“So, that issue is separate from Double H and the attempt on her life?”
“I think so. But not entirely detached from her work. Somehow Brentwood discovered the truth and used it as a means to enlist her on his Apollo project. It worked but his threat is no longer a factor because Lisa claims to be committed to her role. At least that’s the way she’s playing it.”
“Does the boy know?” Woodson asked.
“No, and I promised to keep the truth from him.”
“How are we playing MacArthur’s DNA statement?”
“I hope when we lay out the situation for Brighton he’ll understand why we need to continue our investigation without you being pulled into MacArthur’s murder.”
“I’ve been following the news on the car radio,” Woodson said. “They’re reporting a sketch is being drawn up of a person of interest. That’s got to be me.”
“I know. And although only MacArthur and Brighton knew what you were doing, someone had to see you at the Naval Intelligence office. It won’t take them long to make the connection. But Brighton can shut down that line of inquiry.”
“And your friend Dawkins? Is he good with all this?”
“He’s good because he doesn’t know anything. He’s aware that I’ve got inside information about MacArthur, but Dawkins understands that the less he’s involved, the safer his position. And I’ll make that clear to Brighton.”
Woodson looked out the side window and thought a moment. “So, how are we playing it with the President?”
“A step at a time. We’ll have Lisa and Peter meet him, and then I’ll suggest Dawkins take them on a behind-the-scenes tour of the White House. Brighton might insist on talking to me alone. If that’s the case, I’ll agree and brief you later.”
“Then what?”
“There’s still a killer out there, Allen. I’m getting protection for Kayli and Josh as well as Lisa and Peter. Then you and I go on the offensive.”
Woodson nodded. “Yeah, there’s something rotten at the center of all this, and I think MacArthur might have been part of it.”
Mullins’ eyebrows arched. “Because of the DNA lie?”
“That and the way his murder went down.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think MacArthur knew the guy. It was like they’d been having a conversation, a conversation that stopped when MacArthur saw me.”
“And the other man didn’t look at you?”
“Not when I noticed him. But MacArthur saw me and said something. And then he looked surprised the instant before he was shot.”
Mullins sat quietly, thinking about the implications of Woodson’s observation. After a moment, he said, “Then was this man tailing MacArthur or had he been summoned?”
“Summoned for what?”
“It’s pretty damned clear to me he’s a professional assassin. Maybe MacArthur’s plan was to get you out of D.C. to a point where you’d be a random victim. Why else would MacArthur know the guy?”
“MacArthur was going to have me killed because of the DNA test?”
“Allen, when we don’t know who our friends are, then everyone’s a potential enemy. And MacArthur might have trusted someone who viewed him as more of a liability than you.”
“And now MacArthur’s been silenced.”
“But that doesn’t mean he didn’t leave a trail,” Mullins said.
“What trail?”
“The one we’re going to follow. The money.”
***
Sam Dawkins opened the door to the Oval Office, and then he stood to the side. “You know the way,” he whispered to Mullins.
Mullins entered first followed by Peter and Lisa Li with Woodson in the rear. President Brighton stood in front of his desk, wearing a dark blue suit, white shirt, muted red tie, and mandatory U.S. flag pin in his lapel. His face wore a two-thousand watt smile as if he was in full campaign mode. Mullins expected that. What he didn’t expect was that the President would be alone. His sycophant Chief of Staff, Daniel DeMarco, usually accompanied him everywhere, except maybe the bathroom. But, DeMarco hadn’t been part of the night time hospital visit and so Mullins knew Brighton was still keeping this whole affair close to his chest.
“Dr. Li,” Brighton said, waving his arms wide. “Welcome. I’ve heard so much about you. And this must be Peter. What a handsome lad.”
The President gave handshakes all around, and then gestured for his guests to sit in the conversation area in front of his desk. Peter nestled in close to Li. Mullins could tell the boy was put off by Brighton’s grandiose style.
“And let me just say,” the President continued, “that I am so thankful that you were under the care of Rusty Mullins, one of the finest agents we’ve ever had.” Brighton smiled at Mullins, but his eyes were as brittle as ice.
“I am too, sir,” Li said. “Every moment of every day since then.”
Mullins felt his face flush. He wanted to give some sort of “only doing my job” response, but he didn’t trust himself to speak.
“Why do you think this Double H terrorist group targeted you?” Brighton asked.
Mullins noticed how the President had lumped the mysterious group into that broad enemy combatant category guaranteed to rally public support for any extreme action that might be undertaken to destroy them.
“I don’t know, sir. My work isn’t that important. I’ve thought about it, and I’d have to say fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear that we are moving into an area of scientific exploration that might have severe unintended consequences. And since I’ve been working for Mr. Brentwood, I’ve considered another possibility.”
Woodson saw Mullins edge forward in his chair and realized Li might be venturing into new territory and a theory she hadn’t shared with his father-in-law.
“What’s that?” the President asked.
