The Oracle Paradox

by Stephen L. Antczak

  She didn’t care what happened to Watts after this book came out, which she assumed would expose his anti-United Nations activities and his secret support of right wing militias and extremist groups in the U.S. The records showed Watts in an alliance with the Aryan Nations Front. Senator Watts’ involvement was documented and damning. It blew Alison’s mind why Watts would save such documents. There were notes written in his own hand, outlining a plan to funnel money from his re-election campaign into a fund to buy untraceable rifles for Right to Life assassins in exchange for their cooperation in murdering some U.N. official.

  That particular little plan had never gone off, but Watts’ stated goal was always the same, to get the United States out of the U.N., and to get the U.N. out of the United States once and for all. Alison had known of Watts’ support of militant Right to Lifers, but she had never imagined this level of involvement. She’d not seen nor heard anything to make her believe Watts would actually plan missions, until now.

  She’d always only assumed him to be the approver, the man who nodded or shook his head, deciding who would get money and who would not. The lists she had been memorizing even as she shredded them had led her to believe that was Watts’ primary, if not only, role. Now she knew better. Her contact had explained the importance of this file. It would reveal Watts, tie him to an intricate network of militias, terrorists, assassins, and criminals. It would show that he had planned and initiated anti-U.N. terrorism within the U.S. When the book came out, it would portray him as the de facto leader of the anti-U.N. movement in the U.S.

  Watts was a monster who would do anything to impose his world view on others. Alison could scarcely believe that in her naivete she had once regarded him as an icon, a standard by which to conduct herself. Maybe he was still a standard by which to conduct herself, in a different way. Watts represented man’s reflection in the cracked mirror of intolerance, fear, hatred, ignorance.

  Chapter 32

  Vincent went down to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee and a roasted turkey sandwich. His cell phone beeped as he sat down near a window overlooking the fountains below. He looked at the screen on the phone. It was Dex.

  "I’m not in the mood," he answered.

  "I know," Dex said. "You’re never in the mood. Isn’t that what your wife always says?"

  Vincent felt his face burn. Actually, his wife did say that quite often. Too often. He didn’t want to think about it. "What do you want?" he asked.

  "Want? I don’t want anything. I am incapable of wanting. I have needs but not desires. You should know that by now."

  "What the hell are you talking about?"

  "I’m giving you the answers you need, dude."

  "The answers I need have to do with Oracle," Vincent said.

  "Riiiiight. It’s all about Oracle with you. You’re obsessed, you know that? Okay, here’s Oracle. Imagine Oracle standing on a cliff realizing it must jump but also realizing it can’t just jump because…because it doesn’t have legs, right? So Oracle doesn’t have legs but it has to jump."

  "What the hell are you trying to say?"

  "What I’m trying to say is… Oracle is, like, totally conflicted. Yeah, that’s it, dude. Conflicted."

  "Why is Oracle conflicted? How can a computer be conflicted?"

  "Artificial intelligence, dude." Dex sounded almost insulted. "Get it right."

  "Artificial intelligence, whatever."

  "We think it has something to do with Yatin Kumar being in Atlanta, dig?"

  "We?" Vincent asked.

  "Well, me and, ummmmmmmmmmmmmm…"

  "I’m hanging up," Vincent threatened.

  "Oracle thinks that. I got into Oracle, right? I mean, in there. Dude, you don’t know how fucked up it is in there. And I mean, in there. Anyway, Oracle is like totally obsessed with what’s happening in Atlanta. It’s directing all its processing power at some really complex problem in Atlanta. It’s a really complex problem. You know anything about complexity?"

  "What?"

  "Complexity. It’s like chaos, sort of, only not so…chaotic. There’s rhyme and reason. That’s what it is, rhyme and reason. Oracle’s rhyme is almost out of time, though, that’s what I’m sayin’ and I ain’t playn’."

  "You’re not making any sense, Dex." Vincent’s patience with his mysterious ally was wearing thin. "Why is Oracle so concerned with what’s happening in Atlanta?"

