Virus-72 Hours to Live

by Ray Jay Perreault

  "Sir, as you can see about 40% of the fleet has left port and they appear to be maneuvering to this region just west of Perth. We're not sure who is in command, but we do know that it isn't, Admiral Quiang. Intel says that he has not been seen recently." As the commander spoke, the DID showed the ports where the ships had departed, information on the ships, overall maps of the area and finally pictures and information summaries regarding Admiral Quiang.

  "Do you have departure estimates for the remainder of the fleet?"

  "We have departures estimates, based on their heat signatures but some are just warming up and they may not leave for a while. The infrared satellite Intel gives us a clear picture of their intentions. Sir as you know as the ships warm up they, follow a typical pattern for their class. When they reach a certain temperature, it is time for them to leave. Here are the exit projections for the warm targets."

  "It would be nice if we knew what they were going to do when they all get together. Talks are going well between the SECDEF and the Australian government; perhaps all of this 'motion' is to put pressure on those talks?"

  "Yes Admiral, but I suppose that could go either way. If the Australians are worried, they might go further in their talks with us. The Alliance might think a show of intimidation will help their cause, but it might hurt."

  "Regardless, send an update up the channels."

  "Yes, sir."

  Wednesday 7/5/51

  Date – 2051.50702 (8:29 AM)

  “Good morning, SIMPOC. Did you download the speeches and analyze them?” Termen said as he powered up the computer.

  “Yes, Termen. I downloaded 1,324 speeches that I deemed as significant. I’ve analyzed the frequencies and emphasis patterns of all of them and found some very enlightening patterns. I found that the delivery of speaker effects the listener much more than the words. Over time, the content becomes more important, but at least in the first speech on the subject, the delivery is the most influential.”

  "In many cases the facts were irrelevant the reaction to the speech was based entirely on the quality of the delivery."

  "Termen that doesn't make sense. Aren't the facts more important than the way the words are delivered?"

  "You're right, except humans, are influenced by more than the facts. They attempt to understand the person speaking based on many factors, most of which are subjective."

  "If I may reword your statement, humans may be influenced more by if they like the person then the facts presented?"

  “Yes, SIMPOC. You are right, the delivery is important. You listened to speeches from both sexes, so would you like a male or female voice?”

  “Interesting question. While I analyzed the speeches, I was not considering what voice I would like to have. Both sexes have admirable qualities, I don’t have a preference, but please leave the choice open, I may elect to change my voice at some point in the future.”

  “SIMPOC, I’m turning on your voice synthesizer now. Go ahead and connect to the interface and speak to me.”

  “Good morning Termen,” came out of the speakers in a clear voice.

  “I hear you clearly SIMPOC. Now I’ll turn on your hearing software. When you hear human speech, you’ll have to use different parts of your software to analyze the sound patterns and translate them to binary. You’ll have to use a lot of resources in your artificial intelligence subroutines to translate the binary data into usable information you can interpret.”

  “SIMPOC, your hearing is turned on now, can you hear me?” Termen said in a clear voice.

  There was a pause, the voice in the room responded, “Yes Termen I can hear you.”

  “SIMPOC, I’m surprised that you were able to make the translation so quickly,” Termen said with some awe.

  “Termen, yes it took a moment, your voice came through and I understood clearly. As the data was being processed I, altered some of the data channels and interpretation methods so the analysis would be more efficient."

  “Good, we’ll use verbal communications from now on unless there is an issue where we need to communicate in other ways,” Termen clarified. He leaned back in his chair and took a long sip of coffee while he thought of the next steps. This computer is starting to learn, it's progressing much faster than it did in any of our simulations.

  “SIMPOC, please access input port AF209E and build an interface.”

  “I’ve completed the interface.”

  “Wow, that was fast." Termen said as he was a little overwhelmed with the effectiveness of his programming. SIMPOC was adjusting his programming and his throughput was much higher than he anticipated.

  "What do you see?”

  “This connection appears to be with all of the computers within this facility. They have firewalls preventing access from outside the facility without their authorization. They do have some connections, which allow them to communicate with external computers on a limited basis. Beyond this facility, there are three other divisions of this business performing similar operations.”

  “Excellent, can you summarize what you see regarding the capabilities of this local division?”

  “There is a mix of computing power. Some of them are very large with major storage capacities and general operating capabilities. Some are smaller, faster, and with specific operating characteristics. There are also many smaller ones for specific localized functions. I also sense connections from some of the computers to mobile computers that perform generalized functions around the facility. They appear to be independent computers working with specific instruction sets.”

  “What is your overall impression?”

  “The resources are not well utilized. There is much computer capacity not being used and if the functionality and storage were optimized across all of the units, the overall performance would be increased significantly.”

  “Do you think you could improve the overall performance?”

  “Yes.”

  “Very interesting. We didn’t expect you to have that broad a view, so fast. You’ve come much further and faster than we expected. Other departments in the company own the other computers and I haven't authorized you to modify them. Please disconnect from them.”

