"She's no natural being," said President Tomlinson. "I believe we've established that."
"I meant only in the sense of being an organic life form, Madame President. Another possibility would be a cyborg – a person with built-in mechanical enhancements." Professor Whitehead paused, his traditional smile withering. "From what sense I can make of the accounts obtained from Zachary Walters and Dennis Shepherd, and what our own Agent Andrews has divulged, she and others on her world were extensively modified by alien nano-devices. That would imply a synthesis of machine and organic parts – that is, a cyborg – but what that would mean when considering a highly advanced alien technology is far from clear."
"Bottom line, Professor," said the Defense Secretary. "What is our most likely means of killing it should it come to that?"
Professor Whithead blanched. "Surely, it cannot be wise to take hostile action against someone possessing her powers who has declared no hostile intent?"
"She's dictating terms to us, Jerry," said President Tomlinson. "And threatening us. In my book, that does demonstrate hostile intent. At least potentially."
"Only as a result of our own hostile actions and their threats, if I may point out."
"You didn't answer the question, Professor Whitehead," said Defense Secretary Sanders. "What kinds of weapons might she be vulnerable to? Speaking hypothetically, of course."
"I'm sorry, Secretary Sanders, but weapon systems are not my area of expertise. You would have to ask my esteemed colleague at DARPA." He nodded to the slim, coldly smiling man sitting two seats down from the President. "I'm sure Dr. Kushner would have many suggestions about how to kill her."
President Tomlinson turned to Jacob Kushner, DARPA's Director of Alternative Research. If the Director was offended by the Professor's reference, his cold smile didn't show it.
"Jacob," said the President. "Feel free."
Jacob Kushner reminded Tomlinson of snake: lean and long and slick, with a moist, thin-featured face and an oblong bald head that appeared to have never spawned hair. His hooked nose looked like it could draw blood. His serpentine smile suggested drawing blood would please him. Tomlinson found something oddly reassuring about him. Who wouldn't want a deadly viper who could strike for you when needed?
The Director of Alternative Research leaned forward with a grave smile. "Madam President, we have one aerial attack vehicle that I think might be well-suited for this task called the Aerial Swarm Platform or 'ASP.' It is a small, swift, and highly maneuverable ion engine-powered craft with a top speed of six thousand KPH controlled by a single human pilot in partnership with an advanced AI – the degree of that partnership depending on the pilot's choice or his physical status. It utilizes the latest drone swarm technology: 115 mini-drones that function as both a collective and as autonomous units, each carrying two-pound Super High Explosives capable of bursts in excess of eight thousand kilometers per hour. They can be instructed to close in on and attack a target from multiple directions at variable intervals. The ASP carries four twenty-five pound SHE missiles and is also nuclear-capable."
President Tomlinson gave the Alternate Research Director an approving half-smile. "That does sound deadly, assuming it can actually hit her with any of its missiles."
Director Kushner nodded. "The challenge would be striking such a mobile target. Not to mention her apparent capability of using telekinetic power to deflect an approaching object, as evidenced by the Osprey drone apparently being driven off course. But how many objects can she deflect at once? And how fast can she fly? If she can outrun the ASP swarm drones, it will fail. If, however, the swarm can stay with her, multiple attacks from multiple directions may prove effective."
"Then there's the question of how much damage she can take," said the Defense Secretary.
"There's also the question of what she'll do if she's attacked and she survives," the Vice President said.
President Tomlinson shot her second a dark look. "Should it come to that, Molly, we need to do everything in our power to make sure that doesn't happen. What else do we have, Jacob?"
"We do have something, Madame President, that I've personally been working on for much of the last decade which I believe may offer one of our best chances of neutralizing Ms. Shepherd in a less ostentatious manner. We call her "WANDA" - Weaponized Autonomous Nanodevice Deployment Android."
"An android named Wanda." President Tomlinson did not appear amused.
"Not just any android," Jacob Kushner stated in the tone of a proud father. "Wanda features a state of the art AI construct and humanoid likeness. She is utterly lifelike, both in appearance, voice, and behavior. She can pass as human – in fact, she's fooled several of my colleagues in other departments - while possessing roughly five times human strength and durability, as well as a variety of deadly devices, including electric shock, weapon-grade lasers, drug-dispensing mini-darts and fingernails – all of which complement her most destructive capability: dispensing and controlling swarms of weaponized nanomachines."
President Tomlinson's flat-eyed gaze had relaxed into a wondering smile as he spoke. By the end, she was nodding and beaming with enthusiasm.
"Imagine what we could do with an army of such creatures!"
"That day is coming, Madame President," Director Kushner assured her with a pleased smile. "The battlefield is swiftly evolving into a contest of autonomous and semi-autonomous weapons platforms operated by increasingly capable artificial intelligence constructs, and the U.S. is far out in front in that particular arms race."
"We should be after investing billions more than anyone else into it."
"Trillions, actually, President Tomlinson."
The President chuckled dryly. "Guess I lost count. And this 'artificial construct' really can fool people into thinking it's human?"
