Alex Q - The Becoming

Clayton James too felt that humanity couldn’t carry on the same way much longer. Determined to maintain civilized dialogue with Dmitry Zhukarov, he arranged the first holo-meeting with the Russian leader. Not only the first holo-meeting ever, but the first meeting of any kind for the last sixty years. It was a historic time, a time that could decide the future of mankind on planet Earth.

There would be two advisers: General Palmer for the US President and Andrei Bepalov for Zhukarov. He also agreed with Tex’s proposal that Nate and Alex would attend in the interests of transparency.

“We meet again, Dmitry. This is General Palmer, Chief of Combined Military Forces.”

“Greetings, General. We know of you in our country, of course.”

“It’s an honor, sir.”

“May I introduce Andrei Bespalov, my closest adviser.”

“Dmitry, as I previously indicated, this historic meeting will be witnessed by the entity Alex Q and Dr Taylor . I am not sure how much you know about Alex, but Dr Taylor will be happy to answer any questions you might have before we begin,” President James said.

“Welcome, Dr Taylor. May we address Alex Q directly?”

“I would be pleased to converse with you directly at any time, First Minister,” Alex said.

“If I may,” Nate said, “we considered that this meeting would benefit greatly from Alex’s presence, but we don’t have much time. His evolution will be complete in a little over two hours, and we, including Alex himself, are not sure what his final state will be. For the purposes of this meeting, suffice to say he can access any information you might require instantly from his database, which is basically the sum of all knowledge on the whole planet.”

Zhukarov nodded his agreement. “Let us begin. Perhaps I may ask questions later.”

“I am keen to build on our recent cooperation, Dmitry,” President James said, “Our countries worked together to avert a catastrophe of a planetary scale. Peaceful dialogue has long been one of my major goals. Destruction of the asteroid threatening our very existence was a forceful reminder of what can be achieved if we work together.”

“In principle, we are in agreement. However, it’s a long and winding path between agreement and implementation. What do you propose?”

“Perhaps we can formulate plans and goals, both short and long-term. The short-term would serve to show to each other, and our people, that we are serious about this endeavor. I am open to any suggestions for the content of this short-term plan. Andrei Bespalov and General Palmer, you may speak as and when you wish.”

“A good starting point would be for the US to stop aiming their missiles at our cities,” Bespalov said bluntly.

“And yours at ours,” General Palmer replied.

“Gentlemen, gentlemen. We must move forward with a new spirit. Nothing will be gained this way. It is inevitable old suspicions exist, but we have to get past this way of thinking, and quickly,” President James said.

“While it is true that improved security would be a good first step, there is much we do not know about your forces. Exactly how many missiles do you have pointing at our country?” Zhukarov said.

“The USA currently maintains four thousand seven hundred fifty-one nuclear missiles armed, ready and capable of reaching the Sino-Russian bloc,” Alex said, “Three thousand nine hundred twenty-six are land-based. Two hundred fifty target Moscow, two hundred St Petersburg, three hundred Peking, two hundred seventy-five Shanghai. The list is long, Nate; should I give details?”

“A summary will do, Alex.”

“Very well. All Chinese and Russian cities are targeted by long-range land-based, and medium-range submarine-based missiles. The strategic aim for Russia is complete annihilation, for the Chinese, the destruction of all military and manufacturing complexes.”

The Americans and Russians looked at each other for some seconds. The US President spoke first. “It sounds so brutal described in this way.”

“It sounds so, because it is so,” Bespalov said.

President James turned to General Palmer. “I wasn’t aware of the full extent of our policy.”

“Sir, we could only guess at the size of the Russian forces rallied against us. We considered it necessary.”

“The Sino-Russian bloc aims four thousand three hundred forty missiles with nuclear warheads at the major cities on the US mainland. Two hundred target Washington DC, one hundred seventy-five New York, one hundred eighty Chicago and the rest spread between other cities, military and manufacturing facilities. Complete destruction of the continental USA would be assured,” Alex said.

“We too had to be sure, First Minister. We estimate the US missile shield is 80% effective, and so we over-target accordingly,” Bespalov said.

