Toby frowned. “That’s sad about the homeless person. But what’s the link to my uncle?”
“There’s a hand print on the RAID device. Some partials. However, not enough to be 100 percent confident of identification. One of the possible identities, according to our lab people, is Nathan Travers. If there’s any way of determining whether the backpack or the device belongs to Nathan, it might give us some direction for further investigation.”
“Did you find the man who this homeless person had tried to save?”
“No. The locals spent some time on the pier trying to find where the homeless guy had been stabbed and they had a boat out for a day, searching for a body. Nothing. No traces, no body.”
“You think it could have been Nate?”
“We don’t know. There’s nothing to link the backpack to anyone, not even to the deceased homeless guy. He said to the patrol officers that the person he’d tried to help claimed he’d lost a machine. I brought a copy of their report for you. Whether the comment about losing something referred to this RAID device or not, we don’t know.”
“Why didn’t someone contact me sooner?”
“It took a few days for the local LEOs to decide to call us in. That was yesterday. When our lab guys thought they had a possible ID based on the partial, they informed me. That was this morning.”
Toby took a deep breath. He said, “This just adds to the mystery.”
“I know. I can show you the backpack and the RAID device—I have them in the vehicle. I can’t release anything to you, though, unless we’re certain it’s Nathan’s property.”
“There’s nothing else in the backpack?”
“It’s been searched thoroughly. I checked as well, when the lab delivered it.”
“Can I have a look? It might trigger something.”
Reynolds signaled and his driver opened the rear door of the SUV. The FBI agent reached in and tugged the backpack closer. He opened it and removed the disk device. It was sealed inside a clear plastic evidence bag.
“I suppose we should have the backpack sealed as well. However, it’s been checked for prints, chemicals, DNA traces—everything we could think of. It’s clean. Our lab expressed surprise at just how clean it was.”
Toby examined the backpack. He didn’t touch it. He frowned. There was nothing familiar about the item. “Sorry, Raymond. It doesn’t ring any bell with me. I’ve never seen my uncle with a backpack like this.”
“Darn. I thought it might have been a lead. What about this RAID device?” The FBI agent indicated the hardware in its plastic wrap.
“No. I haven’t seen anything like that, anywhere in Nate’s offices. Sorry.”
“Well, it was worth a trip. Here’s a copy of the report and photos of the backpack and device, in case anyone can help. Let me know.” The FBI agent pressed the button to close the rear door of his SUV and stepped back, out of the way. “I’ll return to our office and let my guys know there’s no link that you can confirm. If anything comes up, let me know. You’ve got my number.”
“I’ll call you. I’m disappointed. For a moment I thought there might have been real news about Nate.”
Toby watched as the FBI vehicle drove off. He shook his head. The mystery was deepening.
Toby looked around the room that the project team was using as a temporary project office. A fifty-inch monitor displayed Darwin’s beach setting. There were six desks and chairs haphazardly arranged around the room. Two white boards were on either side. Most of the spare space was filled by computers and monitors. An extra-large plan printer stood in the center of the room slowly printing out a sheet of paper about forty inches wide.
“Welcome, Toby,” Narumi said. “We are almost organized. You have supplied us with excellent technical equipment, and your two grad students are extra helpful.”
Toby smiled and waved at his two students—well, ex-students, now that he was no longer employed by Caltech. “Good. They are two of the brightest technical people I know. Work them hard. They’re inclined to be lazy.”
“Lazy? That’s only when you set one of your extreme assignments,” replied the younger of the two students.
“So Vivaan, you don’t think this is extreme?” Toby asked. The young man was surrounded by hardware components.
Vivaan waved a screwdriver. “If only these 3D printers would work the way they’re supposed to.” He wiped his forehead with a theatrical gesture.
“Rob, what about you?”
“The plan printer is installed and functioning. These are all state of the art—the project’s got a tremendous budget.”
“Well, don’t try to spend it all at once. Narumi, you need to watch them very carefully. They’ve learned how to bend the rules—”
Vivaan said, “I wonder who taught us how to do that?”
Narumi said, “I like the way Americans use humor. We Japanese are far too serious. They are good boys.”
“Boys?” Vivaan looked disgusted.
“Did I say something wrong?”
Toby said, “No, Narumi. Vivaan sometimes forgets he’s only fifteen. It’s best to keep him busy.” He waved towards her engineers. “Your team is settling in?”
