Hack a i the hack series.., p.26
Hack.A.I. (The Hack. series Book 1), page 26
“So, who were you talking to back there? Sky was it? Or is that your nickname for Cass or something?” Bic asked, placing his glasses back on his face.
Nate took a large intake of air.
“You need to know that I’m sorry I couldn’t show you before, but I struggle to trust easily. And this is a very hard thing to share with someone you don’t trust.”
Bic turned his head. “Okay.” his words trailed off.
“Have you ever heard of quantum computing?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, I’ve been working on designing one since I was a child.”
“You are a child now.” Bic chuckled.
“Younger child then.”
He turned to see Nate’s unwavering eye contact.
“Are you being serious?
Nate nodded.
“How?”
“IBM contacted me to help them with other programming issues when they brought me on to help with the Quantum systems. I took an interest in them and set out to design one of my own.”
“Okay, but how?” Bic sat up and looked at him with raised eyebrows.
“Well, I found a method of making superconducting qubits more efficient and set about on a machine to continue to build qubits continuously. Some fail, the vast majority don’t.”
“So you built a machine that can build qubits? That would cost billions, and the knowledge you would need is unfathomable.”
“Yes, in theory. I built several incredibly powerful supercomputers and sold them worldwide with a backdoor, and I used them as a backbone to hack into several of the big companies doing research. Google, IBM, and some Chinese companies. Using their research together, I found the solution and created several quantum error correction codes.”
“What the fuck, kid?” Bic said, looking at Nate in a new light.
“And then I created an anonymous manufacturing chain to create the machine that could build the quantum computer. And subsequently the qubits.”
“With what money?”
“There are several trillion dollars transferred every day. Do you think anyone would notice a penny disappearing from each transaction for ‘gas’ fees?”
“Ah, I doubt it. What happened to the rest of the money?”
Nate shrugged. “After I got what I needed out of it, I donated it as widely as possible.”
Bic stared at him, aghast.
“I have no need for money anymore.”
“So, where the hell is this quantum computer of yours? It must be huge.”
“Oh it is, and I’m not sure you could see it with the naked eye.”
Nate looked up at the sky, and Bic followed his gaze.
“Is it on a plane?”
Nate shook his head.
“It’s a satellite.”
Bic scoffed.
“What? That’s outrageous! You have to be taking the piss. Did you use the money to build a rocket?”
“Well, that, and I knew someone who liked to build rockets that owed me a favour.”
“And what favour is that?”
“I helped him with an issue with his electric cars several years ago.”
It felt to Bic as if the air was howling in his mouth. It had opened so wide.
“This is really hard to believe.”
“I know you will just have to see it.”
“So what can it do?”
“Anything, and I mean that. It has made all current encryptions obsolete. I can access anything within minutes.”
“Nate, kid, that’s really incredible, but also immensely scary.”
“I know. And that’s why I couldn’t tell you. Or anyone else.”
“Why are you telling me now?”
“Because you saved my life, and have made me feel part of something I have never had. A family.”
“We are family, kid. And now this makes us even.” Bic glanced at the parachute and the crate.
“Well, we are not even yet.”
Peering over, they noticed the ground was still far away and settled.
“How in the hell did you skim a penny from every account?”
“I began a business based on supercomputers, hacked a creditor to believe it had a triple A credit rating, took out a loan with high interest over a few months and when SQAI was built, used her to break the encryption on the global transactions to pay it off. And then distributed it to thousands of accounts in small amounts so that it went unnoticed.”
“Wow, and you just donated it?”
Nate shrugged. “Like I said, I have no need for that much money.”
“Incredible.”
A humming sound rang out in the distance, capturing both their attention.
“What’s that noise?” Bic asked.
Their heads popped up and scanned like meerkats until a blur appeared.
It appeared like an enormous bird from far away, and then they clicked and exchanged glances.
“It’s a plane!” Nate said.
Chapter forty seven
“What are we going to do?”
The plane approached at breakneck speed.
“I don’t know.”
"Nate, it's getting closer and closer."
Nate knelt and pulled up the tarpaulin to access the crate. He ripped up one box lid and inside was a bunch of old military kit.
He threw Bic an old helmet and placed one on himself, then continued to search in the crate.
Jet engines enveloped them as the jet flew past at what had to be max speed. A show of force fly-by.
The chute swayed wildly like a ship caught in a heavy wave as it flew overhead.
Panic strewn across Nate’s face as it sent him flying off the crate.
Bic jumped out to catch his arm, yanking him back onto the wavering surface.
“You owe me again!” Bic called, his legs wrapped tightly around the several chute strings.
“Thanks, Bic.”
The crate levelled out again.
In the distance, they could see the fighter jet bank sideways and turn towards them.
“I tell you what, kid. If you get us away from that thing, we will call it quits.”
He dashed a momentary thought of cutting the chute wires when he saw they were still thousands of feet above the ground.