“Mr. Brentwood has often said the quest for artificial intelligence and creating a computer capable of thinking beyond the limits of human beings is the arms race of this century. He compares it to the Manhattan Project during The Second World War and the crash program to build the atomic bomb. I understand that program was so secret that even Vice President Truman didn’t know of its existence.”
“That’s what the history books claim,” Brighton acknowledged. “You’re saying we have a Manhattan Project underway to build artificial intelligence?”
“I would assume you have something of the sort, and I would assume others believe that as well. Wasn’t that the case with the atomic bomb? You knew the Germans were pursuing the same research?”
“Yes, I believe that’s so.”
“Then this Double H could be simply a screen behind which a country or corporation is working all out to be the first in this race. They don’t want to stop artificial intelligence, they want to control it. Tell me, Mr. President, if you had been in Roosevelt’s place and you knew the identities and locations of Germany’s top nuclear scientists, would you have authorized their assassination?”
Brighton blinked like he’d just been surprised by a tough, unexpected policy question at a news conference. “Well, we were at war, Dr. Li. I suppose I would have.”
“And after the war, had Werner Von Braun and the other rocket scientists who came to the West elected to take their knowledge to the Soviet Union and you had the chance to order their assassination, would you have done so?”
The President shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “That’s a little different. The Soviets were still our ally.”
“Were they?” Li asked. “If your intelligence agencies had told you the brain power they were harvesting from the ashes of The Third Reich would give them intercontinental missiles ahead of you, would you not have considered that an issue of national security? Or perhaps if not an assassination, then an abduction?”
“You pose some interesting questi
ons, Dr. Li,” Brighton said, evading an answer. “Your logic leads to the conclusion that the scientists weren’t assassinated for working on artificial intelligence but rather for working for the wrong side.”
“I think it’s a possibility.”
“And who is the other side?”
“I don’t know, sir. Your people would know more about that.”
Brighton leaned forward and wiped his palms on his knees. “Please don’t take offense, but could it be your own country?”
Li looked at Mullins. “I can’t rule out my government, not since Rusty noticed something I hadn’t considered.”
“He’s a detective,” Peter said, obviously more impressed with Mullins than the President.
Brighton turned to Mullins. “What was that?”
Li nodded for Mullins to speak. He wasn’t completely sure what she meant, but given the context of her comments, he had a pretty good idea.
“Things were happening very quickly during the Marriott shootings,” he said. “I was looking for a way to safety through the kitchen. That was when one of the assassins caught up with us. He grabbed Dr. Li around the neck and started pulling her backwards.” Mullins looked at Li and saw she was nodding in agreement. “He shot me in the shoulder but leaned far enough away from her that I was able to take him out. The odd part was his bothering to grab her.”
“He could have killed her and moved on,” Brighton said.
“Yes. And these guys weren’t amateurs. They’d scouted the place, found the breakers to kill the lights, and had an escape van at the exit. The only thing they missed was the extra security from Prime Protection, and that might have been because the request for our presence didn’t come through hotel security but directly from the program coordinators. And it was a last-minute request.”
“You’re thinking the Pakistani and German scientists were targeted for assassination and Dr. Li was to be abducted. Interesting.”
“I hadn’t thought about it being the Chinese,” Mullins admitted. “They could have extracted Dr. Li back to the mainland, but that’s a pretty serious allegation.”
All three men looked at Li.
“I will make no comment about what my government may or may not have done. I’m a scientist, not a politician or an activist. They could have called me home at any time, so I find the extraction theory beyond credence.”
“Maybe,” Brighton said. “Or maybe the deviousness of the move eliminated two competitors and ensured that you would be confined exclusively to their oversight. At this point, I’m not ruling anything out.”
“Mr. President,” Mullins said, “may I suggest that you, Lieutenant Commander Woodson and I discuss potential theories in further detail while perhaps Agent Dawkins takes Dr. Li and her nephew on a behind the scenes look at the White House?”
“An excellent idea. Peter, you’ve been a most patient young man. Make sure Agent Dawkins gets you a treat from the kitchen.”
The President stood and everyone rose.
“Dawkins should be just outside the door.” Brighton crossed the room, cracked the door, and called for the agent. When Dawkins appeared, the President whispered a few words and then stepped aside. “All right, Peter, you and your aunt will be in good hands. And I’ll be happy to answer any questions when you return.”
As soon as Li and the boy left, Brighton closed the door and pivoted. “Okay, Rusty, how much of what you said in front of her is true and how much is bullshit?”
Chapter Twenty-six
Rusty Mullins realized it was time for him to take control. He sat and gestured for the President to do the same. “Please have a seat, sir. We all have our secrets, one of which won’t leave the Oval Office.”
Brighton scowled. He took the comment to be a thinly veiled threat. He glanced at Woodson, but the young naval officer stood patiently waiting for his commander-in-chief to sit.
“I’m talking about Dr. Li, Mr. President,” Mullins clarified. “She’s the boy’s mother, not his aunt.”
Mullins saw surprise on Brighton’s face followed by confusion. The man neither knew the true relationship nor its implications. Mullins took that as a good sign.
