agine’s perceptions aren’t based on religious dogma. She told me that according to quantum physics there could be no reality without an observer. She also said, since The Big Bang created the Universe, something outside the Universe — outside space and time — had to be around to create it.” She shrugged.

  Zeng looked genuinely surprised.

  LeGrand, suddenly trying to sound reasonable, said, “This is all very interesting, but let us not forget that we’re talking about the same piece of software that minutes ago was converting every document in the world to Chinese. And, I think we should be careful about blindly accepting information from ... how do I put this delicately?” He looked directly at Josh. “A source of questionable lineage.”

  Irritated, the Secretary-General said, “Mr. LeGrand—”

  LeGrand interrupted, “Mr. Secretary, may we finish this charade and vote?”

  The Secretary-General raised one eyebrow at LeGrand and then turned to Josh. “Commander, do you have anything else to add?”

  Josh nodded. “General Zeng said Agine’s been neutralized and cannot reconstitute without p
hysically reloading firmware on the phones.”

  Zeng nodded.

  Josh finished, “Agine may already be dead, but once we release the Raptor virus, it will be impossible to resurrect her. With that, we lose the ability to predict earthquakes, protect ourselves from future AIs, and potentially, much more. I’m simply proposing we delay Raptor until we can determine if we can work with Agine in the future.”

  To the Secretary-General, Turan said, “May I summarize?”

  The Secretary-General nodded.

  Turan said, “I believe the proposal on the table is to delay the release of the Raptor virus until further evaluation of Agine’s danger and potential.” He looked at Josh for confirmation.

  Josh nodded.

  The Secretary-General said, “Very well. With a show of hands, those in favor of delaying the release, please raise your hand.”

  Slowly, hands went up across the room.

  Looking around, Elizabeth was surprised that it was a clear majority, including, she was shocked to see, Zeng and Shearer.

  “Those in favor of releasing Raptor now?”

  Only a few raised their hands with many abstaining.

  LeGrand said, “This is absolutely absurd, and I refuse to be a part of it!” With that, he stood up and left his table.

  The Secretary-General said, “Commander Fuze, you have won a stay of execution. The next step is to figure out what the next step is. The police are here, and they’ll need to take statements from you and Dr. Lee.” Looking around, he added, “Unless there are any objections, I suggest we recess until tomorrow.”

  There were no objections.

  Elizabeth, along with Sheri, Tim and Greg, congratulated Josh.

  Josh said, “Thanks, but this is just the beginning.”

  Sheri said, “We’ve got to figure out how to teach—”

  Someone yelled, “Look!”

  They all turned to see Shearer pointing at the giant wall display. It showed “Raptor Virus Engaged” flashing, accompanied by a timer counting forward.

  Loudly, Turan asked, “What’s going on?”

  Zeng looked up from a computer screen and pointed at LeGrand, who was standing behind one of the computer consoles. “He just sent the command to release Raptor!”

  Josh yelled, “Stop it!”

  Zeng shook his head, “I can’t. Once released, it can’t be recalled. I’m sorry.”

  Elizabeth watched as the 3D globe slowly changed from yellow to red.

  49

  EXECUTION

  Tim saw Josh slump into a chair. Watching the display of the globe was like witnessing a fatal car crash in slow motion. Elizabeth put her hand on Josh’s shoulder and Tim heard him quietly say, “I feel like I’m losing another child.”

  The Secretary-General said, “Prime Minister LeGrand, that was a despicable and cowardly act.”

  LeGrand, standing near the door with a look of superiority, sniffed and said, “I just did what was necessary — what no one here had the courage to do.” He casually continued, “This isn’t an official body. You have no authority or mandate, and,” he smiled, “there’s nothing you can do to me.”

  Tim headed straight to where General DeVos was sitting. As he spoke quietly to DeVos, he saw Jessica walk up behind LeGrand and tap him on the shoulder.

  Still smiling, LeGrand turned to face her.

  Jessica hit him in the stomach with a short powerful martial arts punch. As he bent over, she followed with a hard right cross to his face.

  Screaming like a woman, LeGrand stumbled backward, holding his face and trying to catch his breath.

  Tim was certain she’d broken his nose.

  Jessica just stood there.

  General DeVos signaled to two large Belgian soldiers standing guard near the door. They rushed to DeVos’s side.

  LeGrand pulled out a handkerchief and held it to his bleeding nose while pointing at Jessica and screaming, “Arrest her!”

  After speaking quietly to the soldiers, General DeVos faced Jessica and LeGrand. “I’m afraid we will have to take you into custody.”

  Jessica — looking not the least bit apologetic — waited for the soldiers.

  The two soldiers walked right past her and flanked LeGrand, saying, “Sir, please come with us.”

  LeGrand, looking incredulous, screeched at DeVos, “You can’t arrest me for launching the virus!”

  DeVos said, “No sir, I can’t. But inside my NATO facility, I can have you taken into custody for suspected kidnapping.”

