AmEarth

Monday morning arrived, and Peter headed to his second Supercomputer Committee meeting in the War Room. He recognized most of the committee members from the military, NASA, and the NSA. Peter nodded at those he knew well. Ex-President Chen was standing at the head of the table, just where he had stood while briefing Peter a few weeks back.

“Peter, allow me to introduce you to the committee members,” EpChen started.“

“Mr. President, I already know most of these men. Robert, Larry,” Peter said and nodded to a few of his acquaintances.

“Well, then let me introduce you to Mr. Sergio Ramirez-Bulatov, a computer consultant on social, environmental, and political questions.”

“We’ve met, Neil. Hi Sergio,” Peter gave him an appreciative smile.

“Mr. President,” Sergio said.

Peter was still baffled by Scott’s knowledge of Sergio’s existence, let alone the fact that he was a powerful member of the committee. Was he really an art director?

“Is there anyone else you don’t know?” phen asked

“I think that the rest of us have met a few times,” Peter said casually, trying to calm himself down in the process.

“Good. Then let’s start. This committee is meeting on the issue of accessibility to the computer database with level six for Supreme President Johansen. All those in favor, please say aye,” phen announced with very little introduction.

He hadn’t led up to it with any sort of formal call to order, simply stating the subject that they could all feel hanging in the room.

There was absolute silence in the room.

“Aye,” ex-president Chen said loudly.

No one joined phen in approving Peter’s access to the top level of clearance.

“The nays have it, then,” Ehen stated, not seeming upset or surprised in the slightest.

“So, that’s it?” Peter questioned, shocked at how quickly he had been shot down.

“The committee has voted to leave the supreme president at level five.”

“May I be frank?” Peter said, obviously irritated at the way he was being treated.

“Please do,” Epen encouraged him.

Everyone paid attention, although they all sat with stoic, determined faces.

“If I am to speak directly to the world and be truthful, then I need to clear up a few things,” Peter said.

“Tell us, Peter,” EChen ordered him, a touch patronizingly.

“Ask the computer a question with your level six clearance right now,” Peter demanded.

“That is not how this works. You cannot give orders to this committee,” EPhen calmly explained.

“Then I’ll be forced to quit, which might reflect poorly on the computer’s choice. You’ll have to find a new president.”

“You’re being ridiculous, Peter. Essie has just gone to impressive lengths to find you! You can’t turn your back on AmEarth,” Chen argued, with a bit more intensity. He hadn’t seen this bluff coming, if it was a bluff.

Other committee members looked across the table at one another. Some looked dismissive, others concerned.

“Watch me,” Peter replied.

“Calm down, Peter. Please. You can ask your question. Give us some time to reply,” phen said.

“Why? It’s a supercomputer. So it’s fast. Why make me wait?”

“We need to vet the answer.”

“Vet it? You mean manipulate the truth so my speeches come off as genuine?” Peter hadn’t expected to drop such a loaded bomb on the group, but Neil Chen seemed oddly unfazed.

“There is that.”

“Well, we’re back at square one then, aren’t we?” Peter snapped.

“What do you mean?” General Redford asked.

“What I mean is, you needed a new president who believes that what AmEarth has been putting out as the truth is actually true. However, I know that the truth is not clear. We’re back to the same situation you were in when you replaced President Chen, but slightly worse.”

“Why worse?” Sergio asked.

“Because I also wonder whether the foundation of AmEarth is composed of lies.”

Peter looked at Neil Chen straight in the eye; he could see the uncomfortable position he had put the previous president in.

“What is that ‘truth,’ Peter?” Chen asked him, with an edge to his words.

“The alien threat is not all that dangerous,” Peter stated without flinching.

“You know that those remarks can be considered treasonous,” General Redford barked.

“Why is that?” Peter lashed back.

“Calling AmEarth untruthful about the alien threat is a form of undermining its authority.”

“But I’m not doing so in a public venue. We’re in a secret meeting of a secret committee that no one knows about!”

“Relax, Peter. Explain what you just said. What evidence do you have that the alien threat is not dangerous?” Chen coaxed him gently, trying to defuse the situation.

“To start with, there is the Bolivian coincidence…”

“What coincidence?”

“If you are all going to treat me like a child, then we might as well call it a day and just go home.” Peter was getting annoyed. He didn’t like being talked down to.

“He means the landing in Sucre,” Director Kanter offered.

“Exactly,” Peter confirmed

“What about it?” xpen demandedsa

“The missile fell on a government building in the downtown square of the ancient capital city of one of the last countries we needed to join AmEarth. The odds of a landing with that accuracy are about one in fourteen million, and that measurement is anywhere in the city, not even right in the main square! It became even clearer to me when it was not widely reported in the news.”

“You think that many people are aware of this?” General Redford said.

“How can they be? Even if the Bolivians mention it, nothing will become part of the public record unless the landing makes it on the airwaves,” Peter retorted.

“That is correct,” Sergio spoke for the first time.

Everyone fell silent. Chen looked at Sergio Ramirez-Bulatov with parental disappointment in his eyes. It was clear that Sergio’s comments were usually frowned upon.

“Peter, what exactly do you think the aliens were intending when they landed in Bolivia?” Chen asked quietly.

“The aliens did not land in Bolivia, President Chen! Obviously, we sent a rocket that launched another rocket back at us, or it came from a station in orbit. This rocket looks alien and landed exactly where we needed it to land. This was a precisely plotted military operation. My compliments to General Redford and Director Kanter,” Peter finished, nodding to the respective heads of the military and NASA.

