The Phoenix Agenda: A Thriller (A Rossler Foundation Mystery Book 6)

by JC Ryan

  Peter said, “That would be ideal, but the problem is, the radar might detect a drone of that size.”

  Roy answered, “Those fences are about eight feet high. The rooftop where the radar antenna is mounted is much taller and the angle of the antenna shows that it is scanning for flying objects from the roof level up. There’s a gap of about twenty feet above that fence, where we can get a drone through.”

  Peter just shook his head in amazement; he hadn't even noticed those things when he was there. Roy picked it up from videos and pictures in a few minutes. Sam and the others just smiled. They knew from firsthand experience what Roy could do with his drones.

  Roy continued, “Even so, the radar is not a problem. The 10th Cyclers were masters of stealth technology; we built drones using their technology a few years ago. I can build one or two of them again. There isn’t a radar on earth that would detect a drone equipped with that technology.”

  Raj was next, "I support Roy's idea and have a few ideas that could be helpful if we decide to use drones. We could hack into the Wi-Fi system that controls those robots. We can scan for the frequencies, and once we take control of the robots, we can make them do whatever we want. I would also like to find out where they get their power. Maybe we could arrange for a power outage like the one in Boise.

  “As for the implant centers, I think the only thing we really need from them would be a few of those chip activators. That is, of course, if we cannot find some of them in the warehouse."

  "Do you have any ideas how we could do that?" Luke wanted to know.

  Raj replied, "The activators use some sort of wireless technology. It could be Bluetooth or infrared or Wi-Fi. We need to find out which. Once we know, we can take control of it remotely and jam it. We could then find out what they do with defective activators by jamming a few of them and observing with the spyflies what happens. I suspect if they discover the device is not working they will become careless and discard it or send it somewhere for repairs.”

  “Do you have scanning devices that can do that, which I can take back with me?” Peter wanted to know.

  “Yes, we have. It's built into some of the spyflies we used in Boise to scan the Wi-Fi frequency and take over the router in the house. I will have a few of them ready before you leave,” Raj replied.

  Sam and the rest of them were satisfied they had a plan that was beginning to take shape. Peter had one more day before he had to return to Mount Ararat, and there were still a few more things to discuss and do before he would return. Peter would spend a bit of time with Roy and Raj before he left, so they could show him all the technology devices they had and how each worked. There could very well be things he could use that they didn’t think about.

  During the last part of the planning session, they discussed the support Peter might need during the final preparations and execution of the operation. Raj suggested he could call in the help of Rube and Sombra. He would prepare a message for them on a nano flashdrive, and Peter could take that with him and hand it to Owen. Raj explained that Owen would have to do the introductions, as those two would be extremely hesitant to talk to anyone unless he or Owen introduced the person.

  Sam started laughing when he heard the names of Rube and Sombra. Luke knew why Sam was laughing and also started laughing.

  “Okay, you two now have to share that with us.” Daniel requested.

  Sam struggled to get his composure back, “Are those not the two guys who helped us a few years ago during the Sword of Cyrus operation?”

  Raj nodded his head.

  Sam continued, “If I remember correctly; both of them wanted full immunity, tax-exempt status for life, and to be removed from all government files. Oh yes, and one of them demanded to meet Elvis and John Lennon. According to his sources, the government has been hiding them.”

  By now, everyone was laughing loudly.

  “On the other hand, I have to say, despite their crazy demands, they served us very well. I would have liked to decorate them both, but they didn’t want to hear about that. They told me they would rather be dead than on TV or have their names printed anywhere, they just wanted to be left alone. They’ll do, they’ve proved themselves before.” Sam concluded, still smiling. “Come to think of it, their paranoia proved to be rather prophetic, didn’t it? Raj’s, too.”

  “So Sam, tell us now, did you meet all their demands? I am primarily interested in that meeting with Elvis and Lennon.” Daniel wisecracked, bringing on another bout of laughter.

  The next day, Peter had the treat of a lifetime during the four hours he spent with Raj and Roy. They showed him everything they had in their arsenal and the projects they were working on. By the time he had to go, he had a collection of nanotechnology and electronic devices that would have made him the envy of every spy in the world, past and present. He would give his collection to Owen to bring with him in the car on the next trip to New York. They couldn’t take the chance of detection by scanners at airports.

  On the night when Peter had to leave for Mount Ararat, he did so with a heavy heart. Over the past three days, he'd met some of the most amazing and caring people in his entire life. He had been a bachelor and a loner for many years, and had forgotten what it felt like to belong to a family. Now he missed it.

  On the flight back from Billings to New York, he made up his mind. When he had completed this mission and delivered the chips, he was going to buy a piece of land in these picturesque mountains and establish another safe house. When this war was over, and if he survived, he was going to find himself a wife and settle down. He was sure, somewhere out there, would still be a woman whom he would be able to charm and make happy. That last thought had him smiling at himself.

