Treasonable Intent

by C Shaw Hilton

  The Prime Minister looked around the table inviting further comments. All present felt there was no realistic alternative. “OK we run with those options.”

  There was a stirring in the room and then a frantic rush to flip open laptops, activate tablets and talk on phones. From a briefing room it transformed into a war room in seconds. The Prime Minister stood up and walked over to the Brigadier. She handed him a dossier that she had received some minutes before. Its subject was Dr Haller. “Brigadier I have some concerns that this gentleman has been playing the situation to his advantage. His personal position will largely depend on which option proves successful in stopping this cyber-attack. I’d like you to review the file with MI6 and MI5 and give me some recommendations about how to deal with him.” Fielding nodded. He took the file and immediately began to seek out Alicia Court who had moved with the Head of MI6 to the corner of the briefing room. They were watching the situation reports on a bank of screens. Both of them seemed grateful to focus on something concrete whilst they waited for news from the CERT team at the National Cyber Security Centre.

  At 8.10am the senior CERT officer was forced to concede they had failed. His face on the video link to the Cabinet Briefing Room was pallid and showed lines of stress. “Sorry but we need more time. The damn system is just taking us on as a hostile target. I think we should ride this out. If the Americans get stuck in they will face the same problem.”

  The Prime Minister snorted. “Losing the National Grid is not an option. Let’s see what the Americans can do.”

  Dame Maude nodded and switched to the screen linking them to the New England facility of Esterhazy. “All yours” she said with urgency. On screen the laboratory became a frenzied hive of activity. Only two figures looked measured and calm and they were placed behind a bank of high definition monitors. It was Lauren and Trent. They exchanged glances and for a few moments looked slightly lost before replying to screen: “Thanks for entrusting this to us” said Lauren and Trent added “You have the full resources of our interface system behind you.” From the National Cyber Security Centre a voice piped up but faint and weak.. It was Haller, freshly returned from his extended toilet break. His voice was flat and without conviction: “I am commencing the software insertion now.” Alicia grimaced. This just didn’t feel right. Even the Head of MI6 was shaking his head.

  The large digital clock on the wall seemed to slow. The minutes became extended and the whole event on both sides of the Atlantic felt as though time itself had become suspended. In the Cabinet office the tension was almost unbearable. With three minutes to go, the news came through that Olsson had been cornered in Croydon and killed. It hardly registered. The images from New England showed concerned faces and hands being waved in frustration and anxiety. The hardened eyes of Sir Alistair and others recognised that this was not going to be good news.

  The clock registered 8.20am. The Prime Minister returned to her seat. Dame Maude looked haunted. Both the CERT team and the Esterhazy scientists continued to try to defuse the situation, but time had run out. With despair in her voice the Cabinet Secretary uttered the inevitable conclusion: “We will have to trigger the Russian malware,” she said, “I’m sorry but the alternative is unthinkable.”

  The Prime Minister rose to her feet: “Sadly you are right. Get this situation back under control.”

  In the Security Centre the CERT team spoke briefly to Haller. He simply ignored them. In such a short and intense period of time they had learned a great deal about how Rose Garden had been compromised. They had active and verified contact with each of the three sites. They had managed to convince each that they were not under attack and that the country was not shrouded in a nuclear winter. Nevertheless the ability to get that message across to the artificial intelligence system had proved fruitless. The havoc on the rail system continued unabated. Haller was privately disappointed with the performance of the interface but blamed the obstinacy of the CERT team. In truth it was simply too complex a task for the time allotted. He watched as the CERT team began to issue direct orders to the Cube removing its authority to attack the National Grid.

  At 8.21 and 47 seconds the malware responded to these instructions. Within nanoseconds the entire Rose Garden system froze and then began to attack itself. Across Whitehall and in the recovering GCHQ and National Security Centre they watched as each of the three sites tried, and failed, to stop the systemic destruction. Two seconds before the scheduled attack on the National Grid the Rose Garden system shut down. There was almost a palpable sense of relief but also a recognition of the price that had been paid. “Do we still have our essential power supply system?” asked the Prime Minister. After a frenzied series of phone calls and short order interrogation of the system maps it was Dame Maude who declared: “Yes, Prime Minister, the National Grid has not been disrupted.” There were audible sighs of relief around the room.

  Across the Atlantic Trent looked deeply unhappy and Lauren was pacing the floor of the laboratory like a caged tiger. “For God’s sake that was embarrassing” she fumed. “We couldn’t even break the Russian malware.” Her strident tone echoed against the hard floor and walls of the lab. She looked for a reaction but all eyes were transfixed on the three giant screens on the far wall. She looked at the lines of code and the various graphics. As she watched, large sections of the display began to change from green to amber and then slowly to red. It was like a slow procession of traffic lights but as the reds deepened in colour and number, various audible alarms started around the main control consoles. “What the hell is happening?” she blurted out.

  Trent pushed two of the science team aside and went to the main screen. His eyes raced back and forth across the stream of information and the various warning messages that popped up with increasing frequency. “We are under attack!” he blurted out. The science technicians knew exactly the procedure and were isolating the system but it already looked like closing the stable door after the horse had bolted.