“A further four hundred seventy-five medium range weapons target US and allied military installations in Europe, with the object of removing the American threat within the European theater. The destruction would be extensive, and smaller countries such as the United British States would cease to exist.”

“Europe would be destroyed because one of my predecessors gave the order to install missiles there to threaten Russia,” President James said.

“It is a sad truth, Clayton. We protested in the United Nations at the time before it was disbanded. After our motion was rejected, we were forced to target the countries involved to preserve our security,” Zhukarov said.

“Let us explore actions we can both take to ease tensions and prepare for a more peaceful future. We need to be open, Dmitry, and we have to begin before it’s too late for all of us.”

“But who will play the first card, sir?” Bespalov asked, “Let me ask you, what is the status of the missile with the anti-matter warhead, the missile that failed to leave the launch pad during the Scion 6 crisis? We would ask that this weapon be destroyed.”

“Anti-matter missile designated AM9 is located in Silo X15 at Biggins Air Base in Nevada,” Alex said.

General Palmer cut in. ”How did you—”

“It is currently armed and prepared for launch. The target is central Russia. Seventy-five percent of the country will be destroyed,” Alex continued.

“This is outrageous!” Zhukarov exclaimed. “Is this some kind of ploy, to engage us in conversation while preparing to strike us?”

“Mr President, I give you my word this is not my doing,” General Palmer said.

“Arthur, I want you to leave us and find out who the hell ordered the missile prepared. Don’t come back until you have the culprit and have taken the appropriate action. Dmitry, please don’t abandon this meeting. I swear I had no knowledge of this.”

“It seems you are not in complete control of your military,” Zhukarov said.

“It seems not, but I promise you, we will not strike.”

“The ocean-based Russian anti-matter weapon code-named Satana is currently moving towards the Californian coast,” Alex said, “Destructive power calculated at four thousand seven hundred megatons. The object is to destabilize the Western coast of USA and generate earthquakes across the continent. The tsunami created will cover the land up to the state of Illinois. Estimated recovery time one hundred years.”

President James held his forehead in his hand before raising his head to face the Russians. “Is this true?”

Besbalov shrugged. “We had no idea of the status of your final anti-matter missile. It is simply a precaution. Satana is moving, yes, but it has been set to a holding pattern.”

“It is approaching the coast of California,” Alex said.

“This is not possible. Final coordinates can only be set with my express permission and the final order from First Minister Zhukarov.”

“Are you sure, Alex?” Nate asked.

“Yes, I am.”

“You too must leave us, Bespalov, with the same orders as General Palmer. Find out who is responsible,” Zhukarov said.

“Dmitry, I assure you my intentions are honorable,” President James said.

“You have my own assurances also, Clayton.”

“Alex, what is your assessment of the meeting so far?” Nate asked.

“No one has lied, Nate.”

“This is another reason why I brought Alex here, gentlemen – he can detect a lie with one hundred percent accuracy. I didn’t intend to deceive either of you.”

“Nate has never lied in my presence,” Alex said.

“Bespalov is suspicious of you, Alex Q. After all, you come to us from the American side. You may be programmed to behave this way,” Zhukarov said.

“Then how would I know about Satana and the fact that you have not lied? No one can program me. I am beyond programming.”

“This is true. I believe you.”

“Dmitry, this is a critical time. I, for one, will be available at any time. Please call me when you have news from Bespalov, and I will do the same. You have my word I will not rest until we again have peaceful relations,” President James said.

“In my grandfather’s memory, I too offer friendship. Until later. I trust we will have better news to share.”

The international link was closed, and the holo-forms of President James, Nate, and Alex faced each other.

“You talked about transparency, but you were not entirely transparent with me, Dr Taylor.,” President James said.

“I had to take a chance, sir. Transparency was only assured because Alex knows all.”

“Technically, Alex gave away a secret, but he also gave us one of theirs. And besides, he isn’t a human being so can’t be held or prosecuted. It seems these days we’re destined to navigate uncharted territory. There are more pressing issues. Damn it, elements in both our countries are planning to knock the stuffing out of the other.”

