by Paul Ormond
“You’ve literally made me your captive,” XiaoFan said before Ramon pulled a small case out of his pack. “I don’t really have much of a choice no matter how I feel.”
“Don’t be that way, XiaoFan. There is no way you got into your line of work by accident. You knew the rules, and you knew you broke them long before I came along, so stop trying to act all ingenue. In my experience, nobody gets into this business without knowing the risks, and you didn’t make it this far to balk at the biggest opportunity of your life.”
“You’ve been skirting around the bush for long enough, Ramon. I’d like to hear the details of this plan before I get excited. I’m well aware of the risks I’ve already taken, but I still don’t have a clue what you are talking about.”
“One piece at a time, literally and figuratively,” Ramon said.
“In my hand sits the key to the puzzle, XiaoFan,” Ramon said, holding out the case before him. “Go ahead, take it.”
“What is it?” XiaoFan asked as she pulled the package into her lap.
“A reward, or a bonus for a job well done,” Ramon said. “Open it up.”
“I’m not sure if I should be accepting gifts from you.”
“You already took it, so no backsies.”
“You drive a hard bargain.”
“Just open it up. There is much to discuss and I don’t think we have time for you to pine away about what’s appropriate.”
“You don’t need to get pushy.”
“You’ll know when I’m getting pushy. Open it up. We’re about to begin stage two of our little operation.”
“If you insist,” XiaoFan said before she unlatched the case.
Eying the item in the box for a moment as her sister peered over her shoulder, XiaoFan tried her best to keep her cool.
“Is that what I think it is?”
“It certainly is,” Ramon said while he put out his cigarette on the dirt floor. “Hand crafted from the materials we received by you on our first order.”
“It’s beautiful. May I touch it?”
“Of course you can. It’s yours.”
“I cannot believe I’m seeing this with my own eyes.”
“Believe it. You should thank Christine for the design and Sanchez for being the guinea pig.”
“Is it actually a working unit?”
“It is fully operational, and one of the few functional models available on the planet. Go ahead, try it on.”
“This is incredible,” XiaoFan said while she toyed with the small box in her hand. “I have no idea how to use it.”
“That’s all right. I’ll show you everything you need to know right now,” Ramon said, getting to his feet. “Sanchez, hop up. We need to get XiaoFan acquainted with her new device.”
“Why do I always have to be the model?” Sanchez asked before stepping into the middle of the room.
“Because you are so beautiful,” Ramon said while he grinned at XiaoFan. “And there’s no way I’d be able to demonstrate in this tiny room.”
“Yeah, I can just imagine your fat ass flying around in here,” Sanchez said as he in undid his jacket.
“It’s okay, XiaoFan. He has developmental issues,” Ramon said, turning his attention back to the young woman still seated on the plastic stool opposite him. “If you can look past his thuggish mannerisms, I’d like for you to observe his actions. In a moment, you’ll be replicating these movements, so pay attention. Are you ready, Sanchez?”
“What exactly do you want me to do?”
“Just fire it up and go to ready mode.”
“That’s no problem,” Sanchez said, crossing his arms over his chest.
XiaoFan had to hold back a gasp after a blue aura immersed Sanchez’s form.
“Sanchez has activated his device, and now he is going to access his system panel and check his settings,” Ramon said.
“On it, boss,” Sanchez said before he extended his arm and made a fist. A holographic panel materialized before him and he reached out and opened a menu, revealing a set of translucent dials.
“This is incredible,” XiaoFan said, watching Sanchez fiddle with his settings.
“It really is, and this is all thanks to you and your salvaging technique,” Ramon said while Sanchez fiddled with another dial. “Are we all set?”
“Good to go,” Sanchez said, brushing the panel aside with the stroke of his hand. “What do you want me to do next?”
“Show XiaoFan what exactly she is dealing with.”
“No problem,” Sanchez said before he pushed his hands against the ground and rose in to the air. Making a slow circle, he traversed the small space within the room and came to a stop beside Ramon.
“I can’t believe I am witnessing this,” XiaoFan said while she looked at Sanchez in awe.
“You better start believing quick because you are next,” Ramon said, nodding at Sanchez, who lowered himself to the ground and stepped aside.
“I don’t think I’m ready for anything like that.”
“Nobody is. It’s not something you can prepare for, unfortunately. But you’ll just have to trust me on this.”
“How am I supposed to trust you? You’ve already threatened the security of my family and forced me to commit a criminal act.”
“Don’t trust me then. In either case, you’ve already crossed the threshold. No one forced you to break the law when we made our first arrangement, and nobody is forcing your to break the law now. I never threatened your family's security. You threatened it by your illegal activity, and now, like it or not, we are all in this together. There is no going back. Besides, when you see how much money you’re going to make after this score, I think you’ll be singing a different tune.”
“And when the authorities capture us, what type of tune will I sing then?”
