*
Apex lay across the couch in her College Park living room fielding text messages from independent technologist friends around the world.
'We should call ourselves the Cyber Defense League,' one of her colleagues wrote. 'We're going to be like a super hero group fighting for the rights of humankind.'
'No, Cyber Defense sounds like terrorists,' another protested. 'I don't want to sound like terrorists.'
'Maybe the People's Army,' another offered. 'Because we are fighting for the people.'
'I like a combination, Cyber Army,' another weighed in. 'We're defending cyber rights. We are fighting for cyber freedom.'
Apex looked up. For days, she had been advising her friends in the clandestine online world to be aware of the accelerating plans related to building a global surveillance and online tracking system. She did not give the COSA name for fear the word would leak out and alert FedSec that the idea was being circulated. But she encouraged her isolated colleagues to think of their profession as leaders in a defense force against planned government trampling of their privacy and civil liberties. Any cross-border negotiations or business plans aimed at globally unifying online tracking of individual activity were fair game for their list of suspicious government operations.
Separately, she organized the COSA documents to provide the background material her group would need to move forward. Unlike Julia and Marco, her friends would have to operate completely out of public view, preferably out of all views. But to stealthily manage together, they would need their own parallel online communication system, one not connected as a sub-layer within the current Internet, which people called the Dark Net, but as their own functioning independent infrastructure connected only when necessary to the public Information Superhighway. They would need to use narrow virtual paths allowing one-way access to the Internet, but no way back. Their portals would also have to be impenetrable to government searchers by virtue of invisible doors to which only they would hold the keys.
'To do this we'll need money,' Apex thought. 'But how can we raise money without being noticed.' Within a minute she thought of Carter but quickly dismissed the consideration. 'We are on opposite sides now,' she mused. 'He has succumbed to the demands of his government overseers and his help is unlikely to materialize in this fight.' Almost on cue her phone buzzed, and she looked down to see Carter's number reaching out to her as he had almost every waking hour since they had parted. Reluctantly, she answered.
"Yes," Apex guardedly said.
"Finally," Carter responded, exasperated, before quickly leveling his voice to gentleness. "How are you? Are you all right?"
"Yes I'm fine."
"Are you still in D.C.?"
"Yes."
"Are you coming home anytime soon?"
"No."
"C'mon..."
"Why would I come home? I have work to do. Many people are galvanizing against your illegal intrusion plan."
"It's not my plan. Are you telling people—"
"No. Not the details, only the general idea. I'm asking how we would prepare for the possibility."
"What are people saying?"
"Basically, we need our own internet, completely separate from the official one where we can communicate, trade ideas, even surf public Internet sites if we want. But in our world, no one's private data would be tracked for any reason. No one would be able to analyze your surfing history and determine which cereal to sell to you before breakfast."
"Sounds cool."
"Yes I agree."
"But?"
"Well you know...the usual issue, who's going to fund our intentions?"
"Who indeed?" Silence fell over them.
"Under normal circumstances, I would have asked you to contribute."
"What are normal circumstances?"
"You and I lying in bed and talking about our hopes, plans and dreams for the future."
"You can have that anytime you wish, just say the word."
"I can't have my desire while you are in bed with your government friends. That would be too crowded for my tastes."
"They are not my government friends."
"Who are they to you?"
"You know as well as I that I was asked to participate in a project of sweeping implication," Carter stated, his voice evenly strained. "When they pitched the idea to me, I saw an opportunity for my companies to weigh in on the basic security and infrastructure options that will govern our lives for decades to come."
"Sounds fabulous," Apex flippantly responded.
"You know as soon as I realized they were going to implement a global surveillance and tracking system, without succumbing to the rule of law or democratic vote, I told you the nightmare I saw coming and I encouraged your initial response to fight back."
"Yes you did."
"When I told you the other day this first phase was lost, I was being realistic. I'm not trying to sabotage you. I want you to realize the challenges you're up...we're up against. A couple of federal civil servants have aligned with global businesspeople and co-opted the extensive resources of the government, and in some cases, the world, to satisfy the requirements of their own plan. Marco, Julia, and the rest of them are running a private covert operation. I doubt this incredible depth of subversive behavior by government cabinet members has ever existed before. They have their own version of national and international security and they were able to move quickly. But you have flexibility and freedom and brainpower and you can move quickly too."
"What are you saying?"
"What would it take to build our own secret communication system?"
Apex was stunned. "You'll..."
"What would it take?"
"The physical infrastructure is straightforward, server farms and satellites. But everyone will want access to the public Internet without being seen. We'll have to create the software for our required functionality."
"Do you know who could create the software?"
"Besides you?"
"Yes. I do not have time."
"Okay, yes I think I know who could do the coding or at least a few people who would try."
"Can you design a viable physical footprint?"
"Yes."
"Okay let's make a plan."
"Carter, I..."
"This should be a fair fight between people and their government. The process will likely take years but I want to do my part to level the playing field. And I'm guessing there are a few others like me who would be interested in the same opportunity to help."
"You're..."
"I know, I know, when am I going to see you?"
"I'm on my way home."
"Good."
"I love you."
"I love you too. Go design a secret internet for us and I'll see you soon."