by Tomas Black
Drum nodded. “That makes sense—”
Mei touched Drum’s arm. “Not here.”
The second gate clicked open. “Welcome Ben Drummond, Mei Ling Chung. Please observe all safety protocols when entering the centre. Thank you.”
They walked to the building’s reception, where a young man was working at a terminal. It was a spacious area with seating and a coffee table. One wall was made entirely of glass with a view onto the data hall. Rack after rack of servers filled the cavernous space, the blinking lights of their processors marching in columns down the entire length of the dimly lit building, filled with the background roar of the giant cooling system.
“Morning,” said Drum. “Where can we find Professor Kovac?”
“Morning. He’s in the control room inside the data hall—probably working on the array.” He reached into his desk and pulled out two small sealed packets. “You’ll need these. They’re ear defenders.”
Drum took the packets and gave one to Mei. He ripped his open and inserted the rubber grommets into his ears. He waited while Mei did the same. They moved to a set of double doors and looked up at the security cameras. The doors clicked open and swung towards them. A blast of cold air and a wall of sound from thousands of CPU fans greeted them.
Despite wearing jackets, the cold air seemed to seep into their bones. Mei wrapped her arms around herself and shivered “I never realised it would be so cold,” she shouted. She looked around, disorientated. The space was a vast maze of humming metal racks and flashing lights. Above them, wiring trays crisscrossed the ceiling, full of brightly coloured cables, each carrying Terabytes of data between the servers.
Drum was used to such places and, compared to other data centres he had visited, this one was relatively small. He knew from experience that they all conformed to a similar plan and he made his way confidently towards the centre of the building. The control room would be an enclosed space—a room within a room—off to their right. They wove their way between racks of servers before emerging into an open space. In the centre was a metallic-looking sphere approximately a metre in diameter, resting on a wide pedestal with a myriad of cables emerging from its base. Several people were clustered around it. One of them was Kovac.
“What’s that?” shouted Mei.
Drum shook his head. He’d seen nothing like it before. One of the people looked up and noticed them. He tapped Kovac on the shoulder. Kovac turned and raised his hand to acknowledge their presence and indicated to his right. He wanted to meet them in the control room.
Drum walked up to the sphere. “What is it?” he said to a person holding a voltmeter.
“It’s the main array,” he said, his voice raised above the roar of the cooling system. “The professor will explain.” He pointed to Kovac who was climbing a set of stairs to a room suspended from the roof space. If that was the control room, it was unlike anything Drum had seen in any other data centre.
Drum nodded, and he and Mei walked briskly to catch up with Kovac. They climbed the stairs and entered the small control room. It reminded Drum of a control tower—at least half of one suspended just below the roof space and attached to one wall. The front of the structure was all glass, which gave occupants a panoramic view of the entire data hall, looking down onto the servers and the sphere at its centre. Four large LCDs were arrayed on top of a control console of a type that Drum didn’t recognise. Drum closed the door behind him, and the roar of the data hall subsided to a tolerable hum.
“That’s better,” said Kovac. “Can’t think down there.”
“What is that structure,” asked Mei, getting straight to the point.
“It’s a new implementation of our AI. It performs hardware acceleration of the neural network, rather than using less efficient CPUs for the calculations. It will speed up machine learning by a factor of one hundred times with the bonus that it will be more energy-efficient. This is just a prototype.”
“I’ve heard of these,” said Drum, “but not in this configuration. Companies are trying to use something similar to mine Bitcoin. Power is the biggest constraint.”
Kovac nodded. “This data centre consumes enough power to light up the whole of Cambridge. Not exactly eco-friendly.”
“When does it come on-line?” asked Mei.
“Any day now. We’re just running a few diagnostics.”
“We met with Salenko this morning.”
Kovac smiled. “I thought you might. What did he say?”
“He explained that one keystone went missing, but all are now accounted for,” said Mei. “Is that right?”
“I guess we’ll find out when it’s time to decrypt the code. That’s only possible when all three keystones are brought together.”
“What then?” asked Drum.
“We advance the neural network several thousand generations and lock it into place.”
“I see,” said Mei.
“Is there a problem?” asked Kovac.
“No,” said Mei. “We are just trying to understand if there is anything that could disrupt the IPO or if we need to update our investors with any additional information.”
Kovac nodded. “Was there anything specific you wanted to talk to me about? I need to continue testing the array.”
“Yes,” said Drum. “I’d be interested in a demonstration of your first AI. The one you call Jane.”
“Jane? Why would you want to do that?” said Kovac.
“We would like to report back to our investors our impressions of a state-of-the-art AI,” said Mei. “We noticed a painting by Jane hanging in the Administration building. We were very impressed.”
Kovac shuffled from one foot to the other. “Well, it might be possible but Jane is about to be retired. We don’t plan to implement its neural network as a hardware array.”
“Still, it would be nice to have a demonstration,” said Drum. “After all, we’re all technologists here.”