  Until Owen turned up in New York, he had a few more things to find out and another visit to Tennessee on his to-do list. He had a personal message to deliver to President Harper.

  Have never seen anything like this

  After the discovery of the 10th Cycle mirrors, there was a rekindled fire of optimism and energy among the inhabitants of the Rabbit Hole. Everyone knew that if it were possible to reactivate that ancient communications system, it would be a significant step forward in the war to win back their own, and billions of other’s, freedom.

  Roy had no shortage of volunteers who were prepared to help with not only translations, but also anything else that was required. With all the extra hands the work progressed swiftly. Within a week they had extracted and translated all the technical details about the mirrors and recalculated the coordinates relative to the position of the Rabbit Hole.

  Daniel, Sam, and Luke paid the techies a visit to see what progress they were making and were pleasantly surprised. Raj and his team had managed to fully translate and understand the 10th Cycle programming language. Mandy, the expert firmware programmer, coded the senders and receivers, tested them and confirmed that the system was working as expected. They already had a prototype communications system up and running inside the computer center, and they demonstrated it to Daniel, Sam and Luke during their visit.

  “I’ve been wondering about a few things. The first is, won’t clouds and bad weather obstruct the laser beams?” Daniel wanted to know.

  Roy responded, “The 10th Cyclers used communications radar technology, which our scientists only started modeling in 2006 and is still being developed. Standard lasers would be scattered by dust, dirt, water vapor, and gasses in the air and clouds. In other words, standard laser communications depend on optical signals having a direct line of sight and no obstructions in-between. Not so with the 10th Cycle laser technology which ‘punches through’ the clouds and other obstructions. The 10th Cyclers were smart enough to combine electronic signal handling methods with a laser communications system to achieve a reliable, high speed and high capacity link through the clouds and into space.”

  “But I got the impression that the sender and receiver will have to remain in exactly the same position to be able to communicate,” Sam responded. His
tone indicated it was a question.

  Roy explained, “No, that’s not necessary. As long as the senders and receivers on earth are aware of their own position relative to the mirrors, they can move around. It works like GPS.”

  “We found the piece of code that the 10th Cyclers used for that purpose and have programmed that into our own senders and receivers. It is as Roy said. It works almost like GPS, except that the position is determined in relation to the four mirrors,” Raj added, to the relief of his audience.

  Roy said, “Okay, I’ll give you a bit of a scientific explanation of how it’s done. First, the signal is processed to shorten the overlapping data caused by the scattering. That process reduces the number of overlaps. Second, the system processes the residual signal, harvesting the good parts of the signal. It then assembles it into a complete signal, which eliminates the remaining echoes. This process is constant and happens in nanoseconds. The result is a high-quality laser message that arrives at the destination irrespective of whether the sender and receiver are motionless or mobile.”

  Daniel looked at Sam and Luke to see if they had any idea what Roy just said, but they were just shaking their heads. "Roy, I haven't a clue what you just said or how it works but does that mean we can build our own cell phone network?” Daniel asked. He was practically jumping up and down in his eagerness for the answer.

  Raj just smiled and picked up two cell phones from the table, “Would you like to try it?”

  “What? You have it working already?” Sam and Luke said simultaneously.

  “Yes, indeed we have, but you must remember, it is only here in the lab, we still have to prove that it can work with the mirrors,” Raj replied.

  Raj pointed them to look overhead and explained that the device hanging from the ceiling about twenty feet off the ground was their own mini version of a 10th Cycle mirror. He gave Sam and Daniel each a cell phone and asked them to walk around in the room and talk to each other. The three of them were thrilled. If they could get this operational outside the caves, it meant they would have the freedom to talk to anyone, anywhere, whenever they chose. They wouldn't have to send people out of the Rabbit Hole on dangerous missions anymore. This was major progress.

  “Roy, Raj. Do you think it would be possible to connect this with those micro earphones and microphones that Luke used during the Boise mission?” Sam wanted to know. The thought had just crossed his mind how helpful it would be to speak directly to President Harper.

  “Yes, Stuart and Mandy are already working on that. We think it's entirely possible.” Raj replied to a very pleased Sam.

  “Okay guys, this is all exhilarating stuff but what about security? Would it be possible to intercept the communications?” Luke wanted to know.

  Roy explained, “Raj will tell you that no communications system is absolutely secure, but there are some things working in our favor that should put your mind at ease. First, laser is invisible.”

  Before Roy could continue, Daniel said, “Wait, what about those laser beams we see in the movies and even on handheld laser pointers?”

  Roy laughed, “Daniel, you should know better than to believe what you see in the movies! If you can see a laser beam from the side, as in the Star Trek and other sci-fi movies, then something is wrong. That means the laser light is being scattered out of the beam. As for those laser pointers, have a good look next time you use one. You will only see the red or green dot where you are pointing at the time. There is no ray of light between the pointer and the dot. However, if there is smoke or dust between you and the dot, you will see the beam because the light is reflecting off the smoke or dust particles in the air. The technology we’ll be using will punch through that. Besides, not all lasers use visible light. Some emit infrared light, which is definitely invisible to the human eye. Finally, you can’t see a laser beam traveling from the source to the target because it goes at the speed of light. All those sci-fi movies showing the laser flashes zipping by the superman’s head are total fiction.”