  Narrowing his eyes over the top of his handkerchief, LeGrand yelled, “That’s absurd!”

  DeVos said, “You asked me to take Commander Fuze and Dr. Lee to dinner to apologize for your behavior. I should have known. Apologizing isn’t part of your character.” He shook his head in disgust. “But I thought having someone else do it for you ... might be. You had me called away from the restaurant. They were drugged and kidnapped immediately after I left.”

  LeGrand looked at DeVos with contempt. “That’s purely circumstantial, but you will pay dearly for this insult.”

  DeVos said, “I just spoke with the NATO Headquarters Facility Director. He told me that you personally ordered him to turn the holding facility over to contract agents.” He paused for emphasis. “The same facility where Commander Fuze and Dr. Lee were held prisoner.”

  Too quickly, LeGrand said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Where are these hypothetical agents?”

  DeVos casually held up the keys Tim had just given him. “Mr. Smith was kind enough to arrange for them to remain as guests of the facility.”

  LeGrand said, “You fool! You can’t arrest me. I’m the Prime Minister. I have executive privilege!”

  DeVos smiled. “I can’t arrest you, but it is within my power to have you escorted out of this NATO facility, and I’ve informed the police and the judicial branch. I believe they, along with the media, will be waiting outside to hear your explanation.”

  LeGrand’s face turned red and the veins on his forehead bulged, as he screamed, “I’ll destroy you for this!” He then lurched toward Jessica and took a swing at her.

  She deftly ducked the punch, as the two soldiers grabbed him. He fought wildly, forcing them to drop him to the floor and handcuff his arms behind his back. As they picked him up and dragged him off, he screamed obscenities.

  Tim saw General Li rush forward when LeGrand tried to hit his daughter.

  As Jessica turned away from LeGrand, she came face-to-face with her father. Looking up at him in surprise, she started to defend her actions, but he cut her off by putting his arms around her and kissing her forehead. In English, Tim clearly heard him say, “I am so proud of you ... my number one daughter.”

  She hugged him back with tears in her eyes.

  As LeGrand’s screams faded, Tim saw Greg shaking his head and saying, “That’s really weird.”

  Standing next to Zeng, Greg looked rapidly back and forth between a computer monitor and the giant globe display.

  Tim looked up at the globe. Some of the tiny red lights covering the globe were winking out.

  Shearer, looking at the display, said, “Uh oh.”

  The Secretary-General asked, “What’s going on?”

  Shearer shook his head. “The black represents a dead network, phones dropping off the communication grid.”

  Turan asked, “What does that mean?”

  Zeng was shaking his head as his fingers flew across a keyboard. Finally, he looked up and said, “It appears Raptor may not be stopping with the phone’s iMagine software.”

  Armani, holding a conventional wired phone, said, “I’m talking to iMagination headquarters in Atlanta via landline. That’s where the Raptor was first launched. They say their cell phones are all down.”

  Armani pointed back at the display. “It appears all cell phone traffic in the Southeast U.S. has ceased.”

  Zeng looked carefully at his computer monitor and then, running his hand through his hair, sai
d, “Unfortunately, it appears Raptor is now attacking all the software on the phones.”

  Turan asked, “Why would it do that?”

  Greg, looking thoughtful, said, “Agine’s identity is holographic. That means a tiny part of her is spread across every phone.” He sighed, “I think Raptor now sees iMagine’s software signature everywhere.”

  The Russian President asked, “Are you telling us that every cell phone in the world will become inoperable?”

  Greg pulled out his phone and held it up so they could see the display. The screen was black with nothing but white ones and zeroes on it.

  Everyone looked at their phone. Within seconds, they all saw the same.

  Greg asked Zeng. “Why is it displaying binary?”

  Zeng shook his head. “I don’t know. The virus reads binary machine code as part of the matching process, but it should then delete it.”

  The Russian President frowned. “Binary?”

  Greg replied, “Computers can only work with ‘on and off,’ so everything, every number, letter, picture, has to be represented by some combination of ones and zeroes.”

  Still frowning, the Russian President asked, “Who can read that kind of language?”

  “Only computers.” Pointing at the 3D globe smothering in a tide of black, Greg added, “Every cell phone in the world will soon be useless. They’ll all have to have their operating system reloaded.”

  Armani, still on the phone, said, “Uh, that may not be possible.”

  All eyes went to him.

  Armani said, “Raptor just moved to the Internet.”

  Greg slapped his forehead. “I forgot that iMagine’s been installed on tablets, laptops, even cars.”

  Turan asked, “You mean Raptor could be attacking documents online?”

  Armani said softly, “No. It’s attacking everything. Every piece of software connected to the Internet.”

  “But surely Internet firewalls will stop it.”

  Shearer said slowly. “The NSA and,” nodding toward Zeng, “other organizations have long known how to crack every hardware and software firewall.” He shook his head. “Unfortunately, Raptor has that ability.”