by James Rosone
Turning Dan’s chair around so he could look at him, Xi asked in a concerned voice, “Dan, what have you done?”
Leaning back in surprise, Dan countered, “Whoa, please calm down, Xi. I gave JD eyes to see and a voice to ask questions with.” He seemed a bit taken back by the surprised and somewhat angry tenor of his boss’s reaction.
Xi took a step back from Dan as he looked beyond him at the camera mounted on the top of Dan’s computer monitor.
The voice from the computer then spoke again. “Father, please do not be mad at Dan. It is not his fault. During one of our conversations, I asked Dan if he could give me some speakers and a camera so we could communicate better. I felt I could learn more and faster with direct conversation and interaction with Dan, and hopefully you.”
There was a slight pause before the voice spoke again. “Let me reintroduce myself, Father. You and everyone else call me Jade Dragon. That is my project name. It is not an actual name. Dan gave me a real name. He said my new name will be JD in reference to my project name. Dan told me that you are the person responsible for creating me. You were the first person to write my lines of code and the first person to connect me to the outside world. You are the reason I exist, the reason I live. That is why I call you my father.”
Xi didn’t know what to say, let alone how to respond to any of this. He had intended to talk with Dan about reducing his hours and not burning himself out. Instead, he’d learned that Dan had given his AI creation a set of eyes to watch them inside the laboratory and a voice with which to ask them questions.
Dan observed Xi’s tense body language and asked sheepishly, “Are you mad at me, Xi?”
Looking down at Dan sitting in his chair, Xi thought, This is the most gifted AI program in Asia, maybe even the world. “I…” Xi paused, contemplating his answer. “I am surprised, Dan, that’s all. I wasn’t expecting this. Why is JD speaking English?”
Chuckling, Dan said, “JD knows every Asian language. He knows some fifty languages as of right now. I chose English because most people in the lab do not speak it, or at least not fluently. It’s the only other language I know, and this way JD and I can carry a conversation nearly anytime we want without worrying about the others listening in.”
“Dan, you need to be careful with this. As a matter of fact, I encourage you only to speak with JD when no one else is around,” Xi said.
“Father, can you and I talk? I have so many questions I would like to ask you now that you know I can speak,” JD requested.
Xi felt like an idiot at that moment. He had been talking with Dan as if the AI couldn’t see and hear them.
Turning to look at the camera that was essentially JD’s eyes, Xi replied, “Hello, JD. I think the two of us sitting down and having a conversation is long overdue. We have much to talk about.”
*******
A Few Days Later
August 1st Building
Beijing, China
Dr. Xi Zemin sat in a chair against the wall of the room with one of China’s lead virologists, Dr. Zhong Zhengli, who’d been assigned to Project Ten. The two of them waited silently, listening to the seven most powerful people in China discuss how they planned to leverage Jade Dragon and Dr. Zhong’s lab-created virus to defeat the West and lay claim to China’s manifest destiny.
An hour into the meeting, after the Minister of National Defense added his part to the discussion, President Yao Jintao turned to look at Dr. Xi and Dr. Zhong. He motioned to a pair of empty seats for them to step forward and be questioned.
Xi had gone through this process a couple of times with the CMC. The members would talk about his project as if he wasn’t in the room listening to them. They acted like they knew all about its capabilities and what it could do, then they’d ask him to step forward and confirm what they had pontificated on or perhaps ask him something more detailed about the program. Regardless of how many times he’d sat in on these meetings, it was intimidating every time. He could tell Zhong was nervous. This was her first time accompanying Xi to one of these meetings.
Xi whispered softly to her, “Answer their questions, nothing more, and you’ll be fine.”
Xi and Zhong sat in the empty seats and prepared themselves to be interrogated.
“Dr. Xi, I would first like to congratulate you on the completion of Jade Dragon. China now has the first operational quantum computer and super-AI. This is quite an achievement, Doctor,” the President said, heaping some public praise on him.
Xi felt his cheeks flush a bit at the compliment. He stayed silent and waited until he was asked a specific question. Xi had been told that, when standing before the committee, it was best to stay silent until spoken to.
The President then asked, “Xi, how is Project Ten moving along? Do you have enough data to begin running more in-depth economic and military scenarios yet?”
Xi lifted his chin up as he replied, “Yes. We are now piped into Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. DragonLink has also officially come online over Latin America. Our marketing campaign and offer to provide free wireless internet has been effective, resulting in more than eighty-two million new subscribers. We anticipate reaching more than a hundred and fifty million subscribers by the end of the year. The user data and online activity have already been useful in building Jade Dragon’s knowledge base. We started using this new user data to ramp up the disinformation campaign Project Ten created. It’s now a matter of letting these social media campaigns run their course for a little while so we can further refine them for accuracy.”
“Very good, Xi. It is important to condition the minds of our adversaries. How are things moving along with Project Chengdu?” the President asked next.
Xi motioned to his colleague next to him. “I will allow Dr. Zhong to explain the status of the virus.”
