Cyber Thought Police

by Kyle Robertson

  “Didn’t you just hear me? These radical humans can never be members of Neo-Khaos.”

  “Why? What makes them so flawed we can’t recruit them?” Sledge asked.

  “The reason I call them radical is that we monitored their group worshipping the Program through chants. That’s definitely a deal breaker,” Cole felt bad a group of humans was worshipping the entity whose self-designed purpose was to destroy them.

  “How can you be so sure they’re worshiping the Program?” Sledge asked.

  “We left Snark behind to record their meeting,” Steve said. “She’ll rendezvous back here when she gets her information.”

  “We’ve been fighting against the Program for three years now. How are we going to deal with crazies wanting self-exsanguination?” Sledge was miffed.

  “Neutralize them,” Steve said bluntly.

  “There you go black and white decision making again.” Linda joined the group. “They’re crazy, but they’re still human. Do you want to become the Program’s lackey by just assisting in killing the last of us? We’re severely depleted, so we don’t need you to add to our gargantuan deficit.”

  “You’re lost in happy land, Linda. Greeting them with hospitality doesn’t work in war.”

  “You just can’t see what you’re suggesting, well I can,” she said. “We aren’t at war with fellow humans. I used to study ancient Egypt and Alchemy for my history credit. There was a mystical symbol called Ouroboros. It portrayed a serpent in a circle eating its own tail. If you kill other humans, you’re eating humanity’s tail.”

  Cole understood and decided not to destroy them.

  “I just have to know how insidious and dedicated they are to the Program,” Sledge said, “We’ll wait until Snark gets back with the recording and proceed from there.”

  

  It took 3 more hours to navigate in the twilight, but Snark finally came back. She was looking very worried. Cole greeted her.

  “Were there any problems? Are you okay?”

  “I know they were crazy, Cole, but now that group is getting very dangerous,” she said. She gave him the recording chip. “They want us all dead.”

  Cole took the chip and placed in the com device. They all gathered around to listen. It began with them chanting Circumscriber over and over again. A louder voice silenced them and began.

  “Acknowledge our next evolutionary emergence! Know we are the last stragglers of an extinct race!”

  Cole looked at Sledge.

  “They’re giving up.”

  Life on this planet began with the spark of abiogenesis. The one-celled organisms evolved into multi-celled organisms. The dominant species became dinosaurs in the Cretaceous period while others branch into alternate clades of different species. After many millions of years, In the evolutionary ladder, humans were on top for a while, but evolution has no end. Through natural selection, our chapter of dominance has but one page left. It is our duty to help to turn that page!”

  “The Program’s a very unnatural selection,” Sledge said. “They don’t get evolution is a very slow genetic process without a goal.”

  “Shh, listen to this charismatic nut,” Linda said.

  We intercepted a communication from Shen Leung prison. Apparently, we have non-accepters in our vicinity. Our communication with the Program is about a week from completion. When we reveal the resisters, the Program will take another step in evolution by obliterating this branch of humans. Kalin and his team are working around the clock so we can complete our journey. Understand it will come for us, but it will annihilate them as well.”

  As Neo-Khaos began to hear Circumscriber chanting, Cole turned off the recording.

  “If we want to live, we have to find a way to defeat them without casualties!” Cole yelled. “Give me any ideas to stop them without killing them!”

  “We can stop them for a day!” Steve yelled. “But we can’t stop them forever! I inventoried two hundred anti-riot non-lethal rifles with two hundred tear gas canisters in the armory! We can disable them for a day! Your real jobs are finding out how to stop them for good without killing them!”

  Sledge saw Steve’s tactics coming out to stay on target. He knew Steve could do the field maneuvers, but the others had to adopt the planning aspect.

  “Steve gave you the spark to win! Fan the flames to keep our fire going! Figuratively and literally!” Sledge yelled.

  

  It was late at night, but Neo-Khaos decided not to sleep. If they slumbered while not having a plan, their next sleep could be the final one.

