Grayman Book One: Acts of War

by Michael Rizzo

15

  Scott Becker:

  Oh, this is ugly.

  “I still think this was in incredibly poor taste, Director Henderson,” the Russian General—Kudziyev—scolds. “More so, now that I’ve been made to see it. Especially regarding Major Tetova.”

  So glad this is a VR conference—I wouldn’t want to be shut in somewhere live with these people.

  “The Major didn’t protest the scenario when it was presented in the mission-brief, General,” Henderson defends politically.

  “Major Tetova’s professionalism does not excuse this crude stunt,” Kudziyev keeps pushing. “Your machine creates a sick fantasy version of a very real national tragedy, just to try to prove it is so much smarter than we were. But that’s all it is: fantasy. Can you honestly say that the machine did not alter the scenario so that it could beat it so neatly?”

  “This is why I propose accelerating our schedule and taking this into live war games.” The way Henderson comes back—all smooth reason—makes it sound like he’d been hoping the sim would set the Russians off and give him this very excuse to sell the next phase. “That will give back the human element: making the targets independent of the AI and therefore less predictable.”

  “You could even design your own test-games,” General Collins—our overseer from the Joint Chiefs—offers. “We all could, using our existing Spec-Ops forces to play the enemy.”

  “You think your machine is that good?” the Israeli General—Sharavi—returns, mildly amused.

  “Doctor Becker?” Henderson cues me. This is what they let me sit in for, after all.

  “Yes, sir,” I try to find where my voice went. “The Datascan System is designed to function twofold… First, it will replace our aging Intelligence systems—its processing capacity is exponentially superior…”

  “How superior?” Kudziyev wants to know like he’s intensely interested all of a sudden, despite how offended he was two seconds ago. And I want to tell him, but first I have to wait for Henderson to give me the okay on this, which he does with a nod and that snaky grin of his.

  “Enough to file and track every human being on the planet,” I try to say it like it’s old news.

  Eyebrows go up all around. But I don’t think it’s because they’re very happy about this.

  “The point is, gentlemen,” Sec-Def Miller jumps right in, “that we’re planning on sharing this with you. All of it.”

  None of them look at all convinced. Henderson goes for the sell.

  “This can’t work any other way. And we’re not just proposing an intelligence-sharing network here. In order to fight an effective war on the terrorists and their supports, we have to coordinate our responses. We have to work together.”

  “We’re also proposing more than just another ‘multinational force’,” Collins tries, “separate armies under separate flags trying not to stand around with their thumbs up their collective asses—excuse my French.”

  “I notice that the French are conspicuously absent from this meeting,” Sharavi sounds like he’s just making an idle joke, despite potential implications. Collins diplomatically ignores him.

  “Doctor?” Henderson gets back on mission, “you were saying?”

  “Yes… Uh… The Datascan System… Only part of its function is intelligence coordination. The other part—as the simulation demonstrated—is mission coordination. Datascan is capable of predicting and prioritizing threats, then generating counter-offensive tactical plans…”

  “Counter-offensive,” Kudziyev grabs. “As opposed to defensive?”

  “We’ve always known playing defense against these bastards is a losing game,” Miller returns. “They relish the pointless investments we make in money and manpower, eat up the disruptions to our infrastructure, then creatively hit us where we haven’t protected. We need to go on the offensive.”

  “Which also hasn’t worked,” General Hussein complains, having had plenty of experience in his home country.

  “Because our targets are imbedded in populations,” Collins goes for it. “The camps in the middle of nowhere, we can bomb. But existing military technology and tactics can’t effectively pick targets out of a field rich with collateral damage and potential human shields. We’ve all scored our tactical victories using dedicated special operations forces for more surgical actions, but we haven’t remotely defeated them. And no matter how accurately we strike, the enemy can always claim we killed innocents.”

  “So now you say you have a weapons system that will allow the rapid and accurate insertion of small numbers of heavily armed and armored commandos,” General Chen sums the presentation, finally breaking his patient silence.

  “It’s more than that, General,” I just jump right in like a geek. “Datascan’s coordination will allow us to locate and analyze our targets in any kind of cover, then generate a fully adaptive attack plan that anticipates potential responses. Our troops will have a tactical advantage in this arena that’s never been seen before.”