“It’s been that kind of week, sir.”

“Yes, it has. I’ll be in touch. Meanwhile, Alex, if you think of anything else pertinent to the situation, please let me know.”

“Of course, Mr President. You can rely on me to do the right thing.”

Tex handed Nate a coffee and perched on the edge of a chair in the conference room. They watched Alex on the monitor.

“His fingers are moving again,” Nate said.

“I’m tellin’ you. He’s knitting; at least that’s what those movements remind me of. Pretty fast as well.”

“Why the hell would he be knitting? I’m not getting this at all.”

“Was his behavior normal during the meeting?”

“Define normal for a super intelligence. Yeah, I guess so. Except for the blockbuster news that both the US and Russia are on the point of blasting each other into nothingness. Imagine how that went down at the first peace conference for nearly sixty years.”

“It sounds like they handled it pretty well.”

“You know President James better than I do, Tex. I have to say I was impressed. He wasn’t flustered, kept his cool, and Zhukarov is about the same temperament. They could have blown up at each other, but they didn’t. They’re calmly attempting to find out what’s going on in their administrations. Sounded quite hopeful, I suppose.”

“Is it my suspicious soldiery nature, or do I detect some doubt?”

“Not about the proposals, about Alex. Not doubt as such, but sometimes he says some things that are a little out of place. I can’t put my finger on it.”

“Like what, for example?”

“He said, ‘I am beyond programming.’ It’s a strange thing to say. Of course he is, we all know it. Another phrase right at the end of the meeting rankled me as well: ‘You can rely on me to do the right thing.’ Correct me if I’m wrong, but why would an artificial intelligence take the trouble to assure a human being that he can be relied on? And what does he mean by the right thing?”

“Well, he was talking to two powerful men, the President of the United States and his Russian counterpart,” Tex said.

“Status is nothing to Alex. We’re all the same to him, dumb little animals running around lost in our own importance.”

“You’re not forgetting he can hear us, Nate?”

“No, I’m not. He can hear whoever he wants to; he doesn’t care either way, I’m sure of it. Look at him. It’s bizarre the way his hands are moving, and his lips are moving too.” Nate wound the volume to maximum, leaning close to the speaker. Alex was mumbling. “Can you make it out?”

“Might be wrong, but I think he’s quoting the Bible. Advantage of a strict Texas upbringin’, that’s how I know.”

“Now why on earth would he quote anything? He knows it inside out anyway. I don’t see the point.”

The holo-cube flashed on.

“Dr Taylor, Tex, I’m talking with Zhukarov again in five minutes. I want you to be there, both of you, and Alex Q,” President James said.

“Anything we need to know beforehand, sir?” Tex asked.

“It would take too long, Captain. I have other calls to make. Suffice to say, it isn’t pretty.” He cut the connection.

“How do I join in the holo-meeting, Nate?”

“We go down to Alex. He takes care of the process. They’ll see us, we’ll see them. I’m hoping Alex is still curious, that’s all.”

The giant squid lay under the rock crevice watching the whale swim past with leisurely strokes of its tail. Tentacles quivering in anticipation, the huge cephalopod filled its mantle cavity with water, ready for the attack. Purple with excitement, the squid contracted its body, sending a jet of water out of its siphon. A nightmare torpedo of tentacles shot out of the murk and reached for the whale.

There was no reaction. No thrashing or fighting. No struggle to get free of the tenacious grip of hundreds of hooked suckers. In the squid’s brain, millions of years of instinct were suspended for a brief second. Keeping its grip, the squid maneuvered its murderous beak to the soft underbelly and closed its jaws.

The skin felt like whale, but beneath it was harder than anything it had ever encountered. Powerful muscles continued to propel the whale through the water at the same pace, oblivious to the frenzied attack. The squid gripped and attacked the flesh with its beak twice more before filling its mantle and speeding off into the darkness, leaving a cloud of ink behind.