  “Jesus Trent!” exclaimed Lauren. “Who has got into the interface?”

  It was one of the technicians who answered. Furiously typing fresh codes into the main console he sounded panicked: “It is the British Rose Garden. It has paralysed our defensive systems and is cloning the interface. Once it has finished it will almost certainly destroy what it can of our system.”

  Trent reached for the phone on the desk nearest to him and punched in a number with rapid accuracy. “This is Trent Powell from Esterhazy Corporation. Get me Sidowski.” He paused whilst the connections were made. The voice of the NSA agent came through, slightly groggy, as though exhausted by the events of the last few hours. “This is Trent here. Our system is under attack. I need your cyber defence system to throw a firewall around our facility, we have the British…” his voice trailed off. The screens in front, seconds before a mass of red, suddenly went black. In the laboratory the various banks of file servers and silicon towers slowly went dark. The main console was lifeless a few seconds later. Behind the glass tower the bright blue columns of liquid encased bio-plasma and the solid rods of semi-organic material fell into darkness. Even the climate controlled environmental systems failed, removing the previously constant background hum of air filtration units. It was total silence. Total darkness. Even the phone in his hand was dead. In that moment Lauren broke the silence with just one word, “Help!”

  General Fu had moved back to his office after watching the TwoBitz team close down their intervention programmes. He punched up a video link to the Ministry and the face of the Diplomat appeared. For the next twenty minutes they discussed the operation and the next steps. For both of them the acquisition of Haller had become the immediate priority. They were both inclined to press the case with the British government, given they had stopped the interference in their secure communications network. It was easier than attempting anything rash. As the conversation came to a close the phone on the General’s desk rang. A thin voice blurted out information faster than he could take in.
The words that stood out were enough to freeze him in place. “We are under attack…the system has been hacked… the intervention programme is being cloned…our file servers are being wiped…” The phone went dead. The lights and power in the building stopped working a few seconds later.

  In the National Cyber Security Centre, the CERT team were in contact with the three sites. For almost thirty seconds it seemed the whole Rose Garden system had shut down. Then as they watched their screens, new, unauthorised messages flashed between the locations. Somehow the autonomous artificial intelligence was being reactivated and going on the offensive. The two officers in Plymouth looked in astonishment at the offensive strategy being formulated by the cube and the specific selection of targets. All attempts by them to stop it, failed. In Corsham a major offensive operational plan was accepted into the system. The air force officers stared powerless at their screens and virtual displays, as three lines of attack unfolded. The United States cyber defence system and the Esterhazy interface were the first target. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Cyber Warfare system and the TwoBitz intervention system were the second. Finally Rose Garden ordered the creation of a specific piece of malware from the Lansing Research facility in Oxford. The complex Trojan and worms were sent via the security centre to the originator of the Russian malware. Twelve seconds later in a secretive underground cyber complex near St. Petersburg the FSB and their cyber warfare officers found themselves losing control of their facility. Within a minute the whole complex was inactive and in darkness. Rose Garden was remorseless in neutralising anything that had threatened it.

  In the National Security Council Meeting the Prime Minister was discussing the media strategy. It was going to take some careful explaining. Suddenly Brigadier Fielding spoke; “Forgive me but I think we have an issue. The CERT team are telling me Rose Garden has reactivated. It appears to be going on the offensive and acting autonomously.” There were looks of horror and incredulity in equal proportion around the table.

  The Prime Minister spoke first: “On the offensive, where?…against whom? And can I get a straight answer on how it is acting autonomously?”

  Sir Alistair spoke in a calm and measured way “It appears that Rose Garden is attacking anything that has tried to infiltrate it. Not only that, but it is stealing any technology that has been used against it. So far it has taken on the United States, China and Russia.”

  The Foreign Secretary couldn’t restrain himself: “You mean it is attacking all the cyber super powers?”

  Sir Alistair looked at him with some mild frustration; “Indeed, but more significantly none of us in this room nor in the chain of command has authorised any of this.

  The Brigadier stepped in: “I think we need to understand if this is something intended by Benning or not. Alicia has brought him to London as agreed and he is being held at the National Cyber Security Centre.”

  The Prime Minister interjected “I want Haller questioned as well. He may have done something to cause this.”

  Sir Alistair stood up: “We will get both of them in a room immediately and get answers. Either this has been their objective all along or their operation has run completely out of control. Rose Garden could propel us involuntarily into a third world war. We can’t mess around.”

  The Prime Minister stood up and looked directly at him and the Brigadier: “Do whatever is necessary but do it quickly.”

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Room 606 was normally used for security briefings so it had all the necessary facilities including soundproofing and anti-intrusion measures. On the sixth floor of the National Cyber Security Centre it had a commanding view of the London skyline from its single window. On either side of the door stood two officers from the Dark Squadron, dressed in their black battle fatigues. Both had their arms behind their back and within reach of their holstered pistols at the rear of their waist belts.