  “Combine this with the factors that will make for media-friendly warfare,” Miller takes it back from me, though he doesn’t sound like I’ve wrecked anything. “No large forces invading and occupying territory. Extremely low potential for collateral casualties. Positive visual kill-confirmations, complete with video records to counter potential enemy propaganda. And heavy body armor to reduce our own down-range casualties below the public tolerance level.”

  “And you are giving this to us?” Chen doesn’t buy.

  “Frankly, General,” Miller tries playing sincere, “if something like this comes out of the US, or the old Coalition, it’s not just that it would be tactically insufficient. Our agenda would be torn apart in the global media, and that would hamstring us while it stoked our enemies. But if something much bigger ran it…”

  “How big?” Hussein throws it back, incredulous.

  “The UN,” Miller drops like it’s stupid-obvious. And it sounds like a joke. Only all it gets is more awkward silence all around.

  “Yes, gentlemen, I am serious,” Miller insists, cool. “Imagine what would happen if the Security Council—or something very much like it—had its own intelligence network and specialized interdiction force. Everything very visible, open and above board, approved by the Council membership rather than a single nation or small group of allied nations. Datascan gives us our targets, proposes best-options, and we all sit around a table and give the aye or nay.”

  “Even if it means saying aye or nay regarding nations not at that table?” Sharavi says with barely masked amusement.

  “There will be rules, of course,” he comes back prepared, “a Charter amendment.”

  They sit and try to digest that in a dozen countries around the world. It’s making me feel more than a little queasy.

  “But why this ‘Manticore’?” Hussein kicks out. “We all have competent special operations teams.”

  “It’s more than just the need to create a separate force,” Henderson jumps back in. “True counter-terror requires a strong info-war component, which will be incorporated in our mission plans. But it will also be built into our special operators, given how visible they’re going to be. Initially, we’re selecting candidates who fit a certain profile: they have skills, but may be lacking in…well… ‘team playing.’ Conventionality. Predictability.”

  “Cowboys,” Chen spits out with unexpected humor.

  “If you like,” Miller agrees. “I’m sure we can think of a dozen unfavorable terms for them. But that’s the point: they’re good, they just don’t work well in the current model because of their personalities. In this model, those personalities can become assets.”

  “The initial recruit base is made up of otherwise skilled individuals that have become liabilities to their teams,” Henderson continues like it’s a done deal. “But if the VR training program proves itself with them, we can churn out hundreds of skilled and virtually ‘experienced’ operators from recruitment pools every year, overcoming our biggest r
esource bottleneck. And having a bigger pool of candidates also means we can be selective about their histories. We need society’s ‘orphans’. No families. No connections. Nothing to lose. We give them fantasy bios to match those big personalities, and feed them to the media so the public won’t see them as anonymous grunts following orders, they’ll see them like the silly action heroes that sell blockbusters. Heroes to cheer for. Passionate avengers of the innocent...”

  “Flash and fantasy,” Kudziyev dismisses. Almost. “But potentially more. Like the one with the scar on his face and the big shiny pistol—what was his name again?”

  “Captain Ram,” Henderson offers with an unmistakable hint of pride.

  “My sources tell me it was this Captain Ram who suggested the stratagem with the roof,” he appraises. “It would have cost a billion in crashed fighter jets, but the projections insist it saved more than three hundred simulated lives. I thought your machine did all the creative thinking?”

  “Datascan works with input from human analysts and operatives,” I suddenly find myself jumping in. “This would include the input of our experienced Tacticals in the field.”

  “Your ‘Captain Ram’ has had significant counter-terror experience?” Sharavi locks on like he’s suspicious of something. Or knows something.

  “I really can’t elaborate,” Henderson covers. “But I would agree with that statement, yes.”

  I’ve managed to feel even queasier.

  “I also noticed that he was quick to discard the experimental interface weapon when it appeared ineffective,” Chen reminds us of something I’m sure Doctor Mann is having his own personal meltdown about right now.

  “Adaptation was part of the simulation test, General,” Henderson tries. “You assumed that Datascan would simply stack the program in its favor to impress. It actually factors in a number of varying potential ‘miscalculations’ in every simulation. You see, it needs operatives that can function under chaotic conditions, that can adapt if it somehow fails. Otherwise anyone who could follow instructions and point a weapon would do.”

  “Then this remains to be seen,” Kudziyev lays it on the table, “when you prove your machine and its agents against a live enemy.”