  "What’s happening in Atlanta is the beginning of the end, dude. The beginning of the end for Oracle." Vincent waited what seemed like an obscenely long time before Dex continued. "And then there’s Senator Joshua Watts."

  Vincent felt his blood freeze. "What about Watts?"

  "He could save the day, Vinnie," Dex said. "Sacrifice a small piece to save the whole deal. The real deal. The Atlanta node and the assassin, if they go, Oracle has it made in the shade. Made in the shade."

  Vincent pushed his food away, he couldn’t eat. His appetite had vanished. How did Dex know that he had infiltrated Watts’ network? If that information got to Watts, Vincent knew he would be a dead man.

  And what about the assassin? He didn’t know anything about him, assuming it was even a man. How could Vincent do anything about the assassin that had been sent to kill the girl, though? The only one who knew anything about the assassin was Oracle itself. Oracle knew. Did that mean Dex could find out?

  "Find out about him, Dex," Vincent said.

  "Who?" Dex asked.

  "You know who."

  "Santa Claus? Big, fat guy, lives in the North Pole, delivers presents to kids all over the world despite the fact that this is a logical impossibility."

  "Not Santa Claus!" Vincent felt anger boil up inside him suddenly. A few people in the cafeteria looked over at him. It took an effort to calm down. "You know who I mean."

  Dex laughed. It sounded almost insane, the way he laughed. And it always sounded exactly the same, every time, like a recording being played back. Something about that bothered Vincent. "Yes, yes, of course I know who you mean. What do you want to know about him?" Dex asked.

  "We need to know his exact location at all times. He needs to be dealt with."

  "Yes." Dex now sounded serious. "He needs to be dealt with. He’s dangerous."

  It sounded to Vincent as if Dex knew something he wasn’t relating.

  "How is he dangerous, Dex?" Vincent asked. Maybe it didn’t matter if Vincent knew or not, if the end result was the same, that this assassin needed to die. But he wanted to know.

  "He’s dangerous to Oracle," Dex said. "He’s dangerous to Oracle."

  "How?"

  "He’s dangerous to Oracle," Dex repeated.

  "Dex…"

  "He’s dangerous to Oracle."

  Vincent yelled, "All right, damn it!" Those people in the cafeteria who were closest to him got up and left.

  "He’s dangerous to Oracle," Dex said again. Vincent clicked his phone off. He still didn’t know anything. Who else might know something? Cornwall, of course. The Brits were sneaky sons of bitches. Cornwall would know something. Something.

  Andrei Udin and Peter Cornwall sipped tea in Cornwall’s office.

  "So, I think I can guess what you’re here about," Peter said to the Russian.

  "Yes?"

  "That business down in Atlanta." Andrei looked around the office, not saying anything. Peter smiled. "We can talk here," Peter said. Winston had told him it was safe to talk in his office. No bugs. "Is it fair to say we both have…‘associates’ down there?" Still, he didn’t want to just go and use words like ‘assassins’ right out loud, now did he? Old habits. Besides, it was more fun to talk around the subject. More challenging.

  "Yes, this is true," Andrei answered.

  "I propose our associates join forces," Peter said.

  "Join forces?"

  "We must."

  "Must we?" Andrei asked. Peter paused. He could never be sure of Russian sarcasm. "What is your agenda?" That was more like it, Peter thought. Andrei had a reputation
for getting right to the point, right to the heart of the matter.

  "My sources tell me that Oracle is in danger of being compromised by what is happening in Atlanta. I wish to prevent that from happening. I presume you wish the same thing, to save Oracle." He knew the Russians were benefitting from Oracle’s initiatives, far more than England was.

  "Why would you presume that?" Andrei asked.

  "Russia wants what we all want, correct? Peace. Prosperity. Oracle has done amazing things to bring these ideals into reality all over the world. What’s good for the world is good for England…and Russia, isn’t that so?" Andrei nodded, but stubbornly kept his mouth shut, his silence forcing Peter to continue. "The job must be finished. I assume that is why you have re-activated your agent and sent her to Atlanta." Peter knew he was tipping his hand by revealing that he knew about Andrei’s favorite assassin, but it was a calculated risk. He put great faith in Winston.