They both looked surprised, but secretly proud. Sergio sat squirming, as though he were dying to add something. Peter was making his point using only the Bolivia information. He didn’t want to compromise his son by mentioning the Kepler 3763 document or the fact that he knew about Sergio.

“Peter, what do you want to ask Essie?” Chen said.

Neil Chen flipped a switch that turned the supercomputer on in a central monitor in the room.

“Ask what is the temperature on Kepler 3763.” Peter stated.

“Ha,” Sergio Ramirez-Bulatov guffawed loudly, which was followed by an awkward silence.

“Okay,” ex-president Chen agreed looking at Dr. Kanter.

“What is the temperature on Kepler 3763?” Dr. Kanter asked.

“Minus 325 degrees Fahrenheit, minus 198 Celsius.” Essie said’

“Ask if the planet is rotating,” Peter said looking at the Doctor.

“Is Kepler 3763 rotating on an axis?” Dr. Kanter asked.’

“No.”

Peter looked at Larry. Larry knew what question was coming next, but he waited.

“Can it sustain life?” Peter asked.

There was a silent pause, Essie did not reply to Peter’s question. Larry was slow in asking.

“Is Kepler 3763 capable of sustaining life?”’

“No.”

Peter looked around. The faces at the table looked perfectly normal, as if nothing new had been uttered.

Neil Chen stood up and looked at Peter with dead eyes.

“ Essie? Are there alien life forms outside our planet Earth?” Eren asked.sasked

I“’Yes.”’

Esie sad.

Peter knew this was common knowledgeso.

“Essie? Have we ever made contact with aliens,” Peter shot in a final query.

“Turn her off, Larry,” Epen growled. “Now!”

Larry turned Essie off.

“So, you’ve figured out that the aliens are not from Kepler 3763, but there are aliens out there. You heard the ‘Yes,’” Chen argued.

“But we have never made contact. You stopped me from asking that question,” Peter countered.

“The only difference is what we are doing with the possibility, Peter. We have anticipated the Earth’s response to an alien threat and used it to foster our way of life and to ensure the survival of our species. It was inevitable and necessary.”

“Perhaps, but even if the aliens reside only a hundred or two hundred light years away, then the entire premise of their existence simply doesn’t make sense. Hell, they could be a million light years away! It would be the same as having no aliens at all. Have you ever thought of that?”

“Your indignation is healthy, Peter, but I think you need to relax. Accept your new reality as it is. America has won all the wars. We have the upper hand and essentially control the destiny of the planet. Would you rather that the Russians had their fingers on the trigger? Or the Germans?”

“But this is a difficult and dangerous conspiracy to bottle up.”

“Is it?”

“I figured it out. Others might figure it out, too.”

“Peter, you were at the very heart of AmEarth, with access to privileged information when you figured this out. You are very bright, and we obviously underestimated you. You must remain as president until the computer determines otherwise. We will need to craft your speeches with more care and, in time, you will be replaced. At that moment, we will move you here to the SCC, and you will always maintain your intelligence status in AmEarth, maybe even rising to level six. You cannot, of course, divulge what you know to anyone, not even family members. That is for their safety and yours. Can we trust you, Peter?”

There was a long pause, and Peter laid his gaze on Sergio. He seemed bottled up and a bit edgy. He noticed that Sergio was not a dark-skinned Mexican, but rather a tanned Caucasian. He looked like he had just arrived from a tropical beach.

“Of course you can trust me, Neil,” Peter said, deliberately using former President’s Chen’s first name. “You have given me the privilege of clearance and my allegiance to AmEarth is absolute.”

“Then let’s agree that the best route is to keep Peter Johansen as supreme president.” Chen directed his comment to the room.

“With what level of clearance?” Peter asked.

“We will keep you at level five, but whenever you need to access Essie, anyone in this room can ask her any question that you have. How is that for a compromise?”

Peter nodded in agreement. He was getting what he needed, even if it wasn’t in the form he had expected.

“This way, Essie will be satisfied that the supreme president is at the level she chose. In a way, we are co-opting her wishes,” Chen continued.

“Is she not hearing all this?” Peter asked.

“She is off right now.” Chen said.

“We are the masters of the computer, after all,” Sergio added.

“Human survival is the computer’s first directive,” Chen went on, as though Sergio hadn’t spoken.

“Exactly, but this committee is the only fail-safe Essie, in case she veers off track,” General Redford said.

“That settles it. All those in agreement, say aye,” EpChen ordered, still very much the most powerful man in the room.

“Aye,” all twelve members said in unison.

“All those against?”

The brief silence marked the decision that began a strange new friendship at the highest level of AmEarth. Peter would use Sergio to access Essie. He was the least busy, and something about Sergio resonated strongly with him. Peter now knew that his son had been correct on all counts. He needed to speak to Scott as soon as possible, but couldn’t arouse suspicion and didn’t want to put his son in any danger. His position implied constant monitoring and the feeling of being watched and even oppressed by the AmEarth system was growing stronger. The presidency was both a blessing and a curse all in one—something that only Chen before him had known.

Chen disbanded the meeting and sent everyone to their respective floors. The emergency meeting of the Supercomputer Committee was over. Neil Chen was not happy that his succession plan had backfired so quickly. Peter would begin to falter and his knowledge would make him untenable. If only he could return to his former status…if only he could lie better.