Prediction
Page 26
She sat upright as he approached.
He pointed to her screen. "Do you have a technical problem?"
"The system has been slow for several hours. Now it’s rejecting all queries. It's like a key element has malfunctioned or is disconnected."
Morton looked to the young man on her left. "And you?"
"The same, sir. I've raised tickets, but I'm not getting any response from tech support."
Morton turned and walked to the floor supervisor. "I need your console."
She immediately stepped back and he placed his palm on the screen then typed in a long access code. Next he typed a question: PRIORITY LEVEL ONE OVERRIDE. WHERE IS TECH SUPPORT?
There was a long pause. Much longer than there should have been for a Level One request. Finally a string of text blinked onto the display: ANSWER NOT KNOWN. INSUFFICIENT DATA OR INSUFFICIENT PROCESSING CYCLES AVAILABLE.
Morton swore and typed the question again. There was a longer delay until new text appeared: ERROR. SYSTEM INACCESSIBLE.
"I've never seen it do that," said the young woman.
Neither have I, thought Morton.
He turned and ran to the booth, other workers scattering out of his path. He worked his way through security. Once voice identification was complete, he gave one order: "Initiate."
There was no reply. Morton narrowed his eyes. Was the microphone working correctly? Or was Marcia simply not there? That had never happened before.
He was about to speak again when the reply finally came. "This is Marcia. How can I be of assistance?"
He tried to keep his voice calm. "We have a serious problem."
"What is it?" Her tone was not quite as usual. Was there a hint of irritation perhaps?
"The system is offline. I’m surprised we didn’t get—"
"Obviously I am aware. The issue is being resolved. I'll notify you when the process is complete."
Morton rocked back in his chair. "Are you saying this was planned? Why was I not notified?"
"The decision process unfolded dynamically. You were not on the critical path."
"But if you'd warned me I wouldn't have wasted time attempting to diagnose the problem." Morton ran a hand through his hair. Had he been wrong to think she would not have the matter completely under control? If she had decided not to inform him, there was no doubt some very good reason.
"We will consider adapting our procedures moving forward. Thank you. I can tell that the London office is safe in your capable hands."
The communication ended and Morton stood to leave, then paused. He had never heard Marcia speak like that. He turned back in the direction of the server room. Perhaps it was time for another inspection visit.
He stepped through the door, and immediately knew that something was terribly wrong.
Eighty-Four
Michael watched as Millie parked the car in the forest, where their kidnapper had instructed. The first rays of light were in the sky, but with the branches above it was hard to discern.
"Get out," said the woman. "Nice and smooth. No sudden movements."
Michael opened his door and stepped out. Millie did the same and stood next to him. The woman followed suit. She was dressed in black combat clothing, with a cap pulled low over her face. They watched as she threw something thin and white on the ground in front of him: plastic zip-ties.
"Tie her hands behind her back," said the woman.
Michael shook his head. "You don’t have to do this."
She waved the gun. "Get on with it."
He sighed and picked up the lengths of plastic.
"You work for them, don’t you?" Millie said. "Are you the one that killed Nichol?"
The woman blinked. "What? Of course not."
Michael stared at her. "Then why kidnap us?"
"I’m rescuing you, Mr Adams. And working out who the girl is. Now tie her hands like I told you."
"What do you mean, work out who she is? She was the one rescuing me." He placed the ties around Millie’s wrists.
"She just breached the security on a police station, so I have a pretty good idea who she’s working for. And that means you cannot take her actions at face value."
Mille frowned. "You don’t know what you’re talking about. And you’re making a huge mistake."
Michael secured the zip tie. "What now?"
"Step well away from her. Nice and slow."
"I thought you were rescuing me?"
"That’s my general plan, but I have no idea if I trust you yet."
"Great." He slowly moved away, his eyes flicking around. "Why did you bring us to these woods?"
"It’s a location picked at random, away from telecommunications and CCTV, and enough trees to make drone or even satellite coverage difficult."
Millie laughed. "And I thought I was the conspiracy theorist."
"In my line of business the conspiracies tend to be real. By the way, if you think your friends are going to come rescue you, think again. I have a jammer running, and it’s military grade."
Michael stared. "I’m getting the sense that we’re all confused as to each others’ motives."
"My motive," said the woman, "is to get to the truth. For example, I’m certain you were framed for the murder of Duncan Nichol."
"I was."
"Do you know why?"
"I have no idea."
"Well we need to work that out, so I need you to tell me everything."
Michael frowned. "Why would I trust you? The kidnapping, the pistol, the zip-ties don’t really suggest that I should."
"Yesterday the Director of the Security Service, Warwick Saxton, was arrested for a crime he did not commit."
"And how do you know he’s innocent?"
"Oh, he’s far from innocent. As the head of MI5 there are many matters in which he is culpable. But as to the specific charges on which he is being held, he has been set up. I’d know because I’ve worked for him for ten years."
Millie burst out laughing. "You work for Warwick Saxton? Oh this is priceless."
"Why is that?"
"Because I do too. Well, I’m more a freelance consultant. My name is Millie Wright. Look me up. I have quite the online presence."