He assumed SQAI would have the answer.
Another glance at the wires and Nate told Bic to get to his feet.
“When the jet gets fairly close, I want you to pull the wire tight on the right-hand side.”
Bic nodded and readied himself on the wire.
The jet took direct aim at them and was approaching fast.
“Now!”
They both pulled on the wire with great force, causing the parachute to sharply bank down and away from the jet's path.
Flames from the jet engines burned the hair on the back of their necks as it passed close by.
The roaring wind filled Nate's ears as the crate continued to sway, the sound echoing in his mind. He was grateful the steadfast parachute hadn’t given way yet.
“Okay, that worked that time, but he will expect it this time.”
“I know, I know.”
Once again, the jet became visible as it banked sideways and positioned itself in their path.
This time, it was nearer. Nate had no time to think.
After the recent flyby, Nate knew they had malicious intentions. They wanted to take them out without opening fire. There would be questions if they opened fire.
The military doesn't like being embarrassed. Or they are not interested in allowing anyone to share any secrets. Or both.
The jet was encroaching at max speed once more.
It had to be within a mile.
A second or two away.
Both Bic and Nate could do nothing but watch as it charged at them like a raging bull.
A large military recon drone collided into the plane’s left wing, causing the jet to spiral left. Narrowly missing them. The gust of air jerked the crate.
The wing exploded on impact, and during the spiral, the pilot ejected.
“Oh, my god,” Bic said, relieved. “Somebody is looking out for us. We would be goners if that hadn’t happened!”
“That somebody would be SQAI.”
Bic stared at him.
“I call it a guardian angel protocol. She will preserve life and improve circumstances without taking life.”
“Well, that makes us even again, then.” Bic laughed, placing his clutched, handcuffed hands on Nate’s shoulder.
Nate smiled.
The ground became visible. A few hundred feet below them.
Nate quickly realised the rough landing ahead upon glancing at the mountainous surroundings.
The crate hit the ground with such a thud it launched them off the crate. Not quite a mile high, as it could've been, but it was still an uncomfortable landing. They both collapsed on the cold wet ground with an enormous sigh of relief.
After a short while, Nate questioned where the hell they were.
He glanced around, surprised to notice a distant car. The car followed a path that was coming towards them.
“Shit, we need to get out of here!”
With a start, Bic sat up and immediately noticed the car in plain sight.
They both rushed to their feet and searched around for somewhere to hide.
“Over there, the hut.”
Bic pointed to a small farm hut two fields away. As quick as they could, they ran towards it on weary legs. Each step sinking in the sludgy marsh field.
Nate kept looking back after every step.
The car crossed a field about a mile away.
An engine sound growled in the distance.
They reached the hut just as the large green defender pulled up to the crate.
Hiding inside, they waited quietly. Not wanting to give a reason for anyone to search for them, they just sat and hoped the car engine would start up and leave.
The engine started up again, but he heard it approaching.
Screeching brakes stopped near the hut and Nate psyched himself up and remembered some techniques SQAI had taught him.
A door slammed, and footsteps squelched in the mud.
Nate held his finger over his mouth towards Bic.
The footsteps were close to the doorway, and Nate waited for the opportune time.
“Nate, are you in there?”
Nate's fists softened right away.
The voice was familiar to him.
“Cass?” Bic asked
“Bic, is that you?”
Nate turned the corner to see Cassie standing there. She ran up to him and slapped him across the face.
“Don’t you ever leave me like that again!”
Without hesitation, she jumped into his arms, their lips meeting in a fiery, electrifying kiss.
“Jesus christ, that is not what I was expecting to see,” Bic said as he turned the corner.
Nate released Cassie to allow her to run to Bic and throw her arms around him.
“Bic!”
“Nice to see you, kiddo!”
“How are you, sweetie? You have looked better, my love.” Cass said, cleaning Bic’s glasses with her sleeve.
“Well I’ve been shot with fifty rubber bullets, then arrested and tortured. And then thrown out of a plane, even though I'm terrified of heights. Ya’ know, things could be better.”
“Spending too much time with Nate. He’s rubbing off on you.” Cassie smirked.
“Sounds like I’m not the only one he is rubbing off on, either.” Bic smiled.
“Oh, you are disgusting.” Cassie slapped his stomach playfully.
“Ouch, the bullets.” Bic groaned, and grimaced. Reaching for his stomach
“Oh sorry.”
“How did you find us, Cass?” Nate asked.
She glanced at Bic, then at Nate. “Does he know?”
Nate thought for a second, then nodded.
“SQAI gave me the coordinates. And then somebody turned up saying that this jeep thing had been rented for me.”
“Do you have your phone?”
Cassie handed it to Bic.
“We need to get out of here,” Cassie said, looking up at the sky above them. “There are loads of helicopters flying around, searching for you two, I’m guessing.”
“Have you heard from Charlie? How is he?”
“Check? No,” Cass shook her head. “And he wasn’t in a great place last time we saw him. He ran away from us.”