“You keep coming back to that. If you were worried about getting caught by the cops, you should’ve picked a different line of work. And another thing, how did you think all of this was going to turn out? Once you get involved in these types of things, you are all the way in. There is no such thing as part-time in this world.”
“He’s got a point, girl,” Sanchez said as he leaned against the table next to Christine. “Once you’re in, there’s no getting out. It’s for your protection as much as ours. Just take Christine here. She came to us all on her own. She’s a whistleblower against the United States Government and you know what happens to whistle blowers.”
“I do indeed. My father happens to be a whistleblower himself,” XiaoFan said, standing up from her chair. “And that is precisely why I am in the position I am in right now.”
“Then you understand why we are doing what we are doing,” Ramon said. “We’re not just doing this to get rich. What is happening on this planet is a travesty. The governments of the world think they can pull the wool over our eyes and keep us down, but we are fighting for truth and justice. Don’t let your father suffer in prison in vain. It’s time for you to do what’s right and take the next step.”
“As inspirational as that sounds, I’m still skeptical about what I’m getting into.”
“It’s a victimless crime. In fact, when you’ll see what we’ve got planned, it may actually of great benefit to your community. Remember what I was saying about one man’s trash being another man’s treasure.”
“I remember and I do want to help you, but you must understand my reservations about this. My sister is all I have left, she and my father, but I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again. Do you realize the risks I’m taking even dealing with you now?”
“Once you understand the scope of the situation, I’m sure you’ll change your mind. People all over the planet are suffering while those in charge grow richer by suppressing technology. You know in your heart this is the right thing to do.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Take your device and place it in your pocket or anywhere on your body.”
“Anywhere?”
“As l
ong as it is in contact with your person, it will be fine.”
“I’ve got to admit I’m pretty nervous right now.”
“That’s totally understandable. Just follow my instructions and you’ll be fine.”
“I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
“You’re doing the right thing. We’re going to change the world, XiaoFan, and you are going to help us.”
“That is yet to be proven,” XiaoFan said after she placed the device in her pocket and stepped into the middle of the room. “What do I do next?”
“Cross your arms over your chest and don’t panic when it takes hold.”
“This is madness,” XiaoFan said while crossing her arms over her chest.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
STRIDING DOWN THE narrow hall connecting the control room with the communication center, General Vargas pocketed his device and scowled.
“Have we checked this with the pentagon?” he said over his shoulder to one of his assistants. “I don’t want to start any procedures just to find out they changed their minds again.”
“Nothing has changed, sir. It looks like everything is going ahead at full speed,” a plump young man in fatigues said while clutching a clipboard close to his chest.
“That’s what scares me,” Vargas said as he neared the door. “We’re gonna pop in here and check how psyops is doing. It’s getting a little difficult to keep track of everything now. I think President Edwards is going to have to create a new government branch just to stay on top of all this.”
“I agree, sir. We’re getting bombarded from every level of government and FOIPA requests keep pouring in. I know President Edwards has approved everything, but it’s hard to hide all of this spending and the troop disbursement.”
“You don’t have to convince me,” Vargas said, placing his hand on the latch. “Just keep a lid on it while we’re in here. I don’t want these guys getting distracted by outside influences. It’s hard enough running a counter-intelligence operation in cyberspace. We can’t have anything affecting their storylines.”
“Absolutely, sir,” the other assistant replied. “From what I understand, they are making great progress with the narrative.”
“And we need to keep it that way,” Vargas said before he swung the door open to reveal a semi-darkened room filled with banks of monitors manned by soldiers in uniform. On each screen, the landscape of DeathWorld scrolled by as the soldiers guided their characters through the terrain or interacted with players online.
“I’ve gotta admit this is a little hard for me to stomach,” General Vargas said while approaching a central hub surrounded by monitors. “Some of our finest operatives plugged into computers playing video games.”
“Believe it or not, sir, this is the front we are fighting on,” Agent Daniels said after he stood up and saluted the General. “Since implementing the narrative, we have made considerable progress across the landscape. Our contacts have surged and we are actively recruiting players into our information network.”
“I’m glad to hear you are having fun,” Vargas said, peering at the panel of screens before him. “Just tell me you’re getting something of value in return. I’m the guy that has to go and explain all of this to the President.”
“The amount of data we have mined out of the environment in only a few days is staggering, sir.” Daniels said as he clicked a drop-down menu on a nearby monitor and brought up a series of graphs. “Thanks to the President’s influence, MindHIve has opened up their user data to our system and we are able to actively track how far our messages have traveled throughout the online world. The results are beyond impressive, and it appears we have picked the right narrative. Players of all walks of life are picking up on the Mitch Mythic story line. We have been carefully dripping bits and pieces in precise locations, and this strategy has been more successful than we could have imagined. It seems that Mitch Mythic really struck a nerve with the online community.”
“That’s all well and good, but has it gotten us any closer to locating the Cell operatives leaking all this info? What are they calling them Easter bunnies or something?