"I don’t have access to my regular systems. For the last few days I’ve been at great pains to avoid anyone discovering I am still alive." She sighed. "Even if you are who you say you are, it doesn’t mean you aren’t also part of the problem. You could be a double agent, infiltrating Saxton’s team."
Michael shook his head. "So how do we resolve this?"
"I think," Millie replied, "that someone else is going to resolve it for us."
"What?" the woman asked, then she looked down.
A red dot had appeared on her chest and a voice called out. "Drop your weapon. We have you surrounded."
The woman cursed and threw her gun to the ground. "How did you find us?"
"I assume because he’s been tracking us," Millie said. "Normally I’d be pissed, but today I’m happy to make an exception."
Gregory Jenson appeared from between the trees, carrying an advanced automatic rifle aimed unerringly at the woman.
His expression became one of confusion, and he lowered the rifle. "Astrid? What the hell is going on?"
Michael shook his head. "You’re Astrid Kelly? Jenson’s assistant?"
The woman nodded, taking off her cap.
Jenson walked closer. "How are you here? Where have you been?" He raised the rifle again. "And what are you doing kidnapping these two? Explain fast."
"Easy, Greg," she said, raising a hand. "I was about to rescue Adams when I found him in the custody of this young woman. I had to intervene. When I saw it all on the news, I knew it had to be relevant, given his connection to ZAT it had to be relevant."
"Relevant? And how did you find him? The news didn’t give his exact location."
"Well," Millie said, "Astrid here also has access to more exclusive sources of data. She claims to work for Saxton. And maybe she also works for K
inek."
"Of course, I don’t," Kelly said.
Jenson’s eyes narrowed. "We’ll come to Kinek in a moment. You always told me MI5 fired you. That those events pretty much defined you."
"This has all got rather complicated."
"Then uncomplicate it. Do you work for Saxton?"
"I do," she said. "Although with him under arrest, I’m not sure if that’s still true. And before you lose your temper, I haven’t been spying on you. I’ve been protecting you."
Jenson’s expression reddened. "I trusted you with everything. With my daughter."
"During the original planning for Project Parallel, Saxton developed concerns over your safety. He was worried that you might be vulnerable to coercion or threats. He engineered things so that I could find a place at ZAT, but not so that I could pass on information. I was there to keep you, and Teresa, safe." She held up her hands. "You sent me on an off-book mission the other day. Well, Saxton sent me on one years ago. I haven’t had any direct contact with him since, until yesterday."
"What changed?"
"When I went to the equipment cache I was intercepted by an agent who gave her name as Cortez. I’m guessing she works for this Kinek we’re hearing so much about."
"Why didn’t you inform me?" Jenson asked.
"I barely escaped with my life. She left me for dead, and I was incredibly lucky to survive."
"And that didn’t merit a call to warn me?"
"I knew it might give us a chance if they thought I was dead. It’s become clear that Kinek knows everything we’re doing, and why we’re doing it. I needed to generate some kind of advantage; if they thought I was out of the game and hadn’t been able to warn you, I knew we’d have an edge."
Jenson turned to Michael. "What do you think we should do?"
"I think we should get out of these woods."
"And do what exactly?"
"Well, given who you are, I find it improbable you don’t have a plan. But if you’re looking for suggestions, then I say we find Kinek."
"And Darwin," Millie said.
Michael nodded. "When we do, we stop all this nonsense."
Jenson lowered his rifle. "I agree."
Kelly let out a sigh. "That’s good to hear—"
"But if you’re coming with us, Astrid, we’re going to tie you up. I’m still not sure I trust you."
She shrugged.
Michael held out another zip-tie. "You OK if I do the honours?"
Kelly smiled. "Be my guest."
Michael fastened the plastic in place, then looked at Jenson. "Do you have somewhere for us to go?"
"I do. And you can meet the other member of our impromptu team."
"And who is that?"
Jenson hesitated. "You know, in a day of weird nonsense, I’ll just let you see for yourself."
Millie cleared her throat and waggled her wrists, still bound by the zip-tie. "If I’m going to drive, you might need to help me out here."
Eighty-Five
Michael again sat in the passenger seat as Millie drove steadily west out of London, following a safe distance behind Jenson’s Range Rover, in which Jenson and Kelly were travelling. Millie glanced repeatedly into the rear-view mirror.
Michael frowned. "I’d have thought you would have rigged up some type of scanner to see if anyone is tracking us. It would save you looking back half the time."
"They'd track the scanner."
"Which ‘they’ is this?"
"Kinek. Because we think they built your father’s system."
"They’re operating Darwin?"
"There’s a lot to get you up to speed on."
"Why are you and Jenson being so cryptic about everything, including this other team member?"
"Have some patience." She glanced at her phone. "According to Jenson, we'll be there in five."
Michael folded his arms and looked out at the starry sky. Four and half minutes later, Millie followed the Range Rover as it turned into a low-quality business park. They drove between rows of metal and brick units, many of which looked like they were unoccupied. They came to a halt in front of a particularly tired-looking unit. A peeling sign read ‘GJSF Ltd’.
