Forever Yours
48
Perimeter Defense
“ULTIMATELY, it’s all about power,” Henry said as he sat with Nathan, the retired Army general who had just joined his staff. “We’ve got Ari Patel working on a power conservation app and he’s making progress. He’s not a good manager, though. We have three other developers assigned to the project and it’s spinning its wheels. That’s why I’ve asked Conrad to focus on development and testing the power apps now that the network armor is in the market.”
“What’s the problem with Ari’s work?” Schwartz asked.
“It’s not so much his work as his output. He gets distracted. He came up with a good idea for tapping into the computer’s power supply. But then he got sidetracked with developing a rechargeable power cell that would replace the power supply. Another great idea, but it’s not guiding the app work. It’s a case of a brilliant mind lacking direct guidance,” Henry said.
“Okay. Just for my understanding, not because it’s my responsibility,” Schwartz said.
“You understand. Conrad is good at pulling a team together. He even managed with your team. Changing the power source and usage of computers is only a piece of the puzzle. Overall, we still get the bulk of our power from regular utility companies. And my assessment while I’ve been laid up is that they are vulnerable on two fronts,” Henry said.
“In the Pentagon, we’ve long been aware of the vulnerability of the nation’s power grid. The blow to the United States on 9/11 was mostly psychological. The enemy attempted to break the country’s economic engine by attacking what was really just a symbol of the economy: World Trade. But to cripple the country, they could attack the power grid. There are 3,000 electric utility companies in the US which should mean that it is well distributed. But attacking just the top ten would affect some 40,000,000 customers, mostly on the coasts. The connected grid, which attempts to redistribute power from company to company in an emergency, would probably leave every major city in the US in a blackout or at least a brown out.”
“You’ve studied it well,” Henry said. “I’m glad it’s on the government’s radar. But the second way to attack the power grid is through a cyberattack. That’s more your specialty, isn’t it?”
“Yes. And I can draw on some amount of data regarding that. Unfortunately, protecting the entire power grid from cyberattack is like trying to protect the entire country. Cyber borders are not as clearly defined as physical borders where we could build a wall and keep illegal immigrants from crossing. Saying ‘This is US Cyberspace,’ is a practical impossibility,” Schwartz said. “That’s why we’ve emphasized strong network defense for individual companies and most have good network defense. Some are even moving to your Delphos system.”
“If I could trust the utility companies to do their job, I’d be fine with that. I interviewed Ari extensively on this subject and like most companies who aren’t engaged in security directly, the utility companies tend to leave it to ‘the experts’ and assume if they install our software, for example, that’s all they need to do. They can get rid of the ten or twenty network engineers who have been monitoring and protecting their systems from attack.”
“So, you want to set up a version of the Delphos Network Armor that reports incursions to your central monitoring system and directs the counterattack?” Schwartz suggested.
Henry paused and tilted his head to one side while he considered Nathan’s suggestion. One of the founding principles of Open Cloak had been customers not reporting to an outside entity, and they’d stayed pretty true to that. Even Pythia Speaks did not let the company view any personal user data.
“That’s interesting. I hadn’t considered that,” he finally said. “It’s worth thinking about, but I don’t think we want to monitor any software installed on a client’s machine or network. We don’t do that with OC Optimization, OC Search, Forever Yours, or Delphos. I’d have a hard time selling the partners on the concept of monitoring other companies’ networks from inside that company.”
“From inside? You have another notion?” Nathan asked.
“I’ve been thinking that we could build a wall around select networks without looking inside,” Henry postulated. “It’s something one of my partners said, or maybe I only imagined he said it. I was on some pretty heavy painkillers after the incident. Still am. I’m not professing to have always been cogent. I’m still taking things for pain. What I remember or imagined him saying is that we need to build a digital fortress. Surround ourselves with protection. It’s pretty easy to identify and monitor traffic to an IP address. Search and browser analytics do it all the time. Would it be unreasonable to think we could identify and intercept malware attacks without them ever reaching the target at all?”
It was Nathan’s turn to consider what Henry was saying. Gradually, he began to nod.
“Not just utilities. You want to protect the server farm without installing software on every server. Is that what you want me to focus the defense group on?” he asked.
“Yes. That and any other defense mechanisms we can come up with. We should have a study and direction to present to the board in a month. Can you do it?”