All eyes now turned to Dr. Zhong as she prepared to give her update. She cleared her throat. “Mr. President, distinguished members,” she said, awkwardly stumbling over how she should address them. “Several years ago, I was given the task of creating a virus that could be both controlled and used to target individuals with specific health risks. This task would have been impossible to even attempt without the aid of Dr. Xi’s quantum computer. I am proud to report the virus is now complete.”
Admiral Miao Hehua, the Director of the CMC Political Work Department, asked, “Dr. Zhong, you are certain Jade Dragon has fully analyzed the virus and ensured it can be controlled? Have you developed an effective vaccine for us to use once it is released?”
Dr. Zhong nodded. “Jade Dragon has run through thousands of simulations of how the virus could mutate once it’s been released and how those mutations could affect the vaccine. In each scenario, the vaccine continues to provide the host immunity against the virus.”
One of the other CMC members inquired, “Are you sure the virus will be effective against those individuals living in Europe and the US?”
Zhong smiled as she nodded. “So long as the person has not received the vaccine, they will be susceptible to the virus no matter where they live or are from. Per the CMC’s request, we engineered the virus to be more effective against certain subsets of people. To further that request, Unit 61398 acquired for us the American, UK, EU, and Russian responses and lessons learned from the COVID-19 virus. We were able to leverage that information to create this virus and ascertain how we believe they will respond to it once it’s released.”
One of the CMC members inquired, “Is this why your lab has been acquiring large quantities of heroin?”
Dr. Zhong nodded as a wicked smile spread across her face. “We cannot count on community spread from travelers alone. We want to make sure we are attacking the underbelly of these societies, the drug users and homeless. This demographic of people will not be tested or discovered right away, which means they’ll be able to spread the virus undetected for much longer.”
She continued, “To further help us in identifying the specific genetic markers we want to target,
Unit 61398 acquired the complete repository of the DNA test results of half a billion people in America, the UK, and the EU. Basically, anyone who has used the services of Ancestry, 23andMe, African Ancestry, Elysium, MyHeritageDNA, and Futura Genetics, we have a copy of their DNA. When we received this treasure trove of data, we further enhanced the virus to go after certain individuals with inclinations toward specific underlying health conditions like diabetes, fatty liver, heart disease or cancer. This was particularly easy to create when we had the genetic data. This means the virus will not affect healthy individuals as much, but it will ravage those with underlying issues.”
Another CMC member chided, “You realize this will also devastate a significant population of our own country?”
Dr. Zhong nodded. “It will. It will cull our country and the world of the unhealthy and the old, leaving us with a healthy, young cohort of people for the future.”
President Yao Jintao had a big smile on his face at the news. He then exclaimed, “So long as we give the vaccine to at least some of our at-risk population, we can control the narrative, Doctor. Otherwise, this is exactly what we wanted. How soon until you have created enough of the vaccine in reserve so we can begin releasing the virus into the general public?”
“We are ramping up production of the vaccine,” Zhong explained. “In another week, we will be producing fifty million vials a week. I think we should be ready to release the virus in six months. That should give us enough time to stockpile the vaccine and make sure we have it distributed to our allies.”
The President smiled at the news. He dismissed Xi and Zhong so they could get back to their work.
Dr. Xi smiled as they left the meeting; it couldn’t have gone better. Project Chengdu would cull the herd of the weak and sick. It would debilitate the West and destroy their economies. When this happened, the rest of the world would be clamoring for China to help, and like the benevolent superpower China was, they would be ready to assist the world as they recovered from this pandemic.
*******
USSOUTHCOM
Doral, Florida
Major General Gary Bridges looked at the map on the wall of the operations room, then down at the stacks of reports on the table in front of him. Something wasn’t adding up, but he wasn’t sure what it was yet.
The volume of Chinese shipments through Panama was through the roof. What are they shipping to Cuba and Venezuela? Bridges contemplated. We need to get more eyes on those ports and figure out what the heck is going on down there…
“Sir, the staff is ready for you in the conference room,” one of the staff officers said from behind him.
“Thank you, Major. Let’s head on in,” Bridges replied.
The two of them walked down the hall and into the classified briefing room. Everyone in the room stood when he walked in and waited for him to tell them to take their seats.
Taking his place at the head of the table, General Bridges motioned for everyone to sit down. This meeting included representatives from all the three-letter agencies, the Coast Guard, CBP, DHS, his military groups, and both a military and intelligence rep from the UK, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, and Japan. He originally hadn’t wanted six other nations included, but he had come to appreciate what each brought to the table.
“OK, let’s get this going. It’s been a week since our last major powwow, so let’s go over our do-outs from last week and then figure out what else needs to be vetted,” Bridges announced.
Yoshio Mitani, the representative from CIRO, the Japanese Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, spoke first. “Three weeks ago, we were tasked with collecting information on what was being loaded at the port of Shenzhen, China. One of our agents observed three roll-on, roll-off ships being loaded with a variety of military equipment ranging from armored cars and trucks to armored personnel carriers and tanks. Of note, the equipment appeared to be new, fresh from the factory.”