"Not just people, Ma'am. Highly intelligent and educated people familiar with artificial intelligence. She has the full range of human behaviors and is completely lifelike in even the finest details. For instance, her skin has a temperature of 98.6, she produces saliva and mucous-like substances in her eyes, mouth, and...other areas. She can even eat, obtaining energy from food as well as ambient energy sources such as WIFI. I should also mention she can fly. Her body contains an antigravity drive."
"That could even the playing field between her and Ms. Shepherd, if it came to that."
"I wonder if she can cook," said the Defense Secretary, drawing a few chuckles. "Or do the laundry."
The chuckles and grins dried up under President Tomlinson's withering gaze. When the room went silent, she returned her attention to the Alternative Research Director.
"How do her 'weaponized nanomachines' work, Jacob?"
"They are emitted through microscopic portholes in her skin. Depending on instructions, the nanites can break down human flesh, metal, plastic, and virtually every substance we know of. Wanda can orchestrate their actions and terminate their function as desired. She could kill someone by simply having the nanodevices cause a small rupture in a major heart or brain vessel – or enter a secure area by vaporizing the locks. Or she could hack into a computer system via WIFI and get the lock code that way."
President Tomlinson's approving smile had gathered an uneasy edge. "This machine sounds nearly super-powerful itself. How absolute is your control over it?"
"As absolute as one's control over any machine."
"But not every machine could potentially kill hundreds if not thousands of people," said Professor Whitehead. "Or break into secure areas."
"You say it's autonomous." Vice President Molly Winters looked far more uneasy than her Commander-in-Chief. "Can it think for itself?"
"Yes. In fact, Wanda generally behaves as if she believes she's sentient."
"Is she?" asked Professor Whitehead.
"Doubtful."
"You're not sure?"
The ARD Director smiled and shrugged dismissively. "I don't trouble myself too much about questions of consciousness. We may believe we're consci
ous, but what does that truly mean or even matter? We're all machines acting out our programs. The ultimate measurement is effective action. Wanda, by all measurements we've applied, is remarkably effective – both as an imitator of human behavior and as an assassin or weapon of war."
The room fell silent. A few of the occupants exchanged looks.
"But she – or it – follows orders?" asked the President.
"Yes, Ma'am. Our orders."
"Or anyone's orders who has the correct command password," said Professor Whitehead.
"It's the same with any computer or machine or secure area." Director Kushner offered another dismissive shrug. "Someone could in theory hijack our nuclear arsenal. All we can do is create safeguards, and Wanda has a multitude of them. And we can shut her down in a variety of ways if the need arises."
"How many 'Wandas' are there?" asked President Tomlinson. "Or is she the only one?"
"The only one who is operational," Kushner replied.
"Do you have any sense of how she might fare against Ms. Shepherd? What kind of defense is possible against your nanomachines?"
"Any kind of explosion or powerful electronic pulse or radiation could render them inoperable, Madame President. They're not the impervious, all-powerful killing machines often portrayed in science fiction. But they could be remarkably effective in this case. They wouldn't have to penetrate her skin, which Agent Andrews' reports indicate may be far denser and of stronger construction than our own, but could enter her body through any number of orifices. Once inside her body" – Kushner raised his hands – "the nanites should be able to wreak havoc. If they got that far, I strongly doubt she would survive."
"That idea strikes me as very promising. Quiet, discreet, and deadly." President Tomlinson gazed around the table. "General Akron? You have some rather impressive craft at your disposal. What do you have that could take Ms. Shepherd out of the air?"
"If I had only one shot, my choice wouldn't be a kinetic weapon," said the Space Command leader. "She might be able to dodge a missile or kinetic projectile. I'd go laser or particle beam. It's difficult to dodge something traveling the speed of light – especially if you can't see it."
"Would you have trouble tracking something that small and mobile?"
"Our star ships have systems designed to track and destroy objects approaching at hyper-velocities, so I don't see a problem there." He made a loosening motion on his collar and cleared his throat. "If that failed, we might also have the option of targeting her with a nuclear or even a Proteus missile – provided she's high enough in the atmosphere or far enough removed from a population. Even a detonation in her general vicinity could prove lethal."
"You're seriously talking about using a matter-anti-matter device with an explosive force of several gigatons on a single person here on Earth?" Outrage and disbelief warred in Professor Whitehead's voice. "We've never even tested one near Earth. The EMP effects could be strong enough to compromise even our nuclear-EMP hardened grid!"
"I was merely mentioning that as a theoretical possibility, Dr. Whitehead," the USSC Commander stated mildly. "Obviously, all aspects of safety and negative consequences would need to be considered before either nuclear or MAMEs were deployed."
"Of course that goes without saying, General," said the President. "Right now we're just discussing possibilities – every option is on the table."
"There are also the possibilities of chemical and biological agents," said Defense Secretary Sanders. "If she's truly a biological human, no matter how modified she is, they could still be effective."
"Thank you, Burt. I have to say that I'm feeling good about our chances of neutralizing her should that prove necessary." President Tomlinson faced Professor Whitehead, whose expression had progressed from exasperation to glum protest. "What about our alien friends, Jerome? Have they mentioned anything about these so-called 'Elementals'?"