The door began rolling up and after Jenson drove inside, they followed. The door immediately descended after them. As it banged shut, bright lights ignited all around them. They climbed out of the car, squinting.
Kelly frowned. "What is this place? I’ve never seen it on a site list."
"Because it isn’t on one. I kept a few things to myself." He raised his eyebrows at her. "It seems with good reason."
Michael looked around the deserted space as Jenson pulled a remote control from his pocket and pressed a button. Behind him, a panel slid back, revealing a metal staircase.
"Who’s GJSF?" Millie asked, looking at the dark space below.
"A shell company I set up," Jenson replied. "Gregory Jenson Secret Facilities. It seemed funny at the time." He pointed to the steps. "After you."
Michael glanced at Millie, but she waved him onwards. Puzzled, he descended into a much more dimly-lit area. As he reached the bottom, he saw a figure standing waiting for him. The man stepped into the light.
And Michael stepped back.
At first he didn’t believe what he was seeing. The man before him had aged fifteen years, but that expression could only belong to one person.
And yet it was impossible.
Michael blinked rapidly. What his eyes showed him didn’t change.
"Hello, Michael," said Craig. "It's been a while."
Eighty-Six
Michael stood looking at his father. "How?" he managed to croak. "How are you alive?"
Craig moved forward, as if he might embrace Michael, then hesitated. "It's a long story."
"You died. In a fire."
"All staged. Vanishing was the only way I could protect you."
Michael clenched and unclenched his fists. "They found a body. Your body."
"They found traces of DNA in my teeth. The bones weren’t mine."
"Then whose were they?"
Craig looked down. "A skeleton I bought via eBay. An old demo-model from a teaching hospital. I threw in a couple of my actual teeth."
Michael shook his head slowly. "Does Mum know?"
"No. I had to make sure she believed it too. There’s no way she could have carried the lie all these years – if she’d even agreed to play along."
"Why did you need to protect me? Who was I in danger from?"
"The answer is a little complex. For now, let’s just say I had a very reliable source." Craig cleared his throat. "Millie tells me you've been investigating Project Darwin."
Michael blinked. "What are you saying? That Darwin told you? That’s ridiculous."
Craig glared. "I thought I was keeping everyone safe."
"And, after fifteen years of lies, you expect us to welcome you back with open arms?"
"I didn’t mean to be back. I certainly didn’t mean to cross paths with you. But I discovered you’d changed jobs to work for a firm linked with ZAT. I knew it couldn’t just be coincidence. That’s not how things work in a world with Darwin. When there’s a link, it’s usually there by design."
"But Darwin never worked."
"That’s not exactly true. I got it working. And then I destroyed it."
"And you killed yourself to stop anyone making it again?"
Craig coughed. "Yes. But somebody else built my Darwin System, and was running it. Has been running it for many years. That should have been impossible. The only prototype was in the barn. All my records were stored there. Plus there was a factor they could never replicate."
"‘A factor’," Jenson said, walking down the stairs. "That’s one way of putting it."
Craig rubbed at his temples. "Before I explain you need to know what Darwin is, so that you can understand why it was so important that I did what I did. So you understand that certain outcomes were never intended."
"Mind if I listen in
?" Millie asked, following Jenson down the stairs.
"I was trying to talk with my son," Craig said, with a sigh. "But maybe it's for the best. We all need to be up to speed to decide what to do next."
Kelly cleared her throat as she appeared. "Hi, Mr Adams."
Craig frowned. "You are?"
"I work for Greg. And Saxton. But, as I think I’ve persuaded Greg, I do not work for Kinek. I was trying to rescue your son when Millie beat me to it."
"Anyone else want to pile in?"
Millie looked around. "Assuming that’s a no, why don’t I make us some strong coffee."
"So," Michael said, after Millie had placed hot mugs of coffee in each of their hands, "what exactly is Darwin?"
Craig paced in front of a whiteboard. "What I did was connect three different things: a prototype computer optimized for pattern analysis, matrix software to run the analysis in a constantly-evolving manner, and a set of encrypted tunnel-generators to access data." He hesitated and raised an eyebrow. "It's a computer that can find answers – and also suggest them."
"How does it come up with its answers? Where does it get its data?"
"For starters, the internet. But that’s just one network. There are many others, depending on how you define them. And I'm not just talking about the Deep Web and the Dark Web. More and more is being recorded – things you have no idea about – often in private corporate or personal islands of data." He pointed at Jenson. "Bugs like the ones ZAT makes are everywhere, watching, listening, recording. The system sucks down data from each of these different networks and overlays them, a bit like in weather prediction. Darwin is evolutionary in that it analyses its past performance and learns from it. If it predicts certain outcomes and gets them wrong, it re-analyses. Machine-learning, if you will."
"But the data you’re talking about is mostly inaccessible," Millie said. "It would be hidden behind firewalls inside encrypted systems possibly not even connected to the internet."
Craig shook his head. "Things are more connected than anyone realises. And, given enough time, tricks and processing power, you can get at almost anything."
"Tricks?" Michael asked.