“How long haven’t you heard from him?”
“A few days, we tried to call him when we had a chance, but with us being on the run, we haven’t had time…”
“Oh god, I hope he hasn’t done something stupid.” Bic said, as Cassie shot Nate a concerned glance.
They all got into the brand new Land Rover Defender and left for Bristol.
In the sky, a mile above them, was a surveillance drone trained on them.
forty-six
The plane had been flying close to Bristol. When they jumped out, they were just forty minutes from Nate’s hideout.
On the way back, Bic slept upright in his seat.
An old army trick, he said.
Nate struggled to keep his eyes open but with every bump he awoke.
They climbed up the drainpipe for Nate’s hideout and slipped through the biometric hatch.
Ignoring his starvation and exhaustion, Check was the only concern on Bic’s mind.
After trying various ways of contacting Check himself, Bic resorted to asking Nate.
“I’ll hack into his webcam.”
“It might take you a while,” Bic warned, his voice filled with a hint of scepticism. “I think he has a fairly strong encryption system in place.”
“SQAI is already in.” Nate smiled, flushing a little.
“Oh.” Bic gave a slow nod.
“So, where the hell is he? He would never leave his flat without his laptop.” Bic replied, having pressed his face up to the monitor.
“Come on, sweet boy, pick up!” Cassie said, still phoning him relentlessly and getting the call end tone.
“SQAI, access the cameras around his property.” Nate asked.
“Working.”
On the many screens of Nate’s display unit, several video feeds popped up from various angles and visuals surrounding Check’s flat.
A live feed was broadcasting.
“Search through the last few days. Find Charlie Cross.”
“It’s Millstone, actually.” Bic interjected.
“Okay, SQAI, Find Charlie Millstone.”
“Accessing the hard drive.”
SQAI trawled through the footage on every camera.
“This is a really mad setup, kid. You see this shit in the movies, but you think there aren’t machines out there that can do this yet.”
“There aren’t, just SQAI at the moment.”
“But this technology…in the wrong hands… could be…catastrophic.”
“I’m well aware of the dangers. Hence why I’ve used four factor authentication. And unless I explicitly express my desire to add another admin, while I regulate my stress factors and operate from my current location, knowing information that only I possess, then nobody else can use it except me.”
Bic shook his head in disbelief.
“You have literally made yourself a god.”
“No, not a god. I’ve just saved the planet long enough to give the people a chance,” Nate replied. “No nukes will be set off while SQAI is alive, that’s for sure.”
“Why haven’t you used it to stop all the bloodshed in the world?” Cassie asked.
“At the moment, there is simply too much of it. She can disrupt it for a little while or protect hospitals and children, but this is all over the world and she simply isn’t powerful enough yet.”
“Yet?” Bic asked.
“As I said, she keeps enhancing her power by developing additional qubits.”
“To what end, babe?”
“Self preservation, I guess. The way we live now is unsustainable. It needs something big to change. And SQAI can be that big. Without death and bloodshed.”
“Sometimes, bloodshed is necessary.” Bic said.
“No it’s not, that’s just what people with too much power want you to believe.”
Bic shrugged. “People will come after you for this. You know that, don’t you?”
“I have nothing to lose,” Nate replied bluntly.
The room fell silent for a moment. Bic shot Nate a glance and then watched Cassie slump in her seat on the bed.
Seeing the heartbreak on Cassie’s face, Bic sat next to her, putting his arm around her. Nate noticed, but turned away.
“Sorry, I must’ve missed you telling me about the qubits, kid. I was a little distracted, you know, as you threw me out of a plane, on a crate, with a jet trying to take us down. While handcuffed.” Bic said, an attempt to lighten the mood.
Their collective smiles filled the room with a semblance of warmth.
“All these marks and bruises are all over you. Were they from the plane?” Cassie said, wiping blood off Bic’s cheek.
“No, that was the guards’ work. Clearly Jealous of my good looks.”
“Were they handy with you?”
With a single affirming nod, Bic answered her question.
While waiting for footage, a notification popped up on Nate’s screen. “URGENT!”
He clicked on it, and his face dropped.
Cassie noticed. “What’s wrong?”
“We know who the rat is, at least.” Nate spun in his office chair to face them.
Like a lightning bolt, Bic jumped upright with a sudden burst of energy.
As he approached the screens, Nate spun back to show them the video footage.
“So I wondered who put out the order for them to charge the bunker and followed the command line right back to this anonymous tip that was received on the front desk at a police station. Well, SQAI has been trawling the footage and found this guy.”
Footage captured a man, donning a baseball cap and glasses, entering a police station, tossing an envelope on a desk, and promptly fleeing with an officer in pursuit.
“Is that who I think it is?” Cassie said.
Nate switched to CCTV footage showing a man in similar clothes near the police station, no hat or glasses.
“Sketch?”
“The same,” Nate said.