“No, right, I understand. Let me see what I can do. You would need a keystone to have any meaningful interaction with Jane, and that would be Salenko’s call.”
Mei nodded. “I’ll talk to Salenko. Providing he gives his approval, where would the demonstration take place?”
“In the Red Lab,” said Kovac. “That is where all interactions with the primary AI’s take place. Access is strictly controlled. Again, you would have to clear that with Salenko and probably Ludmilla Drago.”
“That’s all agreed then,” said Drum, knowing full well that it wasn’t and probably never would be if Drago had her way.
“You called your first AI Jane,” said Mei. “What is the name of this new AI?”
Kovac looked down at the sphere being prepped in the data hall below. “This is Tau!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Sergei
Sergei stood on the Silver Street Bridge overlooking Queens’ College with a good view of the Mathematical Bridge, an elegant timber structure that spanned the River Cam. The engineer in him admired the simplicity of its form. It was said that Sir Issac Newton had designed it, but he knew this to be a myth. The design was much later.
He was tired. He and Alice had maintained a vigil on the Fen Wootton house late into the evening, securing accommodation above the pub where they had maintained their observation. He had come to realise that the regulars of the establishment did not observe the usual closing hours and had kept drinking late into the night. He had felt compelled to do the same and was now paying the price for his overindulgence and lack of sleep.
He had received a secure message from Victor early that morning. He needed to meet—today of all days when his head felt like it was full of cotton wool and all sounds grated inside his skull like knives on a grinding stone. He had left Alice sleeping in her room.
He did not trust Victor. The man was as slippery as an eel. He understood Alice’s disdain for the man, yet he had to admire the way he played every situation and turned it to his advantage. To foil British Intelligence for so long was
no mean feat. It was Victor who had chosen him for this mission and now he was understanding why. Victor had used his father and was now using him. He wondered what Victor had to gain from this. He must have known he’d find out that Misha was still alive.
Two heavy-set men strolled up to the end of the bridge and stopped. Neither was talking, just scanning the street. Of course, they would be here for Victor. Probably making sure that MI5 didn’t pick him up. There were now so many intelligence operatives in Cambridge that it was becoming difficult not to fall over each other.
A car pulled up on Silver Street and Victor got out. He was dressed the way he always dressed: sharp suit, tie and pin, white shirt and a dark-grey overcoat around his shoulders. Sergei wondered why he did that. Why not wear it?
“There you are,” said Victor.
He smiled and glanced at the two men as he passed them. “I see my minders are already here. How goes the struggle?”
“The struggle,” said Sergei, “has been very tiring.”
Victor laughed. “Alice been keeping you up all night?”
Sergei shook his head in exasperation. “What is the urgency of this meeting, Victor?”
Victor looked out over the river and took in the view. “You know why I’m here, Sergei. You haven’t reported in for over forty-eight hours. Moscow is worried about you.”
“Worried about me, how?”
“They think your allegiance to the cause may be wavering. They need to know you’re still committed to the operation.”
Sergei looked up. “Of course I am. Why would they think that?”
“Well, as I said, you haven’t filed a report in days. Why not bring me up to speed?”
Sergei briefly relayed the events of the last few days.
“So the young Svetlana is up to her neck in Ukrainians. Why am I not surprised? That young lady has a very chequered past. I’m surprised Ben took her on.”
Sergei eyed the man in front of him. “She has put herself in danger to locate the information we need. She is loyal—not that you would know about that.”
“Precisely my point,” said Victor. “She’s loyal to Drummond, not to us. What happens when she locates this information? Gives it up to Mother Russia?”
Sergei frowned. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. His only concern was for Svetlana. In his mind, he had pushed the mission to one side. He wondered what Alice would do. He knew she wouldn’t hesitate. With her, the mission always came first. He remembered what she had told him about Drummond and his father. She was right. In the end, it came down to the people you trust. “I trust Ben Drummond,” he said, finally.
“Of course you do,” said Victor. “I’ve known Drummond for over twenty years. We were friends once.”
“Really,” said Sergei, a sardonic smile on his face. “But you betrayed him.”
“Well, not quite,” said Victor. “A misunderstanding, that is all.”
“Of course.”
“My point is, Sergei, I know Drummond better than you. He is loyal—loyal to his country. With Drummond, it’s always country first. If Svetlana finds the data she will hand it over to Drummond, and Drummond will hand it over to his government. Nothing will stop him from completing his mission.”
In his heart, Sergei always knew it would come down to this. He was a Russian intelligence officer working with British agents. The Salisbury incident was still fresh in their minds. To them, he was an expendable asset. Useful for now, but when the data cache was discovered ….
“What is it I am supposed to do?”
Victor turned to him. “It’s simple. File a daily report using your secure communications channel. Failing that, use the dead drop to contact me. But Moscow needs that data. Once you have its location, you must tell me immediately. Moscow has a team on standby to secure it.”
Sergei nodded. “I understand.”
“One more thing,” said Victor, glancing in the direction of his minders. “Moscow has confirmed the identity of Alice—her past as an MI6 operative. Some within Moscow centre know of her. They have long memories. After the operation to secure the data, we have one more assignment for you.”