  Chip came to Cole.

  “We’ve been racking our minds and I think we have a plausible strategy.”

  “Okay, shoot.”

  “Now what is the one thing we’re trying to avoid?” Chip asked.

  “No human casualties,” Cole confirmed.

  “And what’s the main thing we want?”

  “Initially to stop the Program, but a merger would be a bonus,” Cole said. “What’s with these simple questions?”

  “Those are the questions everyone is avoiding. They’re trying to solve the impossible. I’ve seen computer clans dedicated to one subject. They never changed their minds. They were always blood in, blood out. The others don’t know the blind dedication of a close-knit group, clan, or faction.”

  “What are you getting at?”

  “Don’t try to recruit anyone who would initially speculate our gesture would be a hostile confrontation. They believe the Program is the next evolutionary level. Show then it’s not,” Chip explained. “Don’t initially visit them with open arms. Sneak into their base and open our communications. I know it’s an extreme idea, but it’s not the stupid one everyone else is trying to work around.”

  “Okay, Chip. What do you propose we do?” Cole asked.

  “Work with your core squad initially for infiltration, and use the other squads for surprising confusion.”

  Cole wanted to see what Chip had devised.

  “Go on.”

  “Okay. Kayleigh can send the message, so she stays here to transmit. Gaia comes with me. Steve. Nugget, Jelly, and Snark to break into their camp. I’ll fix the transmitting box and destroy their Program transmitter. When it’s finished, I’ll send Kayleigh a communique to send to Liham the borgey code. When the rest of the world is controlling their own borgeys, the Program gets destroyed, and then we can recruit.”

  Cole was suspect of the plan.

  “They’re about two hundred of them in their camp, and those are just the ones we could see. They won’t just let you waltz in and tear down their command center.”

  “Of course they wouldn’t. That’s when we pull the magic trick. Have them focus on the blatantly obvious while we’re doing the trick.” Chip smiled. “We have two hundred riot rifles with a lot of tear gas canisters. The rest of our soldiers make a little ‘noise’ outside their camp to draw attention to themselves. The other group will think they’re at war and bring everybody to fight back. If they leave any security, that’s why Steve’s team is there. They’ll disable any opposition while Gaia and I finish our mission. All I need is five minutes and this will be all over. We use more tear gas to smoke up the place to escape. If they want to retaliate, they have to get through all our borgeys before they could even knock on the door. We’ll be ready for any siege. It’s much better to defend instead of attacking.”

  “And you thought of this?”

  “I used to B.S.S. before all this, so yeah. I used to be the leader of my team.”

  Cole was confused.

  “I was on a board game strategy simulation team. We ran the league with the reigning trophy in my sector.”

  “You were a computer guy then. You lived off of ones and zeroes.”

  “That was my profession aside from being a Sherpa. I had other hobbies not needing computers. I was also a mountain tour guide, remember? We might just win with this primitive board game strategy.”

  “The question
is can you adjust quickly when things go wrong?” Cole asked.

  “Why would anything go wrong?” Chip was perplexed.

  “Just remember, in this desolate environment, everything can go wrong. Once you understand nothing will work the way it should and have a plan B, then your plan A will work,” Cole said. “Plans always look good in concept, but reality has no respect for the concept. That will always be your initial battle. Work under the Murphy’s Law planning tactic”

  “Okay. I just have to simulate the other side’s reactions from a great strategist. It may sound funny, but when I beat me, we can execute with every wrong factor addressed.”

  “You’re learning, kid. I’ll tell Sledge what we’re going to do when you’re ready. Then, we’re goin’ hardcore.”

  

  “Are you sure Chip can pull this off?” Sledge asked Cole as he saw Steve loading his beanbags into his rifle.

  “I gave him some brain food two days ago. I think he’s ready,” Cole said.

  “Nugget, Snark, there may be an elite defender squad protecting the transmitters. Are your tear gas, masks, and beanbags loaded?” Chip was directing.