"We spoke with the Alpha representative." A line appeared between Professor Whitehead's eyebrows. "He had no comment about the Elementals except to acknowledge their reality. He was clear that no assistance from them in opposition to the Elementals would be forthcoming." Another fissure joined the line between his eyebrows. "The Zetas and Luminates are currently not communicating with us."
"What else is new," General Akron grumbled. "If a killer asteroid was headed our way, they'd probably just pack up and leave without saying a word."
President Tomlinson nodded, her gaze growing distant and cool. She'd never been a fan of their alien guests. They were sitting on too much undefined power for her tastes. On the other hand, harvesting their technology had given them a huge leg-up in the power struggle on this world.
"I'm going to take Ms. Shepherd's claims about an alien threat seriously," she said. "I will direct all relevant agencies to investigate this contingency to the fullest extent possible. I can't see any better first step than meeting with Ms. Shepherd and learning everything she knows. However, I want to have that meeting from a position of strength. Ms. Shepherd must understand who is in charge on this world, regardless of whatever powers she might possess."
"So you had her family and friends implanted with kill-switches," said Professor Whitehead in a mournful voice.
"Jerry, if we're going to share the world with someone who could kill us all with a thought, I would think some strong countermeasures ought to be in place." President Tomlinson gave him a chilly smile. "Don't you?"
Chapter 8
"I'VE BEEN WONDERING IF I'd ever see you again," Zach greeted Nathan in the EPA parking lot. Nathan was leaning against his Honda with an awkward smile. "When you disappeared a few days ago, I assumed you ran back to whatever intelligence agency you really work for."
"I'm sorry about that, Zach." Nathan gave him a lame smile and held out his hand. "I probably should reintroduce myself. I'm still Nathan Andrews, but I work for the Department of Homeland Security in the Special Assessment Intelligence Division."
Zachary stared at Nathan's extended hand. He made no motion to shake it.
"You were planted here at the EPA with the plan of getting information from me about Jamie Shepherd?"
"Yes. And again, I'm sorry about that, man. As the cliché goes, I was just doing my job."
"Jamie told me it was some drone photographs."
"Right. As it turns out, I was one of the first people to see an image of her. It featured a drone photograph of you with her in your car high in the atmosphere. I assumed it was a glitch in the system or a practical joke. No one knew what to think. Anyway, that photograph wasn't clear enough for a facial or license plate identification. Apparently another video, which I never saw, was. We were able to identify you first. Jamie came later. I was part of the investigation that found her. Or the driver's license of a dead double of her. That's all we knew until...well, you filled me in a bit."
Zach made a grunting noise and shook his head. "Why all the cloak and daggers? Why not just tell me the situation and ask me straight-out what I knew?"
"Would you have told us?"
"Why wouldn't I? You think I'd have some special loyalty to some strange woman with superhuman powers claiming to be from a parallel universe?"
"I don't know. She's pretty convincing."
Zachary started to protest, but stopped himself. The truth was, he felt aligned with Jamie despite the lack of rational evidence and the fact that he worked for the government. She was convincing. Zach wondered if Nathan had fallen under her spell, too.
"Did she convince you?" Zach asked.
Nathan shrugged and looked up, imagining an Osprey focusing its cameras and powerful sonic microphones on him. Not that farfetched, he thought. But screw it. "Yeah, she did. I think all of us, even the President and her people, are convinced Jamie's telling the truth. The problem is what to do about it."
"You met with the President?" Zach couldn't prevent some awe leaking through in his words.
"Along with some other high-ups, including the Defense Secretary and the FBI
and DHS heads. Also Jerome Whitehead, you know, from the famous science program. He's some kind of special advisor to the President."
"What's President Tomlinson like in person?"
Nathan wanted to say creepy, but thought better of it. "Tough. Determined."
Zachary was smiling at him as if he sensed he wanted to say more. Then his smile retreated. "Can you tell me the gist of your meeting?"
Nate hesitated. The details were of course classified, even for someone in the know as Zachary, but he couldn't see any harm in stating the obvious.
"They're just trying to get a handle on her," he said. "I'm supposed to set up a meeting at some point, probably in the next few days. I came back here rather than hang out in Washington. And I wanted to see you. I figured you already knew the truth from Jamie, but I wanted to tell you face-to-face."
"I appreciate that," said Zach. "I understand why you had to deceive me. If it hadn't been you, someone else would've." He gave him a dry smile. "I suppose you really know how to change a tire."
"Not so much." Nate smiled back. "My upbringing didn't include a lot of tool handling. You impressed me when you helped."
Zach leaned back against his car, folding his arms across his chest, his eyes turning serious. "About the new implants. You know, I had it checked out. A very nervous-looking doctor at the clinic told me everything was fine. When I asked him to replace it with another chip, he declined, saying it would have to be malfunctioning for him to legally do that."
Nathan nodded, avoiding his eyes. "Zach, I hope you know I had nothing to do with that."
"Do you know what the new implants are? What they could do to me and the others?"
"I don't know exactly what they can do, but I'm fairly sure that if they were activated the results would be fatal." Nathan lifted his eyes to meet Zach's hard gaze. "They see Jamie as a threat, and want to neutralize that threat. What I say – that's how these people see things."
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