“Thirty days it is.”
Dale Jacoby had requested permission to present a proposal to the board of directors at the next meeting on behalf of the investment consortium that he’d brought to the company. He wasn’t the principal investor in the consortium, but was considered their best representative for the board. He’d been Henry’s advisor at the university and was acquainted with several of the people who had been hired. This was only his third board meeting since Argos Venture Capital had invested twenty-five million with a commitment of another twenty-five million per year for three more years.
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to present this on behalf of Argos,” Jacoby said.
“We hadn’t expected an attempted takeover for at least a year,” Luke laughed nervously. “What’s the proposal?”
“I assure you, we’re abiding by the terms we agreed to. You’re managing your capital well and the release of Delphos is really positive,” Jacoby said. “This is an exploration of an opportunity. You’re all familiar with ARDC here in town, right?”
“Refresh me,” Isobel said. She squinted her eyes and grimaced slightly. Henry wondered if she was nursing a hangover.
“American Robotics Development Corporation,” Jacoby said. “They’ve been doing some pretty remarkable projects with specialized robotics. In fact, the specialization aspect is what attracts us to the possibility of a joint venture. Argos Venture Capital is also a major investor in ARDC. Our oversight committee was quick to spot the similarities between the two organizations. The problem ARDC is having is one of AI. The devices it has developed are too specialized to make a generalized AI practical. A couple of years ago, Conrad worked on a robot for the university robot races that outperformed ARDC’s entry. What we’re wondering is if there is a chance the ARDC hardware could function with an Open Cloak brain.”
“Whoa!” Luke exclaimed. “Henry, correct me if I’m wrong, but we don’t have anything that crosses the border between software and hardware, do we?”
“Some of our power research certainly has that potential,” Henry answered. “But it’s managing static equipment, not mechanics. As to actually controlling a mechanical device, which is what I believe we’re talking about here… we’re not there yet, but it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility.”
Henry’s left arm lay across his chest, the rigid cast still in place. He kept a rubber ball in his left hand almost all the time and kept squeezing it so the muscles in his arm would not completely atrophy while it was immobilized. He’d delayed taking a pain pill until after the board meeting and was regretting it.
“I know this would involve another level of staffing and expertise. The university robotics lab and the AI department have been turning out some excellent talent and I’m sure some of it could be attracted to the project,” Jacoby said. “What we’re proposing is a joint venture of ARDC and Open Cloak to develop a fully AI-powered specialized robot.”
“You must have a type of robot in mind,” Henry said. “Let me tell you up front that I won’t support any development of a humanoid robot powered by our AI. I don’t want us involved in anything that even approaches that.”
“Agreed,” said Chastity and Isobel at the same time.
“It sounds like a good idea,” Isobel said. “I’ll go with the board’s decision. If you’ll excuse me, I’m not feeling well.”
She hurriedly left the meeting. Henry looked at Luke with a raised eyebrow. Luke shook his head and returned to the immediate subject.
“A type of robot?” he prompted.
“Have you driven out of town on I-376 lately?” Jacoby asked. They all nodded. “It’s a mess. The cutbacks in federal funding and the use of infrastructure funding as a stick to beat states into compliance with the administration’s directives in the past four years have left highways in dismal repair. Last month, my wife and I took our travel trailer out for a little weeklong vacation. The highway was so rough, it jarred the doors inside the trailer off their hinges. ARDC has a preliminary drawing for a paving machine that could do a complete prep and resurface job if it only had a brain.”
“So, we’d need to hire developers and get a product designed to work with the new paving robot,” Henry said. “I’m not sure I know where to start with that. We’d need to hire a manager who could head up such a project and then staff it. We’re looking at close to all our capital for the next two years.”
“I know Isobel didn’t vote for that,” Chastity said.
“I mentioned that Argos is willing to fund the joint venture. Our group has estimated that at about $250 million over the next two years. Machining and manufacturing a first-generation device is more expensive than creating the software just because of the materials involved.”
“That’s a lot of money,” Luke said.
“It still leaves me to search a competent manager for such a project,” Henry sighed. “This is definitely not up my alley.”
“As it happens,” Jacoby said, “I’ve grown tired of teaching and would like to get back into directly creating something.”
