by Jay Klages
This was the wrong place for that.
He tried to focus on learning the underlying operating system of the Chapter in as little time as possible. A senior programmer and network administrator working on the second floor named Casey Walsh had given him four hours of training over two days. Walsh let him know where the references and documentation were located in the system and gave him access to it.
Kade wasn’t permitted to go into programmer’s mode, but he was permitted to view the code, and it seemed like the operating system had started as a version of Linux’s open-source software that had been further developed into a proprietary version. The Chapter system was a mainframe-and-terminal setup, so his desktop was really just a user interface and monitor screen. The computer-chip hardware inside his head would most likely be programmable to some extent. But not knowing what kind of control the program was exerting on him was creepy.
He’d received the “Daily Chapter” download each morning, beamed into his skull through the infrared peripheral on his desk, in the same manner Pierce had first introduced. He recognized the download as a mix of software updates and patches, a formatted communication of Chapter propaganda, and a calendar of weekly activities.
One recent segment of Associate Knowledge instructed:
AgriteX’s wind turbine produces five million kilowatt-hours per year, supplying all of our company’s power and providing excess power to the Pacific Power grid. Under the Chapter’s growing leadership and influence, wind and solar technology will be expanded to homes and urban centers . . .
And in the same download, another message wasn’t so kumbaya:
The Department of Homeland Security and state law enforcement continue to procure and hoard weapons. Politicians fleece America, ruin the land, run up debt, and line their own pockets, while the “government” continues to put a stranglehold on our movement. They will try to seize our bounty from us. We have the God-given right to live and thrive off the earth as we choose. This is why we must be ready! We must be prepared to defend our sacred land . . .
These standard Chapter communications, by default, were spoken by an avatar of Marshall Owens’s head. Thank goodness he’d explored the Options menu and found a well-buried checkbox to remove the floating-head visual in the program.
After he reviewed more downloads and completed Walsh’s training, Kade noticed fifteen points awarded to the Knowledge section of his Progress tab when he synced up.
Only 985 points to go to his first reward, symbolized by a bronze coin.
He poked around in the system looking for weaknesses. He was hoping the Chapter’s local area network, on which this whole system ran, was connected to the Internet, but it wasn’t. He found it interesting that the computer system for AgriteX was kept separate and there was no apparent connection between the two. The AgriteX network looked like it was connected to the Internet, but despite Kade’s requests, his superiors hadn’t granted him access.
Other than studying and doing exercises in his room several times per day, he’d made a point to go to the regular dinner gathering with the other Associates in the last five days. It was important to accelerate these relationships, and he tried to chat with everyone.
Lin continued to sit close enough that he could pick up the pleasant smell of her hair and occasionally brush against her body. He allowed himself that small indulgence. Lin talked about how she helped set up American manufacturing deals in China and had a good number of personal contacts there in business and government.
Kade pushed his chair back from the computer and gave his eyes a vigorous rub. Last night’s dinner was interesting. He thought about the conversation he’d had with Daniel Slade after everyone else had left the table.
“Where’s Hank been?” he had asked.
“Apparently sick and undergoing some tests.”
“That was weird last week. What happened?”
“I don’t know,” Daniel said. “Doc Lefear would know more. Last week was way out of control. You might be surprised to learn Hank had finished a term as the mayor for Wheeling, a suburb of Chicago, before coming to the Chapter.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, pretty impressive for someone his age. He’s definitely an ambitious politician, and must have been attractive to the Chapter recruiting machine.”
Interesting. He was surprised Daniel spoke this freely all of a sudden.
“So, if you don’t mind my asking, how were you recruited into the Chapter?” Kade asked.
“I came from the Philadelphia PD,” Daniel said. “The short version of the story is I ran into the Baltimore Police Commissioner while I was at a law enforcement conference. He’s the guy responsible for transforming the Baltimore force and lowering the crime rate in the last few years. A real leader and role model. We just ended up eating lunch together. Then it kind of grew into a mentorship. I drove down to see him a few times. And after having some great discussions, he explained to me that he knew about a private, professional development program that was extremely high-tech and had an extraordinary impact on him. When I expressed interest, a guy contacted me, I took the questionnaire, and after a couple of interviews, I was signed up.”
“And that was it? You were gung-ho from the get-go?”
“No, it took some time, and I was impressed with the work they were doing. Their tax-exempt organizations support areas I care about. They donate money to the departments of first responders, military and veteran’s organizations. The environmental message isn’t a big one for me, but it’s hard to find people who don’t care about a few key ‘green’ issues. And who doesn’t support the police, fire departments, the armed services? I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want to feel secure and protected.”
“So being part of the Chapter, this secret brotherhood, would help you move up the ranks in the Philly PD?”
“Yeah, it would.”
Kade nodded. Daniel’s description of the recruiting sounded a little like a self-help scam, but maybe the fact that he was a cop before coming to the Chapter was something Kade could leverage. It sounded like Daniel could be having some doubts, but Kade wasn’t going to prod further just yet.
