THE LAST ARK

CHAPTER 21: ENEMY IN THE HOUSE

National Military Command Center (NMCC), Washington, DC Four Days Before Temple Ceremony

Matt steps briskly into the command center at NMCC, which provides a tactical command to all US strategic forces. Th e new Joint Chief, replacing Adam Scott, Admiral Paul Anderson, called an hour ago to request Matt’s fi rsthand assessment of a developing situation. A hundred workstations buzz with activity in the central control room that monitors all US military activity and movements around the globe. “Aft ernoon, commander,” Matt greets. “What do we know?” “Director Adelson, good to see you, sir.” Commander Jim Crawford nods in response. “An hour ago, the USS Georgia executed an emergency surface maneuver because of a power plant malfunction.” Stationed in the Persian Gulf, the Georgia is an Ohio class guided-missile submarine with fi ft een offi cers and a crew of 140. To improve effi ciency and lower maintenance, ship-based nuclear power plants leverage artifi cial intelligence, specially trained to operate a safe nuclear processor from over a hundred thirty sensor feeds. “Any casualties?” Matt asks about the personnel impact first. “Over a dozen men with radiation exposure airlifted to Bahrain for treatment,” the commander replies. “The missile cruiser USS Port Royal intercepted the Georgia to offer evacuation and towing.” Tensions in the Gulf run high, with both Israel and Iran engaging in ship sabotage. Since late 2020, the US has moved massive firepower into the Persian Gulf. Besides the USS Georgia, with a combined capacity of 398 vertical launch tubes, more than most nations, the missile cruisers USS Port Royal and USS Philippine Sea escort the sub. Then add three of the Navy’s eleven nuclear powered aircraft carriers: the USS Nimitz, USS Theodore Roosevelt, and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. An entire fleet to deter Iran and protect the Strait of Hormuz. “Do we know what happened?” Matt asks, wondering why Admiral Andersen wanted him in the loop. Nuclear power plant operations should normally be a Department of Energy issue. “Well, sir, we’re still early in our investigation, but we believe an AI software glitch allowed the fuel rods to overheat. The captain manually implemented emergency measures to force the sub to surface and cool the rods,” Commander Crawford replies. “How would a nuclear submarine, cut off from the world except via encrypted satellite, develop an AI glitch?” Matt wonders aloud. “The DOE tests those controls rigorously.” “Well, sir, that’s why the admiral thought you would want to know,” replies the commander. “The sub docked a few weeks ago for maintenance and food stocks. All systems went through software updates completed through the secure Naval Planned Maintenance System.” Matt takes a deep breath. “Commander Crawford, a software update hack similar to SolarWinds affected those networks. We never fully determined the purpose behind those intrusions, or the intruders.” Commander Crawford scrunches his nose in confusion. “Like a virus?” Matt raises an eyebrow. “We scrub those updates for viruses, meaning something else we can’t detect may have created the sabotage.” Commander Crawford’s face drains. “Sir, every ship in the fleet could be at r i s k .” “Exactly,” Matt says, understanding why the admiral wanted him in the loop.