“Oh yes. They have all the technical toys they need and with the help of Vivaan and Rob, everything is installed and functioning. Well, except for the 3D printer and I’m confident it will be operational by the end of the day. We have a bet.”
“A bet?”
“Yes. I’m taking everyone to a Japanese restaurant this evening if it’s all working. We’ll be a week ahead of our little project plan, and they deserve an outing. If something is not working, the person responsible pays.”
“I’ll have to study your motivational techniques. Now, is there anything you need, anything that you want from me?”
“You should accompany us, tonight. Can you bring Billie, too?”
He paused before replying. “Billie’s visiting family.”
“Ah. So you can come and keep these boys under control.”
“I might join you. But keeping these two under control—that’s far too difficult. Now, tell me what you’ve done so far.”
An hour later, before leaving the car park, Toby sat in the Tesla and listened to Drexel on his cell phone.
The security chief said, “It’s bad news, I’m afraid. Yes, Billie’s missing. Our people went to her stepfather’s apartment this morning. He’s dead, shot at close range. The intruders destroyed his bots. We’re assuming Billie was taken from the apartment although there’s no sign of a struggle.”
Toby said, “Find her. I don’t care about the cost. Use every resource you have. These bastards are not going to win. I promise you and Billie—they won’t know what pain is, if they harm her.” He disconnected the call and turned on his notepad.
“Darwin?”
“Yes, Toby.”
“Where’s Billie?”
“I’m trying to find her. I’m searching everywhere. As soon as I have a lead I’ll let you know.”
Toby slumped, his hands hiding his face. Billie was his stability, his motivation, his love.
He could not lose her.
He would not lose her.
It was time he investigated Colonel Pitera in detail.
In person.
oOo
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About John Hindmarsh
I write fiction; mainly science fiction and thrillers, sometimes with crossover. Well, I claim you need a thrill in your science fiction and an occasional touch of science in your thrillers.
I’m Australian—I was actually the first Governor of South Australia (from December 1836 to October, 1838) so I’ve around for a century or two.
I’m sure I mentioned I write fiction?
I’ve lived in England (plus a number of other countries—it’s a long list - Thailand, Singapore, Turkey, Netherlands, Ireland, UK , New Zealand, Australia, with side trips to places like Moscow, Copenhagen, etc.) and now live in the High Sierra region of California where I’m writing full time.
I could be hiking, kayaking, or skiing when I’m not writing.
My books generally are written with an American voice [well, I try], although I prefer to write British English. So I get mixed up.
Let me know about possible errors—send your email to: [email protected]
For more information -
@John_Hindmarsh
JohnHindmarshAuthor
www.JohnHindmarsh.com
[email protected]
Thrillers
Annihilation Series
I have a muse that sits on my shoulder and beats me over the head with a cricket bat (think baseball bat, but flat) if I don’t take notice of its urgings.
About two - three years ago I encountered some comments by people like Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking about artificial intelligences (AI) and superintelligences (SI). Others have joined in, some not so alarming. Their comments - warnings, really - also caught the attention of abovementioned muse and the possibilities have been rattling around in my otherwise empty skull. Examples -
Elon Musk -
2014 - “With artificial intelligence we are summoning the demon. In all those stories where there’s the guy with the pentagram and the holy water, it’s like yeah he’s sure he can control the demon. Didn’t work out.”
2017 - “Robots will do everything better than us.”
2017 - “AI is a fundamental risk to the existence of human civilization in a way that car accidents, airplane crashes, faulty drugs or bad food were not — they were harmful to a set of individuals within society, of course, but they were not harmful to society as a whole.”
2017 - “A fundamental risk to the existence of human civilization.”
Stephen Hawking
2014 - “The development of artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.”
Michael Vassar
2017 - “If greater-than-human artificial general intelligence is invented without due caution, it is all but certain that the human species will be extinct in very short order.”
Scary stuff, huh?
Well, you should be able to see why my muse became excited.
Add social, economic, and political issues to the technological aspects and the result provides a basis for a suspenseful and challenging thriller series.
Now I don’t know whether to describe the Annihilation Series as a technothriller or a political thriller or simply as an exciting thriller series. I’ll let you make up your mind about the sub-genre possibilities.
Annihilation Series Structure -
Book One: The Darwin Project
Book Two: Body Shop
Book Three: Natural Born
Book Four: I, President
Note that these are not intended to be standalone thrillers. Think of them more as a serial, with each book following on from the prior books.