The anti-matter warhead in Satana’s belly was set to explode automatically when any of the preset GPS coordinates were matched. Its trajectory was random in order to escape detection, and if it could have been detected, there was no defense. Any attempt to destroy it would compromise the magnetic containment field designed to keep the slug of anti-matter away from its opposite. The only way to stop it exploding was to keep it away from its destination.

A compact fusion reactor provided enough energy for the weapon to circumnavigate the globe two hundred times if needed, at the same leisurely pace. The ceramic based skeleton and synthetic muscle tissue were undetectable. Invisible to radar and sonar, it was silent, deadly, and perfect.

In three different locations, a ring of seven holograms materialized. In the Operations Room of the White House, General Palmer sat on Clayton James’s right, opposite Zhukarov and Bespalov. Tex and Nate appeared on one side of the ring and Alex on the other.

“Dmitry, we have bad news. At first we thought a military commander had given the order for the preparation of Missile AM9, but we are satisfied it is not the case. We believe it is a malfunction. So far our engineers have not been able to isolate the problem. Of course, we will keep you informed,” President James said.

“What is the exact nature of this malfunction?” Bespalov asked. President James and his General looked at each other.

“The warhead is currently armed, and automatic systems are preparing the launch sequence,” General Palmer said.

The reaction from Zhukarov was less agitated than expected. “Tell them, Bespalov.”

“Project Satana is no longer under our control. We do not know where it is, but we can only assume it is making its way towards the Californian coast.”

Nate glanced at Alex. His lips moved imperceptibly, eyes lowered. He looked neither happy nor sad, just a freckle faced kid sitting at a table with some adults.

“How can we stop it if we find it?” President James said.

“You cannot. Any attempt at destruction would nullify the containment. Anti-matter and matter will join, resulting in an explosion of unimaginable power. The only way to prevent the explosion is to keep it away from its destination, which are GPS coordinates,” Bespalov said.

“Can we locate it physically, tie it up, or net it in some way?” General Palmer asked.

“It looks like a Gray Whale, sir. How would you know? It is programmed to swim at great depth.”

“What about the GPS coordinates? Give us those, and we can intercept,” Tex said.

Zhukarov shook his head. “Satana is loaded with five thousand coordinates located along the coast line, each one three hundred meters apart. The exact target area will be chosen at random from those five thousand.”

“We too have our best men working on this. Rest assured we do not want this situation. Tell us more about the missile malfunction, General Palmer,” Bespalov said.

“It’s got us stymied, and that’s a fact. The systems are not responding to any commands, either remote or locally. By-passing the computer based controls doesn’t work either. Unless we get a handle on what’s going on, it’s going to launch. The long range countdown has already begun.”

“When will the launch be?” Zhukarov said.

“In one hour twenty minutes.”

“General, there’s one thing I’m not quite understanding here,” Tex said, “I was stationed at one of these silos as part of my training. They have manual overrides for all functions.”

“That’s correct, Captain. They don’t work. If it’s a manual switch, it won’t operate. The mechanisms operating the blast doors and maintenance hatches are blocked in some way. We’re digging into the concrete to bypass them altogether, but these are heavy duty blast doors. We won’t get through in time,” General Palmer said.

“Of course, you have tried cutting the power?” Zhukarov said.

“The silo complex is self sufficient with solar backed lithium cells. We can’t access any cables to cut them. Rest assured we have teams brainstorming the problem.”

“Maybe you need a bigger brain on the job, Mr President,” Nate said, eyes fixed on Alex. “Tell me, what happens when you turn the handles to open one of the blocked hatches.”

“These are a bit more than your regular handles. The doors weigh tons. A spoke wheel is used to operate a gear train to release steel locking pins around the periphery. The wheels turn so far and lock at the same point, every time,” General Palmer said.

Alex raised his head to meet Nate’s gaze. “As if an object is stuck between the gear cogs?”

“Why yes, exactly like that, but that’s not possible. The gear trains are embedded in three inch thick stainless steel casings. There’s no way to get an object in there.”

“What is it? Why are you all staring at Alex Q?” Zhukarov said.

“Alex can create solid objects out of thin air,” Nate replied.