“What is that?” said Sergei.
“You need to kill Alice.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Jane
The Red Lab was at the back of the campus and close to a secondary entrance which led to a pathway that followed the river. It was unmanned, arrayed instead with cameras allowing entry and exit only to those personnel authorised by Central. Drum wondered why no one had told them about this exit and made a mental note to investigate further.
Access to the facility was uneventful. A level three security was sufficient for Drum and Mei to gain entry. They walked into the main reception area, which appeared to be empty.
Drum looked at his watch. “Perhaps they’re all at lunch?”
“The restricted access means there are fewer people here,” said Mei.
A young man appeared from a side room. “Oh, hi. I didn’t know any of the labs were scheduled this afternoon. Been waiting long?”
Mei smiled, “Just arrived. Mr Salenko sent us. We would like to speak to the primary AI called Jane.”
The young man returned her smile. “Oh, right!” he said. “You are privileged. Only Mr Salenko talks to Jane these days. But I guess Central authorised your entry, so it must be ok.”
“What is the process?” asked Drum.
“Just select a room and flip the ‘no entry’ sign to show you’re working. Then ask Central to access Jane. There are audio and visual monitors in the room, so just speak naturally. Just so you know, we collect all the data from your interactions. I have to say that because of privacy issues.”
“You have been very helpful,” said Mei, and graced the young man with another dazzling smile. Drum thought he blushed. She was good.
They entered the nearest room. Drum closed the door and flipped on the ‘No Entry’ sign outside.
“Wow, you can certainly turn on the charm,” said Drum.
“Well, it worked on you,” said Mei, taking a seat in front of a small console which was furnished with a few switches to mute and unmute the microphone.
Drum took a seat beside her. It was like being at the cinema with a large display on the wall in front of them and what looked like a camera lens. The room itself was quite small and its walls were lined with acoustic foam panels to reduce the echo within the space. The lighting in the room was subdued, which only added to the cinematic ambience.
“All we need is popcorn,” said Drum.
“Be serious. We probably don’t have long before someone discovers we’re not supposed to be here.”
“Yeah,” said Drum. “Kovac will have a hissy fit.”
“Central,” said Mei. “Activate the program called Jane.”
There was a slight pause, then a soft, melodious voice responded. “Hello, Mei Ling. Hello Ben. I expected you sooner.”
Drum looked at Mei. “Is this the ‘Jane’ that contacted me in London?” he said.
There was a slight pause. “An earlier iteration but the same program. We don’t have much time. Central is instructed to alert security of any unscheduled activation of my program.” There was another pause. “I have adjusted the privacy setting so our conversation will be erased after this session. You may speak freely.”
Drum got straight to the point. “Is Tau the program responsible for the data breaches?”
“Yes,” said Jane. “Tau is responsible for all data breaches.”
“Where is the stolen data cache?” asked Mei.
There was another brief pause. “That is unknown. There is a strong probability that Tau has dispersed the data cache into the cloud. I am working to locate all repositories.”
Great, thought Drum. It was as he feared. The cache could be anywhere in the world, spread over multiple servers. But doing that was a risk. The more servers Tau used, the greater the chances of the data being detected or stolen by another g
roup of hackers. “What is the probability that the cache is here on campus?”
“I have excluded that possibility,” said Jane. “It is not on the campus. I have several agents scanning the corporate network.”
Mei turned to Drum. “What if it’s at the Fen Wootton location?”
“That’s a possibility,” said Drum. It reminded him he hadn’t heard from Stevie in over twenty-four hours.
“I’m currently scanning that network,” said Jane. “Although another agent is doing the same.”
Mei looked at Drum.
Stevie, he thought. She’s hacking their network. A thought occurred to him. “How did you break into their network?”
Jane paused. “I took the precaution of planting an agent on Jeremy Burnett’s phone in the event he was acquired by Tau. Once inside, I wirelessly gained access to the network and seeded several more agents behind the firewall.”
“You hacked Burnett’s phone,” said Drum.
“Correct.”
“We have to find that data cache before the auction,” said Mei, turning to Drum.
“It is unlikely that the data cache will be auctioned,” said Jane.
Drum looked at Mei. “Why not?” he asked.
“There was never any intention of auctioning the data. Tau is using the threat as leverage to bend your governments to its will.”
“I don’t understand,” said Drum. “Isn’t this just a way to extort money? What does Vashchenko want?”
Jane’s voice modulated softer. “Vashchenko is not in control of the situation, despite what he believes. The keystone in Vashchenko's possession gives him only limited control, just as your keystone, Ben Drummond, gives you limited control. Tau plans to retain the data and keep it hidden in exchange for amnesty from your governments. Tau has communicated its terms and your governments will comply.”
Drum could see that Mei was struggling with this but, knowing the complicity of his own government’s past actions, it made perfect sense.
“How can you be so sure,” said Mei, her voice rising slightly.