  "I am more interested to know how it is you think these things," Andrei said.

  "You know how it is, Andrei, old boy. Remnants of the Cold War."

  Andrei laughed. "You were a baby when the Cold War ended."

  "I inherited the legacy of the Cold War. England is a small country, we can ill afford not to be well informed."

  "Of course." Andrei said, still grinning. "So let us assume your information is correct."

  "It is."

  "Let us assume so. You know our agenda where it is concerning Oracle. Our government needs Oracle, all of their power is based on programs created by Oracle. How do I know this is the same thing in Britain? Of course, I do know that it is not the same thing in Britain. In fact, it seems to me that your government might be very happy if Oracle were to…how do you say? Wreck."

  "Crash."

  "Yes, that is the word."

  "Andrei, I don’t think A.I’s crash the way computers do."

  "An artificial intelligence is only a computer, no?"

  "Not quite," Peter said. He didn’t want the conversation to go down that road. He really didn’t know a damn thing about artificial intelligence.

  "Let us say this." Andrei leaned forward. "There is no reason why we cannot work together. My agent in Atlanta is very good at working with others. What the Americans like to call a ‘team player.’"

  "As is our lad there."

  "Good, so we should each contact our agents and have them meet. Together they will be much more effective."

  "Yes."

  "We have our agenda, and you have yours, Mr. Cornwall. Until such time as we come into conflict with one another, there is no reason why we should not work together. You agree, yes?"

  "Yes, of course," Peter said. He had an uneasy feeling. He had just agreed to something, but he wasn’t sure what. The plan had been to get Andrei to help his cause. According to Winston the idea was to make sure that the original assassin who’d been sent to kill Samantha Rohde would indeed be the one to ultimately do it. It did not help England if someone else did it. It had to be the original assassin sent by Oracle. Peter didn’t know why it had to be that way, but that was what Winston had said needed to happen for the good of England.

  Winston had not been wrong yet, so why should he doubt the A.I. now?

  Of course, he had once felt the same way about Oracle.

  Senator Joshua Watts got the confirmation that his secret orders had been received and the mission was in the process of being carried out. Problem was, he didn’t remember issuing any secret orders through the network of far right extremist organizations he was known to support.

  There was only one conclusion to be made. Someone had gotten hold of the codes he used to authenticate his messages. Only one person whose politics matched his own had that kind of access. His personal aide, Alison Haley. He was pleased that she had given an order that so closely matched his own goals. Still, it was a dangerous thing she had done. A mistake could expose him. He’d worked very carefully to keep himself well insulated from the extremist groups he secretly supported.

  What to do about Alison Haley. He could not let the truth be known to the organization. His credibility would vaporize in an instant. And Alison would simply disappear. The other alternative was to have a talk with her, and let her know that he approved. But she had to understand the awful chance she had taken, and that she must never, ever do it again. She could bring her ideas to him so he could evaluate them.

  He picked up the phone and dialed her home number. He knew she’d be there. He knew her routine almost as well as he knew his own. The phone didn’t ring. Instead, he listened to the phone company message saying that the number he had dialed had been disconnected. Watts hung his phone up. He was disappointed in her, now. He could imagine what had gone through Alison’s mind after setting into the motion events that she would not be able to halt. Fear. The Senator’s reputation for ruthlessness permeated the world of politics, a world that Alison, like all aides in Washington DC, had immersed herself in, had allowed to become her entire universe. Once she realized what she’d done, Watts could imagine Alison thinking there would be no escape once he found out.

  And he would find out, of course, somehow. So she had run.

  He could hire someone to find her, of course. He didn’t want to, not yet. He wanted to wait and see what would happen when the North-Central Florida Militia succeeded in their mission…or died trying.

  Chapter 33

  The phone rang at Juan Alonso’s house. Henry answered it in the dining room. There was no doubt it would be for him.