  Around the rectangular table sat seven figures. On one side were the Head of CERT, Benning and Haller. On the other Major Wilkins, Alicia Court and Brigadier Fielding. Sir Alistair sat at the head of the table.

  “To be clear to everyone,” he began, “I have asked us all here with one simple objective; to restore control of Rose Garden.” He turned to Benning. “Neville, it should be apparent that there has been too much loss of life and injury for you to contemplate anything other than a long spell in prison. However, what you do now will determine whether your sister joins you there. She is under arrest in Manchester. Whether an unwitting accomplice or not, there is enough evidence to make a convincing case she was involved in terrorism and treason.”

  Benning looked impassive but his hands had begun to shake slightly at the thought of what might happen to his sister. His previous smugness was no longer evident.

  Sir Alistair continued: “Of course we will have to put the rest of your family through our interrogation procedures to see if they were involved.” His expression conveyed that such an experience would be unpleasant.

  Benning shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. “They are innocent. They have nothing to fear.” His tone was unconvincing.

  “Oh, I think they do” came the reply. “They also have to live with the fact that you are responsible for the chaos and death we have witnessed in the last few days. You have to live with the fact your plan has backfired and brought about exactly the situation you wanted to stop. Rose Garden is fully autonomous.”

  Benning flinched visibly. “I am not responsible!” he shouted. “That is down to the Russians! Down to that bastard Olsson.”

  “Enough!” shouted Alicia. “You, Olsson and Doctor Haller have all been instrumental in creating this mess. We are now offering you a choice.”

  The Brigadier picked up the tirade: “Yes, a choice.” He paused for emphasis and stared into the eyes of each in turn. “For you, Benning it is the chance to help bring this cyber weapon back under proper control and spare your family the worst of what might befall them. We will consider a limited sentence in an open prison for you. However, if you do not co-operate, we will simply imprison you in a secure psychiatric prison. After many years, when your sentence is done; we will allow the Americans to extradite you to stand trial for treason. You will end your days rotting in a gaol in some god-forsaken military base in a redneck state. ” He turned to the doctor. “For you, Dr.Haller it is a chance to work with our Lansing Research team on building a safer and more accountable system or to be extradited to China. Olsson no longer has any choices. He is dead.”

  It was clear that each option had hit home as did the news about Olsson. As scripted, Major Wilkins delivered the final blow: “We need you to start co-operating now. If you don’t provide us with answers then it will be the less preferable option for each of you.”

  The Head of CERT looked directly at Haller. “We need to restore control of the Cube. You claimed earlier you could access it. My team thought at the time that the risk was too great. Now we have no option. How can it be done?” Benning looked as though he was about to jump into the conversation but it was Haller who spoke first.

  “As you know I am a Swiss national and I believe I am entitled to certain…” He was cut short by Sir Alistair. “Not here. Not now. You are part of a conspiracy that threatens the security of the United Kingdom. You can forget about any entitlement. Help us out or wake up tomorrow in Beijing.”

  Haller looked frustrated and upset but nodded his acquiescence. Benning looked around the table at the dynamics. He had to concede that this whole face to face showdown with all the key protagonists was not something he had envisaged. Similarly the resilience and autonomy of Rose Garden had come as a complete shock. Being confined in a remote safe house and interrogated was as far as his plan took him. Now the prospect of being rescued and extracted by George and Ali had gone. As had the chance of being applauded as a hero for exposing the threat of Rose Garden.

  He decided to play his final card: “I regret to say I underestimated Rose Garden. Ironic, really, because it
has become more threatening and dangerous than I ever warned about. My objective was to expose it so it was brought under control. To steal and share its technology and thereby avoid the strategic destabilisation it has brought to the world. If I have failed and the monster you created is loose, then I have no option but to help you destroy it.”

  The Brigadier sneered at him. “You are stupid and naïve. The Hong Kong meeting and joint project was always just a front to steal and trade secret cyber technology for political or commercial ends. It was little more than an expedient step by the other cyber powers to keep up with the Russians. Now you will help us control this technology. The option to destroy it is not open to you.””

  Benning looked like he might hit him. “I think stupidity is your hallmark. Rose Garden was always going to end up out of control. There is no justification for artificial intelligence controlling weapons.”

  “Stop it!” ordered Sir Alistair. “We haven’t time for this. If you haven’t anything to offer then say so and the gentlemen by the door will take you away.”

  Benning looked at the floor. After a few moments he seemed to have regained his composure: “As I was saying I want to avoid destabilisation. Given what has happened I will help you, at least up to a point.”

  Fawzia disliked his attitude and didn’t trust him. “I don’t think you are in a position to bargain,” she interjected.

  Benning looked at her with a faint smile; “Ah but I am Major. You see, there is a key to the back door of Rose Garden. With the help of Dr.Haller, we can get in and switch off its autonomous AI.”

  The Brigadier looked directly into his eyes as he spoke. “If this is another deception then you are going to face something that will make extraordinary rendition to Guantanamo look like a holiday.”

  It was Haller who replied: “He is right. There is a way in.”