It would probably take a month to actually launch the robotics project, but Henry realized he was fulfilling some of his major needs in the company. Darrel, Nathan, and Jacoby were all older and far more experienced than he was, in very different aspects of the business. He felt he had a few mentors to work with him. They all accepted him as their boss, but shared freely with him when he asked their advice.
Friday after the Wednesday board meeting, Germaine picked him up in the van, but didn’t take him to the office.
“What’s up this morning, Germaine?” Henry asked. He tried not to be concerned about his personal security, but an interruption in his schedule was a little alarming. He tried to calm his breathing.
“Mr. Henry, today is your doctor appointment to have your casts and healing checked,” said his driver. He’d come to depend on her more than he’d imagined he would.
“Really? I guess I forgot. Usually Lisa accompanies me,” he said.
“Miss Lisa has a conference call with her father this morning. Chastity had to go directly to the office for an interview.”
“You’re better informed about my schedule than I am,” Henry chuckled. “Who is Chastity interviewing today?”
“A new receptionist.”
“Is Nancy leaving?” Henry asked.
“Nancy is cutting back her hours at the front desk and will be taking on a larger role supporting Conrad and General Nathan,” Germaine said.
“Wouldn’t you be the next to take on receptionist duties?”
“I prefer not to answer phones and greet people, sir. I am very happy assisting you and running errands.”
“You are kind of my assistant, aren’t you?”
“Chastity says you are my first priority. You don’t ask much of me,” Germaine said as she pulled into the clinic parking lot. She got Henry out of the van and into the office so he could check in. “Do you need me to accompany you to take notes, sir?”
“Oh. Uh… No, Germaine. I think I can manage today. Thank you.”
Henry wheeled in and was helped onto the table for x-rays to check on the healing of his arm and leg. Then he met with his doctor.
“How is your physical therapy going?” the doctor asked.
“Hurts,” Henry laughed. “Isn’t that what PT stands for? Pain and torture? Seriously, it’s been going okay. He seems to think I’m at least keeping my arm fit, but is concerned with how much muscle and mobility I’m losing in my leg. Of course, he has me working with weights to stay strong on my good side.”
“There isn’t much I can do about your leg at the moment. You just can’t imagine how many pieces of bone I had to pin together,” the doctor said. “The pictures today show significant progress. I’d like to change you out of the full arm cast to a humeral brace that will continue to protect the upper arm and continue to restrict mobility, but not to the extent that we’ve been doing. It will allow the therapist to work on strengthening it. Most of the time, you’ll still need to wear a sling. I’m hopeful that in two weeks we might be able to do the same for the leg. The break in the tibia seems to be knitted up pretty well. I want to wait until I’m sure knee movement won’t disrupt the pinning in the femur.”
“I’m all for whatever progress we can make,” Henry said. “Getting elbow movement will be a big gain.”
“Limited elbow movement,” the doctor clarified. “Don’t overdo it.”
The doctor changed the cast and wrote new instructions for the physical therapist Henry went to see three times a week. Germaine was waiting patiently for him when he finally got out of the doctor’s office.
“You have new movement in your arm!” she exclaimed.
“Yes. A lot of limitations regarding how much movement and still not weight bearing, which means no crutches yet, but it should make keyboarding easier. Maybe.”
Chastity walked into Henry’s office and closed and locked the door behind her. They’d made several changes to his desk and room arrangement to accommodate the wheelchair, but there was still room for Chastity to perch on the corner of his desk.
Henry shifted his chair slightly so he could easily use his right hand to touch her legs.
“Are you doing okay?” he asked.
“That’s supposed to be my question after your doctor’s appointment. It’s nice to see you with mobility in your arm,” she responded.
He shifted further so he could rest his left hand on her leg, though he couldn’t really do much with it.
“It’s nice to be able to touch you with it,” he said.
“Mmmhmm. Germaine said you didn’t know I was shifting Nancy and hiring another receptionist. Do you not remember?” Chastity asked.
“Uh… I seemed to have misplaced a few brain cells this morning,” Henry said. “Forgot the doctor’s appointment and Lisa’s meeting. I know we talked about all that the other day. I just forgot.”
“That’s not like you, Henry. I’m concerned.”
“Oh, it’s nothing serious. I was probably in need of a painkiller. You know, it’s still… you know… hurts.” Henry reached into a drawer and pulled out a prescription bottle. He popped a pill into his mouth and drank from a cup of cold coffee. “I need to get this refilled.”