  “We’re loaded, Chip,” Nugget said.

  “What if there’s no one there?” Snark asked.

  “Then your job as ‘overkill commandos’ won’t be put in play. If nobody’s there, help me find the transmitter quicker. Where’s Jelly? He is one of your best, Steve.”

  “He’s always late. I’ll go yell at him.”

  Steve went to Jelly’s cell to see if he was sleeping.

  “This is his baby, Sledge. He’ll feed and take care of it,” Cole said.

  “And he wanted to arrive at this shindig at two in the morning?” Sledge asked.

  “It’s his view of the Murphy’s Law strategy. He’s trying to eliminate all negative factors of this exercise. He thought about doing this with the least resistance for a smoother accomplishment” Cole assured him. “You give Chip the correct tactical protocol and he knows how to plug it in to use it.”

  Steve came back rather distraught.

  “Jelly won’t be joining us. I found him hanging in his cell. I guess having to deal with other human traitorous psychos was too much for him to handle.”

  Cole ran to Jelly’s cell and the others followed. When they get there, they saw his lifeless body strung around his neck hanging in a slumped position from his upright bunk.

  Cole got angry.

  “This is the most selfish thing you could ever do! We’ve been struggling to survive after this extinction attempt and committing suicide does not help our survival one iota! Linda was right! We do not need to help the Program complete its quest to obliterate our species! You fight for us! ALL of us!”

  “When his parents died, he was depressed ever since. This wasn’t just this mission,” Steve clarified.

  “All of you are family now! If you’re depressed about anything, you have about three hundred friends to talk to! I know us as adults won’t understand some of your woes, but your friends do! Is anyone else ready to end it all, because humanity isn’t!”

  No one volunteered a concern. They knew humanity’s stakes and wanted to survive.

  When the realization of Cole’s explosion died down, Chip had to return to his leadership.

  “This was the way wrong time to deal with this Is everybody still ready for the execution?!” Chip yelled across to Neo-Khaos.

  “When do we shoot our tear gas canisters again?” a soldier asked. He didn’t want to die stupidly.

  “Okay, one more time! We shoot the first phase of canisters to cover the field initially before we announce our presence with flares and flash-bangs! Make sure your masks are working so you don’t end up like them! If they have weapons, take cover behind trees while hitting them with bean bags! Your job is not to kill or be killed! Your job is to distract until you hear the bull-horn! That’s when you fire your remaining canisters to escape! Are we clear?!”

  Everyone yelled yes, and Chip felt like his strategy would work.

  “Okay, Neo-Khaos! Let’s roll out!” Steve yelled. “We have a date and we don’t want to keep them waiting! Snark, Nugget, you’re down one. Can you still handle this?”

  “We’re Pit bulls, Steve! Just open the gate and look out!” Snark confirmed their readiness.

  Everyone was pumped and wanted to have a victory over their surprisingly recent tragedy. Their opponents didn’t even know they were about to be ambushed. They voiced their actions but didn’t know Neo-Khaos heard and wanted to retaliate. It was time to see if Chip’s plan worked.

  As they marched to Tsuen Wan, Sledge spoke to Cole.

  “This is their first time the entire Neo-Khaos will be able to tell their first uniform war story.”

  “Steve’s experienced, he’ll show them how.”

  They never spoke of Jelly again.

  

  Trekking to Tsuen Wan, Steve asked Chip, “Where’s Di in your elaborate plan? She’s not with us.”

  “She isn’t relevant out here. You always protect your queen. Her job is if we don’t make it, have her borgeys lay waste to any infiltrators advancing because, obviously, my plan didn’t work. This incorporates the Murphy’s Law tactics.”

  “So, you really don’t expect defeat, but just in case…”

  “Cole taught me I had to cover for any contingency with the humility of fallibility.”

  “Cole’s still using that smuggler’s motto I see,” Steve said. “So, when Gaia breaks in, Morse “GO” with my penlight and then it’ll be time.”