“My dad was a police officer killed on duty, so I have the highest respect for the work.”
“I’m really sorry to hear that,” Daniel said.
Kade sighed. “So how do they decide who to recruit here?”
“They seem to target a particular demographic. Smart, ambitious, technologically savvy. Around twenty-five to forty years old, single, no strong family attachments. Sound familiar?”
The psych test popped into his head. It was quite a strange mix of questions, asking for responses on a scale between “Strongly Agree” and “Strongly Disagree.” He remembered, “If someone hits you, it’s okay to hit back” and “I like working harder so I get a bonus payment.” And, “Recycling is important to me.”
“Yeah, I guess they have a profile for the ‘ideal member.’ Well, I better get back to work. I have a lot of studying to do.”
“All right. Let me know if you want to talk more. There aren’t any microphones here in the café. Only cameras. It’s the best place to talk. Still, be careful about what you say.”
No microphones, only cameras. Unlike my room.
Kade swiveled in his chair to face the barred window in his room. The bars were the simplest reminder of his situation. He was a prisoner, constantly watched and eavesdropped on.
There was now also a crude monitoring system inside his head. Thank God it couldn’t read his exact thoughts. From what he guessed, its design was somehow reliant on a combination of spoken words and an emotional response of deception being registered. Not too different from the Verax IR lie detector, except there wasn’t a human interpreter.
It seemed that if the sensor in his head detected deception, and it matched up with his spoken key words through some kind of voice recognition engine, an alert was generated and the computer triggered a log of that activity. Then t
hat log passed the activity back into the Chapter computer system during the Daily Chapter. So there had to be a simultaneous upload as well.
He decided to give his theory a simple test. He looked back at his computer like he was struggling in trying to learn something. He banged his fist on the desk.
“The Chapter sucks, but I love it!”
Sure enough, the yellow stoplight in the upper left of his vision flickered when he uttered that statement and the key word “Chapter” aloud. That information was probably stored in the chipset in his head, then passed to the main computer the next time he did the download and upload process. Too many of these logged events and there had to be an alert for some kind of review. There was supposed to be a pain accompanying the yellow signal, but he was lucky it still wasn’t working.
So the key was to keep his thoughts to himself and his emotions at bay. That was a tall order. It would take practice to navigate spoken key words to avoid triggers. Someone like Daniel must have become adept at doing that over time, but the Chapter still had too many microphones and cameras around to be comfortable doing anything. Still, be careful about what you say, Daniel had said.
Being a software guy, Kade did marvel over the technology of the program displayed in his own vision. This admiration was tempered, though, by the unsettling knowledge of being operated on involuntarily and having no idea what had been done. It had to be serious, as Dr. Drakos, who’d been watching him since his arrival, continued to check on him on a regular basis. It didn’t give him a good vibe.
There was a light knock at the door. He assumed Lin had come back.
“What now, Soon?” he yelled.
The door opened a crack.
“Hi, Kade, can we come in?” a male voice said.
It was Walter Lefear and Carol Reese. Kade now remembered they were both supposed to come by at the end of the week. He didn’t see their names pop up in his vision, because he’d figured out a way to make the letter font transparent in another Options menu. The pop-up feature was driving him nuts and now he could make it go away if needed.
“Oh, hi,” Kade said. “What’s today, the scavenger hunt?”
“Carol and I are here for your first mentor visit,” Walter said. “You’ll have at least one a week from each of us, per Marshall’s guidance.”
“Great. Thank you both so much for taking the time out.”
“Not a problem,” Walter said. “It’s part of the program.”
Carol didn’t look quite as enthused, but maybe that was just her natural look. They both could just be under orders and would rather be doing something else.
Walter put his hand on Carol’s shoulder.
“Carol is going to take you to the Lost Lake Forest Camp tomorrow and orient you to that program. On Tuesday I’ll take you to the clinic in Nehalem where I do some community outreach.”
Carol spoke without eye contact.
“These activities will transition you toward your assigned job and will award you points. Once you start work, your performance ratings will show up in the Performance tab of your display.”
“Cool, look forward to it,” Kade said.
And both trips get me out of this building for the first time.
CHAPTER 20
Sunday, June 23
10:21 p.m. (PDT)
AgriteX
Inside the security room, Joshua Pierce and Dr. Heather Drakos stood behind the young female technician seated at the console controlling a wall of surveillance monitors. One screen showed Kade in his room, standing in front of his own computer. He alternated typing on the keyboard for a few minutes with doing exercises—push-ups, burpees, lunges, planks, and running in place.
“Where the hell does he get this energy?” Pierce asked.
“I don’t know,” Drakos said. “He’s been sleeping only a couple of hours a night this entire week, with occasional twenty-to-thirty-minute cat naps during the day. I’m concerned. From the way he’s acting, you’d think he was on meth.”
“Side effects from the protocol?”
“No, this isn’t from the protocol. None of the severe potential side effects have presented while I’ve observed him.”
“Good. It looks like we lucked out.”
Drakos leaned down and mumbled something in the technician’s ear. The technician then pressed a button and spoke into her headset microphone in her relaxing voice.