“They are called Easter eggs, sir. And yes we are closing in on the source of this information. The problem is, in order to gain access to the cells operatives you’ve got to locate an Easter egg. But to find an Easter egg a character needs to complete a series of quests designed to filter out weaker players. It isn’t impossible, but whoever designed the operation certainly understands game theory and online environments.”
“How many Easter eggs have you found so far.”
“None yet, but we’re getting close.”
“Unbelievable. I’ve dumped millions into this operation and all I’ve got to show for it as a bunch of soldiers getting their butts handed to them by a video game.”
“It’s far more complicated than that, sir. This world comes with its own unique culture and language. Much like any other territory the United States has attempted to infiltrate through subversive measures, building an information network will take time. And distributing a psyop narrative to an audience as savvy and fickle as online gamers is going to take a bit of finesse. We can’t just go out and shout it from the rooftops. It only takes a couple of comments to sow the seeds of doubt. But if we focus on building the story, we will be able to draw in a healthy number of players that can lead us to the Easter eggs and ultimately the Cell.”
“I understand how these things work, Daniels. I was the head of forward operations in Afghanistan for two tours. Don’t get me wrong, I value what you are doing here. The problem is I’ve got to go and justify the cost to a lot of different people. In order to do that, I need to show them that we have something of value.”
“I can appreciate your position, sir. And believe me, I am as eager as you are to get my hands on anything worth sharing, but you and I both know this is a delicate operation and being hasty will ruin all of our efforts. We are doing everything we can to build a cohesive narrative. I have the top minds in the intelligence community at play in the environment, and we are implementing everything we have learned from real world interactions into the platform. And not surprisingly, our intel is paying off. The strategies that have worked in actual theaters are producing results in this digital world. It is only a matter of time before we are able to acquire the intelligence we are after, sir.”
“That is what I want to hear, and I will report what you have told me to the President and the Joint Chiefs at our next meeting. Keep pushing ahead, Daniels. The acclaim you received during active duty is manifesting itself in this environment. If you can pull this off, I’m sure we’ll be pinning a medal on your uniform. Stay on target, and I want to be the first to know if your team comes up with anything.”
“Of course, sir. As soon as I learn anything of value, I will report to you immediately,” Daniels said after he snapped to attention and saluted the General.
“There’s a lot more coming down the pipe, so stay sharp,” General Vargas said before turning on his heels. “And be sure we’re not leaking any valuable information. There is going to be a lot of chatter in the lines in the near future, some of it will sound stranger than this fiction we’re spinning up here, but we can’t have anything getting out on our end. If anybody catches wind of this, we’re done for.”
“We’ve implemented the tightest security measures within our operation. I can assure you nothing is getting out of here unless we say it does,” Daniels said as he watched General Vargas stride past a bank of monitors.
“Well, double check those measures. Everybody knows what they say about assumptions,” Vargas said while he watched a soldier guide his character into battle against a large troll. “As you were, People. We’re fighting a war on multiple fronts. Don’t let the fact that you are playing a game distract you from your duty to the United States of America.”
“Yes, sir,” the soldiers said as they stepped out of their chairs and saluted the General.
Snapping hi
s hand to his skull, General Vargas saluted back and exited the room flanked by his two assistants.
“Are they ready for us next door?” Vargas asked as he entered another stark hallway lined with nondescript doors.
“They have been informed of your arrival, sir,” the shorter of the assistants said, keeping pace with the General.
“This is going to be interesting. It seems like we keep moving back the goal posts of moral trepidation the further we get into this, but I can’t stop the floodgates once they’ve been opened,” Vargas said. “Remember, what you are about to see in the next room is above top secret. If any of this gets out, heads will roll starting with mine. So if you value your jobs, we need to keep a lid on this.”
“Of course, sir,” the two assistants chimed before General Vargas swung open the door and stepped into a large dome left over from the MindHIve conference.
A battalion of soldiers snapped to attention after General Vargas entered the room.
“At ease, People,” Vargas said, walking forward with clean strides.
“General Vargas, we’ve been expecting you,” a rigid officer with a wiry physique said before he saluted the General again.
“Lieutenant Colonel Barshall, it pleases me greatly that you have been placed in command of this battalion,” Vargas said, returning the Colonel’s salute. “I can’t tell you how much I value soldiers I can trust on this detail.”
“We are all excited to be here, sir. To be at the forefront of an operation of this magnitude is every soldier’s dream.”
“I’d advise you to add a hint of caution to that enthusiasm, Colonel. We are staring directly into the abyss, and we must be prepared for anything. I heard we handpicked these soldiers just for this operation.”
“That is correct, sir. Each one of these soldiers is an elite operative. Although they come from a diverse background within the military, they have been selected based on a round of testing established to bring forth the finest soldiers the United States military can provide.”
“The best and the brightest. Have these soldiers been equipped and prepped?”