  “It’s your job to get this skirmish started,” Chip said.

  “What if it’s a timed mercury lock?” Gaia asked.

  “I saw the camp before we left Snark to record,” Chip said. “If they have a mercury lock securing that abandoned-looking warehouse, it would be like putting a state of the art laser security system on a rusted gate. You can break in.”

  Gaia felt better. All she did was food management and daily menus. Her infiltration skills were being neglected.

  As they saw the dimmed lights of the warehouse beyond the trees, Steve rallied everyone with hand gestures.

  “We’ll go ahead to breach the warehouse. When you see the GO Morse signal from my LEDs, Shoot your tear gas, count to ten, and pop your flares. When they attack, pop your flash-bangs and make some blinding noise.”

  Everyone put on their gas masks and waited to see the GO signal.

  The four traveled to the warehouse. They jumped the semi-downed gate in an inconspicuous spot. Gaia saw the door with a simple lock mechanism and went to pick it.

  “I told you,” Chip whispered. “You’ll crack that in under a minute,”

  “Stop pressuring me, Chip. This isn’t under normal circumstances,” she whispered back.

  It took a little longer, but when Steve heard the click, he got the okay from Chip and tapped his penlight.

  “Four… three… two… one… showtime.”

  The screes of flares announced themselves boisterously across the sky with three rudely exploding across the warehouse façade. As the surprised men emerged from the warehouse with old Magrupts, the flash-bangs was launched to create a loud disorienting caustic smoke screen.

  “They’re engaged, go!” Chip directed his front protection to storm the warehouse.

  “Where to?” Nugget asked.

  “The signal disruption is right below us, fifty-two meters that way. Find the stairs!”

  Steve knew building layouts and knew the stairs were through the nearest door to the left. He took point and the rest followed.

  “Damn! It’s locked!”

  “Out of the way!” Gaia worked on the lock. ”Remember why I’m here. I pick, you knock out!”

  Steve stepped back to let her work. She picked the lock quickly and opened the door.

  “Knock ‘em out, Steve.”

  “On it!”

  Steve went down while the rest followed. He saw his first o
pposition confused downstairs. He shot a few bean bags hitting him in the chest and temple. He fell to the ground motionless.

  “I don’t even think he saw you,” Chip said.

  “Like Gaia said, remember why I’m here,” Steve said. “Find that transmitter, fix it, and let’s get outa this creaky cult box.”

  Chip listened to the beep increasing and looked towards a door.

  “It’s in there. Clear the room.”

  Steve went to the door and saw the lock. He motioned to Gaia.

  “Do your thing… quietly.”

  She got to work. It took a few seconds, but she heard the click.

  Steve pulled her back and motioned to Nugget and Snark.

  “Storm and neutralize on my mark.”

  Steve grabbed the handle and counted down.

  “Three… two…one… GO!”

  He swung open the door and shot a person guarding another door while Snark and Nugget cleaned up the other four. They went in to clear the room to see if there were any traps.

  “Clear! We’ll monitor all openings! Fix this thing!”

  Snark and Nugget grabbed the unconscious, drug them to the adjacent room. And rigged a tear gas canister to pop if they tried to move. They both went back to guard the doors.

  Chip got into the transmitter to see where the blockage was. The signal was cut off from the line and rerouted elsewhere. He zeroed in on the receiving source. It was in the next room.

  Chip got into the BIOS of the computer to switch the route back to the main line and terminate the alternate outlet. He checked the transmit parameters to find their operations were optimal and turned to the next room.

  “I bet Kalin’s little project’s in the next room. I’ll destroy it before Kayleigh sends vital information through here. You got point, Steve.” Chip was ready to dismantle.

  Steve smiled and went to the door.

  “This is their nucleus, so I’m opening the door. Stand clear of their initial attack. When it’s over, go in and blast ‘em.”

  Nugget and Snark lined up on the right side of the door. Steve had Gaia pick the lock, nodded to the others, and opened the door wide.