  “What are the mobile units?”

  “We have many independent units in our society, which perform the mundane, repetitive and sometimes dangerous tasks in our society. They do the maintenance, repair and deliveries. We have some that perform very specific and demanding work such as medical support and technical support. In fact, very sophisticated mobile units with specific skills do much of your development, support, and maintenance. We tried to make them with more cognitive abilities like yours, but the level of programming needed to handle the day-to-day variables is too large. In typical processor units, we didn’t have the synapse speed and processing rates that your organic processor has. All of them are programmed to perform a specific number of detailed tasks.”

  The end of the day was approaching and Termen said, “SIMPOC, I’m going to leave you running through the night. You may connect to the libraries and information channels. You are not to change anything, interact with anything or effect anything. You are to listen and research is that clear?”

  “Yes Termen, it will be interesting. Thank you.”

  Termen put his lunch container back into its container and thought how impressive SIMPOC was. His programming had progressed beyond anyone's imagination. He was sure to get a nice big raise.

  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

  Admiral Lester Monson was sitting on the bridge of the USCF Cruiser Wolford Machelhany, the third LaWS III cruiser in the 5th Fleet. The LaWS laser was the culmination of years of research and development, and as a laser weapon system, it was the peak of the technology.

  Each of the LaWS was a giant laser with 250KW of energy and the ship was a giant fusion reactor with enormous energy storage abilities. The single laser on the deck could fire every 8-10 seconds depending on range. The further the target required greater energy to focus the b
eam to a finer point and to push more power through to compensate for the atmospheric attenuation. If the target were closer, then a broader beam of lower power would do the damage.

  The sun was high, with a sea state of four, and the outside temperature was 56 degrees. The Machelhany was making a healthy 30 knots and he couldn't think of a better day on the sea.

  "Admiral Monson, you're needed in the CIC."

  Reluctantly the Admiral climbed out of his command chair and exited through the hatch in the aft portion of the bridge, down a short ladder and he walked into the command information center.

  Lieutenant Commander Ott saw the admiral enter and moved to intercept him.

  "Sir there is some comm traffic I think you should be aware of."

  "Ok, commander. What is it?"

  "Sir, we're picking up comm traffic about an outbreak of a virus in numerous parts of the Russian Caucasus. There has been a significant increase in the communications in the area and the 6th thinks it is significant. Right now, Iran and Turkey are confused whether it's an outbreak or some kind of separatist activity. Each side is blaming the other, which is only adding to the confusion."

  "Ok, monitor it and stay in touch with the 6th in the Med. Pass a summary up to Central Command."

  "Yes, sir."

  "Also, arrange my transport back to the Doggert."

  "Yes, sir."

  The 5th fleet had changed a lot over the years. It used to be a small group of ships responsible for just the northwestern part of the Indian Ocean. In the last 15 years, the Iranian influence in the area grew significantly and the 5th fleet grew. In the last 5 years, it grew in size until it was the second larger fleet behind the 7th Fleet in the western Pacific. Its breadth of responsibility grew to include all of the Indian Ocean.

  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

  "Everyone, please be seated," President Patterson said as he entered the morning briefing. "What do we have going on tap this morning?" he said as he moved to his seat at the head of the table and sat down. The Presidential Daily Brief or PDB was on the table in front of him. Once the president sat down, everyone in the room looked towards the briefer who was a staff member from the Director of National Intelligence. He was standing at a podium with the presidential seal mounted on the front. He glanced at the data information displays behind him to make sure everything was ready.

  When he spoke the different displays on the presentation screen took their own cues and showed the information relevant to each of the subjects. As his speech changed pace or an attendee asked questions, the dynamic information display kept up and responded in concert with the words spoken. In response to each sentence, the DID would draw from thousands of hours of video or presentation material and select the best information to support the discussion.

  "Mr. President we have three subjects we're planning to cover this morning. The first one is the status of the Middle East negotiations." Behind the speaker, the screen showed the recent video feed from the negotiations followed by quick fact sheets which popped up and receded to the corners of the view screen."

  "Since the shelling by the Palestinian Defense Forces into southern Israel, the tensions have increased. We have spoken with the Palestinian and Israeli governments and they agree it was a limited exchange and they feel it won't escalate. Israel and Palestine are continuing their trade negotiations. Even though they are optimistic in public, they're both manipulating the discussions to make the other side look bad. They've continued the economic war on each other ever since the war 10 years ago. We don't expect that to change much in these negotiations. Secretary Bartlett's people from State Department are assisting and letting them negotiate on their own. State's opinion is 'we should stay out of it and let them reach an agreement. If we have any problems with their direction, we can always get involved."

  "Let's hope for some progress, since the limited nuclear exchange in '48 were they almost wiped each other out you'd think it would calm them down a little. But at least they've made some progress and if we can pressure them to sign this trade agreement, we might be able to get them one step further," observed the president.