  Daniel laughed. “Okay, okay Roy. I’m convinced. Sorry for the interruption. Please continue.”

  “Therefore, the first thing in our favor is that the laser beam is invisible. To intercept the beam, the person would have to know where the beam is. It isn’t like radio signals, which spread out. Laser travels in an extremely narrow channel,” Roy explained. Then he looked to Raj to clarify the rest of the security measures.

  “The next thing is, if the signal is intercepted, the person would have to be able to interpret the message. In other words, it would have to be decoded. That is going to be extremely difficult without one of our transceivers. Remember we are using a thirty-thousand-year-old programming and encoding language!” Raj smiled.

  Luke was happy with their explanation.

  “So, if we start dishing out these cell phones to our agents out there, how does the numbering system work?” Sam wanted to know.

  “Sorry, we forgot to mention that. It’s another part of the security features. Raj is the exchange. He has the devices programmed to be able to talk only to those who are on the authorized list on that phone,” Roy explained, to the delight of Sam, Luke and Daniel.

  “What’s the data transfer capacity and speed of this system?” Daniel asked.

  Raj got enthusiastic, “We have never seen anything like this, Daniel. We are not talking kilobits and megabits or even gigabits anymore; we are talking speeds of up to three terabits per second. In other words, up to two million times faster than broadband Internet connections operating out there today. We can broadcast live TV through this system if we want to.”

  When the three jubilant men walked out of the lab, Sam said, “I don’t know about you, but I have never seen anything like this, either. When this mess is all over, if I'm still alive, I am personally going to see to it that we build a monument for those two guys.”

  Luke and Daniel agreed without hesitation.

  Next on the agenda

  The Supreme Council was in session and studying the latest figures about the progress of their chipping program. They were satisfied that things were progressing exactly as they had planned, with more than half of the world’s population already chipped. The most satisfying was the unexpected and ongoing success they had with their medical chipping program. More than half of the people already chipped had done so voluntarily since the announcement of the medical benefits that the chip would bring to them.

  To maintain the current momentum and to prepare for their next announcement, the Council ordered that more people be trained to perform the procedure and additional facilities created. This time the chipping program was not going to be as popular as the medical program, and they knew it. They would have to use the media extensively to prepare and persuade the people.

  All the staff of all law enforcements and security agencies were already chipped. It was time to expand the program to include all government employees, as well as anyone receiving welfare, a government pension, or other entitlements.

  The former president of the United States, President Harper’s successor and one of the seven founding members of the Supreme Council, had a brilliant idea. “Why don’t we sweeten this package with tax exempt status for all government employees?”

  John Brideaux smiled, “Now that’s what I call an excellent idea. Let it be so.”

  The media announced the new initiative and explained that the Supreme Council had decided to extend the benefits of the medical biochip program to all government employees as well as anyone receiving, welfare, a government pension, or other entitlements. It was part of the Supreme Council’s program to ensure that everyone had access to free medical services and could live a long and healthy life. The announcement of tax exemption for all government employees was met with enormous applause.

  Over the weeks following the announcement, the medical benefits were highlighted. Of course, Anastasia had the faces of her crowd of celebrities all over the news, encouraging everyone to join the program.<
br />
  The Harpers were shocked to see their faces on the TV with a statement that said they were in support of the chipping program and the health benefits they had already experienced since they were chipped. Nothing was said about the deadline. Two months after the announcement, all government employees and anyone on government support would receive an ultimatum to be chipped within the stated time or lose their job or entitlements.

  The people in the Rabbit Hole followed the announcements and concluded that time was running out. It would be a matter of two to three years before the entire world population, or what was left of it by then, would be chipped.

  The new program did cause another spike in the number of voluntary chippings, as a large number of government employees were more than happy to undergo the procedure to get tax-exempt status, free medical services, and a long, healthy life. After receipt of the ultimatum, the numbers spiked again because very few wanted to lose their jobs, pensions, or entitlements. The media again hailed the success of the initiative and the benefits of being chipped.

  The next item on the Supreme Council’s chipping agenda was education. They had already achieved massive success with their new and free education system for all, but it was not yet coupled with chipping. It was time to do so. Again, they would follow their tried and tested method of obscuring the real reasons for the program, by announcing a guarantee of employment and no taxes for anyone graduating from their educational system. Of course, that also meant free medical services and a long and healthy life. What more could any human being desire?

  As before, this announcement was to be followed a few months later by an ultimatum to be chipped before a certain date or be kicked out of the educational system. That was obviously not announced in the media in the beginning of this phase. Again, the number of chippings spiked and kept the implant centers busy for many months afterward.