(C) Steve Douglass
Permission required for publication or posting.
The following is fiction:
Somewhere behind closed doors deep inside the Pentagon:
Man #1: "STUXNET slowed them down some - but it looks like Iran will have the bomb within eighteen months."
Man #2: "And that would be bad."
Man #3 "It would mean the destruction of Israel - or at the least another world war - most likely a nuclear one."
Man #2: "So what do we do- bomb them back into the Stone Age?"
Man #1: "That would most definitely lead to war - and also would kill everyone in the large pro-democracy movement in Iran. We can pray for another Arab Spring type overthrow - but its a race between extremists getting the bomb and a peaceful overthrow of Ahmadinejad."
Man # 3: "They need time."
Man #2: "Who?"
Man # 3: "The Israelis - the pro democracy movement in Iran - and - heck WE do."
Man # 2: "Is there any other way we can slow them down? If only we could hack their entire military network."
Man #1: "Maybe there is - I've been doing some thinking and - well it's a long shot but it might give us access."
Man #3: "Are you pausing for dramatic effect - or are you thinking."
Man #1: "No - it's just that it entails some risk."
Man #3: "Out with it."
Man #1. "The Iranian's know we've been flying drones over their country, Predators, Sentinels, Distant Star - etc., but even with the Russian's help the haven't been able to bring one down."
Man #2: "And?"
Man # 1 "And do you remember how an infected USB drive almost handed China our entire military intranet on a silver platter? They dropped these infected USB flash drives all over Bagdad - in bars US servicemen frequented. They picked them up thinking "wow - free flash drive!" plugged them in and voila! It took us almost six months to purge the stupid virus from our system."
Man #2: "I think I know where he is going with this. You talking about Deep Blue Horizon?"
Man #3. "Deep Blue what?"
Man #1: "Deep Blue Horizon is an advanced piece of A.I. software. It's smart - no -beyond brilliant. Heck - I think it's alive sometimes."
Man #3: "So what does it do?"
Man #2: "Anything we tell it to do. It's unstoppable. Released inside a computer system it mimics that system and is virtually undetectable. It can defend itself - travel anywhere we let it and is at our command."
Man #3: "So how come I've never heard of it?"
Man #2: What's your clearance level?"
Man #3: "Top Secret MAGENTA"
Man #1: "That's why. He isn't cleared. You are going to have to read him in - sign some papers."
Man #3: "Whatever it is - I'll go to my grave …"
Man #1:"You know the drill."
Man #2: "So …?"
Man #1: "So we put DBH inside the operating system of one of our drones - one they want bad. A stealthy one - but not on the cutting edge -something dated."
Man #3: "And we "loose" it over Iran?
Man #1: "Exactly. They'd crap themselves in excitement. They'd parade it like a stolen goat."
Man #2: "Not only that - they'd share the tech with the Russians - Chinese - just to rub our noses in it."
Man #3: "How does it get in?"
Man #2. "It seeks out access-an open wireless point - it's a worm. It can even travel over power lines."
Man #1: " Then It would propagate through various systems until it well- gave us the keys to everything - weapons systems-power grids - encrypted networks - you name it."
Man #2: "And they wouldn't even know it was there."
Man #3. "We'd own them?"
Man #1: "Well - yeah. We'd own them."
Man #2:"And they'd push a button - and nothing would work."
Man#3: "I'm going to the President with this."
-Steve Douglass
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