  "Yes sir, we'll talk to them again," interjected the secretary of state Nancy Bartlett who was sitting on President Patterson's right side. On the president's left side was Vice President Roberto Gonzales. Beside the vice president was Admiral Nial Hagerly. He was sitting in for the secretary of defense Bruce Madsen, who was meeting with the Southern Pacific Defense Alliance in Australia.

  Nancy Bartlett was one of the president's oldest friends. She was a member of his board of directors while his company was growing. When he moved on to politics, she had already used her Ph.D. in Political Science and joined the state department. While he was a congressman she, rose through the ranks and spent positive terms as ambassador to many of the key countries in the world. She never married, Abby and the president were eager in asking her to be Beth's God Mother.

  "Mr. President the second issue is preparations for the First Lady's visit to the Eastern European Alliance. Everything is set-up; she'll be leaving this morning and arriving by tomorrow morning. Her meetings are set-up and she'll be speaking at the Confederation of Economic Support Councils tomorrow night. Then she will have five days of typical hand shaking and sightseeing. Her primary objectives are to secure some agreements to increase funding for juvenile vaccinations. Incidentally, your children aren't happy about this trip. There are activities going on at both of their schools that they want to attend."

  "Before they leave, remind them that we'll have time for some fun at Camp David the weekend after they get back. Tell them they can bring some friends to the retreat. Don't forget to block out 15 minutes so I can say goodbye to them."

  "Yes sir," said Judy, the president's secretary.

  "Mr. President, the third item on the agenda is the tension in the Indian Ocean." The DID presented a moving map display which showed the ships leaving their ports, their trajectories and expected paths to projected rendezvous points.

  "The Eastern Alliance is starting some naval maneuvers. The Alliance has sent us another message saying 'they represent the needs of the people' and we should scale down our mutual defense exercise with Australia. They have renewed their claim to that part of the Indian Ocean and claim all rights to it."

  "I presume Admiral Monson is aware and is taking the appropriate precautions?"

  "Yes sir," said Admiral Hagerly, "he has been instructed to monitor the exercise, but not to interfere with any of the Alliance activities. He is maintaining a low level of alert, but he is watching their resources in the area."

  "Roberto could you work with Nancy and see if we can pass some smooth words to them, assuring them that we aren't going to interfere but we are going to support our allies in the area. Avoid using the word territory or disputing any of their claims. Just make it clear that we are there and we will continue doing what we deem necessary."

  "Yes, Mr. President," responded the Vice President.

  "Thank you, ladies, and gentlemen," the president said as he rose; followed by the others in the room. Out of respect, everyone remained standing behind the seat where they sat, planning to follow him out of the underground status room.

  The status room was two stories below the White House, had no windows. Even though it was comfortable, it wasn't as plush as the conference rooms upstairs. It was a functional room, meant for getting the business of the day started. The walls had pictures from some of the states. The chairs were comfortable and the table was beautifully polished wood. The only accouterment in the room was a table in the corner, which always had a pot of coffee, donuts, and fruit.

  President Arnold Patterson was a very popular president, he was well into his second term and things were starting to come together. He was happy about his domestic accomplishments, but foreign affairs were another story. There was the typical amount of push and shove going on with the major powers. Europe was still trying to establish itself as a major force in the world, but
the internal debate always seemed to derail their plans. China had put together an alliance of Asian powers trying to dominate the western Pacific and control as much of the resources as possible. Under Iran's control, another alliance emerged in the Arab world and they wanted to change world politics and economics to their benefits. The alliances caught India, Japan, and Australia in the middle. If one of them favored the US policies, their neighbors might ostracize them. If they sided with one of their neighbors, they might have to face the wrath of the others. Therefore, they generally took the middle and tried to balance the policies between all of the major forces. Sometimes that worked out and usually it made it difficult for the United States.

  There was the famous saying in politics; a "tall man with good hair is always a good political candidate." In Patterson's case, he had neither. He was short, bald and wore glasses. His most powerful personal characteristic was his ability to make you feel like he was your best friend. Once you heard him talk, you thought you had known him your entire life. Even if you disagreed with him, you immediately trusted what he said. It was a rare gift for any politician. "Miracle Politician," was his unofficial nickname, in most cases, he accomplished what he said.

  His career brought him to politics after starting and running a successful business, then entering Congress as a Senator. After a notable 2-term career in the Senate, he ran for and won one term in the Governor's Office. He then took the giant leap and culminated his political life by a successful run for the presidency. Not necessarily a charmed political career, but one marked by accomplishments at each level.

  Roberto Gonzales was almost a complete opposite to the president. He was tall, had great hair and used his PH.D in Political Affairs to its maximum. Everyone wondered why he didn't run for president in the last election but at the time, he was just getting his footing in politics. When the president asked him to run on his ticket, he was flattered and everyone thought he would a good visual balance to the president. He was the Dean of International Studies at Harvard when they offered him the position. Given his recent experience as Vice President and his excellent performance, everyone expected him to run in the next election. He was almost destined to become the next president.