“You need to eat and sleep more, Kade. I’m concerned about you.”
“Oh, shut up,” Kade said.
When Kade’s response came over the speaker in the control room, both the technician and Drakos couldn’t help smiling a little bit. Then when Kade stuck out his tongue, turned, and mooned the camera, they both laughed. Pierce just shook his head.
“What’s the prognosis on Stanfield?” Pierce asked.
“Dreadful,” Drakos said. “The CT scan showed the neural growth stimulant caused an excessive reaction, and he’s generated the typical glioblastoma multiforme tumor in the frontal lobe. He’s got weeks left at best.”
No one was more familiar with the risks of the Guardian protocol than Pierce. He was in the first group of recipients, of whom nearly half had developed the lethal tumor. Through refinement of the protocol, the risk had since been reduced to one in five—a closely guarded statistic. It wasn’t clear why any given recipient might be more susceptible to developing the tumor.
Pierce motioned with a sideways jerk of his head and Drakos moved away from the technician to the other side of the room. He spoke just above a whisper.
“At what point does Stanfield become a liability?” he asked.
“He already is. We don’t want to release him in his current condition. Even though he’s not involved with Phase One, he still could be a general risk. He’ll never make it to Phase Two.”
Pierce looked disappointed and shook his head.
“Shit. Another Guardian investment gone bad. Okay, I’ll coordinate turnover over to the outprocessing team. And I’ll tell him he’s going home just before the relocation. Are you going to give him the full diagnosis?”
“No, I’m going to continue telling him the tests were inconclusive and his symptoms are consistent with severe migraines,” she said.
“Okay.” Pierce sighed. “I wonder how many more people it’s going to take. Marshall promised we’d start seeing a much higher success rate with this protocol. Mobilizing soldiers for Phase One was easy, but for Phase Two, he’s asking me to fill a leadership bucket with a gaping hole in it. At this rate I’m going to have to institute big referral fees and signing bonuses to get more people, and we’ll have to churn them out in Montana and Nevada.”
She took his hand and they interlocked fingers.
“Let’s go have a drink and forget about this for a few hours, all right?”
CHAPTER 21
Monday, June 24
10:17 a.m. (PDT)
AgriteX
Kade finished his assigned programming exercise for the day, and then the balding, pear-shaped Walsh reviewed his practice code in a testing environment. Walsh’s “supervision” while Kade viewed the operating system code and wrote sample lines turned out to be Walsh just sitting beside him reading a Maxim magazine and occasionally looking up at Kade’s screen to answer a question.
A knock sounded at the door and it cracked open. Carol’s face poked in.
“Sorry to interrupt all this brainpower, but I’ve got Sims scheduled for the next few hours. They’re expecting us at L-FAC shortly.”
“No problem,” Walsh said. “Sims, I’ll review the rest of this up in my office later. You can go on ahead.”
“Hey, Casey,” Kade said, “before I take off—I noticed another couple of errors on the About AgriteX web page. Can I go ahead and fix ’em real quick while you’re here?”
“Yeah, sure, go ahead.” Walsh found it amusing that Kade reviewed the public website to make sure everything worked perfectly. The public website was the AgriteX Information Technology
team’s lowest priority. Walsh had made the case for a bare-bones website so the company would get as little web traffic and attention as possible. AgriteX customers didn’t care because they had a private portal. But Kade argued that if they were looking to recruit quality people, potential employees were going to at least check the website, and it should reflect a professional web presence. Pierce agreed with Kade on that one. The site shouldn’t have a bunch of errors on it.
After Walsh entered an admin password, Kade fixed the HTML code so the links weren’t broken and the graphics rendered properly. Walsh left after he made sure Kade was completely logged out, and then Kade followed Carol out into the hallway. She flashed him a taut smile that said she didn’t like being kept waiting another ten minutes. Carol had a pretty face, despite some light acne scarring. A cute, mousy nose softened her intense, gray-blue eyes. Her highlighted dark hair was pulled into a ponytail and wrapped in a black scrunchie. Kade figured she was in her early thirties.
A steel door in the hallway opened to a narrow cinder block passage ending at an exterior door accompanied by an access-card reader. Carol raised her badge and the reader beeped and disengaged the lock.
“So you can leave whenever you want?” Kade asked.
“No, I have to constantly check in with Security and get activities approved. And my movement is logged.”
“Oh.”
The service door opened to fresh, cool air outside, rich with the smell of bark mulch lining the wide dirt-and-gravel path in front of them. A black Polaris two-seater ATV was parked twenty yards away at a small turnaround. It looked like a cross between a golf cart and a dune buggy.
“It’s a mile and a half to the Lost Lake Forest Camp, so we’re riding this time,” Carol said. “But it’s a nice walk. I recommend it when you get the chance.” She took the driver’s seat and Kade sat to her right. There were two helmets in a mesh basket, but Carol didn’t put one on, so he didn’t either. The ATV was so quiet when it pulled out that he assumed it was an electric.