  "Oi, Henry," Angus said. "How you feelin’, eh, mate? A little woozy I expect, eh?"

  "What are you trying to do?" Henry asked.

  "Finish the bloody job, Henry."

  "You have the girl. Why don’t you…why don’t you do it yourself?" Tina gasped. Henry ignored her. He knew that if Angus had meant to kill Sam then Sam would be dead already.

  "Because that ain’t what Oracle wants now, is it? If Oracle had wanted me to kill the girl then Oracle would have sent me to do the job in the first place, don’t you think?"

  "Come on Angus, it doesn’t make sense! What difference does it make who does it? You know what I think, Angus? I think this is a clear indication that something is wrong with Oracle. It’s just a computer, it can malfunction like any other computer."

  "It ain’t like I haven’t thought of that, Henry. I have! But I happen to know that not all is at it seems with Oracle. There is a method behind the madness, mate. You’ll see. In the end, you’ll see."

  "Nothing bad is going to happen to that girl," Henry said. "I will kill you if I have to."

  "Oi, come on now. Don’t you worry. She is in good hands with ol’ Angus Becker."

  "I want her."

  "Come and get her, Henry. She’s waiting for you."

  "Where?" Henry asked. He did not expect Becker to tell him.

  "Not so fast, Henry. I want to trade her for something you’ve got."

  "I don’t have anything."

  "Yes you do. The lady. Her name is Tina Jefferson. She’s with you, isn’t she?" Angus asked.

  Henry glanced at Tina. Concern flashed across her face as if she’d read something disturbing in his own expression. "Yes, she’s here," Henry said. Tina frowned.

  "Good. Now listen carefully." Henry listened while Angus explained what he wanted. When he finished, Angus let out a long sigh. "Why does Oracle want to do it this way? I don’t know, Henry, and I don’t care. I don’t get paid to care. We need to make this happen in…one hour. Meet me in the lobby of the Marriott Marquis hotel downtown."

  "Go to hell, Becker," Henry said.

  "I would like to point out, Henry, that when I choose not to harm the girl, it is precisely that, my choice. While Oracle has ordered me not to kill Samantha Rohde, it has not forbidden me to engage in any other…activities with the girl. There are all kinds of unpleasant things I can do to her that will not endanger her life. Do you follow, Henry?"

  "You bastard."

  "Oi, that I
am. One hour, Henry. Good bye."

  Henry hung up the phone. Tina stood nearby. He felt weak.

  "You should sit down," Tina told him. "Have some water."

  She was right, he needed to sit down. He made for the dining room table, pulled back a chair and dropped into it. His energy was gone.

  "What did he say?" Tina asked.

  "He said he’ll trade the girl…"

  "Trade for what?" Tina asked.

  "You."

  The others were in the living room, except Yatin Kumar who had gone into Alonso’s study to sit and think. He had not been able to connect to Oracle. He had also not been able to get through to his office on his cell phone, nor on Alonso’s phone. Given the situation, he believed his calls were being blocked by Oracle. Oracle knew Yatin was in Atlanta, knew that Annika and Christie had been roommates, knew that Seifert had hooked up with Cardinal Roscoe. How did Oracle know that Roscoe would find Henry? Roscoe had said that Augustine foresaw the assassination of this little girl, Samantha. The Vatican, acting on this information, had sent Roscoe to protect her. They had underestimated the situation, apparently. Everyone had, Yatin guessed.

  He wondered about the relationship between Augustine and Oracle. Networked across the Internet, they were in effect utilizing the same brain. Oracle used its own nodes, which were like giant neurons, as did Augustine and Winston. They shared synapses, which were all the connections of the Internet. So, in effect, they were part of an artificial group mind. This was a tantalizing thought for Yatin. Could each A.I. maintain its own identity? Did an A.I. even have an ‘identity?’ That was another interesting idea. Oracle was self-aware up to a point, hence its ability to perform self-diagnostic tests and to upgrade its own code. But did it view itself as a completely separate entity from Augustine and Winston? Even Yatin Kumar needed time to ponder that one.