PROJECT 37: System Override

CHAPTER FIVE

The conference room was silent, except for the hum on the screen that was plastered on the wall. Each member seated around the large round glass table seemed absorbed in their thoughts as they stared at the screen.

The director of the Department of National Security, Emily Brown stood beside her seat at the head of the table. A technician stood near the screen replaying the final transmission gotten before the drone's fall. It was blurry with nothing except an unknown figure could be seen.

She peered closely, hoping to get a glimpse of the culprit’s identity but the transmission ended.

“Play it again.” She ordered the technician.

The footage appeared again, and this time she approached it more closely. The clip shuttered for a few seconds before terminating in another distortion.

This time Emily caught sight of a string of codes forcing their way into the drone's operating system. She had not paid much attention to it before, but this time she appeared to notice something.

She pointed to the screen, “That was not an interference.” she said, particularly to no one.

“No, ma'am. It was hijacking,” the technician stated.

Sounds from the mouths of those seated could be heard. They were conversing in low voices until one of the analysts stood up. He was a nerdy young man who stood about average height. As he stood up, he adjusted his glasses.

“The signal was rewritten. The command structure was overridden at the time the culprit had been seen. Whoever that person is, he knows exactly what he is doing,” the man explained.

Emily turned to face the man, “are you trying to tell me that some person actually hacked into the government drone? With just a portable terminal?” she asked, her temper rising with the thought of that.

“No, ma'am.” The man paused briefly before continuing, “That was not the use of a portable terminal. From our logs, we find that it came from an internal source. We can say it was more like a neural interference.”

The director froze for a moment. She could not believe what she was hearing.

“Neural?” she asked, then scoffed. “Are you telling me that he– wait a minute–” she scoffed again.

“–yes ma'am, he did it using his mind.” the analyst interrupted.

Suddenly, silence fell upon the room again. This time, it was deafening.

General Markus, a huge and fiercely looking man slammed his palms angrily on the desk as he stood up.

“I knew this project would result in something like this. You don't expect to create a mind blowing project without having enemies. Their security wasn't even strong enough and now some miscreant is in possession of something so powerful.” He walked towards Emily, staring menacingly at her, “What do we explain to the higher authorities? Tell me.”

There was no response. No one dared to speak, not in that situation.

Project 37 was not supposed to exist– at least, not in public. It was a project by the government that was meant to be experimented on an individual under control. But it has now gotten out of hand and sight. What was supposed to be a test run for government use was now in the hands of an unknown.

Emily let out a deep sigh before she began speaking: “The deed has been done. We just need to focus on finding this person before the media finds out about the missing prototype. You know, once they hear that there is someone out there hacking into surveillance drones–”

“–everything we have worked for will collapse. The people hardly trust us as it is. Now imagine them seeing clips of a strange man roasting out systems with just a thought. What do you think will happen?” General Markus interrupted, his tone as stern as ever.

Emily returned her attention to the screen. “We have a target with no record of ever existing. For the time being, no one is aware of him; however, if we do not act quickly, the public will learn about him.

Then she turned to the technician, “can you track him using that footage?”

The middle-aged man shook his head, “The person in question performed his action flawlessly and cleanly. I'm afraid we can't find a trace. He has access to the system which had been granted by the chip, but fearfully enough, the chip is beyond that. It is adapting, in other words– it is evolving.”

“So you mean the system is binding with him?” Emily asked.

“Yes, ma'am. He should not have been able to hack into the drone, at least, not this early. His bond with the system is forming faster than what had been projected.”

General Markus gritted his teeth. “So he would not just hide, but also grow stronger. Which means the more he is out there, the harder it becomes to gain control over him.”

Emily's demeanor immediately shifted to a cold one. She quickly turned to the other members seated at the table.

“We need to track him down. Expand the search and keep the nation on a tight and restricted lockdown. If he lets out a breath, I want our satellites to pick it up.” she said to them.

“A-and what happens when we find him?” the young analyst dared to ask.

She shot him a look. “Whether found alive or dead, we neutralize.”

The technicians began to whisper to one another. This was going to be one of the most dangerous tasks ever.

Killing an active chip host? It was practically impossible. This could lead to larger problems, such as corrupted systems or, worse, network failures, among others.

Emily ignored them and continued, “I also want a close eye on his activities and on any of his family members. Since he is human, we would need his weak point and attachments are always the weakness.”

The general scoffed, “You think you can catch him that way?”

Emily clenched her first and she turned to face him, “I don't have the time to think, General. I know. And that is how we are going to get him.”

Deep inside, Emily could not dismiss the feeling she was getting. Everything was at risk, but this time she hoped she was doing the right thing.

“Director,” someone called.

Emily looked up and noticed a young man entering the room. He was dressed in a formal outfit similar to that of a colleague.

“Yes, Mark, how can I help you?”

“I have something you would like to see.” the man said as he stopped in front of her.

Emily raised a brow. “And what is that?”

“A tracker that would lead us to him. The culprit has been right under our nose all this while.”