The President moved quickly to his chair and sat on its edge. “How do you know?”
“She told me.” Mullins decided to keep Rudy Hauser and the FBI’s DNA test a secret. He glanced at his son-in-law. “She doesn’t know that Lieutenant Commander Woodson knows and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“So, what’s the big deal about that?”
“She and her husband violated China’s one-child policy. Over there it was a very big deal, and Peter would still face repercussions.”
Brighton shook his head. “But you said this was about national security. I’m sympathetic to the woman but her personal situation hardly rises to that level.”
“I agree. But I had Vice Admiral MacArthur run a DNA test for me because personal items had been stolen from Dr. Li and Peter the night of the Marriott attack. Items that provided DNA samples. I wanted to check what they might be searching for.”
“And MacArthur told you Peter’s her son?”
“No. He swore the tests proved they were aunt and nephew. Dr. Li is the one who told me the truth. So, why would MacArthur lie?”
Brighton shrugged. “Bad test results.”
“I don’t think so,” Mullins replied. “Not for the Director of Naval Intelligence. I think MacArthur knew that Peter is Li’s son and he was trying to protect the secret, not for her sake, but for someone else.”
“Who?”
“Robert Brentwood.”
“But Li’s working for him.”
“Exactly. And Robert Brentwood had the DNA items stolen from the Marriott and then he used the findings to coerce her into joining his team. She’s now a willing participant and says she’s happy in her work. But I’m concerned how closely MacArthur and Brentwood could have been in collusion.” Mullins leaned forward and looked Brighton straight in the eye.
“Tell me, how did you decide to give MacArthur the lead on the Marriott investigation?”
“He volunteered. He said his AI program had been monitoring the three scientists, was familiar with their work, and would have a head start.”
“And the decision to assign my son-in-law as my liaison?” Mullins asked.
“That was also his idea.” Brighton looked at Woodson. “I liked it and thought you’d appreciate it.” The President turned to Mullins. “I still don’t see where this is going.”
“Lieutenant Commander Woodson witnessed MacArthur’s murder,” Mullins said. “He didn’t see the killer’s face, but it looked like MacArthur was having a conversation with the man. It wasn’t an argument and MacArthur didn’t appear threatened. A split-second before he was shot, he seemed surprised.”
“Is that true?” Brighton asked Woodson.
“Yes, sir.”
“So, you’re the one who ran from the scene?”
“Yes, sir.”
Mullins raised the file folder he’d brought to the meeting. “He did so to ensure this information didn’t wind up in the possession of the Maryland homicide investigators.”
Brighton took it and thumbed through pages of computer code. “What is it?”
“Evidence of a stealth computer hack. Dr. Li discovered it and brought it to my attention.”
“On Brentwood?”
“By Brentwood or maybe through Brentwood. It was on the Department of Defense. Li believes the super computer accessed the codes for our drone system.”
“Jesus.” Brighton went pale. “Who knows about it?”
“The three of us, Dr. Li, and MacArthur. Allen, that is Lieutenant Commander Woodson, had just told him moments before he was shot.”
Brighton got to his feet. “Then we need to shut Brentwood down.”
“No,
sir. I don’t think that’s the wisest course. It’s possible Brentwood is also a victim and someone gained access without his knowing it. It can be done because we did it. If we shut Brentwood down, we might lose any link to the perpetrator. MacArthur might have known about the hack if he was working with Brentwood. That’s why he lied about the DNA test because he knew that was leverage Brentwood had over Dr. Li.”
“Why would he let the hack happen?”
“It could have been a test that the Defense Department failed,” Mullins said. “And MacArthur could have been killed by the same group that hit the Marriott.”
“They’ve claimed responsibility,” Brighton said. “There was an Internet posting four hours ago.”
“And we know one of their members is in the country. We thought the target was Dr. Li, but it could have been MacArthur all along. He’s a vocal supporter of AI. You see, we just have too many variables at play.”
Brighton sat back down. “Then what are you suggesting?”
Mullins leaned forward. “First, you put out the word that the sketch they’re compiling of Lieutenant Commander Woodson isn’t related to the case and its distribution would compromise rather than further the investigation. Rudy Hauser could move on that quickly.”
“Okay,” Brighton agreed.
“Then you order a review of MacArthur’s activities over the past few months under the guise of determining whether he’d been stalked by his killer.” Mullins pointed to the file in the President’s hand. “See what he was doing the night this hack occurred. And emphasize we’ve heard chatter that a cyber attack might be coming.”
“Done.”
“I need you to give Lieutenant Commander Woodson broad latitude to use our most sophisticated intelligence computers for backtracking the money source that went into the Zurich account funding the assassinations.”
Brighton’s eyes widened. “You’ve gotten that far?”
“Yes, and you can’t breathe a word of this, but we’ve been able to use Brentwood’s super computer for our searches. Sir, the power it exhibits is nothing short of scary. Once we identify and neutralize this Double H threat, you’ll want to have a come-to-Jesus meeting with Brentwood about his intentions.”
The Singularity Race Page 19