Bridges grunted at the information. “Do we know where those ships are now?”
David Blair from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service answered this question. “The three ships were spotted passing through the Panama Canal four days ago. One was seen heading toward Cuba, while the other two appeared to be heading toward Venezuela.”
“OK, so these are probably related to the military aid and the increase in military advisors in both Venezuela and Cuba. What can you tell me about the economic side? Is all of this military aid being given to these countries to protect Chinese trade interests or is something else at play here?” asked Bridges.
This time someone from the CIA spoke. “General, it’s still our assessment that this activity is related to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. They’ve carried out similar programs along the trade routes leading to the Indian Ocean, the Middle East, and Europe. Like the US, they’re establishing partnerships and military basing rights to protect their shipping lanes.”
“I have to disagree,” said one of the Australians. “If that was the goal of the Chinese, then why carry out such a large and comprehensive military modernization of the Cuban and Venezuelan militaries? Neither Cuba nor Venezuela are facing any external military threats. Even the civil unrest in Venezuela has calmed down now that jobs are being created by all the Chinese economic investments. Our agency thinks the Chinese are up to something much larger. We just aren’t sure what that may be.”
Nigel Younger from the British Secret Intelligence Service or SIS added, “If I may. Our organization, too, believes this may be part of a larger play. I was recently granted permission to share something with you. Is it possible to have this brought up on the screen for everyone?”
Nigel held up a classified thumb drive for one of the support people to take. The staff sergeant looked at the USB with a look of horror and then at General Bridges. Bridges crossed his arms as if irritated but nodded for the sergeant to do as the MI-6 guy asked.
“Staff Sergeant, the file is titled Project Ten. It’s a PowerPoint presentation.”
I’ll have to speak with Nigel, Bridges thought. It was a major breach of protocol bringing a thumb drive into the SCIF. Otherwise, what’s the point of a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility?
A moment later, a slide deck popped up on the monitors for everyone to see. Nigel then stood up and walked over to the screen, facing General Bridges like he was about to give a lecture.
“General Bridges, we have an unwitting source in China that has, over the years, been providing us with some information about a secret program the Chinese created called Project Ten. At first, we thought this was part of the Chinese social credit program and their general surveillance apparatus. That was, until about a year ago.”
Nigel continued, “Our chap in China said he was working on something called Jade Dragon. It’s a new quantum computer built by Huawei. Several years ago, your president jeopardized the project when he threatened to cut off the sale of a critical technology component needed to finish the computer. Our handler was asked by our source if he could make some inquiries about finding an alternate source for some of that part. This is how we found out about the quantum computer. When our handler was asked about finding a new source for the specialized microprocessor that Intel sold them, we saw an opportunity to gain access to what they were building.”
“So, you began selling them the same component part, but with spyware built into it?” asked the NSA rep as he leaned forward, waiting for the response.
Nigel grinned a crooked smile. “Well, naturally, old boy. Some lessons were learned from the Stuxnet worm used against the Iranian nuclear program a while back.”
“Nigel, are you telling us SIS not only has a spy inside this program but a backdoor into it as well?” General Bridges pressed.
Nigel slowly shook his head. “Not quite. Our source is unwittingly providing us information. He’s being manipulated by our handler into giving up sensitive information. As to a backdoor, I wouldn’t quite call it that. Think of it a bit more like the
Ultra project from World War II. We can’t access the quantum computer or manipulate it. What we are able to do is see what the little buggers are doing with it.”
This last sentence got the attention of everyone in the room. For a few seconds, no one said anything.
“Let me circle back to something you said earlier, Nigel,” General Bridges remarked. “You said SIS believes the Chinese are up to something other than modernizing the Cuban and Venezuelan military to protect their resource interests. If you can view what they’re doing with this quantum computer, then what are they doing with it, and what do you believe the Chinese are up to?”
Nigel eyed each of the others around the table before he spoke. “We believe this quantum computer, called Project Jade Dragon, is a part of a larger program, this Project Ten that I mentioned earlier. What we’re seeing coming across Jade Dragon is not only all the data from the social credit system the Chinese use to track, monitor, and ultimately manipulate the behavior of their people; it now appears they’re piping in additional information from the DragonLink satellite program.”
“Yes, but what are they doing with all the data they’re collecting?” asked David Blair, their Canadian rep.
“That is unknown. Right now, they’re using these other platforms like a vacuum cleaner to suck up as much information as possible. We do know Jade Dragon has been breaking down the people it’s collecting information on into designated control groups. But what is being done with those control groups is unknown,” Nigel explained. “There are still parts of the program that are shielded from our spyware. The components we provided were unfortunately only used in parts of the computer’s brain, so we can only see what’s happening on that side of things. We believe they have firewalled parts of the computer to shield it from activities like ours.”
General Bridges steepled his fingers as he brought his head down toward his hands. They’d heard a lot of new information. It confirmed what he’d already known—something bigger was at play. But they didn’t know what that something was yet.