“Henry, honey, I’m worried about that. The doctor said you should be off painkillers by now. I’m afraid something else might be wrong,” Chastity said gently.
“Do you think I’m not still hurting from all this? That my leg doesn’t throb? That I’m not suppressing headaches and anger because I can’t show my wife and lover how much I love them?” Henry raised the pitch of his voice until he was almost shouting. “And that fucking bastard is still running around spewing his hatred of us and everything we’ve accomplished!”
Chastity was dumbfounded for a moment and then reached out to hug his head to her chest. Her eyes were leaking. Henry was panting.
“You’re so brave and so strong,” she whispered. “We didn’t know how much you are hurting. Let us help, love. Let’s find someone to talk it over with.”
“Talk? Let’s hire a hit man to go plug the son of a bitch!”
They stayed like that for a few minutes until both had settled down a little.
“Send Germaine to refill your prescription,” Chastity said. “You aren’t taking advantage of her as your assistant. You are her job number one.”
“She does seem to always be available. Is she really my assistant?”
“That and so much more,” Chastity laughed.
“Hon, you haven’t been scheming to have another woman in our life, have you?”
“Oh, goddess, Henry! No! Lisa and I are all you need and all each other needs. Germaine is your assistant, your driver, and your security.”
“My what? Security?”
“We did a thorough search for good security for our company and personnel. Luke hired a company to provide corporate security, but we searched for an all-round bodyguard for you—well, us. The threat against Lisa and me isn’t as active as against you, but we’re with you most of the time,” Chastity said.
“Is that something else I knew and forgot?” he asked.
“Not exactly. We didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, so she’s just your assistant. If an emergency ever arose, though, she’d be there. She served in the Marines for six years.”
“Wow! I need to think about that and figure out what else my assistant should be responsible for. You really take good care of me, Chastity.”
“We take care of each other.”
Even though Henry was still limited to lying on his back on the bed in the living room while he made love with his wives, having some mobility in his left arm improved things immensely. He was able to touch more and get his arm out of the way when Chastity settled on his mouth while Lisa rode his dick. They had sex twice over the weekend, which was a new high since the incident.
More important than the sex, however, was the long conversations they held while all sharing the reclining loveseat.
Eventually, Henry agreed that he might be overusing the painkillers the doctor had prescribed. He didn’t mention he’d changed the prescription online so he could have it refilled. He was suffering from PTSD, especially when riding in the van. He described his near panic Friday morning when Germaine didn’t take him to the office.
He found that Lisa had already begun seeing a therapist to talk through her anxiety after the attack and invited Henry and Chastity to join her, which they agreed to.
“I don’t think anything would do more to alleviate whatever I’m suffering in my mind than hearing that fucking preacher was dead. And all his church members, too.”
He knew he’d set things in motion with his own AI attack on the minister, but it seemed to be taking forever. The AI was programmed to find and expose every aspect of Daniel Reeves’ life, the same way the Forever Yours AI collected information on a client. But it didn’t keep that information private. It transferred it to public forums. And after having set up the attack, he refused to even follow news reports other than those brought to his attention by a partners or wives.
“You might not need to worry about him again,” Chastity said. “All the pickets at Page Services have left. Pythia Speaks is getting over a million English language queries a day and nearly a million in other languages, but it’s apparently not important enough for the Sword of the Spirit to continue to picket.”
“For that matter, the Sword of the Spirit Evangelical Church has reportedly lost half its membership in the past few weeks after allegations about Rev. Reeves’ fraud and embezzlement investigation surfaced,” Lisa added. “He might end up in prison sometime soon. Haven’t you been following the stories?”
“No. Every time I saw his name, it made my arm and leg and head hurt, and I had to take a pill. I just want him to disappear,” Henry said. “Erase his name from the world.”
“That’s something you should probably talk to the counselor about,” Lisa said. “If it causes you pain, I won’t bring it up again.”
“Oh, look what I brought up!” Chastity said as she pulled her mouth off Henry’s cock. “I might have an addiction of my own that I need to talk about. I certainly felt like I was in withdrawal before we got you back!”
With that, she moved so she could press herself down on Henry’s erection and bounce on him as he deeply kissed Lisa.
Please feel free to send comments to the author at devon@devonlayne.com.
