Every stroke toward the waiting Nomad was a chore, but he didn’t let go of Linda. She was feebly kicking, and the combination of heat and lack of air was about to render her unconscious.
He spotted the flashing light next to the open air lock door on the bottom of the sub and willed himself to reach it. He pushed Linda into the small space and followed her in.
His muscles were aching, but he forced himself to drive through the pain and pull the hatch closed. When the light was green, he slammed his hand into the button that would purge the water.
Then he blacked out.
When he came to, he found himself lying on Nomad’s floor covered with cold packs. He tried to sit up, but Julia pushed him back down.
“Linda,” he croaked.
“She’s all right.” She pointed at Linda lying next to him. She was also buried in the cold packs. Her eyes were blinking.
“I’m never getting in a Jacuzzi again,” she said.
“Or a sauna,” Juan added. Then he remembered the sack containing the documents from the Colossus 3. “I dropped the bag.”
“I saw,” Eric said from the cockpit. Nomad was heading back to the Oregon, the lights from the moon pool providing a beacon in the darkness.
“Can you get it?”
“We’re getting you two to my medical bay first,” Julia said.
“I lost it in gloom,” Eric said. “We can do a search later, but I’m afraid it’ll be covered by the lava by the time we get back down here. Or, at least, too close to the lava to get to. Don’t worry, though. You still got this.” Eric held up a leather-bound book. “This was in your suit.”
“The captain’s logbook. Let’s hope it says something useful.”
“I think it will. But it’s not the captain’s log. They’re notes from one of the scientists on board. I was only able to see the first page because I didn’t want to damage the others.”
“It didn’t say anything about where we can find the artificial intelligence computer, did it?”
“In fact, it did. We’ve already seen the AI. Those vats? That’s the artificial intelligence.”
“What do you mean?” Linda asked.
“We’ll know more when we can look at the entire contents,” Eric said. “But from what’s on just the first page, it seems that the AI isn’t silicon-based. It’s organic. The Colossus 3 was built to carry a giant biocomputer.”
FORTY
CYPRUS
The hold of the Colossus 5 hummed from the pumps circulating nutrients to the vats of biochemical cells that made up the heart of the supercomputer. Xavier Carlton and Lionel Gupta were getting a status update from the chief scientist, Chen Min, about the operation as they walked through the cavernous space. Security guards trailed them, while engineers went about final preparations for getting under way in less than forty-eight hours. Carlton was keeping an eye on Gupta, who seemed to be growing suspicious of Carlton’s motives for persuading him to stay on board.
“Right now, we are feeding the Colossus vats with custom-grown phytoplankton that we store on board,” Chen said, “but once we’re at sea, we will harvest plankton as we sail, providing an unlimited source of nutrition for the computer.”
“What is the performance on Colossus 1, 2, and 4?”
“The Indian Ocean waters were not as rich in food sources as we had hoped. That’s why I’m recommending that we station the ships off the west coast of Africa.”
“How long will it take to reach the singularity?” Gupta asked.
“The ships’ microwave transceivers have to connect. Once that happens, we can expect the artificial intelligence to be completely unified in a matter of minutes.”
“And what will that enable?” Carlton asked.
“We will no longer need a crew of programmers to write code. Colossus will be able to improve itself at an exponential rate. All we have to do is order it to solve a problem and it will be able to do it on its own.”
“But it can’t do anything without an explicit command, right?”
Chen nodded. “Colossus is essentially our slave. We’ve built in protocols to starve it if it doesn’t conform to our controls. But, it’s not going to achieve thought processes or self-perception in the normal sense of the words.”
“So it won’t be thinking for itself?” Carlton asked.
Chen paused, then shook his head. “No.”
“I don’t like that hesitation,” Gupta said. “Is the fail-safe ready in case Colossus doesn’t follow our orders?”
“We’ve had to disable Mr. Mallik’s Vajra EMP fail-safe system. Not only is its security compromised because of the incidents you’ve had with him, but it was not completely separate from Colossus’s network. That means the AI could have shut Vajra down.” Mallik’s electromagnetic pulse weapon placed on board was designed to wipe out the silicon circuits of the computers connecting the biochemical vats, which would disable Colossus by frying them.
“But you still have the backup fail-safe system in place.”
“Yes,” Chen said. “And we believe we have taken care of the problem that sank the Colossus 3.”
He pointed to the red boxes on either side of the hold, positioned below the waterline. The explosives in those boxes, mounted on all the Colossus ships, were manually activated. None of them were connected to the network, so that the AI wouldn’t be able to deactivate them in case it did become self-aware and disobeyed its commands.
In the previous version of the self-destruct system, the bombs’ emergency activation sequence could be initiated by any crew member who had access to the explosives, which was basically anyone on the ship. Many of the Nine just chalked up the sinking of the Colossus 3 to a mistake by a crew member who had died in the blast, but Carlton had always suspected that it was done on purpose. Now he was sure Mallik had been the one behind it.