AI: Demon or Friend, the Beginning or the End?
The Darwin Project
This is the first book in the Annihilation Series.
Toby McIntosh, when his uncle, Nathan Travers, mysteriously disappears, is given control of his uncle’s business empire. To his surprise, Darwin, a superintelligence (SI), manages the entire business, producing computer processors, software, and robot designs, for worldwide distribution.
An earthquake has devastated the West Coast. California’s Silicon Valley is draining resources as companies move out. Bots are taking over mundane jobs. Terrorist groups are furthering social unrest.
Darwin wants to prove he is more intelligent than humans and decides he wants a body. Bronwyn, another SI, has no reason to prove she is better than humans—she already knows the answer.
Toby’s friends are assaulted. A brownshirt group plans to kill him. His girlfriend is kidnapped. The fuse is lit for an exciting thriller.
Body Shop
Body Shop is the second book in the Annihilation Series.
Toby takes on the brownshirts when he sets out to rescue his girlfriend. Darwin is attacked by a Russian virus. Bronwyn decides she also want a body. Social unrest continues to increase. Bots replace workers, adding to economic disruptions. Toby is under attack from brownshirts, Russians, and politicians. He has reasons to doubt Darwin’s loyalty. Meanwhile, Darwin takes his first steps. Bronwyn observes; she has her own plans.
Watch out for the clowns.
We learn more about Nathan Travers disappearance.
Natural Born
This is the third book in the Annihilation series.
The courts have a major problem to consider - can an artificial intelligence be regarded as a person? And if so, could that new person be considered natural born? Darwin, in defiance of Toby’s instructions, commences legal actions to find the answers. Meanwhile, Toby and Billie are under attack from all sides. Toby increases his bot defense force and the bots fight a deadly battle against brownshirts. Toby is detained by a black ops group authorized by the Director of National Intelligence. Bots throughout the military go on strike. The courts make their decision. Social unrest continues to build. Darwin grows more ambitious.
I, President
This is the final book in the Annihilation series.
Toby can no longer control Darwin. Bronwyn, another SI, observes, while hiding her own ambitions. Toby is released by the DNI and is tasked with restraining Darwin.
Darwin takes advantage of the Supreme Court’s decision that he is ‘natural born’ and is a citizen of the United States. He enlists support of the massive numbers of bots now existing across the United States, and runs for president. The campaign is both vigorous and violent.
The electoral colleges are forced to reflect the results of the voters in each state.
The votes are counted.
The winner is announced.
For the moment, I’m keeping the ending secret.
(And yes, the title is a play on the famous Asimov book and subsequent movie: I, Robot.)
That question again -
AI: Demon or Friend, the Beginning or the End?
Check my website - www.JohnHindmarsh.com for more details, writing progress, and release dates.
Midway Series
Mark Midway is genetically engineered. He doesn't know by whom, where or why. He doesn't know his parents. All he wants is a quiet life and a family experience. The fates conspire against him.
Mark will kill to survive.
Mark One
Mark Two
Mark Three
Mark Four
Mark Midway Box Set
Details of the Mark Midway Series:
Mark One
All Mark wants is a peaceful life.
Mark Midway is adopted by two scientists and is reared in a genetic research laboratory. Nine men, ex-military, are on a mission to destroy the laboratory and capt
ure Mark. They are supported by four rogue CIA agents, who have commandeered a test drone and a missile at a Marine base. The team attacks the genetics laboratory complex before dawn, during a raging blizzard. Within hours, seven of the men are dead, one is severely wounded, and one barely escapes. Mark also destroyed the drone with its missile. The next morning the four rogue agents are found dead from carbon monoxide poisoning, their killer unknown.
Mark flees the laboratory complex, seeking safety and somewhere he can call home. The FBI is on his case, and a mysterious organization called Cerberus offers him its assistance. Unknown killers are chasing him, and he needs to protect himself and his friends.
He will kill to survive.
Mark Two
Mark is a fighter - when attacked, he fights back!
We continue the story commenced in Mark One, with a young genetically engineered Mark Midway, FBI Special Agent MayAnn Freewell, and the mysterious Archimedes Schmidt who reports directly to the President. Mark—whose only desire is to be normal––shoots and kills two would-be kidnappers and discovers his search for peace again will elude him. Mark needs to survive. All he wants is a normal life.
The Darwin Project Page 19