The new system required the bombs to be activated by two officers on the bridge. Until then, the bombs were inert. Not even Chen or Carlton could activate them alone. The fail-safes on all of the Colossus ships were linked together by encrypted radio signal so that if the self-destruct was activated on one ship, it would begin the countdown on the other ships as well. The bombs would have to be disabled on all of the ships for the self-destruct system to fail. If the Colossus AI went rogue after the singularity was reached, then each of the ships would be a danger.
Carlton had always hated the entire fail-safe concept. They’d poured a billion dollars into Colossus, and the thought that one of the other Nine could wipe it all away with a single command was ridiculous no matter what risk Colossus could pose.
“What if we deactivated the fail-safe?” Carlton asked.
Gupta gaped at him. “What?”
“Mallik is getting close to launching his final Vajra satellite. We can’t let another ‘accident’ delay or stop us.”
“If your attack on his life hadn’t gone so badly, we would have been able to stop him from launching it without Colossus.”
“A fully operational Colossus was always our best option,” Carlton said. “Once it reaches the singularity, it will be able to access any computer system on the planet, including his satellite network. We’ll be able to shut it down from here. The attempt on Mallik’s life was simply an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”
“And it was an epic blunder. Your news outlets have been plastering the story all over the place.” He narrowed his eyes at Carlton. “I wonder if Natalie Taylor really is on our side.”
“She said there were operatives there who stopped her, but they didn’t seem to be Mallik’s people, either.”
Gupta snickered. “She ‘said.’ I noticed she’s not even here.”
“She’s on her way back. I spoke to her while she was in the air.”
“If she’s so confident that they weren’t Mallik’s people, then who were they?”
>
“We don’t know. But we need to be ready to deal with a third party. Remember, it wasn’t Mallik who took out the facility on Jhootha Island.”
“Another failure. We should have closed it down as soon as the Colossus 5 was attacked. I should have taken over the project myself.”
“You’re suddenly getting a spine?” Carlton said in amusement. “I didn’t think you had it in you.”
“Then I have another surprise for you,” Gupta said.
The guards behind them raised their weapons and pointed them at Chen and Carlton.
“What are you doing?” Chen demanded.
“What I should have done the moment we left the Library. It’s obvious I can’t trust you, Carlton.”
“I’m impressed,” Carlton said, nodding his head at the guards in appreciation of Gupta’s double cross. “But you’re correct that you shouldn’t have trusted me.”
He raised a hand, and automatic weapons fire cut down all but one of the guards where they stood. Natalie Taylor and Carlton’s private security squad emerged from their hiding places behind the vats.
Carlton smiled at the remaining guard, who had tipped Carlton off about the betrayal. “Welcome to the winning team.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Carlton walked up to Gupta and said, “I knew you would try something like this. I just wanted to wait and see who the other traitors were. Now it appears you are the only traitor left.” He turned to Taylor. “And you’ve just redeemed yourself. Take him back to his cabin and keep him there until I figure out if I want him alive or dead.”
All of his bravado was gone, and Gupta’s lip was quivering as Taylor and the loyal guard led him away. The remaining members of Carlton’s squad began stacking up the bodies.
Chen looked at Carlton in astonishment at what had just happened.
“I prize loyalty above all else,” Carlton said to him. “Remember that.”
“Of course, sir,” Chen said.
“Now, before I go, what’s the status of the other Colossus ships?”
Chen blinked his eyes as he gathered himself, then looked down at his tablet computer.
“I just got a report from the captain of the Colossus 1. They had trouble with one of the prisoners brought to the ship from Jhootha Island and he had to be eliminated.”
“Which leaves how many?”
“Twenty-two.”
“And you still need them alive?” Carlton casually asked.
“They do provide some needed expertise until we’re completely operational. But they will be unnecessary after that.”
“Excellent. I don’t like having them around any longer than we have to. Where are the ships now?”
“They’re currently steaming north in the Red Sea, which puts them on schedule for the rendezvous.” Chen frowned at the report.
“What is it?”
“Just something odd,” Chen said. “When they were passing near the undersea volcano where the Colossus 3 went down, they spotted a ship loitering in the vicinity.”
That set Carlton’s teeth on edge. It would be cause for concern if someone was investigating the wreckage. “You said the Colossus 3 would be destroyed by the lava.”
“It will be if it hasn’t already. Besides, it doesn’t sound like anything to worry about.”
“Why not?”
“Steam from the volcano was shrouding the ship when they passed by, so they didn’t get a chance to see the name. But they could tell it was nothing more than an old tramp freighter.”
Carlton breathed a sigh of relief. If someone were actually trying to dredge up information from the Colossus 3 in such a hazardous location, they would send a state-of-the-art recovery vessel, not some old rust bucket.
FORTY-ONE
PORT OF MUMBAI
Although Mallik could have taken his yacht out to the designated coordinates in the Arabian Sea where his final Vajra satellite would be launched, he preferred the safety of his security vessel Kalinga. After the Nilgiri-class frigate had been decommissioned by the Indian Navy, Mallik had purchased and refurbished her to provide protection for his sea-based launch system. She currently used modern computer fire control systems for her twin 115mm cannons, anti-aircraft guns, and torpedoes, but the Kalinga was also fully operational even if her computers went down, a situation that Mallik anticipated in the very near future.
He had renamed her the Kalinga—and her sister ship the Maurya—to honor Emperor Ashoka and his creation of the Nine Unknown. This was before his current involvement with the Nine had corrupted Ashoka’s vision. The years when the Mauryan Empire had conquered Kalinga had fascinated Mallik ever since his father told him he would someday become one of the Nine Unknown. He wished he could travel back in time to the birth of Ashoka’s peaceful nation, but he would have to be content with the creation of his own empire, one he planned to rule with a similar grace and balance. Like all births, it would require pain and blood, but the result that he imagined would be a beautiful new era of civilization, one free from the specter of an artificial intelligence that could replace humanity.
Mallik took the laptop from his bag and sat at his desk to open it, noting the irony that this was one of the last few times he would be using it. He logged on to his network to review the status of the upcoming rocket launch and was pleased with what he read. According to reports, the launch platform and command ship were currently being resupplied and refueled while the Maurya patrolled the perimeter. All tests of the Vajra satellite had been passed with flying colors, so they should be able to launch as soon as the rocket was transferred to the launchpad.
The only problem was a monsoon that was sweeping across the Arabian Sea region where the launch was to take place. The weather team estimated that they would have to wait two days so the weather could clear. Mallik was annoyed by the delay, but he didn’t want to take a chance with this satellite. If it exploded on launch like the last one or crashed because of the storm, it would be months before he could send up a replacement.
A knock at his cabin door interrupted his reading.
“Come,” he said.
Torkan entered with a thin smile on his face.
“You have good news?” Mallik asked.
“You were right about Carlton’s location. His A380 is on Cyprus.”
Mallik nodded. “He has a home there. He must be cowering with a security team around him for protection.”
Torkan’s lip curled up as he nodded in agreement. “There is a cargo vessel being refitted in the Limassol shipyard. My sources say it fits the description of the Colossus 5.”
That got Mallik’s attention. “Do you think you can disable it again? We need more time.”
“I doubt it. They’ll be ready for any attempt to damage the ship.”
“Then why are you still smiling.”
“Because I got word that his plane will be taking off two days from now.”
“Where is he going?”
“The destination wasn’t specified. But I do know that he’s contracted with a shipping company. He’s taking two of his cars with him.”
Carlton was a car aficionado, mixing classic antiques and state-of-the-art sports cars. He was known for using his private jet to move them between his homes in London, Cyprus, Mumbai, the Cayman Islands, Sydney, and Monte Carlo.
“You have a plan?” Mallik asked.
Torkan’s smile grew wider. “If we can’t take out the Colossus 5, eliminating Carlton is the next-best thing. My contact also found out that Lionel Gupta is with him. They were both spotted getting onto a helicopter at the Larnaca Airport.”
“Then it’s likely they’ll leave together as well. If they’re dead, Chen Min will have no choice but to follow my orders no matter what Carlton has told him.”
“I will take care of it.”
He turned to leave, bu
t Mallik stopped him.
“Asad, take a seat for a minute.” The news he had to deliver was unpleasant.
Torkan sat, a puzzled expression on his face.
Mallik searched for the words, but before he could say anything his phone buzzed.
He looked at the screen. It was the head of his network security department, somebody he wasn’t expecting a call from.
“Just a minute,” he said to Torkan, and answered it gruffly. “This better be important.”
“It is, sir,” came the tremulous reply. “We’ve just detected a breach in our network.”
A jolt of anger ran through him. His systems had some of the best encryption in the world. “How is that possible?”
“I don’t know, sir, but someone began downloading files to an unauthorized location a few minutes ago. We’re attempting to stop it now.”
“Tell me the name of the idiot who let this happen!” Mallik shouted.
“S . . . s . . . sir,” his internet security man stammered, “the breach is originating from your laptop.”
Mallik wasn’t sure if he heard right. Torkan tilted his head in confusion at the one-sided conversation.
“What?” Mallik said.
“We’ve tracked the leak to your computer,” the IT man said.
Mallik went red with rage. “Change the network password on the Kalinga immediately, and do not let my computer reconnect. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir!”
He hung up and slammed the phone on the desk in frustration.
Mallik wanted to destroy the computer but restrained himself, knowing his people would need to analyze it. All he could do was shut it down.
“My computer was compromised,” he said. “It has to be Carlton.”
“Can I see it?” Torkan asked.
Mallik handed the laptop over, and Torkan inspected it, turning it over slowly in his hands. Then he stopped to look at one of the USB ports. He took out a knife and pried out a tiny device embedded in the port.